State and National Politics

Camp Applauds Passage of The Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act

2011-12-13T19:49:00.002-05:00

Today, Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) sponsor of H.R. 3630, The Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act, released the following statement upon the bill’s passage:

“Today’s vote is a vote to help families, employers and the unemployed – all of whom are continuing to struggle in this economy. In addition to providing a one-year payroll tax holiday that is fully paid for and protects Social Security, this bill extends and makes much-needed reforms to our Unemployment Insurance program. This will help Americans who are looking for work get a paycheck instead of an unemployment check. This bill also protects seniors and those with disabilities who depend on Medicare.

"Importantly, this legislation was paid for by reducing Washington’s out-of-control spending – not with more borrowing, more debt and more job-killing tax hikes. Furthermore, this bill – which includes many of the President’s own legislative initiatives – received bipartisan support in the House. The House has acted, and I urge the Senate to move swiftly and do the same.”

Secretary of State Kemp Certifies Special Election Results for State House District 68

2011-12-13T10:17:00.000-05:00

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp today certified the results for the December 6, 2011 special election in State House District 68. The certified results can be found on the Secretary of State’s website: http://sos.georgia.gov/elections.

In certifying the results, the Secretary of State affirmed that all counties have provided to the state the total votes tabulated for each candidate. Further, the Secretary of State affirms that the returns are a true and correct tabulation of the certified returns received by this office from each county.

Because no candidate received a majority of the vote in the December 6, 2011 special election in State House District 68, a special run-off election will be held Tuesday, January 3, 2012 between the following candidates who received the most votes:

Dustin “Dusty” Hightower Party Affiliation: Republican
3443 Hog Liver Road
Carrollton, GA 30117

Alan Martinez Party Affiliation: Republican
7381 N Mitchell Ct
Villa Rica, GA 30180

The special run-off election for State House District 68 will occur in portions of Carroll and Douglas Counties. Any registered voter who was eligible to vote in the December 6, 2011 special election can vote in the January 3, 2012 special run-off election. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 3, 2012.

Voters in State House District 68 can request an absentee ballot from their county registrar’s office through the close of business on Friday, December 30, 2011. Absentee ballots must be returned to the county registrar’s office by the close of polls on Election Day. To download an absentee ballot request form, please visit www.sos.ga.gov/elections.

Registered voters can visit the Secretary of State’s MVP website to view a sample ballot specific to that voter for upcoming elections, find their Election Day polling location and early voting locations in their county, check their registration status, track the status of their absentee ballot and more. The MVP website can be accessed at: http://www.sos.ga.gov/mvp.

Brian Kemp has been Secretary of State since January, 2010. Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting efficient and secure elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities and professional license holders. The office also oversees the Georgia Archives.

Westmoreland: Financial Services Committee Hearing in Newnan Uncovers Problems with ‘Mixed Messages’

2011-08-16T15:06:00.002-04:00

The House Financial Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Financial Institutions held a hearing in Newnan, Georgia today to discuss the high rate of bank failures in Georgia and across the country and how the policies and practices of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and other federal regulators may have affected those failures. Congressman Westmoreland hosted the hearing and was joined by Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus (AL-06), Subcommittee Chairwoman Shelley Moore Capito (WV-02), and Congressman David Scott (GA-13). Testimony was offered by two panels. The first was comprised of federal regulators from the FDIC, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and the Federal Reserve. The second panel was comprised of bank owners and financial leaders from across the state of Georgia. More than 100 people attended the hearing.

“I would like to thank Congressman Bachus, Congresswoman Capito, and Congressman Scott for joining me today in Newnan to discuss this important matter,” stated Westmoreland. “I would also like to thank the witnesses who offered testimony as well as those who travelled to attend the hearing. This is an extremely important issue that is affecting communities across the country. After listening to both panels of witnesses, it seems to me that there are mixed messages between what regulators in Washington are saying and what regulators on the ground are actually doing. While the heads of these agencies are telling us their regulators on the ground are supposed to be using common sense, bankers in Georgia told us today that is simply not happening. And what I have to say to these Washington regulators is that you need to get out more. That might be what you think is going on in Washington, but that’s not what’s happening in our local communities. Instead, what we are seeing is that banks that are ‘too big to fail’ are given assistance to survive, while community banks are pushed to the side and have become ‘too small to save.’”

During the first panel, Congressman Westmoreland expressed his concern that many of these federal regulators have never worked in a bank or made a loan – making it hard for them to fully comprehend the best solutions to help some of these troubled banks. He also expressed his frustration with what appears to be inconsistent reviews by federal regulators.

“How does a bank get an A+ on their review by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency one year and then get an F 12 months later?” Westmoreland asked the OCC representative Gil Barker. “You have told us that you address problems at the earliest possible stage to prevent banks from becoming troubled or failing. But it’s hard for me to believe that a bank can go downhill so quickly – going from completely safe to utterly unsalvageable 12 short months later.. I think, instead, that regulators on the ground are either ignoring the warning signs or, because of their lack of industry experience, aren’t aware of these signs. Either way, it seems to me that federal regulators are not actually addressing problems at the earliest possible stage.”

During the second panel, bank owners expressed their frustration with overzealous regulators on the ground as well as the regulations they were enforcing. Both, they say, have led to less availability of credit and have negatively affected many local banks – forcing some to close their doors when they could have been saved. Congressman Westmoreland shared his frustration with the fact that the OCC, the FDIC, and other federal regulators could not see their solutions to assist troubled institutions – usually to have an out-of-town bank purchase the troubled bank – have not helped.

“Some of these purchasing banks don’t know the community,” stated Westmoreland. “What they know is that the quicker they flush out troubled assets – even those that are performing – they better off they are. So now we have communities that don’t have community banks. Generational wealth has been sucked out of communities and capital has dried up. Had some of these federal regulators thought to themselves, ‘I’ve been in Washington for 30 years and have never actually worked in a bank. I should be talking to these local leaders and bankers to determine what would be the best way to help them out.’ Instead, they ignored problems and enforced policies, like loss-share agreements and immediate write-down of loans, that only caused more trouble for community banks. Without these community banks – who know and understand and are invested in their community because it is their own – economic recovery has stalled and we see investment in smaller areas all but disappear.”

Since joining the House Financial Services Committee this January, Congressman Westmoreland has since become an active voice in the committee, standing up for community banks and working to end the failed policy of too big to fail, too small to save. For more information on legislation introduced by Congressman Westmoreland to study the policies and practices of the FDIC and their impact on bank failures visit http://westmoreland.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=252837. Videos of the hearing will be available on Congressman Westmoreland’s YouTube channel shortly at www.youtube.com/replynnwestmoreland.

Congressman Jack Kingston: Congress must do more to address the national debt

2011-08-13T08:43:00.000-04:00

This week, the twelve members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction were appointed by their respective leaders. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) will serve as co-chair and be joined by Reps. Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Dave Camp (R-MI), Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Fred Upton (R-MI), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) will also serve as co-chair and be joined by Sens. Max Baucus (D-MT), John Kerry (D-MA), John Kyl (R-AZ), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Pat Toomey (R-PA).

I voted against the Budget Control Act because I believe it does not go far enough to get our national debt under control. The announcement by Standard & Poor’s that it has downgraded our credit rating for the first time in history last week and the volatile markets this week confirmed that belief.

This joint committee should begin its work immediately and report a deficit reduction package before the November 23 deadline. I have also called for Congress to reconvene with real purpose to tackle our debt and send a clear signal to the markets and the rest of the world that we can rise to the challenge. Negotiations should be centered around the Cut, Cap and Balance Act as passed by the House.

Both the House and Senate should immediately take up a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution and send it to the states for ratification. In the meantime, we should take up any proposal to fundamentally change the way government operates.

As you know, I have put forth legislation to limit spending as a percentage of the economy, bringing total spending in line with revenues. My plan begins making cuts today, balances the budget and begins paying down the national debt in just five years.

America faces a tremendous challenge when it comes to reining in spending and getting our debt under control. We have faced big challenges before and I am confident we can come together as a country to do what is right so we can provide a brighter future for our children and grandchildren.

Another court rules against ObamaCare
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the individual mandate in the health care law passed last year is unconstitutional. The ruling confirmed a lower court’s decision on a case brought by the State of Georgia along with twenty-four states and the National Federation of Independent Business.

Chief Judge Joel Dubina wrote, "[t]he individual mandate exceeds Congress's enumerated commerce power and is unconstitutional. This economic mandate represents a wholly novel and potentially unbounded assertion of congressional authority: the ability to compel Americans to purchase an expensive health insurance product they have elected not to buy, and to make them re-purchase that insurance product every month for their entire lives."

The ruling contradicts another appeals court ruling issued in Cincinnati earlier this year meaning the case is now almost certain to be heard by the Supreme Court. A federal appeals court in Richmond is expected to issue a ruling on a similar case within weeks and there are more than two dozen legal challenges in lower federal courts.

I remain committed to overturning ObamaCare. So far this year, I voted to repeal and replace it with reforms that bring down the cost of care without increasing the size of government. I voted separately to defund it and cosponsored a bill that was signed into law preventing the devastating 1099 requirement from being implemented.

In March I introduced legislation with Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Louie Gohmert (R-TX) to repeal up to $105 billion in advance appropriations that were snuck into the bill. Read more.

Westmoreland Opposes Debt Ceiling Increase

2011-08-01T20:04:00.000-04:00

After months of debate, tonight the House of Representatives passed S.365, the Budget Control Act of 2011, to raise the debt ceiling and enact some spending reforms. Specifically, it would reduce deficits by $917 billion over ten years by capping spending levels and in return raise the debt ceiling $900 billion. In addition, it requires a vote on a balanced budget amendment in both the House and the Senate after October 2, 2011 but before the end of the year. It then establishes a commission tasked with finding an additional $1.2 to $1.5 trillion in spending cuts by November 23, 2011. A second debt ceiling increase of $1.5 trillion would be permitted at the beginning of next year if the balanced budget amendment is sent to the states for ratification, or if the commission proposal includes cuts equal to or greater than $1.5 trillion and those cuts are passed into law. If neither happens, a $1.2 trillion debt limit increase would be attached to across the board spending cuts that would equal the difference between $1.2 trillion and the cuts enacted by the commission’s proposal. Congressman Westmoreland did not support the legislation.

“When these negotiations began in January, I made a promise that I would not vote for any legislation that didn’t include significant spending cuts and absolutely no tax increases. Unfortunately, the final plan did not include significant enough cuts and left open the possibility for tax increases through this bipartisan commission. In addition, it does not require a balanced budget amendment be sent to the states for ratification. Without that constitutional restraint placed on this Congress and future Congresses, we can never guarantee real spending reforms will happen.

“House Republicans also made a promise to the American people that we would bring back an open process here in Congress. Up until now, we have stuck with that promise. We’ve posted legislation on the internet and given the American people and Members of Congress 72 hours to review it. We’ve brought back open rules on appropriations bills, allowing Republican and Democrat members alike to offer amendments. But now, after this deal was crafted behind closed doors with only a few members of leadership at the table, we were given less than 12 hours to read and review this extremely important legislation. More time is needed to make an informed decision about legislation of this size and scope. Unfortunately, once again, Congress has waited until the last minute to act, pushing us up against this artificial August 2nd deadline and forcing a decision on a bill it seems no one actually likes.

“I and other Republicans in the House stuck by our leadership in the hopes we could keep Cut, Cap and Balance alive and negotiate a deal we could support. And while I know they worked hard to get the best deal possible, at the end of the day, it’s just not a deal I can support. I commend their efforts though. If you will recall, up until a few months ago, President Obama was still calling for a ‘clean’ debt ceiling increase and last night was still pushing for immediate tax increases on job creators. So we came a long way during these negotiations. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats and the White House stalled any attempt at real spending reform, resulting in this unpopular deal,” stated Westmoreland.

-------

We missed this one, adding it now. From 7/29/11:

Westmoreland Votes to Reduce Deficits and Cap Federal Spending

Today, the House of Representatives passed the Budget Control Act of 2011. The legislation, dubbed ‘The Boehner Plan’ by the media, would cut federal deficits $917 billion over the next ten years and would allow for a $900 billion increase in the debt ceiling. In addition, it requires the House and the Senate pass a balanced budget amendment in order for future debt ceiling increases to be allowed. Congressman Westmoreland voted in favor of the legislation.

“Obviously this is not a perfect plan. It doesn’t reduce deficits enough in my opinion. And raising the debt ceiling at all is something I have a real problem with. I’m concerned raising the debt ceiling once again maintains the ‘spend now, pay later’ approach both Democrats and Republicans in Washington have used in the past that got us into this mess.

“But this legislation has two very important aspects. First, it fulfills our promise and does not raise taxes. While Americans continue to suffer from high unemployment, the most irresponsible thing we could do would be to raise taxes on job creators. Second, it includes a balanced budget amendment. Specifically, it requires that a balanced budget amendment pass the House and the Senate and be sent to the states for ratification before any future increases to the debt ceiling would be allowed. If ratified, a balanced budget amendment would constitutionally require this Congress and all future Congresses to spend within their means, eliminating these kinds of debates in the future. Plus, it puts the power back in the hands of the people and the states and allows the American people the opportunity to once again tell Washington enough is enough; that they will no longer allow the federal government to irresponsibly spend our country into financial ruin.

“Right now, Republicans only have a majority in one half of one third of our federal government. So while we continue to fight for the serious spending cuts we need to fix our debt crisis, it’s going to be an uphill battle until we have a majority in the Senate and can win back the White House. I know that $917 billion in deficit reduction is a drop in the bucket when you compare it to the trillions of dollars this government spends each year. But at the end of the day, that still brings us $917 billion closer to getting our fiscal house in order. Whether we like it or not – and I definitely do not – we are going to have to chip away at our national debt a little bit at a time because Senate Democrats and the president don’t seem to want to kick their spending addiction. Like I’ve said in the past, you can’t stop an aircraft carrier on a dime and you can’t stop a federal budget of almost $4 trillion a year in one day. But at least, with a balanced budget amendment we can stop them in the future.

“Now I know that President Obama has threatened to veto this bill if it reaches his desk because it doesn’t raise the debt ceiling enough to cover his spending habits through his reelection next year. Here’s what I have to say to him: I’m calling your bluff Mr. President. If you choose to veto legislation that puts us on the path of deficit reduction for political purposes and force this country to fail to meet its financial obligations – something you said Monday night would ‘risk sparking a deep economic crisis’ – then you will have to deal with the consequences your irresponsible actions have caused.

“House Republicans have now passed two separate pieces of legislation that give the country the means of meeting our financial obligations while reducing deficits and putting us back on the path of fiscal responsibility. Senate Democrats and the president have held lots of press conferences where they’ve talked about ‘grand deals’ and the need for ‘compromise’ and a ‘balanced approach’ – but they haven’t written a single bill to enact any of their plans. Since they can’t seem to take the time to actually draft their own legislation, the responsible thing to do here is for the Senate to pass the Budget Control Act and for the president to sign it. And I strongly encourage them to do so,” stated Westmoreland.

Westmoreland: Resolutions a ‘Backdoor Approval’ of President’s Unauthorized Actions in Libya

2011-06-24T16:25:00.002-04:00

Today, the House voted on two separate resolutions regarding President Obama’s actions in Libya. The first was H.J.Res. 68, which would have authorized the limited use of US forces in support of the NATO mission to Libya. The second bill, H.R. 2278, would have limited the mission in Libya to search and rescue, intelligence and surveillance, aerial refueling, and operation planning. Congressman Westmoreland did not support either resolutions, and both failed by large margins. Below is Congressman Westmoreland’s statement on his opposition.

“I appreciate that my colleagues are attempting to set some limitations on President Obama’s unauthorized actions in Libya. However, in this case, limitations are simply not enough. The president has violated the War Powers Resolution by committing American military resources to a civil war in Libya without Congressional approval. Passing a resolution that gives the president some wiggle room only justifies his earlier actions and gives him a backdoor approval of his complete disregard for the law and the Constitutional authority of Congress.

“According to the White House’s own numbers, America’s expenses in Libya will top $1.1 billion by September 30, 2011. And since the president has still not laid out a long-term plan for operations in Libya, there seems to be no end in sight for these expenses. While the president is asking Congress to up the limit on his credit card by raising the national debt another $2 trillion, he is spending billions of dollars in a conflict in a country that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says is not a ‘vital interest’ for America.. I know that Muammar Gadaffi has committed countless atrocities against his own people. But we cannot involve ourselves in every conflict around the world. We don’t have the manpower nor do we have the resources. President Obama needs to immediately halt his unauthorized actions in Libya and follow the law by asking for approval and funding from Congress,” stated Westmoreland.

Libertarians say restore freedom, repeal Patriot Act

2011-05-27T16:44:00.000-04:00

Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle issued the following statement today:

"Yesterday, Republicans and Democrats in Congress joined hands to renew several provisions of the Patriot Act. These provisions are unconstitutional and violate our right to freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures.

"These provisions should be repealed, and if they're not repealed, they ought to be ruled unconstitutional by the courts.

"Anyone who believes that Democrats care more about civil liberties than Republicans ought to be disillusioned by this renewal. It has become painfully clear that the Obama administration is indistinguishable from the George W. Bush administration.

"The plain injustice of these search provisions is compounded by the secrecy that surrounds them. In some cases, Americans -- even members of Congress -- aren't permitted to know the legal interpretations that govern how these searches may be implemented. And of course there is the infamous 'library records' provision, which prohibits targets from telling anyone that they were ordered to turn over records to the government.

"I don't believe that these violations of our rights are making us any safer. I think it's security theater. And I'm certainly reminded of Benjamin Franklin's words, 'Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.'

"Our Constitution guarantees our rights. It doesn't make an exception for 'fear of terrorists.' It's time to end these violations of our rights, and repeal the Patriot Act.

"We can never perfectly protect ourselves from foreigners who hate us. One useful thing we can do is to try to stop antagonizing foreigners. Our government should stop invading and bombing their countries and stationing troops in them. It's time for a non-interventionist foreign policy."

-----

Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Herman Cain Plans Announcement for May 21

2011-05-19T09:19:00.000-04:00

Herman Cain will announce his decision regarding a potential White House bid on Saturday, May 21, 2011 at "High Noon" at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia.

Source: Friends of Herman Cain

-----

Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Top Scientists Say Obama's Forest Rules Leave Water, Wildlife at Risk

2011-05-16T14:10:00.000-04:00

/PRNewswire-/ -- More than 400 scientists, lawmakers and the nation's top conservation leaders today asked the Obama administration to set clear standards for water and wildlife protection in sweeping new rules that would apply to 193 million acres of national forest lands.

The call comes at the end of a 90-day public review period, along with more than 300,000 comments from people across the country urging the administration to develop a stronger policy.

A chief complaint raised by the scientists and environment groups is the absence of concrete standards for forest managers to follow, such as a minimum buffer of undisturbed land around rivers and streams or a mandate to maintain healthy fish and wildlife populations and their habitat. The leaders of conservation groups also noted that in its fine print, the rule lacks a clear commitment to apply the best available science.

"Without measurable standards and effective monitoring, forest planning will too often fail to comply with the broader purpose and intent of the National Forest System and the National Forest Management Act," said a letter from 405 scientists. Last month, an analysis from the Society for Conservation Biology, an international scientists' association, raised some of the same concerns.

National forests are a source of drinking water for about 124 million Americans. According to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report, these areas and grasslands sustain 223,000 jobs in rural areas and contribute $14.5 billion annually to the U.S. economy.

"The Obama administration's proposal lacks firm protections for water quality and wildlife," said Jane Danowitz, U.S. Public Lands director for the Pew Environment Group. "Forty percent of Americans rely on our national forests for drinking water, and those forests host more rare species than even our national park system. It's critical that the administration backs up the good guidance in its proposal with clear standards for water and wildlife protection."

A bi-partisan group of 62 U.S. Representatives wrote to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today, calling for more specific safeguards. "The course set by these sweeping new rules will determine the future of our national forests for generations to come – it is essential that we get this right. . . . [W]e believe the proposal goes in the wrong direction by rolling back longstanding protections for wildlife. . . . It is vital that the final rule include a strong standard for wildlife conservation that is meaningful, measurable and non-discretionary."

A letter from the nation's 13 largest conservation groups to the administration today urged that the rule

* protect water resources through mandatory minimum buffer zones of at least 100 feet along streams and other water bodies that limit harmful activities;
* maintain viable populations of all fish, wildlife and other species, well distributed across their existing ranges on national forest lands; and
* require decision-making to "conform" to the best available science rather than to "take it into account."

The Obama administration's new forest policy is being developed under the National Forest Management Act (NFMA), the law that governs most activity on Forest Service lands. The final rule, expected by the end of the year, would replace current NFMA regulations originally developed in 1982 and would apply to national forests and grasslands in 44 states.

-----

Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Libertarian Party of Georgia Responds to News of Osama Bin Laden’s Death

2011-05-03T14:40:00.002-04:00

The Libertarian Party of Georgia responded Tuesday to the death of Osama bin Laden with a call to the American citizens to demand that the rights taken from them in the name of national security be returned. “The death of Osama bin Laden will hopefully be the first step in returning America to a country of freedom and civil liberties,” said Cobb County Affiliate Chairman and Executive Committee member Matt Godown.

Benjamin Franklin, one of this nation’s founding fathers, famously said ‘those who give up liberties in exchange for temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security.’ The Libertarian Party recognizes the impact bin Laden’s actions here and around the world have had on the American people’s everyday lives such as “the Department of Homeland Security, the TSA, the PATRIOT Act, warrantless wiretaps, [and] the 'state secrets' doctrine,” just a few of the examples cited by the national Libertarian Party’s Chairman Mark Hinkle in a press release earlier today.

In the days following bin Laden’s death, the Libertarian Party of Georgia urges citizens to contact their elected officials and demand that the rights taken away from them in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 tragedies in the name of national security be returned to them, in full.

"As George W. Bush stated in September 2001, our mission was 'justice.' Soon after, we diverged from that mission, changing the regime of a nation and re-building it after we destroyed it,” stated Brett Bittner, Executive Director for the Libertarian Party of Georgia. “It is my sincere hope that the 'justice' achieved by bin Laden's death will lead to our withdrawal from the region, and that Americans will see the suspended civil liberties restored through the repeal of all aspects of the so-called Patriot Act and other legislation of its ilk.”

“I refuse to celebrate the killing of any human being,” said state Communications Director Greta Langhenry, “I can only hope that this leads to a more peaceful climate in the Middle East and the rest of the world, and that this turn of events will facilitate the return of our men and women in uniform.”

The Libertarian Party is Georgia’s third largest political party and the only party in Georgia promoting fewer taxes, less government and personal liberty for all Georgians. To learn more, please visit www.LPGeorgia.com

-----

Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Westmoreland Deplores Unprecedented Overreaches by the National Labor Relations Board

2011-04-27T16:39:00.002-04:00

With two unprecedented moves, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has struck against private industry in as many weeks. The first was a complaint issued late last week against Boeing for moving some of its production lines to South Carolina, a right to work state. The NLRB claims this move violates national labor laws by hindering the union workers’ right to strike in Washington State, where much of Boeing’s production line is based. This is the first time in history the NLRB has argued that a company is violating federal law simply based on where they choose to locate a factory.

