ARRA News Service

A Gambler’s Budget

2012-02-14T19:30:00.000-06:00

AF "Tony" Bronco: Obama budget is "all in" with the past, present and future generations' money.

Tags: Barack Obama, budget, administration, regulations, government spending, debt deficit, gambling, political cartoon, A.F. Bronco To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Protect Your Voice Campaign Kicks Off

2012-02-14T15:01:00.004-06:00

Protect Your Voice: The Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity called on CPAC 2012 attendees to sign a petition that aims to grant bloggers the same legal protection journalists have. According to American Journalism Review's 2009 analysis there were 30 percent less statehouse reporters then compared to 2003. While their grant has not been renewed to do the study since then, any reporter can attest to the continued cutbacks by walking into a newsroom.

Fortunately, a new wave of energized reporters has been filling those vacancies out of passion - many unpaid. These bloggers are dedicated to informing their citizenry of its elected officials’ actions. They are addressing the threat to democracy.

Because of this, we believe they deserve the same protections as reporters in the court room. We aim to protect the bloggers that are reporting on acts of government as meticulously and honestly as the journalist sitting next to him or her at the press conference. Citizen Journalists and Bloggers should not be penalized for providing a valuable service to our country. Citizen Journalists and Bloggers in every state deserve to be included in the state’s shield laws and granted Freedom of the Press rights.

Times have changed and it’s time for the law to adjust. Go to ProtectYourVoice.org to show your love for bloggers this Valentine Day.

Tags: citizen journalist, blogger, free speech government abuse, shield laws, protect your voice, promote accountability, transparency, protect source, access to public information, Valentine Day, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Editorials & Senator Slam Obama's Budget; McConnell: It's "A Blueprint For Deficits Built To Last"

2012-02-14T13:12:00.028-06:00

Regardless of how the federal government raised the additional $1 billion, it would shift resources from one part of the economy to another, in this case to road building. The only way that $1 billion of new highway spending can create 47,576 new jobs is if the $1 billion appears out of nowhere as if it were manna from heaven. ~ Ronald Utt, Heritage Foundation

Today in Washington, D.C. - Feb. 14, 2012:
Yesterday the Senate voted 89-5 to invoke cloture on the Adalberto Jose Jordan nomination and today resumed post-cloture consideration of the nomination to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit. This afternoon if work on the Jordan nomination is completed the Senate is expected to return to S. 1813, the highway bill.

The House will in session tomorrow and is scheduled to debate H.R. 7, the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012, from Wednesday through Friday. The House may this week also consider legislation relating to the payroll tax, unemployment payments, and doctor reimbursements from Medicare.

Editorial pages across the country today are slamming the budget President Obama released on Monday.

Savannah Morning News: "President Obama did the unthinkable Monday: He punted on first down."

USA Today: “The best test of a budget proposal these days is whether it reins in the national debt, which is projected to equal a troubling 74% of gross domestic product this year. The last time the publicly held debt was that high as a percentage of the economy was in 1950, when the nation was still paying off the stupendous amount of money it had to borrow to fight and win World War II. The election-year budget President Obama sent to Congress on Monday fails that test.”

Bloomberg News: “Do as I say, not as I do. That was the unwelcome message in President Barack Obama’s federal budget for 2013. . . . This is a wasted opportunity, even considering that the final budget of the president’s term is largely a political document.”

The Wall Street Journal: “Federal budgets are by definition political documents, but even by that standard yesterday's White House proposal for fiscal year 2013 is a brilliant bit of misdirection. With the abracadabra of a tax increase on the wealthy and defense spending cuts that will never materialize, the White House asserts that in President Obama's second term revenues will soar, outlays will fall, and $1.3 trillion annual deficits will be cut in half like the lady in the box on stage. All voters need to do is suspend disbelief for another nine months. And ignore the first four years.”

The AP covers some of the misdirection in President Obama’s budget in a fact check piece today: “When a president introduces a budget, there are always phantoms flitting around the room. President Barack Obama's spending plan sets loose a number of them. It counts on phantom savings from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's underpinned by tax increases Republicans won't let happen and program cuts fellow Democrats in Congress are all but certain to block. And it assumes rates of growth that the economy will have to become strikingly undead to achieve.”

Where are the Senate Democrats?
It’s telling that Senate Democrats haven’t rushed to the microphones to laud Obama’s latest budget. According to Roll Call, “While President Barack Obama was rallying the faithful around a politically minded budget laden with base-nourishing tax and spending proposals, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was keeping a low profile. . . . [W]hen he went to the floor Monday afternoon — long after the budget had been delivered and an 11:15 a.m. embargo had been lifted — Reid focused on the mundane goings-on of the Senate chamber in his opening remarks. In fact, when Reid did touch on a president’s plan for spending, it wasn’t to reference Obama’s newly proposed budget — or, in fact, any of Obama’s budget plans.” “Reid’s hesitancy to talk about the budget is understandable; the Senate hasn’t produced a budget in almost three years . . . . Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) was also noncommittal. . . . Even worse were statements from Members such as Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CN) and Mark Pryor (D-R), who rejected it outright. Pryor . . . said, ‘This budget proposal is simply a case of misplaced priorities when it comes to Arkansas.’” And The Hill observed today, “For the second day in a row Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) ignored President Obama's $3.8 trillion budget proposal, leaving his deputy, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), to rebut yet another withering attack from across the aisle.”

As Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said this morning, “President Obama knows better than anyone in this country that government spending and debt is out of control, and that America is headed down the same road as Europe. The budget was his chance to show it. Instead, he decided to basically pretend these problems don’t even exist, and to the extent that he does acknowledge them, to propose solutions that are either gimmicks or that he knows will never come to pass. Just to take two examples, he says he’ll bank savings by not fighting a war he already declared we wouldn’t be fighting. And he’d raise money with tax hikes that have been rejected eight times by both parties. Oh, and by the way, forget the fact that government spends a trillion dollars a year more than it takes in. The President says government spending should be even higher. He significantly increases government spending. . . . “Last month the President said he wanted an economy that’s built to last. What he’s given us instead is a blueprint for deficits built to last. And he hasn’t done a thing to live up to his pledge to get our nation’s fiscal house in order. He’s made it worse. Last year’s budget wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on, and neither is this one.”

Tags: Barack Obama, Obama budget, more federal spending, more taxes, more debt, Manna from Heaven To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obama’s Budget Drowns Younger Generation in Red Ink

2012-02-14T10:06:00.001-06:00

College Republicans: If America needed more proof that President Obama just doesn’t care what you think anymore, just take a look at his most recent budget. On the heels of his last overwhelming flop of a budget, which was so far to the left that not a single Democrat in the Senate could bring themselves to vote for it, Obama has offered up more of the same. More taxes, more spending, and more deficits.

The president’s budget stands in stark contrast to the promises he made at the beginning of his term.

“We cannot and will not sustain deficits like these without end,” Obama said. “Contrary to the prevailing wisdom we can’t simply spend as we please and defer the consequences to the next budget, the next administration, or the next generation. . . That’s why today I’m pledging to cut the deficit we inherited in half by the end of my first term in office.”

Given this is his last budget in his first term (and hopefully ever) we can conclusively chalk this up to another broken promise. In fact, not only did Obama not halve the deficit, he more than doubled it.

