WyBlog

Confirmed! Pope Francis met secretly with Kim Davis, prayed for her to "stay strong"

This just in, Pope Francis is still Catholic. He may be all fuzzy and ecumenical in public, but behind the scenes he's 100% in tune with Church doctrine.

We now have confirmation (from The New York Times no less!) that His Holiness did indeed meet secretly with Kim Davis, the embattled Rowan County Kentucky Clerk who was recently jailed for refusing to betray her Christian faith.

On Wednesday, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, confirmed that the meeting took place, but he declined to elaborate. "I do not deny that the meeting took place, but I have no other comments to add," he said.

Here's how it went down, as originally reported by Liberty Council.

That sound you hear is liberal catholic (yes, small-c) heads exploding as the gravity of Francis' gesture sinks in. Here's pro-tip folks: you can't be Catholic and support same-sex "marriage." Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

Sadly, this is a newsflash to far too many people.

Still not convinced? Listen to His Holiness, in his own words:

No nuance there folks. And no "spin" is forthcoming to give moral relativists the wiggle room they crave. Just eternal Catholic doctrine as enshrined in the Magisterium, front and center, speaking Truth.

It is also the exact opposite of what Dear Leader espouses. But you already knew that.

So what are you waiting for? "Stay strong," and go to Confession!

Posted at 11:07 by Chris Wysocki   [/religion]   Comments | Perm Link |
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In 5 words Donald Trump jumps the shark and proves he's not a Conservative Republican

Shot: Universal Healthcare:

Chaser: Tax The Rich:

So in 5 words Donald Trump exposes himself as a progressive Democrat's dream candidate — Universal Healthcare; Tax The Rich.

As in, free stuff via wealth transfer, with class envy and corporation-bashing thrown in.

No thanks.

My flirtation with Trump's candidacy is officially over. Not that it ever really was a "thing," but I was willing to listen to what he had to say and hoped he'd trade the bombast for seriousness. Bucking the GOP establishment is always good, because, hey, they deserve all the brickbats he can hurl. But echoing Bernie Sanders is clearly a dealbreaker.

You'd think a guy who is so successful in business would understand that putting the government in charge of anything is a recipe for disaster. The right way to replace Obamacare is with a truly free market health care system, one that lets consumers shop around for the best deals on insurance and provider services. Give the power to the people, not the bureaucrats!

As for exempting even more Americans from paying any income tax? The less said about that, the better. Folks who don't pay taxes don't have any incentive to care whether or not tax dollars are spent wisely. Which means they vote for the guy who says he'll spend the most on them. But, no matter what Trump or Bernie say, soaking the rich won't affect "income inequality" one bit.

So Mr. Trump, I now have two words for you. And those two words are: Buh-Bye.

Posted at 10:09 by Chris Wysocki   [/election]   Comments | Perm Link |
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John Boehner announces his resignation, Mitch McConnell doesn't understand the message

Am I glad to see that House Speaker John Boehner is putting himself out to pasture?

Yes.

Do I believe it's going to make one iota of difference in the Washington balance of power?

Hell no.

John Boehner wasn't the problem. Oh sure, he made a convenient whipping boy, what with the nonstop tears and petty backstabbing. But in the end he was usually dragged, sometimes kicking and screaming, but dragged nonetheless, into rallying support for legislative initatives near and dear to conservative hearts.

And afterwards, where did those initiatives inevitably go to die?

Mitch McConnell's Senate, where Harry Reid apparently still reigns supreme.

John Boehner is a symptom. The ascendency of Donald Trump's presidential aspirations is also a symptom. Mitch McConnell and the GOP establishment are the disease.

In their latest show of political theater, McConnell's minions posted a stopgap spending bill that included a provision defunding Planned Parenthood. Good conservative red meat, right?

Wrong! The Democrats promptly filibustered it, after which McConnell immediately posted a "clean" bill.

Why? To save us from a dreaded government shutdown. (Cue the scary music...)

In the process though, McConnell also spared Obama the embarrassment of having to veto the original bill, signalling he's unwilling to assert Congress's constitutional role in checking presidential power and ensuring political accountability.

If McConnell had balls, or if he really wanted to push a conservative agenda, he'd revoke the filibuster. (h/t Elizabeth Price Foley at Instapundit)

The GOP establishement said, give us a House majority and we'll stop Obama.

