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Right rallies for 'Empty Chair Day'






By TIM MAK and JUANA SUMMERS | 9/3/12 12:05 PM EDT Updated: 9/3/12 1:56 PM EDT
The right rallied on Labor Day to celebrate “National Empty Chair Day,” a show of solidarity with Clint Eastwood after his infamous address to an invisible President Barack Obama at the Republican National Convention last week.
(PHOTOS: Clint Eastwood gets political)
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The action picked up steam on Twitter, where the hashtag #emptychairday began trending on Monday morning as users tweeted pictures of empty chairs in various poses.
Notable conservatives like Michelle Malkin and writers at Breitbart.com, as well blogger Prof. Glenn Reynolds, kicked off the trend, according to the conservative blog Legal Insurrection.
(PHOTOS: 5 'empty chair' incidents)
The blog, which had asked readers to send in photos of empty chairs, updated its post midday to say that the response had been so overwhelming — and the backlog of photos so great — that they were forced to close submissions.
(Scroll down for POLITICO’s top #EmptyChairDay tweets)
Meanwhile, #Eastwooding — which was trending on Twitter last week after the Hollywood icon’s speech, and refers to an address to an empty chair — has arrived at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.
AFSCME president Lee Saunders, capping off a fiery speech to the Wisconsin delegation Monday morning, held a conversation with an invisible Eastwood.
An empty chair had been brought on stage before Saunders started speaking, but he ignored it for most of his speech.
“I don’t know if you noticed, but you see this chair? I don’t know if you noticed that he actually walked in with me. He’s invisible, he’s sitting right here. He’s been listening to everything I had to say,” Saunders said. “So I want you to welcome Clint Eastwood.”
“I’ve got a couple of questions. I’ve got a couple of questions I want to ask Clint Eastwood,” Saunders continued as dozens of attendees cracked up. “But first, buddy, what do you have to say for yourself? I didn’t hear you.”
“Clint’s been sitting here for the past hour. He doesn’t have anything to say for himself. Mitt Romney has nothing to say for himself. Paul Ryan has nothing to say for himself,” he said. “We’ve got to make our voices heard. We’ve got to speak loud and clear. If we do that, we will win in November.”
“Dirty Harry, Dirty Harry, make my day,” Saunders yelled, knocking the empty chair off of the stage.
As the applause died down, Mike Tate, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair, took the stage. Pausing for a moment as he took the podium, he grinned and said, “And it’s just Monday, we’ll be here all week.”
Luis Rosas @Rosas77
I can't put an empty chair in my yard. It's too busy bowing to foreign leaders. #EmptyChairDay pic.twitter.com/Na77S7a1


3 Sep 12

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Deb Williams @DebWilliams57
MT @dershy As Natl Debt approaches $16T EmptyChair heads out door for another round of golf! pic.twitter.com/LLPPwVmX #EmptyChairDay


3 Sep 12

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Steven Rosenblum @StevenRosenblum
#EmptyChairDay: Obama and his cabinet. Or maybe it's his "jobs" council. It's so hard to tell. pic.twitter.com/BsknTwAf


3 Sep 12

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Gunservatively @Gunservatively
DEVELOPING: GALLUP: Obama Job Approval Drops to 43 Empty Chairs. #EmptyChairDay

3 Sep 12

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Bob Wolf @barbequewolf
#Obama thinks he should be king. Well every king needs his thrown. yfrog.com/eskwytxj #emptychairday

3 Sep 12

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jolly lama @thejollylamas
#EmptyChairDay - Happy Empty Chair Day! - Here's a picture of Obama hard at work creating more jobs. - pic.twitter.com/3TeZYXLU


3 Sep 12

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CW @Pedlar7
From the #EmptyChairDay series: "Peeking into the golf shop window" pic.twitter.com/EOfBE7Bg


3 Sep 12

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Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/80591.html#ixzz25QpRwrf6
 
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Food-Stamp Use Climbs to Record, Reviving Campaign Issue


By Alan Bjerga - Sep 4, 2012 9:34 AM CT



Food-stamp use reached a record 46.7 million in June, the government said, as Democrats prepare to nominate President Barack Obama for a second term with the economy as a chief issue in the campaign.
Participation was up 0.4 percent from May and 3.3 percent higher than a year earlier and has remained greater than 46 million all year as the unemployment rate stayed higher than 8 percent. New jobless numbers will be released Sept. 7.
“Unemployment is stubbornly stuck,” making it difficult to significantly reduce the number of food-stamp recipients, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in an interview last month. “While people are going back to work, and there are jobs being added, they aren’t being added at a clip that is as robust as anybody wants.”
Food-stamp spending, which has more than doubled in four years to a record $75.7 billion in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2011, is the USDA’s biggest annual expense. Republicans in Congress have criticized the cost of the program, and the House budget plan approved in April sponsored by Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the party’s vice-presidential nominee, would cut expenses by $33 billion over 10 years.
Cuts Planned

