U.S. Voters to Congress: Reject New Energy Taxes

/PRNewswire/ -- The Center for Individual Freedom ("CFIF") today announced that activists from across the country have sent more than 21,000 letters to Congress urging opposition to federal legislation that slaps U.S. oil and gas companies with a massive new tax bill and consumers with increased energy costs.

The letters were sent over a two-week span in response to an alert sent out by CFIF educating activists about the negative consequences of legislation, proposed by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), that seeks to re-write the "dual capacity" taxpayer rules for American oil and gas companies. The change to the tax code would eliminate the tax credit afforded to domestic energy companies which currently permits them to offset taxes already paid to foreign governments on income made overseas. The Senate Finance Committee - in accordance with the president's budget proposal for next year - also is aiming to scrap the domestic manufacturing income deduction for U.S. energy firms.

"The thousands of voters who have called on Congress to oppose new energy taxes know what's at stake," said CFIF President Jeffrey Mazzella. "While Congress is away for August recess, we hope they will listen to the concerns of their constituents. If they don't and move forward with plans to pass legislation that burdens domestic energy producers with massive and unfair new tax liabilities, thousands of jobs will be lost, investments in new exploration and production projects will be cut and millions of dollars that could further stimulate our economic recovery will disappear."

Perhaps most troubling is the detrimental effect these new taxes would have on American competitiveness and energy security. "If Congress succeeds in raising taxes on U.S. energy producers this fall, it will effectively be subsidizing foreign competitors such as BP, Russia's LUKOIL and Venezuela's CITGO, all of which would not be subject to the added taxes," Mazzella explained. "Congress would literally be handing foreign-owned corporations a competitive advantage over American employers, harming the U.S. economy and increasing our nation's reliance on foreign sources of energy from places that are all too often hostile to American interests and values."

This large groundswell of citizen activism illustrates just how important domestic energy producers are to the health of the nation's economy as a whole. The U.S. oil and natural gas industry generates more than one trillion dollars in economic activity annually and employs more than nine million workers throughout the country.

These 21,000-plus letters send a clear message to Congress: It's past time you stand up for American interests and reject calls to give a leg-up to foreign-based corporations at the expense of our nation's workers and businesses.

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Specter Promises to Oppose Health Care Reform That Covers Illegal Aliens

/PRNewswire/ -- During a town hall meeting Tuesday on health care reform, Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) stated his opposition to legislation that would cover illegal aliens. Specter has been a long-time champion of amnesty for illegal aliens, he was the author of the 2006 amnesty bill (S. 2611) that was widely rejected by the American people. Specter's opposition to including illegal aliens under the proposed reforms is a clear indication of how strongly the public opposes the idea.

Facing constituents in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, yesterday, Specter said he "wouldn't support a bill that extends coverage to illegal immigrants." However, Specter went on to state erroneously that "none of the bills in Congress would provide health insurance to illegal immigrants."

A detailed analysis by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) of the America's Affordable Health Care Act of 2009, H.R. 3200, reveals that illegal aliens would be eligible for government provided insurance, and could easily obtain government "affordability credits" to buy private insurance. An amendment that would have effectively prevented illegal aliens from receiving these benefits was blocked by Democrats on the House Ways & Means Committee. FAIR's analysis of the provisions of H.R. 3200 that pertain to illegal aliens can be found at www.fairus.org.

"FAIR commends Sen. Specter for opposing this costly benefit for illegal aliens," said Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "Illegal aliens and their dependent children account for as much as one-third of the medically uninsured in the U.S. Including them under the plan is unwarranted and would add billions to the price tag. We hope that the senator will use his influence in Congress to ensure that deliberate omissions and loopholes, like those in the House bill, that allow illegal aliens to benefit from taxpayer funded health care, will be corrected in the Senate."

The concerns raised by constituents at the Lebanon town hall meeting reflect the growing costs of illegal immigration both nationally and in Pennsylvania. According to a new report by FAIR, The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Pennsylvanians, state taxpayers spend nearly $49 million annually to provide health care to illegal aliens.

