Repeal ObamaCar

ObamaCar

Phil Kerpen, Contributing Author: Obama’s astonishing takeover of the automobile industry, unlike his health care takeover, occurred without even a vote of Congress. Yesterday, to much fanfare, the administration announced its astonishing ratcheting up of vehicle fuel economy standards to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. These regulations — I call them “ObamaCar” — were accomplished not through open debate in Congress, but through corrupt backroom deals in which our elected officials had no voice.

ObamaCar will, according to the administration’s own estimates, add over $2,900 to the price of a new car. This low-ball estimate was created by using a brand-new cost-estimating methodology that uses arbitrary factors to produce a cost estimate for a vehicle considerably lower than the total cost of its individual parts.

An analysis by the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), which followed the government’s usual methodology, found the cost impact would be $4,800 per vehicle. But NADA also found that even the usual methodology has historically underestimated the actual cost impact by an enormous factor. NADA suggests a worst-case scenario of a $12,349-per-vehicle price jump.

Even using the EPA’s official low-ball estimate, NADA’s analysis found that “6.8 million licensed drivers will no longer qualify for a loan on that least expensive new vehicle.” So people will buy used cars, or drive their old cars longer. There will be less efficient, dirtier vehicles on the road, and reliable, affordable transportation will be much less accessible.

And if you can afford a car under ObamaCar, will it actually be a car you want to drive? Even the vaunted hybrids only get around 35 to 40 miles per gallon — if you’re light on the gas. Cato scholar Pat Michaels has observed that the third-generation Prius maxes out at 50 miles per gallon, but its vehicle weight is too heavy to get much more than that. At 54.5 miles per gallon, cars will be smaller, lighter, less crash-worthy, less powerful, and less comfortable than you can even imagine. A nice-sized family vehicle? Good luck.

How did this happen?

The Supreme Court opened the door for the misuse of the 1970 Clean Air Act with its decision in Massachusetts v. EPA in 2007. That five-to-four decision — an absurd act of judicial activism — allowed the EPA to transform the 1970 Clean Air Act into a global warming law, regulating fuel economy standards under the pretext of regulating tailpipe carbon dioxide emissions.

The principal author of the Clean Air Act, Democratic U.S. Rep. John Dingell of Michigan, said this of the decision back in 2008: “In last year’s Supreme Court decision in Massachusetts v. EPA, the court stated that it believed that greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. This is not what was intended by the Congress and by those who wrote that legislation. … So we are beginning to look at a wonderfully complex world which has the potential for shutting down or slowing down virtually all industry and all economic activity and growth.”

Then-Climate Czar Carol Browner oversaw the secret negotiations with the auto industry over these new global warming regulations. (She quietly resigned from the White House last year, just before her role in delaying Solyndra layoffs past the 2010 election was made public.)

Mary Nichols, the chair of the California Air Resources Board, was the other key player in a game of bad cop and really bad cop; basically, Browner told the auto industry that if it didn’t acquiesce to these new fuel economy rules, California would be given a free hand to impose its own, even more destructive regulations that — because many states have adopted California standards — would cripple the industry. Nichols told The New York Times that Browner “quietly orchestrated” the secret negotiations between the White House, regulators, and auto industry officials. “We put nothing in writing, ever,” Nichols said.

That was the first backroom shakedown. Yesterday’s rule is the result of a second round that followed closely on its heels, and at this rate the third round may be well underway.

Congress never voted for these absurd standards, which will drive vehicle prices through the roof for no meaningful environmental benefits.

Mitt Romney has an applause line in his stump speech about repealing ObamaCare. He should add another one promising to repeal ObamaCar.
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Phil Kerpen is the president of American Commitment; a columnist on Daily Caller where he first shared this article, and the author of Democracy Denied: How Obama is Bypassing Congress to Radically Transform America – and How to Stop Him. He is a contributing author for the ARRA News Service.

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Tags: Carol Browner, fuel economy standards, Mary Nichols, Massachusetts v. EPA, Phil Kerpen, ObamaCar, Obama Car To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Seats Taken - They Built That Seat

A.F. Branco:

GOPUSA Staff: "Apparently the "empty chair" routine by Clint Eastwood at the Republican National Convention really struck a nerve with Barack Obama and his team. Shortly after the speech, Obama tweeted a picture of himself in his presidential chair with the line, "This seat's taken." But what's he thinking? Jump in and give us your best caption. Keep it clean and have some fun!"

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Tags: seats taken, they built that seat, Obama administration, economic disaster, Democratic National Convention, 2012, political cartoon, A.F. Branco, GOPUSA, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

GOP Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney, RNC 2012

Last Night, Aug 30, 2012, Governor Mitt Romney delivers the keynote address accepting the Republican nomination at the 2012 Republican National Convention.

GOP Nominees: Mitt Romney for President
and Paul Ryan for Vice President

Transcript of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's prepared acceptance speech for delivery at the 2012 Republican National Convention; August 30, 2012 | Tampa, FL.

Mr. Chairman, delegates. I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America.

I do so with humility, deeply moved by the trust you have placed in me. It is a great honor. It is an even greater responsibility.

Tonight I am asking you to join me to walk together to a better future. By my side, I have chosen a man with a big heart from a small town. He represents the best of America, a man who will always make us proud – my friend and America's next Vice President, Paul Ryan.

In the days ahead, you will get to know Paul and Janna better. But last night America got to see what I saw in Paul Ryan – a strong and caring leader who is down to earth and confident in the challenge this moment demands.

I love the way he lights up around his kids and how he's not embarrassed to show the world how much he loves his mom.

But Paul, I still like the playlist on my iPod better than yours.

Four years ago, I know that many Americans felt a fresh excitement about the possibilities of a new president. That president was not the choice of our party but Americans always come together after elections. We are a good and generous people who are united by so much more than what divides us.

When that hard fought election was over, when the yard signs came down and the television commercials finally came off the air, Americans were eager to go back to work, to live our lives the way Americans always have – optimistic and positive and confident in the future.

That very optimism is uniquely American.

It is what brought us to America. We are a nation of immigrants. We are the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the ones who wanted a better life, the driven ones, the ones who woke up at night hearing that voice telling them that life in that place called America could be better.

They came not just in pursuit of the riches of this world but for the richness of this life.

Freedom.

Freedom of religion.

Freedom to speak their mind.

Freedom to build a life.

And yes, freedom to build a business. With their own hands.

This is the essence of the American experience.

We Americans have always felt a special kinship with the future.

When every new wave of immigrants looked up and saw the Statue of Liberty, or knelt down and kissed the shores of freedom just ninety miles from Castro's tyranny, these new Americans surely had many questions. But none doubted that here in America they could build a better life, that in America their children would be more blessed than they.

But today, four years from the excitement of the last election, for the first time, the majority of Americans now doubt that our children will have a better future.

It is not what we were promised.

Every family in America wanted this to be a time when they could get ahead a little more, put aside a little more for college, do more for their elderly mom who's living alone now or give a little more to their church or charity.

Every small business wanted these to be their best years ever, when they could hire more, do more for those who had stuck with them through the hard times, open a new store or sponsor that Little League team.

Every new college graduate thought they'd have a good job by now, a place of their own, and that they could start paying back some of their loans and build for the future.

This is when our nation was supposed to start paying down the national debt and rolling back those massive deficits.

This was the hope and change America voted for.

It's not just what we wanted. It's not just what we expected.

It's what Americans deserved.

You deserved it because during these years, you worked harder than ever before. You deserved it because when it cost more to fill up your car, you cut out movie nights and put in longer hours. Or when you lost that job that paid $22.50 an hour with benefits, you took two jobs at 9 bucks an hour and fewer benefits. You did it because your family depended on you. You did it because you're an American and you don't quit. You did it because it was what you had to do.

