Louie Gohmert Statement on the Release of President Obama’s Birth Certificate

Washington - Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) issued the following statement today after the White House’s decision to release President Obama’s birth certificate: “For more than two years President Obama has failed to present his birth certificate for inspection. In early 2008, the New York Times and the Washington Post had raised a question about John McCain's eligibility since he was born in the Panama Canal Zone. Others raised questions about President Obama’s eligibility. These two ‘birther’ controversies exposed a flaw in the enforcement mechanism of our Constitutional eligibility requirement for U.S. presidential candidates.

Last Congress, I signed on as a co-sponsor to HR 1503 authored by Rep. Bill Posey which was not drafted to single out President Obama but for all future candidates beginning in 2012 to settle eligibility requirements before an election begins. HR 1503 was merely an enforcement mechanism for meeting the Constitutional requirements to run for this nation’s highest office.

It is truly distressing that the administration would wait so long to release such an important piece of documentation, when such a simple act was all it required. In my mind, a critically important action we could take in Congress is to eliminate similar controversies arising in future elections. Hopefully, all presidential candidates in future elections will avoid arrogant condescension and simply establish their qualification from the outset.”

Congressman Louie Gohmert is the Vice Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. Prior to being elected to serve in Congress, Louie was elected to three terms as District Judge in Smith County, Texas. He also served as Chief Justice of Texas'12th Court of Appeals. # # #

Kimberly Willingham (202) 225-3035 Jonna Fitzgerald (903) 561-6349

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Louie Gohmert WASHINGTON, DC OFFICE 2440 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 T (202) 225-3035 F (202) 226-1230 TX Toll Free (866) 535-6302

Paul Broun Statement on Obama Birth Certificate

Congressman Broun released the following statement after the White House produced President Barack Obama’s long form birth certificate two years after he started running for the position: "I am more interested in President Obama producing a budget that actually cuts spending and removes the regulatory burden on small businesses so they can create jobs and grow our economy. Or perhaps he can produce a realistic energy policy to help ease the pain at the pump Americans are feeling by reducing our dependency on foreign sources. Regardless, until the President is ready to produce something that isn't a ‘commission’, political speech, or a document two years overdue – Republicans in Congress will continue to work tirelessly to produce the kind of economic solutions that the American people are demanding."

TEXT CREDIT: Congressman Paul Broun, M.D. Washington D.C. Office 325 Cannon House Office Bldg Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: (202) 225-4101 Fax: (202) 226-0776

James Lankford Weekly Republican Address TEXT PODCAST VIDEO 04/29/11

Podcast of the address: Download MP3 for PODCAST || FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT BELOW.

Hello, my name is James Lankford, and I’m a freshman member of Congress, working for the people of Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District.

When I listen to my constituents about the challenges they face, skyrocketing cost of gasoline is at the top of the list. Prices at the pump have nearly doubled since President Obama took office, making everyday life like driving to work, buying groceries, picking up kids at school and visiting family more expensive.

Even worse, the rising price of fuel is costing jobs and hurting our economy. Higher energy prices hit virtually every American product and industry, making it more expensive to manufacture products, more expensive to ship goods, and more expensive for farmers and ranchers. In fact, higher energy costs make everything made in the USA more expensive, and send more good-paying jobs overseas.

Americans are looking for leadership to tackle the rising gas prices, but President Obama has only offered a tax increase on energy and the prospect of reduced supply. For more than two years, his administration has knowingly increased energy prices by choking off new sources of traditional American energy and smothering our economy in new energy regulations. His latest proposal hiking taxes by billions of dollars will not lower gas prices and would actually make the problem worse.

In my state, and in many other states, thousands of people depend directly on American energy production for their paychecks. The president may think he’s punishing CEOs of big companies, but his plan will hurt the everyday consumer of energy and imperil the jobs of millions of hardworking people in American-based companies.

There is a better way. Republicans are focused on expanding all American energy production to help lower costs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and create millions of American jobs.

Next week, the House of Representatives will begin this process by passing legislation to increase the supply of American energy and create jobs. This legislation is part of our American Energy Initiative, an ongoing effort to lower costs and allow the private sector to create more American jobs.

Quite simply, if the president chooses to punt on real long-term solutions for energy and gas prices, we will take the lead.

Two weeks ago, I was proud to cast my vote in the House for a budget that promotes economic growth and job creation by putting us on a path to pay down our debt, and preserve Medicaid and Medicare for current retirees and future generations. Our national debt is worse than most people realize. We must solve our budget problem, not just talk about the crisis.

The president’s budget proposal fails to offer a credible plan that meets the nation’s challenges in a serious manner. He considers it radical and extreme to balance the budget by doing what every American business and family does in tough times they reduce spending.

We need to be honest with the American people. Washington should not overspend, then go to the American people and demand a tax increase because we cannot make the tough decisions.

And, we cannot ignore the fact that tens of millions of baby boomers are beginning to retire while Medicare is already teetering at the brink of insolvency. We must stabilize, and protect Medicare and Medicaid.

Let me be clear, The Republican plan would not affect current Medicare beneficiaries, or any American 55 or older. To address Medicare’s looming insolvency though, we put in place a plan to save Medicare for those under 55. We want them to have access to the same kind of medical retirement options that members of Congress and all federal employees benefit from.

The president’s proposal protects the status quo: an unsustainable system that will bankrupt Medicare and lead to future deep, painful benefit cuts for seniors, while continuing to pile trillions of dollars of obligation on the backs of future generations.

The world is watching to see how we’ll handle our debt. Everyone wants to know if we’ll just pile up more debt with no plan to ever pay it off, or if we will find a way to permanently work on our national debt.

The president wants us to raise the debt limit with no real reforms to stop future Washington spending binges. To let Washington borrow even more money from the Chinese and hand the bill to our kids and grand kids. This would be a stark moment in American history, when a president would intentionally declare, ‘times are tough, I think I’ll make life tougher on my kids and grandkids’ generation to make life easier on me and my generation.’

We have responded differently. The American people will not tolerate an increase in the debt limit unless it comes with meaningful steps to cut Washington spending and start working us out of debt. No more blank checks and huge bills on our children so someone in Washington can retain power.

On gas prices, the budget and the debt limit, we will continue to offer real solutions to lower gas prices, create jobs, and ensure the next generation still has a shot at the American dream.

Our nation’s been through difficult times before. We can do this if we will work together to solve the problems instead of just talking about them. May God bless our families and our great nation. Thank you for listening. ####

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: HouseConference

Proof, Obama Birth Certificate Fraud VIDEO

As we originally noted and has been mentioned by a number of electronic image experts, one of the most glaring details demonstrating Obama's purported birth certificate is a fraud is the presence of digital artifacts.

Digital images often contain unwanted information known as artifacts. In the blow up below of Obama's supposed birth certificate, we can see digital artifacts as areas of white outlining text and graphical elements on the page. I brought a capture of the original PDF into Photoshop and enlarged it and increased the contrast in order to show the artifacts.

Artifacts are created as the result of lossy compression techniques. So-called "lossy" compression is a data encoding method which compresses data by discarding or losing some of it in order to reduce image file size.

Alternately, the white areas may be the result of a sloppy effort to eliminate a white background on the scanned image of the certificate and drop it over the green textured background. In Photoshop and similar image editing programs, it is possible to select areas based on color or contrast and eliminate those areas and make them transparent so a background image shows through. The process is far from perfect, especially when attempted by an inexperienced Photoshop user. It can leave behind telltale artifacts or jagged areas of original pixels, in this case white pixels from the original background.

As a long time user of Photoshop and Illustrator, I believe the second explanation is the likely reason there are white areas around the text and lines. It is a sloppy effort to eliminate a background.

As previously noted, the document is problematic in other ways. There are obvious text font inconsistencies, most notably in regard to the date in the "Date Accepted by Local Reg." field near the bottom of the document. The number "1" in the year "1961" is darker than the rest of the date.

