News Blog for social, fiscal & national security conservatives who believe in God, family & the USA. Upholding the rights granted by God & guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, traditional family values, "republican" principles / ideals, transparent & limited "smaller" government, free markets, lower taxes, due process of law, liberty & individual freedom. Content approval rests with the ARRA News Service Editor. Opinions are those of the authors. While varied positions are reported, beliefs & principles remain fixed. No revenue is generated for or by this "Blog" - no paid ads - no payments for articles.Fair Use Doctrine is posted & used. Blogger/Editor/Founder: Bill Smith, Ph.D. [aka: OzarkGuru & 2010 AFP National Blogger of the Year] Contact: editor@arranewsservice.com (Pub. Since July, 2006)Home PageFollow @arra
One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics
is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. -- Plato
(429-347 BC)
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Iraqis: life is getting better - News not told in the liberal media
by Marie Colvin, The Sunday Times: Most Iraqis believe life is better for them now than it was under Saddam Hussein, according to a British opinion poll published today. The survey of more than 5,000 Iraqis found the majority optimistic despite their suffering in sectarian violence since the American-led invasion four years ago this week. ... when asked whether they preferred life under Saddam, the dictator who was executed last December, or under Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, most replied that things were better for them today.
Only 27% think there is a civil war in Iraq, compared with 61% who do not, according to the survey carried out last month. By a majority of two to one, Iraqis believe military operations now under way will disarm all militias. More than half say security will improve after a withdrawal of multinational forces. Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, said the findings pointed to progress. “There is no widespread violence in the four southern provinces and the fact that the picture is more complex than the stereotype usually portrayed is reflected in today’s poll,” she said. [ReadMore] See also:- Resilient Iraqis ask what civil war? - Violence slashed as troop surge hits Baghdad - A turning point for Iraq [Opinion Research Business (ORB), a respected British market research company that funded its own survey of a nationally representative sample of 5,019 Iraqis adults between February 10-22. The margin of error was +/- 1.4%.]
HB1365 - A&P Tax Reform bill - a Citizen's Protection Bill
HB1365 - A&P Tax reform bill - Official title: "Requiring Voter Approval of Certain Tax Levies." The A&P Tax is the only County and City sales tax in Arkansas that does NOT require Voter Approval. HB1365, sponsored by Rep. Johnny Key (R-Mtn Home), would require any city or county that passes an A&P Tax to send it to voters within 120 days (special election). HB1365 doesn't take away any county or city's ability to pass an A&P Tax, it just gives the registered voters in a community the right to vote on this tax which will directly affect them.
HB1365 will not affect any city that already has an A&P Tax, just those that pass one after the bill becomes law. Currently (in simple terms), a county may impose an additional 2% sales tax and cities may impose additional 3% sales tax without the vote of the public on all purchases made:
at restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, delis, drive-in restaurants, carry-out restaurants, concession stands, convenience stores, grocery store restaurants, from the sale of prepared food and beverages for on-premises or off-premises consumption; and
when renting, leasing, or otherwise furnishing of hotel, motel, or short term condominium rental accommodations for sleeping, meeting, or party room facilities.
Local residents are not exempt from paying the A&P tax. If an A&P sales tax is implemented, this tax is added to the sales tax already in existence for the above cited situations. When you eat out or get food from a deli in your city, you would pay the higher tax on your restaurant or deli bill. A&P stands for "advertising and promotion." Revenue from this tax is used primarily to promote the county or city to others outside the community in an effort to grow and enhance the future revenue of businesses.
HB1365 is in the House Revenue & Taxation Committee and has not yet been voted on to advance the bill to the House for a vote. Take action to protect your right to vote before A&P sales tax is implemented in your county and city. Call and write your representatives and your local newspaper demanding that this bill be supported and sent to the House and to the Senate for a vote. Contact your State Representatives & Senators to support this bill.Tags:A and P tax, Arkansas, Johnny Key, sales tax, taxesTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Huckabee defends tax record: During his 10 years as Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee supported numerous tax increases. Huckabee recently signed a no-tax pledge. Huckabee said that when people look at his record, they'll realize that he's actually "a strong fiscal conservative." Some of his fiscal decisions were driven by court-ordered spending increases or increase for federal entitlement spending for programs "over which you don't have executive control," Huckabee said.
