Marshall Sutherland

2024-12-22 11:57:51

dwatney@hub.farthinghalearms.com

Apparently the "people's business" is so inconsequential that Members of Congress can go AWOL for months.

#^Kay Granger’s status under scrutiny after missing out on vital votes - Washington Examiner

Granger, who is retiring at the end of this Congress after serving since 1997, has not cast a vote in the House since July.

Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA) suffered a stroke in May and has not voted in the chamber since then, but he still won reelection last month for another term.

#politics

politics politics

2024-12-20 20:54:25

Marshall Sutherland

dwatney@hub.farthinghalearms.com

Thanks FDA for MEHA! (Making Eggs Healthy Again) I eat at least a dozen per week.

#^FDA updates the definition of 'healthy' foods

Packaged foods in the U.S. must follow new rules in order to call themselves “healthy.”

#health

health

2024-12-20 13:20:32

Marshall Sutherland

dwatney@hub.farthinghalearms.com

One of the reason the country is in so much #debt is "patriotic" companies like this <bleep>ing over taxpayers for decades.

#^Boeing charged HOW MUCH for a soap dispenser!?

A whistleblower called to report a tip that Boeing massively overcharged the Air Force for soap dispensers on their C-17 cargo plane. So the government did an investigation and it turns out Boeing charged an 8,000 percent markup on 44 generic looking soap dispensers costing taxpayers an extra $150,000.

#video

video debt

2024-12-20 16:13:00

Waitman Gobble

hello@rumbly.net

I think they were using it for lube jobs.

Boeing supplier defends using dish soap as lubricant: ‘This is actually an innovative approach’

Cornstarch, Vaseline, and talcum powder were also explored.

2024-12-20 17:43:54

Marshall Sutherland

dwatney@hub.farthinghalearms.com

So, if someone from Boeing is holding a bottle of dish soap and asks you to bend over...

2024-12-19 20:36:36

Marshall Sutherland

dwatney@hub.farthinghalearms.com

#^Eminent Domain DISASTER May Finally Be Overturned

Can the government take your property just to hand it over to your business competitor?

That is the question New York developer Bryan Bowers is asking the United States Supreme Court after New York’s courts said it was perfectly fine for a county redevelopment agency to condemn his property and give it to a rival developer to use as a private parking lot. In most states, that kind of one-to-one transfer of property between private owners would be forbidden—or at least be subject to serious judicial scrutiny. In New York, though, it’s business as usual.

The culprit is the Supreme Court’s much-maligned 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of New London. In that case, the Court blessed the condemnation of the working-class Fort Trumbull neighborhood—not to build a road or a school, but because the government wanted to hand the land over to new private owners who would pay more in taxes. The Constitution says eminent domain is reserved for public uses, like building roads or parks, but the Court held that the public-use requirement was satisfied by the prospect of the public benefiting from claimed higher tax revenues.

The backlash to Kelo was swift and widespread. Between legislation, constitutional amendments, and court decisions, 47 states changed their laws to make Kelo-style private-purpose takings more difficult. But in the few states that didn’t, eminent domain abuse continues to occur.

Bryan’s case gives the Supreme Court an opportunity to reconsider and hopefully overturn its decision in Kelo and to restore some constitutional protections against eminent-domain abuse—an opportunity that several Justices have publicly supported.

Learn more about this important case at IJ.org

#video #IJ #eminent_domain

video IJ eminent domain

2024-12-19 18:31:30

Marshall Sutherland

dwatney@hub.farthinghalearms.com

#^The Toxic Truth About Food

Chris and guest, Tracy Thurman, highlight the toxicity of the food system, the transformative power of dietary changes, particularly raw milk, and the need for individuals to make informed, healthier food choices.

#video #health

video health

2024-12-18 20:36:21

Marshall Sutherland

dwatney@hub.farthinghalearms.com

#^congressional immunity

guess what's hidden in the new funding bill?

as many suspected, it’s full of pork. it’s also full of nightmares. buried in this vast tome of “we have to pass it to find out what’s in it” are some things that i think we all really need to find out about BEFORE it’s passed because if they pass, well, we’ll never find out anything else again.

chief among them is the “congress critter full immunity act,” a set of new self-bestowed privileges so egregious as to beggar belief and constitutional compliance alike.

it is the very definition of “above the law.”

