The Rise of Obama Corps

By Isaac MacMillen: As ALG News mentioned last week, Rep. Virginia Foxx's (R-VA) amendment banning so-called “volunteer” organizations from using taxpayer funds to political purposes was stripped from its parent bill in the Senate, and replaced by an amendment allowing those organizations to skirt the law and continue lobbying. This week, the House will approve the Senate version, and President Obama will no doubt sign it shortly thereafter.

The battle to kill this bill in Congress is very likely over. Unless the Blue Dogs can muster enough support to halt Speaker Pelosi's march to madness, the American taxpayer will have to pony up another $5 billion for paid “volunteers” (an oxymoron if there ever was one) to politically-oriented organizations, the aims of many of which they will invariably oppose.

So when groups like ACORN and the DNC come knocking at the government's door for taxpayer funds and “volunteers,” the only thing standing in their way will be a hollow “promise” to not use them for partisan purposes. Of course, strictly speaking, they can get around that by using the volunteers and funding to create and manage the 'non-partisan' infrastructure, thus enabling them to shift more non-government dollars into lobbying and partisan efforts. It's called “fungibility.” And the “volunteer” front groups know how to use it well.

In essence, a new army has been created—a civilian army, ready to do the will of those organizations that have the political shrewdness to hire them. By creating this massive influx of government-managed, taxpayer-funded positions, President Obama will enable any group (with the proper connections, of course) to access this talent pool and influence Washington—all at taxpayer expense. Another unintended (or was it?) consequence will be the further reliance on government support fostered through it. When the 250,000 openings are created, the agencies that hire the 'volunteers' will begin to depend on the federal government for the many services they will no-doubt create as a result of the additional manpower and monetary assets at their disposal.

The citizens who 'volunteer' will also share a type of attachment, similar—albeit to a much lower degree—to that held by many veterans to their branch of service. This affinity will, of course, result in opposition to future attempts at clamping down on these government-funded 'volunteer' programs. Americans will turn on their TVs to hear tear-jerking stories of how much it meant to the participants, and those they helped. Of course, absent from such presentations will be the waste and fraud accompanying the government funds, and the simple fact that actual volunteering can be accomplished without the government's support—individuals have been doing it for millenniums.

But whatever the case may be, one certain result is that the surge in openings will put the federal government in a more powerful bargaining position, enabling it to assert greater control over organizations, many of which influence public policy. For a President who believes that government is the solution, that vision of the future is understandably appealing. There can be no dispute that the propaganda value of such a large corps of youthful “volunteers”—drawn largely from the ranks of the unemployed, no doubt—would be enormous. Spread across the country, these highly-political 'volunteers' could create the American equivalent of the infamous Castro Youth, Mao's Red Guard, or Lenin's Little Potatoes. As ALG News reported last year, President Obama promised to expand the National Service Corps—including AmeriCorps, the recipient of the $5 billion taken involuntarily from the pockets of American taxpayers.

With $5 billion and hundreds of thousands of present “volunteers,” there clearly will be an aura of 'national service' uber alles attached to AmeriCorps. By having Americans involved in 'community development' projects—which are sure to include such things as voter registration for ACORN, staff work for the DNC, and administrative assignments for MoveOn.org—the political landscape will change. And any who resist such “change” will be cast in the role of willful obstructionists. Equipped with both the tools and means of advancing a radical agenda, President Obama will feel free to pursue his nationalistic policies with near impunity. And in the process, the next generation will be brought into agreement with the liberal philosophy, supporting government expansion both of size and in role.

If the Blue Dogs don't stop this bill now, the damage done will be enormous. Americans will want to watch their wallets as they grow ever thinner. But they will also want to be on the lockout for hundreds of thousands of thoroughly indoctrinated youthful “volunteers” marching in lockstep to the beat of a collectivist drum—bought and paid for with taxpayer dollars. It won't be pretty. Isaac MacMillen is a Contributing Editor of ALG News Bureau.

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Tags: ACORN, ALG, Americans for Limited Government, AmeriCorps, Barack Obama, China, Isaac mcMillen, Obama Corps To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

National Tea Party on April 15, 2009

On April 15, be part of the Taxed Enough Already (TEA) party rally in your community

On the day you pay your taxes, Wednesday, April 15, join others across the country and in your hometown who will be participating in TEA party rallies in front of their county or city halls. Check the scheduled time for your area TEA Party rally as starting times vary.

Are you fed up with a Congress and a president who:
* vote for a $500 billion tax bill without even reading it?
* are spending trillions of borrowed dollars, leaving a debt our great-grandchildren will be paying?
* consistently give special interest groups billions of dollars in earmarks to get re-elected?
* want to take your wealth and redistribute it to others?
* punish those who practice responsible financial behavior and reward those who do not?
* admit to using the financial hurt of millions as an opportunity to push their political agenda?
* run up trillions of dollars of debt and then sell that debt to countries such as China?
* want government controlled health care?
* want to take away the right to vote with a secret ballot in union elections?
* refuse to stop the flow of millions of illegal immigrants into our country?
* appoint a defender of child pornography to the Number 2 position in the Justice Department?
* want to force doctors and other medical workers to perform abortions against their will?
* want to impose a carbon tax on your electricity, gas and home heating fuels?
* want to reduce your tax deductibility for charitable gifts?
* take money from your family budget to pay for their federal budget?

If so, participate in the TEA party rally, the Taxed Enough Already (TEA) party.

“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” - Thomas Jefferson

There are lists for cities in every state! This is the list of cities in Arkansas that have made definite plans for a Tea Party: Alexander, Arkadelphia, Batesville, Bella Vista, Conway, Decatur, El Dorado, Fayetteville, Ft. Smith, Harrison, Hot Springs, Lamar, Little Rock, Magnolia, Monticello, Mountain Home (The Ozark Tea Party), Nashville, Paragould, Pine Bluff, Pocahontas, Russellville, Searcy, Sherwood, Sulphur Rock, and Yellville. New Cities Added Daily.

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Tags: Arkansas, taxed enough already, tea party To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Outrage at the Arkansas Capitol - Pelosi Tactics Used by House Committee

House Committee Refuses to Pass Ban on Domestic Partnership Registries [Watch the Video Here]
by Jerry Cox,The Family Council Action Committee: HB 2176, a bill to ban domestic partnership registries, failed to pass the House City County Local Committee today. The bill by Rep. Bryan King would have prevented cities and counties from issuing domestic partnership certificates like ones offered by the City of Eureka Springs. Family Council president, Jerry Cox, testified that the registry and accompanying certificates are an effort by the City of Eureka Springs to circumvent the marriage amendment passed by Arkansas voters in 2004. The amendment says, “Legal status for unmarried persons which is identical or substantially similar to marital status shall not be valid or recognized in Arkansas.” The ACLU opposed King’s bill, along with the mayor of Eureka Springs. The Mayor of Eureka Springs testified against the bill for approximately 20 minutes. In her testimony she contradicted herself by first claiming the domestic partnership registry was symbolic and didn’t do anything, and a few minutes later she indicated that couples were using the registry as a way of obtaining health insurance.

