No No No

Is what we got from out elected official in the House of Representatives this week. The mighty senators put in a tough week of approving candidates that they have no clue about other than what the Chamber of Commerce wants. 

Congress.org presents MEGAVOTE for July 24, 2017 and Georgia's 13th Congressional District.

Recent Congressional Votes
Senate

• Shanahan Nomination - Confirmation
• Bush Nomination - Confirmation

House

• Ozone Standards Implementation
• Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Agency Coordinating Authority
• King Cove Land Exchange

Upcoming Congressional Bills
Senate

• Nomination of David Bernhardt to be Deputy Secretary of the Interior

House

• Four Bill Appropriations Minibus
• Disapproval of the Consumer Arbitration Rule

Recent Senate Votes:
Shanahan Nomination - Confirmation Vote Confirmed (92-7, 1 Not Voting)
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Patrick M. Shanahan to be deputy secretary of Defense.
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted YES
Sen. David Perdue voted YES

As long as they aren't doves's bent on decimating defense by way limiting the dollars, all ahead full speed.

Bush Nomination - Confirmation Vote Confirmed (51-47, 2 Not Voting)
The Senate confirmed the nomination of John Kenneth Bush to be a judge for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted YES
Sen. David Perdue voted YES

Vanderbilt  for hos undergraduate, Harvard for the JD. Bush is the He is chair for the chapter of the Federalist Society in Louisville. The Federalist Society, is made up of conservatives and libertarians interested in steering the legal system with an originalist interpretation of the Constitution. This would be the reason why the vote was so divided, that and the Democratic suggestion that Bush is a virulent LGBTQ rights opponent. What I do not see in a web search is evidence of court actions that are biased. Well tough shit boys, he's there for life if he doesn't get promoted.

Recent House Votes:
Ozone Standards Implementation, Vote Passed (229-199, 5 Not Voting)
The House passed the bill that would extend for eight years the deadline for the EPA to implement new National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ground-level ozone. The bill would require the EPA to review the national ambient air quality standards for each pollutant every ten years, instead of every five, and would require the agency to evaluate possible adverse effects of standard changes.
Rep. David Scott voted NO

Business good, EPA bad.

Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure, Vote Passed (254-175, 4 Not Voting)
The House passed the bill that would establish a new system for the approval and permitting of border-crossing oil and gas pipelines and electrical transmission lines. The bill would require sponsors of border-crossing oil pipelines and electricity transmission facilities that cross the U.S. borders into Canada and Mexico to receive a "certificate of crossing" from the relevant federal agency in order to build or modify their projects.
Rep. David Scott voted NO

Who the heck knows, no doubt Scott voted against as a reflex.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Agency Coordinating Authority Vote Passed (248-179, 6 Not Voting)
The House passed the bill that would establish the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the sole lead agency for the permitting of proposals to build or expand natural gas pipelines.
Rep. David Scott voted NO

Clearing out the clutter and bureaucracy, naturally a Democrat would be against that.

King Cove Land Exchange, Vote Passed (248-179, 6 Not Voting)
The House passed the bill that would require the Interior Department to convey to the state of Alaska, if requested, 206 acres of federal land within the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Izembek Wilderness for the purpose of constructing a single-lane gravel road between the towns of King Cove and Cold Bay, Alaska.
Rep. David Scott voted NO

States right to self determination, for David Scott and the Democrats that is a non-starter. The Interior Department over-stepped its charter and authority during the last President's administration, a course that all bureaucracies seek, unfortunately it takes elected officials to correct that shit. In the end they never get it all corrected so there is a long crawl, with intermittent back slides and then leaps forward towards total Federal government control and essentially no personal rights to property.

Upcoming Votes:
Nomination of David Bernhardt to be Deputy Secretary of the Interior - PN365 The Senate will vote on the nomination of David Bernhardt to be deputy secretary of the Interior.

An industry guy, Elizabeth Warren, aka fauxahontas,  hates him so he is good enough for me. The Senate seems to be getting more aggressive on these confirmation votes so I expect this is going through.

