ARRA News Service

NLRB’s ‘Snap Elections’ Rule Would Dramatically Increase Unionization

2012-02-08T16:56:00.000-06:00

Remember those unconfirmed illegally appointed officials to the NLRB?
It is the unconstitutional actions President Obama that assured the advent of potential situations detailed in the following article.

Lachlan Markay, Scribe: A new National Labor Relations Board regulation that expedites elections for union representation will likely lead to dramatically higher rates of unionization, a new study has found.

A majority of workplace union elections are decided by five or fewer votes, according to a Bloomberg Government analysis. What’s more, “cutting the time between a request for an election and the ballot increases the chances union supporters will prevail,” according to the study. “Unions win 87 percent of elections held 11 to 15 days after a request, a rate that falls to 58 percent when the vote takes place after 36 to 40 days, according to the researchers.”

The 11 to 15 day time frame is very close to what the new NLRB rule is expected to achieve. According to Heritage labor policy expert James Sherk, the “snap elections” rule will trim the time between an election request and the election itself to 10 to 21 days, a significant drop from the current average of 31 days.

“If a broader set of elections were to occur more quickly,” wrote Bloomberg analysts Jason Arvelo and Ian Hathaway, “the likely outcome would be more organizing drives, a higher success rate for unions and ultimately more union membership.”

Unions often plan organizing drives before they actually request a workplace election, while employers, who may not be aware of the effort, are forced to make their case only during the period between an election request and the actual election. Hence, shortening that period of time is more prohibitive to an employer’s ability to make the case against unionization than a union’s ability to lobby for it.

As Sherk explained:

Some organizers rely on aggressive sales tactics, such as “SPIN selling.” In SPIN (Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need-payoff) selling, organizers lead employees through the four emotional states to persuade them that a union will solve their problems at work—whether or not a union could actually help—and to secure a signed union-authorization card. Unions also train organizers to avoid the potential downsides to unionization, such as strikes and dues increases.

Employees will hear the other side of the story only from management. Employers, not union organizers, will explain that unions often do not achieve their promised wage increases, but they always take up to 2 percent of workers’ wages in dues. Employers will also point out patterns of union corruption and clauses in union constitutions that levy stiff fines against workers who stray from union rules. Employers are free to tell workers what the union organizers do not.

Workers deserve to hear from both sides and have time for reflection. They should have the right to consider whether union representation will truly benefit them. The government should not push workers into unions, much less deny them the time to consider the downsides. The NLRB’s proposed rule undermines employees’ ability to make an informed choice.

Tags: big labor, national labor relations board, NLRB, snap elections, unions, business, Democrats, elections, Government Control, Government corruption, intimidation, Jobs, Barack Obama, unions To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Rush Limbaugh: Clint Eastwood Super Bowl Ad Parody

2012-02-08T14:10:00.000-06:00

ENJOY! Rush Limbaugh :

Tags: HalfTime, Parody, Rush Limbaugh, Clint Eastwood To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Congressional Leaders Will Fight For Religious Freedom

2012-02-08T12:58:00.003-06:00

Today in Washington, D.C. - Feb. 8, 2011:
Yesterday the House passed (239 - 181) House Resolution 539 - Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3581) to amend the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to increase transparency in Federal budgeting.
The House passed (259-164) HR 1734 - Civilian Property Realignment Act - to sell and consolidate federal civilian properties.
HR 3581 failed to pass (190-238) Amendment to the the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 - Budget transparency and accounting - Democrats voted for and Republicans voted against this bill.

The Senate is not in session today because Democrats are holding their annual retreat. Tomorrow, the Senate will reconvene and in the afternoon vote on cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 1813, the highway bill.

House News: Speaker John Boehner identified today how the U.S House Will act to "Reverse Obama Administration Attack on Religious Freedom:"

“In recent days, Americans of every faith and political persuasion have mobilized in objection to a rule put forward by the Obama Administration that constitutes an unambiguous attack on religious freedom in our country. This rule would require faith-based employers – including Catholic charities, schools, universities, and hospitals – to provide services they believe are immoral. Those services include sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs and devices, and contraception.

“In imposing this requirement, the federal government has drifted dangerously beyond its constitutional boundaries, encroaching on religious freedom in a manner that affects millions of Americans and harms some of our nation’s most vital institutions.

“If the president does not reverse the Department’s attack on religious freedom, then the Congress, acting on behalf of the American people and the Constitution we are sworn to uphold and defend, must. The House will approach this matter fairly and deliberately, through regular order and the appropriate legislative channels.

“Because it has primary jurisdiction on the issues involved, the Energy & Commerce Committee is taking the lead on the legislative process that will be necessary to enact an effective and appropriate solution. Chairman Upton convened a hearing last year and began laying the groundwork for legislative action when this flawed rule was first proposed. I welcome his efforts to consider all possible options as his committee proceeds with its work.

“This attack by the federal government on religious freedom in our country must not stand, and will not stand.”

A few days ago, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved (29-24) and sent to the floor HR 7 - the American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act Approved by Committee. The House is expected to take up the bill this month. Committee Chairman John L. Mica (R-FL) said, “No other bill this Congress will create jobs, lower energy costs or improve our deteriorating infrastructure as effectively as this legislation."

However, a noteworthy point in the bill is that H.R. 7 has no earmarks. In addition to having no earmarks, H.R. 7 eliminates or consolidates nearly 70 duplicative transportation programs. The bill reforms the process from top to bottom: no earmarks and no ‘stimulus’ spending, only pro-growth reforms that link expanded energy production to infrastructure repair and cut through red tape to ensure taxpayer resources are used wisely and efficiently.

Still, House Democrats continue to chafe at the lack of earmarks in the bill, and it is perhaps one reason why many of them oppose it. Politico identified that longtime House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee member Rep. Jerry Costello (D-IL) said, “We’ve never done this on the transportation bill. There’s always been earmarks.” Politico also noted the feeling of other established congressional veterans who believe "the earmark ban means a highway bill won’t generate the same excitement. If lawmakers can’t have that photo op next to the project they funded, what’s the point?"

Speaker Boehner today addressed H.R. 7 in a statement to the media. The Speaker said, " in addition to having no earmarks, eliminates or consolidates nearly 70 duplicative transportation programs and removes government barriers to job creation."

This pro-growth approach is “markedly different” from infrastructure bills written in the past by leaders in both parties, who stuffed highway bills with earmarks, many of which siphoned off resources from high-priority projects. In 2005, a Republican-led Congress passed a federal highway bill containing more than 6,300 earmarks. Speaker Boehner was one of eight lawmakers to vote against the bill. “Every few years we go through the same inefficient, top-down approach that we're going through now, and how do taxpayers and drivers benefit? We really don't,” Boehner said at the time. “This process is clearly broken.”

