The Althing is Iceland’s parliament. The election is Oct. 29.
The party, which uses pirate symbols and costumes, has an extreme libertarian platform which includes freedom of speech, skepticism of the European Union, legalization of drugs and Icelandic citizenship for Eric Snowden.
It was founded in 2012 and got a boost when it led the condemnation of the Jan. 7, 2015 Charlie Hebdo shooting. It became the nation’s leading political group after the Panama Papers scandal implicated prime minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson forcing his resignation last spring.
Jill Stein Gets It — Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein blasted the Democratic Party in a tweet.
She gets it.
“The Dems’ leaked emails reveal their mastery of corporate politics. Manipulate the process, the voters, the media, all to serve the elite,” she said.
She gets it. It’s a shame the race wasn’t between her and Trump. We may vehemently disagree with her solutions but we fully respect that she understands the problem. Our Founders rebelled against feudalism. The corporate cronyism that is being imposed on our lives is different in name only.
It’s no coincidence that Hillary Clinton is out-raising Trump 20 to 1 among one-percenters. These are types who want to supplant individual conscience and be lords of the world.
For my very religious friends who remain NeverTrump, remember the punchline: “Why didn’t you save me, God, when I prayed for deliverance?” “I sent you two boats and a helicopter.”
Muslim Ban Includes Obama? — It was widely reported that Manhattan globalist 1-percenters booed The Donald at the Al Smith Dinner, Oct. 20.
What hasn’t been reported much, however, is some of Hillary Clinton’s jokes such as: If Donald does win, it will be awkward at the annual presidents’ day photo when all the former presidents gather at the White House, and not just with Bill. How is Barack going to get past the Muslim ban?
Muslim ban would include Obama says Hillary.
So, um, what’s up with that Mrs. Clinton.? Are you saying our President is a Muslim after all? Sure would explain a lot regarding what has happened in Iran, Iraq, Egypt and Libya under his watch. And isn’t making light of your husband’s impeachment, perjury, sexual harassment, indecent exposure and rape kind of bad taste anyway?
Mrs. Clinton also said continue her bizarre theme that Trump was somehow in the pockets of the Russians saying: You notice there is no teleprompters here tonight, which is probably smart, because it may be you saw Donald … dismantle his own. Maybe it is harder when you are translating from the original Russian.
And that gets us to how the Wikileaks revelation are confirming old news about the, literally treasonous, corruption of the Clintons. Mrs. Clinton approved the transfer of half of U.S. Uranium output to the Kremlin in 2010.
People connected to the sale made $145 million in donations to the Clinton Foundation, as reported by the New York Times.
Further, Ian Telfer, the head of the Russian government’s uranium company, made a secret $2.35 million foreign donation to the Clinton Foundation, as the Times investigation confirmed.
Further, Bill Clinton received a $500,000 speaking fee for a speech in Moscow paid for by a Russian government-connected bank.
Only two type of people are not voting Trump to keep the Clinton Crime Couple out of the White House: Really, really smart wolves and really, really stupid sheep.
A House and Senate conference committee in the Pennsylvania Legislature is taking another shot at pension reform. In keeping with the Halloween spirit, they have resurrected their hybrid pension proposal one more time in an attempt to achieve “pension reform” by decree.
Unfortunately, this over-engineered proposal with many exempted employee groups will likely offer insignificant savings when measured in today’s dollars and by itself will do nothing to address the ever-increasing unfunded liability. The “everything will be fine” 30-year scenario touted by some, should be tempered by others who reference the risk of plan insolvency occurring over the next 15 to 20 years.
In fact, CAP continues to seek a single example in the US private-sector where such a similar plan design arrangement exists.
As we’ve noted on multiple occasions, the hybrid plan does not offer any meaningful protection for taxpayers particularly since the defined-benefit plan can always be retroactively increased. The House has been trying to sell this bad plan design since 2014. Every iteration since that time has gotten progressively worse. The “new and improved” stacked hybrid plan is no exception.
