Israel is America's Shield

Bob Morrison and Ken Blackwell

Ken Blackwell and Bob Morrison, Contributing Authors: We are used to hearing that America defends Israel. President Obama assures Israel that he has their back. That may be convincing talk in the `hood, but it rings hollow from this invertebrate administration to talk about anyone's back. Actually, we may have all that backward. It may well be that Israel that is defending us. Israel may yet prove America's Shield.

All the usual chin-pullers and deep thinkers are warning of the parade of horribles that will descend on the world if Israel strikes Iran to prevent the mullahs from getting nuclear weapons. Why, says Georgetown University think tanker Anthony Cordesman, "a strike by Israel will give rise to regional instability and conflict as well as terrorism."

What else, Dr. Cordesman, do we see daily in that region? Our TV sets seem to have "Mideast Turmoil" painted on their screens. Instability? Where is the stability? Conflict? What else does the region export but conflict? Terrorism? Sen. John McCain tries to assure us that the young Egyptians in Tahrir Square all idolize Mark Zuckerberg. The truth is Mark Zuckerberg, or anyone else who is Jewish, could not last a day in Tahrir Square today.

We have been fed a line of rubbish by the talking heads and Mideast "experts" for twenty years. Let's start with legitimizing the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). The idea that Yasser Arafat or Mahmoud Abbas could ever reform and behave like true democrats was always an illusion. They are terrorists plain and simple. Arafat even invented airline hijacking for terror purposes. It did not matter that he got a Nobel Peace Prize, or that he was welcomed to the White House by Bill Clinton. He was always a mass murderer.

And the Saudis? They are our special friends, are they not? President Obama even bowed to the Saudi King Abdullah in London. Well, we can find evidence of their friendship in the official 9/11 Commission Report. There on page 122 we learn that then-Vice President Al Gore went to Saudi Arabia in 1998 to ask then-Crown Prince Abdullah for access to Madani al-Tayyib. The Saudis were holding this finance director for al Qaeda and we wanted to talk to him. Madani al-Tayyib was said to have been the key figure who had to approve every al Qaeda expenditure over $1,000. The report deadpans the next line. The United States never obtained access to Tayyib. This man might have unraveled the entire attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, if only our friends the Saudis had let us at him. They declined. With friends like the Saudis, who needs enemies?

Instead of more of this tripe from experts who should long ago have been discredited and disregarded, we recommend reading Columnist David P. Goldman in Asia Times. Writing as "Spengler" Goldman lays out the case for what will happen if Israel does not strike the Iranians. It is a far more realistic and compelling picture than the "save Mideast stability" crowd offers.

Goldman warns that without an Israeli strike, we will likely see: A nuclear-armed Iran.

Iraq's continued drift towards alliance with Iran; An overtly hostile regime in Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood government will lean on jihadist elements to divert attention from the country's economic collapse; An Egyptian war with Libya for oil and with Sudan for water; A radical Sunni regime controlling most of Syria, facing off an Iran-allied Alawistan ensconced in the coastal mountains; A de facto or de jure Muslim Brotherhood takeover of the Kingdom of Jordan; A campaign of subversion against the Saudi monarchy by Iran through Shi'ites in Eastern Province and by the Muslim Brotherhood internally; A weakened and perhaps imploding Turkey struggling with its Kurdish population and the emergence of Syrian Kurds as a wild card; A Taliban-dominated Afghanistan; and Radicalized Islamic regimes in Libya and Tunisia.

Suddenly, the case for Israeli action begins to look a lot more persuasive than the tired old "stability" arguments.

Goldman writes that Israeli action may actually slow America's slide into impotence. Whoever wins the presidential election here, it seems no military action against Iran by the U.S. would be possible in the next 4-6 months, and by then it could be too late.

Once before, from May to August 1940, America's fate was being decided "over there." In the Cabinet War Rooms in London during those fateful days, Winston Churchill made the decision not to negotiate with mass murderers, not to give in. Despite being bombed on a daily basis, Churchill and his War Cabinet colleagues stood firm--and in that process, this Dreadnought Democracy was America's Shield. Churchill's courage protected us, too.

Before Osama bin Laden ever dreamed of flaming towers collapsing in Manhattan, Adolf Hitler dreamed the same dream. He even took steps to equip Nazi suicide bombers, to bring about the destruction of what he then regarded as a Jewish Citadel. We can thank God that Winston Churchill stood between Hitler and us. And we will thank God if Benjamin Netanyahu does the same thing for us now.

Don't wait, Israel: Shield America. Strike Iran's nuclear weapons program before it's too late for all of us.
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Ken Blackwell is a conservative family values advocate. Blackwell is a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission and is a senior fellow at the Family Research Council and a visiting professor at Liberty University School of Law. Bob Morrison is a Senior Fellow for Policy Studies at the Family Research Council. He has served at the U.S. Department of Education with Gary Bauer under then-Secretary William Bennett. Both are contributing authors to the ARRA News Service.

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AP: "Unemployment Rates Rise In Half Of US States";

Today in Washington, D.C. - Sept. 21, 2012: The Senate reconvened at noon today. Last night, the Senate voted 67-31 to agree to the motion to proceed to H.J. Res. 117, the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through March. So still pending is H.J. Res. 117, the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through March. If an agreement is not reached on votes, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has scheduled a cloture vote on the bill for 1 AM tonight (tomorrow morning).

Reid rejected a previous agreement he put forward, since he’s now trying to hold up the Senate by demanding a vote on a bill to help a vulnerable Democrat, as the Weekly Standard reports today.  Also in the mix to be negotiated are potential votes on a proposal from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) concerning foreign aid funding levels (S. 3576) and an Iran sanctions bill (S.J. Res. 41)

The House reconvened at 9:00 AM.  Today, the House continued debate on and passed at 12:12 PM, HR 3409 (233 - 175) which limits the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations before December 31, 2013, under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. This means that the House voted to stop the "War on Coal." Thirteen (13) Democrats stood with 214 Republicans and voted to stand up for coal and affordable electricity. Phil Kerpen, President, American Commitment, responded to the vote, "American Commitment activists have now sent over 100,000 letters and emails to Congress through www.WarOnCoal.com urging an end to the War on Coal. We commend the House for doing the right thing, but the failure of the Senate to act makes clear that the future of affordable, reliable electricity depends on electing a new president who will end the War on Coal, a new Senate willing to stand up to out of control regulators, or both."

