Republican Presidential Candidates’ Debate, live from the Reagan Library LIVE STREAMING VIDEO 09/07/11

UPDATE 09/08/11: Republican Presidential Candidates’ Debate from the Reagan Library FULL DEBATE STREAMING VIDEO 09/07/11

Republican Presidential Candidates’ Debate, live from the Reagan Library in Simi Valley LIVE STREAMING VIDEO 09/07/11

John Boehner Eric Cantor Letter to President Obama FULL TEXT

John Boehner Eric Cantor Letter to President Obama FULL TEXT

In Letter to President Obama, Speaker Boehner & Leader Cantor Highlight Jobs Bills Stalled in Democrat-Led Senate, Areas for Potential Bipartisan Cooperation

WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 6) House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) sent the following letter to President Obama today highlighting several House-passed jobs bills that remain stalled in the Democrat-led Senate and outlining potential opportunities for Congress and the White House to work together this fall on jobs. You can find a printable PDF version of the letter by clicking here.

Dear Mr. President:

We have read with great interest recent news stories describing the “jobs plan” you intend to unveil this week. We were particularly heartened by comments from individuals in your Administration indicating a desire to find areas of common ground that can be implemented in divided government.

We understand that many in your party want to build on the $800 billion stimulus bill that you proposed (and the Democratic Congress passed) as the best method for improving the economy. As you know, we argued at the time that a large, deficit-financed, government spending bill was not the best way to improve our economic situation or create sustainable growth in employment. Given the current unemployment and deficit numbers, we believe our concerns have been validated.

House Republicans have worked throughout the year to implement the Pledge to America, our governing agenda focused on removing government barriers to private-sector job creation, and later this year built on the Pledge by putting forth an expanded jobs agenda, our Plan for America’s Job Creators. Our new majority has passed more than a dozen pro-growth measures to address the jobs crisis. Aside from repeal of the 1099 reporting requirement in the health care law, however, none of the jobs measures passed by the House to date have been taken up by the Democrat-controlled Senate. For your consideration, attached is a list of those jobs-related bills passed by the House that Leader Reid has thus far refused to consider.

Last week we also announced a legislative calendar for the fall with a heavy focus on repeal of excessive, job-destroying regulations and the pursuit of pro-growth tax relief. American employers are seeking relief from the excessive federal regulation that is hampering job creation across our country. As we all know, some regulations are necessary to help keep Americans safe and to protect our citizens’ rights. But there are also regulations that unnecessarily increase costs for Americans, for job creators, and for taxpayers, preventing our economy from creating new jobs. Small businesses, which are the primary engine of job creation in our economy, too often bear the brunt of excessive regulation. Your administration has publicly listed a total of 219 new regulatory actions under consideration for the upcoming year, each of which would have an estimated cost to our economy of $100 million or more. Early last week, in response to our request, you disclosed that seven of these regulations would have an estimated economic cost of more than $1 billion each, with a potential combined cost of more than $100 billion in a single year. While we appreciate your announcement on Friday asking the EPA to withdraw its new draft ozone standards, we believe it is critical to not stop there, and instead act to further reduce this cumulative regulatory drag of uncertainty on economic growth and job creation. Our hope is that both parties can work together in the coming weeks to reduce excessive regulation that is hampering job growth in our country. To facilitate such efforts, we hope that prior to your address to a Joint Session, you will disclose the cost estimates for the remaining 212 new regulatory actions planned by your administration.

While we each sincerely believe that our own policy prescriptions for economic recovery are what is best for the country, neither of us is likely to convince the other in a manner that results in the full implementation of those policies. While it is important that we continue to debate and discuss our different approaches to job creation, it is also critical that our differences not preclude us from taking action in areas where there is common agreement. We should not approach this as an all or nothing situation.

For example, it is our understanding that you may propose an infrastructure initiative as part of your jobs plan. We are not opposed to initiatives to repair and improve infrastructure, and believe there are reforms that can be implemented that would improve their effectiveness in a manner that supports economic growth. Current law requires that states set-aside 10 percent of their surface transportation funds for transportation enhancements, which must be used for items such as establishment of transportation museums, education activities for pedestrians and bicyclists, acquisition of scenic easements, historic preservation, operation of historic transportation facilities, etc. While many of the initiatives funded by this mandatory set-aside may be worthy projects, eliminating this required set-aside would allow states to devote more money to the types of infrastructure programs you are advocating without adding to the deficit. We believe such a reform would be consistent with your statement last week that we should “reform the way transportation money is invested, to eliminate waste, to give states more control over the projects that are right for them.”

In light of your recent comments, we are also hopeful that there is an opportunity for bipartisan agreement on a proposal to expedite the permitting process for construction projects. For example, moving to concurrent rather than sequential reviews by federal agencies and setting time limits for reviews could greatly speed up the approval process and get more projects underway faster.

The press has also reported that you are looking at reforms to our unemployment system to assist those that have been or are at risk of being unemployed for an extended period of time. Reportedly your administration is looking at the “Georgia Works” program as a potential model.

As you may recall, we suggested adoption of a “Georgia Works” type program during our discussion of efforts to help the economy back in December of 2009 (White House meeting on December 9th and subsequent letter on December 22nd). We continue to stand ready to work with you to implement common-sense reforms in this area.

Another area for potential bipartisan cooperation on job creation is trade. Americans have been waiting for years for the White House to advance the three pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea, which collectively would, according to your Administration’s own estimates, support the creation of 250,000 jobs. Expanding markets for U.S. small businesses and manufacturers is critical to create new American jobs. The House is ready – and has been ready – to pass these free-trade agreements, in tandem with separate consideration of Trade Adjustment Assistance legislation, as soon as you send them to Congress. Further delay of these bipartisan job-creating trade bills is, in our view, unacceptable.

These reforms alone are not a substitute for a comprehensive pro-growth jobs agenda, such as the one House Republicans have put forth and continue to implement. But they are potential areas for common ground.

Obviously achieving bipartisan agreement on these and other initiatives requires more than just one side declaring a proposal to be “bipartisan.” It requires that we work together. As such, we would suggest that prior to your address to Congress you convene a bipartisan, bicameral meeting of the Congressional leadership so that we may have the opportunity to constructively discuss your proposals.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

John A. Boehner Eric Cantor
Speaker Majority Leader

Attachment: Bills Passed by the House of Representatives that Have Not Been Considered by the Democrat-Controlled Senate

The Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act (H.R. 872), which would halt duplicative federal regulations on farmers and small business owners that are impeding job creation.

The Energy Tax Prevention Act (H.R. 910), which would stop the federal bureaucracy from imposing a job-destroying national energy tax.

The Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act (H.R. 2018), which would restrict the federal government’s ability to second-guess or delay a state’s permitting and water quality certification decisions under the Clean Water Act once the EPA has already approved a state’s program, preventing approval process delays that cost jobs and leave businesses hampered by uncertainty.

The Consumer Financial Protection & Soundness Improvement Act (H.R. 1315), which would increase consumer protection and government accountability by eliminating the ability of Dodd-Frank’s unelected Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director to unilaterally carry out regulations that hurt job growth.

The Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act (H.R. 1230), which would help to address high gas prices and support the creation of new American jobs by increasing offshore energy production.

The Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act (H.R. 1229) and the Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act (H.R. 1231), which would help to put thousands of Americans back to work by ending the de facto moratorium on American energy production in the Gulf of Mexico in a safe, responsible and transparent manner by setting firm timelines for considering permits to drill.

The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011 (H.R. 2021), which would streamline the permit process for American energy production to help lower prices and create tens of thousands of new jobs.

The North American-Made Energy Security Act (H.R. 1938), which would require the federal government to make a determination by a date certain on whether or not it will allow the Keystone XL pipeline expansion, which is projected to directly create 20,000 jobs and support the creation of thousands more, to move forward.

A Budget for Fiscal Year 2012 (H.Con.Res. 34). With Washington’s failure to control spending hurting job creation in America, the House has passed its budget, while the Senate has not yet considered a budget of its own.

TEXT CREDIT: Speaker of the House John Boehner Contact: H-232 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 P (202) 225-0600 F (202) 225-5117

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

Sarah Palin Speech at the "Restoring America" Tea Party of America Rally in Indianola, Iowa 09/03/11 FULL VIDEO TEXT

Sarah Palin Speech at the "Restoring America" Tea Party of America Rally in Indianola, Iowa on September 3, 2011 FULL VIDEO and TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Thank you, Iowa. Thank you so much. The sign that says, “Thank you, Sarah,” no, I thank you. You are what keeps me going, keeps so many of us going. Your love of country keeps us going. Thank you so much. Iowa, you are good people. You are all good people who are here. Thank you.

It is an honor to be in the Heartland sharing this Labor Day weekend with you. And I thank you so much for the invitation, to these organizers who put so much work into all this. It’s so good to see the O4P and C4P people here today. Last night was fun – getting to run into some of you at that restaurant and to see so many different demographics represented and so many different states all across our great nation. We got to gather together last night – different demographics, different political parties even represented – and Todd reminded me as we walked out of that room, he said, “See, we’re not celebrating ‘red America’ or ‘blue America.’ We’re celebrating red, white, and blue America.”

So, what brought us here today out in this field? Why aren’t we catching a Cyclones game, or watching the Hawkeyes perhaps, or grilling up some venison and corn-on-the-cob, maybe some caribou with some friends on this Labor Day weekend? What brought us together is a love of country. And we see that America is hurting. We’re not willing to just sit back and watch her demise through some “fundamental transformation” of the greatest country on earth. We’re here to stop that transformation and to begin the restoration of the country that we love.

We’re here because America is at a tipping point. America faces a crisis. And it’s not a crisis like perhaps a Midwest summer storm – the kind that moves in and hits hard, but then it moves on. No, this kind will relentlessly rage until we do restore all that is free and good and right about America. It’s not just fear of a double dip recession. And it’s not even the shame of a credit downgrade for the first time in U.S. history. It’s deeper than that. This is a systemic crisis due to failed policies and incompetent leadership. And we’re going to speak truth today. It may be hard-hitting, but we’re going to speak truth today because we need to start talking about what hasn’t worked, and we’re going to start talking about what will work for America. We will talk truth.

Now, some of us saw this day coming. It was three years ago on this very day that I spoke at the GOP Convention where I was honored to be able to accept the nomination for vice president that night. And in my speech I asked America: “When the cloud of rhetoric has passed, when the roar of the crowd fades away….what exactly is [Barack Obama’s] plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger, and take more of your money, and give you more orders from Washington, and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world.” I spoke of this, but back then it was only my words that you had to go by. Now you have seen the proof yourself. Candidate Obama didn’t have a record while he was in office, but President Obama sure does, and that’s why we’re here today.

Candidate Obama pledged to fundamentally transform America. And for all the failures and the broken promises, that’s the one thing he has delivered on. We’ve transformed from a country of hope to one of anxiety. Today, one in five working-age men are out of work. One in seven Americans are on food stamps. Thirty percent of our mortgages are underwater. In parts of Michigan and California, they’re suffering from unemployment numbers that are greater than during the depths of the Great Depression. Barack Obama promised to cut the deficit in half, and instead he turned around and he tripled it. And now our national debt is growing at $3 million a minute. That’s $4.25 billion a day.

President Obama, is this what you call “winning the future”? I call it losing – losing our country and with it the American dream. President Obama, these people – these Americans – feel that “fierce urgency of now.” But do you feel it, sir?

The Tea Party was borne of this urgency. It’s the same sense of urgency that propelled the Sons of Liberty during the Revolution. It’s the same sense of urgency that propelled the Abolitionists before the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement during the 20th Century. The Tea Party Movement is part of this noble American tradition. This movement isn’t simply a political awakening; it’s an American awakening. And it’s coming from ordinary Americans, not the politicos in the Beltway. No, it’s you who grow our food; you run our small businesses; you teach our children; you fight our wars. We are always proud of America. We love our country in good times and in bad, and we never apologize for America.

That is why the far left’s irresponsible and radical policies awakened a sleeping America so that we finally understood what it was that we were about to lose. We were about to lose the blessings of liberty and prosperity. So, the working men and women of this country, you got up off your couch, you came down from the deer stand, you came out of the duck blind, you got off the John Deere, and we took to the streets, and we took to the town halls, and we ended up at the ballot box. And as much as the media wants you to forget this, Tea Party Americans won an electoral victory of historic proportions in November. We the people, we rose up and we 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.

That victory, remember friends, was only one step in a long march towards saving our country.

We sent a new class of leaders to D.C., but immediately the permanent political class tried to co-opt them – because the reality is we are governed by a permanent political class, until we change that. They talk endlessly about cutting government spending, and yet they keep spending more. They talk about massive unsustainable debt, and yet they keep incurring more. They spend, they print, they borrow, they spend more, and then they stick us with the bill. Then they pat their own backs, and they claim that they faced and “solved” the debt crisis that they got us in, but when we were humiliated in front of the world with our country’s first credit downgrade, they promptly went on vacation.

No, they don’t feel the same urgency that we do. But why should they? For them business is good; business is very good. Seven of the ten wealthiest counties are suburbs of Washington, D.C. Polls there actually – and usually I say polls, eh, they’re for strippers and cross country skiers – but polls in those parts show that some people there believe that the economy has actually improved. See, there may not be a recession in Georgetown, but there is in the rest of America.

Yeah, the permanent political class – they’re doing just fine. Ever notice how so many of them arrive in Washington, D.C. of modest means and then miraculously throughout the years they end up becoming very, very wealthy? Well, it’s because they derive power and their wealth from their access to our money – to taxpayer dollars. They use it to bail out their friends on Wall Street and their corporate cronies, and to reward campaign contributors, and to buy votes via earmarks. There is so much waste. And there is a name for this: It’s called corporate crony capitalism. This is not the capitalism of free men and free markets, of innovation and hard work and ethics, of sacrifice and of risk. No, this is the capitalism of connections and government bailouts and handouts, of waste and influence peddling and corporate welfare. This is the crony capitalism that destroyed Europe’s economies. It’s the collusion of big government and big business and big finance to the detriment of all the rest – to the little guys. It’s a slap in the face to our small business owners – the true entrepreneurs, the job creators accounting for 70% of the jobs in America, it’s you who own these small businesses, you’re the economic engine, but you don’t grease the wheels of government power.

So, do you want to know why the permanent political class doesn’t really want to cut any spending? Do you want to know why nothing ever really gets done? It’s because there’s nothing in it for them. They’ve got a lot of mouths to feed – a lot of corporate lobbyists and a lot of special interests that are counting on them to keep the good times and the money rolling along.

It doesn’t surprise me. I’ve seen this kind of crony capitalism before. It’s is the same good old boy politics-as-usual that I fought and we defeated in my home state. I took on a corrupt and compromised political class and their backroom dealings with Big Oil. And I can tell you from experience that sudden and relentless reform never sits well with entrenched interests and power-brokers. So, please you must vet a candidate’s record. You must know their ability to successfully reform and actually fix problems that they’re going to claim that they inherited.

Real reform never sits well with the entrenched special interests, and that’s why the true voices of reform are so quickly demonized. Look what they say about you. You are concerned civilized citizens and look what they say about you. And just look what happened during the debt-ceiling debate. We’d been given warning after warning that our credit rating would be downgraded if politicians didn’t get serious about tackling the debt and deficit problem. But instead of making the real cuts that are necessary, they used Enron-like accounting gimmicks, and they promised that if they were just allowed to spend trillions more today, they’d cut billions ten years from now. By some magical thinking, they figured they could run up trillion dollar deficits year after year, yet still somehow avoid the unforgiving mathematics that led to the downgrade. Well, they got a rude awakening from the rest of the world, and that’s that even America isn’t “too big to fail.”

When we finally did get slapped with that inevitable downgraded, the politicians and the pundits turned around and blamed us – independent commonsense conservatives. We got blamed! They called us un-American and terrorists and suicide bombers and…hobbits…couldn’t understand that one.

And what is the President’s answer to this enormous debt problem? It’s just spend more money. Only you can’t call it “spending” now. Now you got to call it “investing.” Don’t call it “spending.” Call it “investing.” It’s kind of like what happens with FEMA and some of these other bureaucratic agencies that don’t really want to refer to our centralized federal government as “government.” Now it’s called the “federal family.” Am I too old to ask to be emancipated? Never thought I’d say it, but I want a divorce.

No, the President’s answer to our debt problem is: Incur more debt. Spend more money (only call it “investing”). Make more folks even more reliant on government to supply their every need. This is the antithesis of the pioneering American spirit that empowered the individual to work, to produce, to be able to thrive and succeed with fulfillment and with pride; and that in turn built our free and hope-filled and proud country.

He wants to “Win The Future” by “investing” more of your hard-earned money in some harebrained ideas like more solar panels and really fast trains. These are things that venture capitalists will tell you are non-starters, yet he wants to do more of them. We’re flat broke, but he thinks these solar panels and really fast trains are going to magically save us. He’s shouting “all aboard Obama’s bullet train to bankruptcy.”

The only future that Barack Obama is trying to win is his own re-election, and he has shown that he’s perfectly willing to mortgage our children’s future to pay for it. And there is proof of this. Just look closely at where all that “green energy” stimulus money is “invested.” See a pattern. The President’s big campaign donors got nice returns for their “investments” in him to the tune of billions of your tax dollars in the form of “green energy” stimulus funds. The technical term for this is “pay-to-play.” Between bailouts for Wall Street cronies and stimulus projects for union bosses’ security and “green energy” giveaways, he took care of his friends. And now they’re on course to raise a billion dollars for his re-election bid so that they can do it all over again. Are you going to let them do it all over again? Are you willing to unite to do all we can to not let them do it again so we can save our country?

Now to be fair, some GOP candidates also raised mammoth amounts of cash, and we need to ask them, too: What, if anything, do their donors expect in return for their “investments”? We need to know this because our country can’t afford more trillion-dollar “thank you” notes to campaign backers. It is an important question, and it cuts to the heart of our problem. And I speak from experience in confronting the corruption and the crony capitalism since starting out in public office 20 years ago. I’ve been out-spent in my campaigns two to one, three to one, five to one. (And, by the way, I don’t play that game either of hiring expert political advisors just so they’ll say something nice about me on TV – if you ever wonder. You know how that game’s played too I’m sure.) But the reason is simple: It’s because like you, I’m not for sale. It’s because we believe in the free market. I believe in the free market, and that is why I detest crony capitalism. And Barack Obama has shown us cronyism on steroids. It will lead to our downfall if we don’t stop it now. It’s a root that grows our economic problems. Our unsustainable debt and our high unemployment numbers and a housing market that’s in the tank and a stagnant economy – these are all symptoms. Politicians are so focused on the symptoms and not the disease. We will not solve our economic problems until we confront the cronyism of our President and our permanent political class.

So, this is why we must remember that the challenge is not simply to replace Obama in 2012. The real challenge is who and what we will replace him with. It’s not enough to just change up the uniform. If we don’t change the team and the game plan, we won’t save our country.

Yes, we need sudden and relentless reform, and that will return power to “We the People.” This, of course, requires deeds, not just words. It’s not good enough for politicians to just be throwing our way some vague generalities, talking about some promises here and there. It’s time that we hold them accountable. It is amazing to me that even some good conservatives run away from being honest and straight up with us about what needs to be done. They don’t want to rock the boat. They can’t hurt future election prospects evidently. They just talk vaguely about cuts and then they move on. They’re too busy saying what they think we want to hear, but instead they should be telling us what needs to be said and what needs to be done. So, let us today in this field have that adult conversation about what needs to be done to restore America. Let’s do that now.

In five days time, our President will gift us with yet another speech. In his next speech he’ll reveal his latest new super-duper “jobs plan.” It will have more lofty goals and flowery rhetoric, more illogical economic fantasies and more continued blame and finger-pointing. But listen closely to what he says. All of his “solutions” will revolve around more of the same – more payoffs for his friends and supporters. His “plan” is the same as it’s always been, and that’s grow more government, increase more debt, take and give more of your hard-earned money to special interests. And this is such a problem. But you know what the problems are. We could go on all day about the problems caused by the status quo in Washington. Status quo I think is Latin for “more of the same mess that we’re in.” That status quo won’t work any more. We could go on all day about the problems, but you know them because you live them everyday. So, let’s talk about real solutions. I want to tell you what my plan is. My plan is a bona-fide pro-working man’s plan, and it deals in reality. It deals in the way that the world really works because we must talk about what really works in order to get America back to work.

My plan is about empowerment: empowerment of our states, empowerment of our entrepreneurs, most importantly empowerment of you – our hardworking individuals – because I have faith, I have trust, I have respect for you.

The way forward is no more politics as usual. We must stop expanding an out-of-control and out-of-touch federal government. This is first: All power not specifically delegated to the federal government by our Constitution is reserved for the states and for we the people. So, let’s enforce the 10th Amendment and devolve powers back locally where the Founders intended them to be.

Second, what happened to all those promises about staying committed to repealing the mother of all big government unfunded mandates? We must repeal Obamacare! And rein in burdensome regulations that are a boot on our neck. Get government out of the way. Let the private sector breathe and grow. This will allow the confidence that businesses need in order to expand and hire more people.

Third, no more run away debt. We must prioritize and cut. Cancel unused stimulus funds, and have that come to Jesus moment where we own up to the debt challenge that is entitlement reform. See, the reality is we will have entitlement reform; it’s just a matter of how we’re going to get there. We either do it ourselves or the world’s capital markets are going to shove it down our throats, and we’ll have no choice but to reform our entitlement programs. The status quo is no longer an option. Entitlement reform is our duty now, and it must be done in a way that honors our commitment to our esteemed elders today, while keeping faith with future generations. I don’t think anything has irked me more than this nonsense coming from the White House about maybe not sending our seniors their checks. It’s their money! They have paid into Social Security all of their working lives; and for the President to say, “ah, we may not be able to cut their checks,” ah, well, where did all their money go, politicians? It’s like the Commander-in-Chief being willing to throw our military under the bus by threatening that their paychecks may not arrive. But the politicians will still get their checks and their secure retirements, and he’ll still get his posh vacations. Aren’t you just sick to death of those skewed priorities? It’s all backwards. Our seniors and our brave men and women in uniform being used as pawns – I say it’s shameful, and enough is enough. No more.

Fourth, it is time for America to become the energy superpower. The real stimulus that we’ve been waiting for is robust and responsible domestic energy production. We have the resources. Affordable and secure energy is the key to any thriving economy, and it must be our foundation. So, I would do the opposite of Obama’s manipulation of U.S. supplies of energy. Drill here, drill now. Let the refineries and the pipelines be built. Stop kowtowing to foreign countries and dictators asking them to ramp up production and industry for us, promising them that we’ll be their greatest customer. No, not when we have the resources here. We need to move on tapping our own God-given natural resources. I promise you that this will bring real job growth, not the politicians’ phony “green jobs” fairy dust sprinkled with wishes and glitter… No, a hardcore all-of-the-above energy policy that builds this indestructible link between made-in-America energy and our prosperity and our security. You know, there are enough large conventional natural resource development projects waiting for government approval that could potentially create more than a million high-paying jobs all across the country. And this is true stimulus. It wouldn’t cost government a dime to allow the private sector to do these. In fact, these projects will generate billions of dollars in revenue. Can you imagine that: a stimulus project that actually helps dig us out of debt instead of digging us further into it! And these are good-paying jobs, and I know that from experience. For years my own family was supported (as Todd worked up on the North Slope) by a good energy sector job. America’s economic revival starts with America’s energy revival.

Fifth, we can and we will make America the most attractive country on earth to do business in. Here’s how we’re going to do this. Right now, we have the highest federal corporate income tax rate in the industrialized world. Did you know our rates are higher than China and communist Cuba? This doesn’t generate as much revenue as you would think, though, because many big corporations skirt federal taxes because they have the friends in D.C. who right the rules for the rest of us. This makes us less competitive and restrains our engine of prosperity. Heck, some businesses spend more time trying to figure out how to hide their profits than they do in generating more profits so that they can expand and hire more of us. So, to make America the most attractive and competitive place to do business, to set up shop here and hire people here, to attract capital from all over the globe that will lead to an explosion of growth, instead of chasing industry offshore, I propose to eliminate all federal corporate income tax. And hear me out on this. This is how we create millions of high-paying jobs. This is how we increase opportunity and prosperity for all.

But here’s the best part: To balance out any loss of federal revenue from this tax cut, we eliminate corporate welfare and all the loopholes and we eliminate bailouts. This is how we break the back of crony capitalism because it feeds off corporate welfare, which is just socialism for the very rich. We can change all of that. The message then to job-creating corporations is: We’ll unshackle you from the world’s highest federal corporate income tax rate, but you will stand or fall on your own, just like all the rest of us out on main street.

See, when we empower the job-creators, our economy will soar; Americans will get back to work.

This plan is a first step in a long march towards fundamental restoration of a strong and free market economy. And it represents the kind of real reform that we need. And, folks, it must come from you. It must come from the American people. Real hope is in you. It’s not that hopey-changey “stuff” that we heard about back in 2008. We’ve all learned that. And real hope isn’t in an individual. It’s not in a politician certainly. And that hopey-changey stuff that was put in an individual back when Barack Obama was a candidate – that hopey-changey stuff didn’t create one job in August, did it? That’s the first time that’s happened in the United States since World War II. Real hope comes from you. Real hope comes from realizing that we the people can make the difference. And you don’t need a title to make a difference. We can get this country back on the right track. We can do it by empowering the people and realizing that God has richly blessed this most exceptional nation, and then we do something about that realization.

Don’t wait for the permanent political class to reform anything for you. They won’t. They can’t. They can’t even take responsibility for their own actions. Our credit is downgraded, but it’s not their fault. Our economy’s in turmoil, but it’s not his fault. It’s the tsunami in Japan or the Middle East uprising. It’s Irene. It’s those doggone ATM machines.

Folks, the truth is Barack Obama is adrift with no plan because his “fundamental transformation” is at odds with everything that made this country great. It doesn’t make sense. He doesn’t make sense. Unbelievably our President declares that he “believes in American Exceptionalism… just as the Greeks believe in Greek Exceptionalism.” Well, the path he has us on will make us just as “exceptional” as Greece, alright – with the debt crisis and the stagnation and the unemployment and uprisings and all.

Friends, you are better than that. Our country is better than that. We’ve got to unite. We’ve got to stand together. We can confront the problem and we can achieve lasting reform. And I can tell you from hard-earned experience with bumps and bruises along the way, that the road ahead is not easy. You will be demonized. They’ll mock you. They’ll make things up. They’ll tell you to “go to hell.” But we’ll bite our tongue, we’ll keep it classy, and we won’t respond—as tempting as it is—to anyone who just has such disdain for our free market economy and for individual initiative and responsibility. We won’t say, “No, you go to hell.” No, we won’t say that. You know why we don’t have to say that? Because when we have time-tested truth and logic on our side, we win. And when we refuse to retreat because we know that our children’s future is at stake, we win.

No, the road isn’t easy, but it’s nothing compared to the suffering and sacrifice of those who came before us.

A few weeks ago, after my visit to the Iowa State Fair, I took my daughter Piper and my niece McKinley with us to the World War I Liberty Memorial in Kansas City. And standing in the rain, reading the inscriptions on the Memorial about the honor in one’s dedication to God and country, I thought of all those young patriots who suffered and died so far from home. And revering our vets there with the next generation by my side, there was such clarity – clarity in our calling, patriotic Constitutionalists. We have a duty not just to the living, but also to those who came and died before us and to the generations yet to be born. Our freedom was purchased by millions of men now long-forgotten throughout history who charged the bayonets, and they charged the cannons; they knew they were going to die, but it was worth it for them sacrificing for future generations’ freedom. They’re the ones who prayed in the trenches and suffered in the P.O.W. camps. They gave their lives so that we could be here today.

You and I are blessed to be “born the heirs of freedom.” As President John F. Kennedy said, “We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution.” We are the heirs of those who froze with Washington at Valley Forge and who held the line at Gettysburg, who freed the slaves to close a shameful chapter, and who carved a nation out of the wilderness. We are the sons and daughters of those who stormed the beaches of Normandy and raised the flag at Iwo Jima and made America the strongest, the most prosperous, the greatest nation on earth forever in mankind’s history – the greatest, most exceptional nation.

America, we will always endure. We will always come through. We will never give up. We shall endure because we live by that moral strength that we call grace. Because though we’ve often skirted a precipice, a Providential Hand has always guided us to a better future. So, let us seek that Hand once more. Our Ronald Reagan said, “If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, we will be a nation gone under.” Yes, He shed his grace on thee, America! We will not squander what we have been given! We will fight for freedom. We will fight for America. We are at the tipping point. United we must stand. And we shall nobly save, not meanly lose, this last best hope on earth.

So, God bless you, Iowa! God bless the United States of America!

TEXTCREDIT: SarahPAC - Sarah Palin's Official PAC

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: rightface1

Bob Goodlatte Weekly Republican Address TEXT PODCAST VIDEO 09/03/11

Podcast of the address: Download MP3 for PODCAST || FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT BELOW. || Download Video MPEG Video || MP4 Video

Washington (Sep 2) In the Weekly Republican Address, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) makes the case for how a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution would provide greater certainty about our nation’s fiscal trajectory over the long haul, helping private-sector small-business people plan, invest and get back to creating jobs. “That’s why,” Rep. Goodlatte says, “in his upcoming jobs speech, President Obama should call on both parties to come together this fall and send a Balanced Budget Amendment to the states for ratification.” The American people strongly support a Balanced Budget Amendment, which will get a vote in both houses of Congress this fall. Following is the full text of the address.

“Hello, I’m Congressman Bob Goodlatte from the Commonwealth of Virginia. It’s a pleasure to speak with you on Labor Day weekend as we honor the ingenuity and perseverance of America’s workers.

“Of course, ours are the best workers in the world, and given a level playing field, they can compete and win against anyone.

“Except we don’t have a level playing field. Our employers face some of the highest tax rates in the world. Endless red tape makes it harder to plan and invest. Our national debt – much of which is owed to China – is on track to exceed the size of our entire economy.

“The president’s ‘stimulus’ spending has proven counterproductive. Government has gotten in the way when it can be part of the solution. With millions of Americans still asking ‘where are the jobs?,’ the president should help lead a bipartisan effort to remove government barriers to job creation.

“We can start by eliminating burdensome mandates and regulations; stopping policies that drive up gas prices; expanding American energy production in order to increase jobs and American manufacturing; and approving free trade agreements that open new markets to American-made goods. These ideas and other much-needed reforms are part of Republicans’ Plan for America’s Job Creators. Learn more by visiting Jobs.GOP.gov.

“While our workers are being held back by Washington, there’s nothing in place to stop the federal government from bankrolling further big government spending ... the kind that leads to government expansion into private-sector jobs, burdensome mandates on job creators and skyrocketing national debt.

“For hard-working families, making tough decisions to live within your means is a necessity. For 49 out of 50 states, it’s the law. So you’re right to expect no less from Washington.

“This fall, both the House and the Senate will vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution that would force Congress to spend only what the government takes in. This would ensure spending cuts made today don’t easily disappear tomorrow. That doesn’t just mean a fiscal house in order: it also means more certainty for the private sector and a better environment for job creation.

“That’s why, in his upcoming jobs speech, President Obama should call on both parties to come together this fall and send a Balanced Budget Amendment to the states for ratification.

“This amendment isn’t my idea; it’s not a new idea. Thomas Jefferson expressed strong support for it in 1798. On March 2nd, 1995, the U.S. Senate failed – by one vote – to send a Balanced Budget Amendment to the states. More than $9 trillion has been added to our national debt since. That’s a 180 percent increase. Imagine how different things would be if the amendment had passed. We cannot afford to make the same mistake.

“This won’t be easy. As you know, a constitutional amendment requires the approval of two-thirds of both houses of Congress before it goes to the states. We need bipartisan support to get the Balanced Budget Amendment across the finish line.

“So to help spread the word, we’ve set up a website where you can learn more and share information about the importance of a Balanced Budget Amendment. The address is gop.gov/balancethebudget. We’ll also be talking about this on Twitter using the hashtag ‘BBA4jobs.’

“This Labor Day, America’s workers are right to ask where the jobs are. You deserve better answers. The policies coming out of Washington aren’t getting it done.

“By focusing on removing barriers to job creation – and creating barriers to debt creation – we can get our economy back on track. Together, we can restore the promise that for all of us is America.

“Thank you for listening, and enjoy your Labor Day weekend.”

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: HouseConference

TEXT CREDIT: Speaker of the House John Boehner Contact H-232 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 P (202) 225-0600 F (202) 225-5117

AUDIO / VIDEO FILES CREDIT: The House Republican Conference - Digital Communications visual.media@mail.house.gov 202-225-5439

House Speaker John Boehner issued the following statement today regarding the latest unemployment figures released by the U.S. Department of Labor

Speaker Boehner: Job Growth Undermined by Triple Threat of Higher Taxes, More “Stimulus” Spending, & Excessive Regulations

Washington (Sep 2) House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement today regarding the latest unemployment figures released by the U.S. Department of Labor:

“Private-sector job growth continues to be undermined by the triple threat of higher taxes, more failed ‘stimulus’ spending, and excessive federal regulations. Together, these Washington policies have created a fog of uncertainty that’s left small businesses unable to hire and American families worried about the future.

“President Obama is slated to address Congress next week and I look forward to hearing his ideas to bolster private-sector job creation. The American people are still asking, ‘where are the jobs?’ Republicans are listening and focusing on removing barriers to job growth, whether it’s eliminating unnecessary regulations that drive up prices or stopping Washington from spending money it doesn’t have. I’m hopeful the White House will take this opportunity to work with us to end the uncertainty facing families and small businesses, and create a better environment for long-term economic growth and private-sector job creation.”

NOTE: Visit Jobs.GOP.Gov to learn more about the Republican Plan for America’s Job Creators, and to track the progress of several House-passed jobs bills.

TEXT CREDIT: Speaker of the House John Boehner Contact: H-232 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 P (202) 225-0600 F (202) 225-5117

IMAGE CREDIT: By SpeakerBoehner

Congressman Eric Cantor (VA-07) today issued the following statement regarding the August jobs report

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Eric Cantor (VA-07) today issued the following statement regarding the August jobs report:

"These numbers show that America is still facing a jobs crisis. Millions upon millions of Americans remain out of work – some for far too long of a time – and we must work to foster an environment that makes it easier for small businesses and entrepreneurs to grow and create jobs. For the past eight months, House Republicans have been squarely focused on common sense proposals to create jobs and grow the economy. We put forward our Plan for America’s Job Creators including specific proposals to spur economic growth, and our fall legislative agenda will focus on repealing unnecessary job-destroying federal regulations that are stifling the ability of businesses small and large to grow and hire. Unfortunately, aside from more-of-the-same failed stimulus spending and tax increases on working families and small businesses, Congressional Democrats have not offered any solutions to our nation’s jobs crisis. And while the House has passed nearly a dozen pro-growth bills, the Senate refuses to act on any of these job creating measures.

"Next week, President Obama will finally unveil his latest jobs plan, and I believe there will be areas where we can work together to produce real results that will help job creators get people back to work. The President is expected to include infrastructure investment in his plan. The Administration’s previous attempts at this didn’t produce the expected results, and we must be mindful not to repeat the mistakes of the past. But we would agree with President Obama’s suggestion earlier this week to give states more control over infrastructure projects and eliminate wasteful spending through reforms to current law, which will boost economic growth without increasing spending. For example, eliminating the requirement that states must set aside 10 percent of federal surface transportation funds for transportation museums, education, and preservation would allow states to devote these monies to high-priority infrastructure projects, without adding to the deficit. Reforming the unemployment system is another area of commonality where we can assist those in need and help get unemployed Americans back to work. In fact, in December of 2009, we presented a jobs plan to President Obama suggesting the “Georgia Works” program as a potential model for getting Americans back to work, and we stand ready to work with him if there is interest in implementing a similar program on the federal level.

"With a stalled economy and millions of Americans out of work, we must come together and unite behind the notion that we want to grow this economy, put in place policies that allow small businesses expand and hire, and let America be the country where businesses and families can go out and earn their success. The President says he wants to put job creation first and put politics aside. We agree. It is a two way street, and if the President is willing to roll up his sleeves and join us in helping get Americans back to work, we are ready to work together."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sep 02, 2011 CONTACT: Megan Whittemore (202) 225-7440

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Rep. Eric Cantor | Representing the 7th District of Virginia Washington, DC Office 303 Canon HOB Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2815 Fax: (202) 225-0011

Jeb Hensarling Patty Murray announce Mark Prater will serve as Staff Director for the bipartisan Joint Select Committee

Congressman Jeb Hensarling R-Texas and Senator Patty Murray D-Wash have announced that Mark Prater chief tax counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance for the the past 21 years will serve as Staff Director for the bipartisan Joint Select Committee. “”Mark has a well-earned reputation for being a workhorse who members of both parties have relied on, We look forward to working with him and are confident that his approach and expertise will be valuable as we weigh the difficult but necessary choices ahead.” IMAGE CREDIT: www.willamette.edu

The Republican Governors Public Policy Committee released today a report detailing 31 policy solutions for reforming Medicaid

The Republican Governors Public Policy Committee released today a report detailing 31 policy solutions for reforming Medicaid.

“One of the major mistakes of Obamacare is that it ignored input from the states,” said RGA Policy Chairman Haley Barbour. “This report encompasses four months of substantive dialogue among the states about how to best reform Medicaid. It is a well thought out document that should be taken seriously by anyone in Congress or the White House who is interested in saving Medicaid

“Medicaid consumes an ever-increasing and frightening share of state budgets and the current pace of spending is unsustainable,” said RGA Chairman Bob McDonnell. “Regardless of whether or not Obamacare is repealed or struck down, Medicaid is in dire need of reform. This report offers realistic ideas about how to fix Medicaid from the states’ perspective.”

The report, titled A New Medicaid: A Flexible, Innovative and Accountable Future, follows a June 13th letter Republican governors sent to Congressional leaders outlining seven guiding principles for Medicaid reform. Every policy solution in the report falls within the principles outlined in the June letter.

You can view a copy of the report here:

This report is a collection of policy ideas from the Republican Governors Public Policy Committee Health Care Task Force. Inclusion in this report does not constitute an endorsement of the policy prescription by any specific governor. Instead, these policy proposals should be viewed as among the best ideas from the states to be considered in reforming the nation’s healthcare system. Not every governor will choose or should choose to adopt and implement all of these solutions.

TEXT and EMBED CREDIT: Republican Governors Association

Dean Heller Weekly Republican Address TEXT VIDEO 08/28/11

Hi, I’m Senator Dean Heller from the great state of Nevada.

Americans have had to endure great hardships over the past few years. This recession has robbed millions of people of their jobs, their homes and their sense of security.

No state has been hit harder than Nevada. My state has the unfortunate distinction of leading the nation in unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcies. There is no question that the status quo of dysfunctional government must end. People from all over the country are struggling just to get by and are desperate for real solutions.

Unfortunately, job creation and economic growth has taken a back seat to political posturing and grandstanding in Washington.

It is clear that the approach of this administration and its supporters have taken for economic recovery has failed miserably.

Out of control spending, a healthcare law that no one can afford, and a seemingly endless....
...stream of regulations are crippling employers, stifling economic growth and killing jobs. Threats of a cap-and-trade bill that will cause energy costs to skyrocket, and efforts to pass card check legislation that would take away American workers’ rights to a secret ballot are more of the same.

Instead of fighting for measures that create and protect jobs, this administration has created more government that continues to impede economic growth at every turn. To paraphrase one of the business leaders in my state, this president and his policies have been a big wet blanket on our economy.

The American public and businesses alike are waiting on a plan that can plant the seeds of economic growth and bolster job creation.

I believe our best days are still ahead, but we need to change course now.

Let’s pass a balanced budget amendment to force the federal government to live within its means, repeal the president’s small-business-killing healthcare law, open up our country to energy exploration and reverse the regulations that are tying the hands of entrepreneurs across America.

We can help hasten an economic recovery by embracing pro-growth policies that place more money in the pockets of Americans. At the same time, we should be assisting those who have lost their jobs and need help.

These are all the things that both this administration and Congress could be doing immediately to boost economic recovery.

Then we should take the aggressive steps of reforming our tax code, make it simpler for individuals and employers. Cut out the special interest loopholes while reducing the overall tax burden on all Americans.

Instead of looking for new ways to tax the American public, we should make our tax code more competitive and provide businesses the stability they need to grow and create jobs. The continual threat of tax increases feeds the uncertainty that serves as an impediment to economic growth.

Finally, members of Congress should stop using scare tactics against our nation’s seniors. Let’s stop the lies about who wants to end Medicare or eliminate Social Security and fix both programs now. Every member of Congress knows these programs are unsustainable in their current state. They will not be around for our generation or the next unless Congress takes the necessary steps to strengthen these programs. They can be fixed, but the lies have to stop. Nobody is proposing that we end Medicare or Social Security.

If some in Washington would stop campaigning long enough to do their jobs we could fix both and ensure their existence for generations to come. Over the past few weeks I have been traveling around my state, speaking with Nevadans. The message is clear, it is time for both Democrats and Republicans to come together, put our differences aside so that we can solve our nation’s problems, and deliver the solutions the American people are asking for.

Let’s give the American people a government that works for them. Removing impediments to job creation will get Americans working again and ensure our children and grandchildren have a brighter future.

I’m excited about where we can be in a year, two years, 20years from now, but we must seize this opportunity---this moment--- to make a change in the way our government does business. It’s time to turn the power back to the people and jump-start our great country like never before.

Thank you for your time. May God continue to bless America. ####

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: gopweeklyaddress

Rick Perry today announced his participation in the CNN/Tampa Tea Party Express Debate on Sept. 12 at the Florida State Fairgrounds

Gov. Rick Perry Announces Participation in CNN / Tampa Tea Party Express Debate Print Posted on August 25th, 2011 Debate Takes Place Sept. 12 at Florida State Fairgrounds AUSTIN – Texas Gov. Rick Perry today announced his participation in the CNN/Tampa Tea Party Express Debate on Sept. 12 at the Florida State Fairgrounds. “The Tea Party plays an important role in advancing principles of fiscal responsibility and conservative governance across our nation through its efforts to recruit and elect leaders that will fight to instill these values in the halls of government at all levels throughout our nation,” said Gov. Perry.

“I look forward to the opportunity this debate presents to discuss my record of conservative leadership and to share my vision with the great people of this country about how we will get America working again.”

The Tea Party Debate is a first-of-its-kind event that will bring conservative candidates for President together to discuss tea party principles, and determine which candidate has the best solutions to lead the United States of America and her people into greater freedom and prosperity.

To learn more about the debate, please visit www.teapartyexpress.org/debate

TEXT CREDIT: RickPerry.org, Inc., P.O. Box 12726 Austin, TX 78711.

IMAGE CREDIT: Rick Perry on Facebook

Marco Rubio At The Reagan Library 08/23/11 VIDEO TEXT

Marco Rubio At The Reagan Library 08/23/11 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Rubio: Thank you very much for this opportunity. Gerald let me thank you for that introduction, you talking about my communications skills, or so called communications skills, I appreciate you not setting the bar too high. Thanks so much.

Mrs. Reagan, thank you for this opportunity. And in a moment I’ll talk a little about what this opportunity means to me in general, but let me just say it is one of the highest privileges and honors I’ve ever had to be able to come here and speak in this place.

And earlier today I was able to walk through here, and not just to see the exhibits, but to meet the people, some from all over the world, that were touched by the extraordinary life of an extraordinary man. The contributions that he made to this country were tremendous, but the contributions he made to the world were even greater. And in just an hour and a half of walking through here and meeting people who had been touched by those contributions, it reminded me what a privilege it is that I would get to stand here today and speak to all of you from a place like this and I am honored beyond any words that I could use to describe it and I thank you for this invitation. Thank you.

In fact I have a distinct honor because, not many people can say, that the only two people I have ever walked down the aisle with are here today. One is my wife Jeanette and the other is Mrs. Reagan that we just walked down here, so.

I tell people all the time that I was born and raised in Ronald Reagan’s America. I was raised in Ronald Reagan’s America. He was elected when I was in fourth grade and he left - he left office when I was in high school. Those are very important years, fourth grade through high school they were the years that formed so much of what today what I believe and know to be true about the world and about our nation.

Ronald Reagan’s era can be defined, number one in most people’s mind, by the Cold War and by the end of it. And by the strong principles he stood for. Ronald Reagan didn’t just believe that the Soviet Union and communism could fail, he believed it was inevitably destined to fail. And that it was our obligation to accelerate that process. That all we had to do was be America and that that would happen.

And that defined his Presidency. And that defined Ronald Reagan’s America in the time that I lived. The time that I grew up during that era.

There was something else though that defined the Reagan Presidency and that was defining the proper role of government. He did that better than any American has done ever before. And I stand before you, it has always been important for Americans and America to do that, but I stand here before you today all of us gathered here today at a time when defining the proper role of government is as important as it has ever been.

The answer to what the proper role of government is really lies in what kind of country we want to have. And I think the vast majority of Americans share a common vision for what they want our nation to be. They want our nation to be two things at the same time.

Number one: they want it to be free and prosperous, a place where your economic hopes and dreams can be accomplished and brought up to fruition. That through hard work and sacrifice you can be who God meant you to be. No matter who your parents were, no matter where you were born, no matter how much misfortune you may have met in your life, if you have a good idea, you can be anything if you work hard and play by the rules. Most, if not all, Americans share that vision of a free and prosperous America.

But they also want us to be a compassionate America, a place where people are not left behind. We are a nation that is not going to tolerate those who cannot take care of themselves being left to fend for themselves. We’re not going to tolerate our children being punished for the errors of their parents and society.

So, we are a nation that aspires to two things – prosperity and compassion. And Ronald Reagan understood that. Perhaps better, again, than any voice I’ve ever heard speak on it.

Now America’s leaders during the last century set out to accomplish that, but they reached a conclusion that has placed us on this path, except for the Reagan Administration to be quite frank. Both Republicans and Democrats established a role for government in America that said, yes, we’ll have a free economy, but we will also have a strong government, who through regulations and taxes will control the free economy and through a series of government programs, will take care of those in our society who are falling behind.

That was a vision crafted in the twentieth century by our leaders and though it was well intentioned, it was doomed to fail from the start. It was doomed to fail from the start first and foremost because it forgot that the strength of our nation begins with its people and that these programs actually weakened us as a people. You see, almost in forever, it was institutions and society that assumed the role of taking care of one another. If someone was sick in your family, you took care of them. If a neighbor met misfortune, you took care of them. You saved for your retirement and your future because you had to.

We took these things upon ourselves and our communities and our families and our homes and our churches and our synagogues. But all that changed when the government began to assume those responsibilities. All of the sudden, for an increasing number of people in our nation, it was no longer necessary to worry about saving for security because that was the government’s job. For those who met misfortune, that wasn’t our obligation to take care of them, that was the government’s job. And as government crowded out the institutions in our society that did these things traditionally, it weakened our people in a way that undermined our ability to maintain our prosperity.

The other thing is that we built a government and its programs without any account whatsoever for how we were going to pay for it. There was not thought given into how this was going to be sustained. When Social Security first started, there was sixteen workers for every retiree. Today there are only three for every retiree and soon there will only be two for every retiree.

Program after program was crafted without any thought as to how they will be funded in future years or the impact it would have on future Americans. They were done with the best of intentions, but because it weakened our people and didn’t take account the simple math of not being able to spend more money than you have, it was destined to fail and brought us to the point at which we are at today.

It is a startling place to be because the twentieth century was not a time of decline for America, it was the American century. Americans in the twentieth century built here – we built here – the richest, most prosperous nation in the history of the world. And yet today we have built for ourselves a government that not even the richest and most prosperous nation in the face of the Earth can fund or afford to pay for. An extraordinary tragic accomplishment, if you can call it that.

And that is where we stand today.

And so, if defining the proper role of government was one of the central issues of the Reagan era, it remains that now. The truth is that people are going around saying that, well, we’re worried about – let me just add something to this because I think this is an important forum for candor.

I know that it is popular in my party to blame the President, the current President. But the truth is the only thing this President has done is accelerate policies that were already in place and were doomed to fail. All he is doing through his policies is making the day of reckoning come faster, but it was coming nonetheless.

What we have now is not sustainable. The role of government and the role that government plays now in America cannot be sustained the way it is. Now some are worried about how it has to change, we have to change it. The good news is it is going to change. It has to change. That’s not the issue. The issue is not whether the role that government now plays in America will change. The question is how will it change. Will it change because we make the changes necessary? Or will it change because our creditors force us to make these changes?

And over the next few moments I hope to advocate to you – I don’t think that I have to given the make up the crowd – but I hope to advocate to you that in fact what we have before us is a golden opportunity afforded to few Americans.

We have the opportunity – within our lifetime – to actually craft a proper role for government in our nation that will allow us to come closer than any Americans have ever come to our collective vision of a nation where both prosperity and compassion exist side-by-side.

To do that, we must begin by embracing certain principles that are absolutely true. Number one – the free enterprise system does not create poverty. The free enterprise system does not leave people behind. People are poor and people are left behind because they do not have access to the free enterprise system because something in their lives or in their community has denied them access to the free enterprise system. All over the world this truism is expressing itself every single day. Every nation on the Earth that embraces market economics and the free enterprise system is pulling millions of its people out of poverty. The free enterprise system creates prosperity, not denies it.

The second truism that we must understand is that poverty does not create our social problems, our social problems create our poverty. Let me give you an example. All across this country, at this very moment, there are children who are born into and are living with five strikes against them, already, through no fault of their own. They’re born into substandard housing in dangerous neighborhoods, to broken families, being raised by their grandmothers because they never knew their father and their mom is either working two jobs to make ends meet or just not home. These kids are going to struggle to succeed unless something dramatic happens in their life.

These truisms are important because they lead the public policies that define the proper role of government. On the prosperity side, the number one objective of our economic policy, in fact the singular objective of our economic policy from a government perspective is simple - it’s growth. It’s not distribution of wealth, it’s not picking winners and losers. The goal of our public policy should be growth. Growth in our economy, the creation of jobs, and of opportunity, of equality of opportunity through our governmental policies.

Now often when I give these speeches, members of the media and others get frustrated because there is nothing new or novel in it. We don’t have to reinvent this. It’s worked before and it will work again and they are simple things. Like a tax code that’s fair, predictable, easy to comply with. Like a regulatory framework that doesn’t exist to justify the existence of the regulators, that doesn’t exist to accomplish through regulation and rulemaking what they couldn’t accomplish through the Congress.

And it is the proper role of government to invest in infrastructure. Yes, government should build roads and bridges, but it should do so as part of economic development as part of infrastructure. Not as a jobs program.

And government should invest in our people at the state level. Education is important, critically important. We must educate and train our children to compete and succeed in the 21st century. Our kids are not going to grow up to compete with children in Alabama or Mississippi. They’re going to grow up to compete with kids in India, and China, all over the world; children who are learning to compete and succeed in the 21st century themselves.

These are proper roles of government within the framework of creating an environment where economic security and prosperity is possible.

And on the compassion side of the ledger, which is also important to Americans. And it’s important that we remind ourselves of that. I don’t really like labels in politics, but I will gladly accept the label of conservatism. Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that make it possible for them to access all the hope, all the promise, all the opportunity that America offers. And our programs to help them should reflect that.

Now, yes, there are people that cannot help themselves. And those folks we will always help. We are too rich and prosperous a nation to leave them to fend for themselves. But all the others that can work should be given the means of empowering themselves to enter the marketplace and the workforce. And our programs and our policies should reflect that. We do need a safety net, but it cannot be a way of life. It must be there to help those who have fallen, to stand up and try again.

And by the way, I believe in America’s retirement programs. But I recognize that these programs as they are currently structured are not sustainable for future generations. And so we must embrace public policy changes to these programs.

Now, I personally believe that you cannot make changes to these programs for the people that are currently in them right now. My mother just – well she gets mad when I say this. She is in her eighth decade of life and she is on both of these programs. I can’t ask my mom to go out and get another job. She paid into the system. But the truth is that Social Security and Medicare, as important as they are, cannot look for me how they look for her.

My generation must fully accept, the sooner the better, that if we want there to be a Social Security and a Medicare when we retire, and if we want America as we know it to continue when we retire, then we must accept and begin to make changes to those programs now, for us.

These changes will not be easy. Speeches are easy. Actually going out and doing them will be difficult. It’s never easy to go to people and say what you’ve always known we have to change. It isn’t. It will be hard. It will actually really call upon a specific generation of Americans, those of us, like myself, decades away from retirement, to assume certain realities – that we will continue to pay into and fund for a system that we will never fully access – that we are prepared to do whatever it takes in our lives and in our generation so that our parents and grandparents can enjoy the fruits of their labor and so that our children and our grandchildren can inherit the fullness of America’s promise.

But you see, every generation of Americans has been called to do their part to ensure that the American promise continues. We’re not alone, we’re not unique, we’re not the only ones. In fact, I would argue to you that we have it pretty good. And yet I think it’s fully appropriate that those of us raised in Ronald Reagan’s America are actually the ones who are being asked to stand up and respond to the issues of the day. For we, perhaps better than any other people who have ever lived in this nation, should understand how special and unique America truly is.

When I was a boy, the world looked very different than it does now. I remember vividly how many assumed and believed that Soviet style communism was destined to at least rule half the world, and they urged our public policy leaders to accept that and to understand that America would have to share this planet with a godless, oppressive form of government that perhaps was destined to overtake us one day as well. There were many who discouraged our leaders from talking about the inevitability of decline for communism and how it was destined to fail. There were many who encouraged us to simply accept this as the way it has to be, and who told us that America could no longer continue to be what America had been – the world was just too complicated and too difficult, it had changed too much. Sounds familiar, but that’s what they told us.

But one person at least didn’t believe them, and he happened to be the President of the United States. He actually believed that all we had to do is be America, that our example alone would one day lead to the decline and fall of a system that was unsustainable because he understood that the desire to be free, prosperous and compassionate, although shared by all Americans, was universal. The desire to leave your children better off than yourself is something we hold as Americans, but so do people all over the world. Because he understood that the principles that this nation was founded upon was not that we are all people in North America are endowed by their creator with inalienable rights, but that all people are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. That transcribed in our hearts is the desire to live in freedom and in liberty, that it is our natural right, and that government’s job is to protect those rights, not to grant them to us. This is the natural state of man, and anything that prevents it is unnatural and doomed to fail and that all we had to do was be America. That all we had to do was be prosperous and be free. All we had to do was live our republic. All we had to do was be a voice for these principles anywhere in the world where these principles were challenged and oppressed, and eventually time was on our side. And how right he was.

When I was in fourth grade, the Soviet Union was a co-equal power to the United States. Before I finished college, the Soviet Union didn’t even exist. And so many people born since then have no idea what it even was.

To me, this is extremely special, and I’ll tell you why. During the eighties, politically especially, there were two people that deeply influenced me. One clearly was Ronald Reagan, the other was my grandfather, who lived with us most of the time in our home.

We lived part of our life, especially the key years, 80-84, in Las Vegas, Nevada. And my grandfather loved to sit on the porch of our home and smoke cigars. He was Cuban. Three cigars a day, he lived to be 84. This is not an advertisement for cigar smoking, I’m just saying to you that.

He loved to talk about politics. My grandfather was born in 1899. He was born to an agricultural family in Cuba. He was stricken with polio when he was a very young man, he couldn’t work the fields, so they sent him to school. He was the only member of his family that could read. And because he could read. He got a job at the local cigar rolling factory. They didn’t have radio or television, so they would hire someone to sit at the front of the cigar factory and read to the workers while they worked. So, the first thing he would read every day, of course, was the daily newspaper. Then he would read some novel to entertain them. And then, when he was done reading things he actually went out and rolled the cigars because he needed the extra money. But through all of those years of reading, he became extremely knowledgeable about history, not to mention all the classics.

He loved to talk about history. My grandfather loved being Cuban. He loved being from Cuba. He never would have left Cuba if he didn’t have to. But he knew America was special. He knew that without America Cuba would still be a Spanish colony. He knew that without America the Nazis and Imperial Japan would have won World War II. When he was born in 1899 there weren’t even airplanes. By the time I was born, an American had walked on the surface of the moon.

And he knew something else. He knew that he had lost his country. And that the only thing from preventing other people in the world from losing theirs to communism was this country – this nation.

It is easy for us who are born here – like me – and so many of you, to take for granted how special and unique this place is. But when you come from somewhere else, when what you always knew and loved, you lost, you don’t have that luxury.

My Grandfather didn’t know America was exceptional because he read about it in a book. He knew about it because he lived it and saw it with his eyes. That powerful lesson is the story of Ronald Reagan’s Presidency. It’s our legacy as a people. And it’s who we have a chance to be again. And I think that’s important for all of us because being an American is not just a blessing, it’s a responsibility.

