konane's Blog

"GOP House Revives 140-Year-Old Rule That Has Swamp-Dwelling Bureaucrats Sweating Bullets

"GOP House Revives 140-Year-Old Rule That Has Swamp-Dwelling Bureaucrats Sweating Bullets

".....For those of you who may have forgotten in the age of executive orders and actions, changes in federal law are supposed to originate in Congress, making the legislative branch the key to ending Washington’s toxic culture.

Now, according to The Washington Post, the GOP-controlled House has used the first week of the new Congress to reinstate the Holman Rule, an 1876 provision that can use an amendment to an appropriations bill to reduce the salary of an individual government employee to $1.

The rule would let lawmakers target civil servants who abuse their posts but still have union protections. The rule could, for instance, have been used on former Internal Revenue Service official Lois Lerner, locus of the IRS’ intimidation scandal....."

http://www.westernjournalism.com/thepoint/2017/01/06/house-revives-corruption-rule/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=rightalertsemail&utm_content=2017-01-08&utm_campaign=can

Entry #2,570

"Secret Service Managers Fired, Escorted from White House Grounds

"Secret Serrvice Managers Fired, Escorted from White House Grounds

 Kristinn Taylor Feb 3rd, 2017 12:47 am Gateway Pundit

At least two manager level Secret Service officials were fired and escorted from the White House complex, according to a report by reporter Steve Clemons.

The Secret Service has been accused of slow-walking an investigation of an agent based in Denver who publicly stated she would not ‘take a bullet’ for President Donald Trump.

“Reports coming in that some Secret Service mgr level personnel forced 2 resign 2nite & escorted out of EEOB. Two out but source says more…Repeat. Two (& perhaps more) @SecretService Mgr level staff abtuptly forced to resign tonight & escorted out of EEOB #trump #whitehouse”  ....."

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/02/breaking-report-secret-service-managers-fired-escorted-white-house-complex/

Entry #2,569

List of Republicans Who Oppose Or Support Trump's Immigration Ban


"List of Republicans Who Oppose Or Support Trump’s Immigration Ban

by DML DAILY/ January 30, 2017/ POLITICS

The Hill put together a list of Republicans who have voiced support or concern over the ban. Here is the list they compiled:

SENATORS OPPOSING THE ORDER (6)

Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.)

Sen. Susan Collins (Maine)

Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.)

Sen. John McCain (Ariz.)

Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.)

Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.)

SENATORS EXPRESSING CONCERN ABOUT THE ORDER (11)

Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.)

Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.)

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)

Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.)

Sen. James Lankford (Okla.)

Sen. Mike Lee (Utah)

Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.)

Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio)

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.)

Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.)

HOUSE MEMBERS OPPOSING THE ORDER (7)

Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.)

Rep. Mike Coffman (Colo.)

Rep. Charlie Dent (Pa.)

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.)

Rep. Will Hurd (Texas)

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.)

Rep. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.)

HOUSE MEMBERS EXPRESSING CONCERN ABOUT THE ORDER (6)

Rep. Carlos Curbelo (Fla.)

Rep. Barbara Comstock (Va.)

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.)

Rep. Raul Labrador (Idaho)

Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas)

Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio)

REPUBLICANS VOICING SUPPORT FOR THE ORDER

Senate (3)

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)

Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.)

House (34)

Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-La.)

Rep. Robert Aderholt(R-Ala.)

Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas)

Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas)

Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.)

Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.)

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas)

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)

Rep. Rod Blum (R-Ill.)

Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.)

Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.)

Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.)

Rep. Dan Donovan (R-N.Y.)

Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.)

Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-Fla.)

Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.)

Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio)

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.)

Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.)

Rep. Devin Nunes (Calif.)

Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas)

Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.)

Rep. Jim Renacci (Ohio):

Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.)

Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.)

Rep. Ed Royce (Calif.)

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.)

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.)

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas)

Rep. Scott Taylor (R-Va.)

Rep. David Trott (R-Mich.)

Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.)

Rep. Roger Williams(R-Texas)

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.)

http://dennismichaellynch.com/list-republicans-congress-oppose-support-trumps-immigration-ban/

Entry #2,565

"These 73 sitting Democrats voted to ban visas from some Muslim countries. That law still exists.

Can you say hypocrisy & obstructionism? Clown

 

"These 73 sitting Democrats voted to ban visas from some Muslim countries. That law still exists.

".....Sixteen sitting Democrats, including their Minority Leader, voted for the 2002 bill [several of them were in the House at the time]:

Cantwell, D-Wash. (F, 4%)

Cardin, D-Md. (F, 2%)

Carper, D-Del. (F, 10%)

Markey, D-Ore. (F, 17%)

Menendez, D-N.J. (F, 6%)

Murray, D-Wash. (F, 2%)

Nelson, D-Fla. (F, 4%)

Reed, D-R.I. (F, 4%)

Sanders, I-Vt. (F, 17%)

Schumer, D-N.Y. (F, 2%)

Stabenow, D-Mich. (F, 8%)

Wyden, D-Ore. (F, 6%)

Durbin, D-Ill. (F, 2%)

Feinstein, D-Calif. (F, 0%)

Leahy, D-Vt. (F, 6%)

Udall, D-N.M. (F, 4%)

"....In addition, such prominent Democrats as former Vice President Biden, former Secretary of State Clinton, former Secretary of State Kerry, and former Majority Leader Reid vote voted for the bill.

