Obama's Dog Gets Own Jet Plane For Vacation Trip

Bill Smith, Editor: Talk about a "Dog Perks." I bet a lot of those rolled democrat "blue dogs" would have liked at least a plane ride. I get upset with Pelosi's abusive use of  government airfare.  Now, our friend Warner Todd Huston gives me weekend heartburn by reporting about BO, the "first dog," getting his own jet flight and arriving before the Obama on vacations.  I guess he wanted an early start marking the property.  Doesn't The Morning Sentinel know that the the White House's waste of money shuttling the first dog around the country is "Top Secret."  I wonder, what the code name for the"dog flight" was?  Anyone that finds out please let me know - hey, even if you have a recommended codename, also let me know!  But be nice to BO, he has his papers in order, just too young to take any oaths yet.
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by Warner Todd Huston:  The Morning Sentinel, a small paper from the state of Maine, has a travelogue story of the Obama's vacation in and about Maine today. It has a very interesting little tidbit in it that should enrage every American. It is something that really shows Barack Obama's arrogance and his obviously assumed air of noblesse oblige.

Among the exciting details of the Obama's visit to Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor is this tidbit:

Arriving in a small jet before the Obamas was the first dog, Bo, a Portuguese water dog given as a present by the late U.S. Sen Ted Kennedy, D-Mass....

As the rest of us toil on the unemployment line, as millions of Americans find their retirement accounts dwindling, their hours at work cut, and their pay scale trimmed, King Barack and Queen Michelle are flying their little doggie, Bo, on his own special jet airplane for his own little vacation adventure.

Well, it must be nice to be able to afford to fly your doggie about the country whenever you feel like it. It must be nice to hire people to act as your dog's escort. It must be comforting to know that you have the power to arrange such luxury for a dog.

As America lurches toward depression our leader is wasting millions on constant vacationing -- 16 vehicles were used to drive the Obama's around North Carolina -- and affording his dog ...his dog... his owns special jet airplane.

Air traffic at the small Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport in Trenton was shut down for the presidential arrival. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter patrolled the air in anticipation of the first family's touchdown, and a pair of local fire and rescue trucks stood ready on an otherwise empty tarmac at the private air hangar.

The Obamas then traveled onto Mount Desert Island in a motorcade of at least 16 vehicles. It was led by two Maine State Police cruisers and included five black Chevrolet Suburbans.

And all this on OUR dime, folks. We are paying for our monarch to fly his pets around the country on their own special jets, folks.

Perhaps Barack Obama isn't like a king. Perhaps he's more like an emperor? An emperor like the fiddling Nero.

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Tags: Barack Obama, dog, BO, presidential dog, private plane, jet, corruption, Maine, vacation, North Carolina, taxes, waste To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

The Obama Tax and Spend Threat to Economic Recovery

By Conn Carroll, Heritage Foundation, The Foundry: Remember President Barack Obama’s promise to the American people not to raise taxes? Forget about it. While the President has already raised taxes on cigarettes and s, none of that compares to what could happen in January. If you earn income, your taxes are about to go up. If Congress does not act to preserve current law, even the lowest 10 percent bracket will rise to 15 percent. Throw in tax hikes on capital gains, dividends and other tax code fixes, and the American economy is staring straight down the barrel of $3.2 trillion tax hike over the next ten years.

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that raising taxes by $3.2 trillion dollars would be an economic recovery killer. Even Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) admitted to CNBC yesterday: “We don’t need to raise taxes now.”
The tax raising culprit here is the expiration of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts set to take effect on January 1, 2011. The leftist majority in Congress is refusing to extend current law because they believe that these tax cuts are the cause of our trillion dollar deficits. They are wrong. Heritage Foundation research fellow Brian Riedl explains why in today’s Wall Street Journal: With Washington set to tax $33 trillion and spend $46 trillion over the next decade, how does one determine which policies “caused” the $13 trillion deficit? [President] Obama could have just as easily singled out Social Security ($9.2 trillion over 10 years), antipoverty programs ($7 trillion), other Medicare spending ($5.4 trillion), net interest on the debt ($6.1 trillion), or nondefense discretionary spending ($7.5 trillion).”

The real cause of our nation’s debt problem is spending. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), extending all the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts will place revenues at 18.2% of gross domestic product (GDP), which is actually above the 18% average over the past 50 years. Meanwhile, spending, which has averaged 20.3% of GDP over the past 50 years, is set to explode to 26.5% of GDP by 2020. These spending increases are being driven by our entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid), which along with net interest payments are projected to rise by 5.4% of GDP between 2008 and 2020.

The leftist majority in Congress has had years to address this impending economic disaster but have refused to act. Last month, the House leadership announced that for the first time in the history of the budgeting process, they would not set a budget this year. And not only are they refusing to set any limits on their own spending, but now they are even talking about punting the tax issue into December so that they can raise our taxes without having to answer to the American voter. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) told The Hill earlier this month: “It’s not going to get done before the election. The lame-duck session is when all of this is going to get resolved.”

And the end of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts are just the beginning of President Obama’s tax hike spree. The Obama administration’s budget also calls for higher taxes on small businesses, higher taxes on energy and higher taxes on American companies that compete overseas. Speaking about the impending tax hikes on CNBC last night, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor said: “We should over the next three weeks focus squarely on small businesses and say right now, make sure we’re not going to raise taxes this year, the way the administration continues to talk.” Sen. Bayh not only agreed with Cantor, he even went a step further: “To Eric’s list, I would add some of the increased taxes on companies that do business overseas. We don’t need added uncertainty, added burdens on business right now.”

