Clinton, following the norm,
fired ninety-some US Attorneys, in one fell swoop, right out of the
gate, and, rightly, no one said, "Boo!" Then again, "New Tone"
Bush, very late in the game, fired a handful of US Attorneys for
non-performance and was raked over the coals. But, this, folks, is
a purge, plainly and simply. Can we say, "Totalitarianism?"
OPM [US Office
of Personnel Management] is now claiming
authority to weed out every former
political appointee from being
considered for ANY federal positions at
EVERY level of the GS Pay Scale, for
both the competitive AND excepted
service – made RETROACTIVE for the past
5 years! (This is a new, extra layer of
scrutiny previously reserved for SES
[Senior Executive Service] hires.) OPM
will now check the recommended hires to
“ensure they comply with merit system
principles and applicable civil service
laws.”
It is well
established anti-discrimination law in
the Federal sector – the public
(political appointees included) may not
be excluded from consideration for
federal jobs because of their political
affiliation.
OPM’s alleged
rationale is to keep political
appointees from “burrowing in,” but
agencies would need to have already
considered the applicant the best
qualified to even reach this new hurdle.
Stated another
way, “but for” the applicant having
served as a political appointee within
the past five years, all agencies would
not be required to seek review from OPM
for all agency positions. Effectively,
the ONLY reason EVERY agency will now be
REQUIRED to consult OPM is to “ask
permission” to hire a person based on
their political affiliation.
Why make the
policy retroactive for 5 years? I leave
you to draw your own conclusions.
By Gerard Shields The Advocate Washington
Bureau September 15, 2009
An
urgent matter demanding your attention, today: Professor Cass
Sunstein, perhaps the most dangerous nominee for Obama’s shadow
government (worse than Van Jones), is slated for Senate confirmation,
today. Please contact
David and
Mary, ASAP, and beseech them to vote NO
on his confirmation.
A sample
message:
Senator,
Please vote NO to confirm Professor Cass Sunstein to administer the
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. While, on the surface, he
does not seem as extreme as Van Jones, he certainly is - perhaps more so
given his subtlety.
His
confirmation will prove disastrous for the nation and for Louisiana, in
particular. His extreme views on hunting, animal rights, agriculture
and the 1st and 2nd Amendments to the US
Constitution are terribly dangerous. He must not be confirmed.
Thank you for your attention.
The following is a
letter from an on-site observer at the Obama town hall meeting in
Bozeman, Montana, August 14, 2009. Bullies.
Hello All,
By now, you have probably
heard that President Obama came to Montana last Friday. However, there
are many things that the major news has not covered. I feel that since
Bill and I live here, and we were at the airport on Friday, I should
share some facts with you. Whatever you decide to do with the
information is up to you.
On Wednesday, August 5th, it
was announced locally that the President would be coming here. There are
many groups here that are against his healthcare and huge spending, so
those groups began talking and deciding on what they were going to do.
The White House would not release ANY details other than the date.
On Tuesday, Bill found out
that they would be holding the Townhall [sic] meeting at the airport.
(This is only because Bill knows EVERYONE at the airport). Our airport
is actually located outside of Belgrade (tiny town) in a very remote
location. Nothing is around there. They chose to use a hangar that is
the most remotely located hangar. You could not pick a more remote
location, and you cannot get to it easily. It is totally secluded from
the public.
FYI: We have many areas in
Belgrade and Bozeman which could have held a large amount of folks with
sufficient parking. (gymnasiums/auditoriums). All of which have chairs
and tables, which would not have to be SHIPPED IN!! $$$$$
During the week, cargo by the
TONS was being shipped in constantly. Airport employees could not
believe how it just kept coming. Though it was our President coming,
several expressed how excessive it was, especially during a recession.
$$$$$
Late Tuesday/early Wednesday,
the 12th, they said that tickets would be handed out on Thursday 9am at
two locations, and the president would be arriving around 12:30 on
Friday.
On Thursday morning, about
600 tickets were passed out. However, 1500 were printed at a Local
printing shop, per White House request. Hmmm ... 900 tickets just
DISAPPEARED. This same morning, someone called into the radio from the
local UPS branch and said that THOUSANDS of dollars worth of lobster was
shipped in for Obama. Montana has some of the best beef in the nation,
and it would have been really wonderful to help out the local economy.
