EPA Denies Petition Calling for Lead Ammunition Ban

In one of the very few things the 0bama administration has done right, the EPA rejected a ridiculous backdoor attempt at gun control

In a swift and unexpected decision, the Environmental Protection Agency today rejected a petition from environmental groups to ban the use of lead in bullets and shotgun shells, claiming it doesn't have jurisdiction to weigh on the controversial Second Amendment issue. The decision came just hours after the Drudge Report posted stories from Washington Whispers and the Weekly Standard about how gun groups were fighting the lead bullet ban.

The EPA had planned to solicit public responses to the petition for two months, but this afternoon issued a statement rejecting a 100-page request from the Center for Biological Diversity, the American Bird Conservancy, and three other groups for a ban on lead bullets, shot, and fishing sinkers. The agency is still considering what to do about sinkers.

The decision was a huge victory for the National Rifle Association which just seven days ago asked that the EPA reject the petition, suggesting that it was a back door attempt to limit hunting and impose gun control. It also was a politically savvy move to take gun control off the table as the Democrats ready for a very difficult midterm election.

The Cost of Illegal Immigration

We often hear how illegal immigrants supposedly contribute tax dollars to our federal and state government coffers. The reality is they cost much more in government services than they contribute in tax revenue. A new study commissioned by the Federation for American Immigration Reform shows illegal immigrants cost the federal, state, and local governments a total of $113 billion per year and they only contribute $13.4 billion in taxes. In other words, they are only paying 12 cents on the dollar for the government services they consume.

Some more highlights of the study:

Illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers about $113 billion a year at the federal, state and local level. The bulk of the costs — some $84.2 billion — are absorbed by state and local governments.
The annual outlay that illegal aliens cost U.S. taxpayers is an average amount per native-headed household of $1,117. The fiscal impact per household varies considerably because the greatest share of the burden falls on state and local taxpayers whose burden depends on the size of the illegal alien population in that locality
Education for the children of illegal aliens constitutes the single largest cost to taxpayers, at an annual price tag of nearly $52 billion. Nearly all of those costs are absorbed by state and local governments.
At the federal level, about one-third of outlays are matched by tax collections from illegal aliens. At the state and local level, an average of less than 5 percent of the public costs associated with illegal immigration is recouped through taxes collected from illegal aliens.
Most illegal aliens do not pay income taxes. Among those who do, much of the revenues collected are refunded to the illegal aliens when they file tax returns. Many are also claiming tax credits resulting in payments from the U.S. Treasury.

If there are 11 million illegal immigrants living in the USA, and the estimated figures from the study are correct, that means the average illegal is consuming $10,272 in government services and paying only $1,218 in taxes. Why are our elected officials allowing this to happen?

And an even better question: Why are we allowing our elected officials to allow this to happen?

Gay Bar Next To Ground Zero Mosque To Cater To “Islamic Gay Men”

You've probably heard about the plans to build a muslim mosque next to the site of the former World Trade Center. Now Greg Gutfield of Fox News wants to open a gay bar for muslim men, next to the mosque:

No, this is not a joke. In fact, it is instead one of the most brilliant pieces of provocations in recent years. Greg Gutfeld from Fox News’ Red Eye announced today via his blog that he is actively speaking to investors and plans on opening a gay bar next to the controversial mosque being built near Ground Zero in New York. To make matters worse (better?) the bar will be specifically designed to cater to homosexuals of the Islamic faith. God, this is going to be an exciting block.

What an excellent idea! And lets ask the Saudis if they will mind if we build a Jewish synagogue next to the kabbah in Mecca.

A Very Useful Blogue