“It is an unprecedented overreach of power by the National Labor Relations Board to attempt to regulate where a private company can open a factory and it sets a dangerous precedent that will affect all right to work states, like the state of Georgia,” stated Westmoreland. “It tells companies they may be punished for attempting to do business in right to work states with expensive, drawn-out legal battles, discouraging them from expanding into states like Georgia. This in turn punishes states like Georgia who choose not to force employees to unionize. Under no circumstance does the federal government have the authority to tell companies where they can operate their business. This is a substantial departure from current law and will have far reaching ramifications beyond this specific case with Boeing in South Carolina.”

The second move came just yesterday when the NLRB informed the attorneys general of Arizona and South Dakota that it will file lawsuits against the states challenging their new constitutional amendments requiring workers hold secret ballot elections to form unions. South Carolina and Utah have enacted similar laws in response to Congressional Democrats and the White House’s attempts to enact the controversial ‘Card Check’ legislation, which would outlaw the use of secret ballots to form labor unions. Without the use of secret ballots, unions can intimidate employees who choose not to support them or retaliate against them if the union is formed. The NLRB informed South Carolina and Utah to expect similar action in the near future.

“I am absolutely outraged by the National Labor Relations Board’s attempt to circumvent Congress and basically enact the ‘Card Check’ law adamantly opposed by the American people,” stated Westmoreland. “Liberal Democrats in Washington have been unable to get this payoff to their biggest campaign supporters – labor unions – passed in the last two and a half years, so now they are going to skirt the legislative process and have President Obama’s head union czar implement ‘Card Check’ behind the backs of the American people. It’s appalling and clearly is a political move by the NLRB and the Obama Administration to pay back the labor unions who helped elect him to the White House.”

These two moves come after the very controversial appointment of Craig Becker as the head of the NLRB. Becker was repeatedly rebuffed for appointment by the Senate because of his ties to unions and his position as an attorney for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). In a move to sidestep the constitutional authority of the Senate to approve of the president’s appointments, President Obama gave Becker a recess appointment while Congress was out of session in March 2010. The attorneys general in all four states have vowed to fight this overreach by the NLRB, as has Boeing.

Firearms Industry Praises Westmoreland for Co-Sponsoring Legislation to Protect Traditional Ammunition

2011-04-22T11:41:00.000-04:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Following continued attacks by anti-hunting groups to ban traditional ammunition (ammunition containing lead-core components) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976, Representative Lynn A. Westmoreland (R-Georgia-3) became an original co-sponsor of bipartisan legislation (H.R. 1558) to clarify the longstanding exemption of ammunition and ammunition components under the act. The Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Sports Protection Act is being championed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) – the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry. The act also calls for lead fishing tackle, similarly under attack from anti-hunting groups, to be exempt from the TSCA.

"We applaud and thank Rep. Westmoreland for co-sponsoring this common-sense measure," said NSSF President and CEO Stephen L. Sanetti. "This bill will continue to ensure that America's hunters and shooters can choose for themselves the best ammunition to use, instead of unnecessarily mandating the universal use of expensive alternatives."

Last fall the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considered a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) – a leading anti-hunting organization – to ban all traditional ammunition under the TSCA. Though the EPA correctly rejected the petition, a decision that is now being challenged in court by the CBD, the attack demonstrated the need to preserve and protect the rights of all sportsmen to choose their own ammunition and fishing tackle, based on their own circumstances and budget. Traditional ammunition and fishing tackle are significantly less expensive than alternative ammunition and fishing tackle. This is of great importance to sportsmen in these difficult economic times.

A ban on traditional ammunition would have a negative impact on wildlife conservation. The federal excise tax that manufacturers pay on the sale of the ammunition (11 percent) is a primary source of wildlife conservation funding in the United States and the financial backbone of the North American Model of wildlife conservation. Since the firearms and ammunition excise tax began in 1937, more than $6.4 billion has been collected from firearms and ammunition manufacturers benefiting wildlife restoration and hunter education. Fewer hunters mean fewer dollars for wildlife.

"Wildlife management is the proper jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the 50 state wildlife agencies," said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. "But no one should be misled about what's truly at stake here. A ban on traditional ammunition will not only affect hunters and sportsmen, but law enforcement, military, self-defense and target shooters who may never go afield. This is precisely why all Americans, not just gun owners, have a vested interest in the passage of the Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Sports Protection Act."

The higher costs associated with alternative ammunition will price everyday consumers out of the market. This is evidenced by the low 1 percent market share of alternative ammunition. This would lead to fewer hunters taking to the field and shooting ranges across the United States being needlessly closed.

"The economic growth of America's firearms and ammunition industry continues to be a bright spot in our country's still ailing economy," continued Keane. "Passing this important legislation will help to ensure that our industry, which is responsible for more than 183,000 well-paying jobs and has an economic impact of more than $27.8 billion annually, continues to shine."

-----

Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

America's First Non-Partisan 'Online' Voting System Launches on July 4th, 2011

2011-04-15T10:55:00.000-04:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Voters finally win! After nearly a year of research and development, America's first non-partisan "online" Federal, State and Local Referendum Voting System will be launching on Independence Day, July 4th 2011. In addition to Referendum Voting, this system provides a multitude of valuable voter services not found anywhere else. This system is designed to be advisory, and would assist our elected officials in understanding the exact will of the people. In addition to a 2010 survey by the Washington Post and Harvard University, various public opinion polls show that placing referendums on a U.S. national ballot would be popular with the American public.

"Democracy was founded on our faith in something called 'the will of the people.' And without asking the voters, politicians seem to always know exactly what their will is. That's why 80 percent of voters believe our government operates without the consent of the people," states AmericaVotes Founder and President Chuck Kirkpatrick. "However, on July 4th 2011 that will change. Voters will have another reason to celebrate Independence Day, and that is the first non-partisan online mechanism that allows them to participate in the governance of America," he adds.

Over a three-year period, AmericaVotes is projecting 150 jobs and $740 million in local economic impact. "Our original goal was to locate our company on Florida's Space Coast, but due to a lack of interest and assistance from the Governor's office and Enterprise Florida, it appears that will not happen. Six states have been aggressively competing for our business, but unfortunately, Florida was not one of them. It is a travesty for the Space Coast families," adds Kirkpatrick.

The AmericaVotes system is well researched, and has received great reviews from Google Ventures, the Florida Institute of Technology Marketing Department, StateNet, and the Economic Development Departments in six states. The long-term goal of AmericaVotes is to enable "online" voting in actual State and Federal Elections, which would provide permanent voting records, greatly increase voter participation, and save the states and localities millions of dollars.

According to Karen Wilson, Vice President of Marketing, "Our 'Personal Political Management System' is designed to make politics easy for the average citizen. We also have special features for our lawmakers and their parties, including detailed Voter Trend reports and Instant Messaging capabilities to all their constituents."

AmericaVotes will provide a free membership and has an estimated market of 279 million registered and eligible-to-vote citizens including youth ages 13 and up, and 35 million businesses. Led by an award-winning national marketing firm, their initial focus will be on the 15 key battleground states.

The AmericaVotes System will be released in an English and Spanish version, and have plans for an iPhone application. Future global marketing will include 28 other Democratic countries.

-----

Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

FRC Action Will Press Forward Until Congress Stops Planned Parenthood's Money Grab

2011-04-09T16:46:00.000-04:00

/PRNewswire/ --The House of Representatives cleared a "bridge" appropriations measure early this morning that is expected to give negotiators time to write legislation that would fund the government through Sept. 30, after announcing an agreement on the larger package. The package bans taxpayer funding of abortion in the District of Columbia but continues to provide taxpayer subsidies to abortion giant Planned Parenthood.

Family Research Council Action President Tony Perkins made the following comments:

"We are pleased that negotiators have agreed to reinstate the long-standing law against taxpayer funding of abortion in the District of Columbia, but abortion giant Planned Parenthood will continue to receive hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars in spite of its record of abusing innocent young victims and willingly covering up the horrors of sex trafficking.

"Contrary to assertions made by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Democrats, no family planning funds were ever threatened during this most recent budget debate. The proposed language simply says that if you provide abortions you can't get federal monies. In troubled economic times, taxpayers should not be subsidizing organizations that perform abortions. The money would much better serve recipients who do not have abortion as their central 'product.'

"We will continue to press Congress to adopt a 2012 budget that reflects the beliefs of most Americans who may disagree over abortion but broadly agree that they do not want their hard earned money going to abortion organizations.

"Our elected leaders should not be at a loss of words when it comes to protecting mothers and their unborn children from the horrific practice of abortion. We urge Congressional leaders to move forward with hearings to further expose and stop taxpayer funding of an organization that has been complicit in statutory rape cases, mishandled funds, and accepted donations for abortions with offensive racial overtones."

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Westmoreland: Government Shutdown Averted

2011-04-09T07:15:00.000-04:00

Agreement Includes Largest Annual Spending Cut Since World War II

Today, after months of negotiations and a near-government shutdown, Congress and the White House reached an agreement on the 2011 fiscal year continuing resolution. The agreement is a two-step process. Right after midnight this morning, the House and the Senate passed a stop gap measure, averting a government shutdown and funding the federal government for six more days while cutting $2 billion in those six short days. Then, early next week, both chambers will vote on a complete funding bill for the remaining agencies that will cut $39 billion from the 2010 levels. All said, House Republicans have secured $79 billion in cuts from President Obama’s budget proposal for FY11. The agreement also cuts funding for abortions in the District of Columbia, assures an up or down vote in the Senate on both cutting funding for Planned Parenthood and on defunding ObamaCare, and cuts some of the allocated funds for ObamaCare. Below is Congressman Westmoreland’s statement.

“After months of negotiations and a near-government shutdown, a deal has been reached and House Republicans have secured a total of $79 billion in cuts from the president’s 2011 budget proposal. We heard the American people and their demands to stop the spending binge in Washington, and I am proud to announce that House Republicans have delivered the largest annual spending cut since World War II.

“In addition to this historic level of cuts, the agreement also gives the American people two big victories when it comes to repealing ObamaCare. First, it guarantees an up or down vote on repealing ObamaCare in the Senate. This legislation passed the House earlier this year, but Senate Democrats had refused to bring it up for a vote. Second, it includes cuts to funding for ObamaCare, making it harder for the Obama Administration to begin enacting this unconstitutional law before the Supreme Court has an opportunity to rule on it. All of this while also preserving the sanctity of life by banning taxpayer funded abortions in the District of Columbia and guaranteeing an up or down vote in the Senate to defund Planned Parenthood.

“Now, I know there may be some of you out there who are not happy with this because it doesn’t cut enough. I feel your frustration and am also disappointed that we were unable to reach our $100 billion goal. However, I could not in good conscience vote against funding our troops and I truly believe this is a victory for the American people. This is a good first step to put us back on a path of fiscal responsibility and it lays the groundwork to show Senate Democrats and the White House that we mean business.

“We still have a lot of work to do and battles like this one will become more and more common as we begin debate on the 2012 budget, repealing ObamaCare, and dealing with the debt ceiling. I want to reassure you that I will continue to fight tooth and nail to fulfill my promise to you to right this ship, get our fiscal house back in order, and enact real spending reforms. As long as House Republicans continue to listen to the American people and demand more spending cuts, I know we will continue to be successful,” stated Westmoreland.
---
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
Facebook: http://facebook.com/ArtsAcrossGA
---
Also check out:
www.Hummingbird-Hollow.com
Twitter: @hhpotterystudio
http://valueswevalue.blogspot.com
Twiter: @valueswevalue
www.HorizonsLTD.com
Twitter: @gardenemporium
www.SoftCoolers.com
Twitter: @SoftCoolersUSA
www.Chair-ity-Event.org
www.ClothesLessTraveled.org
Twitter: @cltthriftshop
---

Requiring Employees To Work During Shutdown Violates Law, Lawsuit Charges

2011-04-08T16:47:00.000-04:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Ordering federal employees to work during a government shutdown violates the U.S. Constitution, according to a lawsuit filed today by the nation's largest federal employee union.

The American Federation of Government Employees filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew and Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry are named as defendants.

The lawsuit contends that the Obama administration is violating the U.S. Constitution's Appropriations Clause and Thirteenth Amendment by requiring federal civilian employees to work without pay during a period of lapsed federal appropriations.

"Hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be required to work during a shutdown, and there's no guarantee that Congress will keep the administration's promise to pay those employees once the shutdown is over," AFGE National President John Gage said.

Section 1341 of Title 31 of the U.S. Code prohibits federal and D.C. government workers from spending or obligating funds that have not already been appropriated by Congress.

The administration claims that it can require certain employees to work during a shutdown under Section 1342 of Title 31, which includes a clause covering "emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property."

However, AFGE's lawsuit contends that this section of U.S. Code is not a valid exception to the prohibition on incurring debts during a shutdown because it is not an appropriations law and does not empower federal agencies to force Congress to pay for debts incurred during a shutdown.

"The Constitution requires an appropriation by Congress before federal dollars can be spent, no exceptions," Gage said. "Without an appropriation, the agencies simply can't spend money or incur debts by forcing employees to work."

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 625,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Libertarians call for permanent government shutdown

2011-04-08T16:44:00.000-04:00

As elected officials put on a dog-and-pony media show about a temporary shutdown of small parts of the federal government, the Libertarian Party calls for a permanent shutdown of most of the federal government.

Libertarian Party Executive Director Wes Benedict said, "Just think how a permanent government shutdown would allow so many Americans to regain the blessings of liberty.

"Education would blossom as the Department of Education ended its War on Learning, no longer wasting our money and preventing educational innovation with one-size-fits-all centralized mandates.

"Job opportunities at companies big and small would multiply, providing opportunity and choice for American workers.

"The world would enjoy peace as we withdrew our forces from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. Our government spends almost as much on the military as the rest of the world combined. Millions of industrious men and women who work for the military and its contractors could be focusing on building up our economy, rather than tearing down others'.

"Crime would plummet as the government's War on Drugs ended, no longer sustaining a giant violent black market and overfilling our prisons.

"The life of many poorer Americans would improve as welfare programs stopped, no longer trapping low-income families in an endless cycle of government dependency.

"All Americans would feel a huge burden lifted every April, as they were no longer required to wrestle with a byzantine and oppressive IRS.

"But most importantly, Americans would once again be free of unjust and unconstitutional violations of their unalienable rights."

Benedict added, "We're not talking about eliminating the federal government. We want to end all federal activities that are not authorized by the Constitution, and we want to cut everything else as much as we can. In 2000, the federal government spent $1.8 trillion. This year it's expected to spend $3.8 trillion. Things are going the wrong way -- fast."

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Westmoreland Votes to Reauthorize FAA, Cut $4 Billion in Spending

2011-04-01T16:11:00.000-04:00

Today, the House of Representatives passed HR 658, the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2011. Congressman Westmoreland joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues in supporting the legislation. The bill reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration for four years, covering fiscal years 2011 through 2014. The Federal Aviation Administration sets federal policies regarding aviation safety and infrastructure.

“This reauthorization bill cuts spending, streamlines the FAA, and creates and protects hundreds of thousands of US jobs over the next four years through responsible investment in our aviation infrastructure,” stated Westmoreland. “The Third District sits right next to the busiest airport in the world, so we understand the importance of having properly functioning Federal Aviation Administration. After much debate on this issue, I am happy the House has been able to come together and pass this responsible reauthorization in a bipartisan manner.”

In addition to reauthorizing the FAA and cutting spending levels for the agency back to 2008 levels, the legislation also repeals the unilateral National Mediation Board’s (NMB) decision to change unionization election rules implemented in May 2010. In that decision the NMB changed the law so that only a majority of employees who voted was required for a union to form rather than requiring that a majority of the total number of employees vote to unionize.

“This unilateral decision by the National Mediation Board to strip away worker’s rights was just ridiculous,” stated Westmoreland. “If you had a workforce of 300 people and only three of them voted, you would only need two employees – two out of 300 – to force the remaining 298 employees to unionize. It overturned 75 years of precedent and was a dramatic overstep of the NMB’s authority.”

The legislation will now be sent to the Senate. A vote will be held sometime next week and the bill is expected to pass and be signed by the president.
---
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
Facebook: http://facebook.com/ArtsAcrossGA
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Libertarians praise Congress on April Fool's Day

2011-04-01T08:43:00.000-04:00

The Libertarian Party congratulates Congress for passing a budget that makes serious cuts in federal government spending, including the following:

1. Eliminating Department of Education programs, saving taxpayers more than $40 billion each year.
2. Getting rid of farm subsidies, saving over $20 billion each year.
3. Ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as many other overseas deployments, saving over $100 billion annually.
4. Eliminating programs and subsidies in the Department of Transportation, saving about $80 billion annually.
5. Terminating federal housing subsidies, saving about $45 billion each year.
6. Giving overpaid federal employees a 10% cut in compensation, saving $30 billion annually.
7. Throwing out federal energy subsidies, saving $20 billion annually.
8. Reducing and reforming Medicare and Medicaid, saving about $100 billion a year for the next ten years.
9. Ending the federal War on Drugs, saving $15 billion annually.
10. Phasing out mandatory Social Security, and reducing the rate of benefit growth to save $40 billion a year by 2020.

"April Fool's!" cried Libertarian Party Executive Director Wes Benedict. "Congress hasn't done any of those things. Congress is causing the federal government to keep growing rapidly. And don't be fooled by the recent hype about Republican proposals for 'cuts.' Those 'cuts' are so small and so peripheral, that even if they pass, they won't have any effect on the fiscal catastrophe facing our children and grandchildren. Republicans and Democrats continue to link arms and keep our federal government huge and growing."

Benedict continued, "We got that list of items from a Cato Institute advertisement that ran in several major news outlets today. Of course, we wish Congress would cut all those things, but we know Republicans and Democrats won't do it."

The Libertarian Party platform calls for major reductions in the size and scope of government.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Westmoreland: ObamaCare’s One Year Anniversary: One Year Later, One Year Wiser

2011-03-23T13:13:00.002-04:00

Today marks the one year anniversary of ObamaCare becoming law. Below is Congressman Westmoreland’s statement on the occasion.

“As Democrats across the nation try to tout the one year anniversary of ObamaCare, the American people aren’t fooled. In fact, a recent poll by Rasmussen showed 63% of Americans are in favor of repealing ObamaCare, up from 55% one year ago. So, one year into this law and the American people are finally learning what’s in it – and they don’t like what they see.

“We all remember the promise by President Obama himself that if we liked our health insurance, we could keep it. However, by the Administration’s own estimates, 80 percent of small businesses expect to have to change their coverage to comply with the new law and between 39 and 69 percent of all businesses in the United States will be forced to change their coverage to comply with the law. The Administration also admits that at least 7 million seniors will lose their Medicare Advantage plans because of ObamaCare. And a recent study suggests as many as 35 million Americans could lose their employer-based health insurance. So much for, ‘if you like it, you can keep it.’

“We also all remember then-Speaker Pelosi’s claim that ObamaCare would create jobs. However, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the law will actually result in the loss of more than 800,000 jobs over the next ten years alone.

“And we all definitely remember the promise that this law would lower our health care costs. One year later, we have learned the truth. According to the Administration’s own top actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, ObamaCare will increase national health care costs by $311 billion. Even worse, according to the CBO, ObamaCare will actually increase premiums on family insurance policies by an average of $2100 a year. And this has already begun. I have spoken with many of you in the Third District who have told me they have already seen their insurance premiums rise in the last year as health insurance companies prepare for the dramatic cost increase ObamaCare will create. And that will continue as this law is further implemented.

“So one year later, we are one year wiser. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. One year later, House Republicans are fighting vigorously to fully repeal ObamaCare. We have passed legislation repealing the law and have passed amendments to the FY2011 continuting resolution to defund ObamaCare. So far, Democrats in the Senate have refused to vote with the American people and join House Republicans in repealing this harmful law. However, I will continue this fight as we move into year two of ObamaCare,” stated Westmoreland.

Westmoreland Votes to Cut Federal Spending Another $6 Billion

2011-03-15T17:58:00.002-04:00

Today, the House of Representatives passed a three-week extension to the 2011 fiscal year funding bill, referred to as the ‘continuing resolution.’ This is the second short-term stopgap measure passed by the House this year to address the failure of Congressional Democrats and the White House to pass the legislation during last Congress. The 2011 fiscal year began October 1, 2010 and runs through September 30, 2011. The House passed a permanent continuing resolution last month, but so far the Senate has been unable to put together a comparable package. The short-term extension is expected to be passed by the Senate and signed into law by the president sometime this week, and will run through April 8, 2011. Below is Congressman Westmoreland’s statement.

“I am proud that House Republicans were able to draft a short-term funding resolution that will cut more than $6 billion from federal spending over the next three weeks alone. We are continuing our battle in Washington to cut federal spending, lower the national debt, and get Americans back to work, and this resolution is just another example of how we are doing this.

“However, this is only a small victory. A true victory will be passing a permanent continuing resolution that will fund the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year so we can remove the uncertainty created by these short-term stopgap measures. Senate Democrats and the White House need to stop dragging their feet and come to the table willing to make some real spending reforms. We can no longer afford spend money the way Congressional Democrats and the White House have done over the last two years. We must accept the fact that we are broke.

“So far, the only people driving this discussion – and this effort to actually pass a permanent funding bill – are House Republicans. Not only have we already passed a permanent funding bill, but have also been the leading force behind both of the recent short-term measures, making sure that much-needed cuts are included in each bill. Senate Democrats and the White House have so far only been focused on government shutdowns and who’s to blame for the current mess we are in.

“I strongly urge Senate Democrats to listen to the American people – to their constituents – and work with House Republicans to end the unnecessary, wasteful, and duplicative spending in Washington. It’s what the American people want, and it’s time we listened to them,” stated Westmoreland.

Press falsely credits Republicans with "deep cuts"

2011-03-15T08:48:00.000-04:00

The mainstream press is falsely crediting Republicans for proposing "deep cuts" in federal spending. To fight back, the Libertarian Party is promoting its "Republican Wall of Shame" with an online ad in the Washington Post.

Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle said, "I can't believe the press is saying Republicans are making deep cuts. It's just false."

On February 20, the Associated Press wrote, "The Republican-led House has approved a spending bill with deep cuts that Democrats call unacceptable."

On February 21, the New York Times wrote, "...the Republicans' fervor for the deep cuts adopted by the House."

On March 5, an NPR caption read, "The House was debating the continuing resolution (HR 1) that contained Republican-proposed deep cuts in the budget."

On March 8, the Los Angeles Times really went overboard: "For some, the House-passed GOP budget plan, with the deepest spending cuts in generations, goes too far in slashing jobs and programs."

Hinkle continued, "This phrase, 'deep cuts,' keeps appearing. But it's just comical to describe the Republican budget plan as 'deep cuts.' It would be more accurate to say 'microscopic cuts,' or even 'no cuts.' It's a spending bill that will result in discretionary spending of $1.356 trillion this year. That's higher than last year's $1.349 trillion. When did higher spending become a cut?"