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Tags: Heritage Foundation, The Foundry, Obama, Tax and Spend, Threat to Economic Recovery, 2001 tax cuts, 2003 tax cuts, Entitlements To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Berwick Virus

by William Warren:

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Tags: William Warren, political cartoon, Donald Berwick, rationing, health care To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Pelosi Touts Her Pillars of Socialism

Pelosi Says Dems Should Have Passed Big Government Laws Sooner!
Bills That Cost Thousands Of Americans Their Jobs

“‘If We Had Healthcare Sooner, If We Had Energy Sooner, If We Had An Education Bill Sooner – They Are All Three Pillars Of Job Creation – And That Would Have Resulted In More Jobs Created By Now,’ Pelosi (D-Calif.) Told Reporters Thursday At Her Weekly Press Conference.” (“Pelosi Blames Senate Delays For Bleak Election Year Landscape,” The Hill, 7/15/10)

Democrat Healthcare Bill Will “Devastate” Businesses & “Their Ability To Create Jobs”

National Federation of Independent Business: “The Unconstitutional New Mandates, Countless Rules And New Taxes In The Healthcare Law Will Devastate Their Business And Their Ability To Create Jobs.” “Today the NFIB joined the 20 states in this historic lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The fundamental mission of our organization is to promote and protect the rights of small businesses and the self-employed to own, operate and grow their business, and this healthcare law directly undermines this core value. … Small business owners everywhere are rightfully concerned that the unconstitutional new mandates, countless rules and new taxes in the healthcare law will devastate their business and their ability to create jobs.” (NFIB, Press Release, 5/14/10)

“Many Tanning Experts Believe The Tax Could Cut Nearly 9,000 Jobs As Well.” (“Indoor Tanning Salons Will Help Pay For Health Care Under New Bill,” WBTW-CBS [SC], 3/28/10)

“A Dire Warning From Bay State Medical-Device Companies That A New Sales Tax In The Federal Health-Care Law Could Force Their Plants - And Thousands Of Jobs - Out Of The Country Has Rattled Gov. Deval Patrick, a staunch backer of the law and pal President Obama.” (“Beware The ‘Jobs Killer’,” Boston Herald, 3/25/10)

“A Study By The National Center For Policy Analysis Shows That Tax Credits In The New Healthcare Law Could Negatively Impact Small-Business Hiring Decisions.” (“Report: Healthcare Law Tax Credits Encourage Small Businesses To Stay Small, Not Hire,” The Hill, 5/23/10)

Democrat Education Bill Has Already Cost Thousands Of Jobs In Texas & Florida

“A New Law That Cuts Banks Out Of The Federal Student Loan Business Is Costing 2,500 Workers At Sallie Mae Their Jobs. The nation's largest student lender has told 1,200 staffers in service centers in Killeen, Texas, and Panama City, Fla., they will lose their jobs by year-end. The remaining cuts will follow in 2011, resulting in nearly a third of the company's total work force of 8,000 losing their jobs.” (“2,500 Sallie Mae Jobs Fall To New Student Loan Law,” AP, 4/22/10)

Democrat Energy Bill Could Cost Over Two Million Jobs

CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf: “The Net Effect Of That[The Democrat Energy Bill] We Think Would Likely Be Some Decline In Employment.” “President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats championing the bill have said mandating greenhouse-gas caps, renewable energy and efficiency standards would be a boon to an ailing economy, creating new low-carbon industries. … ‘The net effect of that we think would likely be some decline in employment during the transition because labor markets don't move that fluidly,’ [CBO Director Douglas] Elmendorf said, testifying before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. ‘The fact that jobs turn up somewhere else for some people does not mean there aren't substantial costs borne by people, communities, firms and affected industries,’ he said.” (“Congressional Budget Chief Says Climate Bill Would Cost Jobs,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/14/09)

According To Business Groups, If The Democrat Energy Bill Were Enacted, “By 2030, There Are Between 1,790,000 And 2,440,000 Fewer Jobs In The Overall Economy.” “Employment is negatively impacted by Waxman Markey, even when additional ‘green’ jobs are factored in. Over the 2012-2030 period, total U.S. employment averages between 420,000 and 610,000 fewer jobs each year under the low and high cost scenarios than under the baseline forecast. By 2030, there are between 1,790,000 and 2,440,000 fewer jobs in the overall economy.” (“Analysis Of The Waxman-Markey Bill ‘ The American Clean Energy And Security Act Of 2009’ (H.R.2454),” American Council For Capital Formation & The National Association Of Manufacturers, P.3-4, 8/12/09)

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Tags: Nancy Pelosi, Pillars of Socialism, Health care bill, Energy bill, cap-and-trade, Education bill To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Today in Washington, D.C. - July 16, 2010 - Dems' Financial Regulation Bill Won't Fix Problems, Adds Bureaucracy, Ignores Fannie & Freddie

The Senate is in recess until Monday at 2 PM. When the Senate returns, it is expected to return to the small business bill, H.R. 5297. On Tuesday, there will be a cloture vote on the vehicle for an unemployment insurance extension, the House message to accompany H.R. 4213. 

Yesterday, the Senate passed 60-39   the severely flawed Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill. Prior to final passage, the Senate voted 60-38 to invoke cloture on the conference report and 60-39 to waive a point of order that the bill violates the budget. Though the Obama administration has long promoted the bill as a signature agenda item, it’s clearly lost its luster with the general public.

It’s not hard to see why. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell laid out some of the key flaws in the Dodd-Frank bill. “This bill grew out of a bill that was meant to rein in Wall Street, but which is now supported by some of Wall Street’s biggest banks and opposed by the small community banks in my state; a bill that’s meant to help the economy, but which is widely expected to stifle growth and kill more jobs in the middle of a deep recession, and a bill that, according to the papers, a vast majority of Americans don’t think will work.”

The New York Times reports today, “The legislation will be carried out mostly by the same federal workers who were on duty as the financial system collapsed. The new consumer bureau, for example, mostly will be staffed with employees transferred from the consumer divisions of the existing banking regulators, which have been excoriated by Congress and other critics for failing to protect borrowers from obvious and widespread abuses.”

Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal editorialized on many of the problems with the bill: “[T]he biggest financial players aren't being punished or reined in. The only certain result is that they are being summoned to a closer relationship with Washington in which the best lobbyists win, and smaller, younger firms almost always lose. New layers of regulation will deter lending at least in the near term, and they are sure to raise the cost of credit.”

Not only that, the NYT points out, “Even the bill’s political luster no longer seems certain. Despite public anger at Wall Street, the vast majority of Republicans opposed the bill with loud confidence, betting ahead of hotly contested midterm elections that the public dislikes government even more. Senator Richard Shelby, Republican of Alabama, described the bill as ‘a 2,300-page legislative monster.’  ‘It creates vast new bureaucracies with little accountability and seriously, I believe, undermines the competitiveness of the American economy,’ Mr. Shelby said on the Senate floor before the final vote. ‘Unfortunately, the bill does very little to make our system safer.’”

