Pot Luck Politics

Potluck Politics is now... Political Potluck

2009-04-24T05:54:00.000-07:00

Minor change, but change it is! We're in the process of setting up our brand new political website, www.politicalpotluck.com and we wanted a blog with a similar name. We rather liked "Potluck Politics" but it seems someone else figured we'd like it someday and bought the name and parked it for sale. Didn't ask, but I'd imagine it doesn't come cheap.

Our NEW blog is http://politicalpotluckblog.blogspot.com (don't forget the "blog" at the end of the name as someone else grabbed political potluck last year... they're not using it, but it exists and we'd hate for you to think it was ours).

It's getting harder and harder to find good names for political blogs and sites given the heightened interest in politics these days. There are a lot of creative people in this world!

Hope you'll favorite our new blog and, when the new site goes up, check in to see what we're sharing!

Sebelius Places Interests of Late-Term Abortionists Ahead of Unborn Children

2009-04-24T04:57:00.000-07:00

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement after Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoed a pro-life bill that increases reporting requirements for doctors who perform late-term abortions and allows lawsuits against them if a patient later comes to believe such a procedure was illegal.

"Governor Sebelius has placed the interests of late-term abortionists ahead of the lives of viable unborn children. It's that simple. It's clear that Governor Sebelius is unburdened by any concern for the well-being of women and their pre-born children.

"Her ties to the late-term abortion industry appear to be even stronger than her desire to be the head of the Department of Health and Human Services. If you want a preview of President Obama's health care plan, take a look at Governor Sebelius's record.

"Each U.S. senator must decide whether they will give support to a nominee who gives so little concern to the killing of near-term babies. We call on the U.S. Senate to reject her nomination, stand up for integrity, and call on President Obama to offer a nominee without such ethical baggage."

To watch Tony Perkins address the Sebelius nomination in Wichita, Kansas, click here http://www.frcblog.com/2009/04/perkins_on_point_kansas_editio.html.

---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---

Middle East Opinion on Obama's First 100 Days

2009-04-24T03:59:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire/ -- A recent survey by the market research company Real Opinions in the Middle East on the first 100 days since US President Obama was inaugurated shows that although the image of the US and leadership on the global stage has improved, performance on issues closer to home in the Middle East are dividing opinion.

There is success for Obama with overall opinion of the US from a Middle Eastern perspective improving by 42%. This is backed up with 35% believing the leadership of US on the global stage has also improved while 43% believe there is no change and just 9% believe it is actually worse. There are also encouraging signs on the subject of the economy with more than twice as many than his predecessor believing they are more confident with the global economy recovering under his leadership (37% improved, 15% worse).

However, in terms of key issues such as Middle East stability, the opinion is more closely divided with 20% believing it has improved and 14% believing it has become worse.

Dan Healy, the CEO of Real Opinions who conducted the survey commented 'Breaking some of these results down to the areas directly impacted by recent events such as those in the Palestinian Autonomous Area (PAA), 19% believed Middle East stability has worsened, 17% believe it has improved while just over half believe it has not changed (54%). When it came to the issue of the Palestinian & Israeli situation, 30% in PAA thought this was worse under Obama's leadership, which is twice as many as those who thought it had improved on 14%. For half of these respondents, they don't believe there is any change between Presidents Bush and Obama.

Healy added, "The overall acceptance of the image of U.S. has greatly improved but in terms of some key issues in the Middle East there is very little change. I think it's safe to say that under Bush's leadership and policies the goodwill and the favourable disposition towards the U.S. in the Middle East eroded away and now it's a new chapter, like a love affair, rekindled, very much awakened and I think it's a window of opportunity to leverage this favouritism in terms of policies to tackle some of these issues."

Research on the eve of the US presidential election showed the Middle East very much in favour of Obama over his then rival McCain in terms of being perceived as the best person capable of handling these key regional issues. Healy added "With the election of Obama, many have raised expectations in the Middle East of a change being made to policies and this appears to be transferring into dissatisfaction for some with the perception of little change being made by the time of this study."

On the eve of these results being released was the announcement by US officials that leaders of Egypt, Israel and Palestinians have been invited for talks in Washington in a new push for Middle East peace.

Healy commented 'Overall, these results suggest there is certainly a dramatic and favourable image change for the US in the Middle East with Obama as leader over the last 100 days. In terms of policy on some key Middle Eastern issues, there is certainly room for an improvement and this might be about to change with this invitation for talks.'

Research Methodology

The survey was conducted in both Arabic and English online from 10th to 20th April with n=2,789 respondents in the Middle East. Respondents were from the Real Opinion online panel and the results have approximately a 2%+/- margin of error with a CI of 95%.

About Real Opinions

Real Opinions is a full-service market research company, specialising in online media, with global and Middle East research expertise and best practice. Based in Dubai and London, Real Opinions has proven ability to help strategically guide communication, insight and assess the effectiveness of campaigns.

Real Opinions is an accredited member of ESOMAR, an international organisation for market research. For more information about us and this study, please visit http://www.real-opinions.com

   
   Q. The US President Barack Obama will soon have been in office for 100
      days and this is often a time to assess a political leader's progress.
      Please rate how you believe the following has changed under his
      leadership.

   Leadership of US on global stage

                Total   UAE  Bahrain Algeria Egypt Iraq  Jordan Kuwait

   Base: All    2789    334    51      191    487   32    251     54
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %     %     %      %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      35     52     35      23     35    47     25     39
   Worse          9      8     12       8      6     6     10     9
   No change     43     30     45      51     45    44     51     41
   Don't know    13     10      8      18     14     3     14     11


               Lebanon Libya Morocco  Oman    PAA  Qatar Saudi

   Base: All     37     44     288     27     116   32    538
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %     %     %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      59     32     31      33     32    38     36
   Worse          3      2     11      15     11    13     10
   No change     32     59     47      37     44    47     39
   Don't know     5      7     11      15     13     3     15


                Sudan  Syria Tunisia  Yemen  Iran

   Base: All     72     151    39      38      7
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      40     25     33      39     29
   Worse         10      7      5      21      0
   No change     40     54     46      29     43
   Don't know    10     14     15      11     29


   Palestinian & Israeli situation

                Total   UAE  Bahrain Algeria Egypt Iraq  Jordan Kuwait

   Base: All    2789    334    51      191    487   32    251     54
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %     %     %      %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      12     13      8      10     10    16     12     17
   Worse         21     15     20      23     22    13     25     13
   No change     58     60     67      56     60    63     55     61
   Don't know     9     12      6      11      8     9     9      9

               Lebanon Libya Morocco  Oman    PAA  Qatar Saudi

   Base: All     37     44     288     27     116   32    538
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %     %     %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      16      9     14       7     14    13     11
   Worse         11     18     24      33     30    22     22
   No change     62     68     55      56     51    59     58
   Don't know    11      5      8       4      5     6     9

                Sudan  Syria Tunisia  Yemen  Iran

   Base: All     72     151    39      38      7
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved       8     11     15      18      0
   Worse         15     19     21      26      0
   No change     71     62     54      45     86
   Don't know     6      7     10      11     14


   Iran nuclear issue

                Total   UAE  Bahrain Algeria Egypt Iraq  Jordan Kuwait

   Base: All    2789    334    51      191    487   32    251     54
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %     %     %      %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      28     28     35      30     25    34     25     28
   Worse         13     11     14      10     12    25     13     9
   No change     43     46     41      36     45    34     48     46
   Don't know    17     15     10      24     17     6     14     17

               Lebanon Libya Morocco  Oman    PAA  Qatar Saudi

   Base: All     37     44     288     27     116   32    538
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %     %     %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      46     20     30      44     28    31     23
   Worse         11     11     13      11     20    19     14
   No change     32     50     41      41     35    38     46
   Don't know    11     18     17       4     17    13     17

                Sudan  Syria Tunisia  Yemen  Iran

   Base: All     72     151    39      38      7
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      36     28     38      39     71
   Worse          7     14      5       5      0
   No change     42     42     38      29     14
   Don't know    15     16     18      26     14


   Middle East stability

                Total   UAE  Bahrain Algeria Egypt Iraq  Jordan Kuwait

   Base: All    2789    334    51      191    487   32    251     54
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %     %     %      %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      20     20     31      13     15    22     17     26
   Worse         14     11      6      13     17     9     16     9
   No change     56     58     55      59     59    69     58     59
   Don't know    10     11      8      15     10     0     9      6

               Lebanon Libya Morocco  Oman    PAA  Qatar Saudi

   Base: All     37     44     288     27     116   32    538
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %     %     %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      38     14     22      26     17    25     21
   Worse          8     14     15      26     19    28     14
   No change     46     66     53      33     54    38     53
   Don't know     8      7     10      15      9     9     12

                Sudan  Syria Tunisia  Yemen  Iran

   Base: All     72     151    39      38      7
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      22     29     10      29     14
   Worse         14     11     23      18     14
   No change     58     52     51      45     57
   Don't know     6      8     15       8     14


   Confidence with global economy recovering

                Total   UAE  Bahrain Algeria Egypt Iraq  Jordan Kuwait

   Base: All    2789    334    51      191    487   32    251     54
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %     %     %      %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      37     46     37      28     38    41     35     37
   Worse         15     10      8      15     14    16     18     19
   No change     33     31     37      30     35    34     32     28
   Don't know    16     13     18      27     13     9     15     17

               Lebanon Libya Morocco  Oman    PAA  Qatar Saudi

   Base: All     37     44     288     27     116   32    538
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %     %     %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      41     27     35      37     41    50     37
   Worse          5     14     19      30     10    16     15
   No change     35     41     31      19     30    25     32
   Don't know    19     18     15      15     18     9     16

                Sudan  Syria Tunisia  Yemen  Iran

   Base: All     72     151    39      38      7
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      40     26     33      50     14
   Worse         14     15     21      21     14
   No change     33     43     36      16     43
   Don't know    13     16     10      13     29


   Overall opinion of US

                Total   UAE  Bahrain Algeria Egypt Iraq  Jordan Kuwait

   Base: All    2789    334    51      191    487   32    251     54
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %     %     %      %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      42     53     49      37     42    53     39     44
   Worse         10      9      6       7      9     6     10     6
   No change     30     25     35      30     31    31     34     39
   Don't know    19     14     10      26     18     9     18     11

               Lebanon Libya Morocco  Oman    PAA  Qatar Saudi

   Base: All     37     44     288     27     116   32    538
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %     %     %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      51     30     37      33     44    44     41
   Worse          3      7     13      33     12    16     10
   No change     24     32     31      15     23    19     30
   Don't know    22     32     19      19     21    22     19

                Sudan  Syria Tunisia  Yemen  Iran

   Base: All     72     151    39      38      7
   respondents
   Minimum        %      %      %       %      %
   Base: 20
   (**), Small
   Base: 50
   (*)

   Improved      40     40     46      50     57
   Worse          6      9     18       8      0
   No change     32     32     18      21     29
   Don't know    22     18     18      21     14

Pro-Life Spokeswoman Objects to FDA Approval of 'Morning-After Pill' for Minors Without Prescription

2009-04-23T16:02:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced late on April 22 that it has expanded over-the-counter access to the morning-after pill, Levonorgestrel or "Plan B," for 17-year-old minors as well as to adults. Deirdre McQuade, Assistant Director for Policy and Communications at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, objected to the move in the following statement:

"The FDA's court-driven decision to make Plan B available without a prescription to 17-year-old minors - as well as to adults - flies in the face of common sense. Levonorgestrel is a powerful drug, taken in two doses over a 12-hour period. It is 40 times more potent than comparable progestin-only birth control pills (Ovrette) for which a prescription is required.

"Wider access to Plan B could endanger the lives of newly-conceived children, and will put minors at risk for unnecessary side effects, undermine parental rights, and contribute to higher STD rates.

"Pregnancy is not a disease and fertility is not a pathological condition, so Plan B has no authentic therapeutic purpose, and can actually cause harm to women and their newly-conceived children.

"The FDA describes Plan B as 'a contraceptive drug.' Although Plan B can prevent fertilization, the manufacturer admits it may also prevent an embryo from implanting in the womb, which is essential to his or her continued survival. Since it takes several days for the growing embryo to reach the uterine lining and implant in the mother's womb, the child in his or her second week of life could die as a direct result of Plan B. This is properly understood as an early abortion.

"Without the benefit of a doctor's supervision, many teens will be unaware of this possible abortifacient action and the other risks posed by Levonorgestrel, particularly the risks from repeated use.

"Much to the surprise of the morning-after pill's early advocates, five years of research in Europe and the U.S. shows that increased access to emergency contraception has failed to reduce rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion. But it has led to greater sexual risk-taking among adolescent populations, in turn leading to higher rates of sexually-transmitted disease. In the unlikely event a teenager will bother to read the Plan B package insert all the way to the end, she will find sound advice: 'Of course, not having sex is the most effective way to prevent pregnancy and stay free of STDs'."

All Violent Crimes Are 'Hate Crimes,' Protect Equal Justice Under the Law

2009-04-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement after approval by the House Judiciary Committee of a proposed federal "hate crimes" bill, H.R. 1913.

This measure would allow the federal government, for the first time ever, to prosecute any violent crime anywhere in the country that "is motivated by prejudice" against a number of protected characteristics, including "sexual orientation" and "gender identity."

Following is Perkins' statement:

"Congress should protect all Americans equally and not provide special protections to a few politically favored groups. A vote in favor of so-called 'hate crimes' legislation today is a direct violation of the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause. Congress needs to remember that preserving the meaning of equal justice under the law is more important than catering to the whims of political fashion.

"All violent crimes are hate crimes, and every victim is equally important. All of our citizens deserve equal justice under the law. Do we somehow care less about victims violently assaulted because of robberies or personal disputes than we do about those assaulted because they belong in a federally designated category?

"Additionally, this poorly-worded legislation shows contempt for the moral and religious views of millions of Americans by including 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity' as protected categories at a time when a large plurality of our fellow citizens rejects the implied meaning of those labels. The bill sends a message that disapproval of homosexual behavior alone - even if expressed peacefully and lovingly - constitutes a form of 'hate' that is equivalent to racial bigotry.

"This is an insult to many compassionate individuals who sincerely object to such conduct, not only based on religious and moral boundaries that are thousands of years old, but also based on well-founded concerns about the serious health risks of such conduct.

"This also sets us on a slippery slope toward serious infringements of the freedom of speech and freedom of religion. By ratifying the 'thought crimes' mentality, this bill paves the way for future expansions of its scope. Indeed, Christians have already been prosecuted under thought crime laws for peacefully expressing disapproval of homosexual behavior in Sweden, England, Canada, and even in Philadelphia."

FDA Fails to Consider Risks of Over-the-Counter Plan B

2009-04-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- Moira Gaul, Family Research Council's Director of Women's and Reproductive Health, released the following statement regarding the Obama Administration's decision to sell the morning-after-pill to 17-year-olds without a prescription.

"The Obama Administration is permitting a judge to make a scientific decision as to the safety of the over-the-counter sale of Plan B. This decision places policy preferences before safety. The best interest of women's health is not advanced by these decisions. Reason, science, and compassion clearly are not the animating factors of the decision.

"In order for a drug to be sold over-the-counter, patients must be able to safely medicate themselves without medical supervision. Studies tracking the label comprehension for Plan B show poor awareness that Plan B is not a substitute for standard contraceptives. The FDA-approved label for Plan B gives no clear indication that repeated use of Plan B in a short period of time is not safe.

"FDA officials understood these safety concerns in 2006 and were not convinced that the label comprehension data for teens demonstrated that they could use Plan B safely. The FDA officials believed more data needed to be submitted.

"There is a real danger that Plan B may be given to women, especially sexually abused women and minors, under coercion or without their consent. Interaction with medical professionals is a major screening and defense mechanism for victims of sexual abuse. The availability of Plan B over-the-counter also bypasses the necessary routine medical care of sexually active girls and women, which is important for the screening of health conditions, and for providing screening for sexually transmitted diseases."

Threat to Consumer Protections Sparks Opposition to House Mortgage Bill

2009-04-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire/ -- The following is being released by the National Consumer Law Center:

A bill backed by leading House Democrats who promise that it will rein in predatory lending and reform the mortgage market would do more harm than good by undermining existing state consumer protection laws and replacing them with unworkable federal mechanisms.

That's the position of nine labor, civil rights and national consumer advocacy and progressive groups that formally announced their opposition to the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act at a hearing Thursday of the House Financial Services Committee.

"The bill is complex, convoluted and simply will not accomplish its main goal - to fundamentally change the way mortgages are made in this country," said Margot Saunders, a lawyer for the National Consumer Law Center. Saunders testified at the hearing on behalf of the nine national organizations and 40 state and local legal services and public interest organizations that also oppose the bill, HR 1728.

The bill's most serious flaw is its proposed preemption of state laws that allow homeowners to challenge predatory mortgages and prevent foreclosures. HR 1728 would shut the door on these efforts to save homes. Instead, it would shelter Wall Street companies from accountability for the predatory loans that they purchase from lenders.

HR 1728 would replace the use of these important state laws with limited, complex and confusing federal claims that that would not provide any effective protections for homeowners facing foreclosures or struggling to pay predatory mortgage loans.

"This provision is so onerous and potentially harmful to low-income homeowners saddled with predatory mortgages or struggling to avoid foreclosure that we must oppose this bill, despite its promise of additional funding to legal services offices and some other positive provisions," Saunders said.

Saunders testified on behalf of the low-income clients of the National Consumer Law Center, a non-profit organization with 38 years of experience working on issues that affect vulnerable consumers, and these other national groups opposed to HR 1728: the AFL-CIO, Communications Workers of America, National Association of Consumer Advocates, National Fair Housing Coalition, Public Citizen, U.S. Public Interest Research Group and Woodstock Institute.

Saunders' testimony and a list of state and local legal services and public interest organizations that oppose HR 1728 are posted on-line at www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/nclc_-_saunders.pdf.

T. Boone Pickens Statement on President Obama’s Earth Day Speech in Iowa

2009-04-23T03:58:00.000-07:00

(BUSINESS WIRE)--T. Boone Pickens offered the following comment on President Obama’s speech yesterday at the Trinity Structural Towers wind energy plant in Newton, Iowa.

“President Obama’s Earth Day message couldn’t be more important: Congress needs to act now to advance the creation of renewable energy jobs—a vital component of the comprehensive energy reform we so urgently need.

The ability for America’s workforce to adapt to the changing marketplace is key to our recovery from the recession. One of the fundamental elements of the Pickens Plan is the need to embrace the abundant opportunities we have to develop a vibrant alternative energy supply that will revitalize our economy, bringing jobs and families back to the heartland. Newton is a prime example of this transformation—a town that was struggling after its biggest employer was sold and shut down manufacturing operations is now a model for job creation. Helped by business incentives and tax breaks, the former Maytag plant is now thriving under Trinity, turning out towers that will support the very turbines that can develop this region into the Saudi Arabia of wind.

It is important to remember that our work on an energy plan is not done. We need to continue focusing on reducing our dependence on foreign oil and to do that, we have to target transportation and replace foreign diesel with domestic alternatives such as natural gas. Congress needs to act now to adopt a national renewable electricity standard in order to create a real long-term commitment to renewable energy in America, creating thousands of good jobs. It is time to move now to reform our energy policy. Congress has the unique opportunity to act and protect our economy and our security. I agree with President Obama’s vision that will retrain idled workers, revitalize shuttered manufacturing towns, and adapt to a new, green economy.”

About the Pickens Plan

Unveiled on July 8, 2008 by T. Boone Pickens, the Pickens Plan is a detailed solution for ending the United States’ growing dependence on foreign oil. Earlier this year, when oil prices reached $140/barrel, America was spending about $700 billion for foreign oil, equaling the greatest transfer of wealth in human history. That figure has decreased some while oil prices have retreated, but the U.S. is still dependent on foreign nations for nearly 70 percent of its oil, representing a continuing national economic and national security threat. The plan calls for investing in power generation from domestic renewable resources such as wind and using our abundant supplies of natural gas as a transportation fuel, replacing more than one-third of our imported oil.

Americans United for Life Condemns FDA Decision that Will Increase Minors' Access to Plan B

2009-04-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that it will not appeal a U.S. District Court order that 17-year-old girls should have unrestricted, over-the-counter access to Plan B or so-called "emergency contraception."

Dr. Charmaine Yoest, President & CEO of Americans United for Life said, "The federal agency tasked with protecting public health has abdicated its responsibility by not appealing the court order. The maker of Plan B has not researched what happens when adolescents take Plan B. In addition, neither the maximum safe dose nor the effects of overdose have been determined by scientific study on any age group."

Last month, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Tummino v. Torti ordered the FDA to make Plan B available to 17-year-olds under the same conditions that it is currently available to adult women. This overruled a previous decision by the FDA requiring that minors first obtain a valid prescription for the potentially dangerous drug.

In addition, the court's ruling did not permit the FDA to undertake another internal review of the drug's safety record or to receive evidence on the increased need to protect minors from dangerous medications or even sexual abuse.

Denise Burke, AUL Vice President of Legal Affairs said, "With this decision, an unsafe drug could be used by sexual predators and even the victims themselves to hide the abuse from parents and the authorities."

For more on the safety concerns surrounding Plan B, see "The Deadly Convenience Of RU-486 and Plan B" in AUL's annual legal guide Defending Life 2009.

Statement from SeaWeb's Too Precious To Wear Campaign: Earth Day is a Good Day for Coral Conservation as Legislation Passes Key Milestone

2009-04-22T17:41:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- The following is a statement from SeaWeb's Too Precious To Wear Campaign:

Members of the Too Precious To Wear coral conservation campaign, including SeaWeb, Tiffany & Co. and Leber Jeweler Inc., commend the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Natural Resources for passing the reauthorization of the Coral Reef Conservation Act (H.R. 860) out of committee today. The vote, coinciding with Earth Day, signifies a renewed sense of urgency and a realization among our elected officials of the importance of corals and coral reefs.

The legislation, introduced by Representative Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU), would strengthen the 2000 Coral Reef Conservation Act by calling for an expansion of the U.S. Coral Reef Conservation Program, granting greater authority for emergency action in response to damage to coral from vessel impacts, derelict fishing gear, anchors, and disaster related circumstances resulting from human activities. It also includes measures to assess the trade of both living and dead corals in the context of coral survival, laying the groundwork for future efforts to enhance coral protection. This important addition to the 2000 Act will help pave the way for increased oversight and understanding of the often unregulated international trade in corals and reef species.

We applaud the members of the House Natural Resources Committee for swiftly acting on this critical piece of legislation. Corals in the United States and around the world are threatened by global climate change, pollution, overfishing and consumer demand due to their use in jewelry and decorative items. The provisions in the Act are desperately needed to curb corals' decline. We urge the U.S. House of Representatives to bring the matter to the floor for a vote and ask the U.S. Senate to move quickly in order to implement the Act as soon as possible. With these protections in place, our corals will have a much better chance at survival. Without them, coral reef health will inevitably continue to decline.

FRC Action: Obama Administration Working to Overturn Pro-Life Laws in Other Countries

2009-04-22T17:38:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- Today in a House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing on foreign policy priorities in the Obama Administration, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) asked Secretary Clinton if the Obama Administration is working to overturn other countries pro-life laws and if the administration sees "reproductive rights" and "reproductive health" as including abortion.

Secretary Clinton's answered the latter question by stating, "We happen to think that family planning is an important part of women's health and reproductive health includes access to abortion. ... We are now an administration that will protect the rights of women, including their rights to reproductive health care."

"It is clear from this statement that the Obama Administration is working to overturn other countries' pro-life laws," said FRC Action Senior Vice-President Tom McCluskey. "Secretary Clinton said that Rep. Smith is free to push his belief in pro-life policies in other countries, and that 'we' - evidently referring to the Obama Administration - are free to do the same.

"It is appalling but not surprising that this Administration has a total lack of respect for life. Discontent to pro-life protections in our own country, they feel strangely compelled to export a pro-abortion agenda overseas, using taxpayer dollars to do so.

"If Secretary Clinton is to be believed, this appears to be the Obama Administration's foreign policy. To push their imperialistic commitment to abortion on demand on countries who oppose their agenda of death is their goal, and they are intent upon doing so. At least they are candid about it. And at least now the American people know, without any doubt, where the Administration stands," McCluskey concluded.

Major Stakeholders in Health Reform Debate Call for Improvements in Scoring of Congressional Health Care Proposals

2009-04-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- More than 100 members of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) - an organization representing some of the nation's biggest voices in health care - today called on leaders in Congress to encourage updates in the manner in which the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) produces estimates for the cost of legislative proposals in health care. Specifically, they called out limitations in the current methods that, once corrected, would more accurately recognize the value of health care efforts aimed at attacking a significant driver of health care costs: the unchecked growth in common and costly chronic diseases, and related problems such as obesity.