Other than speeches, not further action is expected today The House will recess until 10: AM, Tuesday, Sept. 25th. Many of the members of Congress are already headed back to their Congressional Districts to campaign.

Yesterday the House began debated on HR 3409. In addition, the House passed:
H.J. Res. 118 (250 - 164) — "Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of Family Assistance of the Administration for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services relating to waiver and expenditure authority under section 1115 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1315) with respect to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program."
HR 5987  (237-180) — A bill to establish the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington
HR 6429 (257 - 158)  —  A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to promote innovation, investment, and research in the United States, to eliminate the diversity immigrant program, and for other purposes.

The AP reports today, “Unemployment rates rose in more than half of U.S. states last month, the latest evidence that hiring remains tepid across the country. The Labor Department said Friday that rates increased in 26 states. . . . Unemployment also rose in seven of the 11 key swing states in this year's presidential election. . . . The rate in Michigan rose to 9.4 percent from 9 percent. The rate ticked up a tenth of a point to 12.1 percent in Nevada, which has the highest unemployment in the nation. . . . Unemployment rates also rose in five other battleground states: Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa.”

And earlier this week, we learned from The Wall Street Journal that “[t]he income of the typical U.S. family fell or was flat in almost every state last year.” Specifically, the WSJ reported, “The median annual household income—the point on the income scale at which half earn more and half earn less—fell in 18 states in 2011 from a year earlier after adjusting for inflation, according to a Census Bureau report . . . . The sharpest drop occurred in Nevada, where median income fell by 6%. The median fell by 3.8% in California and by 2.9% in Arizona and Florida. . . . Nationally, the median income dropped by 1.3% to $50,502 in 2011. A separate report last week reported a slightly different median income level, but either way, the number is at a level last seen in the mid-1990s, continuing a long period of stagnant or falling wages since an all-time peak in 1999.”

As the ARRA News previously reported: Unemployment Is Growing - Incomes Are Shrinking! But, President Obama Says His ‘Biggest Failure’ Was Not Making An Effort On Immigration. With unemployment growing, incomes shrinking, record numbers of Americans in poverty, and a federal debt now exceeding $16 trillion, President Obama was asked by Univision yesterday what he considered to be his biggest failure. Obama replied, “[M]y biggest failure so far is we haven't gotten comprehensive immigration reform done, so we're going to be continuing to work on that. But it's not for lack of trying or desire.”

How out of touch is President Obama to the economic realities in this country? As Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said yesterday, “We have got a $16 trillion debt, millions out of work, the biggest tax hike in history looming, and our military faces crippling across-the-board cuts. The nation and the world need strong American leadership and robust political institutions to meet these challenges, but the President with a lot of help from the Democrat-controlled Senate has deliberately chosen inaction.”

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Obama's ‘Biggest Failure’ - Not Getting More Illegals to Vote

Unemployment Is Growing - Incomes Are Shrinking! But, President Obama Says His ‘Biggest Failure’ Was Not Making An Effort On Immigration

Intent on Destroying the Middle Class,He Failed to Get More Illegals to Vote

Obama To Univision: ‘My Biggest Failure… Immigration’

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “My biggest failure so far is … immigration.” UNIVISION QUESTION: “What is your biggest failure?” OBAMA: “Well, Jorge as you remind me, my biggest failure so far is we haven’t gotten comprehensive immigration reform done, so we’re going to be continuing to work on that. But it’s not for lack of trying or desire.” (President Barack Obama, Univision Town Hall, Miami, FL, 9/20/12)

Labor Dept.: ‘Unemployment Rates Rose’ In 26 States

“Unemployment rates rose in more than half of U.S. states last month, the latest evidence that hiring remains tepid across the country. The Labor Department says rates increased in 26 states… and were unchanged in the other 12.” (“Unemployment Rates Rise In Half Of Us States,” AP, 9/21/12)

Census Data: ‘Household Income Decreased’

“The income of the typical U.S. family fell or was flat in almost every state last year, with the drop particularly steep in places where the economy has been hit hard by the housing bust.” (“Incomes Fell Or Stagnated In Most States Last Year,” Wall Street Journal, 9/20/12)

“Real median household income decreased between the 2010 and 2011 ACS in 18 states. These decreases range from 1.1 percent (Ohio) to 6.0 percent (Nevada).” (“Household Income For States: 2010 And 2011,” U.S. Census, P.1, 9/12)

• “The sharpest drop occurred in Nevada, where median income fell by 6%. The median fell by 3.8% in California and by 2.9% in Arizona and Florida.” (“Incomes Fell Or Stagnated In Most States Last Year,” Wall Street Journal, 9/20/12)

‘Number Of Poor … At Record Highs,’ $5.39 Trillion Added To Debt

New York Times: “Obama administration officials said on Wednesday that the fact that the poverty rate stayed flat was an achievement in tough economic times.” (“Poverty Leveled Off Last Year, Even As Incomes Dropped,” The New York Times, 9/12/12)

• AP: “The Census Bureau reports the number of Americans in poverty stood at 15 percent in 2011. About 46.2 million people, or nearly 1 in 6, were in poverty. … In all, the number of poor remained at record highs.” (“US Poverty Rate Unchanged; Record Numbers Persist,” AP, 9/12/12)
• The Hill: “The number of people in the United States living in poverty remains at its highest level since 1993… The poverty rate effectively leveled off in 2011 following three straight years of increases, the bureau said.” (“Census: Poverty Rate Remains Stuck At Its Highest Level Since 1993,” The Hill’s ‘On The Money’ Blog, 9/12/12)

The U.S. federal debt is over $16 trillion. (“The Debt To The Penny And Who Holds It,” U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 9/6/11)

• $5.39 trillion added to debt since January ’09. (“The Debt To The Penny And Who Holds It,” U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 9/6/11)

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Tags: Barack Obama, Biggest Failure, immigration, illegal immigration, votes, failed economy, loss of jobs, unemployment, shrinking incomes To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Incomes Fall Across America, Hit ‘All-Time High’ In D.C.

