May 3, 2013 — John Hinderaker
Last night, I posted Why the Immigration Bill Can’t Be Fixed, offering five reasons in support of that conclusion. Today Senator Rubio’s office requested an opportunity to respond to my five points; we were happy to oblige. If you haven’t already read my post, you should probably start there. Here are the rejoinders from Senator Rubio’s office: 1. The word “comprehensive” isn’t in the title… I assume you didn’t mean
»
May 3, 2013 — John Hinderaker
Senator Jeff Sessions held a press conference this morning to introduce a new analysis that concludes the Gang of Eight’s immigration bill will actually result in at least 57 million new immigrants over the next ten years, significantly more than previous estimates. The issue is critically important, so Sessions’ statement is worth reading carefully and in its entirety: The Gang of Eight has stated, “this legislation does not significantly increase
»
May 2, 2013 — John Hinderaker
Paul has written about efforts to “fix” the Gang of Eight’s immigration bill by both the left and the right. In my view, the bill is flawed at its core, in multiple ways, and efforts to improve it are misguided. It cannot serve as a template for workable legislation. Here is why: 1. No bill that contains the word “comprehensive” in its title should be enacted. Sound legislation can be
»
May 2, 2013 — John Hinderaker
In his press conference the other day, President Obama spoke disapprovingly of the government intruding between a woman and her doctor. This was trademark Obama hypocrisy, since under Obamacare, the government will be involved in virtually every health care decision, with the possible exception of abortion. If that counts as health care. Fortunately (for us, not them) the British system serves as a warning about the realities of government medicine.
»
May 1, 2013 — John Hinderaker
Sometimes the really important news is obscured by layers of transient trivia. Actually, that is usually the case. The most important things that happen on any given day are rarely noted. This one at least made the news: the North Dakota/Montana natural gas bonanza is at least twice as large as previously estimated: The sea of oil and natural gas underneath North Dakota is far larger than first thought. There
»
May 1, 2013 — John Hinderaker
For readers of a certain age, that might sound like the title of a Playboy article of the 1960s or 70s. But no: it is the NRA’s latest volley in its pro-gun rights campaign. It makes a lot of sense, too. Women are the fastest-growing demographic of gun purchasers, and manufacturers are increasingly catering to them with firearms designed specifically with women in mind. Ammunition makers, too: I recently saw,
»
May 1, 2013 — John Hinderaker
No details yet, but the Boston Police Department says it has taken three more suspects into custody in connection with the Boston Marathon bombing. Early odds favor the guys with the “Terrorista 1″ license plate. UPDATE: It looks as though my Terrorista guess was right. The Boston Globe has more: Three college students have been arrested by federal authorities in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings, a law enforcement official
»
May 1, 2013 — John Hinderaker
I have been slow to criticize the Obama administration over the Boston Marathon bombing. I can readily understand that federal agencies cannot actively track 500,000 or more people who are on the terrorist watch list, and I think the most obvious lessons to be drawn from the Tsarnaevs’ terror spree relate to immigration and welfare policy. But now the Daily Mail reports that Saudi Arabia, as well as Russia, warned
»
April 30, 2013 — John Hinderaker
Tonight was the Freedom Club’s annual dinner. It was, as always, a delightful event. The Freedom Club is the principal organization of conservative donors in Minnesota. (Actually, it is probably the only organization of conservative donors in Minnesota.) For nearly 20 years, it has been almost the only counterbalance to the teachers’ unions, rich out of state liberals, and others who support the Democrats. For most of its history the
»
April 29, 2013 — John Hinderaker
I got a carry permit a couple of months ago, but my guns have been full-sized–an Armalite AR-24 9 mm. pistol, and a SIG Sauer Mosquito .22–and not really suitable for carrying. So I ordered a carry piece through a friend who owns a gun shop outside the Twin Cities. It arrived today, having rolled off the factory line on April 18. So I left work a few minutes early
»
April 29, 2013 — John Hinderaker
As we noted here, Numbers USA has estimated that if the Gang of Eight’s immigration proposal becomes law, at least 33 million immigrants will enter the United States, or be legalized here, over the next ten years. The overwhelming majority will be Mexicans, and most will enter the country as a result of our irrational policy of chain immigration, which will be unlimited as to the relatives of those covered
»
April 28, 2013 — John Hinderaker
Carbon dioxide does influence the Earth’s climate, but it is just one variable among a great many, and its impact is small. Scientists agree that if you double the CO2 in the atmosphere, it will cause an increase in the Earth’s temperature of around one degree Celsius. Nearly all scientists also agree that an increase of that magnitude would be good, not bad, for humans. The minor role played by
»
April 28, 2013 — John Hinderaker
People who don’t regularly communicate with the Democratic Party have no idea what a cesspool of hatred that organization is. It has one means, and one means only, of rallying its supporters to contribute money and to vote: that is to personalize every issue, and to demonize every opponent with smears that would make an honest man or woman blush. This email is typical; the Democrats sent out several, almost
»
April 27, 2013 — John Hinderaker
The explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas that claimed 14 lives is still unexplained; investigators have not yet figured out the cause. But that hasn’t stopped the Democrats from trying to make political hay out of the tragedy. First we have this disgusting cartoon in the Sacramento Bee, which is predicated on the idea that the explosion was caused by lax regulation on the part of the State
»
April 27, 2013 — John Hinderaker
Brian Ward and I convened on the first real Spring day here in Minnesota. Congressman Tom Cotton was our guest; you shouldn’t miss this episode of the Hinderaker-Ward Experience, as we talked with Tom about the Boston Marathon massacre, immigration and gun control. Tom’s view of what the House is likely to do with the immigration issue gives me more optimism about our country’s future than I have had for
»
April 26, 2013 — John Hinderaker
Well, you know, who needs a 7-quart pressure cooker? Michael Ramirez puts the question into the context of the marathon bombers: I saw a poll where more than 60% of Massachusetts residents said they wished they had a gun when the marathon bombers were on the loose. Really, you wonder why it wouldn’t be 100%. You could be a victim, but why would you want to be? Why shouldn’t dopey
»
April 26, 2013 — John Hinderaker
Numbers USA has done, to my knowledge, the first quantitative analysis of the implications of the Gang of Eight’s immigration bill, and the numbers are staggering. The Daily Caller reports: The pending Senate immigration bill would bring a minimum of 33 million people into the country during its first decade of operation, according to an analysis by NumbersUSA, a group that wants to slow the current immigration rate. By 2024,
»
