TheBlaze: Senate Passes $1.1 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill: Here Are the 17 GOP Senators Who Helped Pass It

Becket Adams

The Democrat-controlled Senate voted 72-26 Thursday to pass a $1.1 trillion “omnibus” spending bill to keep government operations funded until Sept. 30.

All 26 “nay” votes came from Republicans. Two Republicans, Sens. Saxby Chambliss (Ga.) and Tom Coburn (Okla.), did not vote.

Here are the 17 Republicans who voted to pass the bill:

1. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.)
2. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.)
3. Roy Blunt (Mo.)
4. John Boozman (Ark.)
5. Dan Coats (In.)
6. Thad Cochran (Miss.)
7. Susan Collins (Maine)
8. Mark Kirk (Ill.)
9. Lindsey Graham (S.C.)
10. Orrin Hatch (Utah)
11. John Hoeven (N.D.)
12. Johnny Isakson (Ga.)
13. Jerry Moran (Kan.)
14. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)
15. Richard Shelby (Ala.)
16. David Vitter (La.)
17. Roger Wicker (Miss.)

Here are the 26 Republicans who voted against the bill:

1. John Barrasso (Wyo.)
2. Richard Burr (N.C.)
3. Bob Corker (Tenn.)
4. John Cornyn (Texas)
5. Mike Crapo (Idaho)
6. Ted Cruz (Texas)
7. Mike Enzi (Wyo.)
8. Deb Fischer (Neb.)
9. Jeff Flake (Ariz.)
10. Chuck Grassley (Iowa)
11. Dean Heller (Nev.)
12. James Inhofe (Okla.)
13. Mike Johanns (Neb.)
14. Ron Johnson (Wis.)
15. Mike Lee (Utah)
16. John McCain (Ariz.)
17. Mitch McConnell (Ky.)
18. Rand Paul (Ky.)
19. Rob Portman (Ohio)
20. Jim Risch (Idaho)
21. Pat Roberts (Kan.)
22. Marco Rubio (Fla.)
23. Tim Scott (S.C.)
24. Jeff Sessions (Ala.)
25. John Thune (S.D.)
26. Pat Toomey (Pa.)

Having already passed the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, the bill now heads to President Barack Obama’s desk for final approval.

The House passed the bill Wednesday with an overwhelming 359-67, bipartisan majority.

The 1,582-page bill funds every agency of government, pairing increases for NASA and Army Corps of Engineers construction projects with cuts to the Internal Revenue Service and foreign aid. It pays for implementation of Obama’s health care law.

Shortly before the final vote, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, attacked Senate Democrats, accusing them of ignoring the problems caused by the health care law.

Continue Reading More:  http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/01/16/u-s-senate-passes-1-1-trillion-omnibus-spending-bill-law-heads-to-presidents-desk-for-final-approval/

WND: BETWEEN THE LINES Meet 'the new birthers'

Exclusive: Joseph Farah reveals what he thinks about Ted Cruz’s presidential eligibility

  Joseph Farah

 For more than five years, anyone who questioned Barack Obama’s constitutional eligibility to be president has been treated by the news media with utter contempt, ridicule, scorn, derision, mockery and disparagement.

The constitutional issue of the “natural born citizen” clause could not even be discussed intelligently on any news network without guffaws, taunting and put downs.

But that was then. This is now.

Having never scrutinized the basic facts still surrounding Obama’s questionable case for eligibility, the news media are already in a feeding frenzy over the potential eligibility of conservative Republican Ted Cruz, who has not even announced his intentions about running for president in 2016 or thereafter.

If it wasn’t clear before, it is transparent now: It was never a matter of what the Constitution said for the news media. It was never a matter of the established facts of Obama’s parentage and birth. It was all about protecting Obama.

Here are some of the headlines from what I call “the new birthers”:

 USA Today and Associated Press: “Sen. Ted Cruz still citizen of U.S. and Canada” 

  The National Post: “Ted Cruz not the first to be stymied by America’s ‘natural born’ rules”

 
  CNN: “Can Ted Cruz run for president?” 

Politifact, one of the staunchest, self-anointed defenders of Obama’s eligibility credentials, concludes the Canadian-born Cruz’s claims to natural born citizenship through his American-born citizen mother are in doubt.