Committee Chairman Rep. Tommy Baker demonstrated his bias against the bill by allowing an ACLU representative to testify against the bill even after Rep. King, the sponsor of the bill, had made his final closing remarks for the bill. House rules allow the sponsor of the bill to have the final word on his or her bill before a vote is taken. Once the member “closes” for his bill there should be no further testimony by someone outside the committee. This was clearly a violation of House rules. Rep. John Burris attempted to raise this issue with the Chairman, but Burris’ complaint was overruled.

A voice vote was taken (all in favor say “aye”, all opposed say “no”) with what sounded like an equal number of the 20 representatives voting on each side. Most did not vote. Chairman Baker immediately ruled that the bill had failed to pass. Almost simultaneously, Rep. Kathy Webb, the only openly gay member of the legislature, bolted for the door, followed by Rep. Barbara Nix, Rep. Steve Breedlove, Rep. Ray Kidd, and others. As those members were bolting for the door, two or three members of the committee immediately asked for a roll-call vote—one in which each member’s name would be called and their vote recorded. Ignoring their motion for a roll call vote, Chairman Baker abruptly adjourned the meeting. The House rules require that a roll-call vote be taken if two of the committee members request it. When asked about his refusal to allow a roll-call vote in which the members specific votes would be recorded, the Chairman replied that there wasn’t time.

Why were the rules ignored? It appeared that the Chairman and members of the committee had planned this in advance as a way of defeating the bill without having their votes recorded and letting their constituents know how they voted. They succeeded. One member of the committee told me that the Democratic Party in Little Rock was pressuring members to vote against the bill, but that the members knew their constituents back home would want them to support the bill.

In 20 years of lobbying at the legislature I have never seen this kind of disregard for House Rules and decorum. Testimony from the ACLU is not allowed after a member closes for a bill; a proper request for a roll-call vote is always recognized by the chair; and members don’t bolt out of their seats as they vote “nay” against a bill. It was very clear to everyone in the room that the committee did not want the public to know their vote on this bill. A House member who chairs another committee was present in today’s meeting, and indicated that a roll-call vote should have been taken.

The hearing lasted 45 minutes, and it is difficult to keep up with every member of the committee, but here is our best assessment regarding what each member did. The bill required 11 affirmative votes to pass.
1. John Burris (R) - Voted for the bill
2. Les Carnine (R) - Voted for the bill
3. Beverly Pyle (R) - Voted for the bill
4. Garry Smith (D) - Was not present
5. James McLean (D) - Was not present
6. George Overbey (D) - Was not present
7. Randy Stewart (D) - Was absent for legitimate reasons
8. Steve Cole (D) - Was present, but left before the vote was taken
9. Mark Perry (D) - Was present for the entire hearing
10. [Corrected] Steve Breedlove (D) - Was present - say he supports the bill
11. Ray Kidd (D) - Hurried out the door before a roll-call vote could be taken
12. Barbara Nix (D) - Hurried out the door before a roll-call vote could be taken
13. Toni Bradford (D) - Was present for the entire hearing
14. James Word (D) - Unknown
15. Darrin Williams (D) - Unknown
16. John Edwards (D) - Was present for the entire hearing
17. Tommy Baker (D) - Committee chairman, was present for the entire hearing
18. Nancy Blount (D) - Was present for the hearing
19. Otis Davis (D) - Voted against the bill
20. Kathy Webb (D) - Voted against the bill and hurried out the door before a roll-call vote could be taken.
------------------- [Note: Watch this video which shows the above actions by legislatures]
Action: Contact the Speaker of the House, Representative Robbie Wills by email and by phone and complain about Committee Chairman Rep. Tommy Baker's violations of House Rules. And Contact Chairman Rep. Tommy Baker bakert@arkleg.state.ar.us and tell him what you feel about his behavior. Switchboard phone where you can leave a message is 501-682-6211.

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Tags: Arkansas, ban, domestic partners, House, Jerry Cox, registry 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. - March 31, 2009 - Congressional Gimmickry - Tigers Awake!

Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: Senate resumed consideration of S. Con. Res. 13, the $3.5 trillion fiscal year 2010 budget resolution. Under Senate rules, the budget may be debated for 50 hours, not counting voting time. According to Senate contacts, the annual vote-a-rama on budget amendments is likely to begin Wednesday or Thursday with a final vote on the budget expected late Thursday or Friday.

The first two Republican amendments to the budget were filed last night. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) is offering an amendment to require that any climate change plan does not increase energy prices. And Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE) is offering an amendment to prohibit reconciliation rules being used for any carbon cap-and-trade legislation. Debate on both amendments is scheduled today, and votes are possible. My guess is Democrats kill the amendments.

Democrats are being less than forthcoming with Americans on the budget’s provisions on spending, taxation, and reconciliation. The Cleveland Plain Dealer writes today, “If Congress, in its infinite wisdom, should ever decide to create a federal Department of Smoke and Mirrors, we know just who should be in charge: Either Rep. John M. Spratt Jr. of South Carolina or Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota. . . . Each claims to be outraged about the large deficits envisioned in President Barack Obama's proposed budget. Each has offered an alternative aimed at saving hundreds of billions of dollars -- which sounds impressive until you realize that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says the president's plan would run a $9.3 trillion deficit over the next decade."

Much was made last week in the press of the slight spending differences between the administration’s budget proposal and that of Senate Democrats but all this really amounted to was “gimmickry,” as The Washington Post described it. Democrats are not being forthright when it comes to the tax increases included in the budget. The Wall Street Journal points out, “Lawrence Summers, President Obama’s chief economic adviser, declared recently that ‘Let’s be very clear: There are no, no tax increases this year. There are no, no tax increases next year.’ . . . [However,] The President’s budget calls for the largest increase in the death tax in U.S. history in 2010. . . . The announcement of this tax increase is buried in footnote 1 on page 127 of the President’s budget. That note reads: ‘The estate tax is maintained at its 2009 parameters.’ This means the death tax won't fall to zero next year as scheduled under current law . . . .”

Democrats have been cagey, down right deceptive, about potential "reconciliation instructions" which would prohibit Republican filibusters on health care and carbon cap-and-trade (i.e., energy tax) legislation. Democrat leaders, in cooperation with the White House, are pushing behind the scenes for action to block the "Mr. Smith" Republicans from filibustering thus getting the American's public attention. Speaking on the floor yesterday, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) explained how this would work, “It is obvious. This is a game, a very dangerous game. The House puts in reconciliation instructions but the Senate doesn’t put it in because the leadership knows that maybe it cannot get that across the floor and doesn’t want a vote on such a thing. So they can take it to conference and, much to nobody’s surprise, the conference budget comes back with reconciliation instructions, which control activities on the Senate floor.”