Republicans’ “focus on curbing government spending has transformed the discussion on transportation over the last year,” National Journal reports. “Earmarks, which once drove the entire surface transportation authorization process, are now a thing of the past.”

Senate News: Politico writes today, “Senate Republicans late Tuesday stepped up their assault on the White House’s politically volatile contraceptive coverage mandate, vowing to find some way of striking it if the administration didn’t roll back the rules itself. Using unusually strong language in a floor speech, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the new policy ‘abhorrent’ and said the administration had crossed a ‘dangerous line’ with its decision to require employers to offer birth control for free as a preventive health benefit in health plans, a decision that was part of the implementation of the 2010 health care reform law. . . . ‘Make no mistake: The Obama administration’s decision to force religious hospitals, charities and schools to comply with a mandate that violates their religious views is abhorrent to the foundational principles of our nation,’ McConnell said. ‘No one in the United States of America should ever be compelled by their government to choose between violating their religious beliefs or be penalized for refusing.’”

Another Politico piece notes, “Led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), senators have blasted the contraception ruling in floor speeches, at news conferences and in letters to top administration officials.” And CBS News adds, “Republicans are keeping up the pressure on the Obama administration to walk back its new rule on birth control coverage, with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell warning today, ‘If they don't, Congress will act.’”

In a The Wall Street Journaleditorial today, looks beyond the mandate itself, and pointed to the underlying problems of Obamacare. “The political furor over President Obama's birth-control mandate continues to grow, even among those for whom contraception poses no moral qualms, and one needn't be a theologian to understand why. The country is being exposed to the raw political control that is the core of the Obama health-care plan, and Americans are seeing clearly for the first time how this will violate pluralism and liberty.”

The WSJ editors write, “The Affordable Care Act itself is ambiguous about what counts as a religious organization that deserves conscience protection. Like so much else in the rushed bill, this was left to administrative discretion. What the law does cement is the principle that the government will decide for everyone what ‘health care’ must mean. The entire thrust of ObamaCare is to standardize benefits and how they must be paid for and provided, regardless of individual choices or ethical convictions. To take a small example: The HHS rule prohibits out-of-pocket costs for birth control, simply because Secretary Kathleen Sebelius's regulators believe no woman should have to pay anything for it. To take a larger example: The Obama Administration's legal defense of the mandate to buy insurance or else pay a penalty is that the mere fact of being alive gives the government the right to regulate all Americans at every point in their lives. Practicing this kind of compulsion is routine and noncontroversial within Ms. Sebelius's ministry. That may explain why her staff didn't notice that the birth-control rule abridges the First Amendment's protections for religious freedom. Then again, maybe HHS thought the public had become inured to such edicts, which have arrived every few weeks since the Affordable Care Act passed. Bad call.”

Senate GOP Leader McConnell responded yesterday, [T]his [HHS] ruling should send a chill up the spine of people of all religious faiths — and even those with none at all. Because if the state is allowed to violate the religious rights of one religion, then surely it can violate those of others. If the rights of some are not protected, the rights of all are in danger. Isn’t that what history clearly teaches? Isn’t that what the Constitution is all about? The Obama administration has crossed a dangerous line.”

He continued, “The Founders knew that the right of religious belief is inviolable. They gave this God-given right the pride of place they knew it deserved so that Americans would never have reason to fear its loss. Unfortunately, because of the actions of this Administration Americans now do. This is a huge mistake that I hope the administration is currently reconsidering. And if they don’t, Congress will act. The First Amendment rights of the American people must be protected.”

Tags: US Senate, US House, religious freedom, no earmarks, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Considering Manifest Destiny And The Passing Of American Hero : Jimmie Begay

2012-02-08T10:39:00.003-06:00

Bill Smith: People who have and do serve honorably in the military living up to their Oaths and remembering "Duty, Honor, Country" are heroes in my book. However, some deserve special mention in their passing. The mentioning is not because they would consider themselves better than others but because some stand out to their fellow heroes due to some uniqueness of choice, dignity and a willingness to "bear the crap of their generation."

Within the United States, it is easy to forget that we are a country containing nations. Yes, we pledge to the United States our loyalty in saying "One Nation Under God." But in fact, there are nations who have stood within the matrix of our expansionist history. Within the United States, there are people who are both fellow citizens but who are also member of nations bound by treaties to the United States government - the American Indian Nations.

Although not part of the following tribute, the treatment of the peoples within the Indian Nations bear evidence of the failures of Big Government. The history of treaty failures should serve as a reminder that the Federal Government is far from being capable of administering today's massive liberal social programs. The Federal Government has enough responsibility addressing its legitimate Constitutional requirements - National Defense, internal treaty requirements, responsibility to those serving and to those whom have served, military retirees and disabled veterans.

These responsibilities have often proven to be beyond the capability of the Federal Government let alone its impetuous continued bureaucratic expansionism into the areas clearly defined as those of its member states or the rights and personal choices of the individual citizen. Manifest Destiny formerly defined the desire of the Unites States to expand its borders and thus its control from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Presently, intellectual liberal socialism has established its own manifest destiny for Big Government: The control of all Americans from pre-birth to the grave.

Today, I join in honoring the passing Jimmie Begay, an American, a member of The Navajo Nation, a U.S Marine, and a WWII "code talker," and a veteran. New Mexico blogger and conservative friend Cindy at The Pink Flamingo has detailed the following:

Sgt. Jimmie Begay
86 years old
from Sawmill, Arizona
1st Marine Division,
2nd Battalion
February 1, 2012

The Navajo Nation has lost another "code talker". Sgt. Jimmie Begay passed away Wednesday night at Tsehootsoi Medical Center in Fort Defiance at the age of 88 from a head injury he sustained after a fall. Sgt. Begay enlisted in the Marines in 1942 when he was 17 years old. Sadly there isn’t much information on Sgt. Begay, but you can read more about him on The Navajo Times.

Added - From The Navajo Times: The Navajo Nation has lost another code talker.

Sgt. Jimmie Begay passed away Wednesday night at Tsehootsoi Medical Center in Fort Defiance at the age of 88.

During World War II, Begay served in the 1st Marine Division, 2nd Battalion, in Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, Saipan, and Tinian.

Begay enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in November 1942 when he was 17 years old, according to the president's office.

From Fort Wingate, N.M., he boarded a bus for Camp Pendleton, Calif., where he completed boot camp before transferring to Camp Elliot to train as a code talker.

After completing his service in the Marines in 1945, Begay received an honorable discharge. He then finished his schooling at Santa Fe Indian High School.