  
And that paragon of objectivity, the appropriately named Daily Beast, took a left “birther” jab at Cruz in a recent piece headlined, “Seven Reasons Chris Christie Isn’t Toast.” One of the seven reasons, it turns out, is “Ted Cruz was born in Canada.”

With all this heavy-duty investigative journalism and newfound faux enthusiasm for the Constitution suddenly on display, it’s obvious the No. 1 fear among the elite media is that Ted Cruz might actually run for president.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/01/meet-the-new-birthers

MHPC: Join us for Global Illusions, an in-depth look at what Bowdoin teaches‏

Global Illusions  Bowdoin’s Post-Citizens and the  Future of American Higher Education   P R E S E N T E D  B Y Dr. Herbert London President Emeritus, Hudson Institute   Thursday, February 6, 2014

P A N E L  D I S C U S S I O N   Dr. KC Johnson Professor, City University of New York   Dr. Michael Poliakoff Vice President of Policy, American Council of Trustees and Alumni   Dr. Peter Wood President, National Association of Scholars   P L E A S E  J O I N  U S   Inn at Brunswick Station 4 Noble Street | Brunswick, Maine 04011   Luncheon 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Panel Discussion 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. $35 per person includes lunch   Register Here

Please join us for an in-depth presentation and discussion about the recent report,  What Does Bowdoin Teach?  How A Contemporary Liberal Arts College Shapes Students.  Dr. Herbert London, Dr. Peter Wood, Dr. KC Johnson, and Dr. Michael Poliakoff will discuss how higher education has transformed from strong intellectual traditions, a core curriculum, and a commitment to Western Civilization, to a new focus on race, class, gender, and the environment.  Out went the old style of scholarly generalists as teachers, and in came the new style of research specialists as faculty members.  The new Bowdoin dedicated itself to the achievement of social justice and to reshaping America in the image of progressive politics.   R E S E R V A T I O N S   Call 207-321-2550 E-mail kclark@mainepolicy.org For more information please contact Ms. Kate Clark

Imagine Dragons - On Top Of The World (Official Music Video)

Submitted by:

EagleRising: More Proof! The Obama Administration Lied After the Benghazi Attack

By Onan Coca / 16 January 2014

More Obama Administration lies uncovered.

What’s new?

There are times that reporting on the Obama administration makes me feel like a broken record. Another day, another lie discovered.

Well, at least we’ve known that this one was a bunch of hogwash for a while. Now we have even more evidence of that fact.

Are you ready? The Obama administration new almost immediately that the attack on the Benghazi consulate on 9/11/2012 was a terrorist attack, and not some random protest over a YouTube video.

Fox News correspondent James Rosen got his hands on some of the just released testimony from the Benghazi hearings.  (click on to read)

Read more at http://eaglerising.com/4158/proof-obama-administration-lied-benghazi-attack/#CUVIxUSTkxohtC3I.99 

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By Onan Coca / 16 January 2014
Read more at http://eaglerising.com/4158/proof-obama-administration-lied-benghazi-attack/#CUVIxUSTkxohtC3I.99

Citizens Letter To Maine Governor LePage

Dwight E. Hines, Ph.D.

IndyMedia

42 Israelson Rd.

Livermore, Maine 04253

207-897-2032

dwight.hines@gmail.com

 

January 15, 2014

The Honorable Paul Lepage, Governor,
State of Maine
State House
Augusta, Maine 04333

Dear Governor LePage:

I was stunned to read of the attacks on you for alleged violations of Maine’s Freedom of Information Act.  I can not understand how your future opponents for election, Mr. Cutler and Mr. AHWA, failed to read the Maine FOAA, specifically Section 5, before they complain​ed to the press.  I am especially concerned that the Maine Attorney General, Ms. Mills, also did not know how the law is applied here.  You were more than in compliance in responding the the public records requests at “your convenience”.  I do not like section 5 but it has been used to delay answering my requests by  different individuals.

​  It is of interest that the Attorney General has never supported a private, little person, FOAA request.​

Governor, it appears to me that Attorney General Mills is holding you to a standard that she does not attain on FOAA.  Indeed, my FOAA requests to her office to view a $300,000.00 grant last year was met with delay that was longer than the delay you were criticized for so roundly.  Note that the grant was not competitive and there was no cost benefit analysis.  I believe it was not a good decision to award the grant.

Please note that the attached letter putting the SunJournal on the Newspaper Death Watch list only applies to the the SunJournal.  We have no data on other newspapers at this time.  However, given the response to your FOAA decisions by the SunJournal, it appears they are not objective.  