We gave them a House majority. They didn't stop Obama.

Then the GOP establishment said, give us a Senate majority too and this time we'll stop Obama.

We gave them a Senate majority. They haven't stopped Obama.

Ergo, they lied to us.

Harry Reid had no problem nuking the filibuster to confirm Obama's extreme radical judicial nominees. He bypassed it entirely to cram Obamacare down our throats.

But McConnell refuses to play by Harry Reid's rules. He considers himself above such "ungentlemanly" tactics.

Except it isn't that McConnell and the GOPe don't know how to get down and dirty. They sure fileted Chris McDaniel to keep comatose Good Ole Boy Thad Cochrane in his seat. In fact, they have no problem fighting conservatives at every turn, even to the point of lying to Ted Cruz's face.

So the next House Speaker can advance all the conservative policy initiatives he wants. It won't mean squat until Mitch McConnell and Reince Preibus and the NRSC and rest of the GOP establishment join John Boehner in retirement. Until then Obama and the Democrats will keep on winning the war, and of course, destroying America.

Posted at 12:32 by Chris Wysocki   [/gop]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Donald Trump on climate change: "We have much bigger problems"

Pope Francis is touring America to preach the gospel of climate change. So naturally the gotcha left-wing media had to troll the GOP presidential candidates for sound bites.

Donald Trump didn't bite.

"I mean, Obama thinks it's the number one problem of the world today," Trump said. "And I think it's very low on the list. So I am not a believer. ... I believe there's weather. I believe there's change, and I believe it goes up and it goes down, and it goes up again. And it changes depending on years and centuries. But I am not a believer, and we have much bigger problems."

I agree Mr. Trump, we do indeed have much bigger problems.

Climate change isn't beheading Christians, or blowing stuff up.

Climate change isn't bringing millions of illegal aliens across our Southern border.

Climate change isn't giving a nuclear weapon to Iran.

Climate change isn't keeping our economy in the doldrums.

Climate change isn't leaving our veterans to die waiting for health care.

Climate change isn't trampling the Constitution in a quest to gut the First and Second Amendments.

Climate change isn't harvesting and selling baby parts on an industrial scale.

Climate change is merely the latest scheme being used to expand the power of totalitarian statists who want to regulate and control every aspect of our lives.

First they tried "The Population Bomb" — we're all gonna starve to death!

Then it was "Peak Oil" — we're running out of gas!

Next came "Global Cooling" — we're all gonna freeze to death!

Which somehow reversed into "Global Warming" — we're all gonna drown!

And is now the catch-all of "Climate Change" — everybody panic!

Meanwhile, radical Islamists are invading Europe, and the U.S. The Middle East is falling apart. China is rattling her sabers, and hacking our computers. Russian tanks are on the move. Millions of Americans have given up on ever finding a job. Millions more are forced to live on government handouts, causing our national debt to grow more unmanageable by the day. And the current administration spends most of its time spying on ordinary Americans.

In fact, almost 3/4 of Americans now believe our country is no longer as great as it once was.

Here's a pro tip: climate change isn't going to make America great again.

Posted at 15:43 by Chris Wysocki   [/election]   Comments | Perm Link |
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I applaud Volkswagen for circumventing EPA rules to build cars people want to drive

VW built cars that people wanted, rather than cars bureaucrats love.

So naturally the bureaucrats are teed off.

"Public health" my ass. Remember, these are the same bozos who dumped millions of gallons of toxic waste into rivers across the Southwest and then tried to cover it up.

All VW did was follow the letter of the law.

Is it gaming the system? Sure! But it's not like the people bloviating the loudest about Globull Warming are actually living according to the rules either.

And since when is it a crime to follow the law?

When the Obama Administration wants to punish a non-UAW automaker, that's when.

To which I say, screw the EPA. Screw their job and freedom killing regulations. Screw their sanctimonious preening for green groupie adulation. And screw their illegal collusion with radical econuts to advance ideology over science.

Volkswagen found a way to beat the regulators at their own game. They should be praised for their ingenuity, especially since their customers aren't the ones complaining about their cars. I hope VW challenges these ridiculous fines in court, and wins. And then I pray we elect a president who'll hogtie the EPA and let the market decide what kind of cars we can drive.