But driving home late from that second job, or standing there watching the gas pump hit 50 dollars and still going, when the realtor told you that to sell your house you'd have to take a big loss, in those moments you knew that this just wasn't right.

But what could you do? Except work harder, do with less, try to stay optimistic. Hug your kids a little longer; maybe spend a little more time praying that tomorrow would be a better day.

I wish President Obama had succeeded because I want America to succeed. But his promises gave way to disappointment and division. This isn't something we have to accept. Now is the moment when we CAN do something. With your help we will do something.

Now is the moment when we can stand up and say, "I'm an American. I make my destiny. And we deserve better! My children deserve better! My family deserves better. My country deserves better!"

So here we stand. Americans have a choice. A decision.

To make that choice, you need to know more about me and about where I will lead our country.

I was born in the middle of the century in the middle of the country, a classic baby boomer. It was a time when Americans were returning from war and eager to work. To be an American was to assume that all things were possible. When President Kennedy challenged Americans to go to the moon, the question wasn't whether we'd get there, it was only when we'd get there.

The soles of Neil Armstrong's boots on the moon made permanent impressions on OUR souls and in our national psyche. Ann and I watched those steps together on her parent's sofa. Like all Americans we went to bed that night knowing we lived in the greatest country in the history of the world.

God bless Neil Armstrong.

Tonight that American flag is still there on the moon. And I don't doubt for a second that Neil Armstrong's spirit is still with us: that unique blend of optimism, humility and the utter confidence that when the world needs someone to do the really big stuff, you need an American.

That's how I was brought up.

My dad had been born in Mexico and his family had to leave during the Mexican revolution. I grew up with stories of his family being fed by the US Government as war refugees. My dad never made it through college and apprenticed as a lath and plaster carpenter. And he had big dreams. He convinced my mom, a beautiful young actress, to give up Hollywood to marry him. He moved to Detroit, led a great automobile company and became Governor of the Great State of Michigan.

We were Mormons and growing up in Michigan; that might have seemed unusual or out of place but I really don't remember it that way. My friends cared more about what sports teams we followed than what church we went to.

My mom and dad gave their kids the greatest gift of all – the gift of unconditional love. They cared deeply about who we would BE, and much less about what we would DO.

Unconditional love is a gift that Ann and I have tried to pass on to our sons and now to our grandchildren. All the laws and legislation in the world will never heal this world like the loving hearts and arms of mothers and fathers. If every child could drift to sleep feeling wrapped in the love of their family – and God's love — this world would be a far more gentle and better place.

Mom and Dad were married 64 years. And if you wondered what their secret was, you could have asked the local florist – because every day Dad gave Mom a rose, which he put on her bedside table. That's how she found out what happened on the day my father died – she went looking for him because that morning, there was no rose.

My mom and dad were true partners, a life lesson that shaped me by everyday example. When my mom ran for the Senate, my dad was there for her every step of the way. I can still hear her saying in her beautiful voice, "Why should women have any less say than men, about the great decisions facing our nation?"

I wish she could have been here at the convention and heard leaders like Governor Mary Fallin, Governor Nikki Haley, Governor Susana Martinez, Senator Kelly Ayotte and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

As Governor of Massachusetts, I chose a woman Lt. Governor, a woman chief of staff, half of my cabinet and senior officials were women, and in business, I mentored and supported great women leaders who went on to run great companies.

I grew up in Detroit in love with cars and wanted to be a car guy, like my dad. But by the time I was out of school, I realized that I had to go out on my own, that if I stayed around Michigan in the same business, I'd never really know if I was getting a break because of my dad. I wanted to go someplace new and prove myself.

Those weren't the easiest of days – too many long hours and weekends working, five young sons who seemed to have this need to re-enact a different world war every night. But if you ask Ann and I what we'd give, to break up just one more fight between the boys, or wake up in the morning and discover a pile of kids asleep in our room. Well, every mom and dad knows the answer to that.

Those days were toughest on Ann, of course. She was heroic. Five boys, with our families a long way away. I had to travel a lot for my job then and I'd call and try to offer support. But every mom knows that doesn't help get the homework done or the kids out the door to school.

I knew that her job as a mom was harder than mine. And I knew without question, that her job as a mom was a lot more important than mine. And as America saw Tuesday night, Ann would have succeeded at anything she wanted to.

Like a lot of families in a new place with no family, we found kinship with a wide circle of friends through our church. When we were new to the community it was welcoming and as the years went by, it was a joy to help others who had just moved to town or just joined our church. We had remarkably vibrant and diverse congregants from all walks of life and many who were new to America. We prayed together, our kids played together and we always stood ready to help each other out in different ways.

And that's how it is in America. We look to our communities, our faiths, our families for our joy, our support, in good times and bad. It is both how we live our lives and why we live our lives. The strength and power and goodness of America has always been based on the strength and power and goodness of our communities, our families, our faiths.

That is the bedrock of what makes America, America. In our best days, we can feel the vibrancy of America's communities, large and small.

It's when we see that new business opening up downtown. It's when we go to work in the morning and see everybody else on our block doing the same.

It's when our son or daughter calls from college to talk about which job offer they should take....and you try not to choke up when you hear that the one they like is not far from home.

It's that good feeling when you have more time to volunteer to coach your kid's soccer team, or help out on school trips.

But for too many Americans, these good days are harder to come by. How many days have you woken up feeling that something really special was happening in America?

Many of you felt that way on Election Day four years ago. Hope and Change had a powerful appeal. But tonight I'd ask a simple question: If you felt that excitement when you voted for Barack Obama, shouldn't you feel that way now that he's President Obama? You know there's something wrong with the kind of job he's done as president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him.

The President hasn't disappointed you because he wanted to. The President has disappointed America because he hasn't led America in the right direction. He took office without the basic qualification that most Americans have and one that was essential to his task. He had almost no experience working in a business. Jobs to him are about government.

I learned the real lessons about how America works from experience.

When I was 37, I helped start a small company. My partners and I had been working for a company that was in the business of helping other businesses.

So some of us had this idea that if we really believed our advice was helping companies, we should invest in companies. We should bet on ourselves and on our advice.

So we started a new business called Bain Capital. The only problem was, while WE believed in ourselves, nobody else did. We were young and had never done this before and we almost didn't get off the ground. In those days, sometimes I wondered if I had made a really big mistake. I had thought about asking my church's pension fund to invest, but I didn't. I figured it was bad enough that I might lose my investors' money, but I didn't want to go to hell too. Shows what I know. Another of my partners got the Episcopal Church pension fund to invest. Today there are a lot of happy retired priests who should thank him.

That business we started with 10 people has now grown into a great American success story. Some of the companies we helped start are names you know. An office supply company called Staples – where I'm pleased to see the Obama campaign has been shopping; The Sports Authority, which became a favorite of my sons. We started an early childhood learning center called Bright Horizons that First Lady Michelle Obama rightly praised. At a time when nobody thought we'd ever see a new steel mill built in America, we took a chance and built one in a corn field in Indiana. Today Steel Dynamics is one of the largest steel producers in the United States.

These are American success stories. And yet the centerpiece of the President's entire re-election campaign is attacking success. Is it any wonder that someone who attacks success has led the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression? In America, we celebrate success, we don't apologize for it.

We weren't always successful at Bain. But no one ever is in the real world of business.

That's what this President doesn't seem to understand. Business and growing jobs is about taking risk, sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding, but always striving. It is about dreams. Usually, it doesn't work out exactly as you might have imagined. Steve Jobs was fired at Apple. He came back and changed the world.

It's the genius of the American free enterprise system – to harness the extraordinary creativity and talent and industry of the American people with a system that is dedicated to creating tomorrow's prosperity rather than trying to redistribute today's.

That is why every president since the Great Depression who came before the American people asking for a second term could look back at the last four years and say with satisfaction: "you are better off today than you were four years ago."

Except Jimmy Carter. And except this president.