Libertarian Party Executive Director Wes Benedict said, "Sure, Republicans want to attack a handful of Democratic pet projects. That's such a narrow sliver of the budget that it doesn't matter. It's political game-playing. It won't do anything to address our large-scale fiscal disaster."

Benedict continued, "Republicans and Democrats constantly try to pretend that they're on opposite sides of a huge chasm. Unfortunately, the mainstream press cooperates and hypes up that false notion. In fact, there's not a dime's worth of difference between them."

Overall federal spending is expected to be 7 percent higher this year than last year, even with all of the Republican "cuts" in HR 1.

To help set the record straight, the Libertarian Party is promoting its "Republican Wall of Shame." The Libertarian Party has purchased online ad space in the Washington Post, to help inform the public that Republican rhetoric about "cutting government" is hypocrisy.

Benedict continued, "One of my pet peeves is hearing all this nonsense about Republican House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan being a budget-cutter. Paul Ryan is a typical big-government Republican. He supported the giant Medicare expansion in 2003, the hugely expensive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the expensive No Child Left Behind Act, the TARP bailouts, and on and on. Paul Ryan is one of the prominent Republicans featured on our Wall of Shame."

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Senate Passes SB 98 – Expanding the Locations Where Licensed Gun owners Can Carry Their Weapons

2011-03-14T21:55:00.002-04:00

Georgia law lists several specific locations where guns are not allowed. Georgia law also allows individuals to apply for a permit to carry a concealed weapon, provided that person has met the appropriate criteria.

Under current law, however, a person who has taken the appropriate steps and is legally allowed to carry a concealed firearm is still restricted by state law from carrying that weapon in certain areas. This is after that person has submitted to fingerprinting and stringent background checks to ensure he or she is trustworthy enough to carry a concealed firearm.

SB 98, passed by the Senate today in a 43-10 vote, allows licensed gun owners to carry their weapon anywhere except in courtrooms (or beyond the security checkpoint of a courthouse), prisons and jails, county or municipal government buildings (unless the local governing authority allows firearms), on the premises of a nuclear power plant or on the premises of a state mental health facility.

“It just makes no sense to me that someone who is licensed and legally allowed to carry a gun could not carry one into a restaurant, into a church or to a political event – all of which are currently prohibited by law,” said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Barry Loudermilk (R-Cassville). “Senate Bill 98 does not change private property laws. If property owners or business owners say ‘no guns,’ it is left up to them. This bill makes the law simpler and gets the government out of decisions that should be left to the discretion of the property owners and to the discretion of the licensed gun owner.”

---

Sen. Barry Loudermilk represents the 52nd Senate District which includes Floyd County and portions of Bartow and Gordon counties. He may be reached by phone at 404.656.0034 or by e-mail at barry.loudermilk@senate.ga.gov.

Sen. Hill Votes Against SB 40 Immigration Reform

2011-03-14T18:33:00.000-04:00

Please see the following statement from Sen. Judson Hill (R-Marietta) regarding Senate Bill 40, immigration reform.

“I oppose Senate Bill 40 because it begins to dismantle the strong provisions of existing state law. Georgians need jobs but Senate Bill 40 weakens the prohibitions in Georgia law that restrict hiring unlawful public-projects workers with taxpayer moneys. Under Section 3 of Senate Bill 40, companies that do not use e-verify are not penalized. In fact, it will now be easier to avoid compliance. Furthermore, passage of SB 40 has weakened Georgia law and allows contractors to look the other way on violations of the law.”

– Sen. Judson Hill (R-Marietta)

---

Sen. Judson Hill is chair of the Government Oversight Committee and serves as vice-chair of the Cobb County legislative Delegation. He represents the 32nd Senate District which includes portions of Cobb and Fulton counties. He may be reached by phone at 404.656.0150 or by e-mail at judson.hill@senate.ga.gov.

LP Chair: The problem in Wisconsin is not unions but government

2011-03-11T10:23:00.000-05:00

While Republicans and Democrats battle in Wisconsin over a bill to reduce the collective bargaining power of state employee unions as a means of balancing their budget, Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle points out that the problem lies with government control of activities it has no business running.

Hinkle comments, "Libertarians are neither pro-union nor anti-union. We believe that the right of association and freedom of contract allows any group of people to choose to bargain collectively rather than individually. Naturally, we oppose violence and threats of such, but unions per se can play a major role in a free society. The problem is that the battle between the Wisconsin state government and state employees isn't even remotely a free market.

"Government monopolizes many services that could and should be provided in the voluntary sector by profit-making and/or non-profit organizations. This also gives them a 'monopsony' as virtually the only potential employer for workers in these fields. Once someone has trained to be a teacher or prison guard, they are essentially at the mercy of government for their employment in that field. Blaming them for wanting collective bargaining representation would be comparable to siding with the Polish government against the union Solidarity headed by Lech Walesa that freed Poland in 1989 from Soviet rule. The problem is with the employer: the government."

Hinkle considers the education budget to be the best example of a solution only Libertarians have offered:

"Far and away the largest part of the budget of the State of Wisconsin, once aid to local governments is allocated to underlying expenditures, is in the category of education. This is true of virtually all state and local governments, so it is the best example of how freedom can provide a solution. Unfortunately, government expenditures for education are driven by political considerations rather than the needs of the students. The result is outrageous costs that are not primarily for the most important ingredient in education: the teacher.

"The U.S. Department of Education calculates that the per pupil cost of K-12 education is nearly $11,000 in the 2010-2011 fiscal year. The Cato Institute, however, in a paper entitled, 'They Spend WHAT? The Real Cost of Public Schools,' discovered that actual spending in the districts they examined was 44 percent higher than official reports due to the failure to include various categories (such as spending financed by bond issuances). We can reasonably estimate that true spending is more than $15,000 per pupil. With class sizes, on average, exceeding 20, the total spending per classroom is probably well in excess of $300,000. Obviously, most of that money isn't going to the teacher in the classroom. In private schools that don't depend on taxpayers, it does: teacher pay and benefits averages nearly 80% of the total budget of the average private school. Not surprisingly, while private schools are often described as havens for the rich, public school spending per pupil is nearly DOUBLE the average private school tuition, mainly because it is a haven for administrators and other recipients of `education' money who never step foot into a classroom.

"The answer to Wisconsin's budget crisis, and that of governments throughout the country, is to return education to the voluntary sector. Compulsory education dominated by tax-supported schools was not established until the mid-1850s, yet literacy rates prior to that time were higher than they are today. Parents have ALWAYS valued the education of their children, and the religious and secular private schools of that time knew they'd only be paid by parents if they taught their children. Free or reduced costs for poor parents was always part of the tradition, and would be again in a country freed of massive taxation and spending.

"Returning education to the voluntary sector and eliminating compulsory funding and attendance laws, not to mention centralized bureaucratic nightmares such as the bi-partisan No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 championed by Republican President George W. Bush and the late Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy, will free teachers to be responsive to the needs of their students instead of the desires of politicians. As for how to do it quickly, a case can be made for selling all the local schools and putting the proceeds into the underfunded pension and benefits funds, then leaving the reorganization of education in the hands of the buyers. But, the workers at these schools are the ones with the strongest interest in ownership. We could just give each school to its local employees and let them decide whether to run it or sell it. Either way, the teachers, the students, the parents, and the taxpayers are all big winners.

"Education is the largest item in the Wisconsin budget, but the same principle applies to other expenditures. The legitimate debate in Wisconsin and elsewhere is not about whether the politicians or the government employee unions should win. It is why we should be stuck with only one employer sucking the money from taxpayers and then complaining when their power to decide how it is spent is not unlimited."

The Libertarian Party platform includes the following:

2.7 Labor Markets
We support repeal of all laws which impede the ability of any person to find employment. We oppose government-fostered forced retirement. We support the right of free persons to associate or not associate in labor unions, and an employer should have the right to recognize or refuse to recognize a union. We oppose government interference in bargaining, such as compulsory arbitration or imposing an obligation to bargain.

2.8 Education
Education, like any other service, is best provided by the free market, achieving greater quality and efficiency with more diversity of choice. Schools should be managed locally to achieve greater accountability and parental involvement. Recognizing that the education of children is inextricably linked to moral values, we would return authority to parents to determine the education of their children, without interference from government. In particular, parents should have control of and responsibility for all funds expended for their children's education.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

War on Drugs leads to gun smuggling nightmare

2011-03-10T11:53:00.000-05:00

According to CBS, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has been involved in undercover operations to smuggle high-powered weapons into Mexico, probably as some sort of tracking operation. Now many of those weapons are in the hands of ruthless drug traffickers, which they are using to intimidate and kill people.

Libertarian Party chair Mark Hinkle issued this statement today:

"This is another sad chapter in the long story of the terribly destructive War on Drugs. Now our own government is apparently involved in smuggling weapons to drug lords in Mexico. This story is as bizarre as it is depressing.

"The War on Drugs has caused far more death and destruction than it has prevented. The War on Drugs is a failure in almost every measurable way. The War on Drugs should end.

"It's becoming more and more unclear whether the U.S. government even wants the violence to decrease. More drug violence means more jobs for federal drug agents. More drug arrests mean more jobs for prison construction and management contractors. There are a lot of people whose income depends on a big, thriving, unsuccessful War on Drugs.

"If the War on Drugs were halted, there would no longer be any such thing as 'drug trafficking.' Violence in Mexico would decrease very dramatically, as drug lords would quickly go out of business.

"A lot of liberals and libertarians were hoping that President Obama and a Democratic Congress might at least tone down the War on Drugs, but they have done nothing of the kind. They have kept this war going as strong as ever.

"It looks like those of us opposed to the War on Drugs can forget about help from the Democratic Party. Only the Libertarian Party will fight to end the misguided, wasteful, and destructive War on Drugs.

"One of the things that saddens me is that our foolish and unjust drug laws are leading to the deaths of thousands of Mexican citizens. Those Mexicans can't vote in our elections to change our drug laws -- they just have to wait and hope they aren't the drug lord's next victim.

"We Libertarians call for an end to the War on Drugs: an end to federal prohibition of the possession and sale of narcotics. Would that lead to increased drug abuse? It's hard to know -- probably not much -- but nothing could be worse than the death and destruction our government has unleashed with its War on Drugs."

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Wrights takes Stop All War message to Kentucky, Georgia

2011-03-03T09:55:00.000-05:00

Potential Libertarian presidential candidate R. Lee Wrights will be in taking his stop all war message to the state Libertarian Party conventions in Kentucky and Georgia over the next two weekends.

Wrights will be he luncheon speaker at the Kentucky LP convention in Maysville March 5. The convention will be held at the French Quarter Inn, 25 E. McDonald Parkway.

The following weekend, Wrights will attend the Georgia state convention which will be held March 11 and 12 at the Atlanta Airport Westin, 4736 Best Rd.

Wrights, 52, is a longtime libertarian writer, political activist, a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party, and a past vice chair of the Libertarian National Committee. He is considering seeking the presidential nomination because he’s determined that the Libertarian message in 2012 be a loud, clear and unequivocal call to stop all war. To that end, Wrights has pledged that 10 percent of all donations to his campaign will go toward ballot access so that the stop all war message can be heard in all 50 states.

Wrights is the co-founder and editor of the free speech online magazine Liberty For All. He is also co-founder and president of the Foundation for a Free Society, an educational organization dedicated to promoting the principles of liberty, personal sovereignty, private property, and free markets in order to create a more free and prosperous society. Born in Winston-Salem, N.C., Wrights now lives in Texas.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Westmoreland Hails the Passage of Amendment to Cut $3B in Wasteful Spending on the F-35 ‘Alternate Engine’ Program

2011-02-16T14:32:00.000-05:00

Today, the House of Representatives passed an amendment to the Continuing Resolution that would strike funding for the duplicative F-35 dual engine. The Continuing Resolution will provide funding for the federal government for the remaining of FY2011, through September 30, 2011. Congressman Westmoreland, joined by a bipartisan group of his colleagues in the House, fought for the passage of the amendment, which will save the American people approximately $450 million in FY2011 alone and is expected to save almost $3 billion over the life of the project, according to estimates by the Department of Defense. Below is Congressman Westmoreland’s statement.

“It’s about time Washington finally woke up and realized one true fact: We are broke. The days of spending money for the sake of spending are over. If we are going to fix this country, we must be ready to roll up our sleeves and make some hard decisions. While having a back-up engine source for the F-35 might be a nice luxury, it’s one we simply cannot afford. But you don’t just have to take my word for it. Both former President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama – one Republican and one Democrat – have strongly opposed this wasteful program. On top of that, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has not only come out against this program, he has launched an all out PR campaign to end the funding for the extra engine. I am pleased that, after four long years, the House of Representatives today voted in bipartisan fashion against continuing the F-35 alternate engine program. Hopefully this is the last we will see of this program,” stated Westmoreland.

The National Archives at Atlanta & Clayton State to Host Third Annual Civic Engagement Student Research Conference, March 25

2011-02-10T11:44:00.000-05:00

Imagining the possibilities with the Third Annual Civic Engagement Student Research Conference.

Students from throughout the University System of Georgia (USG) are encouraged to develop an individually compelling sense of social and civic responsibility, community leadership and service to society. To support this goal, Clayton State University and The National Archives at Atlanta announce the Third Annual Student Research Conference on Civic Engagement to be held Friday, Mar. 25, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the National Archives.

Undergraduates and graduates attending any USG school are encouraged to apply and submit essays and panel-session proposals on the broad subject of “Civic Engagement Beyond the Vote.” Cash prizes will be awarded for the top two winning submissions.

Students from the USG are invited to submit papers and panel-session proposals on any topic relating to engagement in politics in the community besides voting. Faculty may also submit papers and panel-session proposals from course assignments with the permission of their students. Research can include literary research and/or data collection. Possible topics include:

1. Theoretical or applied research papers that discuss an aspect of community engagement or citizenship, including political knowledge and understanding; Constitutional issues; open inquiry and academic freedom; ethics in government and civility; civic leadership; historical analyzes of factors affecting social justice; and, economic, psychological, philosophical, historical, or educational analyses of people, movements, or trends that have shaped our democracy and its people.

2. Presentations or panels that address any of the topics above.

3. Presentations or panels that provide information about best practices for community engagement activities.

4. Presentations or panels that explain how to engage in an activity (volunteering, course based, internship) that benefits the community and provides well defined learning outcomes.

The featured concurrent sessions will last 30 minutes. Some presentations will be grouped with others for 10-15 minute presentations.

Submission guidelines are as follows:

Papers and proposals should be no less than four pages and no more than 25 pages.
Each submission should be sent via email to Dr. Joe Corrado at joecorrado@clayton.edu
The deadline for submissions is Friday, Mar. 18 by 5 p.m.
Submissions should include a cover page with contact information (name, address, email, phone number) of the participant.

For further contact information or details on The National Archives at Atlanta, contact Corrado at joecorrado@clayton.edu or the National Archives at Atlanta at http://www.archives.gov/southeast/.

The National Archives at Atlanta is dedicated to preserving the documentary legacy of our past and houses an extraordinary collection of documents created to educate and continue the value of civic actions based on the history of past civic actions.

A unit of the University System of Georgia, Clayton State University is an outstanding comprehensive metropolitan university located 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.

Westmoreland Statement on TSA Announcement Allowing Collective Bargaining

2011-02-09T13:15:00.000-05:00

Last week, the Obama Administration and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced collective bargaining rights for TSA airport security screeners. Prior to this announcement, TSA screeners had the right to unionize, but not the ability to collectively bargain. This announcement follows a decision last month to end the highly successful TSA contract screening program, which allowed airports to opt to use certified private security screeners under TSA supervision and oversight. These two announcements show a clear signal that the Obama Administration plans to push more for labor unions that were so pivotal in his 2008 election. Below is Congressman Westmoreland’s statement regarding the announcement.

“Conceding to his union cronies, President Obama’s announcement to allow TSA screeners to negotiate over workplace issues could further jeopardize our country’s transportation system. Combating the very real risk to our national security requires a flexible workforce that can quickly respond to threats, and bargaining with labor unions is simply not compatible with that type of work. I’m extremely disappointed with the president’s announcement,” stated Westmoreland.

Rep. Geisinger Introduces Horse Racing Legislation

2011-02-08T16:14:00.000-05:00

State Representative Harry Geisinger (R-Roswell) announced today his filing of House Resolution 186, a constitutional amendment that would allow Georgia voters to decide whether or not to allow horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering in their local municipality. This legislation is similar to HR 1177 from the 2009-10 legislative term, also introduced by Rep. Geisinger.

“As Georgians across the state continue to struggle to find employment, the legislature must look for new ways to bring much needed jobs to our state,” said Representative Harry Geisinger. “Expanding our state’s horse industry is a simple way to do just that. The number of jobs created and revenue generated would give Georgia a much needed economic boost.”

HR 186 would require net revenues and proceeds generated by horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering in Georgia to go into their own unique category of the state budget entitled “Pari-mutuel Wagering Proceeds.” The revenues from this budget category could only be used to supplement, not supplant, state funding for: 1) education grants, scholarships, or loans; 2) voluntary prekindergarten programs; and 3) trauma care services.

If the amendment is ratified by voters, Rep. Geisinger would introduce enabling legislation that would vest all control of horse racing with pari-mutuel wagering to the Georgia Horse Racing Commission. This Commission would ensure that all pari-mutuel wagering is conducted in accordance with Georgia law at licensed horse racetrack and satellite facilities.

Currently, horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering are legal in 38 states. Combined, both contribute a total economic impact of $39 billion to the United States annually.

“Major horse racing states like Kentucky, Maryland, New York and Florida contain interconnected interstates that all pass through the state of Georgia,” added Rep. Geisinger. “New information suggests that as many as 170,000 plus horses already pass through Georgia over a 14 month period on their way to meets and races in Florida. This logistical situation puts Georgia in a unique position to become a major hub of the equine industry. With correctly timed horse meets and races, Georgia could attract the thousands of horses that already pass through the state while traveling from north to south.”

In 2009 Rep. Geisinger chaired the House Equine Industry Study Committee. This committee heard from numerous experts who testified to the economic benefits that Georgia would experience if horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering were legal.

Dr. Fisch, President of the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association, explained that each horse on a racetrack creates seven jobs. The average horse meet will have at least 800-1,000 horses, thus creating approximately 7,000 jobs per meet. Some of these jobs necessary for each horse include trainers, grooms, jockeys, drivers, riders, and veterinarians. Other employment expansion would also include racetrack employees and support for industries such as hotels and restaurants.

“The racetrack itself is the very tip of the iceberg as far as economic development is concerned,” said Dr. Stephen Fisch during one of the study committee meetings.

A link to HR 186 can be found by clicking here.

For more information on the economic impact of the horse industry please visit: http://www.horsecouncil.org/nationaleconomics.php. For specific information about Georgia’s existing horse industry please visit: http://www.geepforgeorgia.com/

Representative Harry Geisinger represents the citizens of District 48, which includes portions of Fulton County. He was first elected into the House of Representatives in 1968-1974, and was then was sworn in again in 2005. He currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Committee. He also serves on the Children &Youth, MARTOC, Natural Resources & Environment, and Transportation committees.

Chairman Camp Announces Hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Proposal with U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner

2011-02-08T11:27:00.002-05:00

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) today announced that the Committee on Ways and Means will hold a hearing on President Obama's budget proposals for fiscal year 2012. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, February 15, 2011, in 1100 Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 1:00 P.M.

In announcing this hearing, Chairman Camp said, “With the unemployment rate stuck at or above 9 percent for the last 21 months and anemic economic growth, tax policies ought to help, rather than hinder, our country’s economic recovery. The President has called for corporate tax reform to make our employers more competitive. However, 75 percent of America’s job creators are structured as pass through entities, and that means we need to craft policies that address the needs of all job creators – large and small. This hearing will provide the Committee an opportunity to review the President’s proposals and explore ways in which we can work on a bipartisan basis to reduce complexity and develop the pro-growth tax policies our families and job creators need.”

BACKGROUND:

On February 14, 2011, the President is expected to submit his fiscal year 2012 budget proposal to Congress. The proposed budget will detail his tax proposals for the coming year as well as provide an overview of the budget for the Treasury Department and other activities of the Federal government. The Treasury plays a key role in many areas of the Committee’s jurisdiction.

Click here for the full hearing advisory.

Libertarians: Tea Party betrayed by tiny Republican budget cuts

2011-02-04T09:30:00.000-05:00

According to The Hill, House Republicans have just announced that they will seek appropriations for the rest of 2011 that are $32 billion below current spending levels.

LP Chair Mark Hinkle commented, "The Tea Party supporters have been betrayed. These cuts are so small, you need a microscope to find them."

Hinkle continued, "The Congressional Budget Office just told us that federal spending was expected to be about $3.7 trillion this year. After the Republican cuts, it will still be about $3.7 trillion. The Republican cuts are so tiny, they disappear in the rounding error.

"Even with these cuts, the federal deficit will be over $1.4 trillion this year.

"It doesn't help that Congressional Republicans voted for more unemployment spending and ethanol subsidies last December, or that they want to keep increasing military spending. And they haven't come up with any serious cuts to entitlements.

"I think the Tea Party supporters were expecting real cuts, not this nonsense. We tried to warn Tea Party supporters last year that the Republicans were just trying to fool them again. It looks like we were right.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll hear Republicans say they're just getting started, and more cuts are coming...just not yet. But I hope the Tea Party supporters and other fiscal conservatives wake up and smell the deficits. Our children are going to drown in debt, and the Republicans aren't going to save them. Republicans are part of the problem, not the solution.

"Tea Party supporters and other fiscal conservatives should support Libertarians, not Republicans. Libertarians would make dramatic cuts in spending, and if angry Republicans and Democrats threatened to shut down the government instead, Libertarians would say 'Fine.'"

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

The Libertarian Party of Georgia Says Immigration Bill Will Bankrupt Georgia

2011-02-01T10:42:00.000-05:00

Last week, State Representative Matt Ramsey (R-Peachtree City) introduced
the “Illegal Immigration Reform Enforcement Act of 2011,” or HB 87.
The Libertarian Party of Georgia opposes the bill, citing the huge
cost to enforce it even though the General Assembly is tasked with a
nearly $2 billion budget crisis. They also say that the bill could
have catastrophic effects on the economic well-being of the state, as
well as in the lives of its residents if passed.

As proposed, HB 87 would make criminals of many otherwise law abiding
Georgians trying to make a living. The bill makes it a criminal offense
by merely “encouraging” an illegal immigrant to enter the state. It
also allows almost any citizen to bring a lawsuit against any business,
local or State government agency or official by just accusing them of
violating immigration law. Further, HB 87 burdens every employer doing
business in Georgia with using the Department of Homeland Security’s
E-Verify system.

"As it is written, this bill will have a tremendous impact on the every day
lives of all Georgians and will cost the State quite a bit of money
defending it from the several lawsuits already planned," says
Libertarian Party of Georgia Legislative Director Jeff Sexton. "We are
calling on Representatives to truly get serious about immigration, and
enact genuine reform that respects the rights of all individuals."