Among the increases Huckabee advocated while in office was a 1/8-cent increase to pay for conservation programs, a $60 million-a-year fuel tax increase to pay for road construction, and a 1/2-cent sales tax rise. "We raised a fuel tax on highways but it was on the ballot and 80 percent of the people voted for it. We rebuilt our highways."A Democrat led congress established a sales tax increase was tied to a voter-approved constitutional amendment that trimmed property taxes by $180 million. And, he allowed a 7/8-cent sales tax increase go into effect without his signature in 2004 in response state Supreme Court order to improve schools.
“The record is that I cut taxes 90 times during my 10 and a half years as governor,” Huckabee declared during a taping of "The Exchange" on New Hampshire Public Radio.“ Huckabee also signed into law nearly $100 million in income tax breaks and other relief measures targeting poor and middle-income taxpayers -- the largest tax cut in Arkansas history at the time. He later signed into law a 30% cut in Arkansas' capital gains tax. Huckabee successfully pushed for a Property Taxpayers' Bill of Rights intended to clarify how property taxes are calculated and how the money is allocated to schools, local governments and other purposes. The law made it easier to challenge tax bills, including provisions for after-hours meetings to accommodate working people.
"We improved test scores and accountability and increased teacher pay while maintaining fiscal responsibility," Huckabee wrote in a recent fundraising letter. "When I left office on Jan. 9, Arkansas had a surplus of almost $850 million." Huckabee's successor, has signed nearly $200 million worth of tax cuts which were put forth by Republican legislators, including the reduction of the state sales tax on food from 6% to 3%. The $121 million cut is the largest tax cut ever passed by state government. "I can guarantee that if they didn't have a surplus, they wouldn't be doing it," Huckabee said. Read Sources: - Huckabee defends his record on taxes&Huckabee faces fiscal conservatives Tags:GOP, Mike Huckabee, presidential candidate, Republican, tax pledge, taxesTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Chris Edwards: On Saint Patrick’s Day, we wear green and celebrate the culture of Ireland. I’ll be toasting Ireland’s success at attracting greenbacks — all that investment flowing into the Emerald Isle and the resulting prosperity. Ireland has boomed in recent years, and it now boasts the fourth-highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Was this dramatic change the luck of the Irish? Not at all. It resulted from a series of hard-headed decisions that shifted Ireland from big government stagnation to free market growth. ... Read:Emerald Miracle: It's not luck the Irish have
Tags:Arkansas Republican Assembly, ARRA, Chris Edwards, Ireland, St PatrickTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Remembering Bowie Kuhn - A man committed to family values
Yesterday saw the passing of Bowie Kuhn, the commissioner of baseball from 1969-1984, one of the most tumultuous (and prosperous) eras in the history of the sport. Kuhn was committed both to the integrity of the game and to its expansion, traits that left him in conflict with many of the game's most interesting characters but ultimately left him with the respect of them all. What is less well-known is Kuhn's lifelong commitment to family values and the sanctity of human life. He served in leadership roles for various nonprofit entities that foster these enduring values including Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Thomas Moore Law Center which defends the religious freedoms of Christians. He graduated from Princeton Univ. and then from the Univ. of Virginia with a law degree. He has been a board member of Christendom College, New York Medical College, Thomas Aquinas College, Franklin & Marshall College, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, and the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the Ave Maria Foundation. He led an estimable life and we offer his family and friends our deep condolences.See also:Former baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn dies at 80 Tags:death, remembering, Bowie Kuhn, commissioner of baseball
Washington Times: The vast majority of American voters detect the presence of political bias in the mainstream news media, according to a Zogby poll released yesterday in conjunction with the George Washington University Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet. Sentiment is strong: 83% of likely voters think bias is "alive and well." Of that number, 64% said the press leans left, while slightly more than a quarter -- 28% -- said there was a conservative bias. Naturally, there's a partisan divide, and a pronounced one. Among Republican respondents, 97% said the press was liberal. Two-thirds of political independents agreed with them, with less than a quarter of the independents -- 23% -- saying there was a conservative bias . . .[Click for more]
ARRA Editorial Comment: Poll bias is alive and well in online polls by various Arkansas newspapers. They often evidence bias in posed unscientific and pointed questions which allow only Yes or No responses. A recent example, was an online poll by The Baxter Bulletinin Mountain Home. Their question format was "Is "person x" doing an effective job? Yes or No" There was no explanation as to what was meant by "doing an 'effective' job" There was no focus on the issues, like: roads, airport transportation, committee appointments, getting along with the press, playing well with others, etc.? Nor was there an option for readers to respond using some type of scale be it numeric or descriptive. P.S. In fairness, our blog is informational and biased. Just like newspapers! But, we don't hide our bias like newspaper editors do in a myriad of newsprint and ads.