Governor, I don’t know who I’ll be voting for but I wish that we had better,

​ ​

more ​reasonable and thoughtful media coverage of these issues

​than we do now.

​

​  Indeed, it would be difficult to have this letter published by the traditional print media in Maine.​

Dwight Hines

Attached
Maine law on when FOAA response is required
Letter to Newspaper Death Watch

   Request Letter to Newspaper Death Watch by Dwight Hines

​

§408-A. Public records available for inspection and copying 

5. Schedule.  Inspection, conversion pursuant to subsection 7 and copying of a public record subject to a request under this section may be scheduled to occur at a time that will not delay or inconvenience the regular activities of the agency or official having custody or control of the public record requested. If the agency or official does not have regular office hours, the name and telephone number of a contact person authorized to provide access to the agency's or official's records must be posted in a conspicuous public place and at the office of the agency or official, if an office exists.

 http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/1/title1sec408-A.html

BrasscheckTV: The hero you've never heard of‏ (Mark Pittman 1957-2009)

He predicted the 2008 Crash in vivid detail. 
 
He explained that this would not be a normal downturn
and why and how the banks were responsible. 
 
He sued the Federal Reserve - the first person ever to
do so in history - and won access to data they fought
tooth and nail not to disclose to the public. 
 
And he passed away at 52.
 
Video:
 
http://www.realecontv.com/page/1222.html
 
- Brasscheck

Mark Pittman (1957-2009)
Dead at 52 after successfully suing the Federal Reserve

 

The hero no one talks about
Keep in mind that Pittman’s analysis was delivered six months before the market collapse in the fall of 2008.

Why is it that the financial news (especially Fox and CNBC) has time for every idiot with an opinion regardless of how loopy, but few people have ever heard of Mark Pittman?

Pittman was the first person in history to sue the Federal Reserve (along with his employer Bloomberg News.)

He won - and you never heard of him.

Strange.

- See more at: http://www.realecontv.com/videos/government-corruption/mark-pittman-1957-2009.html#sthash.OLatMVvu.dpuf

Rufe's Extended Weather Outlook

Extended Outlook

 

Today:  scattered flurries and/or showers. Quiet. highs 32-41 N/S.

 

Friday;  quiet. Mnt.Flurries. Lows 24-30 N/S. highs 35-42 N/S.

 

Saturday; quiet. Mtn. flurries. lows 23-29 N/S. highs 33-39 N/S.

 

Sunday; mtn. squalls late. Breeezy7 at night. Lows 16-23 N/S. highs 18-32 N/S.

 

Monday; breezy am. flurries. Lows 8-20 N/S. highs 17-31 N/S.

 

Tuesday; breezy. Scattered flurries. Lows 2below-16 N/S. highs 8-22 N/S.

 

Wednesday; breezy and dry. lows 9below-5 N/S. highs 4-17 N/S.

 

 http://designyoutrust.com/inspirations/cool-snow-sculptures/

Ray Stevens: Obama Nation

WND: WND EXCLUSIVE Napolitano: Few checks on Obama's bully-pulpit power

President talking openly about advancing agenda with or without Congress

  Bob Unruh

 President Obama, who used executive orders during his first term for pay changes, setting up a variety of councils, creating immunity for Bosnia, ensuring abortions through Obamacare, promoting “diversity” and dozens of other things, is explaining that he’ll be expanding that activity during his second.

In fact, he’s setting a course to do what he wants with or without action from Congress, unleashing the full power of his White House bully pulpit to make America over.

“We’re not just going to be waiting for legislation in order to make sure that we’re providing Americans the kind of help they need. I’ve got a pen, and I’ve got a phone,” Obama said, according to a report by CBS.

“And I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward in helping to make sure our kids are getting the best education possible, making sure that our businesses are getting the kind of support and help they need to grow and advance, to make sure that people are getting the skills that they need to get those jobs that our businesses are creating.”

He continued, “One of the things that I’m going to be talking to my Cabinet about is how do we use all the tools available to us, not just legislation, or order to advance a mission that I think unifies all Americans.”

A top legal expert, Judge Andrew Napolitano, says there are few limits on what Obama could include in his orders, and fighting back is a long and hard course.

“There really is no line,” the judge told WND in an interview Wednesday. “We have the welfare state, the warfare state, we also have the administrative state.”

