Concealed carry permit holders responsible for over 800 gun deaths since 2007

According to the Violence Policy Center, "...Concealed handgun permit holders are responsible for at least 849 deaths not involving self defense since 2007, including 29 mass shootings that killed 139 people. That's close to 100 gun deaths per year from those cowboys who think they are protecting the public. It's time to put on the brakes and start limiting concealed carry to only those with a special need. I have talked to several of these people and they consider this a right given under the 2nd Amendment and it is not.

The VPC exclaims, “Our research makes it clear that allowing more guns in public places is making us less safe.” The organization's  Legislative Director Kristen Rand states, “It’s also clear that state lawmakers who weaken concealed carry laws increase the risk that even more of these tragic, fatal incidents will occur.” Like Arizona, where the only requirement for a concealed carry permit is that the person must be a warm body. Pathetic.

Bernie Sanders Sayings

An oligarchy is a form of government in which a small group of people hold power. It seems that a smaller and smaller group of citizens are determining our nation's future.

Sen. Claire McCaskill is nuts

Sen. Claire McCaskill

It's not enough that Hillary Clinton is disparaging her opponent, Bernie Sanders, but now the Democratic establishment is organizing to defeat the Bern. Sen. Claire McCaskill said, “I think it would be absolutely impossible for a self-declared socialist to win states like Missouri,” adding Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to the lot.But a 2010 Gallup poll reported that 36% of Americans had a favorable view of Socialism and that has improved measurably over the years.

 And just 9 percent of a select group of Millennial voters say Sanders' description of himself as a Democratic Socialist makes them less likely to support him. YouGov says that 36% of Millennials as a whole have a positive view of Socialism. In October 2014, a Rasmussen poll found that the Democratic Party views Socialism on a 50-50 basis with Capitalism. All of which makes McCaskill's "absolutely impossible" statement both dumb and ludicrous. But if the Dems do decide to mount an all out campaign against Bernie Sanders it will just piss off his supporters even more.

The Senator from Vermont seems to be ahead in both Iowa and New Hampshire, and that does not register well with the party's die-hards. Sanders committed a mortal sin by becoming an Independent to begin with. Then came the next egregious offense, at least as far as Debbie Wassermen Schultz was concerned, by daring to run in the Democratic Primary to oppose her favorite, Hillary Clinton. In other words, the Bern upset the establishment and that is what he is all about.  

Bernie Sanders Sayings

Voting among the poor is almost non-existent. Among different age groups, the young vote in lower numbers than any other group. Public cynicism about the Democratic process has never been greater, and individual belief in the possibility of democratic change has never been more threatened.

Do you despise Wayne LaPierre? Watch this video and you will

Charles Topher calls the head of the National Rifle Assn. (NRA), Wayne LaPierre, despicable, disgusting. Topher says his moral code embraces only money, calling for more guns in schools immediately following the gun massacre of 20 six-year-olds and 6 teachers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Well, I couldn't have said it better except my description would have included many expletives.

LaPierre cowardly refused to appear with Barack Obama at the "Guns in America" town hall on CNN January 4. Then it took him two weeks to come up with an answer in which he challenges the President to a one-on-one gun control debate. The terms: "...that the debate be one hour with a moderator, no pre-screened questions and no long answers." Apparently LaPierre isn't capable of putting together long sentences unless he has a script in front of him.

This challenge from the country's head gun nut consists of an eight-minute propaganda video designed to showcase his arrogance and ignorance of the issues, while completely ignoring the facts. LaPierre is the epitome of the village idiot who stumbles through life as an...idiot. Read the article and watch the video--if your stomach can handle it--here.

Bernie Sanders Sayings

Although the corporate media doesn't discuss it too often, the facts are quite clear. In the presidential election of 1996, half of all eligible voters cast their ballots. Two years earlier, when the Gingrich-dominated Congress was elected, only 38% of Americans voted. This compares with over 70 percent participation in most other major industrialized countries.

Sanders cuts Clinton So. Carolina lead 17% in 30 days

Hillary Clinton is leading Bernie Sanders 47% to 28% but Bernie's surge is significant in that Clinton led 67% to 31% last December 17, which totaled 36 points at the time. Phil Noble, President of the So. Carolina New Democrats says the Clinton lead still worthy but Sanders is "closing fast." The Democratic SC Primary is February 27. Here are some more figures from Phil Noble:

Among key subgroups, the results of the poll were as follows:

African Americans voters are expected to make up 60% of the primary electorate: Clinton 54%, Sanders 18% and O'Malley 2%.
White voters are expected to make up 40% of the primary electorate: Clinton 39%, Sanders 44%, and O'Malley 2%.
Men voters are expected to make up 40% of the primary electorate: Clinton 37%, Sanders 44% and O'Malley 3%.Women voters are expected to make up 60% of the primary electorate: Clinton 48%, Sanders 32% and O'Malley 2%.

"We believe this poll gives a good snapshot of the state of the race in South Carolina today," said John Thevos, Research Director of SC New Democrats who managed the survey. "Most of all, it shows that things can change very quickly in the Palmetto State and the primary on February 27 could well surprise lots of folks."

A couple of months ago So. Carolina was all gloom and doom for Bernie Sanders since it was assumed that Hillary Clinton had locked up the African American vote. Now it is obvious that the state as a whole is rethinking its loyalties. It is simply a matter of recognition of the candidate and his issues and it is obvious that once folks learn what the Bern is all about they begin to feel it.

Bernie Sanders nailed Sunday's debate

If you watched last nights Democratic debate you should be even more convinced that Bernie Sanders should and will be our next President. All the immaterial Republican candidates aside, this was a battle between three extremely well-qualified individuals that want to go to the White House in 2017. I say three because Martin O'Malley is now a shining star for the 2014 campaign, proving why he has remained in the 2016 race.

But the night was Bernie's and he made good use of it to point out the differences between his campaign and that of Hillary Clinton. It's all about change, which, by the way, is what put Barack Obama in the oval office in 2009. Bernie Sander's Revolution is catching on and Clinton can't cope with the fact that the American public sees a future in Bernie's Independent approach. Yes, he is truly the Independent the country has been waiting for that will set the two-party system on its heels.

As you will see in tomorrow's post, the Bern has already made great strides in So. Carolina but Sunday's debate should improve this even more.

Bernie Sanders Sayings

Why don't the great majority of Americans elect a government that will look out for their interests and fight for a fairer distribution of wealth? We can only answer that question if we look the unpleasant truth straight in the eye. And the truth is that the fabric of American democracy is currently extremely fragile, and that the U.S. government as currently constituted does not represent the interests of the ordinary citizens.

Bernie Sanders has surged in national polls in six months

The Huff Post has combined a number of national polls starting in January of 2015 through this January, showing the phenomenal growth of Bernie Sanders' campaign. As an unknown, he polled a low 4% on January 12, 2015, Hillary Clinton 60.8% and Martin O'malley .09%. Today, Sanders is 37.5%, Clinton 51.6% and O'Malley 2.7%.

Since Clinton has lost 9.2 points, O'Malley has gained only 2.6, that would indicate to me most of the 33.5 additional points Bernie Sanders has added are from formerly undecided voters. The interactive Huff Post also shows just under a twenty-percent increase for Bernie in just one month; Dec. 2015 31.4%, Jan. 2016 37.5%. In that same period Hillary lost 4.1 points. If you believe in polls, and keep in mind this is a collection of several, this is significant.

The Iowa Caucus is February 1, New Hampshire Primary following on the 9th. And then there are the Nevada Caucus and South Carolina Primary on February 20. It has been said that, even if Bernie Sanders wins Iowa and New Hampshire, and he is ahead in both, he will fade in Nevada and South Carolina and beyond. I say that is no longer true, based on the fact that his national recognition has grown by at least 20% since starting his campaign, and the last month continued to confirm that this will continue and play heavily in all future primaries.

South Carolina is already showing promise for Bernie Sanders but Nevada is uncertain at this point. More on this tomorrow.

Bernie Sanders too old?...Nah

Guess how old Ronald Reagan was when he was elected to office: he was 69. Bernie Sanders is just 74, five years older, and in good health, but it is reported that the Clinton campaign plans to attack Bernie on his age, perhaps even in the debate tonight. If this happens, it will be one of the low blows of the campaign, and hopefully Bernie will respond with his usual emphasis on the issues, showing Hillary's desperation in losing ground.

And then there are all the skeletons in Clinton's closet like Benghazi and the Emails that the Bern has elected not to pursue. Bernie Sanders has stayed on issue during this campaign just as he has in the 34 years he has been in political office. Hillary Clinton has flip-flopped on same sex marriage, gun control, the Iraq War and drivers licenses for illegal immigrants.

Okay, it's four to one; Bernie just flip flopped on his support for a bill that gave legal immunity to gun manufactures, now promising to back one that strips them of this immunity. But any way you cut it, there is more consistency in Bernie Sanders than Hillary Clinton. And you can depend on this consistency in his Presidency because he has no obligations to big donors, big business and those represented by Clinton's PACs.

By the way, Hillary Clinton is 68 years old.

Wanna know what Bernie Sanders is all about?

Here's what to expect with a Republican controlled Congress

Paul Ryan's budget