Tags:Arkansas, Baxter Bulletin, media bias, newspapers, online polls, polls, Zogby pollTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Washington Times: Senate Democrats yesterday failed to get enough votes for a bill to withdraw all combat troops from Iraq by next March, the first test of new Democratic leaders who will spend the next weeks challenging President Bush's war strategy.Senators rejected on a near party-line 50-48 vote the proposal by Majority Leader Harry Reid that called for troops to start leaving Iraq in four months.Only one Republican -- Sen. Gordon H. Smith of Oregon -- backed the proposal. Just two Democrats -- Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas -- joined Democrat-leaning independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut in opposing it. Two senators -- Democrat Tim Johnson of South Dakota and Republican John McCain of Arizona -- did not vote ... [Read More]
ARRA Editorial Comment: Regardless of the pleas from deployed troops, Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln (D) voted to withdraw "all" troops by next March. She voted along party lines and her vote was a signal to the enemy of her willingness to reduce "all" forces. When she supported the invasion of Iraq, she implicitly agreed with the understanding that invading Iraq carried the responsibility of rebuilding the nation. Her vote has now signaled a willingness to give up the U.S. responsibility in rebuilding a safe Iraq and to allow the slaughter of innocents left unprotected with our withdrawal. Tags:Blanche Lincoln, Iraq, Iraq War, Mark Pryor, Senator, support troops, US Congress
Tags:global warming, political humor, John Anderson, Citizen's JournalTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Hillary Clinton knows all about sacking U.S. Attorneys
The Wall Street Journal Editorial: Congressional Democrats are in full cry over the news this week that the Administration's decision to fire eight U.S. Attorneys originated from--gasp--the White House. Sen. Hillary Clinton joined the fun yesterday, blaming President Bush for "the politicization of our prosecutorial system." As it happens, Mrs. Clinton is just the Senator to walk point on this issue of dismissing U.S. attorneys because she has direct personal experience. In any Congressional probe of the matter, we'd suggest she call herself as the first witness--and bring along Webster Hubbell as her chief counsel. As everyone once knew but has tried to forget, Mr. Hubbell was a former partner of Mrs. Clinton at the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock who later went to jail for mail fraud and tax evasion.
He was also Bill and Hillary Clinton's choice as Associate Attorney General in the Justice Department when Janet Reno, his nominal superior, simultaneously fired all 93 U.S. Attorneys in March 1993. Ms. Reno--or Mr. Hubbell--gave them 10 days to move out of their offices. At the time, President Clinton presented the move as something perfectly ordinary: ... Also at the time, allegations concerning some of the Clintons' Whitewater dealings were coming to a head. By dismissing all 93 U.S. Attorneys at once, the Clintons conveniently cleared the decks to appoint "Friend of Bill" Paula Casey as the U.S. Attorney for Little Rock. Ms. Casey never did bring any big Whitewater indictments, and she rejected information from another FOB, David Hale, on the business practices of the Arkansas elite including Mr. Clinton. When it comes to "politicizing" Justice, in short, the Bush White House is full of amateurs compared to the Clintons. ... [Read More]See also: Bush’s Eight Vs. Clinton’s 93 by L. Brent BozellTags:Hillary Clinton, US Attorneys, Webster Hubbell
Arkansas Democrat Party Leader at Odds With Fellow Democrats Over Contribution Limits
The House approved HB 2410 proposed by proposal by House Speaker Benny Petrus (D-Stuttgart) that was by 89-3 vote. Among other things, the bill cut the maximum individual contributions to a candidate from $2,000 to $1,000. It would also prohibit contributions from two or more businesses sharing the same majority owner. The bill has been sent to the Senate.