Americans seem to agree with this assessment of the Dodd-Frank bill. On Tuesday, Bloomberg News reported, “Almost [80%] Americans surveyed in a Bloomberg National Poll this month say they have just a little or no confidence that the measure being championed by congressional Democrats will prevent or significantly soften a future crisis. More than [75%] say they don’t have much or any confidence the proposal will make their savings and financial assets more secure. . . . [47% ] says the bill will do more to protect the financial industry than consumers.”

Then there is the "gaping hole" in the bill: it completely failed to address the problems of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-backed entities that helped spark the financial crisis with their irresponsible lending and politically influenced policies. Even Democrats have long been aware of this failure. Back in May, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) told CNBC, “I think it's a fair claim to make that we haven't done enough to fully address Fannie and Freddie. It is the big elephant in the room that hasn't been addressed.” And yet Warner and almost every other Democrat eagerly voted to approve the Dodd-Frank bill.

As related by McConnell, the bill failed to address the root causes of the kind of crisis it’s meant to prevent.  The bill creates a large  new bureaucracy that is unaccountable.  Based on past experience this will lead to countless burdensome, unintended consequences for individuals and small businesses, that will constrict credit and stifle growth in the middle of the worst economic period in memory. But perhaps most distressing is that this bill  punishes farmers, florists, doctors, retailers, and countless others across the country and far away from Wall Street who had absolutely nothing to do with the panic of 2008. “In other words, once again, the administration and its Democrat allies in Congress have taken a crisis and used it, rather than solving it. How else do you explain the fact that a bill that was meant to address the excesses on Wall Street is expected to hit individuals and industries that had nothing to do with the crisis it was meant to prevent?”

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Tags: US Senate, Washington, Financial Regulation, Democrats, Bureaucracy, Fannie, Freddie, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

The States Verses The Feds

Gary Bauer, Contributing Author:  Like the Arizona immigration law, the Gulf Coast oil spill is highlighting a major split in public opinion regarding the role of the federal government. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that just 24% of Gulf Coast residents approved of President Obama’s handling of the spill, while 73% disapproved. Asked about the federal government’s response to the oil spill, 27% of Gulf Coast residents approved, while 72% disapproved. President Obama can at least be thankful that he’s not president of BP, which earned a dismal 17% approval rating.

In stark contrast to the negative assessment of the federal government’s actions, 62% of Gulf Coast residents approved of how local and state officials have reacted to the spill. Conservatives have long argued that the government closest to the people is most responsive to the people. This poll seems to confirm that belief.

Our Founding Fathers understood that principle and very clearly limited the role of the federal government. They wisely reserved all else to the states. Whether it’s running car companies or taking over health care for all Americans, today’s federal government is simply doing too much. That’s not just a talking point – it is a fact borne out by yet another trillion-dollar budget deficit.
Gary Bauer is is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families. He submitted the above in an email to the ARRA News Service Editor. Bauer was a former Republican presidential candidate and served as President Ronald Reagan’s domestic policy adviser.

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Tags: Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families, Barack Obama, State Government, Federal Government, Founding Fathers, Arizona, Immigration law, Gulf of Mexico, oil spill, Gulf states, deficit To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Traditions and Practices Costing Arkansas Taxpayers

Bill Smith, Editor: The issue of ethics in government is often obscured. A majority of people are busy going about their everyday lives trying to provide for their families, pay the bills, enjoy life and even pay their taxes. Few of us reflect on the ethics or behavior our local or state officials unless there is some public gross action or discovery. We expect our elected officials to be doing their job protecting and representing our interests. Unfortunately, we are now awakening to the abuse and waste  of government in Arkansas and must reflect on whether our elected officials were "crossing their fingers" when they took their oaths.

Each day it becomes more difficult for people to bear the cost of expanding government on all levels and to bear the cost of the growing social programs in our country. But even more disturbing is when people have to carrying the cost of elected officials who say one thing and then do something else to advance their personal careers, wealth or agenda which does not represent their constituents. Unfortunately, subtle aspects of "cheating" the system now permeates everywhere in our society. But, today we are focusing on the deception of "tradition and practice" to hide fraud, waste and abuse in Arkansas.

This week, the Republican Party of Arkansas held a Press conference with Arkansas GOP Chairman Doyle Webb and Gubernatorial Candidate Jim Keet to discuss ethics in state government. While some comments by Chairman Webb were by the nature of his position political, one comment rang very true: “The people of Arkansas want and deserve good, clean government.” Webb rightly questioned the personal use of taxpayer funded cars by Governor Mike Beebe, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and the other Constitutional office holders. Webb said that this use was a clear violation of Arkansas Constitution Amendment 70 which limits the benefits that public officials can receive.

Webb again addressed the stranglehold of one party rule. As reported previously, Arkansas has experienced 136 Years of Plantation Politics Controlling Arkansans. But, it is also true that Arkansans do not want to exchange one set of masters for another set of masters who go about doing the same things: expanding government and controlling our lives.

The issues of ethics is very important. I applaud Republican Candidate Jim Keet for addressing ethics and presenting a six-point ethics reform package designed to restore public confidence in our State government. Just by running, Jim Keet has already forced the present Arkansas Governor and other elected officials to move slightly in the correct direction. Although I do not hold out much hope for the present democratic administration to remain committed to said direction based on past actions and "practices."

Digressing for a moment, there other issues beside ethics that are also very important to good government. For example, we need honesty and integrity, keeping one's Oath of office, and keeping one's word once given barring it was not based on correct facts. Also, all elected and new Republicans candidates need to read the Republican Party Principles and the Platform which together sets forth a clear conservative path supporting limited government and individual freedom.

As evidenced by TEA Parties and other organizations, Arkansans want limited and responsible government. They reject the progressive elitist agenda of present and past leaders. They want better not bigger government. They are tired of plantation politics. They want candidates with a zeal for liberty and respect for the US Constitution. They want elected officials with integrity who would rather go without another nickel of pay or benefits than to cross the gray line of "tradition and practice."

Crossing the gray line was recently highlighted when Governor Beebe was asked about his personal use of a state vehicle while attorney general. He responded, “Is that right or not, I don’t know, but that’s been tradition and practice.” While trying to sidestep the situation, Gov. Beebe revealed a process of hiding actions and more behind "tradition and practice."

I agree with Mr. Keet: "[Beebe's] reaction shows disrespect for Arkansas taxpayers." When did "tradition and practice" become a basis not to do right? We are not unforgiving of honest mistakes, but we are worn out by the continued practices of deception and waste based on so called "tradition and practice." In a prior article, I addressed the "practice" of dividing up surplus collected revenue between the Governor and members of the legislature verses returning the money to the taxpayers or placing it in reserve. This "practice" as well as others will continue to be addressed in future articles.

