Aug. 20, 2019
Permission to republish original opeds and cartoons granted.
Russia, racist, recession: The new fake news R words
Magically and
mystically, this minute the favorite “R” word of the Democrats has shifted from
Russia to racist to recession in the blink of an eye — all falsehoods — as they
desperately hope that the normal economic cycle turns prior to the Nov. 2020
presidential election.
Cartoon: Beware the red flag
They’re called
red flags for a reason.
Stop left-wing groups from fleecing taxpayers with the Endangered Species Act
The Endangered
Species Act has been stretched far beyond the intentions of Congressional
representatives, and it is badly in need of reform. For example, loopholes in
the law allow left-wing environmental groups to collect taxpayers’ money for
keeping federal employees from doing their job, which is to help endangered
species recover. This money is sometimes awarded on top of taxpayer-funded
contracts and grants given to these same groups. Until Congress acts, we should
expect left-wing groups will continue to use the law as a wrecking ball to
damage our economy and as a means of picking the pockets of taxpayers.
Video: The Trump economy is doing way better than the Obama economy at this point in the presidency
At this point in
former President Barack Obama’s first term, the U.S. economy had not produced a
single job. The Trump economy has produced almost 5.2 million jobs since Jan.
2017. 2018 was the strongest year for growth since before the financial crisis.
If the economy is going to determine how 2020 is going to go, it may end up being
a very good year for President Donald Trump.
DoD whistleblower Adam Lovinger is a hero and should be rehired immediately with lost pay compensation
Americans for Limited
Government President Rick Manning: “Adam Lovinger did his job. He pointed out that the Department of
Defense’s Office of Net Assessment failed to properly audit contractors and
require that they actually do the work for which they were paid and a just
released Inspector General report has proven Lovinger’s allegations to be true
in the case of the infamous Stefan Halper, who was identified as someone who
sought to infiltrate and spy on the Donald Trump campaign for president in
2016. Lovinger’s whistleblower claim has been born out, and it is outrageous
that the same career bureaucrats who authorized what appear to be fraudulent
studies, were able to punish Lovinger and fire him for standing up for the
taxpayer. The Acting Secretary of
Defense should immediately reinstate Lovinger with full back pay and whatever
compensation he is entitled to under the laws put into place protecting
whistleblowers from reprisals.”
Conservative Action Project: Congress & President Trump Must Protect 2nd Amendment Rights
“[A] more complex
legal system will serve to curtail the constitutional rights of law abiding
Americans and limit their ability to defend themselves, while doing little to
stop those motivated to do harm. Red flag laws, in particular, present
troubling concerns about the due process right of Americans, and have even
limited access of veterans to firearms, simply because they chose to seek help
for counseling for trauma sustained in combat.”
Russia, racist, recession: The new fake news R words
By Rick Manning
Magically and mystically, this minute the favorite “R” word of the Democrats has shifted from Russia to racist to recession in the blink of an eye — all falsehoods — as they desperately hope that the normal economic cycle turns prior to the Nov. 2020 presidential election.
While the media and indeed Americans for Limited Government’s own articles have spoken a lot about bond inversions, demographics and even overseas influencers on our economy, it is important that you know some facts that will make you feel better about the economic future.
Consumer spending continues to increase at a brisk pace with the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Affairs reporting:
“The increase in personal income in June primarily reflected increases in wages and salaries, government social benefits to persons, and supplements to wages and salaries (table 3).
“The $21.4 billion increase in real PCE (personal consumption expenditures after inflation) in June primarily reflected a $19.5 billion increase in spending for nondurable goods and a $4.6 billion increase in spending for services, that was partially offset by a decline of $1.5 billion in spending for durable goods (table 7). Within nondurable goods, other nondurable goods (including pharmaceutical products) was the leading contributor to the increase. Within durable goods, motor vehicles and parts was the leading contributor to the decline. Detailed information on monthly real PCE spending can be found in Table 2.3.6U.
“Personal outlays increased $44.2 billion in June... Personal saving was $1.34 trillion in June and the personal saving rate, personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income, was 8.1 percent…”
The job market continues to astound observers, remaining extremely strong with more people employed, making more money than ever before. What’s more wages grew at 2.7 percent in the latest reading in the second quarter according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That has benefits for those who make the least in an economic tide that is lifting all boats.
