Big Dogs House

An Out Of Control Government

by Big Dog on Jan 10, 2012 at 22:28 Posted in Political 3 Comments

Suppose the federal government required all people in the US to buy clothing impregnated with a special fire retardant and that failure to buy clothing with the fire retardant would result in a $1000 fine. It would be bad enough that the government required us to have such things in our clothes but now suppose that the fire retardant did not exist.

That’s right. The government requires you to buy clothing with a substance in it that does not exist and then fines you when you are unable to do the impossible.

Not many Americans would stand for this kind of nonsense so Big Dog, how could you even suggest such a silly thing? The government would never require people to use something that does not exist and then fine them when they were unable to do so.

Not so. The federal government will receive about $6.8 million in fines (for 2011) assessed to oil companies because they failed to mix a biofuel additive in with their gasoline and diesel. The companies expect to pay even more this year for failing to use the biofuel.

The problem is, the biofuel does not exist outside of labs. It has not been developed for use so it cannot be used but that has not stopped the government from assessing penalties on companies because they cannot possibly meet the demands the government has placed on them.

Penalizing the fuel suppliers demonstrates what happens when the federal government really, really wants something that technology is not ready to provide. In fact, while it may seem harsh that the Environmental Protection Agency is penalizing them for failing to do the impossible, the agency is being lenient by the standards of the law, the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. NYT

This is absolutely ridiculous and clearly demonstrates an out of control government. This is what happens when government mandates compliance with things that are not yet possible or will not be when compliance laws take effect. This is the same problem we will face if government mandates movement to certain “green” energy sources by specific dates and then those not yet invented sources do not come to be.

I would imagine the oil companies will take legal action to keep from paying a penalty that they cannot possibly avoid.

If not then how long will it be before we are all held hostage to the impossible demands of an impossibly inept government?

Cave canem
Never surrender, never submit.

Tags: biofuel, fines, foolish government, impossible demands, oil companies, penalties, tyranny

Don’t Forget Them When They Come Home

by Big Dog on Jan 9, 2012 at 22:02 Posted in Political Leave a comment

Many of our veterans will have hardship when they return from doing what our country asked of them. Unfortunately, many veterans don’t know where to go for information. The Department of Veteran’s Affairs has set up Make the Connection:

Make The Connection is an organization connecting veterans and their friends and family members with information, resources and solutions to issues affecting their health, well-being and everyday lives.

If you are a veteran, know veterans or have veterans in your family please visit, or have them visit, Make the Connection.

God bless the brave mean and women and let us hold firm to our commitment to them and the VA is leading the way.

Cave canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

Tags: duty, help, honor, remember, service, veterans

In Maryland The Taxes Just Keep On Coming

by Big Dog on Jan 8, 2012 at 11:46 Posted in Political 1 Comment

The People’s Republic of Maryland is wealthy. It has counties surrounding DC and many of the wealthy folks who do business in DC live in Maryland. The economic impact of job loss has not hurt Maryland as badly as other states for this very reason; a lot of Marylanders are employed by the federal government.

Maryland is also a bastion of liberal lunacy. The State Legislature has a huge Democrat majority and the Congressional delegation is heavily Democrat. At the state level the Democrats continue to push liberal tax and spend policies that hurt the state which has seen its population of millionaires dwindle as these folks leave for states that are more tax friendly.

When Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich was in office (the first Republican in decades) he proposed slots parlors as a way to make money for the state. This was pooh poohed by Democrats as bad policy and not the way to make money. Current Democrat Governor Martin “The Teflon Leprechaun” O’Malley was singing along with the chorus.

When O’Malley defeated Ehrlich the tune changed and suddenly slots was a great idea. The morons in Annapolis placed the issue on the ballot for referendum which stupidly added it to the State Constitution. They were too cowardly to enact it as legislation because they wanted to be able to claim they did not do it when those opposed to slots complained.

Regardless, the measure passed and nearly eight years after Ehrlich proposed slots, they were in Maryland. The state lost slots revenue all that time because of politics.

Now there are two parlors operating (with more to come) and they are bringing in more than 10 million dollars a month (think about all that lost revenue because of politics).

Event though the parlors bring in this revenue the state has still raised taxes. Two years ago there was a special session where taxes were raised across the board. The sales tax went up 20%, the income tax was raised on higher income workers, all kinds of services were taxed or had tax increases and once again the citizens got screwed. Interestingly, people must have found ways to avoid the taxes because revenue decreased or was not what they expected.

The state has a history of misappropriating funds. The Transportation Fund was raped by legislators in order to pay other bills. Transportation projects still needed to be paid for but the money that was dedicated to them was spent on other things like social welfare programs, many of which go to illegal aliens. The state held public meetings about proposed toll increases along Maryland’s many toll roads. Despite overwhelming opposition from the public, the state increased the tolls.