According to Obama’s budget, the deficit will be $1.3 trillion this year (the fourth straight year of trillion dollar plus deficits), $901 billion next year, and $704 billion as far out as 2022, the last year shown in the budget window. Over the next ten years the deficit will average close to $800 billion – meaning our national debt will grow from $15 trillion to more than $22 trillion.
A debt that large has significant consequences. Assuming bond markets even allow us to reach that level of indebtedness the annual interest payments on the debt are predicted to rise to nearly $1 trillion by 2022. By comparison that is double the amount of money we currently spend on all non-security discretionary programs. That includes education, investment, job programs, unemployment benefits, and hundreds of other programs that Democrats claim to want to protect.

And that’s a “best case” scenario. As a chart courtesy of the Mercatus Center’s Veronique de Rugy shows, President Obama’s past budgets have dramatically under-predicted future deficits:

If his budget is any guide, dramatically higher debt levels aren’t the only thing Obama has in store. To help “pay” for some of Obama’s new toys, his budget proposes $1.9 trillion in new taxes. Public debt, which crowds out private investment, coupled with higher taxes, that disincentivize productive labor, would be a double whammy for an economy we’ll need to fund Washington’s excess.

Moreover, whether he’s realized it or not, by assuming the expiration of the Bush-era tax rates on higher income earners Obama’s budget reveals the fallacy that soaking the rich is the path to balance. As Rep. Jim Jordan explains, “paying for all the spending President Obama wants would require a huge tax increase on middle class families.”

As it turns out, you just can’t have everything, especially if you do nothing on some of the largest drivers of the deficit.

In what is perhaps the biggest indication that this is nothing more than a political document aimed at wooing voters rather than displaying the leadership necessary to avert a fiscal crisis, Obama’s budget completely ignores Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. These three programs, which together will make up the majority of the spending increases in the coming years, go relatively unmentioned in Obama’s budget. Granted, proposing reforms to popular programs is tough politics, but at this point Americans deserve honesty. And honestly, without significant reforms to America’s entitlement system then balanced budgets are essentially impossible.

At one time Obama realized the threat of ever-higher deficits and debt. He realizes that tough choices would have to be made if America wanted to be provide future generations with the same opportunities. Unfortunately, Obama has since given up on the hard choices. Instead, he’s taking the easy way out. And he doesn’t care what you think about it.

Tags: Obama budget, 2012 budget, new taxes, debt, more debt, cost to future generations, red ink, college students, deficits, more spending, 2012, no hope, no change To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

God Bless Our Troops and The Families of the Fallen

2012-02-14T09:32:00.001-06:00

The following is shared as a photo response to sentence in a prior article: Sunday Conservative Sermonette: Whitney Huston Dead . . . The sentence read, "Also, have you noticed that in the last couple years, . . ., there is lack of the network and cable news reporting on the number of troop deaths?

It seemed most appropriate to share the following photo response separately:

God Bless Our Troops and The Families of the Fallen!

Tags: photo, comment, Whitney Huston, military, military deaths To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Senators Challenge Insurance Mandate

2012-02-13T16:15:00.001-06:00

43 Republicans Submit Amicus Brief On Behalf Of The Supreme Court Challenge Filed By States And Small Businesses

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and 42 of his colleagues filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court Monday on behalf of the bipartisan, multi-state challenge to the Democrats’ health spending law.

“The Democrats’ 2,700 page health spending bill represents an unprecedented and unconstitutional expansion of the federal government into the daily lives of every American,” Sen. McConnell said. “Americans have rejected the law’s mandate that they must buy government-approved health insurance, and we hope the Supreme Court will do the same.”

The following are excerpts from the amicus brief:
“Put simply, Congress acted without constitutional authority in enacting the Individual Mandate of the PPACA. In so doing, it has damaged Congress’ institutional legitimacy and has triggered severe conflicts between state and federal governments that the Constitution was carefully designed to avert.”

“Because the Individual Mandate regulates a simple decision or choice not to purchase a particular product, it exceeds the proper scope of the Commerce Clause.”

“If Congress may punish a decision to refrain from engaging in a private activity (namely, the purchase of health insurance) because the consequences of not engaging in it, in the aggregate, could substantially affect interstate commerce, then the Congress can require the purchase of virtually anything. For example, this same rationale would allow Congress to punish individuals for not purchasing a host of health-related products, such as vitamin supplements, the use of which could lower aggregate health costs. Indeed, it is hard to imagine any private decision not to purchase a particular good or service that does not have some economic impact when aggregated among millions of people. Under that rationale, the government could mandate any commercial activity.”

The brief was signed by:
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Sen. Daniel Coats (R-IN), Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS), Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID), Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), Sen. James Risch (R-ID), Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Sen. John Thune (R-SD), Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS).

Tags: U.S. Senate, Republicans, Senators, amicus brief, Supreme Court, federal healthcare, insurance mandate, Obamacare, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obama Busts Liberals’ Favorite Myth And The Budget

2012-02-13T14:35:00.003-06:00

Rep. Jim Jordan, Chair, House Republican Study Committee (RSC): Shortly after taking office, President Obama promised to cut the deficit in half by the end of his four year-term. Considering how much his stimulus plan and other spending increases ballooned the starting deficit, it seemed an easy promise to keep.

Well, he just broke that promise beyond all recognition. Barack Obama isn’t just the only president ever to oversee a $1 trillion deficit. The budget he proposed today has him running the deficit over $1 trillion for the fourth straight year!

In addition to busting the budget, he accidentally busts one of the Left’s favorite myths – the notion that huge tax increases on wealthy Americans will put an end to deficits. Even with the massive tax hikes liberals have sought for years (and an $850 billion gimmick of “saving” money that was never going to be spent), President Obama’s budget never balances. Never!

In reality, paying for all the spending President Obama demands would mean a huge tax increase on middle class families. That’s a clear recipe for fewer jobs and a more bloated government. It’s why conservatives want to cut, cap, and balance the budget. It’s one of the reasons we must repeal ObamaCare. And it shows the undeniable need for our Jobs Through Growth Act.

This country has a choice to make. We can choose the Obama road to debt, doubt, and decline, or we can choose the conservative path of less spending, more jobs, and better opportunities for everyone.
-------------------------
RSC members recent articles addressing conservative viewpoint:

Rep. Steve King (IA-05): No Force More Powerful Than English; The Hill, Feb 6.
Rep. Reid Ribble (WI-08): Coming Together to Get out of Debt; The Hill, Feb 6.
Rep. Paul Gosar (AZ-01): Public Needs Truth in Operation Fast & Furious; The Arizona Republic, Feb 6.
Rep. Renee Ellmers (NC-02): A Price to be Paid with Over-Regulation; The Hill, Feb 6.
Rep. Allen West (FL-22): The Danger of A Nation of Dependents; The Foundry, Feb 8.
Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05): Debt Crisis a Great Deal Worse Than Washington Will Admit; The Washington Examiner, Feb 8.
Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22): We Need a Domestic Energy Solution to Reduce Dependence on Foreign Oil; The Hill, Feb 8.

New Unemployment Numbers Do Not Tell the Whole Story

Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04): Entitlement Reform: Now Is the Time; The Hill, Feb 9.
Rep. Phil Gingrey (GA-11): Keystone Versus Solyndra; The Washington Times, Feb 9.
Rep. Jeff Miller (FL-01): Sequestration & VA - Our Veterans Deserve an Answer; The Hill, Feb 10.
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03): Energy & Infrastructure Act: Competitive & Fiscally Responsible; The Hill, Feb 10.
Rep. Mike Kelly (PA-03): Notre Dame’s Teachable Moment; National Review Online, Feb 10.

