Liberty: All The Stimulus We Need!

Across the nation today citizens gathered by the thousands to protest the massive Obama stimulus mess.

The Democrat Addiction to Spending

We're at the end of the sixth week of session and we've yet to send one meaningful state spending-reduction bill to the governor's desk. We've been relegated to taking small steps by passing "budgetary-reduction" bills that have more language than substance and reaffirm state-hiring and travel freezes that amount to a gentle lean in the right direction rather than a good solid step.

The strategy employed by budget writers appears to be to wait until Obama Claus comes through with federal tax dollars to fill part of the budget hole. Then, scream bloody murder and capitulate to special interests at taxpayer expense.

Republican legislators have been told the solution to our state's budget dilemma will be a bipartisan one, although the house of cards which formed the structure of our budget deficit was not.

Fueled by an apparent addiction to spending, the Democrat majority in the Legislature increased the size of the state's operating budget by 33 percent in just four years. Republican legislators, who, for the most part, have been locked out of the budget-writing process during this time, warned of excessive spending on new entitlement programs.

"We can't continue to spend more than we're taking in!" we'd say, at every opportunity. And yet, each quarterly revenue forecast would show a strong economy bolstered by historic gains in the construction and housing industries.

In essence, the Legislature spent more money than was coming in, but rolled the dice anyway and was continually bailed out by a strong housing market. Now that we've rolled "snake eyes," it's time to pay the house.
The Legislature's inability to say "no" over a four-year period turned a $1.6 billion surplus into one of the largest deficits in state history. It will be the Legislature's inability to say "no" again that will lead to the biggest gamble yet: a significant tax increase sent to the voters in November.

My hope is that the people of this state show more backbone than the Legislature and reject any tax increase put before them. We don't need another bailout at taxpayer expense.

Rep. Gary Alexander

You Will Pay More

Today, the White House unveiled its $3.55 trillion budget for the next year. In it, they propose, in the middle of a housing crisis, to limit the mortgage deductions of any family making $250,000 or more a year. They also want to decrease what those families can deduct for charitable donations. Of course the president says only the “wealthy” will pay more, but don’t believe it. You will pay more!

As we reported Tuesday, the administration’s $300 billion carbon cap-and-trade tax scheme will massively increase your utility bills and raise the prices of just about everything else. That’s not just a tax on the wealthy. It will hit every sector of the economy and all goods and services that utilize electricity. And President Obama’s $634 billion socialized health care scheme will require more of your money – there are no “free lunches.”

Anyone tempted to fall for the class warfare rhetoric of making the rich or the top 2% “pay their fair share,” consider this: According to the IRS’s 2006 data, the top 7% of income earners, those making $200,000 or more, paid $522 billion in income taxes – that is 62% of all the federal individual income tax receipts! The Wall Street Journal goes further with this analysis: “A tax policy that confiscated 100% of the taxable income of everyone in America earning over $500,000 in 2006 would only have given Congress an extra $1.3 trillion in revenue. That’s less than half the 2006 federal budget of $2.7 trillion and looks tiny compared to the more than $4 trillion Congress will spend in fiscal 2010.” And, of course, this year with a recession and falling financial markets, there will be many fewer taxpayers making $500,000.

What do you think will happen when the bureaucrats and the liberals in Congress realize that taxing the top 2% still won’t cover the tab? The Journal continues: “Even taking every taxable ‘dime’ of everyone earning more than $75,000 in 2006 would have barely yielded enough to cover that $4 trillion.” The truth is that there just isn’t enough money out there to satisfy the growing appetite of Big Government. And just like Bill Clinton’s promise to “make the rich pay their fair share” ended up hitting the middle class, YOU will pay more!

Gary Bauer

D.C. is NOT a State

Congress is back in session ready to wreak more havoc. First up on this week's Senate agenda is a piece of legislation which may be more accurately described as an unconstitutional power-grab.

Sponsored by Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT), the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009 (S. 160), would establish full House of Representatives voting rights for the District of Columbia. However, there is one small problem: D.C. is NOT a congressional district or a state!

Article I, Section 8, clause 17 of the U.S. Constitution makes it clear that D.C. is a federal city, not a state, with final governing authority resting with Congress. The U.S. Constitution states that the House shall be composed of "Members chosen...by the People of the several States," not delegates representing non-state territories.

This is simply the first step for achieving their ultimate goal which is to establish two permanent Democrat Senate seats for the District. If the initial inclination is for D.C. to be "considered a Congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives," then the idea for D.C. to be "considered a state for the purposes of representation in the U.S. Senate," will not be far down the road.

The Senate is scheduled to vote to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to debate of S. 160 today! Please call and email your Senators and tell them to vote NO on this openly unconstitutional bill!

