The LuLac Edition #3426, February 7th, 2017

REMEMBER THIS GUY NEXT TIME

Pat Toomey (Penn Live)

Pat Toomey. The Senator who told people all those calls to his office were from out of town people asking him to vote against the new Education Secretary.
Pat Toomey. The Senator who never stood with Donald Trump but now is on the bandwagon. Convenience over any type of principle.
Pat Toomey. The Senator who accused Katie McGinty of being a millionaire (it’s a crime when Dems do it, but you’re self reliant when you’re a Republican) but The Morning Call said Toomey’s wealth was in the neighborhood of 1.8 million to 4.5 million.
Pat Toomey. This is the guy that wants to privatize Social Security. In Toomey’s book, the first subhead under the “Transforming Social Security” chapter is “Personal Accounts Lead to Personal Prosperity.” And it’s really no surprise, considering Toomey’s reaction to President George W. Bush’s privatization scheme. “I have been arguing for many years in favor of Social Security personal retirement accounts,” Toomey said at the time. “I’m thrilled that the President is taking up this critical issue.” (Reason.com)
Pat Toomey. The guy who voted to confirm Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos despite her lack of credentials. DeVos and her fiscal cronies gave Toomey money in his campaigns.
Pat Toomey. The guy who won a second victory by 99, 645 votes.
Remember this guy and how much he cares for the average Pennsylvania family and their children.See you in 2022 Pat if you dare to show up.

TRUMP ON MURDER RATE

President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed the murder rate in the United States is "the highest it's been in, I guess, 45-47 years." Trump made the statement before a Sheriff’s group. According to the FBI—which tracks crime statistics in the country, not "the media," as Trump suggested—the murder rate in the United States is near an all-time low. According to the FBI's 2015 crime report, there were 15,696 murders in the United States that year, which translates to a murder rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people.
The murder rate steadily declined until it reached a low point of 4.4 homicides per 100,000 people in 2014, before the uptick in 2015. Data for the full year of 2016 is not yet available, but statistics from the first half of 2016 suggest that the murder rate might have climbed again last year (though certainly not to levels that come anywhere near the peaks in 1980 and 1991).
The slight increase in violent crime during 2015 can be attributed mostly to seven urban areas—Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Milwaukee, Nashville, and Washington, D.C.—that accounted for half of the national increase. It's not even true for Trump to argue that crime is increasing in cities, since only 25 of the nation's 100 largest cities saw an overall increase in violent crime in 2015, according to the FBI.
It's not just the murder rate that has fallen recently. All forms of violent crime are down 19 percent, and property crime fell by 23 percent, between 2008 and 2015. (msn.com)

PENCE MAKES HISTORY 

 Betsy DeVos new Education Secretary (Photo: CNN)

Vice President Mike Pence cast a historic tie-breaking vote today to confirm Betsy DeVos as the next education secretary after the Senate was evenly divided over the controversial pick.
The 51-50 vote ends Trump's toughest confirmation battle yet. Senate Democrats debated through the night and into Tuesday morning in a last-ditch attempt to derail DeVos, buoyed by support from Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.
DeVos was sworn into office shortly after 6 p.m. ET. Pence administered the oath of office and said his confirmation vote earlier in the day was "the easiest vote I ever cast."
Now there are people who might be worried about this pick given DeVos’ lack of experience and articulation on educational issues. But maybe these guys can help.

REP. CARTWRIGHT REJOINS HOUSE OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTEE

Representative Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

Today, at the special request of Ranking Member Elijah Cummings, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright was elected to the House Oversight and Government Reform (OGR) Committee.
“Rep. Cartwright has been an integral part of our Committee’s efforts to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government and provide necessary oversight of the Administration,” said Ranking Member Cummings. “I am extremely pleased he will be returning to the Committee, and I look forward to working with Rep. Cartwright to ensure the federal government works effectively and efficiently for all of our constituents.”
Rep. Cartwright served on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee from January 2013 through September 2016 when he was elected to the House Committee on Appropriations. Under House Democratic Caucus Rules, Appropriations Committee members may not serve on other committees unless provided a waiver. The Caucus approved a waiver for Rep. Cartwright to serve simultaneously on the Appropriations and OGR Committees this morning.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to return to the Oversight Committee,” said Rep. Cartwright. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to eliminate government abuse and fraud, promote transparency, and require adherence to the laws that govern all of us.”
The Oversight and Government Reform Committee is the leading oversight and investigative committee in the House of Representatives. During Rep. Cartwright’s previous service on the Oversight Committee, he served as the Ranking Member for the Subcommittee on Health Care, Benefits, and Administrative Rules and the Ranking Member for the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Job Creation, and Regulatory Affairs.

BARLETTA: SEVEN NATIONS IN EXEC. ORDER ACCOUNT FOR ONE QUARTER OF TERROR ARRESTS

PUSHES BACK ON FALSE CLAIM THAT SEVEN COUNTRIES IN TRAVEL RESTRICTION HAVE NO RECORD OF THREATS

Rep. Barletta speaks with Gen. John Kelly (Ret.), the new Secretary of Homeland Security, prior to a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee. (Photo: Barletta press office)

Congressman Lou Barletta (PA-11) today pushed back on the false claim that no one from any of the seven nations targeted by an executive order from President Trump has ever been arrested for terrorist-related activities. In January, President Trump issued an executive order which suspends the entire refugee program, but also suspends travel specifically for non-green card holders from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Some critics of the travel restrictions argue that citizens from those countries have never been arrested for terrorism-related crimes while in the United States. Barletta produced a study (found here) from a professor at the University of North Carolina that found that those seven nations account for 23 percent of terror-related arrests in the U.S. since September 11, 2001.
“I have here a study by a professor from the University of North Carolina, which finds that in all the arrests made for terror-related activities in the United States since 9/11, almost a quarter of them have direct family ties to those seven countries,” Barletta said, while asking a question of new Homeland Security Secretary, Gen. John Kelly (Ret.). “In your opinion, are the critics correct? Have there been no problems at all with people from these seven countries?”
During his questioning of Gen. Kelly, Barletta noted that the federal judge who temporarily blocked the executive order made the same claim: that no one from those seven nations had ever been arrested on terrorism-related charges. The judge’s ruling is currently under appeal before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“I can’t help but note that, at least in one instance, he is right,” Barletta said. “The young man who stabbed a number of people at Ohio State this past November was in the United States through the refugee program. He came here from Somalia, one of the seven countries we’re talking about. But in this one case, the judge was right. He was not arrested, because he was killed at the scene by police.”
Gen. Kelly replied that he is tasked with keeping the country safe from threats, and that he does not have the luxury of having theoretical discussions.
“Hope is not a course of action for people like me, and police officers and sheriffs and members of the CBP, people like that,” said Gen. Kelly. “We can never rely on, ‘Gee, I hope nothing bad happens.’ I have nothing but respect for judges. But in their world, it’s a very academic, almost in a vacuum discussion. And, of course, in their courtrooms they’re protected by people like me. So they can have those discussions, and if something happens bad from letting people in, they don’t come to the judge to ask him about his ruling, they come to people like me.”
Barletta has been an supporter of President Trump’s executive order, which suspended the entire refugee program for 120 days, while also barring the admission of Syrian refugees indefinitely. Additionally, the order barred the admission of people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen for 90 days. In the meantime, the president ordered a review of the screening, or vetting, process until it can be determined that refugee applicants are indeed the individuals they claim to be. The Department of Homeland Security has stated that the order will not impact Legal Permanent Residents, or holders of green cards.