This president can ask us to be patient.

This president can tell us it was someone else's fault.

This president can tell us that the next four years he'll get it right.

But this president cannot tell us that YOU are better off today than when he took office.

America has been patient. Americans have supported this president in good faith.

But today, the time has come to turn the page.

Today the time has come for us to put the disappointments of the last four years behind us.

To put aside the divisiveness and the recriminations.

To forget about what might have been and to look ahead to what can be.

Now is the time to restore the Promise of America. Many Americans have given up on this president but they haven't ever thought about giving up. Not on themselves. Not on each other. And not on America.

What is needed in our country today is not complicated or profound. It doesn't take a special government commission to tell us what America needs.

What America needs is jobs.

Lots of jobs.

In the richest country in the history of the world, this Obama economy has crushed the middle class. Family income has fallen by $4,000, but health insurance premiums are higher, food prices are higher, utility bills are higher, and gasoline prices have doubled. Today more Americans wake up in poverty than ever before. Nearly one out of six Americans is living in poverty. Look around you. These are not strangers. These are our brothers and sisters, our fellow Americans.

His policies have not helped create jobs, they have depressed them. And this I can tell you about where President Obama would take America:

His plan to raise taxes on small business won't add jobs, it will eliminate them;

His assault on coal and gas and oil will send energy and manufacturing jobs to China;

His trillion dollar cuts to our military will eliminate hundreds of thousands of jobs, and also put our security at greater risk;

His $716 billion cut to Medicare to finance Obamacare will both hurt today's seniors, and depress innovation – and jobs – in medicine.

And his trillion-dollar deficits will slow our economy, restrain employment, and cause wages to stall.

To the majority of Americans who now believe that the future will not be better than the past, I can guarantee you this: if Barack Obama is re-elected, you will be right.

I am running for president to help create a better future. A future where everyone who wants a job can find one. Where no senior fears for the security of their retirement. An America where every parent knows that their child will get an education that leads them to a good job and a bright horizon.

And unlike the President, I have a plan to create 12 million new jobs. It has 5 steps.

First, by 2020, North America will be energy independent by taking full advantage of our oil and coal and gas and nuclear and renewables.

Second, we will give our fellow citizens the skills they need for the jobs of today and the careers of tomorrow. When it comes to the school your child will attend, every parent should have a choice, and every child should have a chance.

Third, we will make trade work for America by forging new trade agreements. And when nations cheat in trade, there will be unmistakable consequences.

Fourth, to assure every entrepreneur and every job creator that their investments in America will not vanish as have those in Greece, we will cut the deficit and put America on track to a balanced budget.

And fifth, we will champion SMALL businesses, America's engine of job growth. That means reducing taxes on business, not raising them. It means simplifying and modernizing the regulations that hurt small business the most. And it means that we must rein in the skyrocketing cost of healthcare by repealing and replacing Obamacare.

Today, women are more likely than men to start a business. They need a president who respects and understands what they do.

And let me make this very clear – unlike President Obama, I will not raise taxes on the middle class.

As president, I will protect the sanctity of life. I will honor the institution of marriage. And I will guarantee America's first liberty: the freedom of religion.

President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. MY promise...is to help you and your family.

I will begin my presidency with a jobs tour. President Obama began with an apology tour. America, he said, had dictated to other nations. No Mr. President, America has freed other nations from dictators.

Every American was relieved the day President Obama gave the order, and Seal Team Six took out Osama bin Laden. But on another front, every American is less secure today because he has failed to slow Iran's nuclear threat.

In his first TV interview as president, he said we should talk to Iran. We're still talking, and Iran's centrifuges are still spinning.

President Obama has thrown allies like Israel under the bus, even as he has relaxed sanctions on Castro's Cuba. He abandoned our friends in Poland by walking away from our missile defense commitments, but is eager to give Russia's President Putin the flexibility he desires, after the election. Under my administration, our friends will see more loyalty, and Mr. Putin will see a little less flexibility and more backbone.

We will honor America's democratic ideals because a free world is a more peaceful world. This is the bipartisan foreign policy legacy of Truman and Reagan. And under my presidency we will return to it once again.

You might have asked yourself if these last years are really the America we want, the America won for us by the greatest generation.

Does the America we want borrow a trillion dollars from China? No.

Does it fail to find the jobs that are needed for 23 million people and for half the kids graduating from college? No.

Are its schools lagging behind the rest of the developed world? No.

And does the America we want succumb to resentment and division? We know the answer.

The America we all know has been a story of the many becoming one, uniting to preserve liberty, uniting to build the greatest economy in the world, uniting to save the world from unspeakable darkness.

Everywhere I go in America, there are monuments that list those who have given their lives for America. There is no mention of their race, their party affiliation, or what they did for a living. They lived and died under a single flag, fighting for a single purpose. They pledged allegiance to the UNITED States of America.

That America, that united America, can unleash an economy that will put Americans back to work, that will once again lead the world with innovation and productivity, and that will restore every father and mother's confidence that their children's future is brighter even than the past.

That America, that united America, will preserve a military that is so strong, no nation would ever dare to test it.

That America, that united America, will uphold the constellation of rights that were endowed by our Creator, and codified in our Constitution.

That united America will care for the poor and the sick, will honor and respect the elderly, and will give a helping hand to those in need.

That America is the best within each of us. That America we want for our children.

If I am elected President of these United States, I will work with all my energy and soul to restore that America, to lift our eyes to a better future. That future is our destiny. That future is out there. It is waiting for us. Our children deserve it, our nation depends upon it, the peace and freedom of the world require it. And with your help we will deliver it. Let us begin that future together tonight.

Words not in the prepared text.
Thank you so very much!  May God Bless you; may God Bless the American people; and may God Bless The United States of America!

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Tags: RNC 2012, Prime Time, Mitt Romney, speech, accepts nomination, RNC 2012, Tampa, Florida To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Clint Eastwood At The 2012 RNC Convention

As previously noted, Last night at the Reoublican national Convention, when Clint Eastwood came to the stage, the delegates and guests went wild. . . . "Eastwood first talked about the emotions of the nation when President Obama was elected, then launched into a diatribe against the president that featured a faux conversation with an empty chair. Eastwood attacked the idea that lawyers should be president, implied that his invisible Obama told him to say something incredibly offensive to Romney, and bashed the way the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been conducted before concluding that might be time to have a businessman president. He then lead the crowd in a participatory version of his signature phrase, 'go ahead, make my day.'"

Enjoy the following video:

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Tags: RNC 2012, Prime Time, Clint Eastwood, RNC 2012, Tampa, Florida To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Republican National Convention Wrap-up: Day 3

NRD Editor’s Note: Each day, Bill Smith of ARRA News Service, provides us with special reports on what is happening down in Tampa.

Tampa, FL — Bill Smith: On the final day of RNC 2012, delegates awoke knowing that they were going to the "big dance" and their nominee, Mitt Romney, would take the stage and accept the nomination as their presidential candidate. However, they still had the whole day ahead of them to take advantage of special events, meetings, or to rest up from the after convention celebration events.

In talking to delegates during the day, everyone was excited! Some were also wondering about a potential surprise speaker. Many had heard Clint Eastwood was in town. During the convention session, they were not disappointed when actor Clint Eastwood took the stage in the evening. More later.

Before heading to Tampa, I was invited to a limited engagement titled "A Salute to Entrepreneurs Building America."  The event was sponsored by Americans for Prosperity and gave tribute in a simple venue to two individuals. The First was James Arthur "Art" Pope who is a North Carolina political figure, businessman, attorney and philanthropist. He is CEO and Board Chairman of Variety Wholesalers, Inc. and President and Chairman of the John William Pope Foundation. The second was David Koch, chairman of the AFP Foundation, is a successful business entrepreneur with his brother Charles Koch, is a  major funders of the arts, is a supporter of conservative causes.  Enjoyed talking with David Koch, because his wife is from Arkansas and they return to Arkansas to visit relatives.  We also chatted about the Crystal Bridges Museum established by Alice Walton.

