“in the First Amendment, the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection is must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors. The Government’s power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government. The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people.”

– Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black

And yet, from this Conservative perch, we see a mainstream media ideologically wedded to the Left which does put them in the “bias bubble” where because they are all in it, they either cannot see that they are, or worse, don’t care.  I watch them interview Conservatives, report on Republicans, and opine concerning those other than in that LeftSphere and it is remarkably different than when

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The Nashua Telegraph is behind a pay wall I wouldn’t waste ten cents to get past but I can still read the snippets, and this one was enough to make me laugh.

CONCORD – A growing program to permit homeowners to empty their garages and basements of old paint fell victim to political branding in the state Senate on Thursday. Most New England states have this program,…

The “political branding” they speak of is the idea that this is a Paint tax.  I suspect they are following the Concord Monitor, and many Democrats, in insisting that costs created by force of law are not a tax.  They are.  But the bigger sin is actually having the political sense to brand it as such.

But that was not what caught my attention.  This was; “Most New England States have this…”

You know what else the have?

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Ready For Hillary is an out-of-state Super PAC that ‘invested’ people, time, and out-of-state money, to help New Hampshire Democrat Michael Cryans in his race against Republican Joe Kenney for a seat on the state’s Executive Council.  A review of ‘Ready for Hillary’ PAC’s first quarter 2014 FEC filing shows expenses (just in New Hampshire) totaling $109,000.00, most of that for direct mail.

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From the Union Leader concerning the MET / Hospital tax ruled unconstitutional (emphasis mine, reformatted):

CONCORD — Senate President Chuck Morse says a short-term fix is needed to address a recent court ruling that the state’s tax on hospitals is unconstitutional.  Speaking Tuesday at a Senate Ways and Means Committee meeting, the Salem Republican said lawmakers need a long-term solution that phases out the Medicaid Enhancement Tax assessed on hospitals’ patient services.

“Avoiding major disruptions to the state budget is in the state’s best interests and in the hospitals’ best interest,” Morse said. “I also believe that responding to the recent court decisions will require changing the MET in the short-term and phasing it out in the long-term.”

Morse suggested hospitals and state tax officials need to agree what services are subject to the tax. He said hospitals’ uncompensated care will be reduced when more state residents are insured under Medicaid expansion, which will reduce the state’s need for the tax.

Well, of COURSE a disruption in the budget is not a good thing for The Plan, for The Plan must be followed.  I detect a whiff of

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Wait for it……it’s not a home.  Wait for it…..it isn’t just a few!  From Dr. Rich Swier: (emphasis mine, reformatted)

Florida: 3,000 Voter Registrations List a UPS Store as a Residence

Voter Fraud? If they’re not catching the easy stuff, what else are they “missing”?

Are some of Florida’s Supervisors of Elections skirting the law? Supervisors are tasked with maintaining an accurate voter roll. One of the requirements on the Supervisors is to ensure that voters provide a legal residence address. Yet a December 2013 analysis shows more than 3,000 voter registrations statewide listing their residence address at a UPS store, potentially illegally.

Potentially?  He is being much, much too kind – it straight up is! Here’s why: 

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Part of the dumbing down, or is it just the reprogramming of Americans, seems to be convincing them that just because your government makes you pay more for something that this is not a tax.

It is a tax.

When the state uses force (threat or risk of punishment for refusing to collect or pay some sum of money) that is a tax.  Fee, tariff, levy, even a fine–they are all taxes.

I only bring it up because the Concord Monitor, when reporting on a pending vote in the NH State Senate, over a proposed fee (also a tax) on paint purchased in the Granite State they said this…

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The nuance of this “WILL” is more of a command versus describing a level of future emotions to come.  Sustainable Communities Initiative – the Federal Government’s way (e.g. HUD, EPA, DOT) to federalize local zoning ordinances to result in their idea for a more “efficient” society (remember, Progressives are all about “efficient” societies – planned from the top down, it is their version of a Utopia that never mentions “Freedom” or Liberty”).  Once again, my favorite pincushion Treehugger has a post on how to make cities “better”.  All they have to do is to have “Smart People” design it for us using a set of new principles called “Transit Oriented Development” (TOD):

• WALK | Develop neighborhoods that promote walking
• CYCLE | Prioritize non-motorized transport networks
• CONNECT | Create dense networks of streets and paths
• TRANSIT | Locate development near high-quality public transport
• MIX | Plan for mixed use
• DENSIFY | Optimize density and transit capacity
• COMPACT | Create regions with short commutes
• SHIFT | Increase mobility by regulating parking and road use

Once again, I dryly note: not designed around the idea of “people”?  Or are they merely chess pieces that have no minds, attributes, or needs of their own?  Now the author, Lloyd Alter and I have had some tiffs in the past (probably why I’m still banned from commenting) and he certainly is one that believes that we MUST live with less and we MUST live “urbanely” (he certainly loves the urban setting and doesn’t understand why the rest of us don’t – and I lived in one of the most walkable cities in the Nation: Boston).   He keeps sneering at those of us who believe there is a “conspiracy” around Agenda 21.  Yet, in this post he certainly lets the cat out of the bag with part of this post (emphasis mine): 

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“The Marxians love of democratic institutions was a stratagem only, a pious fraud for the deception of the masses. Within a socialist community there is no room left for freedom.” — Ludwig von Mises

It was reported on ABC news that the Chinese Economy will overtake the America Economy as the world’s largest. We should not be surprised. Many economists argue back and forth about factors and currency and GDP, and…despite China slowing, its economy is still expanding at double the pace of America’s.

Hats off the liberals! This is a win-win. When the left can make end-runs around

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