Outgoing state Democratic Party chairman, Jason Willett, severely objected to the proposal. In an email, Willett said, "These two provisions ensure that only the Donald Trumps and Arnold Schwarzeneggers of the world can successfully run for public office. ... This bill would hurt great candidates. It will hurt anyone who seeks to serve the public who cannot self-fund their campaign."
Petrus argued before the vote, "If we don't police ourselves and the people in government, nobody else will." Members of the Democratic-controlled Legislature who had received Willett's e-mail were asked by a reporter if the email reflected the opinion of the Arkansas Democrat Party. Rep. Steve Harrelson (D- Texarkana), the House majority leader, said Willett's letter did not represent the views of the House Democratic caucus. Tags:Arkansas, Campaign Finance Reform, Democrat, Jason Willett, SenateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Public district students offered guidance on being homosexual WorldNetDaily: Administrators at North Newton High School in Newton, Mass., have held a seminar for students that explained how to know they are homosexual, but banned parents from attending."It's absolutely insane," parent Brian Camenker, who also is chief of the Mass Resistance organization, said. "I met with the principal. She told me no parents are allowed. She said only by invitation. I asked, 'Can I be invited.' She said, 'No.'"The event, called "ToBeGlad Day," was the school's "Transgender Bisexual Gay Lesbian Awareness Day," and students were given a pamphlet that explains what it means to be "gay," tells students how they are supposed to know if they are "gay," and responds to the question, "Will I ever have sex?" . . . [Read More] See also:District gags 14-year-olds after "gay" indoctrination Tags:education, homosexual activism
by FireSociety: On April 14, 2005, after stopping a vehicle with several illegal aliens hiding inside for a traffic violation, Edwards County Sheriff’s Deputy Gilmer Hernandez of Rocksprings, TX fired shots at the tires as the driver tries to run him over in their attempt to flee the scene. One of the bullets strayed from its mark and injured one of the illegals. Texas Rangers, with the assistance of the ATF, conducted an immediate thorough investigation of the incident and later cleared the deputy of any wrongdoing which allowed him to continue his duties. Over a year later, after Hernandez married and his wife was several months pregnant, the US Dept. of Justice reopened the case based on the conflicting testimony of the few illegals they were able find. The deputy was tried and convicted on Dec. 1, 2006 for violation of civil rights.
In a speech delivered before the House on Jan. 10, 2007, Congressman Ted Poe (R - TX) aggressively defended the officer by stating “The U.S. Government rounds up six or seven of the illegals and, guess what, prosecutes Deputy Hernandez, claiming he recklessly discharged his firearm and uses the illegals as witnesses against the lawman during a trial." Rep. Poe further comments, "Mr. Speaker, another example of how the Federal Government is more concerned about people illegally invading America than it is about the men who protect America. Once again, our government is on the wrong side of the border war.”