After 136 years of single party rule, I would fathom to guess that there has been a lot of "tradition and practice" masking of situations, processes and procedures that fleece money from people, that make more people dependence on government, and that corrupt people we have elected. Words like "this is how we have always done it" and relying on unwritten "tradition and practice" is not a suitable response or a justification for continuing to expand government growth, government spending, or fraud, waste and abuse by government.

While we definitely need reduced government growth and spending, we immediately need a "window" of transparency conserving government expenditures. Such a proposal for "good government" is being advanced by Mark Darr who is running for Lt. Governor who advocated an Online Government Checkbook. We need transparency to garner the facts to prevent Government from using "tradition and practice" in the waste our money. After 136 years, it is obvious that the "lame street" press has been been co-opted or blinded by the "tradition and practice" of government and personal relationships. Therefore, it is important for non-partisan organizations and the new media to gather data and to report on the abuses and corrupting "traditions and practices" of State and local government. Be forewarned, from hence forth, there will be no free passes for "traditions and practices" costing Arkansas taxpayers.

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Tags: tradition, traditions, practice, practices, bad government, good government, Arkansas, fraud, waste abuse, taxpayers, Republicans, Democrats, taxpayers, transparency, ethics, Doyle Webb, RPA, Jim Keet, Mark Darr To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Today in Washington, D.C. - July 15, 2010 - Even Dems Nervous About Reid & Obama Pushing Cap-And-Tax Bill

The Senate resumed consideration of the conference report for H.R. 4173, the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill and then voted 60-38 to invoke cloture on the conference report. The Senate will vote today on waiving a budget point of order against the bill and will then vote on final passage, which would send it to the President for his signature. It is most disappointing that three Republicans joined in the passage of this bill which has serious negative provisions in it that violate the good conscious and principles of conservatism and again advances the agenda of the elitist left in America.

Even though the Financial Regulation Bill will be passed by Congress this week, The Washington Times again warns that the bill is "chock-full of provisions that have little to do with the financial crisis but cater to the long-standing agendas of labor unions and other Democratic interest groups.  Principal among them is a measure to make it easier for unions, environmental groups and other activist organizations that hold shares to put their representatives on the boards of directors of every corporation in the United States." In addition, other provisions of the financial legislation bill, "favor Democratic constituencies directly by requiring banks and federal age 'offices of minority and women inclusion" at the Treasury, Federal Reserve and other government agencies, to ensure they employ more women and minorities and grant more federal contracts to more women- and minority-owned businesses."

The ARRA News Service reflected that, "It is disappointing in an era when Americans have overcome so many employment stereotypes and negative racial profiling that legislation developed by Barney Frank and Sen. Chris Dodd and supported by Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and President Obama will Federally expand the use of racial and gender profiling in employment. the bill codifies Government sponsored discrimination which forces Government Agencies and businesses to profile everyone and to choose people for positions not on best qualified but to meet quotas. The Democrats are bringing back to the era of quotas verse qualifications. And, be assured that with Barney Franks authorship of the bill, the word "gender" will come to mean more than "male or female."

Negotiations to return to the small business bill, H.R. 5297, and vote on amendments to it, are ongoing. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has filled the amendment tree on the bill, which blocks further amendments and allows him to choose which ones the Senate will consider.

The New York Times reports today, “President Obama and Senate Democrats have decided to press ahead in the next two weeks with a scaled-back energy bill that limits carbon pollution by power plants but not by other industries in an effort to salvage the legislation before midterm elections. . . . ‘If not now, when?’ said Senator Harry M. Reid of Nevada, the Democratic majority leader, who plans to bring the compromise bill to the Senate floor the week of July 26.”

Well, according to Roll Call, there are plenty of Senate Democrats who might say the answer to Reid’s question is “not before November.” Roll Call writes, “With just a week and a half before Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s planned energy debate, many Senators in the Democratic Conference are getting nervous that the Nevada Democrat is putting them in a politically perilous position for a bill that seems destined to be filibustered. Senators and aides said they are concerned that with so little time before floor action, Reid has yet to settle on either the policy or the political strategy for the package.”

More importantly, Roll Call points out, “[F]or Democrats up for re-election this year, the issue ­— in any form — appears to be a loser. ‘There are a lot of Members who aren’t enthusiastic about having energy hang over the August recess like health care hung over last year’s recess,’ one senior Senate Democratic aide said. . . . Sources said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) — who is a part of Reid’s leadership team but is also facing a stiff challenge from Republican Dino Rossi this year — and vulnerable incumbent Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) have expressed doubts about taking up the energy issue this year. . . .  Democratic sources said a number of other Senators voiced concerns at Tuesday’s regular Democratic luncheon that the Conference should not try to take on big issues such as climate change this close to the midterm elections. Democrats privately say they are concerned that an energy debate before August will create a situation in which they will take fire from the left and the right — with environmental activists complaining the bill does not go far enough and conservatives claiming the majority is overreaching. Plus, they argue, an energy debate will detract from the issues that are foremost on Americans’ minds: job creation and the economy.  To top off their concerns, Democrats say a bill with any kind of cap-and-trade element will never secure the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster by Members of both parties, and given the partisan atmosphere of the Senate, many suggested that even a relatively modest bill would not survive a filibuster.”

So it seems rank-and-file Democrats, and at least one member of the Senate leadership, aren’t so eager for Barack Obama and Harry Reid to walk them into the disaster of an energy bill whose central provision would be a carbon cap-and-trade plan that amounts to a national energy tax. Even Reid himself appears to understand the toxic nature of this proposal, given his recent responses when reporters ask him about cap-and-trade. CNN noted Tuesday, “Reid wouldn't answer a direct question about whether the bill would include a ‘cap on utility carbon emissions.’ ‘Those words are not in my vocabulary,’ he responded. ‘We're going to work on pollution.’”

Democrats and the country would be better served by working to address the number one concern of Americans: creating jobs. The main effect a national energy tax would have on jobs would be to kill even more of them at a time where nearly one in ten Americans is out of work. The Democrats’ cap-and-tax scheme is a bad idea at any time, but it’s an especially bad one during a severe recession. Some Senate Democrats seem to understand this. Do Reid and Obama?

