The White House - 1600 Daily: The road ahead for tax reform

The road ahead for tax reform
After a busy week of discussions and compromise, Senate Republicans backed up a major promise to the American people by passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act early Saturday morning.

The bill now advances to a congressional conference committee, which will reconcile any differences between the Senate’s version and similar legislation passed by the House last month. This process—an indispensable component of American democracy—will ensure that all voices are heard and that the final product sent to President Donald J. Trump later this month is the bill’s strongest version yet.

The President applauds the Senate for its work and looks forward to signing this momentous tax cut into law in time for Christmas. Click here to read the full statement on the Senate vote.

What President Trump will tell Utah today
President Trump will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, today to deliver an important message at the State Capitol. In April, the President ordered an extensive review of all large federal land expansions made since 1996 under the Antiquities Act—a 1906 law intended to safeguard national monuments that’s become a pretext for massive federal land grabs.
That report will be released this week. When the President goes to Utah today, he will lay out his proclamation to modify the boundaries for both the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments, explaining how certain past abuses of the Antiquities Act have harmed local communities.

It’s an important decision worth illuminating clearly. Here’s what the President’s proclamation does:

• Corrects past federal overreach
• Protects objects of national significance and prioritizes public access
• Facilitates infrastructure upgrades and maintenance
• Ensures tribal cultural use
• Protects hunting and fishing rights

Here’s what it doesn’t do:

Sell public lands wholesale Close or shrink national parks Drill for oil in national parks Leave tribal artifacts or fossils unprotected Watch the President’s speech live at 3:30 p.m. EST today. December update on the President’s nominations

This Week's "American Political Zone"

The American Political Zone - A Political Commentary on Current Events

One of the best political discussion programs you can find, our hosts possess a vast knowledge of current affairs and they share this with us in a lively and interesting fashion.  Featuring Daria Novak, 2nd District Congressional Candidate and President of the Institute for American Politics, and Frank Vernuccio, New York Analysis Policyand Government, The American Political Zone is now a regular feature in the Middletown Insider.

Today's topics are:   . . . Free speech, maltreatment of collage students who don't embrace liberal policies, and more.

Merriam-Webseter Word of the Day - Encapsulate

WORD OF THE DAY December 5, 2017

encapsulate    verb | in-KAP-suh-layt     Definition   1 : to enclose in or as if in a capsule   2 : to show or express in a brief way : epitomize, summarize   3 : to become enclosed in a capsule   Scroll down for more about encapsulate       WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE   November 2017 Words of the Day Quiz   The post-feast quiz.     PLAY NOW     Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try!  TAKE ME THERE     Plus:   SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW!         Did You Know?   Encapsulate and its related noun, capsule, derive from capsula, a diminutive form of the Latin noun capsa, meaning "box." Capsa also gave us our noun case (the container kind; the legal sense has a different origin). The original sense of encapsulate, meaning "to enclose something in a capsule," first

Roots in Ripon - All About Christmas

Photo from Wikipedia

Roots in Ripon

Chuck Roots

4 December 2017

www.chuckroots.com

The Ripon Bulletin

EDITOR'S NOTE:  Chuck has been a contributor to The Middletown Insider for a couple of years.  His column has a universal appeal, so it was only natural that his writing become a part of The South Central Bulldog.

It is truly a pleasure to share "Roots in Ripon, with my readers.  It covers a wide range of topics; his writing is informative, often humorous, inspiring and frequently touching, as he shares some of the most intimate parts of his life.  I hope you enjoy "Roots in Ripon" as much as I do.

Yes, it’s the Advent Season where all things Christmas are on full display. Decorations have been set up in stores for quite a few weeks. Plus, the advertising has focused on what you can get for that special someone. Not to mention office parties and large gatherings to celebrate Christmas and so on. 

This past weekend I was the guest speaker/preacher for a church in San Jose. It just so happens that this church is where Isaura and I were married forty-one-and-a-half years ago. It is also where I began my pastoral ministry as youth minister back in 1980 shortly after completing my master’s degree at seminary. 

          It has been 36 years since I was last there, so returning was exciting, to say the least. Who was still there that we would know? Who had either moved on, or passed on, was another question Isaura and I wondered about. In fact, as we were driving down to San Jose later on Saturday, I commented aloud about two teenagers I had had the privilege of leading to faith in Christ in 1981. I remembered Pam’s name because she was a senior at Willow Glen High School across the street from the church. But, for the life of me, I could not remember the boy’s name. 

One of the high school teachers contacted me asking if I would speak to her Sociology class, explaining the Christian view of Family & Marriage. Pam was in the first class I spoke to. Her boyfriend was attending another school. 

          After the class, Pam approached me with questions about the Christian faith. I made an appointment to meet with her in my office. She asked if she could bring her boyfriend. “You bet!” I said. As we sat and talked, it was clear to me that Pam was ready to ask Jesus into her heart. I looked at the boyfriend and asked if he wanted to accept Christ as his Savior, too. He said yes. 

Trump - Week 45: Dedicated Service Members

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

We hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving last week, and had the chance to celebrate with family, friends, and loved ones. On Thanksgiving Day, President Trump was honored to speak with members of each branch of the military deployed overseas via video conference, giving thanks to these brave members of our Armed forces. This included Army soldiers in Afghanistan, Marines in Iraq, Navy sailors cruising the Arabian Gulf, Air Force airmen in Turkey, and members of the Coast Guard in Kuwait. Vice President and Mrs. Pence also delivered Thanksgiving greetings to members of our military and their families when they visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. While we have so much to be grateful for, we are especially thankful this year for the dedicated service of our men and women in uniform, including those deployed overseas. God bless them and their families throughout this holiday season.

HONORING THE NAVAJO CODE TALKERS

President Trump held an event honoring three of the thirteen surviving Navajo Code Talkers of World War II. The Marine Corps recruited 29 young Navajos, not telling them what they are being recruited for, and then took them to a top-secret location just east of San Diego, where they created a military code to be used in the Pacific. Eventually, by the time the war ended in 1945, there were 400 Navajos that went to war. And because of the effectiveness the 260 code words grew to 600, subject to memory only. In every battle -- from the frontline, beach command post, command ship, all other ships - Code Talkers were used. This was a major accomplishment for the allies during the war and on the island of Iwo, in the first 48 hours of battle over 800 messages were sent by the 5th Marine Division. Major Connor said: Without Navajo, Marines would never have taken the island of Iwo Jima.



THE NEED FOR A DENUCLEARIZED NORTH KOREA

For the third time, North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong Un, oversaw the launch of an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile, claiming that this latest test proves the nation is a nuclear power and that it now has the capability of reaching mainland USA with a nuclear warhead. After a briefing from Defense Secretary

Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Steal Greene County Company Client Information

DAYTON – Christopher Paul Murphy, 68, of Golden Valley, Ariz., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the plea entered into before U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice.

According to the statement of facts in this case, Murphy intentionally attempted to access a protected computer system last month without authorization in an effort to gain information for his own private commercial gain.

Murphy planned to obtain client information of customers of National BiWeekly Mortgage Administration, Inc. (NBA) in Xenia. Murphy wanted to use the information to solicit customers to his own similar business.

The defendant attempted to obtain the information by causing an email containing malware to be sent to an NBA employee. He also provided a thumb drive to an NBA employee and directed that, in the event the malware failed, the employee should download the company’s client lists onto the thumb drive.

Murphy pleaded guilty to one count of intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization, which is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI and Assistant United States Attorney Brent G. Tabacchi, who is representing the United States in this case.

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day - Maudlin

WORD OF THE DAY December 4, 2017

maudlin    adjective | MAUD-lin     Definition   1 : drunk enough to be emotionally silly   2 : weakly and effusively sentimental   Scroll down for more about maudlin       WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE   November 2017 Words of the Day Quiz   The post-feast quiz.     PLAY NOW     Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try!  TAKE ME THERE     Plus:   SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW!         Did You Know?   The history of maudlin owes as much to the Bible as to the barroom. The

Senator Portman - Rob's Rundown: Week of Nov. 26 - Dec. 1, 2017

Excerpts of the interview can be found here and a video can be found here.

Senator Portman again spent his week working tirelessly to improve and advance the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, legislation that would boost the middle class and save the typical Ohio family $2,375 annually on their tax bill. Portman delivered three speeches on the Senate floor and made his case for tax reform on national and state TV in an effort to move this legislation forward. On Friday, the once-in-a-generation tax reform legislation passed the Senate. Portman will continue his work with the House to reform our outdated tax code and get this legislation signed into law in order to ease the burden on the middle class, increase jobs and wages for workers, and encourage jobs and investment in America, not overseas. For more information, please see the following:

Sunday, November 26

On NBC’s Meet The Press, Portman Discusses Tax Reform, Congressional Ethics Investigations & More

On Sunday, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) spoke with Chuck Todd on NBC’s Meet The Press about tax reform and several ongoing congressional ethics issues, including the fact that taxpayers have been forced to fund harassment settlements involving members of Congress.  Portman said “It’s outrageous that taxpayers are asked to pay these settlements in the first place, and yeah we should make transparent what has happened.”

Monday, November 27

 After White House Meeting, Portman Expresses Confidence the Senate Will Approve the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act

After meeting with President Trump and several of his Senate Finance Committee colleagues at the White House on Monday, Portman expressed confidence that the Senate will approve the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, which will help the middle class, create more jobs, and increase wages for American workers:

“We had a good meeting today and I want to thank the president for supporting our effort to deliver on the promise to cut taxes for middle-class families and reform a broken tax code. I am confident that the Senate will pass this bill and we will have a good bill on the president’s desk before Christmas.  Our tax code is long overdue for reform, and it’s critical we get this done to help middle-class families, to help create more jobs, and to increase wages for American workers.  Under our plan, a median income Ohio family will save $2,375 annually on their tax bill that they can instead use for gas or groceries, a car payment, retirement, college savings, or a family vacation.  I look forward to the debate this week and passing this bill on behalf of middle-class families.”

On Fox News, Portman Discusses Meeting with President Trump, How Tax Reform Will Help the Middle Class

In an interview on Fox News, Portman discussed the tax reform legislation that would save the typical

Merriam-Webster - Word of the Day, "Pillory"

WORD OF THE DAY December 3, 2017

pillory    noun | PILL-uh-ree     Definition   1 : a wooden frame for public punishment having holes in which the head and hands can be locked   2 : a means for exposing one to public scorn or ridicule   Scroll down for more about pillory       WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE   November 2017 Words of the Day Quiz   The post-feast quiz.     PLAY NOW     Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try!  TAKE ME THERE     Plus:   SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW!         Did You Know?   In days gone by, criminals who got caught might well have found themselves in the stocks (which held the feet or both feet and hands) or a pillory. Both of those forms of punishment—and the words that name them—have been around since the Middle Ages. We latched onto pillory from the Anglo-French pilori, which has the same meaning as our English term but the exact origins of which are uncertain. For centuries, pillory referred only to the wooden frame used to hold a ne'er-do-well, but by the early 1600s, folks had turned the word into a verb for the act of putting someone in a pillory. Within a century, they had further expanded the verb to cover any process that led to as much public humiliation as being pilloried.