Senator Maria Cantwell - (202) 224-3441

Senator Patty Murray - (202) 224-2621

Dirty Little Secret

House Democratic leaders now say they'll likely propose sending voters a tax package this year to help deal with a staggering shortfall in the state budget.

Republican leaders have warned since the legislative session began that there would be a Democrat proposal to create a new tax, increase an existing tax or eliminate certain tax breaks were all possible considering their current control of the entire legislative process in Olympia.

Despite the Governor's election promise not to raise taxes and the Democrat plan to use federal stimulus tax monies to cover their debts this is the first indication they are opting to develop a tax increase measure for the ballot.

"We're starting to get the impression that even with the federal stimulus, the budget shortfall will be much greater than what the governor was facing when she wrote her budget," Democrat Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown stated Wednesday adding she expects to bring ballot-measure ideas to her caucus for consideration.

Republicans contends the state would not be in such deep trouble if Democrats had not increased state spending by more than 30 percent in the past four years and citing their current mess as obviously self-inflicted.

But dirty little secrets can only be hidden so long, and right now they are coming out everywhere in Olympia. Stay tuned.

Keep The Change!

The President was greeted by nearly 600 pork protestors as he arrived in Denver yesterday.

You Cannot Multiply Wealth By Dividing It.

You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that, my dear friend, is about the end of any nation.

You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

~ Dr. Adrian Rogers

Protesting Pork

A big crowd of taxpayers gathered in Seattle this afternoon to raise their voices in opposition to the trillion-dollar, pork-filled Generational Theft Act of 2009 — which will be signed into law by the blind President “There are no no earmarks” Obama. ~ Michelle Malkin

“Make no mistake, the President will be signing that bill tomorrow, I have no illusions that he will actually listen to us.

BUT, maybe, just maybe we can start a movement that will snowball across the nation and get people out of their homes, meeting each other and working together to redirect this country towards its truly radical founding principles of individual liberty and freedom.

Maybe people will wake up slowly at first, and then quickly when they realize the urgency needed.” ~ Liberty Bell, protest organizer

Let Them Eat Pork!

Democrats Break Their Word to Pass Stimulus Bill

Let's shine a little light on exactly how liberals' break their word to conduct their dirty business.

On the evening of February 10th, 2009, the House unanimously passed legislation which would require a 48-hour period wherein the legislation would be posted on the Internet before any votes.

However, Democrat leaders Pelosi and Reid then kept the text of the bill concealed, even from lawmakers, until less than 24 hours before the scheduled vote today. Lobbyist, however were given access.

The final conference bill doubled the size of the Senate-passed bill and amounted to a whopping 1,071 pages...and it was deliberately kept from the people so the Democrats could conduct their treachery with as little public scrutiny as possible.

I guess it's all in how you define "hope" and "change" Apparently Democrats "hope" you weren't watching while they "changed" the rules to pass their bill.

Not One

They passsed this bill...and not one of them even read it!

The House on passed the final version of a $787 billion economic stimulus plan aimed at jolting the slumping U.S. economy, setting up a vote in the Senate expected later in the day.

The measure was passed 246-183, with no Republican "yes" votes and one member voting present.

House Republicans remained united in their opposition to the package.

Demand Sanity And Appropriate Action!

Despite empty words of transparency, and in a blatant attempt to hide the content of their dirty work the House will vote today on the national disaster which is their stimulus bill.

But it's not over till it's over!

Watch this video clip and you decide if voting on this insane stimulus bill makes any sense...and then CALL.

And Don't Stop - call again, and again and again...

1st District: Jay Inslee - (202) 225–6311
2nd District: Rick Larsen - (202) 225-2605
3rd District: Brian Baird - (202) 225-3536
4th District: Doc Hastings - (202) 225-5816
5th District: Cathy McMorris Rodgers - (202) 225-2006
6th District: Norm Dicks - (202) 225-5916
7th District: Jim McDermott - (202) 225-3106
8th District: Dave Reichert - (202) 225-7761
9th District: Adam Smith - (202) 225-8901

Happy Birthday Abraham Lincoln

"Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him who has never forsaken this favored land, are still competent to adjust…all our present difficulties" - Abraham Lincoln

Today It's All About Marriage

Today is an important day to call Olympia. HB 1727, Expanded Domestic Partner Rights, is going to be moved out of committee. An Executive Session of the committee is now scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 12 at 10:00 a.m. which means it will not open to the public.

Please understand this bill will elevate "domestic partners" to the legal level of marriage.

Here's what we need to do:

Make two phone calls.

First call:
Jamie Pederson (D), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. 360-786-7826
Representative Pederson is openly gay and very committed to getting this bill passed.

Please be very respectful.

In your own words convey this message:

"I am calling to tell Rep. Pederson that I strongly oppose House Bill 1727"

Second call:

Richard DeBolt (R), Majority Leader House of Representatives.

