The Senate has voted 47-51 against an amendment to eliminate the White House’s ability to appoint and fund policy czars. Republican Sens. David Vitter of Louisiana, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Dean Heller of Nevada and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, introduced the amendment yesterday.
The amendment would have expanded the the definition of czar to the “head of any task force, council, policy office or similar office established by the president that has not been confirmed by the U.S. Senate.” (Rep. McCarthy introduces national texting while driving ban)
It also would have required the appointment of any czar to pass Senate approval. The National Security Advisor would have been excluded from this definition.
“We should also ensure that the Senate’s role is not eroded by unconfirmed federal czars in very significant positions which should be subject to advice and consent,” Vitter said on the Senate floor. “It’s aimed squarely at positions created to circumvent the advice and the role of the United States Senate.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer, New York Democrat, called the amendment a “poison pill” claiming it would hinder the President’s ability to appoint staff.
Vitter defended the amendment, saying it would’ve defunded any czar position in any administration.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/06/23/senate-shoots-down-measure-to-defund-czars/#ixzz1jkQWds2s
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Oil trade groups: Drilling deregulation could create 190,000 jobs
Almost 190,000 jobs could be created by 2013 if offshore drilling returns to pre-spill levels, according to a study sponsored by two oil trade groups, the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) and the American Petroleum Institute (API).
The study, conducted by Quest Offshore Inc., found that if permits for exploration and drilling returned to historic levels, and if backlogged requests were granted, 400,000 jobs could be supported across the United States with a GDP increase of $45 billion by 2013.
“The president says he wants ideas for putting Americans back to work right now,” said Jack Gerard, API president, during a conference call today. “So we urge him, again, to take a look at policies that will encourage oil, and domestic gas development.”
The offshore oil and natural gas industries suffered losses in 2008 due to the economic recession, the moratorium on deepwater drilling, and slowdowns in permits issued for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The study’s authors claim tens of thousands of jobs have been lost due to the downturn.
Gerard echoed the study’s conclusions, saying the United States has the opportunity to increase employment and secure “as much as 92 percent of [its] oil needs from North American resources.”
Both Gerard and NOIA president Randall Luthi agreed the industry needs the ability to explore newly identified petroleum deposits everywhere, including in East- and West-coast waters. Currently only 15 percent of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf is available for exploration. (New border gun rules a distraction from Fast and Furious scandal, Issa says)
“We’ve got to get out there and have the opportunity to look,” Gerard said, “and the industry needs some insurance that this is serious — that there’s a leasing process in place to eventually commit the resources to go find what level of resources are available, and then to develop it at that point. So given those opportunities, I can guarantee you the industry will spend its money wisely. But you need to have the opportunity.”
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/12/oil-trade-groups-drilling-deregulation-could-create-190000-jobs/#ixzz1jkQHN6GZ
The study, conducted by Quest Offshore Inc., found that if permits for exploration and drilling returned to historic levels, and if backlogged requests were granted, 400,000 jobs could be supported across the United States with a GDP increase of $45 billion by 2013.
“The president says he wants ideas for putting Americans back to work right now,” said Jack Gerard, API president, during a conference call today. “So we urge him, again, to take a look at policies that will encourage oil, and domestic gas development.”
The offshore oil and natural gas industries suffered losses in 2008 due to the economic recession, the moratorium on deepwater drilling, and slowdowns in permits issued for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The study’s authors claim tens of thousands of jobs have been lost due to the downturn.
Gerard echoed the study’s conclusions, saying the United States has the opportunity to increase employment and secure “as much as 92 percent of [its] oil needs from North American resources.”
Both Gerard and NOIA president Randall Luthi agreed the industry needs the ability to explore newly identified petroleum deposits everywhere, including in East- and West-coast waters. Currently only 15 percent of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf is available for exploration. (New border gun rules a distraction from Fast and Furious scandal, Issa says)
“We’ve got to get out there and have the opportunity to look,” Gerard said, “and the industry needs some insurance that this is serious — that there’s a leasing process in place to eventually commit the resources to go find what level of resources are available, and then to develop it at that point. So given those opportunities, I can guarantee you the industry will spend its money wisely. But you need to have the opportunity.”