Tags: RSC, Republican Study Committee, US House, Obama, budget, budgets, myths, articles To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Ron Paul Addresses The Latest Obamacare Overreach

2012-02-13T14:11:00.000-06:00

Ron Paul

Rep. Ron Paul: Many religious conservatives understandably are upset with the latest Obamacare mandate, which will require religious employers (including Catholic employers) to provide birth control to workers receiving healthcare benefits. This mandate includes certain birth control devices that are considered abortifacients, like IUDs and the "morning after" pill.

Of course Catholic teachings forbid the use of any sort of contraceptive devices, so this rule is anathema to the religious beliefs of Catholic employers. Religious freedom always has been considered sacrosanct in this country. However, our federal bureaucracy increasingly forces Americans to subsidize behaviors they find personally abhorrent, either through agency mandates or direct transfer payments funded by tax dollars.

Proponents of this mandate do not understand the gravity of forcing employers to subsidize activities that deeply conflict with their religious convictions. Proponents also do not understand that a refusal to subsidize those activities does not mean the employer is "denying access" to healthcare. If employers don't provide free food to employees, do we accuse them of starving their workers?

In truth this mandate has nothing to do with healthcare, and everything to do with the abortion industry and a hatred for traditional religious values. Obamacare apologists cannot abide any religious philosophy that promotes large, two parent, nuclear, heterosexual families and frowns on divorce and abortion. Because the political class hates these values, it feels compelled to impose -- by force of law -- its preferred vision of society: single parents are noble; birth control should be encouraged at an early age; and abortion must be upheld as an absolute moral right.

So the political class simply tells the American people and American industry what values must prevail, and what costs much be borne to implement those values. This time, however, the political class has been shocked by the uproar to the new mandate that it did not anticipate or understand.

But Catholic hospitals face the existential choice of obeying their conscience and engaging in civil disobedience, or closing their doors because government claims the power to force them to violate the teachings of their faith. This terrible imposition has resonated with many Americans, and now the Obama administration finds itself having to defend the terrible cultural baggage of the anti-religious left.

Of course many Catholic leaders originally supported Obamacare because they naively believe against all evidence that benign angels in government will improve medical care for the poor. And many religious leaders support federal welfare programs generally without understanding that recipients of those dollars can use them for abortions, contraceptives, or any number of activities that conflict deeply with religious teachings. This is why private charity is so vitally important and morally superior to a government-run medical system.

The First Amendment guarantee of religious liberty is intended to ensure that Americans never have to put the demands of the federal government ahead of the their own conscience or religious beliefs. This new policy turns that guarantee on its head. The benefits or drawbacks of birth control are not the issue. The issue is whether government may force private employers and private citizens to violate their moral codes simply by operating their businesses or paying their taxes.

Tags: Representative, Ron Paul, Texas, healthcare, abortion, religious freedom, ObamaCare, Overreach, abortion, moral codes, moral conscious, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obama's Budget: Platform For His Re-election Campaign - Reality: 4th Straight Year Of $1 Trillion-Plus Deficits

2012-02-13T13:28:00.005-06:00

Obama WH Chart - Zero Confidence in Accuracy
It's Obviously DEBT On Arrival

Today in Washington, D.C. - Feb. 13, 2012:
Late this afternoon the U.S. Senate will quickly move on consideration of the nomination of Adalberto Jose Jordan to be United States Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit. They will vote after allowing a one hour discussion.

On Thursday, the Senate voted 85-11 to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the highway bill (allowing the Senate to begin work on the bill) and 90-6 to confirm Cathy Bencivengo to be US District Judge for California. The Senate is expected to return to work on S. 1813, the highway bill, for the remainder of the week.

The House convened for 1 hour; no votes; adjourned until Wednesday. The House is scheduled to debate H.R. 7, the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012, from Wednesday through Friday. The House may this week also consider legislation relating to the payroll tax, unemployment payments, and doctor reimbursements from Medicare.

The Washington Post reports today, “President Obama on Monday unveiled a $3.8 trillion spending plan that seeks to pump billions of dollars into the economy while raising taxes on the rich to tame a soaring national debt now projected to grow significantly faster than previously forecast. The president’s outlook for debt reduction has deteriorated markedly since September, when Obama told Congress that his proposals would hold annual deficits well under $600 billion after next year and permit the debt held by outside investors to rise to $17.7 trillion by 2021, or 73 percent of the overall economy. The new 10-year blueprint shows annual deficits exceeding $600 billion every year except 2018.”

Politico adds, “Obama would also go outside the box by creating new mandatory spending initiatives costing tens of billions of dollars and for the first time, openly tap war savings to fund his domestic agenda.”

But, Politico writes, “The bottom line is a fourth straight year of $1 trillion-plus deficits and only marginal improvement in 2013 when the shortfall will narrow to $901 billion—still a far cry from what the president had promised when he took office in 2009. Indeed, even if Obama were to win a second term and prevail on his entire tax agenda, the budget tables show that the deficit won’t fall back below 3 percent of GDP until 2018—after he will have left the White House.”

And even The New York Times writes, “[T]he latest budget document can be seen as more a platform for the president’s re-election campaign than a legislative proposal for budget debates that will begin next week.”

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, said of the Obama budget plan today, “By the end of his first term President Obama will have overseen four straight deficits in excess of a trillion dollars and the accumulation of $6.4 trillion in new gross debt. Yet 1.2 million fewer Americans are working today than when he took office. The vision the president has laid out today leads to a bigger government, a smaller middle class, and a painful debt crisis.”

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell said, “This proposal isn’t really a budget at all. It’s a campaign document. This was a real opportunity for the President to get serious about the fiscal situation we face in the Obama economy, but once again, the President is shirking his responsibility to lead and using this budget to divide. The plan is obvious: Rather than reach out to members of Congress on a consensus budget, the President will take this budget on the road, as he is today, and talk about the parts he thinks audiences will like. What he won’t say is that it’s bad for job creation, bad for seniors, and that it will make the economy worse.”

Will Senate Democrats support this plan? Though they control the Senate, they haven’t presented a budget in over 1000 days. Last year, it was the Republican leadership which brought the president’s irresponsible budget to the floor for a vote, and not a single senator voted for it. To Repeat: NO Senate Democrats voted to pass the budget which only takes 50 votes (not 60) which they have. Both the White House and Senate Democrat leadership have
Mislead Voters On The Budget Law.

Sen. McConnell told CBS’ Bob Schieffer yesterday, “I offered President Obama's budget since the Democrats didn't seem to want to develop their own budget and didn't want to vote for his. His budget was defeated 97 to nothing. . . . I intend to offer the President's budget for him so he'll have a chance to get a vote on it.”

Tags: Washington, D.C., U.S. Senate, White House, Obama budget, confirmation, judge, Adalberto Jose Jordan, Cathy Bencivengo, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

White House Misleads Country On Budget Law

2012-02-12T21:23:00.025-06:00

CROWLEY: “I want to read for our viewers something that Sen. Harry Reid, the Democrat Majority Leader in the U.S. Senate, who said, ‘We do not need to bring a budget to the floor this year. It’s done, we don’t need to do it.’”
LEW: “He’s not saying that they shouldn’t pass a budget. But we also need to be honest. You can’t pass a budget in the Senate of the United States without 60 votes and you can't get 60 votes without bipartisan support. So unless… unless Republicans are willing to work with Democrats in the Senate, Harry Reid is not going to be able to get a budget passed.”NOTE: Under the law, a budget requires only 51 votes to pass the Senate — not 60. Jack Lew, the president’s former director of the Office of Management and Budget (the top budget post in the administration) and current Chief of Staff, should be more familiar than most with this law. But today on CNN's “State of the Union,” Lew incredibly asserted that a budget requires 60 votes to pass. (Previously, another senior Senate Democrat made the same claim.)

