Wednesday, March 31, 2010
GOP ANNOUNCES HEALTHCARE 218!!!
Announcing Healthcare 218: Educating the American Public About the Need to Repeal and Replace
March 30, 2010
http://www.gop.gov/solutions/healthcare
by Rep. Peter Roskam (IL)
Today I announced open registration for a new educational course called Healthcare 218: Intro to the Democrat Health Plan. With 218 days between now and November 2, 2010, and 218 votes needed in the House to repeal and replace the recently passed legislation, Healthcare 218 will daily chronicle the massive new costs, delays, hidden problems and bureaucratic hurdles the recently passed healthcare legislation will impose on American families.
In urging passage of the Democrat health overhaul bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the American people, “we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.” Healthcare 218 will do just that, educating the public about what this $1 trillion legislation actually accomplishes: raising healthcare costs and taxes on the middle class, piling on to the national debt, and interfering with the doctor patient relationship.
In the days and weeks before ramming this bill through Congress, Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid pulled out all the stops, manipulating the legislative process to pressure and strong-arm votes for their healthcare bill. It won’t take scare tactics and backroom deals for the American public to pass its final exam on November 2nd.
Class number 1 of 218: The Democrat health bill imposes more than half-a-trillion dollars in job killing taxes on American families and employers. For an overview of tax increases in the Pelosi Health Plan, see here. Also, see here and here for details on the tax increases and new costs to individuals, according to the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation and Congressional Budget Office.
The Republican Alternative would lower healthcare costs without massive job killing taxes. It's a fact!
THE DEMOCRATS' LIBERAL FASCIST THREATS AGAINST AMERICA'S JOB CREATORS CONTINUES!!!
Democrats’ Chicago-Style Threats Against Job Creators Continue
3/30/2010
From the Republican National Committee
Democrats are turning to Chicago-style threats to defend their government-run health care bill. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) sent letters to CEOs of companies who told investors about the new costs they’ll accrue because of the Democrats’ takeover of the health care industry. In addition to a year worth of documentation, Waxman also wants the CEOs to come to Washington D.C. so they can be grilled by his committee. Since Waxman and the rest of the Democrat leadership has spent the last year on a disinformation campaign suggesting their government takeover will lower costs, they’re understandably upset at getting publicly called out.
But these companies have to do it, because publicly-traded corporations can’t quote empty promises from Democrats when dealing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. That’s why AT&T submitted this report in accordance with securities law:
On March 23, 2010, the President signed into law comprehensive health care reform legislation under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (HR 3590). Included among the major provisions of the law is a change in the tax treatment of the Medicare Part D subsidy. AT&T Inc. (“AT&T”) intends to take a non-cash charge of approximately $1 billion in the first quarter of 2010 to reflect the impact of this change. As a result of this legislation, including the additional tax burden, AT&T will be evaluating prospective changes to the active and retiree health care benefits offered by the company.
So who are you going to believe? The executives at AT&T who are required to disclose all potential costs to its shareholders or partisan Democrat Henry Waxman? To learn more about Waxman’s threats, and the range of businesses that’ll be hurt by the Democrats’ anti-business health care legislation, read yesterday’s Health Care Pulse Check, “Chicago-Style Bullying Begins.” (see link below)
Health Care Pulse Check: Chicago-Style Bullying Begins
SOURCE: RNC
OSAMA'S STATE OF ILLINOIS FACES $22 MILLION HIT!!! OBAMA SUPPORTERS INTIMIDATING INVESTORS & EMPLOYERS WHILE UNEMPLOYMENT INCREASES!!!
Healthcare takeover delivers $22M hit to Illinois Tool Works
3/30/2010
From the National Republican Congressional Committee
Healthcare Takeover Delivers $22 Million Hit in Obama’s Back Yard
How Will Illinois Tool Work’s 60K Employees Be Affected By Cost Hike?
President Obama Promised Economic Growth And Job Creation In Aftermath Of Dems’ Healthcare Takeover:
“President Barack Obama used his weekly radio address to tout the economic benefits of overhauling the health care system, saying that reform would help build a ‘new foundation for our economy to create the good, lasting jobs and shared prosperity of tomorrow.’” (Nia-Malika Henderson, “Obama: Health bill will create jobs,” Politico, 1/9/10)
RED ALERT: Manufacturer in President Obama’s Home State Hit With $22 Million in Cost Increases:
“Illinois Tool Works Inc. lowered its first quarter and yearly earnings forecast Tuesday due to costs related to the health care legislation recently passed by Congress. The industrial equipment maker said it will record a tax adjustment of $22 million, or 4 cents per share, to reflect the fact that future Medicare prescription drug subsidies received by the company for retiree prescription drug coverage will now be taxable.” (“Illinois Tool Works Lowers Outlook,” Associated Press, 3/30/10)
NOTE: According to the website for Illinois Tool Works, the company’s “825 decentralized business units in 52 countries employ approximately 60,000 men and women.” (Illinois Tool Works Website, Accessed 03/30/10)
SOURCE: NASDAQ
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Schilling accuses Hare of intimidating John Deere and Caterpillar
3/31/2010
Bobby Schilling, the Republican Candidate for the Illinois 17th Congressional District, declared the Democratic Party is attempting to intimidate companies who fail to yield to the party's agenda. Democratic leadership recently demanded that the CEOs of John Deere and Caterpillar appear before Congress and surrender company documents, a move that has apparently met with the tacit approval of the district's current Congressman, Phil Hare.
"Our Congressman cannot even muster the smallest protest to this threat to our community's jobs and livelihoods while he marches in lockstep with Nancy Pelosi, Henry Waxman, and the liberal California Congressmen who run our government," Schilling said.
On March 26th, Rep. Henry Waxman, the Chair of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, issued letters to the CEOs of Caterpillar and John Deere, the two largest employers in the 17th district, demanding that they turn over any and all documents and emails related to their recent earnings statements and that they testify before Congress to explain their actions. Both companies, along with a host of other Fortune 500 companies, announced that the latest healthcare legislation will lower future profits by hundreds of millions of dollars, which will hurt their employees as well as the economies they are located in. The companies explained in their announcements that they had to estimate the legislation's impact on profits soon after the legislation passed in order to comply with SEC regulations.
Schilling said that these "companies employ thousands of workers in our district, and the recently passed healthcare legislation will cost each company hundreds of millions of dollars. More importantly, the legislation takes away any incentive these companies have to provide retiree drug benefits. By merely reporting these facts, as they are required to do by the Financial Accounting and Standards Board, Chairman Waxman has decided to rake them over the coals and bring their CEOs to DC for what will amount to little more than a show trial.
"Given Hare's silence on the subject, it seems that when he has to choose between loyalty to his party's leadership and jobs in his district, he sticks with his party bosses. My loyalty will always be to the jobs of the men and women who live and work in the 17th district of Illinois."
*********
Illinois now has 2nd worst municipal bond rating in nation
3/31/2010
From Bloomberg News
Illinois' rating on $23.4 billion of municipal bonds was cut one level to A- by Fitch Ratings, which cited a rising budget deficit in the next fiscal year for the second-lowest rated state after California.
The fiscal 2011 budget "will not sufficiently" address the estimated general fund gap, expected to total $9.3 billion, or 33 percent of revenue, Fitch said in a report today. Fitch kept the state on a ratings watch list for a possible further downgrade from the fourth-lowest investment grade.
The lower ranking may raise the state's borrowing cost as it comes to market with more than $1 billion of new debt and investors demand a higher yield. Standard & Poor's cut the state's rating March 26 by one level to A+, its fifth-highest, and Moody's Investors Service today assigned an A2 rating with a negative outlook, meaning the bonds may be downgraded.
SOURCE: Bloomberg News via Daily Herald
3/30/2010
From the National Republican Congressional Committee
Healthcare Takeover Delivers $22 Million Hit in Obama’s Back Yard
How Will Illinois Tool Work’s 60K Employees Be Affected By Cost Hike?
President Obama Promised Economic Growth And Job Creation In Aftermath Of Dems’ Healthcare Takeover:
“President Barack Obama used his weekly radio address to tout the economic benefits of overhauling the health care system, saying that reform would help build a ‘new foundation for our economy to create the good, lasting jobs and shared prosperity of tomorrow.’” (Nia-Malika Henderson, “Obama: Health bill will create jobs,” Politico, 1/9/10)
RED ALERT: Manufacturer in President Obama’s Home State Hit With $22 Million in Cost Increases:
“Illinois Tool Works Inc. lowered its first quarter and yearly earnings forecast Tuesday due to costs related to the health care legislation recently passed by Congress. The industrial equipment maker said it will record a tax adjustment of $22 million, or 4 cents per share, to reflect the fact that future Medicare prescription drug subsidies received by the company for retiree prescription drug coverage will now be taxable.” (“Illinois Tool Works Lowers Outlook,” Associated Press, 3/30/10)
NOTE: According to the website for Illinois Tool Works, the company’s “825 decentralized business units in 52 countries employ approximately 60,000 men and women.” (Illinois Tool Works Website, Accessed 03/30/10)
SOURCE: NASDAQ
***********
Schilling accuses Hare of intimidating John Deere and Caterpillar
3/31/2010
Bobby Schilling, the Republican Candidate for the Illinois 17th Congressional District, declared the Democratic Party is attempting to intimidate companies who fail to yield to the party's agenda. Democratic leadership recently demanded that the CEOs of John Deere and Caterpillar appear before Congress and surrender company documents, a move that has apparently met with the tacit approval of the district's current Congressman, Phil Hare.
"Our Congressman cannot even muster the smallest protest to this threat to our community's jobs and livelihoods while he marches in lockstep with Nancy Pelosi, Henry Waxman, and the liberal California Congressmen who run our government," Schilling said.
On March 26th, Rep. Henry Waxman, the Chair of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, issued letters to the CEOs of Caterpillar and John Deere, the two largest employers in the 17th district, demanding that they turn over any and all documents and emails related to their recent earnings statements and that they testify before Congress to explain their actions. Both companies, along with a host of other Fortune 500 companies, announced that the latest healthcare legislation will lower future profits by hundreds of millions of dollars, which will hurt their employees as well as the economies they are located in. The companies explained in their announcements that they had to estimate the legislation's impact on profits soon after the legislation passed in order to comply with SEC regulations.
Schilling said that these "companies employ thousands of workers in our district, and the recently passed healthcare legislation will cost each company hundreds of millions of dollars. More importantly, the legislation takes away any incentive these companies have to provide retiree drug benefits. By merely reporting these facts, as they are required to do by the Financial Accounting and Standards Board, Chairman Waxman has decided to rake them over the coals and bring their CEOs to DC for what will amount to little more than a show trial.
"Given Hare's silence on the subject, it seems that when he has to choose between loyalty to his party's leadership and jobs in his district, he sticks with his party bosses. My loyalty will always be to the jobs of the men and women who live and work in the 17th district of Illinois."
*********
Illinois now has 2nd worst municipal bond rating in nation
3/31/2010
From Bloomberg News
Illinois' rating on $23.4 billion of municipal bonds was cut one level to A- by Fitch Ratings, which cited a rising budget deficit in the next fiscal year for the second-lowest rated state after California.
The fiscal 2011 budget "will not sufficiently" address the estimated general fund gap, expected to total $9.3 billion, or 33 percent of revenue, Fitch said in a report today. Fitch kept the state on a ratings watch list for a possible further downgrade from the fourth-lowest investment grade.
The lower ranking may raise the state's borrowing cost as it comes to market with more than $1 billion of new debt and investors demand a higher yield. Standard & Poor's cut the state's rating March 26 by one level to A+, its fifth-highest, and Moody's Investors Service today assigned an A2 rating with a negative outlook, meaning the bonds may be downgraded.
SOURCE: Bloomberg News via Daily Herald
IF THE DEMOCRATS COMMUNIST TAXATION METHODS AREN'T ENOUGH, NOW THE DEMOCRATS ARE INTERROGATING AND TORTURING AMERICA'S FREE-MARKET CAPITALISTS!!!
Updated March 31, 2010
Democrats Accused of Trying to 'Intimidate' Firms for Airing Health Care Concerns
FOXNews.com
The CEOs of some of the country's biggest companies are being summoned to Washington to defend claims that the health care reform law would cost them millions -- a move Republicans say amounts to intimidation.
The CEOs of some of the country's biggest companies are being summoned to Washington to defend claims that the health care reform law would cost them millions -- a move Republicans say amounts to intimidation.
Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on Friday fired off letters to the heads of Caterpillar, Verizon, AT&T and Deere after they and other firms reported that the health care overhaul would dig deep into their bottom lines.
Caterpillar claimed it would raise costs by $100 million in the first year and imperil coverage for its 150,000 employees and retirees. Deere estimated it would raise expenses by $150 million.
Waxman, in his letters, called these estimates a "matter of concern" and said they "appear to conflict with independent analyses" showing the law would lead to a decrease in premium costs for large companies.
Waxman called the CEOs to Washington to testify at an April 21 hearing and requested full documentation from the firms detailing how they arrived at their estimates.
HILLARY'S OFFICIAL FACES FEDERAL PROSECUTION FOR POCKETING TOP SECRET DOCUMENTS!!
FOX NEWS
Updated March 31, 2010
State Department Official Accused of Pocketing Top Secret Documents
By Mike Levine
- FOXNews.com
A long-time State Department official with top security clearance is under investigation by his own agency for allegedly possessing and illegally transporting classified information, including "extremely sensitive" documents related to national security, according to court documents.
A long-time State Department official with top security clearance is under investigation by his own agency for allegedly possessing and illegally transporting classified information, including "extremely sensitive" documents related to national security, according to court documents.
Reginald Hopson, a 30-year veteran of the State Department, had been stationed overseas for the past 12 years, but he is now working in Washington, with his clearance suspended, as the investigation continues.
Most recently, Hopson was "Information Management Officer" at the U.S. embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, where he was in charge of securing and managing classified information, particularly electronic information. Until August 2009, he was assigned to the U.S. embassy in Trinidad and Tobago.
