The Front Page Cover
~ Featuring ~
Turn Off North Korea’s Juice?
by Jeff Dunetz
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Surprise! Seattle's Minimum Wage Charade
Is Making People Poorer
As the old expression states, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. In 2014, Seattle decided to lead the way "forward" in the attempt to impose the leftist utopian dream of creating a "livable" minimum wage for all. Largely ignoring sound warnings from seasoned economists, Seattle pressed on with its crusade, passing a progressive increase to the minimum wage with the goal of eventually reaching $15 per hour by 2017 and 2019 respectively for large and small businesses. So has Seattle been able to defy all conventional economic wisdom and raise a greater number of individuals out of poverty with its mandatory minimum wage hike?
A recently released study from the University of Washington appears to be throwing a well-deserved bucket of cold water on Seattle's pipe dream. Researchers found that low-income workers saw their overall pay decrease, as companies either cut hours or cut the number of employees. The report states, "The lost income associated with the hours reductions exceeds the gain [in hourly rates]. The average low-wage employee was paid $1,897 per month. The reduction in hours cost the average employee $179 per month, while the wage increase would recoup only $54 of this loss, leaving a net loss of $125 per month (6.6%), which is sizable for a low-wage worker."
Seattle is the first city to pass the mandatory $15 minimum wage, but certainly not the last as the cities of Los Angeles, New York, DC and Boston have passed similar legislation. Hopefully, Seattle acts as the canary in the coal mine, warning other municipalities away from a disastrous policy. As America Rising Squared spokesman Jeremy Adler states, "This important study ought to be a big wake-up call that the 'Fight for $15' minimum wage effort is actually hurting those they say they want to help — reducing incomes and eliminating economic opportunities for low-income Americans who need them most."
Unfortunately, too many Democrats have so invested themselves in the belief that it is the role of government to provide for people's needs that even studies like this, which clearly demonstrate the ill effects of leftist economic policy, will not promote a change of direction or ideology. As a result, the unemployment lines in leftist controlled cities like Seattle will only grow longer. ~The Patriot Post
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Is McConnell Up To The Job
Of Majority Leader Or Just Another Hack?
by Rick Wells
{rickwells.us} ~ Lou Dobbs has “a few thoughts on what has been a top priority for President Trump: cracking down on illegal immigration, criminal illegal immigrants, and sanctuary cities that harbor them... Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly offered some strong words today for opponents of the President’s policies and priorities.” Dobbs says, “General Kelly slammed lawmakers for choosing politics over public safety.” He plays a clip of Kelly speaking, saying, “DHS does not make the laws, Congress does. And we will enforce the laws that are passed by Congress and I am offended when members of this institution exert pressure and often threaten me and my officers to ignore the laws they make and I am sworn to uphold.” Noting Speaker Ryan’s presence behind Kelly in the clip, Dobbs addresses the fact that “House Republicans have been slow to act on immigration reform not in the open borders sense. Despite passing both Kate’s law and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act today, there is zero chance they’ll be passed in the Senate... http://rickwells.us/dobbs-mcconnell-job-majority-leader-just-another-hack/
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Treasury to Run Out of Cash in Next 3 Months,
Leading to Default or Delay of Payments
by Ali Meyer
{freebeacon.com} ~ The Treasury is set to run out of cash in October, which may lead to a default on debt obligations or payment delays for government programs, according to a report from the Congressional Budget Office... On March 15, 2017, the suspension of the debt limit expired and since then the Treasury has been able to borrow additional funds without violating the debt ceiling. "The Congressional Budget Office projects that if the debt limit remains unchanged, those measures will be exhausted and the Treasury will most likely run out of cash in early to mid-October," the report states. "The government would then be unable to pay its obligations fully, so it would have to delay making payments for its programs and activities, default on its debt obligations, or both."...http://freebeacon.com/issues/cbo-treasury-run-cash-next-3-months-leading-default-delay-payments/?utm_source=Freedom+Mail&utm_campaign=955494330d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_06_29&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b5e6e0e9ea-955494330d-45611665.