One other aspect troubling the Libertarian Party of Georgia is the
provision within that allows law enforcement officers to indefinitely
detain anyone unable to provide their driver’s license or other "proof"
document. HB 87 allows for anyone forgetting their driver's license to
be jailed even after release would normally be required without
probable cause. It also re-introduces the secure and verifiable
document issue, something that has landed the state in the courts as a
defendant for the way Georgia tried to use it in election law...
another action that could cost the state significant legal bills to
defend.

“This bill is a reaction to a poor national immigration policy, and it acts
to treat a symptom, rather than cure the underlying illness. That
illness is the cost of the welfare state, and neither Democrats nor
Republicans are willing to address it,” explained Brett Bittner, the
Party’s Executive Director. “Instead, they’ve politicized the
immigration issue to the point that we can no longer have a discussion
about a solution that works for every Georgian.”

“Our main economic engines, agriculture, poultry, and manufacturing, will be
hit hardest by the proposed legislation,” Bittner says further. “They
will find themselves with an increased cost of labor and compliance, or
they will simply close up shop, because the arduous regulations are
simply too much.”

Currently, HB 87 has been placed in the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee,
chaired by HB 87 co-sponsor Rep Rich Golick (R-Smyrna), where it is
scheduled to have a hearing this Friday, February 4, at 9:30am. Others
listed as co-sponsors include Katie Dempsey (R-Rome), Rick Austin
(R-Demorest), Stephen Allison(R-Blairsville), and Edward Lindsey
(R-Atlanta).

The Libertarian Party is Georgia’s third largest political party and the
only party in Georgia promoting fewer taxes, less government and
personal liberty for all Georgians. To learn more, please visit www.LPGeorgia.com

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Ron and Rand Paul Introduce “Audit the Fed” Legislation in House and Senate

2011-01-27T07:04:00.000-05:00

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Congressman Ron Paul and his son, Senator Rand Paul, today (January 26) introduced companion legislation in both chambers of the United States Congress to require a full and thorough audit of the Federal Reserve.

The bills, both titled The Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2011, but known better as “Audit the Fed,” are numbered H.R. 459 in the House and S. 202 in the Senate and continue the efforts championed by Ron Paul last year that won 320 co-sponsors before passing the House and 32 cosponsors in the Senate before falling short on a floor vote.

H.R. 459 starts the session with 56 original bipartisan cosponsors, while Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) are original cosponsors for S. 202.

The Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2011 would open up the Fed’s funding facilities, such as the Primary Dealer Credit Facility, Term Securities Lending Facility, and Term Asset-Backed Securities Lending Facility to Congressional oversight and audit by the non-partisan Government Accountability Office. Additionally, audits would include discount window operations, open market operations, and agreements with foreign central banks such as ongoing dollar swap operations with European central banks.

Public polling conducted by Rasmussen Reports in December 2010 indicated that 74 percent of the American People demand transparency at the Fed and support a full audit as called for in the Audit the Fed legislation. In 2009 and 2010, Campaign for Liberty generated over 2.5 million grassroots contacts to federal lawmakers in support of Audit the Fed.

“The Federal Reserve and its loose money, easy credit policies are the culprit for so many of the dire economic problems we face. Americans continue to demand transparency at the Federal Reserve, and Campaign for Liberty is proud to lead the fight to make this legislation the Law of the Land,” said Campaign for Liberty President John Tate. “All across the country, grassroots citizens are uniting behind Ron and Rand Paul and will demand this audit, this year.”

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Westmoreland Reacts to the State of the Union

2011-01-26T14:32:00.000-05:00

As the U.S. Constitution requires, President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress to deliver his annual State of the Union speech. As was expected, the president’s address mainly centered on his goals for economic recovery. Although little of the speech included specific plans or initiatives, he focused his economic goals on increasing federal spending and growing the size of government as a response to the economic issues that continue to plague this country. Below is Congressman Lynn Westmoreland’s (GA-03) statement.

“This speech was President Obama’s opportunity to announce to Americans that he heard them at the polls in November and was ready to abandon his liberal agenda and shift to a more fiscally responsible style of governing. Instead, he used his State of the Union address as a means to continue to promote his unpopular idea that more government is good government and perpetuate his mantra of ‘spend now, pay later.’

“He can use as many different words as he would like. I own a thesaurus too. And I know that every time the president promoted the importance of federal ‘investment,’ he was actually promoting increased government spending. Our national debt is already more than $14 trillion and is well on its way to becoming larger than the size of our entire economy. Increasing spending, which, by the way, really means increasing borrowing from countries like China who we are currently competing with in the global market, is irresponsible, plain and simple.

“I believe in the power of the free market. I believe private industry grows the economy and creates jobs. I believe the hard work of Americans striving to be better, to improve their lives, to make this country better for our children and our grandchildren – I believe those are the things that fuel our economy. Growing government only stifles economic development, innovation, and job growth. This country grew to the number one economy in the world three times over by promoting growth in private industry – not relying on the federal government,” stated Westmoreland.

Small Business Group Responds to President Obama's State of the Union

2011-01-26T11:48:00.000-05:00

/PRNewswire -- In response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, the nation's leading organization dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and protecting small business issued the following response:

"Entrepreneurs are heartened to hear that President Obama wants to make the U.S. the best place on earth to do business. Indeed, across the globe, nations are cutting taxes, simplifying their tax systems and reducing regulations to make it easier to start up and grow a business. Developed and emerging countries alike have quickly adapted to the competitive environment and are reaping rewards in their aggressive efforts to attract capital and business investment. President Obama has awoken to this realization, and mere rhetoric alone will not change the competitive dynamic. Entrepreneurs and investors must now see dramatic changes on the policy front. This means, immediately locking in a pro-growth tax system, restraining the regulatory tide that is sweeping over every sector of our economy and reducing government spending," said Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) President & CEO Karen Kerrigan.

SBE Council chief economist Raymond J. Keating added: "While the President's pro-business rhetoric is encouraging, other specifics in his speech were disappointing. First, his explicit call for a tax increase on upper-income earners showed that he still fails to grasp that such a tax hike on entrepreneurs and investors would be bad for the economy. Second, his call, in effect, for higher taxes on oil companies in order to subsidize other energy sources reveals a desire for politics to overrule markets, with the result being higher costs in the end. And third, he took one step forward on trade, by urging Congress to approve the South Korea trade deal, but two steps back by failing to push ahead now with the Panama and Colombia accords."

Kerrigan concluded: "We look forward to working with President Obama and Congress in the critical areas of reducing regulation and simplifying the tax system. Leadership and action are desperately needed on these issues if the U.S. is to become more competitive in the global economy. Furthermore, small business owners have substantive ideas for improving the health care overhaul bill that was enacted into law. We only hope the Administration will listen to our solutions this time around."

SBE Council is a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy and research organization dedicated to protecting small business and promoting entrepreneurship. For more information, please visit: www.sbecouncil.org .

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Libertarian response to State of the Union and Republicans

2011-01-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

This evening (January 25), Libertarian Party Executive Director Wes Benedict spoke in response to the addresses from President Barack Obama and Congressman Paul Ryan.

A transcript of Mr. Benedict's speech follows:

Good evening and thank you for your interest in the State of our Union.

My name is Wes Benedict. I'm the executive director of the Libertarian National Committee here in Washington, DC. The Libertarian Party stands for free markets, civil liberties, and peace.

Tonight we heard from President Barack Obama and a response from Republican Congressman Paul Ryan.

President Obama says he wants a freeze in non-security, discretionary spending. In the unlikely event that happens, it won't really matter, because to make a real dent in the deficit, it's necessary to cut spending on the military and entitlements. The president promised big government in the past, and he delivered. I expect more of the same.

However, Obama has truly been a hypocrite on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a candidate, he promised to end them. Tonight we heard more hollow promises. The fact is, as president, he has kept those wars going, and has greatly escalated the war in Afghanistan. As a percentage of GDP, military spending is higher now than it was during any year of the George W. Bush administration.

Unlike President Obama, Libertarians would bring our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan, and reduce the military budget.

On the Republican side, I found Congressman Paul Ryan's hypocrisy appalling. He claims to want big cuts in government spending. But he didn't seem to be too worried about cutting spending when Republicans were in charge. He supported the huge Medicare expansion in 2003, and the expensive No Child Left Behind Act in 2001. He supports the expensive War on Drugs. In 2008, he put hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars at risk by voting for the massive TARP bailout, and he even voted to spend billions on the GM and Chrysler bailout.

Just one month ago, Congressman Ryan voted for the tax compromise that included a big increase in unemployment spending, and even extensions of government spending on ethanol.

Republicans don't want to cut spending -- they want to talk about cutting spending.

Congressman Paul Ryan is a perfect example of why Republicans are bad for America.

Republicans' plans for Social Security and Medicare are little more than a distraction. It's time for someone to have the guts to tell seniors the truth: You were promised way too much, and now we've got to make major cuts. I'm asking retirees to think about the enormous debts piling up on your children and grandchildren.

Libertarians would stop spending billions on bailouts, the War on Drugs, federal education programs, and we would end mandatory Social Security and Medicare.

Today, America is a country that attracts hardworking immigrants from Mexico and around the world, leaving countries that are less free and prosperous. Libertarians welcome these immigrants warmly. But I often wonder if -- in 20 years -- America will still be a great place to live, or if it will be another declining civilization fraught with poverty and abuse that your children want to leave.

The future of America may depend on the Libertarian Party steering us towards liberty and away from tyranny.

The Libertarian Party is America's third-largest party, and one of the most successful alternative parties in American history.

We are recruiting bold, principled men and women dedicated to freedom to fill leadership positions and to run for office as Libertarians.

You don't have to agree with every single Libertarian position to join the Libertarian Party. You can still make a difference and help us move our country towards freedom.

The Libertarian Party has more information at our website, LP.org. Please visit LP.org and join the Libertarian Party today.

Thank you and good night.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Military Families Seek Injunction Against Department of Defense Over Therapy Denied to Children With Autism

2011-01-25T09:17:00.000-05:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Military families have filed a motion for an injunction to mandate that the Defense Department's insurer, TRICARE, cover medically necessary care needed by military families' children with autism. The motion seeks a mandate that TRICARE cover the cost of Applied Behavior Analysis therapy, or ABA, which is effective in treating children with autism spectrum disorder.

According to the military families, without ABA therapy at an early age, children with autism will suffer irreparable harm. The motion alleges that numerous studies and medical professionals confirm the effectiveness of ABA therapy, yet the Defense Department continues to reject military families' claims for the therapy, relying on shifting rationales.

The case is entitled Berge v. United States of America, et al., No.10-cv-00373-RBW (D.DC), assigned to Judge Reggie B. Walton.

The military families allege that for approximately 10 years the Defense Department and TRICARE have avoided paying for ABA therapy by incorrectly claiming it was "special education" and therefore not payable under the military insurance program. After the military families demonstrated in their written arguments that the Defense Department's position was incorrect, the Defense Department shifted and began claiming that ABA therapy is not proven to be "medically or psychologically necessary."

At a hearing before Judge Walton on November 15, 2010, Department of Justice lawyer, Adam Kirschner conceded: "Special education was not the basis of" our denial of the therapy. Thus, after a decade of taking the position that ABA was "special education," the Defense Department has now abandoned that position and has contrived a new, equally erroneous, reason to not pay for the care.

Former Michigan State Senator, David Honigman, an attorney for the families, emphasized: "The Defense Department's shifting rationales for denying this therapy exposes the hollowness of its position. Time is of the essence for these children. Studies on ABA therapy emphasize that there is a small window of opportunity for these children to obtain maximum benefit from this therapy. If left to its own devices, the Defense Department would continue to keep this window of opportunity closed to these children."

Gerard Mantese, another attorney for the families, stated: "The Defense Department and the Department of Justice should do their homework and read the studies and reports, including the Defense Department's own internal documents, showing that ABA is the most effective therapy for treating autism. It is a slap in the face to these military families to deny therapy needed by their children, while these families are risking their lives for our country." In September 2010, Mr. Mantese was awarded the State Bar of Michigan's Champion of Justice Award for his work in taking legal steps to assist children with autism to access coverage for ABA therapy.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Protect Our Elections Calls on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to Step Down in Light of His Admission That He Falsified Twenty Years of Financial Disclosure Forms

2011-01-25T09:14:00.000-05:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, the watchdog group ProtectOurElections.org asked the U.S. Justice Department to bring criminal charges against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for making false statements on his AO 10 Financial Disclosure forms every year since 2003 by falsely swearing under criminal penalty that his wife Virginia had no non-investment income. http://www.velvetrevolution.us/images/Clarence_Thomas_DOJ_Letter.pdf Within six hours of the group's request, Justice Thomas announced that he had now amended not seven but 20 years of financial disclosure forms to include his wife's income. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Supreme_Court/justice-clarence-thomas-amends-financial-disclosure-reports-virginia/story?id=12750650 Justice Thomas said that he "misunderstood" the filing instructions which asked him to check whether his wife had any non-investment income, and had checked "none."

Virginia Thomas worked at the Heritage Foundation from 2003 through 2007 and earned at least $120,000 each year, according to the foundation's IRS Form 990s. She then went to work for Liberty Central in a paid position according to CEO Sarah Field. Last Friday, Common Cause revealed Thomas's false statements in a letter to the Administrative Office of the Courts. Coverage by the Los Angeles Times failed to note the criminal nature of the matter. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-thomas-disclosure-20110122,0,2413407.story

Each of the AO 10 Financial Disclosure forms signed by Justice Thomas states in Section IX that it is certified under oath as follows:

"I certify that all information given above ( including information pertaining to my spouse and minor or dependent children, if any) is accurate, true, and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief, and that any information not reported was withheld because it met applicable statutory provisions permitting non-disclosure." (Emphasis added.)

Under the signature box in bold capital letters is the following:

NOTE: ANY INDIVIDUAL WHO KNOWINGLY AND WILLFULLY FALSIFIES OR FAILS TO FILE THIS REPORT MAY BE SUBJECT TO CIVIL AND CRIMINAL SANCTIONS (5 U.S.C. app section 104)

According to the Department of Justice Handbook on Prosecutions, persons with expertise in law are presumed to act "knowingly and willfully," and a defendant's signature on a document can help establish willfulness and knowledge. See United States v. Tucker, 133 F.3d 1208, 1218 n. 11 (9th Cir. 1998) (noting that signature proved knowledge of contents of return); United States v. Mohney, 949 F.2d 1397, 1407 (6th Cir. 1991) (holding that signature is prima facie evidence that the signer knows the contents of the return); United States v. Drape, 668 F.2d 22, 26 (1st Cir. 1982) (finding that defendant's signature is sufficient to establish knowledge once it has been shown that the return was false).

If charged, Justice Thomas could face up to one year in prison and a criminal fine for each false statement charge, and a civil fine of up to $50,000 under 5 U.S.C. appendix section 104.

Justice Thomas's conduct is similar to that of an FBI employee who oversaw background investigations for the agency in San Francisco. Rachelle Thomas-Zuill stated on a financial disclosure form that she owned three properties with an outstanding mortgage debt of $866,000, when in fact she owned six properties and had a debt of more than $2.2 million. Thomas-Zuill, who joined the FBI 13 years ago, pleaded guilty last week to making false statements to a government agency, a felony. She will be sentenced April 7th by U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel in San Jose.

The Department of Justice civilly prosecuted two other recent false statement cases. In United States v. Dr. William L. Smith , a NASA scientist was charged with violating 18 U.S.C section 208(a), and he settled the case for a substantial fine. In United States v. John R. Van Rosendale , a DOE employee failed under 5 U.S.C. app. section 104 to file a termination financial disclosure report when he left his Government position. He was also fined.

"Yesterday, we asked the Department of Justice to bring criminal charges against Justice Thomas for his knowing and willful false statements under oath," said attorney and Protect Our Elections spokesman Kevin Zeese. "In response, Justice Thomas admitted that he made false statements on 20 years of disclosure forms, but that it was just a simple misunderstanding. How many criminal defendants have said the same thing but were not offered the same opportunity to correct or amend their statements before being prosecuted? How many cases has Justice Thomas sat in judgment of where people were charged with similar conduct? How many lawyers would have asked for Justice Thomas's recusal had the disclosure forms been accurate? Supreme Court Justices are supposed to know the law. Yet, Justice Thomas wants to be treated differently than others who committed similar conduct. His 'misunderstanding' excuse should be argued before a federal jury rather than to a committee that has no authority to grant him immunity from prosecution. No, Justice Thomas cannot be allowed to merely amend his forms without full accountability. We call for him to step down as Supreme Court Justice and for a complete independent audit of all cases in which he sat to determine if his lack of disclosure created a conflict of interest or undermined the fairness of the judgment. We also call for a criminal investigation by career prosecutors at the Department of Justice and an ethics investigation. Anything less would make a mockery of financial disclosure law, undermine respect for the law, and create the appearance that those in powerful positions can violate the law with impunity."

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Mayors, Martin Luther King III and Family Members of Gun Violence Victims Urge Congress to Fulfill Intent of Historic 1968 Gun Law and Fix Nation's Broken Background Check System

2011-01-24T12:13:00.000-05:00

/PRNewswire/ -- The bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, led by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, was joined by Martin Luther King III and dozens of survivors and family members of gun violence victims to launch a national campaign urging Congress to take two simple but critical steps to fix our nation's broken background check system: 1) fulfill the letter of the historic 1968 gun law and ensure that all names of people prohibited from buying a gun are in the background check system; and 2) fulfill the intent of the historic 1968 gun law by subjecting every gun sale to a background check.

"The time has clearly come to finally fulfill the intent of the common sense gun law passed after the 1968 assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, by creating a loophole-free background check system for the sale of firearms," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Every day, 34 Americans are murdered with guns – and most of them are purchased or possessed illegally."

"There are those who fail to truly read the 2nd amendment," said Mayor Menino. "They ignore the need for a common sense approach to guns in our communities. The best way to respond to the heinous acts of violence we have seen in our nation's history is to prevent them from ever happening again. Lax screening in response to these tragic shootings is no virtue."

"For decades we have tolerated senseless gun violence, which has struck down too many of our fellow citizens, particularly our young people," said Martin Luther King III, President and CEO of the King Center. "If we want to create a nonviolent society, we must enforce our public safety laws to keep the angry and dangerous few from destroying the peace and harmony of the many. I wholeheartedly join Mayor Bloomberg in calling on the President and Congress to finally deliver on the long unfilled promise to make sure that every gun buyer passes a background check. It is unconscionable to do anything less."

"President Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy, my uncle and my father, dedicated their lives to serving their country," said Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and eldest child of Robert F. Kennedy. "But because of assassins armed with guns, they both made the ultimate sacrifice, and their lives of service were cut short. The 34 Americans whose lives are cut short by a gun each day may not be presidents or senators, but each life is a future cut short, a life of accomplishments left undone, and a family torn apart. We owe a duty to each victim to make their life, and their sacrifice, a part of the national movement to fix our gun background check system so it is thorough, complete and comprehensive."

"We've learned from recent shootings that it is vital that the federal gun background check system have accurate and complete information on people prohibited from possessing firearms," said former Attorney General Michael Mukasey. "President Bush supported and Congress passed a piece of the necessary reform in 2007 after Virginia Tech, and it has had a significant impact by more than tripling the number of mental health records in the system. But it is clear, particularly after Tucson, that it was just one step on a longer path toward the effective and comprehensive background check system we need. I applaud America's mayors for their efforts to build a better system."

"As Governor of Vermont, I received an A-rating from the NRA and I strongly support the right of law-abiding Americans to own a gun," said Howard Dean. "I also believe with equal strength that felons, drug abusers, and the mentally ill have no right to guns. In fact, that's been the law in our country for 43 years since the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy. What we need now is a background check system that works to enforce the law – one that ensures that every record is in the system that belongs there and that every gun buyer goes through a background check. I stand with America's mayors in their effort to make the system work."

Historic 1968 Legislation

In 1968, after the assassinations of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Congress, at the urging of President Johnson, passed a law establishing the common-sense concept that certain categories of people including convicted felons, the mentally ill, and known drug abusers should not be allowed to possess or purchase guns.

Because no system was created for actually translating its intent into reality, the effectiveness of the 1968 act was undermined. It was not until 1993, when President Clinton signed the Brady Bill, that a national instant background check system, designed to prevent mentally unbalanced people from obtaining firearms, was created to help enforce the 1968 law.

It has become clear that the Brady Bill was not enough to fulfill the intent of the historic 1968 gun law. The Columbine High School shooters used guns that were purchased without a background check at a gun show. The Virginia Tech shooter passed a background check when he should have failed it due to his record of mental health problems.

In April 2007, after the Virginia Tech massacre which claimed the lives of 32 people, Congress passed the NICS Improvement Act to submit all the required records into the background check system. Congress has failed to provide enough funding to support these efforts. In FY 2010, Congress allocated $20 million to support state initiatives to submit records to the background check system, only 5% of the $375 million authorized by the NICS Improvement Act.

Millions of records of individuals who are prohibited by law from buying guns are still missing from the database. Ten states have not submitted any mental health records to NICS and 18 states have submitted fewer than 100 mental health records.

Two Simple Ideas

Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan coalition of more than 550 mayors, proposes that the U.S. fulfill the intent of the 1968 law by fixing the broken background check system.

First, the system should contain all the records of felony convictions, domestic violence incidents, drug history, and determinations of mental illness that would prevent those categories of troubled people from buying guns. The new Congress should set a goal of getting this job finished within three years.

Second, Congress should subject every gun sale to a background check by closing the loopholes that permit guns to be sold without them. Licensed gun dealers are covered by the Brady Bill. But "occasional sellers," for example those that sell firearms at gun shows, through classified ads or even on the internet, do not have to conduct background checks. The only way to prevent guns from falling into the hands of violent criminals, the mentally unstable, and other already prohibited dangerous persons is through a comprehensive national background check system with no loopholes. Reasonable exceptions would include, for example, transfers of guns within families, or by wills, or to people who have a valid state-issued gun permit issued within the last five years that meets or exceeds the Federal background check standard.

The Mayor and Martin Luther King III were joined by a number of survivors and family members of gun violence victims to call attention to the fact that 34 people in the United States lose their lives to gun violence every day. Among them were: Tom Mauser, father of Daniel Mauser, a victim of the 1999 Columbine High School tragedy; Omar and Randa Samaha, whose sister was shot and killed at Virginia Tech in 2007; Lynnette Alameddine, whose son was killed at Virginia Tech in 2007; Lori Haas, whose daughter survived 2 gun shots in the back of the head at Virginia Tech; and Jeannette Richardson, whose son was killed in the front yard of her home in Virginia in 2003; Toby Hoover, whose husband, Dale Stone, was shot in 1973 in Ohio; Sally Sheasby, whose son was shot and killed in Ohio in 2005; Deborah Sohovich, whose son was shot and killed in Columbus, Ohio; Rebecca Pryor, whose friend was shot and killed in Pennsylvania; Rev. Donald and Kim Odom, parents of Steven Odom who was shot and killed in 2007; and Bryan Miller, brother of Mike Miller, an FBI agent who was shot and killed in 1994 and director of public advocacy for Heeding God's Call.