Anyone heard of the Recession?? Just think ... with all of the
traveling the White House is doing, $$$$$, one can only imagine what
else we are paying for.
On Friday, Bill and I got out
to the airport about 10:45am. The groups that wanted to protest Obama's
spending and healthcare had gotten a permit to protest, and that area
was roped off. But that was not to be. A large bus carrying SEIU
(Service Employees International Union) members drove up onto the area
(illegal) and unloaded right there. There was quite a commotion, and
there were specifically 2 SEIU men trying to make trouble and start a
fight. Police did get involved and arrested the one man, but they said
they did not have the manpower to remove the SEIU crowd.
The SEIU crowd was very
organized and young. About 99% were under the age of 30, and they were
not locals! They had bullhorns and PROFESSIONALLY made signs. Some even
wore preprinted T-shirts. Oh, and Planned Parenthood folks were with
them ... professing abortion rights with their T-shirts and preprinted
signs. BTW, all these folks did have a permit to protest in ANOTHER
area.
Those against
healthcare/spending moved away from the SEIU crowd to avoid
confrontation, being orderly and respectful. Even though SEIU kept
coming over and walking through, continuing to be very intimidating and
aggressive at the direction of the one SEIU man.
So, we had Montana folks from
ALL OVER the state with their homemade signs and their DOGS with
homemade signs. We had cowboys, nurses, doctors you name it. There was
even a guy from Texas who had been driving through. He found out about
the occasion, went to the store, made a sign and came to protest.
If you are wondering about
the press ... well, all of the major networks were over by that remote
hangar I mentioned. They were conveniently parked on the other side of
the buildings FAR away. None of these crowds were even visible to them.
I have my doubts that they knew anything about the crowds.
We did have some local news
media around us from this state and Idaho. Speaking of the local media,
they were invited. However, all questions were to be turned into the
White House in advance of the event. Wouldn't want anyone to have to
think off the top of their head.
It was very obvious that it
was meant to be totally controlled by the White House. Everything was
orchestrated down to the last detail to make it appear that Montana is
just crazy for Obama and government healthcare. Even those people who
talked about their insurance woes -- the White House called our local
HRDC (Human Resource and Development Committee) and asked for names.
Then the White House asked those folks to come. Smoke and mirrors ...
EVERYTHING was staged!
I am very dismayed about what
I learned about our current White House. The amount of control and
manipulation was unbelievable. I felt I was not living in the United
States of America, more like the USSR! I was physically nauseous. Bill
and I have been around when former Presidents or Heads of State visited.
It has NEVER been like this. I am truly very frightened for our country.
America needs your prayers and your voices. If you care about our
country, please get involved. Know the issues, and let Congress hear
your voices again and again. If they are willing to put forth so much
effort to BULLY a small town, one can only imagine what is going on in
Washington DC. Scary!!
Kathy in Bozeman, Montana
They're going after Glenn
Beck. Click on all the embedded links to see how sinister it is.
Communist
Green Jobs Czar's Group Takes Aim at TV's Glenn Beck
By Matthew Vadum
August 12, 2009
The particularly unsavory left-wing pressure group Color
of Change has an axe to grind with Glenn Beck -- and it's
personal.
The extremist racial grievance group isn't happy that
Beck did several news packages on
Van Jones, President Obama's controversial green jobs
czar who describes himself as a communist. (Green really is
the new red.)
Jones is a founding board member of Color of Change, but
Color of Change doesn't want you to know that. Maybe having
an avowed America-hating radical on the group's board is bad
public relations.
The group deleted references to Jones on its "about"
page. That page used to say, "James Rucker and Van Jones
came together in the wake of [Hurricane] Katrina to use the
organizing power of the Internet to give Black Americans and
our allies a renewed and strengthened political voice."
But now it doesn't.
The old page still exists in the
Google cache. (The cache will eventually be cleared,
so for safekeeping, I made a PDF of the page
here.) The 501(c)(4) group's 2006
and
2007 tax returns (IRS Form 990) show Jones as a
director.
Jones was also on the board of the
Apollo Alliance, a hard-left environmentalist group that
is now running large chunks of the Obama administration.
Beck pounded away at the Apollo Alliance and Jones on a
recent show.
