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)
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Don't Go Wobbly; Follow Sarah
Tags:INSERT TAGSTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!David Limbaugh, GOPUSA: There are many reasons that Sarah Palin is energizing the conservative base. It's not just her authenticity, freshness, noble defense of traditional values, and vivaciousness. This lady is finally giving red-state conservatives a voice, and she's taking it to the other side without apologies. Democrats are crying foul because she's confronting Barack Obama for his worrisome attitudes about America and his way-more-than-casual association with unrepentant domestic terrorist William Ayers. Some squeamish conservatives are counseling that we ignore this issue either because it is unpleasant and unfair or that it's a distraction from the "substantive" issues. Nonsense. This issue is neither unfair nor a diversion. It is imperative that we learn the extent of Obama's intimacy with this man. It's vital that we examine whether this relationship is part of a pattern of Barack Obama associating himself with people and causes that are hostile to the foundational principles of this nation. . . . [Read More] See also:Palin gets warm welcome in Boca Sarah Palin wows 1,000 at private party Palin Invokes Jeremiah Wright, Continues Hit on Obama-Ayers Relationship Support for Palin Increased Following the Debate. What Does That Mean? Tags:Barack Obama, Bill Ayers, David Limbaugh, Election 2008, Sarah Palin, William AyersTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tonight, Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama will debate in a town hall together for the very first time. You'll have the opportunity to hear questions from everyday Americans and I know you'll see the sharp contrast between the liberal plan for America and the reform plan for America.
This summer, John McCain proposed a series of weekly joint town hall meetings with Senator Obama. But Senator Obama - no stranger to saying one thing and doing another - reversed his position and backed out. Simply put, the Obama-Biden Democrats' rhetoric doesn't match their record.
Don't be misled by the Obama-Biden Democrats. They've proven they'll say anything to get elected. And it's up to you and me to get the truth out to the American people. We are four weeks away from Election Day and we need your support to win important races across the country on November 4th.
When push comes to shove, Senator Obama and his friends on the far-left will always tell you one thing and do another. They say the troops have their support, but turned around and voted to take away critical funding for our men and women in uniform. They talk about cutting taxes, but turn around and vote for tax increases. They say they're for energy independence, but won't support crucial off-shore drilling efforts. We just can't trust them to lead. Tags:Barack Obama, debate, Election 2008, John McCain, presidential candidates, TownhallTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
McCain-Palin Campaign Launching 72 Hour Campaign in Arkansas
Aaron Trost, Regional Political Director, South Central Region, McCain-Palin 2008: The Republican Party of Arkansas is working hard to the elect the dynamic team of Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin to the White House. With your help, we will win this state and help other Republican candidates. A great way to assist the campaign is by participating in the Arkansas Republican Party's 72-Hour Campaign.
What is the 72-Hour Campaign? The 72-Hour campaign will Get-Out-The-Vote for the McCain-Palin campaign. From Saturday, November 1st to Monday, November 3rd, volunteers are needed to make phone calls and go door-to-door. On Tuesday, November 4th, poll watchers and drivers are needed for Election Day. The McCain-Palin campaign needs your help! Can you help with some of the shifts below?
If you are interested, please call John Luke Weaver at 501-372-7301 or email him at johnluke@arkansasgop.org. Please join our 72-Hour Campaign and help make history!Tags:72 Hour, Arkansas, John Mccain, McCain-Palin, Republican Party of Arkansas, RPA, Sarah PalinTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
VOTE FOR THE LIPSTICK,
NOT THE DIPSTICK Tags:bumper sticker, lipstick, Republicans, Sarah PalinTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
National Black Republican Association (NBRA) releases Radio ads exposing the real Sen. Barack Obama as a Slum Lord and a far left-wing radical. One ad is about the shocking Boston Globe investigationthat includes the below video of poor blacks living in the Obama - funded slum lord projects who condemn Obama for not caring about them.
The NBRA radio ads demonstrate that, when the American people look behind Obama's slick, public facade, they see an inexperienced liberal who does not have the character and judgment to be our next president. To understand what Obama has in mind for the rest of America, visit any black urban community in this nation. Liberal Democrats have been running black communities for the past 40 years, and their socialist policies have turned those communities into economic and social wastelands. If Obama's messianic message of "hope and change" was so powerful, why are the poor people in Chicago still poor? The Globe article reports:
. . .that thousands of apartments across Chicago that had been built with local, state, and federal subsidies - including several hundred in Obama's former district - deteriorated so completely that they were no longer habitable. Grove Parc and several other prominent failures were developed and managed by Obama's close friends and political supporters. Those people profited from the subsidies even as many of Obama's constituents suffered. Tenants lost their homes; surrounding neighborhoods were blighted. . . .
Obama's campaign, in a written response to Globe questions, affirmed the candidate's support of public-private partnerships as an alternative to public housing, saying that Obama has "consistently fought to make livable, affordable housing in mixed-income neighborhoods available to all.". . . Among those tied to Obama politically, personally, or professionally are:
Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to Obama's presidential campaign and a member of his finance committee. Jarrett is the chief executive of Habitat Co., which managed Grove Parc Plaza from 2001 until this winter and co-managed an even larger subsidized complex in Chicago that was seized by the federal government in 2006, after city inspectors found widespread problems.
Allison Davis, a major fund-raiser for Obama's US Senate campaign and a former lead partner at Obama's former law firm. Davis, a developer, was involved in the creation of Grove Parc and has used government subsidies to rehabilitate more than 1,500 units in Chicago, including a North Side building cited by city inspectors last year after chronic plumbing failures resulted in raw sewage spilling into several apartments.
Antoin "Tony" Rezko, perhaps the most important fund-raiser for Obama's early political campaigns and a friend who helped the Obamas buy a home in 2005. Rezko's company used subsidies to rehabilitate more than 1,000 apartments, mostly in and around Obama's district, then refused to manage the units, leaving the buildings to decay to the point where many no longer were habitable.