As The Obama Economy Crushes American Family Incomes, It’s Turning Washington, D.C. Into A Boomtown

Census: ‘Household Income Decreased’

“The income of the typical U.S. family fell or was flat in almost every state last year, with the drop particularly steep in places where the economy has been hit hard by the housing bust.” (“Incomes Fell Or Stagnated In Most States Last Year,” Wall Street Journal, 9/20/12)

“Real median household income decreased between the 2010 and 2011 ACS in 18 states. These decreases range from 1.1 percent (Ohio) to 6.0 percent (Nevada).” (“Household Income For States: 2010 And 2011,” U.S. Census, P.1, 9/12)

• “The sharpest drop occurred in Nevada, where median income fell by 6%. The median fell by 3.8% in California and by 2.9% in Arizona and Florida.” (“Incomes Fell Or Stagnated In Most States Last Year,” Wall Street Journal, 9/20/12)

‘Washington Region... Looking Even More Affluent’

“Seven of nation’s 10 most affluent counties are in Washington region… an all-time high.”

• “With a median household income surpassing $119,000, Loudoun County heads the list.”
• “Fairfax County, at nearly $106,000, is second.”
• “Arlington County leapfrogged… to third.” “More surprising, Arlington County leapfrogged from the fifth spot to third, with a median household income of almost $101,000, a $6,000 gain in one year.”
• “Other counties in the top 10 are Howard, Prince William, Fauquier and Montgomery, which had dropped out of it in 2010.” (“Seven Of Nation’s 10 Most Affluent Counties Are In Washington Region,” The Washington Post, 9/19/12)

“The Washington region has emerged from the recession looking even more affluent compared with the rest of the country...”(“Seven Of Nation’s 10 Most Affluent Counties Are In Washington Region,” The Washington Post, 9/19/12)

“The rankings in the 2011 American Community Survey released Thursday expand Washington’s dominance among high-income households, reflecting a regional economy that was largely cushioned as the recession yanked down income levels elsewhere. Household incomes rose in most counties around Washington last year, even as they continued to sink around the country.” (“Seven Of Nation’s 10 Most Affluent Counties Are In Washington Region,” The Washington Post, 9/19/12)

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Lying & Hiding

Gary Bauer

Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: It has been nine days since Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in a vicious assault on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Since that deadly attack, virtually nothing we have been told by the Obama Administration about the attack is true.

• We don't know how Ambassador Stevens was killed. Early media accounts suggested he died from smoke inhalation. But there were other reports indicating that he had been viciously attacked and murdered. Presumably an autopsy has been performed. Where are the results?
 
• We were told that the Navy SEALs who died while defending Stevens were part of his security detail. When the fighting started, they did what our courageous SEALs are trained to do -- they fought back! While their precise role in Libya is vague, they were not part of Stevens' security team. It now appears as though Stevens was somehow separated from his "small security detail" when he traveled from the U.S. embassy in Tripoli to the consulate in Benghazi.
  
  In fact, we now know that there were no Marines stationed at diplomatic posts in Libya. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was asked repeatedly yesterday who made the decision not to post Marines in Libya, and Carney repeatedly dodged the question.
 
• We were told that the hired Libyan security detail fought bravely to defend Ambassador Stevens. It was later reported that members of that team betrayed his location when he left the consulate and moved to a "safe house." We were told that Libyans rushed to help Stevens. Yet the only evidence of that is a video of Stevens being dragged while the crowd yells "Allahu Akbar!"
 
• U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice was dispatched to all the Sunday talk shows to deny that this was a terrorist attack. She insisted over and over again that it was a "spontaneous" event, related to protests over a "very hateful video on the Internet." However, Stevens worried for months about "never-ending security threats in Benghazi" and knew that he was on an Al Qaeda hit list.
  
  The Obama Administration has sent FBI agents to investigate the "crime scene." Presumably they will interview Libyans who live in the area. CBS has already done that. According to witnesses they spoke to, "there was never an anti-American protest outside of the consulate [in Benghazi, Libya]. Instead, they say, it came under planned attack." CBS reporter Margaret Brennan added, "That is in direct contradiction to the administration's account of the incident."
 
• There are reports suggesting that the man behind the attack may have been released from GITMO in 2007. (Presumably it won't be long until Obama tells us it is all George Bush's fault.) Let me remind you of the political atmosphere in 2007.
  
  The Democrat Party had just taken control of Congress. Top Democrats, led by Senator Dick Durbin and then-Senator Barack Obama, along with the ACLU, constantly insisted that GITMO be closed, that the prisoners were being held illegally and that they should be tried here in our civilian courts.
  
  GITMO detainees had legal representation from top law firms around the country. Left-wing legal eagles lined up to do pro bono work for these thugs. That's right -- their "charity" of choice was defending Islamic extremists. Attorney General Eric Holder has appointed several of them to top Justice Department positions where they serve today.
  
 
• From the GITMO release of the terrorist who may have led this attack to the failure to provide adequate protection for our people to the lies of the past nine days, this whole disaster is owned by the left and Obama.

For over a week, the "main stream" media have been complicit in hiding the facts, likely hoping the story would just go away. There has been more interest in a three-month old tape of a Mitt Romney fundraiser than a terrorist attack that killed our ambassador and three other Americans. Only in the last 24 hours, as Obama's story has collapsed, have a few journalists dared to ask serious questions.

We supposedly have a free press in this country. Yet, on so many issues our left-wing media behaves like pro-regime propagandists that are common in socialist dictatorships!

Defend Marriage -- Vote Romney!
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told an audience at the University of Colorado in Boulder yesterday that she believes the Defense of Marriage Act will come before the Supreme Court next year.

The Defense of Marriage Act defines marriage in federal law as the union of one man and one woman, and also grants states the right not to recognize homosexual marriages performed in other states. This common sense law overwhelmingly passed Congress in 1996 -- 342-to-67 in the House and 85-to-14 in the Senate. It was signed into law by Bill Clinton. Since then, the voters of 31 states have passed constitutional amendments protecting the traditional definition of marriage.

Barack Obama has endorsed same-sex "marriage" and ordered his Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act.

If you want a president who will defend normal marriage, preserve religious liberty and respect the rule of law, vote for Mitt Romney!

Encourage all your friends and family members who share your values to do the same. Make sure they are all registered to vote too! Voter registration deadlines are approaching fast in many states. If they don't know whether they are registered, refer them to this website.

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Tags: Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, Lying, assault, U.S. consulate, Benghazi, Libya, Hiding, Eric Holder, GITMO, Left Wing Lawyers, Justice Department, Defend Marriage, Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Puppet Media

by William Warren:

Related Article: IBD Editorial - Media In Alternate Reality On Obama Failures ~ "Hell breaks loose all over the world, the economy stinks, and we're going broke. But the president parties, yuks it up with Letterman and skips intelligence briefings. All the while, the press sees no evil."