New York City area family members and survivors include: Steven and Patty McDonald, Steven is a NYPD police officer who was shot in the line of duty, his wife, Patty McDonald, is the Mayor of Malverne, NY; Vada Vasquez, a student at Bronx Latin High School who was shot as she walked home from school in 2009; Tatyana Timoshenko, mother of Russel Timoshenko, an NYPD officer who was shot and killed in 2007; Kenny McLaughlin, a teacher at Grand Street Campus High School in Brooklyn, who was shot during a 1996 mugging in Brooklyn; Arlene and Jack Locicero, parents of Amy Locicero Federici, who was shot and killed in the 1993 Long Island Rail Road massacre; Gloria Cruz, whose 10-year niece was shot and killed, and established the Bronx chapter of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence; Devorah Halberstam , whose son was murdered in 1994 in a terrorist attack on the Brooklyn Bridge; and Shaina Harrison, whose cousin was shot and killed in 2009 and is working with New Yorkers Against Gun Violence.

Also, joining the group was Rev. James Coen, Pastor of the Oak Ridge Presbyterian Church, where Phyllis Schneck, one of the Tucson victims was an active member.

www.fixgunc h ecks.org

Mayors Against Illegal Guns today launched a new online advocacy campaign, www.fixgunchecks.org to call attention to the glaring problems in our nation's gun background check system, and allow citizens to join a movement to fix it.

Poll Finds Strong Support for Common Sense Improvements

The week after the Tucson shooting Mayors Against Illegal Guns released the results of a poll conducted jointly by Momentum Analysis, a polling firm with Democratic clients, and American Viewpoint, a polling firm with Republican clients. The poll reveals that Americans and gun owners strongly support a sensible approach to gun laws that protects the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans while also keeping criminals and other dangerous people from accessing firearms.

The poll of over 1,000 registered voters was conducted the week after the Tucson shooting. According to the poll, 90 percent of Americans and 90 percent of gun owners support fixing gaps in government databases that are meant to prevent the mentally ill, drug abusers and others from buying guns. Also according to the poll, 86 percent of Americans and 81 percent of gun owners support requiring all gun buyers to pass a background check, no matter where they buy the gun and no matter who they buy it from.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Members of the Bipartisan Policy Center's National Transportation Policy Project Call for New Approach to Transportation Funding

2011-01-21T11:50:00.000-05:00

/PRNewswire/ -- A new report released today, authored by two members of the Bipartisan Policy Center's (BPC) National Transportation Policy Project, called on the Administration and Congress to change their approach to transportation policy saying that "the nation can no longer afford to support poorly targeted investments when the needs are so great and public resources are so constrained." The report authors, Douglas Holtz-Eakin and Martin Wachs, spoke at a press conference to release the report in Washington, D.C.

"The future of transportation policy is central to economic policy. Despite what has long been argued, investments in transportation infrastructure are not guaranteed to create jobs and simultaneously grow the economy. We must ruthlessly focus on economic growth, immediately and in the future," said Dr. Holtz-Eakin. "The need for investment is clear: our roads are deteriorating and our transportation systems are not equipped to handle increasing capacity. Still, we cannot devote additional dollars, much less borrowed dollars, to transportation programs that provide an uncertain number of jobs and no lasting economic benefit."

The report, Strengthening Connections Between Transportation Investments and Economic Growth, outlines three specific policy changes the Administration and Congress can make to ensure that scarce public dollars are spent wisely and, at the same time, create employment opportunities in the short-term and contribute to the nation's economic recovery in the long-term.

First, the report recommends that no new funds be allocated to existing transportation programs if they provide questionable job-creation, unclear long-term benefits or if the programs are solely an effort to increase short-term employment. Second, investments should be directed to programs that are both "shovel-ready" and provide long-term benefits. These investments can help ease unemployment while also building the nation's economic future. Finally, federal transportation investments should not be constrained by the silos and restrictions that dominate the federal government's existing surface transportation program. "Instead of focusing on how the money is spent – that is, on whether funds go to operations versus capital or to highway versus transit – the focus must shift to the outcomes being achieved with a particular expenditure," said the report. "If the most pressing outcomes at this point in time relate to job creation and long-term economic recovery, both of those outcomes should drive decisions about how to allocate federal resources and measure progress."

"In addition to addressing long-term transportation-related objectives including safety, energy independence, and environmental sustainability, Congress should consider investments that result in higher productivity," said Dr. Wachs. "These investments will improve economic well-being by increasing connectivity and accessibility to jobs while reducing congestion. Ideally, there is an approach to transportation investment that advances both goals - enduring productivity gains and immediate job creation. To do this, there must be flexibility within the system to pursue the highest returns on spending."

The BPC's National Transportation Policy Project is a group dedicated to reforming federal surface transportation policy in a way that ensures federal investments are held accountable for demonstrating results toward the achievement of national goals. Its members include former Republican and Democratic members of Congress, local-elected officials, business and civic leaders, and transportation stakeholders and experts. The project released its blueprint for surface transportation reform, Performance Driven: A New Vision for U.S. Transportation Policy, in June 2009.

"We have repeatedly argued that not all transportation investments are equally effective, and that future transportation spending must be driven by considerations of economic merit and guided by clearly articulated federal goals, including economic growth, metropolitan accessibility, environmental protection and energy security, and safety," said JayEtta Hecker, Director of Transportation Advocacy at the BPC. "The report released today emphasizes the need for long-term returns rather than just short-term gains."

Read the full report at http://bipartisanpolicy.org/library/research/transportation-investments.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

The Libertarian Party of Georgia Welcomes Changes To Handling Drug Offenders, Favors Decriminalization Instead of Growing Government

2011-01-21T09:03:00.000-05:00

In his inaugural speech, Governor Nathan Deal addressed an issue that the Libertarian Party of Georgia has long been aware of, the unusually high number of residents currently tracked by the Department of Corrections. “One out of every 13 Georgia residents is under some form of correctional control,” said Deal, adding that the total operational cost of the Georgia Department of Corrections is approximately $3 million a day. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the state of Georgia has about 53,000 residents currently in jail, and 1,500 of those have a prevailing offense of possession of methamphetamine, crack, or cocaine. Reducing the number of nonviolent drug offenders currently in the state’s custody would dramatically reduce the operating costs of the corrections department.

The program the Governor has in mind to reduce these numbers is an expansion of the state’s 28 drug courts, one of which his son, Hall County Superior Court Judge Jason Deal, is in charge of. While it is true that the operating costs of the drug courts are drastically lower than the operating costs of processing the same offenders in the state’s prisons (a report from the Department of Audits in 2005 lists that savings as $10,293 per individual), the expansion of the courts themselves is an expansion of the state’s government, an expansion that would cost money to establish, and one that the Libertarian Party of Georgia opposes.

“Decriminalization of simple possession of marijuana does not equate to legalizing the substance,” explained the Libertarian Party of Georgia’s Executive Director, Brett Bittner. “Decriminalization would be treated by our legal system in a manner similar to a speeding ticket, where the offender, possessing less than a predetermined limit, would be required to pay a fine before his or her court date. The removal of six words from Georgia's Official Code would keep officers from arresting those in possession, judges from adjudicating bail hearings, county jails from being overrun with those who await trial, and allow the police, courts, and prisons to do what they were designed to do, which is find and keep the violent criminals behind bars.”

Reducing the number of Georgia residents behind bars for nonviolent offenses is a move the Libertarian Party supports, but not in a way that expands the current reach of the state’s government. Their position is that decriminalization would be more effective in that reduction, while also reducing costs as well as the size and scope of government in the state.

The Libertarian Party is Georgia’s third largest political party and the only party in Georgia promoting fewer taxes, less government and personal liberty for all Georgians. To learn more, please visit www.LPGeorgia.com

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Secretary of State Kemp Reminds Voters of Early Voting Period in State House Districts 136 and 178 Special Elections

2011-01-20T12:17:00.000-05:00

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp reminded voters today that early in-person voting has started for the Tuesday, February 15 Special Elections to fill the vacancies in state House Districts 136 and 178. Early in-person voting ends on Friday, February 11. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Friday, February 11; mail-in ballots must be received by the voter’s county elections office by the close of polls on Election Day.

The elections are non-partisan Special Elections with no party primary. However, each candidate’s party affiliation, if any, will be listed on the ballot.

The election for state House District 136 will occur in Crawford County and portions of Bibb, Houston, Lamar, Monroe, Peach and Upson Counties. The election for state House District 178 will occur in Brantley and Pierce Counties and a portion of Wayne County.

Secretary Kemp reminded voters to utilize the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page (MVP) voter education website before participating in the Special Election. The MVP website allows voters to view their sample ballot, find the early voting locations in their county and their Election Day polling location, check their registration status, track the status of their mail-in ballot and more. The MVP website can be accessed at www.sos.ga.gov/mvp.

Secretary Kemp also encouraged Georgians to assist his agency with preventing election fraud. The Stop Voter Fraud website allows Georgians to report questionable election activity online or via the Stop Voter Fraud hotline. Citizens who witness questionable election-related activity can submit a Stop Voter Fraud form at www.sos.ga.gov/StopVoterFraud or call the Secretary of State’s Voter Fraud Hotline at 877-725-9797.

Voters who cast their ballot early in-person or on Election Day will be required to show one of the following forms of photo ID:

· A Georgia driver’s license, even if expired;

· Any valid state or federal government issued photo ID, including a free Voter ID Card issued by your county registrar or Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS);

· Valid U.S. passport;

· Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state;

· Valid U.S.. military photo ID; or

· Valid tribal photo ID.

If a voter does not have one of these forms of photo identification, they can obtain a free voter ID card at their county registrar’s office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services. Photo identification is not required when voting by mail. For additional information about Georgia’s photo ID requirement please visit www.GAPhotoID.com.

Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 15.

Brian Kemp was sworn in as Secretary of State in January 2010. Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting efficient and secure elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities and professional license holders. The office also oversees the Georgia Archives and the Capitol Museum.
---
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
Facebook: http://facebook.com/ArtsAcrossGA
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Georgia Tax Reform Report a Taxpayer Protection Pledge Violation

2011-01-10T14:21:00.000-05:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Today Americans for Tax Reform announced that a vote in favor of the recommendations of the 2010 Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians would violate the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, as it constitutes a net tax increase. 55 Georgia lawmakers, including Governor Nathan Deal, House Speaker David Ralston, and Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers have signed the Pledge, a written promise to constituents to oppose and vote against or veto all tax increases.

While the Council proposes some pro-growth reforms, such as the gradual reduction of personal and corporate income tax rates, they are more than offset with net tax increases. The income tax reductions amount to roughly $750 million in savings for Georgians, but tax increases on groceries, tobacco, communications services, the Internet and other services approach $2 billion. ATR believes that tax reform is a noble goal, but not when it constitutes a net revenue increase for state government.

ATR President Grover Norquist issued the following statement:

"In its current form, last week's tax reform proposal should be a non-starter for fiscal conservatives in the Georgia Legislature. While tax reform is indeed a laudable goal, it should not be presented in a way that increases the net burden on taxpayers and raises even more money for state government. Unfortunately, this report recommends just that.

"A significant reduction in marginal tax rates is long overdue in Georgia, which is wedged between two states – Tennessee and Florida – that levy no personal income tax at all. But if the goal is to use such reductions to mask bigger tax increases on groceries, tobacco, and a variety of services, it is not even worthy of a conversation.

"This is akin to shards of glass in a delicious creme brulee. It is a bit of desirable tax reform ruined by an overall tax hike. Thankfully, Taxpayer Protection Pledge signers run state government in Georgia. Because they have taken tax increases definitively off the table, I am confident that we can move past this initial foray into tax reform and begin a serious conversation about reducing the size and scope of state government in Atlanta."

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Taxing the Internet

2011-01-07T10:23:00.000-05:00

Remember the days when state taxes were not paid when you ordered that favorite item online? It seems like times are changing. How soon before all states tax the internet? What do you think about this?

Internet Tax Bill Passed in Illinois

/PRNewswire/ -- The Internet Tax Bill (HB 3659) was passed in the Illinois Senate on January 5, by the House of Representatives on January 6 and brought to the Governor, who may sign it into a law as early as Friday, January 7.

The tax legislation relates to out-of-state merchants like Amazon.com and Overstock.com that do not have a physical presence in Illinois but have relationships with Illinois advertisers and publishers like CouponCabin.com. By this law, these merchants are deemed to have a presence (nexus) in Illinois and are therefore required to collect Illinois sales tax.

The goal of this is to increase tax revenue for the state, but what has happened in the four states that have passed similar laws (New York, Colorado, North Carolina and Rhode Island) is that instead of collecting sales tax, these merchants have severed their relationships with publishers in that state. Twelve other states have rejected similar legislation.

Statement from Scott Kluth, Founder and President of CouponCabin.com:

"Needless to say, we are disappointed by the passing of the legislation today. It was disheartening that both Houses passed this bill in 30 hours without a full and fair opportunity for the voice of Illinois small businesses to be heard. CouponCabin has been rapidly growing for the past several years; in fact, in November, we were only 12% behind Groupon's monthly traffic. For the third straight year, our staff has doubled in size and has already grown by 12% in the first week of 2011. Unfortunately, this bill will do significant harm to our growth by cutting our business by nearly one-third. Chicago has been an amazing home for CouponCabin for more than seven years. We are grounded in the community with our business and our charitable work and have no plans to leave. We hope the State will see that this bill will fail to achieve its revenue-raising goal, and instead cause drastic hardship for small businesses like ours. We know from other states' experience that the tax revenue does not materialize. Should this bill become a law, Internet affiliate jobs will be lost with no increase in state revenue. The other states that have passed this are moving to repeal it for this exact reason. We hope consideration will be given to the impact on small businesses before this bill becomes a law."

------
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Libertarian Party of Georgia Announces Legislative Priorities for 2011 General Assembly Session

2011-01-06T11:45:00.000-05:00

The Libertarian Party of Georgia announced their focused priorities for the 2011 legislative session. With four major areas of focus, Tax Reform, Budget Process Reform, Election Reform, and defeating the Prescription Monitoring Act, the third largest political party in Georgia lays out how they hope to influence the legislative session that begins January 10th. Available on the Party's website, LPGeorgia.com, a four page document outlines their focus for the session.

"Georgia faces serious problems in the areas of taxation and spending, and the people of Georgia deserve serious solutions," said the Party's Legislative Director, Jeff Sexton. "The Libertarian Party of Georgia is committed to offering those solutions, working to allow voters genuine choices at the ballot box including the recall of officials the voters deem are not living up to expectations."

With a heavy focus on reforming taxation and budgetary processes, the Libertarian Party of Georgia demonstrates their commitment to lowering taxes for Georgians and limiting the size and scope of government. Urging the elimination of the corporate income tax, reform of SPLOST regulations, and lower tax rates with fewer exemptions make up the bulk of their Tax Reform proposals.

As one might expect, the Party also advocates for greater access to the ballot for all candidates, noting the strictest ballot access laws in the nation status that Georgia has received in recent years. They propose a bill similar to one introduced last session by Alan Powell (R-Hartwell), Rusty Kidd (I-Milledgeville) and Mark Hatfield (R-Waycross), which eliminated the need to collect petition signatures in order appear on the ballot. Such a bill would allow independent and "third party" candidates the same access to the ballot as their Republican and Democratic counterparts.

"Our focus is to make Georgia a better state," said Brett Bittner, the Executive Director of the Libertarian Party of Georgia. "We see these areas as places to accomplish that. Lower taxes, more choices, and smaller government are issues from which every Georgian can benefit, and we're working to achieve those objectives in our focused efforts this legislative session."

The Party also notes that they support the sale of alcohol on Sundays and oppose enacting the health care legislation, passed last year by the Federal Government, in Georgia.

The Libertarian Party is Georgia’s third largest political party and the only party in Georgia promoting fewer taxes, less government and personal liberty for all Georgians. To learn more, please visit www.LPGeorgia.com

------
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Westmoreland Stands Firm on Pledge to Cut Spending, Opposes Massive Funding Bill That Maintains Unsustainable Spending Levels

2010-12-22T09:08:00.002-05:00

After months of uncertainty and three continuing resolutions, today the House of Representatives passed yet another continuing resolution to fund the government through March 4, 2011. The legislation continued funding for the federal government at the current levels. Westmoreland opposed the legislation for its failure to cut spending to pre-stimulus levels.

“I made a promise to my constituents that I would fight to decrease federal spending and pay off the deficit,” stated Westmoreland. “This country cannot continue down the unsustainable path it is on without serious repercussions for our children and grandchildren.”

Each year, Congress must pass 12 appropriations bills to fund the federal government for the following fiscal year. Even though they currently hold a majority in both the House and the Senate and also have control of the White House, Democrats have been unable to fully fund any of the 12 appropriations bills for the 2011 fiscal year, which began October 2, 2010.

“I still cannot understand how congressional Democrats – who still maintain control of both the House and the Senate – have failed for the fourth time to pass responsible appropriations bills for the 2011 fiscal year,” stated Westmoreland. “Tough decisions need to be made in Washington and this whole idea of continuing to pass the buck is simply unacceptable to me. Once this legislation expires next March, I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass a fiscally responsible funding bill for the federal government for 2011 and return the proper legislative process for spending measures for the 2012 fiscal year.”

The legislation has passed both the Senate and the House and will now be sent to the president for his signature.

Libertarian Party of Georgia Congratulates New State Election Reform Council Member David Shock

2010-12-20T14:54:00.000-05:00

Georgia Secretary of State, Brian Kemp, announced this week the establishment of an Elections Advisory Council. This council was established in order to review the Georgia Election Code and State Election Board Rules. After reviewing these two sets of regulations, the Council will make suggestions in order to improve them. Particular attention will be paid to issues that will increase the efficiencies of state, county, and local governments, as well as cost-saving measures.

This Council includes members of the Democrat and Republican parties, as well as Independents, and Libertarian David Shock, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Kennesaw State University. "I want to thank Secretary of State Brian Kemp for creating the Elections Advisory Council composed of individuals representing the diverse geographic regions and political views of Georgia. As a member of the council, I hope to provide constructive feedback to help build a better electoral system in this state," said Shock, who joins other experienced elections officials and community leaders on the council.

"I commend Secretary Kemp for including a voice from the Libertarian Party of Georgia, especially one so well-respected and intelligent as David Shock," stated Brett Bittner, the Party's Executive Director. "I think that he realizes how important it is to have input from across the political spectrum and from all facets of government to provide the people of Georgia with the results that are the goal of this council. My hope for the Elections Reform Council is a recommendation for greater access to the ballot for all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, and more choice for the voters of Georgia, as a part of the reforms presented."

The Libertarian Party is Georgia’s third largest political party and the only party in Georgia promoting fewer taxes, less government and personal liberty for all Georgians. To learn more, please visit www.LPGeorgia.com

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Defeat of DREAM Act Gives Hope for True Immigration Reform in New Congress

2010-12-18T15:11:00.000-05:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), called the defeat of the DREAM Act amnesty "an important victory for the American people in their long-standing quest to achieve immigration reform that serves the public interest." Today's procedural vote in the Senate effectively blocks the lame duck 111th Congress from granting amnesty to millions of illegal aliens.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) attempted to use the lame duck session to approve a broad amnesty that is opposed by the majority of American voters. With more than 20 percent of its members no longer accountable to the American people, the House approved the DREAM Act amnesty earlier this month with no hearings, little debate, and no opportunity for members to offer amendments. In the Senate, Majority Leader Reid introduced multiple versions of the bill in a desperate attempt to gain votes while employing every parliamentary maneuver possible to defy the will of the American people.

"FAIR is heartened that senators rejected this cynical attempt by the congressional leadership to take advantage of the lame duck session to pass legislation that lacked public support in during the preceding 22 months," said Stein.

The DREAM Act would have granted amnesty to an estimated 2.1 million illegal aliens who could meet minimal eligibility requirements. Beneficiaries would have been eligible for government loans and assistance to pursue post-secondary education. According to the Congressional Budget Office, passage of the DREAM Act would have added significantly to the federal deficit once beneficiaries became legal permanent residents.

While the DREAM Act offered generous benefits to illegal aliens, the legislation offered nothing to the American people except greater competition for jobs, educational opportunities, and increased public costs. The bill included no provisions designed to improve enforcement of American immigration laws.

"The defeat of this unwarranted and expensive amnesty bill clears the way for meaningful efforts to implement true immigration reform in the new Congress," Stein stated. "With the DREAM Act and other amnesty proposals off the table, the 112th Congress will have an opportunity implement immigration reforms that place the interests and concerns of the American people ahead of those of illegal aliens.

"As the 112th Congress approaches, there is broad public and bipartisan consensus about many long overdue immigration policy reforms. Most importantly, the new Congress must ensure that our nation's borders are secure and that laws against illegal aliens living and working in the United States are enforced. Implementing these reforms would benefit American workers and taxpayers, and enhance our national security. The American people see no reason why these needed reforms should be held hostage to granting amnesty to the people who broke our laws," said Stein.

"We congratulate the 41 members of the Senate who blocked this shameful attempt by the leadership to use dozens of defeated and retiring members of Congress to pass harmful legislation that the American people clearly oppose," concluded Stein.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Westmoreland Votes in Favor of Pay Raise for Troops, Funding for Pentagon

2010-12-17T23:04:00.001-05:00

Language in the Defense Department Authorization Bill Also Provides for Columbus Veteran to Receive Much-Deserved Distinguished-Service Cross

Today, the House of Representatives passed the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for 2011, a bill that will provide funding for the Department of Defense for the 2011 fiscal year. This legislation was devoid of controversial language repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ or providing funding for abortions in military hospitals contained in the Senate version. Congressman Westmoreland supported the bill.

“I am pleased the House was finally able to pass a clean Defense Department authorization bill,” stated Westmoreland. “Not only does this bill include a much-deserved pay raise for our military personnel, it also increases funding for much-needed missile defense and additional funding for our troops serving on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan. If there is one thing we must do in Congress, it is to make sure our military receives the necessary funding to keep our troops as safe and secure as possible and keep Americans safe from harm.”

The bill also awarded Captain James C. Copley from Columbus, Georgia, the Distinguished-Service Cross for his acts of valor on May 5, 1968 as commander of Company C of the 1st Battalion, 50th Infantry, attached to the 173rd Airborne Brigade during an engagement with a regimental-size enemy force in Bin Dinh Province, South Vietnam. The army has a three year limitation on awarding Distinguished-Service Cross, so an act of Congress was needed to ensure Captain Copley received his deserved honor. Congressman Westmoreland worked with Senator Chambliss to include language to waive the statute of limitation and award Captain Copley the medal.

“I am proud to be able to finally honor Captain James Copley for his bravery and valor during his service in Vietnam,” stated Westmoreland. “While under heavy gunfire, Copley opted for an exposed position to facilitate the evacuation of friendly forces. During that evacuation, he suffered a severe gunshot wound that tore through his throat and back. However, he refused medical evacuation and continued his mission until all friendly forces were rescued. His unwavering bravery in the face of danger is a true credit to this country.”