On its website, Color of Change invited people to sign a
petition to spare the life of convicted multiple murder
Stanley Tookie Williams. From the petition:
Stanley Tookie Williams has become a true asset to
our community. As a co-founder of the Crips, Tookie
created untold suffering and death. There is nothing
romantic or glamorous about the kind of violence the
Crips unleashed. But Williams has taken responsibility
for the harm he's done. And since then, he has saved the
lives of countless young Black males. He will continue
to do the same-but only if he's allowed to live. It
would be senseless for the State of California to kill a
man who is working every day to stop the madness of gang
violence.
Mass murderers don't usually get clemency. Williams
was executed in 2005.
The race-baiting conspiracy theorists of Color of Change
appear to be enjoying some success in their campaign to
convince advertisers to boycott the "Glenn Beck Program,"
which airs at 5 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays.
The group's co-founder James
Rucker gloats in an op-ed at the
Huffington Post that Progressive Insurance and several
other advertisers have dropped Beck's show since Color of
Change started promoting a boycott. Of course it's not all
that surprising that Progressive Insurance dropped Beck.
After all, the company was founded by left-wing
philanthropist
Peter B. Lewis.
Rucker is a former MoveOn.org organizer. He is also a
co-founder of the
Secretary of State Project, the group that helped to
elect Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie. Ritchie, a
former community organizer who has worked hand in hand with
ACORN, helped set the stage for Sen. Al Franken
(D-ACORN) to steal the 2008 Senate election in Minnesota.
(Hat tip as to the existence of the boycott: Jeff Poor @
NewsBusters)
Matthew Vadum is a senior
editor at Capital Research Center, a Washington, D.C. think
tank that studies the politics of philanthropy.
Note:
Vitter received a standing ovation. At the end of the article, we learn the SEIU was there.
Health care forum with Sen. David
Vitter in Elmwood is jammed
by Mark Waller
August 10, 2009
Constituents packed into a health care forum hosted by Sen. David
Vitter today in Elmwood, where Vitter took audience questions mostly
criticizing President Barack Obama's reform push and stated his own
opposition to the plans . "I think there are problems and issues with
the health care system that need improvement," Vitter said during the
forum. "I want to focus specifically on those problems, and I don't want
to throw out the baby with the bath water. I completely and unalterably
oppose the Obama administration plan."
Vitter said Obama's reforms - creating a new government health plan
option that competes with private insurers - would drive companies out
of the health care business, raise costs and result in government
officials making health care decisions for people.
The heated subject attracted such a crowd that all the seats were
full, and people stood along the back and sides of the Jefferson Parish
Council chambers at the Joseph S. Yenni Building. An overflow crowd even
amassed outside the doors of the building and remained there throughout
the session, holding a peaceful demonstration.
Vitter began the forum by encouraging people to fill all available
spaces in the room and apologizing for the lack of a larger venue. He
said at the end that he would provide more opportunities for people to
speak out.
The Republican senator read audience questions submitted on speaker
sheets and repeatedly agreed with questioners who raised numerous
concerns about the reforms advanced by Obama, a Democrat.
Similar forums hosted by Democratic legislators around the country
have prompted fiery and controversial demonstrations. Protesters
disrupted town hall meetings, in some cases shouting down speakers at
the events.
Republicans have seized on them as evidence that Obama lacks public
support for his health care legislation.
The Democrats have fired back, accusing the Republicans of mob
tactics and of trying to undermine the democratic process.
"These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not
just of differing views -- but of the facts themselves, " Speaker Nancy
Pelosi of California and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland said in
an opinion piece in USA Today. "Drowning out opposing views is simply
un-American. Drowning out the facts is how we failed at this task for
decades."
Friendly crowd for Vitter
The audience at the Vitter event was spirited, but not protesting
against the senator. Signs people held up outside the building also
aligned with Vitter's views.
Vitter said the proposed reforms will drive the number of uninsured
or underinsured people even higher than current problematic levels by
pushing some people out of private insurance plans or cutting existing
Medicare programs that are serving them well.
He said current counts of uninsured Americans often are exaggerated
because they include illegal immigrants and young people who choose not
to acquire insurance because they view health issues as remote problems.
"If there is any so-called government option," Vitter said, "I
believe it will be a very uneven playing field."
Instead, he said he favors allowing small businesses to band together
for group insurance at better rates than they currently receive,
allowing people to obtain less expensive prescription drugs from other
countries and cutting down on unnecessary and costly lawsuits.
"Let's start cutting costs which have no benefits," he said.
He received a standing ovation when he said he would propose
requiring members of Congress to enroll in the government option if such
a program is created.
Airing views outside
Meanwhile, the health care debate also unfolded in the parking lot,
where some people in the crowd, including Millie Chenevert, were
disappointed they couldn't get inside to see the town hall meeting.
"We came thinking that we were going to have a voice in this,"
Chevevert said. "People are being turned away and going home. This is
wrong for them not to give us a bigger venue."
George Paterson, however, said he didn't mind assembling with others
outside to express his views.
"Obama's health care is not about health care," said Paterson, who
called the plan a move to socialism. "It's about power and control."
"We're here to support Vitter," he said. "We need more people like
Sen. Vitter to speak up and support the American people."
Cindy LeBlanc said the Democratic leadership in Washington is pushing
to do too much at once.
"It needs to be cleaned up," LeBlanc said about the state of health
care. "It's a mess. Let's take once piece and section at a time."
While the crowd mostly seemed sympathetic to Vitter's views, a few
pro-Obama demonstrators also appeared outside the Yenni Building.
Stephen Miles, deputy state director of the Service Employees
International Union, argued fears coming from the Republican side are
unfounded.
"What we're interested in is creating a health care system that's not
broken," Miles said. "There's a problem with affordability. There's a
problem with access. We have a serious problem that requires a serious
solution."
He said the government option will give people another choice of
health care coverage without hurting existing insurance policies. And he
argued its presence in the marketplace will suppress costs.
"The result will be driving down costs and giving people more
choices," Miles said. The government plan, he said, "will never be the
only option."
Six People, Including P-D Reporter, Arrested At Carnahan Meeting
By Leah
Thorsen
August 6, 2009
MEHLVILLE -- St. Louis County police on
Thursday arrested at least four people, including a Post-Dispatch
reporter, outside a town hall forum held by Rep. Russ Carnahan, said
Dawn Majors, a Post-Dispatch photojournalist who witnessed everything
unfold.
It happened about 8:30 p.m at Bernard Middle School
on Forder Road in Mehlville. Carnahan, D-St. Louis, had drawn a rowdy
crowd that overflowed the school gym and left dozens of people outside.
Many of those who showed up at what had been billed as a forum on aging
carried signs about the national health-care debate.
Dozens of people were kept out because there was no
room for them inside. Members of the local Tea Party Coalition, a
movement that has emerged to counter President Barack Obama’s policies,
had urged their members to attend, which in turn spurred Democrats to
establish a strong presence.
The event was winding down when Majors said she saw
a police squad car turn its lights on and went to see what was
happening. As she approached it, her eyes started to burn.
“And that's when I realized I'd walked through
remnants of pepper spray,” Majors said. She turned her attention to
taking pictures.
She said she saw a woman in handcuffs who was
complaining about the pain of the spray and asking to wash her face and
eyes. The response of the officer who was arresting her was, “I warned
you,” Majors said.
Majors said the woman had been speaking very loudly
and passionately in support of health-care reform earlier in the
evening.
“She made herself very visible,” Majors said.
She also saw a man handcuffed and on his stomach.
The man kept asking why he was being arrested, Majors said. An officer
nearby said she wasn't the arresting officer, but she would let him know
later. That response upset the man on the ground, she said.
Another man was sitting on the ground rubbing his
knee, but was not handcuffed. Majors said she heard an officer tell him
that he would be taken to jail and booked.
She also saw Post-Dispatch reporter Jake Wagman,
who was reporting on the event and shooting video for stltoday.com. He
was standing on a sidewalk, taking video.
As she photographed everything, Majors said she
heard Wagman yell her name and say that he was being arrested. She
turned and saw he had been handcuffed and was being put in the back of a
squad car. The officer said Wagman had been interfering, Majors said.
She said she did not see what led up to his
arrest.
Efforts to get the police version of what happened
have been unsuccessful as of 10 p.m.
UPDATE: St. Louis County police say six
people were arrested. Two of those were arrested on suspicion of
assault, one of resisting arrest and three on suspicion of committing
peace disturbances. Carnahan was gone when the ruckus started.
Kenneth Gladney, a 38-year-old conservative
activist from St. Louis, said he was attacked by some of those arrested
as he handed out yellow flags with “Don't tread on me” printed on them.
He spoke to the Post-Dispatch from the emergency room of the St. John's
Mercy Medical Center, where he said he was waiting to be treated for
injuries to his knee, back, elbow, shoulder and face that he suffered in
the attack. Gladney, who is black, said one of his attackers, also a
black man, used a racial slur against him before the attack started.
“It just
seems there's no freedom of speech without being attacked,” he said.
Accompanying video:
Looks like Stormy Daniels
might not run for the Senate, after all.
TAMPA, Fla. — Adult performer and director Stormy
Daniels was arrested Saturday for a domestic-violence
misdemeanor.
According to Daniels’ charging document obtained by
XBIZ, Daniels was booked at 7:13 p.m. Saturday night and
released at 1:26 p.m. the following day after posting a
$1,000 bond.
Daniels is married to Star Factory publicist Mike Moz,
who declined comment when reached by XBIZ.
A message seeking comment from Daniels’ attorney,
Mark Passler, was not returned by post time.
Daniels, who currently is on-set starring in a Marcus
London-directed title for Wicked Pictures, “Sex, Lies
and Spies,” could not be reached for comment.
News of Daniels’ arrest comes just hours after it was
reported that her political advisor’s
car was bombed in New Orleans.
A
powerful
House
committee chairman threatened on Friday to force a floor
vote to break the impasse within Democratic ranks over
President Barack Obama's
health care
overhaul, a drastic step that could roil the House.
Energy and Commerce
Chairman Henry Waxman,
D-Calif., said negotiations with fiscally conservative
Democrats on his panel cannot continue indefinitely. But
a floor vote would put fellow Democrats in an exposed
position, having to cast a vote on a $544-billion
upper-income
tax increase
that the
Senate
is unlikely to embrace to help pay for covering the
millions of uninsured Americans.
The problems on the House side of the
Capitol come a day after Senate
Democratic leaders announced they would
not go ahead as planned with a floor
vote before
Congress
departs for its August recess.
Senate
Democrats
are also divided. While some are
negotiating with Republicans, others
want to plow ahead on their own.
"We're going to have to look at perhaps
bypassing the (Energy and Commerce)
committee because we've got to get
moving on this legislation," Waxman
said. "I hope we don't come to that
conclusion."
Two House panels have already passed
legislation. Waxman is stymied because
seven conservatives on his
committee—part of a group called the
Blue Dog Democrats—are sticking
together.
Negotiations are continuing, but Waxman
said he's running out of patience.
"We're not going to let
them empower the
Republicans to control
the committee," he said.
"This can't be an
interminable
discussion," Waxman
added.
As lawmakers continued
to haggle, the
White House
said President
Barack Obama
will keep working on
health care in August
even if Congress goes
home.
"Nobody in planning
meetings decided we
should just take August
off," said White House
press secretary
Robert Gibbs.
"For a long time we
planned to continue the
discussion on the issues
that are important, be
it the economy, health
care ... education. That
had always in many ways
been priced into the
scenario."
Obama met Friday morning
at the White House with
Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid,
D-Nev., and Finance
Committee Chairman
Max Baucus,
D-Mont. Reid said
Thursday that the panel
will push to complete a
bill before the Senate
breaks Aug. 7. Baucus
has been negotiating
with the panel's
Republicans in hopes of
producing a bipartisan
bill.
Recently a
Washington Times article described how the
“powers that be” forced the House Judiciary Chairman to end a probe
into allegations of voter fraud against the Association of Community
Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).
ACORN’s
efforts to register voters multiple times, register people without their
knowledge or register people who outright did not exist have been well
documented. There have been probes into alleged voter fraud
in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Mexico and Florida. In
Florida, the St. Petersburg Times reported that ACORN employees
even attempted to register Mickey Mouse.
These
allegations are particularly troublesome given the fact that ACORN
receives significant funding directly from the federal government.
ACORN’s “charitable” affiliates have received, conservatively, more than
$31 million in direct federal funding between 1998 and
2007. In 2008 alone, ACORN’s affiliates received almost $10
million in total government funding. ACORN has also received
numerous subgrant awards of indirect funding from the
federal government. For example, more than $7 million
was awarded to ACORN Housing Corporation (AHC) in 2008 from the National
Foreclosure Mitigation Program administered by NeighborWorks America.
It remains
unclear who has the power to tell the chairman of the House Judiciary
Committee what hearings he can and cannot hold, and I will continue
working as your U.S. Senator to fight to keep your taxpayer dollars from
funding corrupt special interest groups like ACORN and to shine a
spotlight on these sorts of abuses whenever they arise.