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Tags: Barack Obama, puppet media, sell out media, editorial cartoon, Barack Obama, IBD Editorial, media, Obama failures To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

CBO: Obamacare Will Have Middle Class Tax Penalty: Avg. $1,200

Today in Washington, D.C. - Sept. 20, 2012:
The Senate reconvened at 9:30 AM today.  This morning, Senate Republicans delivered a coordinated round of speeches on the Senate floor today regarding the do-nothing approach by Senate Democrats and the President's refusal to lead while blaming others for his policy failures. Read Comments & Watch their speeches.

At 2 PM, the Senate began voting on the motion to proceed to H.J. Res. 117, the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through March. Additional votes are possible today.

Yesterday, Senate Democrats failed to get the 60 votes needed to waive a Budget Act point of order against to the Murray substitute amendment to S. 3457, the Veterans Jobs Corps bill. They also voted 76-22 to invoke cloture (cut off debate) on the motion to proceed to H.J. Res. 117.

Today, at 2 PM, the Senate will begin voting on the motion to proceed to H.J. Res. 117, the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through March. Additional votes are also possible.

The House reconvened at 10:00 AM today and at present has debated and passed H.Res 788 permitting them to take up and debate H. Res. 788 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of Family Assistance of the Administration for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services relating to waiver and expenditure authority under section 1115 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1315) with respect to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

Yesterday the House addressed a marathon of bills. They passed by Voice Vote the following bills:
H. Res. 786 — "Honoring the four United States public servants who died in Libya and condemning the attacks on United States diplomatic facilities in Libya, Egypt, and Yemen."
H Res 526 — A resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect toward the establishment of a more peaceful and democratic Georgian Republic.
HR 1461 — Mescalero Apache Tribe Water Right Leasing Authorization Act
HR 2827 — A bill to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to regulation of municipal advisors
HR 2903 — FEMA reauthorization
HR 3319 — A bill to allow the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to determine the tribe membership requirements.
HR 3783 — Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act
HR 4124 — Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act
HR 4158 — A bill to confirm ownership rights for certain U.S. astronauts to artifacts from the astronauts' space missions.
HR 4212 — Addressing contaminated drywall  - banned designated drywall manufactured in China
HR 5910 — Global Investment in American Jobs Act
HR 5948 — Veterans Fiduciary Reform Act
HR 6060 — Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act
HR 6118 — Taking Essential Steps for Testing Act
HR 6163 — National Pediatric Research Network Act
HR 6296 — Disaster Loan Fairness Act
HR 6324 — Cutting Federal Unnecessary and Expensive Leasing (Cutting FUEL) Act of 2012
HR 6361 — Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act
HR 6368 — Boarder security -  To require the Department of Justice, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, to provide a report to Congress on the Departments' ability to track, investigate and quantify cross-border violence along the Southwest Border and provide recommendations to Congress on how to accurately track, investigate, and quantify cross-border violence."
HR 6375 — VA Major Construction Authorization and Expiring Authorities Extension Act
HR 6410 — To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for taxpayers making donations with their returns of income tax to the Federal Government to pay down the public debt.
HR 6431 — To provide flexibility with respect to United States support for assistance provided by international financial institutions for Burma, and for other purposes

HR 733— Pancreatic Cancer Research and Education Act

The House passed by Recorded  Vote:
HR 5044 (400-0) — Andrew P. Carpenter Tax Act - amended IRS Code of 1986 to exclude from gross income any discharge of indebtedness income on education loans of deceased veterans.
HR 5912 (310-95) — A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to ban the use of public funds for political party conventions, and tor eturn previously distributed funds for deficit reduction.

The House addressed and postponed the vote on  HR 5987  — A bill to establish the Manhattan Project National Historical Park

Yesterday, the AP reported, “Nearly 6 million Americans - significantly more than first estimated- will face a tax penalty under President Barack Obama's health overhaul for not getting insurance, congressional analysts said Wednesday. Most would be in the middle class. The new estimate amounts to an inconvenient fact for the administration, a reminder of what critics see as broken promises. The numbers from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office are 50 percent higher than a previous projection by the same office in 2010, shortly after the law passed.”

“Average penalty: about $1,200 in 2016,” the AP writes. And according to CBO, four out of five who will pay penalty have an adjusted gross income of less than $123,000.

The AP notes, “[I]n his first campaign for the White House, Obama pledged not to raise taxes on individuals making less than $200,000 a year and couples making less than $250,000.” And recall in 2009 ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked the president, “Under this mandate, the government is forcing people to spend money, fining you if you don't. How is that not a tax?” Obama replied, “No. That’s not true, George. . . . [F]or us to say that you've got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase.”

The middle class tax increase embedded in Obamacare is even more harmful given recent reports on middle class income sliding over the last few years. Just last week, The Washington Post reported, “The middle class lost ground again last year, falling to an all-time low in their share of how much income they take in . . . .” And today, The Wall Street Journal writes, “The income of the typical U.S. family fell or was flat in almost every state last year, with the drop particularly steep in places where the economy has been hit hard by the housing bust. The median annual household income—the point on the income scale at which half earn more and half earn less—fell in 18 states in 2011 from a year earlier after adjusting for inflation, according to a Census Bureau report to be released Thursday. The sharpest drop occurred in Nevada, where median income fell by 6%. The median fell by 3.8% in California and by 2.9% in Arizona and Florida.”

Reacting to yesterday’s CBO report, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said, “For years, the President and his Democrat allies in Congress have sworn up and down that failing to comply with the individual mandate did not result in a tax on individuals or families. And the reason was obvious: if Americans knew that failure to comply resulted in a tax hike, it never would have passed. And now the non-partisan CBO makes clear that the tax will hit 6 million Americans—mainly middle-class individuals and families. This is just one more reason among many for why Obamacare must be repealed.”