Senator Pryor - Do You Remember Your Promise to the Troops
As the US Senators consider whether to vote for or against the new Democratic Iraq resolution that sets a final timetable by which US Soldiers must leave Iraq, we remind Senator Mark Pryor of his previous promise and statement on the merits of a timetable for troop withdrawal quoted by Daniel Connolly, "Lincoln, Pryor Split On Iraq Troop Withdrawal Amendment," The Associated Press, 06/22/06, less than a year ago. Mark Prior (D-AR): “President Bush should lay out for the American people measurable goals for success in Iraq; however, it is a grave mistake to publicly announce timetables and consequently hand over our game plan to Iraqi insurgents... Finally, I have talked to countless troops who have pleaded with me not to give the enemy any indication of troop movements, especially those showing we are reducing forces. They know it endangers them and their comrades. I cannot and will not put them at risk." Senator Pryor, will you keep keep your promise? Tags:Mark Pryor, military troops, Senator, support troops, US Congress
Reforted by FRC: Despite protests from some members of Congress, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) allowed the radical Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization with reported ties to terror groups and funding from Arab regimes, to hold a discussion on Islam in America's greatest symbol of freedom and democracy - the U.S. Capitol. Pelosi allowed CAIR access to the Capitol despite its animosity toward the very government in which she serves. The group has refused to renounce Muslim extremism or condemn fundamentalist terror groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. Yesterday, its leaders even offered their support to a lawsuit filed on behalf of six imams who were escorted off a U.S. Airways flight after making anti-American statements, disrupting passengers with shouts to Allah, requesting unneeded seatbelt extenders, and arousing suspicion by moving from their assigned seats to a pattern associated with the 9-11 attacks. At a public press conference to announce the suit, CAIR forced Washington Times and CBN reporters off the premises saying they were "not welcome." Perhaps CAIR's leadership is concerned that these journalists understand the danger behind their radical agenda. See also:Imams booted from US Airways flight file lawsuitTags:CAIR, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Nancy Pelosi, US Capitol
Arkansas Senate Bill 959 by Senator Shawn Womack (R-Dist.1) which prevents state foster parenting or adoption by couples who are not married, or who are single with a live-in boyfriend or girlfriend, or singles who are homosexual, passed the Senate today. The bill passed 20-7 (7 not voting and 1 excused) No roll call yet. Bill was forwarded to the House. Tags:adoption, Arkansas, foster care, homosexuality, Senate, Shawn WomackTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Senate may vote on embryonic stem cell research bill this week
by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com: The Senate may vote this week on a bill that would force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research. Pro-life groups are urging their members to call and email senators in case that happens, although they say a date certain for a vote has yes to be established by Democratic leaders. The House has already voted on its version of the bill, which it approved on a 253-174 vote in January.However, President Bush has promised to veto the measure again because he doesn't want taxpayer funds to pay for research that involves the destruction of human life. The House vote was well short of the two-thirds needed to override his veto . . . [Read More]
Andrew Roth at Club for Growth reports about the following pork projects in the war supplemental bill that is being considered in the House right now.
Peanut Storage - $74 million (pg. 115)
Additional Salaries for the House of Representatives - $6.4 million (pg. 51)
Live Fish Transport Across the Canadian Border - $5 million (pg. 116)
FDA Office of Women’s Health - $4 million (pg. 117)
Compensation to Spinach Growers - $25 million (pg. 112) Tags:Club for Growth, Congressional Pork, U.S. House
Arkansas Senate Bill 959 by Senator Shawn Womack (R-Dist.1) which prevents state foster parenting or adoption by couples who are not married, or who are single with a live-in boyfriend or girlfriend, or singles who are homosexual got out of committee yesterday and may be voted on even today in the Senate. [See NWAnews article] Please call and leave a phone message for your senator at the the Senate switchboard (501-682-2902) and ask them to vote for SB959. You may then wish to call your representative at Representatives (501-682-6211). Gov. Mike Beebe had promised to support a bill banning homosexual adoption but is now saying he doesn't yet know if he can support this bill because it "may" include elements he hadn't considered when he made that promise. His number is 501-682-2345. See also:Risks of Homosexual Lifestyle to Children By American College of Pediatricians Good News About Adoptive Parents -- But Not About Same-Sex Couples Tags:adoption, Arkansas, foster care, homosexuality, Senate, Shawn WomackTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Will You Pledge Allegiance to the Flag of the North American Union?
by Gina Parker Ford: How long will it be before we sacrifice the sovereignty of the United States and pledge allegiance to the flag of the North American Union? Robert Pastor, in his book entitled Toward a North American Community, argues that Americans should abandon their "aging concepts of sovereignty." Americans may be closer than they think to a new North American government. [Read More]Gina Parker Ford is the CEO of a dental manufacturing company, a successful attorney and the National Eagle Forum Chairman for Judicial Reform. Tags:Gina Parker Ford, NAU, North American UnionTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Gay-rights groups upset with Colts coach Tony Dungy
If you stand for marriage and family, you're likely to face a blind-side blitz. That's the message being sent by homosexual rights groups to Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy. Coach Dungy is scheduled to appear at a March 20 banquet where he will receive the Indiana Family Institute's"Friend of the Family" award. The homosexual groups are attacking the Super Bowl-winning coach because the Institute supports an amendment to the state's constitution that defines marriage as being between one man and one woman. One aghast gay activist told The Indianapolis Star, "Dungy appears to be an upstanding guy, but the coach's willingness to appear at this banquet strikes him as tantamount to endorsing its opposition to gay marriage." Such pressure even prompted the Colts to issue a statement that Coach Dungy speaks on his own and that his "feelings on the importance of marriage and family are well known." Coach Dungy is speaking in his own State before people that both support and care about Dungy's persaonal stand on family values. Coach Dungy should be applauded, not condemned, for his championship role for the family. [Read Indiana Star Article] Tags:Colts, homosexual activism, Indianapolis, Tony Dungy
by Tony Perkins, FRC: If liberal judicial activism were ever put on trial, the foolish decisions of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (sometimes referred to as the Ninth Circus) would be Exhibit A. An editorial in yesterday's Wall Street Journal notes that the Supreme Court has reviewed eight decisions by the Ninth Circuit in its current term--and has overturned all eight.The cumulative vote of the justices against the Ninth Circuit's positions is an astronomical 67-5.
