Sunday, March 13, 2016

My Hero: Milton Friedman


I spent some time today watching my hero, Milton Friedman.  I needed the reinforcement of principle.

This one video is a good review for today’s situations, taped in 1999.   Milton about Clinton, Social Security, etc.

I suggest you Google "Milton Friedman" and then just start watching as many of the short videos you find.  There are many topics, all still relevant today.

Best Quote:  “What do you mean Give Back?”  when talking about reducing taxes.

Too bad Milton misses it on the prediction for government size in 2009.

Economics 101:  A series of videos:  Economics 101 Videos

On The Fed:  The Federal Reserve causes the Great Depression:  The Great Depression and the Fed

On Social Security:  Social Security Myth

Have fun.

I also like the Hoover Institution at Stanford University a lot.  They prepared this video.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Hillary' Crimes: Post Pagliano, FBI getting hotter

Catherine Herridge has some good reporting at Fox about the email scandal and the FBI investigations.  This article discusses the background to the latest developments about Pagliano and the servers he set up in Hillary's home(s).

See here:   source-clinton-it-specialist-revealing-server-details-to-fbi-devastating-witness

I especially like how Herridge describes the confusion around the word "classified."  The MSM has allowed this confusion to proliferate.  They have egregiously allowed Hillary to get away with using the prevarication that, "Nothing I sent or received was marked classified."  Of course, nothing is marked classified because it is not an official description of materials that have national security value.  Those things are marked Confidential, Secret, Top Secret or Top Secret SAP.  And as always, a marking on the document is not necessary for it to be any of those classifications.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Hillary's Crimes: FBI Closing In - Pagliano Gets Immunity

Brian Pagliano, who set up Hillary's email servers in her home, seems willing to talk now.  Normally immunity isn't granted unless charges are imminent on someone, probably Pagliano.  He had to know that he was doing something not kosher by going around State Department rules on security and secure systems.

From the Washington Post:  "The Justice Department has granted immunity to a former State Department staffer, who worked on Hillary Clinton’s private email server, as part of a criminal investigation into the possible mishandling of classified information, according to a senior law enforcement official."

See full article here:  in-clinton-email-investigation-justice-department-grants-immunity-to-former-state-department-staffer

This is actually a pretty good article with some background on the timeline of the crimes. 

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Hillary's Crimes: DIA Chief Says Hillary Should Step Down

In a Daily Caller interview yesterday, Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn (Ret.) said he thought the former Secretary of State should leave the Democratic presidential race: ”I think Hillary Clinton, for the good of the country, should step down and let this FBI investigation play out.”

Flynn is an Obama appointee and was Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) for two years.   He and other officials are concerned that the documents on Hillary's servers contained materials with SAP classification, which can jeopardize agents and US officers in the field.  He also said it is likely Russia, North Korea, Iran and other nations have that information now.

He maintaned that moving the documents off the official servers (which are so heavily protected that users must use separate secure rooms, called Special Compartmentalized Information Facilities or SCIFs, required a considerable amount of work and probably a conspiracy.  The 22+ documents with SAP classification can only be viewed by about 15 people in the country.  None of Hillary's staff had clearance and possibly Clinton herself did not.  At least one of the emails contain human intelligence.

The full Daily Caller report uses much more strident descriptions of the seriousness of this crime than the language that I have.  

Go here to see the report:  exclusive-former-obama-defense-intel-chief-says-hillary-should-step-down/


As I have said before, Hillary's crimes are multiple:  
  1. Illegal, insecure server in her house
  2. Willfully moving or causing to move classified materials to non-secure systems
  3. Conspiracy to have her aides assist in transmitting secret documents, 
  4. Felonies by her aides to handles secret documents
  5. Failure to recognize classified information
  6. Lying to federal agents about what was on her servers
  7. Lying to Congressional investigations about what was on her servers
  8.  Etc.
In addition to all of this, some are now conjecturing that Hillary felt able to do all of this because the President gave his blessing.   

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Hillary's Crimes - FBI Confirms Investigation

Pursuant to recent FOIA lawsuits filed by Judicial Watch for releases of Clinton's emails, The Hill reports:

The FBI formally confirmed that its investigation connected to Hillary Clinton’s private email server remains ongoing in a letter released on Monday.

The letter from FBI general counsel James Baker comes one day before the New Hampshire primary.
The message does not offer new details about the probe, which the bureau has been reluctant to discuss. However, it represents the FBI’s formal notification to the State Department that it is investigating the issue.

Since last September, “in public statements and testimony, the Bureau has acknowledged generally that it is working on matters related to former Secretary Clinton’s use of a private e-mail server,” Baker wrote to the State Department. 

“The FBI has not, however, publicly acknowledged the specific focus, scope, or potential targets of any such proceedings.

“Thus … we remain unable [to] provide [details about the case] without adversely affecting on-going law enforcement efforts,” he concluded.

The letter was sent on Feb. 2 but released on Monday as part of an ongoing lawsuit related to the disclosure of Clinton’s emails from conservative watchdog Judicial Watch.

Water Wars: Central Valley Farms Lose Again

What more do I need to say? Except that Sacramento fails again. And another source said 2.4 million acre-feet since December.

From:  http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2016/02/millions-of-gallons-of-wasted-storm-runoff-ignored/

Millions of Gallons of Wasted Storm Runoff Ignored 


Assembly Member Jim Patterson represents the 23rd District, which includes portions of Fresno and Tulare counties.

Last week the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Resources and Transportation heard testimony from several of the state’s water bureaucrats about how they are spending water bond funds. Surprising to me was that after all the back-patting, there was not one mention of all the water we are wasting.
According to the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta, more than 208,000 acre feet of water was flushed out to the ocean during the month of January.
We should be pumping that water out of the Delta to refill and replenish the reservoirs we will rely on for our next dry season.
Fresno County Farmer Wayne Western has been crunching numbers to keep the public aware of all the water waste.  “The people of California have been conserving for a major drought for over three years.  We’ve also been paying for it by lost jobs, fallowed fields,” Western said. “It’s time for the government to end the man-made drought and start pumping and saving water.”
Unfortunately, pumping restrictions have drastically limited pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. I joined several of my legislative colleagues last week to call on the State Water Board to work with the necessary agencies to at least allow for some pumping after drenching winter storms.
If our voices are not heard and action is not taken we will lose millions of acre feet of water this year.
FAST FACTS ON WATER RELEASES
  • During the month of January 208,000 acre feet was lost to the ocean
  • That’s enough to supply 462,000 families for a year
  • Resulting in 69,000 acres of fallowed farmland and 16,000 lost jobs
Follow Jim Patterson on Twitter @jimpatterson559