He worked as a guard at the Army Depot-Japanese Internment Camp in Leupp, Ariz. He competed in boxing before starting work at Navajo Forest Products Industry in Navajo, N.M. He retired from NFPI in 1985.

Begay earned numerous commendations for his service in the Pacific theater, including the Congressional Silver Medal in 2001.

Begay is survived by his son, Thurman Begay of Sawmill, Ariz.; grandchildren, Jacquelyn A. Begay and Janelle R. Begay of Sawmill, Scott Begay and Rhonda Roan of Albuquerque; and five great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Sophie Begay; parents, Carl Begay and Nazbah Blackgoat; brothers, Kenneth M. Begay and Kee Begay; sisters, Ruth Stewart and Lottie Randall; and son, Perry Begay.

. . . President Ben Shelly has ordered the Navajo Nation flag to be flown at half-staff from Thursday through sundown on Sunday in honor of Begay.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We’re In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don’t Know Where To Look Check out: Wednesday's Hero.

This tribute is also shared at Findalis' "Monkey in the Middle" blog.

Tags: veteran, Jimmie Begay, Marine, U.S. Army, WW II, code talker, Navaho, Navaho Nation, American, hero, died, Manifest Destiny, Federal Government To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Rick Santorum Has Great Primary / Caucus Night

2012-02-07T22:36:00.008-06:00

Rick Santorum
Pix via Bill Smith

Results are updated With New Reporting:
Missouri: With 100% of the primary vote in for the non-binding Missouri Republican primary, Rick Santorum wins with 55% of the votes; Mitt Romney 25%, Ron Paul 12%. Newt Gingrich did not compete thus zero votes. Now Missouri gets confusing because tonight's votes are not official in selecting delegates. Missouri will now hold caucuses to determine candidates and delegates to the Republican National Convention.

Minnesota: Rick Santorum wins the Minnesota Republican Caucus. However the caucuses are nonbinding and delegates will be determined latter. Minnesota has 40 delegates to the Republican National Convention. With 86% of the caucus votes reported: Rick Santorum 45%; Ron Paul 27%; Mitt Romney 17%; Newt Gingrich 11%.

Colorado: Rick Santorum wins the Colorado nonbinding Republican caucus. Its delegates are determined later. Colorado has 36 delegates to the Republican National Convention. With 100% reporting, Santorum 40%, Romney 35%, Gingrich 13% and Paul 12%.

Rick Santorum in his speech identified himself as the true conservative. Addressed America's future and his positions to restore the freedoms for our grandchildren. He said, "I do not stand here as the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney, I stand here as the conservative alternative to Barack Obama."

Tags: Republican, primary, caucuses, Minnesota, Missouri, Colorado, election 2012, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Democrat's Fundamental Transformation

2012-02-07T17:46:00.000-06:00

A.F. "Tony Branco:

Tags: Democrats, fundamental transformation, hope and change, rope and chains, recycle, A.F. Branco, political cartoon To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

High Gas Prices - Keystone Pipeline Languishes - Canada Looks To China

2012-02-07T11:38:00.005-06:00

Yesterday, the Senate voted 75-20 to approve the conference report for the FAA Reauthorization bill, H.R. 658. It’s possible today that the Senate will take up the motion to proceed to S. 1813, the highway bill.

Yesterday the House passed HR 306 (voice vote) — North Carolina wild horses and HR 1162 (381-7) — Quileute Tribe tsunami and flood protection.

The Los Angeles Times writes today, “Last month turned out to be the most expensive January ever at U.S. gasoline pumps . . . . January is typically a month of falling gasoline prices because fuel demand falters in the slower travel weeks that follow the year-end holidays. Not so this year. In January, retail gasoline prices averaged $3.37 a gallon, according to the Oil Price Information Service, a private fuel information service. That compared with the previous record average for the month of $3.095 a gallon, set last year. In 2010, January gasoline prices averaged just $2.71 a gallon. The new record meant more pain in Americans' budgets. A typical household, burning about 50 gallons of gasoline a month, paid about $168.50 for that fuel in January, or $33 more than in January 2010. . . . In February, pump prices have continued to rise and remain at record levels for this time of the year. . . . The price spurt may not be over, said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com, a fuel price tracking website. ‘Gasoline prices tend to start moving significantly higher toward the end of February and into mid-March, so motorists should be preparing for higher prices,’ DeHaan said.”

This follows yesterday’s news from USA Today that $4 gas may be on the way and “Prices could spike another 60 cents or more by May.”

These gas price spikes again show the necessity of securing reliable sources of American energy, such as a pipeline that would bring oil from our friends and allies in Canada (as well as oil formations in the United States). Keystone XL would do just that, in addition to creating tens of thousands of jobs for Americans.

Unfortunately, President Obama rejected the pipeline last month. And now, according to Canada’s Postmedia News, “[Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper] is courting China as a customer for Canadian natural resources — insisting it's in Canada's national interest to send oil and gas to Asia — and looking to sew stronger economic ties with the world's fastest-growing economy. . . . It's expected China will seek a more formalized energy relationship with Canada during the official visit, with its state-owned petroleum companies having invested more than $10 billion into Alberta's oilsands and B.C. shale gas deposits over the past few years. . . . Currently, Canada only exports oilsands crude to the United States, but the Obama administration's recent decision to reject, for now, the Keystone XL oilsands pipeline has Harper searching for new energy customers.”

Clearly, we can’t afford to delay approval of the Keystone XL pipeline any longer. Therefore, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, plans to introduce an amendment to a highway bill that would finally approve the Keystone XL pipeline and expand domestic energy production. As CQ puts it, the Hatch amendment “would allow energy leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and waters off California and in the Eastern Gulf” and “would immediately approve the Keystone XL pipeline.”

As North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said in the Weekly Republican address last month, “If the Keystone XL pipeline isn’t built, Canadian oil will still be produced and transported—700,000 barrels a day of it—but instead of coming to our refineries in the United States, instead of creating jobs for our people, instead of reducing our dependence on Middle Eastern oil and keeping down the cost of fuel for American consumers—that oil will be sent to China.”

It’s long past time for President Obama to approve this pipeline, the jobs it will create, and the energy security it will bring.

