Senator Tom Coburn Weekly Republican Address 02/27/10 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Senator Tom Coburn Weekly Republican Address 02/27/10 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Remarks by Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), as provided by the Republican National Committee:

Hello, I’m Dr. Tom Coburn, a practicing physician from Oklahoma and a member of the United States Senate.

This week I had the opportunity to join President Obama and my Democrat and Republican colleagues for a summit on health care. We had a respectful and constructive discussion.

While we listened to one another, I’m concerned that the majority in Congress is still not listening to the American people on the subject of health care reform. By an overwhelming margin, the American people are telling us to scrap the current bills, which will lead to a government takeover of health care, and we should start over.

Unfortunately, even before the summit took place the majority in Congress signaled its intent to reject our offers to work together. Instead they want to use procedural tricks and backroom deals to ram through a new bill that combines the worst aspects of the bills the Senate and House passed last year.

The American people have rejected the majority’s plan for good reason. Their plan includes half a trillion dollars in new tax increases, a half a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicare, job-killing penalties for employers, taxpayer funded abortion and new boards that will ration care to American citizens. At its core, their plan continues a government-centered approach that has...

...made health care more expensive. Federal and state governments already control 60 percent of health care. If more government spending and control was the answer we could have fixed health care long ago.

Republicans in Congress have a different vision for reform. We have put forward several proposals that lay out a common sense step-by-step path to reform. Our solutions are patient-centered, not government-centered. We believe in expanding options, not government; increasing access, not taxes; and reducing costs, not quality. Most importantly, we believe that no one has the right to step between you and your doctor.

I introduced a health care bill called the ‘Patients’ Choice Act’ last May along with Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina and Representatives Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Devin Nunes of California that includes several step-by-step ideas for reform. The ‘Patients’ Choice Act’ and other Republican plans accomplish all of the President’s goals, including expanding coverage, without raising taxes, bankrupting the country or rationing care.

Our ideas address the core problem in our health care system – skyrocketing costs – by using the only force that ever lowers cost – competition and consumer choice. Health care is so expensive today because third-parties – government and insurance company bureaucrats – have stepped between you and your doctor.

Our solutions restore the doctor-patient relationship and put you – not your insurance company, your boss or the government – in charge of your health care dollars and decisions. The ‘Patients’ Choice Act,’ for instance, provides generous tax credits that let you buy, and keep, the plan of your choice. We also limit lawsuit abuse which causes doctors to order costly tests that protect themselves rather than you, the patient.

Our proposals to rein in the massive amount of fraud, waste and duplication in our health care system drew widespread praise from Democrats at the summit, including the President. One in three dollars in our more than $2 trillion health care system does not do anything to help people get well or prevent them from getting sick. Democrats and Republicans agree that eliminating waste and inefficiency would lower costs and improve access tomorrow.

The majority now has a choice. We can continue to make progress like we did at the summit. Or, they can try to ram through a partisan bill that will divide and bankrupt America.

I wholeheartedly share President Obama’s desire for more civility and bipartisanship in Washington and I’m proud of the work that we did together when he was a member of the Senate. True civility, however, is measured by actions, not words.

I was disappointed the President rejected my suggestion that he host another summit. The President himself proposed that such meetings be televised more than a year ago. Last year, dozens of Democrat-only summits were held in secret behind closed doors and produced many unsavory deals. Had those meetings been open and bipartisan, I believe Congress could have passed a bipartisan health bill months ago.

If the President and the leaders in Congress are serious about finding common ground they should continue this debate, not cut it off by rushing through a partisan bill the American people have already rejected. If the majority agrees to work together they will find many Republicans ready to help them pursue our common goals of helping all Americans access quality and affordable health care for themselves and their families.

Thank you so much for listening.

John Boehner at Health Care Summit: “The American People Want Us to Scrap This Bill” VIDEO TEXT TRANSCRIPT

GOP Leader: “The thing I have heard more than anything over the last six or seven months is that the American people want us to scrap this bill. They have said it loud. They have said it clear."

Washington, Feb 25 - During today’s White House summit, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) called on President Obama and Washington Democrats to scrap their costly, job-killing government takeover of health care and start over with a clean sheet of paper and a step-by-step approach focused on lowering costs. This isn’t the Republican view; it’s the view of the American people. Boehner also outlined how Democrats’ health care proposals contain job-killing tax hikes, deep cuts to Medicare, unconstitutional mandates on individuals, federal funding for abortion, and vast new powers for the federal bureaucracy.

“American families are struggling with health care. We all know it. The American people want us to address this in a responsible way. So I really do say thanks for having us all here.

“I think our job on behalf of our constituents, and on behalf of the American people, is to listen. And I spend time in my district. I spend time a lot of places. I have heard an awful lot. I can tell you the thing that I have heard more than anything over the last six or seven months is that the American people want us to scrap this bill. They have said it loud. They have said it clear. Let me help understand why.

“The first thing is we’ve heard from the two budget directors about our fiscal condition. We have Medicare that's going broke. We have Social Security going broke. We have Medicaid that's bankrupting not only the federal government but all the states and yet, here we are having a conversation about creating a new entitlement program that will bankrupt our country. And it will bankrupt our country. It's not that we can't do health insurance reform to help bring down costs to help save the system. This bill, this 2,700-page bill will bankrupt our country.

“Secondly, Mr. President, I'd point out that this right here is a dangerous experiment. We may have problems in our health care system, but we do have the best health care system in the world, by far. And having a government takeover of health care – and I believe that's what this is – is a dangerous experiment with the best health care system in the world that I don't think we should do.

“So why did I bring this bill today? I'll tell you why I brought it. We have $500 billion in new taxes here over the next ten years. At a time when our economy is struggling, the last thing we need to do is to be raising taxes on the American people. Secondly, we've got $500 billion worth of Medicare cuts here. I agree with Kent Conrad. We need to deal with the problem of Medicare, but if we are going to deal with a problem of Medicare and find savings in Medicare, why don't we use it to extend the life of the Medicare program as opposed spending that $500 billion creating a new entitlement program.

“But it's not just the taxes, Mr. President, or the Medicare cuts. You’ve got the individual mandate here, which I think is unwise and I do believe is unconstitutional. You’ve got an employer mandate here. It says that employers: you’ve got to provide health insurance to the American people or you're going to pay this tax. It's going to drive up the cost of employment at a time when we have over 10 percent or near 10 percent unemployment in America.

“And beyond that, a lot of employers are going to look at this and say, well, I'll pay the tax and they are going to dump their employees into the so-called exchange because in five years every American is going to have to go to the exchange to get their health care. And who's going to design health care bill offered under this exchange under this bill? The federal government's going to design every single health care bill in America within five years once this bill were to pass. I could go on and on and on.

“Let me just make one other point. For 30 years, we've had a federal law that says that we're not going to have taxpayer funding of abortions. We have had this debate in the House. It was a very serious debate. But in the House, the House spoke. The House upheld the language we have had in law for 30 years that there will be no taxpayer funding of abortions. This bill that we have before us, and there was no reference to the issue in your outline, Mr. President, begins – for the first time in 30 years – allows the taxpayer funding of abortion.

“So Mr. President, what we have been saying for a long time is, let's scrap the bill. Let's start with a clean sheet of paper on those things that we can agree on. If we bring down the cost of health insurance, we can expand access.

“Mr. President, I told you, the day after – maybe it was the day you were sworn in as president – that I would never say anything outside of the room that I wouldn’t say inside the room. I have been patient. I have listened to the debate that’s gone on here, but why can’t we agree on those insurance reforms that we have talked about? Why can’t we come to an agreement on purchasing across states lines? Why can’t we do something about the biggest cost driver, which is medical malpractice in the defensive medicine that doctors practice. Let’s start with a clean sheet of paper, and we can actually get somewhere, and we can get it into law in the next several months.”