Grassley Hits Acting FBI Director
McCabe on ‘Potential Conflicts of Interest’
by Charles Fain Lehman
{freebeacon.com} ~ Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has told Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that he is worried about acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe's independence... Grassley sent a letter to Rosenstein on Thursday about McCabe's potential conflicts of interest, Politico reports. Grassley expressed concerns about whether McCabe should have recused himself from the investigation into liar-Hillary Clinton's private email server. McCabe's wife, Jill, received substantial donations from Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D., Va.), when she ran for a seat in the Virginia state senate. McAuliffe was also a top bundler for liar-Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. The Justice Department's inspector general is investigating whether McCabe should have recused himself, a fact Grassley brought up in his letter... http://freebeacon.com/politics/sen-grassley-hits-mccabe-on-conflicts-of-interest/?utm_source=Freedom+Mail&utm_campaign=955494330d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_06_29&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b5e6e0e9ea-955494330d-45611665.
Abbas's Lies and Palestinian Child Victims
by Bassam Tawil
{gatestoneinstitute.org} ~ Palestinian children are the latest victims of the power struggle between the two rival Palestinian factions, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas... PA President Mahmoud Abbas has declared war on the Gaza Strip as part of his effort to prompt Palestinians living there to revolt against the ruling Hamas administration. It appears that Abbas and Hamas are determined to fight to the last ill Palestinian child. Abbas is hoping that a series of punitive measures he has taken, which include reducing electricity and medical supplies and cutting off salaries to many Palestinians, will lead to the collapse of Hamas, paving the way for the return of his PA to the Gaza Strip. Abbas has had a grudge against Hamas ever since the Islamist movement expelled his PA and loyalists from the Gaza Strip ten years ago...https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10598/palestinian-child-victimsby Bassam Tawil
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by Jeff Dunetz
Did Trump Get China To
Turn Off North Korea’s Juice?
{lidblog.com} ~ Reuters is reporting that China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) has suspended sales of fuel to North Korea giving as a reason their concerned they won’t get paid. CNPC is a Chinese state-owned oil and gas corporation, the largest integrated energy company in China and based on revenue is the third largest company in the world.
The publicly given rationale may or may not be the actual reason. After all, CNPC is owned by the Chinese government, and the Chinese government has been basically funding North Korea for years. Perhaps the real reason is China wanted to send a message to the North Korean government and especially their despotic leader, the diminutive and chunky, Kim Jong Un, who is more cuckoo than a clock, but wanted to do it without publicly shaming the kooky Korean with a bad haircut, which is why they blamed it on economics.
As a dictator, Kim Jong Un puts the whack in whack job. He kills girlfriends and family members at a moment’s notice. In fact the only one in the country who seems to be safe is the barber who makes his hair look as if it was raped by a lawnmower.
Unless you’ve been living in the Get Smart cone of silence, you know that North Korea has been threatening the United States and her allies with its nuclear weapons program and its ballistic missile development. President Trump has been appealing to his new friend Chinese President Xi Jinping, to pressure Kim Jung Un to stop with the Freddy Kruger imitation as it is driving the world toward war.
It’s unclear how long the suspension will last. A prolonged cut would threaten critical supplies of fuel and force North Korea to find alternatives to its main supplier of diesel and gasoline, as scrutiny of China’s close commercial ties with its increasingly isolated neighbour intensifies.Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang, asked about the sale suspension and whether the Chinese government put pressure on CNPC to make this decision, said: “I do not understand this situation you are talking about” and declined to elaborate.
Note: “I do not understand this situation you are talking about,” is Chinese Government talk for “I could tell you but I would have to kill you.”
A source with direct knowledge of the matter said CNPC decided to put fuel sales on hold “over the last month or two” and described it as a “commercial decision”.“It’s no longer worth the risks,” said the source. Chinese and international banks are stepping up compliance checks on companies dealing with countries on the U.S. sanctions list, such as North Korea, he said.
The North Korean agents who mostly buy the diesel and gasoline have been unable recently to pay for the supplies — CNPC normally requires upfront payments, the source said. Did China cut of the juice because of a lack of payment or is Chinese President Xi Jinping heeding the request of American President Donald Trump? This will be an interesting story to follow.
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