Tags: Washington, D.C., U.S. Senate, U.S. House, FAA Authorization, gar prices, Keystone XL, pipeline, Canada, China To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Dirty Harry Reid: GOP Wants " Arsenic And Mercury In The Water"

2012-02-07T10:13:00.002-06:00

Two Weeks After Calling For ‘Common Ground,’ The Majority Leader Claims Republicans Want To Put ‘Arsenic And Mercury In The Water’

Harry Reid - Chief Senate Arsenic and Mercury Provider

SEN. REID: Republicans Want To Put ‘Arsenic And Mercury In The Water’

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): “We'll give you a payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans if you will let us continue to put things like arsenic and mercury in the water of the American people. That's not a very good deal.” (Sen. Reid, Floor Remarks, 2/6/12)

FLASHBACK: ‘This Year Democrats And Republicans Must Seek Common Ground’

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): “When we work together, we achieve greater results for the American people. That is why this year Democrats and Republicans must seek common ground. We must also admit it when we find that common ground, and work on that common ground we have discovered. We should all be able to agree that Congress must do whatever it takes to help create jobs and strengthen our economy.” (Sen. Reid, Congressional Record, S.14, 1/23/12)

Tags: Democrat, Senator, Harry Reid, Arsenic, Mercury, Water To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America

2012-02-06T20:13:00.030-06:00

2011 Study of Mosques in U.S.A.

EncounterBooks: The real threat to the United States is not terrorism. The real threat is the sophisticated forces of Islamism, which have collaborated with the American Left not only to undermine U.S. national security but to shred the fabric of American constitutional democracy. In The Grand Jihad, bestselling author Andrew C. McCarthy provides a harrowing account of how the global Islamist movement's jihad involves far more than terrorist attacks, and how it has found the ideal partner in President Barack Obama, whose Islamist sympathies run deep.

McCarthy is the former federal prosecutor who convicted the notorious "Blind Sheikh" and other jihadists for waging a terrorist war that included the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. In his national bestseller, Willful Blindness: A Memoir of the Jihad (Encounter 2008), he explored government's conscious avoidance of the terrorist threat, which made the nation vulnerable to mass-murder attacks. In The Grand Jihad he exposes a more insidious peril: government's active concealment of the Islamist ideology that unabashedly vows to "conquer America." With the help of witting and unwitting accomplices in and out of government, Islamism doesn't merely fuel terrorism but spawns America-hating Islamic enclaves in our midst and gradually foists Islam's repressive law, sharia, on American life. The revolutionary doctrine has made common cause with an ascendant Left that also seeks radical transformation of our constitutional order. The prognosis for liberty could not be more dire. [Read The Book - Same Title]

Tags: Muslim Brotherhood, Grand Jihad, Andrew C. McCarthy, Islamist, Islam, Barack Obama, Terrorism, Sharia, Islamic law Jihad, Sobatage America, book, video To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

A Tale Of Two Arkansas Performance Reports on Public Education

2012-02-06T18:16:00.003-06:00

Summary: Two reports on student performance underscore the problem: the state Department of Education has failed to acknowledge there is a problem.

Arkansas Policy Foundation: (January 2012) A new student performance report by the Univ. of Arkansas-Fayetteville’s Office for Education Policy (OEP), following surveys from the state Department of Education (2011) and the Policy Foundation (2005-2008) underscore a problem: the department’s failure to admit there is a problem.

The OEP¹ report lists Arkansas public schools in the order of their Iowa Tests of Basic Skills results. The survey found 38 schools in Pulaski County, including 23 in the Little Rock School District² scored less than the 40^th percentile. The 50^th percentile is the U.S. average on the national test.

Education Department Report Highlights Problem
The OEP report is welcome news to those who support performance measures for Arkansas K-12 public education. Schools whose students consistently score low on national standardized tests clearly have a problem.

Yet only four³ of the 23 Little Rock Schools failed to meet or exceed standards in a 2011 report compiled for the department of Education by the National Office for Research, Measurement and Evaluation Systems at the Univ. of Arkansas-Fayetteville. The report found that 97% of Arkansas public schools, including the other 19 in Little Rock whose students scored less than the 40^th percentile are “meeting” or “exceeding” standards.

The problem is that the state Department of Education does not recognize there is a problem with Arkansas K-12 public education. Instead, the department attempts to advance the idea that virtually every public school, including those with low test scores are “meeting” or “exceeding” standards.

High Expectations
There is a better way than denial to address this problem: high expectations.

“For too long,” the Policy Foundation noted in a 1998 report⁴, “Arkansans have bought the myth that children's social, ethnic, economic, or cultural backgrounds have impaired their ability to effectively learn in our public schools. The excuses, especially among educators, are rampant: They point to minorities, blame single parent homes, and cite low socio-economic backgrounds. Some say rural children are disadvantaged, others comment on inner-city conditions and gangs. These are factors to be sure, but these same educators often overlook that public education has weakened its standards, dumbed down the curriculum, and socially promoted children.” One example: the state Department of Education’s reliance on Arkansas benchmark exams to the exclusion of national standardized tests like the ITBS.

Dr. Thaddeus Lott, a Texas charter school official told Foundation researchers, “It's a myth that if you're born in a poor community and your skin is a certain color that you can't achieve on a higher level.” The truth is that all children can learn when challenged by high expectations.

Markets Aren’t Fooled
Market participants, including businesses and entrepreneurs that make hiring decisions are not fooled by the department’s failure to acknowledge there is a problem. A skilled labor force is a factor of economic production. Enterprises that cannot find skilled workers in Arkansas will seek them in other markets.

Arkansas payroll employment was 1,177,700 (November 2011, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), a decline of 23,500 jobs since January 2007, despite a national economic expansion that has entered its third year (National Bureau of Economic Research.

1 - The OEP findings by Dr. Gary Ritter were published in The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Jan. 1, 2012).
2 - The Little Rock schools that scored less than the U.S. average and their percentile ranks are (elementary) Meadowcliff and Mabelvale (38); David O Dodd and Franklin Incentive (37); Stephens (36); Baseline and Wilson (34); Bale (33), Washington Magnet (32); Romine Interdistrict (31); Wakefield (30); Geyer Springs (29); and Watson (27); (middle) Forest Heights (35); Mabelvale (32); Henderson (30); Cloverdale Aerospace (26); (high schools) Hall (27); McClellan (26); J.A. Fair (24); and (non-traditional schools) Hamilton Learning Academy (18) and Felder Alternative Academy (9).
3 - The four Little Rock schools were Wilson, J.A. Fair, Hamilton, and Felder.
4 - “Restoring Public Education’s Academic Mission,” Arkansas Policy Foundation, September 1998.

Tags: Arkansas Policy Foundation, Arkansas, Education, public schools, Education Department, University of Arkansas, survey, two tales, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Two Different Visions for America

2012-02-06T15:19:00.008-06:00

American's For Prosperity: Two different visions for America. President Reagan launched his effort to return America to greatness with simple but profound words during his first inaugural speech, "In the present times Government is not the solution to our problems. Government is the problem."

From there he put words into action passing historic tax cuts, cutting back on onerous government regulations and the results of the President's free market policies: Growth, Prosperity, and Hope.

Happy Birthday President Reagan - we miss you!

