Lawmakers File Amicus With Court in Hobby Lobby Case: Corporations CAN Refuse Obamacare on Religious Grounds

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; despite “Constitutional Scholar” Obama’s claims to the contrary, you don’t give up your Rights just because you own a business:

For-Profit Businesses Have Right to Religious Liberty Too, Lawmakers Tell Court in Hobby Lobby Case

By Penny Starr

(CNSNews.com) – Republican members of Congress have weighed in on the legal battle being waged over the Obamacare mandate requiring employers to provide contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs to employees.

Eleven senators and congressmen filed an amicus brief, also known as a friend-of-the-court brief, with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit on Tuesday in support of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., a Christian-owned and operated corporation that opposes the mandate based on its owners’ religious beliefs. Hobby Lobby filed suit against Health and Human Services and Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Rep. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) was one of the lead sponsors of the Religious Freedom Reformation Act of 1993, which he said was designed to protect the religious liberty of all Americans, even those who own corporations or other for-profit businesses.

“As one of the lead sponsors of RFRA, it’s deeply troubling to see this White House trample on the religious freedom the law seeks to protect,” Hatch said in a written statement.

The brief states: “Amici are federal legislators who were part of the broad, bipartisan coalition that enacted the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (“RFRA”). Amici designed and passed RFRA to establish a blanket default rule that would insulate religious liberty from the shifting fortunes of interest-group politics.

“Defendants have ordered that certain employers’ insurance plans must cover all FDA-approved contraceptives without cost-sharing (the “HHS mandate”), but have refused to exempt many employers with sincere religious objections. Amici have an interest in vindicating RFRA’s blanket protections against the selective and stingy approach adopted by Defendants.”

In addition to Hatch, the brief was signed by Sens. Dan Coats (R-Ind.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), and Reps. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), and Frank Wolf (R-Va.).

‘Abound Solar’ Under Investigation after Receiving Money from Obama’s Stinkulus Package and Going Bankrupt

As Romney so deftly said to Obama during the first  debate, “You don’t just pick the winners and losers, you pick the losers all right!”:

Abound Solar under investigation by Weld County district attorney; received $68 million stimulus
Abound Solar declared bankruptcy earlier this year
The Denver Channel ABC7 – By Marshall Zelinger

LONGMONT, Colo. – A bankrupt Longmont-based company that received $68 million in stimulus money is under investigation by the Weld County district attorney’s office.

7NEWS has confirmed Abound Solar is under investigation.

Abound made solar panels which it sold across the country, Europe and India.The Department of Energy approved nearly $370 million in federal stimulus money for Abound. The company received $68 million before payments were stopped in 2011.

Sources tell 7NEWS that the company’s finances are under scrutiny.

7NEWS obtained internal documents from 2012 that show orders for tens of thousands of replacement solar panels. The orders cite different reasons for the replacements including, “low performance,” “under performance” and “catastrophic failures.”

The orders are for replacements requested after the Department of Energy stopped stimulus money payments to Abound.

“These are solar panels we are now seeing reports that said they worked as long as you didn’t put them in the sun,” said Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Colo. “Now the question is did the (Department of Energy) — did they know something that the rest of should have known? Did Abound not tell the DOE something? These are questions that need to be answered.”

[…]

Yes.  Yes, these questions do indeed need to be answered, but don’t expect any help from the Lame Stream Media—or Steven Chu, for that matter…

Government Motors Headed for Bankruptcy, Again!

Obama – the man with the anti-Midas Touch:

Obama’s Government Motors Limo

General Motors Is Headed For Bankruptcy — Again
Louis Woodhill – Forbes

President Obama is proud of his bailout of General Motors. That’s good, because, if he wins a second term, he is probably going to have to bail GM out again. The company is once again losing market share, and it seems unable to develop products that are truly competitive in the U.S. market.

Right now, the federal government owns 500,000,000 shares of GM, or about 26% of the company. It would need to get about $53.00/share for these to break even on the bailout, but the stock closed at only $20.21/share on Tuesday. This left the government holding $10.1 billion worth of stock, and sitting on an unrealized loss of $16.4 billion.

Right now, the government’s GM stock is worth about 39% less than it was on November 17, 2010, when the company went public at $33.00/share. However, during the intervening time, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen by almost 20%, so GM shares have lost 49% of their value relative to the Dow.

It’s doubtful that the Obama administration would attempt to sell off the government’s massive position in GM while the stock price is falling. It would be too embarrassing politically. Accordingly, if GM shares continue to decline, it is likely that Obama would ride the stock down to zero.

GM is unlikely to hit the wall before the election, but, given current trends, the company could easily do so again before the end of a second Obama term.

[…]

The Laura Ingraham Show – Black Chamber of Commerce CEO blasts “Marxist,” “brownshirt” Obama

On the radio yesterday, I heard an interview with Harry Alford, president and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. It’s a great interview and I thought I’d share it with you all.

In the interview, Laura Ingraham asks Harry Alford why he voted for Obama and Mr. Alford answers back, quite honestly, “Because he was black!”