Four Bill Appropriations Minibus - HR3219 The minibus would include the following appropriations bills: (Defense, Energy-Water, Legislative Branch and Military Construction-VA). Defense appropriations (HR 3219) would provide $658.1 billion for the Defense Department and $73.9 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism funding. Energy-Water appropriations (HR 3266) would provide $37.6 billion for national defense nuclear weapons activities, the Army Corps of Engineers and various programs under the Energy. Legislative branch appropriations (HR 3162) would provide $3.6 billion (excluding Senate only items) for the House and joint operations. Military Construction-VA appropriations (HR 2998) would provide $88.8 billion in discretionary funding with $638 million for the Overseas Contingency Operations fund. It would provide a total of $182.3 billion (in mandatory and discretionary funding) for the Veterans Affairs Department.

This is supposed to be Ryan's strength, and with all the military expenditures, David Scott will probably vote YES.

Disapproval of the Consumer Arbitration Rule - HJRes111 Under the Congressional Review Act, the joint resolution would provide for congressional disapproval of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's final arbitration rule which prohibits financial services companies that offer financial products to consumers from using arbitration clauses to stop consumers from being part of a class action lawsuit.

I can see David Scott, swishing his little finger and sweetly saying...

Hated it 

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What a Way to Go Out

Sometimes this is how I feel about work.
And, I am thinking of getting a few more of these feeder stands.

Slip Sliding Away

Goes California's once sterling public college reputation.

California wants to install a single payer health care system, while it cannot afford to pay for the commitments already in place.
Taxation is driving business from the state, further eroding the taxable base.
Governors have been run off for not being able to pay the bills will the legislature continually increases expenditures.
Benefits are extended to illegal aliens.
Sanctuary is provided for illegal aliens.
Farmers and ranchers are being denied water so some guppy can survive the guppy holocaust perpetrated by the evil producers.
College tuition is free to state residents, even those that are really resident of other countries.

Now we have a the Chancellor of California Community Colleges claiming that students being required to know algebra for admittance is an undue burden amounting to prejudice. Chancellor  Eloy Ortiz Oakley said....

This is a civil rights issue, but this is also something that plagues all Americans, particularly low-income Americans. If you think about all the underemployed or unemployed Americans in this country who cannot connect to a job in this economy, which is unforgiving of those students who don’t have a credentials,the biggest barrier for them is this algebra requirement. It’s what has kept them from achieving a credential.

Here is the thing, colleges are created with the intent of providing an education that is focused on developing a skills necessary for a career of employment. Colleges have been created to improve industry within states, provide for teaching work-forces, and for the development of theological pursuits. Of course colleges and universities allow the focus of pure learning for the sake of knowledge attainment, but that is not a practical concern for 99% of the populace. Schools of higher learning should exist for the development learning beyond that offered in K-12 education. Fist level algebra is a subject that most students, bound for college, should have completed before high school. Most students, most, have completed second level algebra and trigonometry  before completing high school.
If the student does not have algebra skills, the student is not ready for college.
If the student has completed high school and does not know algebra, he or she was fraudulently allowed to graduate.
Lowering down entrance requirements of a school, degrades the value of the education it offers, and creates a false impression to purchasers of the skills that we supposed to be developed.
Business learns such things quickly, if the graduated students suck as employees, the schools reputation will be downgrades as a source of employee candidates.
Lowering down entrance requirements of a school cheats the student of the skills they expect to have to become professionally employed.
The Chancellor of California Community Colleges likely has a more devious intent. Since the education is free to the state resident, the money for tuition comes from the taxpayer, the more students accepted into a system, the more money the school system will get from the state. The dark side of that objective is that the Chancellor proves he does not give a shit about the student or education.

Farming

A farmer went to a local bar and ordered a glass of champagne.  
The woman sitting next to him said, 'How about that? I just ordered champagne too!'
'What a coincidence' the farmer said. 'This is a special day for me. I'm celebrating.'
This is a special day for me too, I am also celebrating,' said the woman.'  
'What a coincidence!' said the farmer. As they clinked glasses he added: 'What are you celebrating?'
'My husband and I have been trying to have a child and today my gynecologist told me that I am pregnant!'
'What a coincidence!' said the man. 'I'm a chicken farmer and all last year my hens were infertile, but today they are all laying eggs again.'
'That's great!' said the woman, 'How did your chickens become fertile?'  
'I used a different cock,' he replied.
The woman smiled, clinked his glass and said 'what a coincidence!'