The controversy over Senate Democrats’ failure to budget escalated recently when Majority Leader Reid declared that Senate Democrats “do not need to bring a budget to the floor this year.” This would mark the third consecutive year — a record—that the Democrat Senate failed to offer a budget plan to the American people. Last year, they didn't even draft one for presentation in committee — keeping it a closely guarded secret, never shared with the public.

Ben Bernanke was asked about the uncertainty connected with the lack of a budget plan at a Budget Committee hearing this month and replied in part “...Is uncertainty negative on growth? I think it is.”

Subsequently, ABC's Jake Tapper asked White House spokesman Jay Carney about the situation at the daily press briefing. An excerpt from that exchange:

TAPPER: “The White House has no opinion about whether or not the Senate should pass a budget? The president is going to introduce one, the Fed chair says not having one is bad for growth, but the White House has no opinion?”

CARNEY: “I have no opinion, the White House has no opinion...”

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the US Senate Budget Committee described the shirking of responsibility from the Senate’s Democrat leaders: “By refusing to lay out a budget plan for public examination the Democrat Senators have forfeited the high privilege to lead this chamber.”

Tags: budget law, Harry Reid, Jack Lew, White House, chief of Staff, U.S. Senate, failure by Senate Democrats, budget, Jeff Sessions, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Sunday Conservative Sermonette: Whitney Huston Dead and Bill Whittle Shares Why We Suck!

2012-02-12T20:58:00.003-06:00

Whitney Huston 1963-2012

It's Sunday. CPAC 2012 is over. Conservatives have or are returning home. They are all pumped up. Are they ready to battle on. You betcha! Unfortunately, because of the 24 hour news cycle, the news has little interest in conservative values at the moment and are focused on the death of Singer Whitney Huston at age 48. Even somewhat conservative Fox News is apoplectic in reporting on Huston's death. Our prayers do go out to the Whitney Huston family and close friends.

However, why does the media have such a morbid fascination with the death of entertainers? Maybe because morbid news helps their ratings. Also, have you noticed that in the last couple years, unlike during the GW Bush era, there is lack of the network and cable news reporting on the number of troop deaths? Obviously the media cannot focus on every death. But, is it unreasonable to expect that they should at least focus on the death of liberty and the rights of American citizens?

The CIA's World Fact Book reports that over 2,624,884 people died in the United States in 2011 (not including abortion deaths). If the media had reported on each of these deaths they would have had to cover 4.99 deaths a minutes and there would have been no time to report on the "special people" or events determined to be news worthy. Obviously, we cannot expect the news to be consumed with reporting on death, because death is part of the inevitable life cycle.

Since it is Sunday, here is another CIA reported fact. Fortunately, and in spite of abortions, over 4,331,998 people were born in the U.S. in 2011. The growth of the American population was less than 1% in 2011. And getting lost in the CIA Fact Books revealed that 51.3% of reported nations of the world have a less than a 1% growth rate with some having negative growth rates. Enough with these numbers.

It is appropriate for the networks and cable channels to focus on the living and it would be nice if they focused more on the real threats to the U.S. by other countries, and on the threats to it's citizens by our own Big Government. But then, I must be expecting too much from the media who for the moment has most of its rights to free speech. Which includes the right not to report the truth.

Leaving Whitney Huston and the media behind, below is a much more worthy conservative sermonette by Bill Whittle who in summary says "When you get down to it, all Liberal criticism of Conservatives comes down to "YOU SUCK!" And they're right!" Find out why and be thankful that it it is most worthy to be a conservative:

Tags: news media, Whitney Huston, death, birth, CIA, FactBook, Bill Whittle, Firewall, Afterburner, Why we suck, we suck, conservatives, Republicans, liberals, progressives, Democrats, tea party, occupy wall street, standards, reality, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

20% of Americans Are Dependent on Government

2012-02-12T13:44:00.000-06:00

Rob Bluey, Heritage Foundation: The number of Americans dependent on the federal government has exploded over the past five years, reaching a record 67.3 million people, according to Heritage’s annual Index of Dependence on Government. That means 1 in 5 Americans (21.8 percent) today receive some level of assistance from the federal government.

This week’s chart — one of 15 featured in this year’s report — depicts the percentage of the U.S. population who receive government assistance and the total number of individuals who are dependent on the federal government.

Fifty years ago, before President Lyndon Johnson created the Great Society programs, some 21.7 million people (or 11.7 percent of the population) received assistance through government programs that existed at the time. The number increased sharply in the 1960s and 1970s before falling in the 1990s. Recently, however, it has skyrocketed.

“Americans should be concerned about this seemingly relentless upward march in Index scores,” wrote Heritage authors Bill Beach and Patrick Tyrrell. “Dependence on the federal government for life’s many challenges strips civil society of its historical and necessary role in providing aid and renewal through the intimate relationships of family, community, and local institutions and local governments.”
Reversing the trend won’t be easy, but there are solutions. Heritage’s plan, Saving the American Dream, reforms government programs in a way that would significantly reduce the growth of dependence on government.

Tags: Chart of the Week, civil society, federal government, government employees, Great Society, Index of Dependence on Government, Lyndon Johnson, Saving the American Dream, Rob Bluey, Heritage Foundation To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Sarah Palin at CPAC 2012 - Red Meat for Conservatives

2012-02-12T13:01:00.003-06:00

Sarah Palin At CPAC 2012
Pix by Bill Smith

Bill Smith, Editor: A lot of people are wondering why HBO will be running a fictional account using a Sarah wannabee and is attempting to demean Sarah Palin based on when she was the 2008 Republican Vice Presidential candidate. Palin is not running for President! Maybe Vice President Joe Biden is just too bland for an HBO special. Potential reasons that HBO may be doing this are most likely the same reasons documented in the film, The Undefeated.

On the Nobody Cares Channel, NBC, there is the talent show called The Voice. I record the show because I like viewing potential new musical talent and can then skip the spin, crap and commercials. This weekend at CPAC 2012, there were obviously lots of conservative voices speaking and many were outstanding. But, Sarah Palin closed the event and showed why the liberals fear her. She was "The Voice" at CPAC 2012 and "rocked the house." She summed up the the Obama administration, the current races for the Republican presidential nomination, and offered a guiding narrative for conservatives. She was a unifier not a divider.

It is amazing that liberals continue to focus on a former Governor and continually seek to tear her down. Presently, she is denigrated and attacked more than most other conservative voices including Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin. While Palin is not running for the republican nomination for President, she leaves a yearning in some peoples hearts. Maybe the liberals and the establishment even fear her being asked again to be the a Vice Presidential candidate.

So to quote Steve MacDonald at Granite Grok, "No one speaks to the base like Sarah Palin does, so I’ll stop typing an let her start talking." Video provided by Right Scoop.