As we were commanded to do long ago, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Well, as we gather here today in this place, that pays homage and tribute to the greatest American of the twentieth century, we are reminded that for him and for our nation, being a light to the world, that’s not just our common history, it remains our common destiny. Thank you.

TEXT CREDIT: U.S. Senator for Florida, Marco Rubio

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: SenatorMarcoRubio

Jeb Bush Neil Cavuto “YOUR WORLD” VIDEO TEXT

Watch the latest video at FoxNews.com NEIL CAVUTO, HOST OF, “YOUR WORLD”: It is all about keeping calm, though. And doesn’t one Jeb Bush know it? As Florida governor, his was, of course, a very reassuring presence on eventually national TV through countless hurricanes and storms. I can still remember his message then, as now: Be on top of things, but don’t get overwhelmed or become crazy by these things. Governor, good to see you. JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: Good seeing you. It’s where I got my gray hair. (LAUGHTER) BUSH: All these disasters bring back many fond memories.

CAVUTO: I remember many of your pressers well, Governor. And I remember always trying to keep the calm. And you were always in the middle of some pretty big storms, Category 4 and what have you. We have a hurricane to worry about that’s going to hopefully swipe past much of the Eastern coast, although there’s no guarantee of that. But now we have this. How do you advise people when they just get news of this? What do you do?

BUSH: You can’t plan for an earthquake on the East Coast. But once it happens, and then there’s all these uncertainties that can change people’s lives, it’s important to listen to the elected officials, that -- Mayor Bloomberg has got one the best emergency response teams in the country, if not the best. To listen to him and to listen to the governors talk about what this means and what to expect I think is really important. And to have seismologists on that actually know what they’re talking about is kind of important, because if you and I had an opinion, and we were conjecturing about this, it could be pretty ugly and pretty dangerous. So, good information calms people’s nerves. And I think that’s exactly what you’ll see across the East Coast now. Jeb Bush on 'Your World'


TEXT and VIDEO CREDIT: Neil Cavuto “YOUR WORLD”

Steve Scalise Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement first oil & natural gas lease sale Gulf of Mexico since Deepwater Horizon

Scalise: DOI lease sale a good start, but still a long way to go. Washington, DC -- Congressman Steve Scalise issued the following statement after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEM) announced that it will hold the first oil and natural gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico since the Deepwater Horizon disaster. “While today’s announcement is a step in the right direction, this much-delayed lease sale is no substitute for an all-of-the-above energy strategy that allows us to utilize all of our natural resources to create millions of American jobs and eliminate our dependence on Middle Eastern oil,” Scalise said.

“Nor does this decision reverse the damage that’s already been done by President Obama’s permitorium that has led to more than 13,000 jobs lost along the Gulf Coast alone.

“For months now we’ve been pushing the Obama Administration to hold this lease sale, and I helped pass a bill through the House months ago that would have forced them to do just that, but the Administration continued to drag its feet and delay action resulting in higher gas prices at the pump and an increased dependence on Middle Eastern oil, jeopardizing America's energy security in the process. President Obama needs to reverse his radical policies, including his reckless permitorium on drilling that has led to the loss of 13,000 American jobs, and he needs to work with those of us in Congress who continue pressing for an all-of-the-above energy strategy that puts people back to work exploring safely for energy off our coast and ends our dependence on Middle Eastern oil.”

The lease sale will take place in December of 2011 and encompasses about 3,900 un-leased blocks covering approximately 20.6 million acres.

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Contact: Stephen Bell 202-226-9113

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Congressman Steve Scalise Representing the 1st of Louisiana Washington DC Office 429 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3015 Fax: (202) 226-0386

Jeff Flake Obama Administration for implementing an immigration policy that is inconsistent with the Administration’s rhetoric

Mesa, Arizona, - Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, criticized the Obama Administration for implementing an immigration policy that is inconsistent with the Administration’s rhetoric that additional resources to combat illegal immigration are not needed. “On one hand, you have the Obama Administration claiming that the border is safer than ever and additional resources to combat illegal immigration are not needed, and on the other you have the Administration claiming that they don’t have the resources to prosecute all illegal immigrants,” said Flake. “Rather than choosing not to prosecute certain illegal immigrants, President Obama ought to support the 10-Point Border Security Plan that Senators McCain and Kyl have introduced in the Senate and I’ve introduced in the House.”

Congressman Flake has introduced H.R. 1507, the Border Security Enforcement Act of 2011. Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl introduced the legislation in the Senate.

Among the 10 key provisions of the bill is the funding of the Southwest Border Prosecutors Initiative and the deployment of up to 6,000 National Guard troops and 5,000 additional Border Patrol agents to the United States-Mexico border by 2016. It would also create additional Border Patrol stations along the southwest border and create six additional permanent Border Patrol Forward Operating Bases and upgrade existing bases. Additionally, the bill would ensure construction of double-layer fencing at needed locations along the United States-Mexico border and replace outdated and ineffective landing-mat fencing along the southwest border.

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TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Congressman Jeff Flake Washington DC Office 240 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 phone: (202) 225-2635 fax: (202) 226-4386 Contact: Genevieve Frye Rozansky 202-225-2635

Jeb Hensarling Biography

Jeb Hensarling Official Portrait 112th Congress

Jeb was born May 29, 1957 in Stephenville Erath County, Texas and grew up working on his father's poultry farm near College Station. The work convinced him that he did not want to become a farmer. A student leader at Texas A&M University, he earned his Bachelor's degree in Economics in 1979. He earned a law degree from the University of Texas in 1982. Hensarling practiced law in San Antonio for two years before serving on the staff of Senator Phil Gramm 1985-1989. He ran Gramm’s victorious 1990 campaign. From 1993 until 2003 he spent ten years in the private sector, serving as an officer for a successful investment firm, a data management company Vice President, Maverick Capital, 1993-1996, and an electricity retail company, Green Mountain Energy (1999-2001). He left the company in 2001 to found the Family Support Assurance, a company that aims to modernize child support payments. Jeb is an Eagle Scout who is involved in his community- served as a leader with the American Cancer Society of Dallas and a board member for the Children's Education Fund.

Jeb Hensarling and his wife Melissa with their two children, Claire and Travis

Jeb and his wife Melissa are members of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church and reside in Dallas with their two children, Claire and Travis. He Assumed office January 3, 2003. Has served as Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, as member of the President’s Debt Commission and on the Congressional Oversight Panel for TARP.

Congressman Hensarling was elected to his first term from the Fifth Congressional District of Texas in 2002, defeating Democratic opponent Ron Chapman with 58% of the vote. He was reelected in 2004 with 64% of the vote over Democratic challenger Bill Bernstein.

In 2002, Hensarling created the Washington Waste Watchers, a congressional working group that monitors fraud and fiscal excess. In 2005, he joined the Republican Study Committee, a conservative caucus with about 100 Republican members, and was elected chairman of the group in 2006.

He was the national finance chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee during the 2010 election cycle.

In the 111th Congress, Jeb served as top Republican on the House Sub-committee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit.

Congressman Hensarling serves as Chairman of the House Republican Conference, the fourth highest ranking position in the Republican leadership. Also as Vice-Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and as a leader on consumer choice, competitive markets, and smart regulation in our financial markets. Hensarling’s nickname around Congress is “budget nanny".

Committees: Financial Services, Vice Chair, Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, Co-Chair, Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises, Member, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, Member.

Contact: DC Office: 132 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202-225-3484 Fax: 202-226-4888 Web Email

District Office - Athens: 100 East Corsicana Street, Suite 208 Athens, TX 75751 Phone: 903-675-8288 Fax: 903-675-8351

District Office - Dallas: 6510 Abrams Road, Suite 243 Dallas, TX 75231 Phone: 214-349-9996 Fax: 214-349-0738

TEXT RESOURCES:

• Biography | Representative Jeb Hensarling | Representing the 5th District of Texas
• Jeb Hensarling From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Friends of Jeb Hensarling
• Jeb Hensarling Texas - WhoRunsGov.com/TheWashingtonPost
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Project Vote Smart - Representative Jeb Hensarling - Biography
• Jeb Hensarling - SourceWatch

IMAGE CREDITS:

• Jeb Hensarling Official Portrait 112th Congress - This image or file is a work of an employee of the United States Federal Government, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the public domain.
  
  Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.
  
  By US House of Representatives ([1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
• Jeb Hensarling and his wife Melissa with their two children, Claire and Travis Friends of Jeb Hensarling