People who want to buy a Prius should be able to buy a Prius, so long as it's economically viable to manufacture without government subsidies and bureaucratic meddling.

And people who want to drive a Real Car ought to be able to buy one too. Which also means that when the inevitable recall is issued, owners of the "problem" cars should collectively thumb their noses at the ecotwit killjoys and refuse to let the Peoples Commissariat for Climate Alarmism ruin their driving experience.

Because, freedom.

And, of course, Farfegnugen!

UPDATE 24 Sep 2015 14:00:
Quoted and linked at Investor's Business Daily! Thanks!

Posted at 11:57 by Chris Wysocki   [/agw]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Appeals court invalidates 4 more onerous Washington, DC gun laws

The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

Chris Christie take note! New Jersey also has that ridiculous "one gun a month" law. Given today's ruling, our governor should revisit its troubling affirmation last year by the Third Circuit. A split decision between two circuit courts is grounds for appeal to SCOTUS, and this is one area where our rights are clearly being infringed.

Another Second Amendment issue SCOTUS needs to address is carry permit reciprocity. It's idiotic that a gun registration in one jurisdiction is invalid everywhere else in America. Drivers licenses don't work that way. Same-sex "marriages" certainly don't work that way either. And a diploma from East Nowhereville High School is just as good as one from Sidwell Friends, accepted by any college or employer nationwide.

NJ police have established quite the cottage industry in targeting and arresting legal gun owners from out of state whose only "crime" is driving on one of our highways. The insanity has to stop.

Remember too that Detroit recently loosened their draconian gun laws with no adverse effects. It's high time the rest of America followed suit.

Posted at 15:41 by Chris Wysocki   [/news]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Quick hits, because last night's GOP debate underwhelmed your humble host

In no particular order, here are some random observations from CNN's painfully long debate double header.

Donald Trump and Hugh Hewitt need to get a room.

The 4 guys in the kiddie debate sounded a lot like they were running for Chairman of Trump Enterprises.

Chelsea Graham really, really, really wants to blow shit up. And did you know that he served in the military? He did! Probably with that John Kerry dude.

CNN said Graham was "on fire." Yes he is, every single day IYKWIM.

Every liberal pro-choice woman in America now hates Carly. I think that's a plus.

BTW, with all that blinking, was she trying to tell us something using Morse Code a la Jeremiah Denton?

Hey Ben Carson, Al Capone called and he wants his suit back.

Jeb! should go back to smoking dope, it might help him lighten up. And what's up with the tiptoes thing? Was he trying to remember what it felt like to be high? Or just looking for mom?

Chris Christie may actually have fooled 3 or 4 people with his tough guy act. But as a resident of New Jersey, I'm still not buying what he's shoveling.

Santorum and Huckabee both remind me of that annoying neighbor who's always trying to sell you on Amway.

Rand Paul might actually be nuttier than his father, and did you catch Ron's pitch for his new "doomsday is here" website? Weird. Very Weird.

Bobby Jindal would make a decent VP. Too bad Rubio is also running for that slot, and succeeding.

Scott Walker's style isn't conducive to these cattle-call debates. I suspect he'll be doing the Rick Perry shuffle off into the sunset any day now as his funding dries up.

I can't remember anything Ted Cruz said. I'm pretty sure that isn't a good thing. He needs to up his game if he's gonna step in when (er, if) Trump falters.

If asked, my Secret Service code name would be "Flounder."

Posted at 12:22 by Chris Wysocki   [/gop]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Obama deports Chaldean Christians fleeing ISIS, welcomes swarms of Muslim "refugees"

When it comes to refugees seeking asylum in the US, the Obama Administration is very clear — Christians need not apply.

Contrast how Obama treated these persecuted Christians vs the flood of Central American "children" he's released into the US over the past few years. Latinos with a sob story got what amounts to the ICE equivalent of a parking ticket, and virtually no followup.

But Christians fleeing ISIS, with the very real knowledge that they'll be killed if they return to Iraq, are held in a detention center, and their deportations are expedited.

And then we learn that over the course of his presidency, Obama has granted residency to more than three quarters of a million Muslims.

How do you say "invasion" in Arabic?

Because they're still arriving by the tens of thousands, with no end in sight. Meanwhile, Yale, and Obama's buddies at Harvard have both established programs to study how to integrate Sharia law into American jurisprudence.

