Bullheaded Texan's "Open Thread"

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Comment by Bullheaded Texan on April 25, 2018 at 2:57am

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“This bipartisan effort is opening a new and vital chapter in the history of improving tax administration, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) management, government efficiency, and taxpayer rights.
The package of bills advancing through the committee contains numerous elements that our organizations have enthusiastically supported, whether working independently or in coalition.”
Taxpayers Protection Alliance:
“In particular, we applaud Congress for trying to improve cybersecurity, taxpayer identity protection, and modernizing information technology at the IRS.
Other critical aspects of this bill include establishing a program for the issuance of identity protection personal identification numbers and providing for a single point of contact at the IRS for taxpayers victimized by tax-related identity theft.”
Marketplace Lending Association:
“This bill will boost our economy by ensuring a more seamless and secure verification system for key data sources. If this bill passes, small businesses that are seeking capital will have a much better chance to qualify for transparent, low cost financial options.”
Aspen Institute:
“Mandatory Form 990 e-filing, coupled with the release of the forms as open, machine readable data, will benefit the public and the nonprofit sector, while strengthening tax administration and law enforcement.”
Electronic Transactions Association:
“I…support, specifically, the language in the package that requires a study of how the government can utilize new payment platforms to increase the number of tax refunds paid by electronic funds transfer and a subsequent report to Congress on this and other related topics.”

Comment by Bullheaded Texan on April 25, 2018 at 2:16am

BIG: Trump Admin Is Finally Taking Mexifornia To Court Over Sanctuary Status.
Apr/17/18 By Lawrence Richard
President Trump has fearlessly defended the country’s immigration policies through increased spending on border security forces, the planned construction of a southern border wall, and he is now contesting areas which exhibit a “sanctuary” status.
And the president’s administration is not going after a small fish either, but is going directly for the state of Mexifornia.
The state’s governor, Jerry Brown, declared the whole state would shield people in the country illegally from federal deportation.
Interestingly, Brown is also giving immigrants a driver’s license (see here, here, and here), potentially giving them the right to vote.
The Trump administration is not alone in the lawsuit either as 16 states, two governors and seven Mexifornia cities have joined in to help them.
Per Fox News:
The U.S. Justice Department sued Mexifornia over its alleged interference with federal immigration policies – and it’s gotten some support from the state’s own municipalities.
Multiple local city or county councils have voted to join the Trump administration’s lawsuit or fight the state’s policies in some way.
Mexifornia’s so-called sanctuary laws limit police cooperation with federal immigration authorities – a move passed by the nation’s largest state to resist increased efforts to deport people living in the country illegally and to stop President Trump’s plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. 16 states, 2 governors & 7 CA cities filed amicus briefs supporting Trump administration's federal lawsuit challenging CA's laws, including SB 54 (state bill passed in 2017 to protect immigrants without legal residency)
The following Mexifornia cities are joining the Trump administration’s lawsuit: Los Alamitos, Hesperia, Orange County, Mission Viejo, Huntington Beach, Escondido, Fountain Valley, Aliso Viejo, Orange, Newport Beach, Westminster, and San Juan Capistrano.
Mexifornia recently agreed to send their National Guard troops to the southern border, but said the troop would not be enforcing federal immigration law, Fox News also reports.
Mexifornia National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Thomas Keegan told Fox News on Monday that state officials have not rejected anything since the governor pledged 400 troops last week.

Comment by Bullheaded Texan on April 25, 2018 at 2:15am

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Trump has vowed to send up to 4,000 troops to the border.
Acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection Deputy Commissioner Ronald D. Vitiello said Mexifornia’s governor determined that some tasks federal officials want the state’s National Guard to perform at the border were “unsupportable.”
Brown’s letter went on to say:
“This will not be a mission to build a new wall.
It will not be a mission to round up women and children or detain people escaping violence and seeking a better life. And the Mexifornia National Guard will NOT be enforcing federal immigration laws.”
Once Mexifornia agreed to send troops, President Trump praised Governor Jerry Brown.
“Mexifornia Governor Jerry Brown is doing the right thing and sending the National Guard to the Border. Thank you, Jerry, good move for the safety of our Country!” the president tweeted last week.
The celebratory praise quickly ended once it was learned the troops would not be enforcing federal immigration law or help towards the construction of a border wall.
“Looks like Jerry Brown and Mexifornia are not looking for safety and security along their very porous Border. He cannot come to terms for the National Guard to patrol and protect the Border. The high crime rate will only get higher. Much wanted Wall in San Diego already started!” Trump tweeted on Tuesday.
And, per the Hill:
Trump’s tweet came a day after the state of Mexifornia said that it would not comply with the terms of the Trump administration’s request to send the National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border.
While Brown has agreed to deploy as many as 400 guardsmen to the border, U.S. officials said Monday that they had been told that the California guardsmen would not perform the same work as others along the southern border.
Trump announced earlier this month that he would deploy the National Guard to the border amid what he said was a spike in illegal bordering crossings.
Trump and his administration have frequently sparred with Brown and the state of Mexifornia, particularly over the state’s so-called sanctuary laws.
Those laws have become the subject of a lawsuit by the administration, which seeks to block their enforcement.