Before Hopson left for his post in South Africa, State Department investigators working on an unrelated case in Trinidad and Tobago discovered that he had brought sensitive documents to unauthorized locations. Among the documents found were a Drug Enforcement Administration cable "detailing an ongoing undercover operation" and a State Department cable from April 2008 labeled "confidential," according to court documents.
State Department investigators also found that four boxes Hopson had packed for shipment to Trinidad and Tobago contained sensitive documents, including a "confidential" State Department cable written three months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and two "secret" U.S. government cables related to national defense, according to court documents.
"(One cable) was an extremely sensitive document whose subject matter had no relation to Hopson's job responsibilities and should not have been in his possession," State Department Special Agent Stanwyn Becton said in an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland.
In interviews with investigators in September 2009, Hopson gave conflicting accounts of the situation, according to court documents.
"Hopson initially stated he just dumped the contents of his personnel files into the shipping boxes," Becton wrote. "He then changed his story and said that he had, in fact, looked through the documents before putting them in the boxes, but he must have somehow overlooked the classified documents."
Hopson suggested that another State Department employee whom he "did not get along with" might have "placed classified documents in his shipment without his knowledge," according to Becton.
In a written statement, Hopson insisted he "in no way sold or gave any classified or unclassified documents to anyone not cleared to see them."
A month later, in October 2009, Hopson was informed that his clearance was being suspended. He subsequently packed some files in a box and laptop bag, including two classified documents later discovered by State Department officials, according to court documents.
Hopson said he "overlooked" the classified documents and apologized for the oversight, court documents said.
Two weeks later he was ordered back to Washington, where he is currently stationed, according to the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
"Annually, there are a limited number of instances where the (State Department) performs investigations resulting in the curtailment of an individual's assignment abroad which are serious enough to warrant suspension of their security clearance," a State Department source told The Washington Times, which first reported the story.
Before returning to Washington, Hopson packed many of his "household effects" and shipped them to Baltimore. More than 170 boxes of items and documents have been stored at Eagle Van Lines in Temple Hills, Md., ever since.
On Jan. 29, with the support of the affidavit filed by Becton, federal authorities searched those boxes looking for any sensitive materials. According to court documents, authorities confiscated disks, DVDs, photos and paper documents, but it's unclear whether any classified or other sensitive information was found.
This is not the first time Hopson has faced scrutiny for allegedly mishandling classified information. In March 1994, he was issued a security violation for faxing a classified document through an unsecure fax machine, according to court documents.
Hopson has not been charged in the recent incidents, but court documents allege he may have violated two laws, one prohibiting "unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents" and one covering "gross negligence" that allows classified information to be removed from its "proper place of custody" or delivered to someone else.
Defendants charged and convicted on both counts could face up to 11 years in prison.
A Justice Department official could not say whether federal prosecutors are conducting their own investigation and looking to bring charges.
Hopson could not be reached for comment.
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Updated March 31, 2010
State Department Official Accused of Pocketing Top Secret Documents
By Mike Levine
- FOXNews.com
A long-time State Department official with top security clearance is under investigation by his own agency for allegedly possessing and illegally transporting classified information, including "extremely sensitive" documents related to national security, according to court documents.
A long-time State Department official with top security clearance is under investigation by his own agency for allegedly possessing and illegally transporting classified information, including "extremely sensitive" documents related to national security, according to court documents.
Reginald Hopson, a 30-year veteran of the State Department, had been stationed overseas for the past 12 years, but he is now working in Washington, with his clearance suspended, as the investigation continues.
Most recently, Hopson was "Information Management Officer" at the U.S. embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, where he was in charge of securing and managing classified information, particularly electronic information. Until August 2009, he was assigned to the U.S. embassy in Trinidad and Tobago.
Before Hopson left for his post in South Africa, State Department investigators working on an unrelated case in Trinidad and Tobago discovered that he had brought sensitive documents to unauthorized locations. Among the documents found were a Drug Enforcement Administration cable "detailing an ongoing undercover operation" and a State Department cable from April 2008 labeled "confidential," according to court documents.
State Department investigators also found that four boxes Hopson had packed for shipment to Trinidad and Tobago contained sensitive documents, including a "confidential" State Department cable written three months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and two "secret" U.S. government cables related to national defense, according to court documents.
"(One cable) was an extremely sensitive document whose subject matter had no relation to Hopson's job responsibilities and should not have been in his possession," State Department Special Agent Stanwyn Becton said in an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland.
In interviews with investigators in September 2009, Hopson gave conflicting accounts of the situation, according to court documents.
"Hopson initially stated he just dumped the contents of his personnel files into the shipping boxes," Becton wrote. "He then changed his story and said that he had, in fact, looked through the documents before putting them in the boxes, but he must have somehow overlooked the classified documents."
Hopson suggested that another State Department employee whom he "did not get along with" might have "placed classified documents in his shipment without his knowledge," according to Becton.
In a written statement, Hopson insisted he "in no way sold or gave any classified or unclassified documents to anyone not cleared to see them."
A month later, in October 2009, Hopson was informed that his clearance was being suspended. He subsequently packed some files in a box and laptop bag, including two classified documents later discovered by State Department officials, according to court documents.
Hopson said he "overlooked" the classified documents and apologized for the oversight, court documents said.
Two weeks later he was ordered back to Washington, where he is currently stationed, according to the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
"Annually, there are a limited number of instances where the (State Department) performs investigations resulting in the curtailment of an individual's assignment abroad which are serious enough to warrant suspension of their security clearance," a State Department source told The Washington Times, which first reported the story.
Before returning to Washington, Hopson packed many of his "household effects" and shipped them to Baltimore. More than 170 boxes of items and documents have been stored at Eagle Van Lines in Temple Hills, Md., ever since.
On Jan. 29, with the support of the affidavit filed by Becton, federal authorities searched those boxes looking for any sensitive materials. According to court documents, authorities confiscated disks, DVDs, photos and paper documents, but it's unclear whether any classified or other sensitive information was found.
This is not the first time Hopson has faced scrutiny for allegedly mishandling classified information. In March 1994, he was issued a security violation for faxing a classified document through an unsecure fax machine, according to court documents.
Hopson has not been charged in the recent incidents, but court documents allege he may have violated two laws, one prohibiting "unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents" and one covering "gross negligence" that allows classified information to be removed from its "proper place of custody" or delivered to someone else.
Defendants charged and convicted on both counts could face up to 11 years in prison.
A Justice Department official could not say whether federal prosecutors are conducting their own investigation and looking to bring charges.
Hopson could not be reached for comment.
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MAXINE WATERS & BARNEY FRANK INVOLVED IN CRIMINAL TARP ALLOCATIONS!!!
Treasury Emails Suggest Rep. Barney Frank Called Former Treasury Secretary Paulson to Obtain TARP Cash for OneUnited Bank
Frank Lobbied Regulators to Shake Loose a $12 million TARP Grant for Troubled Boston-Based Bank Located in His Congressional District; California Rep. Maxine Waters, Whose Husband Served on OneUnited’s Board of Directors, Also Intervened Contact Information:
Press Office 202-646-5172, ext 305
Washington, DC -- March 31, 2010
Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that new documents suggest Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) personally called former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson regarding a cash infusion from the government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) for the Boston-based OneUnited Bank. On November 25, 2008, following Frank’s intervention, the Treasury Department awarded $12,063,000 in bailout funds to OneUnited, which is located in Frank’s district. According to the Wall Street Journal, Frank publicly admitted he spoke to a “federal regulator” regarding OneUnited, but “he didn’t remember which federal regulator he spoke with.”
The documents, obtained by Judicial Watch in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed against Treasury, include correspondence between Frank and Treasury as well as internal Treasury emails referencing attempts by Frank and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), whose husband, Sidney Williams, served on the OneUnited Board of Directors, to intervene on behalf of the Massachusetts Bank. Williams resigned shortly after Waters approached federal regulators regarding the OneUnited TARP grant.
An October 17, 2008, email from former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Banking and Finance King Mueller to former Assistant Treasury Secretary Neel Kashkari and other Treasury officials references the contact between Frank and Paulson:
“Just spoke w/ Jim [Segel] in BF's [Barney Frank’s] office. This is about One United Bank (a minority owned bank in BF's district). Maxine Waters is interested in the bank as well, Treas[ury] and others met w/ them (minority bankers assoc) last month per the Water's request. They were a big holder in f/f preferred. BF is interested and may call HMP [Henry Paulson] again about this. FDIC is their primary federal regulator.”[Emphasis added.]
An October 16, 2008, email from Kashkari to former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Appropriations and Management Peter Dugas: “Peter, Jim Siegel [sic] from Frank’s office called a few times-can one of you follow-up with him?” Segel serves as Frank’s Chief Counsel. Another email suggests that Frank’s congressional staff had “concerns” about Frank’s contacts with Treasury becoming public. Paulson’s October 2008 calendar, which has been released separately, details calls from Frank on October 2, 3, 7, 9, 13, and 17.
With respect to Rep. Waters, the documents include a January 13, 2009, email from Brookly McLaughlin, Treasury’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, expressing surprise at Waters’ apparent conflict of interest: “Further to email below, WSJ [Wall Street Journal] tells me:…Apparently this bank is the only one that has gotten money through section 103-6 of the EESA law. And Maxine Waters’ husband is on the board of the bank. ??????”
"This is exactly the kind of corrupt deal-making we can expect when the federal government decides to throw massive amounts of taxpayer dollars at private institutions,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “And it appears Barney Frank has been dishonest regarding his intervention on behalf of OneUnited. Frank stated publicly he could not remember the name of the bureaucrat he contacted about OneUnited, and now we learn this nameless bureaucrat was almost certainly none other than the Secretary of the Treasury. Who is Frank kidding? This looks like another Keating Five-type scandal. This still-burgeoning scandal calls into question whether Rep. Frank should remain head of the powerful House Financial Services Committee. No wonder the Obama Treasury Department stonewalled the release of these documents.”
Without the intervention of Frank and Waters, OneUnited would seem an unlikely recipient of TARP funds. As reported in the January 22, 2009, edition of the Wall Street Journal, the Treasury Department indicated it would only provide funds to healthy banks in order to jump-start lending. Not only was OneUnited Bank in massive financial turmoil, but it was also “under attack from its regulators for allegations of poor lending practices and executive pay abuses, including owning a Porsche for its executives' use.” The bank continues to flounder and is one of the few financial institutions to have not paid dividends to the federal government in exchange for the TARP cash infusion.
HTTP://WWW.JUDICIALWATCH.ORG
Frank Lobbied Regulators to Shake Loose a $12 million TARP Grant for Troubled Boston-Based Bank Located in His Congressional District; California Rep. Maxine Waters, Whose Husband Served on OneUnited’s Board of Directors, Also Intervened Contact Information:
Press Office 202-646-5172, ext 305
Washington, DC -- March 31, 2010
Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that new documents suggest Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) personally called former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson regarding a cash infusion from the government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) for the Boston-based OneUnited Bank. On November 25, 2008, following Frank’s intervention, the Treasury Department awarded $12,063,000 in bailout funds to OneUnited, which is located in Frank’s district. According to the Wall Street Journal, Frank publicly admitted he spoke to a “federal regulator” regarding OneUnited, but “he didn’t remember which federal regulator he spoke with.”
The documents, obtained by Judicial Watch in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed against Treasury, include correspondence between Frank and Treasury as well as internal Treasury emails referencing attempts by Frank and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), whose husband, Sidney Williams, served on the OneUnited Board of Directors, to intervene on behalf of the Massachusetts Bank. Williams resigned shortly after Waters approached federal regulators regarding the OneUnited TARP grant.
An October 17, 2008, email from former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Banking and Finance King Mueller to former Assistant Treasury Secretary Neel Kashkari and other Treasury officials references the contact between Frank and Paulson:
“Just spoke w/ Jim [Segel] in BF's [Barney Frank’s] office. This is about One United Bank (a minority owned bank in BF's district). Maxine Waters is interested in the bank as well, Treas[ury] and others met w/ them (minority bankers assoc) last month per the Water's request. They were a big holder in f/f preferred. BF is interested and may call HMP [Henry Paulson] again about this. FDIC is their primary federal regulator.”[Emphasis added.]
An October 16, 2008, email from Kashkari to former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Appropriations and Management Peter Dugas: “Peter, Jim Siegel [sic] from Frank’s office called a few times-can one of you follow-up with him?” Segel serves as Frank’s Chief Counsel. Another email suggests that Frank’s congressional staff had “concerns” about Frank’s contacts with Treasury becoming public. Paulson’s October 2008 calendar, which has been released separately, details calls from Frank on October 2, 3, 7, 9, 13, and 17.
With respect to Rep. Waters, the documents include a January 13, 2009, email from Brookly McLaughlin, Treasury’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, expressing surprise at Waters’ apparent conflict of interest: “Further to email below, WSJ [Wall Street Journal] tells me:…Apparently this bank is the only one that has gotten money through section 103-6 of the EESA law. And Maxine Waters’ husband is on the board of the bank. ??????”
"This is exactly the kind of corrupt deal-making we can expect when the federal government decides to throw massive amounts of taxpayer dollars at private institutions,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “And it appears Barney Frank has been dishonest regarding his intervention on behalf of OneUnited. Frank stated publicly he could not remember the name of the bureaucrat he contacted about OneUnited, and now we learn this nameless bureaucrat was almost certainly none other than the Secretary of the Treasury. Who is Frank kidding? This looks like another Keating Five-type scandal. This still-burgeoning scandal calls into question whether Rep. Frank should remain head of the powerful House Financial Services Committee. No wonder the Obama Treasury Department stonewalled the release of these documents.”
Without the intervention of Frank and Waters, OneUnited would seem an unlikely recipient of TARP funds. As reported in the January 22, 2009, edition of the Wall Street Journal, the Treasury Department indicated it would only provide funds to healthy banks in order to jump-start lending. Not only was OneUnited Bank in massive financial turmoil, but it was also “under attack from its regulators for allegations of poor lending practices and executive pay abuses, including owning a Porsche for its executives' use.” The bank continues to flounder and is one of the few financial institutions to have not paid dividends to the federal government in exchange for the TARP cash infusion.
