Libertarians say Kagan is bad, but bigger problem exists

Wes Benedict, Executive Director of the Libertarian Party, issued the following statement today:

"Elena Kagan is another bad pick for the Supreme Court. If confirmed, it is likely that she will vote on cases with the intent of advancing political policy goals.

"Kagan will probably vote to advance liberal policy goals, just as some other justices vote to advance conservative policy goals. That is not the place of justices, who should be applying the Constitution, not trying to rewrite it to make society work better according to their views.

"However, the bitter battles over Supreme Court justices expose a more serious problem in our federal government: the legislative and executive branches simply refuse to take the Constitution seriously.

"Once upon a time, Congress felt it had a duty to legislate in accordance with the Constitution. Likewise, past presidents believed that they should veto laws that were not clearly constitutional. But in more recent years, both branches have thrown this crucial duty away. Now their attitude seems to be, 'We can pass anything we want to, and let the Supreme Court deal with it if they don't like it.' That was absolutely not what the American Founders had in mind.

"We shouldn't have to worry so much about who gets appointed to the Supreme Court. It shouldn't be the case that a single justice can make all of American society lurch from one direction to another. They shouldn't have that much power.

"Republicans who want to throw stones at Kagan, ought to ask themselves why they supported the Bush Administration's blatantly unconstitutional Patriot Act, or why they supported huge expansions of the blatantly unconstitutional Medicare program. When they were in power, they showed absolutely no respect for the Constitution.

"I wish that President Obama had picked a nominee with more regard for the original intent of the Constitution. But even more than that, I wish that he and the members of Congress would stop shirking their responsibility to apply the Constitution themselves."

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Isakson, Chambliss Praise Move to Give Banks Flexibility in Valuing Certain Securities

Urges FASB to Allow Banks Same Flexibility with Real Estate Assets

U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., today praised this morning’s action by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to give auditors more flexibility in valuing certain assets that have long-term value, and Isakson and Chambliss urged the board to apply the same flexibility to all real estate assets.

“This is a good step in the right direction by FASB, and I hope they will apply this same flexibility to real estate assets as well,” Isakson said. “Mark-to-market rules have devastated the evaluation of real estate assets held by community banks. Mark-to-market should not be an arbitrary write-down to zero; it should be a recognition of the transition of values in a down market or in an up market.”

“This economic crisis is not going to be resolved overnight and certainly not by any single remedy,” said Chambliss. “However, today FASB has helped move our financial institutions toward greater stability by loosening the accounting rules required of them. Relaxing the mark-to-market rules will provide a more accurate portrayal of the long-term fiscal health of our financial institutions.”

Isakson and Chambliss have repeatedly called for reform of mark-to-market accounting rules that they believe are disproportionately penalizing American banks. The rules require the banks to assign a value to an asset based on the current market price for the security or a similar asset, and banks have complained that the rules are penalizing in cases in which they have viable assets if held to term or liquidated over time.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board, which is known as FASB and is authorized by the Securities and Exchange Commission to set the standards of financial accounting and reporting, today voted unanimously to allow banks and their auditors to use "significant judgment" when valuing certain illiquid securities.
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Statement of David Poythress re: Thurbert Baker Joining GA Governor's Race

“I wasn’t surprised to see Thurbert Baker throw his hat in the Governor’s race today. I consider Thurbert a friend and a serious opponent, but I am confident that I will win the Democratic primary. Even with Thurbert’s entry to the race, I am the only candidate with strong executive experience and a record of results.

- As Deputy Revenue Commissioner I led the first investigation of Organized Crime in Georgia.

- As Secretary of State I modernized the office to create efficiency and even returned money to the state Treasury.- As Labor Commissioner I cut payroll taxes by more than $200 million.- As Adjutant General I was serving on 9-11 as Commander of the Georgia National Guard and led the effort to protect Georgia from future terrorist attacks while preparing our troops for war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Simply put, I’ve been tested and I succeeded.