Campaign finance records show that six prominent developers - including Jarrett, Davis, and Rezko - collectively contributed more than $175,000 to Obama's campaigns over the last decade and raised hundreds of thousands more from other donors. Rezko alone raised at least $200,000, by Obama's own accounting. One of those contributors, Cecil Butler, controlled Lawndale Restoration, the largest subsidized complex in Chicago, which was seized by the government in 2006 after city inspectors found more than 1,800 code violations. . . .
Tags:Allison Davis, Barack Obama, black Americans, Chicago, liberal, NBRA, political contributions, Tony RezkoTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Republican vice-presidential candidate, Governor Sarah Palin, is refreshing in her outside-the-beltway behavior. On CBS with Katie Couric , Couric asked Palin about her views on abortion. Palin replied, "I am pro-life. And I'm unapologetic in my position that I am pro-life." Gov, Palin elaborated further that as she strives to create a culture of life, our society must provide for counseling and support for "women who find themselves in circumstances that are absolutely less than ideal." Tony Perkins, Family Research Council commented that Gov. Palin, "Describes perfectly the good work that Pregnancy Resource Centers across the nation do, as opposed to the "abortion on demand" mentality of facilities like Planned Parenthood" Ms. Couric comes off poorly during the interview when she tries to imply that those in the pro-life community, including Governor Palin, would seek to imprison women who have abortions. The only ones that talk about jailing women, it seems, are pro-abortionists and/or television personalities. The act of abortion itself is exploitative of the woman even as it kills her child." Tags:CBS, Election 2008, FRC, Katie Couric, Planned Parenthood, pregnancy resource center, pregnant women, pro-life, Sarah Palin, Tony PerkinsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
There is an old saw, that "money talks." With all the concern and emphasis on the current economic crisis, I realized there was a problem when Ol' George's changed his expression: Tags:economic crisis, George Washington, humor, moneyTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tony Perkins, FRC Action: For the last time, the U.S. Supreme Court opened its session today with President George Bush in office. After eight years of the slimmest conservative majority, a new season of uncertainty is looming over the nation's highest court. Next year at this time, two-thirds of the Court will be at least 70 years old, and Justice John Paul Stevens will be one birthday shy of his 90th. To say the next president holds the keys to the make-up of this court-and lower ones-is an understatement. As writer Michael Doyle points out, President Bush has placed 316 judges on the bench since 2001, meaning that "one out of three federal judges now owes a lifetime-tenured job to the current president." President Bush's successor will inherit at least 44 vacancies in the federal judiciary-many of them considered "judicial emergencies" by the Office of U.S. Courts. . . . Sen. John McCain, "I will look for accomplished men and women with a proven record of excellence in the law, and a proven commitment to judicial restraint. I will look for people... [who] understand that there are clear limits to the scope of judicial power, and clear limits to the scope of federal power...They will do their work with impartiality, honor, and humanity, with an alert conscience, immune to...fashionable theory, and faithful in all things to the Constitution of the United States." See also:McClatchy: Next president will reshape U.S. courts from top to bottom Tags:Barack Obama, Election 2008, FRC, John McCain, President, Supreme Court Judges, Tony PerkinsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
American Solutions: A timeline from May 12 to October 1 that tells the story of the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" movement. A special thanks to the 1.5 million Americans who signed the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition for making this possible.
Tags:American Solutions, domestic drilling, drill here, drill now, gas prices, Newt Gingrich, offshore drilling, pay less, US CongressTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - Oct 6, 2008 - Congress in Recess
The Senate is expected to remain in recess until Nov. 17th, when they will return for a lame duck session. The House has adjourned for the year and is scheduled to return on Jan. 3rd, unless the speaker calls them back.
Senate Democrats Scare the Markets. Over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal joined in criticism of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for some unguarded statements he made last week. On Wednesday Reid told reporters at a press conference, “One of the individuals in the caucus today talked about a major insurance company. A major insurance company -- one with a name that everyone knows that's on the verge of going bankrupt. That’s what this is all about.” (Video) The WSJ points out, “The next day, share prices fell sharply across the insurance industry. . . . The steep drop in the share prices of insurance companies Thursday destroyed wealth for uncounted middle-class investors holding onto stock in companies still considered healthy . . . It calls to mind Senator Chuck Schumer’s public suggestion in July that troubled IndyMac Bank ‘could face collapse.’ It did, after a deposit run.” Reid and Schumer should be aware that with jittery traders paying close attention to Washington, they should think more carefully before singling out companies.
Summary: Even with the Congress on recess, Americans are still irate! Markets are in free fall and businesses are having difficulty getting loans to pay for holiday merchandise. Tags:declining market, US Congress, recess, 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!
by AJStrata: Does anyone think Governor Sarah Palin is not a force in this year’s presidential race? Here’s something for folks to consider . . . "Thursday’s highly anticipated face-off between Alaska governor Sarah Palin and Delaware senator Joe Biden was the most-watched vp debate of all time. Last night’s event was seen by 69.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. That’s the most-viewed debate — presidential or vp — since the second round between Bill Clinton, Ross Perot and George Bush in 1992 (which also drew an audience of 69.9 million)." . . . Looking at the per network totals at Drudge I noticed PBS and C-SPAN may not be included in the tally, so this could be the all time record breaker! . . . PBS adds another 3.5 ,illion viewers making this debate number one even over the 1992 previous record holder. . . .