HTTP://WWW.JUDICIALWATCH.ORG
THE REVOLT AGAINST SOCIALISM!!!
Majority Says Tea Party Has Better Understanding of Issues than Congress
Written By: Shelby Blakely
Published: 3/29/2010
Shelby Blakely
Executive Director, New Patriot Journal
More Articles By: Shelby Blakely
Full Credits:
Reprinted from Rasmussen
In official Washington, some consider the Tea Party movement a fringe element in society, but voters across the nation feel closer to the Tea Party movement than they do to Congress.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of U.S. voters believe the average member of the Tea Party movement has a better understanding of the issues facing America today than the average member of Congress. Only 30% believe that those in Congress have a better understanding of the key issues facing the nation.
When it comes to those issues, 47% think that their own political views are closer to those of the average Tea Party member than to the views of the average member of Congress. On this point, 26% feel closer to Congress.
Finally, 46% of voters say that the average Tea Party member is more ethical than the average member of Congress. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say that the average member of Congress is more ethical.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
As you would expect, there is a wide divide between the Political Class and Mainstream Americans on these questions. Seventy-five percent (75%) of those in the Political Class say that members of Congress are better informed on the issues. Among Mainstream Americans, 68% have the opposite view, and only 16% believe Congress is better informed.
By a 62% to 12% margin, Mainstream Americans say the Tea Party is closer to their views. By a 90% to one percent (1%) margin, the Political Class feels closer to Congress.
“The gap between Americans who want to govern themselves and politicians who want to rule over them may be as big today as the gap between the colonies and England during the 18th century,” Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, says in his new book, In Search of Self-Governance. “If we had to rely on politicians to fix these problems, the outlook for the nation would be bleak indeed. Fortunately, in America, the politicians aren’t nearly as important as they think they are.”
Earlier polling found that just 16% of voters nationwide consider themselves part of the Tea Party Movement. However, just 11% believe Congress is doing a good or an excellent job. Seventy-six percent (76%) think most members of Congress are more interested in their own careers than in helping people.
On all questions, Republicans overwhelming prefer the Tea Party. Unaffiliated voters also prefer the Tea Party by wide margins, but Congress fares a bit better with unaffiliateds than they do with Republicans.
Democrats, perhaps not surprisingly since their party currently controls both the House and Senate, are more evenly divided. Forty-five percent (45%) of those in Nancy Pelosi’s party say that their views are closer to the average member of Congress. However, 28% of Democrats say their views are closer to the average member of the Tea Party.
Men are more likely to align with the Tea Party than women, but a plurality of women prefer the Tea Party over Congress on every question in the survey.
If the Tea Party was organized as a political party, 34% of voters would prefer a Democrat in a three-way congressional race. In that hypothetical match-up, the Republican gets 27% of the vote with the Tea Party hopeful in third at 21%.
However, if only the Democrat or Republican had a real chance to win, most of the Tea Party supporters would vote for the Republican.
Fifty-one percent (51%) of Americans had a favorable view of the so-called “tea party” protests just after they were held on Tax Day, April 15, last year. It was those events around the country that gelled into the Tea Party movement, a protest largely against what are viewed as the big government policies of both major political parties.
Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it’s free) or follow us on Twitter or Facebook. Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.
WHAT PART OF 'NO YOU CAN'T' DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!!!
NOTE: IF YOU SEE OSAMA HUSSEIN'S STALKING COMMUNIST PIGS IN THE VICINITY, I'VE MADE IT QUITE CLEAR ---
I'M NOT WITH YOU!!!
AND THANKS TO COURAGEOUS WOMEN LIKE PAULA JONES --- WE WON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR CONGRESSMAN CONYERS OR HIS IMPRISONED WIFE TO HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE...
WE CAN REMOVE YOU FROM OFFICE OURSELVES!!!
I'M NOT WITH YOU!!!
AND THANKS TO COURAGEOUS WOMEN LIKE PAULA JONES --- WE WON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR CONGRESSMAN CONYERS OR HIS IMPRISONED WIFE TO HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE...
WE CAN REMOVE YOU FROM OFFICE OURSELVES!!!
ITC INVESTIGATORS SET TO EXECUTE APPLE!!!
Judge halts Apple, Nokia lawsuits before ITC verdict
updated 02:40 pm EST, Thu March 4, 2010Apple and Nokia told to wait on civil action
A Delaware federal judge late yesterday temporarily froze countering Apple and Nokia lawsuits. The move puts either case on hold until the respective ITC investigations are completed and effectively leaves the ITC verdict to help decide each of the civil suits. An ITC decision would also achieve the goals of the private cases as it could lead to a product ban within the US if successful.
The two companies filed suits against each other late last year claiming that the other violated technology patents relating to phones. Nokia is primarily concerned about Apple's use of 3G, while Apple has accused Nokia of copying its phone designs. ITC complaints, filed after the civil lawsuits, are widely believed to be pressure tactics as they would potentially ban most or all of a rival's products and not just those that a court decides are affected by patents.
$$$$$$$$$$$$
Apple Boycotts Glenn Beck—Promotes Che Guevara!
by Humberto Fontova
“More than 200 companies have joined a boycott of (Glenn) Beck's program,” reports the Washington Post. “A handful of advertisers, such as (iPhone owner) Apple, have abandoned Fox altogether,” continues the WaPo article.
We can only assume this Apple “boycott” was prompted by what CBS's Katie Couric (quoting the Fox commentator’s critics) describes as Beck’s “inflammatory, unfair, despicable, hateful rhetoric."
This same hyper-sensitive-to-hate-speech Apple, by the way, has just launched an iPhone application featuring Che Guevara’s quotes. Yes! “Now you can carry around Che Guevara's quotes on your IPhone!”
Alas, many of us, though not customer of this unquestionably hip product, suspect that most of Che Guevara's hippest quotes are missing from this hippest of iPhone apps. Among those we fear were overlooked by the hyper-sensitive-to-hate-speech, Apple are:
“The Negro is indolent and spends his money on frivolities and booze, whereas the European is forward-looking, organized and intelligent.”
"The negro has maintained his racial purity by his well known habit of avoiding baths" (as if Che had room to talk)
"My nostrils dilate while savoring the acrid odor of gunpowder and blood...Crazy with fury I will stain my rifle red while slaughtering any surrendered enemy that falls in my hands! With the deaths of my enemies I prepare my being for the sacred fight and join the triumphant proletariat with a bestial howl!" (From Che’s own diaries, later immortalized as The Motorcycles Diaries, though we note that executive producer Robert Redford “overlooked” this unquestionably dramatic citation for his movie.)
"Hatred as the central element of our struggle!... Hatred that is intransigent.... Hatred so violent that it propels a human being beyond his natural limitations, making him violent and cold- blooded killing machine...We reject any peaceful approach. Violence is inevitable. To establish Socialism rivers of blood must flow. The victory of Socialism is well worth millions of atomic victims!” (Thus spaketh the icon of flower-children.)
“The U.S. is the great enemy of mankind! Against those hyenas there is no option but extermination! If the nuclear missiles had remained (in Cuba) we would have fired them against the heart of the U.S. including New York City!”
"Don't Shoot! I'm Che! I'm worth to you more alive than dead!" The plea was whimpered with a Eddie Haskell-in-front-of June Cleaver-esque smile on Oct. 8th 1967 in Quebrada de Yuro, Bolivia, as Che dropped his fully-loaded weapons. At the time, Che, dragging along his guerrilla charge Willi, was trying to slink away from a firefight when confronted by two Bolivian soldiers.
That's exactly two flunky Communist guerrillas facing two Bolivian soldiers, by the way. But then, Che’s bloodthirsty bluster (see above) always had a habit of evaporating when facing men (or boys) capable of defending themselves. His stock-in-trade was blasting their skulls apart from five feet while they were bound and gagged. (Amazingly, Steven Soderbergh and Benicio del Toro overlooked any depictions of such guaranteed drama in their recent movie.)
“Mexicans are a rabble of illiterate Indians.” (note the Che Guevara banners and T-shirts at Nation of Aztlan gatherings.)
“Bolivian campesinos are simply Animalitos" (Note Bolivian President Evo Morales’ frequent genuflections to the ghost of Che Guevara and to his puppeteer, Fidel Castro.)
“Youth must refrain from ungrateful questioning of governmental mandates. Instead they must dedicate themselves to study, work and military service. The very spirit of rebellion is reprehensible. (“Che is our fifth band member!” Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello)
Che the Lionhearted’s image indeed belongs on college campuses. But it’s usually in the wrong places. He belongs in the marketing, PR, advertising – and especially – psychology departments. His lessons and history are fascinating and valuable, but only in light of Sigmund Freud or P.T. Barnum. “One born every minute,” Mr. Barnum? If only you’d lived to see the Che phenomenon. Actually, 10 are born every second.
Here’s a “guerrilla hero” who in real life never fought in a guerrilla war. When he finally brushed up against one, he was routed and surrendered while a sniveling, whimpering wreck.
Here’s a cold-blooded murderer who executed thousands without trial, who claimed that judicial evidence was an “unnecessary bourgeois detail,” who stressed that “revolutionaries must become cold-killing machines motivated by pure hate,” who stayed up till dawn for months at a time signing death warrants for innocent and honorable men, whose office in La Cabana had a window where he could watch the executions – and today his T-shirts adorn people who oppose capital punishment!
Here’s a humorless teetotaler, a plodding paper-pusher, a notorious killjoy and all-around fuddy-duddy – and you see his T-shirt on MTV’s Spring Break revelers! Perhaps competent psychologists (if any exist) will explain this some day.
Che excelled in one thing: mass murder of defenseless men. He was a Stalinist to the core, a plodding bureaucrat and a calm, cold-blooded – but again, never in actual battle – killer. Che’s true legacy is simply one of terror, murder and sniveling cowardice.
Apple, we trust, will soon become as sensitive to torture and mass-murder by the Stalinist who craved to incinerate the nation that headquarters their office and facilitates their profits, as they claim to be over a few wisecracks by Fox commentators.
updated 02:40 pm EST, Thu March 4, 2010Apple and Nokia told to wait on civil action
A Delaware federal judge late yesterday temporarily froze countering Apple and Nokia lawsuits. The move puts either case on hold until the respective ITC investigations are completed and effectively leaves the ITC verdict to help decide each of the civil suits. An ITC decision would also achieve the goals of the private cases as it could lead to a product ban within the US if successful.
The two companies filed suits against each other late last year claiming that the other violated technology patents relating to phones. Nokia is primarily concerned about Apple's use of 3G, while Apple has accused Nokia of copying its phone designs. ITC complaints, filed after the civil lawsuits, are widely believed to be pressure tactics as they would potentially ban most or all of a rival's products and not just those that a court decides are affected by patents.
$$$$$$$$$$$$
Apple Boycotts Glenn Beck—Promotes Che Guevara!
by Humberto Fontova
“More than 200 companies have joined a boycott of (Glenn) Beck's program,” reports the Washington Post. “A handful of advertisers, such as (iPhone owner) Apple, have abandoned Fox altogether,” continues the WaPo article.
We can only assume this Apple “boycott” was prompted by what CBS's Katie Couric (quoting the Fox commentator’s critics) describes as Beck’s “inflammatory, unfair, despicable, hateful rhetoric."
This same hyper-sensitive-to-hate-speech Apple, by the way, has just launched an iPhone application featuring Che Guevara’s quotes. Yes! “Now you can carry around Che Guevara's quotes on your IPhone!”
Alas, many of us, though not customer of this unquestionably hip product, suspect that most of Che Guevara's hippest quotes are missing from this hippest of iPhone apps. Among those we fear were overlooked by the hyper-sensitive-to-hate-speech, Apple are:
“The Negro is indolent and spends his money on frivolities and booze, whereas the European is forward-looking, organized and intelligent.”
"The negro has maintained his racial purity by his well known habit of avoiding baths" (as if Che had room to talk)
"My nostrils dilate while savoring the acrid odor of gunpowder and blood...Crazy with fury I will stain my rifle red while slaughtering any surrendered enemy that falls in my hands! With the deaths of my enemies I prepare my being for the sacred fight and join the triumphant proletariat with a bestial howl!" (From Che’s own diaries, later immortalized as The Motorcycles Diaries, though we note that executive producer Robert Redford “overlooked” this unquestionably dramatic citation for his movie.)
"Hatred as the central element of our struggle!... Hatred that is intransigent.... Hatred so violent that it propels a human being beyond his natural limitations, making him violent and cold- blooded killing machine...We reject any peaceful approach. Violence is inevitable. To establish Socialism rivers of blood must flow. The victory of Socialism is well worth millions of atomic victims!” (Thus spaketh the icon of flower-children.)
“The U.S. is the great enemy of mankind! Against those hyenas there is no option but extermination! If the nuclear missiles had remained (in Cuba) we would have fired them against the heart of the U.S. including New York City!”
"Don't Shoot! I'm Che! I'm worth to you more alive than dead!" The plea was whimpered with a Eddie Haskell-in-front-of June Cleaver-esque smile on Oct. 8th 1967 in Quebrada de Yuro, Bolivia, as Che dropped his fully-loaded weapons. At the time, Che, dragging along his guerrilla charge Willi, was trying to slink away from a firefight when confronted by two Bolivian soldiers.
That's exactly two flunky Communist guerrillas facing two Bolivian soldiers, by the way. But then, Che’s bloodthirsty bluster (see above) always had a habit of evaporating when facing men (or boys) capable of defending themselves. His stock-in-trade was blasting their skulls apart from five feet while they were bound and gagged. (Amazingly, Steven Soderbergh and Benicio del Toro overlooked any depictions of such guaranteed drama in their recent movie.)
“Mexicans are a rabble of illiterate Indians.” (note the Che Guevara banners and T-shirts at Nation of Aztlan gatherings.)
