Congress must answer for their actions
The ire of Americans supporting the First Amendment’s right to freedom of religion is being directed at President Obama. But remember, Obama only signed the Health Care bill, he did not write it and he did not pass it. It was Congress that wrote the bill, passed it and sent it to the president to sign. The Senate voted for it, 60–39. (All Democrats and two Independents voted “YES.” All Republicans voted “NO.”) The House approved it with a “YES” vote of 219–212. (All 178 Republicans and only 34 Democrats voted “NO.”) It is time we made the members of congress that voted “YES” to answer for their actions.
Jack C. McVickers
Scottsdale
Gay judges are impartial?
Do you find it unprofessional that Dallas County Judge Tonya Parker won't marry anyone until she can marry gays? Why not hold out until adult brothers and sisters or mothers and adult sons can be married?
Why not wait until men can marry sheep? Just who the hell does this judge think she is that she can use her sexual preference to decide what valid duties she may or may not perform? Maybe she can put more women in our jails so that the male to female ratio is 50-50 too. If you don't think it matters whether a judge is conservative or liberal ,just look at this freak show in Texas and Judge Martin in Pennsylvania who is siding with Sharia law!
Sincerely,
Joseph DuPont
Towanda, Pennsylvania
It won't make any difference!
Senator Olympia Snowe, R-ME just announced she will not be running for re-election. Big deal! If the voters of Maine choose a Democrat to replace this Republican, balance in the Senate will remain unchanged. Politicians like Snowe, McCain, Graham, Lugar, Collins, etc. – all RINOs – make the appropriate conservative noises at home every six years, and then consistently vote with the other Socialists in that august body.
J-P. A. Maldonado
Phoenix
Obama blasts states for cutting spending
Speaking to the National Governors Association, Barack Obama implored governors from across the country to stop cutting spending: “Too many states are making cuts that I think are too big. Budgets are by choice, so today I’m calling on all of you: invest more in education, invest more in our children.”
What’s he talking about? According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), spending at the state level has increased every single year in recent memory. It rose from $945.3 billion in 2000 to some $1.69 trillion in 2011.
Even in the recession, spending increases have continued unabated, growing by about $63 billion a year since Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, according to NASBO data.
And in Obama’s pet area of education, spending too has risen. In 2007, $305.79 billion was spent on elementary and secondary education by the states, and $145.93 billion on higher education, a total of more than $452 billion. In 2011, that had risen to $509.42 billion.
There was a slight reduction in elementary and secondary education in 2010 of about $2.15 billion. But much of that included $5.6 billion of such cuts in the bankrupt Democrat-controlled state of California alone, which was offset by spending increases elsewhere.
Talk about a false impression. There were not even any cuts in education in the controversial GOP-controlled state of Wisconsin that is supposed to be bleeding red ink. Education spending there increased in 2011 by $1.063 billion.
In fact, some the largest cuts in 2011 came in Democrat strongholds like Massachusetts and Washington state, which slashed a combined $708 billion in elementary and secondary education spending.
So what is Obama talking about? Likely not California, Massachusetts, nor Washington.
He is most likely referencing Ohio, which did see a cut $1.07 billion in 2011 on education. But even those occurred under former Governor Ted Strickland, a Democrat, as Ohio works with two-year budgets. More cuts are occurring under Governor John Kasich, too, but were not unexpected.
A simple explanation is that states like Ohio or California with exorbitant public sector employee costs were particularly hard hit by the recession, causing revenues to dry up. With a need to balance the budget, faced with large budget deficits, that makes cuts more likely.
But not always. In Illinois, the government there continues to plunge into the Abyss, increasing education spending despite an $8 billion budget deficit. So, in many cases, there are no cuts when there ought to be. Certain states are not going nearly far enough.
A singular focus on any one state is likely to leave a misleading impression of severe austerity being adopted across the country, just as Obama’s statement to governors nationwide did. Many of them might have been looking around at each other, thinking, “What the heck is he talking about?”
Of course, that’s a question a lot of people ask these days when Obama’s teleprompter takes the stage.
Bill Wilson
President of Americans for Limited Government
Obama’s unqualified apology to Afghanistan amuses India
No doubt President Obama has shown a civilized behavior when he apologized for burning of Quran by some US soldier in Afghanistan and which has triggered wide spread violence in Afghanistan.
But it seems that Obama is overwhelmed by the scale of on-going violence in Afghanistan while offering this unconditional apology without a rider.
Because no body knows better than Obama that Afghans are not going to show similar respect for other religion / sects and religionists once USA & Allies leaves Afghanistan. Same will be the mentality of Muslims in their other countries also where Muslims are in majority.
Therefore Obama should still clarify the matter and tell Afghans in particular and Muslims in general that given their historical record of religious intolerance and fanaticism it does not behoove Afghans to continue with violence especially when he himself (as President and supreme commander of armed forces) has already apologized for Quran burning by US soldiers and Afghans should further be told by Obama that world community will expect similar respect in future for other religions/sects & religionists and its various related things from Afghans too.
Yours truly
Hem Raj Jain,
Author of “Betrayal of Americanism”
Mankato, Minnesota
Another Obama nominee confirmed to the bench
Dear Friend of the Second Amendment,
We recently alerted you to a radical anti-gun nominee President Obama named to the federal bench, Jesse Furman.
To no one’s surprise, Furman is cut from the same judicial cloth as other Obama nominees such as Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
For instance, in an article published a number of years ago – but from which Furman has not distanced himself – he writes that: “Probably the best explanation for the amount of violent crime in the United States is its fascination with guns.”
GOA members flooded the Senate with emails, and many Senators voted against Furman. But Majority Leader Harry Reid kept every single Democrat in lock-step with the Obama agenda, and Furman was confirmed to a lifetime appointment to the bench on a vote of 62-34.
Republicans Jon Kyl and John McCain (AZ), Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander (TN), Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe (ME), Jeff Sessions (AL), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Scott Brown (MA), and Lindsey Graham (SC) joined all Democrats in voting for Furman.
This vote serves to highlight the difficulty in protecting the courts from anti-Second Amendment nominees who come before the Congress. Obama will continue to nominate far left gun grabbers, and Harry Reid will be his go-to guy for confirmation votes.
And if Obama wins a second term, his agenda will become only more brazen. That’s why a top goal of GOA in 2012 is to help elect as many truly pro-gun friends as we can to the U.S. Senate.
It is crucial that Harry Reid does not retain the gavel next year. But it is not enough to just elect members of the opposing party. We need to elect strong candidates who understand the Constitution and who will not bow to pressure from the White House – whoever the occupant may be – or from the leadership of either party in the Congress.
Thank you for standing with GOA as we fight these battles on a daily basis.
Sincerely,
Tim Macy, Vice Chairman
Gun Owners of America
ALG urges passage of McMorris Rodgers, DeMint bills to stop U.S. bailout of Europe
FAIRFAX, Va. — Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today urged both houses of Congress to pass legislation that would rescind a $100 billion U.S. credit line to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that is being used to bail out bankrupt nations in Europe like Greece, Portugal, and Ireland:
"The IMF, which the U.S. funds, has already committed over $100 billion to bailing out Greece, Portugal, and Ireland. Now with more money promised to Greece, that means the U.S. stake in propping up Europe will only grow.
"The U.S. needs to rescind its own $100 billion line of credit to the IMF, only $7 billion of which has been used, before it is too late and any more of it is wasted refinancing the debts of profligate countries that refuse to cut spending. We should not be subsidizing socialism.
"Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Senator Jim DeMint have taken the lead on this critical issue, gathering over 110 congressional cosponsors to stop this bailout. Now it is time for these pieces of legislation to get finally their proper airing on the floors of both houses of Congress.
"With a national debt now larger than our entire economy, it is time members answered the question: should taxpayers be bailing out Europe? A failure to bring these bills to the floor is a tacit acceptance of bailouts, which Republicans promised to bring an end to in 2010."
Americans for Limited Government is a non-partisan, nationwide network committed to advancing free market reforms, private property rights and core American liberties. For more information on ALG please call 703-383-0880 or visit www.GetLiberty.org.
Plouffe’s Bluff
Good morning, Team Obama and the Democrats continue their bluff to convince people Arizona is in play for the general election. Our latest research piece detailing Plouffe’s Bluff puts this radical claim in perspective. With any luck Team Obama will fall for it, but let’s be real, this is a mirage.
Darren Littell
Email
