America’s Most Communist States: California and New York

Hat tip to Fox News for this report

New York and California have for generations of Americans been considered destination spots to express personal freedoms — one with a city big enough for anybody with a dream to perhaps become a star and the other a state synonymous with the so-called laid-back lifestyle.  

But such attitudes have drastically changed, according to a new study that finds the two states last in individual freedom.

The “Freedom in the 50 States” study published last week by the libertarian-leaning Mercatus Center ranks New York last and California second to last.

The survey is based on fiscal issues such as job prospects and tax rates, regulatory policies that include property rights and personal freedoms such as gun laws.

“When it comes to overall freedom, New York ranks dead last,” the study’s authors said.

They point out that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has taken away – or at least tried to take away – several personal freedoms, including his failed effort to outlaw the sale of sodas 16 ounces and larger.

“Though the law ran into a judicial buzz saw on the eve of its enactment earlier this month, it demonstrates the attitude city and state legislators have toward their constituents,” the authors noted.

Bloomberg has already imposed a stiff tax on cigarette sales and is a leading advocate for tougher gun laws.

In addition, New Yorkers pay a state income tax of 14 percent.

“Even New Yorkers who don’t care about sweet drinks have to deal with the highest state and local tax burden in the country,” the authors wrote.

The result is New Yorkers are voting with their feet, with roughly 1.7 million leaving between 2000 and 2010, though newborns and new immigrants are keeping the state’s population steady, according to the study.

“We’re not living in a police state,” White Plains attorney John Murtagh told CBS New York. “But the economics of New York clearly don’t work. And then you see things like Mike Bloomberg and his Big Gulp sodas.”

The top five states with the most freedom are North  Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, New Hampshire and Oklahoma, according to the study from the center, at George Mason University in Virginia.

North Dakota came in first in large part based of its “very low taxes” and government debt, the authors said. “However, its spending is uncharacteristically high.”

The three other lowest ranking states are Rhode Island, Hawaii and New Jersey, in descending order.

The study authors said California’s biggest problem is business regulation, though a recent attempt to impose a higher tax rate on the state’s highest earners has become a major complaint among residents.

“The Golden State, with hundreds of miles of picturesque Pacific coastline, nonetheless managed to drive off a net of 1.5 million residents between 2000 and 2010 — over  4 percent of its 2000 population,” the authors wrote.

They also pointed out Californians‘ personal income contracted by 0.4 percent a year in the seven years before the Great Recession struck, a record worse than any other state besides Michigan.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/31/survey-new-york-california-last-in-personal-freedoms/?test=latestnews#ixzz2PCVvUI12

Related articles

• Survey: New York, California last in personal freedoms (theseatonpost.com)
• New York State Ranks Last In Personal Freedom (sweetness-light.com)
• New York Least Free State, North Dakota The Most, Study Finds (fromthetrenchesworldreport.com)
• New York’s future flees to Florida (nydailynews.com)
• And the least free state in America, is… (hotair.com)
• Nanny New York Is Best at Something! (independentsentinel.com)
• Report Rates States By Freedom, And New Yorkers Get To Cry Into Their Regulated Sodas (reason.com)
• New study shows Americans flocking to more free “red” states (redalertpolitics.com)

 

Obama’s Three Amigos

Perhaps things will turn around in 2016?

Perhaps Not?

ANY QUESTIONS?

Government Censorship of the Internet coming to a Web-Site near you…

Hat tip to Fox News for this report

Big Brother? US linked to new wave of Censorship, Surveillance on Web

Even the most open, democratic governments have sought laws and new forms of surveillance that many see as a new wave of censorship — and that includes the United States.

The U.S. government asked Google for data on its users more than 31,000 times in 2012 alone, for example. And the government rarely obtained a search warrant first, Google recently revealed; in nearly all cases, the company ended up turning over at least some data.