I'm sure that will work out for the best, right? Just wait until they add a "no blasphemy" clause to the First Amendment…

Now, here's the real kicker. Since December 2007, only 790,000 native born American jobs have been added. In the same time period, 2.1 million foreign-born workers have found a job.

How's that for a "fundamentally transformed" America? Welcome to the land of the H1-B, and the home of the unemployed.

The path is set. The wheels are in motion. Obama is going to make good on his promise to stand with the Muslims, and he'll turn us into another Arab shithole in the process.

UPDATE 17 Sep 2015 13:51:
It's always nice to be linked by Bill Quick at Daily Pundit. Thanks!

Posted at 16:39 by Chris Wysocki   [/immigration]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Are you one of the millions today saying "Never Forget"? Are you an Obama voter? Yeah, you forgot

Sometime in the next 10 to 15 years, maybe sooner, Iran will detonate a nuclear weapon, deep in the heart of Israel. The Ayatollah Khamenei promises to do it. Barack Obama's sham "deal," and Mitch McConnell's feckless acquiescience, guarantees he'll succeed.

And that too will be a date we will solemnly "never forget."

Alas, actions negate words. And those of you who voted for Barack Obama sealed Israel's fate. You had to know what you were doing, because we warned you. And say what you will about Mitt Romney, but he never would have allowed himself to negotiate from a position of weakness or given away so much for so little in return.

Three years ago, Hillary Clinton left 4 men to die like dogs in Benghazi. Then she lied about it. Repeatedly. And yet, you'll gladly vote to elect her president too.

Because, you forgot.

You forgot the lessons of 9/11. You forgot there was evil in the world. You buried your heads in the sand, watched American Idol, and pretended America was bathed in unicorns and rainbows and, of course, free stuff.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Obama sending $150 billion dollars to Iran makes him the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism. Unless you're stupid enough to believe they're gonna use that money to build schools and shopping malls.

And on 9/11/15 for the first time since that day which changed the world a U.S. President was not at the ceremony at Ground Zero nor the one at the Pentagon. He did have a moment of silence at the White House, but absent from the site of the attacks.

Funerals for dead thugs? Obama is there! Memorials for American victims of Muslim terrorism? He's too busy, or something.

Those who refuse to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them.

Yet "we" keep trying to figure out why they hate us. "We" keep trying to do things to make them like us. "We" refuse to see them for who they really are. Because "we" are being misled.

I keep saying this, and none of you want to believe me. But it's true: Islam is the Enemy.

One thing I guess I didn't believe 14 years ago is that America would elect such a feckless President in 2008, and stand idly by while he flushed our global position, and security, down a left-wing toilet. But we did, and we'll be paying the price for a long time.

In 1941 we didn't spend a whole lot of time trying to understand Bushido. We didn't negotiate with the Axis powers either. We kicked ass.

Ask yourself if Barack Obama would have had the stones to invade Normandy. If he'd have greenlighted the Manhattan Project, or if he'd been willing to win at Midway, Iwo Jima, or Guadalcanal.

But do me a favor, make sure you ask yourself those questions in German Arabic.

Posted at 15:47 by Chris Wysocki   [/terrorism]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Fascist judge "frees" Kim Davis before she can meet with Ted Cruz behind bars

Christian prisoner of conscience Kim Davis is free at last, if by "free" you mean she's no longer behind bars but still enjoined from actually doing the job she was elected to do.

I consider the timimg of her release to be curious.

The deputy clerks started issuing same-sex "marriage" licenses about 15 minutes after Kim Davis was led away in shackles and leg irons. So the only thing her prolonged incarceration "satisfied" is Judge Bunning's gaystapo lust for vengeance.

The order came on the same day two Republican presidential candidates were set to visit Davis, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Ah ha! Photographs and video of those meetings would be inconvenient to the homofascist agenda, because they'd probably be good for at least a million votes come next November. Imagine a video of Ted Cruz patiently explaining the First Amendment's guarantee of religious freedom in front of her spartan cell. Or a photo of pastor Mike Huckabee kneeling with her in prayer behind bars, to really bring home the grievousness of incarcerating a woman for freely exercising her Christian faith.

Can't have that! And so, Kim Davis is "free." Just in the nick of time, too. Unless, of course, you don't believe in coincidences.