Reductions to the program have also emerged as a point of contention in debate over a farm bill to replace current law that expires Sept. 30. The U.S. Senate in June passed a plan that would lower expenditures by $4 billion over 10 years, while the House Agriculture Committee the following month backed a $16 billion cut.
Today’s report shows California with the most recipients, 4.012 million, a 0.8 percent gain from the previous month and 7.3 percent more than the previous year. Texas had the second- highest number of recipients, while down 0.4 percent from the previous month and 1.4 percent lower than a year earlier.
Louisiana and North Carolina, where Democrats are convening this week to renominate Obama, had the biggest monthly gains in enrollment, 1.3 percent. Enrollment fell the most in Utah, down 1.4 percent from May, followed by Idaho and Ohio.
Spending on what’s officially called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program totaled $6.21 billion in June, 0.4 percent higher than the previous month and 2.8 percent more than a year earlier. The record is $6.26 billion spent in September 2011.
 
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US Slips Down the Ranks of Global Competitiveness


Published: Wednesday, 5 Sep 2012 | 4:06 AM ET

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By: Ansuya Harjani
Assistant Producer, CNBC Asia




The United States has slipped further down a global ranking of the world's most competitive economies, according to a World Economic Forum (WEF) survey released on Wednesday.

new-york-city-skyline-200.jpg
Photo: Jumper | Photodisc | Getty Images​
New York City, financial capital of the United States
The world's largest economy, which was placed 5th last year, fell two positions to the 7th spot - marking its fourth year of decline.
A lack of macroeconomic stability, the business community’s continued mistrust of the government and concerns over its fiscal health were some of the reasons for the downgrade, according to the annual survey.
"A number of weaknesses are chipping away at its competitiveness...the U.S. fiscal imbalances and continued political deadlock over resolving these challenges," said Jennifer Blanke, Economist at the Geneva-based WEF.
Political deadlock over reducing the unsustainable federal government budget deficit – projected to hit $1.1 trillion this year – prompted Standard & Poor’s to downgrade the country’s credit rating by one notch toAA+ from AAA last August.

4ED1-SBE-JenniferBlanke.jpg





A mix of U.S. tax hikes and spending cuts – referred to as the "fiscal cliff" - are set to come into force in January unless lawmakers reach a compromise for avoiding them.
The survey, which has been conducted annually for over three decades, ranks the competitiveness of 144 countries based on 12 key indicators including infrastructure, macroeconomic environment, labor market efficiency and innovation.
“If you look at competitiveness, what we are talking about is productivity. It’s countries that are productive that can support the sorts of rising living standards and high wages that everyone is looking for,” Blanke told CNBC.
Despite declining in the overall ranking, the forum highlighted that the U.S. remains one of the world’s top innovators – supported by an “excellent” university system - and continues to offer vast opportunities because of the sheer size of its domestic economy.
Switzerland and Singapore retained their positions as the most competitive economies, coming in 1st and 2nd, respectively.

The Global Competitiveness Index 2012–2013
Country 2012-20132011-2012 Switzerland11Singapore22Finland34Sweden43Netherlands 57Germany66United States75United Kingdom 810Hong Kong 911Japan 109Source: World Economic Forum

Switzerland’s top spot was achieved as a result of its strong performance across the board, according to WEF, with notable labor market efficiency, sophistication of its business sector and its innovative capacity. The country has among the highest rates of patents per capita globally.
“Switzerland’s productivity is further enhanced by a business sector that offers excellent on-the-job-training opportunities and labor markets that balance employee protection with the interests of employers,” the report said.
China Tops the BRICs
Among the large emerging economies, China was ranked highest at 26, thanks to favorable macroeconomic conditions. This was significantly higher than Brazil, India and Russia which came in at 53, 56 and 66, respectively.
China runs a moderate budget deficit, boasts a low government debt-to-GDP ratio of 26 percent and its gross savings rate remains above 50 percent of GDP, the forum said. In addition, the rating of its sovereign debt (AA-) is significantly better than that of the other BRICs and of many advanced economies.
However, the world’s second largest economy has slipped two notches from last year’s ranking, owing to a deterioration in the development of its financial markets and technological readiness.
“Insufficient domestic and foreign competition is of particular concern, as the various barriers to entry appear to be more prevalent and more important than in previous years,” WEF report said.
 