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Tags: US Senate, Washington, Financial Regulation, racial and gender preferences, quotas, racial profiling, discrimination, cap-and-trade, National energy tax, Democrats, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Just Deem It

Editorial Note: Since the first two panels of the above cartoon by Chris Muir addressed the key point in the first two panels, we removed the third panel of the cartoon because we potentially have some young minds reading this blog. However, for adults the banter in the third panel between a husband and his wife are quite normal.

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Tags: cartoon, Chris Muir, Deem It, Democrats, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

You Don't Want to Mess With the Momma Gizzly

H/T eGopNews.com:
LA Times: The mounting momentum of 'The Unstoppable Sarah Palin'?
Politico: SarahPAC steps into the big leagues
AP/Bohrer: FEC filing shows Palin gave $87,500 to candidates
American Thinker: Sarah Palin Outs Darth Vader
Examiner: Palin platitudes: Pink Elephants and Mama Grizzlies : (Video Below)

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Tags: Sarah Palin, Women, Republicans, Grizzly, eGopNews To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Eric Holder’s Justice

William Warren:

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Tags: William Warren, political cartoon, Eric Holder justice, New Black Panther case, Black Panthers To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Today in Washington, D.C. - July 14, 2010 - Biden Touts "Summer Of Recovery" As People Disapprove of Obama's Economic Policies

In the Senate negotiations to return to the small business bill, H.R. 5297, and vote on amendments to it, are ongoing. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has filled the amendment tree on the bill, which blocks further amendments and allows him to choose which ones the Senate will consider. Last night, Reid knowing he has three Republican senators on his side, filed cloture on the conference report for the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill (H.R. 4173). A cloture vote is scheduled for Thursday morning.

While the Democrat pro-abortionists, i.e. baby killers, are hoping to be returned to office, the Obama Administration is givinge $160 million of our tax dollars to set up a new “high-risk” insurance program under ObamaCare that will pay for MORE abortions. Where in the World is Bart Stupak? And why haven't we ever really found out what Stupak received for his vote? Congressman Pence (R-IN) responded on the side of life:

"It is morally wrong to end an unborn human life by abortion. It is also reprehensible to take taxpayer dollars from millions of pro-life Americans and use them to pay for abortions.  “President Obama promised the American people that his health care law would not allow federal funding of abortion. But according to an investigation by the National Right to Life Committee, this allocation for Pennsylvania’s high risk pool will break the president’s promise by using taxpayer dollars to subsidize coverage of nearly any kind of abortion.

“We must stop this immoral offense against human life and against American taxpayers. Congress should act quickly on critical legislation by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) to stop the administration from using ObamaCare to fund abortions. The best long-term solution, and the one that I remain committed to, is the total repeal of ObamaCare.”

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) spoke out today calling the latest White House Council of Economic Advisers report on the "stimulus" deserves a Pulitzer for fiction. As he rightly points out, it would be funny except for the lost jobs and failed promises by President Barack Obama and his administration. No wonder the Presidents approval rating has fallen another 5 percent in the last month. More on this later.

Vice President Joe Biden and the Obama administration rolled out their “Recovery Summer” tour to much fanfare last month, but The Washington Post writes today, “In a series of polls, the public has expressed deep skepticism about the economic direction Obama began taking in early 2009. A clear majority now say they disapprove of his handling of the issue.”

A Washington Post/ABC News poll yesterday found 54% disapprove of President Obama’s handling of the economy. ABC News wrote, “If the question has been when Obama owns the economy, it looks to be now – not at a happy time, given 9.5 percent unemployment. He'd made slight progress on this key issue, inching ahead from 45 percent approval on the economy in March to 50 percent in June. That's now gone, down 7 points in this poll to 43 percent, with 54 percent disapproving, a new high. And ‘strong’ disapprovers outnumber strong approvers by a record 41 percent vs. 20 percent.”

And a CBS News poll announced last night, “The President’s approval rating on the economy has dropped to 40%, down five points from last month. Disapproval of his handling of the economy is now at a majority of 54% - the highest to date.” Discussing the poll, CBS noted, “[I]n the poll, the economy is seen as the biggest problem by far facing the country, specifically the lack of jobs. . . . Fifty-two percent say the president has spent too little time addressing the issue, and 63 percent say his economic programs have had no effect on them personally.” And only 23% in the poll say the $862 billion stimulus has made the economy better.

As The Washington Post points out, “That has put the White House on the defensive as the midterm elections approach this fall. . . . That sense of frustration among voters has developed despite what White House officials see as a series of successes in the last year and a half: health care reform, Wall Street reform (perhaps to be passed Thursday), and an economic turnaround that has turned staggering monthly job losses into modest monthly job gains.” But, The Post explains, “West Wing officials like [Press Secretary Robert] Gibbs are trapped now. The more they talk about their economic and legislative successes, the more danger there is that they seem out of touch with the public's sense of frustration.”

With administration officials like Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood declaring, “Welcome, everyone, to the summer of recovery!” while unemployment remains at 9.5% nationally and exceeds 10% in 15 states, it’s no wonder Americans are so dissatisfied with the Obama administration’s poor record on job growth and increasingly out-of-touch pronouncements.

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Tags: US Senate, US House, Washington, D.C., White House, Joe Biden, polls, Barack Obama, the economy, economy, tax-funded abortions, abortions, lost jobs, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Dick Morris Is Big Hit in the Ozark Mountains

Bill Smith, Editor: This morning, Fox News Commentator Dick Morris spoke to packed crowd in Mountain Home, Arkansas at the Arkansas Americans For Prosperity November is Coming rally. Mountain Home was the starting point for 3 days of events in Arkansas with other planned stops in Jonesboro, Searcy, Little Rock, Hot Springs Village, and Texarkana. Over 700 people showed up by 8:30 a.m. to welcome Morris to the Ozarks on a hot humid day. The event was held at the Baxter County Fair Ground's educational building. The only complaint by anyone was that they wished Mountain Home had been one of the evening stops so that all working family members and their kids and grandkids could have been at the event.

Before the event Dick Morris went live on Mountain Talk Radio 97.1, a very popular conservative radio stations in the region. The Ozark TEA Party founder, 19 year old Richard Caster opened the event and warmed up the crowd. Caster has become a favorite son for the people and was recently was elected and will be Arkansas youngest elected County JP at the age of 19.