Now the state wants to raise the tax on gasoline by 15 cents a gallon (a 65% increase). The state is proposing to phase in a tax increase on a commodity that the state already heavily taxes. They claim they need to increase funds for the transportation projects and they promise the funds will not be used for anything else. The reality is that they already had the funds and they spent them on something else. They are effectively trying to make us pay twice for the same thing. We paid in and they had the money, they spent it on something else and now they want us to pay in again. It is certainly easier for these clowns to misappropriate money from a needed fund to pay for things the public might not favor and to force us to pay again into the necessary fund then it is to sell increasing our taxes to cover things like more social welfare and tuition and health care for illegal aliens.

The state is also considering raising the already ridiculously high cost of registering vehicles, the flush tax (money to help the Chesapeake Bay that we all pay as part of our water bill), and increases in bus and rail fees (the state has also raised the tax on alcoholic beverages). The state has misappropriated money and spent unwisely and now is looking to gouge its citizens.

Where is all the slots money going? Why do we have increases in taxes and fees (fees are taxes) and why do we continue to have a bloated budget each and every year? It is because Maryland is fiscally irresponsible and instead of actually cutting things that have no place in government it chooses to view more money coming in as an excuse to spend even more. Rather than balance the budget based on its current revenue and by cutting unneeded services the state would rather dig into the pockets of those who work for a living.

They continue to spend, spend, spend and they are reckless in how they manage money. There are tons of dollars spent that keep people in poverty and force the rest of us to fund their lives. We pay for their medical care, their welfare, their food stamps, their government provided cell phones (a right you know) and their very existence so that Democrats can continue to rely on a particular block of voters.

When you rob Peter to pay Paul you can always count on Paul’s support. That is what Democrats in Maryland (and really across the country) do and this is why Maryland keeps electing corrupt morons to run the state.

People are fed up with tax and spend policies. There are necessary costs associated with government and those expenses should be borne by all people represented by that government. The balance of the things government assumes as a responsibility are not in their lane and should be abolished. Smaller government where everyone has, as Joe Biden called it, skin in the game is the most effective way to run things.

How many people have to shop in tax friendly states or buy their gas across the border before the legislature in Maryland realizes that taxing us to death will not solve the problem of fiscal irresponsibility and misappropriation?

It is time for people to fight back. It is time to let politicians in Annapolis know that they back the proposals of the lame duck Governor at their own peril.

We need fiscal responsibility from people who actually know what they are doing. That would exclude those who have lived their lives off the backs of others, like the very politicians in Annapolis.

We have been Taxed Enough Already and it is time for Marylanders to use every legal method to avoid the taxes imposed by the tyrannical government that is imposing its will on the people. Shop in other states, buy gas in other states, buy alcohol in other states and buy your tobacco in other states (though I don’t condone the use it is a legal product) and look to the Internet to buy things and have them delivered.

There are many legal ways to cut the head off the snake.

Time to get a sharp knife and do just that.

Related:
WJZ (CBS) Baltimore
Maryland Slots Revenue

Cave canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

Tags: annapolis, fiscal irresponsibility, gas tax, legislature, lies, malfeasance, Maryland, misappropriation, O'Malley, slots, transportation fund

What About That Pesky Constitution Confuses Obama?

by Big Dog on Jan 6, 2012 at 20:06 Posted in Political Leave a comment

King Barack Hussein* made a few appointments by declaring that the Senate was effectively in recess so he had the authority to do so. His mouthpieces claim that the White House Legal Council has reviewed the issue and said it was OK for King Hussein to make the appointments. Interestingly, the Department of Justice is the agency that normally reviews items of Constitutionality. I imagine that Hussein figured that his Council could say it was OK and then after the fact he could persuade his buddy Holder to write a favorable opinion.

The rule of law. Hussein said the Senate was effectively in recess for weeks so he could make the appointment because the Constitution says so. If Hussein wants to be technical, let us do so. My well worn pocket Constitution, Article II, Section 2, last paragraph reads:

The President shall have the power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session. [emphasis mine]

So let us assume, for a moment, that Hussein is correct about the Senate being in recess. Technically, the vacancies DID NOT HAPPEN during the alleged recess. The Constitution is clear in that the President may fill a vacancy that occurs while the Senate is in recess. These vacancies have been present for quite some time and DID NOT occur during the recess Hussein claims exists.

Therefore, he had no authority to begin with regarding making the appointments. This will likely go to court and it would be great if a ruling came down expressing exactly what the Constitution states and thereby prevent Congress and presidents from playing games regarding appointments. If the vacancy did not occur during a recess the president cannot fill it, period.

Let us suppose that a court does not rule this way (and some past rulings might run counter to it). Referring to my trusty Constitution, I see this under Article I, Section 5, Paragraph 2:

Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behavior, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.

The US Senate has a website that spells out what a pro forma session is and how it relates to the last paragraph of Section 5. That section reads:

Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.