Tags: Sarah Palin, CPAC 2012, conservative, The Voice, video To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Romney Wins Maine Caucus

2012-02-11T20:19:00.000-06:00

Mitt Romney who won the CPAC 2012 / Washington Times straw poll also won the Republican presidential caucuses in Maine with 39% of the votes in the Caucus presidential non-binding poll. Paul had 36%, Rick Santorum 18% , and New Gingrich 6%.

While Maine offers a small population and Caucus with only 5,600 votes, they see their importance in National politics based on the old bell weather saw: "As Maine goes, so goes the Nation." Main has 24 delegates and will hold its Convention May 5-6, 2012. However, based on guidelines for delegates, Romney has 8, Paul has 8, Santorum 4, Newt 1 and 3 yet to be determined.

Romney said in a statement that Maine voters “sent a clear message that it is past time to send an outsider to the White House, a conservative with a lifetime of experience in the private sector, who can uproot Washington’s culture of taxing and spending and borrowing and endless bureaucracy.”

Tags: Maine, Republican, Caucus, delegates, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Rick santorum, Newt Gingrich To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Mitt Romney Wins CPAC / Washington Times Poll - Rick Santorum Close Second

2012-02-11T18:41:00.003-06:00

Washington, D.C - Today, Tony Fabrizio, Republican Pollster and Strategist at McLaughlin and Associates, announced the results of the CPAC 2012 straw poll and / Washington Times National poll. The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) straw poll had 3,408 conservative voters. The CPAC poll ran from Thursday through Saturday at their event in Washington. Romney won 38% with Rick Santorum receiving 31%. Together they had 69% of the votes. Newt Gingrich received 15% and Ron Paul 12%.

In the Washington Times National survey, Mitt Romney barely topped Rick Santorum, 27% to 25%. Gingrich in third place at 20% and Paul had 8%.

Tags: CPAC, CPAC 2012, straw poll, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Clarie McCaskill Is Missouri's Nancy Pelosi - Catholic But Pro-Death

2012-02-11T11:08:00.000-06:00

Missouri voters are now confronted with more truth about Senator Claire McCaskill (D). She supports the pro-death Democrat platform, the Obama agenda, is not pro-life, and is not an advocate for freedom of religion. McCaskill advocates that the the government has a right to violate individuals' freedom of religion. Since McCaskill is Catholic, she should note the following quote: "Religious freedom is not just for religious groups. It is for every American." ~ Father Pavone

In an article titled Claire's Choice, Patrick Tuohey, The Record Blog had this to say:

Sen. Claire McCaskill believes that a provision in the President's Affordable Care Act (read: ObamaCare) that forces Catholic hospitals and universities to act against their faith is a good thing. According the Kansas City Star:

But Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, who’s Catholic, said the requirement could protect women’s health.

“This is an emotional, difficult subject. It’s always one that’s difficult,” McCaskill said. “But if you really believe that reducing abortions are important in this country, which I do, then it doesn’t work to keep putting up barriers to women getting birth control.”
"Difficult" is an understatement. McCaskill's Democratic colleagues are, "peeling off one by one" according to The Hill. The piece adds:

Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) and Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) urged the White House last week to broaden the exception for religious employers. Several of their Democratic colleagues have piled on since.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said Wednesday that the Health and Human Services Department “misstepped” in adopting the new policy.

“I just don’t think this is a fight that should have been picked and I think it needs to be fixed,” Connolly said. “I have every confidence that the administration will do so.”

Tim Kaine, a former Democratic National Committee chairman running for Senate in Virginia this year, also said the White House should revisit the rule’s exemptions for religious organizations.
If McCaskill is not siding with these Democrats, is she siding with those who are standing up for the measure?

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) said there’s no need for the White House to adopt a wider religious exemption. Carving out churches and other strictly religious employers “was in itself a compromise,” she said, noting that eight states have contraception mandates without religious exemptions.

Twenty-three pro-abortion-rights religious groups also backed the White House policy Wednesday, saying it protects the individual choice of whether to use birth control.
McCaskill is said to be tough and savvy. We haven't seen the savvy yet in this campaign (the airplane, asking a hostile crowd if they trust her, supporting cap and trade, waffling on the individual mandate, etc.), but if for entertainment value alone, we're looking forward to how she either (a) backs down from her position, or (b) supports the President when he backs down from his.

When Clarie McCaskill was elevated to the U.S. Senate, she opted to be an advocate for the Obama agenda which has attacked the rights and freedoms of all Americans. She has not influenced the Senate Democratic leadership (Harry Reid and others) to pass a budget or to reduce government spending. She has been a "Go A Long - Get A Long" supporter of the radical progressive socialist agenda.

Fortunately Missourians can do an intervention and replace her in November. Clarie McCaskill is Missouri's Nancy Pelosi. America cannot bear her action for another six years in the U.S. Senate. No matter how she spins it, McCaskill has "shown herself" as a supporter of Obama Big Government agenda - using legislation and regulations to remove or to limit individual freedoms and rights. She likes to talk; she likes to spin, but Claire votes Obama. Liberty loving Americans are looking to Missouri to "Show McCaskill the Door."

Tags: U.S. Senator, Claire McCaskill, Missouri, liberal, pro-death, Obama agenda, not pro-life To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

CPAC 2012: Faith, Life, And Family Panel

2012-02-11T09:28:00.076-06:00

The Role of Faith, Life, and Family in Our Culture and; the 2012 Elections was held yesterday at CPAC 2012. The panel included: Tom Minnery, Executive Director, CitizenLink, Andy Blom, Executive Director, American Principals Project, Marjorie Dannenfelser, President, Susan B. Anthony List, and Moderator: Jordan Sekulow, Executive Director, the American Center for Law and Justice and Host of the Jordan Sekulow Show. After the panel finished, they were later joined by Jay Selulow, ACLJ Chief Counsel and a legal conservative Christian warrior who has argued many cases before the Supreme Court.

CPAC 2012; "Faith, Life, and Family Panel - 2.10.12 (Part 1)

CPAC 2012; "Faith, Life, and Family Panel - 2.10.12 (Part 2)

CPAC 2012; "Faith, Life, and Family Panel - 2.10.12 (Part 3)

CPAC 2012; "Faith, Life, and Family Panel - 2.10.12 (Part 4)

Tags: CPAC 2012: Faith, Life, Family, Panel, Tom Minnery, CitizenLink, Andy Blom, American Principals Project, Marjorie Dannenfelser, Susan B. Anthony List, SBA List, Jordan Sekulow, American Center for Law and Justice To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obama Deficit Grows Again

2012-02-11T09:03:00.005-06:00

Three Years After Promising To Cut It In Half, President Obama’s 2012 Deficit Estimate Has More Than Doubled
Obama Budget Sets $1.33 Trillion Deficit In 2012

“President Barack Obama's budget request to Congress on Monday will forecast a deficit of $1.33 trillion in fiscal year 2012…” (“Budget Request Will Emphasize Infrastructure,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/10/12)

·    “The projected deficit is higher than the $1.296 trillion deficit in 2011 and also slightly higher than a roughly $1.15 trillion projection released by the Congressional Budget Office last week.” Ibid

“…would mean that the United States recorded a deficit of more than $1 trillion for every year of Obama’s first term… The deficit was $1.4 trillion in 2009, $1.3 trillion in 2010 and $1.3 trillion in 2011. The largest deficit recorded before that was $458 billion in 2008.” (“CBO Projects $1.08 Trillion Deficit, 8.9 Percent Jobless Rate In 2012” The Hill, 1/31/12)