How much do you want to bet that Mr. Alford will be painted as an Uncle Tom by the Liberal faction of the black community in 3…2…1…

Pentagon Study Eyes Financial Terrorism As Having Hand in 2008 Economic Collapse

Yup, there were a lot of factors which contributed to the crash.  However, the biggest problem was the enervated state of our economy which was brought about by governmental rules and regulations.  Once the enemies of capitalism saw a weakened economy, they sprang into action.  It’s kind of akin to a predator who watches a herd for any signs of weakness;  once a weak or sick animal is spotted amongst the herd, the predators attack, en masse :

Financial terrorism suspected in 2008 economic crash
Pentagon study sees element

By Bill Gertz – The Washington Times

Evidence outlined in a Pentagon contractor report suggests that financial subversion carried out by unknown parties, such as terrorists or hostile nations, contributed to the 2008 economic crash by covertly using vulnerabilities in the U.S. financial system.

The unclassified 2009 report “Economic Warfare: Risks and Responses” by financial analyst Kevin D. Freeman, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Times, states that “a three-phased attack was planned and is in the process against the United States economy.”

While economic analysts and a final report from the federal government’s Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission blame the crash on such economic factors as high-risk mortgage lending practices and poor federal regulation and supervision, the Pentagon contractor adds a new element: “outside forces,” a factor the commission did not examine.

“There is sufficient justification to question whether outside forces triggered, capitalized upon or magnified the economic difficulties of 2008,” the report says, explaining that those domestic economic factors would have caused a “normal downturn” but not the “near collapse” of the global economic system that took place.

Suspects include financial enemies in Middle Eastern states, Islamic terrorists, hostile members of the Chinese military, or government and organized crime groups in Russia, Venezuela or Iran. Chinese military officials publicly have suggested using economic warfare against the U.S.

[…]

Obama’s Offshore Drilling Moratorium Working Like a Charm – Seahawk Drilling Files For Bankruptcy

Yup, more jobs in the unemployment line saved and/or created by Our Dark O’verlord:

Seahawk Drilling seeks bankruptcy, to sell assets

Via USA Today

HOUSTON (AP) — Seahawk Drilling Inc. said it has filed for bankruptcy protection and plans to sell its fleet of offshore drilling rigs to a competitor for $105 million.

Seahawk, which announced the deal with Hercules Offshore Inc. Friday, has been hurt by a slowdown in Gulf of Mexico drilling after the BP oil spill last April. The government halted drilling in deep waters and imposed tough new rules that have curtained all energy exploration in U.S. waters.

Seahawk owns a fleet of 20 jackup rigs for shallow water exploration, while Hercules owns 30 rigs, vessels and other equipment. It also provides drilling services. The deal creates a larger company with a more diverse fleet and greater operational flexibility, Seahawk said.

Both companies are based in Houston.

[…]

Wait and See

Here’s a new ad from Bankrupting America which points out why it is that businesses are hesitant to expand:

Campbell Soup Partners with Terrorism Linked ISNA to Bring You Halal Certified Food

See?  This is what happens when businesses buy into that whole “religion of peace” BS – they invariably wind up crawling into bed with terrorist supporting organizations like the ISNA!

I’m pretty sure that somewhere, Joseph Campbell and Abraham Anderson are rolling over in their graves:

H/T – Cavmom

Scariest Job Chart Ever

This ought to wake you up if you actually believe all that doo-doo Obama is shovelling:

Click on the image to enlarge it.

Now, take a look at the bottom red line.  See that dotted red line down there?  That’s the unemployment rate without factoring in all those temporary census workers.

Yup, the scariest job chart ever just got scarier…

—Chart from BusinessInsider.com

Fannie and Freddie Continues to Screw American Taxpayers

This crap just burns me up!

Back In The Tank With Fannie, Fred

IBD

Fiscal Follies: While Americans are distracted by the holidays and a failed terror attack, Washington is giving another blank check to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Say, isn’t this how we got into trouble before?

When Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two bankrupt, government-sponsored mortgage companies, were first bailed out in 2008, Americans were stunned that they’d have to pony up $200 billion. But Congress and the White House assured us it was necessary.

But lo, this year, as Fannie and Freddie continued to deteriorate and their loan portfolios imploded, Treasury handed over another $200 billion.

Now, in a sneaky move made on Christmas Eve, Treasury lifted the $400 billion cap on borrowing by the two government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), at least through 2012. So you, the taxpayer, are on the hook for their losses over that time — maybe longer.

It’s not chump change. Just this year, the two will post nearly $100 billion in losses — with more to come as a wave of nonperforming home loans are erased from their balance sheets.

Thanks to government subsidized credit, Fannie and Freddie hold nearly $6 trillion in mortgage loans — roughly half the U.S. total.

The dirty secret is they’re now essentially state-owned companies. The fiction of them being publicly held by shareholders has been stripped bare. They’ll continue sucking billions of dollars in wealth and income out of the economy and skewing rational decision-making in the mortgage markets for three years, maybe more.