And the Senate site explains it this way:

This section was included to prevent either chamber from blocking legislation through its refusal to meet. Each chamber takes very seriously its independence of the other body. To avoid having to ask the other chamber for permission to adjourn, the Senate and House simply conduct pro forma (as a matter of form) sessions to meet the three-day constitutional requirement. No business is conducted at these sessions, which generally last for less than one minute.

Additionally, the Senate explains that pro forma sessions occur, last a few minutes, and no business is conducted:

Pro Forma Session: A pro forma session is a brief meeting (sometimes lasting only seconds) in which no business is conducted. It is held usually to satisfy the constitutional obligation that neither chamber can adjourn for more than three days without the consent of the other.

There is no doubt that pro forma sessions are part of business and are recognized as such. It is also evident that they are held so that one chamber does not have to ask the other to adjourn which means they have NOT adjourned. The methods for recess in the Senate are as follows:

In the Senate, the Chair has no inherent authority to declare recesses. Recesses are accomplished only (1) by the full body giving unanimous consent to hold recesses “subject to the call of the Chair,” or (2) by adopting a motion to recess, offered by any Senator from the floor. Wiki Answers

The best I can figure from reading the Congressional Record for the month of December (you have to search with the month parameters), the Senate did not motion for a recess and has been adjourning every three days. I also note that some of the Senators who held the sessions were Democrats. It is possible the Senate adjourned three days at a time because the House was still in session debating the tax cut extension and the Senate did not want to ask permission to adjourn (under the Constitution) so it held pro forma sessions and most Senators left town. Since they never adjourned a quorum to motion for a recess they have been in pro forma sessions every three days. It is interesting to note that the Senate did this because it was unlikely the House would have granted permission to adjourn. It wanted to remain and hash out the tax cut bill. The Senate passed its version and did not want to stay so it used pro forma sessions to avoid having to ask. The leadership of the Senate (Democrats mind you) is responsible for the Senate not being in recess. Don’t expect to see this on the liberal media. They have to blame it all on Republicans.

There is not doubt that these kinds of sessions are the practice of the House and Senate as part of their procedures (procedures they are Constitutionally authorized to enact) so I cannot see how King Hussein is able to do a recess appointment. He does not get to decide if they are in recess or not, they do.

So it looks like Hussein has bombed on several issues of the Constitution. Wasn’t he allegedly a Constitutional law professor?

Of course I am no lawyer and this will have to be settled in the courts. No matter how it all turns out things are going to get uglier than they already are, if that is even possible.

I believe, as do many who have looked at this, that King Hussein has overstepped his authority and has usurped the Constitution.

NPR has an interesting article about it

*If he is going to act like a dictator I will address him as one.

Cave canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

Tags: adjourn, constitution, king barack hussein, lies, recess appointment, Senate

No Background Checks On NLRB Appointees

by Big Dog on Jan 6, 2012 at 18:11 Posted in Political 1 Comment

It is bad enough that Barack Obama violated the Constitution when he made what he calls recess appointments when the Senate was not in recess but two of the appointments he made never made it through the vetting process and the Senate never had a chance to advise and consent. As such, Sharon Block and Richard Griffin were sent up after the Senate had adjourned (but did not go into official recess) and they do not appear on the list of Obama nominations.

These two did not have background checks, security checks and were not checked to ensure they paid their income taxes (a common problem among Obama appointees). None of this mattered to the Dictator of Amerika, King Barack Hussein, who appointed them anyway.

It is tragic that he violated the Constitution though it is not surprising. It is just as bad that he never gave the Senate time to even put these nominees through the proper vetting process.

King Hussein said he appointed folks because he knew Republicans would obstruct. It was, preemptive. So he has now embraced the Bush doctrine of preemptive strikes.

The Senate was not in recess and has had a pro forma session every three days. That appears to be consistent with Senate rules (and the Constitution says the Senate makes its own rules for how it is run) so Obama usurped the authority of Congress.

None of these appointments came up while the Senate was in recess and only one has been submitted for proper review. The Senate has not yet acted on these nominations so Obama decided he would take matters into his own hands, violate the Constitution, tick off a lot of people and do what he wants, rules be damned.

I hope he does not expect much cooperation when things ramp back up. He wants a trillion more added to the debt ceiling and he will want to make more nominations.

Republicans need to step up to the plate. Take Obama to court over this and get a ruling. If it goes in our favor then great. If not then you guys need to filibuster every motion to adjourn or motion to recess from now on. Keep everyone in DC and Obama will not be able to do an end run.

Until we take the King off his throne we need to use all the tricks.

We can start by not providing for a salary to anyone who gets a recess appointment and then proceed to not providing funds for their agencies.

The power of the purse will derail a dictator every time.

Cave canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

Tags: background, king obama, liar, national security, recess appointments, taxes