Transparency from Congress on the issues of massive expenditures of money, far-reaching tax increases, and sweeping legislative changes is greatly needed. But the Democrats are not supporting that transparency and open debate beyond occasional rhetoric. They hope to slip the federal budget by the sleeping tigers, the American Public. But those tigers are awakening and starting to strut and roar - consider the rising number of TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Parties occurring and developing across America. If these former sleeping tigers gets any more riled up, the Democrats can expect their offices to be taken from them by 2010. And Republicans had better remain alert, exceed rhetoric and prove their value, for a tiger or two can handle a donkey (ass) and several tigers can easily dispatch an elephant.

And for ALL former as well as current members of Congress -- let's see how long those outlandish congressional retirement and benefit plans survive when the public demands that future legislators dish out "change" for your failed public service that lead to ruining the American economic system that all Americans have enjoyed. The failures and oft times corrupt actions that have lead to the bankrupting and bringing down our Great Nation is not going to be relegated to platitudes. It will be sweet justice to see you face "The Union" of tigers -- the American taxpayers who work daily to keep our economy working.

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Tags: American Public, deficit, federal budget, government transparency, tea party, tigers, US Congress, US Debt, 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!

Government should compel consumers to use alternative energy, Congressman says

CNSNEWS.COM — Government policy should be crafted to raise the price of carbon-emitting energy sources so consumers are compelled to choose alternative energy, House Democratic Conference Chairman John Larson (D-Conn.) told CNSNews.com on Thursday. Larson agreed that such a policy would likely result in higher electricity prices for consumers but said this is needed to protect the environment from the possible “catastrophic results” of not implementing a pro-green energy policy. . . . Obama’s plan to cap and trade carbon emissions would result in a massive tax hike on the companies and American consumers who have to pay for energy to heat and light their homes, and drive their cars, and to run myriad aspects of their daily lives. . . . [Read More]

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Tags: big government, cap-and-trade, John Larson 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. - March 30, 2009

The Senate began consideration of the Democrats’$3.5 trillion fiscal year 2010 budget resolution, S. Con. Res. 13, which Republicans have been saying spends too much, taxes too much, and borrows too much. Under Senate rules, the budget may be debated for 50 hours, not counting voting time. The annual vote-a-rama on budget amendments is likely to begin Wednesday or Thursday, with a final vote on the budget expected late Thursday or Friday.

The proposal was passed by the Senate Budget Committee on a party line vote last week. After voting against the Democrats’ budget resolution in committee, Sen. Graham (R-SC) said, “The Democratic budget proposal makes it virtually impossible for future generations to enjoy the same standard of living as their parents and grandparents. The American people want change but I fear the Senate Democratic and President Obama budget is change our nation simply cannot afford.”

Though some Democrats made a show last week of highlighting differences between the Senate’s budget plan and President Obama’s, Roll Call points out today that the Senate budget resolution “closely mirrors Obama’s original proposal.” In the Republican response to President Obama’s weekly address, ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, Judd Gregg, discussed the unprecedented levels of debt that the budget saddles Americans with. Sen. Gregg said, “In the next five years, President Obama’s budget will double the national debt; in the next ten years it will triple the national debt. To say this another way, if you take all the debt of our country run up by all of our presidents from George Washington through George W. Bush, the total debt over all those 200-plus years since we started as a nation, it is President Obama’s plan to double that debt in just the first five years that he is in office.”

All the debt, spending, and taxes proposed in this budget has given some moderate Democrats a great deal of concern. Yet Roll Call reports today that they may be preparing to cave to the White House and Democrat leaders when it comes time for the final vote on the budget later this week. According to Roll Call, “‘[N]o’ votes from centrist Democrats are not what the party leadership expects. In fact, Reid and other top Senate Democrats haven’t bothered to whip for votes on the budget. They’ve left that task to Obama, who was on the Hill last week lunching with his former Democratic colleagues to do just that. . . . Perhaps tellingly, none of the moderates who are lukewarm to elements of the president’s budget used Wednesday’s lunch with him to voice their concerns, according to a Senate Democratic leadership aide.”

Meanwhile, Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) signaled over the weekend that he might be open to the administration’s energy tax proposal (masquerading as a carbon cap-and-trade program) in order to pay for Obama’s health care plans. This energy tax could cost the average American household as much as $3100 per year at a time when Americans can least afford it. The key question for Sen. Conrad, is whether he and his fellow Democrats will support House plans to include both health care and the energy tax in reconciliation, special rules that can bypass Senate filibusters.

Sen. McConnell said, “Americans don’t need another $3,100 added onto their tax bill. But just as worrisome is the method that’s being used to ram this tax through Congress: lay the groundwork, keep it quiet, then rush it through with as little transparency and as little debate as possible. If there’s anything we have learned over the last few weeks, it’s that the American people want more people watching the store, not less.”

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Tags: cap-and-trade, energy tax, federal budget, 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!

No on In-State Tuition for Illegal Aliens; Yes on State Sovereignty & Recending Application for Constitutional Convention

Update: Senate Bill 799 to allow in-state tuition for illegal aliens failed today in the full Senate by 21 to 13. However, Sen. Eliott had the vote expunged which means she can bring it up for a vote again. Hopefully the votes were pretty solid and this bill will be dead but everyone must be watchful. Your emails and calls certainly made the difference. Note: Elliot has continually used the term "undocumented persons" to sway the discussion which is the term used for minor children in elementary and secondary education. However, testimony made it very clear that the correct term per the Federal Government is Illegal Alien when a person passes their 18th birthday. That persaon now an Illegal Alien is subject to deportation and criminal arrest for falsifying on college admission applications, employment applications, etc. that they are legally in the United States. The below list clearly identifies those willing to follow the Constitution and Rule of Law and those not willing to do so and who need to be replaced by the voters of Arkansas:

13 Yeas for Violating the Constitution and granting Illegal Aliens In-State Tuition:

Bryles G. Jeffress J. Jeffress

Luker P. Malone Steele

Capps H. Wilkins Laverty

Madison Salmon Wilkinson Elliott

21 Nays which means they Supported the Rule of Law and the Constitution:

Altes Bookout Faris Horn Miller

Teague B. Johnson Broadway G. Baker J. Key

R. Thompson Trusty B. Pritchard D. Johnson Glover

J. Taylor T. Smith Whitaker Bledsoe D. Wyatt Hendren

1 Non Voting: Crumbly

As for the other two bills they are still pending in the House committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs and may be heard and considered tomorrow but most likely on Wednesday.

Secure Arkansas: A busy day Monday, March 30th at the Arkansas State Capitol. We would like to see everybody there.