The letter "e" at the end of "none" in the "Type of Occupation Outside Home During Pregnancy" is also darker and slightly slanted, which is different than the same letter elsewhere in the document, indicating it was either added later with a typewriter of computer. This letter is included in one of the layers when the PDF is imported into Adobe Illustrator.

The date and state registrar stamps at the bottom of the document also break out in separate layers, indicating they were likely added and are not part of an original document as one would expect of an official document.

Other oddities add to the mystery of the document, including "X" marks above the "Twin" and "Triplet" in "This Birth" box. As far as we know, Obama is not a twin or triplet.

Finally, the document does not contain an official imprint seal, as we see on other certificate of live birth documents (see the example from an article we posted yesterday).

Although intended to be sarcastic commentary on the "birthers," BuzzFeed has a list of most of the document's anomalies.

Now that we have established that the document is an obvious forgery, we should ask why Obama's people would release as definitive proof of his citizenship such an easily debunked fraud.

Is it possible Obama's people are so incompetent and lazy as to release a document that was torn apart soon after it was released by people who know what to look for?

Or was this obvious fraud released simply to keep the debate and the political circus sideshow going?

The Obama administration finally laid to rest all the rumors of the place of his birth with the release of his long form birth certificate. But closer inspection has prompted more questions than answers. For starters there are numerous layers. Some of the numerical characters look as if they were added after the fact by a printer rather than a typewriter. Alex Jones and Rob Dew demonstrate that the Obama team is keeping with the trend of being transparent as a brick wall.

TEXT and VIDEO CREDIT: TheAlexJonesChannel

RESOURCES: www.infowars.com/digital-artifacts-prove-obama-birth-certificate-altered and www.infowars.com/new-obama-birth-certificate-is-a-forgery/

Proof Obama Birth Certificate is a Scam? VIDEO

Obama Birth Certificate Scam? - April 27, 2011

Obama's Birth Certificate: The "copy" the White House released is not a copy. It is manufactured. This video goes through the proof, and it's much more than the Illustrator "breadcrumbs" that others have found and talked about.

You've been had America, and the White House was dumb enough to stick proof of it on their own web server.

The Document the White House alleges to be President Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate

VIDEO and TEXT CREDIT: kdenninger

DOCUMENT CREDIT: White House

RESOURCES:

• You've GOT To Be Kidding Me (Birth Certificate)
• Oh C'mon #2 - AP Is Involved?
• You GOT To Be Kidding #3

Mitch McConnell announced Thursday that the Senate will vote on the budget President Obama submitted to Congress in February

LOUISVILLE– U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell announced Thursday that the Senate will vote on the budget President Obama submitted to Congress in February. The President’s budget has already drawn bipartisan opposition because it spends too much, taxes too much, and borrows too much. If implemented, it would raise more than a trillion in new taxes, add another 13 trillion to the already unsustainable national debt and do absolutely nothing about the looming entitlement crisis or to preserve the promises Congress has made to future generations. The vote will allow members of the Senate to show whether or not they believe this budget, which one senior Democrat said “fundamentally puts at risk the economic security of the country,” is the right approach for our nation’s economic future.

“I understand that the Majority Leader would like to have a vote on the House-passed Ryan budget and we will,” McConnell said. “But we’ll have a vote on the President’s budget at the same time. Since there is no Democrat budget in the Senate, we’ll give our colleagues an opportunity to stand with the President in failing to address the problems facing our nation while calling for trillions in new spending, massive new debt and higher taxes on American energy, families and small businesses across the country.”

The Senate returns on Monday, but there is no date scheduled for the Majority Leader’s planned vote on the Ryan budget. The Democrat-led Budget Committee has yet to produce a budget or schedule a “mark up” of a budget resolution. This would be the second straight year without a budget resolution in the Senate.

“While Democrats have refused to offer a budget for the second year in a row, failed to protect families from policies that increase the price at the pump, and have yet to offer any serious plan to protect future generations from this administration’s spending spree, Republicans aren’t waiting for the next election to act.” McConnell said. “We are committed to creating an environment where jobs can come back, stopping the administration’s war on American energy during record gas prices, reducing the massive debt that is slowing job growth, and working to repeal the job-destroying health spending law and replacing it with commonsense reforms that actually lower costs.”

McConnell added: “House Budget Chairman Ryan presented, and the House passed, a budget to address our most pressing problems head-on at a moment when the President and other Democrat leaders simply refuse to do so themselves. It’s my hope that our friends on the other side recognize this effort for what it is — a serious, good-faith effort to do something good and necessary for the future of our nation and that, for the good of the nation, they’ll join in the effort at some point before it’s too late.”

TEXT CREDIT: U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell Washington Office. 317 Russell Senate Office Building. Washington, DC 20510. Phone: (202) 224-2541, Fax: (202) 224-2499

IMAGE CREDIT: This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.

Eric Cantor Discusses Budget, Debt Limit & Tax Reform VIDEO

On the Debt Limit: “America pays its bills. Everybody agrees that we've got to pay our bills. I don't think that comes at the exclusion of trying to fix the problem. We are in a debt crisis. The markets, global investors, the American people are expecting us to deliver on our commitment that we're going to change the spending crisis in Washington. So, together with the debt limit vote there has to be some real reforms, and I mean real, not the typical Washington, kick the can down the road stuff, but real things that can produce savings and actually begin to change the way that the culture works.”

On Tax Reform: “In a reformed tax code, what we are saying is lower rates, broaden the base, and get rid of the special interest loopholes. Each year what happens, in the crony capitalist spirit, is that industries go to Washington and try to get an advantage in the tax code. We want to stop that. Now, can you stop it right now? No. But we want to make sure we put in place ways to go about affecting real tax reform to bring down rates. We want to grow this economy again. We want to grow this economy so you do have increased revenues while you're trying to hold down the spending side.”

VIDEO CREDIT: EricCantor

TEXT CREDIT: Eric Cantor Majority Leader Washington, DC 303 Cannon Building Washington, DC 20515 P: 202.225-2815 F: 202.225-0011

The Document the White House alleges to be President Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate TEXT PODCAST VIDEO

The Document the White House alleges to be President Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate

Video and MP3 for PODCAST of the President alleging the claim to his Long Form Birth Certificate. Download mp4 (189MB) | mp3 (5MB)

FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESIDENT'S CLAIM:

Remarks by the President James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 9:48 A.M. PDT

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. Now, let me just comment, first of all, on the fact that I can't get the networks to break in on all kinds of other discussions -- (laughter.) I was just back there listening to Chuck -- he was saying, it’s amazing that he’s not going to be talking about national security. I would not have the networks breaking in if I was talking about that, Chuck, and you know it.

Q Wrong channel. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: As many of you have been briefed, we provided additional information today about the site of my birth. Now, this issue has been going on for two, two and a half years now. I think it started during the campaign. And I have to say that over the last two and a half years I have watched with bemusement, I've been puzzled at the degree to which this thing just kept on going. We've had every official in Hawaii, Democrat and Republican, every news outlet that has investigated this, confirm that, yes, in fact, I was born in Hawaii, August 4, 1961, in Kapiolani Hospital.

We've posted the certification that is given by the state of Hawaii on the Internet for everybody to see. People have provided affidavits that they, in fact, have seen this birth certificate. And yet this thing just keeps on going.

Now, normally I would not comment on something like this, because obviously there’s a lot of stuff swirling in the press on at any given day and I've got other things to do. But two weeks ago, when the Republican House had put forward a budget that will have huge consequences potentially to the country, and when I gave a speech about my budget and how I felt that we needed to invest in education and infrastructure and making sure that we had a strong safety net for our seniors even as we were closing the deficit, during that entire week the dominant news story wasn’t about these huge, monumental choices that we're going to have to make as a nation. It was about my birth certificate. And that was true on most of the news outlets that were represented here.