Lamar Alexander to President Obama: Premiums Will Rise Under Democratic Health Bill VIDEO

During the White House Summit on health care, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, and President Obama disagreed as to whether the Democratic health care bill would cause premiums to rise. Fox News' Jim Angle found Senator Alexander was right.

Keywords: Lamar Alexander CBO Barack Obama health care summit insurance premiums

Lamar Alexander Gives Republican Health Care Remarks at White House Summit TEXT TRANSCRIPT VIDEO

Outlines Republican Steps to Fix Health Care, Challenges Democrats to Take Reconciliation Off the Table.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, today delivered the following opening remarks on behalf of Republican members of Congress attending the White House health care summit:

“Mr. President, thank you very much for the invitation. Several of us were a part of the summits that you had a year ago, and so I've been asked to try to express what Republicans believe about where we've gotten since then. As a former governor, I also want to try to represent governors’ views, because they have a big stake in this; I know you met with some governors just in the last few days. We also believe that our views represent the views of a great number of the American people who have tried to say in every way they know how – through town meetings, through surveys, through elections in Virginia and New Jersey and Massachusetts, that they oppose the health care bill that passed the Senate on Christmas Eve.

“And more importantly, we believe we have a better idea. And that's to take many of the examples that you just mentioned about health care costs and make that our goal: reducing health care costs. We need to start over and go step by step toward that goal. And we would like to briefly mention –others will talk more about it as we go along—what those ideas are.

“I would like to begin with a story. When I was elected governor, some of the media went up to the Democratic leaders in the legislature and said, ‘What are you going to do with this new young Republican governor?’ And they said, ‘We’re going help him, because if he succeeds, our state succeeds.’ And they did that—that’s the way we worked for eight years. But often, they had to persuade me to change my direction to get our state where it needed to go. I would like to say the same thing to you. I mean, we want you to succeed. Because if you succeed, our country succeeds. But we would like respectfully to change the direction you're going on health care costs, and that's what I want to mention here the in next few minutes.

“I was trying to think if there were any kind of event that this could be compared with. And I was thinking of the Detroit Auto Show, that if you had invited us out to watch you unveil the latest model that you and your engineers had created, and asked us to help sell it to the American people. When we look at it, it’s the same model we saw last year. We didn't like it, and neither did they, because we don't think it gets us where we need to go, and we can't afford it. As they also say in Detroit, ‘We think we have a better idea.’

“Your stories are a lot like the stories I heard when I went home for Christmas after we had 25 days of consecutive debate and voted on Christmas Eve on health care. A friend of mine from Tullahoma, Tennessee, said, ‘I hope you'll kill that health care bill.’ Then before the words rattled out of his mouth, he said, ‘But, we've got to do something about health care costs. My wife has breast cancer. She got it 11 years ago and our insurance is $2,000 a month. We couldn't afford it if our employer weren't helping us do that. So we've got to do something.’ That's where we are, but to do that, we have to start by taking the current bill and putting it on the shelf and starting from a clean sheet of paper.

“Now, you have presented ideas. There's an 11-page memo—I think it’s important for the people to understand that there's not a presidential bill; there are good suggestions and ideas on the web. It’s a lot like the Senate bill. It has more taxes, more subsidies, more spending. So what that means is, when it's written, it will be 2,700 pages, more or less. It will probably have a lot of surprises in it. It means it will cut Medicare by about half a trillion dollars and spend most of that on new programs, not on Medicare and making it stronger, even though it's going broke in 2015. It means there will be about a half trillion dollars of new taxes in it. It means that for millions of Americans, premiums will go up, because when people pay those new taxes, premiums will go up, and they will also go up because of the government mandates. It means that from a governor's point of view, it’s going to be what our Democratic governor calls the ‘mother of all unfunded mandates.’

“Nothing used to make me madder as a governor than when Washington politicians would get together, pass a bill, take credit for it, and send me the bill to pay. That’s exactly what this does, with the expansion of Medicaid. In addition, it dumps 15 to 18 million low-income Americans into a Medicaid program that none of us want to be a part of, because 50 percent of doctors won't see new patients. So it’s like giving someone a ticket to a bus line where the buses only run half the time.

“When fully implemented, the bill would spend about $2.5 trillion a year, and it still has sweetheart deals in it—one is out, some are still in. What's fair about taxpayers in Louisiana paying less than taxpayers in Tennessee? What's fair about protecting seniors in Florida and not protecting seniors in California and Illinois and Wyoming?

“Our view, with all respect, is that this is a car that can't be recalled and fixed, and that we ought to start over. But we’d like to start over. When I go down to the Senate floor, I’ve been there a lot on this issue, some of my Democratic friends will say, ‘Well, Lamar, where's the Republican comprehensive bill?’ And I say back, ‘Well, if it you're waiting for Mitch McConnell to roll in a wheelbarrow with a 2,700-page Republican comprehensive bill, it's not going to happen because we have come to the conclusion Congress doesn’t do comprehensive well.’ We have watched the comprehensive economy-wide, cap and trade; we have watched the comprehensive immigration bill, we have the best Senators we have got working on that in a bipartisan way; we have watched the comprehensive health care bill. And they fall of their own weight.

“Our country is too big, too complicated, too decentralized for Washington to write a few rules about remaking 17 percent of the economy all at once. That sort of thinking works in a classroom, but it doesn't work very well in our big, complicated country. It doesn't work for most of us and if you look around the table -- and I'm sure it's true on the Democratic side -- we have got shoe store owners and small business people and former county judges and we've got three doctors. We've got people who are used to solving problems, step by step.

“That’s why we said 'step by step' 173 times on the Senate floor in the last six months of last year in support of our step-by-step plan for reducing health care costs. I would like to just mention those in a sentence or two:

* First, you mentioned Mike Enzi’s work on the small business health care plan. That’s a good start. It came up in the Senate. He will explain why it covers more people, costs less, and helps small businesses offer insurance.
* Two, helping Americans buy insurance across state lines. You’ve mentioned that yourself. Most of the governors I've talked to think that would be a good way to increase competition.
* Number three, put an end to junk lawsuits against doctors. In our state, half the counties’ pregnant women have to drive to the big city to have prenatal health care or to have their baby, because the medical malpractice suits have driven up the insurance policies so high that doctors leave the rural counties.
* Number four, give states incentives to lower costs.
* Number five, expanding health savings accounts.
* Number six, House Republicans have some ideas about how my friend in Tullahoma can continue to afford insurance for his wife who has had breast cancer; because she has a preexisting condition, it makes it more difficult to buy insurance.

“So there're six ideas—they’re just six steps. Maybe the first six, but combined with six others and six more and six others, they get us in the right direction.

“Now, some say we need to rein in the insurance companies; maybe we do. But I think it's important to note if we took all of the profits of the health insurance companies entirely away, every single penny of it, we could pay for two days of health insurance for Americans. And that would leave 363 days with costs that are too high. So that’s why we continue to insist that as much as we want to expand access and to do other things in health care, that we shouldn't expand a system that's this expensive, that the best way to increase access is to reduce costs.

“Now, in conclusion, I have a suggestion and a request for how to make this a bipartisan and truly productive session. And I hope that those who are here will agree, I’ve got a pretty good record of working across party lines, and of supporting the president when I believe he's right, even though other members of my party might not on that occasion. And my request is this: before we go further today, that the Democratic Congressional leaders and you, Mr. President, renounce this idea of going back to the Congress and jamming your bill through on a partisan vote through a little-used process we call reconciliation.