In an attempt to placate conservatives, the conference committee proposal will likely include a defined contribution option for new employees. On the surface, the inclusion of a defined contribution plan would seem to be a positive development. However, it does create a problem. As Rep. John McGinnis noted to Capitolwire (paywall):
“With multiple plans, one will do better than the others and in the future the members in the plans that are not performing as well will pressure elected officials for redress and will likely get it.”
As noted, this proposal does not address the $60+ billion in unfunded pension liabilities that currently saddle taxpayers. Furthermore, it is unlikely that the “reforms” in the pension proposal will include changes to how funds are managed and the annual expected rate of return assumption. Pennsylvania’s pension plans assume a 7.5 percent annual rate of return (PSERS adjusted their expectations to 7.25 percent starting in July). In an attempt to meet this optimistic goal, the pension plans use active fund managers instead of investing in index funds or other passive management strategies. Using active fund managers costs taxpayers $750 million per year. Last year that cost resulted in a 0.4 percent return for PSERS and a 1.29 percent return for SERS.
Underwhelming returns on investments and chronic underfunding of the pension plans and benefit improvements by politicians have created a mess for taxpayers in the form of massive unfunded liabilities. The pension reform proposals being bandied about do nothing to address those problems, nor do they adequately protect taxpayers. Instead, the conference committee’s Rube Goldberg reform proposal gives politicians the ability to tell voters that they “did something.” Pennsylvania’s current and future taxpayers who will be tasked with bailing out the system deserve real reform; not smoke and mirrors.
For those policymakers seeking a straightforward comprehensive solution to our ongoing pension woes, you should go no further than to read our recent blog post which highlights a recent op-ed authored by actuary Richard C. Dreyfuss.
Pat Meehan Sanctimonious Phony — Pat Meehan has pompously proclaimed that he will not vote for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump because Trump was caught talking dirty 10 years ago.
Gee Pat, that’s a new standard considering some of the candidates from Delaware County that you have supported.
Guess letting a person take office that is OK with ripping apart a nine-month-old baby is now less offensive to your sense of aesthetics.
It seems those circulating fliers last spring saying your pro life position was insincere had a point. You’ve certainly made us not regret our vote for Stan Casacio in the primary.
Still we do plan on voting for you Nov. 8 but it’s not because we like you. We just want the amusement of seeing you squirm in dealing with The Donald as president.
Meehan says he plans to write in Mike Pence. Frankly, we think he never intended to vote for Trump. Trump’s goal is to clean Capitol corruption. Starting with the V.A. That really frightens some people.
Wikileaks Project Veritas New Journalism — Journalism is giving you facts that you don’t know but should.
The traditional media has long lost its independence and has long-stopped practicing journalism. If there is a fact that you should know but the corporate overlords prefer that you don’t, then you will not learn of it from TV or a daily newspaper.
The internet is about the last place left for the trade to be practiced.
Project Veritas’ investigation into election manipulation by felons with strong connections to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has forced the removal of two shady characters — Scott Foval and Robert Creamer — from the Clinton campaign.
PV’s stories regarding this very real assault on democracy can be found here and here. Before the media became corrupted they would have won Pulitzer Prizes.
You would never have learned of these very relevant-to-your-lives matters from the old media.
Finale Debate 2016 — Tonight’s (Oct. 19) final presidential debate for 2016 had a clear winner namely Chris Wallace who is the first moderator in many years to keep himself out of the spotlight.
Donald Trump did one very good thing for himself in not merely quashing the claims of sexual misbehavior that had been levied against him but bringing forth The Project Veritas investigation regarding how the Clinton campaign has been orchestrating smears and instigating violence at his rallies.
Quashed allegations and revealed Veritas.
The establishment media has been avoiding the PV scoop like it was an angry hornet.
Hillary Clinton appeared like a girl who studied very hard for an oral exam and tried diligently to impress the teacher.
Trump, by the way, baldly said that vote fraud was a concern and refused to say if he would concede immediately if he lost.
Wallace’s questions had the candidates draw in bright lines their positions so those watching have no excuse as to not knowing where they stand when they vote.
