Democrats were depressed when the latest GDP number came in at 4 percent and they were equally unhappy with the latest unemployment numbers. So much so that people like Elizabeth Warren took to the airwaves to claim the number is faulty and the reason the unemployment number was so low is because everybody is working four jobs.
Yesterday the GDP was adjusted up to 4.2 percent and today Chuck Schumer had to come out and say we rely too heavily on this number to judge the economy.
“For too long we’ve relied on GDP alone as a bellwether for how Americans are faring in the economy when we should be looking as well at income data across the economic spectrum,” said Schumer.
He made this statement while introducing a bill which would require the government to release more data with the GDP number.
“Too often when we hear that GDP is rising and the economy is booming, as the president claims, there’s an assumption that all Americans are reaping the benefit equally, when in fact wages for the middle class remain flat and income inequality gets worse.
“To this end, Senator Heinrich and I, and many others, will be introducing new legislation today–and you’ll hear more about it from Martin–that requires new income growth data to be published alongside quarterly GDP reports.
In other words Chuck Schumer is saying; the President is saying the economy is booming and we cannot have that. I guess the Democrats’ attempt at giving credit for the economy to Barack Obama has failed so it is back to denying the truth of the economy.
I am all for more data but that is not the point. The point is people like Chuck Schumer had no problem whatsoever with the way the economy was measured under Barack Obama but now that the data is making Donald Trump look good it is time to change the data we use.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Donald Trump announces new trade deal with Mexico
With all of the hubbub in the mainstream media about increasing tensions between the United States and Mexico after Donald Trump threatened to end NAFTA, today the two countries came to an agreement to replace the outdated trade deal.
President Donald Trump announced a new bilateral trade deal with Mexico on Monday morning from the Oval Office alongside U.S. and Mexican officials.
“It’s a big day for trade, big day for our country, a lot of people though we’d never get here because we all negotiate tough. We do, so does Mexico,” said Trump.
In the room with Trump were U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Mexico’s Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray Caso, and Mexico’s Economic Minister Ildefonso Guajardo. Chief of Staff John Kelly, National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner.
“We’ve all worked very hard and your brilliant representatives are sitting right in front of me and I thought we would congratulate each other before it got out,” Trump told Nieto. “I know we’ll have a formal news conference in the not-too-distant future.”
Through a translator President Nieto thanked Trump and remarked that this is “very positive for the United States and Mexico.” He went on that the call was to “celebrate the understanding that [they] have had between both negotiating team on NAFTA.”
Next up is Canada, most likely as a separate deal but apparently with the possibility of inclusion in this new deal.
Both sides are calling this a great deal so it appears as once again for all of the bluster in the mainstream media the end result was not as catastrophic as the mainstream media hoped for predicted.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
I am still in the hospital recovering but I feel strong enough to write a little about a story that has spiked my interest. We all remember the little covered story of the compound in New Mexico where children were being trained as school shooters, right? Although it should be one of the biggest stories of the year the mainstream media is mostly silent about it.
In addition to the activities being carried out on the terrorist camp the dead body of a little boy was found on the property and the man running the facility is the son of an un-indicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing, but despite this a New Mexico judge found they were not threat to the community and released them on a $20,000 bond.
As horrible a decision as this was it got even worse with the news that newly released court documents show they were also plotting attacks against other facilities, such as Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital
Here is more:
A handwritten document titled “Phases of a Terrorist Attack.” Talk of confronting and attacking “corrupt” institutions, including Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital. Jokes about dying in jihad. An underground stash of weapons and ammunition.
New court documents revealed these and other details in the case against five adults who lived in squalor with 11 starving children in a ramshackle New Mexico compound.In a case infused with allegations of abuse and terrorism, prosecutors this week asked a judge to reconsider an order granting bond to all five adults arrested at the compound.
Still mending
Hi Everybody, just wanted to let you all know I am still in the hospital after my surgery but am getting better every day. Still not up to even paying attention to what is in the news, nevermind writing about it. I think I took the recovery period a little lightly because of how quick my last surgery recovery was but I am getting there.
Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers.
Surgery successful
Hi everybody, my surgery on Friday was successful and I apologize for the delay i getting back to you.
I will probably be in the hospital a few more days but I will try to post when and if I can.
God bless you all!
Steve
A peace which transcends all understanding
We have all seen the famous “Footprints in the Sand” poem. You know the one: a man is walking on the beach with God and he sees the footprints of himself and God in the sand and when he questions God about why there was only one set of footprints in the sand during the lowest points in his life God tells him those were the times He carried the man.
It is meant as influential prose designed to reaffirm that God is always there for us in our time of need. Although these types of things are helpful reminders, one need not look past the Bible to see references to God being there to provide strength and encouragement to us in our lives. All you have to do is go straight to the source for inspiration.
I would like to write today a little about anxiety or worry because in today’s high paced world this seems to be a common problem. Whether it be stress at work, peer pressure, or a health issue, to name a few examples, people have all sorts of things that cause them stress. When you are down where do you turn? When you feel the world closing in around you where do you go for strength? How do you relieve your anxiety? Is it through distraction?
Distraction can make you forget about your worry for a little while but it does not offer a permanent solution, in fact it does not offer a solution at all. The solution you are looking for is turning your worries over to God through prayer and petition. There are several Bible verses about not being afraid or not worrying–just to name a couple:
Matthew 6:27: “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (NIV)
Matthew 6:34: “Therefor do not worry about tomorrow” (NIV)
It is easy to tell somebody not to worry about something but what is the key to not worrying? I believe it comes to us from Philippians 4:6,7–because this is the verse which gives us the instruction on how to find the peace we are all looking for and it is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 4:6,7 NIV)
The key is to turn your life over to God, to put all your faith in Him and to trust Him and when you do, and you do it honestly, you will feel Him walking with you and strengthening you in whatever you are facing in your life that is causing you to worry. You will be filled with a peace which transcends all understanding.
When that peace comes over you, or you feel that rest in your time of distress, you will know then that God is carrying you when you need Him and it is an amazing feeling which cannot be explained. God is in control and it is as if He is saying “I got this.”
Jesus said it Himself: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
New Mexico man accused of training children to be school shooters is released on bond
If you rely solely on the mainstream media for your news most likely you missed the story of Siraj Ibn Wahhaj: He is the son of the infamous Brooklyn imam of the same name who is an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and he was running a training camp in New Mexico to teach children how to go on school shootings. The police also found the dead body of a child at the extremist compound.
The mainstream media is ignoring this story for obvious reasons and I would go so far as to say they are derelict in duty for covering this story up. And there is an update today which is also going unnoticed in the mainstream media. Today the five defendants were in court and they were released on bond.
Here is more:
The prosecutors provided more details about the accusations during a court hearing in which they asked that Siraj Ibn Wahhaj and four other defendants be held pending trial on child abuse charges.
But the judge in the case ruled against prosecutors’ request.
Judge Sarah Backus said although she was concerned by “troubling facts,” prosecutors failed to articulate any specific threats to the community.
She set a $20,000 bond for each defendant and ordered that they wear ankle monitors and have weekly contact with their attorneys.
So, they were teaching children how to shoot up schools and they are not a threat to the community? To say nothing about the fact there was a dead body on the property! This is sickening to say the least and I am at a loss for words, and it does not matter to me that they will be wearing ankle bracelets and will be in contact with their attorneys, these people should be in jail until their trial.
Just think about it this way, Paul Manafort has been in jail for bank fraud and at times was in solitary confinement and yet these people are allowed to go home. Something is very wrong with the system.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Ever since the stunning primary victory of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York we have seen members of the Democratic party trying to ride her alt-left coattails. I am of the belief that the Democrats are misreading the results of a local election with small voter turnout in a liberal state by taking it as a sign that the nation as a whole is ready to embrace democratic-socialism. I call this the “Cortez-Effect” and I think it is going to backfire.
