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News Political

Republicans Adopt Strong Pro-Gun Platform

Republicans write the most pro-Second Amendment position ever included in a major party platform.

NRA-ILA PRESS RELEASE

As each party does every four years as part of their national conventions, this week, the Republican Party adopted its platform detailing the general beliefs and policy positions of the party.
Included in the 2012 Republican platform is a strong statement of support for the individual right to keep and bear arms, which goes beyond a generic statement of support for the Second Amendment and includes specific statements on key issues of concern to gun owners.
Here is the text on the Second Amendment included in the platform:
The Second Amendment: Our Right to Keep and Bear Arms

We uphold the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, a right which antedated the Constitution and was solemnly confirmed by the Second Amendment. We acknowledge, support, and defend the law-abiding citizen’s God-given right of self-defense. We call for the protection of such fundamental individual rights recognized in the Supreme Court’s decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago affirming that right, and we recognize the individual responsibility to safely use and store firearms. This also includes the right to obtain and store ammunition without registration. We support the fundamental right to self-defense wherever a law-abiding citizen has a legal right to be, and we support federal legislation that would expand the exercise of that right by allowing those with state-issued carry permits to carry firearms in any state that issues such permits to its own residents. Gun ownership is responsible citizenship, enabling Americans to defend their homes and communities. We condemn frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers and oppose federal licensing or registration of law-abiding gun owners. We oppose legislation that is intended to restrict our Second Amendment rights by limiting the capacity of clips or magazines or otherwise restoring the ill-considered Clinton gun ban. We condemn the reckless actions associated with the operation known as “Fast and Furious,” conducted by the Department of Justice, which resulted in the murder of a U.S. Border Patrol Agent and others on both sides of the border. We applaud the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in holding the current Administration’s Attorney General in contempt of Congress for his refusal to cooperate with their investigation into that debacle. We oppose the improper collection of firearms sales information in the four southern border states, which was imposed without congressional authority.


The inclusion of specific issues, such as the right to self-defense, opposition to the semi-auto ban, and support for interstate Right-to-Carry reciprocity makes this the most pro-Second Amendment position ever included in a major party platform. The NRA commends the GOP for taking a strong and unambiguous stance in support of our fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms.

http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/articles/2012/gop-adopts-strongly-pro-gun-platform.aspx

NRA-ILA

Categories
Letters to Falcon

Railroad Retirement Fund Correction

Falcon,

The letter in reference to the Railroad Retirement System stated that the fund was entirely funded  by employees. According to the government website (link provided) employers are required to match contributions just like social security.

http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v68n2/v68n2p41.html

Railroad employees should be nervous. The more broke our government gets the more likely  their fund will be filled will with IOUs just like Social Security. I pray that doesn’t happen.

-Taxpayers pay again

Categories
News Political

Artist Paints Obama’s First Term in Office

Artist Debuts ‘Obamanation’ Interactive Painting

 

Categories
News

Two Iowans Arrested for Stealing World Championship Belt

Two arrested in theft of pro wrestling belt

TNA heavyweight wrestling championship belt
Categories
Letters to Falcon

Ryan’s Railroad Budget Error

Falcon,

One major error on the Ryan 2013 Budget proposal is on page 109 of the budget where it mentions the Railroad Retirement Tier 1 program. It’s my understanding the railroad retirement fund is solely funded by the railroad employees and the railroad and has never been funded by taxpayers or anyone other than railroad workers. Mr. Ryan’s budget panel apparently thinks it is or they just don’t have a clue about what they put in the bill.

If railroad personnel get more in benefits than Social Security it’s because they paid more into their retirement fund by design and again nothing to do with Social Security.

Someone should inform Mr. Ryan that The Railroad Retirement Benefit is funded by railroad employees themselves and not taxpayers and it has nothing to do with Social Security.

The below passage is found on page 109 of the proposed Ryan Budget for fiscal year 2013, House Report 112-421

Conform Railroad Retirement Tier 1 Benefits to Social Security Benefits. Tier 1 benefits for railroad retirees are supposed to mimic Social Security benefits, but they are more generous than Social Security in many ways. This option would conform Tier 1 so that its benefits would equal those of Social Security, with an estimated savings to taxpayers of $2 billion over 10 years.

What Paul Ryan is not telling the American people is that the railroad pension fund has absolutely nothing to do with taxpayers. The Railroad pension fund is completely funded by railroad workers themselves. Not one dime of taxpayer money is used to fund this pension plan. So, why would a conservative politician in Washington say otherwise? My guess is he doesn’t have a clue and neither did the writers of the bill.

It’s quite clear neither party in Washington has any concept of how to write a bill or propose a bill that’s fair and honest to the American people. Look at that ill prepared Obamacare bill the democrats signed into law when none of them even knew what was in it. Then that so called speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi say’s we’ll have to pass the bill to find out what’s in it. That’s a classic example of what class of people we have in congress misrepresenting us time and time again. Pelosi’s only concern is how much she can line her pockets before living off the taxpayer’s the rest of her life, not that she hasn’t been already.

Ryan’s budget proposal will have to be edited totally before it’s passed provided congress knows what edited means and all the ill prepared or misrepresented sections removed such as the Railroad Retirement Benefit section. Remember this is a proposal and will require a total editing job to clean it up and make it workable.

Also, the quality of people in Washington is nowhere near what it was 25 years ago on back to 1778.

-Concerned

Categories
News

Astronaut Neil Armstrong passes away

First Man on the Moon dead at 82

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Football Sports

Falcons Drop Opener to Ft Madison, 34-7

Photo by Dan Hockett
West Burlington / Notre Dame Receiver, Springer DeRosear, drops a pass while defended by Fort Madison defensive back, Colin Kassmeyer during their season opening non-conference game in Fort Madison Friday night. Fort Madison defeated West Burlington / Notre Dame, 34-7.
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Letters to Falcon

Maybe Obama should try Haiti

Falcon,

A good place for Obama would be Haiti after he’s dethroned this November.  It would be interesting to see if he could fool the Haitians like he fooled so many Americans in 2008.

The poorest and most illiterate nation in the western hemisphere despite gaining their independence from the French in 1804 and their still struggling to make it work and I think Obama and all his experience would fit in just great down in Haiti more or less guaranteeing it’s continued failures.  He could also take down all his Czar’s and other misfits to help him make Haiti work, if that’s possible at all.

-Send him packing

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News Political

Movie ‘2016 Obama’s America’ opens in WB Friday

‘2016: OBAMA’S AMERICA’ showtimes at Westland Mall Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:40, 2:50, 4:55, 7:00, 9:15PM

http://2016themovie.com/

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Sports Volleyball

West Burlington 7th Grade Volleyball

Photo by Dan Hockett
Front row (l-r): Katlyn Kent, Sydney Huddleston, Jessica Bloomberg, Cecilia Crozier.
Middle row (l-r): Lydia Vance, Savannah Swanson, Sydney Stout, Madison Munoz, Jerri Price.
Back row (l-r): Head Coach Laura Mickey, Asst. Coach Tammy Allison, Katie Conner, Meghan Ryan, Mackenzie Petty, Ariella Zang, Asst. Coach Kady Dewey.