How is it the VP debate dwarfed the top of the ticket debate this year and all years past? Anyone going to try and claim all those viewers took time out of their busy lives to watch Joe Biden? Let’s get real here, 69.9 million people wanted to see Governor Sarah Palin. Biden cannot draw that kind of crowd. McCain doesn’t draw these crowds, even Obama doesn’t. Let’s put that into perspective using 2004 as the baseline; more people tuned into the debate than voted for Bush or Kerry (62 million and 59 million, respectively) in the last election. . . . [Not included in this excerpt is some some excellent commentary that is worth reading questioning the skewed polling results on who is leading in the polls to win the presidency] . . . Obama gets 6,000 to an event in PA this week, Palin is expecting 10,000. Yeah, Obama is taking the lead all right. . . [Full Story: Record 69.9 Million Viewers Watched VP Debate - Polls Making Sense?]
While Joe Biden had a crowd crowd of 10 celebrating his debate night (photo below),Sara Palin packs in the crowd at the Chaifetz Arena at Saint Louis University. Note the explosion of excitement when Sarah Palin arrives at the arena:
Tags:black Americans, video, commentary, Election 2008, John McCain, outreach, Politics, Sarah PalinTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
H/T to Flopping Aces: In an interview with Fox News, Obama admits that his work with Bill Ayers gave him the qualifications to run for political office:
Can we stop pretending that Bill Ayers is nothing more than a casual acquaintance?
Tags:ABC News, Annenberg Challenge, Barack Obama, Bill Ayers, Fox News, Jeremiah Wright, Meeks, political, Tony Rezko, video, Weather UndergroundTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Obama's Friend Bill Ayers Stepping on Flag [photos]
Bill Ayers, an unrepentant terrorist turned professor and friend of Barack Obama, was photographed in 2001 stepping on the American flag while grinning. Note that one of the quotes on the top of the clipping by Bill Ayers is "Guilty as sin, free as a bird, it's a great country."
William (Bill) Ayers, a former member of the radical group the Weather Underground who is now a professor of education at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Ayers donated $200 in 2001 to Obama’s Illinois state Senate campaign and served with him from 1999 to 2002 on the board of the Woods Fund, an anti-poverty group.
A Series of Bombings - The Weather Underground carried out a series of bombings in the early 1970s — including the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon. While Ayers was never prosecuted for those attacks, he told the New York Times in an interview published Sept. 11, 2001, that “I don’t regret setting bombs.” . . . Ayers said he had no comment on his relationship with Obama.
Marathon Pundit has the story! The Radio Patriot has a post that includes the following color picture of a different photo of Bill Ayers stepping on the flag: Tags:Barack Obama, Bill Ayers, bombing, Flag, flag desecration, photos, terrorist, Weather Underground, William AyersTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Readers Comment; Congressional #Pork to #Obama to Government
The following comments were provided by our readers. In some cases, the comments may be funny while showing forth truthful insights. The comments are separated by dashed lines:
---------------- Technologically challenged! Barack Obama has put out an ad that simple minded John McCain cannot use a computer. Well guess what; Barack cannot land a jet plane on an aircraft carrier at night. John can.
---------------- Corporate Sponsors! After watching these politicians trying to vote on this "bailout" for the last week and adding senseless #pork to it, Congress members should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we can identify their corporate sponsors.
----------------
“Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” — Ronald Reagan
----------------
“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy.” — Ernest Benn
---------------- “[A] wise and frugal government... shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.” — Thomas Jefferson
---------------- Politicians - Change...Change...Change!!!
Not long ago I read a joke ... It said all the politicians running for president are promising change to the American people. We send them billions and billions of tax dollars and they send us the change. Funny? Not really; there is too much truth in it to be funny.
They all promise change. How about if they run on a promise of restoration rather than change. A restoration that would take us back in time to a place where things ran better, smoother and life was more enjoyable. Change? That, in truth, is what they have been giving us all along.
We used to have a strong dollar ... Politicians changed that.
Life used to be sacred ... Politicians changed that.
Marriage used to be sacred ... Politicians are changing that.
We used to be respected around the world ... Politicians changed that.
We used to have a strong manufacturing economy ... Politicians changed that.
We used to have lower tax structures ... Politicians changed that.
We used to enjoy more freedoms ... Politicians changed that.
We used to be a large exporter of American made goods ... Politicians changed that.
We used to be an openly Christian nation ... Politicians changed that.
We used to teach patriotism in schools .. Politicians changed that.
We used to educate children in schools .. Politicians changed that.
We used to enjoy freedom of speech ... Politicians changed that.
We used to enforce LEGAL citizenship .. Politicians changed that.
We used to have affordable food & gas prices ... Politicians changed that, too.
... and one could go on and on with this list.