Note:What
follows is the linked Washington Times article in case it
disappears. Don’t forget that ACORN (renamed COI) has been given the
job of conducting the census. As well, in many areas, where new
registrants may vote the day they are registered, Mickey Mouse’s vote
counted even if his registration was set aside.
Originally
published 03:04 p.m., June 25, 2009, updated 03:26 p.m., June 25, 2009
Conyers Abandons Plan To Probe ACORN
By S.A. Miller
House
Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. has backed off his plan to
investigate wrongdoing by the liberal activist group ACORN, saying
"powers that be" put the kibosh on the idea.
Mr. Conyers, Michigan Democrat, earlier bucked his party leaders by
calling for hearings on accusations the Association of Community
Organization for Reform Now (ACORN) has committed crimes ranging from
voter fraud to a mob-style "protection" racket.
"The powers that be decided against it," Mr. Conyers told The Washington
Times.
The chairman declined to elaborate, shrugging off questions about who
told him how to run his committee and give the Democrat-allied group a
pass.
Pittsburgh lawyer Heather Heidelbaugh, whose testimony about ACORN at a
March 19 hearing on voting issues prompted Mr. Conyers to call for a
probe, said she was perplexed by Mr. Conyers' explanation for his change
of heart.
"If the chair of the Judiciary Committee cannot hold a hearing if he
want to [then] who are the powers that he is beholden to?" she said. "Is
it the leadership, is it the White House, is it contributors? Who is
'the power?'"
Capitol Hill Democrats had bristled at proposed hearings because it
threatened to rekindle criticism of the financial ties and close
cooperation between President Obama's campaign and ACORN and its sister
organizations Citizens Services Inc. and Project Vote.
The groups came under fire during the campaign after probes into
possible voter fraud in a series of presidential battleground states,
including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Mexico and Nevada.
ACORN and its affiliates are currently the target of at least 14
lawsuits related to voter fraud in the 2008 election and a Racketeer
Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act complaint filed by
former ACORN members.
The group's leaders have consistently denied any wrongdoing and
previously said they welcomed a congressional probe. The group did not
immediately respond Thursday to questions about Mr. Conyers being
convinced
to drop those plans.
Some have been asking for the
names of those who voted for SB 335 last week in the
Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee that
RETROACTIVELY removed of a portion of our excess
Federal itemized deductions. The tax break was
PROMISED to us in 2007.
Once again the leges have
reneged on a promise and stabbed us in the back with
a retroactive tax increase.
Despite what you may have
heard or read, the itemized deductions are NOT a tax
break for the wealthy. The wealthy already lost all
their Federal Itemized Deductions due to IRS
regulations. This is strictly a MIDDLE CLASS tax
break for working people in Louisiana.
Those who fingerprints are
on the knife in our back (voting for SB 335):
Senators Rob Marionneaux-D, Robert Adley-R, Yvonne
Dorsey-D, Reggie Dupre-D, Cheryl Gray-Evans-D, “Bob”
Kostelka-R, Gerald Long-R and “Blade” Morrish-R.
“Taking a walk” (asked to
leave when vote was taken) were cowards: Senators
Dale Erdey-R, Neil Riser-R and “Buddy” Shaw-R.
Please save this vote for
the next time one of these leges asks for your vote.
Suzie Isn't Running Against David... Supposedly
STATEMENT FROM
SUZIE TERRELL:
"While it would be a great honor to serve the people of LA in the U.S.
Senate, David and I have always been able to work together on issues
important to us and to our state. Because of this I have always
supported Senator Vitter and fully expect that he will be re-elected in
2010. Senator Vitter is well aware of my interest in involving more
women and young people in leadership positions on state and federal
levels, and has been working with me to do so. As we grow the Republican
party on our local and national level, it is important that we move
forward with unity."
Note:
Parse. Suzie's mood was similar in the spring of '02. It's
the spring of '09, giving her plenty of time to pivot, particularly if
the NRSC encourages her to do so.
The Equal Pay For Women Act (LA House
Bill 705)
The
Equal Pay for Women Act seems positive on the surface - - and a
number of women organizations are backing the bill (i.e. League of
Women Voters; NOW, AAUW) and have been mobilized to call every
member of the House. Representative Barbara Norton, a Democrat from
District 3 (Shreveport) filed the bill.
It will be coming up
Thursday for a vote on the House floor.