Several notables and political operatives for campaigns and organizations attended. Chatted with elected officials. Several Governors, U.S. Senators, Representatives and candidates attended the event. Senators Ron Johnson (WI), John Thune (SD), John Boozman (AR), Governor Bob McDonnell (VA) and others spoke a few words of tribute.

Especially enjoyed visiting with Senator and Mrs James Risch (Idaho) and their son Jason Risch. They enjoyed sharing about Idaho and appreciated that my family had visited their state. Sen. Risch has a very conservative record. Also met, Dr. Paul Teller, Executive Director of the House Republican Study Committee (RSC). The RSC advocates for a "Cut, Cap and Balanced" approach which I've supported in numerous articles.

The 2012 RNC Convention convened at 7 PM for its last session.  The theme of the evening was “We Believe in America.” RNC Chairman Reince Priebus previously shared that the “Program will focus the national spotlight on the many reasons Governor Mitt Romney is uniquely suited to lead us through the challenges our nation faces during this difficult time. Millions of Americans know Mitt Romney as a public man who helped build nationally-known businesses like Staples and Sports Authority, balanced the budget in Massachusetts without tax hikes and rescued the scandal-ridden 2002 Winter Olympics."

Convention CEO William Harris had said, "Thursday's program will introduce America to the Mitt Romney his family and close friends know."  However, this process began with many of the speeches yesterday.

Former Governor Jeb Bush was impressive.  When he finished, dissecting the present state of our America's k-12 education system, I thought maybe Jeb should be the next Secretary of Education.  Must have had "Bush" fever.

When Clint Eastwood came to the stage, the delegates and guests went wild. Newsday's Lane Filler summed up the event as follows: "Eastwood first talked about the emotions of the nation when President Obama was elected, then launched into a diatribe against the president that featured a faux conversation with an empty chair.  Eastwood attacked the idea that lawyers should be president, implied that his invisible Obama told him to say something incredibly offensive to Romney, and bashed the way the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been conducted before concluding that might be time to have a businessman president. He then lead the crowd in a participatory version of his signature phrase, 'go ahead, make my day.'"

Sen. Marco Rubio as the prime time speaker introduced Mitt Romney. He he did well.

As the final speaker, Mitt Romney accepted the nomination and laid out reasons why President Obama should not have another four years. He addressed the feeling and emotions of the American people over the loss of jobs, the bad economy, the loss of freedoms, and how America is by far worse off than when Mr. Obama took office. He laid out his plan and experience to accomplish that plan. Mitt Romney evidenced he loves America, sees America as an exceptional Nation worth preserving for future generations. Romney speech / video will be posted later at the ARRA News Service.

Then there were the cheers and falling Balloons! The benediction followed by His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York,  and the RNC 2012 Convention was graveled closed sine die.  Delegates and their guests then began an evening of celebration.

Bill Smith is the Editor of ARRA News Service and is a guest contributor to NetRightDaily.com.

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Tags: RNC 2012, Day 2,wrap-up, Bill Smith, ARRA News Service To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Stop Burning Food During a Drought

Phil Kerpen

Phil Kerpen, Contributing Author: It is always foolish for a country to order the burning of its food supply, but it takes a special kind of depravity to do it in the midst of a severe drought. Yet that is precisely what the misguided federal ethanol mandate is doing, requiring the burning of 40 percent of the corn supply at a time of shortages and sky-high prices. If no action is taken, the impact will be another spike in grocery prices next year, as well as devastation for farmers and ranchers attempting to cope with higher feed prices.

The severity of the situation is being expressed across the political spectrum and across the world.

Two Democratic governors — Bev Purdue of North Carolina and Mike Beebe of Arkansas — have officially petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to grant a waiver from the ethanol mandate, officially known as the Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS). They have now been joined by a bipartisan group of 26 senators and 156 House members.

The head of the Democratic Governors Association, arch-liberal Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley wrote the EPA in support of the waiver: “In 2012, more than 40 percent of the U.S. annual corn supply was to be used to meet the RFS corn based ethanol requirements established annually by the EPA. If you were to exercise your statutory authority to waive the RFS standards for the next year, it would make more than 5 billion bushels of corn available to the marketplace for animal feed and foodstuffs, driving down costs and significantly lessening the financial impact.”

A study by professors at Purdue University quantified the price impact, finding that a strong waiver could reduce the price of corn by as much as $1.30 per bushel next year. Gasoline prices would also be lower because ethanol is more expensive than gasoline.

Jose Graziano da Silva, the director-general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization is also urging the United States to suspend the mandate. In a recent Financial Times op-ed, he warned: “The worst drought for 50 years is inflicting huge damage on the US maize crop, with serious consequences for the overall international food supply.” He went on to urge: “An immediate, temporary suspension of that mandate would give some respite to the market and allow more of the crop to be channeled towards food and feed uses.”

I seldom agree with the United Nations, but this time they got it right. Burning our corn supply by mixing it generously with tax dollars in the form of ethanol is foolish in the best of times. In the face of a potential global food crisis it is the height of depravity.

So far, instead of providing relief from the food-burning mandate, the Obama administration’s emergency response has been to buy up meat and poultry at taxpayer expense. It’s an expensive non-solution to a very real global problem — food scarcity exacerbated by food burning.

The EPA has now opened up a public comment docket on waiving the ethanol mandate for next year. The comments they receive will likely be overwhelmingly in favor of a waiver — but the ethanol dream dies hard. The Obama administration may refuse to stand up to its environmental allies, even in the face of serious economic and human suffering and a broad bipartisan consensus.

Our country’s ethanol experiment has been a failure in good times and bad, but never more tragically than now. Whether the EPA grants the waiver or not, the American people should elect a Congress willing to repeal the destructive ethanol mandate completely and put an end to mandated food burning.
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© Copyright 2012 Phil Kerpen. He is the president of American Commitment where he first shared this article; a columnist on Fox News Opinion, and the author of Democracy Denied: How Obama is Bypassing Congress to Radically Transform America – and How to Stop Him. Phil Kerpen is a contributing author for the ARRA News Service.

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Tags: Phil Kerpen, Burning Food, Drought To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Sen. Marco Rubio, The 2012 RNC Convention

Florida Senator Marco Rubio addresses the 2012 Republican National Convention; before Mtt Romney takes the stage.

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Tags: speech, Florida, Senator, Hispanic, republican, RNC 2012, Republican National Convention To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

The RNC 2012 Day 3 - Non Prime Time Speakers

 Tampa, FL - On the 3rd day of the Republican National Convention returned to its normal schedule with speakers addressing today's theme: "We Believe in America" and hearing from Presidential nominee Mitt Romney. However, as previously done, I will present the list Non Prime Time Speakers below. Again, it would be both difficult and borish to share all of them individually. thus, I have separated a large portion of today's speeches / remarks, into a summary of RNC 2012 Non Prime Time Speakers. Below are names of individuals, yes a few might even be omitted, with attributed comments that I found interesting. If no comments are listed, it is not that they didn't speak, or their comments weren't good, but their comments were in summary: This is who I am; Obama & Democrats are bad (we already know that) and we or Mitt Romney are going to fix this (which a majority of readers may already agree). This aforementioned comment is not meant to be snarky but to reduce my typing and boring you with needess speech summaries. The Prime Time Speakers' speeches will be published.

Non Prime Time Speakers:
Business leader Tom Stemberg . . .
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush "We must stop excusing failure in our schools and start rewarding improvement and success. We must have high academic standards that are benchmarked to the best in the world. All kids can learn. Governor Romney believes it, and the data proves it. While he was governor, Massachusetts raised standards and today their students lead the nation in academic performance.""So in this election, remember this: Our future as a nation is at stake. Fact is, this election is not about just one office. It is about one nation. If we want to continue to be the greatest nation on the planet, we must give our kids what we promise them: An equal opportunity. That starts in the classroom...it starts in our communities... it starts where you live."