What hasn't been changed? Politicians are promising to "change" if you will elect them. When is America going to open their eyes and look at what we once were and from where we have come and say, "Enough is enough"? Tags:Barack Obama, big government, change, congress, economy, government, government failures, NASCAR, PoliticsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: We have posted numerous videos and articles to provide readers with information to aid them in their discussions with friends and maybe with a few who are not so friendly that it was the Democrats who are responsible for the current mortgage crisis situation. Aren't you tired of the Democrats continued lies? Like many others, I am also tired of waiting for the Republican leadership to stand forward to clearly identifying the Democrats’ actions responsible for the current economic crisis. Thus, I was pleased to note the NRCC stepping forward with the below video contrasting the Democrats personal gains against their responsibility for the catastrophe at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Tags: bailout, Barney Frank, Charlie Rangel, Democrats, failure, Fannie mae, Freddie Mac, GOP, Maxine Walters, Meeks, news, NRCC, PoliticsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
McCain’s blogger-in-chief Michael Goldfarb chronicled Sen. Joe Biden's 14 lies in the Vice Presidential debate with Gov. Sarah Palin: 1. TAX VOTE: Biden said McCain voted “the exact same way” as Obama to increase taxes on Americans earning just $42,000, but McCain DID NOT VOTE THAT WAY. 2. AHMEDINIJAD MEETING: Joe Biden lied when he said that Barack Obama never said that he would sit down unconditionally with Mahmoud Ahmedinijad of Iran. Barack Obama did say specifically, and Joe Biden attacked him for it. 3. OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING: Biden said, “Drill we must.” But Biden has opposed offshore drilling and even compared offshore drilling to “raping” the Outer Continental Shelf.” 4. TROOP FUNDING: Joe Biden lied when he indicated that John McCain and Barack Obama voted the same way against funding the troops in the field. John McCain opposed a bill that included a timeline, that the President of the United States had already said he would veto regardless of it’s passage. 5. OPPOSING CLEAN COAL: Biden says he’s always been for clean coal, but he just told a voter that he is against clean coal and any new coal plants in America and has a record of voting against clean coal and coal in the U.S. Senate. 6. ALERNATIVE ENERGY VOTES: According to FactCheck.org, Biden is exaggerating and overstating John McCain’s record voting for alternative energy when he says he voted against it 23 times. 7. HEALTH INSURANCE: Biden falsely said McCain will raise taxes on people's health insurance coverage -- they get a tax credit to offset any tax hike. Independent fact checkers have confirmed this attack is false 8. OIL TAXES: Biden falsely said Palin supported a windfall profits tax in Alaska -- she reformed the state tax and revenue system, it's not a windfall profits tax. 9. AFGHANISTAN / GEN. MCKIERNAN COMMENTS: Biden said that top military commander in Iraq said the principles of the surge could not be applied to Afghanistan, but the commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force Gen. David D. McKiernan said that there were principles of the surge strategy, including working with tribes, that could be applied in Afghanistan. 10. REGULATION: Biden falsely said McCain weakened regulation -- he actually called for more regulation on Fannie and Freddie. 11. IRAQ: When Joe Biden lied when he said that John McCain was “dead wrong on Iraq”, because Joe Biden shared the same vote to authorize the war and differed on the surge strategy where they John McCain has been proven right. 12. TAX INCREASES: Biden said Americans earning less than $250,000 wouldn’t see higher taxes, but the Obama-Biden tax plan would raise taxes on individuals making $200,000 or more. 13. BAILOUT: Biden said the economic rescue legislation matches the four principles that Obama laid out, but in reality it doesn’t meet two of the four principles that Obama outlined on Sept. 19, which were that it include an emergency economic stimulus package, and that it be part of “part of a globally coordinated effort with our partners in the G-20.” 14. REAGAN TAX RATES: Biden is wrong in saying that under Obama, Americans won't pay any more in taxes then they did under Reagan. Tags:Biden's 14 lies, debate, Election 2008, Joe Biden, Politics, Sarah Palin, vice presidentTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Democrats in their own words Covering up the Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Scam
We previously posted Burning Down The House: What Caused Our Economic Crisis? Now we share what some would call a "Shocking Video" that unearths Democrats in their own words Covering up the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Scam which caused our Economic Crisis. At a 2004 hearing see Democrat after Democrat covering up and attacking the regulations to protect Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (their Cash Cows) that are now destroying our economy because the Democrats let them cheat.
Tags:Cover up, crisis, Democrats, documentary, Economic Crisis, economy, Fannie mae, financial, Freddie Mac, news, political, Politics, ScamTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
ACORN, one stop shopping for all of your voter fraud and predatory lending needs.
Tags:ACORN, bailout, Barack Obama, Community Reinvestment Act, Democrats, Foreclosure, George Soros, John Mccain, PreventionTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Bash the Bailout: Government is Not the Answer to #Pork
Iain Murray, OpenMarket.org: The bailout bill that passed through Congress today seeks to solve the financial mess by massively increasing government involvement in private finance. But more Government cannot be the answer to a government-created problem. The fact is that short-sighted government policies distorted the market in the first place. Bankers were certainly to blame for responding to these signals from government in the hope of a quick buck, but at its base, much of the problem was caused by government.
The bailout bill is now law, but it does little or nothing to solve the problems government created. As long as they persist, the financial markets will be at serious risk. In the end, we may need to bailout the bailout. Fixing these government-imposed problems must be a priority now if we want to have a strong, free economy. These are the top twelve articles, stories and papers that we think demonstrate this fact.
1. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are at the heart of the crisis, having helped to create an artificial mortgage boom. Fred Smith warned Congress about this in 2000, and was ridiculed for it. Read what happened here. 2.Steven Malanga outlines the “long road to slack lending standards” and just how government encouraged this, at RealClearMarkets. 3.Thomas Sowell explains how economic-populist politicians used their power to help create the problem. 4. The Securities and Exchange Commission requires firms to value their assets in a way that has vastly accelerated the liquidity problem. John Berlau explains why here. 5. A detailed examination of why mark-to-market accounting distorts the market from Peter Wallison of the American Enterprise Institute. 6. Back in 2000, City Journal warned that the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which encourages unrealistic aspirations to home ownership, was doomed to failure. 7. Earlier this year, Michelle Minton looked at how the CRA had helped contribute to the subprime crisis. 8.Dan Mitchell argues that government created the problem, and more government will make things worse. 9. Even the International Monetary Fund recognizes that government “bailouts” don’t just merely postpone the inevitable in a banking crisis, they make things worse. This is a long paper, but see p. 4 in particular. 10. One of the oldest forms of government intervention in the financial markets has been deposit insurance. Yet globally it destabilizes capitalism, impedes innovation and makes a bad regulatory regime worse. British economist Andrew Lilico explains how. 11. Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron puts it bluntly: “The fact that government bears such a huge responsibility for the current mess means any response should eliminate the conditions that created this situation in the first place.” 12. Government has been becoming more intrusive when it comes to lending over the years. John Berlau looks at how they want to fingerprint anyone originating a home loan.