Some argue that heightened surveillance, restrictions on Internet freedom and even censorship are necessary to protect intellectual property rights, prevent cyber-espionage, fight child pornography, and protect national interests such as nuclear power plants from hackers. And here the U.S. is far from alone.

“A number of democratic states have considered or implemented various restrictions in response to the potential legal, economic, and security challenges raised by new media,” notes the Freedom House report “Freedom on the Net 2012.”

Anxiety over online theft and cyber-attacks is not unwarranted. Virtually every major U.S. company and media outlet has been a victim. Google was attacked back in 2009. Facebook, Apple and Microsoft revealed this month that hackers had breached their defenses. And The New York Times and Wall Street Journal have fought off Chinese hackers for months. Indeed, dozens of countries have their own online hacking groups — so-called cyber or asymmetrical warfare divisions.

“It’s been going on in China since at least at least May 2002,” said Alan Paller, founder of the SANS Institute, an information security and training firm.

Consequently, lawmakers — even President Obama in his State of the Union speech — have been motivated to take steps to stem the hacking tide. However, the road to better security could also stifle free speech.

When the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) met in Dubai in December, some 89 member countries including Russia, China, Cuba, and Iran, supported a treaty that would give individual governments more control over the Internet’s infrastructure.

Sensing a thinly veiled attempt to suppress dissent, 55 countries — including Canada and the U.S. — said no.

While the agreement has failed (for the time being), individual governments — including Canada and the U.S. — continue to introduce their own legislation to control what’s online.

North of the border, for example, the Canadian government proposed Bill C-30, known as the Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act. Proponents claimed the measure was designed to combat the exploitation of children, but it required Internet service providers to create monitoring systems that would allow the police to intercept and track all online communications — without a warrant. The public reaction was so fiercely opposed to Bill C-30 that Canadian authorities were forced to withdraw it this month.

Watchdog Agencies

Far from leading to the spread of democracy and freedom online, the events of the 2011 Arab spring led many authoritarian countries to clamp down more tightly, fearful of rebellious citizens inciting and organizing online.

Here’s the latest from three groups monitoring Internet freedom:

Reporters Without Borders
A 2012 list of countries that are “Enemies of the Internet” notes that more than ever before, online freedom of expression is now a major foreign and domestic policy issue.

Freedom House
According to Freedom on the Net 2012, a survey by the independent watchdog group, of the 47 countries covered “20 have experienced a negative trajectory since January 2011.

Google
The Web giant has been using its reach to monitor Internet openness. The Transparency Report visualizes disruptions in the free flow of information, whether it’s a government blocking information or a cable being cut.

On this side of the border, the U.S. government continues to conduct warrant-less online searches. Thanks to outdated laws such as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 and other regulations protecting copyrighted materials, U.S. authorities are increasingly looking at private online communications, often without any oversight by a judge.

Google says it has seen a 70 percent increase in requests from authorities for information about its users, information which includes private e-mails and search data. The biggest requester? The U.S. government, which sought information 8,438 times in the last six months of 2012. Google complied with those requests in roughly 88 percent of the cases.

While Google states it is against such broad government access to personal information — dealing with such requests costs Google time and money — where it stands on strict Internet freedoms is mutable.

Shortly before his State of the Union speech, President Obama signed an executive order designed to let federal government agencies share critical cyber-threat information with private companies to protect companies involved in supporting the nation’s critical infrastructure.

“We know hackers steal people’s identities and infiltrate private e-mail,” the President said in his speech. “We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy.”

Even though the data shared by the government could include personal information, in this case companies have been in favor of the executive order. The reason: private firms don’t have to in turn share data their data about their users with the government.

However, that may be about to change. As the President implied, Congress is working on reintroducing the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). It would enable companies to divulge private information to government authorities if the companies perceived some form of “cyber threats.” Any personal information — Facebook jokes, Twitter tussles, errant Web searches — could be handed over to a variety of government agencies if that information has anything to do with the potential vulnerability of a computer network.