I look forward to a spirited debate about our preparation, record of achievement and competing vision for the future of Georgia. From day one in this campaign, I have been leading the charge on action plans that will create jobs, transform public education and provide solutions to our transportation and water crises.”
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It's Official: Karen Handel Files for Georgia Governor

Note: We received this Friday and included it on the main site, however we neglected to share it properly with our blog, Twitter and Facebook friends. While it's no longer "new" news, it's important and worth sharing a few times. - jmd

Former GOP Chair Fred Cooper to Serve as Campaign Chairman

Karen Handel has officially filed the necessary paperwork to form a campaign committee to seek the office of Governor of Georgia in 2010.

Handel said, “After prayerful consideration and with the support of my husband Steve, I have decided to run for Governor. I am humbled by the level of support I am receiving from all across Georgia and I'm looking forward to the campaign.

“Our next Governor will face many difficult challenges. I look forward to meeting those challenges with exciting new ideas and a vision that will put us on the path to growth and prosperity.”

Handel also announced that Fred Cooper will serve as Campaign Chairman. “Fred Cooper is recognized as one of the great leaders of the Republican Party and in the Georgia business community. I am fortunate to consider him a great friend and I am honored to have him as chairman of our campaign,” Handel said.

Cooper said, “Karen Handel possesses the qualities that are so important in public service – absolute integrity, exceptional experience, remarkable intelligence, and strong, fair leadership. She has consistently demonstrated those qualities….as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor; as Chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners; and as Secretary of State.

“She is ready to be Governor; she will be an excellent Governor; I am proud to be on her team,” Cooper added.

Karen Handel biographical information:

Karen Handel is currently serving as the first Republican Secretary of State. She previously served in elective office as Chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. In the business community she has served as President and CEO of the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, and held executive positions with CIBA Vision and KPMG. Karen has also served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Sonny Perdue, and in the White House to Marilyn Quayle. She lives in Roswell with her husband Steve.

Fred Cooper biographical information:

Fred Cooper is a longtime leader in the Georgia business community and the Republican Party of Georgia. He has served as State Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, as Georgia State Chairman of former President George H.W. Bush’s campaigns and as Georgia General Chairman for President George W. Bush, who chose Mr. Cooper to be Chairman of the G-8 Summit Host Committee for the G-8 Summit held in 2004 in Sea Island, GA.

Mr. Cooper is Chairman of Cooper Capital, LLC, a private investment firm, which he founded in 1998. Previously, Mr. Cooper was Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of CooperSmith, Inc., an Atlanta based company which produced and distributed a variety of baked foods, primarily under the trademark Sunbeam, throughout most of the Southeast and New England. In 1998, CooperSmith was acquired by The Earthgrains Company (now Sara Lee).

Mr. Cooper has held several executive and legal positions, including Vice Chairman, President, Executive Vice-President and General Counsel, at Flowers Industries, Inc., a Fortune 500, New York Stock Exchange Company.

Mr. Cooper is 66 years old, resides in Atlanta, Georgia, and he and his wife Helen have two married sons and five grandchildren.

Westmoreland: Bill to tax AIG bonuses a cynical ploy

U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland today voted against congressional Democrats cynical tax plan for AIG bonuses.

“House and Senate Democrats messed up big time and now they want to tinker with the tax code as part of a public relations stunt,” Westmoreland said after the vote. “I know Americans want to punish executives who are getting taxpayer dollars as bonuses – I know it because I’m just as outraged. But honest members of Congress have a duty to stand up against these shenanigans and explain to Americans that Democrats messed up and now they’re trying to sweep it under the rug.”

The legislation imposes a retroactive 90 percent tax for bonuses received since Jan. 1 by an employee of any company that has received more than $5 billion from federal bailouts. Language protecting these bonuses in the so-called stimulus package was written entirely by Democrats and signed by President Obama.

“I voted against the stimulus that allowed these bonuses and I voted against the TARP legislation that funded these bonuses,” Westmoreland said. “As I’ve said on the floor of the House, we don’t know what would have happened if Congress hadn’t passed TARP, but we do know that AIG’s employees wouldn’t be getting bonuses because they wouldn’t have jobs.