Iain Murrayis a Director of Projects and Analysis and Senior Fellow in Energy, Science and Technology at Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). A veteran blogger, Mr Murray contributes to National Review Online's Corner and Planet Gore blogs, The Commons Blog and CEI's own OpenMarket. Tags:bailout, CEI, Competitive Enterprise Institute, government, Iain MurrayTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tony Perkins, FRC: What do NASCAR, the Motion Picture Association, and Puerto Rico rum makers have in common? They all stand to benefit from the Senate's $700 billion economic bailout plan. Hoping to entice the bill's skeptics with some familiar bait, the upper chamber sweetened its deal with more than a billion dollars in tax breaks for special interests. As the Dow plummets, unnerving investors from coast to coast, the House has approved the Senate's bill. With the economy hanging in the balance, more responsible members were faced with the question-to pork or not to pork? And while the Senate managed to slip in relief for manufacturers of toy arrows, its quiver contained little for American families. As the sun sets on President Bush's tax cuts in 2010, leaders may use these amendments to leave the impression that the major tax issues have been addressed. They couldn't be more wrong. To restore confidence we must actively pursue tax simplification and permanent tax relief. Energizing the economy means expanding the IRS's grace not to a handful of niche markets, as the Senate suggests, but to all Americans, especially American families. If our leaders are this determined to bail out Wall Street, how much more concerned should they be with rescuing the family from our suffocating tax policy? See also: AP: Congress OKs historic bailout bill Tags:bailout, Congressional Pork, economic rescue, FRC, Tony Perkins, U.S. Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
ICE arrested 1,759 gang members, associates, criminals and immigration violators in a four-month Operation Community Shield operation that targeted violent street gangs and criminal associates in 53 cities across 28 states. Of those arrested, nearly 1,500 were gang members, associates or those otherwise criminally charged. Operation Community Shield uses immigration and customs authorities to target transnational violent street gangs. "By partnering with other law enforcement agencies across the country, we are successfully targeting these gangs, arresting their leaders, disrupting their operations, and putting their members and associates behind bars," said Assistant Secretary Julie L. Myers. [ICE arrests more than 1,700 during largest ever nationwide gang surge] Tags:arrests, criminals, gangs, ICE, illegal aliens, immigration violatorsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Senate is in recess until Monday at 3 PM. The Senate is expected to remain in recess, holding a series of pro forma sessions, until November 17th. The House of Representatives is set to vote on the Senate’s version of the economic rescue package later today. There has been a bit of confusion, though, about the tax extenders package that the Senate attached to the rescue bill.
From Senate & News Sources: The tax extenders bill was passed in the Senate last week by a vote of93-2 and included all the tax provisions that are now in the economic rescue bill. There’s been some speculation as to whether the tax bill was added to make the whole package more attractive to House members. In fact, it is the tax package that is riding on the economic bill in order to get through the House. Democrats in that chamber, led by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Ways and Means Chair Charlie Rangel (D-NY), had been preventing the tax extenders bill, which prevents $20 million Americans from getting hit with the AMT, from moving through the House because they wanted to see tax increases attached to it. Combining the tax extenders bill with the economic rescue bill is a way to get $100 billion in tax relief through the House.
Still, there have been concerns about some of the provisions in the tax extenders bill. Fox News’ Jim Angle did an excellent job explaining these provisions in a Special Report last night. Angle noted, “The vast majority of these tax revisions have been in the law for years and repeatedly approved by members of both parties.” Americans for Tax Reform further clarified that many of the specific provisions that have been reported elsewhere as “earmarks” are in fact tax cuts.
Meanwhile, Democrats in the Senate have continued to demonstrate their troubling knack for unguarded rhetoric. On Wednesday, following a caucus luncheon, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid informed reporters, “One of the individuals in the caucus today talked about a major insurance company -- a major insurance company -- one with a name that everyone knows that's on the verge of going bankrupt.” Clearly, Reid did not consider the impact his remarks would have.
The Los Angeles Times reports, “Shares of MetLife Inc., Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. and Prudential Financial Inc. all fell by double-digit percentages Thursday after Reid said Wednesday that the financial-system bailout plan was crucial because a large insurer was at risk of failing.” The LA Times notes this isn’t the first time something like this has happened: “In late June, Democrat [Chuck] Schumer made public a letter he had sent to federal bank regulators, expressing concern that Pasadena-based IndyMac Bancorp was on the brink of failure. When regulators seized the company's IndyMac Bank unit in mid-July, they accused Schumer of fomenting a panic run on deposits that made the bank's collapse inevitable.” Tags:financial system bailout, tax extenders bill, earmarks, Chuck Schumer, IndyMac Bank, 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!
Sarah Palin Rolls Right Over Joe Biden in VP Debate
Gov. Sarah Palin was Outstanding in tonight's Vice Presidential debate, articulating a message for a smaller government, lower taxes, and a strong America. Sen. Joe Biden at times looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a car - just waiting to be run over. Palin won her debate and now its in John McCain court to win his next two presidential debates. Below is a new ad released by an independent group who believed that Gov. Sarah Palin would do a great job in the debate even though the media was downplaying Palin before the scheduled debate. Ad by Our Country Deserves Better Committee
Tags:CNN Debate, Election 2008, Joe Biden, Sarah Palin, vice presidentTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Walter E. Williams -- Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis warned, "The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in the insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding." The freedom of individuals from compulsion or coercion never was, and is not now, the normal state of human affairs.
The normal state for the ordinary person is tyranny, arbitrary control and abuse mainly by their own government. While imperfect in its execution, the founders of our nation sought to make an exception to this ugly part of mankind's history. Unfortunately, at the urging of the American people, we are unwittingly in the process of returning to mankind's normal state of affairs.
Americans demand that Congress spend trillions of dollars on farm subsidies, business bailouts, education subsidies, Social Security, Medicare and prescription drugs and other elements of a welfare state. The problem is that Congress produces nothing. Whatever Congress wishes to give, it has to first take other people's money. Thus, at the root of the welfare state is the immorality of intimidation, threats and coercion backed up with the threat of violence by the agents of the U.S. Congress. In order for Congress to do what some Americans deem as good, it must first do evil. It must do that which if done privately would mean a jail sentence; namely, take the property of one American to give to another. . . .