But alas, she is still a "defendant" at the mercy of Judge Bunning's whimsy. And as such she may be out of jail, but she's also out of a job.

In homofascist America, Christians are no longer permitted to hold public office. Or for that matter, earn any kind of living at all. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The purpose of same-sex "marriage" isn't love, or tolerance, or "equality." It's domination. And subjugation, especially of Christians. The homosexuals must destroy every bastion of moral authority, because only then will there be no one to remind them of their shame and sinfulness.

Fortunately, Kim Davis answers to an authority higher than Judge David Bunning. One day Judge Bunning, and all who stand with him, will be called to answer as well.

Posted at 14:33 by Chris Wysocki   [/religion]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Oregon judge not required to perform marriages, blasted for "refusing" same-sex couples

It's come to this. An Oregon judge, who is not required to officiate at any weddings, is being investigated for "refusing" to perform same-sex marriages.

In case you forgot, "this past spring" the Supreme Court invented the "right" to same-sex "marriage."

Judges in Marion County are not required to perform marriages.

Got that? He is not required to perform marriages. Any marriages.

And as a courtesy, he refers couples to one of his collegues who does perform the services.

But is that good enough for the homofascists?

Of course it isn't.

Judge Day will be forced to do their bidding!

That decision led to an ethics investigation by the Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness, Korten said.

He's being investigated for not doing something he's not required to do.

Because, tolerance!

There you have the homosexual agenda. Mandatory compliance.

It's not enough to let them go about their business. Oh no, we will be forced to participate in their debauchery, and we'd better do it with a smile on our face. Or else.

It's tyranny of the sodomites. And like Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis in Kentucky, Judge Vance Day will soon find himself occupying a cell, another prisoner of conscience in the homofascist states of America.

Posted at 20:48 by Chris Wysocki   [/religion]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Now that Kim Davis is in jail for her Christian faith, what's next, feeding her to lions?

The Pilgrims came to these shores seeking freedom from religious persecution.

The First Amendment to our Constitution guarantees the "free exercise" of religion. It's a bedrock principle of our republic.

And yet today a federal judge ordered that Rowan County Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis be sent to jail because she refuses to renounce her Christian faith.

Excuse me, but when did we become the United States of Saudi Arabia?

And when jail doesn't break her, what will the homofascists do next? Feed her to lions?

These are dark days for Christianity in America. The Obama Administration is determined to force Catholics into paying for contraceptives and abortions. Photographers, florists, innkeepers, and bakers are being persecuted for not enthusiastically participating in same-sex "weddings." And now a woman is in jail for the "crime" of adhering to her Christian faith.

Who will the homofascists incarcerate next? Catholic priests who decline to officiate at a same-sex "wedding?" Bishops who tell Catholic hospitals not to perform abortions? Don't think it won't happen.

As Kim Davis was led away in chains her homosexual tormenters chanted "Love won! Love won!"

Which I'm pretty sure is their way of saying "Crucify her!"

Because it's a pretty demented definition of "love" that celebrates persecution of a woman for her belief in God.

Posted at 15:33 by Chris Wysocki   [/religion]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Let's just call Rowan County, KY a Christian "sanctuary city" for traditional marriage

A lot of people are saying Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis should buck up and do her job. Same-sex "marriage" is the law of the land now, and she is bound by duty to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Ordinarily I would be one of those people.

Alas, we no longer live in ordinary times.

Hundreds of cities and towns across the US freely flout federal immigration laws, declaring their environs to be "sanctuary cities," where illegal aliens can roam free, and apparently murder people at will. In point of fact, the federal government is actively prosecuting an Arizona sheriff for daring to enforce the immigration laws.

Meanwhile, activists from the Black Lives Matter squad openly engage in wanton civil disobedience, disrupting highways, bridges, restaurants, and state fairs. Yet they are encouraged by our president, courted by his annointed successor, and lavishly praised by left-wing media for the destructive consequences of their anarchy.

Partisan bureaucrats at the IRS deliberately persecuted opponents of the Obama regime, and more partisan hacks at the Justice Department blindly looked the other way when the criminality of their actions was exposed.

There are Treasury Secretaries who don't pay their taxes, and Secretaries of State who flout the Freedom of Information Act and the Federal Records Act and quite possibly the Espionage Act, all with impunity.