Comment by Bullheaded Texan on April 25, 2018 at 2:15am

BIG: Trump Admin Is Finally Taking Mexifornia To Court Over Sanctuary Status.
Apr/17/18 By Lawrence Richard
President Trump has fearlessly defended the country’s immigration policies through increased spending on border security forces, the planned construction of a southern border wall, and he is now contesting areas which exhibit a “sanctuary” status.
And the president’s administration is not going after a small fish either, but is going directly for the state of Mexifornia.
The state’s governor, Jerry Brown, declared the whole state would shield people in the country illegally from federal deportation.
Interestingly, Brown is also giving immigrants a driver’s license (see here, here, and here), potentially giving them the right to vote.
The Trump administration is not alone in the lawsuit either as 16 states, two governors and seven Mexifornia cities have joined in to help them.
Per Fox News:
The U.S. Justice Department sued Mexifornia over its alleged interference with federal immigration policies – and it’s gotten some support from the state’s own municipalities.
Multiple local city or county councils have voted to join the Trump administration’s lawsuit or fight the state’s policies in some way.
Mexifornia’s so-called sanctuary laws limit police cooperation with federal immigration authorities – a move passed by the nation’s largest state to resist increased efforts to deport people living in the country illegally and to stop President Trump’s plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. 16 states, 2 governors & 7 CA cities filed amicus briefs supporting Trump administration's federal lawsuit challenging CA's laws, including SB 54 (state bill passed in 2017 to protect immigrants without legal residency)
The following Mexifornia cities are joining the Trump administration’s lawsuit: Los Alamitos, Hesperia, Orange County, Mission Viejo, Huntington Beach, Escondido, Fountain Valley, Aliso Viejo, Orange, Newport Beach, Westminster, and San Juan Capistrano.
Mexifornia recently agreed to send their National Guard troops to the southern border, but said the troop would not be enforcing federal immigration law, Fox News also reports.
Mexifornia National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Thomas Keegan told Fox News on Monday that state officials have not rejected anything since the governor pledged 400 troops last week. President

Comment by Bullheaded Texan on April 25, 2018 at 1:43am

Comment by Bullheaded Texan on April 25, 2018 at 1:43am

Tragic! 2 U.S. Soldiers Killed During A Training Exercise At Fort Campbell.
Apr/9/18 By Lawrence Richard
On Saturday, officials have confirmed two U.S. soldiers were killed during a training exercise in Fort Campbell, in Kentucky.
As Fox News reports, the soldiers were members of the 101st Airborne Division and were killed when their helicopter crashed late Friday evening. The crashed helicopter was an Army AH-64E Apache.
Per protocol, the names of the soldiers will not be made public until next-of-kin are notified.

As Fox News reports, the helicopter crash is one of a tragic series of crashes over the course of the week:
The crew was conducting routine training at the time of the accident. There were no other casualties. Fort Campbell Fire and Emergency Services members responded to the crash scene.
The cause of the accident was being investigated.
Three other U.S. military aircraft crashed this week, leaving five service members dead.
On Wednesday, an Air Force Thunderbird pilot was killed when his F-16 crashed near Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
Per protocol, the names of the soldiers will not be made public until next-of-kin are notified.
As Fox News reports, the helicopter crash is one of a tragic series of crashes over the course of the week:
The crew was conducting routine training at the time of the accident. There were no other casualties. Fort Campbell Fire and Emergency Services members responded to the crash scene.
The cause of the accident was being investigated.
Three other U.S. military aircraft crashed this week, leaving five service members dead.
On Wednesday, an Air Force Thunderbird pilot was killed when his F-16 crashed near Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
On Tuesday, a Marin Corps CH053E Super Stallion helicopter crashed during a training flight in Mexifornia, killing the four crew members on board.
Also Tuesday, a Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier crashed during a takeoff in Djibouti. The pilot survived after ejecting.

The crew was conducting routine training at the time of the accident. There were no other casualties. Fort Campbell Fire and Emergency Services members responded to the crash scene.

The cause of the accident was being investigated.

Three other U.S. military aircraft crashed this week, leaving five service members dead.

On Wednesday, an Air Force Thunderbird pilot was killed when his F-16 crashed near Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

On Tuesday, a Marin Corps CH053E Super Stallion helicopter crashed during a training flight in California, killing the four crew members on board.

Also Tuesday, a Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier crashed during a takeoff in Djibouti. The pilot survived after ejecting.