This gives hope that the Supremes will overturn another absurd Ninth Circuit ruling handed down Friday. The Contra Costa County (Calif.) Library makes meeting rooms available to the public for "educational, cultural and community related" activities--but forbids their use for "religious services." A district court judge overturned this blatantly unconstitutional policy, but a Ninth Circuit panel overruled that decision, and now the full court has refused to hear an appeal. The judges argue that "mere religious worship" is entitled to less protection under the First Amendment than is secular speech or religious speech other than worship. The dissenting judges declared that "the majority has disregarded equal-access cases stretching back nearly three decades." It's no wonder that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told Dr. James Dobson last week in a radio interview that he favors abolishing the Ninth Circuit altogether. Tags:Ninth U.S. Circuit Court, Tony Perkins, Christians, Ninth Circuit Court, CATo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Doug Patton: As I read about the scandal surrounding the Walter Reed Army Hospital, I was reminded of Hillary's 1994 fiasco, and why so many of us were motivated to action against her blatant power grab. Can you imagine huge government hospitals, whose services all of us would be forced to utilize, with mold growing up the walls and vermin infesting the rooms like some third world medical facility? Liberals will never admit that this will be the result of their vision for our nation's health care system, but that is exactly what our wounded military heroes have been enduring at Walter Reed. Why should we believe that dictatorial Hillary-care would be any different?
Pick a federal agency. Do any of them fit your model of how health care should be run? How about the United States Postal Service? Calling itself a quasi-private government entity, the USPS is a relatively unaccountable monopoly that would crumble under real-world competition. How about our government schools? Talk about unaccountable monopolies! Do I detect a pattern here? Perhaps the Internal Revenue Service or Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) would qualify as your bureaucracy of choice. Ask those who have ever dealt with either agency if they would like to negotiate for cancer surgery with such people. How about five trillion dollars in government spending for the forty-year "war on poverty"? Is that your model for efficiency? While there was outsourcing going on at Walter Reed, with private companies providing at least some of the management, the truth is that whenever government is involved in any endeavor, efficiency, cost effectiveness and accountability inevitably head south. When government partners with a large corporation, the private sector does not improve the government; government corrupts the private sector. ... [Read More]
Tags:Doug Patton, healthcare, Hillary-care, Walter Reed Army Hospital
This Day in History - Reflecting on Sen. Charles Sumner
ARRA editorial: Today is the start of daylight savings time. As if man could save daylight! So let's look at something that happened today in history: Senator Charles Sumner died this day, March 11, 1874. Who was Charles Sumner?
A former member of the Democrat party, Charles Sumner became one of the founders founder of the Republican Party. Charles Sumner declared: “That great story of redemption, when God raised up the slaveborn Moses to deliver His chosen people from bondage, and... that sublimer story where our Saviour died a cruel death that all men, without distinction of race, might be saved, makes slavery impossible.” Sumner became part of a group identified as those Radical Republicans.
After one speech Sumner made against pro-slavery groups in Kansas in 1856, he was beaten unconscious, on the head with a cane, while he at his desk on the Senate Floor by Preston Brooks, a South Carolina congressman. Sumner's injuries stopped him from attending the Senate for the next three years. He never fully recovered. Sumner did return to the Senate. Although a friend of Abraham Lincoln, he did not agree with Lincoln's limited stance on immancipation.