#law (potential)

law

show all 6 comments

2024-12-19 04:13:19

Waitman Gobble

hello@rumbly.net

I laughed pretty good when i read Trump said he wants the debt ceiling raised before he rakes office so he can blame Biden.

2024-12-19 18:29:01

Marshall Sutherland

dwatney@hub.farthinghalearms.com

#^the porkulous is dead

a funny thing happened on the way to the house floor, and that thing was social media. the godawful porkulous bill stuffed full of pay raises, biolab funding, pharma grabs and shields, the congress critter unaccountability act, and 400 other outrages ranging from the petty to the positively pernicious is DOA.

2024-12-19 18:52:46

Jason Cook

jason@hub.inktada.com

Nice!

2024-12-20 15:57:16

Waitman Gobble

hello@rumbly.net

Seems like Trump wants the debt ceiling eliminated so he can get down to some serious spending instead of this paltry pork stuff. Although it seems with all the cuts they are talking about he should not need to spend more?

2024-12-20 17:41:17

Marshall Sutherland

dwatney@hub.farthinghalearms.com

Maybe, as president, he should submit a balanced budget! When was the last time that happened? Hell, when was the last time Congress passed a budget as all instead of these continuing resolutions (which mostly just take previous spending and add some % to it)? I think the answer to the 2nd question might be 2008. The answer to the first might be the Clinton years. They had a surplus at least 1 year, but I don't know if it was actually budgeted that way or it just worked out because of more income than expected.

2024-12-20 19:53:28

Marshall Sutherland

dwatney@hub.farthinghalearms.com

Looks like the House managed to pass a 118 page continuing resolution. Shocked, shocked I am that over 90% of the earlier bill wasn't really important enough to make the cut! A quick search finds no reference to "House data".

#^House Passes Critical Disaster Relief for Americans

Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 10545, the American Relief Act, 2025. Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) said, “Disasters know no bounds—they impact cities and states across this nation, leaving communities with destruction and despair. It’s a dire reality faced by so many, including my own constituents in Oklahoma. In the face of recent disasters, Americans throughout the country stepped up to help their fellow Americans, and so must Congress.

2024-12-18 20:11:10

Marshall Sutherland

dwatney@hub.farthinghalearms.com

Once upon a time, Americans could vote for electors of different candidates at the same time.

#^How the Electoral College's "winner-takes-all" works

Based on the book Winner-Takes-All: The Secret History of the Electoral College

#video #voting #USA

video voting USA

2024-12-17 19:09:02

Marshall Sutherland

dwatney@hub.farthinghalearms.com

#^The Economics of... Media Bias (3 mins)

Ever notice how biased news articles can be? Harvard economist Roland Fryer explores a surprising truth: When consumers demand biased news, more competition leads to more bias, not less.

Discover how market forces and consumer demand——not corporate control——shape today’s news landscape and why media companies mirror their readers’ political preferences instead of challenging them.

Join Fryer as he explains why the solution to media bias starts with our own choices about what media we consume. Are you ready to step outside your comfort zone?

#video #economics

video economics

2024-12-17 18:57:39

Marshall Sutherland

dwatney@hub.farthinghalearms.com

#^Clip from "The One True Faith"

The freedom to explore new ideas, especially when they don't conform to existing understanding, is critical for the advancement of science—just ask Galileo!

Dogma isn't exclusive to any particular school of thought.

Being able to challenge dogma, even when that challenge is upsetting or just incorrect, is how we advance our understanding of the universe around us.

#video #free_speech #science

video free speech science

2024-12-17 17:41:06

Marshall Sutherland

dwatney@hub.farthinghalearms.com

#^114: The ACA and the Assassination of Brian Thompson - Gracearchy with Jim Babka

Scapegoating CEO's Won't Fix U.S. Healthcare. So What Will?
In the wake of the assassination of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson, we delve into the deep-seated issues plaguing American healthcare. Why did Brian Thompson’s death elicit schadenfreude? This episode explores the satisfaction some felt at Thompson's demise. Jim sees Girardian scapegoating at play. Jim exposes the hidden costs of "free" government services and challenges both the cathartic allure of human sacrifice and the illusions maintained by central planners. Discover the root problems and the misrepresented solutions in this timeless critical analysis.

#video #podcast

video podcast