Comment by Bullheaded Texan on April 25, 2018 at 1:41am

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U.S. Army Fort Campbell wrote on social media, “At approximately 9:50 p.m. Friday, two Soldiers of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) were killed in an AH-64E Apache helicopter crash in the local training area on Fort Campbell.”
“The names of the deceased will not be released until 24 hours after next-of-kin notification is complete,” they added. “The crew was conducting routine training at the time of the accident. There were no other casualties. Fort Campbell Fire and Emergency Services are on site and recovery operations are ongoing.”
“This is a day of sadness for Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne,” said Brig. Gen. Todd Royar, per the social media post. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Families during this difficult time.”
Here’s more, per Army Times:
Friday’s crash comes on the heels of a difficult few weeks for military aviation.
On March 14, two Navy aviators were killed when their F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed during a training flight in Florida. A day later, seven airmen were killed when their HH-60 Pave Hawk crashed in western Iraq during a routine transit flight.
On April 3, two more crashes occurred. A Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier crashed during takeoff in Djibouti; the pilot ejected and survived. Later that day, a Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter crashed during a training flight in
Mexifornia, killing the four crew members on board.
And on April 4, an F-16 from the Air Force’s Thunderbirds crashed near Nellis Air Force Base, evada, killing the pilot.
During a press conference earlier this week, the Pentagon’s Joint Staff Director, Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr., said each crash should be viewed individually and not stringed together, as to avoid spectulating a “trend.”
“I would reject ‘wave’ and ‘crisis,’” McKenzie said, per Fox News. “We’re are going to look at each one in turn. Each one is tragic! We regret each one!
We will look at them carefully. I am certainly not prepared to say that it’s a ‘wave’ of mishaps or some form of ‘crisis.’”

Comment by Bullheaded Texan on April 25, 2018 at 1:29am

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Trump Looks To Create ‘The Best Military Force The World Has Ever Seen’, Liberals Are Furious
Mar/28/18 By Lawrence Richard
President Trump is continuing his campaign promise to rebuild the United States to an unprecedented level.
While the president signed into law a $1.3 trillion budget which boosts military spending to a historic level, he is also looking to fine tune military regulations.
It was recently announced Trump would be re-implementing his ban on personnel with “gender dysphoria” who could “present considerable risk to military effectiveness and lethality,” Fox News reports.
Per the report:
President Donald Trump released an order Friday night banning most transgender troops from serving in the military except under “limited circumstances,” following up on his calls last year to ban transgender individuals from serving.
The White House said retaining troops with a history or diagnosis of “gender dysphoria” — those who may require substantial medical treatment — “presents considerable risk to military effectiveness and lethality.”

Comment by Bullheaded Texan on April 25, 2018 at 1:27am

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Trump surprised the Pentagon’s leadership in a 2017 tweet when he declared he would reverse an obuma-era plan to allow transgender individuals to serve openly. His push for the ban has been blocked by several legal challenges, and four federal courts have ruled against the ban. The Pentagon responded by allowing those serving to stay in the military, and began allowing transgender individuals to enlist beginning Jan. 1.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said of the decision, “This new policy will enable the military to apply well-established mental and physical health standards — including those regarding the use of medical drugs — equally to all individuals who want to join and fight for the best military force the world has ever seen.”
The new policy however quickly drew some backlash from Democrat lawmakers.
“No one with the strength & bravery to serve in the U.S. military should be turned away because of who they are. This hateful ban is purpose-built to humiliate our brave transgender members of the military who serve with honor & dignity,” House Minority Leader nancy pukelosi said, per Fox News.
“The only thing that matters when it comes to allowing military personnel to serve is whether they can handle the job,” Democrat elizabeth warren said in a tweet. “By putting gender identity first, Trump undermines readiness and caters to extremists who don’t respect the sacrifices of our troops. Shameful.”
“There is simply no way to spin it, the Trump-Pence Administration is going all in on its discriminatory, unconstitutional and despicable ban on transgender troops,” added Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin.
Here’s more on the initiative, via Fox News:
President Trump received recommendations from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in February for dealing with transgender individuals serving in the military. The White House said Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen agreed with the policy.
Earlier Friday, Maj. David Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesman, said the announcement of a new policy would have no immediate practical effect on the military because the Pentagon is obliged to continue to recruit and retain transgender people in accordance with current law.
The Justice Department said in a statement late Friday that it would defend the Pentagon’s authority to “implement personnel policies they have determined are necessary to best defend our nation” and would ask the courts to lift all related preliminary injunctions.
President Donald Trump released an order Friday night banning most transgender troops from serving in the military except under “limited circumstances,” following up on his calls last year to ban transgender individuals from serving.
The White House said retaining troops with a history or diagnosis of “gender dysphoria” — those who may require substantial medical treatment — “presents considerable risk to military effectiveness and lethality.”
President Trump surprised the Pentagon’s leadership in a 2017 tweet when he declared he would reverse an obuma-era plan to allow transgender individuals to serve openly. His push for the ban has been blocked by several legal challenges, and four federal courts have ruled against the ban. The Pentagon responded by allowing those serving to stay in the military, and began allowing transgender individuals to enlist beginning Jan. 1.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said of the decision, “This new policy will enable the military to apply well-established mental and physical health standards — including those regarding the use of medical drugs — equally to all individuals who want to join and fight for the best military force the world has ever seen.”
The new policy however quickly drew some backlash from Democrat lawmakers.

Comment by Bullheaded Texan on April 25, 2018 at 1:17am

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