In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the 150 partners and affiliated organizations that signed the letter ask that, "As our nation considers comprehensive health reform proposals, we hope that you will encourage the Congressional Budget Office to address barriers to recognizing the economic value of prevention and chronic disease management."

The group outlined several recommendations for updating the manner in which CBO scores health care proposals including:

-- A revision of "baseline" cost estimates to take in to account the
deteriorating health status of the population and the estimated impact
of this trend on spending in the years ahead
-- The ability to score savings beyond the commonly-accepted 10-year
scoring window in order to sufficiently capture the long-term value of
population health improvement programs
-- An estimate of the broader economic impact a policy change to promote
population health will have on productivity, and ultimately, the
economy

In particular, the group said that it wants to encourage the CBO to find ways to incorporate the benefits of targeted interventions with proven success, as identified in the growing body of research on this issue, and estimate what the impact of these changes could be over the short and long-term.

Chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, are responsible for seven out of 10 deaths and affect more than 130 million Americans. The annual economic impact on the U.S. of the seven most common chronic diseases is estimated to be $1.3 trillion, which could balloon to nearly $6 trillion by 2050.

Full text of the letter to Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid follows.

About the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease:

The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is a national and state-based coalition of patients, providers, community organizations, business and labor groups, and health policy experts committed to raising awareness of the number one cause of death, disability, and rising health care costs in the U.S.: chronic disease. For more information about the PFCD and its partner organizations, please visit: www.fightchronicdisease.org.

April 21, 2009

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid:

As members of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD), we thank you for your leadership in Congress and support of President Obama in making health care reform a priority in 2009.

When it comes to the health of the American people, our nation currently faces a crisis. Despite all the resources being spent on health care in the United States, many Americans struggle with their health. Millions suffer from common and costly chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. The rapid growth in these problems has caused individual health costs to soar, undercut U.S. competitiveness and burdened the public health insurance infrastructure.

Spending on patients with one or more chronic diseases now represents more than 75 percent of total spending on health care in the U.S., and even more in public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Until we address the true causes of this crisis, we will never be able to slow spending or make health care more affordable. Nor we will have a workforce - or an economy - that can perform to its fullest potential.

The PFCD, a national and state-based coalition of hundreds of patient, provider, community, business and labor groups, is committed to raising awareness about this issue, while also providing commonsense, bipartisan solutions to help solve the problem. We believe that investing in prevention and disease management will save lives and money now and well into the future. Recognition of the opportunity to achieve the long-term benefits of investment in these areas would provide a positive framework for health policy decisions.

As our nation considers comprehensive health reform proposals, we hope that you will encourage the Congressional Budget Office to address barriers to recognizing the economic value of prevention and chronic disease management. There are three key points that lead to insufficient recognition of the opportunities offered by investments in prevention and disease management:

-- The current government scoring windows cannot sufficiently capture the
long-term value of population health improvement programs aimed at
wellness and prevention.
-- Health care expenditure estimates depend critically on the assumptions
made in the baseline, including projected changes in the current
health status of the population and the estimated impact of health
status trends. Currently, these assumptions are not transparent.
-- CBO scoring does not currently include analysis of the broader
economic impact a policy change will have through changes in
population health and productivity. Estimates of this societal cost
impact would be of great value to legislators.

Such a holistic and comprehensive approach to reform is the only way that we will truly help improve Americans' health, spend our limited health resources more wisely, and boost our economy.

Thank you, in advance, for your support.

Sincerely,

The undersigned Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease national and state partners and other concerned organizations (see full list below)

National partners and other concerned organizations:

AdvaMed (Advanced Medical Technology Association)
Alliance for Aging Research
Alzheimer's Foundation
American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
American Academy of Nursing
American College of Physicians
American College of Preventive Medicine
American Dietetic Association
American Osteopathic Association
American Pharmacists Association
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
Arthritis Foundation
Cleveland Clinic
Community Health Charities of America
The COSHAR Foundation
DMAA: the Care Continuum Alliance
Easter Seals
Healthcare Leadership Council
Health Dialog
Healthways
Intercultural Cancer Caucus
IHRSA: International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association
Marshfield Clinic
Medical Fitness Association
Men's Health Network
Milken Institute
National Alliance for Caregiving
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
National Business Coalition on Health
National Changing Diabetes(R) Program
National Family Caregivers Association
National Health Foundation
National Latina Health Network
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Patient Advocate Foundation
Novo Nordisk
Park Nicollet Health Services
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
Pharos Innovations Prevent Blindness America
SEIU
Self chec, Inc.
XLHealth
YMCA of the USA

State partners:

Arkansas
Arkansas Respiratory Health Association
Lupus Foundation of America, Arkansas Chapter

Colorado
Alliance of Health Disparities
Colorado Cross Disability Coalition
Colorado Gerontological Society
LiveWell
Lupus Foundation
Mission Medical Clinic
National Association of Hispanic Nurses
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Rocky Mountain Stroke Association
SEIU

Illinois
AFSCME Council 31
Arthritis Foundation of Greater Chicago
Community Health Charities Illinois
Mental Health Summit
Midwest Business Group on Health
Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce
NAACP Lake County
Springfield YMCA
United Way of Lake County

Iowa
Arthritis Foundation
Community Health Charities of Iowa
Iowa Biotechnology Association

Maryland
Maryland Academy of Family Physicians

Minnesota
American Cancer Society of Minnesota
Arthritis Foundation, North Central Chapter
Minneapolis Urban League
Sabathani Community Center
United Cerebral Palsy of Minnesota

New Hampshire
Advanced Laser Therapy
AIDS Services for the Monadnock Region
Council for Children and Adolescents with Chronic Health Conditions
New Hampshire Association for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

New Jersey
Action Cystic Fibrosis
Carpenters Fund of New Jersey
HealthCare Institute of New Jersey
Juvenile Diabetes Awareness Council of New Jersey
Lung Cancer Circle of Hope
Mental Health Association in New Jersey
New Jersey Association of Mental Health Agencies
New Jersey Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons
New Jersey Hospital Association
Partners in Care
Steamfitters Local 475

North Carolina
Alliance of Disability Advocates
Arc of North Carolina
Autism Society of North Carolina
Children and Family Services Association of North Carolina
Easter Seals UCP North Carolina
National Alliance on Mental Illness-NC
National Association of Social Workers-NC
National Multiple Sclerosis Society, NC Chapters
North Carolina Mental Health Association
North Carolina Psychological Association

Ohio
The Academy of Medicine of Cleveland & Northeastern Ohio
Area Health Education Centers - Ohio
Statewide Program
Arthritis Foundation of Central Ohio
Chris Holland, Oregon City Schools, Ohio
CIGNA
Cleveland Clinic
Columbus Public Health
County Commissioners Association of Ohio
David C. Epstein M.D. MBA
Fairhill Partners
The Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland
National Alliance on Mental Illness Ohio
Ohio Alliance of YMCAs
Ohio Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance
Ohio Association of Free Clinics
Ohio Association of School Nurses
Ohio Asthma Coalition
Ohio Dietetic Association
Ohio Nurses Association
Ohio Osteopathic Association
Ohio Public Health Association
Stark Prescription Assistance Network
Ohio State University Medical Center
Prevent Blindness Ohio
United Cerebral Palsy of Central Ohio
University of Toledo

South Carolina
Black Nurses Association of South Carolina
Chi Eta Phi, Delta Eta Chapter
South Carolina Diabetes Today Advisory Council
South Carolina Public Health Institute
United Way Association of South Carolina
YMCA of Greenville

Wisconsin
AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin
Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce
Wisconsin Association of Health Underwriters
Wisconsin Dietetic Association
Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce

cc: Douglas Elmendorf, Director, Congressional Budget Office; Keith Fontenot, Associate Director for Health Programs, Office of Management and Budget; Bob Kocher, Special Assistant to the President for Health Care, National Economic Council; Nancy-Ann DeParle, Director, White House Office of Health Reform; Senate Health, Education, Labor, Pensions Committee; Senate Finance Committee; House Ways & Means Committee; House Energy & Commerce Committee; Kate Leone, Senior Health Counsel, Senator Reid's Office; Wendall Primus, Policy Advisor, Speaker Pelosi's Office

Newt on The Tea Party

2009-04-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

Newt on the Tea Party
April 17, 2009

HT to Newt for the video.

The Social Security Institute Launches Web Site, Inaugurates Campaign to Prevent Nationalization of Healthcare

2009-04-20T06:36:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- Today, the Social Security Institute (SSI) launched its new Web Site in preparation for a full-scale effort to stop the raid on Social Security, cease the use of Social Security surpluses to bail out banks and insurance companies and prevent Congress and the Obama Administration from nationalizing healthcare and turning it over to the government to run. The site will offer a range of items of interest not only to seniors but to everyone, young and old, seeking to coalesce and affect public policy through citizen lobbying. The site offers a "Take Action" center, frequently updated Senior Alerts, complete interactive blogs, recent news articles and op-eds of particular interest to seniors, and a Senior Resource Center that helps direct senior citizens to an array of resources and interesting opportunities.

SSI president Dr. Lawrence A. Hunter described the Social Security Institute this way: "The Social Security Institute (SSI) is conceived in the proposition that seniority matters, not as a matter of right but as a matter of fact and experience. SSI believes dignity matters, security matters, prosperity matters and freedom matters to people of all ages but especially to senior citizens. SSI is dedicated to listening to America's seniors and speaking truth to power in Washington regardless of which political party holds power. SSI promotes conservative values and classically liberal ideals in its quest to advance the retirement security of today's seniors and the seniors of tomorrow. SSI seeks to be a Third Force in American Politics -- beyond liberal and conservative, beyond Republican and Democrat -- seniors allied for action."

Hunter also said, "SSI agrees with Thomas Jefferson that a little rebellion from time to time is a good thing. We hope to provide seniors a productive outlet for the rebel in them."

SSI's Mission Statement Reads: "The Social Security Institute (SSI) is a national, 501(c)(4) non-profit, non-partisan seniors' advocacy organization working to promote the retirement security of today's seniors and the seniors of tomorrow. SSI's top policy priorities are to stop the raid on the Social Security Trust Funds, prevent cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits, and protect seniors from health care rationing and other limitations on their access to health care."

Pressure Grows for Accountability with Torture Memos' Release

2009-04-17T11:48:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- Following the release yesterday of four key torture memos from the Bush administration and the concurrent statements by President Barack Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder that Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operatives who carried out interrogations of terrorism suspects will not be prosecuted, Amnesty International USA's (AIUSA) counterterrorism expert Tom Parker released the following statement:

"The continuing startling revelations about Bush administration detention and interrogation practices and the Obama administration's handling of them point unequivocally to the need for an independent investigation to expose the full scope of the practices and those involved.

"Attorney General Holder said yesterday that the Obama administration does not condone torture, but by refusing to investigate the coercive interrogation program used by the CIA that is precisely what the administration is doing.

"After 50 years of interviewing torture victims, Amnesty International has found that abuse, especially when sanctioned at the highest levels, inevitably escalates over time. If the now-public Bybee memo sets out such shocking scenarios, imagine what followed in practice.

"Americans will not know the truth until a comprehensive, independent investigation has been conducted.

"The Bush administration knew that what it wanted the CIA to do in the field was illegal, which is precisely why the administration, in essence, 'lawyered up' by calling in the Office of Legal Counsel. Jay Bybee, John Yoo and Steven Bradbury ignored decades of jurisprudence in drafting the now-infamous torture memos. This is not a 'good faith' misunderstanding or a difference of legal opinion; this was a calculated decision to torture prisoners in U.S. custody."

During President Obama's first 100 days, AIUSA activists have mobilized nationwide to press for an independent commission of inquiry into U.S. policies on detainee interrogation and treatment.

This week, more than 200 face-to-face meetings occurred with Members of Congress and AIUSA delegations. President Obama and the U.S. Senate have received more than 50,000 e-mails and letters and more than 700 people have hosted events in their communities -- all calling for accountability for abuse in the war on terror. On April 30 at 10 a.m., AIUSA and Witness Against Torture activists will make a last urgent call for action during Obama's first 100 days and march from the U.S. Capitol to the White House.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Confronted on Political Prisoners at Summit of the Americas

2009-04-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- Today at the inauguration of the Fifth Summit of the Americas hosted by Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was confronted by a full-page announcement published in the national newspaper Trinidad Express signed by nine prominent human rights groups, calling upon all Summit delegates to directly confront Mr. Chavez on numerous human rights violations.

The announcement states that President Chavez has manipulated the criminal justice system to bring politically motivated charges against 45 different individuals, violating their basic human rights as guaranteed by local and international law. These violations include character assassination, fabricating criminal charges and evidence, torturing and bribing witnesses, breaching privacy and confidentiality, interfering with and controlling judges, and groundless pre-trial incarceration and denial of bail, the announcement states.

"We have all signed this statement to raise awareness among other Latin American nations of the reality of judicial persecution in Venezuela," said Gonzalo Himiob Santome, co-director of the civil rights NGO Foro Penal Venezolano. "Foreign governments at this summit can help these victims by conditioning their talks with the Venezuelan delegation upon the restoration of basic human rights and rule of law."

The announcement published in the Trinidad Express cites several cases of political prisoners and politically persecuted individuals who have been targeted by state-controlled courts, including Ivan Simonovis, Lazaro Forero, and Henry Vivas (the three police commissioners who were just sentenced to 30 years in prison); Francisco Uson (a retired general who was jailed over an empty conviction); Eligio Cedeno (a businessman jailed without conviction for consorting with the opposition); Nixon Moreno (a student movement leader persecuted on trumped up charges, forced to flee the country to asylum); and several others.

"What is happening in Venezuela today under President Hugo Chavez is an outrageous travesty of justice and human rights, which goes on unrecognized underneath the rhetoric of revolution," said Canadian lawyer Robert Amsterdam, international defense counsel for political prisoner Eligio Cedeno. "There is no excuse or plausible defense for how Chavez is treating his own citizens, and no supporter, no matter how loyal or ardent, can come forward to explain why these individuals have been jailed and deprived of their rights. When a president breaks the law, violates the constitution, and openly behaves like a criminal, the international community has a duty to act in response."

The full-page announcement, addressed to all delegates attending the Fifth Summit of the Americas, was signed by Foro Penal Venezolano; Fundacion para el Debido Proceso (www.fundepro.com.ve); Nueva Conciencia Nacional Fundacion Justicia Libre (www.fundacionjusticialibre.com) Compromiso Ciudadano a.c. Control Ciudadano para la Seguridad, la Defensa y la Fuerza Armada Nacional (www.controlciudadano.org); Venezuela Awareness Foundation (www.venezuelaawareness.com); Movimiento 2D (www.movimiento2d.org); Fundacion Damas de Blanco, Fundacion Justicia and Victimas Venezolanas de Violencia de Estado (VIVE).

Three Strikes: Is Sebelius Out?

2009-04-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- Family Research Council (FRC) has obtained a copy of a 2002 fundraising letter from late-term abortionist George R. Tiller in which he claims that he personally contributed $200,000 to ProKanDo, a political action committee (PAC) dedicated to defeating Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius's pro-life opponent. Dr. Tiller's PAC receives funding not only from his own clinic but from other late-term abortionists from across the nation.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement responding to this latest revelation, which follows an admission of tax problems by the nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services and a failure to report more than $23,000 in direct campaign contributions from Dr. Tiller.

"The revelation that Gov. Sebelius owed back taxes and now the additional disclosure of her deep financial ties to the abortion industry invite a serious question about her integrity. What else has she not told us? What else remains in Gov. Sebelius's closet? What other alliances are there? What other political contributions may have influenced her decisions as governor?

"She pocketed money from one of the most infamous abortion clinics in the nation then shortly there after vetoed legislation that would require abortion clinics to meet minimal safety standards. This appears to be a deadly political payback, one that compromises her ability to carry out her duty to run the federal government's largest agency.

"HHS addresses every facet of Americans' health and well-being, from drug approvals and leading-edge medical research to food safety and disease prevention. If we can't trust Gov. Sebelius to be open and honest about her money connections, how we can trust her to administer and improve our health care system?

"We urge President Obama to withdraw this nomination and fulfill his campaign promises of establishing an ethical Administration and uniting citizens around common goals. We also urge the U.S. Senate to reject this nomination and make clear that the American people expect a nominee who upholds strong ethical standards and has a record of accountability.

"We will include the vote on Kathleen Sebelius's nomination in our annual Vote Scorecard which tracks votes in Congress critical to the family."

Go to this link to Download a copy of the George Tiller letter http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF09D26.pdf

Boehner: Taxpayer Tea Parties a Sign That Americans Have Had Enough of Washington’s Taxing, Spending, and Borrowing

2009-04-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement on Tax Day 2009:

“April 15th has long been and always will be a day American workers and their families despise – and rightfully so. It is the symbol of a government that has grown too big, too costly, and too arrogant, as it asks Americans for more and more of their hard-earned money to pay for wasteful government programs that never go away.

“But this Tax Day is different. Across our nation, thousands of Americans are participating in taxpayer tea parties today for one simple reason: overtaxed families and small businesses have had enough. They’ve had enough of Democrats forcing taxpayers to pick up the tab for more wasteful spending instead of working together to make the tough fiscal decisions Americans are forced to make each and every day. They’ve had enough of seeing their hard-earned tax dollars wasted on pork-barrel spending that won’t create jobs, rebuild their savings, or get our economy moving again. And they’ve had enough of Congress and the White House mortgaging our children and grandchildren’s future by saddling them with mountains of debt destined to bankrupt our country.

“House Republicans share the American people’s frustration and are proposing better solutions to reduce taxes and get Washington’s fiscal house back in order. We’ve proposed a plan to create twice the jobs as the Democrats’ ‘stimulus’ spending bill – 6.2 million total jobs – at half the cost. While Democrats just passed a budget that scrapped President Obama’s promise of a middle-class tax cut, we have offered a budget that curbs spending, creates jobs by cutting taxes, and controls the debt. And we’re crafting reforms to reduce energy costs and expand Americans’ access to affordable health care. It’s time for Washington Democrats to listen to the American people who have had enough and work with Republicans on common sense solutions to get our economy moving again – without raising taxes.”

Obama's Latest Speech Dodges Campaign Promise to Small Businesses

2009-04-15T05:29:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- Yesterday, President Barack Obama gave a 60-minute speech to the nation regarding the state of the economy. His speech discussed the Obama Administration's five pillars for addressing the economy, however President Obama's plans for helping America's biggest job creators, its small businesses, were conspicuously absent.

During the campaign, President Obama said he would create millions of jobs. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 98 percent of all U.S. firms have less than 100 employees, and those firms are responsible for over 98 percent of all new jobs in America. (www.asbl.com)

To date, President Obama has given 100 percent of the stimulus funds to the top 1 percent of American firms. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, those large firms have not created one net new job since 1977.

In his March 22, 2009 column in the New York Times, Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman wrote about President Obama's plan to save the economy and stated, "This is more than disappointing. In fact, it fills me with a sense of despair." In March, Krugman also stated that Obama's economic policies are almost certain to fail. (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/opinion/23krugman.html?_r=1)

Since 2003, over 15 federal investigations have found that hundreds of billions of dollars in federal small business contracts have been diverted to Fortune 500 corporations and thousands of other large businesses in the United States and Europe. (http://www.asbl.com/documentlibrary.html)

Groups like the American Small Business League (ASBL) are angry with President Obama because of his refusal to make good on a February 2008 campaign promise in which he stated, "It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." (http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php)

Small business owners around the country are angered and disappointed that President Obama has refused to make good on his campaign promise, and has allowed an estimated $2 billion a week in federal small business contracts to be diverted to some of the largest corporations in the world, including Fortune 500 firms.

"You don't have to be a Nobel Prize winning economist to figure this out. Small businesses create 98 percent of all new jobs. So far, not only has President Obama not given those companies a dime of the stimulus funding, but he is refusing to end blatant, widespread fraud and abuse in existing government economic stimulus programs for small businesses," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said.

President's Visit to Mexico Comes at Pivotal Point in Bilateral Relations

2009-04-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire/ -- As ambassador, when government officials visited Mexico, I'd pen a one-pager offering current insight into the bilateral relationship and timely assessments of the economic, political and social situation in the country.

With President Barack Obama's visit April 16-17 to Mexico City, I offer him a similar memo, with advice I hope he's hearing from his own team of advisors.

And, so I begin, Mister President:

U.S. and Mexico relations are at a pivotal point, and in spite of the challenges our countries face from economic and security threats, we must look for ways to forge stronger partnerships and encourage investment by U.S. and Mexican companies in both countries.

The failed state talk that so dominated our headlines these past few months has subsided somewhat, and--I hope--will continue to fade. It was rhetoric that did more to harm our two nations than produce meaningful progress.

As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saw firsthand, Mexico is far from finished in its fight against the transnational drug cartels, but there are clear signs of progress and far more awareness in the United State of our own responsibility to reduce consumption and stop the flow of arms to Mexico.

In President Felipe Calderon's first two years in office, the Mexican government has arrested more criminals and seized more weapons, drugs and cash than the previous two administrations over the same period.

Make no mistake, the country is not as safe as it needs to be, but unfair comparisons have been made and substantial progress overlooked. While tragic, drug war fatalities are concentrated largely in areas where cartels war over territory, but the country's homicide rate remains 13 percent below 1997 statistics, and far lower than many other countries in the region.

Our nations are inextricably tied to one another, and we must not only understand this fact, but leverage it for our respective economies, our security and our people.

In spite of its critics, the North American Free Trade Agreement has benefited the United States. Since NAFTA's implementation in 1994, U.S. exports to Mexico have increased by 198 percent. Our countries trade at a pace of nearly $1 billion each day, and bilateral trade totaled more than $367 billion in 2007. Tourism remains a strong economic driver, with more than 21 million visiting Mexico each year, the vast majority from the U.S.

Mr. President, we must focus on trade, and specifically, show leadership and fairness on the trucking provisions in NAFTA. If we don't, we run the risk of further retaliation with additional tariffs on U.S. products, which only jeopardize American jobs. We must stand firm against protectionist measures that would further stifle both countries' economic growth.

These difficult economic times should not lead the U.S. to shy away from investments in Mexico, nor should Mexican companies be afraid to explore opportunities to the north.

Key reforms by Mexico's government in the past two years reaffirm the country's commitment to competitiveness, to job creation and improved living standards.

You've stated your commitment to comprehensive immigration reform, but it's going to take a lot of hard work and political capital to push reform to reality. It's an uphill battle, as President George W. Bush found out, but it's a battle we should wage.

Mr. President, your visit to Mexico could come at no better time. You should view Mexico as your getaway to the Americas, a perfect bridge both north and south. Take this opportunity to draw on the key regional insights that President Calderon can offer.

Lastly, as you prepare for the upcoming Summit of the Americas, a clearly focused and energetic approach to Mexico relations should be among your highest priorities. Regional security and prosperity is critical to Mexico, and perhaps even more critical to the United States.

Antonio O. Garza, Jr. is the former United States Ambassador to Mexico. He is online at www.tonygarza.com.

PEW: Unauthorized Immigrants More Dispersed Around the Country; Labor Force Growth Halts, But Number of U.S. Born Children Grows

2009-04-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

The Pew Hispanic Center today released "A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States," which includes population and labor force estimates for each state, as well as national-level findings about families, education, income and other key indicators.

The report finds that unauthorized immigrants are more geographically dispersed than in the past. A group of 28 high-growth states in the mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mountain and Southeast regions are now home to 32% of the unauthorized population, more than double their 14% share in 1990. California's share declined to 22% from 42% during this same period.

Unauthorized immigrants are more likely than either U.S.-born residents or legal immigrants to live in a household with a spouse and children, according to the report. A growing share of the children of unauthorized immigrants (73%) are U.S. citizens by birth. The U.S.-born and foreign-born children of unauthorized immigrants make up an estimated 6.8% of the nation's students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12.

Looking at undocumented workers, the report finds that the rapid growth of the unauthorized immigrant labor force from 1990 to 2006 has halted. The new report estimates there were 8.3 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. labor force in March 2008, accounting for 5.4% of the work force. The 2008 labor force estimate appears slightly lower than the 2007 estimate, but the change is within the margin of error.

The unauthorized immigrant share of the labor force varies widely by state. Undocumented immigrant workers constitute roughly 10% or more of the labor force in Arizona, California and Nevada, but less than 2.5% in most Midwest and Plains states.

About three-quarters (76%) of the nation's unauthorized immigrants are Hispanic. As the Pew Hispanic Center has previously reported, 59% are from Mexico.

The new report builds on a Pew Hispanic Center analysis released last year, which estimated there were 11.9 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. in 2008. That report said the size of the unauthorized population appears to have declined since 2007, but the difference is not statistically significant. Both reports are based on an analysis of data from the March Current Population Survey, conducted by the Census Bureau, and on the 1990 and 2000 Censuses.

