BloggeRhythms

Doing some homework this morning, to gain more insight into Cruz, an article from back on March 23, 2015, by Keith Koffler @whitehousedossier.com, shed some very interesting info on the candidate from Texas. 

Legendary liberal law professor, Alan Dershowitz, said of his former student at Harvard: “Off the charts brilliant,” in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer a year ago. 

At the same time: “Dershowitz had trouble rating another former Harvard student, Barack Obama, who despite multiple attempts couldn’t get into Dershowitz’s class. 

“The computer kept him out,” Dershowitz said. “It wasn’t my fault.” 

Dershowitz also told CNN's Piers Morgan in 2013 that “Cruz was one of the most intelligent students he ever taught: One of the sharpest students I had . . . I’ve had 10,000 students over my 50 years at Harvard . . . he has to qualify among the brightest of the students. 

“At Harvard. Gosh, that’s like being the best tasting sushi in Japan.” 

Dershowitz expanded his thoughts, to conclude: “Over the years, I’ve come to think of chutzpah and initiative and courage as better predictors of success than intelligence. But Cruz has chutzpah and initiative and courage in abundance. And don’t underestimate the power of raw intelligence. 

“Especially when it comes to the debates (obviously extremely important in both the primaries and the general election.) He was in the class raising his hand . . . making very intelligent points and really winning debates all the time in the class, including winning debates with the professors.” 

And lastly, according to his professor: “Cruz has another talent most smart people lack: He knows how to be dumb. That is, he is able to tame his mind and stay on message. His mind will have velocity, but it won’t wander. And that’s very effective during debates.” 

On another subject, Ali Meyer @freebeacon.com, reported that: “Inflation-adjusted federal tax revenues hit a record $1.48 trillion for the first half of fiscal year 2016, but the federal government still ran a $461 billion deficit during that time, according to the latest monthly Treasury Department statement.” 

The receipts include tax revenue from individual income taxes, corporate income taxes, social insurance and retirement taxes, unemployment insurance taxes, excise taxes, estate and gift taxes, customs duties, and other miscellaneous items. 

In the first half of fiscal 2016, Federal taxes collected “outpaced the first half of all previous fiscal years, even after adjusting for inflation. The 2016 fiscal year begins on Oct. 1, 2015, and runs through Sept. 30, 2016. “ 

Most of the $1.48 trillion came from individual income taxes, comprising almost half of that total, totaling $675 billion. 

One year ago, in the first half of fiscal year 2015, the government collected $1.42 trillion in inflation-adjusted revenues . Back in 1998, the first year charted, the federal government collected $1.11 trillion in inflation-adjusted revenue in the first half. Meaning that since 1998, tax revenues have increased 33 percent. 

Thus, what’s truly incredible and undeniable evidence of fiscal abuse and governmental incompetence, is that after bringing in a record $1.48 trillion in revenue in the first half of fiscal 2016, government also spent approximately $1.94 trillion, leaving a deficit of approximately $461 billion.

Following on the heels of the news of the huge sums already taken from hard-working taxpayers at present, Alexander Hendrie, at the Americans for Tax Reform website reports: “During an interview with the editorial team of the New York Daily News, Hillary Clinton admitted her tax proposals will increase taxes on the American people by at least $1 trillion over the next ten years. Here is the key exchange from the meeting, according to a transcript released by the Daily News: 

“Clinton: I have connected up my proposals for the kind of investments I want to make with the taxes that I think have to be raised. So on individual pieces of my agenda, I try to demonstrate clearly that I have a way for paying for paid family leave, for example, for debt-free tuition. So I would spend about $100 billion a year. And I think it's affordable, and I think it's a smart way to make investments, to go back to our economic discussion, that will contribute to growing the economy.” 

After pointing out that a hundred billion a year, comes out to about a trillion dollars in ten years, the Daily News listed several of her proposals: 

“$350 Billion Income Tax Increase for a “New College Compact” – Clinton has proposed a $350 billion income tax hike in the form of a 28 percent cap on itemized deductions. 

$275 Billion Business Tax Increase for “Infrastructure”—Clinton has called for a tax hike of at least $275 billion through undefined business tax reform. According to the Clinton campaign document, “Hillary will fully pay for these [Infrastructure] investments through business tax reform.” 

$400 Billion “Fairness” Tax Increase -- According to her published plan, Clinton has called for a tax increase of “between $400 and $500 billion” by “restoring basic fairness to our tax code.” These proposals include a “fair share surcharge,” taxing carried interest capital gains as ordinary income, and raising the Death Tax. 

So, although Sanders is purported to be an unabashed socialist, wanting as much as 90% from those who earn any kind of living, Bill’s wife’s plan makes him look like Santa Claus. Because, at least he’d leave a few bucks in the pockets of those made them, while Bill’s wife would make every effort to give every one of their dimes to any wastrel that would vote for her. 

And then a few postings from friends on Facebook and in emails.

Couldn't resist posting this one. From a friend in MA.

Bringing us to today’s update on Bill Clinton’s wife (even though she’s been mentioned already above.)

Two items today, both of them classic examples of Clinton epic hypocrisy, coupled with denial as the cornerstone reaction when caught at ever-present fabrication of personal history and performance.  

First, FoxNews.com reported on the “skit” mentioned here yesterday, in which Bill de Blasio said he took so long to endorse Bill’s wife for president because he was running on “CP time.’ An apparent reference to the stereotype of African-Americans being late for appointments.”

“In the sketch at the city's annual Inner Circle charity show, Clinton then interjected: "Cautious politician time. I've been there."

Yesterday, however, in typical fashion she distanced herself from responsibility, saying: “Well, look, it was Mayor de Blasio's skit. Ask him because it is something that he's already talked about." Also telling Cosmopolitan.com: "He has addressed it, and I will really defer to Many of the New York politicians, power brokers and reporters in the room laughed at the joke.”

Her scrambling out from under responsibility, derived from word of the sketch spreading via social media, with coverage becoming “scornful.” While the Daily News blared "Skit for Brains" on its Tuesday front page, New York magazine referenced the mayor's black spouse, asking, "Does your wife, Chirlane (McCray), know about this joke?"

And then, Richard Pollock, reporter, caught her in another situation where her actions clearly contradict her history. 

“I feel like [equal pay] is something that’s long overdue,” she told an event organized by Glassdoor, which compares salaries and working conditions at corporations. 

“It is way past time to end the outrage of so many women still earning less than men on the job,” she told the audience.

Yet, in her own family business: “Male executives at the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation earn 38 percent more than women executives, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation review of the foundation’s latest IRS tax filings.” 

Furthermore, “The foundation’s 2013 IRS form 990 reveals that nearly three times as many men as women occupy the executive suites at the Little Rock, Arkansas-based foundation.

“On average, top male executives at the foundation earn $109,000 more than the top female executives with positions in the C-suite.” 

So, once again, reality proves that Bill’s wife really isn’t a typical Democrat at heart. In actuality she isn’t an anything, politically speaking. And if tomorrow the polls showed that voters were fed up with socialism altogether, she’d reveal herself be a card-carrying, life-long, closet Conservative by nightfall. 

Because in her world, it doesn’t matter at all what you fundamentally are. All that counts is having enough dupes still around to sell it too. 

Bringing up the ongoing question again: Joe Biden, Mayor Bloomberg, Jerry Brown, and Starbuck’s chairman and CEO, Howard Schultz, are you guys reading this?

That’s it for today folks.   

Adios