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Tags: Repeal ObamaCare, CBO, middlecalss tax penalty, Washington, D.C., Senate, House Bills, continuing resolution, Republican Senators, speakout, Democrats, tax rates, tax increases To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Senate Republicans: ‘Americans Deserve Leadership’

Never Before Have A President And A Senate Majority Done So Little When Our Challenges Have Been So Great’

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Republicans delivered a coordinated round of speeches on the Senate floor today regarding the do-nothing approach by Senate Democrats and the President’s refusal to lead while blaming others for his policy failures. The following are excerpts from their remarks:

SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): “In these very challenging times, Americans deserve leadership. Never before have a President and a Senate majority party done so little when our challenges have been so great.” (Sen. McConnell, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

On Jobs And The Economy

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): “For the past three and a half years, the President and the Democrats here in the Senate have failed to provide the leadership that America needs to make a stronger middle class.  Middle class Americans continue to face a bleak economic picture on this President's watch.” (Sen. Thune, Floor Remarks, 9/20)

SEN. MIKE ENZI (R-WY): “The President, the administration and the Senate majority have failed to govern during a crucial time for our nation. There is a willingness to kick our problems down the road with the hopes that the next election will suddenly inspire action. Rome burned while Nero fiddled. We have had enough fiddling.” (Sen. Enzi, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): “Right now, federal agencies are at work on 2,700 new rules. These rules will go on top of a pile of regulations measuring millions of pages. Mr. President, if we want to put people back to work, we have to cut the red tape that is strangling our job creators.” (Sen. Collins, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. JOHN BOOZMAN (R-AR): “The administration's policies have led to the worst recovery since World War II. Over 23 million people are unemployed, underemployed. One of the main reasons that we can't find work in this is the economic uncertainty Washington has created, stopping the hiring process. Our businesses are frozen.” (Sen. John Boozman, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. ROY BLUNT (R-MO): “The number-one job of this Congress domestically should have been more private sector jobs. The President's long-held view of redistribution as a goal for the government is not going to accomplish that. What's going to accomplish that is more opportunity.” (Sen. Blunt, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. JIM DeMINT (R-SC): “Yesterday, a businessman from South Carolina came to Washington to present a very simple proposition. He built his business from his garage to 150 workers, putting every dime he could back into his business. His plan was to add 25 workers next year if we keep taxes the same, but to do nothing if we follow [Democrats’] plan to raise taxes. Mr. President, if you really want to create jobs, help our economy and reduce our deficit, stop threatening to raise taxes.” (Sen. DeMint, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. ROB PORTMAN (R-OH): “We’ve learned again, a lesson we’ve learned time and time again in America, you can't tax, regulate your way to prosperity. And Republicans in the Senate have provided an alternative. This is the Republican Senate Jobs Plan. All 47 Republican Senators have supported it. We have introduced legislation that incorporates these ideas. And yet we haven't gotten a hearing on the Senate floor. Pretty simple.” (Sen. Portman, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R-UT): “Our country is at a moment of deep economic uncertainty, and America’s citizens and taxpayers deserve more than the President’s decision to prioritize electoral politics over sound fiscal policy.” (Sen. Hatch, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. THAD COCHRAN (R-MS): “In most states unemployment has remained over 8% for more than three years despite spending nearly $1 trillion with the President's 2009 stimulus package. Investments in small business growth have languished, and they've done this in a state of the economy, tax policy, federal regulations that seem to have made matters worse. The course we're on is simply not good enough.” (Sen. Cochran, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

On The Budget

SEN. JEFF SESSIONS (R-AL): “This nation has never faced a more difficult financial challenge. We have deep systemic demographic problems. They need to be addressed yet today marks the 1,240th day since the Democratic Leadership in the Senate adopted a budget.” (Sen. Sessions, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): “When Republicans regain the majority in the Senate, we will pass a budget, we will reduce the deficit, we will tackle our long-term debt and we will help grow the American economy by getting our boot off the neck of the small businesses and job creators in our country.” (Sen. Cornyn, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. BOB CORKER (R-TN): “This year we will spend over $3.5 trillion, 60% of which is taxpayer money, 40% is borrowed. Over the next 10 years, we will spend $45 trillion. We haven't had a budget in this body for 1,240 days. Not only is this dysfunctional and America looks at us as a dysfunctional body, it is an embarrassment.” (Sen. Corker, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. JOHNNY ISAKSON (R-GA): “We spent $10.6 trillion, increased our debt over $4 trillion while the American people have cut their debt, cut their spending and got their house in order during our worst recession since the Great Depression. It’s time the leadership of the Senate took a lesson from the American people.” (Sen. Isakson, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. MIKE JOHANNS (R-NE): “Mr. President, think about it, $5 trillion of new debt under this President. So when he submits a budget plan, what happens to it? On the floor of this Senate, the President's budget plan did not get a single vote. No Republican, no Democrat, no Independent supported the President.” (Sen. Johanns, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): “We're facing the most predictable financial crisis in our nation, and our President refuses to lead, this Senate refuses to lead. America hungers for leadership.” (Sen. Ron Johnson, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. MIKE LEE (R-UT): “It’s bad enough that this Senate Leadership, led by the Democrats, has not passed a budget in three and a half years. What’s even worse than that is the fact that they haven't offered a budget this Congress. They haven't voted for or supported a single budget in this Congress.” (Sen. Lee, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

On The Fiscal Cliff

SEN. JON KYL (R-AZ): “Senate Democrats and the Obama administration are too afraid to tackle, let alone vote on, the tough issues in an election year. For Americans outside the Beltway, the consequences are very serious.” (Sen. Kyl, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. OLYMPIA SNOWE (R-ME): “We're facing another manufactured crisis this year with a fiscal cliff that never would have existed if the Senate had remained in session, had fewer recesses, and maximized every legislative day based on the job we were elected to do as I have argued virtually throughout this entire Congress.” (Sen. Snowe, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. TOM COBURN (R-OK): “We find ourselves at a point in time where the greatest threat to our nation is our debt and our economy. We're risking our future, not only our future economically but our future of liberty. What we have had, I would remind my colleagues, is a history in the Senate of doing hard things, under the leadership of Senator Reid, the Senate has not attempted to do hard things.” (Sen. Coburn, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. PAT TOOMEY (R-PA): “As long as everybody who might even contemplate launching a new business or expanding an existing business knows that this government is running trillion-dollar deficits as far as the eye can see with no willingness to address this, then people won't make that investment, they won't expand their business, they won't hire that next worker. Mr. President, it's long past time that the Democratic Leadership in this body accept its responsibility to address this problem…” (Sen. Toomey, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. RICHARD BURR (R-NC): “We've known about the fiscal cliff for a long time, and there's been no shortage of warnings about the dire economic consequences of doing nothing, but that's in fact what this body has done. Nothing. So let me just say this. There's a reason that President Obama and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are targeting the Romney plan and the Ryan plan and the Republican plan. It's because they don't have a plan.” (Sen. Burr, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. JERRY MORAN (R-KS): “This is a softball: what's the estate tax rate going to be next year? It's embarrassing not to be able to answer the simple questions about what is going to happen in people's lives... We're facing a point in time in which we have no opportunity to tell somebody what the tax code is going to be in three months. That's embarrassing.” (Sen. Moran, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