While the unemployment rate remains near record lows, inflation remains under control with prices only increasing by 1.8 percent over the past year according to the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
This below Federal Reserve target inflation rate is significant as it is reported at a time when many high profile (meaning they get on television) economists are worrying that the tariffs imposed upon China would show up as price increases to the consumer. They aren’t. In fact, the Producer Price Index for goods separate from energy for the past month was a paltry 0.1 percent. Even in a rising wage environment, the upward pressure on the cost of goods and services remains negligible.
And of course, interest rates are going down. This has the effect of both lowering the cost of borrowing, but also opening the door for homeowners to save hundreds of dollars on their mortgages by refinancing their homes, potentially pumping billions of dollars into the economy. It also has the effect of lowering the cost of borrowing for businesses looking to expand or purchase new machinery.
In July, 283,000 more Americans had jobs than in June reaching an all-time record for the number of people employed at 157,288,000 people, and after a short period where manufacturing job growth had stalled, July showed new vigor in hiring for those good wage manufacturing jobs.
But the most important indicator that the economy is healthy is the “help wanted” sign on the front door of businesses and incredibly, there continues to be more than 1 million help wanted signs hanging than there are Americans looking for work.
While some publications are reporting that more than third of economists expect a recession in the next year and a half, this means that about two-thirds of economists don’t expect a recession before the election. Any prognostication beyond 2020 is effectively meaningless. The “recession is coming, the recession is coming” narrative is likely to end up being nothing more than the Russia collusion lie that preceded it: Fake news.
Rick Manning is the President of Americans for Limited Government.
Cartoon: Seeing Red
Click here for a higher level resolution version.
Stop left-wing groups from fleecing taxpayers with the Endangered Species Act
By Richard McCarty
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been stretched far beyond the intentions of Congressional representatives, and it is badly in need of reform. For example, loopholes in the law allow left-wing environmental groups to collect taxpayers’ money for keeping federal employees from doing their job, which is to help endangered species recover. This money is sometimes awarded on top of taxpayer-funded contracts and grants given to these same groups.
Representative Don Young (R-Alaska), the last remaining member of Congress who voted for the ESA has said, “The Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been weaponized and misused by environmental groups for too long.” The law passed overwhelmingly, but according to Young, “You have to understand when we had this act before us … we were told it was to save leopards and other species, it was never for grass … and flies, and snails, and turtles…”
How are radicals exploiting the Endangered Species Act? Under the current law, left-wing groups are able to overwhelm the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service with petitions to list many species as endangered and then sue when the government is unable to respond to the petitions before the arbitrary deadlines enshrined in the ESA. Radical environmental groups, such as the Center for Biological Diversity, WildEarth Guardians, the Sierra Club, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, have been gaming the system in this fashion for decades. The most litigious o these groups have sued the government hundreds of times. Even more infuriatingly, some environmental groups, such as WildEarth Guardians, the Natural Resource Defense Council, and Defenders of Wildlife, have been taking federal grants and then suing the government for more money.
The abuses of the Endangered Species Act have been so egregious that Congress should take bold action. First of all, the law should be changed to require Congressional approval for any further listings. The authority to declare a species is endangered -- which could kill thousands of jobs, destroy the property values of thousands of homeowners, and ruin whole towns – is just too great to be wielded by unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats.
Secondly, the law should be changed to no longer allow environmentalists to sue the government for not responding to a petition to add a species to the endangered list. Of course, taking away the ability of environmental groups to sue over petitions would remove their ability to collect excessive attorney’s fees. We want the government to thoroughly research each species and consult with local and state officials before deciding whether to list that species as endangered or threatened. If the government is racing to meet a deadline to respond to a petition, its research is likely to be of lower quality.
Finally, those who receive taxpayer-funded grants and contracts should be barred from suing the government under the ESA. If radical groups wish to sue the government, they should be expected to find their own funding sources. Taxpayers should not be forced to fund both the plaintiffs and the defendants in these suits.
On the need for Congressional action to reform the Endangered Species Act, Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning stated the following:
“Outrageously, left-wing environmental groups are allowed to submit piles of frivolous petitions for endangered species status -- tying the federal bureaucracy up in knots -- and then sue when the government is unable to respond promptly to these petitions. These groups, such as WildEarth Guardians and the Center for Biological Diversity, are often able to collect exorbitant attorney’s fees for these cases. What’s further galling is that some of these same groups suing the government receive federal contracts and grants. Simply put, left-wing groups should not be paid to keep federal employees from doing their jobs. Congress must step in, reform the Endangered Species Act, and end this insanity.”
With these few reforms, Congress could hamper the ability of the Left to abuse the Endangered Species Act while enabling Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service employees to get back to their important work of helping endangered species recover rather than wasting time on frivolous litigation. However, until Congress does act, we should expect left-wing groups will continue to use the law as a wrecking ball to damage our economy and as a means of picking the pockets of taxpayers.
Richard McCarty is the Director of Research at Americans for Limited Government Foundation.
Video: The Trump economy is doing way better than the Obama economy at this point in the presidency
To view online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL2TlcT51Xw
DoD whistleblower Adam Lovinger is a hero and should be rehired immediately with lost pay compensation
Aug. 19, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging that Department of Defense whistleblower Adam Lovinger be rehired after reports vindicate his finding that the Office of Net Assessment failed to properly audit contractors:
“Adam Lovinger did his job. He pointed out that the Department of Defense’s Office of Net Assessment failed to properly audit contractors and require that they actually do the work for which they were paid and a just released Inspector General report has proven Lovinger’s allegations to be true in the case of the infamous Stefan Halper, who was identified as someone who sought to infiltrate and spy on the Donald Trump campaign for president in 2016.
“Lovinger’s whistleblower claim has been born out, and it is outrageous that the same career bureaucrats who authorized what appear to be fraudulent studies, were able to punish Lovinger and fire him for standing up for the taxpayer. The Acting Secretary of Defense should immediately reinstate Lovinger with full back pay and whatever compensation he is entitled to under the laws put into place protecting whistleblowers from reprisals.
“Mr. Lovinger is an example of what the best in our civil service should be about, and the fact that he and his family have suffered enormous financial loss simply because he had the audacity to point out that DoD contracts were not being fulfilled is unacceptable and he needs to not only be made whole. In terms of those career bureaucrats who abused the system and Mr. Lovinger, civil service personnel actions should be taken against those who were more interested in covering up the spending scandal than protecting the public treasury.”
To view online: https://getliberty.org/2019/08/dod-whistleblower-adam-lovinger-is-a-hero-and-should-be-rehired-immediately-with-lost-pay-compensation/
ALG Editor’s Note: In the following featured call to action from the Conservative Action Project, it’s up to President Trump and Congress to protect the Second Amendment:
Congress & President Trump Must Protect 2nd Amendment Rights
Conservatives oppose any attempt to limit the 2nd Amendment rights of Americans through the use of unconstitutional universal background checks, assault weapons bans, gun registries, or red flag laws.
As citizens of this great nation, we vehemently condemn the actions of mass shooters, and the ideologies of hatred that have motivated many of them.
We are also fully committed to the Constitutional rights of all citizens, which includes the right to self-defense enshrined in the 2nd Amendment. We will not solve the problem of mass shooters by disarming law-abiding Americans from defending themselves in case of an attack.
There is scant evidence that more restrictive background checks and gun ownership will stop future criminals from securing weapons to carry out their heinous crimes. The Dayton and El Paso shooters, for example, both purchased their firearms legally. The mass shooter in Charleston in 2015 was not stopped from purchasing a gun because of communications failures by bureaucracies during the background check process.
Rather, a more complex legal system will serve to curtail the constitutional rights of law abiding Americans and limit their ability to defend themselves, while doing little to stop those motivated to do harm.
Red flag laws, in particular, present troubling concerns about the due process right of Americans, and have even limited access of veterans to firearms, simply because they chose to seek help for counseling for trauma sustained in combat.
It is likely that multiple factors—not just the presence of firearms—that trigger these mass tragedies. Social factors such as alienation, an over-reliance on drugs and pharmaceuticals, persistent unemployment, dysfunctional families, cultural acceptance of violence, and mental illness all contribute. These issues must be addressed before taking away the rights of law-abiding citizens.
The right to bear arms is a fundamental right of all Americans. The proper response to these tragedies must not be one that limits the 2nd Amendment rights of citizens to arm and defend themselves.