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/12/oil-trade-groups-drilling-deregulation-could-create-190000-jobs/#ixzz1jkQHN6GZ
Allegations of corruption, fraud, tear town government apart
Allegations of corruption, conflicts of interest, free-speech violations and political intimidation have entrenched the government of Quartzsite, Ariz., and its police chief, against its own mayor and police force.
The trouble began when Quartzsite citizen Jennifer Jones addressed the town council during a public meeting on June 28. Councilman Joe Winslow interrupted her address, telling Jones she was no longer allowed to address the council. He told her if she did not leave she would be escorted out.
Jones refused to put the microphone down; police officers forcibly removed her from the room and arrested her on a charge of disturbing the peace. Her removal from the council chambers was recorded and uploaded to YouTube, where more than 39,000 people have already viewed it.
The council, chief of police, and other government officials claim they have received life-threatening emails because of the video. In response, the council declared a state of emergency during a closed meeting Sunday, during which they also removed Mayor Ed Foster from office.
Foster expressed his own doubts. “I have not seen any threatening emails sent to them,” he said. “I mean: you’re in public life, and if you are in public life, you have to get used to it.”
Foster said that on Tuesday afternoon he submitted a document request to see all emails considered threatening enough to declare a state of emergency. But more pressing, he says, are the eight to ten town paychecks issued to unnamed people during every pay cycle since 1991. He has not been allowed to see who receives the paychecks.
In the past, Foster has called council members and Quartzsite Chief of Police Jeff Gilbert corrupt, repeatedly asking for investigations into their behavior. (Fake Democrats lose in Wis. primary recalls)
Sergeant William Ponce, the president of the Quartzsite Police Association, agrees an investigation is needed, especially regarding the chief of police. The police association has issued a vote of no confidence against Chief Gilbert, saying he has violated town policy and has committed political and criminal violations.
Ponce said in the past Gilbert has instructed officers in his department to vote for political candidates he favors, and has intentionally issued citations to political candidates he opposes.
“’He’d say, ‘This person has violations X-Y-Z on their vehicle; stop and give them the violations,’” Ponce said. “A majority of the time they were political opponents. We’ve gone up to him and expressed that we can’t go out and enforce that, and as soon as we told him he’d get angry and walk away.”
The association submitted a letter asking for an investigation into Gilbert’s conduct, alleging that he has used his authority to order members of the police department to use department resources, such as the National Crime Information Center, to find dirt on political candidates he dislikes.
The letter also suggests that Town Manager Alex Taft “continually attempted to delay, stall or prevent this investigation from taking place.” It alleges that she’s a friend of Chief Gilbert and has actively fought any investigations against him. An Arizona Department of Public Safety investigation is currently underway.
Ponce say a state of emergency has not been formally declared, and that the police department has been instructed to refer to it as an emergency situation. He said as far as he knows, this ‘emergency situation’ is still in effect.
“There are two main issues here: the check issue, and the Gilbert issue,” Foster said.
Foster said he has tried to get the Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne to take up the case, but has had no luck. For now, Foster has said he will collect as many complaints as he can about open-meeting violations at Quartzsite’s town council meetings and deliver them to the attorney general’s doorstep the next morning.
Police Chief Jeff Gilbert and the Quartzsite town attorney could not be reached for comment.
This story was corrected to reflect the correct name of Arizona’s attorney general.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/13/allegations-of-corruption-fraud-tears-town-government-apart/#ixzz1jkPoLEsx
The trouble began when Quartzsite citizen Jennifer Jones addressed the town council during a public meeting on June 28. Councilman Joe Winslow interrupted her address, telling Jones she was no longer allowed to address the council. He told her if she did not leave she would be escorted out.
Jones refused to put the microphone down; police officers forcibly removed her from the room and arrested her on a charge of disturbing the peace. Her removal from the council chambers was recorded and uploaded to YouTube, where more than 39,000 people have already viewed it.
The council, chief of police, and other government officials claim they have received life-threatening emails because of the video. In response, the council declared a state of emergency during a closed meeting Sunday, during which they also removed Mayor Ed Foster from office.
Foster expressed his own doubts. “I have not seen any threatening emails sent to them,” he said. “I mean: you’re in public life, and if you are in public life, you have to get used to it.”