On National Security

SEN. KELLY AYOTTE (R-NH): “Our troops are fighting and being attacked in Afghanistan. Iran marches toward the capability of having a nuclear weapon, terrorists have murdered our diplomats. Innocent civilians are being murdered in Syria by a despotic regime. Mr. President, the world is a dangerous place. President Obama, stop leading from behind.” (Sen. Ayotte, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): “There is no coherent foreign policy at a time when we need one. Four years later, after a charm offensive and an apology tour that has not worked, our enemies are on steroids and our friends are unsure about who we are. I'll make a prediction. If this continues, the world is going to devolve into chaos…” (Sen. Graham, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R-GA): “The Senate's lack of leadership in addressing sequestration will have long-term effects on our nation's robust intelligence community which had to be rebuilt after 9/11. These budget cuts will make it very difficult for the intelligence community to keep Americans safe in future years.” (Sen. Chambliss, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R-KS): “Americans are watching a conflagration of an estimated half million jihadists and over 30 countries burning portraits of our President, American flags and threatening attacks upon our consulates and embassies while shouting death to America. No, Mr. President, my colleagues, the war against terrorism is not over. … We are on a merry-go-round with this administration of excuses. There is no strong horse or weak horse. It's a merry-go-round that has to stop.” (Sen. Roberts, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. JAMES RISCH (R-ID): “This is a foreign policy that is in shambles. In the Middle East, it is a foreign policy of apology, it is a foreign policy of appeasement, it is a foreign policy of dithering and looking the other way. This cannot go on.” (Sen. Risch, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

On Energy

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): “I will remind my colleagues, this is our choice here. It is within our power to free ourselves from reliance on OPEC oil. … Our problems result from a federal government that has actions and inactions that indefinitely delay if not prohibit in many cases access to our energy resources. Mr. President, we are not running out of energy. What we're running out of are excuses for continued reliance on OPEC.” (Sen. Murkowski, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY): “Just yesterday, the White House went out and applauded the fact that Saudi Arabia is creating more, producing more oil. The President goes to Brazil and he tells the President of Brazil, we want to be your number-one customer. This is at the same time that this White House is blocking American energy projects and American energy jobs. Held hostage by environmental extremists, this President continues to block and cause people to lose jobs in the United States.” (Sen. Barrasso, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. DAVID VITTER (R-LA): “Today the price of gasoline at the pump is double what it was four years ago. The majority in this Senate has done nothing to address that problem, and this administration has done nothing to address that problem. In fact, we are moving in the wrong direction. … We are the most energy-rich country in the world, but this Senate majority, this administration won't allow us to access our own resources for our own good.” (Sen. Vitter, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. JOHN HOEVEN (R-ND): “Why do veterans have to come back from the Middle East and go to Canada to get a job to work on something like the Keystone pipeline? Because the Administration is blocking it in this country. The question I have is, ‘Why?’” (Sen. Hoeven, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

On The Broken Senate

SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER (R-TN): “The committee did its work. Eleven of the 12 [appropriations bills] have been reported to the floor. … But the Majority Leader said we're not going to consider any appropriations bills. No appropriations bills. Mr. President, being elected to the Senate and not being allowed to vote on appropriations bills is like being invited to join the Grand Ole Opry and not be allowed to sing.” (Sen. Alexander, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. JOHN McCAIN (R-AZ): “The Majority Leader of the United States Senate said the day of amendments in this body are over. Is there a more telling description of how this body has deteriorated and degenerated over the years?” (Sen. McCain, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. DAN COATS (R-IN): “Twenty-three million Americans are either unemployed or underemployed and millions more have simply given up finding a job. And what is the President's response in the face of all this? Reject every plan presented by Republicans and instead spend $5 trillion of borrowed money leading, so-called leading, our country into decline and ultimately into bankruptcy.” (Sen. Coats, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. ROGER WICKER (R-MS): “Yesterday The New York Times said this: the 112th Congress is set to enter the congressional record books as the least productive body in a generation. This is true, and the responsibility falls squarely at the feet of the Democratic Senate leadership. … The Majority Leader has shut off the right to amend a record number of times. The Majority Leader has filled the amendment tree a record 66 times, more than his six predecessors in the Senate …” (Sen. Wicker, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): “The fact that we have an election coming up is not an excuse for not tackling the tough problems.” (Sen. McConnell, Floor Remarks, 9/20/12)

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Tags: Senate, Republicans, America Deserves better, floor speeches To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

As Mr. Obama's World Turns

By Ken Blackwell, Contributing Author: It's been twenty years since Vice President Dan Quayle left town. He was hooted and booted out of office. The press had a field day with his misspelling of "potatoe," or rather, potato. What a dunce, they wrote. Of course, that is standard treatment for conservatives, Christians, or anyone else who doesn't go along with the right thinking, which is to say, the left thinking legions of progressivism. No sooner had the former vice president left Washington for the greener golf courses of Arizona than social scientist Barbara Dafoe Whitehead took to the pages of The Atlantic. In April, 1993, she bravely wrote: "Dan Quayle was Right."

Dr. Whitehead could not be so easily dismissed. Her credentials as analyst and scholar are impeccable. The media could not distort her image or treat her with scorn. She was no Mr. Potato Head. So, she was largely ignored. Was that powerful article in The Atlantic the last time the liberal media addressed the issue of out-of-wedlock births with the sobriety it merits? Twenty years later, we see all the concerns of single parenthood that Dan Quayle addressed, and for which he was pilloried, growing and threatening our country. Dr. Whitehead's article bears re-reading--every year.

The Family Research Council, is home to the Marriage and Religion Research Institute. Felicitously abbreviated MARRI,  this serious think tank provides irrefutable evidence of the link between family formation, marital fidelity, and a healthy, growing economy. Those who think social issues--so-called--are mere "shiny objects" need to think again. The family is the seedbed of virtue and the basis for political stability and economic success.

Those in the pro-life movement thank God when a young mother chooses life. But no one should mistake the tragedy of children growing up without fathers in the home. Marriage itself is under a sustained assault. For a fast-food chain simply to state that marriage is good for mothers and fathers and their children, and seek to preserve that family forming institution, is to become suddenly "controversial." And to be exposed to brutal bullying by the politically correct. Single parenthood is the quickest way to poverty--for mother and child.

The Democratic Party has officially committed itself to ending traditional marriage. For what else can happen to marriage when two persons of the same sex can marry and the rest of us are forced to recognize these counterfeits as true? If two, why not three? There is no compelling reason why not.

No one doubts President Obama's formidable intellect. He has never been subjected to the kind of scorn and ridicule that met Dan Quayle's every utterance. After all, as presidential historian Michael Beschloss assures us, Barack Obama is the smartest man ever to occupy the Oval Office. Thus, we all sift through the golden rhetoric of this amazing man. Historian Michael Knox Beran found this nugget in Mr. Obama's second autobiography, The Audacity of Hope.

"[I] came to appreciate how the earth rotated around the sun and the seasons came and went without any particular exertions on my part."

What becoming modesty: earth, sun, seasons. Wait! Did he say the earth rotates around the sun? Yes, he did. Where is our ready-to-pounce press corps on this one? I don't know how they taught in fifth grade science in Jakarta, but here in America I learned that the earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun. This is no small point. The rotation of the earth is tied to the movement of the tides. And the earth's revolution around the sun is the key to understanding the changing seasons.

Remember that bit about the seas ceasing to rise? Recall how climate change is a bigger threat than Islamists flying planes into buildings--or murdering our ambassadors?

President Obama has similarly mixed up the social science on family. His administration has given us "Julia." She is the Every Woman fictional figure who spends her entire life looking to government for assistance, from Head Start through Social Security. The only man in Julia's life is Barack Obama.

Social science unambiguously reports that children thrive with mothers and fathers who are married and who worship regularly. President Obama's administration is not about that at all, although his own model family consists of a mother and father, married, with children who worship regularly.

I am not suggesting that we treat President Obama's scientific gaffe with the same derision that greeted Dan Quayle. Quayle was wrong about potato, but he never suggested using potatoes for ethanol. President Obama is pursuing policies that defy science. Science tells us human life begins at conception. Barack Obama says that question is "above my pay grade." Social Science tells us that children do best when raised in a loving family, with a married mother and father, especially a family that worships regularly. The Obama administration is defying all of this, from its lavish spending on the abortionists of Planned Parenthood to its gutting of welfare reform. And most dangerous of all, this administration refuses to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act and actively seeks to end marriage.

Let's give the final word to Dr. Whitehead. It's a sobering one:  More than a century and a half ago Alexis de Tocqueville made the striking observation that an individualistic society depends on a communitarian institution like the family for its continued existence. The family cannot be constituted like the liberal state, nor can it be governed entirely by that state's principles. Yet the family serves as the seedbed for the virtues required by a liberal state. The family is responsible for teaching lessons of independence, self-restraint, responsibility, and right conduct, which are essential to a free, democratic society. If the family fails in these tasks, then the entire experiment in democratic self-rule is jeopardized.
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Ken Blackwell is a conservative family values advocate. Blackwell is a senior fellow at the Family Research Council. He is the co-author of the new bestseller: The Blueprint: Obama’s Plan to Subvert the Constitution and Build an Imperial Presidency. He is Executive Vice President  of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies and a contributing author to the ARRA News Service.

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Tags: Ken Blackwell, the family, Obama's World, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Ignore Anti-Mitt Media

Gary Bauer

Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: Left-wing media pundits are doing everything they can to distort Mitt Romney's comments at a fundraiser three months ago. Don't fall for it, my friends.

They are suggesting that Mitt Romney was insulting the elderly and our soldiers when he said 47% of the country doesn't pay taxes and thinks of themselves as victims. That's nonsense. People on Social Security have paid into Social Security for decades. The GOP is the party committed to maintaining a strong national defense. It's the Democrats who want to gut the defense budget, which would put our troops in the unemployment line!

The talking heads want you to believe that Mitt Romney doesn't care about people. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Romney was asked a political question about winning the election and he offered a political answer, not a policy answer. Based on all the polling and recent election results, the country is narrowly divided. Mitt Romney correctly said that he is focused on winning over the five to ten percent of voters who are undecided.

Obama and his radical allies have spent the last four years dividing the country. They may talk about the 1%, but they don't mean just millionaire and billionaires. Their policies are aimed at you. His latest proposal calls for raising taxes on everyone in 2014!

More Pro-Obama Media Bias
Did you catch Barack Obama on Dave Letterman's show last night? Yes, even at 11:30 at night, I am keeping an eye on our socialist president. Then I have nightmares for the rest of the night! Obama made two statements last night that should be news. One was a lie. The other was stupid.

First, Obama asserted that even though 47% of the country voted against him in 2008, when he took office he made it clear that he was going to be president of all the people.

Really? He has completely ignored the interests of that 47%. He refused to work with the Republican congressmen they elected to Congress. He refused to let them read the legislation his majorities were cramming down their throats.

He has constantly played the class warfare card. He has played the race card in situations where previous presidents would have been extremely cautious in order to avoid exploiting racial divisions.

Other than in the conservative media, I have not heard anyone in the "main stream" media question Obama's assertion that he has tried to represent everyone.

Later in the show, Letterman asked Obama about the national debt, and asked Obama if he knew how big the debt was. Obama could not give him an answer.

If a Republican candidate can't provide on demand the exact price of a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk or the exact figure of the minimum wage, there is nothing but outrage and ridicule from the press. But when this president appears clueless about the size of the national debt, it's a non-issue. It was a performance that only a liberal Democrat could get away with.

After taping his Letterman appearance, our man of the people president, who has no idea how much debt he has racked up, went to unwind at a fundraiser hosted by Beyonce and Jay-Z. Tickets were $40,000 each. According to the New York Times, the event had "memorable touches," such as a pyramid of champagne bottles valued at more than $100,000. Obama parties with $800 bottles of champagne while millions of Americans sign up for food stamps.

Obama's Foreign Policy Fiasco
Barack Obama's foreign policy has been one fiasco after another. The latest example is the growing chaos in Afghanistan. George W. Bush went after Al Qaeda and its Taliban backers after the 9/11 attacks. Obama even said that was the "good war." But it's not going so well now.

It was announced this week that joint operations between coalition and Afghan forces were being suspended. Why? Because more than 50 coalition soldiers have been killed by the Afghans they were trying to train. In addition, the Taliban pulled off a surprise attack on Camp Bastion that killed two Marines and destroyed at least six Harrier jets, each one costing more than $30 million.