“You can say that this process has been used before, and that would be right, but it’s never been used for anything like this. It’s not appropriate to use to rewrite the rules for 17 percent of the economy. Senator Byrd, who is the constitutional historian of the Senate, has said that it would be an outrage to run the health care bill through the Senate like a freight train with this process. The Senate is the only place where the rights to the minority are protected, and sometimes, as Senator Byrd has said, the minority can be right.

“I remember reading Alexis de Tocqueville’s book Democracy in America, in which he said that the greatest threat to the American democracy would be the ‘tyranny of the majority.’

“When Republicans were trying to change the rules a few years ago, you and I were both there. Senator McCain was very involved in that – getting a majority vote for judges. Then-Senator Obama said the following, ‘What we worry about is essentially having two chambers, the House and the Senate, who are simply majoritarian, absolute power on either side. That's just not what the founders intended.’ Which is another way to saying that the founders intended the Senate to be a place where the majority didn't rule on big issues.

“Senator Reid in his book, writing about the ‘Gang of 14,’ said that the end of the filibuster requiring 60 votes to pass a bill ‘would be the end of the United States Senate.’ And I think that's why Lyndon Johnson, in the ‘60s, wrote the civil rights bill in Everett Dirksen’s office, the Republican Leader, because he understood that by having a bipartisan bill, not only would pass it, but it would help the country accept it. Senator Pat Moynihan has said before he died that he couldn't remember a big piece of social legislation that passed that wasn't bipartisan.

“And after World War II, in this very house and in the room back over here, Democratic President Truman's Secretary of State, General Marshall, would meet once a week with Senator Vandenberg, the Republican Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and write the Marshall Plan. And General Marshall said that sometimes Van was my right hand, and sometimes he was his right hand.

“And we know how [Congressmen] John Boehner and George Miller did that on No Child Left Behind. [Senators] Mike Enzi and Ted Kennedy wrote 35 bills together; you mentioned that in your opening remarks. You and I and many other others worked together on the America COMPETES Act. We know how to do that – and we can do that on health care as well.

“But to do that, we'll have to renounce jamming it through in a partisan way. And if we don't, then the rest of what we do today will not be relevant. The only thing bipartisan will be the opposition to the bill, and we'll be saying to the American people—who I've tried to say this in every way they know how -- town halls and elections and surveys—that they don't want this bill, that they would like for us to start over. So if we can do that – start over – we can write a health care bill. It means putting aside jamming it through. It means working together the way General Marshall and Senator Vandenberg did. It means reducing health care costs and making that our goal for now, not focusing on the other goals. And it means going step by step together to re-earn the trust of the American people. We would like to do that, and we appreciate the opportunity that you have given us today to say what our ideas are, and to move forward. Thank you very much.”

White House Health Care Summit FULL STREAMING VIDEO

White House Health Care Summit Part 1, 2 hours, 54 minutes President Obama held a bipartisan meeting at Blair House on health reform legislation. Attendees included House and Senate leadership, chairs and ranking members of committees overseeing health insurance legislation, Vice President Joe Biden, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the Office of Health Reform. They focused on controlling costs, insurance reforms, reducing the deficit, and expanding coverage. White House Health Care Summit Part 2, 3 hours, 24 minutes. National Cable Satellite Corporation. Created by Cable. Offered as a Public Service. Keywords: c-span, cspan, video, congress, washington dc, politics, booknotes, archives, booktv, book-tv

Marlin Stutzman An Original 9 12 Patriot VIDEO

Marlin is a fourth-generation farmer who grew up on a farm in Howe, Indiana. As co-owner with his father, Albert, he runs Stutzman Farms, farming 4,000 acres in the Michiana area. He is also owner of Stutzman Farms Trucking. As a farmer and small business owner, he understands the challenges that Hoosiers face every day.

First elected to the Indiana State House of Representatives in 2002, at the age of 26, Marlin served as the youngest member of the legislature until 2006. Since his election as State Representative and now as State Senator for District 13, he has proven to be an effective voice fighting to reduce wasteful government spending and to bring jobs to Indiana.

Uploaded on February 9, 2010 by gomarlin © All rights reserved.

He has fought for lower taxes, less regulation and balanced budgets. He consistently receives 90% ratings or above from the Chamber of Commerce and other small business associations for his support of pro-business legislation, and in 2008 he won the Small Business Champion Award from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves as the ranking member of the State Senate Utilities and Technology Committee and has helped to pass alternative energy incentive legislation in Indiana.

He stands strong for traditional family values and in 2005 co-authored the first Pro-life legislation to pass in Indiana in twelve years. In 2006 he served as the Chairman of the Public Policy Committee taking strong stands for conservative values on controversial issues. Marlin and his wife, Christy, have two children, an 8-year old son, Payton, and 3 year old son, Preston. The Stutzmans are actively involved in their community.

Christy is the Vice-Regent of her local DAR chapter, and Marlin serves on the board of LaGrange Farm Bureau. They are active members of Community Baptist Church. Marlin also enjoys going on missions trips, and has served in foreign countries including Russia, Haiti, Mexico, and Guatemala. Marlin is a member of NFIB, ARC of Indiana, Indiana Farm Bureau, Howe Community Association, NRA, Northeast Indiana Right to Life and has helped as an assistant coach for his sons Little

KEYWORDS: Marlin Stutzman, US Senate 2010, Indiana, 2010 Elections, Stutzman Campaign, Hoosiers for Stutzman, Tea Party, Indiana, Original Patriot.

TEXT CREDIT: Hoosiers for Stutzman 250 W. 600 N Howe, IN 46746 Email the campaign - info@gomarlin.com Email the candidate - marlinstutzman@gomarlin.com

VIDEO CREDIT: marlinstutzman

Rasmussen Poll: John Hostettler Holds Double Digit Lead Over Democrat Hopefuls

From Rasmussen Reports : “A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely Indiana voters shows former GOP Congressman John Hostettler leading [Democrat Congressman] Baron Hill 49% to 31% and [Democrat Congressman] Brad Ellsworth 46% to 27%.”

Rasmussen goes on to point out similar head-to-head results:

Former Senator Dan Coats 48% - Democrat Congressman Baron Hill 32%
Coats 46% - Democrat Congressman Brad Ellsworth 32%

Freshman State Senator Marlin Stutzman 41% - Hill 33%
Stutzman 40% - Ellsworth 30%

POLL CREDIT: Rasmussen Reports

TEXT CREDIT: John Hostettler for Senate

PHOTO CREDIT: johnhostettler

Richard Behney files for the US Senate race in Indiana

Indiana's Own Tea Party Conservative Signed Candidacy Declaration Paperwork On 02/18/02 For 2010 Senate Race As Bayh Drops Out February 17, 2010 Indianapolis, IN - With the 4,500 required signatures already submitted, Indiana Tea Party founder Richard Behney filed his candidacy for the US Senate race in Indiana on Thursday February 18 at 2 p.m. in the office of the Indiana Secretary of State. Behney was available for questions from the media immediately following.

As a proponent of smaller government, no bailouts, lower taxes, terms limits for politicians, reduced government spending & debt levels and a return of elected officials working FOR the people that elected them, Behney has captured the essence of a smoldering emotional fire that has prompted millions of Americans to stand up against the encroachment of big government.

Behney announced his grassroots campaign in September of 2009. “Many of the folks at the Tea Parties kept tapping me on the shoulder asking when I was going to run for office.” Behney explained. “The race that was mentioned most often was to compete against Evan Bayh for the Senate seat from Indiana.” Behney says that the GOP is seriously underestimating the grassroots power in the 2010 midterm elections, as evidenced by what he sees as the mandate from the inside the beltway GOP for former Senator Dan Coats to move back to Indiana.