Other major findings:

* Adult unauthorized immigrants are disproportionately likely to bepoorly educated. Among unauthorized immigrants ages 25-64, 47% have less than a high school education. By contrast, only 8% of U.S.-born residents ages 25-64 have not graduated from high school.
* An analysis of college attendance finds that among unauthorized immigrants ages 18 to 24 who have graduated from high school, half (49%)are in college or have attended college. The comparable figure for U.S.-born residents is 71%.
* The 2007 median household income of unauthorized immigrants was $36,000, well below the $50,000 median household income for U.S.-born residents. In contrast to other immigrants, undocumented immigrants do not attain markedly higher incomes the longer they live in the United States.
* A third of the children of unauthorized immigrants and a fifth of adult unauthorized immigrants lives in poverty. This is nearly double the poverty rate for children of U.S.-born parents (18%) or for U.S.-born adults (10%).
* More than half of adult unauthorized immigrants (59%) had no health insurance during all of 2007. Among their children, nearly half of those who are unauthorized immigrants (45%) were uninsured and 25% of those who were born in the U.S. were uninsured.

The report, "A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States," authored by Jeffrey S. Passel, senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center, and D'Vera Cohn, senior writer at the Pew Research Center, is available at the Pew Hispanic Center's website, www.pewhispanic.org.

Boehner: Economy Will Improve Because of American Ingenuity, Not the President’s Reckless Washington Spending

2009-04-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement after President Obama’s speech on the economy at Georgetown University:

“Our economy will improve – but it will be because of the ingenuity and hard work of American workers and small businesses, not because of the Washington Democrats’ misguided policies that rely on recklessly spending taxpayer dollars. This is money we don’t have, yet the President’s trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ was loaded with wasteful spending that has nothing to do with job creation, his $410 billion ‘omnibus’ spending bill was chock full of 9,000 unscrutinized earmarks, and his $3.5 trillion budget paves the way for a bigger and costlier federal government that will not create new jobs, help rebuild Americans’ savings, and get our economy moving again. Instead of embracing tough decisions, Democrats have avoided them in favor of saddling our children and grandchildren with mountains of debt that we know they cannot afford.

“During this time of economic crisis, we must do better. Republicans are offering better solutions to spur economic growth now and in the future, including our plan to create twice as many jobs – 6.2 million total – at half the cost of the President’s ‘stimulus’ spending plan. It’s time for Democrats to stop paying lip-service to working across party lines to tackle our economic challenges and actually start doing it. The hard-working American families and small businesses that will lead our economy back to prosperity deserve no less.”

Opinion: The Nation's Health -- And Ours

2009-04-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

It's hard to go anywhere without seeing a "going green" logo. I'm all for saving the planet -- this is a good thing. What's missing, however, is an equally energetic effort for saving our own health. As we focus attention on making our planet healthier, isn't it at least as important that we begin making ourselves healthier as well?

President Barack Obama has placed reforming health care among his highest priorities and bringing down costs as job No. 1. Recently, Gov. Beverly Perdue hosted a regional forum on health reform, and it drew almost 1,000 attendees. Governmental health care reform initiatives will likely address key issues such as decreasing the number of uninsured, improving information technology, decreasing bureaucratic waste and rationalizing reimbursement -- all necessary, but only part of the solution.

To truly improve the health of our state and nation, we must also focus on preventing disease and promoting health and well-being. Our current health care system must be transformed from its current ineffective, expensive and reactive "sick care" approach to one that is proactive, personalized, preventative, cost effective and appropriately focused on enhancing health as well as rationally managing disease.

Treating events of late-stage chronic diseases consumes nearly three-quarters of health care expenditures. Many of these conditions can be minimized by effective and far less costly prevention. We each have our own inherited tendencies for disease susceptibility, but how we manage what we inherit is largely up to us.

So why don't we harness the momentum of health reform and do something big and bold -- spur a North Carolina "going healthy" movement to help us deal more effectively with disease prevention and health enhancement? If "going healthy" were as front of mind as "going green," we would make great strides toward health care reform.

Improving health requires better nutrition, exercise, stress reduction and health risk avoidance -- it isn't as though we've not heard this before. But healthy living is not easily adopted in our environment, which inundates us with a culture of sloth, overeating and high stress. The "going healthy" movement would change this by making what's good for us easier to attain and by empowering us to do what's good for our health.

This initiative requires collaboration among businesses, restaurants, grocery stores, schools, communities, media, government and others who could play major roles by providing, for example, accurate education and nutritional information at the point of purchase; making wholesome foods easily accessible; increasing the ability to exercise at work, in our communities and schools; providing stress reduction and smoking cessation programs; and facilitating walking and bike paths (a good use of stimulus funds).

The media, with the help of sports teams, could encourage fitness and activity rather than watching others do this. Appropriate interest groups could be convened to coordinate the movement to emphasize health and well-being. Most importantly, the "going healthy" initiative would articulate the value of health and well-being as critical resources that we can control. By striving to improve our health and well-being, we would not only live healthier lives, we also would consume fewer health care resources and feel far better about ourselves and those around us.

So where does it start? It begins with us, our state and federal governments, communities, organizations, workplaces and schools. An example of a creative endeavor is at Duke University, where a group of students formed the Duke Prospective Health Care Club to educate undergraduates about how they can improve their health. The club just kicked off a yearlong health care competition for which students team up with university employees to meet healthy goals. The winners will get the ultimate prize -- tickets to next year's Duke/Carolina basketball game at Cameron. The club is working to expand efforts across college campuses nationally. Many business and communities have similar initiatives, but what is needed is a coordinated focus to create a groundswell leading to a state then a national movement.

As Perdue and Obama have indicated, health care costs are a major factor driving our economic tailspin. With appropriate focus on "going healthy," we would help save the economy and, even more importantly, ourselves. Why shouldn't North Carolina set an example for the nation by leading the "going healthy" initiative? We have the opportunity to create a truly healthier, happier and economically sound state and to show the nation another example of North Carolina's vitality and creativity. All we need now is to get started, then a logo!

By Ralph Snyderman

Dr. Ralph Snyderman is chancellor emeritus at Duke University, chairman of Proventys Inc., former CEO and president of the Duke University Health System and former chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage

Florida Studies Reveal Huge Increase in Cost of Illegal Immigration and Widespread Voter Dissatisfaction

2009-04-09T03:50:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Simultaneous studies, released this week by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), show soaring costs of illegal immigration in Florida and demonstrate strong voter objections to the burdens placed on them by illegal immigration. A new Zogby International poll of 801 likely voters across the state found that, by an overwhelming margin, Floridians believe that illegal immigration is harming their state. Their perceptions are rooted in reality. A separate FAIR study, the Costs of Illegal Immigration to Floridians found that providing education and health care to illegal aliens and their families, and incarcerating criminal illegal aliens, costs state taxpayers more than $3.8 billion annually, more than double the costs measured in 2005.

The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Floridians found that taxpayers spend:
-- $3.4 billion a year to educate illegal immigrant children and the U.S.
born children of illegal immigrants.
-- $290 million a year on unreimbursed health care for illegal aliens.
-- $90 million a year to incarcerate criminal illegal aliens.

-- The total represents an annual cost to each of Florida's native-born
headed households of $678.

The cost study also determined that the illegal alien population in Florida is now 950,000 persons. This represents 7.3 percent of the national total illegal alien population, and it is the nation's fourth largest concentration of illegal aliens after California, Texas and New York. It is also about 5.2 percent of Florida's overall population.

The Zogby poll found that:
-- 71.3% of Florida voters say illegal immigration has a negative impact
on the state. Only 14.4% believe it has a positive impact on Florida.
-- 83.5% of Florida voters believe illegal aliens have a negative impact
on the state budget, versus only 7.9% who believe their impact is
positive.
-- 57.5% believe illegal immigration should be reduced through better
enforcement of immigration laws. Only 36% of Florida voters favor
amnesty or legalization for current illegal aliens.

-- 68.6% of Florida voters want worksite immigration enforcement to
continue. Only 21.1% support the Obama administration's decision to
curtail worksite enforcement.

"Voters in Florida, like voters everywhere, want their elected officials in Washington and Tallahassee to protect their interests, their jobs, and their tax dollars from the impact of mass illegal immigration," said Stein. "At a time when the Obama administration is intent on systematically dismantling immigration enforcement, and congressional leaders are considering a new round of amnesty legislation, voters in this key state are saying unequivocally that it is time political leaders stopped pandering to the illegal immigration lobby, and started enforcing laws that serve the interests of ordinary Americans."

Notre Dame Obama Scandal: Remove School From Catholic Directory

2009-04-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- American Life League wants the University of Notre Dame removed from the Official Catholic Directory (Kennedy Directory) - the official list of Catholic institutions in the United States.

Removal from the Kennedy Directory by Bishop John D'Arcy will cut the school off from much Catholic foundation funding.

The call comes a week after American Life League went on location to interview Notre Dame's student body after news rocked the Catholic world that pro-abortion President Barack Obama was invited to address the graduating class and receive an honorary degree from one of the nation's most identifiable Catholic universities.

While 25 bishops have condemned the school's actions and hundreds of thousands of Catholic faithful are calling for the invitation to be rescinded, the report shows a student body divided by the school's institutionalized opposition to Catholic teaching and their desire to restore Catholicism to Our Lady's University.

"We found a tragic attitude at the University of Notre Dame -- apathy, if not hostility, toward the faith," said Judie Brown, president of ALL. "In the service of truth, we ask Bishop D'Arcy to acknowledge what the entire nation and Notre Dame itself already know: The university is backing away from the Catholic Church."

"In light of Notre Dame's past in the service of Our Lady, what is now keeping Notre Dame Catholic? Not the president who honors a man guilty of promoting an intrinsic evil; not the faculty -- notoriously liberal. The hope of Notre Dame lies with the students faithful to the mission of the Church," Brown said. "For their sake we hope and pray Notre Dame rescinds this honor to President Obama and upholds the Catholic identity that made the school one of the glories of the Catholic Church. If the university will not do this, then it should be removed from the Official Catholic Directory."

$1 Million Will Bolster Local 2010 Census Participation

2009-04-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- Ten of Illinois' leading foundations announced today they are jointly investing $1 million to improve participation in hard-to-count, poor, minority, rural and high-rise communities in the 2010 Census. Known as the Count Me In campaign, this endeavor marks the nation's largest investment to date in 2010 Census efforts in any one state by a group of philanthropic funders.

The foundations will release a Request for Proposals on April 8, 2009 to more than 200 civic, social service and community-based organizations, inviting them to apply for funding for projects that will increase the mail-back of Census forms from households in select Illinois communities. Activities such as public education campaigns, communications, community outreach, trainings, special events and organizing will be funded.

The 2010 Census will help determine the distribution of roughly $400 billion a year in federal funds to state and local governments, and for every person not counted, Illinois will lose $12,000 over the next 10 years.

Low-income, immigrant, minority and rural communities have historically been undercounted in the once-a-decade survey, which is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. With the sagging economy and billions of federal dollars at stake, not only are these underserved populations disproportionately affected, but residents throughout the state will be harmed if the count is not accurate.

Census data is critical when government officials make decisions about where to build new roads, schools and hospitals and where to locate job training centers and services for the elderly. Census data is also used for drawing congressional and state legislative districts and monitoring and enforcing civil rights laws in employment, housing, voting, lending and education.

"The 2010 Census will profoundly impact the lives of all Illinois residents because it will determine spending on education, employment, public safety, the environment and a host of other issues, not to mention bedrock democracy issues like the size of the state's congressional delegation," stated Ellen S. Alberding, president of the Joyce Foundation. "The Census truly has the potential to advance or delay progress in a number of areas all across the state."

"Our goal is not only to boost participation in these under-counted populations," said Terry Mazany, president and chief executive officer of The Chicago Community Trust, "but to leverage our collective network of nonprofits to raise public awareness about the Census in general and its critical importance."

Nonprofits interested in learning more about the Request for Proposal can visit www.joycefdn.org and www.cct.org for an application or more information. Grant decisions will be made in July.

Count Me In is funded by the Boeing Company, the Chicago Bar Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Grand Victoria Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Steans Family Foundation and Woods Fund of Chicago. In addition, the Joyce Foundation has awarded separate grants to the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund and the Illinois League of Women Voters for Census related work in Illinois and the Midwest.

Opinion: Let Freedom Ring USA-Thousands of Illegal U.S. Guns Cross Border to Mexico

2009-04-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

Let Freedom Ring USA and We Need A Fence (an immigration project of Let Freedom Ring USA at www.WeNeedAFence.com says that no border security plan without a fence can work. The fence that exists, while intermittent, works nonetheless.

Colin Hanna, president of Let Freedom Ring USA states, "The fence assists in reducing the number of illegal American guns going into Mexico. Some believe that 90% of the guns in Mexico are illegal and have come across the U.S. border whereas others believe this number is as low as 17%. While the actual number is somewhere in between these figures the fact is, no illegal guns should be going across our borders and a well-designed, patrolled and continuous fence, would help the number to be drastically reduced."

Many have changed their tune on a fence. Comments have been made by border patrol agents and leading U.S. officials that the number of apprehensions shows that the fence works and that it is considered a tremendous success.

What was once highly criticized as a discriminatory measure against Hispanics is now being praised as a tool that works to protect the southern border of the United States from terrorism. In addition, the fence prevents infiltration of illegal immigrants into the U.S. job market and also cuts down on the infiltration of illegal immigrants into our health care system which
places undue burdens on our already overburdened health care costs and professionals.

However, Hanna states that the other necessary ingredients are adequate Border Patrol staffing and technology to prevent the flow of illegal immigration and trade in both directions. "Even though most of the time when discussing the border fence the focus is on preventing illegal immigration headed north into the US, the fence also has the often-overlooked advantage of preventing much of the southbound trade in illegal guns," Hanna adds.

The fence is not an anti-immigrant initiative. In fact, Let Freedom Ring and USAWeNeedAFence.com emphatically state that they are pro-immigration, and that decreasing illegal immigration is only the first step in fixing our broken immigration policy. The second step is increasing legal immigration.

Americans United for Life Urges HHS to Retain Conscience Rule

2009-04-07T13:04:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- Americans United for Life (AUL) today filed comments with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) supporting the retention of a December 2008 rule providing a much-needed enforcement mechanism for federal laws protecting healthcare freedom of conscience.

Dr. Charmaine Yoest, AUL President & CEO stated, "Congress has a 36-year history of passing laws to protect healthcare freedom of conscience. This rule simply provides HHS and the Administration with the means to fulfill their sworn constitutional duty to properly enforce these laws."

On March 10, 2009, HHS announced its intention to rescind the rule enacted in the final months of the Bush Administration. The rule is opposed by pro-abortion groups, who included a demand for its repeal in a 55-page memorandum to the Obama Transition Team in December 2008--arguing it limits access to the full range of reproductive healthcare.

AUL Vice President of Legal Affairs Denise Burke remarked, "Comprehensive conscience protections and proper enforcement of existing federal laws will help ensure access to quality medical care for all Americans."

Burke continued, "While the majority of federal conscience laws are intended to protect those who decline to participate in abortions, some also protect those who choose to perform them. It is, therefore, incredibly short-sighted for abortion advocates to actively lobby against the enforcement of these protections."

Tax Day Tea Party Planning Calls Broadcast Live Tonight on PJTV

2009-04-06T09:59:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- The Nationwide Tea Party Coalition, the grassroots organization sponsoring the April 15 Tax Day Tea Parties across the country, announced this morning that it will broadcast the group's regular Monday conference call LIVE at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT, on Pajamas TV, the leading provider of conservative internet television programming. The live conference call this evening will be the debut of the new daily Pajamas TV program, "The Tea Party Coalition Show: Countdown to Tax Day." Additionally, Pajamas TV announced that for each new subscriber from today until the end of April, PJTV will apply 100 percent of the first month's subscription to a donation to the Nationwide Tea Party Coalition.

The Tax Day Tea Party on April 15 is focused on one theme: Repeal the Pork, Cut Taxes and Spending. There are more than 500 tea parties confirmed for that day, and it is expected that over the next ten days, the number of tea parties will continue to grow. Crowds of 5,000 to 10,000 are expected in multiple cities, including Atlanta, where Sean Hannity of Fox News will be broadcasting live, Sacramento, where Neil Cavuto will host his show, San Antonio, where Glenn Beck will broadcast, and New York City, where Newt Gingrich will be a featured speaker.

Michael Patrick Leahy, co-founder of Top Conservatives on Twitter (TCOT), one of the four grassroots organizations that comprise the Nationwide Tea Party Coalition, called tonight's live broadcast "a landmark advance in the melding of technology, collaboration, and grass roots activism that is defining the virally growing Tea Party Movement. Pajamas Media's support of the movement is invaluable in that it allows citizens who have long felt shut out of the mainstream media a place to speak out and be heard. We're thankful for the vision they have shown in providing a platform where the people can speak."

"Viewers of The Tea Party Coalition Show this evening will be able to watch and participate in the inner workings of a new era of fiscal conservative political activism, the likes of which are unparalleled in American history. We're proud to be able to offer this historic opportunity to the American public, and intend to continue our role as one of the premier providers of alternative news media in the modern era," said Roger Simon, CEO of Pajamas Media.

The conference call and broadcast will document the real time interaction of the leaders of the four grassroots organizations that have provided centralized coordination to the Tea Party Movement -- Eric Odom from the Dontgo Movement, Jenny Beth Martin from Smart Girl Politics, Adam Waldeck, on behalf of American Solutions, and Michael Patrick Leahy, representing TCOT.

Viewers will hear from the nationwide network of tea party organizers across the country. Live in studio PJTV will have the lead organizers from two of the largest events in the nation, Amy Kremer from Atlanta, and Mark Meckler from Sacramento, California. Additionally, it is anticipated that over 150 organizers will participate interactively in the call, and hundreds of others will participate by listening to the call on Patriots Heart Network on BlogTalk Radio and watching on Pajamas TV.

On tonight's show, the movement will outline the following very specific immediate calls to action for fiscal conservatives across the country who are aligning themselves with this movement:

1. The Tea Party Coalition Rating for Congressional Candidates: The Tea Party movement will unveil it's intent to provide ratings of both the Democrat and Republican candidates who will oppose incumbent Democrat and Republican Congressmen who vote in favor of the excessive spending in the Administration's proposed budget. It is expected that the Congressional Conference Committee will submit a final budget to both Houses of Congress for a final up or down vote on April 20. Utilizing the latest technology, within seconds of that final vote, the Nationwide Tea Party Coalition will post a rating for two candidates in every Congressional District of Congressman who vote in favor of that wasteful budget: one candidate who will oppose the incumbent in his party's primary, and one candidate who will oppose the incumbent in the general election from the opposing major party. The Coalition will use our newly minted nationwide action network to suggest that all members of the Tea Party movement go online and contribute to EACH of these candidates in every district, and volunteer to support them.

2. Proposition 1A: California. The Tea Party Coalition will also unveil plans to issue a call to action for fiscally conservative activists across the nation to assist residents in California in defeating the wasteful spending of that state's Proposition 1A, on the ballot next month. According to TCOT's Michael Leahy, "Proposition 1A is an excellent example of the problem with government at all levels across the country. Simply put, it's a $16 billion tax increase that dishonest politicians in California are trying to pass off as a 'budget cap.' We need to fight these battles across the nation at every level, and California, the tax and spend epicenter of the nation, is a great place to start."

About the Organizations

American Solutions - American Solutions for Winning the Future is a tri-partisan citizen action network of more than 1.5 million members. American Solutions is designed to rise above traditional gridlocked partisanship to provide real, significant solutions to the most important issues facing our country. Its General Chairman is former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Find American Solutions at www.americansolutions.com.

TCOT - Top Conservatives on Twitter was founded by Nashville area native Michael Patrick Leahy three-and-a-half months ago and currently consists of 3,800 conservatives. TCOT followers can be found on Twitter by searching for "#tcot," the unique identifier or "hashtag" attached at the end of the 140 characters in a "tweet." #TCOT is the number one hashtag in use on Twitter, having been used over 99,000 times during its short existence -- more than twice as much as the second place hashtag on Twitter. TCOT's Michael Patrick Leahy, a technology project manager, resides in the Nashville, Tennessee area. Find TCOT at www.topconservativesontwitter.org.

Dontgo - Dontgo Movement was founded by Eric J. Odom eight months ago and has over 30,000 members. The name "Dontgo" was taken from the plea conservatives offered when the Democrats shut down Congress for summer break during the energy crisis of 2008. Dontgo's Eric Odom is an internet marketer living in the Chicago, Illinois area. Dontgo tweets can be found on Twitter at "#dontgo" and on the web at www.dontgomovement.com.

SGP - Smart Girl Politics was founded by Stacy Mott in November 2008 and now has over 3,000 members. SGP is a grass roots organization that promotes the opinions and principles of conservative women. SGP is dedicated to the advancement of conservative women in all levels of government. Of course men are more than welcome to join! SGP's Stacy Mott is a former HR manager turned stay-at-home mom residing in Pennsylvania. Find SGP tweets on Twitter at "#sgp" and on the web at www.smartgirlpolitics.org.

Pajamas TV has been covering the Tea Parties, the direction of the U.S. Economy and the conservative movement in an expanding number of ways. PJTV Tea Party coverage has included shows with Glenn Reynolds ("American Tea Party"), photo libraries and poster contests. In preparation for Tax Day Tea Parties, PJTV is launching the daily show "Tea Party Coalition: Countdown to Tax Day," and is planning a full day of coverage on April 15th. Additionally, for each new Pajamas TV subscriber from today (Monday, April 6th) to the end of April, PJTV will apply 100 percent of the first month's subscription fees to a grant to the Nationwide Tea Party Coalition. Pajamas TV monthly subscription rates start at $5 ($3 per month for students) and can be cancelled at any time after the first month.

About Pajamas TV

Pajamas TV (www.PJTV.com) is a conservative and center-right Internet TV company. Working with conservative think tanks and bloggers, Pajamas TV started production in September 2008 as the first online TV venture to be given a sky box at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis. The Pajamas TV headquarters studio is located in El Segundo, Calif., with remote studio locations in New York, Washington, and Jerusalem. In addition, PJTV brings in many contributors via web cams.

FRC Urges Legislative Action Following Iowa Same-Sex 'Marriage' Ruling

2009-04-04T09:38:00.001-07:00

Friday, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins condemned the decision by the Iowa Supreme Court striking down the state's Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and forcing same-sex "marriage" on the state. The ruling in Varnum v. Brien was the fourth in favor of legalizing same-sex "marriage" by a state high court. California's ruling was overturned by the people at the ballot box last November; Massachusetts and Connecticut are the only states which currently give marriage licenses to homosexual couples.

"Same-sex 'marriage' continues to be a movement driven by a liberal judicial elite determined to destroy not only the institution of marriage, but democracy as well. The casual dismissal of the facts of human biology and thousands of years of human history, simply to pander to a small band of social radicals, is bizarre and indefensible," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council (FRC).

Perkins pointed out that while four states have attempted to legalize same-sex "marriage" through the judicial process, to date none have done so democratically, while a majority of states have not only defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman, but have placed that definition in their state constitution. "We need to remember that the marriage amendment movement has been many times more successful than the same-sex 'marriage' movement," Perkins said. "FRC will continue to stand with those states which are seeking to pass marriage protection amendments in order to protect our most fundamental social institution from the kind of judicial activism we saw today in Iowa."

"We urge Iowans to contact their legislators and urge them to move quickly to pass a constitutional amendment protecting marriage, joining the twenty-nine states that have already defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman in their state constitutions," stated Mr. Perkins.

"We hope the legislature will heed the powerful swell of statewide support for an amendment and reclaim from the High Court its rightful place as the state's policy making body. That's the only sure way to protect the institution of marriage from radical social engineering by state judges."
---
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---

Justice Department Seeks Removal of Pittsburgh-Area Man Who Served as Nazi Concentration Camp Guard

2009-04-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- The Department of Justice has initiated removal proceedings against a Sharon, Penn., resident who served as an armed SS guard at two Nazi concentration camps in Germany during World War II.

The charging document, filed April 1, 2009, in U.S. Immigration Court in Philadelphia by the Criminal Division's Office of Special Investigations (OSI) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) alleges that during most of 1943 Anton Geiser served as an armed SS Death's Head guard at the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp near Berlin, Germany; that Geiser's duties included escorting prisoners to slave labor sites and standing guard from the camp's watch towers; and that he was under orders to shoot any prisoner attempting escape. The court document also alleges that Geiser served as a guard at the Buchenwald Concentration Camp and the Arolsen subcamp. In addition, the court document charges that Geiser guarded prisoners as they were transported from Buchenwald to Arolsen and as they were evacuated from Arolsen as Allied forces approached.

U.S. courts have described how prisoners held at Sachsenhausen and Buchenwald were forced to engage in grueling physical labor under extraordinarily inhumane conditions. Many prisoners died from exhaustion or disease or were shot or hanged. During the period when Geiser served at Sachsenhausen, more than 3,000 prisoners were murdered or died from the brutal treatment.