And so I just want to make a larger point here. We've got some enormous challenges out there. There are a lot of folks out there who are still looking for work. Everybody is still suffering under high gas prices. We're going to have to make a series of very difficult decisions about how we invest in our future but also get a hold of our deficit and our debt -- how do we do that in a balanced way.

And this is going to generate huge and serious debates, important debates. And there are going to be some fierce disagreements -- and that’s good. That’s how democracy is supposed to work. And I am confident that the American people and America’s political leaders can come together in a bipartisan way and solve these problems. We always have.

But we’re not going to be able to do it if we are distracted. We’re not going to be able to do it if we spend time vilifying each other. We’re not going to be able to do it if we just make stuff up and pretend that facts are not facts. We’re not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers.

We live in a serious time right now and we have the potential to deal with the issues that we confront in a way that will make our kids and our grandkids and our great grandkids proud. And I have every confidence that America in the 21st century is going to be able to come out on top just like we always have. But we’re going to have to get serious to do it.

I know that there’s going to be a segment of people for which, no matter what we put out, this issue will not be put to rest. But I’m speaking to the vast majority of the American people, as well as to the press. We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We’ve got better stuff to do. I’ve got better stuff to do. We’ve got big problems to solve. And I’m confident we can solve them, but we’re going to have to focus on them -- not on this.

Thanks very much, everybody.

END 9:54 A.M. EDT

DOCUMENT CREDIT: White House

TEXT AUDIO and VIDEO CREDIT: The White House

Paul Ryan "We're saving Medicare" VIDEO

On March 25, 2010, Congress passed sweeping legislation that will fundamentally realign our nation’s health care system. This massive health care overhaul will exacerbate the very problems this reform effort sought to address. It will dramatically alter our deteriorating economic and fiscal conditions for the worse and may irrevocably impair the American identity.

Sky-rocketing health care costs are drowning families, businesses and governments in red ink—leaving millions priced out of the market and without coverage. This legislation—with its maze of mandates, dictates, controls, tax hikes and subsidies—pushes costs further in the wrong direction. It initiates a government takeover of the health care sector (one-sixth of the U.S. economy), intrudes in the doctor- patient relationship, and increases total spending by $2.6 trillion. It raises taxes by more than a half-trillion dollars over the next 10 years—the largest tax increase in American history—and cuts more than a half-trillion dollars from Medicare to finance this new entitlement. All told, this legislation will dramatically add to an already unsustainable rate of government spending that will overwhelm the Federal budget and dramatically change the way Americans get health care.

With the exception of Medicare beneficiaries, the health care bill will have significant and serious consequences on the sustainability of the program and access to medical care. Before the bill’s enactment, the Medicare program was already on an unsustainable path. According to the most recent Medicare Trustee’s report, the Medicare program will be insolvent by 2029 —meaning Medicare will pay out more in benefits than it collects in revenue. Instead of reforming this important program and putting it on a sustainable path so that current beneficiaries will not see a disruption in their services and future generations will be able to plan their retirement around Medicare’s assistance—as I have been advocating for several years—the health care bill treats Medicare like a piggy bank. It double-counts $528 billion in reductions from Medicare—making the false claim of extending Medicare’s solvency while also offsetting costs of the new health care entitlement. For the Medicare Hospital Insurance Fund alone, the CBO has calculated that $398 billion in savings over 10 years is being double-counted. The legislation also includes $202 billion in reductions to the Medicare Advantage Program.

Instead of promoting real competition – which would moderate costs naturally—the legislation nationalizes the regulation of health insurance premiums. This will lead to shortages and rationing and waiting times will replace prices as a means of balancing limited supply and higher demand. Quality will decline as consumers begin facing restricted access to the full range of treatment options. Greater government regulation also will limit incentives for medical innovation.

Yet, despite all the new spending and all the increased taxes, supporters of this law argue that it will actually reduce our current deficit levels. However, the fiscal arguments just do not add up. The only way reduce the deficit, while at the same time having the government pick up the tab for more than 30 million uninsured Americans and subsidize millions more is through the use of smoke and mirrors. In fact, after accounting for the more than $569 billion in tax increases and $523 billion in Medicare cuts, the true costs of this law— concealed by timing gimmicks, hidden spending and double-counting—will make the deficit explode, plunging us deeper into debt.

Medicare Payments to Physicians
Medicare reimburses health care providers for various procedures they perform. These reimbursements are made according to a fee schedule. The fee schedule places a limit on payment per service but not on overall volume of services. The formula for calculating the annual update to the conversion factor responds to changes in volume. If the overall volume of services increases, the update is lower; if the overall volume is reduced, the update is higher. The intent of the formula is to place a restraint on overall increases in Medicare spending for physicians' services. Several factors enter into the calculation including:

* The Medicare economic index, which measures inflation in the inputs needed to produce physicians' services;
* The sustainable growth rate, which is essentially a target for Medicare spending growth for physicians' services;
* An adjustment that modifies the update, which would otherwise be allowed by the MEI, to bring spending in line with the SGR target.

The Medicare system is supervised by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). The current method of determining payments for services used by CMS has resulted in declining reimbursements to many health care providers while at the same time raising costs to Medicare beneficiaries. In fact, Congress has had to “freeze” Medicare payments over the last several years because they have been so low that many providers have been forced to either close their business or refuse to accept new Medicare patients.

I share the justified concerns regarding the annual cuts to physicians who accept Medicare patients. Undercutting physician reimbursement rates would lead to fewer doctors accepting Medicare patients, reduce the quality of care provided to America’s seniors, and further inflate the cost of health care. I believe that physicians should be paid for the work that they do, and they should not have to wait on Congress to act every year in order to prevent pay cuts that are arbitrarily determined by a flawed formula. Additionally, Medicare beneficiaries need to have confidence that they will continue to have access to quality health care professionals without seeing drastic increases in their part B premiums.

On December 9, 2010, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4994, the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010. This legislation averted scheduled cuts in physicians’ Medicare reimbursements that would have taken place due to the flawed SGR formula.

However, since H.R. 4994 only patched the reimbursement cuts through December 31, 2011, Congress must revisit the issue. If it does not, payments to physicians will be cut. I firmly support reforming the broken physician reimbursement formula, but I am also deeply concerned about our $1.3 trillion budget deficit and $14 trillion national debt. Fortunately, the new Republican Congress has the ability to introduce legislation that reverses the scheduled cuts in a fiscally responsible manner, as was done with H.R. 4994. I am hopeful that Congress will consider deficit-neutral legislation to avert the painful cuts to physicians.

President’s Debt Commission
I was happy to be appointed to serve on the bipartisan commission, along with other members of Congress and policy experts. I believe the proposal offered by the Co-Chairs is a serious and credible plan that advances a sorely needed debate on these critical issues. However, I had concerns with several major provisions in the proposal and was ultimately unable to support it.

Ultimately, I was deeply concerned that the Co-Chairs’ proposal not only lacks the structural reforms needed to reform the explosive growth of existing health care entitlements, but it would actually accelerate the costly and adverse consequences of the President’s recently enacted health care law. For this reason, I worked with fellow Commissioner Alice Rivlin to develop an alternative model to preserve and reform Medicare and Medicaid. The proposal makes no changes for those 55 and older. For those younger than 55, Medicare would provide a list of approved health plans, along with a payment equal to average Medicare costs, so they could select a plan suitable for their needs. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the Ryan-Rivlin plan would help address Medicare’s long-term sustainability by saving roughly four percent of GDP by 2050. It would also give seniors access to the same high-quality health insurance options I have as a Member of Congress.

H.R. 4529, A Roadmap for America’s Future
I first introduced the Roadmap in 2008 to address the greatest threat to our economic and fiscal future—the massive debt burden being driven by the unsustainable growth in entitlement spending. At the time, I argued that years of reckless spending, by both Democratic and Republican administrations, put America on a perilous path. One in which Americans’ health and retirement security programs would soon collapse; future generations would be crushed under a burden of debt and taxes; and our economy would become unable to compete with the rest of the world. Since then, our country has undergone a dramatic financial and economic crisis, unemployment has doubled, and unfortunately, our day of fiscal reckoning has drawn rapidly closer.