If we Americans didn't give Washington such enormous control over our lives, I doubt whether there would be 10 percent of the money currently spent on lobbying and campaign contributions. This enormous control that Congress has over our lives also goes a long way toward explaining much of the government corruption that we see in Washington . . . [Destroying Liberty] Tags:Destroying Liberty, American, greed, liberty, Walter E. WilliamsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Kerby Anderson, Point of View: In this free society we take for granted that we can use Google to find information and can go to YouTube to watch videos. People in other countries are not so fortunate. China is a prime example. The Chinese government has closed off media access to information about Tibet. Both Google News and YouTube (both owned by Google) have had their sites blocked from the Internet in China. Another example is Pakistan. In that country YouTube has been censored. The government took down YouTube videos because it believed that some of the videos were blasphemous. And in Myanmar, the government blocked the entire Internet during a period of unrest.
In light of these actions against YouTube, you might think that they would be against censorship. That unfortunately has not been the case. There is a growing list of examples of YouTube censorship against pro-life groups. The current case in the news was the decision by YouTube to block the pro-life post from the Kansas Coalition for Life. That video detailed Senator Obama's voting record on the issue of partial-birth abortion. They said that the video violated its "community guideline" concerning such content even though other videos dealing with the topic of abortion remain. Perhaps the real reason had to do with the fact that the video mentioned Senator Obama.
Another example of YouTube censorship is some of the videos produced by Lila Rose. She is the UCLA student who taped conversations with Planned Parenthood workers. When I met with her for an interview recently, she told me that YouTube removed her videos of phone recordings of Planned Parenthood employees who agreed to process donations from a caller with a racist agenda. Other pro-life groups like American Life League and the Population Research Institute have also had videos removed but later restored. I find it a bit ironic that YouTube finds itself censored in China while pro-life groups find themselves censored by YouTube in America. I’m Kerby Anderson, and that’s my point of view. See also:A Slippery Slope of Censorship at YouTube (The NY Times) YouTube blocked video mocking Clinton administrationTags:censorship, Kerby Anderson, Point of View, YouTubeTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Vice Presidential Debates Tonight - as viewed by Gary McCoy
VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE TONIGHT
TIME-DATE: 9 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Oct 2nd
PLACE: Washington University, St. Louis, MO
SUBJECT: Domestic and foreign policy
MODERATOR: PBS' Gwen Ifill, "The NewsHour" and "Washington Week"
Gary McCoy Tags:debate, Election 2008, Gary McCoy, political humor, vice presidentTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Yesterday, the Senate voted 74-25 to pass a new version of the economic rescue plan (H.R. 1424), which includes the previously-passed tax extenders bill (H.R. 6049) and a provision to increase federal deposit insurance coverage to $250,000. Prior to passage, the Senate approved a Dodd substitute amendment containing the rescue plan and voted down by voice vote an amendment by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), which would have raised taxes on wealthy individuals. The Senate also passed an Amtrak reauthorization (H.R. 2095) and approved a bill to implement the US-India civilian nuclear agreement (H.R. 7081). Now House members must reconsider the economic rescue plan.
From Senate & News Sources: After last night’s vote, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and others urged the House to approve the bill, according to Politico. In a piece for the Heritage Foundation yesterday, Ed Meese and Stuart Butler warned of “the continued deterioration of the credit system” and called for passage of the rescue plan, writing, “Without action, ordinary Americans will face the effects of a dramatic economic contraction, including sharp increases in unemployment.” Prior to the Senate vote last night, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell said, “At the moment, this plan represents the best way to bring stability to the credit markets, avoid a credit meltdown, and put America on the road to economic recovery. But Congress’s job does not end there. After completing this bipartisan effort, members of Congress must recommit ourselves in strengthening America’s long-term economic security.”
Another aspect of Congress’s job is to consider reforms that address some of the problems that brought us to this point. To that end, The Wall Street Journal has a very instructive recap of what some Members of Congress said on previous attempts to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Now that the government was forced to seize Fannie and Freddie, congressional Democrats will hopefully be more open to both examining what went wrong and considering serious reforms going forward. Tags:economic stimulus, tax extenders, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Our View of Congress - the "Crash of 08 in Congress"
Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: After this week's fiasco following this last year of constant Congressional problems and issues, it is obvious that the current Congress, under the leadership of democrats like Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, is seriously broken. The Democrat leadership has shown that they can only manage Congress using dictatorial methods over their party members or deceptive actions like "backroom" deals, outright lies and blaming the opposing minority party. What is even worse is the fact that Democrat leadership of not only both houses of Congress but their committees are controlled by leaders who actually helped create the financial crisis that we are in today. We have reported in other posts on the related issues. And this same Democrat leadership is asking the American public to elect two of their own, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Joe Biden, to lead the executive branch which would give Democrats absolute control of all branches of government in Washington D.C.