Natassha Kinski

Natassha Kinski has always been one of my favorites.

She is the daughter of a famous Polish actor, Klaus Kinski.

Her work has not been as extensive as her father's but if you watch Paris, Texas, or, even better, Exposed you can get a good idea of her screen presence.
In light research, I see that the famous pedophile Roman Polanski had a relationship with her when she was 15 and he was 43.

Knuckle Dragging

Congress.org presents MEGAVOTE for July 17, 2017 and Georgia's 13th Congressional District.

Recent Congressional Votes

• Senate: Rao Nomination – Confirmation
• Senate: Hagerty Nomination – Confirmation
• House: California Drought Prevention
• House: Fiscal 2018 Defense Authorization

Upcoming Congressional Bills

• Senate: Nomination of Patrick Shanahan to be Deputy Secretary of Defense
• House: Delay EPA Air Pollution Standards
• House: Gas Pipeline Permits
• House: Cross-Border Energy Project Permits
• House: Alaska Road Land Exchange

Recent Senate Votes:
Rao Nomination – Confirmation, Vote Confirmed (54-41, 5 Not Voting)
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Neomi Rao to be administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs within the Office of Management and Budget.
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted YES
Sen. David Perdue voted YES

Neomi Rao is another Yale undergrad University of Chicago lawyer confirmed. The Senate has been moving very slowly with the conformation process, for the same period, the closest lowest number of confirmed was Bush 43, Trump has about 1/3 the number of confirmed appointees. When the President's appointees are not confirmed, the permanent employees are working with the objectives set by the last President.

Hagerty Nomination – Confirmation, Vote Confirmed (86-12, 2 Not Voting)
The Senate confirmed the nomination of William Hagerty IV to be U.S. ambassador to Japan.
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted YES
Sen. David Perdue voted YES

The knuckle dragging Republicans have confirmed another  appointee. Bill Hagerty is 57 years old, has previously served as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. During 2011 and 2014 Hagerty orchestrated business deals between Tennessee and Japanese firms.

Hagerty has worked with the consulting firm Boston Consulting Group, managing Boston Consulting's western clients in Japan and elsewhere in Asia.

Recent House Votes:
California Drought Prevention, Vote Passed (230-190, 13 Not Voting)
The House passed the bill that would require the Interior Department to take certain actions to increase the availability of water for agricultural and other purposes in California's Central Valley, including a requirement that the maximum amount of water practicable would have to be provided to all individuals or districts that receive water through the Central Valley Project.
Rep. David Scott voted NO

A lot of this pain California is experiencing is the result of idiotic Federal and state regulations. At some point,the government needs to assert that men need to serve men before beasts. Many of this department's regulations assert to opposite. The government the problem here, they are supported by a serious contingent, but the desire to handcuff industry has gone too far.

Fiscal 2018 Defense Authorization, Vote Passed (344-81, 8 Not Voting)
The House passed the bill that would authorize $688.3 billion in discretionary funding for defense programs in fiscal 2018. The total would include $74.6 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations funds, of which $10 billion would be used for non-war, base defense budget needs; $239.7 billion for operations and maintenance; $10.2 billion for military construction; $142.9 billion for military personnel; and $33.9 billion for defense health care programs. It would authorize $12.5 billion for procurement of F-35 planes, research and development, as well as modifications to existing aircraft, and would prohibit the retirement of the A-10 bomber fleet.
Rep. David Scott voted YES

David usually gets these right.

Upcoming Votes:
Nomination of Patrick Shanahan to be Deputy Secretary of Defense - PN583 The Senate will vote on the nomination of Patrick Shanahan to be deputy secretary of Defense.

Check out how John McCain acting like a dick toward this nominee.

Delay EPA Air Pollution Standards - HR806 The bill would extend for eight years EPA's deadlines for implementing its new air pollution standards for ground-level ozone so they wouldn't have to be implemented until 2025, rather than 2017, and it would modify the general process by which EPA develops National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone and other pollutants, including by requiring reviews of pollutant standards every 10 years rather than every five years.

Just kill the darn thing, don't postpone what can be cleared.

Gas Pipeline Permits - HR2910
The bill would set statutory deadlines for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and other federal agencies to act when considering certification or permits for the construction or expansion of natural gas pipelines.