“This past year we saw thousands gather on the State House lawn in Indianapolis, as well as across the state in Tea Parties, rallies and town hall meetings,” Behney adds. “These folks are from all walks of life, and from across party lines. What they lack in big finances, they make up for with passion, time and energy. We will win because of our volunteers and their efforts. We are fired up and ready to win.” Behney, 46, of Fishers, owns AttaBoy Plumbing Company in Indianapolis. Troy Hill Richard Behney for US Senate Media and Communications Coordinator Web: richardbehney.com

News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Troy Hill email: thill@richardbehney.com

TEXT and PHOTO CREDIT: Behney for Senate For more information, you may contact the campaign office at 317.776.1700 or by email at news@richardbehney.com.

Ron Paul CPAC10 Address VIDEO

Ron Paul CPAC10 Address VIDEO

The Ron Paul FREEDOM PRINCIPLES

• Rights belong to individuals, not groups.
• Property should be owned by people, not government.
• All voluntary associations should be permissible -- economic and social.
• The government's monetary role is to maintain the integrity of the monetary unit, not participate in fraud.
• Government exists to protect liberty, not to redistribute wealth or to grant special privileges.
• The lives and actions of people are their own responsibility, not the government's.

Michael Williams address CPAC10 VIDEO

Michael Williams address CPAC10 VIDEO

Michael L. Williams is a Commissioner on the Railroad Commission of Texas, the state’s oldest regulatory commission. In November 2000, the people of Texas elected him to complete an unexpired term. In November 2002 and 2008, they re-elected him to a full six-year term. He was initially appointed to the Commission by then-Governor George W. Bush in December 1998 to fill a vacant seat. Williams served as Chairman of the Commission from September 1999 to September 2003 and again from July 2007 to February 2009. He is the first African American in Texas history to hold an executive statewide elected post.

Williams serves as the Chairman of the Governor’s Competitiveness Council. He also chairs the Governor’s Clean Coal Technology Council, represents the Governor on the Southern States Energy Board and is a member of both the National Coal Council and the Interstate Compact Commission. Williams also serves as the Railroad Commission’s “point person” for the agency’s regulatory reform and technology modernization efforts.

The son of public school teachers who earned degrees in math and the husband of a mechanical engineer, Michael is the creator and co-sponsor of the “Williams Future Innovators”, a summer camp for 6th through 12th graders to inspire the next generation of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians.

An advocate of alternative energy, Williams is championing the conversion of Texas public and private fleets, especially school buses from diesel and gasoline to environmentally cleaner, cheaper and domestically produced natural gas and propane through his “Breathe Easy” initiative.

Michael is the immediate past Honorary State Chairman of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Texas. He initiated the Texas response against the tragedy in Darfur. Williams also narrates short stories for children of all ages, including the visually impaired and those with special needs.

Previously, Williams served as general counsel to a Texas high-tech corporation and “of Counsel” with the law firm of Haynes and Boone, L.L.P. He also has served in a volunteer capacity as the General Counsel of the Republican Party of Texas, the chairman of the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission, on the Board of Directors of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Our Mother of Mercy Catholic School.

A devout conservative, Michael was one of the original board members of the Texas Christian Coalition. He is also a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.

He was an adjunct professor at Texas Southern University in the School of Public Affairs and Texas Wesleyan School of Law.

In 1990, President George H. W. Bush appointed Williams to be Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, a position previously held by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Former President Bush previously appointed Williams as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He had policy oversight responsibility for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Customs Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Williams also served in the Department of Justice as Special Assistant to Attorney General Richard Thornburgh.

Williams served as a prosecutor in the Reagan Justice department. In 1988, he was awarded the Attorney General’s “Special Achievement Award” for the conviction of six Ku Klux Klan members on stolen military weapons charges. Previously, he was an assistant district attorney in his hometown of Midland, Texas.

Williams is a proud alumnus of the University of Southern California where he holds a bachelor’s, a master’s and a law degree.

He is a member of Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Arlington, Texas. He and his best friend, Donna, celebrate 23 years of marriage.

VIDEO CREDIT: Townhall

TEXT CREDIT: MichaelWilliamsTX

Congressman Dave Camp Weekly Republican Address 02/20/10 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Congressman Dave Camp Weekly Republican Address 02/20/10 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Remarks by Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), as provided by the House Republican leader's office

Hello, I’m Congressman Dave Camp from Michigan, and I serve as the lead Republican on the House Ways & Means Committee.

This is a time of economic uncertainty. Tens of millions of Americans are either looking for work or have just given up entirely. They’re looking to Washington for solutions. But instead it seems Washington keeps adding to their problems.

That’s why Americans are demanding that President Obama and the Democrats in control of Congress scrap their misguided plan of a government takeover of health care. They don’t want a 2,000-page bill that threatens jobs and drives up health premiums; they already have enough challenges to deal with in their daily lives.

They want Washington to start over with a step-by-step approach to health care reform that begins with reducing costs and ensures they can keep their current plan if they like it.

For those families and small businesses looking for a sign that Washington is ready to wake up and find common sense on this issue, next week’s White House health care summit may not be it.

In fact, right now, Democrats are continuing to work behind closed doors, putting the finishing touches on yet another massive health care bill Americans can’t afford and don’t want.

If it is like Democrats’ other health care bills, this one will drive up premiums, destroy jobs, raise taxes, slash Medicare benefits, and add to our already-skyrocketing debt.

But this won’t be just another bill written in secret and signed off on by special interests. Democrats have admitted they are working on an undemocratic plan to jam this bill through Congress and subvert the will of the American people.

Democrats themselves are describing this latest maneuver as a ‘trick.’ If the starting point for this summit is more of the same backroom deals and partisan bills, then this meeting will likely be a charade.

From the beginning, Republicans have listened to the American people and offered reforms that lower health care premiums for families and small businesses.

The bill I and House Republicans proposed last fall implements common sense solutions focused on lowering costs. Our bill ensures nobody will be denied coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition.

It gives states the tools to implement their own innovative reforms. And we put an end to the junk lawsuits that are forcing doctors to practice defensive medicine and drive up the cost of health insurance for all Americans.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office projects that the Republican health care bill would actually lower health insurance premiums across the board by up to 10 percent – about $2,000 per year. The Democrat bills do just the opposite – they increase the cost of health care.

Just as important, Republicans get the job done without cutting Medicare, without raising taxes, and without piling more debt on our kids and grandkids. All the details of our plan are available at healthcare.gop.gov.
Republicans remain ready to discuss these ideas with President Obama and move forward in a bipartisan way to lower health care costs.

But Americans' health care is way too important to risk on a rushed backroom deal that puts federal bureaucrats in charge of your personal health care decisions.

Instead of hurting small businesses by forcing them to pay new taxes and meet new regulations, our focus should be on lowering their health care costs so that they can expand and hire more workers.

So in order to have a productive bipartisan conversation on health care, Democrats must first listen to the American people and scrap their massive government takeover of health care. We must go into the summit with a clean slate focused on making healthcare affordable.

That is what Americans are asking for, and that is what Republicans will continue to work for. Thanks for listening.