“Bolivian campesinos are simply Animalitos" (Note Bolivian President Evo Morales’ frequent genuflections to the ghost of Che Guevara and to his puppeteer, Fidel Castro.)
“Youth must refrain from ungrateful questioning of governmental mandates. Instead they must dedicate themselves to study, work and military service. The very spirit of rebellion is reprehensible. (“Che is our fifth band member!” Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello)
Che the Lionhearted’s image indeed belongs on college campuses. But it’s usually in the wrong places. He belongs in the marketing, PR, advertising – and especially – psychology departments. His lessons and history are fascinating and valuable, but only in light of Sigmund Freud or P.T. Barnum. “One born every minute,” Mr. Barnum? If only you’d lived to see the Che phenomenon. Actually, 10 are born every second.
Here’s a “guerrilla hero” who in real life never fought in a guerrilla war. When he finally brushed up against one, he was routed and surrendered while a sniveling, whimpering wreck.
Here’s a cold-blooded murderer who executed thousands without trial, who claimed that judicial evidence was an “unnecessary bourgeois detail,” who stressed that “revolutionaries must become cold-killing machines motivated by pure hate,” who stayed up till dawn for months at a time signing death warrants for innocent and honorable men, whose office in La Cabana had a window where he could watch the executions – and today his T-shirts adorn people who oppose capital punishment!
Here’s a humorless teetotaler, a plodding paper-pusher, a notorious killjoy and all-around fuddy-duddy – and you see his T-shirt on MTV’s Spring Break revelers! Perhaps competent psychologists (if any exist) will explain this some day.
Che excelled in one thing: mass murder of defenseless men. He was a Stalinist to the core, a plodding bureaucrat and a calm, cold-blooded – but again, never in actual battle – killer. Che’s true legacy is simply one of terror, murder and sniveling cowardice.
Apple, we trust, will soon become as sensitive to torture and mass-murder by the Stalinist who craved to incinerate the nation that headquarters their office and facilitates their profits, as they claim to be over a few wisecracks by Fox commentators.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
UP-DATE ON CODE PINK WACKO'S --- DON'T BOTHER ASKING THEM, THEY'LL TELL EVERYONE!!!
http://michellemalkin.com/
Code Pink Wackos Forget Who’s President These Days
Even Cindy Sheehan knows which president is currently keeping our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the psychotic, under-medicated marshmallow peeps at Code Pink still have a score to settle with former members of the Bush administration:
KCAL: About 100 fans came out to hear Karl Rove at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills Monday night to discuss his book “Courage and Consequences: My Life As a Conservative In The Fight,” — but the fight wasn’t contained to his book.
Anti-war protesters came out, some rushing the stage, to call Rove a “war criminal” and worse.
I’d like to see them try this stuff with Obama or his people — they’d only get tasered if they were lucky.
As you may recall, Code Pink — so named because of all the Pepto Bismol you have to drink after looking at them — also did their “war criminal” routine on Don Rumsfeld last year.
Say what you want about Code Pink, but they’ve got guts!
Code Pink Wackos Forget Who’s President These Days
Even Cindy Sheehan knows which president is currently keeping our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the psychotic, under-medicated marshmallow peeps at Code Pink still have a score to settle with former members of the Bush administration:
KCAL: About 100 fans came out to hear Karl Rove at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills Monday night to discuss his book “Courage and Consequences: My Life As a Conservative In The Fight,” — but the fight wasn’t contained to his book.
Anti-war protesters came out, some rushing the stage, to call Rove a “war criminal” and worse.
I’d like to see them try this stuff with Obama or his people — they’d only get tasered if they were lucky.
As you may recall, Code Pink — so named because of all the Pepto Bismol you have to drink after looking at them — also did their “war criminal” routine on Don Rumsfeld last year.
Say what you want about Code Pink, but they’ve got guts!
NEWS ON OSAMA HUSSEIN'S JUNTA!!!
March 25, 2010
GOP blasts 'Obama moratorium' on offshore drilling
Dozens of House Republicans today implored the Obama administration not to shelve a Bush-era plan for new offshore drilling along the nation's coastline.
The group is taking aim at what it calls the "Obama Moratorium" on new offshore drilling -- the decision by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to finalize a new five-year plan that would govern leasing on the outer continental shelf from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2017.
Salazar's timetable, which we wrote about earlier this month, means he is scrapping a Bush administration proposal for 2010 to 2015 that would have allowed leases on Pacific and Atlantic waters where drilling has been off limits for decades.
That is unacceptable, according to House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., and 86 other Republicans who wrote Salazar in protest today.
"The American people should not have to wait the entire four years of the president's term before any action is taken to explore and develop our precious national oil and gas resources from these new areas," the Republicans wrote. "By waiting until 2012, the administration will unilaterally reinstate the (expired) ban on offshore drilling."
Congress and former President George W. Bush both moved to expand offshore drilling for oil and natural gas in 2008, following record high oil prices. First, Bush lifted an executive ban on offshore drilling. Congress later allowed the expiration of a 26-year moratorium on oil and gas exploration over 85 percent of the outer continental shelf -- including Atlantic, Pacific and Alaskan waters.
The Republicans told Salazar that Congress' intent "was to offer as much of the newly available 500 million acres, which contain at least 14 billion barrels of oil and 55 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, for new American energy production. It should be the policy of the Administration to execute the will of Congress and the American people."
Interior spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said the department was reviewing the letter.
Salazar previously has defended his approach to offshore drilling, saying he will proceed thoughtfully and in a way that ensures Americans receive a fair return on resources extracted from public lands.
He is expected to release the revised and new offshore lease plans in the coming weeks, possibly by the end of the month.
A copy of the letter from the Republicans' letter is posted after the jump.
Here is the text of the Republicans' letter:
Dear Mr. Secretary:
We strongly object to your recent announcement that the Obama Administration intends to discard the 2010-2015 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease plan and delay implementation of a new leasing plan until 2012. This means that not one lease sale of areas previously under moratoria will occur during President Obama's entire term in office. This is unacceptable to the overwhelming majority of the American people who support expanded offshore drilling, measured at 68% in one recent poll, and a step backwards from the President's statements that he wants to improve our nation's energy security.
While the Administration may not feel the sense of urgency to enact a new five-year plan, the American people do. In 2008, in response to rising prices, the American people called on Congress to act by opening the OCS for exploration and development. The American people should not have to wait the entire four years of the President's term before any action is taken to explore and develop our precious national oil and gas resources from these new areas. By waiting until 2012, the Administration will unilaterally reinstate the ban on offshore drilling - and do it against the will of the American people.
There is no question that establishment of this new "Obama Moratorium" will have dire impacts on our economic future. These years of delay will directly result in uncreated jobs for unemployed Americans, billions of dollars in lost revenues to the U.S. Treasury, and a greater dependence on unstable foreign sources of oil and natural gas that puts our national security at risk. This action cancels nearly a dozen lease sales in the OCS that were scheduled to begin in July, 2010. The Department's stalling and blockade of new energy production from the OCS endangers tens of thousands of existing jobs, and also prevents the creation of new jobs that would help lower our nation's nearly ten percent unemployment rate. Opening new areas to drilling and job creation would be a no-cost stimulus for the U.S. economy.
Congress' intent of opening the OCS was to offer as much of the newly available 500 million acres, which contain at least 14 billion barrels of oil and 55 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, for new American energy production. It should be the policy of the Administration to execute the will of Congress and the American people. Instead, the Administration is poised to use their new plan timeline as a backdoor opportunity to reinstate a moratorium that closes off wide expanses of the OCS. It is not too late to reverse this course of action, abandon this "Obama Moratorium," and implement the 2010-2015 plan beginning in July to help create jobs and new American-made energy production.
Posted by Jennifer Dlouhy at March 25, 2010 11:42 AM
GOP blasts 'Obama moratorium' on offshore drilling
Dozens of House Republicans today implored the Obama administration not to shelve a Bush-era plan for new offshore drilling along the nation's coastline.
The group is taking aim at what it calls the "Obama Moratorium" on new offshore drilling -- the decision by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to finalize a new five-year plan that would govern leasing on the outer continental shelf from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2017.
Salazar's timetable, which we wrote about earlier this month, means he is scrapping a Bush administration proposal for 2010 to 2015 that would have allowed leases on Pacific and Atlantic waters where drilling has been off limits for decades.
That is unacceptable, according to House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., and 86 other Republicans who wrote Salazar in protest today.
"The American people should not have to wait the entire four years of the president's term before any action is taken to explore and develop our precious national oil and gas resources from these new areas," the Republicans wrote. "By waiting until 2012, the administration will unilaterally reinstate the (expired) ban on offshore drilling."
Congress and former President George W. Bush both moved to expand offshore drilling for oil and natural gas in 2008, following record high oil prices. First, Bush lifted an executive ban on offshore drilling. Congress later allowed the expiration of a 26-year moratorium on oil and gas exploration over 85 percent of the outer continental shelf -- including Atlantic, Pacific and Alaskan waters.
The Republicans told Salazar that Congress' intent "was to offer as much of the newly available 500 million acres, which contain at least 14 billion barrels of oil and 55 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, for new American energy production. It should be the policy of the Administration to execute the will of Congress and the American people."
Interior spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said the department was reviewing the letter.
Salazar previously has defended his approach to offshore drilling, saying he will proceed thoughtfully and in a way that ensures Americans receive a fair return on resources extracted from public lands.
He is expected to release the revised and new offshore lease plans in the coming weeks, possibly by the end of the month.
A copy of the letter from the Republicans' letter is posted after the jump.
Here is the text of the Republicans' letter:
Dear Mr. Secretary:
We strongly object to your recent announcement that the Obama Administration intends to discard the 2010-2015 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease plan and delay implementation of a new leasing plan until 2012. This means that not one lease sale of areas previously under moratoria will occur during President Obama's entire term in office. This is unacceptable to the overwhelming majority of the American people who support expanded offshore drilling, measured at 68% in one recent poll, and a step backwards from the President's statements that he wants to improve our nation's energy security.
While the Administration may not feel the sense of urgency to enact a new five-year plan, the American people do. In 2008, in response to rising prices, the American people called on Congress to act by opening the OCS for exploration and development. The American people should not have to wait the entire four years of the President's term before any action is taken to explore and develop our precious national oil and gas resources from these new areas. By waiting until 2012, the Administration will unilaterally reinstate the ban on offshore drilling - and do it against the will of the American people.
There is no question that establishment of this new "Obama Moratorium" will have dire impacts on our economic future. These years of delay will directly result in uncreated jobs for unemployed Americans, billions of dollars in lost revenues to the U.S. Treasury, and a greater dependence on unstable foreign sources of oil and natural gas that puts our national security at risk. This action cancels nearly a dozen lease sales in the OCS that were scheduled to begin in July, 2010. The Department's stalling and blockade of new energy production from the OCS endangers tens of thousands of existing jobs, and also prevents the creation of new jobs that would help lower our nation's nearly ten percent unemployment rate. Opening new areas to drilling and job creation would be a no-cost stimulus for the U.S. economy.
Congress' intent of opening the OCS was to offer as much of the newly available 500 million acres, which contain at least 14 billion barrels of oil and 55 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, for new American energy production. It should be the policy of the Administration to execute the will of Congress and the American people. Instead, the Administration is poised to use their new plan timeline as a backdoor opportunity to reinstate a moratorium that closes off wide expanses of the OCS. It is not too late to reverse this course of action, abandon this "Obama Moratorium," and implement the 2010-2015 plan beginning in July to help create jobs and new American-made energy production.
Posted by Jennifer Dlouhy at March 25, 2010 11:42 AM
OSAMA HUSSEIN BETRAYING THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER & OUR PIPELINE WORKERS --- OFFSHORING AMERICAN JOBS TO CHINA, NIGERIA, BRAZIL & INDONESIA!!!
Update on Obama spending money on offshore drilling in Brazil.
by redneck woman is taking a little break. Posted 08/27/09
http://rightvoices.com/2009/08/19/obama-backs-off-shore-drill...
Obama backs off-shore drilling in Brazil! U.S. To loan $2 Billion to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in Brazil’s Tupi oil field Update: A Soros connection?
The U.S. is going to lend billions of dollars to Brazil’s state-owned oil company, Petrobras, to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in Brazil’s Tupi oil field in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro. Brazil’s planning minister confirmed that White House National Security Adviser James Jones met this month with Brazilian officials to talk about the loan.
The U.S. Export-Import Bank tells us it has issued a “preliminary commitment” letter to Petrobras in the amount of $2 billion and has discussed with Brazil the possibility of increasing that amount. Ex-Im Bank says it has not decided whether the money will come in the form of a direct loan or loan guarantees. Either way, this corporate foreign aid may strike some readers as odd, given that the U.S. Treasury seems desperate for cash and Petrobras is one of the largest corporations in the Americas. …
But it still doesn’t allow the U.S. to explore in Alaska or along the East and West Coasts, which could be our equivalent of the Tupi oil fields, which are set to make Brazil a leading oil exporter. Americans are right to wonder why Mr. Obama is underwriting in Brazil what he won’t allow at home.
Ed:
This seems odd in several ways. For this particular administration to offer billions in loans to a foreign oil company makes a mockery of a number of Obama talking points. First, why does Petrobas need loan guarantees to pursue its exploration? As the WSJ notes, it is a very large corporation, which should have the resources to get to the oil on its own. Obama, who has ripped American corporations for their supposed subsidies in American tax policy, now wants to use an empty Treasury to give cash to a Brazilian oil company.
Next, Obama keeps insisting that we cut back on our use of fossil fuels. He and his allies in Congress have blocked exploration of American oil fields off both shores for decades, and Obama insists that we would only keep enabling our oil addiction if we started drilling off of our own coasts. Yet he has no trouble committing $2,000,000,000 of our money for Brazil to drill off its own coast.