"Through his service as a Nazi concentration camp guard, Anton Geiser helped subject thousands of innocent civilians to inhumane and frequently lethal treatment," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division. "The United States will not provide a safe haven for such individuals."

Geiser, 84, immigrated to the United States from Austria in October 1956, and he was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in March 1962. A federal judge in Pittsburgh revoked his citizenship in 2006 because his service to Nazi Germany made him ineligible to enter the United States. The court concluded that Geiser "clearly assisted in the persecution of people because of race, religion and national origin," and that he therefore was legally barred from receiving a visa to come to the United States.

"The Office of Special Investigations remains unswervingly committed to identifying perpetrators of human rights violations and having them removed from the United States," said Eli M. Rosenbaum, director of OSI.

The proceedings to denaturalize Geiser were instituted in 2004 by OSI and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh. The case is a result of OSI's ongoing efforts to identify, investigate and take legal action against former participants in Nazi crimes of persecution who reside in the United States. Since OSI began operations in 1979, it has won cases against 107 individuals who participated in Nazi-sponsored persecution. In addition, more than 180 suspected participants in Nazi crimes who sought to enter the United States in recent years have been blocked from doing so as a result of OSI's "Watchlist" program, which is enforced in cooperation with the Departments of State and Homeland Security.

The removal case against Geiser is being litigated by OSI Senior Trial Attorneys Christina Giffin and Edgar Chen. The Philadelphia office of ICE has provided assistance. Members of the public are reminded that the charging document contains only allegations and that the government will be required to prove its case before an immigration judge.

Isakson, Chambliss Urge SEC to Reinstate Uptick Rule

2009-04-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., yesterday sent a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mary Schapiro urging the SEC to reinstate some form of the “uptick rule” at its meeting on April 8 and promulgate clear regulations to end abusive short selling. The letter states Congress will be compelled to act if the SEC does not act on the issue.

“Our stock market still languishes today somewhere down near what we hope is the bottom,” Isakson said. “One way to ensure that bottom exists is to stop rewarding those who would feed off of it and instead reinstate good discipline that ensures good practices and allows the market to restore itself back to a good equilibrium.”

“Reinstating the uptick rule is critical to stopping the artificial manipulation of stock prices and will help restore confidence in the market,” said Chambliss. “Protecting against exploitation of market declines is paramount to the stabilization of our economy.”

Sens. Ted Kaufman, D-Del., Jon Tester, D-Mont., Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., joined Isakson and Chambliss on the letter. The full text of the letter is attached.

Isakson and Chambliss are also co-sponsoring legislation with Kaufman that directs the SEC to write regulations within 60 days to end abusive short selling. These regulations must reinstate the substance of the uptick rule that prohibited short sales that are not made on an increase in the price of the stock as well as require exchanges and other trading venues to execute the trades of long sellers ahead of short sellers, all other things being equal.

With the concurrence of the Secretary of the Treasury and the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the bill also directs the SEC to prohibit short sales of the securities of any financial institution unless that trade is affected at a price (in minimum lots specified by the Commission) at least 5 cents higher than the immediately preceding transaction in such securities.

Additionally, the legislation directs the SEC to prohibit any person from selling securities short unless that person has at the time of the short sale a demonstrable legally enforceable right to deliver the securities at the required delivery date and require that all short sales settle on the same time frame employed for long sales of the same securities.
---
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---

Coalition for a Democratic Workplace Calls on Pro-Worker, Pro-Business Senate Democrats in Opposition to Anti-Worker Card Check Bill

2009-04-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW) today urged Senators Carper, Landrieu, Lincoln, Nelson, Pryor and Warner to publicly voice their opposition to both a vote for cloture and final passage of the anti-worker Employee Free Choice Act. The Employee Free Choice Act -- or "card check" bill will effectively eliminate secret ballots for workers in union organizing elections and bind employers to contracts that inhibit their ability to create much-needed new jobs.

"These self-identified pro-business senators should follow Senator Specter's principled decision to protect worker privacy and stop the government from imposing binding contracts on workers and employers," said Brian Worth with the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace. "The Employee Free Choice Act is bad for workers, bad for job creation and bad for the economy. We urge these senators to join Senator Specter in opposing this harmful legislation."

A recent study by noted economist Anne Layne-Farrar found that, if passed, the Employee Free Choice Act would result in 600,000 lost jobs in the first year alone. Millions more jobs would be lost in subsequent years.

"Passing a bill that would cost jobs for American workers is the wrong policy in any economy," said Worth. "It's time for these senators to let the workers in their states know that they are on the side of creating jobs and protecting worker privacy and not for legislation that hurts job creation and takes away worker rights."

FRC Action Asks President Obama to Stop Treating Taxpayers Like Fools

2009-04-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Last night it was reported that President Obama's nominee to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, had failed to pay back taxes. She now joins a growing list of current and failed Administration nominees who think they are above the law.

Tom McClusky, Senior Vice President of Family Research Council Action, had this to say:

"It is ironic that today is April Fool's Day, for the Obama Administration seems to think that American taxpayers can be so easily duped. By failing to pay her taxes, Kathleen Sebelius joins Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel and others in the Democratic leadership who appear to think they are above the very laws they create and are supposed to protect.

"As the House and Senate continue to debate President Obama's budget, which seeks to raise taxes on all Americans to the tune of $700 for every household in the U.S., they should perhaps start reading and obeying the laws they already have passed.

"Kathleen Sebelius's fealty toward abortion-on-demand and government run health care clearly shows she is unfit to have control of the American health care system. If she refuses to do the honorable thing as former nominee Tom Daschle did, and remove her name from consideration, the U.S. Senate needs to reject her nomination and stop treating the American people as fools."

Ten Tax Facts for Tax Day Tea Parties

2009-04-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress have gone on a spending and debt spree that the country cannot afford. As a result, a spontaneous grassroots movement is emerging from every corner of the nation with a message for Congress and the President: Stop spending us into an inevitable spiral of debt and higher taxes ... now!

To that end, groups of Americans will be meeting in towns and cities across the nation on April 15 for "Tax Day Tea Parties." These "Ten Tax Facts" are an effort by the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) to make sure the American people are well-informed as they gather together to express their concern about the direction Washington is headed.

#1 .Under the Obama budget, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that the national debt will double over the next five years; and it will triple over the next 10 years to $17.3 trillion.

#2. Under the Obama budget, CBO projects that the national debt will soar over the next 10 years from 40 percent of GDP today to a shocking 82.4 percent. (Ronald Reagan left office with the national debt at 42 percent of GDP).

#3. The President's budget also states that total federal borrowing will grow by $2.7 trillion this year alone, an increase of 27 percent in one year!

#4. The budget President Obama proposes for this year increases federal spending by an incredible 34 percent over the previous year, with a total of $4 trillion in federal spending, the highest ever.

#5. The federal budget deficit (not the national debt) would reach $1.845 trillion this year, according to the CBO, the highest ever. That would be more than seven times Reagan's largest budget deficit of $221 billion, which caused so much consternation among Reagan's critics.

#6. The CBO estimates that this Obama budget deficit will total an astounding 13.1 percent of GDP, more than one-eighth of the entire U.S. economy, for the federal budget deficit alone! Under George Bush, the federal deficit for 2008 was 3.2 percent of GDP. The deficit for fiscal year 2007, in the last budget adopted when Congress was controlled by Republican majorities, was $162 billion, or 1.2 percent of GDP.

#7. The Obama budget also includes $1 trillion in tax increases on the upper 5 percent of income earners, mostly tax rate increases. But the top 5 percent of income earners already pays 60 percent of all income taxes.

#8. The Obama budget projects that revenues from the corporate income tax will more than double in 3 years, increasing, in fact, by more than 124 percent.

#9. Another $645 billion tax increase comes from President Obama's anti-global warming cap and trade system, which is essentially an energy tax on the production and use of carbon energy, such as oil, natural gas, and coal.

#10. While the Obama administration claims to have cut $2 trillion from the budget over 10 years, fully $1.5 trillion of those "cuts" actually represents the troop drawdown in Iraq, which was already scheduled to occur under the Bush administration. Of the remaining $500 billion in budget "savings," fully $311 billion is categorized as "interest savings" but is actually an additional tax increase on upper income earners.

It's not as if you can't stimulate economic growth while at the same time cutting government spending. President Reagan did it. Reagan adopted budget cuts soon after he entered office equal to close to 5 percent of the federal budget at the time. Even with his defense buildup, total federal spending declined from a high of 23.5 percent of GDP in 1983 to 21.3 percent in 1988 and 21.2 percent in 1989. That's a 10 percent real reduction in the size of government relative to the economy. Reagan's policies conquered inflation and started a 25-year period of economic growth, which would look awfully good today.

Caribbean Police Forces Sign eTrace Agreement

2009-03-31T15:43:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Deputy Assistant Director Julie Torres signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will provide eTrace, an electronic system used to trace illicit firearms, to several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) police commissioners from Antigua; Barbuda; Barbados; Dominica; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Vincent; the Grenadines; Aruba; Curacao; Grenada; and Anguilla. This is an ongoing effort to combat firearms trafficking in the region consistent with the December 2007 joint CARICOM-U.S. Initiative on Combating the Illicit Trafficking in Small Arms and Light Weapons and Ammunition. (For additional information see: http://www.state.gov/p/wha/rls/120209.htm.) The signing took place today in Bridgetown at the U.S. Embassy.

The MOU establishes conditions of the partnership between ATF and those countries regarding policy and procedures for the access and use of eTrace services made available to law enforcement agencies.

eTrace is a paperless firearm trace submission system that is accessible through a secure connection to the World Wide Web. This Internet application provides the necessary utilities for submitting, retrieving, storing and querying firearms trace-related information allowing for the systematic tracing of firearms recovered from crime scenes. Analysis of firearms trace data can assist in the identification of firearms trafficking patterns and geographic profiling for criminal hot spots and possible sources of illicit firearms.

ATF processed more than 300,000 crime-gun trace requests in fiscal year 2008, including traces from 58 countries. The other countries in the region that have eTrace capabilities include the Bahamas, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama and Mexico. The seven Central American states recently signed the same MOU in December 2008. (For additional information see: http://www.state.gov/p/wha/hs/c29261.htm.)

Record number of voters back LP tax approach

2009-03-31T12:34:00.000-07:00

A record number of voters agree with the Libertarian Party that tax cuts would help spur economic growth, America’s third-largest party notes Monday.

A Rasmussen Reports poll released March 26 finds 63 percent of all voters now say tax cuts will help America’s economy. That’s an increase from the 56 percent measured in February and the highest number since Rasmussen began tracking the question in the mid-1990s.

Among unaffiliated voters, the number is even higher – 68 percent.

“Libertarians have been cutting taxes since the day we elected our first official nearly 40 years ago,” said William Redpath, Libertarian National Committee Chair. “Republicans and Democrats have been working together to drive up spending and taxes, and a supermajority of voters agree with over 200 currently elected Libertarians that this is wrong.”

“No wonder interest in the Libertarian Party on the rise. Voters prefer the very popular Libertarian policy of fiscal responsibility and limited government to get the economy moving,” said Redpath.

President Obama is doing little to assuage fears his tax hikes will hurt the economy. The Rasmussen poll also finds 51 percent of voters believe increasing taxes hurts the economy, the highest number since early January.

The Rasmussen poll also finds 52 percent of voters think they already pay their “fair share” of taxes, and more voters prefer a candidate who opposes all tax increases (43 percent) than one who only wants to raise taxes on the rich (42 percent.) Last month, voters preferred the “tax-the-rich” candidate by a 44 percent to 40 percent margin.

A majority of voters, 54 percent, also agree with Libertarians that a tax policy that helps the economy grow is more important than the Democrat/Republican policy of making sure “everyone pays their fair share.” Only 39 percent of voters believe punitive taxation is more important than pro-growth taxation.

While Obama promised to raise taxes only on families whose combined income was more than $250,000 a year, as well as a tax cut for “95 percent of working families,” Americans are skeptical. Sixty-six percent of voters think Obama will raise taxes on families making less than $250,000 a year.

Sean Hannity Comes Home for Tax Day Tea Party

2009-03-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

PRLog - Smart Girl Politics today announced Sean Hannity will return to his "second hometown" to broadcast his FOXNews show, “Hannity,” live from the Atlanta Tax Day Tea Party on April 15th.

"We are honored that Sean is coming back to Atlanta to cover our event," said Jenny Beth Martin, one of the Tea Party volunteer organizers. "I'm amazed at how fast the movement has grown in the course of just five weeks."

Mrs. Martin, a member of Smart Girl Politics, helped to organize the original Tea Party in February. The Atlanta event is a part of the Nationwide Tea Party Coalition (NTPC), the coordinator of both this and the prior Nationwide Chicago Tea Party held February 27, 2009.

The NTPC was formed February 20, 2009 by three grassroots organizations: Smart Girl Politics (SGP), Dontgo Movement (Dontgo), and Top Conservatives on Twitter (TCOT). To date, over 300 Tax Day Tea Party events are planned in cities and towns across America.

“From coast-to-coast, people can find an April 15th event nearby and come out to voice their opposition to the outrageous spending coming from Washington DC,” said Stacy Mott, founder of Smart Girl Politics.

SGP is working to bring together a broad coalition of conservatives, Libertarians, Blue Dog Democrats, and independents in order to deliver a message to Congress and the President: repeal the spending or we will retire you at the ballot box.

"SGP is a conservative organization and while we will fight to stand for our conservative principles, the tea parties are not a conservative event." said Mott. "We hope that regardless of your party affiliation, people will stand with us and tell Congress and the White House to stop spending our future."

Michelle Malkin, Newt Gingrich, Dana Loesch, GOPUSA, American Solutions, and Americans for Tax Reform have all come together to endorse the Nationwide Tax Day Tea Party.

Read about the Atlanta Tax Day Tea Party on Sean Hannity’s FOXNews blog at http://hannity.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/03/27/special-anno ...

To find out more about the Nationwide Tax Day Tea Party, visit http://taxdayteaparty.com. About the Organizations: Sean Hannity – Sean Hannity is a best-selling author, syndicated radio host, and is the host of the prime-time cable news and opinion shows, “Hannity” and “Hannitiy’s America.”

Find out more at http://www.hannity.com/

Smart Girl Politics – SGP was founded by Stacy Mott in Nov. 2008 and now has over 3,000 members. We are dedicated to the advancement of conservative women in all levels of public service. Men are more than welcome to join. Find SGP tweets on Twitter at #sgp and is on the web at http://smartgirlpolitics.org

Atlanta Tax Day Tea Party – http://www.atlantateaparty.net/

FairTax at the Altanta Tea Party

2009-03-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Message from FairTax Fayette:

The Atlanta Tea Party is at the State Capitol (206 Washington St SW,Atlanta, GA) on Wednesday, April 15th at 7:00 pm. Rain or shine. Sean Hannity will be at this event. MARTA has a station right at the Capitol.

This event is being sponsored by the Tea Party group, but a perfect opportunity to show the FairTax as the solution. Wear your tee shirts, make signs, print out information to pass out to those who aren't showing FairTax support. Let's get them all on board with the FairTax movement by passing out FairTax info to anyone who isn't showing their FairTax support!

Print info from either the FairTax.org site or from www.gafairtax.org.

O'Leary Report/Zogby Poll Finds Business Leaders Not Happy with Obama's First 60 Days

2009-03-30T04:05:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire/ -- With the economy leading all headlines, and a never-ending stream of opinion polls flowing daily, The O'Leary Report, in conjunction with Zogby International, conducted the first comprehensive survey of America's business leaders to see what they think of Obama's policies to date. The survey found that a clear majority of business leaders staunchly oppose the President's actions over the past two months.

Below are some of the poll's results. This was an online survey of 884 business leaders, who are also likely voters, and it has a margin of error of +/- 1.5 percentage points. To see more results, go to www.olearyreport.com.

Question 1: In regard to the bank rescue plans and economic
stimulus, do you feel the Obama administration is trying to do too
much, is disorganized, needs more time, or is right on target?

Fifty percent of business leaders think the Obama administration is
disorganized, while only 10 percent think it is "right on target."
Twenty-eight percent think the Obama administration needs more
time, another 10 percent think it's trying to do too much, and one
percent are "not sure."

Question 2: How do you rate President Obama's efforts to free up
credit markets in his first 60 days?

Fifty-two percent of business leaders rate Obama's effort as
"poor," while only 15 percent say it is "excellent." Twenty-two
percent give Obama a "good" rating and 10 percent say "fair" (one
percent are not sure).

Question 3: Do you think the budget recently proposed by President
Obama spends too much, not enough, or the right amount?

A solid 62 percent majority think President Obama's budget spends
too much, while only 13 percent say "not enough." Only 16 percent
of business leaders think it spends the right amount, and nine
percent are not sure.

Question 4: The Employee Free Choice Act is a proposed bill that
would effectively eliminate the secret ballot used by workers in
deciding whether or not their plant, business, or small business
should be unionized. Do you favor or oppose the bill?

Seventy-two percent of business leaders oppose this bill, which
Obama supports. Only 19 percent favor the bill, and 10 percent are
not sure.

Question 5: Do you agree or disagree that President Obama's
proposed tax hikes for those making $250,000 or more will hurt
businesses, forcing them to lay-off employees?

Fifty-two percent of business leaders agree that Obama's tax hikes
will hurt businesses and increase unemployment; while 42 percent
disagree (six percent are not sure).

ALIPAC Launches National Effort to Stop In-State Tuition for Illegal Aliens

2009-03-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC), a national group which has played a key roll in defeating in-state tuition for illegal aliens legislation in many states, is launching a new campaign to stop new attempts to pass the measure in Arkansas, California, Colorado, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.

"In-state tuition for illegals legislation replaces innocent American students in the limited seats in college at taxpayer expense!" said William Gheen of ALIPAC. "These bills also violate Federal law, provide taxpayer rewards and incentives for people to illegally immigrate to America, and increasing demands on taxpayers."

ALIPAC defeated in-state tuition for illegals legislation in North Carolina in 2005 by defeating HB 1183. Since that time, details on how to oppose this unpopular legislation have been circulated to other states resulting in similar legislation failing in almost all states except for Nebraska. The ALIPAC document titled "How To Defeat In-State Tuition for Illegal Aliens in Your State" will be distributed anew.

"Wherever adequate public debate happens before legislators vote on these bills, in-state tuition for illegals legislation fails to pass," said William Gheen. "The nine states that have this measure passed it into law without adequate public knowledge or debate. Our goal is to assure the public in these new states is forewarned and has time to respond."

A North Carolina poll conducted by the JWP Civitas Institute in 2005 indicated that over 80% of voters were less likely to support any state lawmaker who supported in-state tuition for illegal aliens. Many national polls reinforce the fact that a super majority of Americans oppose any non emergency taxpayer benefits for illegal aliens.

ALIPAC will be deploying citizen activists from around the nation and in each targeted state to inform lawmakers that close to 80% of their constituents oppose in-state tuition for illegal aliens. ALIPAC and activists will use the Internet and talk radio shows in each state to carry the messages.

For more information visit www.alipac.us or call (866) 703-0864.
---
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---

The DREAM Act Illegal Alien Amnesty: A Bad Idea at the Worst Possible Time, Says FAIR

2009-03-27T15:19:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Despite overwhelming opposition by the American public when it was first proposed in 2000, the House and the Senate have reintroduced a sweeping illegal alien amnesty bill known as the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.

The legislation, introduced by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), is a broad amnesty measure disguised as an educational initiative that would allow millions of illegal aliens who meet a very loose definition of "student" to qualify for green cards. In addition, it provides in-state tuition benefits for illegal aliens that will displace legal residents competing for a fixed number of college admission slots and taxpayer subsidies.

The DREAM Act represents yet another attempt to enact an amnesty for illegal aliens, either in one comprehensive bill, or piecemeal. The DREAM Act would also place severe strains on state budgets and harm middle class families who are struggling to get their own kids through college.

Passage of the DREAM Act would:
-- Reward parents who violated immigration laws through their children,
and provide a powerful incentive for more illegal immigration.
-- Transfer seats and tuition subsidies to illegal aliens at a time when
state higher education budgets are being slashed, admissions
curtailed, and tuitions increased.
-- By broadly defining "student" it gives amnesty to large numbers of
illegal aliens who may be pursing any sort of education.

-- Accelerate chain migration and exponential population growth because
illegal aliens who are granted green cards will be able to petition
the Department of Homeland Security in the future to grant their
parents and relatives legal status too.

"Once again, Congress is ignoring the interests and concerns of hard-working, law-abiding Americans in order to reward illegal immigrants and pander to the illegal alien lobby," said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). "Even as American families are struggling, and nearly every state is facing a budget crisis, Congress is prepared to mandate huge additional burdens in the form of a massive illegal alien amnesty."

"The American people have made it very clear that they reject amnesty for illegal aliens whether it's in one comprehensive bill, or piecemeal," Stein said. "The DREAM Act would not only allow millions of newly legalized illegal aliens to compete for their jobs, but allow them to compete for their own children's educational opportunities. With private university tuitions already out of reach for most middle class families, and tuitions at public universities rising three times faster than median family incomes, the DREAM Act would be more than a reward for illegal aliens. It would crush the hopes and dreams of countless American families trying to provide opportunities to their own children."

Afghanistan review over, Obama eyes more resources

2009-03-26T14:25:00.000-07:00

The White House hinted Thursday that President Obama will call for more troops to be sent to Afghanistan when he announces his new policy on the region Friday. - By Sam Youngman

> Read More

Treasury Plan is Old Dog Attempting New Tricks, Duke Economist Says

2009-03-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Treasury’s financial rescue plan presented today (Monday) does not differ significantly from a previous one announced in September by the Bush administration and shouldn’t be expected to perform much differently, says a Duke University economist.

“This is the same dog that didn’t hunt a few months ago, the last time it was proposed,” said Connel Fullenkamp, a Duke associate professor of the practice in economics.

“It's going to be a cherry-picking exercise for investors with ready cash,” Fullenkamp said. “This won’t really ease the crunch that much, but a lucky few will be able to buy the least-troubled assets at good prices and make a lot of money from them.”

The new plan aims to get private investors to partner with a new federal entity to buy up troubled assets from banks.

“What I'd really like to know from Treasury Secretary Geithner is what has changed in the financial markets that will make firms that were previously unwilling to make a market for these assets suddenly make a market now,” he said.

Zogby/O'Leary Report Poll Finds Majority of American Voters Don't Fault U.S. Gun Laws for Mexican Drug Violence

2009-03-26T04:03:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has stated that the Obama administration would like to resurrect the Clinton ban on semi-automatic firearms, as well as other gun control laws.

One of the reasons for bringing back these unpopular laws, according to Holder, is that Mexican drug cartels are becoming increasingly violent and warring with Mexican government troops. Holder says that some of the guns being used by the Mexican drug mafia are being obtained illegally from the United States.

Mexico is a country with a reputation for political corruption and a healthy disregard for the individual rights of its citizens. Still, Holder and the Obama administration think that limiting the Second Amendment rights of U.S. citizens is a cure for drug violence in Mexico.

However, according to a recent poll conducted by The O'Leary Report and Zogby International, a vast majority of the American voting public disagrees.

The poll, which was conducted March 20-23 and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 1.5 percentage points, asked 4,523 likely voters:

"Mexican officials, gun control groups and officials at the Department of Homeland Security claim drug cartels are crossing the U.S. border in order to obtain guns illicitly. Others say that the Mexican drug cartels are equipped with military hardware including grenades, anti-tank missiles and mortars - all weapons that are not available to the American public. Which of the following do you think is the main source for Mexican drug cartel arms?"

Sixty-five percent of voters say that the international black market is the main source for Mexican drug cartel arms; while only 13.5 percent think these arms are coming from U.S. gun stores (3.5 percent think the arms are coming from somewhere else and 18 percent are not sure).

Among voters aged 18-29 years old, one of President Obama's strongest groups of supporters, 73 percent say international black market, and just six percent say U.S. gun stores (two percent say somewhere else and 19 percent are not sure).

A strong majority of self-described Independent voters (66 percent) also say that the international black market is main source of arms for Mexican drug cartels, and only 12 percent say U.S. gun stores (four percent say somewhere else and 19 percent are not sure).

AIG Gives $644,000 in 'Campaign Bonuses' to U.S. Senators and Representatives According to The O'Leary Report

2009-03-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire/ -- As President Barack Obama and Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) continue to point fingers over which one of them is to blame for the stimulus bill's "Dodd Amendment," which specifically excludes bonuses from caps on executive pay, one thing is clear: both Obama and Dodd profited from AIG campaign "bonuses" and an overwhelming majority of Americans want them to give this money back.

According to a breaking poll conducted by The O'Leary Report and Zogby International, 73 percent of Americans think any members of Congress who received campaign contributions from AIG over the last two years should return the money.