We can and must set a different course. The time for talk has passed. We need a real plan with real proposals, real numbers to back them up, and real legislation to implement them. Based on the input of many, I developed A Roadmap for America’s Future to:

* Ensure universal access to health insurance, fulfill the missions of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and make these programs permanently solvent.
* Return Federal spending growth to sustainable levels and lift the debt burden looming over future generations.
* Promote sustained economic and job growth and put the U.S. in a position to lead—not merely survive—in the international marketplace.
* The Roadmap also proposes much-needed changes to Medicare. First, the Roadmap secures Medicare for current beneficiaries, preserving the existing Medicare program for those in and near retirement—so Americans can receive the benefits they planned for throughout their working lives. Under my reform plan, Medicare would not change for people 55 and older.
* For younger people, Medicare is reformed to work like the health care plan Members of Congress now enjoy. For those currently under 55—as they become Medicare-eligible—it creates a Medicare payment, initially averaging $11,000, to be used to purchase a Medicare certified plan. The payment is adjusted to reflect the impact of medical inflation, and pegged to income, with low-income individuals receiving greater support. The plan also provides risk adjustment mechanisms, allowing those with greater medical needs receive a higher payment. The Roadmap fully funds Medical Savings Accounts (MSA) for low-income beneficiaries while continuing to allow all individuals, regardless of income, to set up tax-free MSAs. Based on consultation with the Office of the Actuary of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Congressional Budget Office, these reforms will make Medicare permanently solvent.

To be clear, it is not too late to take control of our fiscal and economic future but the longer we wait, the bigger the problem becomes—and the more limited and difficult our options for solving it. The Roadmap for America’s Future offers the American people a clear contrast and a clear vision for our country’s future. It secures the distinctly American legacy of leaving the next generation better off. I would encourage you to visit www.americanroadmap.org to learn more about the specific aspects of this plan.

VIDEO and CREDIT: CBS News

TEXT CREDIT: U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan Washington, DC Office 1233 Longworth House Office Bldg Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3031 Fax: (202) 225-3393

Ron Paul on launch of 2012 exploratory committee VIDEO

Ron Paul speaks about the launch of his 2012 presidential exploratory committee, campaigning against President Obama and the changes that will enable him to do better than in 2008.

VIDEO and TEXT CREDIT: CBS News

House Energy and Commerce Committe Questions Mobile Device Companies About Tracking of Phone Users’ Locations

WASHINGTON, DC – Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee today sent letters to several developers of mobile device operating systems seeking more information on whether these devices are tracking, storing, and sharing users’ locations and the implications of such tracking for individual privacy and federal communications policy.

The letters come on the heels of recent media reports that certain operating systems are tracking and storing information on users’ locations – a revelation first explored by the Energy and Commerce Committee in the last Congress.

Today’s inquiries, which build on the information previously gathered by the committee, were sent by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI); Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Vice Chair Lee Terry (R-NE); and Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) and Vice Chair Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

The letters, which were sent to Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nokia, Research in Motion, and HP, ask about location data that is tracked, used, stored, or shared by mobile device operating systems. Included in the inquiries are the following questions, along with several others:

* How is that data accessible and who can access it? Is the data automatically transferred to your company or to other devices, or to third parties? If so, how and why? Is there any other manner in which the data can be transferred to or obtained by your company, or by other devices, or by third parties and, if so, how and why?
* Is the user informed of, or given an opportunity to prevent, such tracking, use, storing, or sharing of data and, if so, how? Can the end-user disable the tracking, use, storing, and sharing of such data? Can the user delete the data?

Copies of the letters are available on the Energy and Commerce Committee website here.

###

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: House Energy and Commerce Committee January 11, 2011 By Alexa Marrero, (202) 225-3641 or Sean Bonyun, (202) 225-3761 2125 Rayburn House Office Building | Washington, DC 20515 | (202) 225-2927

Tim Pawlenty Statement on Governor Barbour

"Nobody has done more than Haley to build the Republican Party over the last three decades, including last year, when I had the privilege to be his vice chairman at the Republican Governors Association. He is one of the Republican Party's great leaders and an outstanding Governor for Mississippi. When Republicans defeat Barack Obama next year, it will be thanks to the solid party foundation Haley helped build. We wish him and Marsha the best and thank them for all that they do for their state, their Nation, and the Republican Party."

# # #

TEXT CREDIT: Pawlenty 2012 PO Box 385340 Bloomington, MN 55438

IMAGE CREDIT: Tim Pawlenty's Photos All rights reserved

Haley Barbour "I will not be a candidate for president next year"

STATEMENT OF GOV. BARBOUR "I will not be a candidate for president next year. This has been a difficult, personal decision, and I am very grateful to my family for their total support of my going forward, had that been what I decided. "Hundreds of people have encouraged me to run and offered both to give and raise money for a presidential campaign.

Many volunteers have organized events in support of my pursuing the race. Some have dedicated virtually full time to setting up preliminary organizations in critical, early states and to helping plan what has been several months of intensive activity.

"I greatly appreciate each and every one of them and all their outstanding efforts. If I have disappointed any of them in this decision, I sincerely regret it.

"A candidate for president today is embracing a ten-year commitment to an all-consuming effort, to the virtual exclusion of all else. His (or her) supporters expect and deserve no less than absolute fire in the belly from their candidate. I cannot offer that with certainty, and total certainty is required.

"This decision means I will continue my job as Governor of Mississippi, my role in the Republican Governors Association and my efforts to elect a new Republican president in 2012, as the stakes for the nation require that effort to be successful."

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Governor Haley Barbour P.O. Box 139 | Jackson, MS 39205 | Phone: 601.359.3150 | Fax: 601.359.3741

John McCain Meet The Press 04/24/11:Libya has ‘earmarks’ of a stalemate TEXT VIDEO

MR. GREGORY: Good morning, and happy Easter. We begin this morning with the continued fighting in Libya. Reports of heavy bombardment by Gadhafi forces in the coastal city of Misrata overnight. This coming a day after rebels claimed a victory there after government forces literally and initially retreated. The situation being described this morning as very dangerous. Senator John McCain visited the rebel stronghold city of Benghazi on Friday, and he is with us live this morning from Cairo. Senator, welcome. Describe the fight, the situation on the ground as you experienced it firsthand.

SEN. JOHN McCAIN (R-AZ): Well, in Benghazi things are quiet and calm, and they have a transitional national council that is basically governing the area under their control. In Misrata it, it's, it is quite bloody, David. When I was there, a ship had just arrived from Misrata filled with refugees and the wounded. And I went to the hospital there in Misrata and I saw a lot of young men who were dead and dying and gravely wounded. This is a, this is a pretty bloody situation, and it has the earmarks of being a stalemate. Now, we hope that Gadhafi will crumble from within, but hope is not a strategy. And it's pretty obvious to me that we need -- even though I was glad to see the Predator now in the fight -- it's pretty obvious to me that the United States has got to play a greater role in the airpower side. Our NATO allies neither have the assets nor, frankly, the will. There's only six countries of the 28 in NATO that are actively engaged in, in this situation.

MR. GREGORY: So if you talk about Predators being used, supplies for the rebels, if it comes to it, Senator, would you like to see this president OK ground troops going in, if that's what it takes to break the stalemate?

SEN. McCAIN: No, I would not, David. I think it would be totally counterproductive. I believe that with sufficient and efficient, sufficient and efficient use of airpower, we can bring Gadhafi to his knees. It's ideal terrain and situation for doing so. Have no doubt, though, that he and his forces are adapting to this situation by hiding in houses and doing various things that prevent the airpower from being so effective. But I'll tell you, when you're flying around at 25,000 feet, it's pretty hide -- it's pretty easy to hide from them. But we need to recognize the government as a legitimate voice of the Libyan people so they can have access to the funds that we have frozen of Gadhafi's. We need to help them with communications, we need to help them with humanitarian assistance. We need to -- my view, would be very helpful if we took out Gadhafi's television because when the Libyan people see Gadhafi on television it scares them. This guy is, you know, in the -- by the courthouse in Benghazi, there are pictures of the 1,200 people that he had massacred in one day in a prison. And so we need to, we need to be more helpful, but troops on the ground is out of the question.