Representative Michael A. Pitts Gold and Silver Coin as Legal Tender

Representative Michael A. Pitts District 14 - Abbeville, Greenwood & Laurens Cos. Contact Address: (H) 372 Bucks Point Rd., Laurens, 29360. Bus. (864) 681-0238 Home (864) 575-2917 (C) 327C Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201. Bus. (803) 734-2830. H. 4501 South Carolina General Assembly 118th Session, 2009-2010 Download This Bill in Microsoft Word format

Section 1-1-1110. The South Carolina General Assembly finds and declares that the State is experiencing an economic crisis of severe magnitude caused in large part by the unconstitutional substitution of Federal Reserve Notes for silver and gold coin as legal tender in this State. The General Assembly also finds and declares that immediate exercise of the power of the State of South Carolina reserved under Article I, Section 10, Paragraph 1 of the United States Constitution and by the Tenth Amendment, is necessary to protect the safety, health and welfare of the people of this State, by guaranteeing to them a constitutional and economically sound monetary system.

Section 1-1-1120. For the purposes of this article:

(1) the term 'State' shall include the State of South Carolina and all executive and administrative departments and agencies, courts, instrumentalities, and political subdivisions of it, and all elected and appointed officials, employees, and agents of it acting in their official capacities; and

(2) the term 'silver and gold coin' shall include the silver and gold coins of the United States coined or minted, or silver and gold coins of any foreign nation adopted as money of the United States, by authority of Congress pursuant to Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 5 of the United States Constitution, and all new certificates of the United States issued by authority of Congress pursuant to Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 5 of the United States Constitution which certificates are in law and in fact redeemable on demand in silver and gold coin at their face values. The term silver and gold coin does not include any note, obligation security, bill of credit, or other form or species of paper currency or other instrument or document intended to circulate as money emitted or issued by the United States or any department, agency, or officer of it, or by the Federal Reserve System or any board, committee, member bank instrumentality, official, or agent of it.

Section 1-11-1130. On and after the effective date of this article, this State shall not recognize, employ, or compel any person or entity to recognize or employ anything other than silver and gold coin as a legal tender in payment of any debt arising out of:

(1) taxation by the State, where the applicable authority for the tax shall mandate the calculation and payment of it in silver and gold coin;

(2) expropriation of private property pursuant to the exercise of the power of eminent domain by the State or by any entity privileged by the laws of it to exercise this power; and

(3) judgments, decrees, or orders of any court or administrative agency of this State in civil or criminal actions or proceedings, except where and only to the extent that the court or agency granting an award shall find, on the basis of clear and convincing evidence, that payment of silver and gold coin shall not constitute just compensation for the damages suffered by the prevailing party, and therefore shall mandate:

(a) specific performance of a contract or agreement by other than the payment of money;

(b) specific restitution of identifiable property other than money, or

(c) other like relief, and contracts or agreements for the payment of wages, salaries, fees, or other monetary compensation to any person, corporation or other entity who or which shall provide goods or services to the State in aid of performance of its governmental functions.

Section 1-1-1140. The unit and measure for determining what shall constitute legal tender in payment of any debt specified in Section 1-1-1130 is the standard silver dollar, containing 371.25 grains (troy) fine silver, as coined or minted by authority of Congress from time to time pursuant to Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 5 of the United States Constitution.

Section 1-1-1150. The value of any silver or gold coin as legal tender in payment of any debt specified in Section 1-1-1130 must be denominated in 'dollars' calculated as follows:

(1) the value of any silver coin must be calculated by dividing the weight of fine silver in grains (troy) that the coin shall contain by 371.25 grains, and expressing the quotient in 'dollars';

(2) the value of any gold coin shall be calculated by multiplying the weight of fine gold in grains (troy) that the coin shall contain by the proportion by weight between silver and gold as determined by the Treasurer of the State of South Carolina by dividing the product of such multiplication by 371.25 grains, and expressing the quotient in 'dollars'; and

(3) at the beginning of each business day, the State Treasurer shall determine the average proportion by weight by which gold exchanges against silver in the major precious metals market or markets in the State, and

(a) shall immediately make available this determination to any person upon request without charge; and

(b) shall permanently certify and record this determination.

Section 1-1-1160. On and after the effective date of this article the State shall denominate all public accounts, and record the value of all public assets and liabilities, in standard silver dollars."

SECTION 2. If any section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this act is for any reason held to be unconstitutional or invalid, such holding shall not affect the constitutionality or validity of the remaining portions of this act, the General Assembly hereby declaring that it would have passed this Act, and each and every section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, phrase, and word thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more other sections, subsections, paragraphs, subparagraphs, sentences, clauses, phrases, or words hereof may be declared to be unconstitutional, invalid, or otherwise ineffective.

SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor. ----XX----

Article 18 Gold and Silver Coin as Legal Tender FULL TEXT

Marco Rubio CPAC Address VIDEO

Marco Rubio, candidate for the U.S. Senate for the state of Florida, addresses Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Keywords: cpac C-SPAN CSPAN politics conservatives Conservative Political Action Conference.

VIDEO CREDIT: CSPAN

Vice President Cheney Appearance at CPAC VIDEO

Former Vice President Cheney made a brief appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) following remarks made by his daughter, Liz Cheney.

VIDEO CREDIT: CSPAN

Governor Chris Christie's Address to Special Joint Session of Legislature VIDEO

Governor Christie Budget Deficit Speech: Governor Chris Christie presented his plan for closing an estimated $1.3 billion deficit in the current state budget.

Feb. 11, 2010 - Press Packet from Governor Chris Christie's Address to Special Joint Session of Legislature

For Immediate Release: Thursday, February 11, 2010 Contact: Mike Drewniak. 609-777-2600.

Trenton, NJ - Please see attached .pdf files containing today's press packet and the schools surplus withholding numbers. Please note the press office will be closed Friday, February 12th.

• FY2010 Budget Solutions Press Packet [pdf 379 kB]
• School Solutions Withholding [pdf 610 kB]

Marlin Stutzman Makes it Official

Uploaded on February 9, 2010 by gomarlin © All rights reserved.

"Hoosiers are looking for authentic conservative leadership, not more of the same from DC politicians." Howe, IN - Dozens of supporters were on hand today to watch Marlin Stutzman file the 5,000 signatures needed to be a candidate for US Senate. Stutzman spoke about the 19,000 miles he has already logged across Indiana on a bus with his family. Stutzman thanked the volunteers and friends who had made the trip to support him, and spoke about what he has learned the past year as he campaigned. "As I speak with Hoosiers one thing is clear - people want to change Washington, not change America."

Stutzman also stated, "Hoosiers are looking for authentic conservative leadership, not more of the same from D.C. politicians."

For Immediate Release February 16, 2010 Contact: media@gomarlin.com

Hoosiers for Stutzman 250 W. 600 N Howe, IN 46746 Email the campaign - info@gomarlin.com Email the candidate - marlinstutzman@gomarlin.com

Tom Haney Healthcare Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine VIDEO

The healthcare debate is a complex issue, but can be broken down into three sections: the Medicare insolvency crisis, increasing healthcare expenditures (demand), and the problem of uninsured and underinsured patients.

Personally, when one views legislative and judicial policies over the last twenty to forty years, I believe that the healthcare crisis has been the product of “invasive” government. “Invasive” proponents have yet to point to a country with any type of healthcare that comes even close to being as effective, efficient, and even universal as the United States.

Cancer cure rates for the top 5 cancers in the United States are roughly 40% higher than the United Kingdom. Europe cannot even afford a two-view mammogram for women. 90% of the women in the world do not even have access to C-sections. It is time for “invasive” proponents to realize that the “right” of healthcare is not a right as demonstrated by every other country in the world. It is time for “invasive” proponents to realize the failure of “consequences have ideas” policy after policy.