That, he said, allows a president through his appointees to issues rules and regulations, impose requirements and change America.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/01/napolitano-few-checks-on-obamas-bully-pulpit-power/#ks0BEtbmDxIyGrcv.99

President talking openly about advancing agenda with or without Congress
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/01/napolitano-few-checks-on-obamas-bully-pulpit-power/#ks0BEtbmDxIyGrcv.99

Maxine: Give a Man A Fish....

NaturalNews: New lab results plus news on GMOs, Fukushima and more‏

Dear Lisbon Reporter and NaturalNews readers,

We've just posted heavy metals, MRF and MCC lab test results for a few popular breakfast cereals. 20+ more are on the way over the next couple of days.
View the results here:
http://labs.naturalnews.com/Category-Foods.html

Contaminated Japanese rivers are dumping a steady stream of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean:
http://www.naturalnews.com/043544_contaminated_rivers_radiation_Pacific_Ocean.html

Argentina has halted Monsanto's GMO seed factory construction:
http://www.naturalnews.com/043546_Monsanto_GMO_seed_plant_Argentina.html

Widely-touted HIV "cure" from conventional medicine turns out to be a total hoax:
http://www.naturalnews.com/043541_HIV_treatment_false_cure_AIDS.html


More news continues below...



Wednesday on The Robert Scott Bell Show 3-5PM EDT: Ty Bollinger and RSB go outside the box for health freedom LIVE from the Organic Corner in Massapequa with Liana Werner-Gray of the Earth Diet. Call 1-866-939-2355 with your questions or comments! Listen in at www.NaturalNewsRadio.com.


Today on blogs.naturalnews.com:
- Good mood foods
- Emotional eating vs. conscious eating
- Rethink the pink: Women join together for REAL health solutions

Argentina suspends construction of Monsanto's unconstitutional GMO seed plant (NaturalNews) It's not a total ban, but it's at least a victorious battle against the evil empire of Monsanto and the sociopathic biotech industry. After many months of grassroots demonstrating, blocking bulldozers and construction of a Monsanto seed...

Many studies reveal vitamin D's importance as a cancer-fighting agent (NaturalNews) There is a huge volume of research showing the relationship between vitamin D and cancer. The benefits of this vitamin, or hormone in this regard, apply to both cancer prevention and cancer survival. Here is a rundown on some of the studies...

Contaminated Japanese rivers unleash 'perennial supply' of radiation into Pacific Ocean (NaturalNews) A study published in the Elsevier journal Anthropocene late last year has revealed that many of the rivers, streams and other waterways located throughout coastal Japan have inadvertently become delivery systems for transporting radioactive...

TEPCO demands Fukushima workers return salary money (NaturalNews) Many of the power plant workers and their families who were evacuated after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, and later given compensation by the utility for their ongoing hardships, are now being told that they have to return the...

New Zealand boy dies after battle with brain cancer: Wi-Fi and wirelessly connected iPod likely culprits (NaturalNews) A 10-year-old New Zealand boy, Ethan Wyman, died recently after an 11-month long battle with brain cancer. He attended Te Horo junior school along the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand. His death prompted his parents to petition the school that...

Widely-touted HIV cure turns out to be false; patients once again test HIV positive (NaturalNews) It was big news back in 2013 -- science unveils an alleged cure for AIDS after two men from Boston test negative for HIV following successful bone marrow transplants, read the glowing headlines. Except this apparently was not the case. New...

Sprouts boost energy, digestion and immunity (NaturalNews) Conventional farming practices destroy the soil; generate poor-quality food and pour tons of unwanted chemicals into our environment. The use of GMOs, toxic pesticides and antibiotics pose devastating consequences to human health. Fortunately...

Local police departments now buying massive armored battle vehicles (NaturalNews) The militarization of police departments around the nation continues, as evidenced by the purchase of a massive, military-grade armored vehicle by an agency in Florida. According to the local NBC affiliate, police in Fort Pierce "are...

Your mobile phone may harbor more bacteria than a public restroom (NaturalNews) Innovators presenting at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas claim to have come up with a new way to make mobile phones safer. No, we are not talking about ionizing radiation here -- the idea is to kill all the germs that are...

More vaccines or better nutrition to prevent disease? (NaturalNews) The National Institutes of Health recently announced an expansion of its funding of nine Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units with an annual budget of $135 million dollars of government money. This effort to decrease disease outbreaks...