While many of the Democratic leaders are all in on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez so far it has not played out with the voters the way the leaders had hoped it would. Since her victory Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been running around the country endorsing candidates and last week four of those candidates lost in grand style. Here is more:
… Ing, who bills himself as a democratic socialist, has seemingly found little traction among local voters in the race to fill the open seat for Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District.
Ing lagged far behind the leaders among likely Democratic voters in the poll.
Another publication indicated Ing came in fourth in a recent poll.
It turns out Cortez’s support did nothing for his chances, and in fact, it may have hurt them.
Returns published by the New York Times show Cortez’s preferred candidate, Kaniela Ing, came in a distant FIFTH in a field of seven candidates.
Ing captured a measly 6.1 percent of the vote, compared to the winner, Ed Case, who won 40.4 percent.
And here are two more:
Cortez held a whirl-wind tour of the U.S., stumping for Abdul El-Sayed for governor of Michigan, Fayrouz Saad in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District, Cori Bush in Missouri’s 1st District, and was backing Congressional candidate Kaniela Ing in Hawaii.
El-Sayed lost his bid for the Democrat nomination for governor to 51.8 percent to 30.5 percent, according to numbers published by the New York Times.
Saad came in fourth in the five-way race, capturing only 18 percent of the vote.
Cori Bush lost her primary to William Lacy Clay, 56.7 percent to 36.9 percent, the Times results show.
I believe the Democrats are overplaying their hand based on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s victory, and if her brand of democratic-socialism is not playing well with the Democratic voters in places other than New York how is the fact that the leaders of the party are now fully behind democratic-socialism going to play in a general election?
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
The FBI fires Peter Strzok
It might have come months late but it is now being reported that last Friday the FBI fired never-Trumper Peter Strzok. Here is more:
FBI official Peter Strzok, who played a lead role in both the Russian meddling and Hillary Clinton email probes but became a political lightning rod after the revelation of anti-Trump text messages, has been fired.
Strzok attorney Aitan Goelman said in a statement Monday that his client, a 21-year FBI veteran, was fired Friday afternoon, claiming this was a departure from standard practice and politically motivated. Goelman said bureau Deputy Director David Bowdich “overruled” the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility to remove him.
Peter Strzok’s lawyer claimed this was a “departure from standard practice” and “politically motivated” but you know what else falls into those same two categories? Peter Strzok’s actions in trying to hatch a plan to stop Donald Trump from becoming President and then being appointed to an investigation which is trying to take the President down, that’s what.
Aitan Goelman went on to say all Americans should be deeply troubled by Peter Strzok’s firing but again I point to his actions while with the FBI that I find deeply troubling and Mark Meadows agrees:
“Peter Strzok was fired from the FBI because of what his own written words plainly showed: he was willing to use his official FBI position to try and stop President Trump from getting elected. He tarnished the FBI’s sterling reputation and severely damaged public trust in an institution where trust is paramount. His conduct should deeply concern every American,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said in a statement to Fox News.
My only gripe is that this should have happened months ago.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Sunday, August 12 open thread
Here is the open thread for Sunday, August 12th. Please feel free to post links to interesting articles and to discuss whatever issues arise during the course of the day. Nothing is off-topic here.
Last week we discussed 5 stories, did you miss any of them? If so there is an easy way to make sure it does not happen again. You can subscribe to America’s Watchtower to receive email updates. You can also follow America’s Watchtower on Facebook and Twitter by clicking the links on the right. The Twitter widget in the sidebar is fully interactive and updates my tweets in real time, and it allows you to respond or retweet my tweets right from the blog.
As some of you might remember I had a health issue which put me in the hospital for several days back in May. After a couple of months of seeing the doctors I am going to have heart surgery this Friday, August 17th. I will be having my aortic valve replaced as well as part of the aorta.
I am told this surgery is routine nowadays and the risk is minimal and I am strengthened by Philippians 4:6,7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.” (NIV)
Recovery looks as if it is going to be tougher than it was with my brain surgery so it looks like I will not be doing any blogging for a little while after Thursday but I will try to get everybody updated on my condition as soon as possible.
frui diem
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