DC Morrison, a self declared Conservative Democrat, spoke next. He detailed his reasons for running against Sen Blanch Lincoln in the Democratic Primary and acknowledged that the Arkansas Democrat party has been taken over by elitist who do not represent the values of Arkansans anymore. He also identified that the Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has his eyes set on being the next Governor of Arkansas and reminded the people that Dustin McDaniel was Barack Obama's campaign manager in Arkansas.

Dick Morris then took the stage and the people were very happy to let him know they appreciated his coming to this area of the Ozarks. Everyone knew who Dick Morris was and all knew his former work with the former President Bill Clinton. It wasn't like a joyous event of welcoming a repentant sinner who has shown a change of heart and in this person with a proven track record for measuring politics and currently for championing the conservative cause. Although the audience was not a Republican audience, a lot of Republicans attended. But the most people were "former democrats" leaning independent or independents. Everyone claimed to be a conservative.

Morris did not hide from his past involvement with the Democrats and discussed the years when Democrats had been conservative in the heartland of America. He then detailed that "today there no such thing as a Conservative Democrat and claiming to be such is an anachronism." He said today there are only "Obama, Reid, Pelosi Democrats." He also shared that using the word Socialism to describe our country is not correct because most people love freedom and the Constitution. But, he said "socialism is a statistic" and measures the degree to which government controls the people. He pointed out that in Great Britain and other European countries control 40% of peoples and are in a type of "European Scoliosis," i.e., crooked condition, which makes it so no one is able to do anything. In the past, the U.S. Government control of people's lives was around 30%. But, under President Obama this control has been pushed upward and is projected to control the lives of over 40% of American. He rallied the audience with "November is Coming," and that we need to replace Democrats and drive this percentage of control down again.

He said, "Obama wants us to look to Government and not to do it for ourselves". He also identified that  Obama and his administration is "bleeding the economy" via Government spending and borrowing to create jobs. But these jobs are not free market jobs and the increased spending and borrowing creases more debt which is lean our children and grandchildren's futures. He then focused on Obama's plan for redistribution of health care and how three years from now, people over 65 under ObamaCare will be denied services. The democrats and the Obama administration are already seeking to remove 500 Billion from aide for the Elderly to be redistribute to other people. "If we don't repeal ObamaCare, then we have rationing."

Morris identified that the first objective is to retake the House and the Senate in 2010. While we want to Repeal ObamaCare, "we will not have a 2/3 majority to override a presidential veto. But Congress could 'zero fund it.'" The program would be there but there would be no funds to pay to operate it. Then Morris  said, "In 2012, we get rid of Barack Obama." He had unanimous support by the crowd.

Morris called on the people of the 1st District to elect Rick Crawford for Congress and identifying that Chad Causey, Rep Marion Berry's chief of staff, is not a conservative and will support the Obama, Pelosi, Reid agenda.

In a separate interview with the media, Morris also took on Senator Blanche Lincoln who supported funding Obama's $500 Billion "spending program for the sake of spending" thus increasing our debt and supporting $18 billion to build a bride to Harry Reid's property. Morris stressed cutting federal spending and cutting the bureaucracy which will also help us cut the interest on the money we have borrowed, and voting Lincoln out of office. Although he did not mention Lincoln's Republican Opponent Rep. John Boozman, Morris headlined a fund raising event last month for John Boozman.

Using the initial stop in Mountain Home as an indicator, Arkansas Americans For Prosperity's "November is Coming" rally will help shape the message and the upcoming elections in Arkansas. Today, in Mountain Home, regardless of your political positions, all is a buzz about Dick Morris coming to town. More Info Online for their continuing schedule of events.

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Tags: Dick Morris, AFP, Americans For Prosperity, Arkansas, Mountain Home, Ozark Mountain, Ozarks, rally, November Is Coming, democrats, ObamaCare, redistribution of wealth To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Dick Morris Kicks Off A "November Is Coming" Rally in Arkansas

Over 18 years ago, Dick Morris began visiting Arkansas as a democratic political strategist for Bill Clinton. In the ensuing years, Dick Morris experienced a conversion to conservatism. What precipitated this conversion is best left to Dick Morris to share. In the last year he has returned to Arkansas to speak in various conservative issues and even hosted a fund raiser for John Boozman for US Senate. He is an outspoken critic of Sen. Blanche Lincoln and other elitist liberal democrats. That doesn't mean he is against all Democrats. In fact he will be sharing center stage with one this week.

One thing is sure, like anyone who has seriously experienced a conversion be it religious or as a case principled reasoning, Morris is speaking out on critical issues even when it means standing against his former positions, former friends and political allies.  Dick Morris goes about evangelizing everyone he can on principled conservatism that promote limited government and freedom.

Tomorrow, Dick Morris, a Fox News Commentator, returns to Arkansas in partnership with the Arkansas chapter of Americans for Prosperity. He will share the stage with  former U.S. Senate Candidate D.C. Morrison who ran against Sen. Blanche Lincoln in the Democrat primary.  This unusual duo will be traveling throughout the state beginning this Wednesday, July 14 in Mountain Home and end on Friday, July 16 in Texarkana for their latest November Is Coming Event.

This event will be sending a message to the politicians that propose legislation to expand the role of government in our lives. Participates at the event will be making phone calls, handing out fliers, and going out into local neighborhoods to spread the message of freedom and liberty alongside Dick Morris and D.C. Morrison. Stops on this tour include Mountain Home, Jonesboro, Searcy, Little Rock, Hot Springs Village, and Texarkana. More Info Online; Schedule follows:

Mountain Home

Who: Dick Morris, D.C. Morrison, and AFP-Arkansas Director Teresa Oelke
What: AFP-Arkansas November Is Coming Event
When: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 9:00 a.m.
Where: 1507 Fairgrounds Drive in the Expo Building
Notes: 10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. media availability in the Expo Building for Morris, Morrison, and Oelke.
Jonesboro

Who: Dick Morris, D.C. Morrison, and AFP-Arkansas Director Teresa Oelke
What: AFP-Arkansas November Is Coming EventWhen: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 5:30 p.m.
Where: 2600 Alumni Blvd, Main Ballroom
Notes: 6:35 p.m. – 6:50 p.m. media availability in the Main Ballroom for Morris, Morrison, and Oelke.

Searcy

Who: Dick Morris, D.C. Morrison, and AFP-Arkansas Director Teresa Oelke
What: AFP-Arkansas November Is Coming EventWhen: July 15, 2010 at 9:00 a.m.
Where: Harding University, 900 East Center Ave, in the Founders Room
Notes: 10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. media availability in the Founders Room for Morris, Morrison, and Oelke.