Estimated Size Of 2012 Deficit Has Grown Every YearFY’2012 Budget:           FY’2012 Budget Deficit Estimate:           $1.101 Trillion
(“The President’s Budget For Fiscal Year 2012: Historical Tables, Table 1.1” White House Office Of Management And Budget, 2/14/11)

FY’2011 Budget:           FY’2012 Budget Deficit Estimate:           $.828 Trillion
(“2011 Budget Of The U.S. Government: Historical Tables, Table 1.1,” White House Office Of Management And Budget, P.27, 2/1/10)

FY’2010 Budget:           FY’2012 Budget Deficit Estimate:           $.557 Trillion
(“A New Era Of Responsibility Renewing America’s Promise: Historical Tables, Table 1.1,” White House Office Of Management And Budget, P.23, 2/26/09)

President Obama: Pledged To Cut The Deficit In HalfPRESIDENT OBAMA: “And that's why today I'm pledging to cut the deficit we inherited in half by the end of my first term in office.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks At The Fiscal Responsibility Summit, Washington, D.C., 2/23/09)

Tags: Barrack Obama, Obama Administration, Deficit Grows To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obama-Care Arena & Responses From The Threatened

2012-02-10T19:59:00.009-06:00

Toon by A.F. "Tony" Branco

Heritage: Obama’s Contraception ‘Accommodation’ is ‘All Rhetoric’ Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) insisted that the president’s supposed walk-back of the contraception mandate “is all rhetoric” and does not address either the constitutional problems with the mandate or its detriments to freedom of choice for America’s health care consumers. . . . But “the bigger picture,” Price insisted, is the federal government’s ongoing attempts to exert unprecedented control over the American health care system – attempts integral to and advanced by Obamacare. “If the federal government is going to decide what health care is and what health coverage is,” Price noted, “then it can decide what care you get, what care I get, and what every single American gets.” . . .

Bobby Eberle: Obama Bows to Pressure, but His Religious 'Accommodation' Even Worse: Wow! Talk about making matters even worse. On Friday, reacting to national outrage over his Obamacare mandate which would force religious employers (such as hospitals and universities) to pay for services that are in direct opposition to the religious faith of the institution, Obama said... Hey! You guys don't have to pay for it. I'll force the insurance companies to cover it... at no cost to anyone. This is insane on so many levels...

Times: Obama's Inaugural pastor: I'd go to jail before caving to mandate Rick Warren: "I’m not a Catholic but I stand in 100% solidarity with my brothers & sisters to practice their belief against govt pressure [...] "I’d go to jail rather than cave in to a government mandate that violates what God commands us to do. Would you? Acts 5:29"

CBS News: Cardinal to Obama: Butt out of church business There was a sharp rebuke Wednesday from Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan that put even more pressure on the president to calm a widening election year uproar. The issue at hand was the president’s insistence that Catholic institutions provide free birth control to their employees.
. . . “The federal government should do what it’s traditionally done since July 4, 1776, namely back out of intruding into the internal life of a church,” Dolan told CBS . . .

CNSNews: TV Network Started by Cloistered Nun Sues Sebelius Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN)--founded in 1981 by Mother M. Angelica, a cloistered Roman Catholic nun belonging to the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration--has filed suit against Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and other senior officials in the Obama administration arguing that a new regulation requiring health-care plans to cover sterilizations and contraceptives—including those that cause abortions—is a violation of the organization’s First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion. “EWTN’s sincerely held religious beliefs prohibit it from providing coverage for contraception, sterilization, abortion, or related education and counseling,” says a complaint the network filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. . . .

Newsmax - Rush: Obama's Birth-Control Rule Retreat Is Inadequate President Barack Obama’s retreat from requiring Catholic institutions to provide healthcare policies that include birth control does not mean the administration is caving on its intent to trample on the Constitution, Rush Limbaugh said today on his radio show. “There isn’t any cave,” Limbaugh said of Friday’s decision to withdraw the mandate. . . . “Freedom doesn’t mean anything to this guy — to me, this is breathtaking — this is an incredible sight to behold here,” Limbaugh said. “He’s still getting everything he wants . . . and in the process, trampling all over the Constitution. "There's no compromise, no negotiation. There's no phony balance here. Obama is simply not empowered to interfere with religious liberty." . . . “We have yet another example of life in America under the thumb of ever-expanding state with central planning — otherwise known as well intentioned liberalism,” he said. “We’re living in a country that is becoming unrecognizable.”

CitizenLink: Conservatives: Obama Modifies Insurance Mandate, Changes Nothing After two weeks of hearing from outraged citizens, President Obama announced today that his administration will alter the mandate in the federal health care law forcing religious employers to purchase insurance that offers all forms of contraception, possible abortion-causing drugs and sterilization for employees free of charge. . . . But faith-based organizations said the “changed” policy was only a fig leaf — not an olive branch. . . . Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Doug Napier explained. “Through this sleight of hand, the administration is forcing indirectly what it can’t do directly. It is still forcing people of faith to subsidize practices and treatments that violate their values, their morals and their religious beliefs. What’s next? Will the administration force Jewish schools to serve pork because it’s ‘good’ for Jewish students?” Obama’s announcement spurred renewed calls for Congress to pass conscience-protection laws. Two are already in play on Capitol Hill: Nebraska Rep. Jeff Fortenberry’s HR 1179 has 180 bipartisan cosponsors, and Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt’s companion piece has 40. . . .

Tags: Obama-Care Arena, attack on churches, church funded institutions, Christians, faith, faith based, Catholics, Protestant, Jews, health care, news, articles, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Malkin: CPAC Speeches in 20 Words

2012-02-10T18:00:00.003-06:00

Michelle Malkin
David Crow - Randy Alexander - Bill Smith (Me)
Pix at Right Online 2011

Bill Smith, Editor: For those who are not one of the 10,000 people attending CPAC 2012 in Washington, D.C., below is a witty summary of the top four Republican candidate speeches by conservative warrior and great lady (yes, I'm biased - see photo). She does it in 20 Words or less - LOL!

By Michelle Malkin:

Newt Gingrich: I am not the Establishment.

Mitt Romney: I am not a liberal.

Rick Santorum: I am not Mitt/Newt.

Ron Paul: I am not at CPAC.

Tags: Michelle Malkin, CPAC, humor, Republican presidential candidates To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

While Conservative Criticize Liberal Justice Ginsburg, We Should Heed Her Recent Warning

2012-02-10T10:41:00.002-06:00

by A.F. Branco

Bill Smith, Editor: God grants us certain inalienable rights and one of those is free speech and this right can be used in a wise or unwise manner. Our country physically borders Canada and Mexico. Exercising ones inalienable right in Canada can land you in prison. Doing the same in Mexico could land you in a grave. Neither country has the same understanding of "free speech" that is in our Bill of Rights. Neither do they understand the restraint on our "Federal" government established by the American people through the U.S. Constitution.

Recently a Supreme Court Justice used her free speech and evidenced her desire for a more powerful judiciary than the one limited by our US Constitution. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg visited Cairo last week. Supposedly, she was there to speak with legislators and judges in Egypt on the future efforts of establishing a new Egyptian constitution.

There is no evidence that she was there to defend the nineteen American democracy and rights workers who are facing trial by a revolutionary government. Instead as reported by Fox News report she was encouraging the "Egyptian revolutionaries not use the U.S. Constitution as a model in the post-Arab Spring." "I would not look to the U.S. Constitution, if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012," Ginsburg said in an interview on Al Hayat television last Wednesday. "I might look at the constitution of South Africa. That was a deliberate attempt to have a fundamental instrument of government that embraced basic human rights, have an independent judiciary. It really is, I think, a great piece of work that was done."

