What exactly is the new Hillary Clinton-Univision relationship?

(My new American Thinker post)

Am I the only one who finds the Hillary Clinton-Univision arrangement a bit strange?  After all, isn't the lady a candidate for president and the other a news organization?

According to Marc Caputo of The Miami Herald, little has been said in the media about this very unusual union:

"The Spanish-language network, which broadcasts from Doral, has remarkably close ties with Clinton - from the way the media giant covers immigration to the financial backing of its top leader to a new initiative between the network and the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

Barely a peep from the press, though. 

Last week, at an East Harlem event featuring Clinton, Univision touted a multi-year partnership with a foundation-led learning initiative for children 5 and younger. The success of the " Pequeños y Valiosos" (or "Young and Valuable") partnership will take time to measure.   

But it began paying immediate dividends for Clinton.  

Clinton's face is featured in five of seven slides on the Univision website promoting the partnership with the foundation's "Too Small to Fail" initiative. Taking no press questions at the event, Clinton was featured in the type of feel-good classroom setting that politicians on the campaign trail crave."

I guess that Univision wants us to believe that Hillary Clinton is not a political figure or a partisan on education issues. 

It would have made a lot more sense if Univision had "partnered" with high visibility athletes or movie stars.

I like that Univision wants to promote education learning initiatives for kids 5 and under but did they have to do it with a woman running for president?   That's "a no-win" situation for a news organization!

Finally, the irony is that Hillary Clinton, and Democrats, oppose the  kind of reforms or vouchers that would liberate many Hispanic parents from the public schools.

P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.

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Looking for a Democrat who screams: Enough changes to Obamacare without congressional consent

(My new American Thinker post)

During the Obama Care debate in late 2009, we called for a Senate Democrat to stand up and say "stop." From Pryor in Arkansas to Kagan in North Carolina to Landreaux in Louisiana, they all went along with it.  

Or maybe they thought that the Supreme Court would throw it out or do the job that they didn't have the courage to do.

We ask again: Is there a Democrat willing to tell President Obama that he does not have the authority to change a law that Congress passed?

President Obama has changed Obama Care again as reported by the Wall Street Journal:

"Under the new Treasury rule, firms with 50 to 99 full-time workers are free from the mandate until 2016. And firms with 100 or more workers now also only need cover 70% of full-time workers in 2015 and 95% in 2016 and after, not the 100% specified in the law.   

The new rule also relaxes the mandate for certain occupations and industries that were at particular risk for disruption, like volunteer firefighters, teachers, adjunct faculty members and seasonal employees. Oh, and the Treasury also notes that, "As these limited transition rules take effect, we will consider whether it is necessary to further extend any of them beyond 2015." So the law may be suspended indefinitely if the White House feels like it.  

By now ObamaCare's proliferating delays, exemptions and administrative retrofits are too numerous to count, most of them of dubious legality. The text of the Affordable Care Actspecifically says when the mandate must take effect-"after December 31, 2013"-and does not give the White House the authority to change the terms.   

Changing an unambiguous statutory mandate requires the approval of Congress, but then this President has often decided the law is whatever he says it is. His Administration's cavalier notions about law enforcement are especially notable here for their bias for corporations over people. The White House has refused to suspend the individual insurance mandate, despite the harm caused to millions who are losing their previous coverage.   Liberals say the law isn't harming jobs or economic growth, but everything this White House does screams the opposite."

We remember back in 1998 when Senator Lieberman went to the floor of the US Senate and criticized President Clinton's behavior. It earned Senator Lieberman a lot of respect all over the country.

Where is a Democrat US Senator who will go to the floor and say: "You can't change the law without coming to us!  Read the constitution."

P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.

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More and more students are learning Spanish "the virtual way"

We spoke on Monday with  Carlos A. Roncal, CEO of World language Schools.   

We discussed the importance of learning Spanish in today's business marketplace.

Carlos also explained the growth in "virtual education", from business graduate courses to learning Spanish.

Click here for the show:

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Wendy Davis is talking guns these days, not abortion

(My new American Thinker post)

Wendy Davis, the likely Democrat nominee for Texas governor, is talking a lot about guns these days as reported in The Dallas Morning News:

"The Wild West tradition of openly carrying your six-shooter on the street has long been banned in Texas under state law. But the next governor could change that.   