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Down-market motels in Charlotte jack up rates during DNC, forcing homeless families into the streets and emergency shelters

Lakia Ramsey’s home over the past three months had been a dingy, $200-a-week lodge. But she and her 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter were abruptly sent packing last week after the motel started charging $150 a night.

Comments (292) By Rich Schapiro / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Published: Wednesday, September 5, 2012, 2:00 AM

Updated: Wednesday, September 5, 2012, 2:00 AM








homeless5n-3.jpg
James Keivom/New York Daily News

Lakia Ramsey of Charlotte was paying about $200 a week at a local motel before local businesses increased their rates because of the Democratic National Convention. Ramsey and her young kids had to move out.




CHARLOTTE — Don’t try to tell Lakia Ramsey the Democratic National Convention is a boon for her city.
The influx of out-of-towners has sparked a crisis for the 26-year-old homeless mom and dozens of others like her.
RELATED: FIRST LADY WOWS 'EM DURING DNC SPEECH
Eager to cash in on the thousands streaming into town, many down-market motels have jacked up their rates, forcing the homeless families who had been living in them into the streets and emergency shelters.
Ramsey’s home over the past three months had been a dingy, $200-a-week lodge. But she and her 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter were abruptly sent packing last week after the motel started charging $150 a night.
“They kicked me and my kids out like we were trash,” said Ramsey, who found refuge at a church.
The plight of Ramsey’s family and others like it are inflicting added pressure on a shelter system that’s already beyond capacity.
LIVE COVERAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION
In the shadows of its gleaming skyscrapers and plush green spaces, this banking hub is struggling to reign in a skyrocketing homeless population.
Family homelessness shot up by nearly 40% in 2010, and another 20% in 2011, according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Some of these families are able to afford rooms in extended stay motels thanks to a part-time job or support from family members.
“These are folks who are on the edge of homelessness and they’re eking out an existence,” said Dale Mullenix, executive director of the Urban Ministry Center, a homeless services organization.
homeless5n-4.jpg
James Keivom/New York Daily News

Steven Cherry at a loading dock where he and his wife Belinda Cherry slept when they were homeless.


Eking out an existence is precisely what Belinda Cherry, 41, says she and her husband were doing — until the Dems came to town.
With his salary as a part-time dishwasher, they had been able to afford a room at the Arlington Suites on South Tryon St., the same motel where Ramsey was bunking down.
But after the hotel ratcheted up its rates, Cherry and her husband were left sleeping atop a cement loading dock outside an abandoned brick building.
“I’m really pissed off,” said Cherry. “We were just now getting on our feet.”
homeless5n-1-copy.jpg
James Keivom/New York Daily News

Arlington Suites, where Belinda and Steven Cherry were staying before they had to leave.


Her husband, Steven, voted for Obama in 2008 and plans to do so again, but still he wondered when help would arrive for people like him.

 
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[ Liberalism is a mental disorder ]

Massachusetts judge approves taxpayer-funded sex change for inmate

Published September 04, 2012
Associated Press


  • judgetransgender.jpg

    Michelle Kosilek and U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf. (AP/United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts)