The bill must still be passed by the Senate and signed into law by the president to take effect. On December 18, 2010, the government will run out of funding when the current continuing resolution expires, including the Defense Department, unless another continuing resolution is passed. Westmoreland encourages the Senate to pass this clean Defense Department authorization so we can ensure our troops receive the funding they need to defend our country.

Deal appoints McGinnitie as revenue commissioner

2010-12-17T22:20:00.000-05:00

Gov.-elect Nathan Deal today announced that he'll appoint Doug MacGinnitie as the next commissioner of the Department of Revenue. The outgoing commissioner, Bart Graham, has accepted the governor-elect's request that he join the Office of the State Treasurer, where he'll serve under State Treasurer Tommy Hills.

MacGinnitie is a former member of the Sandy Springs City Council. He served as COO of Grassroot Soccer, a nonprofit organization that uses soccer to save the lives of youth in southern Africa. He co-founded and served as chief operating officer and a director of Beecher Carlson, a commercial insurance brokerage firm headquartered in Atlanta. He is the former general counsel at Hobbs Group, former chief counsel for Georgia Pacific, and a former associate with Alston & Bird. He served as a law clerk on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. A four-year star on the Dartmouth soccer team during his college years, MacGinnitie was named Ivy League Player of the Year in 1988. He's also an Emory School of Law graduate.

Deal also announced today that he'll keep Debbie Dlugolenski as the OPB director and Chief Financial Officer. During her tenure at OPB, Dlugolenski has served as Deputy Director and Division Director for Physical and Economic Development. She was formerly the Assistant Commissioner for the Technical College System of Georgia and has also served as President of the Georgia Virtual Technical College and Sandersville Technical College. Dlugolenski is a graduate of the Georgia Environmental Leadership Program and the State of Georgia Executive Development Leadership Program. Dlugolenski serves on the board of the Georgia Lottery Corporation, State Road and Tollway Authority, One Georgia Authority and the Georgia Employee Benefits Council. Dlugolenski resides in Conyers and has three children and two grandchildren.

In new appointments:

Tonya Boga, director, Office of the Child Advocate. Boga lives in Marietta worships at First Baptist Atlanta. She currently serves as a Juvenile Court Mediator in the Cobb Judicial Circuit. She has represented children as a Guardian Ad Litem in both Juvenile Court and Superior Court for many years. She is a member of the National Association of Counsel For Children and has served as a member of the State Bar of Georgia's Children and the Courts Committee. After earning her law degree, she earned a Master of Laws degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law with a concentration in child and family law. She is a sole practitioner with offices in Marietta and Cartersville. She has been recognized by the State Bar and Cobb County Bar Association for her service and leadership.

Melvin Everson, director, Governor's Office of Workforce Development. Everson is completing his second term in the state House of Representatives, where he represented portions of Gwinnett. Previously, he served four years on the Snellville City Council. Everson spent 23 years in the U.S. Army. He and wife Gerri live in Snellville and have one adult son.

Harris Blackwood, director, Governor's Office of Highway Safety. Blackwood, of Gainesville, is a former newspaper editor and columnist who has also worked as a telecommunications executive. Most recently, Blackwood served on the staff of the Deal for Governor campaign. He is a deacon of the First Baptist Church of Gainesville and a trustee and former chairman of the Lanier Technical College Foundation. He and wife Allison have three adult daughters and a son.
\---
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
Facebook: http://facebook.com/ArtsAcrossGA
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Libertarian Party of Georgia Asks Republican Senators, "Why So Much Pork?"

2010-12-17T08:48:00.000-05:00

This week, Congress contemplates passage of a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill. With many criticizing the inclusion of 6,488 earmarks just weeks after Senate Republicans self-imposed an earmark moratorium, the Libertarian Party of Georgia is asking Republican Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss why they have 24 and 42 earmarks, respectively, in the proposed legislation.

In both the 2008 and 2010 re-election campaigns of the incumbent Senators, they stressed their fiscally conservative credentials during their respective campaigns against far more fiscally conservative Libertarian candidates Allen Buckley and Chuck Donovan. With a combined 66 earmarks, both Senators joined 33 other Republicans in packing the omnibus bill full of pork-barrel spending prior to the moratorium that both Chambliss and Isakson supported.

"My question to the Georgia Senators is this: Why, after running campaigns touting fiscal discipline and reducing Federal spending, are you back to 'business as usual?,'" said Brett Bittner, Executive Director of the Libertarian Party of Georgia. "Both Senators, along with their Republican colleagues, show us that they can 'talk the talk,' but they are unable to 'walk the walk.'"

While the self-imposed moratorium on earmarks is non-binding and did not pass as an amendment to S. 510, the recent food safety bill, the aversion to reducing federal spending on a small scale indicates that the Senate may not be taking the temporary earmark ban all that seriously.

"This is another example of our elected officials saying one thing to get elected, only to turn around and do the opposite once in office," stated Libertarian Party of Georgia Chairman, Daniel N. Adams. "I am curious to know how long this ruse will continue to be effective."

The Libertarian Party is Georgia’s third largest political party and the only party in Georgia promoting fewer taxes, less government and personal liberty for all Georgians. To learn more, please visit www.LPGeorgia.com

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Westmoreland Opposes Repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

2010-12-15T20:55:00.000-05:00

Today, the House of Representatives passed a repeal of the Department of Defense’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was a policy enacted under President Clinton to address gay or lesbian service men and women in American armed forces. Westmoreland opposed the bill.

“Congressional Democrats failed to pass legislation to fund the Defense Department and our troops, but have instead prioritized a bill that will bring a major cultural change in the military while we fight wars on two fronts,” stated Westmoreland. “Once again congressional Democrats and the White House are sending a message that Washington cares more about sticking to its liberal agenda than it does about providing funding for American soldiers risking their lives on the front line.”

The Pentagon conducted a nine-month study on the implications of repealing ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ and release a report detailing their findings. Of those findings, the report provided no guarantee that enacting such a change would be beneficial to military life, or that it would improve retention rates, increase readiness, or increase recruitment. With no guaranteed benefits, Westmoreland doesn’t see the need for enacting these disruptive changes.

“The military is no place for forcing social change,” stated Westmoreland. “So far, I haven’t seen anything that tells me repealing this law would have a positive impact on our soldiers. Until then, I could never support enacting this disruptive alteration while our nation is engaged in combat.”

Earlier this month, the chiefs of staff for the Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps raised their concerns during a Senate Armed Forces Committee as well. The legislation will now be sent to the Senate for a vote.

Deal: Obamacare ruling bodes well for Georgia

2010-12-13T18:11:00.002-05:00

Georgia's Gov.-elect Nathan Deal today said that the federal court ruling against Obamacare's mandates bodes well for Georgia's litigation against the law:

"I am encouraged by today's ruling," Deal said. "The people of Georgia can rest assured we will continue to fight as we move forward to ensure that Georgians don't lose their constitutional rights when it comes to choosing their health care. I look forward to working with Attorney Gen.-elect Sam Olens to see that our state continues to fight for the individual rights of Georgians. Our case is partnered with the state of Florida, so today's ruling doesn't directly affect our state's case, but it suggests that our argument is gaining steam in the court system. I do believe our position will win the day when one of these cases reaches the U.S. Supreme Court."

As the ranking member on the subcommittee on health in the U.S. House, Deal was the first member of Congress to publicly say the individual mandate was unconstitutional. Today's ruling backs up his assessment of the legislation's serious flaws.

"The fight against Obamacare in the courts is based on the constitutional rights of Americans," Deal said. "As the next governor of Georgia, I'm not only concerned about the law's encroachment on our rights but also about the crippling cost that this law will place on Georgia taxpayers. We're struggling every day to pay our current bills and keep our schools running efficiently. Adding billions in new health care costs to the state will crunch every priority in state government. We need serious changes to this law. The consequences to Georgia are too severe."

Westmoreland Encouraged by Decision Overturning Health Insurance Mandate

2010-12-13T16:54:00.001-05:00

Today, a federal judge in Virginia ruled the mandatory health insurance coverage required in the health care law enacted earlier this year is unconstitutional. In the opinion, U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson held the provision was an unprecedented expansion of federal power that is not supported by Congress’ power to regulate interstate trade, known as the Commerce Clause, thus making it unconstitutional. Below is Congressman Lynn Westmoreland’s comment on the ruling.

“I am encouraged by today’s decision overturning the insurance mandate within ObamaCare. After the Obama administration and Speaker Pelosi spent the last two years telling the American people they knew what was best, it turns out they didn’t – the center-piece of their liberal agenda has been rightfully ruled unconstitutional. I think I join many of my colleagues in Congress and the more than 59 percent of the American people who oppose this law when I do not express my surprise to this outcome. I encourage the Obama administration, rather than wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on appealing this case, to join Republicans in their fight to repeal this job-killing health care law and replace it with common sense reforms that will truly lower health care costs,” stated Westmoreland.

Pelosi Statement on Senate Failure to Advance 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal

2010-12-09T20:09:00.000-05:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement tonight after a vote to advance the Defense Authorization bill, which repeals the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, failed in the Senate.

"The failure of the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal, as part of the Defense Authorization bill, on a procedural vote in the Senate is a serious disappointment to the many who have worked so hard to close the door on a fundamental unfairness.

"Since the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' has broad support among Senators, our troops, and the American people, it is my hope that that the Senate will move forward with an alternative legislative method. The bipartisan proposal from Senators Lieberman and Collins provides renewed hope that progress is still possible in the Senate; an army of allies stands ready in the House to pass a standalone repeal of the discriminatory policy once the Senate acts.

"Moving forward to end the days of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' will honor the service and sacrifice of all who dedicate their lives to protecting the American people."

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Statement by Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis on President Obama's framework for bipartisan agreement to extend Unemployment Insurance, help middle-class families

2010-12-09T14:29:00.000-05:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement regarding President Obama's framework for a bipartisan agreement to extend Unemployment Insurance and help middle-class families. The framework includes $56 billion to extend Unemployment Insurance, a $120 billion payroll tax cut for workers, $40 billion in tax cuts for the nation's hardest-hit families and students, and 100 percent expensing for small businesses over the course of 2011.

"Yesterday President Obama laid out a thoughtful framework for a bipartisan agreement that would extend Unemployment Insurance and keep the taxes paid by middle-class families from increasing.

"By the president's own account, the agreement is not perfect. But it is crucial for American families and for the American economy.

"The framework avoids a $3,000 tax increase for the typical working family and ensures that millions of working-class Americans won't see their tax cuts go away next year either. It also continues the American Opportunity Tax Credit for households with college-bound students and the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income families. These are high-impact, job-creating tax cuts for working families.

"The agreement also provides a critical extension of unemployment benefits through the end of 2011. Without it, by the end of December, 2 million men and women looking for work would see their unemployment benefits come to an early end. Over the next year, their ranks would increase to more than 7 million people. For these individuals — none of whom were fired or quit, but who lost their jobs through no fault of their own — this means not having to worry their unemployment benefits could be eliminated abruptly as they search for jobs.

"This is a smart investment, not only in those who continue to look for work but for the economy as a whole. Every dollar that goes toward Unemployment Insurance generates $2 in economic activity. In fact, since the start of the recent recession, the Unemployment Insurance program has helped to boost gross domestic product by $315 billion. It also has saved an average of 1.6 million jobs per quarter.

"In addition to the UI extension, the president's framework includes measures for jump-starting growth and spurring private sector job creation. An important payroll tax cut will help more than 155 million workers and provide nearly $120 billion in tax relief next year. The president also fought for a provision that would temporarily allow 2 million businesses to expense all of their investments in 2011. This "complete expensing" could generate more than $50 billion in additional investment, and it would be the largest temporary investment incentive in American history.

"These are all important, responsible, temporary measures to support our economy that will not add costs by the middle of the decade. I share the president's belief that it is not affordable to make the high-income tax cuts permanent and look forward to that debate in the years ahead.

"In the midst of political rhetoric, it can be far too easy to lose sight of the fact that this economy belongs to all of us — whatever our income or employment status. The president understands that, and he is leading the way on a difficult but important compromise.

"I urge federal legislators to support this agreement, not just because it is the right thing to do for those who are desperately looking for work this holiday season but because it is the right thing to do for everyone in America."

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Hall County Commissioner Ashley Bell Switches Parties To The Republican Party

2010-12-09T13:56:00.002-05:00

Ashley Bell, former National President for the College Democrats of America, 2004 superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention and Hall County Commissioner, today changed his allegiance to the Republican Party.

Bell is the first African-American elected official to switch parties since the General Election.

“I’m joining the Republican Party because I’m a conservative and simply feel more at home as a Republican,” said Commissioner Bell. “I have worked to make government more efficient and less intrusive in citizens’ lives and plan to continue those efforts as a Republican.”

Bell made the announcement in a press conference with his wife, Lauren, Georgia Republican Party Chairman Sue Everhart and Georgia Black Republican Council Chairman Michael McNeely.

“We are excited that Commissioner Bell will help lead the way for many other conservative African Americans to leave the Democratic Party and join the Republican Party. We welcome all conservatives with open arms,” said GAGOP Chairman Sue Everhart.

“Party affiliation should not be an issue of race or geography. Mr. Bell shares the Republican Party’s conservative values and belief in common sense solutions to the problems facing Georgia,” Everhart said. “I am pleased to welcome such a strong and visionary leader.”

Westmoreland Opposed Passage of Amnesty Bill

2010-12-09T12:49:00.002-05:00

This week, the House passed the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. The DREAM Act is intended to grant residency status to those illegal immigrants who have been within United States borders illegally for the past 5 years upon their enrollment in an institution of higher education or enlistment within our military. Congressman Westmoreland opposed this legislation.

“This legislation creates a huge loophole that circumvents our immigration laws, allowing millions of illegal immigrants to be granted legal status in the United States,” said Westmoreland. “So basically, the DREAM Act is an amnesty bill disguised as education legislation.”

Beyond granting amnesty, the language of the DREAM Act goes further by providing subsidized education costs for those illegal immigrants who qualify under the program. Even more disturbing, the DREAM Act allows certain deportable criminals to stay within U.S. borders if it is determined that their deportation will cause what is defined as a “hardship” under the Act.

“While I agree that some serious changes within our immigration laws are needed, creating back door amnesty programs is simply not the way,” stated Westmoreland. “I believe that everyone should deserve an opportunity in this country, but while American citizens under the age of 35 are suffering through a 14.5 percent unemployment rate, we need to be taking steps to protect employment opportunities for them – not adding millions of new legal residents to compete for jobs with them.”

The United States already has an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living within its borders. Creating a program that incentivizes illegal immigration with legal resident status and subsidized tuition at our country’s top schools of higher learning will most likely only increase that number. The DREAM Act still must pass in the Senate and be signed by President Obama before it becomes law.

One Nation Divided Over Health-Care Reform

2010-12-06T10:23:00.000-05:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Americans remain deeply divided over the nation's new health-care reform package, with 40 percent of adults wanting to repeal all or most of the legislation while 31 percent favor keeping all or most of the reforms.

Another 29 percent aren't sure what should be done.

Those are several key findings in a new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll released today.

The conflicting views reflect divisions in Congress, where Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives in January following election gains at the polls last month. Many GOP representatives have pledged to dismantle—or, at the very least, curtail—the controversial legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama in March.

But the poll also uncovered an intriguing paradox: Many of those who want the health-reform law repealed favor keeping many of its key components.

Specifically, nearly two-thirds of poll respondents like that the law prevents insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. Sixty percent want to keep the provision of tax credits for small businesses that provide their employees with health insurance. While just over half support the law for allowing children to remain on their parents insurance until they are 26.

The poll released today surveyed 2,019 adults online between November 19-23, 2010 by Harris Interactive, one of the world's leading custom market research firms, and HealthDay, a leading producer and syndicator of health news.

"Additional poll results indicate that many Americans want to repeal the bill not because they dislike the specifics, but because they feel it is an expensive expansion of an already big government," said Humphrey Taylor, chairman of The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive's long-running public opinion poll. He continues, "81% believe it will it result in higher taxes, could lead to rationing of health care (74%), and reduce the quality of care they will receive (77%)."

Perhaps part of the explanation for this paradox was seen in a previous HealthDay/Harris Interactive poll which discovered that Americans have little knowledge of the specifics of the more than 2,500-page law. "There's a substantial gap in the general public understanding [but] the more informed people are, the more they understand," said Thomas R. Oliver, professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison.

"I think this suggests that as the public becomes more familiar with the law and how it will benefit them and their families, support will probably climb," said Sara Collins, vice president for Affordable Health Insurance at The Commonwealth Fund. She continues, "There's just a lag while immediate provisions are rolling out like young adult coverage."

The complete findings of the newest joint Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll are available. HealthDay's news report is available here. Full data on the poll and its methodology are available at Harris Interactive.

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States November 19 to 23, 2010 among 2,019 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Pelosi Statement on Passage of the Physician Payment and Therapy Relief Act

2010-11-29T16:45:00.000-05:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today after the House passed bipartisan legislation blocking the 23 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors, scheduled for December 1, for one month, while a longer-term fix is negotiated. The Senate passed the bill on November 18, and it now goes to President Obama for his signature into law:

"Today, the House of Representatives acted to ensure that America's seniors and military families can continue receiving the care they need and deserve from their doctors. This fully paid-for legislation provides doctors with the stability and support to continue providing vital services to all of their patients in the Medicare and TRICARE systems for the next month, while leaders from both parties work together on a longer-term solution before we adjourn.

"In taking this vote, Members of Congress have taken a clear stand on the side of seniors, service members, and the physicians and medical professionals who treat them."

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on US Senate's failure to pass Paycheck Fairness Act

2010-11-17T13:45:00.000-05:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement after the Senate's failure to invoke cloture (by a margin of 58 to 41) on S. 3772 – the Paycheck Fairness Act:

"I am deeply disappointed that the Senate did not pass this important piece of legislation today. But, the issue of pay equity is far too important to give up. I remain committed to the fight for this commonsense reform, and my department will redouble its efforts to ensure America's women are not treated as second class citizens by employers who refuse to compensate them in a fair and equitable manner.

"While the Senate fell short of the mark today, it is important to note that the Paycheck Fairness Act was approved by the House of Representatives almost two years ago. The bill was specifically designed to address the persistent gap between men's and women's wages. It tackles that challenge by enhancing enforcement and by closing loopholes in the 47-year old Equal Pay Act.

"Since the passage of the Equal Pay Act in 1963, the issue of women's pay has grown even more serious. Today, women are the sole or co-wage earner in two-thirds of American households. And, for a growing number of families, equal pay for women is not just a matter of principle. It is a matter of survival.

"Most people are surprised to learn that, despite decades of efforts since 1963, the wage gap has narrowed from 59 cents for each dollar a man makes to a still unbelievably paltry 77 cents in 2010. It is equally shocking that the gap has closed only 5 cents in the past 20 years. At that pace, it will take almost 100 more years for women to achieve pay equity. The situation is even worse for women of color. In fact, today, African-American women make 69 cents for every dollar made by a man. Latinas make just 60 cents.

"Granted, when women enter the labor market, the wage gap is usually small, and some groups of women have earnings on par with men. But, the gap grows substantially as men and women progress in their careers. Men get larger raises and promotions. And, even when women keep pace with promotions, they still fall behind in pay. That has major long-term economic implications. And, by the age of 65, the typical full-time working woman has about $365,000 less in earnings relative to a full-time working man. This gap in earnings follows women into retirement, resulting in smaller pensions and lower Social Security.

"As President Obama has said, 'Equal pay is by no means just a women's issue — it's a family issue.…And in this economy, when so many folks are already working harder for less and struggling to get by, the last thing they can afford is losing part of each month's paychecks to simple discrimination.'

"As a nation, we must continue to pursue pay equity with passion and determination. We owe it to women in America —those of years past, who worked so hard to build our country; those who carry that task on today; and, certainly, those who will shape our future in the workplace of tomorrow."

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Tea Party Group Fights Back: King Street Patriots File Counter Lawsuit Against Texas Democratic Party; Seeks to Overturn Sections of Texas Election Code as Unconstitutional

2010-11-15T14:03:00.000-05:00

/PRNewswire/ -- King Street Patriots, a group of concerned citizens in Houston, filed a counter lawsuit today against the Texas Democratic Party and at the same time are asking a judge to rule certain portions of the Texas Election Code governing political speech as unconstitutional.

The non-profit King Street Patriots made up of citizen volunteers dedicated to election integrity, are subjects of a lawsuit by the Texas Democratic Party that falsely claims the group broke state prohibitions against corporate campaign contributions and that it should have to register as a political organization and even reveal donor records. King Street Patriots, in an effort to protect their constitutional freedoms, is asking the judge to dismiss the lawsuit, force the Texas Democratic Party to pay attorneys fees and rule that sections of the Texas Election Code run afoul of the United States Constitution.

"By using state law to try to silence citizens' political speech, the Texas Democratic Party has brought a political slap lawsuit that has nothing to do with the rule of law and everything to do with political retribution," said KSP lead constitutional counsel James Bopp Jr., of the James Madison Center for Free Speech and architect of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Citizens United. "Our clients simply will not be intimidated by such despicable tactics. The only allegation against them is that they exercised their rights under the First Amendment, and we expect the Texas courts to vindicate those rights."

Although King Street Patriots is non-partisan, the group dedicated to keeping elections fair and free drew the ire of the Texas Democratic Party earlier this year after turning over to authorities questionable voter registrations in Harris County and training hundreds of volunteers as poll watchers there.

"It is outrageous that a group of American citizens who simply volunteered to get involved in the political process are forced into court by the Texas Democratic Party," said Kelly Shackelford, president and chief counsel of Liberty Institute, also representing KSP. "Using a political party to sue and attack citizens, and to try to reduce the Constitutional rights of all Americans, is a disgrace."

Liberty Institute is a nonprofit legal organization dedicated to protecting First Amendment rights and the Constitution. James Bopp, Jr. has a national federal and state election law practice. He is an attorney with Bopp, Coleson & Bostrom and General Counsel for the James Madison Center for Free Speech. He is also a former Co-Chairman of the Election Law Subcommittee of the Federalist Society.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Six-Point Economic Recovery Agenda Proposed

2010-11-12T10:50:00.000-05:00

/PRNewswire/ -- As Congress returns next week, swing election issues such as job creation, economic recovery and acceleration of economic growth should be foremost on their agenda. The National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) and the Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation (IRET) have proposed six pro-growth policies for immediate consideration:

* Extending the Bush tax cuts for everyone
* Allow immediate expensing of investment
* Extend the R&D tax credit and the patch for the alternative minimum tax (AMT)
* Reduce the corporate tax rate
* Eliminate individual and employer mandates to purchase insurance, and
* Repeal Medicare tax hikes.

Adopting these six policies are the most important step that Congress and the Administration can take to immediately and permanently reduce taxes on capital and labor, and therefore spur economic growth.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Rand Paul Urges Senate GOP to Ban Earmarks and Push for Balanced Budget Amendment

2010-11-10T07:49:00.000-05:00

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Senator-Elect Rand Paul today (November 9) released the following statement:

“In fact, I am joining Senators DeMint, Coburn, Toomey, Rubio, Lee and others in asking for a GOP caucus vote next week on banning earmarks entirely.”