First, the agenda in the House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs, Room 151, shows two bills coming up at 10 a.m., that we are very concerned about -- HCR1022: the Constitutional Convention bill and HCR1011: the States Rights bill. For those who cannot come to the Capitol, here are the committee names. Please email and call them from now until the vote is over to urge them to vote FOR both of these two bills:

Rep Rick Saunders Rep Eddie Cheatham Rep Lindsley Smith Rep Steve Harrelson Rep Gene Shelby Rep Ed Garner Rep Clark Hall

Rep Donna Hutchinson Rep Larry Cowling Rep Dan Greenberg Rep Duncan Baird Rep Andrea Lea Rep Jonathan Dismang

Rep Butch Wilkins Rep Uvalde Lindsey Rep Linda Tyler Rep Karen Hopper Rep Davy Carter Rep Tiffany Rogers Rep Mary Slinkard

We Need Votes For HCR1022 (Hobbs) TO RESCIND THE PREVIOUS APPLICATION BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES THAT IT CALL A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION TO PROPOSE AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION TO BALANCE THE PUBLIC DEBT. Since there is no way to limit the actions of a Constitutional Convention, it would be very risky to hold one. There is no way to insure that a convention would obey and stick to one subject. After convened, it would be too late to stop it if we would not like its agenda. Whatever gain might be hoped for would not be worth the risk involved. Yes, it would be ideal if the Federal Government would balance the public debt, but it should not take an amendment to the Constitution to do it.

We Need Votes FOR HCR1011 (Hobbs) CLAIMING SOVEREIGNTY UNDER THE TENTH AMENDMENT. The 10th Amendment,which is part of the Bill of Rights, states that, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectfully, or to the people." HCR1011 is a resolution that would enable Arkansas to reclaim its 10th Amendment right to reject any and all acts of Congress that go beyond its enumerated powers in violation of the 10th Amendment. We are telling the federal government that we are a sovereign state and want to be treated as such. We are not a branch of the federal government. It is inconceivable that a State Representative would not treasure States Rights. Voting against a simple bill that makes the statement that the people of Arkansas believe in, support and expect our States Rights to be honored, is the patriotic action we would expect of our elected officials.

On Monday at 1:30 p.m., SB799, tuition for illegal immigrants, will have a third-time reading in the Senate. If it passes the senate, it will go to the House. Call your State Senator & State Rep immediately and insist they vote NO on this bill: AR House of Representatives: 501-682-6211 AR Senate: 501-682-2902 Prior article: Illegal aliens bill (SB799) Is Being Rushed Through The Arkansas Senate

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Tags: 10th Amendment, Arkansas, Constitutional Convention, illegal aliens, legislature, Secure Arkansas, State Sovereignty, tuition To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

The Teleprompter Sunday Political Funnies - Mar 29, 2009

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Tags: Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Obama, funnies, Political Cartoons, political humor, Sunday, teleprompter To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Go Directly to Jail

By William Warren: ALG CTA: The Department of the Treasury is out to seize private capital. Not only is this poor economics, it demonstrates a blatant disregard for the United States Constitution! After all, when was the last time the government took something and gave it back? Never! Tell Secretary Geithner to keep his hands behind his back and not destroy the American entrepreneurship spirit by calling his office at 202-622-2000.

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Tags: Barack Obama, political cartoon, Timothy Geithner, U.S. Treasury, Wall Street, William Warren To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Global Warming Is Running Out of Hot Air

by Phyllis Schlafly: The coldest winter in a decade in many places, with snow in unlikely cities such as New Orleans, has deflated some of the hot air in global warming. And a heavy snowfall that paralyzed Washington, DC upstaged a mass demonstration scheduled to promote global warming. Nevertheless, according to Al Gore and the mainstream media, "the debate is over" proving that global warming exists, that humans are causing it, and that "science is settled."

But 680 of the world's leading scientists, economists and policy analysts, who met March 8-10 in New York City for the second Heartland International Conference, beg to differ. The title of the conference expressed their doubts: "Global Warming: Was It Ever Really a Crisis?" These authorities assert that scientists worldwide do not agree that global warming is human induced (in scientific lingo, anthropogenic). They do not even agree that the earth is still warming.

Many scientists and other observers have come to realize that global warming is no longer a question of science but is all about politics and money. Their slogan cap-and-trade was best explained by House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-OH) as "a carbon tax that will increase taxes on all Americans who drive a car, who have a job, who turn on a light switch."

President Obama is being pressured by James McCarthy, head of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, to rush his carbon tax through Congress before the American people discover the lie in Obama's promise that "95 percent of working families" will not see their taxes rise by "a single dime." In fact, his own budget shows that taxes will rise for 100 percent of Americans for the sake of global warming. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change plans to use a treaty to reduce America's use of energy and therefore our standard of living, while forcing us to subsidize energy production in other countries and close our eyes to the omission of China and India from any obligation.

There has been virtually no overall global warming since 2001. Christopher Monckton, a former adviser to Margaret Thatcher, reminded the conference that temperatures "have been plummeting at a rate equivalent to 11 Fahrenheit degrees per century throughout the four years since Gore launched his mawkish, sci-fi comedy horror B-movie."

Eagle Forum's observer at the Heartland Conference, Pat Carlson of Dallas, reported that its most interesting speaker was Czech Republic President and rotating President of the European Union Vaclav Klaus, who has taken a bold position against the prevailing propaganda about global warming. He described talking to global warming advocates as similar to trying to make "well prepared arguments" using "relevant data" to former East European Communist bureaucrats: "it all fell into emptiness ... they did not listen ... they did not argue back . . . they considered you uninformed . . . a complainer."

Klaus has written a book called Blue Planet in Green Shackles -- What is Endangered: Climate or Freedom? He had previously carried his politically incorrect views to the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he reminded the countries promoting the global warming agenda that they "had not fulfilled even the relatively modest Kyoto Protocol obligations."

As a resident of St. Louis, which boasts a world-class zoo noted especially for its bears housed in their natural habitat, I've been concerned because of the many television spots warning that global warming may make polar bears extinct. I can now stop worrying; the Senate's expert on global warming, James Inhofe (R-OK), has discovered that polar bears are actually more plentiful than they were 40 years ago. This was confirmed at the Heartland Conference by Ph.D. Polar Bear biologist, Dr. Mitchell Taylor. He said polar bears are definitely not disappearing; their numbers are holding steady at about 24,000.

At the Heartland Conference, the science of global warming was actually discussed and debated. That was very different from the United Nations conferences Pat Carlson previously attended, where global warming caused by humans was accepted as fact without debate.

The advocates of a UN treaty to force the United States to reduce our use of energy are extraordinarily shy about debating the science of the issue. We've yet to hear any of them explain or apologize for their hysterical support of the false assumption of the 1960s that millions of people would starve to death in the 1980s because of overpopulation, or of the 1970s theory that global cooling would kill our agriculture. Christopher Horner's new book called Red Hot Lies: How Global Warming Alarmists Use Threats, Fraud, and Deception to Keep You Misinformed gives many, many examples of how they not only refuse to debate, but are malicious against anyone who dares to contradict their view.

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Tags: cap-and-trade, carbon tax, climate, climate change, global warming, Heartland Institute, Phyllis Schlafly, science To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Day in the Life of a Republican Arkansas Legislator

by Rep. Dan Greenberg: In the Arkansas state legislature, we deal with issues of policy for only a few months every two years. Because our end-of-session deadline is imminent, we're trying to get everything wrapped up in the next two weeks. At this point, every workday seems about the same.