Was Ginsburg advocating support of a judiciary which is not responsible for their actions if and when they violate the Constitution? Was she supporting a court called to "embrace human rights" based on International opinion verses the ineligible rights granted by our Creator and the limits placed by the people on its federal / central government and thus on its courts? Does she advocate a living breathing changing Constitution from the one originally established? These issues drive conservative Constitutionalists to fear people with Ginsberg's liberal beliefs as evidenced in the A.F. Branco cartoon included with this article.

While her comments sent a mixed message, she praised our founding fathers wisdom but also criticized them in their time and culture. However, she acknowledged that the American citizens amended the constitution over our history. She addressed the "First Amendment's guarantee of free speech and a free press to the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause that she, as a lawyer in the 1970s, convinced the court to expand to protect women's rights."

However, the following words by Justice Ginsburg to the Egyptians should also stand as a warning for all Americans. It was reported by the Huffington Post and confirmed by viewing the video of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Interview with Al Hayat TV. When asked by the interviewer how best to draft a constitution and protect it from contemporary political pressures (perhaps alluding to Islamic parties' dominance in the new parliament's lower house), Justice Ginsburg answered,

"A constitution, as important as it is, will mean nothing unless the people are yearning for liberty and freedom."

"If the people don’t care, then the best constitution in the world won’t make any difference," she said.

"The spirit of liberty," she continued, "has to be in the population."

While I disagree with Justice Ginsburg vision of an "independent judiciary" or making decisions based on a constitution on global "human rights" when these rights exceed those granted by the Creator and are fluid depending on "evolving" human opinion, or the opinions of the elites or even the majority (the mob). However, I d agree that if the "The Spirit of Liberty" dies in America, "then the best constitution [the U.S. Constitution] in the world won’t make any difference."

In considering these words, we can also understand the importance of today's TEA party movement, the patriot groups, and conservatives in general who are standing for the "Spirit of Liberty" and arming themselves with the documents and positions of our Founding Fathers and the history underlying the amendments to our Constitution.

Finally, we cannot ignore our history. The United States like all other countries has no claim to perfection. Unfortunately, there have been times and situations in our history when and where "We the People" failed. Both evil and good remain in the heart of human kind. Choice and free will remain as part of our heritage. Thus as a free people, each of us can choose to give in to the dark side of our human nature by avoiding the guidance of the Creator who is the source of our Liberty.

As conservatives seek to stir up the "Spirit of Liberty," may we choose wisely and not seek the liberty of godlessness. Instead may we follow the example of our forefathers in pledging "our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor" to the cause of freedom. And in the words of Abraham Lincoln, let us proceed "with malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in ...."
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Source Info:
Ginsburg to Egyptians: I wouldn't use U.S. Constitution as a model
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Talks Constitution ...
Video: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Interview with Al Hayat TV in Egypt

Tags: US Constitution, free speech, Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, independent judiciary, human rights, Cairo, Egypt, Spirit of Liberty, freedom, rights, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Your Will Be Done

2012-02-09T20:41:00.003-06:00

by William Warren:

Tags: William Warren, political cartoon, big government, religious freedom, Obama administrator, Your Will Be Done, Obamacare, contraceptives, religious organizations To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Sen. Mitch McConnell Takes On Obama's Agenda At CPAC

2012-02-09T19:27:00.003-06:00

Sen. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell spoke this morning at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC 2012). CPAC is a major annual "watering hole" for conservatives. While I watched via the Internet, a fellow conservative Sam Adams MMIV attended the speech at CPAC. Rather than just provide copy McConnell's speech, below are detailed "cliff notes."This will provide readers with links and support information related to Sen. McConnell's key points.

Unemployment Reality
The Obama Administration Said Their Stimulus Package Would Keep Unemployment Below 8 Percent, But That’s Not What HappenedSEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): “Three years ago this month President Obama signed a trillion dollar Stimulus bill that we were told would keep unemployment below 8 percent and drop-kick us out of the recession.” (Sen. McConnell, Remarks (As Prepared) At CPAC, Washington, D.C. 2/9/12)

The Obama EconomyThe unemployment rate has stood above 8% for 36 months (Feb. 2009 – Jan. 2012). (“The Unemployment Situation – January 2012,” Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 2/3/12); (BLS, Accessed 1/24/12)

Average duration of unemployment was 40.1 weeks in Jan. 2012. (“Table A-12. Unemployed Persons By Duration Of Unemployment,” Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 2/3/12)

428,000 jobs lost Feb. 2009 – Jan. 2012. (U.S. Dept. Of Labor, “Employment, Hour, And Earnings From The Current Employment Statistics Survey (National),” Accessed 11/28/11)

5,614,000 jobs lost Jan. 2008 – Jan. 2012. (U.S. Dept. Of Labor, “Employment, Hour, And Earnings From The Current Employment Statistics Survey (National),” Accessed 11/28/11)

The black unemployment rate is 13.6%. (“Table A-2. Employment Status Of The Civilian Population By Race, Sex, And Age,” Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 2/3/12)

The Hispanic unemployment rate is 10.5%.(“Table A-3. Employment Status Of The Hispanic Or Latino Population By Sex And Age,” Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 2/3/12)

The 20-24 years old unemployment rate is 13.3%. (“Labor Force Statistics From The Current Population Survey: Unemployment Rate 20-24 Years,” Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 2/7/12)

Stimulus Promise: It ‘Literally Drop-Kicks Us Out Of This RecessionVICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: In “18 months” stimulus will “create 3.5 million jobs… literally drop-kicks us out of this recession.” (Vice President Biden, Remarks At Recover Plan Implementation Meeting, The White House, 2/25/09)

Obama advisors Christina Romer & Jared Bernstein claimed that the “unemployment rate with… the recovery plan,” would not exceed eight percent. (Christina Romer & Jared Bernstein, “The Job Impact Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Plan,” P.4, 1/9/09)

President Obama’s Deficit Reality
President Obama Once Promised To Cut The Deficit In Half By The End Of His First TermSEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): “Shortly after the Stimulus bill was signed, President Obama made another promise — he said he’d cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term.” (Sen. McConnell, Remarks (As Prepared) At CPAC, Washington, D.C. 2/9/12)

President Obama: ‘I'm Pledging To Cut The Deficit We Inherited In Half’PRESIDENT OBAMA: “And that's why today I'm pledging to cut the deficit we inherited in half by the end of my first term in office.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks At The Fiscal Responsibility Summit, Washington, D.C., 2/23/09)

·    REALITY: “CBO projects a $1.1 trillion federal budget deficit for fiscal year 2012 if current laws remain unchanged.” (“The Budget And Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2012 To 2022,” Congressional Budget Office, 1/12)

·    REALITY: “If the CBO estimate is correct, it would mean that the United States recorded a deficit of more than $1 trillion for every year of Obama’s first term… The deficit was $1.4 trillion in 2009, $1.3 trillion in 2010 and $1.3 trillion in 2011. The largest deficit recorded before that was $458 billion in 2008.” (“CBO Projects $1.08 Trillion Deficit, 8.9 Percent Jobless Rate In 2012” The Hill, 1/31/12)