Tags: two visions, America, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, Reagan's 100 Birthday, video To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Gas Prices Projected To Soar - Oil Pipeline Still Major Focus in Congress

2012-02-06T14:39:00.031-06:00

Here we go again: The Image and quotes from April 12, 2011: "The Obama Administration's Energy Policies Not Only Offer No Relief But Stand In The Way Of Recovery!" Rush Limbaugh said: (Comments summarized) "Obama wants increased gas prices. There is no green energy solution. It is a fraud. He want to remove oil subsides from oil companies and to give them to GE to promote green energy. The oil companies pay taxes and GE doesn't."

Today in Washington, D.C. - Feb. 6, 2011:
The House will consider the following bills
HR 306 — North Carolina wild horses
HR 1162 — Quileute Tribe tsunami and flood protection
HR 2606 — Natural gas pipeline construction/use (NYC)
HR 1734 — Sell/consolidate federal civilian properties
HR 3521 — Line-item veto
HR 3581 — Budget transparency and accounting
S 2038 — Congressional insider trading
Tentatively: Motions to Instruct Conferees on HR 3630 — Payroll tax cut

The Senate today will consideration of H.R. 658, the conference report for the FAA Reauthorization bill. The conference report passed the House on Friday. They are expected to vote today. Sixty votes are required for passage.

USA Today reports, “Get ready for another round of pain at the pump: $4 (or higher) gasoline. . . . Prices could spike another 60 cents or more by May. ‘I think it’s going to be a chaotic spring, with huge price increases in some places,’ says Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service. . . . Energy analyst Patrick DeHaan of price tracker Gasbuddy.com expects prices to rise to about $3.55 a gallon by the end of February and peak around $4 by Memorial Day weekend. ‘You could see prices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Washington and other major metropolitan areas at $4.60 or higher,’ DeHaan says.”

Yet despite this and President Obama’s self-professed “all-of-the-above” approach to energy, he blocked the Keystone XL pipeline from going forward last month. Even though Keystone XL would allow more oil supplies to come from our friends in Canada and create tens of thousands of jobs in the United States, the president rejected the permit.

In 2009, when President Obama’s State Department approved a different pipeline to bring some oil from Canada, the department issued a press release saying, “Approval of the permit sends a positive economic signal, in a difficult economic period, about the future reliability and availability of a portion of United States’ energy imports, and in the immediate term, this shovel-ready project will provide construction jobs for workers in the United States.” As National Journal wrote last week, “These are the same arguments that proponents of the Keystone XL pipeline, led by congressional Republicans, cite as reason to approve that project without delay.”

No wonder some Democrat senators who support Keystone XL are confused. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) said to National Journal, “The same administration approved that one? … Then why aren’t they approving this one? I don’t know.”

Hopefully those in the president’s own party who say they disagree with him will be open to working with Republicans to create jobs and enhance energy security. According to Roll Call today, “With little guidance from Democratic leaders, Sen. Max Baucus (Mont.) is trying on his own to come up with bipartisan agreements on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline . . . . Baucus, the top Democrat on the conference committee to reconcile House and Senate payroll tax cut bills, has been in talks with Republicans on the possibility of including a pipeline provision in the conference report . . . . Baucus — long a proponent for the Keystone XL pipeline — also has been engaged in ongoing talks with GOP Sens. John Hoeven (N.D.), Dick Lugar (Ind.) and David Vitter (La.), the three chief co-sponsors of a new Keystone bill that would authorize the project, which President Barack Obama rejected last month. . . . The Montana Democrat was heavily involved in the first version of the pipeline measure that ended up in the two-month extension passed in December.”

After the president rejected the Keystone XL permit, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell expressed his frustration, saying, “[T]he President had an opportunity to do something on his own about the ongoing jobs crisis. The only thing that stood in the way of the single-biggest shovel-ready infrastructure project in America was him. The Keystone pipeline was just the kind of project he’s been calling for in speeches for months. And he said no. That one could wait. Here was a project that he knew would create thousands of jobs instantly. He said no. A project that wouldn’t have cost the taxpayers a dime. He said no. That would have brought more energy from our ally Canada and less from the Middle East. He said no.”

Will Senate Democrats who say they support the pipeline work with Republicans to find a way to finally get the project moving so Americans can find jobs and have a more stable energy supply?

Tags: Washington, D.C. US House, US Senate, soaring gas prices, oil, pipeline, conference report, FAA Reauthorization bill To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Not So Fast: Santelli Deconstructs Jobs Numbers

2012-02-06T13:47:00.001-06:00

In the real world, it is not a fictional Superman but the American people who are fighting for "Truth, Justice and the American Way!" ~ Dr. Bill Smith

Rick Santelli from the floor of the Chicago Exchange addresses the truth behind the job numbers. It has been two years this month since Santelli lit the fire with his rant that helped precipitate the TEA Party. Truth does that! Enough truth and action and justice eventually follows.

Tags: Rick Santelli, job numbers, video, truth, justice, American way To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

The Three Most Important Action Items For The Next President

2012-02-05T19:28:00.017-06:00

By Ken Blackwell, Contributing Author: The first thing the next President must do is return America to sustainable economic prosperity. This begins with four actions: two to balance revenue with spending and two to unleash America’s potential. He should initiate a national campaign for a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution, capping federal spending at 18% of GDP.

Second, he should call for fundamental tax reform via a flat tax with generous exemptions for adults and children in the home and only two to three deductions.

Third, on his first day, he should sign dozens of Executive Orders repealing unhelpful regulations imposed during the past four years, from carbon emissions to health care to finance.

And fourth, he should launch a policy for national energy independence, beginning on his first day by approving the Keystone pipeline and opening certain federal lands to responsible oil and gas development and proposing legislation for an “all of the above” approach, with clean coal, oil, gas, nuclear and renewable energy.

The second thing the President must do is tackle the greatest short-term threat to national security by addressing the Middle East. He must begin a comprehensive review of the multilayered, interrelated issues that make the Middle East a Gordian knot. The three essential elements of any strategy must be:

1) that a nuclear-armed Iran will not be allowed under any circumstances;

2) that America resolutely stands by and for a fully defensible Israel;

3) the development of a proactive and coherent policy regarding the Arab Spring.

The third thing the President must do is nominate the right people to the federal judiciary, especially the Supreme Court. On his first day, he must start vetting candidates for every current vacancy on the 13 federal appellate courts and immediately begin developing a short list of potential nominees to the Supreme Court. The President must make unmistakably clear that seeing these nominees confirmed is a nonnegotiable priority and that the growing obstructionism of the past quarter-century — and especially the past decade — must end.