Former Massachusetts Lieutenant Gov. Kerry Healey  "Massachusetts was in deep trouble. We had a massive budget gap and soaring unemployment. People in my state were losing hope -- for themselves, their families, and their children. Sadly, very much like our country finds itself today."  "Mitt Romney answered the call of service, and accepted the challenge. How did he fix our state? Well, he quickly assembled a cabinet of the best and the brightest, drawing on both parties, Republicans and Democrats, half women, half men, to give him the full spectrum of ideas and advice. He respected different opinions, valued open debate, and when it was all said and done, Mitt Romney knew how to make a decision. Governor Romney did what many thought was impossible. He turned around a three billion dollar budget gap, and created a two billion dollar rainy day fund."  "First and foremost, Mitt is a good and honorable man, committed to public service and his country. On the morning he took the oath of office, his first act was to focus public attention on those in need.  We served breakfast to homeless veterans. Encouraging volunteerism, and acknowledging the special debt we owe to those who sacrifice for our country."

Hon. Connie Mack, U.S. Representative, Florida 14th District We've always been a people with big dreams and limitless potential. After all, this is America.  Our success is built on our values and our principles, but so many of them are under attack. Our commitment to freedom and liberty, and to everything that makes our country great, seems to embarrass the blame-America-first crowd. They penalize individual achievement while praising the power of government. But they have not, cannot and will not destroy our spirit. We are proud to be Americans. We are proud of our nation, of our heritage and of our success."
Hon. Newt and Callista Gingrich . . .
Sean Duffy and Frantz Placide . . .
Hon. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, U.S. Representative, Washington 5th District . . .
Wesley Jessen Employee . . .
Ted and Pat Oparowski . . .
Pam Finlayson . . .
Bob White, Chairman, Romney-Ryan Campaign . . .
Tom Stemberg, Founder of Staples" ...
Grant Bennett . . .
Kim Rhode, Mike Eruzione and Derek Parra - Olympic Gold Medalists

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Tags: RNC 2012, Day 3, Non Prime Time, Speakers, Tampa, Florida To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Ryan Budget Does Reverse Debt Spiral

Paul Ryan - RNC 2012 Speech

By Rick Manning, Americans for Limited Government — The economic news continues its grim march toward a reality that many believe may not be in the fixable category.

Preppers, who store foodstuffs and buy hard metal assets, have become mainstream as even Costco offers a wide variety of buckets filled with bulk food that are guaranteed to last for 20-25 years.

Gun sales are at record levels as people who never would have dreamed of getting a firearm are considering their needs in a society where the police might not be there to protect your family.

The Los Angeles Times features links to article on their websites “rest of the web” section featuring  economists declaring that we are already in an “economic death spiral.”
The facts are indeed scary:

• Our nation’s official $16 trillion national debt is now larger than our entire economy, putting America in a debt spiral that threatens to bankrupt the country.
• Our nation will run a trillion dollar deficit once again this year.
• Gross interest payments on the national debt are approaching half a trillion dollars every year.
• The employment situation is only slightly better than during the last half of the Great Depression.
• The European economy appears to be in near meltdown due to excessive government borrowing and a debt spiral that virtually ensures that multiple countries will actually go bankrupt.

But are these truths so devastating that our nation’s economy cannot recover, and Americans should just accept ever dwindling expectations and lifestyles?
Not if we choose to get control over our budget now.

If Representative Paul Ryan’s budget was followed for the next decade, the debt to GDP ratio would fall to 88 percent within ten years, and this is with relatively modest economic growth projections.

Obama’s rejected budget would also purportedly get us back to where we are today, just over 100 percent debt to GDP by 2022.  Obama relies upon more aggressive economic growth assumptions than Ryan to make his numbers work.

Of course, for Obama’s budget to succeed, you would have to believe that the economy will grow at twice its current rate over the next ten years.  This growth must occur in spite of massive tax increases imposed through Obamacare and on the personal incomes of those very small business job creators who are the nation’s economic engine.  Hardly a likely scenario.

The bottom line is that the federal budget has continued spending around $3.6 trillion a year since Obama became president.  Before he became president spending was just under $3 trillion.  The increased spending is in large part locked in due to systemic cost changes created by the Pelosi-Reid Congress that lowered eligibility standards for safety net programs opening them up to many more people. As a result, annual spending will rise to $6 trillion by 2022.

This built-in spending has to be tackled in order for America to return to prosperity.  Today, it is government spending itself that is sucking the life out of the economy.  It is the constantly increasing hundreds of billions of dollars sent to China, Japan and financial institutions who purchased our debt each year that gnaws at our nation’s future viability.
And, finally, some economists are beginning to come to the somewhat obvious conclusion that the bloated federal budget actually chokes out the very growth needed to increase the total revenue collections needed to feed it.

For those who worry that our nation’s financial system might fail, the only adult choice is to support budget cuts now.   While the Ryan budget is too tepid for my tastes (it doesn’t get to balance for forty years), it does drive the percentage of debt to GDP down below the 100 percent level in five years, crowding government out and re-tooling the tax code to encourage job creation and growth.

Many families have to make hard economic decisions in their own lives.  Each of us knows that if each month, our credit card balance grows by four dollars for every ten dollars we spend, we are headed for real financial trouble.

Each of us knows that when we pay only the interest on a mortgage, we never own our home.

When faced with too much credit card debt, we cut back on our spending, eat at home more often, delay a vacation or new car purchase, and start paying more than the minimum payment due.  Eventually, with hard work and time, the debt is paid, and we are no longer slaves to stuff we purchased long ago.

America needs to do the same by setting spending priorities and sticking to them.

Can America still afford public broadcasting?  If not, it should be eliminated.  Can America still afford to have around 2 million federal employees?  Can America still afford to promise the current, expensive Medicare system to future generations of seniors, or does it need to be changed to make it more affordable in the future?  Can America still afford to have military bases located throughout the world, or should some of these be shut down?
These are just a few of the thousands of spending priority decisions that Congress needs to tackle.

The gloom from the specter of an ever increasing debt burden that eventually collapses the entire U.S. economy need not be prophetic.  The spending decisions over the past six years, need not destroy more than 200 years of economic liberty.

But only if America chooses to face the problem and make some tough decisions now, before prepping becomes the only rational choice.
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Rick Manning is Communications Director of Americans for Limited Government.

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Tags: Paul Ryan, Ryan Budget, debt, national debt, commentary, Rick Manning, Americans for Limited Government To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

GOP VP Candidate Paul Ryan - Speech at RNC 2012

Last night (Wednesday), Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan was in the spotlight as the featured keynote speaker who spoke to the Nation at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL. Paul Ryan energy and knowledge of the facts will make Joe Liberman look like a worn out dish rag. That is assuming that Barack Obama doesn't dump Joe as his VP choice. We will know next week.   Great Speech / exceptional candidate!

RNC 2012 GOP V.P Candidate Paul Ryan
Delivering Keynote Speech On Aug 29, 2012

Text of Paul Ryan's Speech:
Minus the energetic delivery by Paul Ryan, below are the vice presidential candidate's prepared remarks for delivery.
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Mr. Chairman, delegates, and fellow citizens: I am honored by the support of this convention for vice president of the United States.

I accept the duty to help lead our nation out of a jobs crisis and back to prosperity – and I know we can do this.

I accept the calling of my generation to give our children the America that was given to us, with opportunity for the young and security for the old – and I know that we are ready.

Our nominee is sure ready. His whole life has prepared him for this moment – to meet serious challenges in a serious way, without excuses and idle words. After four years of getting the run-around, America needs a turnaround, and the man for the job is Governor Mitt Romney.