Foster said that on Tuesday afternoon he submitted a document request to see all emails considered threatening enough to declare a state of emergency. But more pressing, he says, are the eight to ten town paychecks issued to unnamed people during every pay cycle since 1991. He has not been allowed to see who receives the paychecks.
In the past, Foster has called council members and Quartzsite Chief of Police Jeff Gilbert corrupt, repeatedly asking for investigations into their behavior. (Fake Democrats lose in Wis. primary recalls)
Sergeant William Ponce, the president of the Quartzsite Police Association, agrees an investigation is needed, especially regarding the chief of police. The police association has issued a vote of no confidence against Chief Gilbert, saying he has violated town policy and has committed political and criminal violations.
Ponce said in the past Gilbert has instructed officers in his department to vote for political candidates he favors, and has intentionally issued citations to political candidates he opposes.
“’He’d say, ‘This person has violations X-Y-Z on their vehicle; stop and give them the violations,’” Ponce said. “A majority of the time they were political opponents. We’ve gone up to him and expressed that we can’t go out and enforce that, and as soon as we told him he’d get angry and walk away.”
The association submitted a letter asking for an investigation into Gilbert’s conduct, alleging that he has used his authority to order members of the police department to use department resources, such as the National Crime Information Center, to find dirt on political candidates he dislikes.
The letter also suggests that Town Manager Alex Taft “continually attempted to delay, stall or prevent this investigation from taking place.” It alleges that she’s a friend of Chief Gilbert and has actively fought any investigations against him. An Arizona Department of Public Safety investigation is currently underway.
Ponce say a state of emergency has not been formally declared, and that the police department has been instructed to refer to it as an emergency situation. He said as far as he knows, this ‘emergency situation’ is still in effect.
“There are two main issues here: the check issue, and the Gilbert issue,” Foster said.
Foster said he has tried to get the Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne to take up the case, but has had no luck. For now, Foster has said he will collect as many complaints as he can about open-meeting violations at Quartzsite’s town council meetings and deliver them to the attorney general’s doorstep the next morning.
Police Chief Jeff Gilbert and the Quartzsite town attorney could not be reached for comment.
This story was corrected to reflect the correct name of Arizona’s attorney general.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/13/allegations-of-corruption-fraud-tears-town-government-apart/#ixzz1jkPoLEsx
‘Travel hackers’ fly for free on government’s dollar, so to speak
Dollar coins may not be popular among most Americans, but they sure are for people who like to travel for free.
An NPR report cites “travel hackers” who use their credit cards, which award frequent flier miles for purchases, to purchase dollar coins from the U.S. Mint.
Once they have the coins, they can either ship them back to government reserves for free or deposit them in their bank accounts.
The act isn’t illegal, but since 2008, the Mint enacted a 1,000 coin purchase limit for every ten days.
Congress mandated the minting of presidential dollar coins in 2005 in an attempt to make dollar coins popular among Americans. Since then, over $1 billion worth of coins have been stored in Federal Reserve vaults. The coins will continue to be minted, and stored if not used, under the congressional mandate.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/13/travel-hackers-fly-for-free-on-governments-dollar-so-to-speak/#ixzz1jkPb3lul
An NPR report cites “travel hackers” who use their credit cards, which award frequent flier miles for purchases, to purchase dollar coins from the U.S. Mint.
Once they have the coins, they can either ship them back to government reserves for free or deposit them in their bank accounts.
The act isn’t illegal, but since 2008, the Mint enacted a 1,000 coin purchase limit for every ten days.
Congress mandated the minting of presidential dollar coins in 2005 in an attempt to make dollar coins popular among Americans. Since then, over $1 billion worth of coins have been stored in Federal Reserve vaults. The coins will continue to be minted, and stored if not used, under the congressional mandate.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/13/travel-hackers-fly-for-free-on-governments-dollar-so-to-speak/#ixzz1jkPb3lul
Palin doc hits on-demand, PPV, DVD
Victory Film Group, the company behind the Sarah Palin documentary “The Undefeated,” announced that it will be releasing the controversy-sparking film to Video-On-Demand and Pay-Per-View services on September 1, in order to attract a wider audience.