This might go double for President Obama and Senator Dodd, who were by far the largest recipients of AIG campaign cash in the last election cycle. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Obama received $104,332 from AIG and Dodd raked in $103,900. Obama and Dodd far outpaced the rest of Congress, as the next largest beneficiary received about $45,000 less than each of them. All told, AIG gave a total of $644,218 to federal candidates over the last election cycle.

The O'Leary Report/Zogby poll, which was conducted March 20-23 and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 1.5 percentage points, asked 4,523 likely voters: "Should members of Congress who received campaign donations over the past two years from the troubled financial giant AIG return the contributions?"

Seventy-three percent of all respondents say "yes," these members of Congress should return their AIG bonuses. Among self-described Democrats, 61 percent say yes, as do 83 percent of Republicans and 78 percent of Independents.

Sixty-four percent of young voters aged 18-29 years old, one of the President's most enthusiastic support groups, think that Obama and congressional recipients of AIG donations should return them. Seventy-four percent of taxpayers and 70 percent of Americans who have no federal income tax liability also think the money should be returned.

The Center for Responsive Politics lists AIG as the fourth largest contributor to Senator Dodd, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, giving him a total of $281,038 in campaign bonuses over his career. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, has received more money from AIG over his career ($91,000) than he has from any other company. The Center also reports that stimulus bill supporter Senator John Kerry (D-MA) "was by far the biggest investor in AIG, with stock valued around $2 million."

Congress may be undecided on how best to recoup AIG's taxpayer-funded bonuses, however, a clear majority of American voters want members of Congress to return the campaign bonuses they received from AIG.

Coalition for a Democratic Workplace Applauds Senator Specter for Opposing Anti-Worker Card Check Bill

2009-03-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire / -- The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW) today thanked Senator Arlen Specter for his courageous stand in opposition to cloture and final passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.

In a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate today, Senator Specter voiced opposition to both the card check scheme and the job-killing binding interest arbitration provision.

"CDW appreciates Senator Specter's principled decision to protect worker privacy and secret ballot elections," said Brian Worth with the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace.

Senator Specter's opposition effectively makes him the 41st vote against the bill.

Boehner: President’s National Energy Tax Will Destroy Jobs, Wreck Family Budgets

2009-03-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) yesterday issued the following statement on President Obama’s demand for Congress to pass a budget that includes a massive new national energy tax that will hit middle-class families and small businesses:

“It’s disturbing that the President is calling for a national energy tax that will destroy jobs and wreck family budgets, and even more disturbing that White House officials have identified this national energy tax as a non-negotiable presidential priority. We need a better solution, and Republicans will offer one.

“Middle-class families and small businesses face a slumping job market, rising costs of living, and evaporating savings. Unfortunately, President Obama’s budget is poised to make matters even worse forcing Americans to deal with a new national energy tax that will cost families up to $3,100 per year.

“From last week’s revelation that the President’s budget costs a staggering $2.3 trillion more than the White House claimed to today’s discussion of a new national energy tax, Washington Democrats are making all the wrong moves when it comes to getting our economy back on track. They should work with Republicans on a budget that will help rebuild savings, create jobs, and get the government’s fiscal house back in order. The President’s budget will harm our economy and destroy jobs by spending too much, taxing too much, and borrowing too much. Republicans will offer a better budget solution in the days to come, and we hope the President and his Democratic colleagues will give it the consideration it deserves.”

U.S. District Court Finds the FDA's Actions on Plan B(R) Tainted by Politics

2009-03-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Today a U.S. District Court ruled that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed politics to taint their decision to make Plan B(R) available over-the-counter (OTC) for individuals age 18 and older. The judge recognized that the FDA gave into political pressure and did not rely on the sound science that supported making Plan B available without a prescription for all age groups. Calling the FDA's procedure for approving the drug "capricious" and "arbitrary," the court ordered the FDA to reconsider its decisions regarding the Plan B switch to OTC use and ordered the FDA to permit Plan B's availability to 17 year olds without a prescription beginning in 30 days.

"This ruling validates what we have known all along - politicians trumped the scientists when it came to the FDA's handling of Plan B," said Kirsten Moore, President and CEO of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project. "Plan B is a safe and effective back-up contraceptive method that gives women of all ages an option to prevent unintended pregnancy. We urge the FDA and Duramed to work together to lift the unnecessary age restriction and put Plan B on pharmacy shelves to make timely access a reality for anyone who needs it."

This ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights against the FDA for its failure to make emergency contraception Plan B available over-the-counter. The lawsuit claimed that the FDA broke its own rules and regulations, ignored medical consensus, as well as the expertise of its own scientists and advisory committees by holding Plan B to an arbitrarily higher standard than other OTC products. The plaintiffs asked the court to order the FDA to make Plan B available over-the-counter for women of all ages.

Plan B is an FDA-approved, back-up birth control method that can prevent pregnancy in the first few days after sex. Containing a concentrated dose of the progestin hormone found in daily birth control pills, Plan B can reduce the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent when taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse (the sooner a woman takes it, the more effective it is). Critics have argued that increased access to Plan B would lead to promiscuity or other risky health behaviors but these concerns are misplaced. Real world experience with EC and other contraceptives show that reducing barriers to access is important but not sufficient when it comes to reducing unintended pregnancy. Access must be coupled with information and education to help individuals make healthy choices throughout their lifetime.

Postal Service Continues Aggressive Steps to Cut Costs

2009-03-20T17:17:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With no signs of economic recovery in sight, the U.S. Postal Service is taking bold actions in response to its ongoing financial crisis. Today the Postal Service announced it would be closing six of its 80 district offices, eliminating positions across the country and offering another early retirement opportunity. These actions are expected to save the Postal Service more than $100 million annually.

The six offices closing -- located in Lake Mary, FL; North Reading, MA; Manchester, NH; Edison, NJ; Erie, PA, and Spokane, WA -- house only administrative functions and will not adversely affect customer service, mail delivery, Post Office operations or ZIP codes. The functions of these six offices will be assumed by 10 district offices within close proximity.

Additionally, administrative staff positions at the district level nationwide are being reduced by 15 percent. More than 1,400 mail processing supervisor and management positions at nearly 400 facilities around the country also are being eliminated and nearly 150,000 employees nationwide are being given the opportunity to take an early retirement.

In the past year the Postal Service has taken very aggressive cost-cutting actions, including:

-- Cutting 50 million workhours;
-- Halting construction of new postal facilities;
-- Negotiating an agreement with the National Association of Letter
Carriers that adjusts letter carrier routes to reflect diminished
volume;
-- Freezing salaries of all Postal Service officers and executives;
-- Instituting a nationwide hiring freeze;
-- Reducing authorized staffing levels at postal headquarters and area
offices by at least 15 percent;
-- Selling unused and under-utilized postal facilities;
-- Adjusting Post Office hours to better reflect customer use; and,
-- Consolidating mail processing operations.

The Postal Service is streamlining operations and improving efficiencies across the board in order to protect its ability to provide affordable, universal mail service. By modifying networks, consolidating functions and restructuring administrative and processing operations, the Postal Service is adapting to meet the evolving needs, demands and activities of its customers.

10,000 Join in Nationwide Protests at AIG and Major U.S. Banks Today

2009-03-19T11:32:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire/ -- More than 10,000 Americans will participate in demonstrations across the country throughout the day today at the offices of AIG, Bank of America, Citigroup, and other major banks to vent their anger over an era of corporate excess at the expense of broader prosperity that has crippled the U.S. economy.

"The bonus scandals at AIG and the big banks are the last straw," said SEIU President Andy Stern. "Americans have simply had it with an economy that keeps delivering for top executives while leaving working people falling behind.

"It's time now for Congress to step in and make sure that workers in America can have a chance for a voice at their companies, affordable health care, and a financial system that works for people, not lavish corporate lifestyles."

The first national action since the bailouts began is being sponsored by a range of organizations, including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Change to Win, Rock the Vote, MoveOn.org, United Students Against Sweatshops, Coalition of Labor Union Women, Partnership for Working Families, Working Families Party, Brave New Films, Catholics United, and Jobs With Justice.

Demonstrations are planned at more than 100 locations in over 30 states, including:

Chicago: 3:30 p.m. CDT; Bank of America, 231 S. LaSalle, to AIG on Adams
Boston: Noon EDT; Bank of America, 100 Federal St. to AIG on High St.
Denver: Noon MDT; Wells Fargo, 1700 Lincoln St., to AIG, 1225 17th St.
Los Angeles: 4:45 p.m. PDT; AIG HQ, 1999 Ave of the Stars, Century City

New York: 4:00 p.m. EDT; Goldman Sachs, 85 Broad, to AIG, 70 Pine St., to Citi

Pittsburgh: 3:30 p.m. EDT; Spring Hill Suites, 223 Federal St.
Portland: 11:45 a.m. PDT; Salmon St. Fountain to Goldman Sachs
San Francisco: Noon PDT, Wells Fargo, 420 Montgomery, to AIG
Washington, DC: 12:30 p.m. EDT; AIG, 2020 K St. NW

The nationwide protests challenge Congress to take immediate steps to rebuild an economy that works for everyone by passing:

The Employee Free Choice Act so workers have the freedom to form unions for a voice to share in the economic progress they help create.

Affordable, quality health care for all where everyone, including big corporations, does their share and Americans no longer have to go without quality health care or face health costs that sink a family's budget.

Strong banking reform to make sure the financial services industry can never again bring our economy down by prioritizing huge profits and executive pay over responsible lending, or by preying on consumers, gambling with families' hard-earned money, and hiding their dealings.

For more information on actions happening across the country, please visit www.TakeBackTheEconomy.org.

With 2 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare, and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts.

Consumer Advocates Call on President to Fire Treasury Secretary Geithner

2009-03-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a letter issued today, two consumer advocacy groups called on President Obama to obtain Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's resignation.

The letter, from Harvey Rosenfield, the California-based consumer advocate who authored the state's insurance rate rollback Proposition 103, and Jim Donahue of the Washington-based WallStreetWatch.Org, asserts that Geithner has been unable to transcend his earlier role, while Chair of the New York Fed, as an architect of the failed Bush Administration Wall Street bailouts -- including the initial $80 billion AIG bailout.

Moreover, it appears the Treasury Department was aware of the latest round of bonus and retention payments but failed to announce them until after AIG issued $160 million in checks. Pointing out that the President has often called for "an open, honest government that would fight" for people, not special interests, it concludes that "In these grave days of national reckoning, the citizenry deserves better."

"It is clear that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner cannot provide the requisite independence that is required in an environment in which financial institutions and other businesses are demanding trillions of dollars of taxpayer money," the letter to President Obama states. "With respect, we urge you to ask for his resignation."

Two weeks ago, WallStreetWatch.Org issued a 231-page report pinpointing twelve policy decisions by the federal government that led directly to the current financial calamity -- and how those policies were dictated by Wall Street through over $5 billion in campaign and lobbying expenditures between 1998 and 2008 by many of the same firms who are receiving American taxpayer dollars.

The letter calling for Geithner's resignation, and "Sold Out: How Wall Street and Washington Betrayed America," are available at: WallStreetWatch.org.

Debt Heads: Americans Follow Record $11 Trillion National Debt on Twitter

2009-03-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire/ -- With no leading efforts on social networking sites to track the national debt, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation (PGPF) recently announced it is offering interested citizens the opportunity to track the growth of the national debt on a daily basis via Twitter, and most recently through Facebook.

This week, followers of PGPF's National Debt on Twitter witnessed a record high when its national debt "tweet" clocked in at $11,033,157,578,669.78 -- crossing the $11 trillion mark for the first time in U.S. history.

By going virtual, PGPF now provides an easy way for Americans to monitor a part of our nation's financial obligations every day -- without the space limitations of the famous "national debt clock" which was a prominent fixture in New York City's Times Square neighborhood, until in ran out of numbers in 2008.

PGPF's National Debt on Twitter has experienced a surge of interest, primarily through "word-of-mouse", and now has over 5,000 followers and growing.

As Americans feel tremendous anxiety and doubt over the nation's weakened economic state, more and more people have turned to social networking sites to get informed and share their concerns with others online.

In response, PGPF has now launched the National Debt Page on Facebook. After visiting the National Debt Page and "becoming a fan," concerned Americans receive daily Facebook updates of the Treasury Department's national debt numbers. The Facebook account also has the added advantage of allowing users to connect with other Facebook "fans" of the National Debt from across the world.

Unnerving as our $11 trillion national debt may be, factoring in the government's off-the-balance sheet liabilities and unfunded retirement and health care obligations, $11 trillion is just the tip of the iceberg. The real national debt is actually $56.4 trillion, or $483,000 per U.S. household.

National Debt on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/NationalDebt

National Debt on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-National-Debt/72709485411

PGPF President & CEO Dave Walker on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Walker/1377000890

PGPF on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peter-G-Peterson-Foundation/15503839732

U.S. Sues Union Pacific R.R. for $37 Million for Allegedly Failing to Prevent Use of Rail Cars to Smuggle Narcotics Across Border

2009-03-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The government has filed two lawsuits against the Union Pacific Railroad Company for allegedly failing to prevent the use of its rail cars to smuggle large quantities of narcotics into the United States, the Justice Department announced today. The complaints, filed in San Diego and Houston, seek more than $37 million in monetary penalties. The government alleges the rail cars were brought across the border at the ports of entry at Calexico, Calif., and Brownsville, Texas.

According to the complaints, Union Pacific Railroad, the largest provider of rail transportation services in North America, has substantial Mexico rail operations, serving border gateways in California, Arizona and Texas. It is alleged in the complaints that Union Pacific has a substantial ownership-interest in the privatized Mexican railroad company Ferrocarril Mexicano (FM). Union Pacific also partners with FM to offer Union Pacific's customers the ability to move merchandise north- and south-bound between Mexico and the United States.

In accordance with Title 19, United States Code, Section 1584, the owner or person in charge of a vehicle bound to the United States is required to submit to Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a manifest that accurately identifies all merchandise on board the vehicle. A violation of this section mandates the imposition of civil monetary penalties.

"It is imperative for transportation providers to be vigilant in determining the nature of cargo they bring into the United States from other countries," said Michael F. Hertz, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Division. "These laws were established to protect the American people."

The complaint, filed in the Southern District of California, alleges that on 37 separate occasions, from November 2001 to October 2006, after Union Pacific submitted its manifests, CBP officials found a total of over 4,000 pounds of marijuana on Union Pacific rail cars north-bound from Mexico for travel throughout the United States. According to the complaint, CBP imposed mandatory monetary penalties of $33,595,112 for Union Pacific's violations but to date, Union Pacific has failed and refused to pay the civil penalties.

The government's complaint filed in the Southern District of Texas alleges that on June 16, 2003, Union Pacific submitted a manifest to CBP for entry at the Port of Entry at Brownsville, Texas. According to the government complaint, the railroad manifest indicated that the rail cars were empty. However, the suit states that CBP officials, during a routine inspection, found a total of 99 packages containing 117 kilograms of cocaine within a false wall on the bottom side of the rail car. The suit, filed in the Southern District of Texas, seeks $4,128,000.

"Railroad companies and other freight carriers must take seriously their obligations under the law to take appropriate action to prevent the use of their vehicles to smuggle narcotics and other contraband into the United States," said Karen P. Hewitt, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California. "This civil complaint marks an important step toward addressing the repeated failure of the largest railroad company in North America to prevent rail cars bound for travel throughout the United States from being used to smuggle significant amounts of narcotics."

"Along with the profits of doing an international transportation business comes the legal obligation to ensure contraband is not also brought into our country," said Tim Johnson, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. "The consequences of failing to meet that obligation are what this suit is all about."

"Securing the nation's rail system against the threat of cross border smuggling requires the compliance and cooperation of the rail industry," said Jayson P. Ahern, Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security. "Failure to comply with reasonable security measures leads to vulnerabilities that are simply unacceptable when considering the consequences of illegal cross border activity."

The case is being handled in San Diego by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph P. Price, Jr., and Joseph J. Purcell; in Houston by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy L. Masso; in Washington by Civil Division Trial Attorneys, David S. Silverbrand and Lauren A. Weeman; and with the assistance of Shelby L. Stuntz and Julie Koller, Attorneys, Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection.

Boehner Expresses Outrage at Obama Administration’s Handling of AIG Bonuses, Abuse of Taxpayer Funds

2009-03-18T07:02:00.000-07:00

In a news conference yesterday morning, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) made the following remarks regarding the White House’s claim two weeks ago that it was confident it knew how taxpayer dollars were spent by the insurance giant AIG:

“Two weeks ago, the President’s spokesman said that they were confident that they knew how every dime was being spent at AIG. Well clearly, they didn’t know what they were talking about. I think this is outrageous and I think the American people are rightly outraged that their tax money is going to pay bonuses to the very people that got this company in trouble.” (AUDIO)

NOTE: For months, House Republicans have been calling for more stringent accountability regarding the use of taxpayer dollars in financial bailouts. House GOP leaders wrote to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner last month, urging him to present an exit strategy to get the federal government back out of the private sector. The leaders sent a similar letter to former Treasury Secretary Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke late last year. The following exchange took place between White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and ABC News reporter Jake Tapper on March 2, 2009.

JAKE TAPPER: AIG, is the administration confident that it, that it knows what happened to the tens of billions of dollars previously given to AIG?

ROBERT GIBBS: Is it confident – I’m sorry?

TAPPER: That they know -- that you guys know what happened to the previous billions before you hand over this next $30 billion.

GIBBS: Yes -- yes, the -- I mean, I don’t think it's a -- well, obviously, you’ve got a huge insurance company that is losing money, not the least of which because of its sheer size and sheer size and decrease in the growth in our economy. It experiences a far bigger drop, largely because of its size. But, again, the steps that -- that Treasury and -- and others took were to ensure a larger systemic problem wasn’t one that we had to deal with here today in letting something just die.

TAPPER: But in terms of specifically the -- I guess it's like $150 billion before, you guys are confident...

GIBBS: Yes.

Obama Effort to End Armed Pilots Program an Outrage, Says CCRKBA

2009-03-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A revelation by the Washington Times that President Barack Obama is trying to quietly end the armed pilot program, making air travel more vulnerable to terrorist attack, should outrage travelers, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

"The Washington Times nailed it," said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, who proposed arming pilots just hours after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and championed the armed pilot program. "What Obama is doing is risking public safety, as the newspaper put it, 'in the name of an anti-gun ideology.'"

The newspaper reported in its Tuesday edition that President Obama is "quietly ending the federal firearms program" by diverting some $2 million from the training program to hire "supervisory" staff, whose job, it appears, will be to harass armed pilots through unnecessary field inspections.

"How dare the president, or anybody in his administration, take measures to erode the safety of air travelers," Gottlieb questioned. "The armed pilot program provides a guaranteed level of security to the public. There may or may not be an air marshal aboard every airplane, but there is definitely a pilot in the cockpit.

"We trust commercial airline pilots with $500 million aircraft," he continued. "We can certainly trust them with $500 pistols to defend those planes, and the lives of their passengers.

"Certain individuals have never liked the armed pilot program," Gottlieb acknowledged. "These anti-gun, anti-self-defense bureaucrats seem more interested in their own power, and protecting their little empires, than they are in protecting the public. And now, Obama is catering to their anti-gun bigotry."

Call the White House at (202) 456-1111, or send a comment by visiting www.whitehouse.gov/contact.

With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation's premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.

CDW: Hoffa's Card Check Gaffe Coincides With 20th Anniversary of Justice Department Requiring Teamsters to Hold Secret Ballot Elections

2009-03-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire -- The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW) is launching an advertising campaign on the card check issue this week that coincides with the 20th anniversary of the United States Justice Department ordering the Teamsters to allow its members to vote for their leaders by secret ballot. The Teamsters agreed to a landmark consent decree with the federal government on March 13, 1989 to avoid prosecution on mob-related corruption.

On March 10, 2009, James P. Hoffa, the current president of the Teamsters, mocked the importance of the secret ballot in a press release that commended Democratic congressional leaders for pushing forward with legislation to eliminate the secret ballot for union organizing elections.

In a desperate attempt to shift attention away from the fact that the card check scheme pushed by Big Labor and its allies on Capitol Hill would strip away worker privacy and make workers vulnerable to threats of intimidation and coercion, Mr. Hoffa, who has been elected by the Teamsters' secret ballot system three times, asked "since when is the secret ballot a basic tenet of democracy?"

The CDW ad campaign juxtaposes Hoffa's comments on the card check debate with the American people's overwhelming support of the secret ballot. A poll conducted in January for CDW found that 82 percent of likely voters believe a worker's vote in a union organizing election should be kept private; 86 percent believe a secret ballot election is the best way to protect the individual rights of workers. Only 11 percent support the card check scheme that would make the votes of workers public to their employers, co-workers and union organizers.

"The Teamsters were right to agree to use the secret ballot in 1989," said Brian Worth, with the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace. "It cleaned up mob-related corruption and made the union more accountable to rank and file workers. I'm assuming Mr. Hoffa is not in favor of taking away the secret ballot from his members. I just don't understand how he can justify stripping it away from the millions of American workers who don't belong to his union."

Federal Government Still Viewed as Secretive; Public Supports President's Directive on Transparency

2009-03-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the first time in four years, public opinion about government secrecy has leveled off, although more than seven in 10 adults still consider the federal government to be secretive, according to the 2009 Sunshine Week survey by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University.

Since 2006, the percentage of adults who believe the federal government to be somewhat or very secretive has grown steadily; from 62 percent in 2006 to 74 percent in 2008. The latest survey finds 73 percent characterizing federal government as secretive.

This mood is perhaps buoyed by the nearly eight in 10 adults who think President Obama's Freedom of Information directive calling for a presumption of disclosure is the right thing to do.

"Trust in government has been on the decline for some time in the United States. The previous administration's disclosure policies certainly contributed to public skepticism," said Jerry Miller, director of the Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University. "People now appear more optimistic, but still guarded, about President Obama and the current administration's disclosure practices under the Freedom of Information Act."

As in previous years' surveys, people see their state and local governments as more open than the federal system. At the state level, 54 percent view government as open, 44 percent as secretive. People also are more trusting of local public officials. More than half, 56 percent, say their local government is very or somewhat open, with 44 percent rating it as very or somewhat open.

"The more open our government, the more inclusive the processes that impact our everyday lives," noted Rich Boehne, president and chief executive officer of The E.W. Scripps Co.

Two-thirds of adults (67 percent) say they've heard of the federal Freedom of Information Act, and when told about it, slightly more (77 percent) think it is a good law. However, hardly anyone surveyed had ever used it. Nine in 10 adults (94 percent) have never requested information using a FOIA request. None of this, of course, dulls their skepticism about compliance with the law: 61 percent say they believe the federal government only sometimes, rarely or never obeys FOIA law.

"It's heartening there is a reversal in the downward trend of public confidence in the openness of the federal government," said Andy Alexander, co-chair of the American Society of Newspaper Editor's FOI Committee.

"But it's sobering to note that more than half of those surveyed said they still believe their government only sometimes, rarely or never abides by disclosure requirements mandated by law," added Alexander, who is ombudsman at The Washington Post.

The survey of 946 adults was conducted by telephone from Feb. 16 through March 11 by the Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University under a grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation. The survey has a margin of error of about 4 percentage points.

The survey has been commissioned by ASNE for Sunshine Week since 2006, Sunshine Week is a non-partisan open government initiative led by ASNE, with print, online and broadcast media; public officials; civic groups and non-profit organizations; public and special libraries; educators and students; religious leaders; and others. It is primarily funded by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

U.S. Gun Industry Feeds Gun Violence on U.S./Mexico Border, Violence Policy Center Analyst Tells Congress

2009-03-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Weak regulation of the U.S. civilian gun market and the gun industry's focus on increasingly lethal military-style firearms have combined to fuel the drug war in Mexico and violence in the United States, Violence Policy Center (VPC) Senior Policy Analyst Tom Diaz told a Congressional subcommittee today. For a copy of Diaz's testimony, please see http://www.vpc.org/diaztestify.pdf.

"If one wanted to design a system to pour military-style guns into criminal hands, it would be hard to find a better one than the U.S. civilian gun market," Diaz testified before the Subcommittee on National Security & Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. "The only 'better' way would be openly selling guns to criminals from the loading docks of manufacturers and importers."

Diaz pointed out that officials of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have stated that Mexican drug lords increasingly seek military-style weapons easily available on the U.S. civilian market. These include: the Barrett 50 caliber anti-armor sniper rifle capable of piercing armor plate from a mile and a half; semiautomatic assault rifles, including variants of the Colt AR-15 and the Kalashnikov AK-47; and, the "vest-busting" anti-armor handgun the FN Herstal Five-seveN 5.7mm pistol, known as the "cop killer" in Mexico.

The VPC has issued numerous studies on the increasing military-bred lethality of civilian firearms in the United States and on the lax regulation of the U.S. gun market. These are available at the website www.vpc.org.

