SandyPundits.com: December 2017

The dawn of the Petro-Yuan: will it doom the dollar? When President Richard Nixon in 1971 suddenly severed the dollar’s anchor to gold – fearful that allies such as France were about to demand all the gold in Fort Knox in exchange for their mountains of paper dollars – its “exorbitant privilege,” as one French official called it, as the world’s Reserve Currency was saved by a deal with Saudi Arabia, which kept selling its oil only for dollars in exchange for the U.S. military’s arms and blood defending the Saudis. In other words, they would prop up the dollar if we propped up the ruling Muslim Saudi royal family. We switched from the precious metal-backed dollars of our Constitution to “Petro-Dollars.” China now threatens this fundamental part of the “international order” by being on the verge of creating the “Petro-Yuan” through contracts backed by gold to sell oil in exchange not for dollars but for China’s currency. This will send the value of gold soaring, ZeroHedge predicts, as “China Kneecaps The Dollar.” The Petro-Yuan could at least share and thereby dilute the power of America’s global reserve currency monopoly – and might be the beginning of its end. [more...]

Box Office Down Again in 2017

As 2017 draws to a close, the entertainment industry is discovering it has to deal with the reality that this year is turning out to be the worst ever for the Hollywood brand. The sex scandals surrounding movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and other major Hollywood players certainly did not help matters. Neither did the vitriolic politics that routinely spewed from left-wing celebrities’ mouths and wound up alienating folks from coast to coast. This year the movie box office, once the primary gauge of the entertainment business, suffered yet another decline. Despite the fact that over the last twenty years or so gross box-office revenues saw an increase, for the last decade and a half, actual ticket sales have consistently taken a dive. [more...]

Spreading the Wealth Trump Style - Get Ready for More Tax Cuts

By Kerry Lutz

Trump has cracked the Rosetta Stone of getting things through Congress. The congressional tax cut saga has just concluded, and Trump won yet again. But this is just the beginning. Assuming the economy strengthens substantially ahead of the 2018 mid-term elections, and that Republicans not only retain their majorities in both houses, but also enlarge them, get ready for the next round of tax cuts. Congress lives to fight one battle at a time. Trump always has the larger picture in mind. While this tax bill is less than perfect, upon its success, it sets the stage for more tax cuts during Trump’s seven remaining years. Yes, if the economy is growing at a 4-6% rate come 2020, you’re looking at four more years. [more...]

Thursday, December 21, 2017

The End of the ACA Mandate and the Beginning of Healthcare Consumerism

By Dr. Elaina George

The passage of the Republican tax reform bill with the removal of the mandate is a win for the American patient and doctor.

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, there has been a steady unraveling of the American healthcare system and a loss of access to healthcare for those who live in rural areas and those who are underserved in cities. The middle and working class have been priced out by high insurance premiums and the exponential rise in out-of-pocket costs. There has been a devastating loss of independent physicians (now accounting for only 30% of practicing physicians); and there has been a steady rise in the consolidation of corporate hospital systems and medical insurance companies. Each change has caused a decrease in choice with a resultant rise in cost leading to the all too familiar ‘too big to fail’ phenomenon.

The removal of the mandate allows those who cannot afford to purchase a product or those who have purchased a product that they don’t need or want to be free to find healthcare coverage that will work for them. The best part about the law is a change in a direction that respects the individual. If you like the ACA you can keep it, but if you don’t like it you will no longer be penalized. This one change will allow consumer driven healthcare to thrive and encourage the market to create products that will benefit the patient. [more...]

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

12-20-17 Expert Guests for Your Show

1. Stephen Thayer: U.S. Rep. Green Qualifies for Impeachment

2. Daniel Greenfield: Guilt by Accusation is the New Norm

3. Bruce Thornton: What Roy Moore’s Candidacy Teaches Us

4. Joel Gilbert: 'Trump - The Art of the Insult'

5. Michelle Seiler-Tucker: The Truth About the GOP Tax Bill

U.S. Rep. Green Qualifies for Impeachment

By Stephen Thayer - LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTION NETWORK

U. S. Representative Al Green (D-TX) filed impeachment charges against President Trump and his political stunt was soundly defeated by the House of Representatives. Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution provides for the removal of the President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. Representative Green’s ridiculous claims didn’t allege “obstruction of justice” or reference the ongoing investigation into the 2016 presidential campaign’s connection with Russia. Now, if Congressman Green’s flawed and politicized standard for removal were to be applied to his own conduct then he is, as a civil officer of the United States, himself subject to removal from office. [more...]

Guilt by Accusation is the New Norm

Prior to the presidential election last year, candidate Hillary Clinton declared that all women who claim to have been sexually assaulted “have the right to be believed.” This year, a #MeToo movement of sexual harassment victims has swept the nation, and a tsunami of such accusations has swept the halls of power from Washington D.C. to Hollywood – with no sign of it abating. In its wake are disgraced men from Matt Lauer to Harvey Weinstein to Al Franken, their careers all justly destroyed by women who finally found the courage to speak out. But is the search for justice becoming a witch – or rather, warlock – hunt? Is the line between sexual assault and simple flirtation becoming dangerously blurred, ruining the lives of innocent victims? [more...]

What Roy Moore’s Candidacy Teaches Us

By Bruce Thornton

Following Roy Moore’s defeat in the Alabama Senatorial race, the political Nostradami of both parties are furiously predicting either doom or salvation for the other party. Dems think Doug Jones’s win means the South is up for grabs, and flipping the Senate and maybe even the House is possible. Donks predict that with the toxic Moore off the table, Jones’s win will no more flip the Senate than Scott Brown’s win did for the Republicans in 2010. More interesting is what Moore’s rise and fall tells us about our dysfunctional political culture. [more...]

'Trump - The Art of the Insult'

Directed by Joel Gilbert

The Truth About the GOP Tax Bill

There have been many changes to the tax bill since it was first drafted. In essence, the bill will give everyone a tax break in the near future, and then rates are expected to rebound in 2027. The bill will change the tax brackets, lowering personal taxes for unmarried individual filers and married joints filers anywhere between 1 to 3 percent. But the tax bill won’t just affect individuals, it will also affect businesses across every industry. However, the effect may not be proportional across every industry. For example, the tax bill will greatly reduce the tax cuts available to financial firms and real estate companies, but not as much for manufacturing and mining. [more...]

Monday, December 18, 2017

12-19-17 Excellent Guests Available for Your Show

1. Lowell Ponte: “A Christmas Present for the Entire Nation”

2. James Hirsen: Anita Hill to Lead Sexual Harassment Commission?

3. Michael Stumo: Trump Designation of China as “Strategic Competitor” is a Positive Step

4. Dr. Gerard Lameiro: Will the New Tax Bill Impact You and the Economy?

5. Michelle Seiler-Tucker: 1,150 Cancelled Flights in Atlanta

6. John LeBoutillier: All the President’s Problems

“A Christmas Present for the Entire Nation”

“President Trump has called the $1.5 trillion tax cut that Republicans are on the verge of passing ‘a Christmas present for the entire nation,’” reports the New York Times. The current tax reform is a battle between two political parties and ideologies. Democrats want to create millions of government welfare-dependent voters by heavy taxation of businesses, which then pass those taxes on to consumers in higher prices. This lets politicians pretend that they did not raise taxes on you. Under Obama, such anti-business policies greatly reduced economic growth and jobs. Free enterprise was crushed, but the welfare state and socialist ideology grew. President Trump aims to reduce taxes on business, shrink government, and spark economic growth that puts millions back to work. He is gambling that this stimulus will move companies to hire, not buy 75,000 robot workers as Amazon recently did. Trump is gambling that companies that bring trillions of dollars home from overseas will use it to expand, not simply buy back stock and reward stockholders. [more...]

Anita Hill to Lead Sexual Harassment Commission?

If there were any doubts that the entertainment community remains decidedly out of touch with the majority of its customers, the choice of Anita Hill to chair Hollywood’s newly formed Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace is the latest manifestation of a kind of tone deafness on the part of Tinseltown - especially when it comes to the Hollywood brand. Hollywood executives have chosen precisely the wrong individual to head the commission. Hill achieved fame in the early 1990s when she brought forward allegations of sexual harassment during the Senate confirmation process for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The problem for Hollywood is that Hill failed to tell the truth. Nonetheless, the left continued to attempt to smear Justice Thomas in the intervening years and even went as far as producing an HBO film, which disingenuously attempted to make Hill into a heroine. [more...]

Trump Designation of China as “Strategic Competitor” is a Positive Step

By Michael Stumo

President Trump’s determination that China is a “strategic competitor” to the United States is a welcome change. The designation came as the White House released its recent National Security Strategy (NSS) as mandated by statute. We have long advanced the idea that strategic trade is necessary to protect America’s national interests. China is a threat to U.S. interests, but not necessarily in a peace versus war framework. The country is also not a ‘strategic partner’ as President Obama has said. President Trump is right to state that China is in a direct economic, military and political contest with the United States. [more...]

Will the New Tax Bill Impact You and the Economy?

By Dr. Gerard Lameiro

It looks like the House and Senate have reached agreement on a potentially historic new tax bill. The vote could come this week on this far-reaching tax bill. The question on many people’s minds is: “Will this new tax bill be good for the economy and good for me?” How will it impact individuals and families? How will it impact businesses? Is there an impact in energy development in the new tax bill? [more...]

1,150 Cancelled Flights in Atlanta

Many passengers found themselves stranded as airlines dealt with the effects of a power failure at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport - the busiest airport in the world. On Sunday at around 1:00 pm, the power failed due to a fire in an underground electrical facility that provides power to the airport. As a result, more than 1,150 flights were cancelled nationwide. This airport is a major hub for domestic and international flights, so the power outage sent disruptions across the country, affecting departing and arriving flights in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Houston as well as many others. Airlines are struggling to keep up with the effects. Delta Airlines announced that it would cancel 300 flights scheduled for Monday. [more...]

All the President’s Problems

By John LeBoutillier

On the latest edition of REVOLUTION_The Podcast... We dissect President Trump's - and the GOP's - problems in this post-Alabama world: the huge increase in minority and millennial turnout; the defection of suburban women; the massive gap in support for a Democratic takeover of Congress in 2018; the decline in POTUS' poll ratings even in states he won a year ago; and the crash of female support for Trump nationally down to a shocking 24%. [more...]

Guilt by Accusation is the New Norm

Prior to the presidential election last year, candidate Hillary Clinton declared that all women who claim to have been sexually assaulted “have the right to be believed.”

This year, a #MeToo movement of sexual harassment victims has swept the nation, and a tsunami of such accusations has swept the halls of power from Washington D.C. to Hollywood – with no sign of it abating. In its wake are disgraced men from Matt Lauer to Harvey Weinstein to Al Franken, their careers all justly destroyed by women who finally found the courage to speak out.

But is the search for justice becoming a witch – or rather, warlock – hunt? Is the line between sexual assault and simple flirtation becoming dangerously blurred, ruining the lives of innocent victims?

Daniel Greenfield, Shillman Journalism Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, says that guilt by association is becoming the new norm, and that we shouldn’t believe all women or all men. “Believe All Women is a terrible idea,” he states in his latest article for FrontPage Magazine. [more...]

Thursday, December 14, 2017

12-14-17 Expert Guests for Your Show

1. Jeff Ferry: Deficit Headed for $560 Billion

2. Stephen Thayer: AG Has a Liberal Bullseye on His Back

3. Michelle Seiler-Tucker: Verizon and the NFL to Stream Games on Smartphones

4. Daniel Greenfield: Who Really Lost in Alabama

5. Lowell Ponte: Our “Downsized” Future

Deficit Headed for $560 Billion

By Jeff Ferry

The U.S. trade deficit rose another 8.6% in October to reach $48.7 billion as imports in the month hit $244.6 billion, an all-time record for imports in a single month. That import figure, which includes goods and services imports, is up 1.6% on the September figure, and up 7% on the year-earlier October imports figure. With ten months’ data for 2017 now published, U.S. imports are running 6.5% ahead of the same period in 2016, indicating that 2017 could finish up with imports at $2.89 trillion, an all-time high for U.S. imports. [more...]

AG Has a Liberal Bullseye on His Back

By Stephen Thayer - LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTION NETWORK

By any measure, Attorney General Sessions has been successful in rolling back some of the misguided Department of Justice policies of the Obama/Holder administration. Because of that, progressives, liberals and democrats are doggedly pursuing unsupported suggestions of a Sessions role in alleged Trump campaign collusion with Russia. Here are a few reasons why the AG has a liberal bullseye on his back: [more...]

Verizon and the NFL to Stream Games on Smartphones

Verizon has just signed a multi-year deal with the NFL to stream football games to all smartphones regardless of carriers. This is not a new feature for Verizon, which had previously signed a deal with the NFL that allowed Verizon customers to stream football games directly on their phones. But now the new deal allows fans to watch football games in their local markets even if they are not Verizon customers. So, if you are from Louisiana you can watch the Saints game on your phone, and fans will also be able to watch nationally televised games on their phones too, including Monday, Thursday, and Sunday Night Football. The games will stream through Yahoo Sports, Verizon’s go90, and NFL mobile. [more...]

Who Really Lost in Alabama

The Alabama Senate election was about everything except Alabama. And in the end, Alabamans stayed home and let the inevitable turnout tide of passion politics take its course. Minority voters rallied to Obama. Republicans stayed home. And the GOP is now holding on to a bare one-seat Senate majority. The Democrats had abandoned Alabama, along with much of the South. They weren't interested in Doug Jones until they smelled weakness. And they still aren’t interested in representing Alabamans now. They just want another Senate seat to bring them closer to blocking and impeaching President Trump. [more...]

Our “Downsized” Future

Republicans cutting taxes would be “the end of the world... Armageddon,” said Nancy Pelosi days ago. This could certainly be the end of her world, because Democratic Party power comes largely from taxing and redistributing to its voters the earnings of Republicans. Congressional leaders of both parties understand that their money and power have come at a terrible cost to America’s liberty, prosperity, and individual independence. We are headed for the end of America, as our nation’s framers dreamed it, if our citizens cannot make their courage and self-reliance big enough to force our government to be small again – small enough to fit inside the Constitution. [more...]

Monday, December 11, 2017

12-12-17 Great Guests for Your Show

1. James Hirsen: Misguided Environmentalism is the Root Cause of Devastating California Wildfires

2. Dr. Gerard Lameiro: Understanding Some DOJ Players

3. Lowell Ponte: Our “Downsized” Future

4. Joel Gilbert: 'Trump - The Art of the Insult'

5. John LeBoutillier: Update on the Mueller Investigation

Misguided Environmentalism is the Root Cause of Devastating California Wildfires

Contrary to California Governor Jerry Brown and the left’s claim that the mega fires in California are happening as a result of global warming, a recent Reason Foundation study notes that changes in climate cannot adequately account for the “pattern of fires observed over the past century.” The United States Forest Service (USFS) is the agency responsible for managing the nation’s wilderness areas, which constitute almost two-thirds of U.S. forests. The USFS once had a great deal of success in mitigating the risk of major fires in the early part of the last century. Over the past few decades, though, forest management policy has become overly centralized and increasingly bureaucratic, while also presenting a growing detriment to public safety. [more...]

Understanding Some DOJ Players

By Dr. Gerard Lameiro

With all the news stories about the Mueller investigation and related topics, it’s helpful to get an understanding of some key DOJ players and some key FBI players. Let’s look at some people in the news recently: Bruce Ohr, Nellie H. Ohr of Fusion GPS, Peter Strzok, Robert Mueller, Jeannie Rhee and some potential conflicts of interest. [more...]

Our “Downsized” Future

'Trump - The Art of the Insult'

Directed by Joel Gilbert

Audiences will gain tremendous insight into Donald Trump in the new film, Trump: The Art of the Insult. When you watch it, you’ll see that Trump emerges as a warm and funny man, a patriotic American who cares deeply about America and its people. You’ll get why middle America fell for a Manhattan billionaire. You’ll see the simplicity of Trump’s marketing genius and how he used performance art to deliver strong populist messages as he spoke to crowds of up to 20,000 people, three and four times a day, for months on end. You’ll see how the "Trumpapalooza” tour induced the media into serving up about $2 billion worth of free media coverage. And, you’ll witness how Trump’s handful of good marketing ideas “trumped” Cruz’s $92 million organization and Jeb’s $120 million in negative advertising. [more...]

Update on the Mueller Investigation

By John LeBoutillier

On the latest edition of REVOLUTION_The Podcast... We analyze the unfolding drama in the Trump-Russia Investigation; the MeToo movement as it sweeps through the political world; and the political revolution as it changes all the norms in Washington, D.C. Is Trump feeling the heat? Is the White House showing signs of the pressure? Has Mike Flynn's unexpected cooperation with Special Counsel Mueller rocked the Trump White House to its core? [more...]

Terror in NYC... Terror Threat at Penn State University

By Brigitte Gabriel

There was yet another ISIS-inspired attack today in NYC by a 27-year-old from Bangladesh who lived in Brooklyn - an explosion near Times Square at the Port Authority. He had a pipe bomb with explosives strapped to his body. Thank heavens it was a botched attempt. New York’s finest were there in short to keep workers and holiday travelers safe.

On Twitter, Kuwait immigrant Hussein Altarakmah wrote, “9/11 didn’t kill enough of you f***ers.” He is still a current student enrolled at Penn State University. Remember the Ohio State University attacker? The Somalia immigrant, Abdul Razak Ali Artan, weaponized his vehicle to run over students and proceeded to stab at them with a knife.

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

12-6-17 Expert Guests for Your Show

1. Jeff Ferry: U.S. Agriculture Has Failed to Benefit from Korean Free Trade Agreement

2. Kerry Lutz: NFL Implosion

3. Stephen Thayer and The Law Enforcement Action Network: Fate of Baltimore Cops Cleared in Freddie Gray Case

4. Daniel Greenfield: Obstruction of Justice was Coming from Inside the FBI

5. Bruce Thornton: Social Media, Fake News and Free Speech

U.S. Agriculture Has Failed to Benefit from Korean Free Trade Agreement

By Jeff Ferry

A major reason the U.S. Congress and Obama administration approved the KORUS free trade agreement with South Korea in 2011 was the expected benefits to U.S. agricultural exports. Six years later, it’s now clear those benefits have not materialized. U.S. agricultural exports to South Korea have fallen 9% since 2011, coming in at $6.9 billion last year. To add insult to injury, South Korean agricultural exports to the U.S. have surged under KORUS, up 62% to $748 million last year. [more...]

NFL Implosion

By Kerry Lutz

Much to everyone’s surprise, the NFL’s ratings continue to implode. This is bad news for Trump’s sworn enemy the MSM. Recent CBS’s earnings estimates were cut, due in large part to the NFL’s ratings slump. ESPN is laying off 150 employees. The three Thanksgiving Day games, among the most popular, were down an admitted 19%, but the real story is that it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better (if ever). And the media and the NFL owners and brass can’t figure out why. A recently leaked NFL study revealed that should the National Anthem protests continue, the damage to the League’s prestige and its MSM partner’s profits would reach a point of no return. [more...]

Fate of Baltimore Cops Cleared in Freddie Gray Case

By Stephen Thayer - LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTION NETWORK

The father of one of the Baltimore police officers involved in the Freddie Gray case spoke exclusively to Martha MacCallum. Edward Nero Sr., whose son Edward was eventually acquitted of wrongdoing, said his son and others are seeking litigation for malicious prosecution against the city. Nero said that he hopes Baltimore City State Attorney Marilyn Mosby will be "held accountable" for allegedly wrongfully prosecuting his son. Nero said the city was "looking to hang" his son and the other officers for Gray's death. He said his son is glad to finally resume work at the barracks but said Nero Jr. will never be allowed to work a street beat because of the incident. [more...]

Obstruction of Justice was Coming from Inside the FBI

It’s hard to imagine how the Mueller investigation could be any more partisan or tainted. The endgame for this is to go after President Trump on obstruction of justice. But you can’t obstruct justice that was already obstructed. Both the Clinton and Trump investigations were tainted by blatant partisanship. While the Clinton investigation did everything possible to protect her and her aides, regardless of the evidence, the Trump investigation did everything possible to destroy him and his associates without producing a single charge relevant to the actual investigation. The Clintons and their allies have obstructed justice. And it’s time for a real investigation. [more...]

Social Media, Fake News and Free Speech

By Bruce Thornton

Free speech has come under attack on two fronts since Donald Trump was elected president. Many unhappy with his victory charge that Russia interfered in our election on his behalf by using social media like Facebook and Twitter, which should be held responsible for the content on their sites. Meanwhile, some political activists and politicians are calling for a revision of our free speech laws to prevent “hate” speech and “fake news” from polluting the public square. Everybody is complaining about false or biased reporting that is distracting and confusing voters with disinformation and appeals to unsavory emotions. One of the pillars of American exceptionalism, the right of citizens to speak freely, no matter how rough or hateful their words, seems to be tottering. [more...]

Monday, December 4, 2017

12-5-17 Excellent Guests for Your Show

1. Dr. Gerard Lameiro: Can Dem Efforts to Impeach Trump Work?

2. Lowell Ponte: Is the IRS Taking Control of Bitcoin?

3. Michelle Seiler-Tucker: CVS-Aetna Deal

4. James Hirsen: The Steinle Case - Justice Politicized

5. David Horowitz: Leading Watchdog Group Releases List of “Top Ten Worst Schools Supporting Terrorists” in 2017

Can Dem Efforts to Impeach Trump Work?

By Dr. Gerard Lameiro

It now looks like the Trump-Russian collusion investigation has gone nowhere and might end after the first of the year. So, instead, the Left and the Democrats hope to nullify the results of the historic 2016 presidential election by attempting to impeach Trump over obstruction of justice charges, or possibly Logan Act violations. Will these efforts actually result in a Trump impeachment? I believe attempting to impeach Trump makes the Democrat Party look more out of touch with the American people. The Democrat Party needs to jump on the Trump train and support policies the American people voted for. Endless frivolous lawsuits and needless investigations and pointless impeachment efforts against Trump are impeding progress in America. The efforts to impeach Trump actually hurt the Democrat Party more than anyone else. [more...]

Is the IRS Taking Control of Bitcoin?

The widespread fascination with Bitcoin, the digital cryptocurrency, has been in part from its pirate-like mystique as “money,” not created nor controlled by any government, that could be used anonymously to buy and sell privately, free from tax collectors’ prying eyes and greedy grasp. On November 28, after more than a year of a legal case by the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Corley ordered Coinbase, the San Francisco-based largest Bitcoin dealer in America, to turn over to the IRS the names, addresses, and taxpayer identification numbers of at least 14,355 people who were some of its customers between 2013 and 2015. [more...]

CVS-Aetna Deal

This past Sunday, CVS Health announced that it had agreed to a deal to buy Aetna for $69 billion. The deal would merge the drugstore giant with one of the biggest health insurers in the United States. Talks of this deal had been going around for some time, mostly after it became apparent that the Internet giant, Amazon, was preparing to enter the pharmaceutical market by getting pharmacy licenses in over a dozen states. The deal will have a drastic change on the healthcare market. Together these two companies are in touch with most of the basic health services that people regularly use. And CVS has said that it is prepared to transform its 10,000 pharmacies and clinic locations to better meet the needs of their patients once the merger is complete. [more...]

The Steinle Case - Justice Politicized