Here’s a proposal: Let American companies do what Obama is paying Brazilian companies to do — drill offshore. We won’t have to pay them money or float them any loans to do it, either. In fact, we will make money off of the leases, while the effort creates hundreds of thousands of high-paying jobs in the US, creating more tax revenue rather than emptying out the Treasury.
Update: Who else besides Obama has taken an interest in Petrobras? Hmmmmmm:
His New York-based hedge-fund firm, Soros Fund Management LLC, sold 22 million U.S.-listed common shares of Petrobras, as the Brazilian oil company is known, according to a filing today with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Soros bought 5.8 million of the company’s U.S.-traded preferred shares.
Soros is taking advantage of the spread between the two types of U.S.-listed Petrobras shares, said Luis Maizel, president of LM Capital Group LLC, which manages about $4 billion. The common shares were 21 percent more expensive than preferred today, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. …
Petrobras preferred shares have also a 10 percent additional dividend, said William Landers, a senior portfolio manager for Latin America at Blackrock Inc.
“Given that there will most likely never be a change in control in the company, I see no reason to pay a higher price for the common shares.” Brazil’s government controls Petrobras and has a majority stake of voting shares.
This story is from last Friday. Is it a coincidence that Obama backer George Soros repositioned himself in Petrobras to get dividends just a few days before Obama committed $2 billion in loans and guarantees for Petrobras’ offshore operations? Hmmmmmmmmmm.
by redneck woman is taking a little break. Posted 08/27/09
http://rightvoices.com/2009/08/19/obama-backs-off-shore-drill...
Obama backs off-shore drilling in Brazil! U.S. To loan $2 Billion to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in Brazil’s Tupi oil field Update: A Soros connection?
The U.S. is going to lend billions of dollars to Brazil’s state-owned oil company, Petrobras, to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in Brazil’s Tupi oil field in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro. Brazil’s planning minister confirmed that White House National Security Adviser James Jones met this month with Brazilian officials to talk about the loan.
The U.S. Export-Import Bank tells us it has issued a “preliminary commitment” letter to Petrobras in the amount of $2 billion and has discussed with Brazil the possibility of increasing that amount. Ex-Im Bank says it has not decided whether the money will come in the form of a direct loan or loan guarantees. Either way, this corporate foreign aid may strike some readers as odd, given that the U.S. Treasury seems desperate for cash and Petrobras is one of the largest corporations in the Americas. …
But it still doesn’t allow the U.S. to explore in Alaska or along the East and West Coasts, which could be our equivalent of the Tupi oil fields, which are set to make Brazil a leading oil exporter. Americans are right to wonder why Mr. Obama is underwriting in Brazil what he won’t allow at home.
Ed:
This seems odd in several ways. For this particular administration to offer billions in loans to a foreign oil company makes a mockery of a number of Obama talking points. First, why does Petrobas need loan guarantees to pursue its exploration? As the WSJ notes, it is a very large corporation, which should have the resources to get to the oil on its own. Obama, who has ripped American corporations for their supposed subsidies in American tax policy, now wants to use an empty Treasury to give cash to a Brazilian oil company.
Next, Obama keeps insisting that we cut back on our use of fossil fuels. He and his allies in Congress have blocked exploration of American oil fields off both shores for decades, and Obama insists that we would only keep enabling our oil addiction if we started drilling off of our own coasts. Yet he has no trouble committing $2,000,000,000 of our money for Brazil to drill off its own coast.
Here’s a proposal: Let American companies do what Obama is paying Brazilian companies to do — drill offshore. We won’t have to pay them money or float them any loans to do it, either. In fact, we will make money off of the leases, while the effort creates hundreds of thousands of high-paying jobs in the US, creating more tax revenue rather than emptying out the Treasury.
Update: Who else besides Obama has taken an interest in Petrobras? Hmmmmmm:
His New York-based hedge-fund firm, Soros Fund Management LLC, sold 22 million U.S.-listed common shares of Petrobras, as the Brazilian oil company is known, according to a filing today with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Soros bought 5.8 million of the company’s U.S.-traded preferred shares.
Soros is taking advantage of the spread between the two types of U.S.-listed Petrobras shares, said Luis Maizel, president of LM Capital Group LLC, which manages about $4 billion. The common shares were 21 percent more expensive than preferred today, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. …
Petrobras preferred shares have also a 10 percent additional dividend, said William Landers, a senior portfolio manager for Latin America at Blackrock Inc.
“Given that there will most likely never be a change in control in the company, I see no reason to pay a higher price for the common shares.” Brazil’s government controls Petrobras and has a majority stake of voting shares.
This story is from last Friday. Is it a coincidence that Obama backer George Soros repositioned himself in Petrobras to get dividends just a few days before Obama committed $2 billion in loans and guarantees for Petrobras’ offshore operations? Hmmmmmmmmmm.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE BEEN "BLAGOJEVICH'D"!!!
http://ethics.senate.gov/downloads/pdffiles/burris_112009.pdf
Gov. Rod Blagojevich introduces former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris, left, to succeed President-elect Barack Obama in the Senate on Dec. 30, 2008 in Chicago. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)
The Senate Ethics Committee's rebuke of Sen. Roland Burris of Illinois on Friday was criticized by some as too weak but was welcomed by the senator, whose office declared him cleared of "any legal wrongdoing."
Burris, chosen by disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to succeed President Barack Obama in the Senate, received a "qualified admonition" for his actions regarding the appointment.
Although finding no "actionable violations of the law," the Ethics Committee cited behavior by Burris that "reflected unfavorably on the Senate."
"The committee found that you should have known that you were providing incorrect, inconsistent, misleading or incomplete information to the public, the Senate and those conducting legitimate inquiries into your appointment to the Senate," said the letter from the panel's six senators.
Burris, a Democrat, will not lose any pay or privileges because of the admonition. The best-case scenario for a senator investigated by the committee is the outright dismissal of a complaint. That did not happen in the case of Burris.
Key concerns the committee highlighted in its letter to Burris:
--"Your sworn affidavit and sworn testimony before the Illinois House of Representatives were inconsistent, incomplete, and misleading." This referred to his dealings with an Illinois House panel considering the impeachment of Blagojevich. A Sangamon County prosecutor found that Burris' statements were incomplete and vague but there was "insufficient evidence" to charge him with perjury.
--"Your shifting explanations in your sworn statements appear less than candid." Burris made contradictory statements about contacts with Blagojevich aides.
--"Your Nov. 13, 2008, call with Robert Blagojevich, while not rising to the level of an explicit quid pro quo, was inappropriate." This referred to a phone conversation between Burris and the governor's brother and fundraiser that was caught on a federal wiretap.
The committee noted that in the Nov. 13 call Burris "appeared to agree to write a check and even potentially raise money for Gov. Blagojevich" and "repeatedly brought up your desire to seek the Senate seat."
Blagojevich is accused of trying to trade the Senate seat for campaign cash and favors, though the federal indictment against him does not include allegations involving Burris.
Burris, who is not seeking a full term in 2010, declined to be interviewed. His office issued a statement welcoming the news that the panel "cleared the senator of any legal wrongdoing."
In the statement Burris gave his thanks to the committee for its "fair and thorough review of this matter."
Burris was in Chicago to attend services Saturday for Michael Scott, the Chicago school board president who committed suicide Monday. Burris spokesman Jim O'Connor said the senator plans to return to Washington later Saturday, when a pivotal vote on health care reform is scheduled.
Although the 72-year-old lawmaker avoided a harsh sanction, such as a censure or expulsion, the cloud over him is unlikely to lift soon.
State Rep. Jim Durkin, a Republican from Western Springs, issued a statement slamming Burris for taking a "victory lap" after the ethics panel's announcement.
"He is an embarrassment to the state of Illinois and he should apologize to the people he represents," said Durkin, who was one of Burris' questioners when he appeared before the Blagojevich impeachment panel.
Congressional authorities said Burris' punishment fell into the middle tier of potential outcomes. Burris could have faced a weaker discipline: a private letter of admonition or private letter of qualified admonition. In his case the panel made its punishment and findings public.
More serious options that were not chosen in this case are expulsion or censure. Since 1789 the Senate has expelled only 15 of its members. Censures -- less serious than expulsions, because the lawmaker stays in office -- have occurred only nine times. Burris' public, qualified admonition was the first such action by the Senate Ethics Committee this year.
In 2008 the committee delivered an identical rebuke to then-Sen. Peter Domenici of New Mexico. He was slapped for calling the U.S. attorney in New Mexico in 2006 and inquiring about the timing of indictments.
An expert on Congress, Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute, said the admonition for Burris likely was too mild and that Burris "probably deserved a censure."
"Everybody knows he was not truthful about his wheeling and dealing to try to get the Senate seat, (and) a public admonishment with no additional penalty won't signal any real outrage on the part of the Senate," Ornstein said."
He noted, though, the committee chose to make its sanction public. "At least they did not cover it up with a private letter," he said.
Political scientist Ross Baker of Rutgers observed that the admonition would have been a "serious obstacle" if Burris were running for a full term. Baker added, "When he (Burris) departs the Senate in 2011, it will be nothing but a painful footnote to a Senate career that began and ended in great controversy. The world outside the Senate will little note nor long remember it."
Tribune reporter Ray Long in Springfield and Alexander C. Hart of the Tribune Washington Bureau contributed to this report.
--Katherine Skiba
Click HERE for a WGN-TV report on this story.
KARL ROVE AT LINCOLN DAY, ILLINOIS!!!
Karl Rove talks health care and Republican strategy at Lincoln Day
Written by Alex Keown
Saturday, 20 March 2010 10:01
OAK BROOK –- “When your name has become an adjective – Rovian – you know you have arrived.”
Those are the words DuPage County Republican Party Chairman Dan Cronin used to describe Karl Rove, the keynote speaker of the 49th Annual Lincoln Day Dinner. Cronin said Rove, the former senior adviser and deputy White House chief of staff, was tapped to address the crowd during this important election cycle because of his front-row seat to some of America’s most recent tumultuous experiences, including the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
Rove took time off from promoting his new book “Courage and Consequences” to stress to the party faithful how important their role as ambassadors of conservative principle and philosophy are to successful Republican campaigns in this critical election year. More important than donating to campaigns is the simple act of voters sharing their convictions and beliefs with other voters, especially independents and Democrats. He said that is one of the most important responsibilities of being an American citizen.
One piece of legislation Rove encouraged the party faithful to fight is the Obamacare bill set for a vote on Sunday. Rove said this is a bill that must fail.
During a press conference prior to his keynote address, Rove said the Democrats did not have the votes to pass it yet.
“It’s a bad bill and will dramatically drive up state budgets,” Rove told assembled reporters.
Rove spent much of his keynote speech decrying the outrageous expenditures of the first year of the administration of President Barack Obama, paying particular attention to the health care bill. Rove said most of the bill was outsourced to Congress which caused all the special gimmicks attached to curry favor from holdout members, including the infamous “Louisiana Purchase” of $100 million. Rove criticized the cost of the bill and the style in which tax revenues are projected to pay for it.
"This bill has financial underpinnings that are worthy of Bernie Madoff," he said.
Rove said Obamacare is unnecessary and burdensome. He said many of the “46 million uninsured” the Democrats bandy about are either eligible for existing government health insurance programs or are legal and illegal immigrants. Rove said the real number of uninsured is closer to 5 million.
“I know we can come up with a good reform plan without destabilizing the American economy and existing private health care plans,” Rove said. “If Obamacare is passed millions of people will lose their existing coverage because it will become too expensive for employers to sustain.”
Rove delved into the accounting gimmicks Democrats used to earn a favorable report from the Congressional Budget Office. He said the CBO was required by law to write a report based on the information provided by the Democrats. The bill will cost far more than Democrats are claiming and will not help reduce the deficit, he said.
“The people know this and that is why they overwhelmingly oppose this plan. It is not sustainable,” Rove said.
When Rove said the people “have to kill this bill” the crowd erupted into thunderous applause.
“If we cannot kill this bill then when Republicans take control of Congress we must do everything within our power to repeal the bill,” Rove thundered.
Written by Alex Keown
Saturday, 20 March 2010 10:01
OAK BROOK –- “When your name has become an adjective – Rovian – you know you have arrived.”
Those are the words DuPage County Republican Party Chairman Dan Cronin used to describe Karl Rove, the keynote speaker of the 49th Annual Lincoln Day Dinner. Cronin said Rove, the former senior adviser and deputy White House chief of staff, was tapped to address the crowd during this important election cycle because of his front-row seat to some of America’s most recent tumultuous experiences, including the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
Rove took time off from promoting his new book “Courage and Consequences” to stress to the party faithful how important their role as ambassadors of conservative principle and philosophy are to successful Republican campaigns in this critical election year. More important than donating to campaigns is the simple act of voters sharing their convictions and beliefs with other voters, especially independents and Democrats. He said that is one of the most important responsibilities of being an American citizen.
One piece of legislation Rove encouraged the party faithful to fight is the Obamacare bill set for a vote on Sunday. Rove said this is a bill that must fail.
During a press conference prior to his keynote address, Rove said the Democrats did not have the votes to pass it yet.
“It’s a bad bill and will dramatically drive up state budgets,” Rove told assembled reporters.
Rove spent much of his keynote speech decrying the outrageous expenditures of the first year of the administration of President Barack Obama, paying particular attention to the health care bill. Rove said most of the bill was outsourced to Congress which caused all the special gimmicks attached to curry favor from holdout members, including the infamous “Louisiana Purchase” of $100 million. Rove criticized the cost of the bill and the style in which tax revenues are projected to pay for it.
"This bill has financial underpinnings that are worthy of Bernie Madoff," he said.
Rove said Obamacare is unnecessary and burdensome. He said many of the “46 million uninsured” the Democrats bandy about are either eligible for existing government health insurance programs or are legal and illegal immigrants. Rove said the real number of uninsured is closer to 5 million.
“I know we can come up with a good reform plan without destabilizing the American economy and existing private health care plans,” Rove said. “If Obamacare is passed millions of people will lose their existing coverage because it will become too expensive for employers to sustain.”