I’m the newcomer to the campaign, so let me share a first impression. I have never seen opponents so silent about their record, and so desperate to keep their power.

They’ve run out of ideas. Their moment came and went. Fear and division are all they’ve got left.

With all their attack ads, the president is just throwing away money – and he’s pretty experienced at that. You see, some people can’t be dragged down by the usual cheap tactics, because their ability, character, and plain decency are so obvious – and ladies and gentlemen, that is Mitt Romney.

For my part, your nomination is an unexpected turn. It certainly came as news to my family, and I’d like you to meet them: My wife Janna, our daughter Liza, and our boys Charlie and Sam.

The kids are happy to see their grandma, who lives in Florida. There she is – my Mom, Betty.

My Dad, a small-town lawyer, was also named Paul. Until we lost him when I was 16, he was a gentle presence in my life. I like to think he’d be proud of me and my sister and brothers, because I’m sure proud of him and of where I come from, Janesville, Wisconsin.

I live on the same block where I grew up. We belong to the same parish where I was baptized. Janesville is that kind of place.

The people of Wisconsin have been good to me. I’ve tried to live up to their trust. And now I ask those hardworking men and women, and millions like them across America, to join our cause and get this country working again.

When Governor Romney asked me to join the ticket, I said, “Let’s get this done” – and that is exactly, what we’re going to do.

President Barack Obama came to office during an economic crisis, as he has reminded us a time or two. Those were very tough days, and any fair measure of his record has to take that into account. My home state voted for President Obama. When he talked about change, many people liked the sound of it, especially in Janesville, where we were about to lose a major factory.

A lot of guys I went to high school with worked at that GM plant. Right there at that plant, candidate Obama said: “I believe that if our government is there to support you … this plant will be here for another hundred years.” That’s what he said in 2008.

Well, as it turned out, that plant didn’t last another year. It is locked up and empty to this day. And that’s how it is in so many towns today, where the recovery that was promised is nowhere in sight.

Right now, 23 million men and women are struggling to find work. Twenty-three million people, unemployed or underemployed. Nearly one in six Americans is living in poverty. Millions of young Americans have graduated from college during the Obama presidency, ready to use their gifts and get moving in life. Half of them can’t find the work they studied for, or any work at all.

So here’s the question: Without a change in leadership, why would the next four years be any different from the last four years?

The first troubling sign came with the stimulus. It was President Obama’s first and best shot at fixing the economy, at a time when he got everything he wanted under one-party rule. It cost $831 billion – the largest one-time expenditure ever by our federal government.

It went to companies like Solyndra, with their gold-plated connections, subsidized jobs, and make-believe markets. The stimulus was a case of political patronage, corporate welfare, and cronyism at their worst. You, the working men and women of this country, were cut out of the deal.

What did the taxpayers get out of the Obama stimulus? More debt. That money wasn’t just spent and wasted – it was borrowed, spent, and wasted.

Maybe the greatest waste of all was time. Here we were, faced with a massive job crisis – so deep that if everyone out of work stood in single file, that unemployment line would stretch the length of the entire American continent. You would think that any president, whatever his party, would make job creation, and nothing else, his first order of economic business.

But this president didn’t do that. Instead, we got a long, divisive, all-or-nothing attempt to put the federal government in charge of health care.

Obamacare comes to more than two thousand pages of rules, mandates, taxes, fees, and fines that have no place in a free country.

The president has declared that the debate over government-controlled health care is over. That will come as news to the millions of Americans who will elect Mitt Romney so we can repeal Obamacare.

And the biggest, coldest power play of all in Obamacare came at the expense of the elderly.

You see, even with all the hidden taxes to pay for the health care takeover, even with new taxes on nearly a million small businesses, the planners in Washington still didn’t have enough money. They needed more. They needed hundreds of billions more. So, they just took it all away from Medicare. Seven hundred and sixteen billion dollars, funneled out of Medicare by President Obama. An obligation we have to our parents and grandparents is being sacrificed, all to pay for a new entitlement we didn’t even ask for. The greatest threat to Medicare is Obamacare, and we’re going to stop it.

In Congress, when they take out the heavy books and wall charts about Medicare, my thoughts go back to a house on Garfield Street in Janesville. My wonderful grandma, Janet, had Alzheimer’s and moved in with Mom and me. Though she felt lost at times, we did all the little things that made her feel loved.

We had help from Medicare, and it was there, just like it’s there for my Mom today. Medicare is a promise, and we will honor it. A Romney-Ryan administration will protect and strengthen Medicare, for my Mom’s generation, for my generation, and for my kids and yours.

So our opponents can consider themselves on notice. In this election, on this issue, the usual posturing on the Left isn’t going to work. Mitt Romney and I know the difference between protecting a program, and raiding it. Ladies and gentlemen, our nation needs this debate. We want this debate. We will win this debate.

Obamacare, as much as anything else, explains why a presidency that began with such anticipation now comes to such a disappointing close.

It began with a financial crisis; it ends with a job crisis.

It began with a housing crisis they alone didn’t cause; it ends with a housing crisis they didn’t correct.

It began with a perfect Triple-A credit rating for the United States; it ends with a downgraded America.

It all started off with stirring speeches, Greek columns, the thrill of something new. Now all that’s left is a presidency adrift, surviving on slogans that already seem tired, grasping at a moment that has already passed, like a ship trying to sail on yesterday’s wind.

President Obama was asked not long ago to reflect on any mistakes he might have made. He said, well, “I haven’t communicated enough.” He said his job is to “tell a story to the American people” – as if that’s the whole problem here? He needs to talk more, and we need to be better listeners?

Ladies and gentlemen, these past four years we have suffered no shortage of words in the White House. What’s missing is leadership in the White House. And the story that Barack Obama does tell, forever shifting blame to the last administration, is getting old. The man assumed office almost four years ago – isn’t it about time he assumed responsibility?

In this generation, a defining responsibility of government is to steer our nation clear of a debt crisis while there is still time. Back in 2008, candidate Obama called a $10 trillion national debt “unpatriotic” – serious talk from what looked to be a serious reformer.

Yet by his own decisions, President Obama has added more debt than any other president before him, and more than all the troubled governments of Europe combined. One president, one term, $5 trillion in new debt.

He created a bipartisan debt commission. They came back with an urgent report. He thanked them, sent them on their way, and then did exactly nothing.

Republicans stepped up with good-faith reforms and solutions equal to the problems. How did the president respond? By doing nothing – nothing except to dodge and demagogue the issue.

So here we are, $16 trillion in debt and still he does nothing. In Europe, massive debts have put entire governments at risk of collapse, and still he does nothing. And all we have heard from this president and his team are attacks on anyone who dares to point out the obvious.

They have no answer to this simple reality: We need to stop spending money we don’t have.

My Dad used to say to me: “Son. You have a choice: You can be part of the problem, or you can be part of the solution.” The present administration has made its choices. And Mitt Romney and I have made ours: Before the math and the momentum overwhelm us all, we are going to solve this nation’s economic problems.

And I’m going to level with you: We don’t have that much time. But if we are serious, and smart, and we lead, we can do this.

After four years of government trying to divide up the wealth, we will get America creating wealth again. With tax fairness and regulatory reform, we’ll put government back on the side of the men and women who create jobs, and the men and women who need jobs.

My Mom started a small business, and I’ve seen what it takes. Mom was 50 when my Dad died. She got on a bus every weekday for years, and rode 40 miles each morning to Madison. She earned a new degree and learned new skills to start her small business. It wasn’t just a new livelihood. It was a new life. And it transformed my Mom from a widow in grief to a small businesswoman whose happiness wasn’t just in the past. Her work gave her hope. It made our family proud. And to this day, my Mom is my role model.