"In Pennsylvania and all across the nation, the public is understandably upset about the staggering costs of illegal immigration and adamantly oppose providing a full range of health benefits to illegal aliens," said Stein. "We hope that others in Congress join Sen. Specter in opposing any provisions that would require American taxpayers to provide the full spectrum of health benefits to illegal aliens."

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Libertarians warn Judiciary vote may have consequences

America’s third largest party Wednesday reminded members of the Senate Judiciary Committee their vote for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was a vote against constitutionally-guaranteed gun rights and those who vote to confirm in the full Senate next week can expect to be held accountable at the polls.

Libertarians announced their opposition to the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation early, after reviewing her troubling record on individual, property and gun rights. The Judiciary Committee voted 13-6 to send the nomination to the full Senate. South Carolina Republican Lindsay Graham joined the committee’s 12 Democrats.

“A judge’s record is the best indicator of what they will do on the Court, and Judge Sotomayor’s record is one of opposition to the individual right to keep and bear arms. Libertarians, and all of America’s 90 million gun owners, will remember how you voted,” said Donny Ferguson, Libertarian National Committee Communications Director. “Your vote on Judge Sotomayor may come back to haunt you one November.”

“And if you think you can’t lose your seat over the gun issue, I suggest you speak with Harris Wofford,” said Ferguson, referring to the incumbent Democratic Pennsylvania senator who lost his seat to Republican Rick Santorum in 1994 by a 49 to 47 percent margin, after supporting the Clinton gun ban. “If I’m a senator who could lose if a small percentage of my pro-gun base votes for another candidate, I’d be worried.”

“History shows, whether it’s a grassroots conservative activist, a blue-collar union member or a libertarian, the base of every party is made up of people who value their gun rights and will not support someone who votes against their constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms,” said Ferguson. “The Libertarian Party is the only party in America that never compromises on gun rights, and one way or another we will hold those voting to confirm accountable on Election Day.”

In the New York v Maloney case earlier this year, Sotomayor affirmed a lower court ruling that the Second Amendment’s guarantee of the right to keep and bear arms does not apply to the states.

Sotomayor also ruled against gun rights in a 2004 case, United States
v Sanchez-Villar, citing as precedent the statement “the right to possess a gun is clearly not a fundamental right.”

The Supreme Court will likely rule next year on the NRA v Chicago case, a case critical to restoring the individual right to keep and bear arms.

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Rural America's Opposition Grows to Speaker Pelosi's National Energy Tax

As House Democrats scramble for votes for Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax on anyone who drives a car, buys an American-made product, or flips on a light switch, opposition among family farmers and small businesses in rural America continues to grow stronger. That’s because, as Agriculture Committee Ranking Republican Frank Lucas (R-OK) noted during a hearing earlier this year, rural Americans would be disproportionately impacted by this burdensome, jobs-killing tax. They travel 25 percent further than urban residents to go to work and run errands. They spend 58 percent more on fuel than urban residents as a percentage of their income. And electricity is far more costly to deliver to rural households than to urban homes across America. The end result: if Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax becomes law, rural Americans will pay much, much more. Here is just the latest collection of groups that are opposing Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax because of its consequences for family farmers and small businesses:

Agribusiness Association of Iowa
Agricultural Retailers Association
Agrium Inc.
Alabama Farmers Federation
American Agri-Women
American Farm Bureau Association
American Farmers & Ranchers
American Frozen Food Institute
American Meat Institute
American Plant Food Corporation
AmeriFlax
Associated Industries of Florida
Beck’s Superior Hybrids
Brandt Consolidated
CF Industries
Chemical Industry Council of Illinois
CHS Inc.
Corn Producers Association of Texas
D.B. Western, Inc.
Far West Agribusiness Association
Florida Chamber of Commerce
Florida Farm Bureau Federation
Florida Fertilizer & Agrichemical Association
Florida Strawberry Growers Association
Food Industry Environmental Council
GROWMARK
Hardee County Farm Bureau (FL)
Hillsborough County Farm Bureau (FL)
Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association
Indiana Beef Cattle Association
Indiana Farm Bureau
Indiana Grain & Feed Association
Indiana Grain and Feed Association
Indiana Office of Energy Development
Indiana Plant Food & Ag Chemicals Association
Indiana Plant Food & Agricultural Chemicals Association
Indiana Pork Producers Association
Indiana Professional Dairy Producers
Indiana State Department of Agriculture
Indiana State Poultry Association
International Raw Materials, Ltd.
J.R. Simplot Company
Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association
Kansas Grain and Feed Association
Minnesota Agri-Growth Council
Minnesota Corn Growers Association
Minnesota Crop Production Retailers
Missouri Agribusiness Association
Missouri Farm Bureau
Montana Agricultural Business Association
National Chicken Council
National Corn Growers Association
National Grain and Feed Association
National Grange
National Meat Association
National Pork Producers Council
National Turkey Federation
NCRA
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
Nebraska Agri-Business Association
Nebraska Farm Bureau
New Mexico Peanut Growers Association
North Carolina Peanut Growers Association
North Dakota Agricultural Association
North Dakota Barley Council
North Dakota Farm Bureau
North Dakota Grain Dealers Association
North Dakota Grain Growers Association
North Dakota Soybean Growers Association
North Dakota Stockmen’s Association
North Dakota Wheat Commission
Northern Canola Growers Association
Northern Pulse Growers Association
Ohio Corn Growers Association
Ohio Farm Bureau
Ohio Poultry Association
Ohio Wheat Growers Association
Oklahoma Ag Retailers Association
Oklahoma Grain & Feed Association
Oklahoma Peanut Commission
Oklahoma Seed Trade Association
Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association
Panhandle Peanut Growers Association
Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association
Peanut Growers Cooperative Marketing Association
Polk County Farm Bureau (FL)
PotashCorp
Rocky Mountain Agribusiness Association
Sarasota County Farm Bureau (FL)
Society of American Florists
South Carolina Fertilizer & Agrichemicals Association
South Carolina Peanut Growers Association
South Dakota Agri-Business Association
South Dakota Farm Bureau
South Dakota Grain & Feed Association
Southern Crop Production Association
Southwest Council of Agribusiness
Terra Industries Inc.
Texas Agricultural Cooperative Council
Texas Farm Bureau
Texas Grain & Feed Association
Texas Peanut Producers Board
Texas Sheep & Goat Raisers Association
Texas Wheat Producers Association
The Andersons, Inc.
The Fertilizer Institute
The McGregor Company
Todd Staples, Commissioner, Texas Department of Agriculture
Tom Farms (Kip Tom, CEO)
United Egg Producers
Virginia Peanut Growers Association
W.B. Johnston Grain Co.
Western Peanut Growers Association
Western Plant Health Association
Wyoming Stock Growers Association


House Republicans believe there is a better way – one that can lower energy costs, create jobs, and clean up the environment in rural America and everywhere else. Led by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), the House GOP American Energy Solutions Group has crafted the American Energy Act to increase environmentally-safe energy production; promote alternative fuels to reduce carbon emissions; and encourage increased efficiencies and technologies to maximize America’s energy potential. When will Democrats listen to family farmers and small businesses and work with Republicans on real bipartisan solutions to secure a cleaner, more reliable energy future?

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Republican National Committee: As Former Sen. Tom Daschle Faces Senate Confirmation Hearings, a Reminder of His Past on Health Care

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Republican National Committee:

Today, The U.S. Senate Will Hold Hearings For President-Elect Obama's Health And Human Services Nominee, Former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD):

Daschle Will Be Testifying At His Senate Confirmation Hearing On Thursday. "Obama's choice to lead the reform effort, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, testifies at his Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday -- beginning a process to change the nation's healthcare that could be one of the most ambitious and expensive undertakings of the Obama presidency." (David Alexander, "Obama Building Grassroots Support For Health Reform," Reuters, 1/7/09)

Obama Announced That Daschle Will Serve As The "Lead Architect" On Health Care Reform In Addition To His Role As Health And Human Services Secretary:

Obama Announced That Daschle Will "Be The Lead Architect" Of Health Care Reform In Addition To Serving As HHS Secretary. Obama: "I've asked Tom to serve not just as my secretary of Health and Human Services, but also as my director of White House -- of my White House Office of Health Reform. As such, he will be responsible not just for implementing our health care plan, he will also be the lead architect of that plan." (Barack Obama, Press Conference, 12/11/08)

Obama Said No One Is "Better Suited To Lead This Effort" Than Daschle. Obama: "I can think of no one better suited to lead this effort than the man standing beside me today. Tom Daschle is one of America's foremost health care experts." (Barack Obama, Press Conference, 12/11/08)

DASCHLE WAS MAJOR PLAYER IN FAILED CLINTON HEALTH CARE PLAN

Daschle "Played A Major Part" In Advocating Sen. Clinton's Doomed Health Care Plan Of 1993:

Daschle "Played A Major Part" In The Failed Clinton Attempt To Reform Health Care In 1993. "He also devotes a section of the book to 'What Went Wrong And Models For Making It Right,' with a heavy concentration on the Clinton plan. 'I think it's important that we learn the lessons of the past,' he said ... Daschle is well aware of those lessons, having played a major part in the failed campaign for universal health care and learned many of the mistakes that were made from a Capitol Hill perspective." (Erin McPike, "Daschle Warm To Obama Health Role," CongressDaily, 6/5/08)

The Clinton Administration Expected Daschle To Help "Carry The Ball" On Their Health Care Platform. "[Sec. Lloyd] Bentsen and [Sec. Donna] Shalala, joined by the members of the economic team argued against the proposed price ceilings on insurance premiums. Those so-called premiums caps would be viewed, correctly, as proxies for price controls -- and Congress despised price controls. They argued that the alliances were too regulatory, the overall plan too bureaucratic. And they said that Medicare cuts were too extreme and would cause severe problems, both in urban states like New York and rural ones like South Dakota. These, Bensten knew well, were potential time bombs for the Senate Finance Committee, where Democratic senators from those states, Pat Moynihan and Tom Daschle, were expected to carry the ball for the President." (Haynes Johnson and David Broder, The System, 1996, p. 161)

Daschle Was One Of Only Two Democrats On The Senate Finance Committee That Held "Out For The Clinton Plan" Against Other Health Care Proposals In Congress. "[Rep. Jim] Cooper had told [Rep. Mike] Synar that his co-sponsor, Senator John Breaux, was convinced that only two Democrats on Finance -- Majority Leader George Mitchell of Maine and Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota, Mitchell's protg and 1995 successor as leader of the Senate Democrats -- would hold out for the Clinton plan." (Haynes Johnson and David Broder, The System, 1996, p. 336)

Daschle Was Considered A "Foot Soldier" For The Clinton Health Care Reform Effort, During The Time When The Senate Had Become "Increasingly Hostile To Bi-Partisanship." "The Senate environment was also increasingly hostile to bi-partisanship. Something new-and destructive- was at work. ... It was true that in the clash over health care reform, some senators acted out assigned roles -- or roles others suspected them of playing. Jay Rockefeller thus was regarded by other Democrats as the foot soldier for the First Lady; Tom Daschle of South Dakota as the foot soldier for the Senate Majority Leader Mitchell; Mitchell as the foot soldier for the President's bill..." (Haynes Johnson and David Broder, The System, 1996, pp. 382-383)

Daschle Pushed For A Vote On The Clinton Plan Despite Opposition In The Senate:

Daschle Pressed For A Vote On The Clinton Plan "To Force Accountability" Among Those Opposed To The Plan. "Tom Daschle of South Dakota, Mitchell's deputy and soon to be his successor as Democratic leader, was as devoted as anyone to passage; but he conceded in conversations with us that August, because the Democrats lacked consensus on whether to fight or let the issue fade, 'there is a belief that to have it trail off may be the best approach.' Daschle was among the senators who argued they needed 'to force accountability,' to 'force the Republicans to vote on something.' In the end, though, his was a minority view. 'There is a feeling,' Daschle added, 'that we are putting as many Democrats on the line as Republicans' by pressing for a vote on the unpopular bill, and that feeling was even stronger among House Democrats. In recalling his private conversations with House Democratic leaders, Daschle remembered, 'They were just really worried about crawling out there on a limb as they've done in the past this close to an election. The votes weren't there for that.'" (Haynes Johnson and David Broder, The System, 1996, p. 515)

DASCHLE'S WORK FOR LOBBYING FIRM CREATES POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Daschle Is An Adviser For Washington, D.C. Lobbying Firm, Which Has Earned Millions Lobbying For Health Care Industry:

Daschle Is A "Special Policy Adviser" For Prominent D.C. Lobbying Firm, Which Has Earned More Than $16 Million Representing The Health Care Industry During Daschle's Tenure. "Barack Obama's expected pick of former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to be secretary of health and human services bumps up against the president-elect's pledge to rid the White House of special interests. The former Democratic senator from South Dakota is a special policy adviser for the lobbying law firm Alston & Bird. And in his three years there, the firm has earned more than $16 million representing some of the health care industry's most powerful interests before the department he's in line to lead." (Chris Frates, "Daschle Lobby Ties Bump Obama Vow," Politico, 12/1/08)

Daschle's Work As A Paid Adviser "Appears To Run Counter To Obama's Pledge 'To Free The Executive Branch From Special Interest Influence'" Since According To Obama's Team, Political Appointees Are Not "Permitted To Work On Regulations Or Contracts Directly And Substantially Related To Their Prior Employer For Two Years." "Daschle is not himself a lobbyist. But he has advised the firm's clients on health care issues, according to the firm's website. His work as a paid adviser appears to run counter to Obama's pledge to 'free the executive branch from special interest influence.' No political appointee, Obama's transition team has declared, 'will be permitted to work on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years.' As health and human services secretary, Daschle would oversee myriad regulations, ranging from the drugs that can come to market to Medicare and Medicare reimbursements." (Chris Frates, "Daschle Lobby Ties Bump Obama Vow," Politico, 12/1/08)

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Gingrich Calls on RNC to Pull 'Destructive' Ad

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Chairman of American Solutions for Winning the Future, today sent a letter to RNC Chairman Mike Duncan urging him to pull down a web advertisement attempting to link President-elect Barack Obama and disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Text of the letter is as follows:

Dear Chairman Duncan,

I was saddened to learn that at a time of national trial, when a president-elect is preparing to take office in the midst of the worst financial crisis in over seventy years, that the Republican National Committee is engaged in the sort of negative, attack politics that the voters rejected in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles.

The recent web advertisement, "Questions Remain," is a destructive distraction. Clearly, we should insist that all taped communications regarding the Senate seat should be made public. However, that should be a matter of public policy, not an excuse for political attack.

In a time when America is facing real challenges, Republicans should be working to help the incoming President succeed in meeting them, regardless of his Party.

From now until the inaugural, Republicans should be offering to help the President-elect prepare to take office.

Furthermore, once President Obama takes office, Republicans should be eager to work with him when he is right, and, when he is wrong, offer a better solution, instead of just opposing him.

This is the only way the Republican Party will become known as the "better solutions" party, not just an opposition party. And this is the only way Republicans will ever regain the trust of the voters to return to the majority.

This ad is a terrible signal to be sending about both the goals of the Republican Party in the midst of the nation's troubled economic times and about whether we have actually learned anything from the defeats of 2006 and 2008.

The RNC should pull the ad down immediately.

Sincerely,

Newt Gingrich
Chairman, American Solutions
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives

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