MR. GREGORY: You, you have been a forceful advocate of the things that you've been talking about with regard to the mission. There's not a unanimous view, however, in the Republican Party, and we are in a political season already. And Mitt Romney, with whom you've disagreed about war policy in the past, he came out this week in the National Review and said the

following about the president's strategy: "It is apparent that our military is engaged in much more than enforcing a no-fly zone. What we are watching in real time is another example of mission creep and mission muddle." Do you worry about this muddled mission and how it ends?

SEN. McCAIN: I worry about a mission that the president says that the policy is a removal of Gadhafi, but says that it would be a mistake to use force to see that that happen. And what the president's quandary is that he relies on NATO resolutions and Security Council resolutions, and the best he could get is a humanitarian resolution when the fact is that we need to take Gadhafi out. This guy is a person who has lost all legitimacy just, by the way, as Assad in Syria. Go ahead.

MR. GREGORY: But isn't it -- but you say take Gadhafi out. How do you just say that if you're not willing to go all the way with ground troops to, to do that?

SEN. McCAIN: Yeah.

MR. GREGORY: Can you do that with airpower alone?

SEN. McCAIN: I think you can do it with airpower and sufficiently trained and equipped liberation forces. Look, these people hate Gadhafi. That's why I think there's still hope and a chance he may crumble from within. But the longer we delay, the more likely it is there's a stalemate. And if you're worried about al-Qaeda entering into this fight, nothing would bring al- Qaeda in more rapidly and more dangerously than a stalemate.

MR. GREGORY: Can I get you on the record on, on two other matters, Senator, on Iraq?

SEN. McCAIN: Sure.

MR. GREGORY: Admiral Mullen said it's possible that U.S. troops could stay beyond December, if that's what the Iraqi government wants. Do you think that that will be necessary? Do you think that will happen?

SEN. McCAIN: I think it's necessary that we provide them with things like training and air force-- they have to be able to defend their own airspace -- the technical and logistic, particularly intelligence capabilities that we have to offer. I think it's very, very important that we not leave Iraq completely. And I have very little confidence that the State Department can do the job all by itself.

MR. GREGORY: How long do you see some substantial troop presence in Iraq?

SEN. McCAIN: I think it could go on for a period of time. But the key is that we not inflict anymore casualties, that Americans who are stationed there operate in an environment of security. I think we could achieve that. As you know, we have troops stationed all over the world. The American people aren't badly -- deeply concerned about that. They are concerned when Americans continue to suffer casualties.

TEXT and VIDEO CREDIT: Meet The Press

John McCain on CNN State of the Union 4/24/11 VIDEO TEXT

Sen. John McCain joins Candy Crowley live from Cairo to give his first hand assessment of Gadhafi's future and the fighting on the ground in Libya, where he met with rebel leaders in Benghazi on Friday.

Aired April 24, 2011 - 09:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CROWLEY: Joining me now from Cairo, Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, fresh back from Benghazi, Libya.

Senator, one of the things you called for was for the U.S. to recognize the transitional government that is now headquartered in Benghazi, a rebel-held city. How certain can you be that that transitional government actually is in sync with some of the fighters in Misrata or some of the fighters in the mountains? Is it representative of all of those who are fighting to free Libya from Gadhafi?

MCCAIN: I believe they are, Candy. One of the members, the chairman, was a former justice minister who stood up to Gadhafi, and they have great respect for him. Another, the finance minister, is an economics professor from the University of Washington. We also another fellow that's in the council was in Gadhafi's prison for 31 years. I think they represent -- there's a number of women, civil society activists and others, who are in this council, and I believe that they represent the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people.

CROWLEY: And are you certain that there is no element of Al Qaida or other terrorist groups that have been able to jump into this void of leadership?

MCCAIN: Candy, I think that it's possible that that could happen. But right now these people are united in their hatred of Gadhafi. They're united, the same reason the people in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and other countries are, that they want freedom. It wasn't Al Qaida that sparked this uprising. It was the desire for freedom and democracy.

Now, if you have a stalemate, I think it's very possible that Al Qaida could come in and take advantage of a stalemated situation. But right now, it's not Al Qaida that motivated this and it is not Al Qaida that's running it.

CROWLEY: If Moammar Gadhafi is so broadly hated across Libya, why does his army still fight for him and why have we seen so few fractures in his inner circle?

MCCAIN: As you know, we've seen a few fractures, obviously, that I don't have to recount for you. But he is paying mercenaries very large amounts of money. His sons have a few loyal battalions, as you know, that are -- and they have the equipment advantage. The rebels, or the liberation forces, as I like to call them, are badly outgunned in armor, in equipment, in training. I visited the army base outside of Benghazi also on Friday, and they have a long, long way to go as far as training and equipment is concerned. So they're badly outgunned.

I believe with the accurate -- with the appropriate use of air power, which is not the case now -- even though I'm glad the Predator is now in the fight -- that we could -- and adequate training and equipping of the liberation forces -- that they can bring this to a successful conclusion. But it is going to take I think a number of steps, including the recognition of this council, so it would free up money. They need money very badly, and some communications equipment. Some other things that I think would be very decisive.

But I really fear a stalemate. I hope that Gadhafi goes. I hope that there's that kind of overthrow from within, but hope is not a strategy.

CROWLEY: You said earlier this week that the U.S. could help arm the Libyan rebels without direct U.S. involvement. How would that work?

MCCAIN: I think it works the same way that it did in Afghanistan when the Russians were occupying Afghanistan. There are certain other countries that can be of assistance that are already stepping forward, including some of the Gulf states. But it can be achieved, and it isn't a huge amount of equipment.

But there's no doubt that the liberation forces are badly outgunned, and that's a big hindrance, and that's why you're seeing this bloodletting in Misrata.

Could I just mention to you, I saw some wounded that had come in on a ship from Misrata in a hospital in Benghazi yesterday. And I'm telling you, it is very moving to see these young men, full of bullet holes, wounded, some of them dying, and us not doing what we can without risk to Americans on the ground -- and I'm opposed to that -- that we could help them and prevent this kind of bloodletting that's going on.

CROWLEY: One of your colleagues, Senator Lindsey Graham, I spoke with earlier on this show. One of the things he said was, "I think the focus should now be to cut the head of the snake off. That's the quickest way to end this." He wants NATO forces, U.S., to go to Tripoli and to stop bombing -- to start bombing Gadhafi's inner circle. He said I want the inner circle to wake up every day wondering am I going to die today. Should we just go after Gadhafi?

MCCAIN: You know, we have tried those things in the past with other dictators, and it's a little harder than you think it is. Gadhafi's a great survivor. We don't know exactly where he is. We do have to worry about civilian casualties. That could turn the Libyan people against us. I certainly think that we ought to make Gadhafi aware that his very life is in danger, but I think we just have to be a little careful how we do that. I think we can achieve the goal of him being finished off by pursuing the battlefield on the ground as well. But I agree with Lindsay. He should not feel safe.

CROWLEY: And how do you make him not feel safe without going after him? I mean, we see pictures of him running around in open-air cars waving.

MCCAIN: He's done that spur-of-the-moment, without warning. He is also -- no one knows where he is at any given time, unless you see it on television or at the moment.

The point is that we can't count on taking Gadhafi out. What we can count on is a trained, equipped, well supported liberation forces which can either force Gadhafi out or obtain victory and send him to an international criminal court.

My emphasis is on winning the battle on the ground, not taking a chance on taking him out with a lucky air strike.