Behind every small business, there’s a story worth knowing. All the corner shops in our towns and cities, the restaurants, cleaners, gyms, hair salons, hardware stores – these didn’t come out of nowhere. A lot of heart goes into each one. And if small businesspeople say they made it on their own, all they are saying is that nobody else worked seven days a week in their place. Nobody showed up in their place to open the door at five in the morning. Nobody did their thinking, and worrying, and sweating for them. After all that work, and in a bad economy, it sure doesn’t help to hear from their president that government gets the credit. What they deserve to hear is the truth: Yes, you did build that.

We have a plan for a stronger middle class, with the goal of generating 12 million new jobs over the next four years.

In a clean break from the Obama years, and frankly from the years before this president, we will keep federal spending at 20 percent of GDP, or less. That is enough. The choice is whether to put hard limits on economic growth, or hard limits on the size of government, and we choose to limit government.

I learned a good deal about economics, and about America, from the author of the Reagan tax reforms – the great Jack Kemp. What gave Jack that incredible enthusiasm was his belief in the possibilities of free people, in the power of free enterprise and strong communities to overcome poverty and despair. We need that same optimism right now.

And in our dealings with other nations, a Romney-Ryan administration will speak with confidence and clarity. Wherever men and women rise up for their own freedom, they will know that the American president is on their side. Instead of managing American decline, leaving allies to doubt us and adversaries to test us, we will act in the conviction that the United States is still the greatest force for peace and liberty that this world has ever known.

President Obama is the kind of politician who puts promises on the record, and then calls that the record. But we are four years into this presidency. The issue is not the economy as Barack Obama inherited it, not the economy as he envisions it, but this economy as we are living it.

College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life. Everyone who feels stuck in the Obama economy is right to focus on the here and now. And I hope you understand this too, if you’re feeling left out or passed by: You have not failed, your leaders have failed you.

None of us have to settle for the best this administration offers – a dull, adventureless journey from one entitlement to the next, a government-planned life, a country where everything is free but us.

Listen to the way we’re spoken to already, as if everyone is stuck in some class or station in life, victims of circumstances beyond our control, with government there to help us cope with our fate.

It’s the exact opposite of everything I learned growing up in Wisconsin, or at college in Ohio. When I was waiting tables, washing dishes, or mowing lawns for money, I never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life. I was on my own path, my own journey, an American journey where I could think for myself, decide for myself, define happiness for myself. That’s what we do in this country. That’s the American Dream. That’s freedom, and I’ll take it any day over the supervision and sanctimony of the central planners.

By themselves, the failures of one administration are not a mandate for a new administration. A challenger must stand on his own merits. He must be ready and worthy to serve in the office of president.

We’re a full generation apart, Governor Romney and I. And, in some ways, we’re a little different. There are the songs on his iPod, which I’ve heard on the campaign bus and on many hotel elevators. He actually urged me to play some of these songs at campaign rallies. I said, I hope it’s not a deal-breaker Mitt, but my playlist starts with AC/DC, and ends with Zeppelin.

A generation apart. That makes us different, but not in any of the things that matter. Mitt Romney and I both grew up in the heartland, and we know what places like Wisconsin and Michigan look like when times are good, when people are working, when families are doing more than just getting by. And we both know it can be that way again.

We’ve had very different careers – mine mainly in public service, his mostly in the private sector. He helped start businesses and turn around failing ones. By the way, being successful in business – that’s a good thing.

Mitt has not only succeeded, but succeeded where others could not. He turned around the Olympics at a time when a great institution was collapsing under the weight of bad management, overspending, and corruption – sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

He was the Republican governor of a state where almost nine in ten legislators are Democrats, and yet he balanced the budget without raising taxes. Unemployment went down, household incomes went up, and Massachusetts, under Mitt Romney, saw its credit rating upgraded.

Mitt and I also go to different churches. But in any church, the best kind of preaching is done by example. And I’ve been watching that example. The man who will accept your nomination tomorrow is prayerful and faithful and honorable. Not only a defender of marriage, he offers an example of marriage at its best. Not only a fine businessman, he’s a fine man, worthy of leading this optimistic and good-hearted country.

Our different faiths come together in the same moral creed. We believe that in every life there is goodness; for every person, there is hope. Each one of us was made for a reason, bearing the image and likeness of the Lord of Life.

We have responsibilities, one to another – we do not each face the world alone. And the greatest of all responsibilities, is that of the strong to protect the weak. The truest measure of any society is how it treats those who cannot defend or care for themselves.

Each of these great moral ideas is essential to democratic government – to the rule of law, to life in a humane and decent society. They are the moral creed of our country, as powerful in our time, as on the day of America’s founding. They are self-evident and unchanging, and sometimes, even presidents need reminding, that our rights come from nature and God, not from government.

The founding generation secured those rights for us, and in every generation since, the best among us have defended our freedoms. They are protecting us right now. We honor them and all our veterans, and we thank them.

The right that makes all the difference now, is the right to choose our own leaders. And you are entitled to the clearest possible choice, because the time for choosing is drawing near. So here is our pledge.

We will not duck the tough issues, we will lead.

We will not spend four years blaming others, we will take responsibility.

We will not try to replace our founding principles, we will reapply our founding principles.

The work ahead will be hard. These times demand the best of us – all of us, but we can do this. Together, we can do this.

We can get this country working again. We can get this economy growing again. We can make the safety net safe again. We can do this.

Whatever your political party, let’s come together for the sake of our country. Join Mitt Romney and me. Let’s give this effort everything we have. Let’s see this through all the way. Let’s get this done.

Thank you, and God bless.

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Tags: Paul Ryan, Republican, Vice President, candidate, RNC 2012, founding principles, news To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Republican National Convention Wrap-up: Day 2

NRD Editor’s Note: Each day, Bill Smith of ARRA News Service, provides us with special reports on what is happening down in Tampa. Each night, ALG staff participate in a live-chat of what is happening at the convention that you can participate in.

Tampa, FL — Bill Smith: Today the delegates to the RNC 2012 in Tampa, FL had free time to take advantage of special events, meetings, or to just rest up from the prior day or for the evening convention session and the potential party activities afterward. One of the after hour events for the RNC delegates and guests (at least the energetic younger ones) was put on by America Action Network and had Kid Rock and his band.

Earlier in the day, many delegates took advantage of events put on by the Heritage Foundation, Leadership Institute, the American Action Network, and others.  Some participated in State specific activities.  One event which I attended was the National Republican Liberty Caucus.  Over 150 liberty minded delegates, political officials, and a few press  attended educational sessions and a reception after the events.  I was pleased to meet both young and old liberty minded warriors which included seven people from my state of Arkansas.

The Anti-Capitalist RNC 2012 Protesters continued their activity but for the most part things were quiet as of this filing.  Heritage Investigates has some great photos and comments on the groups.  I drove around the general area and noted that the police presence was everywhere.  Also, noticed police were posted at the schools and colleges and all officer was dressed in new uniforms and armed.  I was wondering about the size of the Tampa police force. However, I found myself lost and asked a team of officers for direction.  They were polite but said they could not assist me because they were from a county in the northern part of Florida.  They directed me to a patrol group, two blocks away, who provided directions.

The RNC Convention convened for four hours starting at 7 PM.  The theme of the evening was “We Can Change It.” Yesterday, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus told the media, “We want to remind Americans that we don’t have to settle for four more years of high unemployment, low pay and deep debt. We will devote Wednesday night to showing the country that Mitt Romney’s  ‘Plan for a Stronger Middle Class’ will restore our country as the best place in the world to find a job, start a business or hire a worker.” The convention had several videos besides numerous non prime time speakers.  One of the videos featured the two former Bush presidents.

Before the concluding speaker, there were two notable prime time speeches.  One was by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and  the other by New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, the first Hispanic female Governor in the history of the United States.  There speeches as well as many others by women in the last two days have shredded the false claims by the Obama administration that there is a republican war with women.