360-786-7896

In your own words convey this message:

"I am calling Rep. DeBolt to say that I strongly oppose House Bill 1727."

These calls are time sensitive and must be made today by multiple citizens.

Specters Liberal Masquerade - Done With It!

While Arlen Specter claims to be a Republican, he has only voted with the Republican Party about 44% of the time since the early 1990s.

Just imagine if a college basketball player or even a high school quarterback did that: if they passed the ball to members of their team 44% of the time, and 56% to the other team. How long would it be before they were booted out of the arena?

Spector's a liberal masquerading as a Republican who should be invited to cross the aisle and become formally what he’s been informally for decades: a Democrat.

by A.W.R.Hawkins

Deal Made...With Who??

Specter, Snowe and Collins have obviously made deals with someone and at what price? How many folks who voted for these people really think that they are looking out for their best interest?

Today I heard Specter say that he "gave his word" to vote for the stimulus bill and "he always keeps his word". To whom?

What about the Republican voters who put him in office?

I'd have more respect for them if they actually changed parties (to Democrat, Independent, Socialist), at least then they would be true to their their liberal agendas.

I hope the fine people of Maine and Pennsylvania will organize a serious effort to unseat these bogus senators in the next election.

As for the other Republicans who voted against the stimulus bill, I commend you, but you really need to put the pressure on these three people who need a lesson on the basics of Republican philosophy!

By Joan Kussmaul

Hundreds Rally In Olympia To Support Marraige

Legislation aimed at redefining marriage to include same-sex partners was heard in committees in both the House and Senate yesterday in Olympia, Washington.

Not expecting the general public to be concerned, committee chairs scheduled only 30 minutes for discussion and debate regarding HB 1727 and SB 5688 designed at redefining marriage to include same-sex domestic partners.

Packing out two committee rooms and spilling over into the hallways, over 250 individuals gathered to voice concern and opposition to this legislation.

Citing religious freedom concerns, right of conscience issues and public education concerns, many people testified to the negative "unintended consequences" of such legislation.

Joining concerned citizens from other family organizations, including Washington Values Alliance, Christian Coalition, Alliance Defense Fund, Faith and Freedom Network and Washington Eagle Forum, the FPIW helped mobilize the masses to voice opposition to the redefinition of marriage.

FPIW's Executive Director, Joseph Backholm, testifying at the senate hearing, addressed the issue of marital "discrimination" saying; "We believe the current distinction is the most reasonable and most applicable because of the unique relationship, unique value that heterosexual marriages provides. They're the only institution in which children are created. They're also the optimal environment in which children can be raised."

In addition HJR 4204 introduced by Rep. Matt Shea of Spokane, WA, calls for the WA State legislature to send a constitutional amendment to the people asking them to ratify or reject added language that would solidify one-man, one-woman marriage as the only lawful and recognized marital relationship in WA State.

And Now For The Collin's Compromise

by Michelle Malkin

Details of GOP Sen. Susan Collins’ “compromise” “stimulus” proposal are coming out.

This is a Mt. Kilimanjaro-sized crock.

Total cost of this “pared down” bill is $1.175 trillion. Let me repeat that: $1.175 trillion.

And this does not include the nearly $50 billion added in Senate amendments during the last two days.

So in the name of fiscal responsibility, Collins and the compromizing Republican contingent are selling out America with a plan that costs $7 billion more than the House stimulus bill.

Anyone ready to say the Filibuster word yet?

Double Every Effort Now!

Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

Do not be swayed by reports that say this stimulus bill will easily pass the Senate this week.

Double your efforts and make this their nightmare.

Remember that there are fellow fiscal conservatives on the front lines in DC that are greatly outnumbered.

It's your job to keep the pressure intense on your Senators!

Please call, write, email, fax...communicate to your Senators in any and EVERY way you can.

Call their Capitol Hill offices, then call their various state office locations!

Call others to call.

Give Senators a Jolt of Citizen Reality Now!

Exposed!

In the light of public scrutiny the Democrat stimulus bill is being exposed for what it is – a government grab of money and power at the expense of taxpayers and freedom.

Senate Democratic leaders conceded yesterday that they do not have the votes to pass the stimulus bill as currently written and said that to gain bipartisan support, they will seek to cut provisions that would not provide an immediate boost to the economy.

The stimulus package has now tripled from its post-election estimate of about $300 billion, and in recent days lawmakers in both parties have grown wary of the swelling costs.

This represents the first major test for President Obama and his newly expanded and ultra aggressive Democratic Congress.

Unfortunately our two Senators still need a jolt of citizen reality. Call them and let them know what you think of the Democrat Stimulus bill.