CROWLEY: And beyond Predator drones, which now we have put into this fight, what do you want the U.S. to do and supply?

MCCAIN: Well, right now NATO is running this conflict by committing. By taking U.S. leadership out of it and U.S. air assets out of it, we've really reduced our ability to prevail on the battlefield. We need the AC-130s and A-10s back in. We need the American air assets back in, in a heavier way.

Look, the British and the French, I thank them, but they are running short of some of these precision weapons. The fact is that it's the United States that's NATO. We ought to recognize that and we ought to continue our leadership role. And that does not mean boots on the ground.

CROWLEY: So you want the U.S. to step back up into a leadership role in NATO instead of this sort of support role that the president envisioned. Do you have any sign from the president that he is willing to do that?

MCCAIN: I don't know. I never wanted us to step down, as you know, because the United States is NATO. That's the reality.

But, Candy, the worst -- one of the very bad results here could be a stalemate.

MCCAIN: A stalemate between both sides, it's divided someplace in the middle of Libya. And then you would open the door to Al Qaida to come in and hijack this very legitimate government and people that are seeking freedom.

They didn't rise up against Gadhafi because of anything Al Qaida did. They rose up because they wanted freedom and democracy. We should do what we can to assist them.

CROWLEY: Senator McCain out of Cairo after his trip to Libya, thank you so much for joining us.

MCCAIN: Thank you.

VIDEO and TEXT CREDIT: State of the Union with Candy Crowley

Flashback: Donald Rumsfeld Days After 9/11 VIDEO

'Fox News Sunday' Flashback: Donald Rumsfeld Days After 9/11

Sept. 16, 2001: Then-secretary of defense on 'new kind of war' that lies ahead.

VIDEO CREDIT: Fox News Sunday

Ayn Rand Interview VIDEO

Rand, a Russian émigré, fled the Soviet Union in 1926 and quickly established herself in Hollywood as a script writer. Born Alice Rosenbaum, she took her pen name from her typewriter brand and from a Finnish name she liked. Rand was an outspoken supporter of capitalism and was famous for wearing a gold brooch in the shape of a dollar sign. Her "objectivist" philosophy championed self over group, reason over belief, and human and individual good over ideal and collective moral precepts.

VIDEO CREDIT: hastelculo

TEXT CREDIT: The Thoughts of Ayn Rand

Mike Johannes Weekly Republican Address TEXT VIDEO 04/23/11

4/23/11 - Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE) Delivers Weekly GOP Address On Small Businesses.

Hello, I’m Senator Mike Johanns of Nebraska.

With debate in Washington focused on how best to address our nation's growing debt, it's important to remember the role it plays in our critical priority of job creation. Policymakers tend to toss out the term 'job creation’ very broadly, it’s a very popular talking point. But what does it mean to create jobs?

The claim is often made that new federal policies will create jobs and paychecks for Americans.

The idea of government creating jobs, well, it simply misses the point entirely. That's just not how we get our economic engine firing on all cylinders.

Job creation in this country doesn't start with government; it starts with our businesses, especially our small businesses.

Small businesses create between 60 and 80 percent of all new jobs, according to the Small Business Administration.

Our small businesses, when free to grow and prosper, need more and more employees to sustain that success.

And that's economic growth.

That's job creation.

But, that’s stifled when the federal government spends more than it takes in, throwing a very cold, wet blanket on the entire process.

The current record setting deficits and the $14 trillion plus in accumulated national debt are serious impediments to job creation because they have a ripple effect right to Main Street.

Our job creators can't thrive in an environment where creditors pull back because of our government's debt, because without credit, small businesses can’t grow.

Our debt threatens to devalue the dollar which will lead to increased costs and interest rates, which has a chilling effect on small business growth.

The past two years of running up the debt are a testament to the fact that we can't spend our way to prosperity.

I've met a whole lot of business owners, and they never thank the government for creating jobs.

They thank me for getting government out of their way, so they can create jobs. A great example of this is the nine-month battle it took in Congress to finally repeal the 1099 tax reporting mandate, which the President has signed.

Job creators found themselves saddled with a mountain of costly new paperwork due to this part of the health care law.

Repealing it opened the door to hiring by closing the door on new accounting red tape that businesses would have faced.

Since then, I've heard directly from small business owners, thanking us for removing this stumbling block to growth, for saving them time and money, and for getting big government out of the way of small business. It was a collective effort.

Thousands of small business owners made their voices heard.

Their analyses allowed us to place the debate in a real-world framework, and I wholeheartedly thank everyone who supported freeing-up our job creators to create jobs. 1099 repeal was a big victory for our small businesses and our economy, but there's so much more to do.

The red tape and the bureaucracy continue to pile up from this Administration. In the State of the Union Address in January, the President pledged to eliminate, and I’m quoting, ‘burdens that have stifled innovation and have had a chilling effect on growth and jobs,’ unquote.

Since then, his Administration has proposed or enacted more than 250 regulations amounting to more than $24 billion dollars in regulatory costs. And again, that’s just since January.

That’s $24 billion dollars needed by small businesses across the country to hire new employees and to grow their businesses, it should not be funneled out of the economy or your communities and re-routed back to Washington to the government.

Washington is simply out of touch with the folks on Main Street trying to do their share to boost our economy.

They hear us talk about job creation all the time, but they also bear witness to the constant contradictions. If everyone is serious about job creation, in addition to reducing the debt, let’s reduce burdensome regulations that serve no purpose other than to insert more government into the lives of citizens.

Why were small businesses, which had nothing to do with our current financial troubles, roped in as a part of the cause in last year's financial regulatory reform? Why are they being targeted for a tax hike as a purported solution to deficit problems?

It is time to change the culture in Washington. We can't tie up small businesses in needless red tape and regulations and then expect them to create jobs and boost the economy. The federal government can't create jobs, we must help shape an economic environment conducive to job creation.

It's our task to unshackle job creators from regulations and mandates, to enable them to grow, to flourish.

My Republican colleagues and I will continue to push for a scaled back government that allows the enterprising American spirit to create a prosperous economy that benefits everyone. That means reining in spending, reducing the deficit, eliminating red tape that holds businesses back.

It is clearly time for government to get out of the way. Our small businesses will respond with innovation and job creation. This is Mike Johanns of Nebraska. Thank you for your time and I hope you and your family enjoy a very blessed Easter.

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: gopweeklyaddress

Gary Johnson, we should balance the budget tomorrow VIDEO

THE U.S. IS BORROWING OR PRINTING MORE than 40 cents of every dollar the government spends today. The math is simple: Federal spending must be cut not by millions or billions, but by trillions. And it must be done today.

It's time to:

* End excessive spending, bloated stimulus programs, unnecessary farm subsidies, and earmarks.
* Reassess the role of the federal government and identify responsibilities that can be met more efficiently by the private sector.
* Recognize that you can't have limited government at home, but big government abroad.

MOST PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON SEEM TO THINK that we can control spending and balance the budget without reforming Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. This is lunacy. * Identify and implement common-sense cost savings to place Medicare on a path toward long-term solvency. * Block grant Medicare and Medicaid funds to the states, allowing them to innovate, find efficiencies and provide better service at lower cost. * Repeal ObamaCare, as well as the failed Medicare prescription drug benefit. * Fix Social Security by changing the escalator from being based on wage growth to inflation. It's time for Social Security to reflect today's realities without breaking trust with those soon to retire.

AS AMERICANS, WE HAVE A RIGHT TO understand the process by which our currency is being created and managed.

* Conduct an audit to provide true transparency of the Federal Reserve's lending practices.
* Establish Congressional oversight to ensure price stability.
* Get the Federal Reserve out of the business of propping up the stock market through quantitative easing.

VIDEO CREDIT: ABCNews

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Gary Johnson 2012

Rick Scott CALLING ON BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE TO REDUCE TAXES FOR BUSINESSES AND PROPERTY OWNERS PODCAST 4/22/2011

THIS WEEK, I VISITED NORTHWEST FLORIDA ONE YEAR AFTER THE OIL SPILL. I JOINED THE CABINET ON A FISHING TOURNAMENT AND CAUGHT A 40-INCH RED FISH ON MY FIRST CAST! I HAD TO THROW IT BACK BECAUSE IT WAS TOO BIG. I’M MAKING SURE EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THE FISHING IS GREAT, THE SEAFOOD IS DELICIOUS AND SAFE, AND OUR BEACHES ARE AMONG THE BEST IN THE WORLD. TOGETHER WITH VISIT FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION, WE ANNOUNCED PLANS TO BOOST TOURISM.

Governor Rick Scott’s Podcast 4/22/2011 DOWNLOAD MP3 for PODCAST

PART OF THAT INCLUDES ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT
FLORIDA WILL HAVE TWO FREE-FISHING WEEKENDS IN JUNE, AN EXTENDED BAY SCALLOP SEASON, AND HALF-OFF STATE PARK ADMISSION DURING MOTHER’S DAY AND FATHER’S DAY WEEKENDS THIS YEAR.

YOU ELECTED ME TO TURN FLORIDA’S ECONOMY AROUND.

AN IMPORTANT PART OF MAKING THAT HAPPEN IS MY PLAN TO REDUCE TAXES FOR BUSINESSES SO FLORIDA COMPANIES CAN BE MORE COMPETITIVE AND FREE UP PRIVATE-SECTOR MONEY THAT CAN BE USED TO CREATE JOBS.

I ALSO CAMPAIGNED ON REDUCING PROPERTY TAXES TO PUT MORE MONEY BACK IN YOUR POCKET.

I WILL NOT ALLOW SPECIAL INTERESTS TO HIJACK YOUR TAX DOLLARS AND SQUANDER THE OPPORTUNITY TO FIX OUR ECONOMY. PLEASE JOIN ME IN CALLING ON BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE TO REDUCE TAXES FOR BUSINESSES AND PROPERTY OWNERS SO WE CAN GET FLORIDA BACK ON TRACK.

TEXT IMAGE and AUDIO CREDIT: Florida Governor Rick Scott

Obamacare Implementation Programs Have Shown Lack of Accountability, Failure to Produce Promised Results

WASHINGTON, DC – Members of the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee today sent a letter to the Director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) to request biweekly updates on expenses and enrollment in high-risks pools and the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (ERRP) that were created in the health care law. The letter comes after reports and a subcommittee hearing revealed the $5 billion ERRP will soon run out of money after providing funding to unions and fortune 500 companies. Meanwhile, the $5 billion high-risk pools have significantly lower enrollment numbers than predicted during the health debate.

The letter reads, “Both programs have had substantial problems since their inception. The high-risk pools were, according to the Chief Actuary of Medicare and Medicaid, intended to enroll 375,000 individuals in 2010. According to your testimony, only approximately 12,000 individuals are enrolled in that program.

“Unlike the high-risk pools, demand for the resources of the ERRP has been intense. We are deeply troubled that this program has apparently served as a vehicle to simply hand out taxpayer funds to various corporations and unions that lined up at the trough. It does not appear that HHS instituted any meaningful controls on this program, leading to an incredible waste of taxpayer money.”

The letter continued, “The committee is also interested in learning why your office has not imposed some basic administrative requirements on the ERRP that would prevent the wholesale waste of billions of dollars of taxpayer funds.”

In the letter, the members requested CCIIO to provide the following information on a biweekly basis:

• Enrollment and expenditures in the high risk pools, including enrollment numbers for each state running their own high risk pools and the enrollment in the federal high risk pool; updated information about the amount of funding utilized by each state and the federal program, and whether this represents a deviation from the spending patterns as originally estimated.
• Expenditures in the ERRP, including a list of expenditures for the ERRP that includes the total amount given to each plan sponsor and the total amount spent by the ERRP.

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TEXT CREDIT: House Energy and Commerce Committee January 11, 2011 By Alexa Marrero, (202) 225-3641 or Sean Bonyun, (202) 225-3761 2125 Rayburn House Office Building | Washington, DC 20515 | (202) 225-2927

IMAGE CREDIT: This United States Congress image is in the public domain. This may be because it is an official Congressional portrait, because it was taken by an official employee of the Congress, or because it has been released into the public domain and posted on the official websites of a member of Congress. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

John Kline Statement on Recent Action by the National Labor Relations Board alleging the Boeing Company violated federal labor law

WASHINGTON, D.C. | April 21, 2011 - U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) released the following statement after Lafe Solomon, Acting General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), issued a complaint alleging the Boeing Company violated federal labor law by transferring a second production line to a non-union facility in South Carolina: “The recent action by the National Labor Relations Board threatens American jobs at a time when more than 13 million individuals are searching for work. Although the facts of the case are still in dispute, it appears an activist NLRB is more concerned about protecting certain special interests than the rights of all workers to compete for jobs.

This action will have a chilling effect on businesses looking to expand operations, create jobs, and hire employees here in the United States. This kind of federal overreach helps demonstrate why so many workplaces have closed their doors and moved overseas, and is an unprecedented attack on the American workforce.”

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Contact: Press Office (202) 226-9440

TEXT CREDIT: U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce 2181 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Tel: 202-225-4527 Fax: 202-225-9571

IMAGE CREDIT: This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.

Eric Cantor today issued the following statement regarding the Biden led deficit commission and the upcoming debt limit debate

Washington, D.C. – House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) today issued the following statement regarding the Biden-led deficit commission on which he will serve, and the upcoming debt limit debate: “Earlier this week, S&P downgraded the United States’ long-term credit rating as a result of irresponsible spending practices, further highlighting the need to act immediately and take serious and binding steps to get our fiscal house in order. That is why it is so important that the latest iteration of the President’s fiscal commission be a serious and sincere effort to manage down our debt and foster long-term economic growth, and not serve as yet another arena for political theater.

For this commission to succeed, the President must agree to work with us in earnest. Going in, we need a clearly defined mission and a targeted purpose to be accomplished within a specific and binding timeframe. Our economy, global markets, job creators and families cannot afford to wait for the White House and Democrats to drag their feet when it comes to reducing our nation’s debt and deficit; we need real results immediately to make Washington begin to live within its means and get people back to work.

“With the debt limit window fast approaching, House Republicans have made clear that if the President and our Democratic colleagues refuse to accept serious reforms that immediately reduce federal spending and end the culture of debt in Washington, we will not grant their request for a debt limit increase. As the Washington Post pointed out, ‘the looming debt limit votes offers an opportunity to accomplish some real deficit reduction.’ We cannot afford to sit idly by and blindly raise the debt limit without binding and real spending reforms that will guarantee we don’t continue these bad spending practices in the future.”

April 20, 2011 Contact: Laena Fallon202-225-4027

TEXT CREDIT: Eric Cantor Majority Leader Office of the Majority Leader H-329, The Capitol House of Representatives P: 202.225.4000

IMAGE CREDIT: This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code. See Copyright.

Donald Trump South Florida Tea Party’s Tax Day Rally 4/16/2011 VIDEO

Donald Trump South Florida Tea Party’s Tax Day Rally 4/16/2011 VIDEO

Donald Trump: Obama may be worst president in US history.

VIDEO CREDIT: msnbc

Sarah Palin Tax Day Tea Party Speech in Madison, Wisconsin 04/16/11 TEXT VIDEO

Sarah Palin Speech At Tea Party Rally, in Madison, WI – April 16 2011 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Hello Madison, Wisconsin! You look good. I feel like I’m at home. This is beautiful. Madison, I am proud to get to be with you today. Madison, these are the frontlines in the battle for the future of our country. This is where the line has been drawn in the sand. And I am proud to stand with you today in solidarity.

I am here today as a patriot, as a taxpayer, as a former union member, and as the wife of a union member. What I have to say today I say it to our good patriotic brothers and sisters who are in unions. I say this, too, proudly standing here as the daughter of a family full of school teachers. My parents, my grandparents, aunt, cousins, brother, sister – so many of these good folks are living on teachers’ pensions, having worked or are still working in education.

A pension is a promise that must be kept. Now, your Governor Scott Walker understands this. He understands that states must be solvent in order to keep their promises. And that’s what he’s trying to do. He’s not trying to hurt union members. Hey, folks, he’s trying to save your jobs and your pensions! But unfortunately some of your union bosses don’t understand this, and they don’t care if union members have to be laid off. No, they want to protect their own power, and if that means forcing a governor to lay off union workers, then so be it; they’ve proven that that is fine with them. But that’s not real solidarity! Real solidarity means coming together for the common good. This Tea Party movement is real solidarity!

Well, I am in Madison today because this is where real courage and real integrity can be found. Courage is your governor and your legislators standing strong in the face of death threats and thug tactics. Courage is you all standing strong with them! You saw the forces aligned against fiscal reform. You saw the obstruction and the destruction. You saw these violent rent-a-mobs trash your capital and vandalize businesses.

Madison, you held your ground. Your governor did the right thing. And you won. Your beautiful state won. And you know what – people still have their jobs because of it! That’s courage. And that’s integrity. And that’s something that’s sorely missing in the Beltway today.

Because let me tell you what isn’t courageous: It’s politicians promising the American voters that, as we drown in $14.5 trillion debt, that they’re going to cut $100 billion out of this year’s budget. But then they cave on that and they reduce it down to $61 billion after they get elected. Then they get in there and they strike a deal and decide, nah, they will reduce that down to $38 billion. And then after some politics-as-usual and accounting gimmicks, we find out it’s not $38 billion in cuts. You know that $38 billion – we don’t have it; we’re borrowing it. We borrow from foreign countries to give to foreign countries, and that’s insanity. We find out it’s not even $38 billion; it’s less than $1 billion in real cuts. Folks, that $352 million in real cuts – that’s no more than the federal government is going to spend in the time it takes us to hold this rally today! That is not courage; that’s capitulation!

Now, there’s a lesson here for the Beltway politicos, something they need to understand; the lesson comes from here in Madison. So, our lesson is to the GOP establishment first. And yeah, I’ll take on the GOP establishment. What more can they say about us, you know?

So, to the GOP establishment: if you stand on the platform, if you stand by your pledges, we will stand with you. We will fight with you, GOP. We have your back. Together we will win because America will win!

We didn’t elect you just to re-arrange the deck chairs on a sinking Titanic. We didn’t elect you to just stand back and watch Obama re-distribute those deck chairs. What we need is for you to stand up, GOP, and fight. Maybe I should ask some of the Badger women’s hockey team—those champions—maybe I should ask them if we should be suggesting to GOP leaders they need to learn how to fight like a girl!

And speaking of President Obama, I think we ought to pay tribute to him today at this Tax Day Tea Party because really he’s the inspiration for why we’re here today.

That’s right. The Tea Party Movement wouldn’t exist without Barack Obama.

You see, Candidate Obama didn’t have a record while he was in office; but President Obama certainly has a record, and that’s why we’re here. And hey, media, it’s not inciting violence and it’s not hateful rhetoric to call someone out on their record, so that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to do it to be clear. That’s right: we’re here, we’re clear, get used to it!

Candidate Obama promised to be fiscally responsible. He promised to cut the deficit; but President Obama tripled it!

Candidate Obama promised that fiscal responsibility; but President Obama flushed a trillion dollars down the drain on a useless “stimulus” package and then he bragged about the jobs he “created” in congressional districts that don’t even exist! That’s right; on this, White House, you lie. The only thing that trillion-dollar travesty stimulated was a debt-crisis and a Tea Party!

Now, the left’s irresponsible and radical policies awakened a sleeping America so that we understood finally what it was that we were about to lose. We were about to lose the blessings of liberty and prosperity. They caused the working men and women of this country to get up off their sofas, to come down from the deer stand, get out of the duck blind, and hit the streets, come to the town halls, and finally to the ballot box. And Tea Party Americans won an electoral victory of historic proportions last November. We the people, we rose up and we decisively rejected the left’s big government agenda. We don’t want it. We can’t afford it. And we are unwilling to pay for it.

But what was the president’s reaction to this mandate for fiscal sanity?

Less than 90 days after the election, in his State of the Union address, President Obama told us, nah, the era of big government is here to stay, and we’re going to pay for it whether we want to or not. Instead of reducing spending, they’re going to “Win The Future” by “investing” more of your hard-earned money in some cockamamie harebrained ideas like more solar shingles, more really fast trains – some things that venture capitalists will tell you are non-starters. We’re flat broke, but he thinks these solar shingles and really fast trains will magically save us. So now he’s shouting “all aboard” his bullet train to bankruptcy. “Win The Future”? W.T.F. is about right.

And when Wisconsin’s own Paul Ryan presented a plan for fiscal reform, what was Obama’s response? He demonized the voices of responsibility with class warfare and with fearmongering. And I say personally to our president: Hey, parent to parent, Barack Obama, for shame for you to suggest that the heart of the commonsense conservative movement would do anything to harm our esteemed elders, to harm our children with Down syndrome, to harm those most in need. No, see, in our book, you prioritize appropriately and those who need the help will get the help. The only way we do that is to be wise and prudent and to budget according to the right priorities.

Now, our president isn’t leading, he’s punting on this debt crisis. The only future Barack Obama is trying to win is his own re-election! He’s willing to mortgage your children’s future to ensure his own. And that is not the audacity of hope. That’s cynicism!

Piling more debt onto our children and grandchildren is not courage. No, that’s cowardice!

But did you notice when he gave that polarizing speech last week there was a little gem in the speech. Maybe you missed it. But he spoke about the social contract and the “social compact.” Well, Mr. President, the most basic tenet in that social compact is adhering to the consent of the governed. That would be “We the People.” President Obama, you do not have our consent. You didn’t have it in November. And you certainly don’t have it now. You willfully ignored the will of the American people.

You ignored it when you rammed through Obamacare.

You ignored it when you drove up the debt to $14.5 trillion.

You ignored it when you misrepresented your deficit spending.

You ignored it when you proposed massive tax increases on the middle class and our job creators.

You ignored is when you went to bat for government-funded abortions and yet you threw our brave men and women in uniform under the bus, Mr. Commander in Chief.

You ignored it when you got us into a third war for fuzzy and inconsistent reasons, a third war that we cannot afford.

You ignore it when you apologize for America while you bow and kowtow to our enemies, and you snub our allies like Israel.

And you ignore when you manipulate the U.S. oil supply. You cut off oil development here and then you hypocritically praise foreign countries for their drilling.

And when hardworking families are hit with $4 and $5 a gallon gas and your skyrocketing energy and food prices as you set out to fundamentally transform America, you ignore our concerns and you tell us we just better get used to it.

Well, Mr. President, we’re not going to get used to it. Not now. Not ever. You ignored us in 2010. But you cannot ignore us in 2012.

Mr. President, you and your cohorts threw all the hatred and all the violence you could at these good folks in Madison, Wisconsin. But you lost here.

And Madison, you defended the 2010 electoral mandate. You are heroes, you are patriots, and when the history of this Tea Party Movement is written, what you accomplished here will not be forgotten.

Your historic stand brought down the curtain on the last election. And the 2012 election begins here.

We will take the courage and the integrity that you showed all of America. We will take it and we will win back our country!

God has shed His grace on thee, America. We will not squander what we have.

We will fight for America! And it starts here in Madison, Wisconsin!

It starts here! It starts now! What better place than the state that hosts the Super Bowl champs, to call out the liberal left and let them know: Mr. President, game on!

God bless you, Wisconsin, and God bless America!

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: PalinTV

TEXT CREDIT: Sarah Palin on Facebook