Setting deadlines for responses will prevent the bureaucrats from stalling applications as a matter of environmental protection. Study, clear it and move on.

Cross-Border Energy Project Permits - HR2883 The bill would establish a new system for the approval and permitting of oil and gas pipelines and electrical transmission lines that cross the U.S. borders into Canada and Mexico, eliminating the current system created by executive orders under which a presidential permit must be issued.

Watch this become a way for the government with give electricity to Mexico,

Alaska Road Land Exchange - HR218
The bill would require the Interior Department to transfer 206 acres of National Wildlife Refuge land to the state of Alaska in order to build a road connecting the towns of King Cove and Cold Bay, in exchange for up to 43,093 acres of state land to be transferred to the federal government that would be made part of the wildlife refuge.

The federal government usurping states' rights to administer local policy.

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Condiments

How are parsley and panties alike?
You set them both to the side before you eat.
😛

Put the Screws to Them

Congress.org presents MEGAVOTE for July 5, 2017 and MegaVote for Georgia's 13th Congressional District.

Recent Congressional Votes

• Senate: Svinicki Nomination - Confirmation
• House: Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Limitation
• House: Immigration Law Enforcement Compliance
• House: Criminal Undocumented Immigrants Sentencing Guidelines

The House and Senate are not doing legislative business in their respective chambers  this week.

Lazy pricks, they don't do their job, don't accomplish things they promise to accomplish and constituents be damned, we're going home.

Recent Senate Votes:

Svinicki Nomination - Confirmation, Vote Confirmed (88-9, 3 Not Voting)

The Senate confirmed the nomination of Kristine L. Svinicki to be a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Sen. Johnny Isakson voted Not Voting

Sen. David Perdue voted YES

A nuke engineer, University of Michigan, has served the last two Presidents. Engineers are awsome.

Recent House Votes:

Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Limitation, Vote Passed (218-210, 6 Not Voting)

The House passed a bill that would limit to $250,000 the non-economic damages that can be awarded in a medical malpractice lawsuit in which the plaintiff's health care was paid for in whole or in part via a federal program, subsidy or tax benefit, and would establish a statute of limitations for initiating such lawsuits of either three years following the plaintiff's injury, or one year after the plaintiff discovers such injury, whichever occurs first.

Rep. David Scott voted NO

Sounds like a convoluted description to me. All the Democrats and 19 Republicans voted against the law. 

Republicans passed the bill with few votes to spare in a 218-210 roll call vote. A total of 19 GOP lawmakers from both the centrist and most conservative wings of the party voted against the bill, as did all House Democrats. A surprising move by a bunch of lawyers, its all moot anyway, a bill passing this narrowly in the House has no chance in the Senate.  All that said, it is time to start weighing the true impact of lawsuits on real costs  and avoidance costs and weight that against the right to redress. The whole is being punished for the rights of the minority.

Immigration Law Enforcement Compliance, Vote Passed (228-195, 10 Not Voting)

The House passed a measure that would prohibit federal, state and local governments from restricting any federal, state, or local government entity or official from complying with immigration laws or from assisting federal law enforcement entities or officials in their enforcement of such laws.

Rep. David Scott voted NO

Also known as Kate's Law.

Explain it to me like I am 5 years old, the Democrats with near near unanimity voted against enforcement of current laws?

The Senate refused to pass an earlier version of this bill in 2016, watch it die in the Senate. In my research of the passage of this bill, found where NBC claimed that here is "scant evidence" of correlation between repeats offenses and subsequent criminal behavior. This belies the reality, these illegal aliens being targeted are being caught breaking laws, repeatedly. The argument  that the law is unfair because targets the hardworking undocumented workers, is an unrelated red herring. The law is about putting the screws to illegal aliens that run afoul of law enforcement.

Criminal Undocumented Immigrants Sentencing Guidelines Vote Passed (257-167, 9 Not Voting)

The House passed legislation that would establish specific possible fines and prison sentences for undocumented immigrants convicted of certain criminal offenses and who illegally return to the United States despite having been previously deported or otherwise excluded from the country.

Rep. David Scott voted NO

You are getting all of these votes wrong Mr. Scott. The prison sentences for repeat offender should be mandatory, and include forced labor. The purpose of prison should be to deter recidivism.

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Copyright (c) 2017.