The courts concern all areas of national policy, beyond being of paramount importance for the social issues of abortion, marriage, religious liberty and gun rights. The courts play an increasingly central role in economic and security issues. He must declare originalism to be the official approach to interpreting the Constitution in accordance with the original meaning of its text and nominate judges who will faithful apply originalism on the bench.
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J. Ken Blackwell is a conservative family values advocate. Blackwell is a senior fellow at the Family Research Council. He is the co-author of the new bestseller: The Blueprint: Obama’s Plan to Subvert the Constitution and Build an Imperial Presidency. He is a National Federation of Republican Assemblies board member and a contributing author to the ARRA News Service. Blackwell's article was also published on Time Ideas

Tags: Ken Blackwell, important action items, next President, economic prosperity, fundamental tax reform, flat tax, repeal regulations, national energy policy, energy independence, treat to national security, federal judges, originalism, US Constitution, conservative, elections, politics To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obama expands foreign worker visas despite Jennifer's plea

2012-02-05T18:24:00.001-06:00

Chris Chmielenski, NumbersUSA: There's been much talk about Jennifer Wedel's question to Pres. Obama during an online Town Hall event earlier this week. But unfortunately, most of the focus has been on Jennifer's particular situation rather than the President's call for more foreign workers while 22 million Americans can't find a full-time job.

Yes, the President offered to disseminate Jennifer's husband's resume (he's an unemployed engineer), but at the same time, he's turning his back on the rest of unemployed Americans by continuing to import 125,000 new foreign workers each month.

And to make matters worse, a day after the President's Town Hall, his Administration announced a plan to issue more work visas without Congressional approval.

In two weeks (Feb. 20-24), the House will break for a district work week. While Members are back in their home districts and states, all 535 Members of the House and Senate should be confronted the same way Jennifer Wedel confronted Pres. Obama. If you have a relative, friend, or neighbor who has lost a job during the jobs recession, please tell your story to your Members of Congress and ask them why the government continues to bring in foreign workers with high unemployment.

Tags: NumbersUSA, Jennifer,foreign workers, visa, Barack Obama, video To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obama’s Abuse of FEMA Declarations

2012-02-05T16:13:00.001-06:00

Rob Bluey: President Obama has used his executive power in many ways to expand the role of government. But there’s one area that stands out: Obama’s frequent and repeated use of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to issue emergency and disaster declarations.

Heritage’s Matt Mayer reports that Obama “eviscerated the record books by issuing 243 declarations in 2011,” continuing an alarming pattern that begin under President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush. Mayer says FEMA has become a “political pork-barrel spending agency.”

The trend is illustrated in this week’s chart, which portrays the use of major disaster declarations, emergency declarations, and fire management assistance declarations. The data dates back to the Eisenhower administration in 1953.
Obama is averaging 153 declarations per year. Bush comes in second with an eight-year average of 129.6.

Mayer says it’s time to end the federalization of disasters. He wants Congress to clarify which disasters meet federal requirements, reduce the cost-sharing provision for all FEMA declarations, and overhaul existing FEMA processes and procedures.

Tags: Bill Clinton, Chart of the Week, disaster declarations, disasters, emergency declarations, executive power, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA Declarations, George W. Bush, President Obama To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Romney Wins Nevada Republican Caucus

2012-02-04T21:15:00.042-06:00

Pix by Bill Smith: Romney Wins Nevada

This article has been updated as new results were reported and candidates took to the podium.:
Mitt Romney took the stage and directly focused on President Barack Obama and the needs for America in a positive way. He said, "Mr. president, America has had enough of your kind of help." Said, the President should be "apologizing to the American people." Winning the 2012 election is "more than defeating this president. It is about saving the soul of America. And restoring the founding principles that made America great."

Newt Gingrich said he "Will go to Tampa." For 22 minutes, Newt Gingrich was negative and even called Romney a liar. He focused on Romney not Obama. Gingrich in his early comments tried to again link Romney to George Soros based on comments by Soros about Romney and not based on any actual relationship. Gingrich then blamed the republican establishment for closing ranks and not supporting him. In answer to a question, Gingrich said that he doesn't believe he can win by being positive - he said he has to go negative because of Romney. He also said everything is based on the amount spent. He also said Romney also won because of the Mormon vote. Interesting since only 10% of the voters in Nevada are Mormon. What happened to Reagan's eleventh commandment?
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Mitt Romney was declared the winner of the Nevada Republican caucuses. The victory was declared early by the press based on polling and early returns showing Romney with significant leads. As of 9:15 pm CST, Romney 42%, Gingrich 25% Raul 20% and Santorum 13%. Nevada will award its 28 delegates in proportion to the caucus vote totals. Any candidate with at least 3.57% of the total number of ballots cast would receive delegates. As of 9:15 am CST with 71% reporting: Romney 48%, Gingrich 23% Raul 19% and Santorum 11%.

What is next! Feb 7: Minnesota and Colorado and a non-binding primary in Missouri (Missouri later has a binding caucuses).
Feb 11: Maine caucuses end.
Feb 28: Michigan and Arizona primary.

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

Fewer Americans Working Today (Than A Decade Ago)

2012-02-04T19:17:00.001-06:00

Fewer total Americans work today than they did in 2001 and in 2009:

America’s overall labor force rate continues to fall, down to 63.7 percent in January, 2012:

Explaining Obama’s Fake Job Numbers - Conservative Byte shared Rush Limbaugh explanation on the job numbers:

Don’t ask me about seasonal adjustment. I’ve been trying to figure this out all morning, and I can’t. But the raw numbers, 130 million jobs in December, 128 million jobs in January, give or take a couple hundred thousand either side. But when the seasonal adjustments take place, there is a gain of 200, whatever they’re reporting, 33,000 jobs. Now, what’s happening is the labor force is shrinking. There are fewer jobs. Even the Drive-Bys, so excited, they can’t wait to report the good news, but even they are reporting that the labor force participation rate, number of jobs out there, is continuing to dwindle, and most of the jobs being created are low wage.

But none of that’s gonna matter. None of it’s gonna matter. I don’t want to be an “I told you so,” but way back last year, even recently toward the end of last year, this being an election year, I predicted. But you knew. You knew what was gonna happen when this year started. You knew that the statistics are that no president has ever been reelected when the unemployment rate’s over 8%. So guess what it’s gonna be by the time we get to Election Day? It’s just that simple.

I’m trying to get to the bottom of this, this seasonal adjustment business. Stick with me on this, folks. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics: “What is seasonal adjustment? Seasonal adjustment is a statistical technique that attempts to measure and remove the influences of predictable seasonal patterns to reveal how employment and unemployment change from month to month. Over the course of a year, the size of the labor force, the levels of employment and unemployment, and other measures of labor market activity undergo fluctuations due to seasonal events including changes in weather, harvests, major holidays, and school schedules. Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each year, their influence on statistical trends can be eliminated by seasonally adjusting the statistics from month to month.”