My day usually begins at around 6 a.m. I used to need an alarm clock, but because my 3-year-old and 6-year-old have recently decided that waking their parents up by bouncing on our bed is extremely fun, mechanical assistance is no longer required.

The time before our morning committee meeting starts is almost the only time of day that I am free to return phone calls and emails. I typically receive 100 emails a day during the legislative session and attempt to give appropriate consideration to them all. Generally, I give the most weight to email with (1) a signature with (2) an address in or near my district (3) that contains no insults, obscenities, or offers to let me be the middleman in a complex international financial scheme. Surprisingly, many emails fail these simple tests. I try to eat a decent breakfast and read the paper before dropping the kids off at school and going to our morning meeting.

When the session started, our committee meetings were under an hour. Now they can stretch to two or three hours. Bills can't get considered on the floor until the committee approves them. After committee meetings end, I usually run across the street for lunch. Some sort of group or trade association usually provides a meal; there's a different group every day. I try not to pay too much attention to what group is picking up the tab. I figure that if I can't remember who is providing lunch, there's no possibility of undue influence.

After lunch, legislators run the gauntlet by walking up the marble stairs that lead to the entrance to the House floor. This is where the lobbyists congregate. This was the place where a constituent tracked me down and forcefully told me that I should write a bill that would benefit his child by creating a new program that would cost taxpayers about $50 million yearly. When I told him I wouldn't do it because I couldn't get it passed, he got very upset with me. I think he thought we had $50 million just lying around someplace.

The main focus of the day is our afternoon session in Room 350, when all 100 House members meet to vote legislation up or down. Earlier today, we considered, discussed, and voted on over a hundred separate bills in the span of two hours. During that time, we make a lot of decisions really fast. Legislators confer with each other about the best way to vote. Pages dart up and down the aisles with pieces of paper. Staffers bring us notes from lobbyists or constituents who await us just outside.

Frequently, we interrupt our work to recognize a group in the gallery. The Speaker will ask us to applaud a group of seventh graders from one town or a Chamber of Commerce group from another. I am honored to applaud a veteran or a community leader, but at times we are a bit promiscuous with our standing ovations to tour groups.

Yesterday, the House passed bills written by Democrats to create higher taxes on milk and to make it easier for government to seize property via eminent domain. I voted against these and spoke against the property seizure bill. This was not appreciated by the sponsor; in the legislature it is thought to be not very nice to speak against someone else's bill. My own view is that it is not very nice to the people we represent to let bad bills go through without criticizing them, but sometimes it seems like this is a minority opinion.

At the end of the day, I go home and try to read the bills that will be presented on the House floor the next day. They can be found on the legislature's public website. As the kids race around the house, my wife sometimes pointedly notes that I am spending way too much time on the Internet. She's right, too.

Here's a more detailed account of what we did this week, written by House staff:

LITTLE ROCK – The first state lottery tickets could be sold this fall now that legislation implementing the games has been approved by the 87th General Assembly and signed into law. The first scholarships funded by lottery revenues will be awarded for the fall semester of 2010.

The final passage and signing of identical lottery bills – House Bill 1002 by Speaker of the House Robbie Wills of Conway and Senate Bill 26 by Sen. Terry Smith of Hot Springs – were among the highlights of the 11th week of the session. Within the next two weeks, Gov. Mike Beebe, Speaker Wills, and Sen. Bob Johnson, the Senate president pro tempore, each will have appointed three members to the newly established Lottery Commission.

The commission’s responsibilities include hiring a lottery director and deciding what games the lottery will involve. Those and other duties will determine when Arkansas has its first sales and joins 42 other states with a lottery, including neighboring Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Legislative leaders also will appoint a legislative oversight committee in the coming days.

Estimates on yearly revenues from the lottery range from $55 million to $100 million. Because of that uncertainty, the dollar amounts of the scholarships funded by lottery proceeds have been set on a sliding scale, depending on revenue generated and whether a particular award is for attendance at a two-year state college or university (from $1,250 a year to $3,000) or at the more expensive four-year schools (from $2,500 a year to $6,000 a year). Lawmakers hope to set specific amounts next February during their budget session, with the first scholarships good for the 2010-2011 school year.

Also during the week, the Joint Budget Committee received a revised revenue forecast for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The new forecast is more clouded than one received early in the year by lawmakers and used by them to approve tax cuts and other appropriation bills the past several weeks. The main effect of the revised forecast could be to move another $40 million, for a total of $100 million, from the state surplus to plug holes in the budget and establish a “rainy day fund” for the governor. The state has a surplus of about $300 million this year. The $200 million left in the surplus could go into the General Improvement Fund, to help rural fire departments, senior citizen centers, sewer and water projects, and community centers throughout the state.

Members of the committee also learned that the recent tax increases on tobacco will bring in nearly $15 million less than expected – from $86 million a year to $71 million. The administration had offered the tobacco tax increase, plus federal money, as a way to pay for a state trauma network, a new medical campus in Northwest Arkansas and about two dozen other health initiatives. State finance officials told skeptical lawmakers that a federal tax increase on tobacco brought about the lower numbers.

Meanwhile, meeting separately, the House and Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs committees have sent out their preferences for proposed constitutional amendments that could be referred to voters during the 2010 general election. Twenty-four proposed amendments were filed; the two committees sent out 10 recommendations. They will meet jointly to decide which ones to send to the House and Senate floors. The General Assembly can refer up to three proposed amendments on general topics every two years.