“CISPA offers broad immunities to companies who choose to share data with government agencies,” the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Mark M. Jaycox explained in a blog post. “It also creates avenues for companies to share data with any federal agencies, including military intelligence agencies like the National Security Agency.”

While congress has yet to hammer out new, possibly more precise, language for a reintroduced CISPA bill, the powers it grants to both private companies and government authorities could end up making them partners in nationwide surveillance — the same complaint often levied against countries like China.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/02/27/special-report-surveillance-and-censorship-america/#ixzz2M6IJuISa

ANY QUESTIONS?

 

THE UNTIED STATES CONSTITUTION: Frustrating Liberals since 1788

Bill of Rights

Bill of Rights
The Preamble to The Bill of Rights

Congress of the United States
begun and held at the City of New-York, on
Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

March 4th 1789

THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.

Note: The following text is a transcription of the first ten amendments to the Constitution in their original form. These amendments were ratified December 15, 1791, and form what is known as the “Bill of Rights.”

——————————————————————————–

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

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Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

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Amendment III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

——————————————————————————–

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

——————————————————————————–

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

——————————————————————————–

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

——————————————————————————–

Amendment VII

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

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Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

——————————————————————————–

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

——————————————————————————–

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

ANY QUESTIONS?

Liberal Democrats and their Wasteful Entitlement Programs

Barack Obama’s Great Entitlement Society

or the

Redistribution of Wealth

The percentages those on welfare by race.

As of 2011  they are listed below in descending order by percentage.
Black-39.8%
White-38.8%
Hispanic-15.7%
Other-3.3%
Asian-2.4%

Read more:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_race_percentage_for_welfare_recipients#ixzz21a5Rx4yc

To break down these numbers, we look at how many Whites are in the population as a WHOLE.  If Blacks make up less 14% of the population and are almost 40% of all recipients, then they represent about 2.5 times their actual population.

Since Whites are over 50% of the total US pop., they represent less than their overall piece of the pie, population-wise.

Hispanics are at least 15% of the general population, so they take only about as much as what their population represents.

Why am I writing this?

Because I am tired of the misrepresentations on this issue.

I read there are many claiming that more Whites are on welfare than Blacks (not true, in terms of raw numbers), yet not accounting for the fact that there are over 4X as many Whites in this country than Blacks!

In statistics, you cannot go by mere numbers.

Only if the playing field is exactly equal, which it rarely is!
This thread was started, not to be racist, but to keep it real.

After all, there are some legitimate reasons for Blacks to be on welfare more than Whites. 

The worst thing anyone can do is be in denial

Where do these people get off thinking that we who work and succeed owe them something?  I for one am sick and tired of supporting lazy worthless drug addicts and the likes who show no appreciation whatsoever for what they are given. I say it is time for US to choose who will receive these benefits and what the criteria shall be.

If you agree  then please send this on to your elected officials and let them know your mad  as hell about this whole culture of corruption in Washington D.C.

 

The end of Freedom in America

Did Ronald Reagan see all those many years ago the dangers of the Progressive Liberal Movement in the United States of America?

Did he not as our President fight with every fiber of his being to bring about the end of that Evil Empire and bring down the Berlin Wall?

Did he not destroy the workings of Communism in our age?

How then is it that today we are seeing the Berlin Wall beginning rise up again and this time in America? We are about to be destroyed by all those things which he and countless other Americans stood against and repeatedly warned us about?

Judgment day is here my friends and I fear that our greatest challenge today is our own President and all those Progressive Socialists who now hold power in our Capitol.

We the People must put a stop to this or I fear all will be lost and the Greatness that once was America will be no more!

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Have America’s Super Heros Lost their way?