Little Rock

Who: Dick Morris, D.C. Morrison, and AFP-Arkansas Director Teresa Oelke
What: AFP-Arkansas November Is Coming EventWhen: July 15, 2010 beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Larry’s Pizza West, 12911 Cantrell Road
Notes: 5:40 p.m. – 5:55 p.m. media availability at Larry’s Pizza West for Morris, Morrison, and Oelke.

Hot Springs Village

Who: Dick Morris, D.C. Morrison, and AFP-Arkansas Director Teresa Oelke
What: AFP-Arkansas November Is Coming EventWhen: July 16, 2010 beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Where: Coronado Community Center, 150 Ponderosa Lane
Notes: 10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. media availability at the Coronado Community Center for Morris, Morrison, and Oelke

Texarkana

Who: Dick Morris, D.C. Morrison, and AFP-Arkansas Director Teresa Oelke
What: AFP-Arkansas November Is Coming EventWhen: July 16, 2010 beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Txarkana, Fair Grounds Fine Arts Building, 3700 East 50^th Street
Notes: 5:10 p.m. – 5:25 p.m. media availability at the Fair Grounds Fine Arts Building for Morris, Morrison, and Oelke. 

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Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP has more than 960,000 members, including members in all 50 states, and 30 state chapters and affiliates.

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Tags: Dick Morris, AFP, Americans For Prosperity, Arkansas To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obama Debt Commission: National Debt Like A Cancer

A recent video shows Erskine Bowles, co-chair of the Debt and Deficit Commission, saying that the debt our country is accumulating is "like a cancer...will definitely destroy this country from within."

H/T GOP Gov Blog

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Tags: debt commission, debt, Erskine Bowles, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Today in Washington, D.C. - July 13, 2010 - New Polls: Record Disapproval For Barack Obama & Deep Frustration With The Economy

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has indicated he’d like to return to the small business bill (H.R. 5297) today and potentially take up the conference report on the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill (H.R. 4173). Votes are possible this afternoon and evening on amendments to the small business bill.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has a markup scheduled on the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. A vote on her nomination is expected to be held over until next week. Yesterday, the Senate voted 86-0 to confirm Sharon Johnson Coleman as a judge for the Northern District of Illinois.

Two new polls out today show again that Americans remain dissatisfied with President Obama and the Democrat-run Congress, especially on their handling of the economy. The Washington Post/ABC News poll today shows 54% disapprove of President Obama’s handling of the economy, while a new CBS News poll also shows 54% disapproving of his handling of the economy. Beyond that, the Washington Post/ABC news poll shows a deep frustration among voters that could have a significant impact on this fall’s elections.

The Washington Post writes, “Public confidence in President Obama has hit a new low, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll. Four months before midterm elections that will define the second half of his term, nearly six in 10 voters say they lack faith in the president to make the right decisions for the country, and a clear majority once again disapproves of how he is dealing with the economy. . . . Just 43% of all Americans now say they approve of the job Obama is doing on the economy, while 54% disapprove. Both are the worst, marginally, of his presidency. Even a third of Democrats give him negative marks here. And overall, intensity runs clearly against the president on the issue, with twice as many people rating him strongly negative as strongly positive.”

CBS News adds, “More than half of those questioned (54%) [in the CBS poll] said they disapproved of Mr. Obama’s handling of the economy. Last month, 45% approved. The drop in approval has been seen mostly among independents, just 35% of whom now say they approve. . . . The poll shows widespread concern among Americans when it comes to employment. Seven in ten Americans rated the job market in their area ‘fair’ or ‘very bad’; only a quarter of those polled described it as ‘good’.”

But it’s not just the economy that has Americans frustrated and disapproving of the President’s performance. Majorities in the Washington Post/ABC poll disapprove of Obama’s handling of health care (50%), the budget deficit (56%), and even regulation of the financial industry (50%).

As a result, ABC News writes, “A year and a half into his presidency, 51% in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll would rather have the Republicans run Congress ‘to act as a check on Obama’s policies,’ vs. 43% who want the Democrats in charge to help support those policies. That’s accompanied by a 7-point, one-month drop in approval of Obama’s handling of the economy, to a career low.” Further, ABC explains, “Registered voters by 62-26 percent are inclined to look around for someone new for Congress rather than to re-elect their current representative – the broadest anti-incumbency on record in ABC/Post polls since 1989. Backing for incumbents has lost 11 points since February, an unusually steep decline.”

The Washington Post also notes, “Obama’s overall job-approval rating stands at 50%, equaling his low point in Post-ABC polling; 47% disapprove of the job he is doing. For the first time in his presidency, those who strongly disapprove now significantly outnumber those who strongly approve. Among those who say they definitely will vote in November, 53% disapprove of the way he is handling his responsibilities. . . . Obama’s overall standing puts him at about the same place President Bill Clinton was in the summer of 1994, a few months before Republicans captured the House and Senate in an electoral landslide.”

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Tags: US Senate, Washington, D.C., polls, Barack Obama, the economy, economy To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obama, Frank & Dodd Expand Racial & Gender Profiling

It is disappointing in an era when Americans have overcome so many employment stereotypes and negative racial profiling that legislation developed by Barney Frank and Sen. Chris Dodd and supported by Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and President Obama will Federally expand the use of racial and gender profiling in employment. the bill codifies Government sponsored discrimination which forces Government Agencies and businesses to profile everyone and to choose people for positions not on best qualified but to meet quotas. The Democrats are bringing back to the era of quotas verse qualifications. And, be assured that with Barney Franks authorship of the bill, the word "gender" will come to mean more than "male or female."

Kevin Mooney of Americans for Limited Government (ALG) identifies in an article that "Government agencies and private contractors must incorporate racial and gender preferences into their employment practices under Section 342 of the financial regulation bill, which passed the House on June 30. This key provision calls for the creation of at least 20 new Offices of Minority and Women inclusion."

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, a senior fellow with the Hudson Institute has warned: “Section 324’s provisions are broad and vague and are certain to increase inefficiency in federal agencies,” she has observed. “To comply, federal agencies are likely to find it easier to employ and contract with less-qualified women and minorities, merely in order to avoid regulatory trouble. This would in turn decrease the agencies’ efficiency, productivity and output, while increasing their costs.”