Now get this: According to press reports, neither our British allies nor the Afghan government were informed by the Obama Administration about plans to end the joint operations!

After four years of Obama, the Middle East is in flames. Iran is closer to achieving nuclear weapons. Israel is increasingly isolated. China is threatening to seize islands in the Pacific, while a Chinese mob just attacked our ambassador in his car. Canada is looking for other buyers for its vast oil supplies because Obama rejected the Keystone pipeline.

America's enemies smell weakness.

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Tags: Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, Obama's Foreign Policy, Pro-Obama, Media Bias, Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

CBO: ObamaCare Tax Hits Middle Class

New CBO Data Shows That 80 Percent Of Those Paying ObamaCare’s Mandate Tax Will Be Families Earning Less Than $123K

New CBO Data: ‘The Middle Class — Will Have To Pay’“Congressional budget analysts are now estimating that nearly 6 million Americans — most of them in the middle class — will have to pay a tax penalty for not getting health insurance once President Barack Obama’s health care law is fully in place. That’s 2 million more than a previous estimate found...” (“Tax Penalty To Hit Nearly 6M Uninsured People,” AP, 9/19/12)

• “The average penalty will be nearly $1,200.” (“Tax Penalty To Hit Nearly 6M Uninsured People,” AP, 9/19/12)
• Four out of five who will pay penalty have an adjusted gross income of less than $123,000. (“Payments Of Penalties For Being Uninsured Under The Affordable Care Act,” CBO, P.2, 9/12)

BROKEN PROMISE: ‘Absolutely Not A Tax Increase’

STEPHANOPOULOS: “Under this mandate, the government is forcing people to spend money, fining you if you don’t. How is that not a tax?” … PRESIDENT OBAMA:  “No. That's not true, George. The — for us to say that you've got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase.  What it's saying is, is that we're not going to have other people carrying your burdens for you anymore than the fact that right now everybody in America, just about, has to get auto insurance. Nobody considers that a tax increase.” (“Obama: Mandate Is Not A Tax,” ABC News, 9/20/09)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL): “And if you're a family making less than $250,000 a year, my plan won't raise your taxes one penny -- not your income taxes, not your payroll taxes, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.” (Barack Obama, Remarks, Orlando, FL, 8/3/08)

Household Income Down: ‘Middle Class Lost Ground Again Last Year’

The Washington Post: “The middle class lost ground again last year, falling to an all-time low in their share of how much income they take in, new census data released Wednesday showed.” (“Census: Middle Class Shrinks To An All-Time Low,” The Washington Post, 9/12/12)

U.S. Census Bureau: “Real median household income in the United States in 2011 was $50,054, a 1.5 percent decline from the 2010 median and the second consecutive annual drop.” (“Income, Poverty And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2011 Press Release” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/12/12)

• Household income down $777. “2010 Median income, All households: $50,831 … 2011 Median income, All households: $50,054.” Ibid
• “In 2011, real median household income was 8.1 percent lower than in 2007, the year before the most recent recession…” Ibid
• “Real median earnings of both men and women who worked full time, year-round declined by 2.5 percent between 2010 and 2011.” Ibid

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Tags: CBO, ObamaCare, Tax, Middle Class To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

To Stop the War on American jobs, We Must End Obama's War On Coal

Stop Obama's War on Coal, Gas and Oil

Phil Kerpen, Contributing Author: At this point, you’d have to be blind not to see President Obama’s war on coal, and the devastating impact it is already having on coal mining communities and will, sooner rather than later, have on everyone who pays an electric bill. Does this administration care at all about saving American jobs? The latest announcement came from Alpha Natural Resources, which is laying off 1,200 coal miners, citing “a regulatory environment that’s aggressively aimed at constraining the use of coal.”

We shouldn’t be surprised by what’s happening. Obama told us his disastrous plan for the coal industry and affordable electricity on the campaign trail in 2008. “If someone wants to build a new coal-fired power plant they can, but it will bankrupt them,” candidate Obama said then. “Electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket,” he added.

First he tried a massive cap-and-trade plan. It failed. The day after the 2010 landslide election, he said: “Cap-and-trade was just one way of skinning the cat.” Now he's abusing regulatory power to accomplish the same deeply destructive goal of bankrupting coal.

We’ve already seen mercury rules from the EPA that will impose tens of billions of dollars in retrofit costs for coal plants, heavy-handed denials of clean water permits to block mining operations, and even an illegal attempt to veto an already approved permit to block a West Virginia mine – that one was overturned by a judge who accused the EPA of “magical thinking.” A cross-state air pollution rule designed to cripple coal was also at least temporarily blocked by the courts, but with dozens of draconian rules there is plenty of redundancy.

Worst of all is the power plant greenhouse gas rule, designed to transform Obama’s failed cap-and-trade scheme into the law of the land by distorted and contorted the 1970 Clean Air Act. As EPA regional administrator Curt Spalding let slip, the rule says that “basically gas plants are the performance standard, which means if you want to build a coal plant, you got a big problem.”

Spalding went on to praise his boss Lisa Jackson, the national EPA administrator for the decision to destroy coal, saying: “You can’t imagine how tough that was. Because you’ve got to remember if you go to West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and all those places, you have coal communities who depend on coal.”

The strongest words of anger against this regulatory destruction of the coal industry came not from an industry voice but from organized labor. Cecil Roberts, the president of the United Mine Workers, said: “The Navy SEALs shot Usama Bin Laden in Pakistan and Lisa Jackson shot us in Washington. This rule is an all-out, in my opinion, decision by the EPA that we’re never going to have another coal-fired facility in the United States that’s constructed.”

Worse than that, the rule will create a legal predicate under which the Sierra Club can sue to shut down all existing coal plants, which you can be certain they will do. That will make good on Obama’s campaign promise to make electricity rates “necessarily skyrocket.”

The House is expected to vote Friday on stopping Obama’s War on Coal. I’ve got a form set up at www.WarOnCoal.com where you can urge them to do so. But the future of coal and affordable electricity will most likely depend on defeating Barack Obama at the ballot box.
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© 2012 Phil Kerpen. He is the president of American Commitment; a columnist on Fox News Opinion 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. Phil Kerpen is a contributing author for the ARRA News Service.

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Tags: Phil Kerpen, Barack Obama, War on coal, American jobs, jobs To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!