“The American People are tired of politics as usual and are demanding fundamental reform that ends the overspending and rampant political patronage we see throughout Washington.

“As part of my commitment to this effort, I will not submit Earmarks and will vote against all Earmarks. Also, one of the first pieces of Legislation I introduce will be a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. Since there have been erroneous media reports on the subject in recent days, I wanted to be sure to correct the record. I will never Earmark. Period.

“In fact, I am joining Senators DeMint, Coburn, Toomey, Rubio, Lee and others in asking for a GOP caucus vote next week on banning earmarks entirely.

“I am very encouraged that the Senate GOP Conference will vote next week on this caucus-wide agreement to ban Earmarks as well as commit to passing a Balanced Budget Amendment.

“The fact that these votes are happening next week is powerful evidence that the TEA Party message is coming with full force to Washington. Ending Earmarks and passing a Balanced Budget Amendment are two key parts to the fundamental reform Americans are demanding, and I will never waiver in my commitment to fight for these and other crucial solutions to out-of-control Government spending and debt.”

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Pelosi Announces Run For House Democratic Leader

2010-11-07T10:52:00.000-05:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following letter to her Democratic colleagues Friday afternoon announcing that she will run to become House Democratic Leader in the next Congress.

Excerpt from her letter to Democratic colleagues:

"Our work is far from finished. As a result of Tuesday's election, the role of Democrats in the 112th Congress will change, but our commitment to serving the American people will not. We have no intention of allowing our great achievements to be rolled back. It is my hope that we can work in a bipartisan way to create jobs and strengthen the middle class.

"Many of our colleagues have called with their recommendations on how to continue our fight for the middle class, and have encouraged me to run for House Democratic Leader. Based on those discussions, and driven by the urgency of protecting health care reform, Wall Street reform, and Social Security and Medicare, I have decided to run."

* * *

Below is the full text of the letter:

November 5, 2010

Over the past several days, I have spoken with many Democratic colleagues about how to continue our fight for to make our country more secure and strengthen the middle class, create jobs, protect Social Security and Medicare, and promote the innovation, technology and education to make America Number One in the world. As always, I am inspired by the fighting spirit of our Democratic Members.

As you know, Democrats have produced historic legislation in the area of health care, veterans' benefits, women's rights, Wall Street reform, and cutting taxes for 95 percent of the American people and millions of small businesses. And we have restored fiscal discipline to the Congress by making the deficit-cutting Pay As You Go rules the law of the land.

These accomplishments have begun the difficult work of recovering from the worst economic collapse since the 1930s and, according to independent reviews, prevented our country from plunging into another Great Depression. As a result, numerous congressional experts call this the most productive Congress in a half century. This was only possible because our Members had the courage of their convictions and put the interests of the Country first.

Our work is far from finished. As a result of Tuesday's election, the role of Democrats in the 112th Congress will change, but our commitment to serving the American people will not. We have no intention of allowing our great achievements to be rolled back. It is my hope that we can work in a bipartisan way to create jobs and strengthen the middle class.

Many of our colleagues have called with their recommendations on how to continue our fight for the middle class, and have encouraged me to run for House Democratic Leader. Based on those discussions, and driven by the urgency of protecting health care reform, Wall Street reform, and Social Security and Medicare, I have decided to run.

I am writing to respectfully request your support and I look forward to hearing your views. Please let me know what you are thinking.

Thank you for your leadership and friendship.

best wishes,

Nancy Pelosi

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Gov.-elect Deal announces transition/inaugural team

2010-11-04T22:28:00.000-04:00

Gov.-elect Nathan Deal has announced the leadership of his transition and inaugural teams, who will serve in preparation for the beginning of his administration on Jan. 10.

Transition Team

T. Rogers Wade, Sandy Springs, transition chairman - Mr. Wade is the chairman and former president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. He has been active in the Georgia business and political community for more than 40 years. Wade and his wife, Marcia, are longtime residents of Sandy Springs.

Pete Robinson, Columbus, transition vice chair - Mr. Robinson is Chairman of Troutman Sanders Strategies, a full-service federal, state and local lobbying/issue management firm, and a partner in Troutman Sanders LLP. He is a former state senator from Columbus. He and his wife, Emily, have a daughter and two sons.

John K. Watson, Powder Springs, transition vice chair - Mr. Watson is the principal of real estate development at TPA Realty Services. Prior to his role at TPA Realty, he worked for more than 15 years in politics, government and business at the local, state, and federal levels. Watson previously served as chief of staff to Governor Perdue, general consultant to Perdue's campaign for Governor in 2002 and vice chairman of Governor-Elect Perdue's transition team. Watson earned a bachelor's degree from Wake Forest University. He and his wife, Kimberly, have two children.

Philip Wilheit, Gainesville, transition vice chair - Mr. Wilheit is the president of Wilheit Packaging, a provider of packaging materials for business. Active in state and regional business activities, he is a past chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Georgia, and serves as chairman-emeritus of Northeast Georgia Health System. He currently serves on the Georgia Board of Economic Development and is vice chair of the Board of Trustees of Brenau University. He and his wife, Mary Hart, have two children and three grandchildren.

Inaugural Leadership Team

Jay Morgan, Atlanta, inaugural co-chair - Mr. Morgan has been a trusted adviser to candidates, corporations and business associations with public affairs strategic plans. He has been involved at the highest levels of Republican politics in Georgia and throughout the Southeast since 1984, when he became the youngest Executive Director of a Republican Party organization in the country in his home state of Georgia. Morgan and his wife, Laura, a former presidential appointee in the George H.W. Bush administration, have three children: Caroline (19), Jason (16) and Victoria (13).

Tricia Pridemore, Marietta, inaugural co-chair - Mrs. Pridemore is a technology entrepreneur with several successful business ventures. She is also the state director of the 9.12 Project of Georgia, a conservative grassroots organization. Tricia is a member of board of the WellStar Foundation, the GAGOP Technology Committee and serves on the Cobb County Republican Party Executive Committee.
---
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
Facebook: http://facebook.com/ArtsAcrossGA
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Bauer Says Early Election Results a Referendum on Obama ... and Voters Have had Enough

2010-11-03T07:12:00.000-04:00

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former presidential candidate Gary Bauer Tuesday night said that the early election results were a "referendum on Obama, and the voters have rejected his agenda."

The chairman of the Campaign for Working Families, Bauer made the following statement:

"The night is young and the votes are still being counted. But judging from early indications it is clear that the American people have repudiated the leftwing agenda of higher taxes, more spending and bigger government. Democrats promised the country hope and change. Instead, we got a re-run of Jimmy Carter's "malaise days" - rising unemployment, out-of-control spending and ever-expanding regulations.

"There is no spinning the results: The 2010 election is a referendum on Obama and the voters have rejected his agenda of failed stimulus bills, cap and trade energy taxes, government takeovers, union bailouts and socialized medicine.

"The voters also sent a clear message about what they expect from Washington. By voting for conservative candidates, they are demanding fiscal responsibility, smaller government and more respect for traditional values.

"Tonight's results cannot come as a surprise to anyone. The signs have been there all along - from the Tea Party and town hall protests, to polls showing overwhelming opposition to ObamaCare, to the 2009 victories of Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie to Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts. Yet, Obama and congressional Democrats ignored them all. Today, the American people sent an unmistakable message: ENOUGH!

"With yet another and even larger rebuke at the ballot box, it is incumbent upon Barack Obama and congressional Democrats to stop pandering to left-wing special interest groups, abandon their ideological agenda and deliver on their promise of transparency and post-partisanship.

"This year the American people again voted for change in Washington. Now Republicans must regain their trust and work hard to restore their hope."

For more information on a conservative agenda, go to www.cwfpac.com.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Protecting the Right to Vote and Prosecuting Ballot Fraud

2010-10-28T07:51:00.000-04:00

In anticipation of the upcoming election, the department today (October 27) provided information about its efforts, through the Civil Rights and Criminal Divisions, to ensure that all qualified voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots and have their votes counted, without incidence of discrimination, intimidation or fraud.

Civil Rights Division:

The Civil Rights Division is responsible for ensuring compliance with the civil provisions of federal laws that protect the right to vote, and with criminal law prohibiting discriminatory interference with that right.

The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces civil provisions of federal laws that protect the right to vote including: the Voting Rights Act; the National Voter Registration Act; the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act; and the Help America Vote Act. Among other things, these laws prohibit discrimination based on race or membership in a minority language group; prohibit intimidation of voters; provide that voters who need assistance in voting because of disability or illiteracy can obtain assistance from a person of their choice; require minority language election materials and assistance in certain jurisdictions; provide for accessible election machines for voters with disabilities; require provisional ballots for voters who assert they are eligible but whose names do not appear on poll books; provide for absentee ballots for service members and U.S. citizens living abroad; and require states to ensure that citizens can register at driver license offices, public assistance offices and other state agencies; and include requirements regarding maintaining voter registration lists.

The Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section enforces federal criminal statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and suppression based on race, color, national origin or religion. As it has in the past, on Election Day, Nov. 2, 2010, the Civil Rights Division will implement a comprehensive program to help ensure ballot access that will include the following:

The Civil Rights Division will announce later this week which states will have federal personnel as election monitors and observers at polling places.

Civil Rights Division attorneys in both the Voting and Criminal Sections in Washington, D.C., will be ready to receive election-related complaints of potential violations relating to any of the statutes the Civil Rights Division enforces. Attorneys in the division will take appropriate action and will consult and coordinate with local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and with other entities within the Department of Justice concerning these complaints on and after Election Day, as appropriate.

Civil Rights Division staff will be available at special toll-free numbers to receive complaints related to ballot access (1-800-253-3931) (TTY line 1-877-267-8971). In addition, individuals can also report complaints, problems or concerns related to voting via the Internet. Forms may be submitted through a link on the department’s Web page: www.justice.gov/.

Criminal Division and the Department's 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices:

The Department’s Criminal Division oversees the enforcement of federal laws that criminalize voter fraud and protect the integrity of the federal election process.

The Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and the Department’s 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are responsible for enforcing the federal criminal laws that prohibit various forms of election fraud, such as vote buying, multiple voting, submission of fraudulent ballots or registrations, destruction of ballots or registrations, voter intimidation, alteration of votes and malfeasance by election officials, as well as federal civil law prohibiting voter intimidation that does not involve discrimination or intimidation on grounds of race or color.

The department’s Ballot Access and Voting Integrity Initiative requires that each of the department’s U.S. Attorneys’ Offices coordinate with state law enforcement and election officials before the federal general elections regarding the handling of election-related matters in their respective districts. In addition, the department provides annual training for the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who serve as District Election Officers (DEOs) in their respective districts, which the department conducted this year on Aug. 31 and Sept.1. DEOs are responsible for overseeing potential election crime matters in their districts and coordinating with the department’s election crime experts in Washington, D.C.

On Nov. 2, 2010, these offices will work together and with the FBI to ensure that complaints from the public involving possible voter fraud are handled appropriately and expeditiously. Specifically:

* Federal prosecutors within the Public Integrity Section, the DEOs in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, FBI officials at headquarters in Washington, D.C., and special agents serving as Election Crime Coordinators in the FBI’s 56 field offices will be on duty while polls are open to receive complaints from the public and take appropriate action.

* Public Integrity Section prosecutors will also be available to consult and coordinate with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and FBI regarding the handling of election crime allegations.

Voter fraud complaints may be directed to any of the local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the local FBI offices or the Public Integrity Section (202-514-1412). A list of U.S. Attorneys’ Office can be found at www.justice.gov/usao/offices/index.html and a list of FBI offices can be found at: www.fbi.gov.

Both protecting the right to vote and combating voter fraud are essential to maintaining the confidence of all Americans in our system of government.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Will GOP pull plug on Granny or War?

2010-10-18T13:43:00.000-04:00

With prospects of a Republican takeover of Congress, Libertarian Party (LP) Chair Mark Hinkle posed this question: "In order to balance the budget, where will the GOP pull the plug first: on Granny, or on foreign wars?"

Hinkle continued, "Of course, Republicans may have no serious intention of cutting federal deficits or spending, and their complaints about 'out-of-control spending' might be hypocrisy."

Over 60% of federal spending is in three areas: Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, and the military. It would be impossible to eliminate the federal deficit without cutting entitlements or military spending, such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tea Party leader Dick Armey recently called Social Security a ponzi scheme.

LP Executive Director Wes Benedict said, "Social Security is universal mandatory welfare for seniors. It's very un-libertarian."

Benedict continued, "I suppose one way to maintain the Social Security scheme would be to rapidly grow the U.S. working population, such as by opening up our borders to increase immigration. However, Republican congressmen have tried to duck their responsibility for the bad economy by scapegoating illegal immigrants, so allowing a massive influx of immigrants is politically infeasible in the near future.

"Each child born in the U.S. immediately faces a debt of over $40,000. Ironically, it might not be long before American youth start ditching this debt foisted on them by their parents and grandparents, and start leaving America in search of better opportunity abroad.

"To make Social Security solvent as our population ages, the federal government either has to raise the tax, or cut the benefits. The last significant change to Social Security was a tax increase approved by Ronald Reagan. Libertarians favor cutting Social Security benefits, and we oppose tax increases. Libertarians would prefer to allow workers to opt out of Social Security. Perhaps entitlements can be cut gradually, rather than slashed abruptly, but that depends on taking action sooner rather than later.

"On the October 17 'Fox News Sunday,' I saw that Republican senate candidate Carly Fiorina was repeatedly asked what parts of entitlements she would cut to balance the budget, and she repeatedly dodged the question."

The recent Republican 'Pledge to America' makes no mention of cutting entitlements or the military.

Benedict continued, "Republicans refuse to say where they would cut entitlement spending, and of course Republicans oppose cutting military spending or ending America's foreign wars. Therefore, I'd say that Republicans are hypocrites who aren't serious about solving the federal debt problem."

A video lampooning John Boehner and the Republican 'Pledge to America' was created by Travis Irvine, Libertarian for U.S. Congress in Ohio District 12.

Benedict continued, "Only Libertarians recognize that we can't have it all for much longer. The longer Republicans and Democrats flush money down the toilet in Iraq and Afghanistan, the sooner the government will have to cut benefits for Granny. Of course, Congress may never have the courage to pass legislation to cut entitlements. In that scenario, Granny will eventually start experiencing 'rolling blackouts,' or perhaps a total system collapse.

"Libertarians stand ready to cut spending across the board. Perhaps the question Granny needs to answer is, 'Which do you love more: your Social Security check, or foreign wars?'"

The Libertarian Party has 21 candidates for U.S. Senate and 169 candidates for U.S. House in the upcoming November 2010 elections.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Patriot PAC Announces Operation Black Storm

2010-10-12T08:38:00.000-04:00

Patriot PAC has unveiled Operation Black Storm, a national coalition effort to unite the nation behind the 15 black conservative congressional candidates running in key districts around the country as Republican nominees for the upcoming November elections.

Helping to lead the charge among the Tea Party and Patriot movement in America for substantive political reform, Operation Black Storm will fight to fundamentally reshape the makeup of the U.S. Congress on November 2, 2010.

Star Parker - CA-37, Ryan Frazier - CO-7, Allen West - FL-22, Isaac Hayes - IL-2, Marvin Scott - IN-7, Robert Broadus - MD-4, Charles Lollar - MD-5, Bill Marcy - MS-2, Michael Faulkner - NY-15, Bill Randall - NC-13, Tim Scott - SC-3, Charlotte Bergman - TN-9, Stephen Broden - TX-9, Chuck Smith - VA-3, and Vince Danet - US Virgin Islands are Operation Black Storm candidates, several of whom have received endorsements from conservative grassroots favorites Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and Alan Keyes.

This coalition has put its collective weight behind these highly qualified conservative black candidates to provide the resources and exposure they need to win on Election Day. Coalition members helping with voter education and candidate scorecards include Break the Bonds of Tyranny, Unite in Action, The ConservativeMESSENGER, The Frederick Douglass Foundation, and The Black Sphere, among others.

Political Action Committees participating with endorsements and financial support include iCaucus, Patriot PAC, Frederick Douglass Foundation PAC, Declaration Alliance PAC and more.

K. Carl Smith, President of The ConservativeMESSENGER, declared, "We want to reignite America's passion for liberty and create an atmosphere for political dialogue where conservative candidates can engage in conversation about the issues without being accused of racism or called Uncle Toms. Today marks the beginning of the end of playing the race card to silence conservative voices and keep blacks voting opposite their core values."

Operation Black Storm's mission is to provide vital support, so there is heightened national voter awareness of the policy positions and the governing philosophy of these outstanding new leaders for America. It's time for conservatives to make a statement on the racism issue and Patriot PAC and its coalition are intent on ensuring this statement is made loud and clear.

Smith continued, "It's finally time for our nation to get past racial barriers in politics, and with Operation Black Storm we intend to send a message to Washington that--above all--Americans of all backgrounds, colors, and decent faiths want their God-given right for SELF-RULE."

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

U.S. Representatives Lynn Westmoreland and Tom Price Have Signed a Common Sense Pledge to Unite our Nation, Committing to 'No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions'

2010-10-09T17:20:00.000-04:00

/PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia's 3rd District and U.S. Rep. Tom Price of Georgia's 6th District have added their names to the list of candidates and office holders who have signed a pledge promising to support "no taxpayer funding of abortions."

The pledge is featured at www.DefundAbortion.org, a website launched by Common Sense Issues, Inc., a 501(c)(4) grassroots citizens organization dedicated to pro-Life, limited government principles.

The site features a simple pledge that every federal officeholder can sign promising no taxpayer funding of abortions – a position with which a super-majority of Americans agrees. If an elected official or candidate is willing to make this promise:

* They can be trusted to cut spending when it comes to truly tough choices if they are willing to make this easy choice;
* They understand that protecting and valuing life – every life – is foundational to who we are, how we treat one another, and our very freedom;
* They choose to address the skyrocketing government debt threatening America; and,
* They believe it is their duty to protect the right of Americans, whose faith and conscience condemns the taking of life, to oppose funding with their tax dollars the very act they abhor.

Citizens can download the www.DefundAbortion.org pledge and ask U.S. House and U.S. Senate Members and candidates everywhere to sign it. The pledge can also be easily signed electronically in a matter of seconds. The website has an easy-to-use map allowing citizens to click on a state and see what officials or candidates have signed the pledge. There is also a "blood money" tab where voters can see who has taken money from pro-abortion groups. Go to www.DefundAbortion.org to learn more.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Judicial Watch Sues Justice Department to Obtain All Communications with ACLU Regarding Obama Administration Lawsuit Challenging Arizona's SB 1070

2010-10-07T16:31:00.000-04:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today announced that it has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Obama Department of Justice (DOJ) for information regarding the DOJ's decision to file a lawsuit against Arizona over the state's tough new illegal immigration law, SB 1070. Judicial Watch seeks documents pertaining to the Obama administration's contacts with third party organizations, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), in making the decision to file the lawsuit.

Judicial Watch specifically seeks the following documents through its FOIA request originally filed on June 17, 2010:

Any and all communications between the Department of Justice and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), concerning, regarding, or relating to Arizona's "Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act," also referred to as "Arizona SB 1070."

Judicial Watch also seeks "any and all communications between the Department of Justice and any third parties," related to the SB 1070 lawsuit.

On May 17, 2010, a coalition of "civil rights groups," including the ACLU filed a class action lawsuit against the State of Arizona over SB 1070. According to the ACLU's press release announcing the lawsuit, this coalition included: "…the ACLU, MALDEF, National Immigration Law Center (NILC), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), ACLU of Arizona, National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) – a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice."

"The American people ought to know if the Obama Justice Department is being run by radical leftist organizations such as the ACLU. I suspect that the Obama Justice Department is making decisions on behalf of its leftist allies, instead of in the public interest," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "This is a simple request for information. The Obama administration should stop stonewalling and release these basic documents on its decision to attack Arizona over its get-tough illegal immigration law."

Judicial Watch represents Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce, author of SB 1070, in the Obama administration's lawsuit challenging the Arizona law. Visit www.JudicialWatch.org to access Judicial Watch's FOIA lawsuit against the Obama Justice Department.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

American Military Society Requests Congress Pass 'Right to Repair Act' to Support Military Families at Home

2010-10-07T14:52:00.000-04:00

/PRNewswire/ -- The American Military Society (AMS) requests that Congress support passage of the Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Act (S 3181/HR 2057) on behalf of its membership which includes active, reserve, National Guard, retired and veterans of the uniformed services, their families and survivors.

"Military personnel and their families are often stationed in remote locations far from any dealerships, relying on independent repair shops to service their vehicles," said Charles C. Partridge, Col, USA (Ret) of AMS. "Spouses of deployed service members, holding their families together alone, are particularly disadvantaged when their local auto repair shop is denied ready access to repair information from the car companies. Most do not have the time to find the nearest dealership, drive all the way there and wait for their sole source of transportation to be repaired. That is one more burden that military families do not need to face. All consumers benefit from competition, but those serving our country and their families derive particular benefit from being able to obtain affordable, effective and convenient repairs for their vehicle."

The Right to Repair Act protects motoring consumers from a growing and potentially hazardous vehicle repair monopoly by requiring that car companies provide full access at a reasonable cost to all non-proprietary service information, tools and safety-related bulletins needed to repair motor vehicles. The legislation provides car companies with strong protections for their trade secrets, only requiring them to make available the same diagnostic and repair information they provide their franchised dealers to the independent vehicle repair market.

"As cars become more complicated with more computer systems, the problem becomes more acute," continued Partridge. "Selling a car without complete access to repair information is like selling prescription drugs without the doctor's dosing instructions. It doesn't make sense. That's why we are asking Congress to rectify this situation and support passage of the Right to Repair Act. Our military families should not be forced back to the dealer for service and passage of Right to Repair would ensure that they can conveniently and affordably have their vehicles serviced at the shop of their choice."

The Right to Repair Act has bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. The Senate version of the bill (S 3181) was recently introduced by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) and has 5 co-sponsors. The House version (HR 2057) was introduced by Reps. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and George Miller (D-CA) and currently has 71 co-sponsors.
-----

Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

African American Likely Voters' Support for Tea Party is Significant in Recent Poll

2010-09-24T09:56:00.000-04:00

/PRNewswire/ -- PJTV's Tea Party TV today unveiled the results of a special Tea Party poll, which revealed that about one-in-three (32%) African Americans who are likely voters would vote for a candidate supported by the Tea Party movement.

"Questions of racism within the Tea Party have been raised for months now," said Vik Rubenfeld, PJTV's Polling Director. "Our survey found that more than one-in-three African Americans support the movement. Moreover, the data revealed that 32 percent are also likely to vote for a congressional candidate whom the Tea Party supports."