In the House, 57 sitting Democrats voted for the 2002 bill, including leadership members, such as Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. (F, 10%), Steny Hoyer, D-M.D. (F, 8%), and James Clyburn, D-S.C. (F, 8%).

Dianne Feinstein has now introduced a bill to overturn Trump’s executive order, but her bill would also overturn, in part, the law on the books she herself sponsored and supported in 2002. In addition, a number of Republicans who are whining about the order, such as John McCain, R-Ariz. (F, 32%), voted for the 2002 bill.

The 2002 bill also established a program to monitor foreign students in the U.S. As part of that program, the Bush administration created the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), which required visa recipients from countries that represented a security risk (at least 25 countries fell into that category) to register with an ICE office and report regularly about their plans. Unfortunately, Obama’s DHS abolished the program in May 2011. Now, there are twice as many foreign students in the United States, including well over 150,000 from the very countries originally monitored by the Bush administration’s program. ...."

".....Yet, many Republicans are now to the left of even where Democrats were just 15 years ago. As for Democrats, any shred of intellectual honesty and concern for American security has been compromised to serve their ultimate goal of creating a permanent voting bloc at any and all costs."

https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2017/01/these-73-sitting-democrats-voted-to-ban-visas-from-some-muslim-countries-that-law-still-exists

Entry #2,564

"Is President Trump Doing Management Wrong?

I've excerpted quite of bit of what's written because of his superb explanation of our witnessing a highly successful business man, now our President in action. Reading the entire article is very worth the time.

 

"Is President Trump Doing Management Wrong?

Source: Scott Adams Blog (Dilbert)

Posted January 31st, 2017 @ 9:24am in #Trump #management #entrepreneur 1

"It appears that Trump’s counter-persuasion for “chaos” involves framing his administration as “disruptive.” That’s a good persuasion move because it doesn’t deny the observations. A disruption looks a lot like chaos from the outside. Two movies on one screen.

The interesting question to me is this: How do we know whether President Trump is doing a good job or a bad one? What standard do we use for comparison? If you are not comparing Trump’s performance to some objective standard, you’re not saying anything at all......"

"......Let me explain another management concept that the pundits don’t understand because, generally speaking, they don’t have the right kind of education or experience to analyze a business process.

There are two basic styles of management. One is the cautious style of Fortune 500 companies. The other is the rapid-iteration and A/B testing style of entrepreneurs. Trump is bringing the latter style to the office. The markers for this style of management include:

1. Rapid and decisive hiring and firing.

2. Bias toward action.

3. Rapid A/B testing. Release the early beta version and judge reactions. Adjust accordingly.

4. Emphasis on the psychology of success. Entrepreneurial management includes lots of persuasion and bull because entrepreneurs have to fake it until they make it. In other words, they have to create demand via persuasion....."

".....A good way to tell whether a pundit or citizen understands the field of risk management well enough to critique Trump’s performance is to ask how they view his history of bankruptcies. If a person thinks those bankruptcies are a sign of poor management, they probably don’t know much about business. But if they understand the few bankruptcies – out of hundreds of projects – as part of a diversification strategy with good risk management that siloed off the losers, you might be seeing someone who understands business."

http://blog.dilbert.com/post/156628357041/is-president-trump-doing-management-wrong

Entry #2,561

Trump Fires Acting Attorney General Yates For "Betrayal"

"Trump Fires Acting Attorney General Yates For "Betrayal"

"...    Statement on the Appointment of Dana Boente as Acting Attorney General

    The acting Attorney General, Sally Yates, has betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States. This order was approved as to form and legality by the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel.

    Ms. Yates is an Obama Administration appointee who is weak on borders and very weak on illegal immigration.

    It is time to get serious about protecting our country. Calling for tougher vetting for individuals travelling from seven dangerous places is not extreme. It is reasonable and necessary to protect our country.

    Tonight, President Trump relieved Ms. Yates of her duties and subsequently named Dana Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, to serve as Acting Attorney General until Senator Jeff Sessions is finally confirmed by the Senate, where he is being wrongly held up by Democrat senators for strictly political reasons.

    "I am honored to serve President Trump in this role until Senator Sessions is confirmed. I will defend and enforce the laws of our country to ensure that our people and our nation are protected," said Dana Boente, Acting Attorney General. ...."

..."

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-30/mutiny-acting-attorney-general-orders-justice-department-not-defend-trump-executive-

Entry #2,559