America must go back to what has made her great. Free market principles instead of regulated protection and price fixing should rule the day. Ideas that empower the people with responsibility rather than a yoke of dependence should be instituted. Responsible patients and doctors should be rewarded not penalized. Crooked attorneys should not be rewarded at the expense of all. Government should stop ignoring its role in enforcing laws to prevent defrauding of pharmaceutical companies and insurance beneficiaries and providers.

I support comprehensive tort reform. I support comprehensive insurance reform, including lifting interstate competition barriers to stimulate competition. I support health savings accounts to encourage personal responsibility and healthcare choice. I support Medicare reform that removes recent expansion of non-medical care. These are just some of the solutions based on principle that will help expand care, reduce costs, and keep American jobs at home.

VIDEO CREDIT: wyattmcintyre

Paul Thomas Haney for U.S. Senate Committee Tom Haney, M.D. 6279 E. 450 N. Leesburg, IN 46538 or by email click here

DON BATES STATEMENT ON EVAN BAYH NOT SEEKING RE-ELECTION

Anderson, IN – Republican Candidate for US Senate Don Bates Jr made the following statement regarding Senator Evan Bayh not seeking re-election.

Photos by Don Bates Jr

“Eleven months ago I started telling people that Barack Obama's agenda would not be good for America, and that because of Senator Bayh's inability to stop President Obama's agenda, Senator Bayh must be replaced. At first, very few people believed me.

It now appears that even Senator Bayh believes me. Our mission is the same as it was from the beginning of this Campaign. President Obama's liberal agenda for America must be stopped, and together, Hoosiers, not national parties or special lobbying interests, can lead the charge to not only stop his agenda, but to restore fiscal discipline in America, and lead us once again to Reagan's Shining City on a Hill."

Bates is a Vice President and Branch Manager for Wells Fargo Advisors, he is currently seeking the Republican Nomination for Indiana’s US Senate Seat in 2010.
# # #

Don Bates Jr Committee * PO Box 1026 * Anderson, IN 46015 February 15, 2010 For Immediate Release | Contact: Bates Press Team – 765-203-2250

Edward Lynch Dissolution of the IRS as we know it VIDEO

It's time to reform our tax code and work toward the dissolution of the IRS as we know it. I believe current tax rates and complicated tax forms are a burden to the American people and a hindrance to economic prosperity.

The U.S. tax code as it now stands is a monumental burden on taxpayers and businesses, and it cripples private sector productivity and economic growth - no American is immune from the negative effects of the a code that not even our legislators can comprehend. The tax code is particularly hostile to both savings and investment, and taxpayers spend billions of dollars and endless hours each year filling out complicated tax returns, only to send back that money back to Washington bureaucrats who continue to spend it on their wasteful programs and the pet projects of special interest groups.

Given the state of our current economic climate, we need to aggressively work towards reducing both corporate and personal income taxes, because ultimately companies and individuals know best where and how to spend their dollars. I have given serious thought to several proposed structural reforms of the tax code, including the FairTax and the Flat Tax, and there are strong cases to be made for many of the aspects contained within both of these proposed reforms. We need to be just as concerned about reforming our tax structure as we are about reducing the level of taxation that we are now subject to; therefore we need to work towards both the simplification of the tax code as well as lower tax rates, the goal being a tax code that is simpler and fairer for all. To ensure America's long term prosperity and economic security, I am committed to:

* Reform of the tax system that simplifies our current tax code and promotes economic growth, and enhances our competitiveness abroad.

* Giving taxpayers a choice whether to file under the old tax code or a newly reformed tax code structure

* Reducing our corporate tax rate, which is among the highest in the world, to encourage companies to incorporate and start businesses within America

* Reducing marginal rates for all income brackets and the elimination of the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)

* Work towards the dissolution of the IRS as we know it.

Edward Lynch for Congress P.O. Box 210544 Royal Palm Beach, FL 33421 Email: edward@electlynch.com Phone: 561-245-8295

Marco Rubio for Senate Raises Over $800K in 10 Days

Uploaded on July 9, 2009, by Marco Rubio, All rights reserved.

Miami, FL – Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate today announced that it received more than $860,000 in campaign contributions during the past ten days through its www.StimulusBomb.com campaign and from Sen. Jim DeMint’s Senate Conservatives Fund. The ten day total is nearly half of what the campaign raised during the entire fourth quarter of 2009.

“I’m encouraged by the support we’ve received this month from people who believe a return to limited government is what will keep America free and prosperous,” said Rubio. “We are pleased with our progress, but also realize we have a long way to go to compete with one of the most prolific fundraisers in political history.”

This effort marked Rubio for Senate’s best fundraising week since the campaign first launched last year. The money raised was more than double what Rubio raised in the second quarter of 2009, and nearly matched the $1 million he raised in the third quarter of 2009. More than 11,000 contributors donated to both the Rubio and Senate Conservatives Fund stimulus campaigns, with donors registering an average contribution of approximately $75.

“Today’s encouraging news would not be possible without Marco’s positive, issues-based message and the growing support of people who support his vision for limited government principles,” said Rubio for Senate spokesman Alex Burgos. “Unfortunately, we are going to need every single penny raised to refute the increasingly desperate and dishonest attacks Charlie Crist has been launching at Marco Rubio on a daily basis.”

Marco Rubio for US Senate Contact by phone: (786) 953-6711

Exclusive Interview with Vice President Dick Cheney VIDEO TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Feb. 14, 2010 — FULL TEXT Transcript: "This Week" with Former Vice President Dick Cheney and George Will, Peter Beinart, Paul Gigot and Jane Mayer. KARL: Good morning, and welcome to "This Week." CHENEY: There is no middle ground. KARL: This morning, a "This Week" exclusive, former Vice President Dick Cheney, the administration's harshest critic... CHENEY: The president's been largely silent. Half-measures keep you half-exposed. The White House must stop dithering. KARL: ... with no apologies of his own. CHENEY: I was and remain a strong proponent of our enhanced interrogation program. KARL: National security, Iran, politics, and... BIDEN: Iraq, I mean, it's going to be one of the great achievements of this administration.

KARL: ... Dick Cheney takes on the current vice president, only on "This Week." Then, a Washington thaw.

OBAMA: I'm going to spend some time listening.

KARL: But can bipartisanship survive the politics of the moment?

PALIN: We need a commander-in-chief, not a professor of law standing at the lectern.

KARL: That and the rest of the week's politics on our roundtable with George Will, Peter Beinart of the Council on Foreign Relations, the New Yorker's Jane Mayer, and Paul Gigot of the Wall Street Journal.

And as always, the Sunday funnies.

LETTERMAN: John McCain knew that it was Sarah Palin's birthday, and he did something very nice for her. He bought her a Toyota.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: From the heart of the nation's capital, "This Week" with ABC's congressional correspondent, Jonathan Karl, live from the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue.

KARL: Joining me now, former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Mr. Vice President, welcome to "This Week."

CHENEY: Good morning, John.

Feb. 14, 2010 — FULL TEXT Transcript: "This Week" with Former Vice President Dick Cheney

Senator Lindsey Graham Weekly Republican Address 02/13/10 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Senator Lindsey Graham Weekly Republican Address 02/13/10 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Weekly remarks by Sen. Lindsey Graham, as provided by the Republican National Committee.

Hello, I’m Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. The Obama administration’s decision to prosecute the mastermind of 9-11 Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and four other co-conspirators in civilian court in New York City makes no sense to most Americans -- including me.

All of these cases were pending before military commission at Guantanamo Bay before the Obama administration suspended the trials and dismissed charges. That was a major mistake in the war on terror.

These Al Qaeda terrorists are not common criminals.

Their attacks resulted in the biggest loss of American life from an act of war on our homeland since the Civil War.