"The U.S. gun market doesn't just make gun trafficking in military-style weapons to drug cartels and their criminal associates in the United States easy," said Diaz, "it practically compels that traffic. Lax regulation of the U.S. gun market and the gun industry's ruthless design choices fit like gloves on the bloody hands of the drug lords and their criminal gang associates."

Diaz told the subcommittee that President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder could immediately direct ATF to strictly exercise its statutory authority to stop the importation of all semiautomatic assault rifles as "non-sporting" weapons under existing provisions of the 1968 Gun Control Act.

100,000 Americans Sign 'Freedom Not Fear' Petition While Congress Introduces Destructive 'Card Check' Bill

2009-03-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Solutions announced today that more than 100,000 Americans have signed the "Freedom Not Fear" petition urging Congress to protect a worker's right to a secret ballot election when deciding whether to join a union. This comes on the day that the U.S. House and Senate introduced the so-called Employee Free Choice Act, or "Card Check," which would strip workers' of their private ballot rights.

The petition reads:

We, therefore, petition the U.S. Congress to ensure that every worker has the right to a secret ballot when deciding whether to organize a union, as well as the right to ratify the contract terms of their employment, rather than be forced to accept a contract through binding arbitration.

"Congress is stunningly out of touch with reality if they think the American people will support this destructive, job-killing bill. It is a deliberate attempt by big labor bosses to undermine one of our most fundamental first principles - the right to vote freely without coercion," said Saul Anuzis, Chairman of American Solutions' Save American Jobs Project. "These 100,000 Americans are the first of many more we will recruit on a state-by-state basis to bring constituent pressure to bear on their elected officials to defeat Card Check."

Introduction of the Card Check legislation comes at a particularly unstable economic time when we can't afford to lose more jobs. In fact, according to the new study by noted economist Dr. Anne Layne-Farrar, An Empirical Assessment of the Employee Free Choice Act: The Economic Implications, an increase of 1.5 million union members in year one would lead to the loss of 600,000 jobs by the following year.

"Small business owners are struggling to keep their doors open, and the last thing we need is more federally imposed work rules which will reduce competitiveness and kill more jobs," Anuzis said. "Instead of trying to pass this destructive bill, Congress should focus on positive solutions to create jobs and get our economy back on the right track."

To learn more about the "Freedom Not Fear" petition drive, visit www.AmericanSolutions.com/FreedomNotFear.

Obama Economic Advisor Warren Buffett Speaks Out Against Card Check

2009-03-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Legendary investor and prominent Obama economic advisor Warren Buffett has come out in opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act as Congressional supporters introduced the legislation today. The Employee Free Choice Act -- or "card check" legislation will effectively remove secret ballots for workers in union organizing elections and bind employers to contracts that inhibit their ability to create much-needed new jobs.

Buffett's opposition to card check comes on the heels of the release of a new economic study showing that the card check scheme will eliminate 600,000 American jobs by 2010 and result in severe job losses in future years as the workforce becomes more unionized.

The study, which was conducted by noted economist, Dr. Anne Layne-Farrar, concludes that every three percent increase in unionization will lead to a one percent increase in unemployment.

The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW), the leading business coalition opposing card check, has launched an advertising effort this week in Capitol Hill newspapers to educate lawmakers about the negative impact that the Employee Free Choice Act will have on our economy.

"In a time of deep recession, the last thing Congress should do is pass legislation that will cost Americans their jobs. Card check is a poison pill for our ailing economy. President Obama would be wise to heed the warnings of Mr. Buffett," said Brian Worth with the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace.

Consumer Group Wants Public to Share Profits From Federally Funded Stem Cell and Medical Research

2009-03-09T10:59:00.001-07:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumer Watchdog today praised President Obama for lifting Bush era restrictions on federal funding of stem cell research and called on him to implement further policy changes that would allow taxpayers to share in any profits from research they have funded.

In a letter to President Obama, the nonpartisan nonprofit Consumer Watchdog said policies developed by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), which runs the state's $6 billion stem cell research program, could be a model for federal policy.

"Your action will undoubtedly spur new gains in this vital area of medical research," wrote John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog's Stem Cell Project director. "Celebrating the change in policy is not enough, however. It is now necessary, more than ever, to examine the regulations governing the way federal funds are distributed to researchers. A change in those rules is needed and we call on you to work with Congress to implement reform of the Bayh-Dole Act."

Most of the federal funding for biomedical research is funneled through the National Institutes of Health. Basic scientific research is usually done at universities and non-profit research institutions, most of it with federal funds. Under the Bayh-Dole Act discoveries that are made at these institutions can be patented by them. They then license the patents to industry. The royalties go only to the universities and research institutions. Nothing is returned to the taxpaying public who funded the research.

"Under Bayh-Dole, the public pays twice for medical discoveries," said Simpson, "First we fund the research; then we are faced with high drug prices protected by the monopoly that the patent guarantees."

Consumer Watchdog said federal policies for public funding of scientific research should incorporate these four principles:

--When a discovery has been funded by the public, the public should share in any profits.

--If the public has paid for key discoveries, then government policies should guarantee affordable access to cures and treatments resulting from those discoveries.

--If the government has funded an invention, but the patent holder does not commercialize it, the government should be able to license the invention to someone who will.

--The results of all federally funded research should be available to all U.S. researchers for further research without a licensing fee. Once taxpayers pay to develop a technology, all researchers should have free access to it for further non-commercial research.

"When venture capitalists provide money to companies they require clearly spelled out conditions and expectations," said Simpson. "There is no reason it should be any different when taxpayers put their hard-earned dollars on the line to fund research."

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was created by the voters of California under Proposition 71 to partially fill the void created when President Bush imposed the stem cell funding restrictions. Its $6 billion program makes it the world's largest funder of stem cell research.

Key elements of its Intellectual Property Policy regulations are provisions for a payback to the state. For example, if there is revenue to a research institution as the result of publicly funded research, 25 percent goes back to the state's general fund. The IP policy also has provisions to help ensure affordability and access by uninsured people to cures and treatments that were developed with public money.

National Multiple Sclerosis Society Commends President Obama's Initial Steps in Removing the Bans on Embryonic Stem Cell Research

2009-03-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is a driving force in creating a world free of MS. To advance this goal, the Society continues to seek ways to prevent, slow the progression or repair the effects of MS. One channel is by supporting scientifically meritorious medical research, including research using human cells. This is done in accordance with federal, state and local laws and with adherence to the strictest ethical and procedural guidelines. For the past eight years, federal policies have impeded these efforts by severely limiting the number of approved embryonic stem cell lines that could be used in federally funded research and prohibiting the donation of unused embryos for research purposes by people utilizing the services of in vitro fertilization clinics.

President Obama has taken a major step in removing the barriers to a promising path of responsible scientific research and the Society commends him for the new hope and optimism he brings to the millions of people living with chronic and debilitating diseases or disabilities.

Says Weyman T. Johnson, Jr., Chair, National MS Society's board of directors:

"As an MS advocate and someone living with the disease, I applaud President Obama's actions. The lifting of the ban on embryonic stem cell research now allows our best scientific minds the opportunity to pursue all avenues that can speed more effective treatments and we hope, eventually, find a cure for the over 400,000 people in America living with MS."

Adds Dr. John Richert, Executive Vice President for Research and Clinical Programs, National MS Society:

"The National MS Society believes that all promising avenues that could lead to the cure or prevention of MS, or relieve its symptoms by repairing MS damage, must be explored - including expanding the number of stem cell lines that are available for federally funded research. President Obama's actions to alleviate restrictions on the use of embryonic stem cells represent an important step that will allow us to move forward with greater speed and effectiveness in exploring potential new areas for treatment, not only for MS but for many chronic diseases."

Agriculture Coalition Calls on Congress to Kill Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)

2009-03-09T03:57:00.000-07:00

/PRNewswire/ -- The newly minted Agriculture for a Democratic Workplace (ADW) is calling on Congress to join the more than 40-member agricultural coalition in opposing the Employee Free Choice Act.

We are opposed to the Employee Free Choice Act because it would strip American workers, including most workers in the agricultural industry, of the right to participate in federally supervised private ballot elections and replace it with a system where their choice of whether or not to join a union is no longer private, the coalition said in an open letter to Congress last week.

"This bill is bad policy. It is bad for employers and employees," said Western Growers President and CEO and ADW Co-Chair Tom Nassif. "It would have the opposite effect of economic stimulus. Card check is a job killer at a time when American businesses are struggling to keep their doors open and avoid further reductions of the workforce."

President Barack Obama has publicly supported the EFCA, but the ADW is hopeful Mr. Obama will recognize that this legislation would hurt the development of job growth in the U.S.

Barry Bedwell, president of the California Grape and Tree Fruit League and co-chair of the ADW, added, "With the binding arbitration tenant of the EFCA and the new costs that could be levied on employers, no wonder millions of employers and workers are rallying to fight it. This bill provides no means to stimulate our economy, hinders U.S. efforts to grow business, and will undoubtedly usher in more job losses."

American agriculture stands united in opposition to the EFCA and hopes the country's elected officials will stand with them.

"Congress should oppose legislation that takes rights away from American workers -- such as the right to cast a private vote on whether to certify a union or the right to vote on a union contract at all," said California Farm Bureau Federation President and ADW Co-Chair Doug Mosebar. "If our senators and members of Congress truly want to support America's work force, they will stand with farmers and agricultural business people and oppose the EFCA."

Last month, ADW, this new coalition of national, regional and local agricultural associations covering virtually every sector of the industry launched a campaign to oppose the EFCA. ADW unveiled its Web site (www.coalitionforagriculture.org) with information and tools for coalition members to fight the battle against the introduction and passage of the EFCA.

Environmental Advocates Praise New Carbon Tax Bill

2009-03-06T05:38:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Environmental groups and carbon pricing advocates lauded Representative John Larson (D-CT), who today introduced America's Energy Security Trust Fund Act of 2009, proposing a carbon tax to reduce carbon emissions and fight global warming.

The tax would take effect in 2009 and tax emissions at a rate of $15 per ton of carbon dioxide and increase by $10 each year (or by $15 each year if needed to keep emissions falling fast enough). It would be virtually revenue-neutral, with over 95% of carbon tax revenues used to cut payroll taxes to help Americans with higher energy prices.

"Congressman Larson has shown great leadership in introducing this bill and ramping up the debate on carbon pricing in this Congress," said Charles Komanoff, co-director of the Carbon Tax Center. "It's a debate we urgently need to have. President Obama took a big step forward in proposing carbon pricing in his budget. The strong consensus among economists is that a carbon tax is the quickest, most effective and most transparent approach. Now that we have a well-crafted carbon tax bill to work with (and more such bills in the pipeline), Congress will be able to compare the details of actual carbon tax and cap-and-trade bills, and debate them on the merits. As that debate unfolds, you'll see a groundswell of support and eventual consensus line up behind a carbon tax proposal like Rep. Larson's."

"Representative Larson is making an important contribution to the debate about how to reduce global warming pollution," said Brent Blackwelder, president of Friends of the Earth. "A key part of the solution will have to be a price on carbon. If passed, the bill introduced today by Representative Larson would establish this price, strengthening our economy and helping head off catastrophic climate change, while avoiding some of the pitfalls of previous bills that would have led to windfall profits for corporate polluters."

Unlike cap-and-trade proposals, the Larson bill calls for taxing carbon at the source, such as oil refineries and coal mines for domestic fuel, or shipping terminals for imported fuel. A total of $100 billion over the first 10 years, equivalent to three percent of the revenue, would be dedicated to tax breaks for clean energy, while another $41 billion, equivalent to one percent of the revenue (more in the initial years, less in later years) would be used for transitional assistance for workers in industries directly impacted by the carbon tax.

All of the remaining carbon tax revenue - over 95% - would be spent on cutting payroll taxes, offsetting increased energy prices for working families, and helping stimulate job growth. This would amount to a tax shift rather than a tax increase. In fact, most working families will actually come out ahead if they conserve energy modestly.

As chair of the House Democratic Caucus, Rep. Larson is the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives and sits on the Ways and Means Committee, which will have primary jurisdiction over a carbon tax. At a hearing of the Committee held February 25 to compare the effectiveness of a cap-and-trade scheme vs. a carbon tax, NASA chief climate scientist James Hansen said, "This [carbon] tax, and the knowledge that it would continue to increase in the future, would spur innovations in energy efficiency and carbon-free energy sources... Carbon emissions will plummet far faster than with alternative top-down regulations."

America's Energy Security Trust Fund Act of 2009 is supported by Rep. George Miller (D-CA) who has co-signed a "Dear Colleague" letter announcing it. Additional carbon tax measures are being drafted by other members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, including Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC).

House Committee Vote Sets Congress on Course for Historic Regulation of Tobacco Products

2009-03-05T04:39:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids:

The House Energy and Commerce Committee today set Congress on a course to take truly historic action to reduce tobacco use by approving legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority over tobacco products. Today's 39-13 vote underscores the broad, bipartisan support for this legislation. Coming early in the new Congress, it sends a powerful signal that this year Congress will finally enact into law this long-overdue legislation to protect our children from tobacco addiction and save lives. Few actions would make a bigger difference for our nation's health than the regulation of tobacco products, the number one cause of preventable death in the United States.

We applaud House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Representative Todd Platts (R-PA) for their leadership in introducing this strong legislation and quickly moving it forward. Enactment of this legislation into law would represent a tremendous victory for America's health and a bipartisan achievement for the new Congress and President Obama, who co-sponsored the bill while a senator.

This legislation has strong, bipartisan support across the nation and in Congress. It has been endorsed by more than 950 public health, faith, medical and other organizations (see list at www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/fda/organizations.pdf). A poll last year found that FDA regulation of tobacco products is supported by 70 percent of American voters (see details at www.tobaccofreekids.org/fdapoll/). It has been endorsed by scientific authorities including the Institute of Medicine and the President's Cancer Panel. The House of Representatives in July approved the legislation by an overwhelming vote of 326 to 102, and it had 60 Senate sponsors in the last Congress.

This legislation is urgently needed. Tobacco use kills more than 400,000 Americans and costs the nation $96 billion in health care bills each year. Every day, another 1,200 Americans die from tobacco use and another 1,000 children become new regular smokers. Yet tobacco products are virtually unregulated to protect public health. This lack of regulation allows tobacco companies to market their deadly and addictive products to children, deceive consumers about the harm their products cause, make changes to their products without disclosing them (such as manipulating nicotine levels in cigarettes) and resist any meaningful change to make their products less harmful.

This legislation would grant the FDA the authority and resources to effectively regulate the manufacturing, marketing and sale of tobacco products. Among other things, it would:

-- Restrict tobacco advertising and promotions, especially to children.
-- Stop illegal sales of tobacco products to children.
-- Require larger, more effective health warnings on tobacco packages and
advertising.
-- Ban misleading health claims such as "light" and "low-tar" and
strictly regulate all health claims about tobacco products to ensure
they are scientifically proven and do not discourage current tobacco
users from quitting or encourage new users to start.
-- Require tobacco companies to disclose the contents of tobacco
products, as well as changes in products and research about their
health effects.
-- Empower the FDA to require changes in tobacco products, such as the
removal or reduction of harmful ingredients or the reduction of
nicotine levels.

We urge both the House and the Senate to quickly enact this legislation into law and to resist all efforts to weaken it.

Association for Healthcare Philanthropy Opposes Limits on Charitable Tax Deductions

2009-03-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) today issued the following statement regarding limits on tax deductions for charitable donations proposed in the Obama Administration's budget:

The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) opposes the proposal in the President's budget that would impose new limits on charitable tax deductions.

AHP applauds the President's overall efforts in the budget to revive the economy, reform health care, revise energy policy and tackle other important issues affecting the country.

However, the budget also contains a proposal that sends the wrong message at the wrong time to those who support charitable causes. It puts forward a scheme that would effectively devalue charitable gifts made by the very people who are in a position to make substantial donations at a time when they are sorely needed. For those who earn more than $250,000, the proposal would limit the federal tax deduction they may take for their generosity to 28 percent. Currently, they may claim up to a 35 percent deduction.

In these challenging economic times, charities and nonprofits already are finding it difficult to fulfill their altruistic missions because of reduced donations and resources. Yet, in times of economic trouble, it is charities and nonprofits that do much to augment the work of the federal, state and local government in meeting the needs of the American public through their vital programs and services. In fact, charities currently are being asked to provide even greater levels of assistance. The federal government, therefore, should seek ways to bolster charitable giving--as opposed to requiring charities to do more with less.

In fact, research published by the Congressional Budget Office from 1997, the Urban Institute from 2001, the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy from 2008 and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University from 2009 all state that giving is sensitive to price incentives provided by after-tax costs. The question that remains is: by how much?

A report by Indiana University "suggests that had these proposals been in place in 2006, total itemized charitable giving by households would have dropped by 2.1 percent." And that number fails to take into account the current large decline in America's personal wealth. Americans' generosity in support of nonprofit hospitals and health care systems is substantial, totaling $8.35 billion last year according to AHP's Report on Giving 2007. This report reveals an important insight concerning the importance of public backing for the nonprofit health care community: Almost 83 percent of all donors last year were individuals. Individuals provided 61 percent of all donations. Can American hospitals afford to lose 2.1 percent or more in contributions from these families?

Probably not. And, unfortunately, the growth rate of giving to the health care sector is slowing down and the number of donors is flat. According to a 2007 Chronicle of Philanthropy article, "Contributions to health-care institutions rose last year (2006) by 8.3 percent, adjusted for inflation, compared with a 12.9-percent rise from 2004 to 2005." The same conclusion was drawn from an AHP-sponsored study released in September 2008, by John Volpe, Ph.D., collegiate professor at the University of Maryland University College. In Economic Cycles and Charitable Giving Volpe concludes that a slowing of the growth in Gross Domestic Product and disposable personal income, as well as uncertainty over the economy are likely to contribute to weakness in charitable giving through 2009.

Yet such charitable giving is and will remain vital to the hospitals and systems to which it flows. According to the American Hospital Association (AHA) November 2008 Report on the Economic Crisis, the capital crunch is making it difficult and expensive for hospitals to finance facility and technology needs. The AHP Report on Giving indicates that more than 45 percent of charitable giving was put to use to upgrade infrastructure, including often long-overdue construction and renovation projects and equipment purchases. An additional 25 percent supported important functions such as community benefit programs, charitable care, research and teaching, and hospice, long-term and nursing care. About 14 percent went to general operations.

These accomplishments were achieved through fundraising and its outreach efforts to grateful families. While the Nation's health care needs are increasing, we must avoid creating obstacles that will diminish and discourage philanthropy.

The steep decline in personal wealth, especially if coupled with proposed limitations on tax deductions, make the outlook for philanthropy over the next 18-24 months bleak. For philanthropy to continue to fulfill its role in the American health care system, this is not the time to drastically change standards for fundraising.

Given the potential devastating impacts of this budget provision on charitable giving, AHP strongly opposes any provision that would impose new limits on charitable deductions. AHP is joined in this opinion by the Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP).

AFGE Applauds White House Efforts to Stop Contracting Out Government Functions

2009-03-04T11:40:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, President Obama announced significant reforms in how the government does business by changing contracting methods and standards, including a call for federal employee performance of inherently governmental functions. The American Federation of Government Employees has long insisted that inherently governmental work, and closely related work of a recurring nature, should always be performed by reliable and experienced federal employees who put the public interest first.

"For too long, American taxpayers have had to foot the bill for unnecessary, and costly projects that have served only to line the pockets of contractors," said AFGE National President John Gage. "It is clear that President Obama is taking seriously his commitment to a better, stronger government by ensuring that federal programs are not driven by private interests."

"This administration intends to stop contracting out government services that should be performed by federal employees," continued Gage. "We hope this is the end of the era of privatization during which agencies were forced to contract out regardless of cost or quality, and at the expense of integrity and accountability of federal programs."

President Obama's direction builds on Section 736 of Division D of the FY09 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that requires all agencies to establish plans to insource new and outsourced work, particularly inherently governmental work wrongly contracted out, work contracted out without competition, and work contracted out that is poorly performed.

"From our VA hospitals where former President Bush's privatization agenda has undermined the care that our veterans receive, to the Social Security Administration where contracting out has jeopardized Americans' privacy, AFGE embraces President Obama's measures to reform how the government does business," concluded Gage. "AFGE and its dedicated members stand ready to help make the government run smoothly and efficiently."

Money Grab by Obama Administration is Short-Sighted and Bad for Ohio

2009-03-04T11:20:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mike Carey, president of the Ohio Coal Association (OCA) today issued the following statement in response to President Barack Obama's recently released "Budget Blueprint":

"President Obama should be commended for his continued pledge to invest in clean-coal technology and to build five commercial-scale, coal-fired power plants. However, that commitment seems like mere lip service to the coal industry when considered in the context of his larger proposed investment in renewable energy thanks to an extraordinary 'energy tax' on America's coal operators.

"Again, President Obama has sent a clear signal to coal producers and the thousands of Ohioans who work in the coal industry about his long-term agenda of dramatically restricting the use of coal for electricity. While increasing the role of renewable energy is a laudable goal, it simply is not a comprehensive solution to addressing our nation's rapidly growing demand for electricity.

"Regardless of the final provisions of this proposal, one thing is certain: consumers will pay more for electricity. And during an economic crisis, that's about the last thing our working families need. Even supporters of the plan - including the President himself - acknowledge there will be significant price increases for electricity customers.

"Coal provides electricity at about half the cost of other fossil fuels. In Ohio, we have an almost 250 year supply of coal, and clean-coal technology is the key to maximizing the use of those reserves.

"Furthermore, domestic coal holds the key to our nation's long-term energy security - a goal that cannot be overlooked during this time of unprecedented economic instability.

"Access to reliable, affordable energy supplies is a core tenet of economic growth, and any U.S. energy policy change must be feasible to implement, economically beneficial and environmentally sound."

AAHSA Statement on Senate Special Committee on Aging Hearing, 'Health Reform in an Aging America'

2009-03-04T08:17:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) applauds the Senate Special Committee on Aging and its chair, Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), for focusing its hearing on how long-term services and support must be a part of health care reform this year. Long-term services and supports are the neglected grandparent of the healthcare crisis in America. The needs are great. The costs are high. Insurance coverage is nearly non-existent. This makes it simply unaffordable to care.

A consensus on the need for financing reform is emerging among many organizations that represent elders and people with disabilities. All agree that a program must promote consumer choice and personal responsibility while offering broad access. Recently, the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO) and the Coordinating Council for Disabilities (CCD) jointly endorsed principles reflecting these beliefs. Together, the two coalitions represent more than 150 organizations of elders, people with disabilities and providers of health, housing and supportive services.

In the last two Congresses, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) introduced the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports, or CLASS Act. This legislation closely aligns with the principles endorsed by the LCAO and the CCD. We urge the inclusion of similar provisions in any health reform legislation this Congress considers.

Every family faces the potential costs of long-term services and supports, and every family needs a structure for personal planning with the protection of a public program as well. AAHSA and its members look forward to working with Congress and the Administration on a comprehensive and badly-needed reform of our entire health care system that will address long-term services and supports and make it affordable to care.

Missile Defense - Deal or no Deal - with Russia

2009-03-03T11:39:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Riki Ellison, Chairman of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org, went on record today commenting on the subject of the United States and Russia making a deal on the proposed third site for deployment of our missile defense system in Poland and limiting Iran's development and deployment of ballistic missiles. His comments are as follows:

"The United States decision to deploy missile defenses in Europe for the protection of the American Public, U.S. Armed Forces and U.S. Allies is about Iran's growing capability, intent and national will of nuclear ambition coupled with ballistic missiles. Any and all influences that can prevent and stop Iranian efforts to build nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles should be fully endorsed and supported. For the United States of America to stop the deployment of the missile defense system in Europe without complete verification that the Iranian nuclear program is dismantled and destroyed as well as the termination of development and deployment of long and medium-range ballistic missiles would put in jeopardy and risk the lives of the American public, the European public and the U.S. Armed Forces deployed in Europe and the Middle East."

"It would be foolish and remiss to believe that President Obama and his National Security Team would not choose to defend the American public, U.S. Military Forces and our Allies from an Iran that will soon develop nuclear strategic missiles. To that extent, movement towards deployment of missile defense systems in Europe must proceed."

"We fully support the outreach to Russia by this President and would hope that Russia is capable of halting Iran's national intent and their development of nuclear and ballistic missile programs. We would also want that Presidential outreach to be extended to collaboration and cooperation with Russia on their missile defense systems, of both sensors and interceptors, to help defend Europe, Russia and the United States if Iran chooses to ignore Russia's influence."

FEMA Encourages People With Special Needs To Prepare

2009-03-03T11:24:00.000-08:00

For the millions of Americans who have physical, medical, sensory or cognitive disabilities, emergencies such as fires, floods and acts of terrorism may present special challenges. The same challenge also applies to the elderly and other special needs populations. Officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Washington Emergency Management Division (WEMD) are urging residents of Washington state to be prepared.

