Venezuela’s toilet-paper shortage oddly worsening, despite Maduro’s “new economic order”

The arrival of basic staples such as cooking oil, chicken, flour or milk brings Venezuelans running to supermarkets and touches off surreal mob scenes, even as the government imposes price caps and rationing to prevent hoarding. …

“The store owners are doing this on purpose, to increase sales,” said Marjorie Urdaneta, a government supporter who said she believes Maduro when he accuses businesses of colluding with foreign powers to wage “economic war” against him.

“He should tell the stores: Make these items available — or else,” she said. 

http://hotair.com/archives/2014/02/01/venezuelas-toilet-paper-shortage-oddly-worsening-despite-maduros-new-economic-order/

Progressivism Kills

Detroit has the highest child-mortality rate of any American city, exceeding that of many parts of what we used to call the Third World. The rate of death before the age of 18 in Detroit is nearly three times New York City’s, and its infant-mortality rate exceeds that of Botswana. The main cause of premature death among the children of Detroit is premature birth — the second is murder. While the city’s murder rate among adults is nothing to be proud of, more horrifying is the fact that between 30 and 40 children are murdered in Detroit in a typical year....

The result of all that municipal “investment”? For children newborn through age 18, Detroit sees 120 deaths per 100,000 each year — a rate 26 percent higher than second-place child-killer Philadelphia.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/370095/progressivism-kills-kevin-d-williamson

myConstitution

Under the heading “Year of Action: Making Progress Through Executive Action,” the White House announced January 29 that Obama is using “his executive authority to direct the Department of the Treasury to create ‘myRA’—a new simple, safe and affordable ‘starter’ retirement savings account.” Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Obama’s former chief of staff, says the accounts are “modeled on the Roth IRA.” But the Roth IRA was created by law—passed by the people’s elected representatives in the House and the Senate (after having been spearheaded by Sen. William Roth) and signed into law by President Clinton—not by “executive authority.”

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/myconstitution_776002.html

Facing drought, California will not allot water to farmers, cities

State Department of Water Resources Director Mark Cowin said there simply is not enough water in the system to meet the needs of farmers, cities and the conservation efforts that are intended to save dwindling populations of salmon and other fish throughout Northern California.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/facing-drought-california-will-not-allot-water-to-farmers-cities/

U.S. Taxpayers Fund $52K Study of 16 Schizophrenic LGBT Canadians

American taxpayers are paying over $52,000 to study 16 LGBT individuals who have schizophrenia in Toronto, Canada.

The research project, “Defining Community for LGBT People with Schizophrenia,” will follow the lives of a handful of lesbian, gay, and transgender individuals for one year to study the societal “barriers” of this group.

“Sexual and gender minority individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) are amongst the most marginalized individuals in North American society,” the grant, which was awarded last August, said. “They face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that compound the effects of having a major mental illness, hampering recovery and frustrating efforts to meaningfully participate in our communities.”

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, in Toronto, will conduct the study, which will cost $52,773 in its first year. The project lists an end date of July 2015

http://freebeacon.com/u-s-taxpayers-fund-52k-study-of-16-schizophrenic-lgbt-canadians/

Amanda Knox Found Guilty Again: Why the Court Could Be (Sort of) Right

http://abcnews.go.com/International/amanda-knox-found-guilty-court-sort/story?id=22306461&singlePage=true

Congressman Michael 'I will break you in half' Grimm is literally indebted to K Street giant Patton Boggs

For instance: Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., recently famous for threatening violence against a reporter, is under scrutiny for campaign finance matters. His recent campaign finance filings show he owes more than $416,000 in legal fees to a law firm (h/t Dave Levinthal). That firm happens to be K Street kingpin Patton Boggs.

Grimm sits on the Financial Services Committee. The firm to which he is indebted representsCitigroup, Visa, AIG, Prudential, Goldman Sachs, and many others under his committee's jurisdiction.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/congressman-michael-i-will-break-you-in-half-grimm-is-literally-indebted-to-k-street-giant-patton-boggs/article/2543264