Under Obamacare, you are about to have your healthcare restricted to a 'narrow network' (NaturalNews) There are so many details packed into the government's takeover of one-sixth of the U.S. economy - otherwise known as Obamacare - that nary a week goes by when Americans don't learn something new about the massive, 2,700-page law. What's...

'Mountain Dew mouth' is wrecking havoc in Appalachia (NaturalNews) Appalachia, the region that runs from southern New York down to northern Alabama, has a growing problem called "Mountain Dew mouth." Cavities, tooth decay and rotten teeth are known to be the aftermath of bad dental hygiene and the overconsumption...

Pesticide-tainted food poisons over a thousand in Japan (NaturalNews) Aqli Foods, a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based company Maruha Nichiro Holdings, Inc., which sells frozen seafood products in Japan, North America and Europe, has sickened...

Spirulina truly is an exceptional food in every imaginable way (NaturalNews) This is a one of a kind food that you should immediately start adding to your diet as often as possible. Spirulina is mainly found growing in the alkaline lakes of Central and South America. It's now recognized as one of the most nutritious...

Study shows black tea's theaflavins protect from cadmium-induced testicular toxicity (NaturalNews) Cadmium ranks, along with other heavy metals, as one of the most devastating toxins capable of wreaking havoc on the human body. Unlike lead, arsenic and mercury, exposure to this environmental toxin comes almost exclusively through dietary...

Radioactive fish continue to be caught near Fukushima (NaturalNews) Japan used to account for 15 percent of global fish catches, but now, nearly three years after the earthquake and subsequent tsunami which struck Fukushima's Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011, sales are plummeting in Fukushima and...

The Maine Wire: “Collins blasts Obama State Department on Benghazi” plus 1 more

  (click on titles to read more)

Collins blasts Obama State Department on Benghazi

Posted: 15 Jan 2014 01:15 PM PST

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released its bipartisan report on the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, Republican Sen. Susan Collins criticized President Barack Obama’s State Department for failing to provide adequate security prior to the attack and misleading the American public afterwards. “This report, as well as […]

 

Medicaid expansion gets another public hearing

Posted: 15 Jan 2014 11:22 AM PST

AUGUSTA – For the second time in the 126th Legislature, the Health and Human Services Committee held a public hearing on a proposal to expand Maine’s medical welfare program, known as Medicaid or MaineCare. The vast majority of those present were organized supporters of L.D. 1578, the bill that would expand eligibility for Medicaid to […]

TMB: Extensive Collaboration Between EPA, Environmentalist Orgs, Emails Show‏ and more

Extensive Collaboration Between EPA, Environmentalist Orgs, Emails Show
By Lachlan MarkayInternal Environmental Protection Agency emails show extensive collaboration between top agency officials and leading environmentalist groups, including overt efforts to coordinate messaging and pressure the fossil fuel industry.

Chinese Defense Ministry Confirms Hypersonic Missile Test
By Bill GertzChina’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday confirmed that weapons designers recently conducted the first test of an ultra-high speed missile vehicle considered cutting edge military technology.

UCLA Prof Urges Those With ‘a Jewish Sounding Name’ to Lobby Against Iran Bill
By Adam KredoA UCLA professor is urging those who “have a Jewish-sounding name” to lobby their senators against a new bipartisan measure that would level sanctions on Iran.


Harry Reid Obstructing Vote on Iran Sanctions
By Adam KredoSenate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D., Nev.) ongoing refusal to permit a vote on new Iran sanctions legislation is drawing the ire of the majority of senators who support the bill.


Omnibus Bans Taxpayer Funding for Official Portraits
By Elizabeth HarringtonThe $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill, if passed, will save taxpayers money by banning federal funding for official portraits of the president, members of his cabinet, and Congress.

Ignoring Threat from Al Qaeda Endangers Homeland, Experts Warn
By Ellison BarberWitnesses attacked the premise that al Qaeda is no longer a prevalent threat to U.S. national security at a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing Wednesday.

The Provincialism of Film Critics
By Sonny BunchOver at the Federalist, Mollie Hemingway has a pretty interesting piece up comparing and contrasting the critical response to 12 Years a Slave and The Passion of the Christ. 