Also during the week, the House approved: [Editorial Note: Listing of bills does not mean endorsement of final action by Rep. Greenberg or ARRA News]
· HB 1985, by Rep. Rick Saunders of Hot Springs, to have the state pay for the costs of holding the general elections now being borne by counties. The bill also requires each county to hire an election coordinator. The bill goes to the Senate.
· HB 1929, by Rep. Bruce Maloch of Magnolia, requiring signed, and witnessed, parental consent for those younger than 18 to use a tanning bed at apartment buildings, tanning salons or spas. There is no penalty for a violation, according to the bill’s sponsor, who said the measure was more of an effort to raise awareness about the dangers of skin cancer. The bill goes to the Senate.
· Senate Bill 192 to make it a felony for a person to possess more than 10 absentee ballots issued to another person or to assist more than six voters in marking and casting ballots. Only a poll worker, county clerk or deputy clerk can provide such assistance. A violation is a Class D felony, punishable by up to six years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. The bill goes to the governor. Saunders, of Hot Springs, presented the bill in the House.
· HB 1860, by Rep. Bill Sample of Hot Springs, to ensure that a driver’s license or official I.D. card issued by the state to a person who is not a U.S. citizen expires on or before the date that person is to leave the country. The bill goes to the Senate.
· HB 1895, by Rep. Allen Kerr of Little Rock, to prohibit “crash taxes,” a nickname given to invoices seeking hundreds of dollars from motorists involved in traffic accidents. The invoices are sent by private vendors seeking money – plus a cut -- to pay the costs of officers and other rescue personnel who respond to the accident scene. While there’s only been anecdotal evidence of such incidents in Arkansas, supporters say they want to make sure it doesn’t happen anymore. Cash-strapped cities and counties in at least 15 states have entered into such collection practices, aimed primarily at out-of-town motorists who pay no taxes to support the emergency response. The bill prohibits Arkansas counties and municipalities from entering into agreements with those vendors. The bill goes to the Senate.
· HB 1894, by Rep. Nancy Duffy Blount of Marianna, to allow the state to contract with private entities and colleges and universities to provide an education to prison inmates. Inmates or their families will pay for the service, just as they already do in existing education programs. The bill goes to the Senate.
· SB 493 and SB 494 requiring the state Department of Human Services to place a notice on its Web site within three days of a report of a death or near death of a child in state custody. The agency also would have to make available to the public non-identifying information from child abuse hotline reports and children’s death reports, and release regular reports on deaths, near deaths and abuse of children in state care. Rep. Steve Harrelson of Texarkana presented the bills in the House. The bills go to the governor.
· SB 780 to prohibit public servants convicted of a felony related to their job from holding a position in government again. Sample, of Hot Springs, presented the bill. It goes to the governor.
· HB 2251, by Rep. John Lowery of El Dorado, to give cities and counties the power of eminent domain over industrial plants in limited circumstances, giving local authorities to market the property to other industrial prospects. The bill goes to the Senate.
· Approved Senate amendments to HB 1451, by Rep. Johnny Hoyt of Morrilton, which aims to help struggling dairy farmers by imposing a wholesale fee of 30 cents per 12 gallons of milk sold. The bill goes to the governor. A related bill, SB 934, sets up a subsidy program to help Arkansas dairies. It goes back to the Senate for concurrence on a House amendment.
· Approved HB 2086, by Rep. Butch Wilkins of Bono, to make committing identity fraud to gain employment a felony. The bill goes to the Senate.
· Approved HB 2004, by Rep. Karen Hopper of Mountain Home, to eliminate the requirement that members of the National Guard or Army Reserves who also are teachers or school administrators pay the cost of hiring a substitute when the teacher-soldier is on military leave. The bill goes to the Senate.
· Approved HB 1378, by Rep. Allen Maxwell of Monticello, to give income-tax relief to head-of-household taxpayers with two or more dependents. Those taxpayers were inadvertently left out the last two times lawmakers approved tax relief. The bill goes to the Senate.

Dan Greenberg is an Attorney-at-Law and State Representative (District 31), Arkansas General Assembly. Although he directly represents northern Saline County, he also represents all Arkansans with public stands for limited, transparent and responsible government.

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Tags: Arkansas, Capitol, Dan Greenberg, legislature, Little Rock, Representative To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Illegal aliens bill (SB799) Is Being Rushed Through The Arkansas Senate

by Kenneth Wallis: Arkansas Senate Bill 799, the in-state tuition for illegal aliens bill, is being snuck through the State Capitol quickly. After the Senate Education Committee passed the bill Wednesday, it is now headed to the full Senate Monday 3/30/09. SB799 is on the afternoon agenda. We need as many conservatives possible to contact the Arkansas Senate and urge them to vote NO on SB799.

After the morning business, the Arkansas Senate will break for lunch around noon. They should start their session around 1:30pm. Those who support illegal immigration will be lobbying the Senators to vote for SB799. Secure Arkansas should be able to have at least one officer in front of the Senate from noon until the session ends, but we would like to have a conservative groups there as well. If you want to show the Arkansas Senate how you feel about giving a discount to illegal alien students, you can join us from Noon to around 5 pm. From noon to around 2 pm is the best time. See also: Great Link: Elliott's Defense on Instate Tuition Bill - Fact, Fiction, or Deception and URGENT ACTION - SB799 – Resurrected & Illegal Alien Education Bill Passed Senate Committee

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Tags: action alert, Arkansas, illegal aliens, SB799, Senate, tuition To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obama's Diet (Budget) Plan

One reader's comment: "Our latest snake oil salesman . . . oh hallelujah and pass the plate!"

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Tags: Barack Obama, Budget, deficit, deficit spending To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Iranian Threat

by Kerby Anderson, Point of View: Thirty years ago Iran became the first Islamic republic in modern history. We are still feeling the effects of the Iranian Revolution. And the threat may be greater than ever before.

But don't take my word for it. Consider the words of the current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. On October 26, 2005 he said: "God willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism." Three years later at an event marking the anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, he said: "Today, the time for the fall of the satanic power of the United States has come, and the countdown to the annihilation of the emperor of power and wealth has started." And last June he proclaimed: "Get ready for a world minus the U.S."

We should not ignore these warnings from a man bent on the destruction of the little Satan (Israel) and the destruction of the great Satan (the U.S.). This is what Joel Rosenberg pleads for us to do in his latest book, Inside the Revolution.

Iran is working feverishly to build, buy, or steal nuclear weapons. No one really knows how far along the Iranians are in building a nuclear bomb. Israel believes that Iran is an eminent threat. Perhaps we should as well.

So what would Iran (or other radical Muslims) do with a nuclear weapon? Joel Rosenberg lists various scenarios from General "Jerry" Boykin. One scenario involves attaching nuclear warheads to short-to-medium-range ballistic missiles. Another suggested that radical states could load nuclear weapons onto private planes. Still another involves loading nuclear weapons onto private yachts or other boats. Another suggested that radicals could smuggle nuclear weapons or other weapons into the country to be detonated in the interior of the country. And a final scenario suggests that radicals might build and detonate "dirty bombs."

Joel Rosenberg's latest book reminds us that Iran poses a major threat to our security. It is time to consider what we must do to deal with it. I'm Kerby Anderson, and that's my point of view.

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Tags: Iran, Kerby Anderson, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, nuclear attack, nuclear terror, United States To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Planned Parenthood Gives Hillary Clinton Its Highest Abortion Award

Tony Perkins, FRC: This week in Houston, Texas, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received Planned Parenthood's highest honor -- the 2009 Margaret Sanger Award. The gala, which takes place down the road from the construction of America's largest-ever abortion facility, has been in the works since Hillary's days in the Senate. To many, it reinforces the strong alliance between the Obama administration and the radical pro-abortion crowd.

As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton is the most visible American ambassador. What better way to show her support for the President's newest export -- overseas abortion -- than share the stage with one of the federal government's prime partners in that effort? According to the organization's press release, Clinton is being lauded as "a champion of women's health and rights throughout her public service career."

Of course, the question remains whether this award is even an honor. If "no one is pro-abortion," as Barack Obama insists, then why agree to be celebrated by the number one supplier of abortion in America? It's an organization whose founder embraced eugenics, targeted "the unfit" for "extinction," and whose current staff is on record as accepting racially motivated donations in seven different clinics nationwide. It's an organization that fights to bar parents from the medical decisions of their 12-year-old daughters. According to videos in at least four states, Planned Parenthood has been involved in serial statutory rape cover-ups. Allegations in California point to an estimated $180 million of fraud. In at least two states, Planned Parenthood petitioned for the construction of abortion clinics under false pretenses.

Really, is this an award that anyone--including Hillary Clinton -- should covet? Its very name, the Margaret Sanger Award, is a tribute to a woman whose life's mission was to "build a race of thoroughbreds." Planned Parenthood's long campaign to promote abortion on request, celebration of sexual libertinism, eugenics, and radical prejudice is the worst foreign policy message our nation could send--and tomorrow they crown their messenger. See Also: Politico: Clinton to appear at Planned Parenthood event

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Tags: abortion, awards, Hillary Clinton, Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood, pro-life, Secretary of State To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Missouri Scraps MIAC Report & Being Vigilant Looking to the Future

Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: The ARRA News Service previously posted an Update on Missouri MIAC Documents Scandal - Advisory on SPLC & ADL. Below are excerpts from today's column by Chuck Baldwin: Missouri Scraps MIAC Report. Pastor Chuck was one of the presidential candidates, Ron Paul and Bob Barr were the others, mentioned in the domestic terrorist MIAC alert has has a rather unique understanding of how event unfolded and actions that led to resolution of these false home land security reporting. In addition, the ARRA News Service, numerous other conservative blogs, myself and most of you -- our readers and your friends and families were also addressed in the report. ICYMI -- here's how:

On February 20, 2009, the State of Missouri, via its Department of Public Safety, issued what was called "MIAC Strategic Report: The Modern Militia Movement." In this report, people who supported Presidential candidates Ron Paul, Bob Barr, and Chuck Baldwin were referenced as being connected to potentially dangerous "militia members." But the inference did not stop there. People of "conservative" ideology were also identified in the State Police report as being potentially dangerous. People who held political opinions opposing abortion, illegal immigration, the New World Order, the North American Union, the Income Tax, the U.N., etc., were profiled in the MIAC report.. No Islamic extremists. No environmental extremists. Only people holding "conservative" or "right-wing" philosophies were identified in the MIAC report.

If you are interested in the background, the outcry and the withdrawal of the false report, read Baldwin's full article. However, below I am presenting some excerpts of Chuck Baldwin's comments that are looking toward future concerns for readers:

Dr. Chuck Baldwin: . . . This sordid story is truly an embarrassment to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State of Missouri. . . . Why DHS, you ask? Because the MIAC report is similar to several other reports currently circulating around various State police agencies courtesy of DHS-sponsored "Fusion Centers." There is another side of this story that is even more sinister, however.

If we can continue to probe the details of the MIAC report, I am absolutely convinced we will find that this report actually originates with Morris Dees and his ultra-liberal Southern Poverty Law Center. And if my hunch (a very educated hunch, I might add) is correct, it means that the DHS and various State police agencies around the country are allowing a left-wing special interest group to use them to harass, intimidate, and profile people with conservative political opinions.

I would further proffer that those of us who are outraged by this event should not stop with the MIAC report being removed. While this is very good news, the fear and intimidation associated with those referenced in this report has already taken place. Are people opposed to abortion, illegal immigration, the Income Tax, the U.N., etc., now afraid to express their opinions publicly (especially in Missouri)? If so, this seems to me to be the basis for legal action, based on the abridgment of the First Amendment freedom of speech by a State (and perhaps federal) law enforcement agency.

There is yet another chilling question that must be answered: by saying Missouri State Police will "review" how MIAC distributes intelligence reports to police officers, does Col. Keathley mean that the State of Missouri's law enforcement agencies will continue to promote similar reports, but simply make them "Classified"? In other words, will they (and other State police agencies around the country) simply employ greater secrecy when issuing such reports, but do nothing to change the content of future reports? Hopefully not, but we shall see.

With that said, here are the lessons all of us need to take to heart:
* Every police officer, deputy sheriff, and law enforcement officer in America who believes in constitutional government, individual liberty, and the Bill of Rights needs to be alert for any report that smacks of the MIAC report, and be willing to quickly "blow the whistle" on any such report they see.

* Lovers of freedom should be much encouraged to see what can happen when they are willing to stand up to their State governing officials as they see abridgements to their liberties taking place. I say again, the best way to
fight these mushrooming despotic tendencies of government we seem to see everywhere is to focus on our State governments. Do you now see why I say that? Even if DHS was behind the MIAC report, it was the State of Missouri that had to implement it; and it was the State of Missouri that (under pressure) killed it.

* Notice, too, that we did not need the major media to achieve this victory. We cut off this one branch of the tyranny tree without the help of ABC, CBS,
NBC, CNN, FOX NEWS (with the exception of Glenn Beck), or even the Drudge Report. Victory was achieved with the weapons of talk radio, syndicated Internet columns, Internet blogging, local news media, and word of mouth.

You see, folks, we can achieve victory without the major media. But we must stay focused and actively involved in our respective State governments. "We the people" are still the power of this country. And don't let anyone deceive you into believing anything else. Therefore, take heart in knowing that your diligence convinced the State of Missouri to rescind its atrocious MIAC report. Now, don't let it stop there. Let's faithfully cut off the tentacles of tyranny wherever we find them. . . . [Chuck Baldwin's Full Article]

We need to remain vigilant, alert and prepared for the actions by those who would silence our opposition to the growing menace of socialism or would oppose our boldly expressing conservative principles and ideals, our defense of traditional values, and our expectations to the rights and freedoms granted us by the Constitution and our Creator.

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Tags: Chuck Baldwin, conservatives, Freedom, MIAC, traditional values To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

States Rebellion Pending

Patriot Post Guest essay - by Walter E. Williams: Our Colonial ancestors petitioned and pleaded with King George III to get his boot off their necks. He ignored their pleas, and in 1776, they rightfully declared unilateral independence and went to war. Today it's the same story except Congress is the one usurping the rights of the people and the states, making King George's actions look mild in comparison. Our constitutional ignorance -- perhaps contempt, coupled with the fact that we've become a nation of wimps, sissies and supplicants -- has made us easy prey for Washington's tyrannical forces. But that might be changing a bit. There are rumblings of a long overdue re-emergence of Americans' characteristic spirit of rebellion.

Eight state legislatures have introduced resolutions declaring state sovereignty under the Ninth and 10th amendments to the U.S. Constitution; they include Arizona, Hawaii, Montana, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Washington. There's speculation that they will be joined by Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Nevada, Maine and Pennsylvania.