A federal judge on Tuesday ordered state prison officials to provide taxpayer-funded sex-reassignment surgery to a transgender inmate serving life in prison for murder.
Michelle Kosilek was born male but has received hormone treatments and now lives as a woman in an all-male prison. Robert Kosilek was convicted of murder in the killing of his wife in 1990.
U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf is believed to be the first federal judge to order prison officials to provide sex-reassignment surgery for a transgender inmate.
Kosilek first sued the Massachusetts Department of Correction 12 years ago. Two years later, Wolf ruled that Kosilek was entitled to treatment for gender-identity disorder but stopped short of ordering surgery. Kosilek sued again in 2005, arguing that the surgery is a medical necessity.
In his ruling Tuesday, Wolf found that surgery is the "only adequate treatment" for Kosilek's "serious medical need."
"The court finds that there is no less intrusive means to correct the prolonged violation of Kosilek's Eighth Amendment right to adequate medical care," Wolf wrote in his 126-page ruling.
Prison officials have repeatedly cited security risks in the case, saying that allowing Kosilek to have the surgery would make him a target for sexual assaults by other inmates.
But Wolf, who was appointed to the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1985, found that the security concerns are "either pretextual or can be dealt with." He said it would be up to prison officials to decide how and where to house Kosilek after the surgery.
Diane Wiffin, a spokeswoman for the prisons department, said the agency would have no immediate comment on the ruling.
"We are reviewing the decision and exploring our appellate options," Wiffin said.
In a telephone interview last year with The Associated Press, Kosilek said the surgery is a medical necessity, not a frivolous desire to change his appearance.
"Everybody has the right to have their health care needs met, whether they are in prison or out on the streets," Kosilek said. "People in the prisons who have bad hearts, hips or knees have surgery to repair those things. My medical needs are no less important or more important than the person in the cell next to me."
Wolf noted in his ruling that the Department of Correction's own medical experts testified that they believe surgery was the only adequate treatment for Kosilek.
The department's ex-commissioner Kathleen Dennehy testified that providing Kosilek the surgery would present insurmountable security concerns, but Wolf said Kosilek had proven that those purported concerns masked the real reason for denying surgery: "a fear of controversy, criticism, ridicule and scorn."
Kosilek's lawsuit has become fodder for radio talk shows and lawmakers who say the state should not be forced to pay for a convicted murderer's sex-change operation -- which can cost up to $20,000 -- especially since many insurance companies reject the surgery as elective.
Inmates in Colorado, California, Idaho and Wisconsin have sued unsuccessfully to try to get the surgery, making similar arguments that denying it violates the U.S. Constitution's protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
Wolf noted that Kosilek's gender-identity disorder has caused Kosilek such anguish that he has tried to castrate himself and twice tried to commit suicide, including once while on Prozac.
Kosilek's lead attorney, Frances Cohen, called the decision courageous and thoughtful.
"We feel very grateful that the judge listened very carefully to the medical experts and has given Michelle Kosilek what the prison doctors had recommended," Cohen said.




Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...r-funded-sex-change-for-inmate/#ixzz25d9T5mR6
 
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Three-way civil union in Brazil sparks controversy






By Yamiche Alcindor, USA TODAY
Updated 4d 5h ago



CAPTION
By EVARISTO SA, AFP/Getty Images​



One man and two women became the first people granted a three-way civil union in Brazil, CNN reports.The Brazilian public notary who granted the trio all of the legal benefits of marriage has set off a firestorm. Claudia do Nascimento Domingues is defending her move, calling the three a "polyfidelitous union."
The relationship involves three professionals in their 30s who live together and say they love one another as equals and are like any other non-married cohabiting couple, CNN reports. They have not been identified.
Some, including religious groups and legal scholars, say the union is not valid and would be the beginning of a slippery slope.
"This union is void of any legality," said Regina Beatriz Tavares da Silva, head of the family law committee of a lawyers' association in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Brazilian law defines marriage as a union between two people, so it is impossible for a civil union of three to be granted the rights of a marriage of two.
"It goes directly against the constitution," da Silva told CNN. "Monogamy is defined as relations between two, not three or four or five."
Domingues however says the three deserve some benefits. They live together in Rio de Janeiro, they share a bank account, and they want protection in case of separation or death, she told CNN.
Other polyfidelitous groups have reached out to her seeking the same civil union status.
Domingues is studying the cases of a quintet (two men and three women) and another trio (one woman and two men).
 
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Quote of The Day From Ben Stein:
"Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen."
Now add this, "Many of those who refuse, or are unable, to prove they are citizens will receive free insurance paid for by those who are forced to buy insurance because they are citizens."
 
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[ Moody's getting ready to cut America's Credit Rating - Way to go Obama you Shit-Stain ]

Moody’s expects to cut US rating without deal to lower debt/GDP ratio

By Adam Button || September 11, 2012 at 12:48 GMT
|| 17 comments || Add comment

  • Budget negotiations likely to determine AAA rating and outlook
  • If budget talks do not produce downward trend in debt-to-GDP ratio, rating likely to be lowered to AA1
  • Assumes “relatively orderly” process for increasing debt limit
  • The full Moody’s statement is here
 
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Feds: Sebelius violated federal law by campaigning for Obama

Published September 12, 2012
FoxNews.com


  • sebelius_kathleen_103111.jpg

    FILE: Oct. 31, 2011: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is seen in the Oval Office at the White House. (AP)


Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius violated federal law when she campaigned this winter for President Obama, federal investigators announced Wednesday.
Sebelius broke the law by making “extemporaneous partisan remarks” during a speech in February at a Human Rights Campaign Event in Charlotte, N.C., according to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC). She made the comments in the city that would later host the Democratic National Convention.



 
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