Federal Pay Freeze
‘Federal Compensation Has Soared In The Past Decade,’ And Sen. McConnell Says Taxpayers ‘Have Every Reason To Demand A Federal Pay Freeze’SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): “When the American people read that the compensation gap between federal and private workers has doubled over the past 10 years, and that the benefits for federal workers are about 60% higher than the taxpayers who pay for them, they have every reason to demand a federal pay freeze.” (Sen. McConnell, Remarks (As Prepared) At CPAC, Washington, D.C. 2/9/12)

‘Gap Between Federal And Private Workers Has Doubled’“Federal workers have been awarded bigger average pay and benefit increases than private employees for nine years in a row. The compensation gap between federal and private workers has doubled in the past decade.” (“Federal Workers Earning Double Their Private Counterparts,” USA Today, 8/13/10)

·    “The federal compensation advantage has grown from $30,415 in 2000 to $61,998 last year.” (“Federal Workers Earning Double Their Private Counterparts,” USA Today, 8/13/10)

“Federal compensation has soared in the past decade, especially in the past five years, at a time when private wages and employment have sputtered.” (“Federal Workers' Pay Gains Are The Slowest In 10 Years,” USA Today, 12/27/11)

·    “Federal workers made an average $75,296 in pay last year, plus $28,323 in medical, pension and other benefits, the USA TODAY analysis found. That's about 60% more than the average private wage…” (“Federal Workers' Pay Gains Are The Slowest In 10 Years,” USA Today, 12/27/11)

2,210,400 federal workers (except U.S. Postal Service). (“Data Retrieval: Employment, Hours, And Earnings: Federal, Except U.S. Postal Service,” Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 2/9/12)

“Under the Obama administration, layoffs from reorganizations have dropped by two-thirds to fewer than 300 a year... Workers are 13 times more likely to die of natural causes than get laid off from the federal government.” (“Federal Workers Starting At Much Higher Pay Than In Past,” USA Today, 12/27/11)

President Obama’s Spending Hike
Senator McConnell Notes Government Spending Increased By ‘More Than 20 Percent’ Under The Obama AdministrationSEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): “Under this President, government spending has gone up more than 20 percent.” (Sen. McConnell, Remarks (As Prepared) At CPAC, Washington, D.C. 2/9/12)

Annual Government Spending Up 21% Under President Obama’s Watch$618.5 Billion Increase In Total Federal Government Outlays FY2008-FY2012.

·    “Outlays… Total… Projected, 2012… 3,601 [billion dollars].” (“The Budget And Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2012 To 2022: Table 1-2, Changes In Revenues, Outlays, And Deficits Between 2010 And 2012,” Congressional Budget Office, P.5, 1/12)

·    “Budget outlays FY’2008… 2,982.5 [billion dollars].” (“The President’s 2011 Budget: Historical Tables: Table 8.1-Outlays By Budget Enforcement Act Category 1962-2016” Office Of Management And Budget, 2/14/11)
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Sam Adams MMIV is the pen name for an un-named beltway source. Thanks to all the Adams patriots who speak up for America.

Tags: Mitch McConnell, republican, speech, CPAC, President Barack Obama, big spending, spending hike, Federal Pay Freeze, Deficit Reality, federal deficit, Unemployment Reality, Obama Economy, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

CPAC Begins Today in Washington, D.C.

2012-02-09T15:00:00.002-06:00

Today in Washington, D.C. - Feb 9, 2011:
The big news in Washington, D.C. is the opening of CPAC 2012 (Conservative Political Action Committee) today. Already today, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli received the CPAC / NRA 2012 Defended of the Constitution Award.

Yesterday the House passed (238-175) H.R. 3521 to amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to provide for a legislative line-item veto to expedite consideration of rescission, and for other purposes.
This morning, the House passed (417-2) H.R. S 2038 — The House version of the Congressional insider trading bill. They also voted 405 - 15 on a motion to instruct conferees who will meet with senator conference member to resolve differences in the two versions of the bill.

The Senate is still considering S. 1813, the highway bill. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) tried to attach a bill to roll back the Obamacare mandate that attacks religious liberty. However, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Read (D-NV) blocked it.

Sen. GOP Leader Mitch McConnell responded to "Dirty Harry" Reid's refusal of Blunts amendment:

"Our country is unique in the world because it was established on the basis of an idea: that we are all endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights — in other words, rights that are conferred not by a king or a president or a Congress, but by the Creator himself. The state protects these rights, but it doesn’t grant them.

And what the state doesn’t grant, the state can’t take away. That’s what this week’s debate on a particularly odious outcome from the President’s health care law has been about: Our founders believed so strongly that the government should neither establish a religion, nor prevent its free exercise that they listed it as the very first item in the Bill of Rights.

"And Republicans are trying today to reaffirm that basic right. But Democrats won’t allow it. They won’t allow those of us who were sworn to uphold the U.S. Constitution to even offer an amendment that says we believe in our First Amendment right to religious freedom. I never thought I’d see the day. I’ve spent a lot of time in my life defending the First Amendment. But I never thought I’d see the day when the elected representatives of the people of this country would be blocked by a majority party in Congress to even express their support for it."

Numerous "conservative" members of Congress have made their way over to CPAC. Videos and comments by various attendees will be posted separately.

Tags: Washington, D.C., Senate, House, CPAC, religious freedom To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Even Democrats Criticizing Obama’s ‘Affront To’ Religious Freedom

2012-02-09T14:04:00.000-06:00

A Growing Chorus Of Senate Democrats Are Criticizing President Obama’s ‘Affront To’ Religious Freedom, Calling It ‘Un-American,’ ‘Bone-Headed,’ & ‘Wrong’

SENATE DEM: ‘An Encroachment On Religious Freedom’
SEN. BILL NELSON (D-FL): “My position is that church affiliated organizations should be exempt, not just churches.” (“Nelson Breaks With Obama On Contraception Rule,” Tampa Bay Times, 2/9/12)

·    “…he has called three White House officials to express disapproval with the controversial new contraception rule affecting religious groups… He joins an emerging group of Democrats who are opposing President Obama on the contentious issue.” (“Nelson Breaks With Obama On Contraception Rule,” Tampa Bay Times, 2/9/12)

SEN. BEN NELSON (D-NE): “This was a bone-headed decision by H-H-S.” (Nebraska Radio Network, 2/8/12)

·    “…he is hoping to convince other senators to join their effort to get this requirement removed.” (Nebraska Radio Network, 2/8/12)

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (ID-CT): “I am opposed...” (Sen. Lieberman, Twitter, 2/8/12)

SEN. BOB CASEY (D-PA): “I oppose this decision and am deeply disappointed…” (“Boehner Hits W.H. On Contraceptives,” Politico, 2/8/12)

·    “Sen. Bob Casey, has called on the president to ‘immediately’ reverse his decision...” (“Pressure Mounts On White House Over Contraception Decision,” CBS News, 2/8/12)

SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): “This mandate is a direct affront to the religious freedoms protected under the First Amendment of our Constitution. This is not only unacceptable, it is un-American.” (Sen. Manchin, Letter To President Obama, 2/8/12)

·    “These outcomes are intolerable… I ask that you restore the religious freedoms of these employers…” (Sen. Manchin, Letter To President Obama, 2/8/12)

·    “I thought it was wrong and an encroachment on religious freedom and the constitution…” (Sen. Manchin, Fox and Friends, 2/9/12)

Tags: Democrats, criticizing, Barack Obama, attacks, religious freedom To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!