The House’s Foolhardy Principles

National Review Online by Mark Krikorian
The Republican “Standards for Immigration Reform,” released today by the party at its congressional retreat, are pretty much what we’d been led to expect. They call for more enforcement, increasing legal immigration but orienting it away from family ties, and amnesty.

They’re really not that different from the Senate Gang of Eight’s original “Bipartisan Framework for Immigration Reform.” And look how that turned out.

Read more at National Review
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NRO: House Republicans Unveil Immigration Reform Principles

National Review Online/THE CORNER by Andrew Stiles
House GOP leaders on Thursday [Jan. 30] released the following one-page document outlining their “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.

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CBS Caught Censoring Cruz’s Comments On Obama’s Abuse of Power

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) appeared on CBS Face the Nation on Sunday morning and was met with a barrage of questions from host Bob Schieffer about his involvement in the government shutdown. Apart from being the victim of Schieffer’s accusations that the Tea Party senator was to blame for the shutdown, it also appears that Mr. Cruz was the victim of editing by CBS. ✧ Based on video from Senator Cruz’s YouTube page and what aired on the Face the Nation broadcast, the senator’s comments surrounding President Obama’s “abuse of power” were edited from the program. Instead what aired was a segment that ignored many of the senator’s complaints directed at President Obama. --See the aired and unaired videos at InfoWars... Read More......

Pending Patent Legislation Stifles The Next Steve Jobs

By Rep. Dana Rhorabacher (R-CA)
Steve Jobs started Apple in his garage in Silicon Valley. Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in an apartment garage outside Seattle. Stanford students Sergey Brin and Larry Page got Google off the ground in a garage they rented south of San Francisco. ✧ But a Senate bill supported by these companies and a handful of other deep-pocketed multinational corporations threatens to close the garage doors of small inventors forever. If enacted, it will stifle American innovation and destroy untold numbers of future jobs. ✧ I am speaking of S.1720, the so-called "Patent Transparency and Improvements Act of 2013." Its backers claim it will reduce frivolous patent lawsuits. In reality, it was designed to rid big high-tech companies of what they fear the most: little guys with great ideas. (The equivalent House Bill is H.R.3309.) Read More at Investor's Business Daily

Check THOMAS to search for bills, find sponsors and cosponsors, etc. Read More......

Reality Is Crashing Down On GOP Leaders' Amnesty Plan

Immigration: Anti-amnesty Republicans prepare for an intra-party war, while wiser voices tell House Speaker John Boehner to drop immigration for 2014. Disunity going into this year's elections would be inexcusable. ✧ Thanks to the ObamaCare debacle and the IRS, Benghazi and other scandals, Republicans will almost surely drub the Democrats in this year's midterm elections. They'll hold on to the House of Representatives and maybe even win control of the Senate. ✧ So why spoil it all by fighting a bloody internecine battle on immigration?

Read more at Investor's Business Daily
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Sowell: Leaders Of The Left And Their Contempt For 'The People'

By Thomas Sowell
One of the things that attracted me to the political left as a young man was a belief that leftists were for "the people." ✧ Fortunately, I was also very interested in the history of ideas — and years of research in that field repeatedly brought out the inescapable fact that many leading thinkers on the left had only contempt for "the people." ✧ That has been true from the 18th century to the present. Even more surprising, I discovered over the years that leading thinkers on the opposite side of the ideological spectrum had more respect for ordinary people than people on the left who spoke in their name.

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Examiner Editorial: Liberals ready to use government power against Tea Party

Sen. Chuck Schumer's endorsement of President Obama's use of the IRS to target and harass Tea Party, conservative and evangelical nonprofits is further evidence that many contemporary liberals are comfortable using government power to squelch political opponents. They are even willing to steamroll one of America's most cherished rights -- freedom of speech -- to thwart people with views contrary to their own. Speaking to the Center for American Progress last week, Schumer decried the Tea Party's influence on House Republicans and declared that “there are many things that can be done administratively by the IRS and other government agencies -- we must redouble those efforts immediately.”

Read more at the Washington Examiner Read More......

Dinesh D'Souza's 'America' Trailer Released (Video)

The conservative behind "2016: Obama's America" is under indictment for campaign finance violations but his next documentary, "America," will open on schedule on July 4, filmmakers say. ✧ In America, D'Souza -- who wrote and produced the film -- makes the claim that 1960s radical leftism is more or less indistinguishable from current mainstream liberalism, a doctrine that he says preaches the United States is the product of "stealing and plunder" from Native Americans, Mexicans and African-American slaves. ✧ "I want to take this progressive, leftist critique head on," D'Souza says in the trailer. The movie will include re-creations of some of the major events in American history. Read more at The Hollywood Reporter.

"America" Trailer from Dinesh D'Souza on Vimeo.

Note: Watch Dinesh D'Souza vs. Bill Ayres "The Ultimate Fight between Left and Right" live streamed on January 30th at 7:30 p.m. (EST)  Sign up to watch: http://live.dineshdsouza.com. The topic is "What's so great about America?" Held at Dartmouth College, this debate is sponsored locally by Darthmouth College Republicans and nationally by Young Americans for Freedom.

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Liberal Icon Urges Impeachment: Obama 'The Most Destructive, Dangerous President We've Ever Had'

A well-respected constitutional expert is blasting President Obama’s unprecedented abuse of powers, and has described him as worse than Richard Nixon. He even goes so far as to call him the most un-American president in the history of the nation.  The words of an arch-conservative? Hardly. The warnings of a liberal icon.  Nat Hentoff, historian, novelist and syndicated columnist, is not a fan of Barack Obama. In fact, Hentoff says it’s time to consider impeachment — citing Obama’s tendency to resort to executive orders or actions whenever his proposals are rejected by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.  “Apparently he doesn’t give one damn about the separation of power. Never before in our history has a president done these things.”

Read more at the Independent Journal Review
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California students sue over teacher tenure

Nine California public school students are suing the state over its laws on teacher tenure, seniority and other protections that the plaintiffs say keep bad educators in classrooms.

Read more at The Press Democrat
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Fallon & Romney "Slow Jam the News"

Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney (R) appeared on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” Friday night to “slow jam the news,” not shying away from talking about President Barack Obama’s signature health care law and highlighting increasing concern over domestic surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency. Read more at The Blaze

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The Konservativ Kristallnacht is here

Kristallnacht, literally, "Night of Crystal," is often referred to as the "Night of Broken Glass." The name refers to the wave of violent anti-Jewish pogroms which took place on November 9 and 10, 1938, throughout Germany, annexed Austria, and in areas of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia recently occupied by German troops.

Instigated primarily by Nazi Party officials and members of the SA (Sturmabteilungen: literally Assault Detachments, but commonly known as Storm Troopers) and Hitler Youth, Kristallnacht owes its name to the shards of shattered glass that lined German streets in the wake of the pogrom—broken glass from the windows of synagogues, homes, and Jewish-owned businesses plundered and destroyed during the violence.

Read more at Flopping Aces
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A Voters' Guide to Republicans

Tired of Democrats referring to Republicans as greedy? Fascist? Racist? In this 2011 Firewall video Bill Whittle addresses the charges and turns the tables using historical facts and modern reality. Today's Progressives believe that somewhere between Abraham Lincoln and the Great Society, Republicans and Democrats switched places and that Democrats are now the party of civil rights. Whittle makes short work of that…

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'Socialist' Swedes Take to Private Health Insurance

Sweden, a country famous for a welfare state that has actually been trimmed back substantially in recent years, is experiencing a phenomenon unlikely to bring cheer to those Americans who think the answer to Obamacare's problems is more government involvement in medicine. Tired of long waits and inadequate care, Swedes increasingly purchase private health insurance policies to gain access to the care the state can't provide.

Read more at Reason
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Left-Wing Support Group

It’s odd watching a group of left-wing academics buck up each other’s spirits after they’ve encountered the cold, cruel world outside academe. Such a gathering was on display at the Modern Language Association’s annual meeting in Chicago this month whenever the Radical Caucus of the MLA met.  “The failure of communism did not result from Lenin, Stalin and Mao,” Grover C. Furr of Montclair State University told the group. “These were some of the greatest men in the world.”  “Socialism preserved the contradictions of capitalism, such as differentiations in pay. We should abandon the term ‘socialism.’ Marx and Engels did not write The Socialist Manifesto.”  Furr also says of the Soviet massacre of Polish officers in the Katyn Forest that “It turns out it didn’t happen.” Actually, we now have a copy of Soviet premier Joseph Stalin’s signature authorizing the assassination.

Read more at Accuracy in Academia
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Conger: $200M wasted, time to shut Cover Oregon down

PORTLAND, ORE – Rep. Jason Conger (R-Bend) renewed his call to shut down Cover Oregon in light of new information showing that $200 million has been spent out of roughly $300 million in federal grant money the state received to build its health insurance exchange. ✧ “Cover Oregon is a train wreck, and the more we learn the worse it gets,” Conger said. “We now know that $200 million has been spent – and the website still doesn’t work.“

Read more at the Oregon Catalyst
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EPA Decree Shrinks Size of Wyoming by a Million Acres

Why is the EPA altering state boundaries in Wyoming - and reversing over 100 years of established law? Well, apparently the city of Riverton now falls under the jurisdiction of the Wind River Indian Reservation.   This, obviously, isn't sitting well with the governor's office - which is urging the EPA to reconsider its ruling and respect the rule of law. ✧ Reacting to the decision to reduce the size of Wyoming by about a million acres, Wyoming Governor Matt Mead warned of the dangers to all Americans of this type of unilateral land redistribution by the EPA...

Read more at CNS News
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UN Chief: Communism Is the Environment’s Only Hope

Well… On the bright side: The UN Climate Chief has finally decided to adopt a certain modicum of honesty in her crusade to rid the world of pollution. As suspected by capitalists, free market advocates, and anyone who read into the redistributive agenda of the UN Climate Scientists, Christiana Figueres has suggested that only communism is capable of successfully fighting global warming and “climate change”.

Read more at Townhall.com
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Chart of the greatest and most remarkable achievement in human history, and one you probably never heard about

AEI: Everybody’s featuring their “graphs and charts of the year,” like The Atlantic and the Washington Post (be sure to see Vice-President Joe Biden’s “Graph of the Year” on Amtrak ridership). Well, the chart below could perhaps qualify as the “chart of the century” because it illustrates one of the most remarkable achievements in human history: the 80% reduction in world poverty in only 36 years, from 26.8% of the world’s population living on $1 or less (in 1987 dollars) in 1970 to only 5.4% in 2006. (Source: The 2009 NBER working paper “Parametric Estimations of the World Distribution of Income,” by economists Maxim Pinkovskiy (MIT) and Xavier Sala-i-Martin (Columbia University).

What accounts for this great achievement that you never hear about?

AEI president Arthur Brooks explains in the video below, summarized here:

It turns out that between 1970 and 2010 the worst poverty in the world – people who live on one dollar a day or less – has decreased by 80 percent (see chart above). You never hear about that.

It’s the greatest achievement in human history, and you never hear about it.

80 percent of the world’s worst poverty has been eradicated in less than 40 years. That has never, ever happened before.

So what did that? What accounts for that? United Nations? US foreign aid? The International Monetary Fund? Central planning? No.

It was globalization, free trade, the boom in international entrepreneurship. In short, it was the free enterprise system, American style, which is our gift to the world.

I will state, assert and defend the statement that if you love the poor, if you are a good Samaritan, you must stand for the free enterprise system, and you must defend it, not just for ourselves but for people around the world. It is the best anti-poverty measure ever invented.

Source: American Enterprise Institute
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Dr. Michael Newton honored by Oregon Farm Bureau

Mike Newton of Oregon State University was honored with a 2013 Oregon Farm Bureau Distinguished Service Award last month at the 81st annual meeting of the OFB in Bend, Oregon. Specifically, Dr. Newton was recognized for Exemplary Service & Contributions to Family, Forestry & Agriculture’s Success. Read more at the Gazette-Times (Jan. 6) Movers & Shakers, Take a Bow.

Congratulations Mike! Read More......

Berkeley and the Tea Party – Together?

SUSTAINABLE FREEDOM LAB
Can the American left and right unite in 2014? Can they find a common cause without whipping up a cat 5 hurricane? That may be happening. ✧ Berkeley California is a liberal community with a strong and vocal conservative contingent. But California’s Plan Bay Area may be the flash point that welds the two seemingly disparate groups. ✧ In 2008 the California legislature approved SB375, which mandates the states’ 18 metropolitan regions develop Sustainable Community Strategies and reduce greenhouse gases. ✧ In compliance with SB375, Plan Bay Area combines 9 counties in the San Francisco area to form one of the nation’s most aggressive sustainable communities planning regions. Berkeley is in the Plan Bay Area region. ✧ While Plan Bay Area’s goals of increased sustainability and reduced greenhouse gases sound noble, the plan contains serious drawbacks that are catapulting fury across the local political spectrum. Read more at Sustainable Freedom Lab.org... Read More......

Group Run by al Qaeda Terrorist Invited to Brief Dems on Drone Policy

AMERICAN MILITARY NEWS
Representatives Alan Grayson (D., Fla.), Barbara Lee (D., Calif.), and Jan Schakowsky (D., Ill.) were scheduled to meet with Mohammad Al Ahmandy, the Yemen director of Al Karma, a non-governmental organization whose president and founder, Abdul Rahmna Naimi, was designated as a terrorist and al Qaeda supporter in December by the U.S. Treasury Department. Additional members of the organization have been designated as terrorists or are wanted on terrorism charges in other countries. ✧ The November meeting was scheduled to discuss U.S. counterterrorism policy, to include the use of drones in Yemen. The U.S. State Department denied Al Ahmandy’s request for a visa and the meeting did not occur. ✧ When questioned for comment, offices of Lee, Schakowsky, and Grayson either deflected inquiries, blamed the other offices, or not respond. Read more at American Military News... Read More......