You might ask, "Isn't the 10th Amendment that no-good states' rights amendment that Dixie governors, such as George Wallace and Orval Faubus, used to thwart school desegregation and black civil rights?" That's the kind of constitutional disrespect and ignorance that big-government proponents, whether they're liberals or conservatives, want you to have. The reason is that they want Washington to have total control over our lives. The Founders tried to limit that power with the 10th Amendment, which reads: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

New Hampshire's 10th Amendment resolution typifies others and, in part, reads: "That the several States composing the United States of America, are not united on the principle of unlimited submission to their General (federal) Government; but that, by a compact under the style and title of a Constitution for the United States, and of amendments thereto, they constituted a General Government for special purposes, delegated to that government certain definite powers, reserving, each State to itself, the residuary mass of right to their own self-government; and that whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force." Put simply, these 10th Amendment resolutions insist that the states and their people are the masters and that Congress and the White House are the servants. Put yet another way, Washington is a creature of the states, not the other way around.

Congress and the White House will laugh off these state resolutions. State legislatures must take measures that put some teeth into their 10th Amendment resolutions. Congress will simply threaten a state, for example, with a cutoff of highway construction funds if it doesn't obey a congressional mandate, such as those that require seat belt laws or that lower the legal blood-alcohol level to .08 for drivers. States might take a lead explored by Colorado.

In 1994, the Colorado Legislature passed a 10th Amendment resolution and later introduced a bill titled "State Sovereignty Act." Had the State Sovereignty Act passed both houses of the legislature, it would have required all people liable for any federal tax that's a component of the highway users fund, such as a gasoline tax, to remit those taxes directly to the Colorado Department of Revenue. The money would have been deposited in an escrow account called the "Federal Tax Fund" and remitted monthly to the IRS, along with a list of payees and respective amounts paid. If Congress imposed sanctions on Colorado for failure to obey an unconstitutional mandate and penalized the state by withholding funds due, say $5 million for highway construction, the State Sovereignty Act would have prohibited the state treasurer from remitting any funds in the escrow account to the IRS. Instead, Colorado would have imposed a $5 million surcharge on the Federal Tax Fund account to continue the highway construction.

The eight state legislatures that have enacted 10th Amendment resolutions deserve our praise, but their next step is to give them teeth.

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Tags: 10th Amendment, America, conservative, Federalism, Founders, Journal, patriot, rebellion, sovereignty, United States, Walter E. Williams To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Defend Free Enterprise

Previously we reported that Gary Bauer was launching a new weekly report - Defend Free Enterprize. The report is a project of the Campaign for Working Families and you are encouraged to sign up for this report. The report dedicated to defending free enterprise, capitalism and the entrepreneurs and business people who are the backbone of America’s economic success. Bauer said,

They need defending because Washington, D.C., is currently controlled by politicians and bureaucrats who are using our economic and financial crisis as an excuse to push European-style socialism, raise taxes on our most productive citizens and grow the size and power of the federal government. In the process they are burying us and our children under massive amounts of pubic debt that inevitably will weaken and devalue our currency.

The anti-free enterprise juggernaut is fueled by a media establishment that displays more anger and hatred of American business than it does of America’s enemies. In addition, segments of the public experiencing deep financial anxiety and rising unemployment are very susceptible to raw class warfare rhetoric. There are no shortages of politicians willing to stoke those flames. There have always been populist demagogues. But today we are witnessing a new change in public discourse with the advent of “professional” leftwing agitators committed to turning public anger against investors, business owners, entrepreneurs and successful Americans, without whom there can be no economic recovery or long-term economic growth.

If you are an employer, entrepreneur, investor or simply an American who hopes to achieve the American Dream, it is essential for you to organize and take a stand now. There are millions of you. Together you can be a formidable political force to stop the dead hand of Big Government socialism from being imposed on our country.

The Campaign for Working Families has designed an easy to use presentation so that readers can blog, include in office newsletters, and share with anyone especially family and friends. Below is the information from the first edition of Defending Free Enterprise Report - 3/27/09:

Facts You Can Use: If we are going to stop the power grab by Washington’s bureaucrats and politicians, it is essential for us to have the facts. You can share these reports with co-workers, employees and in letters to your local newspapers.

President Obama’s federal spending this year will top $4 trillion. That is over 28% of our entire gross domestic product (GDP). This is the highest level since World War II.

President Obama has proposed $1.9 trillion in additional taxes on small businesses, capital gains and income. Raising taxes when the economy is weak is the opposite of what is needed to stimulate economic growth.

If President Obama’s budget is passed, he will add $9.3 trillion to the national debt, doubling it in six years and nearly tripling it in 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Senator Judd Greg of New Hampshire, who strongly considered becoming Secretary of Commerce in the Obama Administration, says that the Obama deficits are “unsustainable” and will bankrupt the country.

Here’s a brief video of one rising conservative star, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, pleading with moderate-to-conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats in the House to oppose Obama’s outrageous budget. TAKE ACTION: Please call 202-224-3121 and urge your senators and representative to oppose Obama’s budget. And please encourage others to do so as well.

How To Ruin An Economy: Virtually every solution being offered by the Obama Administration and supported by liberals in Congress is bad for our long-term economic health.

The president has proposed tax cuts for some families that work out to about $12 a week. To pay for those cuts, he is proposing raising the top marginal tax rate to 39%, increasing capital gains taxes, increasing taxes on self-employment income and limiting tax deductions for mortgage interest and charitable gifts.

He has proposed spending that in just a few years would increase the federal debt more than the entire debt accumulated in our nation’s history from George Washington to George W. Bush.

He is proposing a series of new energy taxes, which would hit the American heartland and Midwest particularly hard. Companies most impacted will be utilities and manufactures. Initial public estimates indicated that the new “cap and trade” fees will bring in $650 billion – another big hit to American industry. But a top White House economic advisor recently told Senate staffers in a closed meeting that they could raise as much as $2 trillion!

The Anti-Business Juggernaut: We closely monitor Congress, the federal agencies, the White House and courts. In 35 years in Washington, I have not seen an environment more hostile to business and free enterprise and more poisoned by class warfare. Here are just a few proposals being discussed by legislators/politicians, as well as other disturbing developments.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, has suggested regulating all corporate pay, not just the salaries of executives in companies that have accepted taxpayer money through TARP.

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the second highest-ranking Senate Democrat, is drafting legislation designed to encourage candidates to spurn campaign contributions from corporate political action committees in favor of public financing. Meanwhile, organized labor is pushing hard for “Card Check” legislation that would make it much easier to unionize businesses.

Labor unions and community groups like ACORN (the group under investigation in multiple states for voter registration fraud last year), have been sending bus loads of demonstrators to the homes of business executives to intimidate and harass them and their families.

Brave congressmen who have voted against massive new debt and higher taxes are being targeted in their home districts with multi-million-dollar ad campaigns paid for by a variety of leftwing socialist groups in an effort to smear them, driving down their public approval ratings now, so they can more easily be defeated in November 2010.

An increasing number of leftwing politicians, including President Obama, are now openly saying that government should use its power to take money away from successful Americans and redistribute it to various political constituencies.

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Tags: Defend Free Enterprise, Gary Bauer, President Obama, small business, the economy To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!