Never before have we allowed non-citizen, enemy combatants captured on the battlefield access to our civilian courts providing them with the same constitutional rights as American citizens.

Al Qaeda terrorists should not receive more rights than a Nazi War criminal. And now is not the time to go back to the pre-9/11 mentality of fighting crime instead of fighting a war. A civilian trial of hard-core terrorists is unnecessarily dangerous and creates more problems than it solves.

Let me explain why.

Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey was the presiding judge in the 1995 Blind Sheik trial involving....

...the first attempt to blow up the World Trade Center and has warned of using civilian courts in terror trials.
These same concerns were recently echoed by the bipartisan chairman of the 9-11 Commission.

In the 1995 trial, because of civilian court rules, the government was required to disclose the identity of all known co-conspirators to the defense.

One of the conspirators -- relatively obscure at the time -- was Osama bin Laden.

Our intelligence services later learned this list made its way back to bin Laden tipping him off about our surveillance.

A conviction was obtained in that trial, but valuable intelligence was compromised. The rest is history.

Civilian trials create confusion. Our soldiers and intelligence services are already uncertain as to what rules apply.

Case in point -- the Christmas Day bomber. As we all know, this was a failed attempt to blow up an airliner over Detroit by a trained Al Qaeda operative.

After being captured and fresh off the battlefield, he was read his Miranda rights within one hour of questioning and asked for a lawyer.

Days later and only after his parents encouraged him to cooperate did he begin talking again. Can we really rely on the parents of future terrorists to work with the FBI?

And is reading Miranda Rights to terrorists any way to fight a war?

Finally, a civilian trial in New York City will be expensive. The New York City Police Commissioner, Mayor and other leaders have all expressed concern these trials could last for years and end up costing over a billion dollars.

These trials should not take place in New York or any other civilian court. To do so, ignores the fact we are at war.

I believe there is a better way. I have been a military lawyer for almost 30 years and have great confidence in our military justice system.

With the goal of protecting our nation, military law allows us to collect valuable intelligence without reading Miranda Rights to enemy combatants. It keeps them off the battlefield, and where appropriate prosecutes them for war crimes in a manner that adheres to our values.

As one of the chief authors I am proud of the revised Military Commission Act of 2009 which created military tribunals for unlawful enemy combatants – a system not available in 2002 to deal with the Shoe Bomber Richard Reid.

This law was passed after extensive consultation with the Obama administration and received overwhelming bipartisan support.

The military justice system is transparent, well-staffed, subject to civilian review, and protects valuable intelligence. And above all else it is built around the idea that we are a nation at war.

Khalid Sheik Mohammad and his co-conspirators should have their charges reinstated before military commissions and quickly be tried by our military.

These trials will be conducted by the same men and women who administer justice to our own troops.

They are competent professionals with a great understanding of their obligations under the law. It is a system of justice that allows us to move securely forward in this war while upholding our values.

For the good of the nation, I hope the Obama administration will alter their policies.

Military tribunals are the best way to render justice, win this war and protect our nation from a vicious enemy. May God bless the United States and all those who serve to defend our way of life.” ####

Will the Republican Party Get Whigged Out?

Show of hands, how many of you are registered to vote as a Whig? You know, with the Whig Party. Okay, so I can't really see if you're raising your hand, but I'll bet none of you are. And that's my point. The Whig Party became extinct in the mid-1800's when they stopped standing for something, when they began putting party-power above party-principles.

As ending slavery escalated to a hot-button issue, politicians tried to straddle the fence. Whig Senator Daniel Webster said that while he personally opposed the issue of slavery, he was not going to force his morality on others. Leaders in both the Democratic and Whig Parties followed suit. Whig-defector Abraham Lincoln saw opportunity.

Abraham Lincoln approached the "fringe" third parties with a bold idea. Let's join forces. Combine efforts. Create a unified platform grounded in the values to which these fringe groups were committed. He mobilized groups such as the Free Soil Party and the Free Labor Party to form a coalition of people who were more committed to a set of principles than they were a political party. And the Republican Party was born.

And, well, you can guess the rest of the story. The Whigs never won an election after that. The Republican Party emerged as an unstoppable force championing the principles of freedom and limited government on which this nation was founded.

Until now that is ...

It seems the modern Republicans' "Big Tent" has gotten so crowded that the tent stakes popped up and the whole thing is about to collapse. It's often hard to distinguish some Republican voting records from the liberal Democrats'. But the collapse can be prevented if Republican leadership is willing to see the writing on the wall, willing to acknowledge that our true strength lies in candidates who are authentic Reagan Republicans ... eager to fight the suffocating swell of government expansion, eager to fight for a strong national defense, to reign in runaway spending that is bankrupting our nation ... eager to protect these policies that protect the preciousness of human life. After all, that is why freedom is so important.

The outcome of election day 2009 could not have made this message any more clear. Republican candidates who boldly stand for conservative principles won huge, even in the Democratic strongholds. And yet, liberal spin doctors are trying to paint a different picture, especially when it comes to the NY-23rd.

NY-23 is the district in which the Republican leaders backed a liberal Republican, also referred to as a RINO (Republican in Name Only.) In the true spirit of grassroots activism, voters rallied behind a conservative Republican who then ran on an independent ticket. As all three candidates remained neck and neck, the RINO jumped ship and backed the Democrat. Some spin doctors are trying to say that the Conservative was the spoiler in this race.

Huh? Did they not see the same results that I did?

The fact is that Republicans received the majority of the vote in NY-23. The RINO remained on the ballot and took 6% of the vote. The Conservative won 45% and the Democrat won 49%. Last time I checked, 6 plus 45 equals 51 ... the majority. The majority of the voters in NY-23 voted Republican. Had the RINO endorsed the Conservative, I believe the outcome would have been different.

So who's the spoiler now? And what message does that send?

Please allow me to quote a Delaware Tea Party Leader to answer that second question. "Republican Party, you've been put on notice! Have some guts and remember your roots or go the way of the Whigs."

I couldn't have said it better myself. -###-

Christine O'Donnell is a US Senate Candidate in a 2010 Delaware primary race against a RINO.

YEXT CREDIT: Christine O'Donnell for U.S. Senate • PO Box 3987 • Wilmington, DE 19807 • (302) 468-7010

PHOTO CREDIT: odonnell4senate

Elizabeth Ames Jones Second Amendment Rights

Uploaded on June 4, 2009 by jonesfortexas © All rights reserved.

Our individual constitutional right to keep and bear arms is under attack. It took Eric Holder, President Obama’s Attorney General, less than a month in office to announce the Administration’s intention to restrict our Second Amendment freedoms. We must remain vigilant and completely engaged in the process to defend this freedom. I grew up hunting and a love for the outdoors was instilled in me at an early age. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of me, my brothers and my father hunting together. My husband Will and I have built those same kind of memories with our children. As the next U.S. Senator from Texas, I will be an active and strong voice to defend the rights of law abiding Americans to purchase and possess firearms.

I strongly support the right to carry and I will oppose any Presidential nominee for any office requiring Senate approval who will not acknowledge and protect our individual rights under the 2nd Amendment.

Elizabeth Ames Jones for Texas P.O. Box 685289, Austin, Texas 78768 Campaign office:
512-474-1777 512-532-0755 fax

Roger Williams Running Away with GOP Senate Fundraising Race

Stephenville Tx. Uploaded on October 6, 2009 by rogerforsenate © All rights reserved.

Roger Williams tops $1.5 Million. Austin, Texas — Campaign finance reports available today show that former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams has built an almost insurmountable fundraising lead over his GOP competitors hoping to succeed Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Williams posted a total of more than $1.5 million dollars raised and more than $830,000 cash on hand for the campaign.

