Category Archives: News

NPR EXEC PUNKED BY JAMES O'KEEFE: Caught On Tape Calling Tea Party 'Xenophobic' And 'Racist'


Glynnis MacNicol | Mar. 8, 2011, 10:44 AM

James O’Keefe strikes again.

O’Keefe is the ‘investigative’ journalist who made a name for himself by posing as various characters (a pimp, a repairman, a conservative activist) and recording people on hidden camera and then editing the footage to damning results (you will recall his ‘pimp’ footage from an ACORN office resulted in the entire organization being shut down) appears to have successfully punked NPR.

Sort of.

And probably not coincidentally right in the middle of fundraising week.

The Daily Caller posted a highly edited video this morning just released by O’Keefe (complete with narration and ominous middle easter music) of NPR’s (now former…he left last week) SVP of fundraising Ron Schiller (no relation to CEO Vivian Schiller) and Betsy Liley, NPR’s director of institutional, talking to a pair of men posing as “members of a Muslim Brotherhood front group.”

The men, “who identified themselves as Ibrahim Kasaam and Amir Malik from the fictitious Muslim Education Action Center (MEAC) Trust” tell Schiller they want to give $5 million to NPR “partly out of concern for the defunding process the Republicans are trying to engage in.”

Not as the Daily Caller write-up suggests because ““the Zionist coverage is quite substantial elsewhere” or at least not directly.

More importantly NPR says they refused the money. Repeatedly. It just didn’t make it to the ‘caught on tape’ apparently.

The video is edited to such an extent it is impossible to tell whether the two posers actually say or do what the narrator says they say or do, or what exactly Schiller is responding to.

We do hear the pair tell Schiller that their “organization was originally founded by a few members of the Muslim Brotherhood in America actually.” But the description apparently stops there, and it’s unclear why this disclosure should necessarily be off-putting (but should that be a grey area for you the ominous background music is there to help).

Schiller says, (though in response to what is unclear): “I think what we all believe is if we don’t have Muslim voices in our schools and on our air. I mean it’s the same thing we faced when we as a nation didn’t have female voice.”

Again. Unclear why that viewpoint from a national news org is bad.

That doesn’t mean he is out of the clear

Here’s what this is what’s going to get him, and NPR, into trouble. And it has nothing really to do with Muslims. Apropos of something the video doesn’t make clear Schiller has this to say about the Tea Party:

The current Republican party, particularly the Tea Party is fanatically involved in people’s personal lives and very fundamental Christian. I wouldn’t even call it Christian.It’s this weird evangelical kind of movement.

[…]

The current Republican party is not even the really the Republican party — it’s been hijacked by this group — that is — [overdub] — exactly and not just Islamaphobic but xenophobic, and they are, they believe in sort of white, middle America, gun-toting, I mean it’s scary. They’re seriously, racist, racist people.

So that’s not good. Actually it’s very bad and not only because it feeds into every stereotype the right has about NPR (and liberal media in general) and leaves so little grey area that NPR will have a tough time turning the focus of the story to the fact much of this video is a thinly veiled attempt to appeal to anti-Muslim sentiment.

Back to the Zionist coverage remark.

Later in the lunch (the viewer is lead to believe, anyway…the posers do not appear on camera) one of them tells Schiller: “Jews do kind of control the media or, I mean, certainly the Zionists and the people who have the interests in swaying media coverage toward a favorable direction of Israel.” Schiller hears him out but goes on to say: “I don’t find that at NPR, the Zionist or pro-Israel. Even among funders….I mean it’s there in people who own newspapers, obviously, but no one owns NPR. I don’t find it.”

NPR tells me a statement on the matter will be forthcoming. Their media reporter David Folkenflik is tweeting out parts of it now: “We are appalled by the comments made by Ron Schiller in the video, which are contrary to what NPR stands for.”

Alas, I think between this and the Juan Williams thing, which NPR is still only recovering from, NPR is facing a serious uphill branding battle.

Update: Here is the full (if brief) statement) fromDana Davis Rehm, SVP of Marketing, Communications & External Relations for NPR.

“The fraudulent organization represented in this video repeatedly pressed us to accept a $5 million check, with no strings attached, which we repeatedly refused to accept.

We are appalled by the comments made by Ron Schiller in the video, which are contrary to what NPR stands for.

Mr. Schiller announced last week that he is leaving NPR for another job.”

Read more

No guts, no glory: GOP should heed lesson of '91

By: Byron York 03/07/11 8:05 PM
Chief Political Correspondent Follow Him @ByronYork
Governor Bill Clinton announces his candidacy for the presidency in October 1991 in Little Rock, Arkansas.-AP File
Governor Bill Clinton announces his candidacy for the presidency in October 1991 in Little Rock, Arkansas.-AP File

In early March 1991, all the smart people in politics knew one thing about the upcoming 1992 campaign: President George H.W. Bush was unbeatable.

Fresh from victory in the Gulf War, Bush enjoyed a job approval rating around 90 percent. At a time when potential challengers should be enlisting supporters and planning campaigns, Democrats who had been expected to challenge Bush held back, hesitant to enter a race that seemed hopeless.

 

“Will anybody run against George Bush in 1992?” asked Juan Williams in the Washington Post on March 10, 1991. “There are no candidate footprints in the pristine snows of New Hampshire this winter and the Iowa cornfields are untrampled.”

March passed, and then April, May, June, and July, and still Democrats searched for candidates willing to challenge Bush. One by one, the big names — Al Gore, Dick Gephardt, Mario Cuomo — decided not to run. Bush was just too strong.

The Democratic field that finally emerged seemed decidedly lackluster: Jerry Brown, Paul Tsongas, Bob Kerrey, Bill Clinton, Douglas Wilder and Tom Harkin. After an undistinguished primary season, one of them would be the sacrificial lamb to run against Bush.

Today, 20 years later, there’s no need to elaborate on how it turned out. All you have to say is that the prize went to the candidate who took a risk when others shied away.

Now we’re in a political season in which it is Republicans who seem hesitant to challenge an incumbent president. And we’re seeing the emergence of a new conventional wisdom: Barack Obama will be very, very tough to beat.

What a change. Back in 1991, the pundits discussed how hard it would be to defeat a president with a job approval rating of 90 percent. Now, they’re talking about how hard it would be to defeat a president with a job approval rating of 48 percent.

Back in the first Bush administration, some GOP strategists surveyed the struggling Democratic field and repeated the old axiom, “You can’t beat somebody with nobody.” Who could possibly have the stature to knock off President George H.W. Bush? Now, some of those same Republicans are fretting about the quality of their own presidential field and repeating the same slogan, this time not in overconfidence but in self-reproach. Maybe they’ve forgotten 1991.

None of this is to say that conditions today are the same as they were 20 years ago. There are a zillion differences. Bush was riding what turned out to be a fleeting wave of popularity after the war in ’91, while Obama will likely have more durable support in ’12. Also, the economy was trending downward in ’91 but will (hopefully) be headed up in ’12. And much of the press was against the incumbent president in ’91 but will most assuredly be for the incumbent president in ’12.

But whatever the differences, the similarity is that for Republicans, victory is possible for a candidate with daring, confidence, and skill. Yet some of the most qualified potential GOP candidates appear to be hanging back, reluctant to take on the White House. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is surely one of the more capable potential presidents out there, but he has gone back and forth on the question of running and at the moment seems to be leaning against it. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has flatly declared himself unready for the job. Other Republicans with proven appeal, like former Arkansas governor and ’08 candidate Mike Huckabee, are biding their time.

But time is passing. The first Republican presidential debate is less than two months away, and by now candidates should have already spent months organizing and seeking support in early primary and caucus states. Those who haven’t been doing that are already behind.

Yes, Obama will be difficult to beat. He has the enormous power of incumbency, and he can lose a number of the states he won in 2008 and still be re-elected. But George H.W. Bush seemed unbeatable, too. In 1991, Clinton decided to go forward, in the face of all the conventional wisdom, and ended up in the White House. No one knows whether a Republican challenger could do the same thing now. But we know this for sure: They won’t win if they don’t run.

Byron York, The Examiner‘s chief political correspondent, can be contacted at byork@washingtonexaminer.com. His column appears on Tuesday and Friday, and his stories and blogposts appear on ExaminerPolitics.com.

 

Letter from Senator Kay Hagan on EPA Greenhouse Gas Emissions

March 7, 2011

Dear Friend,

Thank you for contacting me regarding S.J. Res. 26 and regulation of greenhouse gas emissions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). I greatly appreciate hearing your thoughts on this important issue.

In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that greenhouse gases are air pollutants subject to regulation under the Clean Air Act and directed the EPA to determine whether emissions from new motor vehicles endanger public health or welfare. Following an extensive two-year review process, under both the Obama and Bush Administrations, the EPA found that these gases do in fact threaten public health. This finding does not itself impose any requirements on industry or other entities, but does provide the basis for potential future regulation.

In order to prevent any regulations from taking effect, some members of Congress have worked to stop the EPA from moving forward. In particular, S.J. Res. 26 would have overturned the EPA finding that greenhouse gas emissions represent a threat to public health, and preemptively removed the ability for the EPA to regulate these emissions. On June 10, 2010, S.J. Res. 26 was considered by the full Senate and rejected with a vote of 47-53.

I strongly believe that the United States must serve as a leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that deteriorate our atmosphere and threaten our environment. Like you, however, I am concerned about the impact of any new federal policy on energy costs in North Carolina and American economic competitiveness. We cannot allow the impact of new energy initiatives to fall disproportionately on North Carolina or low-income citizens. Likewise, we cannot put American industries at a competitive disadvantage while we push other nations to adopt similar emissions reduction targets.