In 1866, Sumner and other Radical Republicans led the effort for passing of the first Civil Rights Act over the veto of Andrew Johnson, that was designed to protect freed slaves from Southern Black Codes (laws that placed severe restrictions on freed slaves such as prohibiting their right to vote, forbidding them to sit on juries, limiting their right to testify against white men, carrying weapons in public places and working in certain occupations). Preston Brooks beating Charles Sumner For more info: the book: Charles Sumner Tags:Charles Sumner, Civil Rights, Republican
Northwest Arkansas Republican enjoys 'seat at table' in House leadership
By John Lyon, Arkansas News Bureau: Even with Democrats holding the governor's office, all the top state offices and majorities in both houses of the Legislature, one state lawmaker says it isn't a bad time to be a Republican in Arkansas. "I'm sure things would be a little more conservative if they made me king for a day, but I've been very pleased so far with the session, what we've gotten done," said Rep. Keven Anderson, R-Rogers. "It's a to-the-right-of-center agenda, in my opinion."
Anderson has emerged as a leader in the House this session. The third-ranking House member in seniority, he serves as chairman of the House Revenue and Taxation Committee and was one of the lead sponsors of a package of legislation expected to reduce Arkansans' taxes by more than $300 million, the largest tax cut in state history. .... But what Anderson is most proud of is not any particular bill."What I'm generally most proud of in terms of accomplishments is that enough of us, what I call the business conservatives, understood the political landscape and ... ultimately got a seat at the table," he said. [Read More] Tags:GOP, Kevin Anderson, Northwest Arkansas, RepublicanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
WALLACE: There's been a lot of buzz, as we said, in Republican circles that there's no true conservative in the GOP presidential field. Now some top Republicans, including your friend former Tennessee senator Howard Baker, are putting out trial balloons about you possibly entering the race.
Question: Are you considering running for president in 2008?
THOMPSON: I'm giving some thought to it. Going to leave the door open.
WALLACE: Well, you say leaving the door open. What's going to go into your decision-making process, what factors? Why would you do it? And what do you see — do you see some holes in the current Republican field?
THOMPSON: It's not really a reflection on the current field at all. As you know, some of them are very good friends of mine. I'm going to wait and see how it pans out, see how they do, how it develops. A lot of people think it's late already. I don't really think it is, although the rules of the game have changed somewhat. .... I'm concerned about what's going on in the country, in our world, always have been. Just the fact that I left the Senate did not negate that in any way. I've been involved in national security issues and things of that nature since I've been out of the Senate. I think we're going into one of the most perilous times that our country has been in. I think that there are great opportunities out there. But it's not preordained that we're going to remain the strongest and freest nation in the history of the world. We've got to do some things well. We've got to do some things differently. [Full Transcript]See Also:Another Hollywood star steps forward for GOP
Tags:Arkansas Federation of Republican Women, Fred Thompson, GOP, presidential candidateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
New Jersey Judge: homeschooling is deliberate child abuse
It is illegal to home school in Germany. Now New Jersey judge warns of child-abusing homeschoolers. Abuse of children is not right. But the door is opening to Homeschooling being equated to child abuse. Story follows: Court is 'shocked' by lack of government authority over students WorldNetDaily: A Superior Court judge in New Jersey says homeschooling is just about the same as deliberate child abuse. In fact, he says, he just might name a school district in his state as a defendant in a current court dispute, citing the district's "shocking" failure to monitor and test all students -- including homeschoolers. "In today's threatening world, where we seek to protect children from abuse, not just physical, but also educational abuse, how can we not monitor the educational welfare of all our children? . . . [Read more] See also:2007 German horror tale - Could it become an American one? Tags:child abuse, home school, homeschoolers, New JerseyTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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by Marie Colvin, The Sunday Times: Most Iraqis believe life is better for them now than it was under Saddam Hussein, according to a British opinion poll published today. The survey of more than 5,000 Iraqis found the majority optimistic despite their suffering in sectarian violence since the American-led invasion four years ago this week. ... when asked whether they preferred life under Saddam, the dictator who was executed last December, or under Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, most replied that things were better for them today. 