Disasters may increase hardships for seniors and people with disabilities. They are in the best position to plan for their own safety, as they are best able to know their own functional abilities and possible needs during and after an emergency or disaster. Emergencies and disasters can strike quickly and without warning and may force people to evacuate their neighborhoods or confine them to their homes.

To be ready, officials urge seniors and people with disabilities to:

Make prior arrangements with your physician or check with your oxygen supplier about emergency plans for those on respirators or other electric-powered medical equipment. Be sure to have electrical backup for any medical equipment.
Maintain a two-week supply of medications, both prescription and non-prescription.
Have copies of your medical records readily available.
Have copies of prescriptions for medical equipment, supplies and medications on hand readily available
Keep extra contact lenses and supplies, extra eyeglasses and extra batteries for hearing aids.
Make plans now to have accessible transportation in case of evacuation.
Shelters may be limited in accommodations to meet some of the needs of those with disabilities. Prepare ahead of time to ensure that you will have what you need.
Include your service animals and pets in your plans.
In addition, people with special needs should organize a network of assistance that includes care attendants, neighbors, friends, relatives and co-workers at home, school, work place, volunteer sites and any other places where they spend a lot of time. People should find out about special assistance that may be available in their community through their local emergency management coordinator.

All Washington state residents should assemble a kit with disaster supplies with basic items they anticipate needing to stay safe and comfortable during and after a disaster. This should include items such as water, food and first aid supplies.

More information regarding disaster plans and planning for special needs can be found at www.ready.gov and www.fema.gov.

FEMA leads and supports the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation, to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards including natural disasters, acts of terrorism and man-made disasters.

A.L.L. Launches 'Stop Sebelius' Campaign

2009-03-03T10:21:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Life League launched a campaign today to oppose President Barack Obama's nomination for Health and Human Services Secretary, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

"The American people will not stand for Sebelius' disturbing and radical record of promoting abortion on demand," said Judie Brown, president of American Life League. "Sebelius, governor of Kansas - the late-term abortion capital of the world - is a threat to the health and well-being of our country and her appointment must be stopped."

American Life League's supporters are being activated to fight the Sebelius confirmation. Sebelius' record of unflinching support for abortion on demand has even led her to defend and even entertain notorious Kansas abortionist Dr. George Tiller - now on trial for performing illegal late-term abortions - at the governor's mansion.

"Sebelius, Obama's latest appointee has been using her high office to defend and promote one of the bloodiest, most lawless abortionists in the nation. Yet Obama thinks this woman should be in charge of American health and human services! What an insult to the people of this great nation, born and preborn," Brown said.

The American Life League "STOP Sebelius" Petition is available at: http://www.all.org/kathleen_sebelius.php

"President Obama's appointment of Gov. Sebelius for HHS Secretary is rock solid proof our new president has no concern for the health of Americans," the petition reads. "Rather, Obama's modus operandi has and will continue to be full-scale attack on the personhood of the weak, disabled and preborn."

American Life League asks the pro-life community and all right-thinking Americans concerned with the radical pro-abortion Obama administration, to join us in confronting this grave threat to the health and welfare of the nation.

Obama Pro-Venture Capital Policies Could Damage Middle Class Economy

2009-03-03T05:43:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- President Barack Obama is expected to support legislation or policy that will allow wealthy venture capitalists to dominate federal programs designed to assist small businesses. If he is successful, it will force thousands of small businesses to close their doors and cost countless American jobs. (http://www.vcjnews.com/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=46450)

The Small Business Act requires that a small business be "independently owned." Firms that are owned and controlled by venture capitalists are not considered small businesses in federal small business contracting and grant programs.

The venture capital industry, led by the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), has spent millions of dollars lobbying members of Congress to change the current definition of a small business to allow even billionaire venture capitalists to own a controlling interest in a small business and still qualify as participants in federal small business programs. Small business advocates are concerned that such a change would set a dangerous precedent for venture capital participation in all federal small business programs, and lead to the diversion of billions more in federal small business contracts to wealthy venture capitalists.

The American Small Business League (ASBL) is concerned that President Obama may attempt to sell federal small business programs to the venture capital industry by pushing Congress to add language to the omnibus spending bill, making changes to existing Small Business Administration policy or by issuing an executive order.

According to MAPLight.org, the venture capital industry contributed more than $1.2 million to President Obama's campaign. Additionally, the venture capital lobby has focused its campaign to buy political influence on key democratic leaders like Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D - CA) and Senator John Kerry (D - MA). (http://www.maplight.org/map/us/interest/F2500)

Small business advocates point to the appointments of venture capitalist and Tootsie Roll heiress Karen Gordon Mills to run the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Julius Genachowski of Rock Creek Ventures to head the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as further indications that President Obama may support the interests of the venture capital industry over small businesses.

"Small businesses are the engine that drives this nation's economy in the car that takes Americans to work. That 'car' is responsible for nearly all-new jobs. President Obama needs to consider America's 27 million small businesses before he facilitates the wholesale diversion of billions of dollars in small business grants and contracts to some of our nation's wealthiest investors," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. "Legislation or policy that will allow venture capitalist-owned firms to participate in small business programs would damage our nation's small businesses, cost America's middle class billions and push our country further towards a depression. It is just not reasonable."

Two questions for President Barack Obama from the American Small Business League (ASBL):

How much longer will you allow Fortune 500 firms to take federal small business contracts?

Why didn't you push congress to allocate some of the stimulus bill spending to small businesses, the firms that create 97 percent of net new jobs?

Operation Rescue Launches Opposition to Gov. Sebelius' Confirmation as HHS Secretary

2009-03-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

Operation Rescue has vowed to contest today's nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of Health and Human Services with opposition to her confirmation.

"We are working to raise a unified voice in the pro-life/pro-family community against the confirmation of Gov. Sebelius," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "Sebelius' close connections to the abortion lobby, especially late-term abortionist George Tiller make her unfit to serve."

Because many are unaware of Sebelius' extremist support of the most radical of abortion policies Operation Rescue has produced a website page that fully documents her abortion entanglements.

"The documentation we present proves that Sebelius should not be confirmed to any post that would affect abortion policy," said Newman.

The web page contains information about Sebelius' radical abortion support dating back over twenty years. It documents:

-- Sebelius' ties to Tiller, who currently faces 19 criminal charges of
having committed illegal late-term abortions. It lists shady campaign
contributions from Tiller and shows evidence of a secret party she
held in his honor.

-- Powerful video clips from The O'Reilly Factor with a shocking
interview of a former Tiller patient, and O'Reilly stating that
Sebelius is not fit to serve. The videos show her support of Tiller
places her at the leftist fringe of radical abortion policy.

-- Sebelius' politically-motivated meddling in a Medical Board
investigation of Tiller regarding the 3rd trimester abortion death of
Christin Gilbert.

-- Sebelius' defiance of the Catholic Church and Archbishop Joseph
Naumann's stern warning for her to refrain from Holy Communion until
she makes amends for her support of abortion.

-- Sebelius' poor judgment in choosing political partners and
appointments that have later been embroiled in charges of corruption.

-- Sebelius' opposition to common sense legislation that would have held
abortion clinics to standards of safety and cleanliness, and opposed
notifying women coerced into abortions of their right to refuse.

"With Obama's appointment of Gov. Sebelius to the Department of Health and Human Services, he might as well be appointing George Tiller, because Tiller is the one that will be pulling her strings," said Newman. "Sebelius' involvement in Kansas abortion scandals and her indebtedness to the corrupt abortion lobby makes her unfit to serve. We urge our supporters to begin contacting their Senators now to voice opposition to Sebelius' confirmation."

Obama Budget Contains More than $1.6 Trillion in Tax Increases... Possibly As Much As $2.2 Trillion

2009-03-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While some media outlets are reporting more than $1 trillion in new taxes in the Obama budget, Grassfire.org has identified more than $1.6 trillion, and possibly as much as $2.2 trillion.

"The President's 'carbon tax' is the single biggest tax-increasing item in his budget, and the largest in history," says Steve Elliott, President of Grassfire.org. According to Grassfire.org researchers examining the official published documents on the budget, the $645 billion in carbon taxes pushes the total tax increases in President Obama's budget to a minimum of $1.64 trillion. Go here for a complete breakdown: http://www.resistnet.com/profiles/blogs/obama-budget-more-than-16

Elliott adds that $1.6 trillion is just the starting point: "The Obama budget only accounts for the portion of the carbon tax being allocated to so-called 'clean energy technologies' and the 'Make Work Pay' tax credit. If Congressional Budget Office estimates are correct, the actual carbon tax could be double what Obama's budget shows. That dramatically increases the new taxes in the Obama budget to $2.2 trillion," says Elliott.

Elliott also notes that Americans who are faced with tightening personal budgets are growing more and more intolerant of the spending ways of Washington. "The President is right that a 'day of reckoning' is coming, but that reckoning will take the form of citizens who are fed up with politicians expanding the tentacles of government deeper and deeper into our lives and our pocketbooks."

Many of those frustrated Americans have already added their names to a national Grassfire.org petition that has already rallied over 100,000 citizens urging Congress to "Stop the Spending." To view the petition: http://www.grassfire.org/112/petition.asp

FRC Action Questions President Obama's Choice of Gov. Sebelius for HHS

2009-03-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This weekend President Obama decided on Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) to be his pick to be the new Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Tony Perkins, President of FRC Action, the legislative arm of Family Research Council, had this to say:

"President Obama is now zero for two in attempting to pick qualified people to head up his Health and Human Services Department (HHS) and zero for four in defending proven methods that contribute to his stated goal of reducing abortions.

"In a little over a month President Obama has reinstated taxpayer funding of abortionists overseas, been complicit in both the increased taxpayer funding of abortionists in the United States and in the overturning of a long-standing policy that prevented taxpayer dollars from going toward international coercive abortion programs. This weekend the cause for life was struck a double blow by first the halting of conscience protections for health care professionals who might otherwise be forced to perform or assist in abortions and the naming of the extremely pro-abortion Gov. Sebelius to HHS.

"In her time as an elected official in Kansas, Mrs. Sebelius has fought against popular pro-life measures such as parental consent and efforts to curb late-term abortions. Additionally she has had a close personal and financial association with the nation's most infamous abortion doctor, George Tiller, who specializes in late-term abortions and, by his own count, has performed over 60,000 abortions.

"FRC Action will work to oppose Gov. Sebelius' appointment and continue to work with those who truly wish to stop the blight of abortion. Our nation's need for health care reform that is family-centered, life-affirming and available to all Americans in a free market is great, and these goals are ill-served by this unfortunate and objectionable nomination."

Rep. Boehner's Speech At CPAC

2009-02-28T05:34:00.000-08:00

Obama's Speech Filled with Rhetoric, Wishful Thinking, According to Fitzgerald Griffin Foundation Columnist, Robert Hale

2009-02-28T04:36:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire/ -- The Fitzgerald Griffin Foundation website, http://www.fgfbooks.com/, released a column yesterday critiquing 14 points from President Obama's speech on Tuesday. North Dakota attorney and builder, Robert L. Hale, takes the President to task for "wishful rhetoric" and his "clear misunderstanding of how markets work."

Some of Hale's 14 points include:

--The President said: "In order to save our children from a future of debt, we will also end the tax breaks for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans." Hale comments: "Does it seem a realistic that two percent of Americans are going to pay off a federal debt estimated to be between $12 trillion and $19 trillion?"

--The President said: "We have done more to advance the cause of health care reform in the last thirty days than we have in the last decade." Hale replies: "What has been provided is health care insurance -- not health care reform. Nothing has been done to reform a health care system that is bloated by massive Medicare and Medicaid mismanagement.

--The President said: "...we will put Americans to work making our homes and buildings more efficient so that we can save billions of dollars on our energy bills." Hale replies: "As a builder for more than 30 years, I can state unequivocally this is a fiction. It is simply cannot be done.

--The President said: "I'm proud that we passed a recovery plan free of earmarks." Hale comments: "Yet news reports identified up to 9,000 earmarks in Congress' $410 billion omnibus spending bill."

--The President said: "The ability to get a loan is how you finance the purchase of everything... and [how] businesses make payroll." Hale responds: "Businesses do not make payrolls with loans. Those that do, don't stay in business; they fail."

For more than three decades, Mr. Hale has been involved in drafting proposed laws and counseling elected officials in ways to remove burdensome and unnecessary rules and regulations.

"For those who listened carefully and understand how sustainable jobs and prosperity happen, the President's speech was a terrible disappointment," Mr. Hale said.

Highway Users Bewildered by Administration's Transportation Budget Proposal

2009-02-27T15:54:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For attribution to Greg Cohen, President & CEO of The American Highway Users Alliance:

"Apparently, the staff at US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Office of Management and Budget have not been listening to President Obama and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.

"Throughout his campaign and during his inauguration speech, President Obama promoted investment in 'roads and bridges' to keep our country moving. During his confirmation hearing, Secretary LaHood opposed the tolling of existing, toll-free roads. Yet the authors of the Transportation Department's 2010 budget framework must have been out of the office when their bosses were speaking.

"The President's strong support for roads and bridges serves him well. Despite the controversy over the Economic Recovery package, 94% of Americans supported the President's call to increase infrastructure investments. Roads and bridges rank #2 in importance among infrastructure priorities for the American people. And while Congress only provided 3.6% of the Economic Recovery funds for roads and bridges, the President's consistent promotion of highway infrastructure made his views crystal clear.

"Yet the 2010 budget framework for DOT includes no mention of roads, repeals the 87-year old contracting mechanism that guarantees funds for multi-year projects, and mentions 'road pricing' (tolls) as an option for states to deal with the meager funding levels.

"Given all of the stated support for roads and bridges, The Highway Users are mystified by the treatment of highway funding in the FY10 budget framework," said Greg Cohen, President & CEO of The Highway Users.

The budget framework raises four red flags:
1. The proposal implies that the 87-year old budgetary mechanism known as
"contract authority" be deleted from the budget. Without contract
authority, multi-year highway projects cannot be fully-funded.
2. There is no mention of President Obama's support for roads and bridges
anywhere in DOT's budget framework.
3. "Road pricing" is discussed as an option in the budget framework,
despite Secretary LaHood's opposition to tolling existing roads.
4. There is no room in the budget for any substantial increase in highway
funding, despite the President's recent call for investment levels that
would rival the funding for construction of the Interstate Highway
System.

Cohen stated, "Until these issues are resolved, the American Highway Users Alliance will remain deeply concerned about the FY2010 budget framework. We look forward to improvements in the final budget request and sincerely hope that the President and Secretary of Transportation continue to exhibit leadership in promoting roads, bridges, and mobility in the 2010 budget."

FRC Deplores Obama's Expected Action Against Conscience Protections

2009-02-27T10:46:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Family Research Council (FRC) responded to President Obama's expected action to stop the implementation of regulations to enforce the Church, Coats, and Weldon Amendments that protect health care providers' right of conscience. These regulations would have increased public awareness of, and ensured governmental enforcement of, these vital statutes.

Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council, released the following statement:

"For President Obama to do this would be a huge blow to religious freedom and First Amendment rights. No one should be forced to have an abortion, and no one should be forced to be an abortionist in violation of their religious or ethical convictions. However, President Obama intends to stop regulations to enforce conscience protection statutes. In doing so, he will open the door to discrimination against the choice of healthcare workers who do not want to be complicit in abortion or other controversial practices. These regulations would have ensured that healthcare workers are not forced to participate in the performance or promotion of abortion against their will.

"Despite current law that has protected conscience rights for over 30 years, the lack of regulations resulted in confusion and a lack of awareness within the health care community, leaving health care personnel vulnerable to discrimination and forcing them to drop their specialties at a crucial time of health care scarcity. Protecting the right of all health care providers to make professional judgments based on moral convictions and ethical standards is foundational to federal law and is necessary to ensure that access to healthcare is not diminished, which will occur if healthcare workers are forced out of their jobs because of their ethical stances. President Obama's intention to change the language of these protections would result in the government becoming the conscience and not the individual. It is a person's right to exercise their moral judgment, not the government's to decide it for them.

"It is unfortunate that President Obama is planning to bow down to pro-abortion forces and stop enforcement of laws enacted to protect the choice of healthcare providers not to participate in abortion or other controversial practices. Family Research Council urges President Obama to change course and defend the conscience laws for healthcare workers by keeping these much-needed regulations in place."

Employers Unnerved by Ruling Upholding the Legality of Guns in Workplace Parking Lots

2009-02-27T09:20:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new ruling by a federal appeals court means managers in a growing number of states must accept what, for many, is a troubling reality -- their employees have the legal right to keep guns in their cars at work, even with layoffs on the rise and economic tensions running high, said attorney James P. Anelli, an attorney in LeClairRyan's Labor and Employment Group.

On February 19, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a District Court ruling, thereby upholding an Oklahoma law that gave workers the right to keep guns in their locked vehicles. "This unanimous and clearly worded ruling has broad implications for managers in the several states that have passed laws like Oklahoma's," said Anelli, who is based in the law firm's Newark, N.J. office. "It also could embolden pro-gun lawmakers around the country to draft similar measures."

The aim of the Oklahoma law, introduced with the support of the National Rifle Association, was to stop companies from banning guns in workplace parking lots. The rationale was that such prohibitions violated employees' constitutional rights to possess and carry firearms. In October 2007, however, U.S. District Judge Terence Kern issued an injunction against the enforcement of the state's legislation. The new law, he ruled, created an obstacle to employers charged with maintaining safe workplaces according to requirements issued by the U.S. Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA).

In its 3-0 ruling, the appeals court cited evidence that OSHA does not regard the Oklahoma law as being in conflict with its workplace safety provisions. "The court pointed specifically to a January 16 letter by an acting OSHA official that signified OSHA's neutrality on the matter," Anelli noted. "Essentially, this ruling amounted to a clear invitation to states that have passed these types of provisions to feel free to enforce them. For employers who had hoped to see these types of provisions thrown out in court, this is a dramatic development."

Indeed, several Oklahoma employers, including Weyerhaeuser Corp., Whirlpool Corp., and ConocoPhillips, had challenged the Oklahoma law out of safety concerns. In the wake of the appeals court ruling, Anelli said, human resources and legal teams in states where these pro-gun laws have passed may need to rewrite employee handbooks to include firearms policies specifically crafted to reflect the reality that guns could be present in the parking lot. States that have passed pro-gun laws similar to Oklahoma's include: Georgia, Florida, Alaska, Kentucky, Mississippi, Kansas and Minnesota. Similar measures are under consideration in the statehouses of Alabama, Louisiana, Montana, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia.

"I have never seen an employee handbook that had a firearms policy," said Anelli, who has 20 years of experience representing management in employment discrimination and labor litigation. "It is more than prudent to adopt policies on how firearms should be handled and to explicitly state, for example, that guns must stay locked in vehicles and cannot be brought into the workplace."

Even as they draft such policies, however, employers must still provide a safe workplace and intervene where appropriate. For example, if an employee exhibits violent behavior there may still be a basis to take appropriate action to ensure that the workplace remains safe. In fact, some states allow employers to obtain court orders limiting the possession of firearms in parking lots even when the local law allows them if there is an indication of potential violence.

Still, Anelli said, company executives in states that have passed such laws should remember that they have not been relieved of their obligation to keep the workplace, including its parking lot, safe. It is their responsibility to work with security professionals, attorneys and local law enforcement officials to defuse situations involving potential violence and the possible use of firearms. They can also take other steps to protect both their companies and employees. Some types of businesses, for example, may have been legally exempted from the applicable law and can therefore continue to enforce gun bans. Others might be able to carve out "secured parking areas" that are gun-free but still in compliance with their states' laws.

Importantly, the Court also rejected the employers' arguments that, as a "property owner," they could regulate if firearms were stored in employee vehicles. The appeals court ruled, however, that the Oklahoma law could most accurately be "characterized as a restriction on Plaintiff's use of their property." In short, the appeals court ruled that the employer's property could be regulated in this manner and withstand constitutional "taking" arguments. Part of the ruling is based on the notion Oklahoma was expanding the rights of its citizens, as citizens, to store firearms in their vehicles as opposed to regulating employers or addressing employment, per se.

Anelli added that if OSHA were to reverse course and declare such laws in conflict with its existing safety provisions -- perhaps after a policy review by the Obama administration -- or if other appellate panels were to issue conflicting rulings on the legality of firearms in workplace parking lots, the U.S. Supreme Court might take up the matter.

Obama Lied to Gun Owners, Says CCRKBA; Attack Plan Revealed by Holder

2009-02-26T16:55:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama deliberately and repeatedly lied to America's 90 million gun owners across the country when he insisted that he would not try to take away anyone's firearms, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, reacting to yesterday's remarks by Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder that the president will seek to reinstate the ban on semi-automatic firearms, said Obama "knew he was lying to the nation because his own Web site touted his plan to revive the gun ban and make it permanent."

"We warned America that Obama's 'support' for the Second Amendment was empty rhetoric," he stated, "and now Holder's disclosure has confirmed it. Obama was lying, and now gun rights may be dying."

Several times on the campaign trail, Obama told voters "I'm not going to take your guns away." He said it at rallies in Duryea, Pennsylvania and in Boise, Idaho. He also told a news conference that "Lawful gun owners have nothing to fear... I think people can take me at my word."

"Right now," said Gottlieb, "I wouldn't take Obama's word if he said it rains a lot in Seattle. Apparently, law-abiding gun owners have nothing to fear unless they own sport-utility rifles, semiautomatic shotguns, handguns and any other firearm that Obama and his anti-gun attorney general don't like."

"Thanks to Eric Holder, who has been far more honest than his boss about his anti-gun philosophy, it is now clear that the new president doesn't support the Second Amendment at all," he observed. "American gun owners should remind Democrats in Congress that the Second Amendment means what it says, especially when the president doesn't."

With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation's premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.

2010 Budget Rings in New Era for Federal Government

2009-02-26T12:22:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Federation of Government Employees today applauded the Obama Administration's 2010 fiscal budget and stands ready to increase services provided to the American public. "We are delighted to finally have the resources to run our agencies," said AFGE National President John Gage. "This budget is a welcome departure from the 'starve the beast' policies of the last eight years that sought to deprive government agencies and programs of the resources they needed to carry out their missions on behalf of the American people."

While the last eight years saw budgets that catered only to the interests of the wealthy and politically-connected contractors, this budget places the highest priorities on veterans; the elderly and the disabled who rely on Social Security; education; the safety of communities where federal prisons are located; science-based projects to protect the environment; housing assistance; and everyone who buys health insurance and uses health care, to name only a few.

"Although federal employees would prefer to have seen an increase in pay, the equivalent to the military, we recognize the severity of our nation's economic situation, including the crisis for public workers at the state and local level, and understand that only modest steps can be taken this year to close the remaining pay gap between the federal and non-federal salaries," continued Gage. "We also are pleased to see an emphasis on controlling health care costs in the years to come."

"Federal employees are genuinely committed to providing their fellow Americans with the highest quality services and protections. From the Department of Homeland Security's Border Patrol agents' efforts to protect the border to the Department of Labor's OSHA inspectors to the VA nurses and doctors - federal employees are so pleased to see that President Obama recognizes that understaffing is dangerous and self-defeating. They are thrilled at the prospect of additional resources for hiring staff who will be dedicated to serving the public interest," Gage said.

The 2010 budget goes even further, recognizing the harm done by Bush administration's privatization agenda. "Their ideological bias forced agencies to contract out regardless of cost or quality, and at the expense of the integrity of federal programs as well as public accountability. It looks like that may be coming to an end," said Gage.

"AFGE looks forward to this renewed opportunity to serve the American public," concluded Gage. "And we look forward to continuing our work with the Obama administration toward our shared goal of better government."

Pelosi and Reid: Capitol Power Plant Should Switch to 100 Percent Natural Gas

2009-02-26T12:18:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sent the following letter today to the Acting Architect of the Capitol, Stephen T. Ayers, asking that the Capitol Power Plant (CPP) use 100 percent natural gas for its operations.

The leaders wrote: "The switch to natural gas will allow the CPP to dramatically reduce carbon and criteria pollutant emissions, eliminating more than 95 percent of sulfur oxides and at least 50 percent of carbon monoxide...We strongly encourage you to move forward aggressively with us on a comprehensive set of policies for the entire Capitol complex and the entire Legislative Branch to quickly reduce emissions and petroleum consumption through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean alternative fuels."

Below is the full text of the letter:

February 26, 2009
Mr. Stephen T. Ayers
Acting Architect of the Capitol
SB-15 U.S. Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Mr. Ayers:

We want to commend your office for working to implement the Green the Capitol Initiative by increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, there is a shadow that hangs over the success of your and our efforts to improve the environmental performance of the Capitol and the entire Legislative Branch. The Capitol Power Plant (CPP) continues to be the number one source of air pollution and carbon emissions in the District of Columbia and the focal point for criticism from local community and national environmental and public health groups.