I believe that the most efficient and cost-effective method to regulate greenhouse gases is through a market-based approach that is thoroughly examined by Congress. I do not believe that Congress should overturn a scientific finding that affects the welfare of our nation, and for that reason I voted against S.J. Res. 26. With this in mind, I anticipate the opportunity work with my colleagues on comprehensive clean energy and climate change legislation, and will work to ensure that the impacts of new energy policies will strengthen – not weaken – our state’s economy.

Again, thank you for contacting my office. It is truly an honor to represent North Carolina in the United States Senate, and I hope you will not hesitate to contact me in the future should you have any further questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

 

Kay R. Hagan

Monday at the NC General Assembly

Via Washington Examiner

 

HEADLINES:

NC House Republicans set override vote on Perdue veto on health care overhaul challenge

Never before approved, 2007 land transfer tax given initial approval for repeal by NC House

House gives initial OK to end requirement for community colleges to join fed loan programs

House Democrats roll out alternative bill to GOP plan for charter school changes that ends cap

Education advocates tell NC legislative budget writers to avoid making deep budget cuts

Former Union County Sheriff McGuirt appointed to succeed Gibson in North Carolina House

THE BRIEF:

VETO OVERRIDE: Republicans will attempt to cancel Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue’s veto rejecting a measure designed to challenge a key provision of the federal health care overhaul law for North Carolina. House GOP leaders set an override vote for Wednesday. Over the weekend, Perdue vetoed a bill that attempts to block a provision of the federal law requiring most people in 2014 to buy health insurance or face a penalty. Perdue said the bill would have violated the U.S. Constitution and referred to a memo from Attorney General Roy Cooper’s office arguing the measure could harm other health programs. House Republicans may need a few more Democratic votes to get the three-fifths majority needed to override. The Senate also would have to override to let the bill become law. Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory is lending his voice to automated phone calls on behalf of Americans for Prosperity urging voters to ask lawmakers to vote for the override.

The American Bar Association Supports Sharia Law in USA!

Via the AmericanThinker

 

Tuesday, in an article called The ABA’s Jihad in The American Thinker, I exposed the Islamic supremacism taking root at the American Bar Association, breaking the story of the ABA’s support for Sharia law. I revealed the notice, circulated among ABA members, of an organized ABA campaign to oppose the anti-Sharia legislation that has been introduced in 14 state legislatures. Then on Wednesday the ABA issued a statement in response to my article, claiming that “the American Bar Association has taken no action in support of, or in opposition to, judges considering Islamic law or Sharia.”
How dishonest and disingenuous.
The ABA statement said that the organization has “nearly 400,000 members, many of whom volunteer with any of the ABA’s 2,200 entities. One of those 2,200 entities is the Section on International Law, which has elected to assemble a taskforce of several individuals to examine this issue.” The statement makes it sound as if this examination is completely neutral: “These individuals are examining whether the proposed changes to the law impact important constitutional questions.  They are also considering implications for international commerce.”
Above all, the ABA claims that this taskforce has nothing to do with the organization itself: “The actions of a few interested members within one section are not and cannot be interpreted to be those of the entire American Bar Association. Claims to the contrary are erroneous.”
This is spin and damage control. In my Tuesday article I quoted the Section on International Law stating that the ABA’s Executive Counsel “has organized a Task Force to review the legislation of 14 states — Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming — in which anti-Sharia legislation has been introduced.”
There was no way this Task Force could be understood as neutral. Clearly it was dedicated to working against anti-Sharia legal initiatives. The Section on International Law document said: “The Section’s Executive Counsel [sic] has organized a Task Force to review the legislation of 14 states — Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming – in which anti-Sharia legislation has been introduced.  The goal of the Task Force is to have a Report and Recommendation against such legislation as well as an informal set of ‘talking points’ that local opponents of these initiatives could use to make their case in each of these states.”
This should incite justifiable public outrage, and actually increase support for and awareness of the legislation among the grassroots electorate.
A source knowledgeable about the ABA has also informed me that the organization’s Middle East law committee recently began a lobbying campaign, which the ABA’s international law chair endorsed. It was a political act, not a neutral study. This source sent me ABA policy guidelines that make it clear that policies that are formulated by small committees or “entities” can and do become official ABA policy under certain circumstances, and those circumstances are present in the case of this pro-Sharia Task Force.
This puts the ABA on the spot: either its policy mechanism on Middle East law has been taken over by Middle East-based lawyer(s) with Islamic supremacist sympathies, or the Middle East law committee does represent the ABA’s actual positions.
Further, is there any ABA group or task force assigned to helping those who oppose Sharia to craft legislation to ban it? No. There is only an initiative to oppose those fighting the Sharia.
Particularly troubling is the non-democratic way in which the ABA made the decision to oppose the anti-Sharia initiatives of various states. A tiny minority of the ABA’s total membership steers its policies, which almost always are developed from the top down. The pro-Sharia initiative seems to have been pushed forward through what the ABA calls a “blanket approval” or even more rapid “technical comment” procedure, and seems to go beyond issuing mere statements to actively organizing lobbying to influence state legislation – a practice that is generally forbidden for tax-exempt organizations.
All this makes it obvious that the ABA’s statement disclaiming any support for Sharia was completely false and dishonest.
If the ABA continues to forward this deceitful rhetoric, I will expose even more information about its support for Sharia.
There is one way the ABA could make at least partial amends now: it’s time the ABA created a task force to help those of us who are fighting the introduction of Islamic law in America.
We’re waiting.

Obama Administration Running Guns to Mexico!

CBS, yes CBS is breaking news that shows the Obama Administration has been running guns to Mexico!

 

Agent: I was ordered to let U.S. guns into Mexico

ATF agent says “Fast and Furious” program let guns “walk” into hands of Mexican drug cartels with aim of tracking and breaking a big case

By Sharyl Attkisson
  • Video ATF agent: It’s not overATF special agent John Dodson explained to Sharyl Attkisson that there is no telling where their gun exchange program will end.
  • Video ATF agent explains why he let guns “walk”Sharyl Attkisson spoke with ATF special agent John Dodson who explained the reasoning behind the ATF’s “Fast and Furious” program that guns “walk” into hands of Mexican drug cartels with aim of tracking and breaking a big case.
(CBS News)WASHINGTON – Federal agent John Dodson says what he was asked to do was beyond belief.

He was intentionally letting guns go to Mexico?

“Yes ma’am,” Dodson told CBS News. “The agency was.”

An Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms senior agent assigned to the Phoenix office in 2010, Dodson’s job is to stop gun trafficking across the border. Instead, he says he was ordered to sit by and watch it happen.

Investigators call the tactic letting guns “walk.” In this case, walking into the hands of criminals who would use them in Mexico and the United States.

Sharyl Attkisson’s original “Gunrunner” report

Center for Public Integrity report

Dodson’s bosses say that never happened. Now, he’s risking his job to go public.

“I’m boots on the ground in Phoenix, telling you we’ve been doing it every day since I’ve been here,” he said. “Here I am. Tell me I didn’t do the things that I did. Tell me you didn’t order me to do the things I did. Tell me it didn’t happen. Now you have a name on it. You have a face to put with it. Here I am. Someone now, tell me it didn’t happen.”

Agent Dodson and other sources say the gun walking strategy was approved all the way up to the Justice Department. The idea was to see where the guns ended up, build a big case and take down a cartel. And it was all kept secret from Mexico.

ATF named the case “Fast and Furious.”

Surveillance video obtained by CBS News shows suspected drug cartel suppliers carrying boxes of weapons to their cars at a Phoenix gun shop. The long boxes shown in the video being loaded in were AK-47-type assault rifles.

 

So it turns out ATF not only allowed it – they videotaped it.

Documents show the inevitable result: The guns that ATF let go began showing up at crime scenes in Mexico. And as ATF stood by watching thousands of weapons hit the streets… the Fast and Furious group supervisor noted the escalating Mexican violence.

One e-mail noted, “958 killed in March 2010 … most violent month since 2005.” The same e-mail notes: “Our subjects purchased 359 firearms during March alone,” including “numerous Barrett .50 caliber rifles.”

Dodson feels that ATF was partly to blame for the escalating violence in Mexico and on the border. “I even asked them if they could see the correlation between the two,” he said. “The more our guys buy, the more violence we’re having down there.”

Senior agents including Dodson told CBS News they confronted their supervisors over and over.

 

Their answer, according to Dodson, was, “If you’re going to make an omelette, you’ve got to break some eggs.”

There was so much opposition to the gun walking, that an ATF supervisor issued an e-mail noting a “schism” among the agents. “Whether you care or not people of rank and authority at HQ are paying close attention to this case…we are doing what they envisioned…. If you don’t think this is fun you’re in the wrong line of work… Maybe the Maricopa County jail is hiring detention officers and you can get $30,000 … to serve lunch to inmates…”

“We just knew it wasn’t going to end well. There’s just no way it could,” Dodson said.

 

On Dec. 14, 2010, Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was gunned down. Dodson got the bad news from a colleague.

According to Dodson, “They said, ‘Did you hear about the border patrol agent?’ And I said, ‘Yeah.’ And they said ‘Well it was one of the Fast and Furious guns.’ There’s not really much you can say after that.”

Two assault rifles ATF had let go nearly a year before were found at Terry’s murder.

Dodson said, “I felt guilty. I mean it’s crushing. I don’t know how to explain it.”

Sen. Grassley began investigating after his office spoke to Dodson and a dozen other ATF sources — all telling the same story.

Read Sen. Grassley’s letter to the attorney general

The response was “practically zilch,” Grassley said. “From the standpoint that documents we want – we have not gotten them. I think it’s a case of stonewalling.”

Dodson said he hopes that speaking out helps Terry’s family. They haven’t been told much of anything about his murder – or where the bullet came from.

“First of all, I’d tell them that I’m sorry. Second of all, I’d tell them I’ve done everything that I can for them to get the truth,” Dodson said. “After this, I don’t know what else I can do. But I hope they get it.”

Dodson said they never did take down a drug cartels. However, he said thousands of Fast and Furious weapons are still out there and will be claiming victims on both sides of the border for years to come.

Late tonight, the ATF said it will convene a panel to look into its national firearms trafficking strategy. But it refused to comment specifically on Sharyl’s report.

Statement from Kenneth E. Melson, Acting Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives:

 

“The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will ask a multi-disciplinary panel of law enforcement professionals to review the bureau’s current firearms trafficking strategies employed by field division managers and special agents. This review will enable ATF to maximize its effectiveness when undertaking complex firearms trafficking investigations and prosecutions. It will support the goals of ATF to stem the illegal flow of firearms to Mexico and combat firearms trafficking in the United States.”

© 2011 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.

Click here for CBS link

Help override Gov Perdue's veto of Health Care Freedom

Breaking News: Governor Perdue has Vetoed House Bill 2,
The Health Care Freedom Act

The Health Care Freedom Act was approved by wide margins by both the North Carolina House and Senate. This important bill would block the unconstitutional provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) requiring Americans to buy insurance beginning in 2014 or face a monetary penalty.

Despite calls from hundreds of thousands of citizens and the urging of Americans for Prosperity, Attorney General Cooper has refused to defend the constitutional rights of North Carolina citizens by challenging Obamacare’s constitutionality in court and now Governor Perdue has vetoed this common sense legislation.

Join your other AFP activists in North Carolina by telling the legislature to override Governor Perdue’s veto and pass the North Carolina Health Care Protection Act immediately!

Click here to compose an email to your NC Legislators.

Tea Party Being Hijacked by Progressives

The Foundary

 

Posted March 7th, 2011 at 9:59am in First Principles

Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) recently asserted that there is a “potential alliance” forming between Progressive and Tea Party lawmakers on the issue of defense spending cuts. Others have also noted this opportunity:  “Arguably, the new Tea Party push on defense spending merely echoes long-standing progressive attacks on the Pentagon budget as the nation’s number one ‘entitlement’ program.”

But defense is no entitlement program. It is one of the core responsibilities of the federal government, and a necessity for sustained security and an independent American foreign policy. The issue of defense spending is exacerbated by a gross misunderstanding among average Americans about the share of military spending in the budget. According to a recent poll, 63% of those asked believe that the United States spends more on the military than on Social Security and Medicare. This is far from reality: roughly 58% of the 2010 U.S. budget was spent on domestic entitlements and welfare spending, whereas 20% was spent on defense.

The US need not police the world, but since the beginning, military preparedness for threats both manifest and unknown has been a priority. In George Washington’s first annual address to Congress in 1790, he cautioned future Americans to safeguard defense:

Among the many interesting objects which will engage your attention, that of providing for the common defence will merit particular regard. To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace. A free people ought not only to be armed but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well digested plan is requisite: And their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories, as tend to render them independent on others, for essential, particularly for military supplies.

America’s traditional spending priorities deserve to be voiced in the current budget debate.

While Progressives and some Libertarians are attempting to form political alliances to cut American military spending, China plans to increase its military spending by 12.6% (to $91.5 billion) in 2011, prompting concern from countries in the region. China may not constitute a direct military threat at this time, but according to George Washington’s understanding of Congress’ role, the imminence of a threat is secondary to ensuring “effectual means” to provide for U.S. security.

Progressives such as Barney Frank do not “merit particular regard” for American security and independence abroad. Indeed, they would rather sacrifice military preparedness on the altar of domestic entitlement spending, in an effort to survive the current spending cuts with their bloated welfare programs intact. What could be further from the goals and values of the Tea Party movement?

 

The Foundry

Flat Tax vs. FairTax Debate

The Tax Foundation

July 14, 2008

Flat Tax vs. FairTax Debate

by Joseph Henchman

One of last week’s FreedomFest 2008 events was a debate between proponents of the FairTax and the Flat Tax. Both are tax reform proposals that would replace much of our existing federal tax system. The FairTax is a national sales tax imposed on retail transactions, coupled with a “prebate” sent to each American each month. There are many Flat Tax proposals, but all aim to eliminate many of the deductions and credits in the tax code, and tax all income at one rate.

Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute began by arguing that a flat tax is preferable because 25 nations have already adopted it; no nation has yet replaced an income tax with a national sales taxes. He argued that because a flat tax is a low-rate system with no double taxation, it can produce greater economic growth. Mitchell also expressed concern that if the U.S. adopted a national sales tax, it could end up with both the existing income tax plus the national sales tax.

David Tuerck of the Beacon Hill Institute argued that the FairTax ensures that all Americans pay taxes, unlike income tax systems which can have large numbers of voting Americans not paying tax. He also noted that flat income taxes tend to erode and become less flat as “rent-seeking special interests” turn the tax code into a “grab bag.” Tuerck also argued that administrative costs of the FairTax would be easier, since approximately 1.1 million businesses would have to pay the FairTax, compared to 132 million+ income tax filers.

Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal editorial board emphasized that the flat tax would create much growth, and that it is more politically possible than the FairTax. Richard Rahn of the Cato Institute responded that it is defeatist to view tax reform as politically unpalatable, and that a FairTax is preferable since it would tax consumption, not income, and eliminate the IRS.

After the debate concluded, the audience voted on which plan they preferred. The vote was very close, but the FairTax won, according to the moderator, “by a nose.”

More on the FairTax vs. Flat Tax debate:

FairTax Facts – Wall Street Journal editorial by Leo Linbeck (pro-FairTax)

What’s Foul About the FairTax – Boston Globe editorial by Bruce Bartlett (anti-FairTax)

Un-FairTax – Washington Post editorial (anti-FairTax)

Huckabee’s Flat Tax is a Fair Tax – editorial in The Fergus Daily Journal (pro-FairTax)

And read the Tax Foundation’s statement on tax reform proposals here.

Shutting Down TARP & Saving Taxpayers $8 Billion – With More to Come

March 6, 2011 | Posted by Speaker Boehner’s Press Office  | Permalink
This week, the House will begin the process of shutting down the TARP bailout program, saving taxpayers $8 billion in mandatory spending — with more savings to come. Economists agree that immediate and meaningful spending cuts are needed to help promote private-sector job creation. Read more about GOP efforts to cut spending and create a better environment for job growth below. And check out the weekly Republican address by Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) who says the path to prosperity lies in liberating our economy from the shackles of big government and out-of-control spending:

ON FACEBOOK? “Like” the Office of Speaker Boehner here:

 

Liberating Our Economy from the Shackles of Debt & Big Government

 

  • WATCH: Speaker Boehner discussed Taylor’s analysis with FOX News’ Greta Van Susteren.
  • Republican freshmen signed a letter to the president urging swift action on pending trade agreements to help “create badly needed jobs for Americans.” Experts say these agreements will “increase business and employment opportunities for Americans for years to come.”

 

America’s Massive Debt Poses a “Mortal Threat to Our Country” & Our Economy

 

  • WATCH: In a speech to the National Religious Broadcasters, Speaker Boehner said we have a moral responsibility to rein in the federal debt which poses a “mortal threat to our country.”
  • The Government Accountability Office uncovered billions of dollars in wasteful government spending.
  • A joint-Congressional report found that the massive Medicaid expansion in the $2.6 trillion ObamaCare law is twice what had been estimated and will overwhelm states with new costs.
  • Meanwhile, the Democrats who run Washington are pushing an inadequate status quo plan that keeps government spending at current “stimulus”-inflated levels.

 

As Gas Prices Rise, GOP Works to Stop the EPA From Imposing a Job-Crushing National Energy Tax

 

  • Experts agree that polices pushed by the Democrats who run Washington are raising fuel costs and jeopardizing American jobs.
  • The sharp increase in fuel costs is “putting the squeeze on drivers’ wallets” and “forcing tough choices on small-business owners” – which could mean fewer jobs for American workers.
  • Republicans introduced the Energy Tax Prevention Act to stop the EPA from imposing a national energy tax that would further drive up fuel costs for families and small businesses. Republicans are committed to an all-of-the-above energy strategy that increases American-made energy production, provides for more clean renewable and alternative fuels, and increases conservation.

 

As always, we appreciate your interest in the new House majority and encourage you to stay connected with the Office of the Speaker on Facebook, Twitter, and on Speaker.gov. Have a great week!

– Speaker Boehner’s Press Office

 

 

SPEAKER PRESS OFFICE
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH)
H-232, THE CAPITOL
(202) 225-0600 | SPEAKER.GOV

North Carolina Democratic Governor Vetoes GOP Challenge to Health Care Law

Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue has vetoed a Republican-backed challenge to the federal health care overhaul that North Carolina’s attorney general argues is unenforceable.

Perdue announced Saturday her rejection of the measure, which attempts to block a provision requiring most people in 2014 to buy health insurance or face a penalty. The challenge was a GOP fall campaign platform plank.

Perdue had sounded willing to let the bill become law without her signature. She changed her mind when Attorney General Roy Cooper wrote that the federal law trumped state legislation and suggested the language could harm state health programs.

General Assembly leaders must decide whether to attempt an override. It’s Perdue second veto in under two weeks.

Meeting Minutes, 3/1/2011

MINUTES OF CRYSTAL COAST TEA PARTY PATRIOTS
1 MARCH 2011

Meeting held at Golden Corral, Morehead City, NC
Meeting called to order at 6:08 PM by President BOB CAVANAUGH
Pledge of Allegiance led by Greg “Rudi” Rudolph
Invocation by ROY MUSSER
23 were in attendance

President BOB introduced our guest speaker for the evening – Greg ‘Rudi’ Rudolph, Shore Protection Manager, who spoke on ‘Proposed Sea-Level Rise State Policy’ utilizing power point visuals.  This program is funded by the local occupancy tax.  Some of the items he touched on were ‘climate and sea level’, ‘state approach’ and ‘proposed policy’.  Scientists estimate the average air temperature and sea level has increased by approximately 13 degrees Fahrenheit and 400 feet, respectively in the past 18,000 years.  Although greenhouse gases are considered the main vehicle behind global warming and sea-level rise, factors such as dust from volcanic eruptions and air pollution, solar activity, ocean currents, water evaporation from oceans, and a host of other variables can impact climate and/or sea level response.  The Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) was charged with protection, preservation, development, and management of the southeastern coastal plains.  In the 1990’s CRC developed a scientific panel to study beach nourishment sediment, inlet hazard zones boundaries, and other more science-intense topics.  This data is usually used to help create policies.  The panel recommended that a rise of 1 meter (39 inches) be adopted as the amount of anticipated rise by 2100 for policy development and planning purposes.  This 1 meter is considered a bench mark for use in land planning development, which could impact Carteret County in health and human safety, building requirement, even flood insurance, especially ‘down east’.  It is important to remember and realize there is no absolute certainty pertaining to the benchmark.  BOB thanked Mr. Rudolph and asked him to keep us informed as to the development of this program and encouraged him to please come back any time.

Treasurer’s Report – NANCY BOCK, Treasurer, reported that we have $1,359.00 in the bank.

April Rally Discussion –
We need to get up with Rev. Willie Montague to find out what the cost of his travel here will cost.
BOB will contact Bob Chambers, Newport, about a permit for the rally.
NANCY wanted to know if the sound system had been secured.  BOB will get up with them to determine cost.  BOB has a covered trailer for the sound system that we can use in case of rain.  ALEX DAVIS set up the system last year, so maybe we can talk him into coming back and help.
KEN LANG reported on the speakers he has lined up –
Becky Gray, John Locke Society, has agreed to speak, and would like to have a table available for their promotional supplies.
Katy Trout, with Civitas, will provide a speaker and will also need a table.
CATIE MIDGETT, a teen member of the Crystal Coast TEA Party Patriots, has agreed to speak again at this rally.  CATIE has spoken at the last three or four rallies.
KEN said he had talked with Lockwood Phillips and he has agreed to MC the event.  KEN also asked him about coming and speaking at one of our meetings.  KEN hopes to get this arranged within the next couple of weeks.
DIANE LANG and FRED DECKER talked to State Senator Jean Preston at the CCRW Reagan Birthday Dinner last Saturday night at the Leon Mann Senior Citizens Center.  Sen. Preston said she thought she might be able to rearrange her schedule and attend.  She would talk with her aides and hopefully work something out.
KEN said he had sent an invitation to the Carteret County Board of Commissioners and, so far, only Billy Smith had responded.  Mr. Smith said he thought there was something else going on during that time frame but would check and get back with us about his availability.  KEN said he had had no other response from the commissioners.  He hopes to be able to invite them to attend one our meetings and talk with us.

ROY MUSSER said he had attended the rally in Raleigh, Saturday, February 26th.  The pro-union rally was organized by the State Employees Association of NC (which does not have formal negotiation rights, because NC is one of two states that ban collective bargaining for public workers).  Roy said there were about 200 to 250 supporters of Wisconsin’s public employees in dispute with Gov. Scott Walker.  Roy was among the smaller group of anti-union (100 to 150, many who said they were affiliated with the TEA Party movement) demonstrators.  He reported that there was a lot of ugly name calling and he really had to work hard to maintain his cool.  He said he didn’t think he would be going to another rally without a chaperon!  He was interviewed by the Raleigh News and Observer and told them “We’re trying to get all the sickness out of this country so we can get back to the foundation.”

HOWARD and PEGGY GARNER and NANCY BOCK reported on the Carteret County Republican Women Reagan Birthday dinner.  Pat McCrory was the guest speaker and gave a very interesting and informative speech.  He was not really enthused with Charlotte being tapped for the next Democratic convention.

Upcoming Events –
March 11 – Joe McCleese and wife will be speaking at a meeting in Greenville at Parker’s Barbecue.
March 12 – The program which was to be hosted by Chris Parr at the Carteret Community College, Morehead City, has been cancelled.
March 12 – BOB will be promoting the TEA Party Patriots at the Saint Patrick Day Festival in Emerald Isle.

CLAYTON and GRACE GILLIKIN reported that they had not been able to obtain any further information on having a barbecue fund raiser down east, but would keep trying.

TOM AUSTIN thought that we ought to attend the viewing of the Ayn Rand movie ‘Atlas Shrug’ with all of us wearing our TEA Party shirts.  We might want to get a copy of a DVD of hers and show it at one of our meetings.

HOWARD said he had told Senator Jean Preston that he really liked and agreed with the bills that had come out so far in Raleigh.  She told him if he liked those he would really be impressed with what is coming up.

Meeting adjourned approximated 8:00PM

Minutes submitted by Secretary PEGGY GARNER

JLF Experts, Outside Groups Rebut N.C. Attorney General in New Letters

Cooper’s analysis of House Bill labeled ‘incomplete,’ concerns called ‘unfounded’

By CJ Staff

March 01, 2011

RALEIGH — The John Locke Foundation, Center for Constitutional Litigation, and a scholar with the libertarian Cato Institute have submitted letters to N.C. Gov. Beverly Perdue that bolster the legal case for a bill protecting North Carolinians from federal government overreach on health care.

The letters specifically target N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper’s Feb. 23 memo arguing that House Bill 2, the North Carolina Health Care Protection Act, is unconstitutional. That bill is designed to exempt North Carolinians from the individual health insurance mandate tied to the March 2010 federal health care reform law. Cooper’s memo urges Perdue to veto H.B. 2.

“[Cooper’s] concerns are unfounded and therefore do not provide a valid reason for vetoing H.B. 2,” according to the letter (PDF link) from Daren Bakst, JLF Director of Legal and Regulatory Studies, and Joseph Coletti, Director of Health and Fiscal Policy Studies.

Bakst and Coletti’s letter specifically challenges Cooper’s assertions about the potential conflict between state law and the federal Constitution, along with Cooper’s prediction that H.B. 2 could threaten state Medicaid funding.

Clint Bolick of the Center for Constitutional Litigation, a program of the Arizona-based Goldwater Institute, also rebuts (PDF link) Cooper’s arguments. “House Bill 2 is a version of the Health Care Freedom Act, which we helped draft,” Bolick writes. “Different versions of the Act have been adopted as constitutional amendments or statutes in several states. In no state has the constitutionality of the Act been challenged, nor to our knowledge has Medicaid funding been threatened in any state that has enacted the Act.”

Ilya Shapiro, Cato Institute senior fellow in constitutional studies, focuses (PDF link) on H.B. 2’s protection of two “essential rights.” “First, it protects a person’s right to participate or not in any health care system and prohibits the government from imposing fines or penalties on that person’s decision,” Shapiro writes. “Second, it protects the right of individuals to purchase — and the right of doctors to provide — lawful medical services without government fine or penalty.”

The N.C. House approved H.B. 2 with a 69-49 vote Feb. 22, less than a week after the Senate endorsed the measure 30-18. Lawmakers presented the bill to Perdue Thursday. She has a total of 10 days to decide whether to sign it, veto it, or allow it to become law without her signature.

Perdue had signaled she would allow H.B. 2 to become law without her signature. Then Cooper submitted his memo. In addition to labeling H.B. 2 unconstitutional, Cooper argued the bill “could create other problems for the state,” according to the JLF letter.

Cooper’s memo argues one piece of H.B. 2 could jeopardize state Medicaid funding by prohibiting the state from assessing a new federally mandated fee designed to help combat Medicaid fraud and abuse.

“H.B. 2 does not prohibit a fee for the purposes of fighting fraud and abuse,” Bakst and Coletti counter. “The Attorney General is reading the bill to mean that no fee can ever be imposed on a person who contracts with a public health care system, unrelated to why the fee is being imposed. This ignores the language of the bill.”

The JLF experts also tackle Cooper’s “incomplete” analysis of the supremacy of federal law over a state law such as H.B. 2. “States often enact laws that conflict with federal laws,” he explains. “This by itself does not make the state law unconstitutional.”

The attorney general’s memo is “100 percent backward” when it suggests the state and its residents must comply with the 2010 federal health care reform law until and unless a court orders otherwise, Bakst and Coletti write. “The state and its residents have every right to not comply with the law until a court orders otherwise. North Carolina does not have to pre-emptively strike down its own laws.”

Bolick’s letter concludes by addressing the significance of the Feb. 23 memo from Cooper and N.C. Solicitor General Christopher Browning.

“It is troubling that the Attorney General and Solicitor General would conclude in advance that House Bill 2 is unconstitutional,” Bolick writes. “Their incomplete analysis of applicable constitutional principles and precedents will serve the State of North Carolina poorly in any future defense of the state’s rights under the U.S. Constitution.

“Especially given that two federal courts have invalidated the individual mandate, the question of the constitutionality of House Bill 2 is very much an open question,” he adds. Bolick writes there is “no constitutional impediment” to Perdue signing the bill, allowing it to become law without her signature, or enforcing it after enactment.

 

Carolina Journal Online

Veterans Support Organization – Fraud?

Veterans Support Organization

Updated: Thursday, 03 Feb 2011, 9:44 PM EST
Published : Thursday, 03 Feb 2011, 9:44 PM EST

MYFOXNY.COM – You may have seen people dressed in camouflage fatigues outside your local mall or grocery store. They are part of a group called VSO — Veterans Support Organization — collects money for veterans.

But where is the money actually going? Arnold Diaz investigated.

 

Video, FoxNews, NY

NC Governor's Newletter -What a Crock!

 

Gov. Perdue vetoes bill that would have slowed job creation

Gov. Bev Perdue this week vetoed Senate Bill 13, her first veto of the legislative session and only the second of her administration.

The bill was widely criticized as harmful to the state’s efforts to attract businesses and grow jobs.

“This bill started out as a way to help North Carolina secure $400 million in additional savings from state government agencies during this difficult budget time,” said Gov. Perdue. “I suggested that bill to the General Assembly and was ready to sign that legislation. But the bill in its current form forces a one-time cash-grab from funds that are intended to create jobs and spur economic development. That’s not the right move for North Carolina, where jobs simply must be our No. 1 priority.”

Just last month, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said in a televised town hall that Gov. Perdue had been a “staunch competitor” for jobs and that Virginia was aggressively competing for jobs with North Carolina. Among the tools at Gov. McDonnell’s disposal were incentive packages similar to the ones Senate Bill 13 would have raided.

The N.C. Department of Commerce has a dozen active projects in 14 counties that would bring more than 1,000 jobs and more than $300 million in investment. Those projects depend on the funds Senate Bill 13 would have raided.

Gov. Perdue announces two manufacturers expanding, creating jobs

Gov. Bev Perdue announced this week that two companies are expanding operations in North Carolina, creating 178 jobs and investing $27 million.

Eaton Corporation, a diversified industrial manufacturer will expand its Roxboro facility in Person County to meet the needs of its global automotive customers. The company plans to create 120 jobs over the next four years and will invest $23.3 million to build leading edge engine valvetrain components that will reduce emissions and help improve a vehicles overall performance, fuel economy and safety.

The Gates Corporation, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of automobile belts and hoses, will expand their facility in Ashe County.  The company plans to create 58 jobs and invest $4.6 million during the next three years in Jefferson.

The Eaton expansion was made possible in part by state grants from the Job Development Investment Grant program and One North Carolina Fund.

“Eaton has deep roots in North Carolina and has been a long-time employer in Person County. We are delighted they have chosen to create new jobs there,” said Gov. Perdue. “The company’s focus on sustainable transportation and helping to improve the fuel economy of cars and trucks fits comfortably with my focus on bringing green business to North Carolina.”

The project was made possible in part by a grant from the One North Carolina Fund.

“I want to congratulate Gates Corporation on their expansion,” Gov. Perdue said. “Their growth is terrific news for the workers in Ashe County and emphasizes that the steps we have taken to build a top rated business climate in North Carolina are paying off in jobs and an increasing share of the automotive parts industry.”

Governor’s schedule for the week

Monday, Feb. 28

Attend National Governor’s Association Winter Meeting, Washington, D.C.

Attend Governors-only meeting with President Obama, Washington. D.C.

Tuesday, March 1

Attend Council of Governors Meeting, Washington, D.C.

Visit Pentagon

Wednesday, March 2

Speak at NC Chamber Annual Meeting, Durham

Office Time

Thursday, March 3

Staff meetings

Speak to State Board of Education

Friday, March 4

Call Time

Staff meetings

Office Time

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Email from Kay Hagan re. NLRB Appointment by Obama

Letterhead

February 24, 2011

Dear Friend,

Thank you for contacting me regarding Craig Becker’s nomination to the National Labor Relations Board. I greatly appreciate hearing your thoughts on this important issue.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) was established in 1935 as an independent federal agency to oversee relationships between private employers and employees. In this role, the NLRB’s two main goals are to investigate unfair labor practices and facilitate the process for certifying a union. The NLRB governing board has five members, and each member serves a five-year term after being appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Unfortunately, the Board operated with only two members for over two years between 2007 and 2009, which significantly impeded its ability to handle all of its responsibilities and created a substantial backlog of cases.

At the time of his nomination, Mr. Becker served as Associate General Counsel to both the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organizations. He is also a practitioner and scholar of labor law; he taught at UCLA, University of Chicago and Georgetown University Law Schools for 27 years. He graduated from Yale and then Yale Law School where he was the Editor of the Yale Law Journal. Immediately following his graduation in 1981, he clerked for the Honorable Donald P. Lay, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Mr. Becker’s impressive experiences and his testimony gave myself and other members of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee confidence in his nomination to the NLRB.

On February 9, 2010, the Senate voted on a procedural motion that would have allowed for a final vote on confirming Mr. Becker’s nomination.  Although Mr. Becker recieved the support of 52 senators, including myself, 60 were required to bring debate on his nomination to a close.

On March 27th, Mr. Becker was given a recess appointment to the NLRB. As you may know, under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, the President has the power to appoint individuals to high-level positions in federal departments, agencies, boards, and commissions with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. When the Senate is in recess, however, the President can make a temporary appointment to any such position without Senate approval. The appointment expires at the end of the Senate’s next session or when an individual is permanently appointed to the position through Senate confirmation.

Again, thank you for contacting my office. It is truly an honor to represent North Carolina in the United States Senate, and I hope you will not hesitate to contact me in the future should you have any further questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Signature

Kay R. Hagan

Please do not reply to this email. Instead, if you have further questions, please visit www.hagan.senate.gov and fill out my web form for your inquiry. Thank you.

CCTPP MINUTES, 2/22/11

MINUTES OF CRYSTAL COAST TEA PARTY PATRIOTS
22 FEBRUARY 2011

Meeting held at Golden Corral, Morehead City, NC
Meeting called to order at 6:09 PM by President BOB CAVANAUGH
Pledge of Allegiance led by KEN LANG
Invocation given by JERE GEURIN
37 in attendance

Introduction and Welcome of New Attendees:
GREG and DEBORAH SCHRECK, CLIFF ALLSBRUK, VERNON HILL, and BOB HAINES

Welcome Back to:
LINDA and BILL SHERRY, PAT and JIM NALITZ, LYN BAKER, JAN and FRED GRUBE, Precinct Chairman of Cape Carteret, and HARRY ARCHER, Mayor Pro Tem Atlantic Beach

Recognize Guest Speaker:
ADELE COLLINS and husband DON

Announced that tickets for the Reagan Dinner, Saturday, February 26, sales deadline was yesterday; however FRED DECKER and DEBBIE RUCKER said they have a few left but need to get them tonight so they can notify the organizers.

BOB reported on the web site connection conversations:  The consensus was disappointment on the budget proposal.  The representatives have not held the line on the $100 billion that they promised.  The Debt Ceiling vote is coming up.  The deception going around is that if we do not raise the debt ceiling, Government will be shut down.  This is not true but just a scare tactic by the Liberals.
Discussed situation in Wisconsin.  All agree that this problem will spread throughout the states.
As to the bogus doctor slips being passed out at the Wisconsin protest, it was agreed that those doctors who signed the slips should lose their license and be fired.  Any teacher who tries to utilize one of the bogus slips to justify being absent from their classrooms, should also be fired.  This would cut down on some of the people that will lose their jobs if the bill to increase those protesters having to pay in to their health care and retirement does not get voted on in time, to help offset the State’s debt. The protesting teachers are saying it is for the children, or it’s not fair to do away with their collective bargaining rights; but most of us feel that to ask them to pay 5.8% of their pay to their pension plans, (most pay less than 1%) which would still be less than the average in the private sector is not unreasonable.  Gov. Walker is also asking them to pay 12.6% of the cost of their health care premiums (up from about 6% but still less than the private sector average.  We, in attendance at tonight’s meeting, feel it’s more about the unions losing their massive income (many union members pay $500 to $600 in union dues annually, and teachers pay up to $1,000).  We feel if union members were given the option of paying or not paying union dues, most would probably use those funds to pay for their own health care premiums, retirement plans or pay necessary bills.  To have my money spent to support a candidate that I did not wish to vote for, I feel would be unfair.
SEIU is sending buses around to gather up protestors.  A bus arrived in Raleigh yesterday and was met by the NAACP in support of the Wisconsin Protest.

County Commissioners’ Meeting last night.
The Crystal Coast TEA Party had 10 members attend last night’s County Commissioners’ meeting.  TOM AUSTIN spoke against the recommended AMTRAC type transportation being supported.  He feels that a Greyhound bus business, which was once utilized in this area, went out of business due to lack of customers, was a good example of why we should not invest our tax dollars in another failed attempt at providing transportation to vacationers.  Who in the world would utilize transportation to Morehead City, get dumped downtown with no way to get to where they were going except by one of our local taxis.  Now if we had a Cruise Line sailing out of Morehead for example, then maybe it might work, but as it stands now, no.
KEN LANG reported that it appeared to him that the Public Comment portion was obviously pre-arranged for several (most connected with the school system) to plead with the commissioners to please not cut their budget.  They actually would need more money due to the federal and state cuts.  Much discussion was held on the Board of Education’s Request for authorization to complete all work in Wings E and F of East Carteret High School.  Commissioner Holt Faircloth said he had concerns about sinking more money into a project expanding the available space at the school when it wasn’t necessary.  He explained that when the county passed the $50 million school bond in 2005, the plan was to demolish wings E and F (due to being in a flood plain area) and build a new building.  About two years ago the school board and commissioners decided instead to save and renovate it for use.   The county has already spent about $1 million replacing the roof and windows (approx. $400,000.), $68,000 to remove old steel frame, improving the heating and air conditioning, etc.  The $290,000 being requested is funds remaining from the school bond, that they wish to use to utilize for some walls to be demolished and others renovated, painting, replacing light fixtures, etc.  While the school board said they had several potential uses for the building, they have yet to decide what the property would be used for.  Commission Faircloth said he did not feel this project was being good stewards of the people’s money and especially since student population is decreasing.  There was a round of applause from the audience (mainly the TEA party members) indicating approval of Commissioner Faircloth’s stand.  There was further discussion on whether the money could be utilized elsewhere (shifted to capital projects, freeing up monies that might be used to help keep the teachers in the class room).  Apparently not, however; it was decided to table the request and have the school board go back and reconsider the proposal and  report back at the March meeting.

Adele Collins gave a brief description of her back ground – originally from New Jersey, was in the Navy where she met her husband of 26 years, now lives in Ocean, was a budget analyst at Cherry Point, and has taught at two schools here in the county.  After seeing teachers use their own money to buy supplies for their classes, she decided to run for the Board of Education.  Lost her first attempt, but with the Republican Party helping her meet ‘the right people’ and how to run a campaign, she was successful on her second attempt.  At the last election she was reelected to her position.  Discussed budget problems such as; will probably lose 92 employees with the school (only 28 will actually be teachers).  Asked how many salaried employees are making over $100 thousand; she replied two principals and Dr. Novey, that she could think of.
ERIC BROYLES read reports he had gotten on employee cuts for the fiscal year and said we all have to cut our expenses, so why should teachers be exempt.   The excuse for not losing teachers was that class room sizes would increase and become unmanageable and quality of education will go down.  Statistics do not indicate this.  It is his opinion that it all goes back to the quality of teachers, having come from an era of the large class room student population; he felt his education would be comparable to education today.  He was concerned that Governor Perdue was just juggling the funds by shifting money from the current state programs to the counties for them to have to come up with the money to fund them.  Example:  gas for the school buses and when replacement is needed for the buses the county will have to come up with the funds.

FRED DECKER said if the cap is raised on charter schools, the new charter schools, needing teachers, will have vacancies that can be filled by teachers who lose their jobs in public schools.

When asked about lottery income, Adele said any funds received from the lottery is used to pay down outstanding bonds, and any funds left over from the budget also goes to reducing the bond debt.
Health care is paid for by the state and matched by the county.  Any extras, desired by the employee, is their responsibility.  We have 100.5 locally funded teachers being paid at the lowest possible rate.  State is higher.   Cost for local personnel with all fringes, retirement, health care is $1.1 million.  Average salary is $58,000 and for new employees, $30,000.

Thanked Mrs. Collins for attending and providing us with some very important and informative information and requested that (after recovering from tonight’s session) to please come back again.

DENNIS TOMASO said he would attend the Commissioner’s Budget meeting this Friday night and get the info to Ken for dissemination to our membership.

Coming Events:
March 11 – Joe McCleese and wife to speak at a meeting to be held at Parker’s Barbecue in
Greenville.
March 12 – Chris Parr, organizer of the TEA party in Onslow County, is conducting a program
promoting Americanism and Patriotism in an Educational, Professional and
Entertaining Manner at 7:00 PM at Carteret Community College, Morehead City.
Advance Tickets $10.00 – available at The Book Shop, 4915 Arendell Street, MHC
And Personally Yours, 322 E. Main Street, Havelock.  At the Door – $12.50.
You may order at (910)-238-2280  or email TvStageProd@Centurylink.net
TV & Stage Productions, LLC, Jacksonville, NC.
Patriot music and memories from Bunker Hill to Afghanistan.
Professional Entertainment without going to Myrtle Beach
April 16 –      Crystal Coast TEA Party Rally at the Newport Flea Mall.
ERIC spoke on several bills we need to be aware of:
HB 153 –  Officers of the law (sheriff) guilty of stealing should not receive their
Retirement.
SB22  –
HB 92 –    Repeal land transfer tax
HB 65 –    Defeat S510, Agriculture bill

TOM AUSTIN reported on the explanation he received Monday night after the meeting about CDBG Scattered Site Housing Program.  He had requested information during the meeting on what it involved but was put off as taking too long to explain, for him to catch Mr. Barnette and get him to explain later, which Tom had done.  Tom felt that others listening might not know what the Amendment was about and would like to be brought up to date.  He said he found out that CDBG stood for Community Development Block Grant.  It is for low income people with maintenance problems needing help.  This is fine but he was told that after 8 ½ years, the recipient did not have to pay back (make retribution).  He felt that whenever you were able to pay for the help back (so it could be used for someone else in that position) you should be required to do so.

Treasurers Report – NANCY BOCK
Current bank balance – $1,072.00  (Hats, flags,  buntings and banners have been paid for)
Less                                        144.00  Business cards
Balance                            $   958.00

Anticipated expenses for April Rally based on last year
Sound System   –             $   323.00
Willie Montague
(Transportation and
Expenses to attend)      $   160.00
Port-a-Johns                    $   152.00
Tables                               $      60.00
Total Est. Rally
Expenses                     $   695.00       *Other possible expenses – Radio/Paper Advertising

NANCY reported at the end of the meeting that she had sold $200.00 worth of the new CCTP caps at $10.00 each.
BOB explained that from the sales price of our shirts that $8.00 goes to the Wounded Warrior Project.  We donated $13,000. to this project last year.

Meeting adjourned at 7:50 PM

Minutes submitted by PEGGY GARNER, Secretary.

State tries to quell sea level policy concerns

NEWS-TIMES

BY BEN HOGWOOD
Published: Sunday, February 20, 2011 2:05 AM EST

MOREHEAD CITY — The chairman of a state rule-making board sent a letter to the county this month hoping to ease concerns it has with a sea-level rise draft policy.

Bob Emory, the chairman of the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission, wrote to Doug Harris, chairman of the County Board of Commissioners, to assure him the county’s concerns would be taking into consideration, and that the draft policy could still be reworked.

The board has told the N.C. Division of Coastal Management, which is drafting the proposal that will be considered by the CRC, that if the policy goes into effect, it will have a devastating effect on coastal areas. The draft policy states the sea level will go up by a meter by 2110, a figure the county believes is inflated.

While policies to not enact any rules, they are used as a basis for future regulations.

The county, which first heard about the proposal during a meeting in December, has also sent letters to other coastal counties seeking allies to prevent the policy from being implemented.

“The general purpose of policy development is to establish management objectives to provide guidance for CRC decisions,” Mr. Emory wrote in the letter dated Feb. 7. He added that this is not something the CRC has done often recently and there can be some confusion over the implications.

“The draft policy presented at your meeting is the result of recognition that sea-level rise, like erosion and storms, is a natural hazard indigenous to the shoreline.

The commission’s objective for managing coastal hazards is to minimize unreasonable danger to life and property and to achieve a balance between the financial, safety and social factors that are involved with development in the coastal areas.”

The county has said the data on which the 1-meter estimate is based is flawed, and that if the policy goes through, it would impact where and how public and private development takes place on the coast.

Mr. Emory stated the CRC would take the county’s concerns into account. “The input of stakeholders, particularly local governments is an important consideration for the commission,” he wrote.

He continued, “The commission is committed to incorporating the concerns of local government into the development of a sea-level rise policy that reflects the seriousness of the issue as well as any economic effects that may be associate with its adoption.”

The letter did little to ease the worry. A letter signed by Chairman Harris and dated Feb. 17 states: “The scale of economics involved with this proposal is so ubiquitous, that it becomes difficult for local governments to essentially tell our constituency, ‘Not to worry. It’s only a draft, and trust us, the CRC is in no rush to adopt anything without additional input. Also the end outcome will likely be different.’ ”

It closes, “I hope this letter is not perceived as defensive or antagonistic, but rather characterizes the perspective many of the local governments have concerning the draft sea-level rise policy and its practical implementation. We look forward to working with the CRC and NCDCM staff concerning this important issue.”

http://www.tidelandnews.com/articles/2011/02/20/news-times/news/doc4d6056ce836bb339636467.txt

OH Tea Party Faces Off Union

Below is an email talking about how the OH Tea Party is facing off the OH teachers union. The union is sending in paid “protesters” similar to what is going on in WI. Take note, it might happen in NC.

Subject: Rally in Canton on Tuesday, Monthly Meeting Wednesday

Dear Charles,

First of all I want to thank the 100 members of the Portage County TEA Party who took time off from work and paid their own way to Columbus on Thursday to support Senate Bill #5.  Thanks also to those of you who donated money to help pay for some of the riders.  Our members represented you with honor and courage in an environment that I can only describe to you as being surreal.  The Unions tried to intimidate us, they pushed us and shoved us, took our signs, and yelled profanities at us and we did not back down an inch. (We will show you some video from the event at our meeting on Wednesday at Maplewood.)   We stood toe to toe with them for hours on end and by time we were done, they knew that we are a force to be reckoned.  Every one of them was paid to be there, some even admitted to us that the Democratic Party paid their way, if the Union did not. It was important that we showed up Thursday to prevent a situation like they have in Wisconsin, where the people are letting the unions intimidate them. Understand, in the entire life of most of these Union works, no one has ever stood up to them and they could bully elected officials because the citizens did not do their duty.  Those days are over.

It was also important for our elected officials to see us there, and in fact we now know that two Republican Senators who were on the fence declared on Friday that they would vote yes on SB5 because of the showing we made on Thursday.  We also felt that we won the day in the media. The fact that common citizens would pay their own way to support elected officials was news.  We came across as intelligent and reasonable while the union people came across as radical and ignorant.  Pear Pullman from our group was on the Cleveland TV stations, Leo Nagle’s picture was in the Columbus Dispatch, I was on National Public Radio and quoted in several newspapers.  We did a good job and all of our members should be proud.

But the battle has just begun. It has come to my attention that the Unions are going to employee a Sal Alinsky tactic against the Governor. They are going to send there phony pay-to-protest people to every place the Governor goes in an effort to stop people from meeting with him.  Just like Glenn Beck has taught us, they are going to isolate him and then destroy him.  However, [they have never had to deal with the TEA Party before and] we are not going to let that happen.  So, for those of you who could not take a full day off to go to Columbus, your job now is to get out of work a little early this Tuesday and get to the Canton Civic Center around 4:00 PM. The address is 1101 Market Avenue N # 1, Canton, OH. The Governor is going to be speaking at 5:00 PM.  We are going to coordinate with the Stark 912 Group as well as the Akron 912 Group and the Republican Party in Portage and Summit Counties.  Wear Red and bring signs, here are some sign ideas:

We support Governor Kasich!

VOTE YES ON SB 5 !

I’m Not Being Paid to be here!

I Paid my way to the rally – who paid your way?

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS

500,000 unemployed Ohioans would love your job

I’ll take your job – if you don’t want it!

It’s not our job to take care of you for life!

Now, here is where we stand on SB5.  We only need 17 votes to win, because their are 33 Ohio Senators and you just need a simple majority. Their are 23, Republican Senators and 10 Democrat Senators.  Though it should be a easy win, things are never easy in politics.  Their were 8 Republican Senators on the fence as of Thursday.  We got two to commit, so we are at 17, but you need to do better than that or one person can send it down.  So here are the Senators in play:

Definite No’s:

Jim Hughes

Tom Patton

Scott Oelslager

Possible No’s:

Bill Seitz – because he is “eccentric” and no one – including him knows what he will do, but would vote with the majority if it was clear cut.  Call him and ask him to vote yes, he likes attention, 614-466-8068.

Possible Gets:

Frank LaRose – I believe we have already have him, he just wants a few tweaks in the bill before deciding, so call him and ask him to vote yes.  614-466-4823

Gayle Manning – 13th District.  Former Teacher who does not like the Teachers Union.

I am told she is the key, if we get her everyone else who has any issues falls in line.

Call her and ask her to vote yes.  Tell her the citizens are behind her. 614-466-7613

Got’s:

Jimmy Stewart – Committed on Friday – Call him and thank him 614-466-8076

Bill Beagle – Committed on Friday – Call him and thank him 614-466-6247

Finally, you need to be at the Monthly meeting next Wednesday night, at Maplewood Career Center on State Route 88 just North of Ravenna at 7:00 PM.   Our speakers will be Sheriff David Doak and Ravenna Mayor Joe Bica.  ( I have attached the press release.) Afterwords, we will discuss our groups strategy going forward for the next month. It is time to get off the couch and get back in the game, the very fate of our country is at stake. Come to the meeting Wednesday night at Maplewood at 7:00 PM.

Best Regards,

Portage County TEA Party

4682 State Route 43 • Kent, Ohio • 44240 • 330-474-3878 • 330-673-4672 (Fax)

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 18, 2011

SHERIFF DAVID DOAK, MAYOR JOE BICA TO SPEAK AT MONTHLY MEETING

Kent, Ohio –  The Portage County TEA Party announced today that Portage County Sheriff, David Doak, and Ravenna Mayor, Joe Bica, will be speaking at the groups monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 23, 2011. The meeting will be held at the Maplewood Career Center, at 7075 Ohio 88, Ravenna, OH, starting at 7:00 PM. The meeting is open to the public and free of charge. Refreshments will be served. After the speaker portion of the meeting, the group will hold a short meeting to discuss current issues and activities.

Tom Zawistowski, Executive Director of the Portage County TEA Party, said “ We are extremely excited about both speakers for this months meeting.  In the Constitution, the County Sheriff is the person most responsible for protecting the individual rights of citizens.  Many of our members have never had the opportunity to meet Sheriff Doak, and are not aware of the many challenges being faced by the sheriff’s department on a daily basis.”  He went on to say “Mayor Joe Bica, is the first mayor that we have had the opportunity to have speak to our group.  He is going to speak specifically about his effort to collaborate with other municipalities, departments and government agencies, to save money and reduce the size of government at the local level. We are looking forward to learning about his efforts.”

The TEA Party is not a political party but a political movement.  It is loosely based on the Boston Tea Party of 1773 in which American Colonists rebelled against the “Taxation Without Representation” of the King of England and the English Parliament by dumping tea into Boston Harbor.  The initials TEA are today used to show that many current American citizens feel that they are “Taxed Enough Already” by the U.S. Government as well as state and local governments. The movement is attempting to motivate common American citizens to take a more active role in their own self governance at the local, state and federal level.

#30#

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

CONTACT: Tom Zawistowski

TomZ@PortageCountyTEAParty.com

1-800-846-4630 Ext 104

GOP, counties unhappy with Perdue's N.C. budget

The Associated Press
© February 18, 2011

By Gary D. Robertson

RALEIGH, N.C.

Gov. Beverly Perdue unveiled a spending plan Thursday that would eliminate 10,000 employee positions next year and keep mostly in place a temporary sales tax to close a $2.4 billion gap, saying it would make North Carolina government more efficient and protect teacher jobs.

The $19.9 billion spending plan for the year starting July 1 tracks a previously announced plan to narrow 14 agencies and departments into eight, while cutting or eliminating 139 additional programs. If Perdue’s bill became law, school bus replacement would shift to local districts and all highway welcome centers and most state parks would be closed two days a week.

While her two-year budget proposal to the Legislature would pay for all teachers and teacher assistants currently funded by the state, other public employees wouldn’t be as protected. As many as 3,000 of the positions designated for elimination are currently filled, Perdue’s budget office said. There are currently about 266,000 state-funded positions.

“I don’t sleep well at night, worried about (workers), but at the end of the day, I do know, quite frankly as the governor, that this is the right decision as we move forward with a leaner state government,” Perdue said at a news conference.

GOP leaders newly in charge of the General Assembly and forming their own spending plan said there were positive steps in the incumbent Democrat’s proposal which spends less than the current budget year when $1.6 in federal stimulus funds are added. But they said it doesn’t cut far enough and breaks a promise by keeping intact through mid-2013 three-quarters of a penny of the one-cent sales tax set to expire June 30.

While the measure would lower the base tax most consumers currently pay from 7.75 percent to 7.5 percent, and still generate $827 million next year, the change is still a tax increase, said Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, who had pledged with other Republicans to let the one-cent sales tax expire.

“The people of North Carolina in November sent a strong message, and that message was balance the budget and don’t raise taxes. The governor sent a message back to the people today: ‘I’m balancing the budget by raising your taxes,'” Berger said.

Perdue defended the sales tax, saying it helped her avoid eliminating funds for an additional combined 12,500 teachers and teacher assistants. Democrats in charge of the Legislature in 2009 and Perdue agreed to the penny sales-tax increase to help close shortfalls during the Great Recession.

“North Carolina, as we speak, has 5,000-plus K-12 students. Somebody has to pay for those students,” Perdue told reporters.

She also took heat from local government leaders who said her budget would reduce public education funding by $350 million, shifting more responsibility to the districts and the counties.

Funding for clerical and custodial positions would be reduced by 15 percent, or 1,700 positions, and for school bus transportation by 10 percent, or 1,900 positions. Local governments also would be required to replace their own school buses. County commissioners are worried the changes could lead to local property tax increases.

“We hear ‘we are not going to touch the classroom,'” said Joe White, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education member and president of the North Carolina School Boards Association. “Unfortunately, those of us who are in the (education) business know that when you cut so many people that support the classroom … you have literally had a great impact on the classroom.”

Perdue said it was time to reconsider the delineation of responsibilities between state and local governments on school funding. House Speaker Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, said he was concerned about putting that kind of burden on counties all at once.

The proposal didn’t contain an effort to revive the video poker industry through heavy regulation. Perdue earlier had sounded intrigued by the idea, which could have generated several hundred million dollars annually.

“I didn’t want the next six months, quite frankly when so much is at stake for North Carolina … to be distracted by this philosophical and moral debate over gambling and other video poker and the lottery,” she said.

The two-year budget would place cuts of 7 percent to 15 percent on most state programs compared to last year’s recurring funding levels, while the public schools and higher education would see 4 to 6 percent reductions.

State employees and teachers would get not pay raises for the third year in a row and give up to $20,000 early retirement bonuses. Some workers would be required to pay a monthly premium for their own health insurance for the first time.

“The governor has outlined a budget plan that will throw North Carolina into a race to the bottom,” said Dana Cope, executive of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, which offered ideas this week that would have protected jobs. “She could have implemented enough of them so that she’d prevent any North Carolinian from being in the unemployment line.”

As previously announced, Perdue said she wants the Legislature to reduce the corporate income tax rate from 6.9 percent to 4.9 percent. She also wants to provide an unemployment tax credit for 135,000 small businesses, spend $75 million on improvements to university and government buildings and set aside $150 million for the state’s rainy-day reserve fund.

Highlights of Gov. Beverly Perdue’s $19.9 billion budget released Tuesday for the 2011-12 fiscal year. For tax changes, figures are for the amount of revenue generated or lost. For spending changes, figures are for amount spent or saved compared to what was projected to maintain current services.

Taxes, reserves or salaries
— extend 0.75 cents of the temporary penny sales tax for another two years: $827 million.
— reduce corporate income tax rate from 6.9 percent to 4.9 percent: -$115 million.
— repeal law giving portion of corporate income tax for public school construction: $72 million.
— provide unemployment insurance tax credit for 135,000 small businesses: -$65 million.
— no salary increases for state employees, teachers.
— cover expected 7.1 percent premium increase for state employee health insurance plan: $117.1 million.
— require state employees on more generous health insurance plan to pay $21.50-per-month premium for individual coverage: -$89 million.
— provide $10,000-$20,000 incentive bonus for eligible workers to retire, allocated in limited amounts throughout state government.
— set aside $75 million from year-end credit balance for repairs, renovations of government buildings.
— contribute more to state retirement system: $115 million.
— severance reserve for laid-off state workers: $30 million.
— rainy-day reserve fund: $150 million.
— set aside $25 million from year-end credit balance to help local governments and nonprofits interested in consolidating or regionalizing services.

K-12 education
— require local school district to pay for workers’ compensation claims: -$34.7 million.
— make payments of tort claims a local responsibility: -$4.6 million.
— reduce allotment for local central office staff by 10 percent, potentially eliminating 140 positions: -$10.8 million.
— reduce instructional support allotment by 5 percent, potentially eliminating 290 positions: -$23 million.
— reduce school building administration funds by 7.5 percent, potentially eliminating 380 positions: -$24.6 million.
— 35 percent allotment reduction for textbooks: -$40 million.
— reduce allotment to districts for custodial and clerical positions by 15 percent, or 1,700 positions: -$59.6 million.
— reduce school bus transportation allotment by 10 percent, or potentially 1,900 positions: -$40.3 million.
— make school bus replacement a local responsibility: -$56.9 million.
— direct 10 percent reduction in Department of Public Instruction, or 40 positions: -$4.4 million.
— eliminate dropout prevention grants: -$13 million.
— pay for instruction supplies and positions to teach an extra 5,323 students in 2011-12 school year: $38.3 million.

University of North Carolina system
— direct University of North Carolina system to reduce combined spending in operating budget by 9.5 percent, with 1,900 positions to be eliminated, partially offset by tuition increases: -$252.6 million.
— reduce legislative aid to residents who attend private college by 6.5 percent: -$12.2 million.
— reduce 25 percent charity care subsidy to UNC Hospitals: -$11 million.
— operation and maintenance of new system building coming online next year, including 283 positions: $18.5 million.
— pay for instruction of additional 2,337 students in 2011-12 school year: $23.3 million.
— consolidate research stations and farms at N.C. State University: $8.7 million.
— use N.C. Education Lottery Funds to help pay for need-based financial aid: $34.9 million.

Community colleges
— eliminate eight specialized centers and programs: -$3.8 million.
— raise tuition by $5.50 per credit hour, or $176 per year: -$25.3 million.
— direct 3 percent reduction in state aid budget to community college system, with as many as 620 position eliminated: -$32.3 million.
— pay for instruction of additional 9,712 full-time equivalent students in 2011-12 school year: $17.9 million.

Health and Human Services
— find efficiencies in department budget to reduce 25 positions: -$1 million.
— reduce Smart Start early childhood initiative by 10 percent: -$9.4 million.
— create up to 5.5 percent assessment on hospital and other Medicaid providers as a way to draw down more federal funds: -$60.2 million.
— adjusting Medicaid provide reimbursement rates, for private duty nursing, imaging and ultrasounds: -$8.4 million.
— modify Medicaid pharmacy services to find efficiencies: -$15.9 million.
— modify optional and mandatory Medicaid services: -$16.5 million.
— set aside $75 million in year-end credit balance for mental health trust fund.
— reduce administrative funds to operate local mental health management offices: -$3.3 million.

Justice and Public Safety
— consolidate Departments of Juvenile Justice, Correction and Crime Control and Public Safety into one Department of Public Safety. Sixty positions would be eliminated.
— reduce administrative functions in judicial branch by 16 percent, or 54 positions: -$9.1 million.
— reduce funds for family and drug treatment courts, dispute resolution and other programs: -$1.9 million.
— reduce courthouse operations expenses by 1 percent, or 71 positions: -$3.3 million.
— shift requirement that sheriffs check whereabouts of registered sex offenders by first-class mail, not certified mail: -$93,000.
— close Woodson Wilderness Camp for juvenile offenders, eliminate 20 positions: -$970,000.
— close Swannanoa Youth Development Center, affecting 26 positions: -$1.4 million.
— eliminate 77 correction positions: -$2.9 million.
— find $12.4 million in savings, eliminate 237 positions from Justice Reinvestment recommendations.
— fund operations and staffing for four new prisons, including 280 positions: $10 million.

Natural and Economic Resources
— merge Employment Security Commission into Department of Commerce, resulting in 53 position eliminations.
— close welcome centers two days a week, privatize them in 2012-13 fiscal year: -$600,000
— One North Carolina Fund economic incentives initiative: $10 million.
— Job Maintenance and Capital Development Program: $8.5 million.
— direct reductions at Department of Agriculture at agency’s discretion: -$5.2 million.
— reduce Department of Environment and Natural Resources by 68 positions, largely in permitting offices: -$418,000.
— close Rendezvous and Turnbull Creek educational state forests due to low attendance: -$131,000.
— reduce Division of Parks and Recreation budget by 10 percent, requiring most parks to close two days a week: -$3.1 million.
— matching money for clean and drinking water revolving funds: $14.5 million.
— Clean Water Management Trust Fund: -$50 million.

Transportation
— reduce public transportation, aviation and ferry funds: -$6.9 million.
— repair, replace and maintain ferry vessels: -$2.1 million.

Other state agencies
— consolidate Department of Administration, State Controller’s Office, Office of Information Technology Services and Office of State Personnel into a new Department of Administration and Management, reducing 21 positions and other human resources jobs.
— delay filling intern positions at the General Assembly: -$1.25 million.
— eliminate four positions from the Officer of the Governor: -$433,000.
— purchase land buffers for military installations: $1 million.
— reduce six positions in State Auditor’s Office: -$784,000.
— increase Department of Insurance company and insurance adjuster licensing fees: -$4.5 million.
— pay for new Department of Revenue tax computer system: $3 million.
— reduce grants for arts, libraries, NC Symphony by 10 percent: -$2.3 million.
— consolidate, reduce management layers at North Carolina State Library, eliminating nine positions: -$500,000.
— centralize human resources functions, cutting 92 positions: -$2.8 million.

Source: Office of State Budget and Management / The Associated Press

DNC playing role in Wisconsin protests

February 17, 2011

DNC playing role in Wisconsin protests

The Democratic National Committee’s Organizing for America arm — the remnant of the 2008 Obama campaign — is playing an active role in organizing protests against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s attempt to strip most public employees of collective bargaining rights.

OfA, as the campaign group is known, has been criticized at times for staying out of local issues like same-sex marraige, but it’s riding to the aide of the public sector unions who hoping to persuade some Republican legislators to oppose Walker’s plan. And while Obama may have his difference with teachers unions, OfA’s engagement with the fight — and Obama’s own clear stance against Walker — mean that he’s remaining loyal to key Democratic Party allies at what is, for them, a very dangerous moment.

OfA Wisconsin’s field efforts include filling buses and building turnout for the rallies this week in Madison, organizing 15 rapid response phone banks urging supporters to call their state legislators, and working on planning and producing rallies, a Democratic Party official in Washington said.

The @OFA_WI twitter account has published 54 tweets promoting the rallies, which the group has also plugged on its blog.

“At a time when most folks are still struggling to get back on their feet, Gov. Walker has asked the state legislature to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights. Under his plan, park rangers, teachers, and prison guards would no longer be able to fight back if the new Republican majority tries to slash their health benefits or pensions,” OfA Wisconsin State Director Dan Grandone wrote supporters in an email. “But that’s not even the most shocking part: The governor has also put the state National Guard on alert in case of ‘labor unrest.’ We can’t — and won’t — let Scott Walker’s heavy-handed tactics scare us. This Tuesday and Wednesday, February 15th and 16th, volunteers will be attending rallies at the state

He continued:

Gov. Walker won’t even talk to state workers about his proposal to strip them of their rights. He is ignoring Wisconsin voices today and asking for the power to drown them out permanently tomorrow.

We’re ready to do all we can to make sure that doesn’t happen. OFA volunteers are going to fight for our friends with state jobs, our allies in organized labor, and the freedom of all Wisconsinites to organize their communities.

UPDATE: House Speaker John Boehner called on Obama to pull OfA out of the effort:

“I’m disappointed that instead of providing similar leadership from the White House, the president has chosen to attack leaders such as Gov. Walker, who are listening to the people and confronting problems that have been neglected for years at the expense of jobs and economic growth,” Boehner said in a statement. “I urge the president to order the DNC to suspend these tactics.”

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0211/DNC_playing_role_in_Wisconsin_protests.html