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan ended the evening and focused on solving our nation’s economic problems and had the delegates on their feet. Ryan delivered a strong compelling indictment of the Obama administration, while remaining interesting, likeable, and often humorous and at times very personable opening windows to his life.

Bill Smith is the Editor of ARRA News Service and is a guest contributor to NetRightDaily.com.

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Tags: NetRight Daily, RNC 2012, Day 2,wrap-up, Bill Smith, ARRA News Service To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez addresses RNC 2012

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez addressed the 2012 Republican National Convention. Martinez has an interesting personal narrative, Also, her speech offers serious consideration of the issues.  She also provides numerous interesting quotes. She was a democrat for many years and her parents and husband were democrats.  When she was considering running for office for District Attorney, she had an encounter with two individuals who were Republicans but who only asked and talked about issues.   on leaving the meeting, Susana declared, "I'll be damned, we're Republicans!"   She is the first elected Hispanic female governor in the United States. Enjoy!

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Tags: speech, New Mexico, Governor, Susana Martinez, Hispanic, republican, RNC 2012, Republican National Convention To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice addresses the 2012 Republican National Convention

Young RNC Delegates Excited
About Condoleezza Rice

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza "Condi" Rice addressed the 2012 Republican National Convention in "prime time." Before you view this, note that she never used a Teleprompter. She is not only amazing but spoke to the hearts of he audience. She started out speaking the language of national security, foreign politcy and ended speaker her heart about her experiences and the need for America. 3:12 minutes into her speech she asks "Indeed, that is the question of the hour, Where does America stand?"

"When friends or foes, alike, don't know the answer to that question unambiguously and clearly, the world is likely to be a more dangerous and chaotic place."

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Tags: Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, speech, 2012 Republican National Convention, RNC2012 To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

The RNC 2012 Day 2 - Non Prime Time Speakers

Tampa - On the 2nd day of the Republican National Convention returned to its normal schedule with speakers addressing today's theme: "We Can Change It" and hearing from V.P. nominee Paul Ryan. However, as previously done, I will present the list Non Prime Time Speakers below. Again, it would be both difficult and borish to share all of them individually. thus, I have separated a large portion of today's speeches / remarks, into a summary of RNC 2012 Non Prime Time Speakers. Below are names of individuals, yes a few might even be omitted, with attributed comments that I found interesting. If no comments are listed, it is not that they didn't speak, or their comments weren't good, but their comments were in summary: This is who I am; Obama & Democrats are bad (we already know that) and we or Mitt Romney are going to fix this (which a majority of readers may already agree). This aforementioned comment is not meant to be snarky but to reduce my typing and boring you with needess speech summaries. The Prime Time Speakers' speeches will be published.

Non Prime Time Speakers:
Hon. Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate Republican Leader, Kentucky "America is suffering through an economic calamity of truly historic dimensions. Some are calling it the slowest recovery in our nation's entire 236-year history. To call this a recovery is an insult to recoveries. This is not the result of forces beyond our control. It is not the result of some sinister political plot; as some of the more paranoid inhabitants of the left-wing fever swamps would have you believe. It is the result of the policies that Barack Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress spent two full years carefully putting into place, and which they are determined to continue, if they win again."
Jeanine McDonnell, Iraq War Veteran "And that's why we need leaders who don't play chicken with our nation's defense. We need leaders who will invest in defense-not abandon it."
Chris Devlin-Young, Para-Olympian . . .
John McCain, U.S. Senator, Arizona & former candidate for president "We can choose to follow a declining path, toward a future that is dimmer and more dangerous than our past. Or we can choose to reform our failing government, revitalize our ailing economy, and renew the foundations of our power and leadership in the world. That is what's at stake in this election."
Hon. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, U.S. Representative, Washington 5th District "We have heard of the challenges America is facing - now let's talk about the solutions. Those of you here in the Convention - and those of you watching at home, know what needs to be done. We need to create more jobs and get our economy moving again. We need to make college affordable and within the reach of every child. I was the first in my family to graduate from college, so I know how important that is to the American Dream. We need a government that works for us, not against us, and lives within its means (just like you and I do). We also need a President who shares these ideas and values. ... Friends, we KNOW we can do better - we CAN change it."
Hon. Pam Bondi, Attorney General, Florida . . .
Hon. Sam Olens, Attorney General, Georgia . . .
Rob Portman, U.S. Senator, Ohio "We need to knock down these trade barriers abroad, but we also need to knock down the self-imposed barriers to success right here at home. We need to reform our outdated and complicated tax code. We need to fix our burdensome regulatory system and we need an energy policy that encourages development of our resources right here, in the ground, in America. America has a choice between Mitt Romney who seeks to grow the economy, and Barack Obama who seeks to redistribute it. Which one do you think will liberate America's entrepreneurial spirit?"
John Thune, U.S. Senator, South Dakota "On Day One of Mitt Romney's presidency, the transformation of Washington will begin. Gone will be the arrogance of a President whose first instinct is to condemn achievement. Gone will be the attitude that government knows best and solves all. What you will see and hear is a President who will do everything in his power to make sure government is a catalyst for growth, not an obstacle to success. And, a President with a plan to strengthen the middle class."
Governor Luis Fortuno, Puerto Rico "Our families cannot grow their budgets if politicians keep growing Washington's budget. Get government out of our way, and let freedom and the spirit of the American people shine through. We can out-think, out-dream, out-work, and out-produce anybody in the world. I know it, you know it, and Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan know it. They have a plan and a vision that places our faith in you, the American people, not in Washington."
Hon. Rand Paul, U.S. Senator, Kentucky "When the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare, the first words out of my mouth were: I still think it is unconstitutional!. . . I think if James Madison himself -- the father of the Constitution -- were here today he would agree with me: The whole damn thing is still unconstitutional!  This debate is not new and it's not over. Hamilton and Madison fought from the beginning about how government would be limited by the enumerated powers.  Madison was unequivocal. The powers of the federal government are few and defined. The power to tax and spend is restricted by the enumerated powers. So, how do we fix this travesty of justice? There's only one option left. We have to have a new president!"  "As Reagan said, our freedom is never more than a generation away from extinction. If our freedom is taken, the American Dream will wither and die.  To lead, we must transform the coldness of austerity into the warm, vibrant embrace of prosperity.  To overcome the current crisis, we must appreciate and applaud American success. We must step forward, unabashedly and proclaim: You did build that. You earned that. You worked hard. You studied. You labored. You did build that. And you deserve America's undying gratitude. For you, the individual, are the engine of America's greatness."
Steve Cohen, President, Screen Machine Industries, Inc., Etna, Ohio . . .
Tad True, Vice President of Belle Fourche and Bridger Pipelines, Casper, Wyoming . . .
Hon. Tim Pawlenty, Former Governor, Minnesota . . .
Hon. Mike Huckabee, Former Governor, Arkansas  "My working-poor parents told me I could do better. They taught me that I was as good as anyone else. It never occurred to them to tell me that I could rest comfortably and wait for Uncle Sugar to feed me, lead me, and then bleed me."  "My concern is not Barack Obama's past; my concern is for the future - not his future, but the future of my grandchildren."  "President Obama is out of gas; Americans are out of patience, and our great Republic is almost out of time. It's time we no longer lead from behind, but get off our behinds and leave something lasting for those who come after us instead of a mountain of debt and a pile of excuses.  Tonight, it's not because we're Republicans; it's because we're Americans that we proudly stand with Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to say we will do better!"
Hon. Susana Martinez, Governor of New Mexico "Success is the American Dream. And that success is not something to be ashamed of, or to demonize.  There is one candidate in this election who will protect that dream, one leader who will fight hard to keep the promise of America for the next generation.  And that's why we must stand up and make Mitt Romney the next president of the United States."

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Tags: RNC 2012, Day 2, Non Prime Time, Speakers, Tampa, Florida To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!