The president himself habitually rewrites legislation to suit his political aims, caring not one whit for the clear meaning of the laws he signed, but rather viewing statutory language to be more and more malleable by the day. And why not? The Congress impotently acquiesces, unsure of their role in our constitutional republic's separation of powers arrangement. The Supreme Court likewise twists words into heretofore unknown meanings merely to avoid forcing Congress and the president to work together.

So we get a fine that is not a tax, is, under the right circumstances, in some ways a tax, but only until it is assessed, in which case it becomes a fine again, albeit one that is not always required to be paid.

Quite simply, the unitary executive and his sycophants have accreted to themselves the power to move mountains at the stroke of a pen.

So really, what's the big deal with a County Clerk (an elected Democrat no less!) who also takes it upon herself to "interpret" the law as she sees fit?

Dissent is the highest form of patriotism! Or at least it was, when that cowboy Bush was in the White House. I guess now we have to toe the progressive party line or risk being branded racist haters.

Here we have in a nutshell an explanation for the rise of Donald Trump. Lawlessness at every level of government. And blatant favoritism for the minority group du jour, with express official condemnation of that group's presumed "oppressors." The average American who follows the rules and acts like the good citizen his parents told him to be gets screwed over again and again as he sees the elite and powerful getting away with bloody murder.

At some point the people are going to rise up and say "enough!" No more bureaucratic diktats. No more special privileges for the well-connected. No more denigration of Christianity. No more dissembling about how freedom of religion equates to freedom of worship for one hour a week, let alone that it was really meant to be freedom from religion.

No more pretense that up is down, war is peace, or boys are girls.

Kim Davis is the canary in our coal mine. Will we let her get squashed like a bug? Or will we rally to her side, prepared to use every one of the Left's Alinskyite tactics against them? Because, in this climate playing by the old rules is for chumps and losers. And the Progressive juggernaut has no qualms about how they get what they want so long as they get what they want.

Barack Obama changed the rules. American politics is no longer a gentlemen's game. Now, it's war. And to quote Ronald Reagan, the only acceptable outcome is this: We win, they lose.

Posted at 15:33 by Chris Wysocki   [/rants]   Comments | Perm Link |
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In the Illinois lottery, your dollar and a dream wins an IOU and excuses

Yes, the lottery is a tax on the mathematically challenged.

People still play it. And sometimes, they win.

Except in the state of Illinois, the winners don't get paid.

But you can bet your bottom dollar the state is still collecting money, budget or no budget. Just try telling them you can't pay your taxes because you haven't adopted a household budget yet. I'm sure they'll be extra sympathetic.

And here's another sure bet. Illinois is still paying government workers' salaries. And retired public employees' pension checks aren't being held either. Bureaucrats protect their own. It's you and me who they don't give a shit about.

So, why play the lottery if you're not gonna get paid? That's the big question!

How bad? Total collapse of the whole blue-state social model bad.

Now, about the Illinois fiscal follies, this is only going to get worse, friends. Not only is Illinois a high-tax-and-even-higher-spending state, but its public employee pension obligations are completely unmanagable and the state is headed for either a default, a bankruptcy or a desperate plea for some sort of bailout. The slow budgeting process is part of the problem here too. It's not only lack of money. But it's not that hard to pass a budget when you know what you have to spend and you're willing to stick to it. Here in Michigan, Gov. Rick Snyder and the Republican legislature regularly pass budgets not just months ahead of time, but years ahead of time. Why can't they do that in Illinois? Because Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is trying to bring fiscal sanity to the state and the Democrat legislature is resisting with all its might.

How many other states are sitting on budgetary time bombs? California. New York. And of course, New Jersey, just to name 3.

Can you imagine how people here will take it if the NJ lottery stops paying winners because Steve Sweeney decides to write a $5 billion dollar check to the teachers union pension fund?

Stiffing lottery winners is like eating your seed corn. Once word gets out the state won't pay, the players will find other outlets for their gambling fix. Perhaps ones where making sure they pay taxes on their winnings isn't exactly a high priority, if you know what I mean. Add that drop in tax revenue to the drop in lottery sales, and the pain at the state treasury just got a lot bigger.

Ergo, if Illinois thinks they have problems now, just wait a few more months. At some point they're gonna stop paying guys who matter, and then the jig is up.

Posted at 14:37 by Chris Wysocki   [/news]   Comments | Perm Link |
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