So seasonal adjustment includes adjustment for the size of the labor force. I didn’t know that. Seasonal adjustment is not just what the guess is about the number of jobs from month to month. It also includes adjustment for the size of the labor force. And that’s how they’re able to play games with the labor force participation rate. So that might account for a big chunk of the difference here. One-point-two million — and this is their number — from December to January, 1.2 million people left the workforce, just left it. That’s the labor force participation rate, and they left. That’s half the number, or half the difference right there. If you take the number 132.9 jobs in December, 130.4 million in January, that’s 2.5 million fewer jobs, 1.2 million, about half of that that they just threw out in a seasonal adjustment of people that left the workforce.

I don’t know how they get the 1.2 million. They say it’s statistical. But what they did is reduce the overall number of jobs possible by 1.2 million. So fewer jobs is gonna bring down the unemployment rate because… If the labor force were what it is, or what it was when Obama was inaugurated 2009, the unemployment rate would be close to 10%. It’s only 8.3 because they have used seasonal adjustment to just say that last month, 1.2 million people gone from the workforce. No jobs anymore.

So the Bureau of Labor Statistics looks at the loss of 2.5 million jobs, and they say, “Well, we think 1.2 million have just decided to give up looking for work so we won’t count half of them, just to make things more accurate.” And even with that major cheat, that still leaves more than a million-and-a-half lost jobs unaccounted for. Fewer people looking for jobs brings down the jobless rate. In this case, not more people finding jobs brings down the jobless rate. Fewer people looking for jobs is what’s bringing the unemployment rate down. There isn’t job creation going on. Not to the tune the regime wants you to believe it. It just isn’t happening.

Tags: American jobs, unemployment, job numbers, BLS, charts, opinion, Rush Limbaugh To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Taxes in Jesus Name

2012-02-04T14:40:00.001-06:00

by A.F. "Tony" Branco:

Tags: Barack Obama, taxing Christians, Christian Church Catholics, Tony Branco, political cartoon To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Gallup: More States Move to GOP in 2011

2012-02-04T14:14:00.002-06:00

by Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup Politcs: Democrats have lost their solid political party affiliation advantage in 18 states since 2008, while Republicans have gained a solid advantage in 6 states. A total of 17 states were either solidly Republican or leaning Republican in their residents' party affiliation in 2011, up from 10 in 2010 and 5 in 2008. Meanwhile, 19 states including the District of Columbia showed a solid or leaning Democratic orientation, down from 23 in 2010 and 36 in 2008. The remaining 15 states were relatively balanced politically, with neither party having a clear advantage. . . . [Read More]

Tags: Gallup, States, GOP, Leaning Republican, leaning democrat To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Army Gives General the Boot

2012-02-03T18:58:00.031-06:00

Tony Perkins, Family Research Council (FRC): Lieutenant General William Boykin has stared cowards in the face before, and he won't hesitate to do so now. Not even when the same Army he served is trying to take away the freedom he fought to protect. Boykin, an outspoken Christian and Delta Force hero, had been looking forward to speaking at the West Point Prayer Breakfast since the Academy invited him. In the days leading up to the event, the General Boykin settled on a topic: the importance of leaders seeking God. But it was a speech he never got to deliver. The Academy withdrew the invitation when a handful of atheist and Muslim cadets complained about Boykin's beliefs. The message to this elite, three-star warrior was obvious: you and your faith aren't welcome.

In an op-ed defending Boykin, FRC's Ken Blackwell and Ken Klukowski explain that "As a private citizen retired from the Army, General Boykin has cast America 's war against radical Islamic terrorists as fighting Satan... Evidently it's not politically correct to suggest that blowing up children is the devil's work." And while the Academy was desperate to distance itself from Boykin's faith, it hasn't budged from comments made by his Muslim detractors. The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) not only called Boykin an "Islamaphobe" but compared his views to the KKK's. "It was an ecumenical presentation," Boykin said about his speech. "It had nothing to do with Islam." But even he sees the writing on the wall. "People of fa ith and conservative Americans are losing our voice to a very well-organized and very well-funded group of passionate people--those being the atheists and Muslims. They want to change the nature of our culture--and they're succeeding."

Unfortunately, this is part of the long shadow cast on religious freedom by the Obama administration. In three years, the White House has created an environment where hostility toward orthodox Christianity is not only tolerated, but encouraged. Franklin Graham was a target. So was I. We were all disinvited from military events for the same reason: because we live and embrace our faith. By censoring these leaders, the military is depriving young soldiers of the wisdom of a highly decorated veteran. General Boykin could have helped these cadets as they wrestle with how to integrate their beliefs with military service. Instead, the Academy is suggesting to these young soldiers that living out their faith proudly is a barrier to advancement.

Is that what our country wants--a nation of one-dimensional warriors with no moral compass? Of course not. That's why this march to obliterate faith is as dangerous as it is offensive. General Boykin survived being shot by a .50-caliber gun, and he will survive this. What concerns him, and what should concern all of us, is not whether Christianity will endure -- but whether our freedom to practice it will. Without it, what would these cadets be fighting for?
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J. Ken Blackwell and Kenneth Klukowski are also contributing authors to the ARRA News Service. Recommend reading their complete Huffington Post Op-Ed: Delta Force Hero Can't Speak at West Point Because of His Christian Beliefs.

Tags: Lieutenant General William Boykin, West Point,cadets, prayer breakfast, U.S. Army, Christian, prayer, freedom of religion, Tony Perkins, Family Research Council, FRC, op-ed, Ken Blackwell, Ken Klukowski To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

The Real Unemployed Rate

2012-02-03T16:29:00.000-06:00

Real unemployed rate rises to 11.01 percent,
underemployed to 17.6 percent

Obama is potentially thinking:
"Bill, Why do you always rain on my parade?"

Fairfax, VA — Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today issued the following statement on the continued decline of the civilian labor force participation rate that dramatically alters the unemployment outlook by the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

"Once again, the civilian labor force participation rate has declined, from 64 percent to 63.7 percent in a single month. Since January 2009, it has declined from 65.7 percent, resulting in approximately 4.7 million people no longer being counted towards the unemployment rate. If they were included, the real rate of unemployed working age adults would be 11.01 percent, and the underemployed would be 17.6 percent.

"Overall, that includes the 12.7 million people that BLS says are actually unemployed, and then 4.7 million who have given up looking for work, plus another 10.5 million who can't find full-time work. All together, there's 28 million working age adults who simply cannot find work in the Obama economy.