Mooney also identifies that "The interjection of racial and gender preferences into America’s financial section deserves greater media exposure and should figure prominently into the debate when the U.S. Senate returns from recess to vote on the bill, which is sponsored by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CN). Frank and Dodd have also slid additional amendments into the bill that have not been voted on in either the House or the Senate."

Unfortunately, Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) has announced that he will support the financial takeover bill in the Senate which will expand racial and gender profiling (discrimination). This is most disappointing since Scott Brown was elected on the backs of conservatives who worked tirelessly to help  Brown  defeat a liberal  in hopes that Brown would help stop the Democrat agenda and expanding Government mandates. Conservatives may have helped Brown, but, as things are developing, it appears Massachusetts may have elected an undependable RINO. Would someone ask Brown, why he supports the Government expanding racial and gender profiling and a quota system in the financial industry?

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Tags: Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Diana Furchtgott-Roth, racial and gender preferences, quotas, racial profiling, discrimination, Scott Brown, Section 324, Kevin Mooney, ALG To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Today in Washington, D.C. - July 12, 2010 - Americans Deserve Answers On Berwick's Controversial Health Care Beliefs

The Senate convened at 2 PM. At 5:30 PM, a vote was scheduled on a yet-to-be-specified judicial nomination. Also possible this week is another cloture vote on the Democrats’ debt-extending “tax extenders bill,” H.R. 4213. Tomorrow, the Senate Judiciary Committee has a markup scheduled for the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. A vote on her nomination is expected to be held over until next week.

In an editorial, The Wall Street Journal writes today, “Among Donald Berwick's greatest rhetorical hits is this one: ‘any health-care funding plan that is just, equitable, civilized and humane must—must—redistribute wealth from the richer among us to the poorer and less fortunate.’ Count that as one more reason that President Obama made Dr. Berwick a recess appointee to run Medicare and Medicaid rather than have this philosophy debated in the Senate.”

Indeed, most observers seem to agree that the main reason Obama installed Berwick without so much as a hearing was to avoid embarrassing questions about his controversial views on health care. Interviewing top Obama political advisor David Axelrod yesterday, ABC’s Jake Tapper said of Berwick, “You didn't want to have a hearing, because he was going to be attacked.” Axelrod responded by saying, “[W]e wanted to move because we needed someone in place . . . .” On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace also made the point about the hearings, asking Axelrod, “Isn't the real reason that Berwick got a recess appointment because you didn't want to defend some of his controversial statements?” Axelrod shot back, “Absolutely not.”

But why else circumvent the hearing process? Berwick wasn’t even nominated until after the unpopular health care bill had passed, suggesting the administration didn’t want Berwick’s controversial musings about rationed care and his love for the nationalized British health care system to add to the difficulty of the health care debate. Even the Democrat chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Max Baucus, was critical of the decision to recess appoint Berwick, saying, “I’m troubled that, rather than going through the standard nomination process, Dr. Berwick was recess appointed. . . . Senate confirmation of presidential appointees is an essential process prescribed by the Constitution that serves as a check on executive power and protects Montanans and all Americans by ensuring that crucial questions are asked of the nominee — and answered.”

Sen. Baucus is quite right that questions need to be answered by Berwick. Not only does he need to explain his controversial remarks about rationing of care and redistribution of wealth through health care, his advocacy of a single-payer system, and his declaration that the British government-run health care system is “such a seductress,” Berwick also needs to answer question about how he’ll go about implementing the massive new health care law passed by Democrats. How will he go about implementing the $500 billion in Medicare cuts? Who will get the short end of the stick, and how will he decide who gets it? Does he agree with the CMS actuary report contradicting many of the core claims the Obama administration made about their health care law? And how does he feel about CMS using taxpayer money to distribute disputed statements (by the CMS actuary, no less) to seniors about that law?

Americans deserve answers to these questions. But, as Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said last week, apparently “the mere possibility of allowing the American people the opportunity to hear what [Berwick] intends to do with their health care is evidently reason enough for this Administration to sneak him through without public scrutiny.”

“Just over three months after passage of this misguided law, with Americans' worst fears about it being realized every day, the fact that this Administration won't allow the man charged with implementing the President's plan to cut $500 billion out of Medicare to testify about his plans for the care of our nation's seniors is truly outrageous,” Sen. McConnell said.

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Tags: US Senate, Washington, D.C., Donald Berwick, health care, Obama Care, rationing care, SCOTUS, Elena Kagan To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Ozark Storms Interupts ARRA News Service

A storm rolled through the Arkansas Ozark Mountains and knocked out the Internet. As a result the ARRA News Service was off-line for 8 hours. The local phone company workers did an excellent job, getting us operational early this evening. The image posted is from Ozark Storms. For anyone interested, locally we can expect continuing severe storms this evening. But the brunt will be in the Missouri Ozarks. Damaging wind gusts in excess of 70 mph...large hail up to the size of half dollars...and tornadoes will all be possible hazards with these storms. Heavy rain leading to flash flooding will also be possible.

Risks:
Winds to 70 - Significant
Lightning - Elevated
Hail to 1/2 Dollar Size - Elevated
Flooding - Elevated
Tornadoes - Elevated

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Tags: Arkansas, Ozark Mountains, Ozarks, storms, severe weather, ARRA News Service To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Stop The Spending!

The Federal Government spends more than $98,000 every second. They spend $58.8 Million in the time it takes for a 10 minute shower. In the time it takes to listen on hour to either Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, or Stossel, the Federal government burns through a cool $352.8 Million and if you listened to all four for one hour each - well you got the idea - the Feds spent $1.411 Billion during your 4 hours. Imagine the total cost when you ad all the government spending at the State and local level.

A new coalition formed Spending Revolt which shared the following interview in which MSNBC’s Chris Jansing talks with Phil Kerpen with Americans for Prosperity about his group’s goal to try to reign in government spending as the national debt hits 13 trillion. But, the best part is the rant by CNBC Rick Santelli on stopping the Federal spending.

The Coalition is made up of organizations known for addressing the "run away" Federal Government big spending, waster and fraud: Americas for Prosperity, 60 Plus Association, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, and Council for Citizens Against Government Waste. Share this post with family and friends and then sign the Spending Revolt Pledge. Then Express yourself at the polls on November 2. It is time for the big spenders to be held responsible.

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Tags: stop the spending, Federal spending, Spending Revolt, MSNBC, video, Americas for Prosperity, 60 Plus Association, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, Council for Citizens Against Waste To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!