The Times They are a Changing

The Epic Battle of Good vs Evil in America

I remember a simpler time in America not so long ago when we as a people had a common respect and reverence for our rich Heritage and Traditions.  One might say it was the Best of Times as we all prospered and held fast those time honored Values that made this the Greatest Nation the World has ever known.  We were united in the belief that Freedom was a God given right to all men and women and worked hard to insure that we became that veryIdeal.  We were the last best hope for all of mankind on planet Earth.

Then Came the Break Down of the American Family

Americans began to enjoy the Fruits of their Labor and worked hard to live a better life.  We moved to the Suburbs and began to enjoy the luxuries afforded us by our own prosperity.  Soon we found ourselves preoccupied with the cares of our success and buried ourselves in our technology to the point with which we forgot who we were and began living life as a video game escaping the realities of the World around us.  Not wanting to leave anyone behind we struggle to bring equality to all in the form of Social Justice only to find ourselves allowing the few to rule the many.  Our success caused us to have such a belief in ourselves that we soon found our need for God beginning to diminish in our daily lives. We allowed our Schools to take from us our Parental Rights and gave them the power to teach our children those things which defied the natural order of our traditional family values. 

We have produced a new generation of Americans that are now Selfless, Godless, and Morally Decayed.  We have only ourselves to blame and reversing this trend is rapidly becoming the new Epic Battle for which America must fight.

America, Your Too Young To Die

Stand up America and fight for what is right.  Stand up and let your voice be heard.  Unless we reverse this Progressive Socialism that has gripped our Country all might be lost and we may find ourselves facing a thousand years of darkness.

ANY QUESTIONS?

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Americans Against America: The Obama Agenda

Be of Good Cheer America

Liberalism is in its Last Days

Liberalism has run its course in these United States and the American People can now look back and see Clearly its Destructive History in Our Society.  The days of Government Control and Deceptive Practices are coming to an end and the American People are Awake and busy in Restoring this Once Great Nation to its Rightful Place on the World Scene.

Make no mistake about it, the beginning of the end of Progressive Liberalism in America is at hand and We the People are determined to once and for all bring to an end this Destructive Force that has weakened and demoralized an entire Generation or two, or three.

ANY QUESTIONS?

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America before there were Politically Correct Liberals

To Those of Us Born

1925 – 1970 :
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE
1930s, ’40s, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s!!

First, we survived being born to Mothers who may have smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes. Then, after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets, and, when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps, not helmets, on our heads.

As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes..

Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter, and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid  Soda made with real white sugar. And we weren’t overweight.

WHY?

Because we were always outside playing…that’s why!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day and, we were OKAY..

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes.. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Play Stations, Nintendo and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround-sound or CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from those accidents.

We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping-pong paddles, or just a bare hand, and no one would call child services to report abuse.

We ate worms, and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and although we were told it would happen- we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.

Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment.
Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These Generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, and inventors ever.

The past 50 to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas..

We had Freedom, Failure, Success and Responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

If you are one of those born
Between 1925-1970, CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids before the Lawyers and the Government Regulated so much of our lives for our own good.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn’t it ?

The Quote of the Month

By Jay Leno:

“With Hurricanes, Tornados, Fires out of Control, Mud Slides, Flooding, Severe Thunderstorms tearing up the Country from one end to another, and with the threat of Bird Flu and Terrorist Attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?”

For those that prefer to think that God is not watching over us…go ahead and move on to Obama’s World

Besides, your probably a Liberal

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Meet President Obama’s Worst Nightmare

America Deserves Better then what we have seen from President Obama. As bad as things were they have most certainly become worse under Barack Obama.  Much Worse!  Now we are seeing the true colors of this President in his Slanderous, Vile, and Vulgar Attack Ad’s against Mitt Romney, Christianity, the Constitution and all things American.

It is time to stop him in his tracks. This November Vote for Real Change and Return America to the Fundamentals which made her the Greatest Nation the World has ever known.

After all, aren’t we all Sick and Tired of Obama’s Vile and Vulgar Attacks on Our American Way of Life?

Vote Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan and a Republican Ticket across the Board

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