“I didn’t vote ‘no’ today because I support bonuses for AIG employees. I voted no because I can’t support using the tax code retroactively to punish a particular group or to score political points. I don’t want American taxpayers to get back 90 percent of the bonuses; I want them to get back 100 percent of the hundreds of billions they have doled out to corporations whose bad decisions have blown a gaping hole into the global economy.”

Watch Rep. Westmoreland’s video on the AIG vote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbrk37ofKHM
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Westmoreland: Obama’s Pot o’ Fool’s Gold

Tax hikes, AIG bonuses not helping small business

President Obama’s plan to spend up to $15 billion on loans won’t provide a “river of green” to small businesses in need of the money, U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland said this St. Patrick’s Day.

“As we’ve come to expect in the past two months, President Obama gives a little with one hand and takes a lot with the other,” Westmoreland said. “First, the president is offering $15 billion in loans just after announcing his plans to hike taxes on small businesses by hundreds of billions of dollars. Second, this action through the Small Business Administration will benefit only about 5 percent of the small business loan market. We know there’s a better way.”

According to the Tax Policy Center (TPC), a research organization often cited by Democrats as having the most reliable estimates outside of government, more than 3 million taxpayers with small business income will face higher taxes under the Obama budget outline. Furthermore, TPC states nearly 2/3 of those paying higher taxes under the Obama budget outline will be small businesses.

Westmoreland said the Obama administration thus far had fallen far short on small business’s real need: unfreezing the credit market.

“The American taxpayers have watched the administration dole out hundreds of billions in bailouts to banks that made bad decisions,” Westmoreland said. “We have not received good answers on how that money is being spent. All we hear about it is workers in AIG’s financial sector – which played a big role in creating this mess – are getting bonuses. All the while, the small business people in Georgia who played by the rules and worked hard can’t get the credit that’s their lifeblood.

“As a former small businessman and as a member of the Small Business Committee, I’m glad that President Obama sees the real need that outs there. I actually support his efforts to expand these loan programs. But if we’re going to really help our nation’s job creators, we can’t burden them with these huge tax increases.”

The money for the loan program will come from the $700 billion financial rescue package. Westmoreland noted that the program would give lenders greater profits and less risk.

“Big banks owe a lot to the taxpayers,” he said. “It’s time to do their duty and get credit flowing again.”
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Governor Perdue Announces Stimulus Accountability Website

Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the launch of the state’s stimulus accountability website, www.stimulusaccountability.ga.gov. The website provides details on the state’s use of funds made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

“The accountability website will allow all Georgians to hold their state government responsible for how we spend their tax dollars,” said Governor Perdue. “I want to be able to point to concrete results when my grandchildren ask me how we spent stimulus money.”

The website allows Georgians to view a video of Governor Perdue’s directives to state agency leaders given during a meeting last month. A direct link to each state agency is available from the site and agency contacts are provided who can answer questions regarding funding, timelines, the grant process and other issues. The Department of Transportation has launched a specific stimulus webpage that is linked from the agency’s homepage, which is available via the agency contact page as well. Georgia’s site also provides details on provisions of the ARRA.

The website also provides a link to allow Georgians to report fraud and abuse to the Office of the State Inspector General. Lastly, the site includes links to federal and local governments and associations that will play a role in receiving stimulus dollars.
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Isakson Denounces Legislation to Eliminate Workers’ Rights to Secret Ballot in Choosing Whether to Unionize

During a hearing in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today strongly criticized legislation that would strip workers of their right to a secret ballot when deciding whether to unionize.

“There is no evidence that forced unionization will do anything to assist the middle class and deliver economic security for workers,” Isakson said. “Bipartisan compromise can and should occur when both sides share a common goal. However, I cannot and will not support this anti-growth, anti-worker legislation.”

The so-called Employee Free Choice Act, which is expected to be introduced in the Senate today, would eliminate the rights of workers to participate in a secret-ballot election in order to certify the creation of a union. Instead, the legislation would force employees to make a public declaration of their preference by allowing union organizers to bypass elections if a majority of employees sign cards authorizing a union.

Isakson believes the current system, which allows employees to use a secret ballot in choosing whether they want a union to become their exclusive representative in the workplace, has worked well because it neither advocates nor discourages unionization.

Moreover, the legislation would force employers and employees to enter into binding arbitration, whereby they must accept what is essentially a federal bureaucrat’s best estimate in defining a fair and prudent contract. In addition, this legislation would provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing efforts.

“Support for this legislation is based on the fear that, if left to their own devices in the privacy of a voting booth, some American workers might choose not to join a union,” Isakson said. “This legislation creates a situation of worker intimidation and prohibits the ability of management and labor to work together in an increasingly dynamic economy.”
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Workers deserve right to secret ballot in workplace

U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, a co-sponsor of the Secret Ballot Protection Act, hailed the bill’s introduction today and called for the House to give it swift consideration.

“The Secret Ballot Protection Act promotes workers’ rights, takes direct aim at the strong-arm tactics of union bosses and preserves the long-held American principle that secret ballots let each voter exercise his or her conscience without fear of reprisal from the powers that be,” Westmoreland said.

The legislation accomplishes several important goals: 1) It protects workers’ right to a secret ballot vote on whether a union will represent their workforce. 2) It prevents a workforce from being unionized solely based on a card check (where workers sign authorization cards – frequently in front of employers and fellow employees – stating that they wish to be part of a union). 3) It protects workers from being pressured or coerced to join a union. 4) It prevents recognition of a union that was formed without a secret ballot election.

“Liberals in Congress pushing card check legislation are paying off the big union bosses, the ones who write the big checks to Democrats,” Westmoreland said. “This is being done at the expense of the average working person who wants to cast his or her vote in private.”
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Westmoreland: Yet Another Spending Explosion

The House today whipped out the American people’s credit card once again and went on another spending spree. Just two weeks after the Congress passed $887 billion in new deficit spending, it tacked on another $410 billion spending bill to cover the federal government expenses until Oct. 1.

“Today, as American families stretch their dollar as far as it can go, as businesses struggle to keep employees and health care benefits, the federal shows no such restraint,” Westmoreland said. “This spending represents an 8 percent increase over last year’s spending level and includes at least 8,500 earmarks. Not only are we spending money we don’t have, we’re upping the limit. It’s crazy.

“Just last night, we heard the president spell out an ambitious but highly expensive wish list, even as he tells us that we’re going to have to make tough choices in the name of fiscal responsibility. This budget represents no tough choices. We’re expanding government spending at the fastest rate since the Carter administration. The Democratic leadership can’t have it both ways. They’ve doubled the deficit in four weeks and the out of control spending just continues. Their talk of protecting taxpayers and future generations doesn’t pass the laugh test.”

The Omnibus Appropriations Act completes the regular appropriations process which was supposed to be done last year. Each of the individual spending bills gained increases of 4 to 13 percent over last year’s level, including an 11 percent increase for the legislative branch.

“Republicans offered a valuable alternative that would have frozen spending at last year’s levels, and that’s the route I wish the House had taken,” Westmoreland said. “Americans are no longer turning a blind eye to Washington’s reckless spending. They know better than the majority party that this can’t continue.”
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Tonight, Westmoreland (R-GA) awaits ‘Hope’

Anticipating President Obama’s first official address to Congress tonight, U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland said he’d like to hear ideas for jump-starting our economy that Republicans can support.

“Americans are hurting,” Westmoreland said. “I heard it at my town hall last week. I get mail and phone calls from constituents who have lost their jobs or can no longer make ends meet. I know small businesses in Georgia are laying off workers and closing every day.

“I want to hear some hope,” Westmoreland continued. “We’ve had change – we’ve had over a trillion dollars worth of change; we need some hope. We’ve had nothing but bad news and grim assessments of our economy. Tonight, the president needs to rise above that and lift up the American people.”

Westmoreland would like to see the president support a Republican plan to freeze federal spending as we face a $1.4 trillion deficit this fiscal year.

“Tonight, I want to hear the president talk about getting about our fiscal house in order by tightening our belts and making tough decisions just like American families have to do every day,” Westmoreland said. “We’ve heard some talk about raising taxes on the ‘wealthy.’ That’s a job-killer. Of the taxpayers who report more than $250,000 in income, 64 percent are small business owners. That’s taxing the job-creator that we need humming right now more than ever.

“Congress two weeks ago spent $787 billion on a ‘stimulus’ plan that’s probably not going to create too many jobs. Now we’re going to spend another $400 billion on an omnibus spending bill this week. The president, to his credit, keeps talking about fiscal responsibility but his fellow Democrats in Congress are having none of it. They’re spending sums too big for the human mind to even imagine. We’ve racked up more debt this year alone than the nation accumulated all together in its first 200 years of existence – and that includes the Civil War and WWII. We run the risk, I fear, of doing permanent damage to our economy and standard of living if this doesn’t stop. The president spoke this week about cutting the deficit in half in five years. That doesn’t impress me when the Democratic Congress has doubled the deficit in four weeks.”
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Isakson, Chambliss Vote Against Massive Spending Bill

Arguing it fails to confront the root problems causing America’s economic downturn, U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., voted against a $789 billion measure designed to stimulate the nation’s economy.

“This economic stimulus bill is yet another example of Congress throwing money at the symptoms but not getting to the root of the problem. This economic decline began in housing and it will only end when the housing market rebounds,” Isakson said. “I’m extremely disappointed the members of Congress negotiating the final package decided to eliminate my $15,000 tax credit for all Americans who purchase a home. I will continue to pursue my proposal as stand-alone legislation. We have historical precedent that shows this idea works and there has been so much public support for it. I believe my colleagues will go home next week and their constituents will ask them why a tax credit for all buyers and all homes wasn’t included in the final stimulus bill. I’m optimistic it can still be done.”

“Two days ago I became the proud grandfather of two twin granddaughters. It saddens me to know that the ultimate cost of this bill will be borne by those two little girls. We are saddling the next generation of children and grandchildren with an unbelievable debt while trying to stimulate the economy in a nickel-and-dime fashion,” said Chambliss. “I commend my good friend and colleague, Senator Isakson, who worked to put a housing tax credit in the bill that actually would have stimulated the economy and revived the housing market. It is disheartening that my colleagues in the majority did not choose to include that provision.”

During conference negotiations between the House and Senate on the final version of the bill, Isakson’s $15,000 tax credit for all purchasers of any home was removed despite its unanimous approval by the Senate. Instead, House and Senate negotiators made small modifications to the first-time homebuyer tax credit that was enacted in 2008 as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008.

The House passed the bill earlier Friday by a vote of 246 to 183.
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An Economic Valentine’s Day Massacre

U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland today voted against the $789 billion “stimulus” bill that will saddle future generations with mountains of debt while failing to create jobs or jump-start the economy. The bill passed the House today, 246-183 and one voting present, with only Democratic votes.

“For Valentine’s Day, the Congress gave the American people a Yugo but paid Rolls Royce prices, and adding insult to injury, the House put your ‘gift’ on your credit card,” Westmoreland said. “This is an Economic Valentine’s Day Massacre.”

Westmoreland said Democrats used the need for job creation into an excuse to fund a Christmas wish list for liberal social programs.

“The Republicans offered an alternative that would create twice the number of jobs at a fraction of the cost, according to the Obama administration’s own economic formula,” Westmoreland said. “This bill is not about creating jobs; it’s about spending. Even if the administration is correct and this bill creates or saves 3 million new jobs, the bill costs $263,000 per job. Americans, I fear, have come to expect something for nothing. We all like free stuff, but the cost of this bill works out to $9,900 per family in this nation. The tab will come due.

“I know American businesses and American families are hurting. I know the federal government needs to act. But the Democrats have made a bad bill even worse by reducing the tax reduction in order to pay for more spending. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this legislation will increase this year’s deficit to 10 percent of our gross domestic product. Listen to this statistic and think it over: In 2009, the United States will accumulate more debt than it did in its first 200 years of existence, even adjusted for inflation.

“My concern, and many economists share this concern, is that the additional debt burden will diminish our nation’s economic future and hurt us in the long run.”
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Representative Jim Cole Named Senior Floor Leader

Governor Sonny Perdue today appointed Representative Jim Cole of Forsyth (District 125) to serve as Senior Administration Floor Leader in the Georgia House of Representatives.

Cole takes over the role from Representative Rich Golick who resigned his floor leader position to take the chairmanship of the Judiciary Non-Civil committee in the House.

“Jim is an honest, hardworking legislator that has earned the respect of his fellow House members,” said Governor Perdue. “While he is a fierce advocate for his district, he is also a statesman who understands the need to look at issues from a statewide point of view. I am proud to have Rep. Cole represent this administration in the House of Representatives.”

Elected in 2004, Rep. Cole’s district includes Jasper County and parts of Monroe, Jones and Lamar counties. His committee membership includes Appropriations, Rules, Judiciary Non-Civil and State Planning and Community Affairs.

Jim is also an active community leader, serving on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Monroe County Chamber of Commerce. A graduate of Leadership Georgia, Jim is also a member of Forsyth United Methodist Church, Director for the Georgia Industrial Children’s Home and the President of the Mercer University Booster Club. He is happily married to the former Gaylyn Lawson of Forsyth. Jim and Gaylyn are the proud parents of Caroline and Lawson.

“I can't express how honored I am to take over the Senior role in the Floor Leader’s Office,” Rep. Cole said. “Governor Perdue is a great leader and has taught me valuable lessons in how to govern this state from a long-term perspective. That perspective is to make Georgia a great place for our future generations to live, work and raise a family. I look forward to the challenge of advancing his vision and agenda.”
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Isakson Votes No on Treasury Nominee

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today released the following statement regarding Timothy Geithner’s confirmation to head the Treasury Department. Geithner was confirmed by a vote of 60 to 34. Isakson voted against confirming Geithner.

“Timothy Geithner is a talented and able man. However, that fact does not outweigh the fact that Mr. Geithner failed to pay payroll taxes on two years income at the IMF, even after the IRS audited his returns for the two succeeding years and discovered his failure to pay. It was only days before his nomination that he came forward to pay the other two years. That was more than a mistake for someone nominated to oversee the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service. I cannot support his nomination.”

Georgia Republican Delegation Calls on Obama to Allow Offshore Drilling, Development of Oil Shale Fields

The nine Republican members of Georgia’s congressional delegation today called on President Obama to scrap plans to halt exploration of our domestic energy resources. News reports say Obama plans to re-impose a ban on offshore drilling and to rescind a plan to develop oil shale fields in the western United States.

The letter to Obama was signed by Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss as well as by U.S. Representatives Jack Kingston, Tom Price, Lynn Westmoreland, Phil Gingrey, Paul Broun, Nathan Deal and John Linder. The text of the letter is below:

January 22, 2009

The President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We write in regards to recent news reports that your Administration is considering ordering a hold on an executive order issued by President Bush to allow offshore drilling in previously banned areas. These same news reports indicate that the Department of Interior will rescind a plan to develop oil shale fields in the western United States. We respectfully write to ask that you not reinstate an executive moratorium on offshore energy exploration and production and that you not rescind the Department of Interior plan for oil shale exploration and recovery.

Environmentally responsible offshore oil and natural gas exploration and recovery, as well as oil shale exploration and recovery, are essential components of a comprehensive energy policy that will enable the United States to become energy independent. Exploration and recovery of these resources is critical to our national security and economic wellbeing. We believe allowing for exploration in these areas is also consistent with your priorities of economic growth and environmental protection.

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Isakson, Conrad Introduce Legislation to Investigate Near Collapse of Banking System

U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Kent Conrad, D-N.D., today introduced legislation to create a Financial Markets Commission that will be charged with fully investigating the near collapse of the banking system and the loss of tens of trillions of dollars.“When Enron and WorldCom failed at the start of this decade, Congress rushed to legislate and regulate without all the facts,” Isakson said. “We need to make sure we don’t repeat that reaction as we seek to recover from today’s financial crisis.”

“If our nation is going to learn from history, we must know exactly what happened and why. We need to take a long hard look at how our financial system spiraled downward so far so fast. And if there was any criminal wrongdoing, people need to be held accountable,” Conrad said. “The final report of this commission will help create the rules that will help shore up our national economy and help make sure this does not happen again.”
The seven-member, bipartisan Financial Markets Commission will be modeled after the 9-11 Commission, which thoroughly and independently investigated the failures leading up to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and made sound recommendations on where we needed to improve to prevent another attack in the future.

Likewise, the Financial Markets Commission will have one year to investigate all the circumstances that led to this financial crisis. The panel will have the authority to refer to the U.S. Attorney General and state attorneys general any evidence that institutions or individuals may have violated existing laws. At the end of its investigation, the Commission will report to the President and to the Congress its recommendations for statutory or regulatory changes necessary to protect our country from a repeat of this financial collapse.

This bipartisan Commission shall include two appointees by the President and one appointee each from the Speaker of the House, the House Republican Leader, the Senate Democratic Leader, the Senate Republican Leader and the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
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Senator Seabaugh to Host Page Day at Capitol

State Senator Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) will host his annual Page Day at the Capitol for students from his district, sixth grade and above, on Thursday, February 12, 2009. The students will serve as pages for the Senate on that day.

“I encourage students, particularly those interested in civics and government, to take advantage of this excellent opportunity to experience the legislative process first-hand,” Sen. Seabaugh said. “This is a chance for students to experience American politics and watch the state legislature work.”

Pages are granted access to the Senate Chamber for the day and are responsible for delivering messages to the senators on the floor. They may also be called on by senators to run special errands. Each page is sponsored by their local senator. They will receive a certificate, $10 honorarium and are scheduled to have their pictures taken with Lt. Governor Cagle and Senator Seabaugh.

Parents and teachers who would like to nominate students to serve as pages should contact Sen. Seabaugh’s office at 404-656-6446. Students must be 12 years of age or older. The day will count as an excused absence from school. Please submit any page requests as soon as possible. There are only five slots that remain available this year and students will be considered on a first come, first serve basis.
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More Than 10,000 National Guard Members to Support Inauguration

More than 10,000 National Guard members will support President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration Jan. 20, the Guard's largest contribution to an inauguration in its 372-year history.

"The National Guard will help to ensure a safe and secure environment for all attendees," Manny Pacheco, spokesman for the National Guard Bureau, said. "National Guard members are a force multiplier to a variety of federal and state agencies and military task forces."

National Guard members from several states and the District of Columbia are working for Joint Task Force District of Columbia. "The number of National Guard members that will be used is larger than we've ever had in history," said Army Brig. Gen. Barbaranette Bolden, task force commander.

Citizen-soldiers and –airmen are providing communications, transport, traffic control and medical and logistical support – as well as playing music and marching in the inaugural parade.

"Those National Guard personnel will help quite a bit," Cathy Lanier, the District of Columbia's police chief, said last week. "[They] help us ... keep law enforcement focused on law enforcement."

The Guard's support to civilian authorities works well because relationships already are well-established through previous events and shared training exercises. "They know that we will be there and that we will perform professionally, no matter what the situation," Bolden said.

Members of the 257th Army National Guard Band are among 250 troops on duty from the District of Columbia. The band is providing ceremonial and inaugural ball support. "We're so proud of them," Bolden said. "This has never happened before, our Army National Guard Band participating in an inauguration."

More than 2,000 National Guard members from Maryland and Virginia are working in support of their states' lead law enforcement and transportation agencies to assist with traffic flow into and out of the District of Columbia.

The Iowa National Guard is supporting an inauguration for the first time, sending about 1,000 soldiers from the 34th Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team.

More than 200 members of the New York National Guard are helping with communications and traffic control.

In addition to about 400 soldiers and airmen, the West Virginia National Guard is providing specialized homeland defense and security units, airplanes and helicopters, and mobile satellite communications equipment in support of federal and local agencies to help manage the large crowds expected at the event.

Tennessee's contribution includes airmen from the 228th Combat Communications Squadron and the 118th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and soldiers from the 117th Military Police Battalion.

The National Guard Bureau participates in Armed Forces Inaugural Committee efforts while coordinating the support provided by the National Guard with federal and state civil authorities. A joint operations center is being staffed around the clock through the inauguration.

The National Guard has a long history of supporting presidential inaugurations. Local militia units marched with George Washington as he proceeded to his first inauguration in New York on April 30, 1789, according to Guard historians.

"The National Guard is proud to continue this tradition of supporting and defending both the president of the United States, our constitutional form of government, and our American way of life," Pacheco said.

Guard members are proud of their role helping ensure a safe and secure environment for the event, Bolden said. "Every soldier and airman that comes here will be sharing this historic event with their families for many years to come," Bolden said.

(Author Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill serves at the National Guard Bureau.)
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Isakson to Obama: Make F-22 A Priority, Continue Production

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today joined with dozens of his colleagues in calling on President-elect Barack Obama to continue production of the F-22 Raptor, citing its status as the world’s most sophisticated fighter jet and the only operational fifth-generation fighter aircraft in full-rate production.

Isakson sent a letter to Obama along with 46 other senators calling on the President-elect to certify continued production of the F-22 by March 1, 2009.

“The F-22A is the most sophisticated fighter jet in the world with the latest stealth technology to reduce detection by radar,” Isakson said. “The Raptor provides a priceless service to our Armed Services and its continued production is essential to our national security.”

The full text of the letter:

January 16, 2009

The Honorable Barack H. Obama
President-Elect of the United States
The President's Transition Team
Washington, DC 20270

Dear President-elect Obama:

The fiscal year 2009 National Defense Authorization Act requires your certification on continued F-22 production by March 1, 2009. We urge your certification of continued production of the F-22 Raptor. The F-22 Raptor is the nation’s most capable fighter and the world’s only operational fifth generation fighter aircraft in full-rate production. The F-22 is a model production line and, since full-rate production began, the unit flyaway cost has decreased 35 percent.

The F-22 is optimized to achieve the air dominance necessary to protect our joint fighting forces in any future conflict. However, a fleet of 183 aircraft, the current program of record, is insufficient to meet potential threats. After accounting for test, training, and maintenance aircraft, only about 100 F-22s would be immediately available for combat at any given time. Even those who don’t support continued production of the F-22 agree that to sustain the currently planned level of combat-coded aircraft over the life of the program will require an additional lot of aircraft. In fact, 30+ air campaign studies completed over the last 15 years have validated a requirement for far more than 183 F-22 Raptors to replace the original force of 800 F-15 A-D Eagles. Some have suggested filling the remaining F-22 requirement with other aircraft, like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. However, the F-35 is designed for multi-role strike missions and not optimized for the air dominance missions of the F-22.

Further, we must not overlook the fact that our potential adversaries are increasing their air combat capabilities both in terms of technology and numbers of aircraft. Several have announced that they are developing stealthy, twin-engine, high-altitude, fifth generation fighters that will reach production within the next five to ten years. Additionally, sophisticated and highly lethal air defense systems such as the SA-20, and S-300/400 are proliferating worldwide resulting in the possible requirement to achieve air dominance in multiple theaters simultaneously.

The F-22 program annually provides over $12 billion of economic activity to the national economy, it fulfills a validated Air Force requirement, and it helps to sustain our strong national defense industrial base. If this certification is not provided, layoffs will begin as this critical supplier base shuts down, and it will quickly become expensive or perhaps impossible to reconstitute in the event the Department of Defense chooses to procure additional F-22’s at a later date. Furthermore, certifying continued production by March 2009 will enable production to continue while the Department undertakes a more in-depth analysis of the F-22 requirement in the 2009 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR).

Over 25,000 Americans work for the 1,000+ suppliers in 44 states that manufacture the F-22. Moreover, it is estimated that another 70,000 additional Americans indirectly owe their jobs to this program. As we face one of the most trying economic times in recent history it is critical to preserve existing high paying, specialized jobs that are critical to our nation’s defense.

With these things in mind, we urge you to expeditiously certify that continued production is in the economic and national interest of the United States of America.
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