The documentary grossed only $101,000 in its two weekends of screening, according to boxofficemojo.com
Trevor Drinkwater, ARC Entertainment CEO and the distributor of “The Undefeated,” said in a July 24 press release that he has been “inundated with requests” from people wanting to see the film released in their markets. The film will continue to be released on a limited theatrical distribution, he added. The documentary has appeared on movie screens in 14 theaters nationwide.
“The Undefeated” filmmaker Stephen K. Bannon said, “Given the strong audience reaction we have determined there is overwhelming demand for us to get this film out broadly enough to cover the entire nation in September and October.”
Wal-Mart will exclusively carry a special edition DVD containing new scenes. It’s slated for an Oct. 4 release, with the initial shipment containing roughly 250,000 units. A multi-million dollar ad campaign will accompany the DVD and cable releases.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/25/palin-doc-hits-on-demand-ppv-dvd/#ixzz1jkPDfFy2
The documentary grossed only $101,000 in its two weekends of screening, according to boxofficemojo.com
Trevor Drinkwater, ARC Entertainment CEO and the distributor of “The Undefeated,” said in a July 24 press release that he has been “inundated with requests” from people wanting to see the film released in their markets. The film will continue to be released on a limited theatrical distribution, he added. The documentary has appeared on movie screens in 14 theaters nationwide.
“The Undefeated” filmmaker Stephen K. Bannon said, “Given the strong audience reaction we have determined there is overwhelming demand for us to get this film out broadly enough to cover the entire nation in September and October.”
Wal-Mart will exclusively carry a special edition DVD containing new scenes. It’s slated for an Oct. 4 release, with the initial shipment containing roughly 250,000 units. A multi-million dollar ad campaign will accompany the DVD and cable releases.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/25/palin-doc-hits-on-demand-ppv-dvd/#ixzz1jkPDfFy2
‘Undo the light bulb ban,’ croons WMAL’s Brian Wilson
A Republican bill to repeal the 2007 law that banned the sale of incandescent light bulbs failed Tuesday. To commemorate the occasion, WMAL host Brian Wilson has recorded a song begging permission to use traditional bulbs — and to end the ban on traditional light bulbs. WMAL is ABC’s talk radio affiliate in Washington, D.C.
The incandescent bulb ban was part of the energy bill that passed with bipartisan support in 2007. George W. Bush signed it into law.
It mandates that light bulbs must meet efficiency standards by 2012, followed by increasing energy standards through 2020. This week’s failed repeal bill was named the Better Use of Light Bulbs Act, or BULB for short.
Listen to the song.
Here’s a sample of Wilson’s lyrics, sung to the tune of the Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand”:
“Hey you / what were you thinking? / It’s the law of the land / Hey you / deserve a spanking / you passed the light bulb ban! / you made them contraband!”
“Now I / I have fluorescents / the light is ghastly blue / I don’t think a light bulb / should be a curlicue”
“My home has been like it’s been living / in a cave … undo the light-blub ban! / undo the light bulb ban!”
The incandescent bulb ban was part of the energy bill that passed with bipartisan support in 2007. George W. Bush signed it into law.
It mandates that light bulbs must meet efficiency standards by 2012, followed by increasing energy standards through 2020. This week’s failed repeal bill was named the Better Use of Light Bulbs Act, or BULB for short.
Listen to the song.
Here’s a sample of Wilson’s lyrics, sung to the tune of the Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand”:
“Hey you / what were you thinking? / It’s the law of the land / Hey you / deserve a spanking / you passed the light bulb ban! / you made them contraband!”
“Now I / I have fluorescents / the light is ghastly blue / I don’t think a light bulb / should be a curlicue”
“My home has been like it’s been living / in a cave … undo the light-blub ban! / undo the light bulb ban!”
What went down at the Jefferson Memorial dance party? [VIDEO]
The Daily Caller’s Michael Mayday interviewed different folks and filmed Saturday’s Jefferson Memorial dance party, which was shut down by police officials after less than an hour.
Attendees came together in support of free speech and busting a move at the Jefferson Memorial. Dancing, even silently, is not allowed at the monument.
Watch: Jefferson Memorial visitors get their groove on
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/06/06/what-went-down-at-the-jefferson-memorial-dance-party-video/#ixzz1jkNjb6pp
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