Rising Democratic star and gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis has joined her top Republican rival in supporting a proposed "open carry" law. It would allow people with concealed handgun licenses to wear a pistol on their hip, in full view, while in public.  

Davis has said she supports expanding gun rights in Texas. In a statement to The Associated Press, she said that includes open-carry - a position that puts her at odds with her own party but could keep her from alienating gun rights advocates in a deeply conservative state where the Second Amendment is sacrosanct.  

Davis' position now aligns her with her Republican gubernatorial rival, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, marking her latest effort to eliminate it as a wedge issue in the campaign.  

The state senator from Fort Worth said such a law should allow private property owners to determine whether weapons could be openly carried on their property. She also said background checks and training requirements would "help ensure that only mentally stable, law-abiding citizens may carry, whether concealed or open."  

But her party and influential Democratic colleagues, including a fellow state senator running for lieutenant governor, disagree.  

"There is little or no public safety justification for open carry," said Emmanuel Garcia, spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party."

The other thing we learned about Miss Davis this week is that she used to be a Republican. A few years ago, she registered as a Republican to vote in some primaries.

I'm a little confused.  She does not talk about abortion anymore, wants Texans to carry a "six-shooter" and used to be a GOP voter.  

It all sounds a bit strange to me but that's the latest from Wendy Davis this week!  I have a funny feeling that we will have another update soon.

P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.

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The CBO report is direct and simple

(My new American Thinker post)

Yes, both sides play the "hype" and "spin game".    Am I the only person who is not surprised to see politicians play politics? 

However, the CBO report is bad news for Dems, or at least the few still defending Obama Care.

This is the bottom line about the CBO, as presented by Carl Cannon:

"What the CBO report makes plain is that under Obamacare a huge cohort of Americans will realize they'd be better off financially if they cut back on their hours or quit working altogether so as to not jeopardize their (taxpayer-financed) health care subsidies.   
Here's the rub: Who will be paying for their health care costs? There are two possible answers; one: Americans who remain in the workforce, most of whom are middle class, with economic worries of their own; two: future generations of Americans-as we are borrowing prodigiously to pay for current spending."

That is simple and to the point.   

Since President Obama got "just enough votes" to push the ACA over the finish line, we've been saying that this is law that is more than a health care law.

I think that the CBO's latest report confirms that.

Repeal please!  

P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.

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Another bad jobs report for our friend 'Mr Expectations'

(My new American Thinker post)

Another Friday jobs report and more concerns about the recovery, or the "stimulus" that never stimulated.   

The big loser in this jobs report is our friend "Mr. Expectations." It looks like Mr Expectations did not see the numbers that he was expecting, according to Reuters:

"U.S. employers hired far fewer workers than expected in January and job gains for the prior month were barely revised up, suggesting a loss of momentum in the economy, even as the unemployment rate hit a new five-year low of 6.6 percent."

The BLS report showed little change for teens, blacks or Hispanics, a major political problem for Democrats:

"Both the number of unemployed persons, at 10.2 million, and the unemployment rate, at 6.6 percent, changed little in January.

Since October, the jobless rate has decreased by 0.6 percentage point.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (6.2 percent), adult women (5.9 percent), teenagers (20.7 percent), whites (5.7 percent), blacks (12.1 percent), and Hispanics (8.4 percent) showed little change in January.

The jobless rate for Asians was 4.8 percent (not seasonally adjusted), down by 1.7 percentage points over the year.")

The problem is that we need 150,000 new jobs just to keep up with population.

Maybe "the Obama cultists" in the media, and those in the population who still approve of President Obama's performance, will look at themselves in the mirror and join us in saying:  It ain't working! . 

We need some changes because this is not working at all, especially for 3 groups ("teens, black and Hispanics") who elected and reelected President Obama. 

P. S. You can hear my chat with Franke Burke, contributor to American Thinker & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.

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The state of the US middle class with Frank Burke

FRIDAY: The state of the US middle class with Frank Burke....Listen in now at http://t.co/KHdKl5tsUO. #BlogTalkRadio
— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) February 8, 2014

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No respect shown by Obama for Argentina

(My new American Thinker post)

Let's be fair and admit that ambassadorships are often handed out to friends of the president. So I will cut President Obama some slack if he chooses a political friend to fill an ambassador's post.

But not Argentina. Not today's Argentina.

Senator Rubio and Mr. Noah Bryson Mamet, our future ambassador, had this incredible conversation:

"SEN. MARCO RUBIO: Mr. Mamet, have you been to Argentina?

NOAH BRYSON MAMET, NOMINEE: Senator, I haven't had the opportunity yet to be there. I travel pretty extensively around the world, but I haven't yet had the chance.

RUBIO: Well, here's why I ask -- this is with all due respect. You have an impressive resume, work, and so forth. Obviously, we're interested in your testimony and what we learn in the days to come leading up the nomination, but I don't view this appointment as one -- I think this is a very significant post."

Yes, it is a very important post. 

There are two problems with this nomination:

First, it will make him a "joke" before he presents his credentials in Buenos Aaires.  Most people in Argentina will find this appointment insulting and further confirmation of President Obama's indifference to the region.

Second, Argentina is in deep trouble, as reported by Ian Vazquez of Forbes:

"Argentina's luck is finally starting to run out. It devalued its currency by 15 percent last week, marking the beginning of a possible economic crisis of the kind Argentina has become known for."

Argentina may soon default on its foreign debt and it could hurt its neighbors. 

My bottom line is that we need someone in Argentina who's had some knowledge of this very important country.

We don't need a US diplomat who will be the target of jokes, such as never having been to the country he is ambassador to.

P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.

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Barry Jacobsen and "flash points" that could start a major war......

THURSDAY: Barry Jacobsen and "flash points" that could start a major war......Listen in now at http://t.co/Y9UOGJB1AH. #BlogTalkRadio
— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) February 7, 2014

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State Department official praises 'tone' of talks in Havana with Cuban gangsters

(My new American Thinker post)

Thanks to Alberto de La Cruz for bringing this to our attention.

Can someone explain this to me and anybody who believes in freedom of the press and the rule of law? 

Senator Rubio has just sent a letter to Secretary Kerry about something that just happened in Cuba: 

"Dear Secretary Kerry,   
I am greatly disappointed and concerned about the unprecedented decision to allow Mr. Alex Lee, the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere to hold a press conference while visiting Havana in the context of the Administration's migration talks with the Cuban regime. I am particularly troubled that his press conference and remarks in Havana, as reported by media outlets, diverged from and were incoherent with the goals of U.S. policy. 
As you know, the Cuban regime has maintained its enduring and close ties to U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations, such as the FARC, continues to support regimes allied to Iran and their proxies, and has yet to take any meaningful actions to stop harboring American fugitives responsible for the death of U.S. law enforcement officers. The regime holds a dubious record as the worst human rights violator in the Western Hemisphere. In fact, while Mr. Lee was praising the "tone" and "constructiveness" of his discussions with the Cuban regime, human rights activists were being brutally beaten and arrested by the authorities. Among those arrested was renowned blind lawyer and dissident leader Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leyva. 
It was particularly distasteful to read Mr. Lee's praises of the tone of his discussions with Cuban officials while Mr. Alan Gross, an elderly American humanitarian worker, remains unjustly incarcerated by Mr. Lee's interlocutors. As you know, Cuban authorities have steadfastly refused several appeals for Mr. Gross' unconditional, humanitarian release, despite numerous requests and widespread concern in the United States for his condition. Furthermore, I am concerned that, while you have previously declared the Cuban regime's demand to exchange Mr. Gross' freedom for the release of four Cuban spies imprisoned in the U.S. a non-starter, Mr. Lee was reported as merely "taking note" of the regime's reiteration of this demand, rather than reaffirming your previous clear stance on this sensitive matter. 
Given these facts, I question the wisdom of authorizing an unconfirmed, mid-level official to conduct an unprecedented press conference in Havana, which gave a much needed propaganda coup to a beleaguered totalitarian regime desperate for international credibility. Please clarify the reasons behind such a decision, as well as the role of officials in your department, including Assistant Secretary Roberta Jacobson, Mr. Alex Lee, and Chief of Mission Caulfield in that decision and the drafting of Mr. Lee's comments."

Why Cuba?  Why a country that has no free press?

I think that we need an explanation for this.

Who authorized this? I can't believe that a State Department bureaucrat just got on a plane and went to Cuba without getting clearance from someone on Secretary Kerry's staff. 

P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.

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