His cash on hand figure also tops all GOP candidates. This is the fourth consecutive reporting period in which Roger Williams has led the pack.

“Republican voters in Texas have already started voting with their money and we are winning that race in a big way,” said Roger Williams. “This fundraising victory is another indication of how hard I am working to make sure I am ready and Texas is ready for this challenge. When the starting gun is fired, I am working to make sure to be the candidate ready and able to win the race.”

The latest reports filed with the Federal Election Commission cover October 1st through December 31th of last year. Roger Williams has led all candidates in fundraising in every reporting period since he entered the race.

“All eyes in America will be watching Texas to see if the national momentum for change will continue. I feel that we owe it to Texas and the nation to be prepared and that is exactly what I am doing,” said Secretary Williams.

Roger Williams announced an exploratory committee for the United States Senate on December 12, 2008. Williams is a former professional baseball player and former college head coach, he is best known for his 39 years as a successful businessman and as Texas’ 105th Secretary of State. As Secretary of State, Williams worked tirelessly to promote economic development, investment and job creation across Texas. He also served as the state’s Chief Liaison for Texas Border and Mexican Affairs as well as Chair of the state’s 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Response Strike Force.

Williams’ civic activities include serving on the Board of Trustees for the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University where he co-chairs the school’s capital fundraising campaign. Williams is also a member of the Texas Christian University Board of Trustees, his alma mater. He also serves on the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Board of Directors as well as serving on the Admiral Nimitz Foundation Board of Directors in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Roger Williams U.S. Senate Committee Mailing Address P.O. Box 1504 Austin, Texas 78767 Phone & Fax (512) 492-3999 phone (512) 494-0649 fax

Michael Williams on Cutting Taxes VIDEO

The best tax system helps make poor people rich, not rich people poor. An efficient tax system has a broad tax base and a low tax rate. America has the second highest corporate tax burden in the developed world. We need to unleash the entrepreneurial spirit by cutting taxes and reforming the tax code with a flat tax.

Uploaded on January 25, 2010 by williamsfortexas All rights reserved

The president’s carbon cap and trade scheme amounts to huge tax on Texas families, and will devastate our energy sector. His healthcare plan cannot be financed without soaking taxpayers as well. The president is also discouraging charitable giving through elimination of the charitable tax deduction. The key to generating jobs and growth is cutting taxes instead of raising them. It is a fundamental issue of fairness, and it is critical to bringing America out of recession.

TEXT CREDIT: Michael Williams for U.S. Senate

VIDEO CREDIT: michaellwilliams

Michael Williams for U.S. Senate Committee P.O. Box 717 Austin, Texas 78767 Phone Numbers Phone: (512) 482-0682 Fax: (512) 482-0472 Email Addresses Scheduling Requests schedule@WilliamsForTexas.com General Info info@WilliamsForTexas.com

Republican Response to President Obama Health Care Summit Invitation

Boehner, Cantor Question White House on Proposed Health Care Summit GOP Leaders: “Assuming the President is sincere about moving forward on health care in a bipartisan way, does that mean he will agree to start over so that we can develop a bill that is truly worthy of the support and confidence of the American people?”

February 8, 2010 The Honorable Rahm Emanuel Chief of Staff The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. Emanuel:

We welcome President Obama’s announcement of forthcoming bipartisan health care talks. In fact, you may remember that last May, Republicans asked President Obama to hold bipartisan discussions on health care in an attempt to find common ground, but he declined and instead chose to work with only Democrats.

Since then, the President has given dozens of speeches on health care reform, operating under the premise that the more the American people learn about his plan, the more they will come to like it. Just the opposite has occurred: a majority of Americans oppose the House and Senate health care bills and want them scrapped so we can start over with a step-by-step approach focused on lowering costs for families and small businesses. Just as important, scrapping the House and Senate health care bills would help end the uncertainty they are creating for workers and businesses and thus strengthen our shared commitment to focusing on creating jobs.

Assuming the President is sincere about moving forward on health care in a bipartisan way, does that mean he will agree to start over so that we can develop a bill that is truly worthy of the support and confidence of the American people? Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said today that the President is “absolutely not” resetting the legislative process for health care. If the starting point for this meeting is the job-killing bills the American people have already soundly rejected, Republicans would rightly be reluctant to participate.

Assuming the President is sincere about moving forward in a bipartisan way, does that mean he has taken off the table the idea of relying solely on Democratic votes and jamming through health care reform by way of reconciliation? As the President has noted recently, Democrats continue to hold large majorities in the House and Senate, which means they can attempt to pass a health care bill at any time through the reconciliation process. Eliminating the possibility of reconciliation would represent an important show of good faith to Republicans and the American people.

If the President intends to present any kind of legislative proposal at this discussion, will he make it available to members of Congress and the American people at least 72 hours beforehand? Our ability to move forward in a bipartisan way through this discussion rests on openness and transparency.

Will the President include in this discussion congressional Democrats who have opposed the House and Senate health care bills? This bipartisan discussion should reflect the bipartisan opposition to both the House bill and the kickbacks and sweetheart deals in the Senate bill.

Will the President be inviting officials and lawmakers from the states to participate in this discussion? As you may know, legislation has been introduced in at least 36 state legislatures, similar to the proposal just passed by the Democratic-controlled Virginia State Senate, providing that no individual may be compelled to purchase health insurance. Additionally, governors of both parties have raised concerns about the additional costs that will be passed along to states under both the House and Senate bills.

The President has also mentioned his commitment to have “experts” participate in health care discussions. Will the Feb. 25 discussion involve such “experts?” Will those experts include the actuaries at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), who have determined that the both the House and Senate health care bill raise costs – just the opposite of their intended effect – and jeopardize seniors’ access to high-quality care by imposing massive Medicare cuts? Will those experts include the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, which has stated that the GOP alternative would reduce premiums by up to 10 percent? Also, will Republicans be permitted to invite health care experts to participate?

Finally, as you know, this is the first televised White House health care meeting involving the President since last March. Many health care meetings of the closed-door variety have been held at the White House since then, including one last month where a sweetheart deal was worked out with union leaders. Will the special interest groups that the Obama Administration has cut deals with be included in this televised discussion?

Of course, Americans have been dismayed by the fact that the President has broken his own pledge to hold televised health care talks. We can only hope this televised discussion is the beginning, not the end, of attempting to correct that mistake. Will the President require that any and all future health care discussions, including those held on Capitol Hill, meet this common-sense standard of openness and transparency?

Your answers to these critical questions will help determine whether this will be a truly open, bipartisan discussion or merely an intramural exercise before Democrats attempt to jam through a job-killing health care bill that the American people can’t afford and don’t support. ‘Bipartisanship’ is not writing proposals of your own behind closed doors, then unveiling them and demanding Republican support. Bipartisan ends require bipartisan means.

These questions are also designed to try and make sense of the widening gap between the President’s rhetoric on bipartisanship and the reality. We cannot help but notice that each of the President’s recent bipartisan overtures has been coupled with harsh, misleading partisan attacks.

For instance, the President decries Republican ‘obstruction’ when it was Republicans who first proposed bipartisan health care talks last May. The President says Republicans are ‘sitting on the sidelines’ just days after holding up our health care alternative and reading from it word for word. The President has every right to use his bully pulpit as he sees fit, but this is the kind of credibility gap that has the American people so fed up with business as usual in Washington.

We look forward to receiving your answers and continuing to discuss ways we can move forward in a bipartisan manner to address the challenges facing the American people.

Sincerely,

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH)
House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA)