House of Representatives FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 165 (Health Care)

FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 165(Democrats in roman; Republicans in italic; Independents underlined)
H R 3590 RECORDED VOTE 21-Mar-2010 10:49 PM
QUESTION: On Motion to Concur in Senate Amendments
BILL TITLE: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

	Ayes	Noes	PRES	NV
Democratic	219	34
Republican		178
Independent
TOTALS	219	212

---- AYES 219 ---

Ackerman Andrews Baca Baird Baldwin Bean Becerra Berkley Berman Bishop (GA) Bishop (NY) Blumenauer Boccieri Boswell Boyd Brady (PA) Braley (IA) Brown, Corrine Butterfield Capps Capuano Cardoza Carnahan Carney Carson (IN) Castor (FL) Chu Clarke Clay Cleaver Clyburn Cohen Connolly (VA) Conyers Cooper Costa Costello Courtney Crowley Cuellar Cummings Dahlkemper Davis (CA) Davis (IL) DeFazio DeGette Delahunt DeLauro Dicks Dingell Doggett Donnelly (IN) Doyle Driehaus Edwards (MD) Ellison Ellsworth Engel Eshoo Etheridge Farr Fattah Filner Foster Frank (MA) Fudge Garamendi Giffords Gonzalez Gordon (TN) Grayson Green, Al Green, Gene

Grijalva Gutierrez Hall (NY) Halvorson Hare Harman Hastings (FL) Heinrich Higgins Hill Himes Hinchey Hinojosa Hirono Hodes Holt Honda Hoyer Inslee Israel Jackson (IL) Jackson Lee (TX) Johnson (GA) Johnson, E. B. Kagen Kanjorski Kaptur Kennedy Kildee Kilpatrick (MI) Kilroy Kind Kirkpatrick (AZ) Klein (FL) Kosmas Kucinich Langevin Larsen (WA) Larson (CT) Lee (CA) Levin Lewis (GA) Loebsack Lofgren, Zoe Lowey Luján Maffei Maloney Markey (CO) Markey (MA) Matsui McCarthy (NY) McCollum McDermott McGovern McNerney Meek (FL) Meeks (NY) Michaud Miller (NC) Miller, George Mitchell Mollohan Moore (KS) Moore (WI) Moran (VA) Murphy (CT) Murphy (NY) Murphy, Patrick Nadler (NY) Napolitano Neal (MA) Oberstar

Obey Olver Ortiz Owens Pallone Pascrell Pastor (AZ) Payne Pelosi Perlmutter Perriello Peters Pingree (ME) Polis (CO) Pomeroy Price (NC) Quigley Rahall Rangel Reyes Richardson Rodriguez Rothman (NJ) Roybal-Allard Ruppersberger Rush Ryan (OH) Salazar Sánchez, Linda T. Sanchez, Loretta Sarbanes Schakowsky Schauer Schiff Schrader Schwartz Scott (GA) Scott (VA) Serrano Sestak Shea-Porter Sherman Sires Slaughter Smith (WA) Snyder Speier Spratt Stark Stupak Sutton Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Tierney Titus Tonko Towns Tsongas Van Hollen Velázquez Visclosky Walz Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Watt Waxman Weiner Welch Wilson (OH) Woolsey Wu Yarmuth

---- NOES 212 ---

Aderholt Adler (NJ) Akin Alexander Altmire Arcuri Austria Bachmann Bachus Barrett (SC) Barrow Bartlett Barton (TX) Berry Biggert Bilbray Bilirakis Bishop (UT) Blackburn Blunt Boehner Bonner Bono Mack Boozman Boren Boucher Boustany Brady (TX) Bright Broun (GA) Brown (SC) Brown-Waite, Ginny Buchanan Burgess Burton (IN) Buyer Calvert Camp Campbell Cantor Cao Capito Carter Cassidy Castle Chaffetz Chandler Childers Coble Coffman (CO) Cole Conaway Crenshaw Culberson Davis (AL) Davis (KY) Davis (TN) Deal (GA) Dent Diaz-Balart, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Dreier Duncan Edwards (TX) Ehlers Emerson Fallin Flake Fleming Forbes Fortenberry

Foxx Franks (AZ) Frelinghuysen Gallegly Garrett (NJ) Gerlach Gingrey (GA) Gohmert Goodlatte Granger Graves Griffith Guthrie Hall (TX) Harper Hastings (WA) Heller Hensarling Herger Herseth Sandlin Hoekstra Holden Hunter Inglis Issa Jenkins Johnson (IL) Johnson, Sam Jones Jordan (OH) King (IA) King (NY) Kingston Kirk Kissell Kline (MN) Kratovil Lamborn Lance Latham LaTourette Latta Lee (NY) Lewis (CA) Linder Lipinski LoBiondo Lucas Luetkemeyer Lummis Lungren, Daniel E. Lynch Mack Manzullo Marchant Marshall Matheson McCarthy (CA) McCaul McClintock McCotter McHenry McIntyre McKeon McMahon McMorris Rodgers Melancon Mica Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Miller, Gary

Minnick Moran (KS) Murphy, Tim Myrick Neugebauer Nunes Nye Olson Paul Paulsen Pence Peterson Petri Pitts Platts Poe (TX) Posey Price (GA) Putnam Radanovich Rehberg Reichert Roe (TN) Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Rohrabacher Rooney Ros-Lehtinen Roskam Ross Royce Ryan (WI) Scalise Schmidt Schock Sensenbrenner Sessions Shadegg Shimkus Shuler Shuster Simpson Skelton Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smith (TX) Souder Space Stearns Sullivan Tanner Taylor Teague Terry Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiahrt Tiberi Turner Upton Walden Wamp Westmoreland Whitfield Wilson (SC) Wittman Wolf Young (AK) Young (FL)

Health Care Vote behind the scenes live Streaming VIDEO

CBS News, Ustream.TV, CBS News behind the scenes live news coverage. Breaking News, Health Care Vote CBS News behind the scenes live Streaming VIDEO

House Health Care Votes Live Streaming Video

C-SPAN Live Stream - Windows Media Format.

House Health Care Votes Live Streaming Video

The House Rules Cme. has cleared the way for the House to take up health care legislation. The committee passed a rule allowing for separate votes on the Senate health care bill and the reconciliation bill. The House is expected to begin the debate in the next hour. C-SPAN offers gavel to gavel coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives.

C-SPAN also offers a variety of public affairs programming including congressional hearings, press briefings from the White House, State Department and Pentagon, campaign and election coverage, and international programming.

90 Seconds to Government Run Healthcare

An explaination of the process Nancy Pelosi and Democrats are using to take away your healthcare.

Keywords: Pelosi health healthcare health care reconciliation Nancy Pelosi Democrats Republicans Congress Government Harry Reid Reid Obama White House Code Red debt taxes

House Leader John Boehner Republican Weekly Address 03/20/10 VIDEO PODCAST FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

House Leader John Boehner Republican Weekly Address 03/20/10 VIDEO PODCAST FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT. Audio of the address is available for download, PODCAST

“Hello, I’m House Republican Leader John Boehner.

“I’m speaking to you from the Capitol, where in a matter of hours, the House of Representatives will vote on health care legislation sure to have a drastic effect on our economy and our lives.

“It was here fourteen months ago that President Obama took the oath of office with a promise to govern from the center. Republicans stood ready to work with our new president and find common ground to address the issues Americans care about.

“Unfortunately, President Obama and Democrats in Washington chose a partisan path and a costly, big-government agenda.

“The trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ isn’t working as struggling families continue to ask: ‘where are the jobs?’ And taxpayers’ hard-earned money is being spent so fast that two trillion dollars has been added to the national debt on President Obama’s watch.

“Now Democrats want the federal government to take over health care, which represents one-sixth of our economy.

“From the beginning, the one thing the American people wanted out of health care reform was lower costs. That’s why Republicans proposed a bill based on common-sense reforms that, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, would reduce premiums for families and small businesses by up to 10 percent. Our bill achieves these goals without cutting Medicare or raising taxes. All of the details are available at HealthCare.GOP.gov.

“The Democrats’ bill, which runs more than 2,300 pages, actually raises premiums and ushers in a massive expansion of government – with roughly 160 new boards, bureaus, and commissions.

“Instead of finding a responsible way to pay for all this, Democrats impose more than half-a-trillion dollars in Medicare cuts and more than half-a-trillion dollars in tax hikes.

“In fact, this bill requires 10 years of tax increases and 10 years of Medicare cuts just to pay for six years of supposed benefits, many of which don’t even go into effect until 2014. That’s not reform.

“It’s clear where the American people stand. They want no part of this bill, and they haven’t been shy about saying so. We’ve seen standing room only crowds at town hall meetings. Rallies in towns and cities around the country. And now, jammed phone lines on Capitol Hill. All of this coming from citizens yelling ‘stop’ at the top of their lungs.

“But Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democrat Leaders are too blinded by their ‘Washington knows best’ attitude, too out-of-touch with the concerns of working families, to listen.

“Instead of trying to do better, Democrats have packed this bill full of kickbacks, payoffs, and sweetheart deals in order to buy the support of lawmakers and Washington special interest groups.

“Democrats are so afraid of the public’s outrage that they have devised a strategy that would allow them to force this massive bill through Congress without even voting on it. It’s outrageous, and it’s an affront to the principles of representative democracy.

“We were elected to make tough choices, not run from them. And this vote is certainly one of the toughest.

“With that in mind, I asked Speaker Pelosi to have the final health care votes recorded by a ‘call of the roll.’ Under this procedure, each lawmaker will have to stand before the American people and announce his or her vote.

“The stakes are too high, and this bill is too controversial, for anything less than complete transparency and accountability. It’s time to stand up and be counted.

“Don’t let Democrats in Washington take this debate away from you. Don’t let them make this about arm-twisting and backroom deals.

“And don’t let President Obama get away with asking his fellow Democrats to vote for this bill to save his presidency.

“Because this vote isn’t about saving a presidency or a politician. It’s about doing the right thing for our kids and grandkids. It’s about ensuring that freedom and opportunity remain the birthright of our people. And it’s about listening to the hard-working taxpayers who sent us here.

“That’s why the only responsible course of action is to scrap this health care bill. Let’s start over with a clean sheet of paper. Let’s work together on a step-by-step approach focused on lowering costs for families and small businesses.

“Republicans can’t beat this bill, but the American people can. It’s not too late to make your voice heard.

“Thank you for listening.”

Boehner to Speaker Pelosi: “Every Member Should Stand Before the American People and Announce His or Her Vote”

Uploaded on February 19, 2010 by House GOP Leader © All rights reserved.

GOP Leader Calls for Special “Call of the Roll” to Require Members to Publicly Announce Health Care Vote on the House Floor. House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) requesting that the final health care votes be recorded by “call of the roll” so that every lawmaker is required to publicly announce their vote on the House floor.

“This weekend’s votes will be among the most consequential votes we will ever cast as Members of Congress,” Boehner says in the letter to Speaker Pelosi. “As such, it is my belief that every Member should stand before the American people and announce his or her vote as the final decision is made.”

According to the rules of the House of Representatives, “Unless the Speaker directs otherwise, the Clerk shall conduct a record vote or quorum call by electronic device. … The Speaker may direct the Clerk to conduct a record vote or quorum call by call of the roll. In such a case the Clerk shall call the names of Members, alphabetically by surname.”

The full text of Leader Boehner’s letter to Speaker Pelosi follows. The signed copy is available here in PDF format

March 19, 2010

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Office of the Speaker
H232 Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker Pelosi:

It appears the House of Representatives will proceed with plans to vote this weekend on President Obama’s health care legislation, despite the well-documented objections of the American people to both the contents of the bill and the manner in which the Democratic leadership hopes to pass it.

This weekend’s votes will be among the most consequential votes we will ever cast as Members of Congress. As such, it is my belief that every Member should stand before the American people and announce his or her vote as the final decision is made.

With this in mind, I request that you use your discretion under the Rules of the House of Representatives, Clause 2 and 3 of House Rule XX, to conduct the record vote by call of the roll for both adoption of the Senate health care bill (i.e. the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3590, as passed on Christmas Eve this past year) and for the rule making that bill in order.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

John Boehner

Senate Doctors John Barrasso and Tom Coburn join the House GOP physicians for a press conference VIDEO

Senate Doctors John Barrasso and Tom Coburn join the House GOP physicians for a press conference on why the American people and the nations doctors are opposing the Democrats radical health care reform bill. Polls by Sermo.com and the New England Journal of Medicine show that the nations doctors, not lobbyists masquerading as doctors, are deeply opposed to the Senate bill the House may vote on in a few days.

The doctors will also call attention to the tricks, special deals, and arm-twisting that Democrats are relying on to ram the Senate bill through the House.

WHO: Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA), Co-Chair GOP Doctors Caucus Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), Co-Chair, GOP Doctors Caucus Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX), Chairman, Health Care Caucus Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN)
Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Rep. John Fleming (R-LA), Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA), Rep. John Linder (R-GA)

Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter Signs Idaho Health Freedom Act.VIDEO

(BOISE) – Hailing it as a reflection of public dismay with Washington, D.C., and a clear expression of State sovereignty, Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter welcomed legislative sponsors to his office at the Capitol today for the signing of House Bill 391 – the Idaho Health Freedom Act.

“Congress and the White House are working out their scheme for pushing through a healthcare ‘reform’ bill that has more pages than the U.S. Constitution has words. I guarantee you that not a single member of the House or Senate has a complete understanding of that legislation any more than they understood all the implications of the USA PATRIOT Act back in 2001,” Governor Otter said. “What the Idaho Health Freedom Act says is that the citizens of our state won’t be subject to another federal mandate or turn over another part of their life to government control.”

The legislative cosponsors of House Bill 391 – Representatives Jim Clark of Hayden Lake, Raul Labrador of Eagle and Lynn Luker Boise, along with Senator Monty Pearce of New Plymouth – joined the Governor at the signing ceremony to celebrate a victory for Idaho’s self-determination.

The Idaho Health Freedom Act also takes into account the work that Idaho already is doing on its own to promote greater accessibility and affordability to healthcare for all Idahoans. That involves working closely to create and nurture public-private partnerships to develop primary care medical homes throughout Idaho, expand medical residency programs, expand the safe and secure electronic exchange of health information, and improve the voluntary enrollment of Medicaid-eligible children.

Governor Otter said it is a different approach to government than some people are used to, but one that respects the source of government authority and resources and understands the limited but crucial role that government should play in people’s lives.

“From addressing the ‘tax gap’ to managing our aquifers, from increasing the potential for charitable giving to reorganizing management of our State parks system, and from our insistence on maintaining a stable and predictable tax structure to our continuing efforts to find savings throughout State government, this has been a productive legislative session,” he said. “We have kept our priorities where they belong – on finding better, more efficient and effective ways to serve the individuals, families and communities with whose tax dollars we are entrusted.” ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 17, 2010 10:023 CONTACT: Jon Hanian (208) 334-2100

Governor Chris Christie Budget Address New Jersey Senate and General Assembly TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Remarks of Governor Christopher J. Christie to the Joint session of the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly Regarding the Fiscal Year 2011 Budget. FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Governor Chris Christie delivers his Budget Address in the Assembly Chambers at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J. on Tuesday, March 16, 2010. (Governor Photos/Tim Larsen)

• FY2011 Budget in Brief [pdf 1.36MB]
• Remarks of Governor Christopher J. Christie to the Joint session of the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly Regarding the Fiscal Year 2011 Budget [pdf 172kB]
• FY2011 Press Release
• FY2011 Budget Overview [pdf 226kB]

VIEW the VIDEO here: Governor Chris Christie’s Budget Message

Arkansas Republican Senatorial Debate VIDEO

The Republican Senatorial debate is being held tonight at UALR’s William H. Bowen School of Law at 6:30 pm. on March 16, 2010. The debate is sponsored by the Arkansas Federation of Young Republicans KATV anchor Scott Inman will moderate. Seven candidates will attend. candidates have one minute to answer each question.

The only candidate not in attendance will be Congressman John Boozman, campaign manager Sarah Huckabee will stand in.

Questions being asked tonight are taken from the public, ca be posted on the Young Republicans’ Facebook page, sent to their Twitter account or e-mailed to: elizabeth.aymond@arkansasyr.org

KATV reports today that it will not stream the debate live

Links to the Candidates:

• John Randall "Randy" Alexander
• Gilbert Baker
• John Nichols Boozman
• Curtis Coleman
• Kim Dexter Hendren
• Fred Ramey
• Conrad Earl "Colonel" Reynolds
• Jim Holt

California Republican Gubernatorial Debate LIVE VIDEO STREAM

UPDATE 10/12/10: Meg Whitman Jerry Brown California Governor's Debate 10/12/10 FULL STREAMING VIDEO

New Majority - California Gubernatorial Debate 03/15/10 05:35PM





California Republican Gubernatorial Debate 03/15/10 05:35PM

John Boehner I’m Doing Everything I Can To Prevent This Gov’t Takeover Of Health Care From Becoming Law VIDEO

GOP Leader Discusses Health Care, The GOP’s Chances Of Winning The House, The House’s Call for an Ethics Investigation, and Importing Terrorists Into The U.S.

In an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said that Republicans are doing everything in their power to stop the Democrats’ government takeover of health care. Boehner noted that the Democrats’ 2,700-page health care bill, with $500 billion in tax increases and $500 billion in Medicare cuts, has been soundly rejected by the American people. Boehner also discussed the 2010 political environment and Republicans’ chances of winning the House in November. Regarding ethics, Boehner again reinforced that an investigation of what House Democratic leaders and members of their respective staffs knew about the allegations against former Rep. Eric Massa is necessary. Lastly, Boehner discussed the Congress’ opposition to the Obama Administration’s decision to close the Guantanamo Bay prison and import terrorists into the United States. Following are excerpts.

BOEHNER ON GOP EFFORTS TO STOP THE DEMOCRATS’ GOV’T TAKEOVER OF HEALTH CARE:

“I’m doing everything I can to prevent this bill from becoming law. Plain and simple. We’ve offered our ideas. We’ve asked the President to sit down and work with us. They’ve refused all the way through the process. … Well, they had the summit. We’ve offered our ideas and took a couple of Republican bread crumbs and put them on top of their 2,700-page bill. That’s not good enough. And so, what I’m doing is that I’m working with my colleagues to get the American people engaged in this fight. I don’t have enough votes on my side of the aisle to stop the bill. But I, along with the majority of the American people who are opposed to this, can stop this bill. And we’re going to do everything we can to make it difficult for them, if not impossible, to pass this bill.”

BOEHNER ON TAX HIKES AND MEDICARE CUTS IN THE DEMS’ 2,700-PAGE GOV’T TAKEOVER OF HEALTH CARE:

“We could come to an agreement on probably eight or 10 commonsense steps that you outlined to make our health care system better. But we can’t come to an agreement on eight or 10 things and throw them into a 2,700-page bill and ask my colleagues to vote for $500 billion worth of Medicare cuts – that aren’t going back into saving Medicare, they are going to come out of Medicare in order to pay for this new entitlement program. $500 billion in higher taxes at a time when we’re asking Americans to reinvest in the economy, but no, the government wants to create this new entitlement program.”

BOEHNER ON DEMS STRUGGLING TO PASS A BILL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY REJECTED:

“The only bipartisanship that is involved in this town right now with regard to health care, is that there’s bipartisan opposition to what they are attempting to do. … If she had 216 votes in the House, this bill would be long gone. And remember, they tried to do this thing in June and July last year, if they had the votes then, it’d be law. They tried to pass it in September, October, November, December, January, February, guess what? They don’t have the votes. The American people don’t want to take this step toward government-run health insurance. It’s a dangerous step because we do have the best health care system in the world.”

BOEHNER ON THE GOP PROSPECTS OF WINNING THE MAJORITY IN THE HOUSE:

“There’s no question that the Democrats have a huge outside organization that pumps hundreds of millions of dollars into the political process outside of the campaign finance rules. But I can tell you this; we’ve got more candidates than we’ve ever had. We’ve got better candidates than we’ve ever had. We’ve got a better process of helping to grow candidates and grow campaigns than we’ve ever had. No question that we’re going to get outspent in this election. But I think that we have a chance at winning Republican control of the House, and I’m going to do everything I can to see that it happens. … Listen, it’s a steep climb but it’s doable”

BOEHNER ON ENGAGING AMERICANS WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THE TEA PARTY MOVEMENT:

“When it comes to the Tea Party folks, I think our job to listen to them. I’m going to listen to them, I’m going to walk with them, and do everything I can to interest them in working with us to bring about a smaller, less costly, and more accountable government here in Washington.”

BOEHNER ON WHY A FULL ETHICS COMMITTEE INVESTIGATION OF DEMOCRATIC LEADERS ABOUT THE MASSA ALLEGATIONS IS NECESSARY:

“We’ve seen the trust breakdown between the American people and their Congress. And it’s been clear to me for some time that we have to work here in this institution to rebuild those bonds of trust. And when things like this happen, those who are responsible ought to be held accountable. And in the case of the Member himself, he has resigned. But it’s also pretty clear that there are a lot of people – including some Democrat leaders on the other side – who were, in fact, informed of this. … I don’t know what the answers are. All I’m asking for is the Ethics Committee is to get to the bottom of – what did people know, when did they know about it, and what did they do about it?”

“Listen, when I took over as Leader a little over two years ago, I told my colleagues that I was going to hold them to a higher standard. The American people have every right to expect that highest ethical standards from their elected officials. And it’s in that pursuit, that I think that this investigation is warranted. I don’t know what the outcome is going to be. But I think that the American people deserve the answers and I think the Congress deserves the answers. ”

BOEHNER ON CLOSING GITMO AND WHETHER THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WILL IMPORT TERRORISTS INTO THE U.S.:

“Well, no they’re not. They keep saying they are. But they want $500 million from this Congress to rehabilitate this prison in Northwest Illinois. I want to see who the members are that are going to vote for this. I wouldn’t vote for this if you put a gun to my head. … I think we have a world-class facility at Guantanamo. I think it’s the appropriate place to hold these prisoners, and they can do the tribunals right there at Guantanamo. There is no reason to bring these terrorists into the United States, no reason to increase the threat level here because they’re here and their friends might want to come. It makes no sense to me. And I don’t think that the Congress will appropriate one dime to move those prisoners from Guantanamo to the United States.”

Office of the House Republican Leader H-204 The Capitol | Washington, DC 20515 | p. (202) 225-4000 | f. (202) 225-5117 | Click here to email the Republican Leader

Carly Fiorina Releases “Hot Air” Movie chronicling Barbara Boxer’s failed tenure as a U.S. senator VIDEO

In conjunction with her speech at yesterday’s California Republican Party convention luncheon, Carly Fiorina also released a short movie entitled Hot Air, chronicling Boxer’s failed tenure as a U.S. senator. The creative and attention-grabbing movie describes Boxer’s bitter partisanship, her ineffectiveness and her 18-year long record of support for tax hikes, job-killing legislation and big-government spending. It also contrasts Boxer’s failed tenure with Carly’s record of success as a proven problem-solver, fiscal conservative and the only candidate in this race who has ever created a job, met a payroll or had to cut a budget. A new Web site, www.FailedSenator.com was also launched to not only feature Hot Air, but also to engage voters in learning more about the clear choice in this race.

“Barbara Boxer has been a professional politician her whole adult life, and she’s forgotten how the real world works. She has failed to deliver results and stand up for the people who elected her. It’s time for her career as a politician to come to an end,” continued Carly. “I come from the real world, where actions trump talk and problem-solving trumps partisanship. I am running for U.S. Senate because Washington needs a lot more common sense and a lot less hot air.”

Carly for California 915 L Street, Suite C-378 Sacramento CA. (877) 664-6676 contact@carlyforca.com

Condoleezza Rice endorses Meg Whitman; says she’ll get state ‘back on track’

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced her endorsement of Meg Whitman March 2, calling her a “proven leader” who will do what’s necessary to get California back on track. “California is my home and there is only one person running for governor who can lead the way toward rebuilding our state," Rice said. She “is a proven leader who developed a small start-up company into a global economic powerhouse and encouraged entrepreneurialism at all levels of society.

Meg will do what is needed to get California back on track."

"In my experiences in and out of government, I find the most effective leaders to be those who maintain a clear vision, mobilize diverse groups, and inspire them to work together in confronting the most pressing challenges,” Rice said. “That is why I am supporting Meg Whitman.”

Meg is honored to have Rice's endorsement.

"For years I've admired Condoleezza for her passion for spreading democracy around the world and her long commitment to serving our nation. She is truly a model for leadership," Meg said.

Rice served as 66th U.S. Secretary of State from 2005 to 2009, and was the second woman to hold that office. From 2001 to 2005, Rice served as National Security Advisor. Today, she teaches political science at Stanford University and is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.

This important endorsement is another sign of the growing momentum behind Meg's campaign and her message of creating jobs, cutting spending and fixing education.

Meg Whitman For Governor

Senator.Scott Brown Republican Address 03/13/10 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Senator.Scott Brown Republican Address 03/13/10 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Remarks by Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, as provided by the Republican National Committee

Hello, I’m United States Sen. Scott Brown from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

When the people of my state elected me in January, they sent more than a senator to Washington – they sent a message. Across party lines, the voters told politicians in Washington to get its priorities right.

And from my travels and conversation with people throughout this country, they told me that they want their president and Congress to focus on creating jobs and reviving America’s economy. Instead, for more than a year now, we have seen a bitter, destructive and endless drive to completely transform America’s healthcare system.

In January of last year, unemployment hit 7.2% and our economy was hurting badly. But, early in President Obama’s term, he and the Democratic leadership of Congress made takeover of healthcare their first priority.

Today, times are even tougher across our nation when it comes to our economy. Nearly one in 10 Americans are still out of work. And still, the president and Congress are focused on ramming through their healthcare bill, whatever it takes, whatever the cost.

Maybe you remember what President Obama promised in his State of the Union address. He said....

...he was going to finally focus on jobs and the economy for the remainder of this year. I applauded him for that. Well, here it is, it’s almost spring. And what is he out there talking about again? That same 2,700-page, multi-trillion dollar healthcare legislation.

So, an entire year has gone to waste. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, and many more jobs are in danger. Even now, the president still hasn't gotten the message.

Somehow, the greater the public opposition to the healthcare bill, the more determined they seem to force it on us anyway. Their attitude shows Washington at its very worst – the presumption that they know best, and they’re going to get their way whether the American people like it or not.

And, when politicians start thinking like that, they don’t let anything get in their way – not public opinion, not the rules of fair play, not even their own promises.

They pledged transparency. Instead, we have a healthcare bill tainted by secrecy, concealed cost, and full of backroom deals – and that’s just not right. They should do better. The American people expect more.

They pledged a true bipartisan effort. Instead, they have resorted to bending the rules, and they now intend to seize control of healthcare in America on a strict party-line vote.

In speech after speech on his healthcare plan, the president has tried to convince us that what he is proposing will be good for America. But, how can it be good for America if it raises taxes by a half-trillion dollars and costs a trillion dollars or more to implement? In addition, how can it be good if it takes another half a trillion dollars away from seniors on Medicare, and still includes all the backroom deals you have been hearing about for months?

Well, for the past year or more, the new establishment in Washington has tried again and again to sell this plan to the American people. But the Americans aren't buying it, and for good reason.

And now, what’s going on is a last, desperate power play. They actually tell us that passing the bill is necessary, if only to prove that something can get done in Washington.

Well, I haven’t been here very long, but I can tell you this much already: Nothing has distracted the attention and energy of the nation’s capital more than this disastrous detour. And, the surest way to return to the people’s business is to listen to the people themselves:

We need to drop this whole scheme of federally controlled healthcare, start over, and work together on real reforms at the state level that will contain costs and won’t leave America trillions of dollars deeper in debt.

This, above all, was the message that the people of my state sent to the president and the Congress in the election over a month ago.

You know some of my Democratic colleagues, you know, are being leaned on mighty hard right now. Speaker Pelosi and others are handing down their marching orders, telling them to vote for this bill no matter what.

Rarely have elected leaders been so intent on defying the public will. For many members of Congress, the time for choosing is near – do what the party leadership demands, or do what the people have asked you to do. If my colleagues don’t mind some advice from a newcomer, I’d suggest going with the will of the people.

After all, from the very beginning of this debate, the American people have called it correctly. In every part of the country, Republicans and Democrats have agreed on serious, straightforward, commonsense healthcare reform. They expect us in Washington to do the same – working together, acting fairly and by the rules, and staying focused on the need to make the American economy as strong as it can be.

That is the business that brought me here on an unexpected journey to Washington. And, it’s the responsibility of everyone sent here to serve our country. We can do better – and I challenge my colleagues and the president to do just that. I’m Sen. Scott Brown and thank you very much for listening. ###

Kevin Cramer Healthcare Statement

March marks Congress’ 9th month debating government-run healthcare. The President now demands Democrats in the House come to a resolution by March 18th - with a vote expected on the 18th or shortly after. On November 7, 2009, Congressman Earl Pomeroy stated, “The bill is far from perfect – but so is our present system” and confidently assured voters that “More improvements will be made when the Senate completes its version of health reform and the two bills are blended into one.”

Congressman Pomeroy held a press conference in late January stating that he would not vote for the Senate version of the bill.

His office has since made attempts to minimize or outright deny these statements that were reported by the Associated Press.

I would like to know where Congressman Pomeroy stands on this issue today?

Where is he going to end up on this issue?

Will he stand with the majority of North Dakotans who oppose government-run healthcare?

Will he stand with the even larger number of North Dakotans that oppose using the budget reconciliation process to push the issue through?

Remember, Senator Conrad has said the budget reconciliation process cannot begin until the Senate bill passes the House - which puts Congressman Pomeroy front and center in this debate.

North Dakotans deserve to know if Earl Pomeroy is a man of his word. We must know if he can be counted on to do what he says and knows represents the will of his constituents or if he will cave to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Time is running out on Congressman Pomeroy. He must stand up and be counted.

When I go to Congress, I will never forget who I work for. No Speaker of the House or Party Boss is going to tell me how I must vote. The people demand a higher standard and I am prepared to deliver on that demand. ####

TEXT and PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Cramer for Congress

Jonathan Paton No More Earmarks

Jonathan Paton is committing to fight against the corrupt earmark process if elected to Congress. He will not request pork-barrel projects; and he won't vote for them. "Earmarks are not based on need or merit, they're awarded based on loyalty to Nancy Pelosi. That's an outrage," Paton said. "Earmarks are the gateway drug to spending addiction. We can't forget that one of the reasons voters ousted Republicans in 2006 was because they had strayed from their principles and lost sight of fiscal restraint.

Democrats have continued and accelerated that trend. Still, today 40 percent of earmarks are requested by Republicans. Both parties have been corrupted by the practice, with it even leading to prison time for some former politicians. We need to stand up to the Washington establishment and say 'no.'"

In the current fiscal year, Congress has awarded $16 billion in earmarks, according to a study by Taxpayers for Common Sense. That's 9,499 individual earmarks.

"Unrestrained spending is one of the top concerns of voters I'm talking to throughout Southern Arizona," Paton said. "It's time to say 'no' to this form of incumbent protection that is pushing us further into debt. I can guarantee that over the next several months leading up to Election Day, we will see more and more projects coming down the pipe and highlighted at press conferences by Gabrielle Giffords and company. While some of these projects may be nice, at what cost are we accepting them?"

Gabrielle Giffords has admitted the process is corrupt -- but she keeps requesting and voting for earmarks anyway, later touting the projects in her campaigns. In 2009, Giffords requested more than $100 million in earmarks. In fact, she originally had to be shamed into releasing her earmark requests by the editorial page of the Arizona Daily Star, choosing first to keep her requests secret from the public.

TEXT CREDIT: Jonathan Paton for Congress

IMAGE CREDIT: Time1948

Jesse Kelly, We need more than earmark reform

Earmarks are only a small part of the problem Tucson, AZ The call for “no earmarks” is little more than a shallow campaign season stunt. The real issue is out-of-control government spending. A deficit is still a deficit, if it comes from earmarks or general appropriations.

The voters are tired of government overspending, whether it is the Arizona Legislature voting for Napolitano’s reckless ’08 budget, or a Congresswoman voting in favor of the pork-filled TARP program. To reduce deficit spending, you need to reduce the size and scope of government.

Jesse Kelly has a consistent record of supporting across the board spending reductions as well as a Constitutionality test for federal spending. The two career politicians in the CD8 race both have records of voting for excessive spending. The voters should not be fooled by talk of ending earmarks or mention of PAYGO. These terms are both the same, election year rhetoric from career politicians.

Jesse Kelly is a Republican candidate for Arizona’s Eighth Congressional District in the southeastern region of the state. For more information on the Jesse Kelly campaign please visit VoteJesseKelly.com or send an e-mail to media@jessekellyforcongress.com.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts addressed students at the University of Alabama Law School VIDEO

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts addressed students at the University of Alabama Law School. Following his remarks he responded to questions from audience members. In response to a student, Justice Roberts said the Senate's confirmation process for federal judges is “broken down ” and stated that President Obama's State of the Union speech degenerated “into a political pep rally.”

Joint Statement by House Republican Leaders on GOP Proposal to Unilaterally Ban Earmarks

Left to Right, Conference Chairman: Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), Republican Leader: Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), Conference Vice-Chair: Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Republican Whip: Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)

The following joint statement was issued today by House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH), Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-IN), Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), Conference Vice-Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Conference Secretary John Carter (R-TX), National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX), Rules Committee Ranking Republican David Dreier (R-CA), Chief Deputy Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Republican Leadership Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR):

“For millions of Americans, the earmark process in Congress has become a symbol of a broken Washington. We believe the time has come for House Republicans to adopt an immediate, unilateral moratorium on all earmarks, including tax and tariff-related earmarks, and we will support changing the official rules of the House Republican Conference to incorporate such a moratorium when a special conference meeting on the matter takes place Thursday. When Republicans take back the House, we will rein in out-of-control federal spending and bring fundamental change to the process by which Congress spends American taxpayers’ money.”

Washington, Mar 10 - Office of the House Republican Leader H-204 The Capitol |Washington, DC 20515 | p. (202) 225-4000 | f. (202) 225-5117 | Click here to email the Republican Leader

Governor Bob McDonnell Senate Passage of Opportunity to Learn Education Reform Agenda VIDEO

Statement of Governor Bob McDonnell on Senate Passage of "Opportunity to Learn" Education Reform Agenda – House Already Passed Governor's Three Measures to Expand High Quality Public Charter Schools and College Laboratory Schools; Improve and Promote Virtual Learning – March 09, 2010. Stacey Johnson Press Secretary (804) 786-2211

vagovernor, February 10, 2010 Governor Bob McDonnell held an afternoon press conference to unveil The Opportunity to Learn, his education reform legislative package for this current session of the General Assembly designed to offer options and innovation for all Virginia schoolchildren, but especially those who are at-risk or in underperforming school systems. The Opportunity to Learn package is highlighted by measures to facilitate the expansion of high quality charter schools in the Commonwealth, and further utilize and incorporate virtual and college laboratory schools into Virginias public school system. McDonnell was joined at the event by a bipartisan group of Virginia leaders, all united in support of greater educational options for Virginia students. Among those in attendance were former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder; Virginia Secretary of Education Gerard Robinson; Delegate Rosalyn Dance (D-Petersburg); and Senator Steve Newman (R-Lynchburg). Also at todays event were representatives from the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as parents and prospective students at the soon-to-open Patrick Henry Charter School in Richmond. Hampton University President Bill Harvey, a supporter of the legislation, was unable to attend as scheduled due to winter weath

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement following passage this afternoon by the full Senate of his "Opportunity to Learn" education reform agenda. All three of McDonnell's measures to expand high quality public charter schools and college laboratory schools, and improve and promote virtual learning, received broad bipartisan backing. "I applaud the Republicans and Democrats who came together today to help Virginia school children, especially those who are at-risk and disadvantaged, gain more educational opportunities. In the modern economy, education is the coin of the realm. Without a world-class education our young people will not be able to compete with their peers in the global marketplace. States that move proactively to bring innovation, competition and reform to their public schools are not only serving their young people well, they are improving their prospects for future economic prosperity and job-creation. The effort to expand educational opportunity is one that reaches across party lines. The leading champion of this movement is President Barack Obama. Here in Virginia, the coalition supporting more educational opportunities for all our young people includes state Senators like Republican Steve Newman and Democrat Edd Houck, state delegates like Republicans Scott Lingamfelter, Dickie Bell and Chris Peace and Democrats Rosalyn Dance and Jennifer McClellan, as well as the VEA, the Virginia School Boards Association, and the Virginia Association of School Superintendents. Today's passage of our 'Opportunity to Learn' education reform agenda means we will not tolerate a public school student in Virginia having her educational opportunities limited by her zip code.

Steps like we have taken today will bring hope to our young people, new resources to our teachers, and help for our parents. These new reforms will also help greatly in submitting a vastly improved 'Race to the Top' grant application for billions of dollars in federal funds available for states that lead the way in education innovation."

Senator Steve Newman (R-Lynchburg) added, "This positive legislation to reform our public education system and give all Virginia's young people the tools they need to learn and succeed is the result of real bipartisan cooperation in Richmond. This is a great day for Virginia's public schools, our public school teachers and students and parents in every community." # # #

Office of the Governor Robert F. McDonnell

Tom Ganley Advances to ‘On the Radar’

Ohio Candidate Takes First Step Toward ‘Young Gun’ Status. Washington- The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has officially announced Tom Ganley (OH-13) as an ‘On the Radar’ candidate, an important first step in its Young Guns program. Founded in the 2007-2008 election cycle by Reps.

Eric Cantor (R-VA), Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Paul Ryan (R-WI), the Young Guns program is a member-driven organization dedicated to electing open-seat and challenger candidates nationwide. Ganley is running in Ohio’s Thirteenth Congressional District against Democrat incumbent Betty Sutton.

The Young Guns program is designed to assist Republican candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives achieve goals and benchmarks throughout the election cycle focused on the fundamentals of a winning campaign. By achieving ‘On the Radar’ status, Ganley has already proven his ability to build a successful campaign structure and achieve important fundraising goals.

“The NRCC is committed to working with Tom Ganley as he continues to meet the rigorous goals of the Young Guns program,” said NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions. “Tom is an accomplished job creator and an independent leader who will fight to put Northeast Ohioans back to work. I am confident that Republicans will be successful in our effort to defeat Betty Sutton, who is an out-of-touch politician solely focused on her party’s big-government, big-spending agenda that has failed to turn our economy around.”

As a lifelong resident of Ohio and a proven entrepreneur, Ganley knows what it takes to create jobs and build a successful business from the ground up. Ganley, who is now the President of the Ganley Automotive Group, began his career with one dealership in Euclid and now runs the largest automotive group in Ohio. His local business includes 32 dealerships and more than 1,000 employees. Ganley has served as a leader of his state and region and has been actively involved in various charitable organizations.

Having achieved certain benchmarks to place him on the road to victory, Tom Ganley now faces a new set of rigorous goals that will help him advance to the next level of the Young Guns program and help him build a competitive, effective and winning campaign. ###

National Republican Congressional Committee, 320 First Street SE · Washington, DC 20003 (202) 479-7000

Tom Ganley for Congress, 137 E. State Street, Columbus, OH 43215, 614-722-1000

Bill Brady Wins Official GOP Nomination for Illinois Governor VIDEO

Bill Brady has officially captured the GOP nomination for Illinois governor.

Uploaded on April 28, 2009 by bradyforillinois, All rights reserved

The State Board of Elections declared Brady the winner of the Republican gubernatorial primary, and Sen. Kirk Dillard officially conceded. Brady thanked and congratulated his primary opponents and the supporters who backed him in a closely contested primary. Sen. Brady now turns his attention to the campaign ahead. TEXT and VIDEO CREDIT: Bill Brady for Illinois

Congressman Parker Griffith Weekly Republican Address 03/06/10 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Congressman Parker Griffith Weekly Republican Address 03/06/10 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT.

Weekly remarks by Republican Rep. Dr. Parker Griffith as provided by the Republican National Committee.

Hello, I’m Dr. Parker Griffith, and I have the great privilege to represent Alabama’s 5th Congressional District. In the next 10 days, Democrats in Washington will try and jam through a massive government takeover of healthcare. It would raise taxes, slash Medicare benefits and destroy American jobs.

It would put federal bureaucrats in charge of medical decisions that should be made by patients and doctors. And it must be stopped.
The American people have said loudly and clearly that they do not want this job-killing government takeover of care. They want us to start over with a clean sheet of paper and a step-by-step approach focused on lowering costs for families and small businesses.

But President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refuse to listen to the American people. For them, healthcare reform has become less about the best reforms and more about what best fits their ‘Washington knows best’ mentality – less about helping patients and more about scoring political points.

This is no idle observation. I’ve witnessed it firsthand.

You see, two Januarys ago, I was sworn into office as an independent, conservative Democrat. But like so many Americans, I became increasingly concerned that the policies being pushed by Democrats in Washington were dangerous for our country and out of step with our values.

Instead of working across the aisle and focusing on creating jobs, Democratic leaders pressed ahead with their partisan, big-government agenda of taxing, spending, and borrowing from our children and grandchildren. The trillion-dollar ‘stimulus,’ the ‘cap-and-trade’ national energy tax, I voted against them.

Still, even as Democrats lost their way, I held out hope that things would be different with healthcare reform, but I was wrong.

Even as public opposition continued to rise, Democrats refused to let up, stuffing these bills with sweetheart deals for lawmakers and giveaways to Washington special interests.

Given all that’s at stake, I realized that being a voice of dissent and a vote of conscience was not enough. Shortly before Christmas, after much thought and prayer, I decided to align myself with House Republicans, who have stood on principle to fight this big-government agenda and offer better solutions to the challenges facing our country.

Republicans understand that the right way to fix healthcare is with a step-by-step approach focused on lowering costs. Only Republicans have proposed the kind of healthcare reforms we can afford during this economic downturn, like allowing small businesses to group together to purchase healthcare plans at reasonable costs just as unions do.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has confirmed that the Republican bill would lower premiums for families and small businesses by up to 10%. All of the details are available at HealthCare.GOP.gov.

You know, before coming to Congress, I spent 30 years practicing medicine in North Alabama. The worst thing we could do is have the federal government decide what policies and what procedures would be done in hospitals or in physicians’ offices, what would be paid for, what would not be paid for. This will only cause premiums to rise and the quality of care to go down.

I’ve also run a small business, and I can tell you that healthcare costs have everything to do with the ability to maintain a payroll and hire new workers. The mere threat of this healthcare bill being enacted is freezing employers in their tracks and destroying much-needed jobs.

To get a final bill through without public or bipartisan support, Democrats would have to use a toxic, controversial legislative scheme known as ‘reconciliation.’ Reconciliation would allow Democrats to make a few last-minute backroom deals and rely on only Democratic votes.

Reconciliation is by no means a cure-all that would permit drastic changes to improve the bill. For instance, reconciliation would not address the loophole in the Senate-passed healthcare bill that would lead to taxpayer funding of abortion for the first time in more than 30 years.

If Speaker Pelosi has her way, the loophole will become law as is, so the final battle will be here in the House of Representatives. ###

Chris Christie New Jersey League of Municipalities VIDEO

Governor Chris Christie and Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno attend the meeting of the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors at the Woodrow Wilson School on Princeton University Campus in Princeton, N.J. on Tuesday, March 2, 2010. (Governor Photos/Tim Larsen)

Mar. 5, 2010 - In Case You Missed It - New York Post - 'We Have No Choice' For Immediate Release: Contact: Michael Drewniak. Date: Friday, March 5, 2010 609-777-2600, By Governor Chris Christie. New York Post. Last Updated: 4:35 AM, March 5, 2010. Adapted from Gov. Chris Christie's remarks to about 200 mayors at a meeting of the New Jersey League of Municipalities. When I started in office, I had to close a $2.3 billion shortfall in the $29 billion annual budget -- and only $14 billion was left.

Of that $14 billion, $8 billion could not be touched -- because of contracts with public-worker unions, bond covenants and commitments the state made in accepting federal stimulus money.

We had to find a way to save $2.3 billion in a $6 billion pool of money. The treasurer's office presented me with 378 possible freezes and lapses to balance the budget; I accepted 375 of them.

While public pay booms, private-sector work is tough to find: Waiting to speak to recruiters at a Rutgers job fair earlier this year.

There's a great deal of discussion about me doing that by executive action. Every day that went by was a day where money was going out the door such that the $6 billion pool was getting less and less. Something needed to be done -- and the people didn't send me here to talk; they sent me here to do.

As we look ahead three weeks to my fiscal year 2011 budget address, you all need to understand the context from which we operate.

Our citizens are already the most overtaxed in America. You mayors know that the public appetite for ever-increasing taxes has reached an end.

So we're going to reduce spending at the state level -- because we have no choice.

We also have an obligation to work with the Legislature to give mayors the tools to reduce spending at the municipal level. The pension and benefit reform package just passed in the Senate is only a beginning. We need to change the rules of arbitration to level the playing field. The ever-increasing raises being given to public-sector workers as a result of the arbitration system tells us that.

By the same token, I'm tired of hearing superintendents and school-board members complain that there are no other options than raising property taxes. There are other options.

After a two-year negotiation, Marlboro gave teachers a five-year contract with 4.5 percent annual salary increases -- with zero contribution to health-care benefits. Yet I'm sure there are people in Marlboro who've lost their jobs, who've had their homes foreclosed on, who can't keep a roof over their family's head.

There's something wrong.

At some point, there has to be parity between what's happening in the real world, and what's happening in the public-sector world. The money doesn't grow on trees outside government buildings. It comes from the hardworking people of our communities who are hurting right now.

In this instance, the political class (of which all of us here are members) is lagging behind the public. The public is ready to hear that tough choices have to be made.

They're not going to like it. But they're tired of hearing, "Don't worry. I can spare you from the pain." They've been hearing that for a decade, as we have borrowed and spent and taxed our way into oblivion.

State government has done every quick fix in the book. Now we're left holding the bag.

All of you know in your heart that what I am saying is true. You know that we can't afford these raises that are being given to public employees of all stripes. You know the state can't continue to spend money it doesn't have. And you know that the appetite for tax increases among our constituents has come to an end.

So the path to reform and success is clear. We just have to have the courage to go there.

What we're doing is showing people that government can work again for them, not for us. It has worked for the political class for much too long.

There's no time left. We have no room left to borrow. We have no room left to tax.

Forget about the next election, the next newspaper editorial, the next angry letter or phone call from someone who wants something for nothing. It's time for us to show courage and resolve.

We can do it -- because we are from New Jersey. And I have never, in all my travels around the country, met a group of tougher people.

Chris Christie is New Jersey's governor.

State of New Jersey, 1996-2010 Office of the Governor PO Box 001 Trenton, NJ 08625
609-292-6000

Scott Brown Delivers Floor Speech On His Immediate Tax Relief for America's Workers Amendment VIDEO TEXT TRANSCRIPT

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) introduced his "Immediate Tax Relief for America's Workers" Amendment on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery.

Mister President – I come to the floor of the Senate today to give my first speech as a United States Senator from Massachusetts. First, let me say that I am deeply honored to have been elected and allowed to serve in this great and historic chamber.

In addition, I am pleased to have the opportunity to address my colleagues and the American people for the first time about legislation I am introducing called the “Immediate Tax Relief for America’s Workers” Amendment.

Mr. President, families in Massachusetts, and across this great nation, are suffering during these tough economic times. One year after this Congress passed the stimulus package, Americans are still struggling to pay their bills, save money for college, or buy groceries to put on their kitchen tables.

But in Washington, the federal government is driving up our debt and creating government waste on projects that don’t create private sector jobs or provide immediate relief for American workers.

The hundreds of billions we spent, and continue to spend, on the stimulus package have not created one new net job.

Most Americans believe that Washington is not using this money effectively enough, especially while many Americans are suffering and needing immediate and real relief.

In fact, the federal government is sitting on roughly $80 billion of so-called “stimulus” funds that are either unused or unobligated to specific projects as of this date. That’s $80 BILLION in taxpayer money – stuck in a virtual Washington slush fund potentially used for special interest or so-called “pork” projects.

Mr. President – it’s time to put this money back to work and back into the pockets of the hardworking American families – so they get the help they need, provide for their families, save for their future, and put real money back into the struggling economy.

Providing immediate across-the-board tax relief to working families is not complicated economic policy – it’s simple and common economic sense.

Leaders on both sides of the political aisle – from Presidents John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan – have taught us that the best way to get our economy moving again is by returning money directly to the American people.

I believe that the individual citizen knows better how to spend their own money than the federal government does.

The “Immediate Tax Relief for American Workers” amendment would cut payroll taxes and provide across-the-board tax relief for almost 130 million American workers.

That number again, Mr. President – 130 MILLION people in the American work force, including more than 3 million in my home state of Massachusetts.

130 million workers would receive immediate and direct tax relief. By turning the estimated $80 billion dollars in unobligated stimulus accounts over to the American people, our workers could see their payroll taxes lowered by nearly $100 per month, saving them more than $500 over a six month period.

Working couples could receive a tax cut worth more than $1000.

Now, some people or groups in Washington might not think that is a lot of money – but families in Massachusetts, and across the country, know what a dollar is worth. For most American families, $100, $500 – and $1000 – is a lot of money that will help during tough times – pay for oil, food, medical bills or everyday basic needs.

The American people need this relief, Mr. President, they deserve this.

Families would immediately get the help they need to pay their bills – provide for their families – and put real money back into the economy, helping spark a true recovery.

And unlike tax cuts of years past, this one will be paid for entirely. It will not increase the deficit and could be implemented in about 60 days.

It would be paid for using the roughly $80 billion dollars in unused and unobligated stimulus funds that is currently sitting in a slush-fund in Washington D.C. – doing nothing to stimulate our struggling economy.

To not do this, Mr. President, would be a mistake and a disservice to the people who pay the bills – the US taxpayers.

Let me be clear -- my amendment would not add one penny to our federal deficit.

And let me remind my colleagues in this chamber – Bipartisanship is a two-way street.

Last week, I crossed party lines without hesitation to support a bill that would put people back to work in Massachusetts and throughout the country. I took some heat for it, but held firm and looked at the bill with open eyes – it wasn’t perfect, but it was a good first start.

As I have said before, when I see a good idea, I will support it, whether it comes from a Republican or a Democrat, and the American people have made it clear they expect the same from their elected officials.

So now, here is our chance to show the American people that the partisan bickering is over. We can help people now.

With so many American families struggling – now is not the time for political gamesmanship. It is time to do the people’s business and we CAN do better!

When the “Immediate Tax Relief for America’s Workers” amendment comes to a vote – my colleagues have a very clear choice…. Support a measure that will immediately put money back into the pockets of all of your hardworking constituents.

OR – you can support business-as-usual in Washington – and leave the $80 Billion in unused stimulus funds in a Washington slush-fund – that will just create more bureaucracy and fewer private sector jobs in the years to come. The choice is pretty clear.

I would hope that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle would come together to support this common sense measure and not use procedural points of order to delay action on the economic emergency facing America’s workers. This amendment will help hardworking families – and boost our struggling economy.

After all, that is what we were sent here to do.

Thank you Mr. President. I yield back the balance of my time. ###

Rand Paul on Jim Bunning in the Senate VIDEO

Rand Paul on Rick's List discussing Senator Jim Bunning blocking the passage of a bill that will add to the deficit weeks after the Senate passes a Pay-As-You-Go rule.

Rangel Removal a First Step in Restoring House Rule of Law

Congressman John Carter

(WASHINGTON, DC) – The resignation of U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) as Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee over multiple ethics and tax evasion charges is a critical first step in restoring the Rule of Law in the House of Representatives and the nation at-large, according to House Republican Conference Secretary John Carter. "I take no joy and in fact have great personal sadness over Charlie Rangel’s resignation from the chairmanship of Ways and Means," says Carter. "Even though we disagree on many political issues, Congressman Rangel is one of the most well-liked Members of the House by his colleagues,

and has a record of service to this country that should never be forgotten, from his wartime sacrifices in Korea to his many years of work here in the House. But we cannot allow the chairman of the committee that oversees the IRS to continue in that position with the kind of violations of House and IRS rules that Congressman Rangel has admitted to and been charged with. When Americans see influential elected officials apparently getting away with breaking the law, while they themselves are held to the letter, we risk losing respect for the rule of law altogether."

Carter says he will continue his efforts to ensure that Rangel and U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner pay the customary penalties and interest for their admitted tax violations, or else grant all Americans the same tax immunity.

The former Texas judge will also continue floor efforts against the Administration’s appointment of "czars" without Senate approval; against House censorship of Members of Congress communicating with their constituents; in support of restoring the 72-hour reading-time rule before bills can be brought to a vote; elimination of political favoritism in federal bailouts and tax policies; and prevention of Member’s improper involvement in stimulus fund allocations.

Official website of the 31st Congressional District of Texas

U.S. Senator Jim Bunning Democrats Continue The Hypocrisy VIDEO

U.S. Senator Jim Bunning issued the following statement after Senate Democrats used a procedural gimmick to oppose the Bunning amendment that would have paid for the unemployment extension legislation and other federal programs.

"Democrats tonight showed their true colors by going back on their word on the agreement I had reached with Majority Leader Reid to have an up-or-down vote on my amendment to fully pay for the unemployment extension and other federal programs. Instead, Senate Democrats used a procedural gimmick so they would not have to vote on my pay-for amendment. What are they so afraid of?

"For too long Congresses controlled by both Republican and Democrat majorities have not done a good enough job of controlling the spending of the taxpayers’ money. My stand over the last couple of days was not against those Kentuckians who are on the unemployment line. I support the underlying legislation and support those who are out of work and need a helping hand. What I do not support is the hypocrisy displayed by Senate Democrats. Just over a month ago Democrats passed pay-go legislation and then turned around and waived it for the next two major pieces of legislation that were considered by the Senate. What was the point of passing pay-go legislation? If Democrats continue to ignore their own rules I will oppose future legislation that is not paid for."

Washington, DC Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Start Over on Health Care Reform Petition VIDEO

Preamble: President Obama's initial attempt to seize control of one-sixth of the U.S. economy by nationalizing the American health care system has failed. But serious issues continue to plague our health insurance system, and they must be addressed. Now is the time to start over on health insurance reform and do it right.

Petition: We ask that President Obama and Congressional Democrats join with Republican leaders to start over on health insurance reform.

We ask that they help craft sensible reforms designed to lower costs and expand access without violating individual rights or the integrity of the market.

We ask that they enact medical liability reform and put an end to frivolous lawsuits that drive up the cost of medicine.

We ask that they allow individuals and small businesses to pool together to purchase high-quality affordable health care coverage.

We ask that they allow Americans to shop for health care coverage from coast to coast and purchase insurance policies across state lines.

We ask that they create new incentives to save for current and future health care needs by allowing people to use their health savings accounts funds to pay premiums for high deductible health plans.

We ask that they guarantee individuals with pre-existing conditions or past illnesses access to affordable coverage through the expansion of state-based, high-risk pools, and reinsurance programs.

We reject any attempt by the federal government to force any American to purchase an unwanted insurance plan.

We reject any attempt to implement a government-run insurance program.

We reject individual mandates, rationing, and special deals for any state.

We reject a separate set of rules for government and private sector health insurance purchases.

We oppose any plan that betrays our senior citizens by cutting Medicare coverage, or that allocates taxpayer funds to pay for abortion.

We reject any proposal that authorizes a government takeover of any portion of our health care system.

We ask that Congress and the President above all pledge to ensure the constitutionality of any health insurance reform legislation considered by the federal government.

We implore the President and his allies to listen to the will of the American people and start over on health insurance reform.

Sign the Petition Here