Its the day-after, and the Corbett-Crew is supposedly filing an appeal to the Supremes against Guzzardi; while we wait,

the statewide coverage can be surveyed [with my contributions occasionally traversing the hyperlink-filters]: politicspa, pottsmerc, dailyjournal, triblive, philly, and post-gazette. {Flashback: corbett-compared-gay-marriage-to-incest [video].} Politically, on 5th Anniversary Of Tax Day Rally, Tea Party Looks To Influence Elections; also, Social Security suspended its ancient-debt collection efforts and; know that lernerwas-in-contact-with-doj-about-prosecuting-tax-exempt-groups and Lerner Tried to Get the FEC to Attack Tea Party Groups. {Also, SEBELIUS EYED KANSAS SENATE RUN.}

BHO continues to exhibit the imperial-presidency, underwriting political allies [Obama Administration in Talks for Detroit Bailout] and ignoring presumed political foes [EPA Concedes: We Cant Produce All the Data Justifying Clean Air Rules]. Meanwhile, suggesting why the latest last-ditch effort by Dems to target 30 House GOPers to force Republican action on immigration reform is doomed was illustrated by MAYOR JULIAN CASTRO, who recommended TO OBAMA that he should GRANT TEMPORARY AMNESTY TO FAMILY MEMBERS OF DREAMERS; this further illustrates dangers of incrementalism, as attractive as the DREAM Act would seem to be. {Rush defines "Liberalism as excuses disguised with the fraud of good intentions to exact conformity and control; glenn-beck said progressives-are-patientcommunists.}

Obama showed true colors at ceremony for the fallen at Fort Hood: Once again he was the only one on the stage who failed to salute. Regarding gun-control, a Concealed Carry Holder Saved people who had been gathered in a Dollar General Breakroom by an Armed Man; meanwhile, michael-bloomberg is starting a gun-control-

organization which Tom Ridge will Join. {In the past, rep-keith-ellison-wished-the-dem-party-wouldcome-out-against-the-second-amendment; Bill Maher to Dem Rep: 'Why Doesn't Your Party Come Out Against the Second Amendment?'; Senator Feinsteins Letter to the Prez: Ban Imported Assault Rifles, Pistols; Temple University student attacked with brick by gang of teens; elderly-woman-attacked; and man-stands-his-ground-after-thugs-try-to-murder-him-now-hes-facing-life-in-prison.} Suicide Epidemic Hits Military...22 per day Regarding common core, its dirtiest trick is dividing parents and children. Regarding the Nevada vs. Bundy land-dispute, Mark Levin believes the BLM should stop referring to the land as a conservation area and allow Bundys cattle to continue grazing on the land just as it has for the last 100 years or so , noting that sen-reid-broke-ground-for-nevada-solar-farm-near-bundy-ranch. Regarding obamacare, morning-joe-mocked-coincidental-changes-to census-questions. Regarding POTUS-16, RAND PAUL HIT BACK AT FOREIGN POLICY CRITICS, writing in the WaPo, opposing the use of red lines and predetermined responses in U.S. foreign policy: False choices between being everywhere all of the time and nowhere any of the time are fodder for debate on Sunday morning shows or newspaper columns. Real foreign policy is made in the middle; with nuance; in the gray area of diplomacy, engagement and reluctantly, if necessary, military action. National defense is the No. 1 job of our government, and I believe in a strong nation, at peace with the world. I believe peace through strength should be our goal at all times. Two portrayals of a visit by Cruz to deep-red S.C. are of-interest; Politico noted firebrand Cruz faced 2016 skeptics [although he has no guarantee of success], whereas the Charleston Post Courier noted that he had CHAMPIONED LIBERTY while adeptly sidestepping questions about how he'd fare among conservative Republicans and whether he would take sides in [Sen. Lindsey Graham's, R-S.C.] June 10 primary against six other Republicans. Also noted are a welcome phenomenon [HUGE JOB LOSSES AS ANTI-SMOKING CAMPAIGNS TAKE THEIR TOLL ON LOCAL COMMUNITY] and an unfortunate clue [ESPN writer thinks Kelly's ego was behind DeSean's release]. A 79-Year-Old Woman Dances An Acrobatic Salsa Routine With Her Partner.

As Separatists fly Russian flag over Ukrainian armored vehicles and Troops defect, 'PRESIDENT KRAUTHAMMER' WOULD ARM UKRAINE, Obama urged to resurrect missile shield for Eastern Europe, NATO Plans More Deployments and NRO feels the U.S. must defeat Putin's revanchism; historians may look back and say this was the start of World War III, even as BHO has adopted a BUSINESS AS USUAL approachdubbed THE UKRAINE-D.C. DISCONNECT - Ukrainian government troops seized an airport from pro-Russian separatists in an 'anti-terrorist' operation covered on TV around the world on Tuesday. Meanwhile, in Washington, Obama phoned the University of Connecticut's basketball coaches to congratulate them on their recent tournament wins. There's a sense of unreality inside the Beltway as news networks broadcast images of armed, masked men carrying out military operations in the worst standoff between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War. Yet business seems to continue as usual. Also, Mike Rogers said the US Missed Striking Secret al-Qaida Meeting and Cameron Offered Support to Muslim Brotherhood Officials Last Year; illustrating the danger of depending upon drones is the fact that Afghan officials said a NATO airstrike on Tuesday killed one woman and two children and wounded one man in eastern Afghanistan (NYT, Pajhwok). {Also, speaking to a crowd of Boston bombing survivors, Biden said "it was worth it" to come to Boston and see how the attack's victims have "survived" and "soared"; joe-biden-just-isnt-bright.} Hamas issued praise for and Abbas refused to condemn the murderer of an Israeli this past Monday.

It may be recalled that a tremendous backlog of hyperlinks had accumulated while disseminating issues of particular time-value; to follow are hyperlinks related to the BHOs counterproductive efforts to create a Welfare-State: The Swedish solution: Tax welfare benefits In 35 states, welfare, housing assistance and other benefits pays more than a minimum wage job List of States Welfare So Good You Cant Afford To Work TEXAS SEES GREATER DECLINES IN WELFARE THAN NATION, CALIFORNIA NUMBERS RISE Couple Rips Off Minnesota for Welfare Benefits from Yacht in Florida Rubio: States, Not Washington, Should Lead Anti-Poverty Programs Ironman triathlete caught living on medical disability

Back pain biggest global source of disability Democrat President Lyndon Baines Johnson stated, Ill have those niggers voting Democratic for the next 200 years as he confided with two like-minded governors on Air Force One regarding his underlying intentions for the Great Society programs. talkingpointsmemo.com// to-win-the-war-on-poverty, rebuild-the-labor-movement 40% of $1 Trillion Student Loan Debt Belongs to Grad Students New Ad Shows Reality For College Graduates In America Welfare Programs must Require Work, Not Subsidize Idleness physically-disabled-man-played-full-court-basketball-the-week-he-filed-for-disability-benefits Allen West: Dem-Policies Created an 'Economic Dependency Plantation' for Blacks Pope: 'Unjust' unemployment can mean sin, suicide louisiana-bans-use-welfare-benefits-for-tattoos-lingerie-jewelry louisiana-strips-food-stamp-benefits-from-welfare-recipients-for-breaking-the-law FNC: The Great Food Stamp Binge With Bret Baier: Free Food GOP's Food-Stamp Bill Faces Tight Path - Some Republicans Say Proposed Cut Is Too Big, Others That It Doesn't Go Far Enough House Votes to Cut $4B a Year from Food Stamps Obama Vows Veto of House Food Stamp Bill Joe the Plumber, Circa 2017: Only weeks after leaving office, Barack Obama discovers a leak under his sink, so he calls Joe the Plumber to come out and fix it. Joe drives to Obama's new house, which is located in a very exclusive gated community where all the residents make more than $250,000 per year. Joe arrives and takes his tools into the house. Joe is led to the guest bathroom that contains the leaky pipe under the sink. Joe assesses the problem and tells Obama that it's an easy repair that will take less than 10 minutes. Obama asks Joe how much it will cost. Joe checks his rate chart and says, "$9,500." "What?! $9,500?" Obama asks, stunned, "But you said it's an easy repair! Joe says, "Yes, but what I do is charge those who make $250,000 per year a much higher amount so I can fix the plumbing of poorer people for free," explains Joe. "This has always been my philosophy. As a matter of fact, I lobbied the Democrat Congress, who passed this philosophy into law. Now all plumbers must do business this way. It's known as 'Affordable Plumbing Act of 2014.' Im Surprised you haven't heard of it." In spite of that, Obama tells Joe there's no way he's paying that much for a small plumbing repair, so Joe leaves. Obama spends the next hour flipping through the phone book calling for another plumber, but he finds that all other plumbing businesses in the area have gone out of business. Not wanting to pay Joe's price, Obama does nothing and the leak goes unrepaired for several more days. A week later the leak is so bad that

Obama has had to put a bucket under the sink. Michelle is not happy as she has guests arriving the next morning. The bucket fills up quickly and has to be emptied every hour and there's a risk that the room will flood, so Obama calls Joe and pleads with him to return. Joe goes back to Obama's house, looks at the leaky pipe, checks his new rate chart and says, Let's see, this will now cost you $21,000." Obama quickly fires back, "What! A few days ago you told me it would cost $9,500!" Joe explains, "Well, because of the 'Affordable Plumbing Act,' a lot of wealthier people are learning how to maintain and take care of their own plumbing, so there are fewer payers into the plumbing exchanges. As a result, the price I have to charge wealthy people like you keeps rising. Not only that, but for some reason the demand for plumbing work by those who get it for free has skyrocketed! There's a long waiting list of those who need repairs but the amount we get doesn't cover our costs. This unfortunately has put a lot of my fellow plumbers out of business, they're not being replaced, and nobody is going into the plumbing business because they know they can't make any money at it. I'm hurting too, all thanks to greedy rich people like you who won't pay their fair share." Obama says, "Joe! This is really bad. If all the rich people learn how to fix and maintain their own plumbing and you can't charge the poorer people, you'll be broke! What will you do then?" Joe replies, "I may have to run for public office!" Perhaps if Joe wasnt charging $75.00 for the pipe dope that cost his $.50, then he and his nationwide network of plumbers wouldnt have got us in this mess in the first place. I wonder, is Joe board certified in lower sink plumbing repair? If he is just a general practitioner journeyman, then he has no business repairing a pipe under the sink. He should, in that case, charge Obama $1,000.00 for his consult, and then refer him to the board certified specialist, who will have to look at the pipe 4-5 times, at about $5,000.00 a pop, before he decides whether to fully repair it or just do some preventative patch work. The specialist only repairs, the pipe, so we are also going to need someone who is board certified in greasing the pipe to come in and work on it first so that we can get it loose. Thats probably about $10,000.00 (even though he will likely have his greasing apprentice do all the work while he is texting on his cell phone). After all that, $9,500.00 off the bat doesnt sound so bad. I mean if we are going to make terrible comparisons and analogies, then lets make terrible comparisons and analogies. Also, its all George W. Bushs fault. Seven Minimum Wage Facts That Have Democrats Worried - With the midterm elections approaching, nervous Dems reeling from the Obamacare debacle are hoping a big push to raise the minimum wage will be the silver bullet that will spare them from the historic losses they suffered in 2010. Democrats and unions are busy working to get minimum wage initiatives on state ballots in the hopes of creating an electoral minimum wage magnet to attract low income, minority, and union voters to the polls. Seven minimum wage facts, however, may diminish Democrats' high hopes. 1. Just 2.8% of American workers earn at or below the minimum wage.

2. Half of all minimum wage workers are 16 to 24 years old. 3. Labor workers already make well above the minimum wage. 4. Even those who support minimum wage hikes concede it could kill jobs. 5. Minorities and the poor are hit hardest by the minimum wage. 6. Even progressives concede the minimum wage is no panacea for America's economic woes. 7. 21 states already have minimum wages that are higher than the federal $7.25/hr rate. Think Tanks Spar Over Minimum Wage CBO: Minimum Wage Hike Will Increase Deficit minimum-wage-has-hurt-employment-in-europe minimum-wage-hike-backers-rarely-pay-interns what-obama-doesnt-understand-about economy is that companies cant afford to raise wages unless they have the profits to pay those higher wages. market-soars-employment-wages-stagnant-dems-hope-for-trickle-down-obamanomics FEDERAL WAGES RISING FASTER THAN PRIVATE SECTOR WAGES why-racists-love-the-minimum-wage-laws anti-job impact of minimum wage hikes Obama's proposal to increase the minimum wage and the health insurance employer mandate will combine to destroy job opportunities for young, unskilled workers in cities and towns across the country. SEN. BOXER: RAISE MINIMUM WAGE TO $10 AN HOUR $22 Per Hour Minimum Wage Advocate Elizabeth Warren Pays Interns $0 Former Joe Biden Adviser: 'Tight' Labor Markets Best Way to Improve Wages minimum-wage-facts-that-liberals ignore obamas-proposed-minimum-wage-hike-could-destroy-1-million-jobs bill-gates-raising-minimum-wage-can-destroy-jobs Maximum_impacts_and_minimum_wages Low-wage_workers_more_educated_than_in_1968_but_make_less Mother Caring for Disabled Son Seeks Rollback of Forced Unionization - A 55-year-old woman who earns less than minimum wage caring for her disabled son could unravel decades of labor law and strike a blow against one of the most powerful political lobbies in the nation. SeaTac, the small community encompassing Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, hiked the minimum wage to $15 per hour, the highest in the country. This could have been a great live-action economics experiment; if a cup of coffee at the Airport then cost fifteen bucks, and all the shops in the airport closed as a result of low sales, then everyone could finally realize that minimum wage hikes can impose costs on businesses that hurt profits and jobs. But a judge ruled employees at SeaTac airport are not eligible for raises, because the airport is operated by the Port of Seattle. [The ordinance only affects hotels in SeaTac that have 100 or more rooms, and 30 or more employees. Transportation companies need to have 100 or more rental cars or parking spaces, and 25 or more employees. Talk about an incentive to not expand beyond 24 or 29 employees!] In any case, there's going to be a similar push in Seattle to raise the minimum wage to $15; let's see if Seattle turns into an economic wasteland, or if the city's businesses and their customers can absorb a mandated hike in wages. STENY HOYER: WHITE HOUSE SHOULD GIVE WOMEN EQUAL PAY More on the IRS, noting that it wont institute new rules targeting the TPMthis is a sample of the letters written to oppose this change: Dear Friends,

Having missed the 60's, my emotions regarding our government's targeting of me and fellow Americans is quite raw. Information on the IRS's targeting is dripping out almost weekly, including today's report from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Although I initially felt that responding to the IRS's proposed rulemaking for 501(c)(4)s could do more harm than good, I was prodded to respond, which I did just before the 2/28 deadline. It was with you in mind that I whipped off the letter below. If you operate or participate in a social welfare group, I hope it helps with your decision-making during this uncertain time. Sincerely, Matt

February 27, 2014 The Honorable John A. Koskinen Commissioner Internal Revenue Service CC:PA:LPD:PR (REG-134417-13) Room 5205 P.O. Box 7604 Ben Franklin Station Washington, DC 20044 Via electronic submission Re: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Section 501(c)(4) Organizations Dear Commissioner Koskinen: Please, do not hold hearings on this proposed rulemaking, but expeditiously move to a final rule, or as I would prefer, withdraw these proposed rules in their entirety. I've been advising leaders of social welfare groups to ignore these proposed rules. They clearly will not withstand judicial scrutiny and yet the IRS has promulgated them anyway. When I think of what could possibly motivate the IRS to promulgate these rules I shudder because their real consequence has been to intimidate individuals from exercising their right to free speech. On November 26, 2013, I read the U.S. Treasury's announcement of this rulemaking, Today's proposed guidance would reduce the need to conduct fact-intensive inquiries by replacing this test with more definitive rules. My jaw hit the floor, Could they be more arrogant? I thought. The IRS could as well have said, It's too hard to administer our rules for groups expressing their 1st Amendment rights, so we're going to more narrowly define your rights. Lest you think I'm overreacting, I

am not accustomed to hyperbole. So read my next sentence carefully. There is no way on Earth that this explanation satisfies the strict scrutiny that the Supreme Court requires to abridge free speech. Justice Kennedy, writing the majority opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case, reminds us of the chilling effect to our freedom of speech and association that regulatory encumbrances can have on speakers unless individuals can feel comfortable that they are clearly not violating the law. Yet, the November 26, 2013, announcement of this rulemaking states over and over and over how carefully these rules will be slow-walkedleaving social welfare groups in limbo and wondering how their activities today will be judged tomorrow by the IRS. Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice does a good job detailing in his response (IRS-2013-0038-61506) the Constitutional reasons why these rules won't pass muster and I won't repeat them. You need not take his conclusion alone that anonymity is protected speech. Even in 2007, well before Citizens United was decided, an assessment of speaker's anonymous speech rights was conducted by the Congressional Research Service in Grassroots Lobbying: Constitutionality of Disclosure Requirements. Regarding indirect (grassroots) lobbying, the germane section of the Summary reads as follows: in these cases, it would appear that a federal statute that requires only disclosure and reporting, and does not prohibit any activity, and that reaches only those who are compensated to engage in a certain amount of the covered activity, would appear to fit within those types of provisions that have been upheld in judicial decisions when the statute is drafted in such a manner so as not to include groups, organizations, and other citizens who do no more than advocate, analyze, and discuss public policy issues and legislation. Furthermore, the same CRS report goes on to specifically cite the Supreme Court's protection of anonymity in political speech as well: There has additionally been recognized a constitutional protection for, as well as a longstanding tradition in our country of, anonymous political speech and pamphleteering. In McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission, the Supreme Court overturned a State statute requiring that the author of a pamphlet or political document place his or her name and home address on the document when the material was distributed in relation to an upcoming