"PJTV's Tea Party poll shows that, for many black voters, race no longer serves as a rationale for supporting policies that undermine their economic interests," said Joe Hicks, PJTV's host of the Minority Report and a former Executive Director for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. "Democrats and leftists have attempted to define the Tea Party movement as a collection of angry white bigots. However, the PJTV poll of black voters shows the wheels on the race card bus are beginning to fall off."

Poll Highlights

* 35 percent of likely voters who are African American support the Tea Party movement and 17 percent support the movement strongly.
* 38 percent of African American respondents who support the Tea Party endorse the movement privately. 34 percent publicly support the Tea Party.
* 32 percent of African American respondents are more likely to vote for a congressional candidate who is supported by the Tea Party, including 14 percent who are very likely.

Methodology

PJTV has been conducting weekly Tea Party tracking polls of 1,000 likely voters since August 2, using Pulse Opinion Research. However, today they presented a special analysis spanning eight weeks from August 2 to September 19 which represents 543 likely voters who are African American. The margin of sampling error on this special survey is +/-4 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Libertarians fight to break cycle of battered gay voter syndrome

2010-09-23T13:28:00.000-04:00

Like abused spouses who keep returning to their aggressors, gay voters keep handing their votes to the Democrats who abuse them.

The Libertarian Party (LP) wants to break this self-destructive behavior and offers LGBT voters a better alternative.

LP Chairman Mark Hinkle said, "Exit polls indicate that Democrats get over 70% of LGBT votes in federal elections. Those voters must really love the Democrats' rhetoric, because they certainly aren't seeing any action.

"President Obama and the Democrats had almost a year of complete control of the federal government: the Presidency, the House, and a filibuster-proof 60 votes in the Senate. They could have repealed 'don't ask don't tell.' They could have gotten rid of the Defense of Marriage Act. But they didn't do either of those things. That's a complete and total betrayal of all the promises they made to gay and lesbian voters for years.

"After a carefully orchestrated failure in the Senate, the Democrats are now blaming Republicans for blocking the repeal of 'don't ask don't tell.' Of course, three Democrats just voted against it too, including Majority Leader Harry Reid. Reid claims he voted for procedural reasons, but the whole situation seems calculated to look like they're trying to help, while making sure they don't actually help."

Unlike the Democratic and Republican Parties, the Libertarian Party believes that gays and lesbians deserve equal treatment under the law.

LP Executive Director Wes Benedict added, "The Libertarian Party neither supports nor opposes gay relationships. Libertarians are black, white, young, old, straight, gay, Christian, atheist, yuppie, hippie, rich, poor, greedy, generous, eccentric and just plain average. Though their backgrounds and lifestyles are diverse, they are united on the principle of minimum government and maximum freedom."

The LP Platform states:

"1.3 Personal Relationships
Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the government's treatment of individuals, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws. Government does not have the authority to define, license or restrict personal relationships. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships."

The Libertarian Party has 21 candidates for U.S. Senate and 170 candidates for U.S. House in the upcoming November 2010 elections.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

'A Pledge to America' -- Released by the Senate Republican Communications Center'We Strongly Support this Effort, and Together, House and Senate Republicans Will Continue to Fight for These Principles.

2010-09-23T13:26:00.000-04:00

/Standard Newswire/ -- U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Senate Republican Policy Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD), National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (R-TX), and Senate Republican Conference Vice Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) released the following joint statement in support of "A Pledge to America (http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hl94yxbab&et=1103711795506&s=13633&e=001VtldEEJkOaIMeTiX7bDRhljzsMSDnnd6I9V6Q3FnovJrBsvh6ALgM6OpjdnZ4zWGJI_GOAQ1tXdAF-RAEM1KKS5pYe4zC6iLSlNS2l3QM3y5UoILWI0OVg==)."

"Americans are speaking out and we are listening. The proposals put forward today by House Republicans reflect what Americans are saying. They want to us to focus on jobs first, fight wasteful Washington spending, repeal and replace the health spending bill and shrink an exploding deficit. Americans want a smaller, less costly and more accountable government.

"We strongly support this effort, and together, House and Senate Republicans will continue to fight for these principles. While the White House will retain the veto pen, House and Senate Republicans will focus on making America more competitive, reducing the size and cost of government, keeping our nation strong and secure, and reining in the massive health care costs and mandates imposed by the Democrats' health spending bill."

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Judicial Watch Sues DOJ for Documents Detailing White House Involvement in Black Panther Case Dismissal

2010-09-22T13:54:00.000-04:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today announced that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit (Judicial Watch v Department of Justice (CV 10-01606)) against the Obama Department of Justice (DOJ) to obtain records related to meetings between Associate Attorney General Thomas Perrelli and White House officials regarding DOJ's decision to dismiss its voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense (NBPP). Judicial Watch seeks the following documents through its FOIA request sent on January 19, 2010:

"Any and all records of Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli concerning meetings with the White House on the Justice Department's voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party. The time frame for this request is from January 20, 2009 to June 15, 2009."

On March 26, 2010, the DOJ informed Judicial Watch that it had conducted a search for documents, but found "no records responsive to your request." Judicial Watch appealed the decision on March 31, 2010, based on "various media accounts in which it was reported that Associate Attorney General Perrelli visited the White House on nine occasions between March 25, 2009, and May 27, 2009, to discuss Defendant's voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party."

The DOJ was required to make a determination on Judicial Watch's appeal within 20 working days, or by May 3, 2010. To date, no such determination has been made.

On September 20, Judicial Watch released a draft Vaughn index from the DOJ pursuant to a separate lawsuit indicating that Perrelli and other top political appointees were involved in the decision to dismiss the Black Panther case despite sworn testimony of Thomas Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, to the contrary.

The Vaughn index (privilege log) produced to Judicial Watch describes documents that continue to be withheld by the Justice Department. The index details 122 documents (totaling at least 611 pages) that the Obama DOJ is withholding from the public in their entirety. A federal court hearing in the matter is scheduled on October 5, 2010, in Washington, DC, before U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton.

"Why should anyone believe the Justice Department's story regarding these records? We now know Justice officials falsely stated that no political appointees were involved in the Black Panther decision. The Justice Department continues to withhold hundreds of pages of records that could shed light on this scandal. And despite multiple press reports documenting Perrelli's White House meetings, the Justice Department cannot find a single record related to these meetings. We're tired of getting the run-around and that's why we sued," stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

The DOJ filed its lawsuit against the New Black Panther Party following an incident that took place outside of a Philadelphia polling station on November 4, 2008. A video of the incident, showing a member of the New Black Panther Party brandishing police-style baton weapon, was widely distributed on the Internet. According to multiple witnesses, members of the New Black Panthers blocked access to polling stations, harassed voters and hurled racial epithets. Nonetheless, the DOJ ultimately overruled the recommendations of its own staff and dismissed the majority of its charges.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage

President Obama Goes Back on Campaign Promise with Jobs Bill

2010-09-20T08:49:00.000-04:00

/PRNewswire/ -- The Small Business Jobs Act being pushed by President Obama contains a loophole that will legalize contracting fraud while protecting large fraudulent businesses from prosecution, and stands in stark contradiction to a campaign promise made by President Obama.

In February of 2008, President Obama 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) President Obama made this statement to address ongoing fraud and abuse in federal small business contracting programs that cost small businesses over $100 billion a year in missed contract opportunities. Federal law currently mandates that a minimum of 23 percent of all federal contract dollars go to small businesses.

Since 2003, there have been over a dozen federal investigations, which have found Fortune 500 firms and thousands of large companies around the world as the actual recipients of federal small business contracts. The Small Business Administration's (SBA) Inspector General has listed this problem as the number one management challenge facing the agency for the past five consecutive years and referred to this problem as, "One of the most important challenges facing the Small Business Administration and the entire Federal government today." (http://www.asbl.com/documentlibrary.html)

Section 1341 of H.R. 5297, the Small Business Jobs Act, contains specific language that will allow the SBA to develop policies and procedures to protect large businesses that have misrepresented themselves as small businesses from prosecution for felony contracting fraud. Section 16(d) of the Small Business Act prescribes a penalty of up to ten years in prison and a fine of not more than $500,000 per occurrence for firms that have misrepresented themselves as small businesses.

Some of the firms that have received government small business contracts include: Rolls-Royce, British Aerospace (BAE), Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, L-3 Communications, SAIC, Titan Industries, Raytheon, Dell Computer, Xerox, French firm Thales Communications, Italian firm Finmeccanica SpA, and Ssangyong Corporation headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Textron, a Fortune 500 firm, received over $775 million in federal small business contracts in a single year.

"It is unbelievable that President Obama is going to create a loophole to benefit the corporate giants he promised to kick out of federal small business contracting programs," ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. "When you see President Obama on television, I want every American to realize that his administration is giving over $1 million a minute in small business contracts to some of the largest companies in the world."

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage

Libertarian Party Of Georgia Candidates Raise The Bar This Election Year

2010-09-17T12:29:00.000-04:00

Recently, a poll commissioned by 11 Alive, V-103, and WMAZ indicates that due to an all-time high in the percentages of voters surveyed, the Libertarian Party of Georgia is poised to have a banner year this election cycle, including achieving ballot access statewide for all partisan races. Gubernatorial candidate John Monds, the first African-American to appear on the General Election ballot for Governor, has doubled his support since the last poll released, gaining ground among younger likely voters and those affected by the barrage of negative campaign ads run by his Republican and Democratic opponents.

As the momentum continues to grow, the John Monds campaign increases in popularity. Election Day results of twenty percent or more for Mr. Monds will open up the ballot for all Libertarian candidates, allowing candidates to run for city and county non-partisan positions without the hurdles placed by the other two parties.

Other statewide candidates for office, including Chuck Donovan for U.S. Senate, Dan Barber for Lt. Governor, Kira Willis for State School Superintendent and Don Smart for Attorney General, are also polling at record breaking numbers. The polls also show that many, if not all, statewide races could end up in a run-off. In Georgia, candidates need to attain fifty percent of all votes plus one to be elected.

“On November 2nd, people can vote for their conscience and their principles, rather than settle for the choices that the other parties have given,” says Libertarian Party of Georgia Operations Director, Brett Bittner, “And should their first choice not make the run-off slated for November 30th, they can settle to choose the lesser of two evils.”

As seen in 2008, the Atlanta's recent mayoral race, this summer's primaries, run-off elections are becoming a more common occurrence for Georgians, and the Libertarians are positioned to be at the center of attention on and after Election Day. The vision for a Libertarian Georgia may be closer at hand than most might think or would care to admit.

Why the sudden surge and the increase of voter interest in the Libertarians candidates and their party? The change might possibly be explained by a number of factors, mainly this year the Libertarian Party has a full statewide slate of candidates for the first time in history. Voter dissatisfaction of the partisan attacks filled with the same old rhetoric without any action to back it up could be another reason. Perhaps it may well be the scandals that some candidates are facing. Whatever the reason may be, the Libertarian Party along with its candidates are all campaigning very well and seem to be attracting more voters daily.

Despite all the obstacles faced, the current slate of candidates certainly is keeping their opponents on their toes. The possibility of such success has the has the leadership of the Libertarian Party of Georgia elated and excited about their future outlook and the growth of “The Party of Principle.”

The Libertarian Party is Georgia’s third largest political party and the only party in Georgia promoting fewer taxes, less government and personal liberty for all Georgians. To learn more, please visit www.LPGeorgia.com

Reid's Intent to Use Defense Bill to Pass DREAM Act Amnesty Denounced as Cynical and Divisive by FAIR

2010-09-14T20:51:00.000-04:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) today announced that he intends to attach a massive illegal alien amnesty provision to the Defense Authorization bill scheduled to be considered by the Senate next week. The DREAM Act would reward illegal aliens with amnesty and would allow them to benefit from taxpayer-funded college tuition and other benefits. The DREAM Act would also reverse a 1996 law that bars states from offering in-state tuition benefits to illegal aliens and would make all illegal aliens eligible for taxpayer subsidized tuition at public colleges and universities.

The DREAM Act, which was first introduced in 2000, has consistently been opposed by the American people and has lacked the political support to pass as a free-standing measure. The timing of the announcement therefore appears to be entirely the result of Sen. Reid's own re-election efforts in Nevada and his belief that passage of the DREAM Act amnesty will appeal to Hispanic voters, says the Federation for American Immigration Reform. It also comes at a time when nearly every state university system is facing severe fiscal constraints, raising tuitions, and slashing programs and admissions.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which has consistently opposed the DREAM Act amnesty on its merits, responded sharply to Sen. Reid's announcement that he would use the Defense Authorization bill as a vehicle to reward illegal aliens. "At a time when our country is at war and our troops are fighting and dying in Afghanistan, the use of a bill to authorize funding for our military to benefit illegal aliens exemplifies why the American public has grown contemptuous of the way today's Washington operates," stated Dan Stein, president of FAIR.

Passage of the DREAM Act would further harm law-abiding middle class families by diverting scarce educational resources to the children of illegal aliens. "For many middle class families, the only option for ensuring their kids get the education they will need to compete in the 21st century economy are public colleges and universities. The DREAM Act would result in even more seats being filled by illegal aliens and those who are legalized by this bill.

"Middle class workers and middle class taxpayers are already bearing a $113 billion a year burden for their government's refusal to protect them against mass illegal immigration," Stein said. "Now Sen. Reid is asking them to dig even deeper into their pockets and to sacrifice their own children's educational opportunities because he believes it will help his own political prospects. It is a move that is cynical, deeply troubling and divisive."

Proponents of the DREAM Act argue that the bill is a compassionate response to the circumstances of "kids" who were brought to this country illegally by their parents. In reality, it would apply to illegal aliens up to the age of 35. The act also rewards parents who violate immigration laws by giving their children a benefit as a direct result of their illegal actions.

The DREAM Act would also encourage more illegal immigration in the future. "Approval of the DREAM Act would send a clear message to parents that violating U.S. immigration laws will result in eventual citizenship and access to expensive taxpayer financed benefits for their kids. Why wouldn't millions more people decide to break our laws?" asked Stein.

"Rewarding people who break our laws is wrong. Rewarding them at the expense of struggling American workers and students is unfair. Linking that reward to funding for the people who are defending our nation is the epitome of political cynicism," concluded Stein.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage

ACC: Senate Interior-EPA Appropriations Markup Must Postpone Greenhouse Gas Regulations

2010-09-14T14:39:00.000-04:00

/PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee will mark up the Fiscal Year 2011 EPA-Interior spending bill. Today the American Chemistry Council and 23 other associations wrote to members of the Senate Appropriations Committee urging them to vote for an amendment that would postpone EPA's planned regulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from stationary sources. A letter was also sent to House Appropriators. The letters are available at www.americanchemistry.com/energy.

American Chemistry Council (ACC) President and CEO Cal Dooley issued the following statement:

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's planned regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources, slated to begin on January 2, 2011, is one of the top challenges facing American business today. Already, the uncertainty and cost associated with these new regulations is having a chilling effect on investment and job creation vital to the nation's recovery. Governors across the country are baffled as to the requirements for states and how to process and pay for the coming flood of permit applications. Energy efficiency investments that could help reduce GHG emissions are among those thrown into disarray by EPA's new regulations.

"That's why a cross-section of American industry and agriculture representing millions of U.S. jobs has asked Senate Appropriators to immediately postpone the regulations. A postponement amendment will give Congress the time necessary to consider the appropriate regulatory approach for stationary sources and move forward on a national climate policy. According to EPA, as many as six million U.S. industrial facilities, power plants, hospitals, agricultural and commercial establishments eventually will be subject to these rules. Proposed steps such as a codification of the 'tailoring rule' have not resolved the confusion nor provided needed certainty and will not protect the vast majority of American businesses affected by the rules.

"Postponing stationary source regulation should be an urgent priority for Congress. We strongly urge Senate Appropriators and other lawmakers to support efforts to postpone EPA regulation of GHG emissions from all stationary sources. This essential step could be achieved through the appropriations process or legislation such as that proposed by Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Congressmen Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) and Rick Boucher (D-Va.)."

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage

Statement by Governor Jan Brewer: ObamaCare is Wrong for Arizona and Wrong for America - Federal Hearing Tuesday

2010-09-14T09:03:00.000-04:00

/Standard Newswire/ -- "Arizona has a long and proud history of fighting the Washington, D.C. elite's insatiable appetite for bigger government at the cost of States' rights. The battle over the Affordable Care Act better known as "ObamaCare" is the latest round. Once again, the feds have gone too far.

"The cost of ObamaCare places unsustainable burdens on our federal government, our state government, and on American families. Further, the scheme is based on the unconstitutional mandate that every American buy health insurance. For these reasons, the State of Arizona, at my direction, has joined nineteen other states in challenging ObamaCare in federal court in the Northern District of Florida.

"Shortly after the states filed their suit, President Obama directed his counsel at the Department of Justice to file a motion to dismiss the case. The federal district court in Florida will hear arguments this Tuesday, September 14, on whether the states' challenge to ObamaCare may move forward. I have no doubt that Arizona and the other states will ultimately prevail in striking down the most oppressive provisions of ObamaCare. The Act is simply unreasonable, unsustainable and unconstitutional.

"The costs of ObamaCare are indefensibly high and unsustainable. The current federal budget deficit will exceed $1.3 trillion. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the ten year deficit is another $6.2 trillion. This is not the time for America to be expanding entitlement programs, and thereby shackling our country to ever expanding debt obligations. Instead, the federal government should follow Arizona's example and cut spending. America needs a long-term plan that will balance our federal budget and bring stability to our economy.

"In addition to burdening the federal budget, the Act unconstitutionally imposes staggering new costs and obligations on the states. It transforms Medicaid from a federal-state partnership to reimburse needy persons' medical costs into a vast federally-mandated program to benefit millions of persons with incomes above the poverty line. While the states previously had discretion to manage their programs consistent with the needs of their citizens - indeed, Arizona's own Medicaid program, AHCCCS, is a model nationwide - the Act now limits state flexibility and turns the states into an administrative arm of the federal government. It also compels the states to assume responsibility not only for cost reimbursement but for the provision of the healthcare services. These changes will add more than $1 billion per year in costs to an already overstrained state budget.

"ObamaCare also forces private insurance plans to expand coverage. While some of these changes may seem fair on the surface, ultimately the costs of these changes are borne by families. According to the Wall Street Journal, coverage changes demanded by ObamaCare could increase some premiums as much as 9 percent. Many Arizonans have already been told by their employers to expect high increases in their insurance premiums that will dramatically impact their household budgets.

"Ultimately, the law is unconstitutional. It represents an unprecedented intrusion on the sovereignty of the states and the freedom of their citizens. Congress is using its authority under the Commerce Clause to require citizens to purchase health insurance or face a stiff penalty. This overreaching application of the Commerce Clause cannot withstand constitutional scrutiny.

"Congress's commerce power extends to regulation of activities having a substantial relation to interstate commerce, but it may not be used to compel individuals to enter a marketplace. Likewise, Congress's power to tax does not authorize it to compel persons to buy specific insurance products. By enacting ObamaCare, Congress has seized powers denied it under the Tenth Amendment, in violation of the Constitution's federalist structure and individual rights under the Fifth and Ninth Amendments.

"ObamaCare is a key point upon which Attorney General Goddard and I differ. I asked the Attorney General as the Arizona chief legal officer to join his colleagues in the other states in reviewing the constitutionality of the proposed law as it was making its way through Congress last year. He said no. Once it passed, I asked him to join the other states in challenging the law. He said no. In fact, Mr. Goddard recently argued that Arizona is "better off" with ObamaCare. Realizing that Congress has crossed the constitutional line and Attorney General Goddard was going to do nothing to protect Arizona's citizens, I called the Arizona Legislature into special session to remove his authority to speak for the state on this matter. The Legislature, without pause, authorized me to join the multistate suit on behalf of the citizens of Arizona.

"In addition to ObamaCare's constitutional deficiencies, citizens simply do not support the law's mandate that they purchase insurance or incur federal penalties. Just weeks ago Missouri voters rejected any federal mandate to purchase health insurance with the measure passing with more than 70 percent of the vote. On November 2, 2010, Arizona citizens will vote on Proposition 106, which is similar to Missouri's new law. I support Proposition 106 and have every reason to believe that Arizona voters will overwhelmingly pass this measure and, when they do, a clear message will be sent to the president and Congress that this type of overreaching by the federal government will no longer be tolerated.

"When these cases are ultimately decided in favor of the states on the merits, it will be a great day for the citizens who have the right to set their own health care policies and the states who have constitutionally guaranteed sovereignty to establish their own policies in the area of health care."

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage

Obama's Proposed Oil and Gas Tax Hikes to Cost U.S. Economy 154,000 Jobs in 2011

2010-09-13T09:55:00.000-04:00

/PRNewswire/ -- Louisiana State University Endowed Chair of Banking and nationally-renowned economist Dr. Joseph R. Mason estimates that President Obama's proposed energy tax changes would trigger grave economic consequences. In the newly released "Regional and National Economic Impact of Repealing the Section 199 Tax Deduction and Dual-capacity Tax Credit for Oil and Gas Producers," Dr. Mason finds the resulting fallout over the next ten years would include:

-- Initial losses of over 154,000 jobs by the end of 2011, not only in
the energy sector but across the whole economy;
-- More than $341 billion in lost U.S. economic output; and
-- In excess of $68 billion in lost wages nationwide.

"As we've seen in its 2011 budget and newly unveiled 'stimulus' plans, the Obama administration aims to single out U.S. oil and gas firms and raise the cost of energy for consumers by eliminating crucial tax credits to which all taxpayers are entitled," Dr. Mason said.

"Though politicians think they are selectively targeting 'Big Oil' with these energy tax proposals, they would actually devastate thousands of small American businesses nationwide as well as the workers who depend on them. With at least 150,000 U.S. jobs at stake - in fields ranging from healthcare to real estate - it's clear that the costs of repealing Section 199 and dual capacity far outweigh the potential benefit of increased government revenues that may be derived from the proposal."

"The discriminatory energy tax increases proposed by the administration will destroy American jobs and raise the price of energy for consumers," president and CEO of the American Energy Alliance Tom Pyle said. "President Obama's proposed changes -- which would apply solely to oil and gas companies -- have little to do with the debate over offshore drilling safety or even energy policy in general. This tax grab merely represents punitive policies that are now finding a place in the sun in the post-BP oil spill crisis political environment."

Using the government's own economic model - the U.S. Commerce Department's RIMS II system - Dr. Mason provides incredibly conservative economic impacts. In fact, these already staggering estimates do not even include the effects of the proposed tax increases on individual investors. That means if Congress implements these proposed changes, the economic fallout could be even more substantial.

Dr. Mason's report was sponsored by Save U.S. Energy Jobs - a project of the AEA - established to help promote the nation's energy sector. To learn more and get exclusive information on upcoming projects, follow Save U.S. Energy Jobs on Twitter and Facebook.

Founded in May, 2008, The American Energy Alliance ("AEA") is a not-for-profit organization that engages in grassroots public policy advocacy and debate concerning energy and environmental policies. AEA is the advocacy arm of the Institute for Energy Research (IER), a not-for-profit organization - founded in 1989 - that conducts intensive research and analysis on the functions, operations, and government regulation of global energy markets.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage