Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families: What is the explanation for both solidly liberal Democrats and solidly conservative Republicans voting no on yesterday’s economic rescue plan? This is an important distinction because it tells us everything we need to know about the difference between the two parties. Liberal Democrats voted against it because it did not include billions for leftwing groups, union giveaways, and more money for risky mortgages to low income households. At the same time, many conservatives voted no because they did not like the massive government intervention in the market. They feared that there were not enough taxpayer protections, even though similar efforts in the past have actually worked out well and many believe the government will recoup most, if not all, of the money invested.
You can be proud of Republicans for improving the bill, but here’s the problem we have now. There is no doubt about which side is being blamed for this crisis. The leftwing media and its political allies are blaming Republican policies and the free market. Since this crisis exploded on our TV screens, Barack Obama has taken commanding leads in the polls. The latest Rasmussen daily tracking poll has Obama up six points over McCain – 51%-to-45%. Virtually all the major media outlets are spinning yesterday’s vote as a defeat for McCain.
I know where the blame lies for the subprime mortgage meltdown. (see transcript of a Fox News report.) I know the liberal Democrats, encouraged by leftwing agitators like ACORN, created that problem. ( more on ACORN: op-ed by the New York Post.) But the media are not going to explain that. The same liberal Democrats who created this problem repeatedly thwarted GOP attempts over the past decade to fix it, and they once again control Capitol Hill. We cannot control the media and we cannot control the debate in Congress.
I know some of you are happy this bill was voted down, but let me explain what I think you may be missing “behind the scenes” in Washington. The bill that was voted down was supported by a lot of conservative institutions – from the Heritage Foundation to top executives of trade associations representing the nation’s realtors, the Chamber of Commerce, manufacturers, small businesses, etc. Support for this bill went across the ideological spectrum from a host of folks and industries who are well aware of the dangers of a potential credit freeze. Many people believe we are at risk of a severe recession, possibly even another depression. And good people who have done nothing wrong will be hurt terribly by the fallout if our economy collapses.
The Bush Administration is fearful, with good cause, of a total economic failure. As the president reiterated this morning, “As much as we might wish the situation were different, our country is not facing a choice between government action and the smooth functioning of the free market. We’re facing a choice between action and the real prospect of economic hardship for millions of Americans.” The president is demanding a new bill, and there are numerous warnings that “the Democrats [may] do something on their own with all the stuff they wanted.”
There is a real danger now that the next plan will be far worse because the Democrats have the votes to force whatever they want through the Congress. Republicans did not defeat this bill – the 95 liberal Democrats who voted no defeated this bill! Five Democrat committee chairmen voted no. Half of the Congressional Black Caucus voted no. A majority of the Hispanic Caucus voted no. These liberal Democrats voted no because in their view the bill was too conservative! But, the bill just defeated may have been the best thing we could have gotten out of this Congress. Having succeeded in killing a bill she didn’t like, Nancy Pelosi is now poised to write and pass her own bill, without input or votes from the House GOP. I guarantee you there will be nothing in that legislation to cheer about.
President Bush, Senator McCain and Hill Republicans need to present a bold plan of their own and force Congress to consider it. The plan should suspend the “mark to market rule,” tighten regulations on manipulative short selling, slash corporate and investment taxes and seriously curtail spending. Let’s have a serious debate about economic policy in this country and then let the American people decide the course they want to take in 35 days.
Tags: bailout, Democrats, economic stablization, Gary Bauer, Nancy Pelosi, Republicans, US Congress To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Same-day Voting in Ohio Raises Some Questions
by Patrick Britton: The elections are still 36 days away but people in Ohio are already voting by absentee. There’s nothing special about voting absentee but what is interesting is the ability for people to register and to vote in the same day. The main problem for politicians has been to get lazy voters into the voting booths on election day. The main problem for politicians has been to get lazy voters into the voting booths on election day. That is not a problem because in Ohio, until October 6th, the Democratic machine is allowed to get out and convince people to register to vote and to vote for Obama at the same time.In the name of voter’s rights political forces are being allowed to round up voters that would more than likely not vote in November. It’s great that people are being persuaded to register but following up with an absentee ballot is unethical. Instead of allowing people to vote at their own whim they are being coerced to do so for the Democratic nominee. People have a right to vote for who they want when legally allowed. I see this as political bullying and not the proper way to get out the vote. . . . [Full Story: Same-day Voting in Ohio Raises Some Questions]
Tags: early voting, Election 2008, Ohio, same day voting, voter fraud To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
John McCain leads Barack Obama in Arkansas
Rasmussen Reports: John McCain’s lead over Barack Obama in Arkansas remains stable. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state finds the Republican leading 51% to 42%. McCain had a 10-point lead in July and was ahead by nine points in June. . . . This month, McCain leads 56% to 31% among unaffiliated voters in Arkansas. He also has a 53% to 40% advantage among men and a 50% to 43% edge among women.McCain is viewed favorably by 60% of voters and unfavorably by 38%. Obama’s ratings are 47% favorable, 52% unfavorable. Rasmussen Markets [as of this report] data gives McCain a 86.0% chance of carrying Arkansas this fall. . . .
Obama’s running mate, Joseph Biden, is viewed favorably by 44% of Arkansas voters and unfavorably by 49%. Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is viewed favorably by 58% and unfavorably by 39%. Voters in Arkansas think McCain made the right choice with Palin by a 56% to 34% margin. They disagree with Obama’s choice of Biden 49% to 27%. A plurality of voters (43%) considers Palin to be very conservative. Just 17% of voters see Biden as very liberal, while 28% view the Democrat as politically moderate. . . . [McCain Maintains Solid Lead in Arkansas ]
Tags: Arkansas, Barack Obama, Election 2008, Joe Biden, John Mccain, polling, Rasmussen Poll, Rasmussen Reports, Sarah Palin To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Arkansas Voter Registration Ends Monday
Deadline for voter registration in Arkansas is Monday, October 6.Where you can get registration forms.
Tags: Arkansas, voter registration To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - Sept 30, 2008
The House voted down the economic stabilization ("rescue") plan (H.R. 3997) Monday by a vote of 205-228, sending Congressional leaders back to the drawing board. More comments later. For those in Arkansas, all four Representatives. The House needs to consider the Senate version of tax extenders bill (H.R. 6049) sent over on Monday. The Senate resumed post-cloture consideration of the Amtrak bill (H.R. 2095). Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has indicated he still wants to pass the Amtrak bill and a bill implementing the U.S.-India nuclear agreement (H.R. 7081), which the House passed on Saturday.
From Senate & News Sources: National Review Online’s editorial reports, “The $700 billion bailout bill is palatable to no one.” Certainly this is true for everyone on Capitol Hill, especially in the House of Representatives . Despite this, most lawmakers on both sides of the aisle still consider some sort of action necessary. The NRO editorial went on to argue the reason why: “If the crunch that [Treasury Secretary Hank] Paulson and [Fed Chairman Ben] Bernanke are warning about comes, it will squeeze off credit — the very lifeblood of capitalism — to businesses, entrepreneurs, and consumers all around the country. The Paulson plan is an intervention designed to keep capitalism functioning rather than supplant it. If it is successful, the assets the government buys will be sold back on the market (perhaps at a profit), after the panic passes.”
It is instructive to look at some potential explanations for yesterday’s House vote. Much of the discussion has centered on House Republicans, but as ABC’s Jake Tapper asks, “What About Those 95 Democrats?” The bill needed only 13 more votes to pass, and NRO notes “[House Speaker Nancy Pelosi] didn’t deliver five of her own committee chairmen and lost more than a dozen of her fellow California Democrats.” Isn’t it the job of the Speaker to ensure that legislation passes the House? The Wall Street Journal sheds some light on why Democrats had no problem voting against the bill, “Democratic leadership aides said they didn’t try to compel rank-and-file lawmakers to vote for the legislation in recent days, leaving individuals largely on their own to make decisions.” So, House Democrats didn’t seriously whip on the bill. No wonder that Tapper writes, “Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., told me yesterday that he felt no pressure at all to vote for the bill.” It is very evident that Pelosi leadership is in the "toilet." She can only try to hide that she is not even in control of her own constituents by haranguing the Republicans for not voting her way.
As NRO wrote, it is important to “keep capitalism functioning rather than supplant it.” Sen. Judd Gregg echoed the opinions of many GOP senators yesterday when he said, “I’m hopeful we can move forward and I certainly intend to follow the (Republican) leaders’ suggestion that we just stay here and keep working.”
Tags: economic stabilization, Nancy Pelosi, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
From Senate & News Sources: National Review Online’s editorial reports, “The $700 billion bailout bill is palatable to no one.” Certainly this is true for everyone on Capitol Hill, especially in the House of Representatives . Despite this, most lawmakers on both sides of the aisle still consider some sort of action necessary. The NRO editorial went on to argue the reason why: “If the crunch that [Treasury Secretary Hank] Paulson and [Fed Chairman Ben] Bernanke are warning about comes, it will squeeze off credit — the very lifeblood of capitalism — to businesses, entrepreneurs, and consumers all around the country. The Paulson plan is an intervention designed to keep capitalism functioning rather than supplant it. If it is successful, the assets the government buys will be sold back on the market (perhaps at a profit), after the panic passes.”
It is instructive to look at some potential explanations for yesterday’s House vote. Much of the discussion has centered on House Republicans, but as ABC’s Jake Tapper asks, “What About Those 95 Democrats?” The bill needed only 13 more votes to pass, and NRO notes “[House Speaker Nancy Pelosi] didn’t deliver five of her own committee chairmen and lost more than a dozen of her fellow California Democrats.” Isn’t it the job of the Speaker to ensure that legislation passes the House? The Wall Street Journal sheds some light on why Democrats had no problem voting against the bill, “Democratic leadership aides said they didn’t try to compel rank-and-file lawmakers to vote for the legislation in recent days, leaving individuals largely on their own to make decisions.” So, House Democrats didn’t seriously whip on the bill. No wonder that Tapper writes, “Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., told me yesterday that he felt no pressure at all to vote for the bill.” It is very evident that Pelosi leadership is in the "toilet." She can only try to hide that she is not even in control of her own constituents by haranguing the Republicans for not voting her way.
As NRO wrote, it is important to “keep capitalism functioning rather than supplant it.” Sen. Judd Gregg echoed the opinions of many GOP senators yesterday when he said, “I’m hopeful we can move forward and I certainly intend to follow the (Republican) leaders’ suggestion that we just stay here and keep working.”
Tags: economic stabilization, Nancy Pelosi, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Voight plays Washington, slams anti-American films
Washington Times — It's colossal, it's stupendous. In exactly five days, Jon Voight will become the ghost of George Washington, leading a forward attack on those who would sully America. "An American Carol," a frantic satire that takes on filmmaker Michael Moore, Rosie O'Donnell and a host of liberals, opens Oct. 3. And Mr. Voight, indeed, plays the first president of the United States in white wig and sleek Colonial uniform, taking the Moore-inspired character to task for his lack of patriotism, his paucity of Yankee vim. It is a very Scrooge-ian exchange. . . . [More by Jennifer Harper on "An American Carol"] See also: Hollywood takes on the left & An American Carol - review by ARRA editor Tags: An American Carol, George Washington, Jon Voight, Michael Moore To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Obama - ACORN Root Causes of Mortgage Crisis?
by Alan Gottlieb, AmeriPac: FBI Investigates U.S. Financial Crisis - Where Did $1 Trillion Go? - The high-risk subprime mortgage social engineering community service experiment by left-wing ACORN and Obama has created the largest financial crisis since The Great Depression. The full reach of the corruption and scandal may never be known but those who created it must not be rewarded. The architects, primarily left-wing Democrats, created laws, took donations, looked the other way and instead were too busy overse eing donations to their own presidential campaigns and robbing main street blind. Now these same left-wing Democrats blame everyone else and get up on their high horses and say, “we are here to save you” from the crises they created.Yes, Mr. Obama knows a great deal about the mess. He is a central figure in the left-wing ACORN exploitation of financial institutions and pressuring them to make high risk loans. The very same left-wing ACORN was guilty of voter fraud in the last presidential election. Now these same Democrats want to do another high risk “community service,” social engineering experiment. They want to elect a high-risk, low experience, socialist one of the same community organizers that created the mess to be our next president. We cannot experiment with the office of president and learn as we go. Barack Obama is not qualified and has no history of success as a leader in government or business.
The FBI investigation - An FBI investigation is under way at Lehman Brothers and three other contributors to America’s financial crisis to determine whether they put pressure on ratings agencies to award top ratings to securities they issued. Concerns that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG or Lehman may have sought to encourage agencies to inflate their ratings — by offering higher fees or the promise of more work — form part of a broad inquiry by the bureau.
The agencies are widely regarded as having failed debt holders by attributing the top ratings to many securities that turned out to be extremely risky and have lost investors hundreds of billions of dollars. The FBI, which is also investigating whether any of the four institutions deliberately misled investors about the true health of their assets, is expected to demand that they “hold all papers and e-mails under lock and key” as it sifts through the evidence, a source said.
How did we get here? - FOLLOW THE MONEY AND CORRUPTION! A Lending Policy created by democrats for democrats run by democrats monitored by democrats enforced by community organizer democrats and profited from by democrats. Fannie and Freddie acted in response to Clinton administration pressure to boost homeownership rates among minorities and the poor. However compassionate the motive, the result of this systematic disregard for normal credit standards has been financial disaster. ONE key pioneer of ACORN's subprime-loan shakedown racket was Madeline Talbott - an activist with extensive ties to Barack Obama. She was also in on the ground floor of the disastrous turn in Fannie Mae's mortgage policies.
Obama Trains ACORN Staff in Shakedown Tactics - It would be tough to find an "on the ground" community organizer more closely tied to the subprime-mortgage fiasco than Madeline Talbott. And no one has been more supportive of Madeline Talbott than Barack Obama. When Obama was just a budding community organizer in Chicago, Talbott was so impressed that she asked him to train her personal staff. He returned to Chicago in the early '90s, just as Talbott was starting her pressure campaign on local banks. In those years, he also conducted leadership-training seminars for ACORN's up-and-coming organizers. That is, Obama was training the army of ACORN organizers who participated in Madeline Talbott's drive against Chicago's banks.Obama Funds ACORN - More than that, Obama was funding them. As he rose to a leadership role at Chicago's Woods Fund, he became the most powerful voice on the foundation's board for supporting ACORN and other community organizers. In 1995, the Woods Fund substantially expanded its funding of community organizers - and Obama chaired the committee that urged and managed the shift.
That committee's report on strategies for funding groups like ACORN features all the key names in Obama's organizer network. The report quotes Talbott more than any other figure; Sandra Maxwell, Talbott's ACORN ally in the bank battle, was also among the organizers consulted. More, the Obama-supervised Woods Fund report acknowledges the problem of getting donors and foundations to contribute to radical groups like ACORN - whose confrontational tactics often scare off even liberal donors and foundations.
Indeed, the report brags about pulling the wool over the public's eye. The Woods Fund's claim to be "nonideological," it says, has "enabled the Trustees to make grants to organizations that use confrontational tactics against the business and government 'establishments' without undue risk of being criticized for partisanship."
Obama Aware of Intimidation Tactics - The Woods Fund report makes it clear Obama was fully aware of the intimidation tactics used by ACORN's Madeline Talbott in her pioneering efforts to force banks to suspend their usual credit standards. Yet he supported Talbott in every conceivable way. He trained her personal staff and other aspiring ACORN leaders, he consulted with her extensively, and he arranged a major boost in foundation funding for her efforts.
And, as the leader of another charity, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, Obama channeled more funding Talbott's way - ostensibly for education projects but surely supportive of ACORN's overall efforts. In return, Talbott proudly announced her support of Obama's first campaign for state Senate, saying, "We accept and respect him as a kindred spirit, a fellow organizer." In short, to understand the roots of the subprime mortgage crisis, look to ACORN's Madeline Talbott. And to see how Talbott was able to work her mischief, look to Barack Obama.
Tags: ACORN, Alan Gottlieb, AmeriPac, Barack Obama, FBI, mortgage crisis To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Congressional Martial Law.. what's in the bailout? [Video]
H. Res. -- Waiving a requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII with respect to the consideration of certain resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules
September 27, 2008
H.Res. -- Waiving a requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII with respect to consideration of certain resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules
Managers: Slaughter / Dreier
Motion offered by: Summary of Motion Vote Tally
Dreier To specify that the provisions of the rule only apply to a bill addressing the current financial crisis or a bill relating to the extension of tax credits. Defeated 4 to 9
Dreier To provide that the House shall not consider any rule on the same day it is reported from the Rules Committee, pursuant to this resolution, unless the Majority Leader has given at least 6 hours notice. Defeated 4 to 9
Dreier To provide that the provisions of the rule only apply to resolutions reported unanimously from the Rules Committee. Defeated 4 to 9
McGovern To report the martial law rule waiving a requirement of Clause 6(a) of Rule XIII with respect to consideration of any resolution reported from the Rules Committee, through the legislative day of September 29, 2008. It does not apply to any specific measure, but rather grants blanket authority. Agreed to by voice vote
BLANKET MARTIAL LAW RULE THROUGH MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH
CSPAN clip. Rep. Burgess (R-TX)c onfirms the Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) declared martial law last night!
Tags: economic stabilization, economy, martial law, Congressional Martial Law, the economy, US House To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
September 27, 2008
H.Res. -- Waiving a requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII with respect to consideration of certain resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules
Managers: Slaughter / Dreier
Motion offered by: Summary of Motion Vote Tally
BLANKET MARTIAL LAW RULE THROUGH MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH
CSPAN clip. Rep. Burgess (R-TX)c onfirms the Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) declared martial law last night!
Tags: economic stabilization, economy, martial law, Congressional Martial Law, the economy, US House To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Gift that Keeps on Giving
H/T Michael AsherTags: Barack Obama, Fannie Mae, gifts, money, political contributions, Politics To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Missouri Democrat Sheriffs & Prosecutor Seek to Restrict Free Speech
Hat Tip to Gateway Pundit: St. Louis and Missouri Democrat sheriffs and top prosecutors are planning to go after anyone who makes false statements against Obama during his campaign. This is so one sided I can't even begin to describe how wrong this agenda is. It's one thing if they want to keep the campaign fair for both sides, but they clearly only want to enforce the issue for the Obama Camp. KMOV has a video report on the Obama "Truth Squads."See also: Missouri governor: 'Obama using police-state tactics'
St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce and St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch are threatening to bring libel charges against those who speak out falsely against Barack Obama. KMOV aired a story last night, that stated that St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch and St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, both Obama supporters, are threatening to bring criminal libel charges against anyone who levels what turns out to be false criticisms of their chosen candidate for President. St. Louis C of CC Blog has more on the Obama Truth Squads. . . . [For More Info]
Backlash to Obama officials squelching political speech
McCain-Obama battle over Missouri “Truth Squad”
Michelle Malkin: Fighting Obama’s Goon Squad
Obama wants NRA ads banned
Prosecutors for Obama hunting for 'lying ads'
Tags: Barack Obama, free speech, KMOV, Missouri, prosecutor, sheriff, St Louis To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - Sept 29, 2008
Update - Breaking News (2:10 pm) - House fails to pass economic stabilization bill.
The Senate will resume consideration of the House message to accompany the Amtrak bill (H.R. 2095). The House is currently debating the economic rescue plan, now titled the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, and will vote on it this afternoon. The Senate could vote on as early as this evening. On Saturday, the Senate voted 78-12 to pass a continuing resolution (H.R. 2638) to fund the government through March 6, 2009 and fund Defense, Homeland Security and Military Construction and Veterans affairs for fiscal year 2009, which begins Wednesday.
The Senate also cleared by voice vote the fiscal 2009 Defense authorization bill (S. 3001) for the president’s signature. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has indicated he still wants to pass the Amtrak bill and a bill implementing the U.S.-India nuclear agreement (H.R. 7081), which the House passed on Saturday, before the end of this Congress.
The House will be voting on the economic stabilization bill. The House still needs to pass the tax extenders bill (H.R. 6049), which the Senate sent over this morning.
From Senate & News Sources: After a long weekend of negotiations, Democrats and Republicans were able to hammer out an agreement on an economic stabilization bill. Many Republican senators have expressed their frustration with the situation Americans find themselves in and that Congress is in as it considers this plan. There are many people who have concerns about this course of action, yet, as The Wall Street Journal writes today, the plan “deserves to pass because in reality it is an attempt to shield middle America from further harm caused by the mistakes of Wall Street and Washington. . . . the current seizure in the credit markets is real and will do far more harm if not repaired soon” and goes on to say, “We agree with those who say there are better ways to provide this public capital, but Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson’s plan should do some good, and if executed properly shouldn’t cost taxpayers anything close to its $700 billion showroom price.”
The Examiner also reluctantly endorses the stabilization bill, writing, “Failing to enact the bailout risks a major plunge in the stock market, more bank failures and undermining future economic growth.” Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” also said he would probably reluctantly vote for the bill were he still in Congress.
Tags: Amtrak bill, Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Senate will resume consideration of the House message to accompany the Amtrak bill (H.R. 2095). The House is currently debating the economic rescue plan, now titled the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, and will vote on it this afternoon. The Senate could vote on as early as this evening. On Saturday, the Senate voted 78-12 to pass a continuing resolution (H.R. 2638) to fund the government through March 6, 2009 and fund Defense, Homeland Security and Military Construction and Veterans affairs for fiscal year 2009, which begins Wednesday.
The Senate also cleared by voice vote the fiscal 2009 Defense authorization bill (S. 3001) for the president’s signature. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has indicated he still wants to pass the Amtrak bill and a bill implementing the U.S.-India nuclear agreement (H.R. 7081), which the House passed on Saturday, before the end of this Congress.
The House will be voting on the economic stabilization bill. The House still needs to pass the tax extenders bill (H.R. 6049), which the Senate sent over this morning.
From Senate & News Sources: After a long weekend of negotiations, Democrats and Republicans were able to hammer out an agreement on an economic stabilization bill. Many Republican senators have expressed their frustration with the situation Americans find themselves in and that Congress is in as it considers this plan. There are many people who have concerns about this course of action, yet, as The Wall Street Journal writes today, the plan “deserves to pass because in reality it is an attempt to shield middle America from further harm caused by the mistakes of Wall Street and Washington. . . . the current seizure in the credit markets is real and will do far more harm if not repaired soon” and goes on to say, “We agree with those who say there are better ways to provide this public capital, but Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson’s plan should do some good, and if executed properly shouldn’t cost taxpayers anything close to its $700 billion showroom price.”
The Examiner also reluctantly endorses the stabilization bill, writing, “Failing to enact the bailout risks a major plunge in the stock market, more bank failures and undermining future economic growth.” Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” also said he would probably reluctantly vote for the bill were he still in Congress.
Tags: Amtrak bill, Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Mike Hucakbee Show's 1st Guest Elisabeth Hasselbeck
Opening of Huckabee Show [Fox 9/27/08]
Elisabeth Hasselbeck Appears On Huckabee Show [Fox 9/27/08]
Tags: Arkansas, Elizabeth Hasselback, Governor, Mike Huckabee To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Elisabeth Hasselbeck Appears On Huckabee Show [Fox 9/27/08]
| Part 1 | Part 2 |
Tags: Arkansas, Elizabeth Hasselback, Governor, Mike Huckabee To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Repealing the State Bingo Tax Is Not Enough
Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: One candidate running for the Arkansas State legislature argues that last week's Arkansas Legislature’s Joint Performance Review Committee consensus that the controversial state "bingo tax" should be repealed is still not enough. In addition to repealing the tax, Karen Hopper calls for a return of revenue on a prorated basis to the local veteran’s groups, churches, and community organizations unable to fund their causes because of the excessive tax.Karen Hopper is the Republican candidate for District 81 which covers Mountain Home, Lakeview, Midway, Cotter, Gassville and a majority of citizens in Baxter County. Hopper went on record back in April voicing her opposition to the excessive tax and said then if elected she will work to reduce the excessive tax on charitable bingo. “For the past six months as I campaigned across the district, numerous representatives from local veteran’s groups, churches and community organizations have told me how this excessive tax has drastically impacted their ability to fund college scholarships, Boys and Girls State delegates, and numerous other activities,” Hopper said.
Voters in 2006 approved a constitutional amendment legalizing charitable bingo and raffles. Act 388 of 2007 established the rules and regulations for operators, including a method of taxing the games. Under the rules established by Act 388, groups must purchase a license and then pay a 1-cent tax on each bingo game card or “face” sold. The Act also requires charities to purchase bingo and raffle licenses. Hopper said despite the legislature having input from representatives of community organizations around the state as the terms of Act 388 were hammered out, Department of Finance and Administration’s (DFA) interpretation of the rules led to the excessive collections.
The tax generated $1.1 million during the last financial year, with DFA using $600,000 to fund the monitoring of bingo operations in the state. The result is that community organizations across the state are suffering to the point they are not able to fund their causes. In the Mountain Home area the tax has verily affected the charity programs the American Legion, VFW, Elks and Moose. Jim Whitesell, a member and bingo volunteer at the Alley-White American Legion Post 52 of Mountain Home, said. "Last year, the American Legion generated through Bingo $15,000 for charities: college scholarships, gifts to a local men shelter and women's shelter, boy state, high school ROTC cadet programs, and funds to the National Guard Family Readiness Group. This year we were only able to raise $4,250 for charities." Whitesell shared that the drop in available money to support charities was created by the "Bingo Tax" which is in fact an excise tax on bingo cards. Previously, organizations paid $27 plus a 6% sales tax for a box of cards (sheets). Under the current tax, they pay $117 per box. The "bingo tax" has created an increase of over 400 percent in the cost of bingo cards and has reduced funds for charity.
While efforts have been made requesting DFA to reduce the tax per the stated interpretation of the legislatures who passed the act, the DFA officials maintain any changes must be made legislatively. Isn't it amazing that the DFA has played this situation to their advantage. The Director of DFA, appointed by and under the leadership of Governor Mike Beebe, has refused to budge and has in fact added additional people and incurred additional expenses (over $600,000) using the excess collected funds from the "bingo tax." Gov. Beebe and the DFA have a responsibility to represent Arkansans fairly with respect to taxes. Daniels should not have allowed the DFA to fund another DFA operation using a misinterpretation of the "bingo tax." It appears that this is just been one more way that Arkansas' Democrat lead administration is accumulating surplus funds, growing government, and in this case, hurting charities and the people they help.
Another important note is that when Governor Mike Beebe called a special session of the legislature to increase the severance tax, the governor refused to allow the legislators to address this misinterpretation of the Bingo tax by the DFA. Why? It appears that the unintended income from the "bingo tax" has proved to be too big of an enticement for the DFA and Gov. Beebe.
When the DFA reaches into the pockets of charities and damages the services provided by these charities after they (i.e, the DFA) have been advised by the members of the legislature that this was not their intent as to the amount assessed on Charitable Bingo, it is at best malfeasance and at worst criminal malfeasance. When a person steals form another it is a crime. When the government knowingly misinterprets a law after being advised that their interpretation was both wrong and would be corrected when the legislature meets again in two years, then they should be called into accountability. Where is the Attorney General Dustin McDaniel on this issue? Not only do funds need to be returned as suggested by candidate Hopper, some heads need to role at the top of DFA.
In two years, when we elect Arkansas state constitutional officers, let's remind the our fellow voters of the poor leadership by Gov. Mike Beebe in not intervening with DFA on behalf of Arkansas charities and their clients. Also, voters should be reminded of Gov. Beebe's decision to prevent the specially called legislative session from rectifying the "bingo tax" situation.
[A correction has been made to the above article removing references to the Secretary of State Charlie Daniels . The Director of DFA is appointed by the Governor and operates under the oversight of Gov. Mike Beebe which makes the situation a little clearer in that it has always seemed that Mike Beebe "has never actually met a tax that he didn't like."]
Tags: Arkansas, Baxter County, Bingo, charity, DFA, excise tax, Finance and Administration, Governor, Karen Hopper, Mike Beebe, Tax To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Huckabee Has Own Show on Fox
Former Presidential Candidate and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee will start his own show today on Fox. The show is called “Huckabee” and is scheduled to run on Saturday and Sunday evening at 7 p.m. Central and 8 pm Eastern times. The show's first guest will be Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the conservative co-host of ABC's "The View."Tags: Arkansas, Elizabeth Hasselback, Fox News, Mike Huckabee To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - Sept 27, 2008 (Saturday Session) #pork
Yesterday, Senate Democrats did not get the 60 votes needed to move forward with a bloated $56 billion stimulus package stuffed with all kinds of extraneous spending (pork) including billions in food stamps and extensions of unemployment insurance.
The Senate reconvened at 9:30 AM and voted 82-12 to agree to the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur with an amendment to the continuing resolution (CR) (H.R. 2638). A final vote on the CR could come as early as 1 PM today. Staff negotiations on the economic stablization plan went well into the night last night and are expected to resume this morning. Members are expected to join in later in the day. Sen. Harry Reid said this morning that he may file for cloture on the fiscal 2009 Defense authorization bill (S. 3001) today, setting up a vote on Monday. Few on Capitol Hill are pleased with situation that has led us to this legislation, but most believe something like it is necessary. As Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), “The only reason to support this action is to save ordinary Americans from an economic disaster that they had no hand in creating.”
Today, the editors of The Wall Street Journal lay out their arguments for supporting the plan being crafted in Congress, concluding, “The U.S. banking system continues to be under enormous stress, and if managed well the Paulson plan offers a decent prospect of preventing it from further infecting the economy. It might save taxpayers money in the long run. Yes, some bankers will remain in business when they wouldn't otherwise, but Schadenfreude is not a policy and revenge against what's left of Wall Street isn't worth the potential harm to innocents on Main Street.” The Hill reports that former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan urged rapid passage of the rescue plan stating, “swift action to relieve the current financial crisis” which “would maintain the functions of credit markets and prevent a serious economic contraction.”
In a positive development yesterday, a bipartisan group of senators rejected a plan pushed by Sen. Harry Reid and Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) to re-impose the ban on oil shale development in the Rocky Mountains that House Democrats had agreed to drop. Sen. McConnell said, “A bipartisan group of Senators stood up today for the American people by refusing to block access to our vast western states oil reserves. For the last several months, Americans have been clamoring for Congress to bring relief to high prices at the pump by promoting new energy sources – particularly through off-shore drilling and developing oil shale.”
Tags: Continuing Resolution, CR, domestic oil production, economic stabilization, economic stimulus, economy, oil ban, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Senate reconvened at 9:30 AM and voted 82-12 to agree to the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur with an amendment to the continuing resolution (CR) (H.R. 2638). A final vote on the CR could come as early as 1 PM today. Staff negotiations on the economic stablization plan went well into the night last night and are expected to resume this morning. Members are expected to join in later in the day. Sen. Harry Reid said this morning that he may file for cloture on the fiscal 2009 Defense authorization bill (S. 3001) today, setting up a vote on Monday. Few on Capitol Hill are pleased with situation that has led us to this legislation, but most believe something like it is necessary. As Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), “The only reason to support this action is to save ordinary Americans from an economic disaster that they had no hand in creating.”
Today, the editors of The Wall Street Journal lay out their arguments for supporting the plan being crafted in Congress, concluding, “The U.S. banking system continues to be under enormous stress, and if managed well the Paulson plan offers a decent prospect of preventing it from further infecting the economy. It might save taxpayers money in the long run. Yes, some bankers will remain in business when they wouldn't otherwise, but Schadenfreude is not a policy and revenge against what's left of Wall Street isn't worth the potential harm to innocents on Main Street.” The Hill reports that former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan urged rapid passage of the rescue plan stating, “swift action to relieve the current financial crisis” which “would maintain the functions of credit markets and prevent a serious economic contraction.”
In a positive development yesterday, a bipartisan group of senators rejected a plan pushed by Sen. Harry Reid and Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) to re-impose the ban on oil shale development in the Rocky Mountains that House Democrats had agreed to drop. Sen. McConnell said, “A bipartisan group of Senators stood up today for the American people by refusing to block access to our vast western states oil reserves. For the last several months, Americans have been clamoring for Congress to bring relief to high prices at the pump by promoting new energy sources – particularly through off-shore drilling and developing oil shale.”
Tags: Continuing Resolution, CR, domestic oil production, economic stabilization, economic stimulus, economy, oil ban, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Friday, September 26, 2008
The Federalist on Regulating Commerce or Revenue
“Every new regulation concerning commerce or revenue; or in any manner affecting the value of the different species of property, presents a new harvest to those who watch the change and can trace its consequences; a harvest reared not by themselves but by the toils and cares of the great body of their fellow citizens. This is a state of things in which it may be said with some truth that laws are made for the few not for the many.” — James MadisonTags: commerce, Federalism, Federalist, James Madison To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Explosive Video, Fannie Mae CEO calling Obama & Dems the "Family" & "Conscience" of Fannie Mae
| In tonight's Debate, Barack had the nerve to bring up the recent financial industry crisis and assign blame, but he didn't mention that the top 3 recipients of campaign donations from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were Democrats - and that he was ranked #2. And Senator Obama didn't mention that he was among those who supported the granting of sub-prime loans to individuals who could not afford to pay them back. The Banking Failures are because of the Housing Crisis which was caused by mortgage lenders handing out bad loans and the biggest offenders: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Democrats have been taking PAYOFFS from Fannie and Freddie to look the other way FOR DECADES! The video is not our opinion but Fannnie Mae's CEO and FoxNews. |
Tags: bank failure, Barack Obama, Fannie mae, Freddie Mac, housing crisis, payoffs, presidential debate To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Motivational Poster of the Day
| While a majority of the national democrat leadership today is liberal, many grassroots democrats remain faitful to their conservative roots. All Democrats not interested in seeing their party and our country slide further left into socialism are welcome to join in supporting John McCain for President. Sky (in the poster) is a Democrat that is voting for McCain. She even joined other conservative right minded bloggers us in supporting and reporting John McCain at the RNC 2008 convention. And she is not alone. Along with Lady Rothschild, The Donald and the rise of the PUMAs, I think we may see more of this. H/T to Stix for the lead on the poster. |  |
Tags: conservative democrats, Democrats, Election 2008, John Mccain, RNC Convention, standards To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - Sept 26, 2008 - #pork
The Senate is expected to proceed to the continuing resolution (H.R. 2638) to fund the government until March 2009. Yesterday, Sen.s Reid (D-NV) and Robert Byrd (D-WV) announced a $56.2 billion stimulus bill full of all kinds of extraneous spending including billions in food stamps and extensions of unemployment insurance. The vote on the stimulus package could come today. Although the CR does not extend the moratorium on offshore drilling or on exploration of western oil shale, Reid and Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) are working to try to extend the oil shale ban by attaching it to the stimulus package.
The CR funds most departments at 2008 levels and includes the full fiscal year 2009 Defense, Homeland Security, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs appropriations bills: $487 billion for Defense, $40 billion for Homeland Security and $73 billion for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. Also included is $22.9 billion in emergency funding for hurricane and natural disaster relief. Reid has identified that he expects the Senate to be in session beginning at 9:30 AM Saturday and to vote on the CR in the morning.
From Senate & News Sources: Congress is set for a busy few days as work and negotiations continue on a number of key pieces of legislation, but while most of the week has been marked with bipartisan deal-making. In the last couple of days Democrats have begun pushing partisan agendas, making it more difficult to finish things up.
On the economic stabilization plan, Senate Republicans continue to negotiate in the hopes of getting a bill ready to vote on in the next day or two. Unfortunately, Sen. Harry Reid is determined to use the situation to launch partisan attacks. He called a press conference this morning to blast Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for joining the negotiations and claiming that his appearance derailed a deal negotiated yesterday. In fact, there was no deal. Democrats tried to claim there was a deal in order to preempt news coming out of a meeting in the White House later in the day. When it turned out there was no deal at the end of the day, Reid tried to blame a dissolution of a deal on McCain when there was no deal to begin with. Reid held a press conference this morning where he said, “We don’t need presidential politics involved in this.” But Reid then attempted to claim that it was Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) plan that negotiators have agreed on, when that is simply not the case. So after complaining about presidential politics being involved, Reid went out of his way to insert it himself.
Meanwhile, Democrats on both sides of the Capitol are threatening critical legislation by pushing policies they know will run into severe opposition. In the Senate, Reid and Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) are attempting to reinsert a ban developing western oil shale resources into the continuing resolution (CR). Republicans are not happy with this development, which could complicate passage of the CR.
In the House, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) continues to lead Democrats in his chamber down the path of confrontation with the Senate over a bill full of important tax measures. Rangel is insisting on fully offsetting the cost of the bill with tax hikes, even though this approach has been rejected multiple times in the Senate. Even Harry Reid is warning House Democrats not to hold up the bill, since President Bush has threatened to veto the House version.
In addition, Senate Democrats are attempting to push a bloated $56.2 billion economic stimulus bill they know is not likely to get enough support to pass. It’s a transparent attempt to add one more political vote for use on the campaign trail, instead of a serious attempt to find consensus. If Democrats truly want to have a successful end to this session and do the right things for the country, they should drop the partisan maneuvering and work with Republicans to pass critical legislation, as they had been doing earlier in the week.
Tags: bailout, Congressional Pork, Continuing Resolution, CR, economic stablization, economic stimulus, pork, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The CR funds most departments at 2008 levels and includes the full fiscal year 2009 Defense, Homeland Security, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs appropriations bills: $487 billion for Defense, $40 billion for Homeland Security and $73 billion for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. Also included is $22.9 billion in emergency funding for hurricane and natural disaster relief. Reid has identified that he expects the Senate to be in session beginning at 9:30 AM Saturday and to vote on the CR in the morning.
From Senate & News Sources: Congress is set for a busy few days as work and negotiations continue on a number of key pieces of legislation, but while most of the week has been marked with bipartisan deal-making. In the last couple of days Democrats have begun pushing partisan agendas, making it more difficult to finish things up.
On the economic stabilization plan, Senate Republicans continue to negotiate in the hopes of getting a bill ready to vote on in the next day or two. Unfortunately, Sen. Harry Reid is determined to use the situation to launch partisan attacks. He called a press conference this morning to blast Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for joining the negotiations and claiming that his appearance derailed a deal negotiated yesterday. In fact, there was no deal. Democrats tried to claim there was a deal in order to preempt news coming out of a meeting in the White House later in the day. When it turned out there was no deal at the end of the day, Reid tried to blame a dissolution of a deal on McCain when there was no deal to begin with. Reid held a press conference this morning where he said, “We don’t need presidential politics involved in this.” But Reid then attempted to claim that it was Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) plan that negotiators have agreed on, when that is simply not the case. So after complaining about presidential politics being involved, Reid went out of his way to insert it himself.
Meanwhile, Democrats on both sides of the Capitol are threatening critical legislation by pushing policies they know will run into severe opposition. In the Senate, Reid and Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) are attempting to reinsert a ban developing western oil shale resources into the continuing resolution (CR). Republicans are not happy with this development, which could complicate passage of the CR.
In the House, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) continues to lead Democrats in his chamber down the path of confrontation with the Senate over a bill full of important tax measures. Rangel is insisting on fully offsetting the cost of the bill with tax hikes, even though this approach has been rejected multiple times in the Senate. Even Harry Reid is warning House Democrats not to hold up the bill, since President Bush has threatened to veto the House version.
In addition, Senate Democrats are attempting to push a bloated $56.2 billion economic stimulus bill they know is not likely to get enough support to pass. It’s a transparent attempt to add one more political vote for use on the campaign trail, instead of a serious attempt to find consensus. If Democrats truly want to have a successful end to this session and do the right things for the country, they should drop the partisan maneuvering and work with Republicans to pass critical legislation, as they had been doing earlier in the week.
Tags: bailout, Congressional Pork, Continuing Resolution, CR, economic stablization, economic stimulus, pork, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Major "Earmark" in Democrat Bailout Agreement
Update (9:58AM, Sept. 26th): While Sens. Harry Reid and Chris Dodd stand before the news this morning pontificating and mocking Republicans, especially Sen. McCain, for the perceived delay in reaching agreement, they also continues to prevaricate. Sen. Reid and Speaker Pelosi initially asserted that they needed McCain to clinch a deal for Democrats and now they are like a pack rabid dogs blaming John McCain for the deal falling apart. In fact, the deal fell apart before McCain arrived.
A republican senate source has confirmed that the questioned provision reported in this post is being opposed by Senate Republicans which has upset Democrats. Republicans are not opposing the obvious issues identified by Reid. They are working to get rid of the questioned provision "if they can." Also, they have already gotten the Democrats to back down from providing "most" of the money ("future profits") to the groups mentioned in the article "to a much smaller percentage." Negotiations are likely to continue throughout the day. Obviously no one is happy - especially the majority of the American public.
Breaking News - Bill Smith, ARRA Editor. I received a copy of "Agreement in Principle" relative to the $700 billion "bailout" being proposed and supported by Senate Democrats. The one page agreement from the U.S. Senate Banking Committee details guidelines to be put in place relative to taxpayer protection, oversight and transparency, home ownership preservation and Funding Authority.
While on the surface the agreement looks generic and positive, However, the "devil is in the detail." There is one detail that Democrats are concerned that Republicans will not agree to in the bailout agreement. That is if the Republicans even see the item. It seems that this issue may be one reason that many Democrats have hounded Sen. John McCain and pushed for his speedy approval. Senate Majority Harry Reid (D-NV) has already identified that it is Sen. John McCain's approval, not Barack Obama approval, that is needed to secure the agreement of Senate Republicans. In fact, the questioned provision indirectly focus on some prior concern regarding Sen. Barack Obama involvement with various organizations. Maybe that is why Obama would prefer being at a debate in Mississippi than being in Washington D.C.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) cohorts are also hounding Sen. McCain to agree. They know that neither the House Republicans nor the House Blue Dog Democrats are going to sign on easily to an agreement extending $700 billion "bailout" if Sen. McCain disagrees. Pelosi does not have control of the fiscally conservative Blue Dogs who are not happy with committing $700 billion to the "bailout" effort.
In the "agreement in principle," there is the effect of a major "earmark" which commits money from future "profits" to be given to nonprofits organizations like ACORN, National Council of La Raza and potentially the National Urban League. This agreement clearly evidences that the Government expects to benefit in the future from the bailout when the values of property rises and mortgages or properties are then sold by the Federal government. The agreement --
Let’s examine the connection of the Affordable Housing Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund with the various nonprofit groups mentioned above. In July, 2008, a Wall Street Journal article addressed the previous housing bill signed into law:
In 2006, the Wall Street Journal addressed Acorn Indictments. In a recent article, additional complaints, indictments and arrests and conviction of ACORN members for voter fraud have been detailed for Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington State, and Wisconsin. Democrats on Capitol Hill have steered billions of the taxpayer monies to risky ventures and to nonprofits organizations like ACORN, National Council of La Raza through the government’s Affordable Housing Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund. As a result groups like ACORN have developed powerful lobby groups to secure tax money for their organizations. Now the proposed "agreement in principle" for the $700 Billion "bailout" seeks to continue the protection of this process. In another article by James H. Walsh, a former federal prosecutor, it was noted that:
When government tries to fix social issues through the use of the taxpayers’ money, there are consequences. Now the American taxpayers are being called upon again to underwrite the problems exacerbated by the prior actions of former and the current Congress and past administrations. It is hoped that Senators and Representatives will avoid this massive "earmark." All "future profits" from the resolution and disposition of the alleged current bad mortgages ("bad paper"), should accrue to the American taxpayers as a whole and be returned to the Treasury. Any determination as to the use of "future profits" should be determined by those elected and representing the people at that future point in time. No agreements should include an obligation on the potential "future profits." No agreements should support questionable programs that support organizations that contributed to the failures of mortgages or to the bad lending practices promoted by prior Congresses and administrations.
Tags: ACORN, bailout, Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, Democrats, earmark, Harry Reid, John Mccain, La Raza, Nancy Pelosi, profits, Republicans, US Congress, US House, US Senate To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
A republican senate source has confirmed that the questioned provision reported in this post is being opposed by Senate Republicans which has upset Democrats. Republicans are not opposing the obvious issues identified by Reid. They are working to get rid of the questioned provision "if they can." Also, they have already gotten the Democrats to back down from providing "most" of the money ("future profits") to the groups mentioned in the article "to a much smaller percentage." Negotiations are likely to continue throughout the day. Obviously no one is happy - especially the majority of the American public.
Breaking News - Bill Smith, ARRA Editor. I received a copy of "Agreement in Principle" relative to the $700 billion "bailout" being proposed and supported by Senate Democrats. The one page agreement from the U.S. Senate Banking Committee details guidelines to be put in place relative to taxpayer protection, oversight and transparency, home ownership preservation and Funding Authority.
While on the surface the agreement looks generic and positive, However, the "devil is in the detail." There is one detail that Democrats are concerned that Republicans will not agree to in the bailout agreement. That is if the Republicans even see the item. It seems that this issue may be one reason that many Democrats have hounded Sen. John McCain and pushed for his speedy approval. Senate Majority Harry Reid (D-NV) has already identified that it is Sen. John McCain's approval, not Barack Obama approval, that is needed to secure the agreement of Senate Republicans. In fact, the questioned provision indirectly focus on some prior concern regarding Sen. Barack Obama involvement with various organizations. Maybe that is why Obama would prefer being at a debate in Mississippi than being in Washington D.C.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) cohorts are also hounding Sen. McCain to agree. They know that neither the House Republicans nor the House Blue Dog Democrats are going to sign on easily to an agreement extending $700 billion "bailout" if Sen. McCain disagrees. Pelosi does not have control of the fiscally conservative Blue Dogs who are not happy with committing $700 billion to the "bailout" effort.
In the "agreement in principle," there is the effect of a major "earmark" which commits money from future "profits" to be given to nonprofits organizations like ACORN, National Council of La Raza and potentially the National Urban League. This agreement clearly evidences that the Government expects to benefit in the future from the bailout when the values of property rises and mortgages or properties are then sold by the Federal government. The agreement --
"Directs a certain percentage of future profits to the Affordable Housing Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund to meet America's housing needs."In the proposed bailout agreement, Sen. Christopher Dodd, the Senate Banking Committee and other Democrats desire to pre-direct that future funds (profits) not be returned to the taxpayers via the treasury but that they be used to underwrite potential questionable (maybe even illegal activities) of certain nonprofits which have had a hand in promoting and expanding access to "no money down" loans for minorities, illegal voter registrations and extensive lobbying activities.
Let’s examine the connection of the Affordable Housing Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund with the various nonprofit groups mentioned above. In July, 2008, a Wall Street Journal article addressed the previous housing bill signed into law:
ACORN is the agency where Sen. Barack Obama worked as a trainer for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform (ACORN), whose affiliate, Project Vote, is known for voter fraud. It is this same organization from which a large part of the mortgage mess has grown. After Harvard Law School, Obama provided legal representation for ACORN. Obama sat on the boards of the philanthropic Woods Foundation and the Joyce Foundation which both funneled millions of dollars to ACORN.Provide[d] a stream of billions of dollars for distressed homeowners and communities and the nonprofit groups that serve them. One of the biggest likely beneficiaries, despite Republican objections is Acorn, a housing advocacy group that also helps lead ambitious voter-registration efforts benefiting Democrats. Acorn -- made up of several legally distinct groups under that name -- has become an important player in the Democrats' effort to win the White House. Its voter mobilization arm is co-managing a $15.9 million campaign with the group Project Vote to register 1.2 million low-income Hispanics and African-Americans, who are among those most likely to vote Democratic. Technically nonpartisan, the effort is one of the largest such voter-registration drives on record.
The organization's main advocacy group lobbied hard for passage of the housing bill, which provides nearly $5 billion for affordable housing, financial counseling and mortgage restructuring for people and neighborhoods affected by the housing meltdown. A third Acorn arm, its housing corporation, does a large share of that work on the ground. Acorn's multiple roles show how two fronts of activism -- housing for the poor and voter mobilization -- have converged closely in this election year. The fortunes of both parties will hinge in part on their plans for addressing the fall of the nation's housing market and the painful economic slowdown. . . .
Partly because of the role of Acorn and other housing advocacy groups, the White House and its allies in Congress resisted Democrats' plans to include money for a new affordable-housing trust fund and $4 billion in grants to restore housing in devastated neighborhoods. In the end, the money stayed in the bill; the White House saw little choice. What most riles Republicans about the bill is the symbiotic relationship between the Democratic Party and the housing advocacy groups, of which Acorn is among the biggest. Groups such as the National Council of La Raza and the National Urban League also lobby to secure government-funded services for their members and seek to move them to the voting booth. Acorn has been singled out for criticism because of its reach, its endorsements of Democrats, and past flaws in its bookkeeping and voter-registration efforts that its detractors in Congress have seized upon. . . .
Sen. Obama is especially reliant on registration drives, such as Acorn's with Project Vote, to help him win the White House. The Illinois Democrat draws his strongest support from blacks, Hispanics and young people, groups that are among the least likely to be registered. After law school, Sen. Obama was the director of Project Vote in Chicago. . . .
Democrats on Capitol Hill have helped to steer millions of dollars in housing and other grants from the federal government toward Acorn and groups like it. The groups must qualify and compete for the money, which is typically doled out from the federal government to states and municipalities. The housing package includes a new, permanent source of affordable-housing money that congressional Democrats and grassroots groups have sought for years. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund will be funded by a tax on mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored mortgage titans.
That tax eventually will channel upwards of $600 million annually in grants for developing and restoring housing, mostly as low-income rentals, available to Acorn and other groups. Democrats on Capitol Hill and housing groups say the housing-assistance money is vital to helping Americans hit hardest by what some call the largest drop in home values since the Great Depression. But they acknowledge the perception of political conflict in giving federal funds to an organization that does political work. "We are guarding against it," said Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank in an interview. He secured the Affordable Housing Trust from his seat as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. . . .
Acorn describes itself as the nation's largest grassroots community organization, with more than 400,000 families organized into 1,200 neighborhood chapters in 110 cities. Over four decades, Acorn has turned its broad membership into a powerful lobbying tool. Its representatives are well-known in the marble halls of the Capitol, and press local, state and federal governments . . .
In 2006, the Wall Street Journal addressed Acorn Indictments. In a recent article, additional complaints, indictments and arrests and conviction of ACORN members for voter fraud have been detailed for Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington State, and Wisconsin. Democrats on Capitol Hill have steered billions of the taxpayer monies to risky ventures and to nonprofits organizations like ACORN, National Council of La Raza through the government’s Affordable Housing Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund. As a result groups like ACORN have developed powerful lobby groups to secure tax money for their organizations. Now the proposed "agreement in principle" for the $700 Billion "bailout" seeks to continue the protection of this process. In another article by James H. Walsh, a former federal prosecutor, it was noted that:
ACORN Housing Corporation (AHC) was instrumental in its passage of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) which has plagued the mortgage markets since 1977. The U.S. Congress through the CRA compelled banks and lending institutions to make loans to “communities of color” disregarding sound economic and risk guidelines. CRA encouraged the relaxing of “outdated” risk-management protocols and underwriting obligations by lending institutions. In the name of ending discrimination, no longer were “communities of color” required to provide verification of income, employment, credit history, ability to pay homeowner bills, or down payment. In response, many banks and mortgage groups bundled trillions of dollars of “subprime” loans and sold them to investors here and abroad. It is these bundled Community Reinvestment Act mortgages, doomed to fail, that are today causing financial strain in U.S. and global financial markets.Open Secrets reveals the investment made by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in Democrats and details the Top 25 Democrat Recipients of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac contributions in 1989-2008. The top three in order were Senators Christopher Dodd, John Kerry and Barack Obama.
In short, a Democrat Congress and President demanded that banks change the rules of good banking and open the Pandora’s Box of mortgage defaults and foreclosures now coming to a head. This home-parity concept of the radical left was mobilized by ACORN resulting in a purchase of a property without any credit, income, employment, and a zero down payment.
In 2003, Fannie Mae home-parity funding in Chicago reached $600 billion. When Franklin Raines, former chair and CEO of Fannie Mae, stepped down in 2004 but managed to take with him a multimillion-dollar parachute and a monthly pension of $114, 393 for life, and should he die, for his wife’s lifetime. Until recently, Raines was an advisor to Obama.
When government tries to fix social issues through the use of the taxpayers’ money, there are consequences. Now the American taxpayers are being called upon again to underwrite the problems exacerbated by the prior actions of former and the current Congress and past administrations. It is hoped that Senators and Representatives will avoid this massive "earmark." All "future profits" from the resolution and disposition of the alleged current bad mortgages ("bad paper"), should accrue to the American taxpayers as a whole and be returned to the Treasury. Any determination as to the use of "future profits" should be determined by those elected and representing the people at that future point in time. No agreements should include an obligation on the potential "future profits." No agreements should support questionable programs that support organizations that contributed to the failures of mortgages or to the bad lending practices promoted by prior Congresses and administrations.
Tags: ACORN, bailout, Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, Democrats, earmark, Harry Reid, John Mccain, La Raza, Nancy Pelosi, profits, Republicans, US Congress, US House, US Senate To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Local, national issues combine to impact Arkansas elections
by Joanne Bratton, USA TODAY: Mountain Home, AR -- Voters here, like in most places, will be thinking about the economy, the Iraq war and health care when they go to the polls Nov. 4. But in Mountain Home, they'll also be thinking about a proposed hike in the 8% sales tax to pay for an indoor swimming pool in Cooper Park. The pool's a big topic in this small Ozarks city of 11,000. It's an example of how national issues can influence local concerns and of how people across the USA will have more on their minds than presidential nominees Barack Obama and John McCain when they go to vote. . . . Some residents, such as Howard Richert, 70, say they're not willing to pay extra and feel the addition to the city's outdoor pool is a luxury in difficult times. "Too many people are living day-to-day," Richert said. "It's hard enough to pay for groceries. It's nice to have all this stuff if the economy was different." . . .Economy, war top issues . . . "The bottom line is the economy and the war," said resident Tom Fazio, 66, whose son fought in Iraq for 15 months. "Everybody's getting tired of higher prices. We've got to get a party to work for the working people and not the rich people." A statewide poll by American Research Group Sept. 20-22 showed McCain leading Obama 53% to 41%, with 5% undecided among likely voters. That's consistent with past elections. George W. Bush received 54.3% of Arkansans' votes in 2004 and 51.3% in 2000. Mountain Home, where 63% of registered voters turned out in 2004, voted similarly to the rest of the state. Residents predict a larger turnout this election. . . .
Local Republicans say McCain has the experience to lead the country and were pleasantly surprised by his choice of running mate, Sarah Palin. "I think it's a powerhouse ticket," said Baxter County Republican Committee Chairman Gary Smith, 53, of Lakeview, who says he likes McCain's ability to work across party lines, his financial conservatism and military experience. Resident Noel Rozelle, 63, says he's concerned about terrorism more than the economy and supports McCain. "He can handle the terrorism problem better than Obama," Rozelle said. But he worries that with a Democratic majority in Congress, nothing would get done.
Those who plan to vote for Obama say they agree with his stance on the environment, health care and public policy that affects families. "Sen. Barack Obama and Joe Biden are willing to roll up their sleeves and try to get something started to solve the energy problem," said Nell Engeler, 70, of Mountain Home, president of the Arkansas Federation of Democratic Women's Baxter County Chapter. . . . [Full Story]
Tags: Arkansas, Barack Obama, economy, election, Election 2008, Iraq War, John Mccain, Mountain Home, Politics, Sarah Palin, taxes, voters To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
McCain and Obama On Priorities
One Reader's Opinion: Gary Evans, Baxter County, AR: Please bear with me as I blow off a little steam!!! What next?
If I am not mistaken, both of these candidates have already been elected to represent their constituents as well as their country’s best interest (also known as their day job). This appears to be the biggest issue during Obama's short time in office. I am shocked his ego would not allow him to temporarily leave his bid for a new position to do a job he has already been elected to do. His ego may be his worst enemy, assuming that is what prevented him from choosing Hillary as a running mate. I don't see that he (Obama) can have it both ways. Is it important enough to see that it is done right or not? The fact is he's slamming the proverbial door on the hand (some of you will relate to this more than others, i.e. Rick) of bipartisanship and saying they can do this without him. In paraphrase he states if they need him they know where to find him. What kind of attitude is that for a leader? If Obama was smart he would join McCain and cash in on McCain's ability to deliver the Republicans to get what is needed passed (at this time he is the only one that can delivery the Republican's vote). Obama has had many opportunities to debate McCain in the past but all of a sudden he has to do it on Friday, regardless of what happens with our economic future.
I don't know about you guys but I am tired of being put last behind some politician’s personal lust for money and power. I agree with Obama if we need him we’ll call him but he shouldn't hold his breath! Regardless of who is elected, if the current party’s do not stop representing themselves and start representing the people our beloved country is in dire straights.
I personally salute Senator McCain for his willingness to put me and my country’s best interests first above his desire for a much coveted bid for the Whitehouse. Repeatedly he shows the signs of a real leader with loyalty and integrity to a degree that is far too rare (and sought after far too little). Although I have in the past had my doubts, I am blessed with the opportunity to take a second look at this Patriot Proud to be born in a great nation built on love, devotion and sacrifice!
Tags: Barack Obama, debate, economic stabilization, Election 2008, John McCain To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
If I am not mistaken, both of these candidates have already been elected to represent their constituents as well as their country’s best interest (also known as their day job). This appears to be the biggest issue during Obama's short time in office. I am shocked his ego would not allow him to temporarily leave his bid for a new position to do a job he has already been elected to do. His ego may be his worst enemy, assuming that is what prevented him from choosing Hillary as a running mate. I don't see that he (Obama) can have it both ways. Is it important enough to see that it is done right or not? The fact is he's slamming the proverbial door on the hand (some of you will relate to this more than others, i.e. Rick) of bipartisanship and saying they can do this without him. In paraphrase he states if they need him they know where to find him. What kind of attitude is that for a leader? If Obama was smart he would join McCain and cash in on McCain's ability to deliver the Republicans to get what is needed passed (at this time he is the only one that can delivery the Republican's vote). Obama has had many opportunities to debate McCain in the past but all of a sudden he has to do it on Friday, regardless of what happens with our economic future.
I don't know about you guys but I am tired of being put last behind some politician’s personal lust for money and power. I agree with Obama if we need him we’ll call him but he shouldn't hold his breath! Regardless of who is elected, if the current party’s do not stop representing themselves and start representing the people our beloved country is in dire straights.
I personally salute Senator McCain for his willingness to put me and my country’s best interests first above his desire for a much coveted bid for the Whitehouse. Repeatedly he shows the signs of a real leader with loyalty and integrity to a degree that is far too rare (and sought after far too little). Although I have in the past had my doubts, I am blessed with the opportunity to take a second look at this Patriot Proud to be born in a great nation built on love, devotion and sacrifice!
Tags: Barack Obama, debate, economic stabilization, Election 2008, John McCain To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - Sept 25, 2008
The Senate is expected to begin consideration of the continuing resolution (H.R. 2638) to fund the government until March 2009. Negotiations on Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson’s economic rescue plan continue today. Congressional leaders, including Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Barack Obama (D-IL), are expected to meet with President Bush at the White House in the afternoon. If agreement is reached on a bill, the House could take it up tomorrow.Yesterday, the House passed the CR by a vote of 370-58. Most departments will be funded at 2008 levels, but the bill also includes the full fiscal year 2009 Defense, Homeland Security, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs appropriations bills. The CR provides $487 billion for Defense, $40 billion for Homeland Security, and $73 billion for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. Also included is $22.9 billion in emergency funding for hurricane and natural disaster relief. The bill does not extend the moratorium on offshore drilling. Two important considerations. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, realizes that this issue is not dead and that she can with a new Congress impose the moratorium again if Obama becomes president. Also, word on the Hill is that Sen. Harry Reid intends to insert a moratorium on exploration in the Western states. Reid continued to demonstrate his opposition to the will of the American people.
From Senate & News Sources: Congress has three major bills it must complete work on before the end of this session: the economic rescue legislation, a tax extenders bill, and a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government after the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
As negotiations on the economic rescue plan continue, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell identified some principles that any result should adhere to: “. . . . This isn’t about bailing out investment bankers, this is about keeping the US economy from entering a downward spiral. To that end, any action we take must include the following: Limits on executive compensation, debt reduction, congressional oversight and transparency, and taxpayer protection.”
On the tax extenders, House Democrats insist on playing around with a bill that took months to reach a compromise on in the Senate. Democrats are demanding tax increases to offset the extension of tax relief in the bill, but time and again, Democrats and Republicans have demonstrated there are not 60 votes for this approach in the Senate. On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Reid implored House Democrats to accept the Senate bill, saying, “[E]veryone should understand we have had a very difficult time getting to the point where we are, in passing the final version of this bill. If the House does not pass this, the full responsibility of not passing this is theirs, not ours.”
Tags: US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C., tax extenders,continuing resolution, moratorium To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
All Deliberate Speed: Constitutional Fidelity and Prudent Policy . . .
Todd F. Gaziano and Andrew M. Grossman, The Heritage Foundation: Even in times of difficulty or crisis, the constitutional design for legislation requires careful, bicameral deliberation and presentment to the President. For sound policy and constitutional reasons, Congress should not recess until it acts on a solution to the credit crisis, but it should also be mindful of the virtues of calm deliberation and the dangers to liberty of a crisis mentality. The mounting resistance to the Administration’s proposal presents an opportunity for careful deliberation. The constitutional and policy concerns expressed by many Members of Congress and thoughtful scholars this past week must be thoroughly considered.
No one doubts the importance of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s call for immediate legislative action to calm the financial markets, which have the potential to wreak long-term damage to the world economy, but the initial deadline with which he urged Congress to act on a dramatic bailout plan raises risks that Congress must avoid: either acting imprudently (and with serious constitutional consequences) or not acting at all before it recesses.
Members of Congress had planned to depart Washington on Friday to spend the month campaigning for votes, but they should stay in session around the clock if that is necessary to complete action before the end of the month. The exigencies of electoral politics should not be allowed to keep Congress from its constitutional duties. That result—Members of Congress abandoning Washington in a time of crisis to campaign for their own reelections—would be irresponsible. It is also, in all likelihood, unnecessary: What statesman would believe that his constituents would exact punishment for staying a few extra days to do the people’s work? In the minds of true statesmen, this contest between constitutional values and politicking should not present a conflict.
As many have come to realize this week, there are some fundamental constitutional values at stake in the present debate. . . . [Full Article: Constitutional Fidelity and Prudent Policy Go Hand in Hand in Fixing the Credit Crisis]
Tags: financial crisis, Henry Paulson, Heritage Foundation, US Congress, US Constitution, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
No one doubts the importance of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s call for immediate legislative action to calm the financial markets, which have the potential to wreak long-term damage to the world economy, but the initial deadline with which he urged Congress to act on a dramatic bailout plan raises risks that Congress must avoid: either acting imprudently (and with serious constitutional consequences) or not acting at all before it recesses.
Members of Congress had planned to depart Washington on Friday to spend the month campaigning for votes, but they should stay in session around the clock if that is necessary to complete action before the end of the month. The exigencies of electoral politics should not be allowed to keep Congress from its constitutional duties. That result—Members of Congress abandoning Washington in a time of crisis to campaign for their own reelections—would be irresponsible. It is also, in all likelihood, unnecessary: What statesman would believe that his constituents would exact punishment for staying a few extra days to do the people’s work? In the minds of true statesmen, this contest between constitutional values and politicking should not present a conflict.
As many have come to realize this week, there are some fundamental constitutional values at stake in the present debate. . . . [Full Article: Constitutional Fidelity and Prudent Policy Go Hand in Hand in Fixing the Credit Crisis]
Tags: financial crisis, Henry Paulson, Heritage Foundation, US Congress, US Constitution, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The End of the Day - The Palin Family
Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: As we end this day with trepidation over both the current financial situation and the actions that the Government may take to correct the situation, let us end our day with an image that brings us home to the reality of family and loved ones. In this photo, we don't see a governor or a union iron worker but a mother and father loving their child who is perfect in their eyes even though others would not agree. Love heals a multitude of problems!
"We cling to our God . . . and our Children." Sarah, Todd, and Trig Palin
Tags: children, love, Sarah Palin, Todd Palin To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tags: children, love, Sarah Palin, Todd Palin To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Not So Faithful
Tony Perkins, FRC Action: People hoping for a lively discussion on faith and values from Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) campaign were surprised yesterday when Team Obama failed to show for a media-heavy debate. The capacity crowd that gathered at the Capitol Hill Club had expected Obama's Senior Advisor for Religious Affairs, Rev. Evna Terri La Velle, to square off with Bob Heckman, a representative from Sen. John McCain's campaign. Just hours before the lunchtime event began, members of the sponsoring organizations, the National Clergy Council and Evangelical Church Alliance, received word that Obama's delegation of 11 had backed out. Rev. Rob Schenck, who was scheduled to moderate the debate, released a statement questioning the Obama campaign's genuine commitment to issues of concern to social conservatives. "Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean assured me...that his party would do everything possible to constructively engage Evangelicals, traditional Catholics, and other moral conservatives... Barack Obama has made similar promises. They did a couple of high-profile media events, but it appears they were not serious at a grassroots level." While the Illinois senator and his campaign never shy away from talking about faith, they have missed opportunities to let that faith be examined up close to determine how it would impact their public policy positions. Additional Resources Release: Obama Rep No Show at Christian ForumTags: Barack Obama, Christian Values, CNN Debate, Faith, FRC, Tony Perkins, values To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Five Chaplains Lose Jobs For Praying “In Jesus’ Name”
Gordon Klingenschmitt, Christian NewsWire: Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is defending why his administration forced the sudden resignation of five Virginia State Police Chaplains because they prayed publicly "in Jesus' name." Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty single-handedly created then enforced a strict "non-sectarian" prayer policy at all public gatherings, censoring and excluding Christian prayers, then accepted the resignation of five chaplains who refused to deny Jesus or violate their conscience by watering down their prayers.
House Republican Leader Morgan Griffith and Delegate Charles W. Carrico, (R-Grayson) both issued public statements defending the chaplains, questioning Governor Kaine's role in terminating the chaplains, and vowing to introduce legislation protecting police chaplains' right to pray according to their own conscience. . . . Citizens are urged to call Governor Kaine's office at 804-786-2211, to insist the chaplains be reinstated and the policy reversed . . . [Virginia Governor Tim Kaine Urged to Stop Persecuting Christians]
Tags: chaplain, Christian, Christian Right, Gordon Klingenschmitt, Jesus Christ, prayer, Tom Kaine, Virginia To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
House Republican Leader Morgan Griffith and Delegate Charles W. Carrico, (R-Grayson) both issued public statements defending the chaplains, questioning Governor Kaine's role in terminating the chaplains, and vowing to introduce legislation protecting police chaplains' right to pray according to their own conscience. . . . Citizens are urged to call Governor Kaine's office at 804-786-2211, to insist the chaplains be reinstated and the policy reversed . . . [Virginia Governor Tim Kaine Urged to Stop Persecuting Christians]
Tags: chaplain, Christian, Christian Right, Gordon Klingenschmitt, Jesus Christ, prayer, Tom Kaine, Virginia To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Ten Reasons Obama Dumps Biden
I posted previously, Is Biden on the way out? i can now now identify the source as Steve Maloney who was subsequently cites as the source by Pittsburgh columnist Jack Kelly. Kelly cited Maloney as one of the sources on the movement to dump Joe Biden and replace him with Hillary Clinton. Maloney stands by the story, although he believes it is becoming more difficult for Obama to act as the story gains greater publicity.
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Ten Reasons Obama Dumps Biden [Humor Helps!]
In Barack Hussein Obama's Own Words . . .
1. Barack: "Joe, when Sarah Palin said you were a "Beltway Insider and a pompous windbag,' the correct response was NOT 'Hey, will you look at the legs on that gal.'"
2. Barack: "Joe, I forgave your remark about my being 'clean' but did you then have to go and sniff me?"
3. Barack: "Joe, when I said 'presidents don't look like me,' you weren't supposed to shout out, 'No, they look like ME!'"
4. Barack: "Joe, when you reported you drew a crowd of 49 adoring voters, you WEREN'T supposed to include the Secret Service detail."
5. Barack: "Joe your 'lipstick on a pig' line about Palin was NOT WELL RECEIVED."
6. Barack: "Joe in the whole vetting process you claim you 'forgot to mention" that Delaware's number of electoral votes is a grand total of THREE?"
7. Barack: "Joe, a gaffe now then is okay, but why did you introduce me as 'our country's first Arab-American President?"
8. Barack: "Joe, I don't think the best way to get on Michelle's good side is with a stream of 'Yo Mama' jokes.
9. Barack, "Joe, I admit it: when you said you got 9,000 votes in the primaries I misheard it as 9 MILLION votes."
10. Barack: "Joe, why did you tell an African-American audience that 'Even though Barack is more than 90% Caucasian and Arab, I can assure you his heart is Black?'
Tags: ABC News, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, political humor, Politics, Steve Maloney, Top 10 Reasons To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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Ten Reasons Obama Dumps Biden [Humor Helps!]
In Barack Hussein Obama's Own Words . . .
1. Barack: "Joe, when Sarah Palin said you were a "Beltway Insider and a pompous windbag,' the correct response was NOT 'Hey, will you look at the legs on that gal.'"
2. Barack: "Joe, I forgave your remark about my being 'clean' but did you then have to go and sniff me?"
3. Barack: "Joe, when I said 'presidents don't look like me,' you weren't supposed to shout out, 'No, they look like ME!'"
4. Barack: "Joe, when you reported you drew a crowd of 49 adoring voters, you WEREN'T supposed to include the Secret Service detail."
5. Barack: "Joe your 'lipstick on a pig' line about Palin was NOT WELL RECEIVED."
6. Barack: "Joe in the whole vetting process you claim you 'forgot to mention" that Delaware's number of electoral votes is a grand total of THREE?"
7. Barack: "Joe, a gaffe now then is okay, but why did you introduce me as 'our country's first Arab-American President?"
8. Barack: "Joe, I don't think the best way to get on Michelle's good side is with a stream of 'Yo Mama' jokes.
9. Barack, "Joe, I admit it: when you said you got 9,000 votes in the primaries I misheard it as 9 MILLION votes."
10. Barack: "Joe, why did you tell an African-American audience that 'Even though Barack is more than 90% Caucasian and Arab, I can assure you his heart is Black?'
Tags: ABC News, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, political humor, Politics, Steve Maloney, Top 10 Reasons To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Arkansas 527 AD Hits Obama
H/T to David Kincade:
Tags: Arkansas, GORG, political ad To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Citizens for Open and Reponsive Government (CORG), an Arkansas-based 527 group, released a new independent ad hitting Barack Obama for what they describe as “slurs” against John McCain. It’s a response to Obama’s ad from a week or so ago hitting McCain for not using a computer—but it soon became clear that McCain doesn’t do much work with computers because his war wounds preclude it. The issue picked up a little extra steam this week when Obama’s running mate, Joe Biden, pronounced the ad “terrible” in an interview and said he would not have run it. (The Obama campaign quickly released a follow-up statement from Biden in which he denounced his denunciation.)
The ad features Lt. Col. Mike Fairhead, a wounded war veteran from Rogers, AR.
CORG Director Carlton Saffa says in a news release that the ad will run in Colorado which has emerged as a key state in the campaign as a potential flipper for Obama.
Tags: Arkansas, GORG, political ad To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - Sept 24, 2008
The Senate and House are in session. Yesterday, the Senate passed a compromise tax extenders package (H.R. 6049) by a vote of 93-2. The bill extends “the research tax credit, deductions for tuition and education expenses, and deductions for sales tax in states without income taxes,” among many other tax provisions. It includes a one year alternative minimum tax (AMT) fix that prevents 20 million taxpayers from being hit with that tax. The bill also includes $17 billion in renewable energy tax incentives and a tax credit for plug-in hybrid cars. Negotiations continue today between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) concerning an omnibus bill (S. 3297) Reid has been pushing of measures Coburn has held up over spending concerns.
From Senate & News Sources: Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke are back on the Hill today to speak with the House GOP Conference and testify at hearings of the Joint Economic Committee and the House Financial Services Committee. The President is scheduled to speek this afternoon on the subject. While Americans and lawmakers are rightly concerned with the state of our financial system this week, there has been some potential good news in on critical issues affecting energy and gas prices.
Facing stubborn Democrat resistance, Republicans have led in calling for legislation that would help “find more and use less” American energy. In June, GOP senators, introduced the Gas Price Reduction Act. Republicans fought hard all summer to get a vote on the bill while Democrats delayed, obfuscated, and attacked the proposal. Yet today, it appears that some of the key provisions of the bill "may" be enacted. The Washington Post reports that House Democrats have relented and will allow the two decade long moratorium on offshore drilling expire. The drilling ban had been renewed annually by attaching a rider to appropriations bills and would have had to be included on a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government. However, Roll Call writes, “the bill will not include contentious offshore drilling language, after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) conceded that House Democrats would be unable to keep in place restrictions on offshore drilling that are set to expire Sept. 30 in the face of stiff opposition from Republicans and President Bush.”
Also, it appears that the federal moratorium imposed by Democrats last year on exploring for oil shale in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming will not be extended in the CR. Lifting these bans were two key components of the Gas Price Reduction Act in letting our country “find more” energy. To help Americans “use less,” Republicans had called for $7,500 tax credit for plug-in electric vehicles. This provision was included in a tax package passed the Senate yesterday. These are major victories considering that Democrats spent most of the summer disparaging the idea of allowing more offshore drilling and suggesting that their strategy for tackling gas prices would be “drive small cars and wait for the wind.”
However it is too early to celebrate. Nothing yet has been written into law and Republicans appear to be taking Democrats at their word that the bans will not be in the CR. Also, the tax credits for plug-ins cars need to get through the House, and the Democrat leadership there is in danger of jeopardizing that bill if they go ahead with attempting to amend the Senate version with tax hikes. Still, it appears that three key components of the GOP “find more and use less” energy strategy are set to pass Congress ; maybe we will eventually see relief at the pump.
Tags: omnibus bill, oil drilling, tax extenders, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
From Senate & News Sources: Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke are back on the Hill today to speak with the House GOP Conference and testify at hearings of the Joint Economic Committee and the House Financial Services Committee. The President is scheduled to speek this afternoon on the subject. While Americans and lawmakers are rightly concerned with the state of our financial system this week, there has been some potential good news in on critical issues affecting energy and gas prices.
Facing stubborn Democrat resistance, Republicans have led in calling for legislation that would help “find more and use less” American energy. In June, GOP senators, introduced the Gas Price Reduction Act. Republicans fought hard all summer to get a vote on the bill while Democrats delayed, obfuscated, and attacked the proposal. Yet today, it appears that some of the key provisions of the bill "may" be enacted. The Washington Post reports that House Democrats have relented and will allow the two decade long moratorium on offshore drilling expire. The drilling ban had been renewed annually by attaching a rider to appropriations bills and would have had to be included on a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government. However, Roll Call writes, “the bill will not include contentious offshore drilling language, after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) conceded that House Democrats would be unable to keep in place restrictions on offshore drilling that are set to expire Sept. 30 in the face of stiff opposition from Republicans and President Bush.”
Also, it appears that the federal moratorium imposed by Democrats last year on exploring for oil shale in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming will not be extended in the CR. Lifting these bans were two key components of the Gas Price Reduction Act in letting our country “find more” energy. To help Americans “use less,” Republicans had called for $7,500 tax credit for plug-in electric vehicles. This provision was included in a tax package passed the Senate yesterday. These are major victories considering that Democrats spent most of the summer disparaging the idea of allowing more offshore drilling and suggesting that their strategy for tackling gas prices would be “drive small cars and wait for the wind.”
However it is too early to celebrate. Nothing yet has been written into law and Republicans appear to be taking Democrats at their word that the bans will not be in the CR. Also, the tax credits for plug-ins cars need to get through the House, and the Democrat leadership there is in danger of jeopardizing that bill if they go ahead with attempting to amend the Senate version with tax hikes. Still, it appears that three key components of the GOP “find more and use less” energy strategy are set to pass Congress ; maybe we will eventually see relief at the pump.
Tags: omnibus bill, oil drilling, tax extenders, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!