Rove delved into the accounting gimmicks Democrats used to earn a favorable report from the Congressional Budget Office. He said the CBO was required by law to write a report based on the information provided by the Democrats. The bill will cost far more than Democrats are claiming and will not help reduce the deficit, he said.
“The people know this and that is why they overwhelmingly oppose this plan. It is not sustainable,” Rove said.
When Rove said the people “have to kill this bill” the crowd erupted into thunderous applause.
“If we cannot kill this bill then when Republicans take control of Congress we must do everything within our power to repeal the bill,” Rove thundered.
ILLINOIS POLICE INSTITUTE APPLAUDS IL HOUSE GOP LEGISLATION TO COMBAT OSAMA HUSSEIN CARE!!!
IL Policy Institute Applauds IL House GOP for Introducing Legislation To Combat ObamaCare
3/30/2010
The Illinois Policy Institute, a non-partisan free market think tank, applauds Illinois House Republicans for introducing three bills aimed at lessening the negative impact of President Obama’s federal health care legislation. The Illinois measures include prohibiting enforcement of the mandate requiring individuals to purchase health insurance coverage, directing the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) to examine the fiscal impact of federal health care reforms on the Illinois state budget, and legislation urging the Illinois Attorney General of to file suit challenging the law’s constitutionality.
“We applaud House Republicans for introducing legislation aimed at mitigating the adverse impact of the deeply flawed health care law,” said Kristina Rasmussen, Executive Vice President, Illinois Policy Institute. “At a time when Illinois is experiencing record unemployment and deficits, this new federal law will cause unnecessary harm to our economy. Illinois residents can thank Representatives Mitchell, Bellock, and Mathias for their swift response to the over-reaching, unaffordable federal health care takeover.”
Details on Illinois House Republican Legislation:
Prohibition on Individual Mandate (HB 6842, Rep. Bill Mitchell) - The federal health care reform includes a mandate for individuals to purchase health insurance if they do not currently have coverage. The “Health Freedom from Individual Mandate” legislation seeks to amend the Illinois Insurance Code to prohibit the enforcement of an individual mandate providing this prohibition on requiring individuals to obtain or maintain insurance should not render an individual liable for any penalty, assessment, fee, or fine as a result of failure to procure or obtain health insurance coverage. This proposed legislation is based on current Virginia law.
Resolution on GOFA Analysis of Fiscal Impact of Health Reforms (HR 1074, Rep. Patti Bellock) - The federal health care reform expands the Medicaid program and makes numerous other reforms that may grossly impact the state budget. Governor Pat Quinn has publically stated the fiscal impact of these reforms is not yet known and the State has not determined a cost estimate. This resolution provides for the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) to conduct an examination of the fiscal impact of the federal health care reform on the Illinois state budget.
Resolution Urging Attorney General to Seek Relief from Federal Health Care Reform (HR 1075, Rep. Sid Mathias) -
This resolution urges the Illinois Attorney General to file suit against the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the United States Department of the Treasury and the United State Department of Labor, challenging the constitutionality of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” The complaint alleges the Act represents an unprecedented encroachment on the sovereignty of the States in protecting the freedom, public health and welfare of their citizens by mandating (1) massive increases in state Medicaid enrollments and by (2) impairing individual citizen’s rights to make health care decisions, including the decision not to participate in any health care insurance program or scheme.
IL Policy Institute website
3/30/2010
The Illinois Policy Institute, a non-partisan free market think tank, applauds Illinois House Republicans for introducing three bills aimed at lessening the negative impact of President Obama’s federal health care legislation. The Illinois measures include prohibiting enforcement of the mandate requiring individuals to purchase health insurance coverage, directing the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) to examine the fiscal impact of federal health care reforms on the Illinois state budget, and legislation urging the Illinois Attorney General of to file suit challenging the law’s constitutionality.
“We applaud House Republicans for introducing legislation aimed at mitigating the adverse impact of the deeply flawed health care law,” said Kristina Rasmussen, Executive Vice President, Illinois Policy Institute. “At a time when Illinois is experiencing record unemployment and deficits, this new federal law will cause unnecessary harm to our economy. Illinois residents can thank Representatives Mitchell, Bellock, and Mathias for their swift response to the over-reaching, unaffordable federal health care takeover.”
Details on Illinois House Republican Legislation:
Prohibition on Individual Mandate (HB 6842, Rep. Bill Mitchell) - The federal health care reform includes a mandate for individuals to purchase health insurance if they do not currently have coverage. The “Health Freedom from Individual Mandate” legislation seeks to amend the Illinois Insurance Code to prohibit the enforcement of an individual mandate providing this prohibition on requiring individuals to obtain or maintain insurance should not render an individual liable for any penalty, assessment, fee, or fine as a result of failure to procure or obtain health insurance coverage. This proposed legislation is based on current Virginia law.
Resolution on GOFA Analysis of Fiscal Impact of Health Reforms (HR 1074, Rep. Patti Bellock) - The federal health care reform expands the Medicaid program and makes numerous other reforms that may grossly impact the state budget. Governor Pat Quinn has publically stated the fiscal impact of these reforms is not yet known and the State has not determined a cost estimate. This resolution provides for the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) to conduct an examination of the fiscal impact of the federal health care reform on the Illinois state budget.
Resolution Urging Attorney General to Seek Relief from Federal Health Care Reform (HR 1075, Rep. Sid Mathias) -
This resolution urges the Illinois Attorney General to file suit against the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the United States Department of the Treasury and the United State Department of Labor, challenging the constitutionality of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” The complaint alleges the Act represents an unprecedented encroachment on the sovereignty of the States in protecting the freedom, public health and welfare of their citizens by mandating (1) massive increases in state Medicaid enrollments and by (2) impairing individual citizen’s rights to make health care decisions, including the decision not to participate in any health care insurance program or scheme.
IL Policy Institute website
BOND MARKET EXPOSES THE REAL COST OF OSAMA HUSSEIN - CARE!!!
Published: March 29, 2010
Updated: 3:53 p.m.
Michael Barone: Bond market exposes real cost of Obamacare
Democrats voted for Obamacare in reckless disregard of what the market was telling them.
Not many people noticed amid the Democrats' struggle to jam their health care bill through the House, but in recent weeks U.S. Treasury bonds have lost their status as the world's safest investment.
The numbers are pretty clear. In February, Bloomberg News reports, Berkshire Hathaway sold two-year bonds with an interest rate lower than that on two-year Treasuries. A company run by a 79-year-old investor is a better credit risk, the markets are telling us, than the U.S. government.
Democrats wary of voting for the health care bill may have been soothed by the Congressional Budget Office's report that it would reduce federal deficits over the next 10 years. But bond buyers know that the Democrats gamed the CBO system to get a good score.
The realities, as former CBO Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin pointed out in The New York Times, are different. The real cost is disguised by the fact that the bill includes 10 years of revenue but only six years of spending. It includes $70 billion in premiums for long-term care that will have to be paid out later. It excludes $114 billion in discretionary spending needed to run the program. It includes nearly half a trillion dollars in unrealistic Medicare savings.
Holtz-Eakins's bottom line: The bill will not lower deficits, but will raise them by $562 billion over 10 years. Treasury will have to borrow that money – and probably pay much higher interest than it's paying now.
Moreover, once the bill is fully in effect, the Cato Institute's Alan Reynolds points out, its expenses are likely to grow at least 7 percent a year – significantly faster than revenues. At that rate, spending doubles every 10 years.
No wonder that Moody's declared last week that the Treasury is "substantially" closer to losing its AAA bond rating.
It's not only the federal government that is heading toward insolvency. State governments will have to spend more under the health care bill – $735 million in Tennessee alone, according to Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen.
And state governments are already facing a huge problem called pensions. The Pew Charitable Trusts estimates that state government pensions are underfunded by $450 billion. My American Enterprise Institute colleague Andrew Biggs argues in The Wall Street Journal that the real figure is over $3 trillion.
The reason: State governments set aside cash to invest in pensions, but they typically assume that their investments will rise 8 percent a year indefinitely. They haven't been getting such high returns and are not likely to do so in the future. But they are under legal obligations, which courts won't allow them to escape, to pay the pensions. Retirees get paid off before bondholders, which means that states are going to have to pay more interest when they borrow.
Back in the 1990s, Clinton adviser James Carville said that if he was reincarnated he would like to come back as the bond market – "because you can intimidate everybody." Governments, like all organizations, need to borrow routinely. But investors won't lend unless they think they will be paid back. And they will demand higher interest rates as their loans become riskier.
On Sunday, 219 House Democrats, soothed by their leaders' gaming of the CBO scoring process, voted in reckless disregard of what the bond market has been telling them. Some may share Speaker Nancy Pelosi's optimism that the government's looming fiscal disaster can be avoided by imposing a value-added tax – in effect, a national sales tax.
But, as we know from the experience of high-tax Western Europe and relatively low-tax America over the last three decades, higher taxes tend to retard economic growth. Lower economic growth means less revenue for government than in CBO projections. Less revenue means more borrowing – and at some point lenders are going to call a halt.
Barack Obama's project of transforming the United States into something like Western Europe is, according to the CBO, raising the national debt burden on the economy to World War II levels. I see train wrecks ahead – as the bond market forces huge spending cuts or tax increases first on states and then on the federal government. It will make what happened in the House Sunday look pretty.
WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Letters to the Editor: E-mail to letters@ocregister.com. Please provide your name and telephone number (telephone numbers will not be published). Letters of about 200 words will be given preference. Letters will be edited for length, grammar and clarity.
Updated: 3:53 p.m.
Michael Barone: Bond market exposes real cost of Obamacare
Democrats voted for Obamacare in reckless disregard of what the market was telling them.
Not many people noticed amid the Democrats' struggle to jam their health care bill through the House, but in recent weeks U.S. Treasury bonds have lost their status as the world's safest investment.
The numbers are pretty clear. In February, Bloomberg News reports, Berkshire Hathaway sold two-year bonds with an interest rate lower than that on two-year Treasuries. A company run by a 79-year-old investor is a better credit risk, the markets are telling us, than the U.S. government.
Democrats wary of voting for the health care bill may have been soothed by the Congressional Budget Office's report that it would reduce federal deficits over the next 10 years. But bond buyers know that the Democrats gamed the CBO system to get a good score.
The realities, as former CBO Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin pointed out in The New York Times, are different. The real cost is disguised by the fact that the bill includes 10 years of revenue but only six years of spending. It includes $70 billion in premiums for long-term care that will have to be paid out later. It excludes $114 billion in discretionary spending needed to run the program. It includes nearly half a trillion dollars in unrealistic Medicare savings.
Holtz-Eakins's bottom line: The bill will not lower deficits, but will raise them by $562 billion over 10 years. Treasury will have to borrow that money – and probably pay much higher interest than it's paying now.
Moreover, once the bill is fully in effect, the Cato Institute's Alan Reynolds points out, its expenses are likely to grow at least 7 percent a year – significantly faster than revenues. At that rate, spending doubles every 10 years.
No wonder that Moody's declared last week that the Treasury is "substantially" closer to losing its AAA bond rating.
It's not only the federal government that is heading toward insolvency. State governments will have to spend more under the health care bill – $735 million in Tennessee alone, according to Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen.
And state governments are already facing a huge problem called pensions. The Pew Charitable Trusts estimates that state government pensions are underfunded by $450 billion. My American Enterprise Institute colleague Andrew Biggs argues in The Wall Street Journal that the real figure is over $3 trillion.
The reason: State governments set aside cash to invest in pensions, but they typically assume that their investments will rise 8 percent a year indefinitely. They haven't been getting such high returns and are not likely to do so in the future. But they are under legal obligations, which courts won't allow them to escape, to pay the pensions. Retirees get paid off before bondholders, which means that states are going to have to pay more interest when they borrow.
Back in the 1990s, Clinton adviser James Carville said that if he was reincarnated he would like to come back as the bond market – "because you can intimidate everybody." Governments, like all organizations, need to borrow routinely. But investors won't lend unless they think they will be paid back. And they will demand higher interest rates as their loans become riskier.
On Sunday, 219 House Democrats, soothed by their leaders' gaming of the CBO scoring process, voted in reckless disregard of what the bond market has been telling them. Some may share Speaker Nancy Pelosi's optimism that the government's looming fiscal disaster can be avoided by imposing a value-added tax – in effect, a national sales tax.
But, as we know from the experience of high-tax Western Europe and relatively low-tax America over the last three decades, higher taxes tend to retard economic growth. Lower economic growth means less revenue for government than in CBO projections. Less revenue means more borrowing – and at some point lenders are going to call a halt.
Barack Obama's project of transforming the United States into something like Western Europe is, according to the CBO, raising the national debt burden on the economy to World War II levels. I see train wrecks ahead – as the bond market forces huge spending cuts or tax increases first on states and then on the federal government. It will make what happened in the House Sunday look pretty.
WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Letters to the Editor: E-mail to letters@ocregister.com. Please provide your name and telephone number (telephone numbers will not be published). Letters of about 200 words will be given preference. Letters will be edited for length, grammar and clarity.
OSAMA HUSSEIN SLIGHTS OUR FRIENDS, KOWTOWS TO OUR ENEMIES!!!
Obama Slights Our Friends, Kowtows to Our Enemies
Written by Michael Barone -
Barack Obama's decision to postpone his trip to Indonesia and Australia — to a democracy with the world's largest Muslim population and to the only nation that has fought alongside us in all the wars of the last century — is of a piece with his foreign policy generally: attack America's friends and kowtow to our enemies.
Examples run from Britain to Israel. Early in his administration, Obama returned a bust of Churchill that the British government had loaned the White House after 9/11. Then Obama gave Prime Minister Gordon Brown a set of DVDs that don't work on British machines and that Brown, who has impaired vision, would have trouble watching anyway.
More recently, Obama summoned Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, permitted no photographs, laid down non-negotiable demands and went off to dinner.
Some may attribute these slights to biases inherited from the men who supplied the titles of Obama's two books. Perhaps like Barack Obama Sr., he regards the British as evil colonialists. Or perhaps like his preacher for 20 years, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, he regards Israel as an evil oppressor.