"It is hard to separate the continued obfuscation of this harsh reality by the government from the fact that we are now in an election year."

Attachment: "Obama's Lost Labor Force" by ALG President Bill Wilson, Jan. 6, 2012.

Tags: Unemployment, unemployment rate, reality, Obama administration, Bill Wilson, Americans For Limited Government To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Arkansas Congressman Launches Online ‘Keystone XL Pipeline Jobs’ Survey

2012-02-03T15:06:00.033-06:00

Asks how the President’s decision has impacted Arkansans

Congressman Tim Griffin (AR-02) issued the following statement asking Arkansans to share their views on President Obama’s decision to kill thousands of Keystone XL pipeline jobs:

"The President says he wants to get Americans back to work, but it’s hard to take him seriously when he recently killed thousands of new Keystone XL pipeline jobs. Little Rock’s own Welspun Tubular has already laid off 60 employees because of the President’s delays, but even more paychecks are in jeopardy That’s why I’ve launched a page on my website – http://Griffin.House.gov – where people can tell me how the President’s decision is impacting them."

Tags: Representative, Tim Griffin, XL Pipeline, survey To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obama Admin Approved Canadian Oil Pipeline In 2009; Sen. Landrieu (D-LA): "Why Aren’t They Approving This [Keystone]?"

2012-02-03T13:45:00.012-06:00

This morning the House approved (248-168) H.R. 658,the Conference Report on the FAA Reauthorization bill. The House also passed (235-177) H.R. 3578, the Baseline Reform Act. This is one of the bills Republicans wish passed to fix the broken budget process. The bill would end the practice of setting budget baselines for discretionary spending that are equal to the prior year's budget plus inflation. The Hill already has comments and positions on this bill. Unfortunately, this bill like all previous Republican backed spending control bills will have a tough time being either voted on or considered by the US Senate controlled by big spending Democrats.

The Senate is not in session today and will reconvene at 2 PM on Monday to consider the conference report on the FAA Reauthorization bill, H.R. 658. Yesterday, the Senate voted 96-3 to pass S. 2083, the STOCK Act, which would prohibit Members of Congress from using nonpublic insider information for trading or personal gain.

Prior to passage, the Senate voted on several amendments to the bill. By a vote of 48-51, the Senate rejected an amendment from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) that would have prevented future Solyndra situations where executive branch appointees have positions giving them oversight, rule-making or loan-making abilities over industries where they have a financial interest. However, the Senate adopted an amendment from Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) by a vote of 58-41 that extends stock disclosure requirements to the executive branch.

National Journal reports today, “Despite environmental opposition, the Obama administration has approved a controversial oil-sands pipeline. No, not the Keystone XL pipeline that Washington has been fighting over for months. More than two years ago, on Aug. 20, 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton approved a 1,000-mile pipeline that has the capacity to send 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Canada’s oil sands to Wisconsin. That pipeline is owned by the Canadian company Enbridge and began operating in October 2010. Sound familiar? The Keystone XL pipeline, as proposed by another Canadian company, TransCanada, would send up to 700,000 barrels of oil a day 1,700 miles from Hardisty, Alberta — the same town where the Enbridge pipeline known as the Alberta Clipper originates — to U.S. refineries on the Gulf Coast.” Makes one wonder where the voice of the liberal environmentalist were hiding when the decision was made. Obviously, the administration had to placate its democrat's union base in Wisconsin. Change was already in the wind and Wisconsin still moved to the right in 2010.

After National Journal looked into the Clipper pipeline that was approved in 2009, they asked several senators about it. Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) said, “It speaks to the fact that the Keystone XL debate has been infused with presidential politics, partisan politics, and has not had enough to do with the discussion of how do we truly become energy self-reliant.” He added, “I think there is a legitimate argument that it’s in the national interest to build the pipeline.” Well, Mr. Democrat Senator, the partisan politics was really all on your political side of the table. Does Udall truly speaks for Colorado? Or, is he is just a liberal progressive mouth piece for Big Government like the ones depicted in the movie "Atlas Shrugged-Part One"? Not to ruin the movie, but the people of Colorado get "sc----" by the federal Government.

National Journal writes, “‘The same administration approved that one?’ said Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who also didn’t know that the Obama administration had backed the Enbridge project. ‘Then why aren’t they approving this one? I don’t know.’” Looks like another Senate Democrat who is being easily ignored (run over) by her fellow democrats. Could the reason be that she now represents a State which has become Republican.

According to the NJ story, “Lobbyists and other experts following the Keystone debate argue, however, that most of the environmental opposition to Keystone is not really about Nebraska; in fact, numerous pipelines already cross all parts of the state, including environmentally sensitive areas. Environmentalists are primarily concerned about the effect that producing oil from the carbon-rich tar sands could have on climate change and how the pipeline project fits with America’s commitment to clean energy. . . . [P]roponents of Keystone say that politics has turned what is normally a routine approval process on its head. ‘A lot of folks in the industry have been amused by the fact that the Clipper project went through without much fanfare but that Keystone XL has generated an “all hands on deck from liberal Hollywood” moment,’ said Stephen Brown, a top lobbyist for the refiner Tesoro. ‘I think the disconnect just underscores how the Keystone pipeline has been hijacked by the politics of the time rather than decided on the merits of the project itself.’”

Interestingly, National Journal points out, “The State Department said at the time that the Clipper pipeline would increase ‘the diversity of available supplies among the United States’ worldwide crude-oil sources in a time of considerable political tension in other major oil-producing countries and regions.’ On the economic benefits, the State Department said that approval of the pipeline would send ‘a positive economic signal, in a difficult economic period, about the future reliability and availability of a portion of United States’ energy imports, and in the immediate term, this shovel-ready project will provide construction jobs for workers in the United States.’ These are the same arguments that proponents of the Keystone XL pipeline, led by congressional Republicans, cite as reason to approve that project without delay.”

The Keystone XL pipeline is supported by job creators, labor unions, Democrats, and editorial pages across the country, and yet President Obama rejected it. USA Today called it “is the most craven sort of election-year politics” and declared, “The biggest loser in this game of political football is the national interest.”

As Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said the day Obama rejected the pipeline, “His decision to block the development of the Keystone XL pipeline, thousands of jobs, and increased energy security is stunning. His decision shows a fundamental disconnect with job creation in this country, and sadly, that his focus is on appealing to his liberal environmental base rather than taking steps that can lead to thousands of jobs and energy security for our nation.”

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From the Man Who Brought You Cash For Clunkers

2012-02-02T20:50:00.001-06:00

... We Now Have Clunkers For Cash

A.F. Branco:

Tags: A.F. Branco, political cartoon, cash for clunkers, clunkers for Cash, Barack Obama, Volt To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!