This Alert is sent out to
inform our members on what is at stake in H.B.705.
The
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry issued warnings
regarding certain aspects and effects of the bill if were to pass:
An adequate
legal remedy already exists
under
federal lawfor
failing to pay employees the same for equal work;(Federal
Fair Labor Standards Act [29 U.S.C. 2206(d) and 216], and the Lilly
Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009;
Louisiana does not need a separate remedy;
The same or substantially similar work, words used in the bill, are
highly subjective in nature;
Innumerable
legal battles will ensuebased
on the subjective language used in the bill;
The
burden would be placedon
thedefendant
(the business
owner)
to prove that the owner of the business is innocent;
The Bill would have
a
negative effect on the economic growth of Louisianabecause
it creates a climate inimical to attracting new business.Neighboring
states - Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas - do not have
such laws.
The Louisiana Association
of Business and Industry recommends the defeat of this Bill so that
Louisiana can be competitive in attracting new businesses and so
that our small business owners will not face the many unnecessary
lawsuits that will follow if HB 705 is passed.
The LABI asks that as
many calls as possible go to the Legislature to defeat HB 705.
Wayne would like to know your
thoughts on the following bills. Please contact
him.
Friends,
I’ve been reading through
some of the pre-filed bills found on the
legislative website or The
Town Talk website. Just a few of the following I wanted to call to
your attention. The following is “my” opinion only.
HB 40----GOOD BILL---exempts
65 year olds and up from state income tax; this would bring more
retirees to LA and the increased spending from the savings would
stimulate the economy; most of these folks have paid taxes for years.
HB 84-----GOOD BILL----puts
term limits on ALL elected officials.
HB 94-----BAAAAD
BILL----increases taxes on special fuels like gasoline.
HB 496------GOOD
BILL---abolishes the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and
moves their functions under the LA Dept of Education.
Please check these and others
out and then LET AREA reps and senators know what you think.
Wayne
Just what we need, more taxes. Apparently,
ol' Herbie didn't pay attention to the recent TEA Party.
Dixon Looking To Raise Gas
Tax By
Mike Hasten, Gannett Capital Bureau
BATON ROUGE -- While legislators from all over the state pre-file bills
for this year's legislative session that would lower taxes, two
lawmakers are seeking tax increases.
Rep. Herbert Dixon, D-Alexandria, has filed House Bill 94, which
could increase from 16 cents to 20 cents the tax on a gallon of
gasoline, diesel or other fuels used in vehicles.
Rep. Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans, has HB75, which would
increase the tax on cigarettes from 36 cents to $1.36 per pack. It also
raises taxes on cigars and smokeless tobacco but by a percentage of
sales price, not $1.
Mark Lambert of the Department of Transportation and Development says
his office was not involved in the drafting of Dixon's bill and he was
not aware of it until last week when contacted for comment.
"We had nothing to do with the filing of the bill," Lambert said, and
he's not sure if it would do what Dixon wants, if he indeed wants to
increase all motor fuels taxes.
Dixon said he plans to divide the funds raised by the gas-tax increase
among the state and the parish, if the bill is successful. Seventy-five
percent of the funding would go to the state, and 25 percent would go to
individual parish governments.
The intent behind the bill is to provide for infrastructure needs,
despite the economic downturn, Dixon said. It will be painful at first,
Dixon continued, but the added revenue will help Louisiana leverage
state and federal funding for work on bridges and roads.
Current monies for these type of projects are "meager," Dixon added.
Proceeds could be directed toward addressing a $14 billion backlog in
highway construction in the state.
Dixon said the tax would apply to both gasoline and diesel fuels.
If approved, the tax increase would boost highway construction funds by
$120 million a year. That would be split $90 million to the state
highway priority program and $30 million to parish road construction.
Under current law, fuel tax revenues are also split with the statewide
flood protection program and parish bridges. Dixon's bill cuts those
programs out of the extra four cents.
The bills are pre-filed for the legislative session that begins April
27.
Note:
The above is a lovely complement to the U.S. House bill,
The American Clean Energy and Security Act 2009
(at present, no assigned bill number), that, if eventually passed, could
cause the country to set the Wayback Machine to 1875. Subcommittee
hearings began Monday, April 20, and full committee markup begins
Monday, May 11.
Shocking Video Unearthed: Democrats in their
own words covering up the Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac scam that
caused our economic crisis