Steve Breen, as a political cartoonist, definitely illustrates the majority of our readers' view of Congress. Will Steve Breen and others be allowed to picture for us the White House in the future? Or, will he and the rest of us have our free speech restricted by the Pelosi, Reid and Obama in a government controlled totally by the Democrats? There is still hope if we elect John McCain & Sarah Palin!Also, remember, many of you across the nation can vote for opponents to replace or prevent another Democrat seeking election to the U.S. Congress. If the Democrat's leadership can destroy the Congress in two years, damaged the nation's economy over several years, image what they can do if they have sole control. And to all you Republicans running for office, you had better wake up and stop compromising to get along with the Democrat leadership. Thank You - Steve BreenTags:2008, crash, Democrats, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, political cartoon, Steve Breen, US Congress, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Michelle Malkin, GOPUSA: My dictionary defines "moderator" as "the nonpartisan presiding officer of a town meeting." On Thursday, PBS anchor Gwen Ifill will serve as moderator for the first and only vice presidential debate. The stakes are high. The Commission on Presidential Debates, with the assent of the two campaigns, decided not to impose any guidelines on her duties or questions. But there is nothing "moderate" about where Ifill stands on Barack Obama. She's so far in the tank for the Democratic presidential candidate, her oxygen delivery line is running out. In an imaginary world where liberal journalists are held to the same standards as everyone else, Ifill would be required to make a full disclosure at the start of the debate. She would be required to turn to the cameras and tell the national audience that she has a book coming out on Jan. 20, 2009 -- a date that just happens to coincide with the inauguration of the next president of the United States. The title of Ifill's book? "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama." Nonpartisan my foot. . . . [Debate 'Moderator' in the Tank for Obama] Tags:Barack Obama, debate, Election 2008, GOPUSA, Joe Biden, Michelle Obama, Sarah Palin, vice presidentTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
"The Act prohibits most members of the federal uniformed services ... from exercising nominally state law enforcement police or peace officer powers that maintain 'law and order' on non-federal property. . . . The statute generally prohibits federal military personnel and units of the United States National Guard under federal authority from acting in a law enforcement capacity within the United States, except where expressly authorized by the Constitution or Congress. . . . The Posse Comitatus Act and the Insurrection Act substantially limit the powers of the federal government to use the military for law enforcement."
Gina Cavallaro at the Army Times announced reports: 3rd Infantry’s 1st BCT trains for a new dwell-time mission. Helping ‘people at home’ may become a permanent part of the active Army.
The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team has spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq patrolling in full battle rattle, helping restore essential services and escorting supply convoys. Now they’re training for the same mission — with a twist — at home. Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or man made emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.
It is not the first time an active-duty unit has been tapped to help at home. In August 2005, for example, when Hurricane Katrina unleashed hell in Mississippi and Louisiana, several active-duty units were pulled from various posts and mobilized to those areas. But this new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities. . . .
“Right now, the response force requirement will be an enduring mission. How the [Defense Department] chooses to source that and whether or not they continue to assign them to NorthCom, that could change in the future,” said Army Col. Louis Vogler, chief of NorthCom future operations. “Now, the plan is to assign a force every year.” . . . they’ll learn new skills, use some of the ones they acquired in the war zone and more than likely will not be shot at while doing any of it. They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack. . . .
Obviously, we would appreciate the military's assistance if we had a massive terrorist attack in the United States; especially with the taking out the "bad guys." But do we want the military doing police actions related to routine national, regional or even local "civil unrest and crowd control"? When did the transfer of authority occur which granted military control within the the borders of the United States? Before proceeding, let me note that military officers take an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. In the study of military doctrine and history, military officers confront the theory and past applications as to the extent military officers and the people under their command may be or have been called upon to intervene in domestic affairs. However, Posse Comitatus has provided a clear line in the sand.
Presidents have used the military to enforce their will within the United States. For example George Washington, our first president, used his authority as commander-in-chief in 1794 to call out the militia to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion. President Andrew Jackson ignored the 1832 ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court and forced removal of Native Americans from East of the Mississippi which lead to the infamous Trail of Tears. In 1878, after the bitterness of the Civil War and the quartering of Union troops in the South, Congress passed the Posse Comitatus Act. However, Presidents continued to use the military and the National Guard to enforce their will on the citizens of the Unites States.
One of the worst examples of the use of the military was in the summer of 1932 against 43,000 fellow military veterans, their families and affiliated groups who had assembled in Washington D.C. in what became known as the famous Bonus March. Skipping the merits of the Bonus Army and moving to the conclusion, we find President Herbert Hoover using the military led by General Douglas MacArthur to suppress and disburse fellow veterans. By the time the events ended, hundreds of veterans were injured and several were killed. In this situation, "The Posse Comitatus Act— forbidding civilian police work by the U.S. military — did not legally because Washington, D.C. is a federal district directly governed by the U.S. Congress (U.S. Constitution, Article I. Section 8. Clause 17)."
In 2005, we saw National Guard assist in the aftermath of Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi. However, the National Guard and the New Orleans police overstepped their legal authority, per the U.S. District Court, and illegally confiscated the personal firearms of vulnerable civilians after the hurricane's devastation left property and lives subject to looters and other criminals. Have we and our leaders accepted that Constitutional Rights granted by the US constitution are sacrosanct?
Apparently not! Currently, individual rights may be more at risk as we address the potential of terrorist threats against the United States. The effects of the infamous terrorists attacks on 9-11 continue to ripple through our country. For example, in 2006, the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 passed and was signed into law. The Act included a section titled "Use of the Armed Forces in major public emergencies." This section provided that "The President may employ the armed forces to restore public order in any State of the United States the President determines...." However, in 2008, Congress while passing the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, restored the restrictions of Posse Comitatus. President George Bush signed the Act into law but he also attached an Executive Order identifying that the Executive Branch does not feel bound by the changes enacted by the repeal of the use of armed forces to restore public order in the United States. As previously presidents have done, Bush signaled that he does do not feel bound by Posse Comitatus.
We are now brought full circle to the announcement of the assignment of an Army brigade as well as other service units to enforce the will of the President and or the Department of Defense with regard to homeland security. Even if military units are not used for several years to respond to domestic threats and are not used in any way for several years to restrict the rights of Americans, the result will still be the continued implied transference of authority as troops continue to be assigned to a domestic charter and the leaders of these units develop a comprehensive doctrine designed to cope with domestic situations. Historically, the year 2008 may become identified as the year that the doctrine of Posse Comitatus ceased to have authority. --------------- William (Bill) Smith, Ph.D. is editor of the ARRA News Serviceand National Political Director of Conservative Solutions /Let's Get This Right. He is a conservative political activists working for limited government, traditional family values, individual freedom and responsibility. He is a retired Air Force officer who served as Director of the $2 billion European F-16 co-production program. In his career, he also taught military political science and spent a 3 year tour with the U.S. Army. After retiring, he was a graduate professor and held varied administrative and faculty positions. He has authored professional journal articles on varied topics. He also blogs as Ozark Guru. Tags:Bill Smith, ARRA News Service, Posse Comitatus, military, Unites States, DOD, local law enforcement, military force in United States, NorthCom, police, police state, President, US Government To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Burning Down The House: What Caused Our Economic Crisis?