Since 1910, as you know, the CPP has continuously provided the Capitol, House and Senate office buildings, and other facilities with steam and chilled water for heating and cooling purposes. The plant remains an important component of the facilities master plan and the future of the Capitol complex, and we know your office has taken steps to make the plant cleaner and more efficient. While your progress has been noteworthy, more must be done to dramatically reduce plant emissions and the CPP's impact. Since there are not projected to be any economical or feasible technologies to reduce coal-burning emissions soon, there are several steps you should take in the short term to reduce the amount of coal burned at the plant while preparing for a conversion to cleaner burning natural gas.

We encourage you to take advantage of current excess capacity to burn cleaner fuels and reduce pollution. According to the General Accounting Office (GAO) and an independent analysis from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the boilers at the CPP are now running with more capacity than has been historically demanded or anticipated. Even with the new Capitol Visitor Center in operation, these analyses show there is sufficient capacity to further increase the burning of natural gas and still meet energy demands at peak hours.

We are also interested in identifying and supporting funding to retrofit CPP if necessary so that it can operate on 100 percent natural gas. Unfortunately, our staff has received conflicting information and cost estimates on what would actually be required to operate the CPP year-round with exclusively natural gas. If a retrofit of two remaining boilers is indeed required, then we encourage you to develop realistic budget numbers to accomplish the retrofit expeditiously including any costs for the purchase of additional quantities of natural gas. In your budget analysis, it is important to take into account that time is of the essence for converting the fuel of the CPP. Therefore it is our desire that your approach focus on retrofitting at least one of the coal boilers as early as this summer, and the remaining boiler by the end of the year.

While the costs associated with purchasing additional natural gas will certainly be higher, the investment will far outweigh its cost. The switch to natural gas will allow the CPP to dramatically reduce carbon and criteria pollutant emissions, eliminating more than 95 percent of sulfur oxides and at least 50 percent of carbon monoxide. The conversion will also reduce the cost of storing and transporting coal as well as the costs associated with cleaning up the fly ash and waste. Eliminating coal from the fuel mixture should also assist the City of Washington, D.C., in meeting and complying with national air quality standards, and demonstrate that Congress can be a good and conscientious neighbor by mitigating health concerns for residents and workers around Capitol Hill.

Taking this major step toward cleaning up the Capitol Power Plant's emissions would be an important demonstration of Congress' willingness to deal with the enormous challenges of global warming, energy independence and our inefficient use of finite fossil fuels. We strongly encourage you to move forward aggressively with us on a comprehensive set of policies for the entire Capitol complex and the entire Legislative Branch to quickly reduce emissions and petroleum consumption through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean alternative fuels.

Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.

Best regards,

NANCY PELOSI, HARRY REID

Speaker of the House, Senate Majority Leader

LNC Chairman Response to Obama and Jindal

2009-02-25T17:53:00.000-08:00

-Libertarian National Committee (LNC) Chairman William Redpath released the following statement Wednesday:

“Americans have always bounced back from adversity by exercising the freedoms guaranteed by limited government, which is why Libertarians are so disappointed in the recovery-delaying policies laid out last night by President Obama.

“No nation has ever spent its way out of a recession. In fact, budget-busting policies, like those proposed by President Obama, and our society’s overreliance on debt, are largely what got our economy into this needless situation.

“Obama’s statement that ‘A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future’ was particularly disturbing. He wrongly assumes that tax money belongs to government, not the taxpayer it was taken from, and only government can create prosperity. The private sector’s investment, not government’s, is what is really responsible for the wealth of ordinary Americans.

“The American people know better. They know entrepreneurs, not government, create prosperity for all. That is why they agree with Libertarians that tax relief for employers and taxpayers must be at the center of any stimulus plan.

“Instead of an unceasing focus on ‘jobs’ the government should be creating the conditions for wealth creation for long-term prosperity. Government policies should be changed to stop rewarding debt incurrence and to promote private savings and investment.

“Sadly, President Obama is taking America in a different direction. His promise last night to raise taxes on employers will delay our eventual recovery, prolonging the suffering of the unemployed and underemployed.

“I hope President Obama is serious about ending ineffective programs. We shall see. I was also heartened by his call for Universal Savings Accounts for all Americans as part of Social Security reform, but future details will have to be carefully examined.

“I salute Governor Jindal’s opposition to the large stimulus bill, and his mea culpa on behalf of the Republican Party. Republicans have a well-earned reputation for expanding deficits, bloated budgets and government largesse. The Medicare entitlement expansion, ‘No Child Left Behind’ and TARP bailout are just a few of the Republican proposals responsible for our unsustainable budget. Hopefully, as the current opposition major party, the Republicans can return to the limited government beliefs that the Libertarian Party has never abandoned. President Obama last night simply promised to carry on the Republican legacy of explosive spending and expansive welfare that not only creates a generation of dependents, but also got us into this situation to begin with.

“America is unique in its greatness and the promise it offers it citizens to live their lives as they please, so long as they do no infringe upon the rights of others. The Libertarian Party stands alone as the only party that still believes in the protecting the civil liberties Americans have fought and died to protect, as well as the entrepreneurial spirit that creates prosperity and jobs. The American people agree, and we welcome them to join their friends and neighbors here in ‘the Party of Principle.’”

The U.S. Should Shift From the Gas Tax to a Mileage-Based Usage Fee by 2020

2009-02-25T06:15:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A bi-partisan Congressionally-created commission will urge lawmakers to fundamentally shift the way the federal government collects revenues to fund transportation infrastructure. Culminating nearly two years of study and deliberation, the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission will offer its consensus view and roadmap for sweeping reform of the nation's transportation infrastructure funding approach with the release of its final report Paying Our Way: A New Framework for Transportation Finance during a press conference on Thursday, February 26th.

The Financing Commission will offer specific recommendations for addressing the significant and widening gap between federal investment and the nation's transportation infrastructure needs, while at the same time moving the federal government away from reliance on motor fuel taxes toward more direct fees charged to transportation infrastructure users. Charging vehicle drivers a mileage fee embodies the "user pays" principle and more accurately aligns the costs and benefits of the surface transportation system to those who are using it. More transparent charges for using infrastructure may also spur drivers to use the system more efficiently, reducing the overall investment need.

"With the expected shift to more fuel efficient vehicles," said Robert Atkinson, the chair of the Financing Commission and president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, "it will be increasingly difficult to rely on the gas tax to raise the funds needed to improve, let alone maintain our nation's surface transportation infrastructure."

In addition to a federal mileage-based charge, the Financing Commission calls for the federal government to facilitate state and local governments' ability to raise their share of needed revenues in ways that also spur efficient use of the system and stepped-up investment, including through tolling portions of roads and charging premiums for rush-hour travel in heavily used urban corridors, so-called congestion pricing. The Financing Commission provides detailed recommendations for lawmakers to facilitate the effective use of private investment and to provide government credit support to assist in the financing of transportation infrastructure projects to stretch the federal government's limited resources.

In order to support the transition from the gas tax to a mileage-based charge, the Financing Commission recommends a ten cent per gallon increase in the federal gas tax (15 cents for diesel) and indexing the tax to inflation going forward. The gas tax, which is not currently indexed to inflation, has lost 1/3 of its purchasing power since 1993, the last time the tax was increased. The Financing Commission urges the federal government to act swiftly. While the nearly $40 billion in transportation infrastructure spending included in the stimulus package will be helpful, it will cover only a very small share of the shortfall in highway and transit funding and will not address the systemic crisis the nation faces in its surface transportation infrastructure investment.

"We must start transitioning to a new paradigm now," says Commissioner Mike Krusee "If we don't start, we will never get there."

FRC's Tony Perkins Responds to President Obama's Address to Congress

2009-02-25T05:39:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins released the following statement in response to President Obama's address to Congress last evening:

"While the reaction to the President's speech was mixed, the reaction on Wall Street will be most telling of whether or not the President succeeded in infusing confidence into the nation's faltering economy.

"As President, it is incumbent upon Barack Obama to encourage the American people and help drive our nation's economy forward. That is, however, a difficult feat with one foot on the accelerator and the other on the brake. Despite the hopeful talk designed to nudge the nation forward, the reality of bigger and more costly government is stopping many Americans dead in their tracks on the road to economic recovery.

"The bottom line is bigger government is bigger government regardless of the patriotism that is wrapped around it. The President's pork barrel spending bills and his speech tonight reflect a philosophy that says only massive government spending will cure our economic troubles. The President's call for fiscal responsibility rings hallow when the actions that follow only pile on more massive debt and mortgage away the future of our children and their children.

"We do applaud the President for focusing on reducing the dropout rates in America, for there is little hope for those who cannot enter the workforce with the most basic of skills. However, the key is not doubling the size of the Department of Education it is in restoring parental involvement in education by allowing parents to make the fundamental decisions about their child's education, whether it be charter schools, private schools or home-schooling. All children in America should be treated equally."

National Network to End Domestic Violence Praises Landmark Supreme Court Decision

2009-02-24T16:04:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Advocates against domestic violence today applauded the U.S. Supreme Court's 7-2 decision to uphold the federal Lautenberg Amendment that bans convicted domestic violence abusers from possessing firearms. The United States v. Hayes ruling reversed a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit that would have posed a serious danger to victims of domestic violence by allowing convicted abusers to maintain firearms.

"We are delighted with the Court's decision to uphold reasonable limits on the possession of firearms," said Sue Else, President of the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). "Batterers should not have access to guns. This decision is a major victory for victims of domestic violence and their families."

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), a leader in the fight to reduce gun violence and the author of the domestic violence gun ban, said, "Since it was enacted, my domestic violence gun ban has kept more than 150,000 guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. We know a gun in the home makes it much more likely that domestic abuse results in death and today's decision means we can continue keeping guns out of dangerous hands and saving innocent lives."

The case originated in West Virginia, and the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WVCADV) is also celebrating today's victory. "The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling aligns the Fourth Circuit with the rest of the country; confirms the intention of Congress in responding to the seriousness of domestic violence; and affirms levying real and long term consequences on people who use violence. WVCADV is pleased with the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court Justices," said Sue Julian and Tonia Thomas, Team Coordinators for WVCADV.

NNEDV, joined by the Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project (DV LEAP) at George Washington University Law School, filed a brief supporting the sensible ban on gun possession by all offenders convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence. The Court cited the brief in its decision.

Joan Meier, DV LEAP's Director, said, "It is gratifying to see a strong majority of the Court reject the cramped and frankly illogical reading of the statute put forward by the Fourth Circuit and instead endorse the clear purpose of the legislature, not to mention common sense."

"Arming the people who brutally beat their spouses or partners is a recipe for disaster," Else said. "The Supreme Court made the right decision by upholding the domestic violence gun ban, keeping guns out of the hands of batterers and helping victims recovering from abuse to stay safe."

The National Network to End Domestic Violence Fund (NNEDV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing public education, training and technical assistance to maintain and develop the professional expertise of advocates working to end domestic violence. NNEDV strives to strengthen advocates as organizers and activists in the tradition of social change movements. For more information, please visit www.nnedv.org.

FactCheck.org Gets It Wrong on Stimulus Package

2009-02-23T15:54:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from Betsy McCaughey, Ph.D., Chairman/Founder of Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths:

Americans need to know how the health provisions hidden in the recently enacted stimulus package will affect them. To inform the public about these provisions and the dangers, especially for seniors, I wrote an analysis for Bloomberg.com on February 10th. Lori Robertson, an employee of FactCheck.org, challenged the accuracy of my analysis in her February 20 critique posted on Newsweek.com. Readers of Robertson's critique should consider these facts.

Robertson begins by portraying me as a Republican politician out to score partisan points. I am a Democrat and a patient advocate leading a national campaign to prevent hospital infections.

Robertson also states that I am not a journalist and therefore lack the qualifications to analyze the stimulus package. In fact, I am a widely published author who has won three prestigious journalism prizes, including a National Magazine Award, an H.L. Mencken Award, and the 2003 Media Award from the American Association of Anesthesiologists. In addition, I earned a Ph.D. in constitutional history from Columbia University, wrote two books on the U.S. Constitution, and served as Lt. Governor of a large state. What are Robertson's credentials to analyze this legislative document? She holds a B. A. in advertising.

Robertson interviewed me by telephone and writes that "throughout our conversation McCaughey spoke of an 'unprecedented' award of authority to the secretary (of Health and Human Services). That's a matter of opinion on which we won't weigh in."

But that is the most important issue. And it's a matter of fact, not opinion. How much power is given to the HHS Secretary over your health care, and what choices are left to you and your doctor?

The goals of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology are to ensure that "all individuals in the United States" have their medical treatments entered into an electronic database and to guide physicians "at the time and place of care" so as to reduce costs and eliminate "inappropriate care".

Are these guidelines voluntary? Hardly. Physicians and hospitals that fail to meet the HHS Secretary's standard of "meaningful use" will be subject to financial penalties from Medicare. How much leeway will there be to use experimental treatments and off label drugs? Will doctors be able to meet the needs of the atypical patient or provide more care than the guidelines recommend? It's hard to say, because the HHS Secretary is empowered to determine what "meaningful use" means and to make the definition more "stringent" over time.

"Perhaps so," writes Robertson. "But the fact remains that the law does not impose any federal treatment guidelines or require the government to do so." Robertson concedes that "perhaps" such interference with the doctor-patient relationship "will indeed come to pass some time in the future. Who knows?" she says. "But the law doesn't require it."

Require it? No. Allow it to happen? Absolutely. The point of analyzing legislation is to understand what could happen once the law is passed. In this case, there is a transfer of power from patient to government. Robertson fails to address that.

In the early 1990s, HMOs used a financial penalty called a "withhold." HMOs would withhold as much as 10% of a physicians' reimbursement until the end of the year and give it back only to physicians who met stringent targets for limiting how many diagnostic tests, referrals to specialists, and days in the hospital their patients got. What a doctor ordered for a patient came out of the doctor's own pocket. Patient advocates like me acted quickly to demand that the withhold be outlawed. Now the HHS Secretary would be permitted to do virtually the same thing by withholding Medicare reimbursements.

Robertson also concludes that the creation of a Federal Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research should not alarm seniors. Comparative effectiveness is code for limiting care based on a patient's birth date. Treatments for the elderly, who have fewer years to benefit, are likely to be deemed too costly. This is already happening in England and several European countries. Numerous recent articles in Health Affairs, the inside-the beltway manual for health policy makers, describe comparative effectiveness research as the tool to reduce Medicare spending.

U.S. Senators were so concerned about the meaning of comparative effectiveness that the Senate version of the stimulus replaced that term with "clinical effectiveness". However, the change was overturned when House and Senate conferred on a final version. Representative Charles Boustany Jr. from Louisiana, a heart surgeon, told The New York Times he feared the research would be used to "deny life-saving treatment to seniors and disabled people."

Finally, Robertson fails to explain why these health provisions were slipped into a stimulus package with no expert testimony and no opportunity for input by patient advocates, seniors, or physicians' groups. If these provisions are so good for patients, why avoid public scrutiny and debate? Secretary of HHS nominee Tom Daschle advised the president to do just that, even if it meant "attaching a health plan to the federal budget."

Americans should demand that these health provisions be repealed and offered as separate legislation so their impact can be further assessed.

Betsy McCaughey, Ph.D., is Chairman/Founder of Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths and former Lt. Governor of New York State.

Opinion: Establish State Task Forces to Monitor Medicaid Spending, Ascertain Funds Going to Pro

2009-02-23T12:06:00.000-08:00

National Caregiver Coalition to National Governors Association: Establish State Task Forces to Monitor Medicaid Spending, Ascertain Funds Going to Protect Seniors

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a new letter to National Governors Association (NGA) Chairman Ed Rendell (D-PA) and James Douglas (R-VT), the Coalition to Protect Senior Care (CPSC), a national coalition of front line caregiver advocacy groups, today urged the nation's Governors to ensure new state Medicaid funds disbursed as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) actually go towards meeting poor seniors' care needs, and are not diverted to other state spending priorities that have nothing at all to do with eldercare.

"Now that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has been passed into law, and states begin to receive the Medicaid funds that have the capacity to protect seniors' access to quality care, we are concerned there is no guarantee funds will be used for the intended purpose of protecting care access," writes Lori Porter, co-founder of the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA), and a senior spokesperson for the Coalition to Protect Senior Care, based in Joplin, MO. "Unfortunately, these Medicaid resources can be diverted to other state spending priorities - priorities that have nothing at all to do with eldercare. Doing so would be unwise and unfair."

Later this morning, President Obama announced at a White House meeting with the NGA that in order to bring prompt economic relief, states will be able to access the first two quarters of Federal Medical Assistance Percentage Funding (FMAP) starting this Wednesday, February 25. In making the announcement, the President said that the swift release of these funds would prevent the need for states to make cuts to critical healthcare services, such as eldercare.

The President stated, "This plan will also help ensure that you don't need to make cuts to essential services Americans rely on now more than ever... By the time most of you get home, money will be waiting to help 20 million vulnerable Americans in your states keep their health coverage. Children with asthma will be able to breathe easier, seniors won't need to fear losing their doctors, and pregnant women with limited means won't need to worry about the health of their babies."

In the CPSC letter, Porter urged Governors to use the enhanced federal Medicaid funds provided through ARRA to reverse cuts already made to health care providers, and to prevent new cuts being considered. "Ensuring impoverished seniors in nursing homes continue to receive high quality care is contingent upon the ability of facilities to hire and retain appropriate numbers of registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and certified nursing assistants (CNAs)," she continued. "When state officials choose to cut Medicaid funding to providers, they are often forced to eliminate critical nursing staff positions - ultimately to the detriment of seniors' care needs."

Porter applauded the Governors for developing strategies for disbursing ARRA funds, and to establish transparency and spending accountability. "Governors are implementing a number of best practices provisions in regard to how these new Medicaid funds will be spent, and the nation's front line care givers support these initiatives, and this approach."

In this context, Porter said every state would benefit from a special task force that would monitor and report to the public specifically where this new federal Medicaid funding is allocated. "Doing so would establish maximum transparency - and enable stakeholders to ascertain what percentage of funds goes towards meeting poor seniors' care needs, and the degree to which these funds are redirected to other priorities unrelated to seniors. Ensuring these Medicaid funds are directed towards seniors and the front line nursing staff who care for them will not only help ensure patients retain access to quality nursing home care, but also protect and help create the key facility staff jobs that make an enormous difference in patient outcomes."

Boehner, House Republican Leaders Call for Federal Spending Freeze to Address Growing Budget Deficit

2009-02-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

As Washington leaders gather for a White House summit on fiscal responsibility, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and other House Republican leaders today wrote to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), calling for a federal spending freeze and urging Democratic congressional leaders to scrap a massive bill that contains the largest increase in non-entitlement spending since the Carter Administration. Congress should scrap the so-called “omnibus” bill, which has been kept hidden from public scrutiny by Democratic leaders, and instead pass clean legislation that holds the line on federal spending, Republican leaders said.

“President Obama has called for both parties to get serious about fiscal responsibility. With our budget deficit potentially reaching $3 trillion this year, Republicans stand ready to work with him, and we believe we should start right now,” Boehner said. “Democratic congressional leaders should abandon their plans to rush another giant spending increase through Congress without public scrutiny, and instead pass a clean bill that freezes spending at current levels. Republicans stand ready to work with our Democratic colleagues and the President to take this first step toward a new standard of fiscal discipline in Washington.”

“Weeks ago House Republicans asked Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer to put this giant spending bill online so the American people would have adequate time to review it. Unfortunately, they declined. And on Friday, it was revealed that the bill congressional Democrats have been withholding from public view contains the largest discretionary spending increase since the Carter Administration, at a time when the federal budget deficit is already ballooning to dangerous levels,” Boehner said. “Democratic congressional leaders are reportedly rushing this bill to a vote this week, just days after passing a trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ spending bill that no Member of Congress had even read. This is not fiscal responsibility; it is fiscal negligence, paid for by our children and grandchildren. We must change course, and we must do it in a bipartisan manner.”

NOTE: The giant spending bill kept under wraps by Democratic leaders would fund the nine uncompleted Fiscal Year 2009 appropriations bills that the Democratic Congress did not send to the President last year. Many taxpayer advocates argue that instead of rolling the nine appropriations bills into one giant “omnibus” bill that increases federal spending on an array of programs and projects at a time of growing budget deficits, Congress should simply pass a resolution that holds government spending at current levels.

-----

Not All Spending Is Equal, Says CIRT

2009-02-20T06:43:00.000-08:00

/PRNewswire/ -- The following Op-Ed was issued yesterday, February 19, by Mark A. Casso, Esq., President, Construction Industry Round Table:

On February 17, 2009 the nation's economy was saved, or at least that is what we are suppose to believe, given the fact the largest bill in U.S. history was signed into law by President Obama with the intended purpose of spurring consumer spending and creating millions of jobs.

Of course, if merely expending federal government funds - now at historic levels - are all it takes to insure a strong vivacious economy then the U.S. should never again expect to see a recession or even a down turn. Considering the annual federal budget is at nearly three trillion dollars, even without the stimulus package and the financial markets "bailout," economic expansion should be on everyone's lips.

But, all spending (and even more importantly what CBO marks as "costs") are not equal - they do not have equal impacts, timelines, or even returns - and that is at the heart of what went wrong with the stimulus package.

When the leaders of an industry like the design and construction community, represented by the Construction Industry Round Table (CIRT) can go from near universal support of the original stimulus package with its proposed targeting of timely infrastructure expenditures and some measure of tax relief - to a nearly universal concern (84% responding to a CIRT poll that the final package that passed into law is off target and not timely) - something drastic has occurred.

It can be explained in one phrase: "H.R.1" - the massive, unfocused, spend-fest that defines every dollar expended with the same broad brush of being job creating and stimulating to the economy. Such a claim is untenable and unprincipled just by merely perusing the over 1,000 pages of text in the bill. A focused, timely, and restricted expenditure of U.S. taxpayers' money would not require 1,000 pages to explain. Beyond the costs (both spending and tax relief) are the policy and program changes that seek to fundamentally alter aspects of the U.S. economy and life. These provisions are "slipped" into the massive act, which no one read in its entirety before passing (never mind understood) - so as to avoid the scrutiny of an American public that is not likely to be supportive of the drastic proposals and/or their consequences.

Notwithstanding the litany of H.R.1 supporters that like to point to the justifiable and defensible "infrastructure projects" that will be funded by the stimulus package (which even the fiscally conservative IBD editorial noted "almost everyone agrees a little timely infrastructure might help,") - in a best case scenario those dollars represent only about 19 percent of the overall $787 billion in cost for the bill (and about 30 percent of the spending side). A healthy amount for certain - however, only a fraction of it will be spent in a timely manner during the upcoming construction season in 2009. Given this lack of focus and timeliness the expenditures, while welcome, will not have nearly the positive impact hoped for in sopping-up excess capacity and putting people to work in the industry. [Construction industry studies vary as to the exact impact expenditures have on employment, but a USDOT 2008 update entitled: "Employment Impacts of Highway Infrastructure Investment" revising earlier reports puts the latest estimate at 34,779 jobs per billion dollars in new construction].

Initial design/construction industry support was very vocal and strong based on the favorable factors going into the debate. On November 11, 2008 the CIRT Board of Directors adopted a resolution expressing its strong support for a new stimulus package that focuses its expenditures on infrastructure needs across the country as a means to meet the twin goals of increasing economic activity as well as creating meaningful jobs. In addition, the Council voiced its concerns to the Obama transition team "that every effort should be made to constrain, if not eliminate, extraneous issues and provisions from being added-on to the package." Moreover, the Round Table expressed its "strong preference . . . for maximum flexibility and decentralized decision-making in order to move infrastructure related funds quickly into the system to achieve maximum economic activity and job creation."

In the end, what we saw pass was a typical Washington, DC bill - with special interest and inside deals to incorporate provisions and expenditures that would never be able to stand the "light of day" or the scrutiny of the American people. Contrary to this display, the design/construction community can stand tall: we were open in our requests, we were often cited for worthy expenditures, and in the end the portion of the money spent on infrastructure needs will be the most likely to bring true economic return to the nation. Would if they could say that about the rest of the package's costs!

Stimulus Fight Helps Bring Real Obama Into Focus

2009-02-20T05:19:00.000-08:00

Perhaps we'll all start to lose our rose colored glasses soon? Interesting reading.

February is the cruelest month - at least for Barack Obama. After the very real sense of hope and renewal that surrounded Obama's inauguration, shared even by many who did not vote for him, came the morning after. First, another scandal over unpaid taxes took down Health and Human Services nominee Tom Daschle. Then came the acrimonious battle over the stimulus bill, with a victory that may or may not turn out to be a Pyrrhic one......
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/02/stimulus_fight_helps_bring_rea.html

By Cathy Young