But the list of American friends Obama has slighted is long. It includes Poland and the Czech Republic (anti-missile program cancelled), Honduras (backing the constitutionally ousted president), Georgia (no support against Russia), and Colombia and South Korea (no action on pending free trade agreements).
In the meantime, Obama sends yearly greetings to (as he puts it) the Islamic Republic of Iran, exchanges friendly greetings with Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, caves to Russian demands on arms control and sends a new ambassador to Syria.
What we're seeing, I think, is a president who shares a view, long held by some on the American left, that the real danger to America often comes from America's allies.
This attitude goes back to Gen. Joseph Stilwell's feud against China's Chiang Kai-shek in World War II. As Barbara Tuchman writes in her definitive biography, Stilwell thought Chiang was undercutting the U.S. by not fighting hard enough against the Japanese. He may have shared the view common among some "old China hands" — diplomats and journalists like Edgar Snow — that the Chinese communists were preferable.
After China fell to the communists, the old China hands got a fair share of the blame, and liberals who opposed military support of Chiang were vilified.
This lesson was not forgotten.
In his first book on Vietnam, David Halberstam argued that the Diem brothers were not fighting hard enough against the communists. I remember him telling a group at the Harvard Crimson at the time how the U.S. needed to replace the Diems in order for liberals to avoid a political backlash like that against the old China hands.
The idea that allies can cause you trouble is not totally without merit. The Cold War caused us to embrace some unsavory folks. Democratic administrations supported military takeovers in Brazil in 1964 and Greece in 1967, just as a Republican administration supported one in Chile in 1973.
But liberals tend to forget the first two examples and remain fixated on the third. They see history as moving inevitably and beneficially to the left and bemoan American alliances with what they see as retrograde right-wing regimes.
They want us to look more favorably on those like Chavez and Fidel Castro, who claim they are helping the poor. Somehow it is seen as progressive to cuddle up to those who attack America and to scorn those who have shown their friendship and common values over many years.
And so Obama, the object of so much adulation in Western Europe, seems to have had only the coolest of relations with its leaders. The candidate who spoke in Berlin is now the president with no sympathy for the leaders of peoples freed when the wall fell. They are seen as impediments to his goal of propitiating Vladimir Putin's Russia, where Joseph Stalin is now an honored hero.
Obama's concessions to Russia have not prevented Russia from watering down sanctions against Iran. And Obama's display of scorning Netanyahu has not gotten the Palestinians to sit down face-to-face with the Israelis, as Netanyahu has promised to do.
Obama proclaims that through persistence he can make the leaders of Iran, North Korea, Russia, China and the Palestinians see things our way. The evidence so far is that they are making him do things their way — and that our friends are wondering whether it pays to be on America's side.
Michael Barone is senior political analyst for The Washington Examiner. To find out more about Michael Barone, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2010 THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Written by Michael Barone -
Barack Obama's decision to postpone his trip to Indonesia and Australia — to a democracy with the world's largest Muslim population and to the only nation that has fought alongside us in all the wars of the last century — is of a piece with his foreign policy generally: attack America's friends and kowtow to our enemies.
Examples run from Britain to Israel. Early in his administration, Obama returned a bust of Churchill that the British government had loaned the White House after 9/11. Then Obama gave Prime Minister Gordon Brown a set of DVDs that don't work on British machines and that Brown, who has impaired vision, would have trouble watching anyway.
More recently, Obama summoned Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, permitted no photographs, laid down non-negotiable demands and went off to dinner.
Some may attribute these slights to biases inherited from the men who supplied the titles of Obama's two books. Perhaps like Barack Obama Sr., he regards the British as evil colonialists. Or perhaps like his preacher for 20 years, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, he regards Israel as an evil oppressor.
But the list of American friends Obama has slighted is long. It includes Poland and the Czech Republic (anti-missile program cancelled), Honduras (backing the constitutionally ousted president), Georgia (no support against Russia), and Colombia and South Korea (no action on pending free trade agreements).
In the meantime, Obama sends yearly greetings to (as he puts it) the Islamic Republic of Iran, exchanges friendly greetings with Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, caves to Russian demands on arms control and sends a new ambassador to Syria.
What we're seeing, I think, is a president who shares a view, long held by some on the American left, that the real danger to America often comes from America's allies.
This attitude goes back to Gen. Joseph Stilwell's feud against China's Chiang Kai-shek in World War II. As Barbara Tuchman writes in her definitive biography, Stilwell thought Chiang was undercutting the U.S. by not fighting hard enough against the Japanese. He may have shared the view common among some "old China hands" — diplomats and journalists like Edgar Snow — that the Chinese communists were preferable.
After China fell to the communists, the old China hands got a fair share of the blame, and liberals who opposed military support of Chiang were vilified.
This lesson was not forgotten.
In his first book on Vietnam, David Halberstam argued that the Diem brothers were not fighting hard enough against the communists. I remember him telling a group at the Harvard Crimson at the time how the U.S. needed to replace the Diems in order for liberals to avoid a political backlash like that against the old China hands.
The idea that allies can cause you trouble is not totally without merit. The Cold War caused us to embrace some unsavory folks. Democratic administrations supported military takeovers in Brazil in 1964 and Greece in 1967, just as a Republican administration supported one in Chile in 1973.
But liberals tend to forget the first two examples and remain fixated on the third. They see history as moving inevitably and beneficially to the left and bemoan American alliances with what they see as retrograde right-wing regimes.
They want us to look more favorably on those like Chavez and Fidel Castro, who claim they are helping the poor. Somehow it is seen as progressive to cuddle up to those who attack America and to scorn those who have shown their friendship and common values over many years.
And so Obama, the object of so much adulation in Western Europe, seems to have had only the coolest of relations with its leaders. The candidate who spoke in Berlin is now the president with no sympathy for the leaders of peoples freed when the wall fell. They are seen as impediments to his goal of propitiating Vladimir Putin's Russia, where Joseph Stalin is now an honored hero.
Obama's concessions to Russia have not prevented Russia from watering down sanctions against Iran. And Obama's display of scorning Netanyahu has not gotten the Palestinians to sit down face-to-face with the Israelis, as Netanyahu has promised to do.
Obama proclaims that through persistence he can make the leaders of Iran, North Korea, Russia, China and the Palestinians see things our way. The evidence so far is that they are making him do things their way — and that our friends are wondering whether it pays to be on America's side.
Michael Barone is senior political analyst for The Washington Examiner. To find out more about Michael Barone, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2010 THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
DAVID HEADLEY, AKA BRADLEY VANLENTE, AKA JEFF HEGEDUS SPOTTED IN THE AREA WITH LOCAL STREET THUGS!!!
COMMUNITY ALERT --- David Headley, aka Bradley VanLente, aka Jeff Hegedus was spotted in the local vicinity directing stalking, sexist, disgusting heroine addicts and drug addicts with continuing harassment and threats...
It appears that the Cook County, Chicago, Illinois International Child Trafficking Network extends into middle America, as well, while the remain on the government payroll of United States' Domestic Terrorist Barak Hussein Osama Obama!!!
You Not Welcome Scumbags!!!
It appears that the Cook County, Chicago, Illinois International Child Trafficking Network extends into middle America, as well, while the remain on the government payroll of United States' Domestic Terrorist Barak Hussein Osama Obama!!!
You Not Welcome Scumbags!!!
Monday, March 29, 2010
THE BATTLE AGAINST OSAMA'S-MARE HAS JUST BEGUN!!!
HTTP://WWW.JUDICIALWATCH.ORG
JUDICIAL WATCH --- MARCH 26, 2010
From the Desk of Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton:
The Battle against Obamacare Has Just Begun
On Tuesday, March 23, 2010, President Obama completed his hostile government takeover of our nation’s health care system. Just two days after liberals led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hammered his Obamacare package through Congress, the President signed the legislation into law. According to The Associated Press:
A beaming President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed a historic $938 billion health care overhaul that guarantees coverage for 32 million uninsured Americans and will touch nearly every citizen's life, presiding over the biggest shift in U.S. domestic policy since the 1960s and capping a divisive, yearlong debate that could define the November elections…
"With all the punditry, all the lobbying, all the game-playing that passes for governing here in Washington, it's been easy at times to doubt our ability to do such a big thing, such a complicated thing…,” the president said.
Did Obama really just criticize his opponents for punditry, lobbying and game-playing? Obama and his liberal allies used these tactics profusely to smash Obamacare down our throats. And, by the way, you can also add obfuscation, secrecy, bullying and manipulation to the list as well.
Make no mistake. The Obamacare push was a Chicago-style political operation orchestrated by the White House and carried out by Rahm “Rhambo” Emanuel and Nancy “The Gavel” Pelosi. It was the type of shameless power grab you’d expect in Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela, not the United States of America.
Of course, the President’s champagne popping notwithstanding, the battle over health care reform is just beginning. In fact, it’s just getting started. Attorneys general from 14 states have already filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the federal government commandeering sovereign state governments and imposing a mandate upon individuals to purchase health care insurance.
There is much talk in the press about how the Tea Partiers are going to take this issue to the polls in November and what the results might mean to the future of health care. Obamacare opponents are now talking about implementing a “Repeal and Replace” strategy with respect to the health care overhaul.
******
CORRUPTION CHRONICLES
•9/11 Mastermind To Be Freed From Guantanamo
•ACORN Operating Under Different Name
•Homeland Sec. Director Convicted In Illegal Alien Case
•Public School Helps Girl Get Abortion
•Law Axed For Creating “Restriction On Alien Residence”
•Obama's Army Nominee Let Classified Info Leak
•Mexican Gang Targets U.S. Officers
******
Of course, as regular readers of the Weekly Update know well, Judicial Watch has been investigating Obamacare since August 2009. And you can expect us to kick this battle up a notch and then some. We’ve already filed more than 20 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in order to unearth the details of the sordid backroom deals that led to the government takeover of the healthcare system.
It is worth noting that in our recent SurveyUSA poll, 62% of likely voters thought an increased government role in the health care system would lead to more corruption.
(As I mentioned last week, we recently filed a FOIA lawsuit against Health and Human Services (HHS) to uncover documents related to the secret, closed-door meetings on health care that the President held with Vice President Biden, HHS Secretary Sebelius, Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid and union officials.)
As Obama and Pelosi continue to celebrate (before moving on to financial “reform” and global warming legislation), Judicial Watch’s legal team is plotting its counteroffensive. Liberals may have stolen a victory in the battle over health care reform legislation, but the war against Obamacare rages on. And your Judicial Watch is right in the middle of it. Stay tuned.
HTTP://WWW.JUDICIALWATCH.ORG
JUDICIAL WATCH --- MARCH 26, 2010
From the Desk of Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton:
The Battle against Obamacare Has Just Begun
On Tuesday, March 23, 2010, President Obama completed his hostile government takeover of our nation’s health care system. Just two days after liberals led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hammered his Obamacare package through Congress, the President signed the legislation into law. According to The Associated Press:
A beaming President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed a historic $938 billion health care overhaul that guarantees coverage for 32 million uninsured Americans and will touch nearly every citizen's life, presiding over the biggest shift in U.S. domestic policy since the 1960s and capping a divisive, yearlong debate that could define the November elections…
"With all the punditry, all the lobbying, all the game-playing that passes for governing here in Washington, it's been easy at times to doubt our ability to do such a big thing, such a complicated thing…,” the president said.
Did Obama really just criticize his opponents for punditry, lobbying and game-playing? Obama and his liberal allies used these tactics profusely to smash Obamacare down our throats. And, by the way, you can also add obfuscation, secrecy, bullying and manipulation to the list as well.
Make no mistake. The Obamacare push was a Chicago-style political operation orchestrated by the White House and carried out by Rahm “Rhambo” Emanuel and Nancy “The Gavel” Pelosi. It was the type of shameless power grab you’d expect in Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela, not the United States of America.
Of course, the President’s champagne popping notwithstanding, the battle over health care reform is just beginning. In fact, it’s just getting started. Attorneys general from 14 states have already filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the federal government commandeering sovereign state governments and imposing a mandate upon individuals to purchase health care insurance.
There is much talk in the press about how the Tea Partiers are going to take this issue to the polls in November and what the results might mean to the future of health care. Obamacare opponents are now talking about implementing a “Repeal and Replace” strategy with respect to the health care overhaul.
******
CORRUPTION CHRONICLES
•9/11 Mastermind To Be Freed From Guantanamo
•ACORN Operating Under Different Name
•Homeland Sec. Director Convicted In Illegal Alien Case
•Public School Helps Girl Get Abortion
•Law Axed For Creating “Restriction On Alien Residence”
•Obama's Army Nominee Let Classified Info Leak
•Mexican Gang Targets U.S. Officers
******
Of course, as regular readers of the Weekly Update know well, Judicial Watch has been investigating Obamacare since August 2009. And you can expect us to kick this battle up a notch and then some. We’ve already filed more than 20 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in order to unearth the details of the sordid backroom deals that led to the government takeover of the healthcare system.
It is worth noting that in our recent SurveyUSA poll, 62% of likely voters thought an increased government role in the health care system would lead to more corruption.
(As I mentioned last week, we recently filed a FOIA lawsuit against Health and Human Services (HHS) to uncover documents related to the secret, closed-door meetings on health care that the President held with Vice President Biden, HHS Secretary Sebelius, Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid and union officials.)
As Obama and Pelosi continue to celebrate (before moving on to financial “reform” and global warming legislation), Judicial Watch’s legal team is plotting its counteroffensive. Liberals may have stolen a victory in the battle over health care reform legislation, but the war against Obamacare rages on. And your Judicial Watch is right in the middle of it. Stay tuned.
HTTP://WWW.JUDICIALWATCH.ORG
QUOTES FROM AMERICA'S FOUNDING FATHERS!!!
Quotes from the Founding Fathers
"Any people that would give up liberty for a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin
"... God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty.... And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."
Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 (C.J. Boyd, Ed., 1950)
"If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending, if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained _ we must fight!" Patrick Henry
"(T)he foundation of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality; ...the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained..." George Washington, First Inaugural, April 30 1789
"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams
"Political interest [can] never be separated in the long run from moral right"
"Can the liberties of a nation be sure when we remove their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people, that these liberties are a gift from God? Thomas Jefferson
The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government."
Patrick Henry
"The citizens of the U.S. are responsible for the greatest trust ever confided to a political society"
"We base all our experiments on the capacity of mankind for self-government." James Madison
"Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God." Thomas Jefferson
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." George Washington
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves." William Pitt in the House of Commons November 18, 1783
"We must all hang together, or, assuredly, we shall all hang separately." Benjamin Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicity. Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address.
QUOTES FROM FOUNDING FATHERS AND REVOLUTIONARY THINKERS ON THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS
THOMAS JEFFERSON
A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks.
Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 1785. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, (Memorial Edition) Lipscomb and Bergh, editors.
One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them.
Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 1796. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, (Memorial Edition) Lipscomb and Bergh, editors.
Laws that forbid the carrying of arms... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man. Jefferson's "Commonplace Book," 1774_1776, quoting from On Crimes and Punishment, by criminologist Cesare Beccaria, 1764
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
Thomas Jefferson, Proposed Virginia Constitution, 1776, Jefferson Papers 344.
THOMAS PAINE
"The balance of power is the scale of peace. The same balance would be preserved were all the world not destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since some will not, others dare not lay them aside ... Horrid mischief would ensue were one half the world deprived of the use of them ... the weak will become prey to the strong."
Thomas Paine, Thoughts on Defensive War
JAMES MADISON
"Americans [have] the right and advantage of being armed, unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust their people with arms."
SAMUEL ADAMS
"The Constitution shall never be construed to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms . . ."
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
"They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
RICHARD HENRY LEE
"A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves ... and include all men capable of bearing arms."
Richard Henry Lee - Senator, First Congress
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms..."
GEORGE WASHINGTON
"The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference they deserve a place of honor with all that is good."
"A free people ought not only to be armed..."
PATRICK HENRY
"The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able may have a gun."
"Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in possession and under our direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?"
March 23, 1775:
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
.
"Any people that would give up liberty for a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin
"... God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty.... And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."
Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 (C.J. Boyd, Ed., 1950)
"If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending, if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained _ we must fight!" Patrick Henry
"(T)he foundation of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality; ...the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained..." George Washington, First Inaugural, April 30 1789
"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams
"Political interest [can] never be separated in the long run from moral right"
"Can the liberties of a nation be sure when we remove their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people, that these liberties are a gift from God? Thomas Jefferson
The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government."
Patrick Henry
"The citizens of the U.S. are responsible for the greatest trust ever confided to a political society"
"We base all our experiments on the capacity of mankind for self-government." James Madison
"Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God." Thomas Jefferson
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." George Washington
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves." William Pitt in the House of Commons November 18, 1783
"We must all hang together, or, assuredly, we shall all hang separately." Benjamin Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicity. Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address.
QUOTES FROM FOUNDING FATHERS AND REVOLUTIONARY THINKERS ON THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS
THOMAS JEFFERSON
A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks.
Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 1785. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, (Memorial Edition) Lipscomb and Bergh, editors.
One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them.
Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 1796. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, (Memorial Edition) Lipscomb and Bergh, editors.
Laws that forbid the carrying of arms... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man. Jefferson's "Commonplace Book," 1774_1776, quoting from On Crimes and Punishment, by criminologist Cesare Beccaria, 1764
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
Thomas Jefferson, Proposed Virginia Constitution, 1776, Jefferson Papers 344.
THOMAS PAINE
"The balance of power is the scale of peace. The same balance would be preserved were all the world not destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since some will not, others dare not lay them aside ... Horrid mischief would ensue were one half the world deprived of the use of them ... the weak will become prey to the strong."
Thomas Paine, Thoughts on Defensive War
JAMES MADISON
"Americans [have] the right and advantage of being armed, unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust their people with arms."
SAMUEL ADAMS
"The Constitution shall never be construed to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms . . ."
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
"They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
RICHARD HENRY LEE
"A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves ... and include all men capable of bearing arms."
Richard Henry Lee - Senator, First Congress
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms..."
GEORGE WASHINGTON
"The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference they deserve a place of honor with all that is good."
"A free people ought not only to be armed..."
PATRICK HENRY
"The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able may have a gun."
"Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in possession and under our direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?"
March 23, 1775:
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
.
TEA TIME!!!
The Las Vegas Sun reports:
SEARCHLIGHT — Sarah Palin told thousands of tea party activists gathered in the Nevada desert that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will have to explain his votes when he comes back to his hometown.
The wind whipped U.S. and Alabama flags behind Palin as she stood on the makeshift stage, holding a microphone and her notes as she spoke to the crowd.
Palin says the big government, big debt spending spree of Reid, President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is over, and “you’re fired.” She told the crowd that Reid is “gambling away our future.”
“Someone needs to tell him, this is not a crapshoot,” Palin said.
She says those protesting the health care overhaul aren’t inciting violence, but says they shouldn’t sit down and shut up.
Palin was the main attraction at the rally about 60 miles south of Las Vegas. It kicks off a 42-city bus tour that ends in Washington on April 15.
Thousands gathered on a dirt lot in Reid’s hometown for what organizers are calling the “Showdown in Searchlight.”
The Tea Party Express had expected between 5,000 and 10,000 people. About 8,000 people were at the event as of 2 p.m., according to an estimate from Metro Police spokesman Jay Rivera. Traffic was backed up about five miles from Searchlight.
*******
CANDIDATES REGISTRATION
YES, I want to be known as a Candidate who believes in the Non-Negotiable Core Beliefs of the Tea Party. By registering and paying my one time fee I will be admitted to all Tea Party events and be a Candidate member of the Tea Party. Even though I may be a member of a political party, I will work to uphold and protect the Non-Negotiable Core Beliefs as set forth by the Tea Party, as listed on TeaParty.Org.
When elected I will work to install, protect and endorse the Non-Negotiable Core Beliefs of the Tea Party.
NON-NEGOTIABLE CORE BELIEFS
Illegal Aliens Are Here illegally.
Pro-Domestic Employment Is Indispensable.
Stronger Military Is Essential.
Special Interests Eliminated.
Gun Ownership Is Sacred.
Government Must Be Downsized.
National Budget Must Be Balanced.
Deficit Spending Will End.
Bail-out And Stimulus Plans Are Illegal.
Reduce Personal Income Taxes A Must.
Reduce Business Income Taxes Is Mandatory.
Political Offices Available To Average Citizens.
Intrusive Government Stopped.
English As Core Language Is Required.
Traditional Family Values Are Encouraged.
Common Sense Constitutional Conservative Self-Governance is our mode of operation.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
PALIN KICKS OFF TEA PARY RALLY IN SENATOR REID'S HOMETOWN!!!
Palin, tea party to rally in Sen. Reid's hometown
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD (AP) – 2 hours ago
LAS VEGAS — Sarah Palin and thousands of tea party activists plan to descend on Sen. Harry Reid's hometown in the Nevada desert Saturday to call for the ouster of Democrats who supported the health care overhaul.
Organizers predict as many as 10,000 people could come to tiny Searchlight, the hardscrabble former mining town where the Senate Democratic leader grew up and owns a home. But a light turnout or disruptions could lead to questions about the emerging movements' credibility and direction.
Since the health care vote, "Everyone is waiting to see if the tea party movement is reinvigorated or if we've resigned ourselves to defeat," Joe Wierzbicki, a spokesman for event sponsor Tea Party Express, said in an e-mail.
The rally that's been called a conservative Woodstock takes place just days after the historic health care vote that ushered in near-universal medical coverage and divided Congress and the nation.
The vote was followed by reports of threats and vandalism aimed at some Washington lawmakers, mostly Democrats who supported the new law.
Police don't expect problems but the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is sending dozens of uniformed and plainclothes officers to patrol the crowd.
Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, is scheduled to appear after spending Friday campaigning for Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who led the 2008 ticket.
Now a Fox News analyst and potential 2012 presidential candidate, Palin faced criticism after posting a map on her Facebook page that had circles and cross hairs over 20 Democratic districts. She also sent a tweet saying, "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!"
She said Friday she was alluding to votes, not guns.
A string of polls has shown Reid is vulnerable in politically moderate Nevada after pushing President Barack Obama's agenda in Congress. His standing has also been hurt by Nevada's double-digit unemployment and record foreclosure and bankruptcy rates.
The tea party movement is a far-flung coalition of conservative groups angered by Washington spending, rising taxes and the growth and reach of government. It takes its name from the Boston Tea Party in 1773, when colonists dumped tea off English ships to protest what they considered unfair taxation by the British crown.
The rally kicks off a 42-city bus tour that ends in Washington on April 15, tax day.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD (AP) – 2 hours ago
LAS VEGAS — Sarah Palin and thousands of tea party activists plan to descend on Sen. Harry Reid's hometown in the Nevada desert Saturday to call for the ouster of Democrats who supported the health care overhaul.
Organizers predict as many as 10,000 people could come to tiny Searchlight, the hardscrabble former mining town where the Senate Democratic leader grew up and owns a home. But a light turnout or disruptions could lead to questions about the emerging movements' credibility and direction.
Since the health care vote, "Everyone is waiting to see if the tea party movement is reinvigorated or if we've resigned ourselves to defeat," Joe Wierzbicki, a spokesman for event sponsor Tea Party Express, said in an e-mail.
The rally that's been called a conservative Woodstock takes place just days after the historic health care vote that ushered in near-universal medical coverage and divided Congress and the nation.
The vote was followed by reports of threats and vandalism aimed at some Washington lawmakers, mostly Democrats who supported the new law.
Police don't expect problems but the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is sending dozens of uniformed and plainclothes officers to patrol the crowd.
Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, is scheduled to appear after spending Friday campaigning for Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who led the 2008 ticket.
Now a Fox News analyst and potential 2012 presidential candidate, Palin faced criticism after posting a map on her Facebook page that had circles and cross hairs over 20 Democratic districts. She also sent a tweet saying, "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!"
She said Friday she was alluding to votes, not guns.
A string of polls has shown Reid is vulnerable in politically moderate Nevada after pushing President Barack Obama's agenda in Congress. His standing has also been hurt by Nevada's double-digit unemployment and record foreclosure and bankruptcy rates.
The tea party movement is a far-flung coalition of conservative groups angered by Washington spending, rising taxes and the growth and reach of government. It takes its name from the Boston Tea Party in 1773, when colonists dumped tea off English ships to protest what they considered unfair taxation by the British crown.
The rally kicks off a 42-city bus tour that ends in Washington on April 15, tax day.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
PALIN POUNCES FOR MCCAIN IN ARIZONA --- GOP IS STILL THE PARY OF 'HELL NO'!!!
Palin, McCain Rally In Arizona (VIDEO): GOP Is 'Party Of Hell No'!
First Posted: 03-26-10 02:42 PM | Updated: 03-26-10 05:33 PM
John McCain helped Sarah Palin launch her national political career two years ago. Now, she's trying to help McCain save his. The former running mates campaigned together Friday for the first time since losing the presidential race in 2008.
Palin was a first-term governor of Alaska when McCain plucked her from relative obscurity to be his running mate. She went on to become a conservative rock star and a key Republican critic of President Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress.
At the rally on Friday, Palin proclaimed that the Republican Party isn't the party of no -- "we're the party of hell no!"
She derided "this BS coming from the lame-stream media" about "us common-sense conservatives kinda inciting violence," but added, "We know violence isn't the answer. When we take up our arms, we're talking about our vote."
The Tea Party movement, Palin declared, is "a beautiful grassroots movement that is putting government back on the side of the people. ... Everybody here today supporting John McCain, we're all part of that tea party movement."
McCain is fighting for his political life. Fending off a primary challenge from the right, the four-term Arizona senator is facing the toughest re-election campaign of his Senate career.
Former congressman and conservative talk-radio host JD Hayworth says McCain is too moderate for Arizona Republicans. He points to McCain's reputation for working with Democrats on key issues such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and restricting campaign donations.
Palin will help McCain tout his conservative credentials again at a rally in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa on Saturday.
Hayworth has tried to define himself as "the consistent conservative" in contrast to the "maverick" McCain.
Before Hayworth left his radio show to officially enter the race, he used the airwaves to attack McCain's congressional record, most notably his work with the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on a bill that would have created a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Now, Hayworth is hoping to topple one of the Republican Party's best-known figures by reaching out to tea party groups and other conservative activists.
McCain has thwarted some of those efforts by securing the endorsements of key tea party figures including recently elected Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and Palin.
Hayworth said Palin is repaying McCain for launching her national political career.
"We look forward to having Gov. Palin's support following the primary," Hayworth said. "But we welcome her and we understand why she's in the state stumping for McCain."
Palin's popularity and fundraising power is largely unmatched on the right. But she's also been berated as a lightweight not prepared for national office, and she was criticized last year for resigning as Alaska governor before her term was up.
Palin has admonished McCain's presidential campaign since their loss, saying in her book "Going Rogue" that there was substantial tension between her advisers and McCain's. She said she was kept "bottled up" from reporters during the campaign and was prevented from delivering a concession speech in Phoenix on Election Night.
Palin hasn't criticized McCain himself, however, and the senator has stood by his decision to choose her as his running mate, saying he was proud of the campaign and predicting she would be a "major player" in the Republican Party.
Palin took heat this week when she released a list of 20 U.S. House seats she said conservatives should target in the upcoming midterm elections. The list, posted on her Facebook page, featured a U.S. map with circles and cross hairs over the 20 districts.
Critics said it was inappropriate to use gun imagery, especially as a handful of Democrats who supported the health care overhaul reported receiving threats of violence.
McCain defended Palin, saying it was common practice and "part of the lexicon" to refer to targeted congressional districts.
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