See the Americans for Prosperity Ad That Has Democrats Running Scared

By WFB StaffAmericans for Prosperity has released an ad targeting Sen. Kay Hagan (D., N.C.) for her support of Obamacare. Since September Americans for Prosperity has released multiple ads calling out Democrats by name for supporting Obamacare.

Scam Notice: Email Scam Now Targeting Individuals, from KGW Portland, Oregon

 by Chris Willis, KGW Unit 8 Reporter

PORTLAND -- A Unit 8 follow-up to an investigation into an email scam targeting Portland businesses found that the scam is now targeting individual consumers.
The latest scam is coming in the form of an email that is supposed to look like it is from the PGE utility company.

“We’ve been trying to get the word out to our customers for awhile now,” says PGE spokesperson Brianne Hyder. “If customers have any questions about it, be it a phone call they may receive saying they’re past due on their bill, or an email, always call us if they have questions about that.”

The email informs consumers their utility bill is ready to view online. Late last month, Unit 8 showed viewers how the scam was affecting dry cleaners and other small businesses in Portland.

But now consumers say they're also being scammed.

If you get an email from these scammers and click on the hyperlinks, it will take you to a malware site that will infect your computer, laptop or mobile device.

Read more and watch video presentation: http://www.kgw.com/news/PGE-email-scam-now-targeting-individuals--240213581.html

Submitted by: 'Rufe'

Department of Justice: Justice Department Recovers $3.8 Billion from False Claims Act Cases in Fiscal Year 2013

 

Second Largest Annual Recovery in History Whistleblower Lawsuits Soar to 752

 

The Justice Department secured $3. 8 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud against the government in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2013, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Stuart F. Delery announced today.   This dollar amount, which is the second largest annual recovery of its type in history, brings total recoveries under the False Claims Act since January 2009 to $ 17 billion – nearly half the total recoveries since the Act was amended 27 years ago in 1986.

 

The Justice Department’s fiscal year 2013 efforts recovered more than $3 billion for the fourth year in a row and are surpassed only by last year’s nearly $5 billion in recoveries.   As in previous years, the largest recoveries related to health care fraud, which reached $2. 6  billion.   Procurement fraud (related primarily to defense contracts) accounted for another $ 890  million – a record in that area.

 

“It has been another banner year for civil fraud recoveries, but more importantly, it has been a great year for the taxpayer and for the millions of Americans, state agencies and organizations that benefit from government programs and contracts,” said Assistant Attorney General Delery.   “The $3. 8 billion in federal False Claims Act recoveries in fiscal year 2013, plus another $443 million in recoveries for state Medicaid programs, restores scarce taxpayer dollars to federal and state governments.   The government’s success in these cases is also a strong deterrent to others who would misuse public funds, which means government programs designed to keep us safer, healthier and economically more prosperous can do so without the corrosive effects of fraud and false claims.”      

 

The False Claims Act is the government’s primary civil remedy to redress false claims for government funds and property under government contracts, including national security and defense contracts, as well as under government programs as varied as Medicare, veterans benefits, federally insured loans and mortgages, transportation and research grants, agricultural supports, school lunches and disaster assistance.   In 1986, Congress strengthened the Act by amending it to increase incentives for whistleblowers to file lawsuits on behalf of the government, which has led to more investigations and greater recoveries. 

More reading here: http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/December/13-civ-1352.html

GOPDD: Lt Col Allen West On Unconstitutional Actions By Barack Hussein Obama‏

by Dylan

By Allen West In a January 13th post, Lt Col Allen West gives his take on the upcoming Supreme Court hearing into the disputed recess appointments of Barack Obama to the National Labor Relations Board and judicial activism in general. Col West writes: Today the US Supreme Court will hear the case regarding unconstitutional actions

Today the US Supreme Court will hear the case regarding unconstitutional actions taken by President Obama. Part of this stems from three “recess appointments” to the National Labor Relations Board during a time when the Senate was, per the Constitution, still in session.

It seems that rules — just like the 60 vote threshold/filibuster – which were okay for Senator Obama are now unacceptable for President Obama. Interesting how that happens. Emperor Obama apparently believes it is in his purview to define what “is” is pertaining to whether the Senate is in session or not.[…]

Read more of this post

Wife texts husband on a cold winter’s morning....

"Windows frozen, won't open."

Husband texts back:
"Gently pour some lukewarm water over it."

Wife texts back 5 minutes later:
"Computer really screwed up now.”