election/referendum on taxes. The Court found that the purpose of the identification law in Ohio was to prevent fraud and libel in campaign literature, and to provide information to the voter, but that requiring the author to put his or her name and address on the literature was inherently chilling, did not provide for most voters generally useful information, and did not sufficiently promote the governmental interests asserted as its justification. Individuals have the right to speak anonymously without fear of reprisal and the Federal government subsequently never passed a disclosure law for indirect lobbying. However, Mr. Sekulow rightly points out that if these rules are adopted, there is no other explanation for them than to classify many 501(c)(4) groups as 527s that must disclose their donors. But, these rules have been so carelessly constructed that I don't think that is their motivation, and if adopted, I think the authors know they will have a relatively short life in operation before the courts intervene. To illustrate, assume a group's singular purpose is to speak out on public policy only when people are paying the most attention: the last 10 days of an election. Under these rules, the IRS no longer has a place for an organization that spends 90 percent of it's time and treasure on indirect lobbying of statewide issues and 10 percent on express advocacy in state elections. Ponder that for a moment and understand that it is another reason why these proposed rules are irreparably flawed. To use a simpler example, consider that I and a friend can create a club that only asks the public to contact their state representative to urge their vote against a bill being voted on 10 days prior to an election. My friend and I can pool our resources and engage in the indirect lobbying above anonymously. We can also incorporate for one of the many great reasons (going back to the founding of the U.S.) for establishing a corporation, including the ability to sign contracts for the group, personal liability concerns, et cetera. Now, today, we can incorporate a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization and conduct the speech just as anonymously as if we had not incorporated. However, under the new rules, if we wanted to remain anonymous, as is our right, we would either have to forgo incorporation or elect to pay taxes on the speech. This is tantamount to a poll-tax on speech and raises a clear Equal Protection challenge. So, if the rules are so obviously flawed, why were they promulgated? Listening to IRS whistleblowers like William Henck of the IRS Office of the General Counsel, we should expect that a culture of corruption, which protected the cadre, to operate not in a way that is legal and right, but one that is evil and self-serving.

Lois Lerner famously lamented the Citizens United ruling saying: The Supreme Court...overturning a hundred year old precedent that said basically corporations could give directly to political campaigns. And everyone is up in arms because they don't LIKE it! Federal Election Commission can't do anything about it. They want the IRS to fix the problem...So, everybody is screaming at us right now, 'Fix it now, before the election, can't you see how much these people are spending!?'" We know now that the IRS soon thereafter started drafting these regulations "off book" to solve "the problem." One could surmise that if the IRS brass planned to shut its enemies up by creating uncertainty just long enough during an important election cycle, they have executed the plan brilliantly. I've seen this tactic before. Some of the groups I've spoken with will have the courage to operate with respect to the law as it stands. But, most will self censor and wait for the smoke to clear. It's hard to blame themthe teeth and reputation of the IRS precedes it. And that's why these proposed rules need to be withdrawn. Holding hearings on something this egregiously discriminatory is not good enough. Hearings will simply prolong the fog of how groups will be judged once a decision has been made. And that is probably the worst that could happen. At least if a final rule is issued, the courts can get busy rebuking the authors of these ill-advised rules. Don't let it get that far. Put an end to the corrupt culture at the IRS. Do the right thing and withdraw these proposed regulations. They are irreparably flawed. Sincerely, Matthew Balazik Efforts are afoot to pass a bill that would kill-pennsylvania-prevailing-wage payments; in a related area, on 2/25/2014, at a Warminster meeting of the Pennsylvania Chapter of Americans for Prosperity, union members tried to shout down and to intimidate speakers and guests. Activists were meeting to discuss legislation that would remove the Pennsylvania government as a middleman when it comes to collecting union dues and moneys used for political action. AFP-PA State Director Jennifer Stefano released the following statement: Were not going to be intimidated by this kind of behavior weve seen it before in Michigan, Wisconsin and right here in Pennsylvania. Although our meeting was private, we believe in freedom at AFP and we let the union members have their say. Sadly and typically, they refused to leave it at that.

Our activists are tired of it, and so is the public. The fact of the matter is, unions are the only ones who get the governments help to collect their dues. AFP doesnt get that help, the Sierra Club doesnt, the NRA doesnt nobody does. Until the General Assembly puts an end to the government collection of union dues and political action money, the working families and taxpayers of this Commonwealth are losing out. AFP has been at the tip of the spear when it comes to getting this issue on the agenda, and its clear union chapters in Pennsylvania are beginning to feel the heat. What were asking for is reasonable: an end to their special privilege and status under the law. It doesnt affect union membership or the laws that require workers to join a particular union. Theres no need for this type of abuse and thuggery towards activists just trying to have a say. Let me make this clear one more time: shouting us down and trying to intimidate us will not work.