H/T the Mouth Piece: This video is an informative look at the factors that are causing our current financial and economic crisis. It discusses policy changes 13 years ago that unleashed the sub-prime mortgage-backed securities market, which accelerated prices erratically, inviting speculation and loose lending practices which were both condoned and encouraged by existing regulation and carried out by risk-blind executives and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Tags:ACORN, Barack Obama, documentary, Economic, Financial crisis, grassroots, John Mccain, mortgages, securities, subprimeTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
At 7 PM, the Senate will resume consideration of the Amtrak bill (House message to accompany H.R. 2095). After 30 minutes of debate the Senate will vote on the motion to concur with the House amendment to the bill. The Senate will then resume consideration of the US-India agreement (H.R. 7081) and vote on the amendments and passage of the bill. The senate has been negotiating the the Senate will proceed to consideration of the economic rescue package (H.R. 1424). The Senate will resume consideration of the economic rescue bill and vote on adoption of the Dodd amendment and final passage of the bill.
From Senate & News Sources:Reuters reports, “The Senate agreed to vote on Wednesday night on a $700 billion financial rescue package that will include a sharp increase in the amount of bank deposits insured by the FDIC, but also includes a package of tax breaks the House of Representatives has rejected.” Both Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will return for this vote.
Confused -- Let's Examine the legislative process (not the value of the bill): Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid agreed last night to move forward with a slightly modified version of the economic rescue legislation negotiated over the weekend. The key change to the bill is a provision that will raise the limit of deposits the government insures from $100,000 to $250,000. This will apply to banks through the FDIC and to credit unions through the NCUA.
The bill will also include the Senate version of a previously-passed tax extenders bill. The tax bill, which passed 93-2 last week, provides for $100 billion in net tax relief and prevents over 20 million Americans from being hit with the alternative minimum tax (AMT) next year. Included in the bill are extensions for the state sales tax deduction, the research tax credit, and deductions for tuition and education expenses. The tax bill also includes billions in renewable energy tax incentives.
The tax extenders bill is being attached to the rescue bill not as a sweetener, but to secure its passage in the House. Previously, House Democrats, led by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Ways and Means Committee Chair Charlie Rangel (D-NY), had refused to pass the extenders bill unless it included tax increases to offset the AMT relief. The Senate and White House have repeatedly made it clear that neither will support such an approach, but House Democrats have not budged. Attaching the extenders bill to the rescue plan is a way to break this logjam in the House.
The tax extenders bill will be combined with the economic rescue bill into a substitute amendment to be offered by Senate Banking Committee Chair Chris Dodd (D-CT). The amendment will require 60 votes to pass, and must be approved by Reid and McConnell.
The Dodd substitute amendment will be offered to a shell bill, H.R. 1424, which was originally a mental health bill that was passed by the House. This is a common procedure in the Senate and nothing from the original bill will be retained, save its number. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will also be allowed to offer an amendment to raise tax rates on wealthy individuals. That amendment will receive a voice vote, which is almost certain to fail. Later tonight, the Senate will vote on adopting the Dodd amendment and then vote on final passage of the rescue plan.
Final Comment: Expected the Senate to stuff several other items into this bill. Watch closely to the political sleight of hands and hang on to your wallets. Tags:AMT, bailout, economic rescue, economic stabilization, tax extenders, US Congress, 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!
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has named Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) Porker of the Month for inserting a provision in the Fiscal 2009 National Defense Authorization Act that gives earmarks contained in the act’s committee report the force of law. President Bush issued an Executive Order on January 29, 2008 instructing government agencies not to fund any earmarks contained in committee reports, or based on any other non-statutory source, such as phone calls from members of Congress. In a brazen attempt to gut the Executive Order, Sen. Levin’s provision incorporates the earmarks listed in the authorization bill’s committee report into the statute itself, making the earmarks “a requirement in law.” For attempting to circumvent the president’s Executive Order and make earmarking the taxpayers' money easier, CAGW names Sen. Levin the September 2008 Porker of the Month. [More on Porker of the Month Carl Levin] Tags:CAGW, Carl Levin, Citizens Against Government Waste, Congressional Pork, Michigan, porker of the month, U.S. SenateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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David Limbaugh, GOPUSA: There are many reasons that Sarah Palin is energizing the conservative base. It's not just her authenticity, freshness, noble defense of traditional values, and vivaciousness. This lady is finally giving red-state conservatives a voice, and she's taking it to the other side without apologies. Democrats are crying foul because she's confronting Barack Obama for his worrisome attitudes about America and his way-more-than-casual association with unrepentant domestic terrorist William Ayers. Some squeamish conservatives are counseling that we ignore this issue either because it is unpleasant and unfair or that it's a distraction from the "substantive" issues. Nonsense. This issue is neither unfair nor a diversion. It is imperative that we learn the extent of Obama's intimacy with this man. It's vital that we examine whether this relationship is part of a pattern of Barack Obama associating himself with people and causes that are hostile to the foundational principles of this nation. . . . [Read More]
Bill Ayers, an unrepentant terrorist turned professor and friend of Barack Obama, was photographed in 2001 stepping on the American flag while grinning. Note that one of the quotes on the top of the clipping by Bill Ayers is "Guilty as sin, free as a bird, it's a great country."