Maria Cantwell - (202) 224-3441
Patty Murray - (202) 224-2621

For All The Right Reason$

Drivers better buckle up or pay the price: More cash-strapped states want to give law enforcement officers the authority to pull over motorists just for not wearing their seat belts.

More than a dozen states that are considering making the switch to primary seat-belt enforcement laws need to do so before July to be eligible for millions in federal money.

One of those states is Ohio, which would get $26.8 million if it changes its law. Currently, officers in the state must first have some other reason to stop drivers over before issuing seat-belt citations.

States without primary seat-belt enforcement that want the federal money must pass a bill and have it signed by the governor by June 30 - and begin issuing citations by Sept. 30 - to qualify for federal funds, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Olympia Debates State Economy Killer

There's never a dull moment in Olympia during session, and a major dose if citizen-reality is needed there right now!

After fighting Cap and Trade at a national level we are facing the mother-of-all-battles here in Washington State stopping the Governor and her Democrat minions as they plan to bind our state to a ridiculous environmental notion they call Cap and Tax.

Today in Olympia the Senate Environment, Water and Energy Committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 5735 which would create a regional Cap-and-Tax program. Not only is this bill bad for consumers, but it will directly and adversely affect every job, and our States overall economy.

“Since July, Washington has lost more than 24,000 jobs. Under cap-and-tax the cost of electricity, natural gas, fuel – and any product made or transported in Washington will skyrocket”, stated Sen. Jerome Delvin. “It’s an economy-killer. Our small businesses can barely keep their doors open now. Jobs are hanging by a thread.”

“This is not about the environment; it’s about the state getting more tax money – and this bill will give government the mother lode."

“I am against this bill because the consequences of this cap-and-tax scheme will be significantly higher electricity bills, higher costs for gasoline and heating fuel, and higher prices for all goods in the economy generally. Why would we punish families by supporting this type of irresponsible, job-killing legislation?” added Sen. Janéa Holmquist.

Call 1.800.562.600 and let your elected leaders know what you think about Cap and Tax – Senate Bill 5735 and House Bill 1819.

Daschle's Out

Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination on Tuesday to be President Barack Obama's Health and Human Services secretary, dealing potential blows to both speedy health care reform and Obama's hopes for a smoother start as president.

A day earlier, Obama had said he "absolutely" stood by Daschle in the face of problems over back taxes and potential conflicts of interest.

This development calls into question whether Obama will be able to move as quickly as he has promised on sweeping health care reform—one of the pillars of his first 100 days agenda.

Daschle's stunning statement came less than three hours after another Obama nominee also withdrew from consideration, and also over tax problems. Nancy Killefer, nominated by Obama to be the government's first chief performance officer, said she didn't want her bungling of payroll taxes on her household help to be a distraction.

Daschle was the third high-profile Obama nominee to bow out.

The American Option

by Guinevere Nell

The Democrats' effort to stimulate the economy (H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) is full of special earmarks for certain projects, industries, and interest groups. It would attempt to create jobs by redistributing borrowed money to those most likely to spend it and by spending vast sums on infrastructure and various other projects.

Many of the tax provisions in H.R. 1 go to those who already pay no income tax; therefore, these provisions are only a form of redistribution or welfare spending. There is precious little in the bill that would help small businesses, and there is no major long-term tax cut in the bill.

Dependable lower tax rates are the only policy that allows businesses to plan ahead and invest in expansion and hiring. The expansion of private business is the only way to increase economic growth and create jobs.

However, government spending and redistribution is not the best way to help the economy recover. In fact, redistributive policies create "progressive" tax rates, which are known to reduce entrepreneurial activity.

Government spending on projects that can be provided by the private sector is a drag on growth, because public sector provision is consistently less efficient than the private sector.

The best way to create long-term sustainable growth is through private savings, spending, and investment. Tax cuts are a far superior way to unleash the productive forces in the economy and expand job growth.

The "American Option," introduced by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), avoids the discredited Keynesian consumption-based stimulus and instead follows the tried and true method of cutting taxes on businesses. Not only does the Republican bill cut taxes for corporations, but it also cuts taxes for small businesses.

Marginal effective tax rates are a good measure of the burden of government on small businesses. The "American Option" would:

Reduce marginal effective tax rates on small business from an average of 17.1 percent to an average of 14.8 percent,
Give about 250,000 small businesses with $500,000-$1 million in aggregate gross income an average tax rate almost 10 percentage points lower, and
Provide more than 2 million successful small businesses with lower tax rates.

The burden on small businesses would significantly drop under the "American Option." This is in addition to the drop in corporate rates and would be a huge boost for employment.

One Tax Cheat Is Enough

“Make no mistake, tax cheaters cheat us all, and the IRS
should enforce our laws to the letter. ”
Sen. Tom Daschle, Congressional Record
May 7, 1998

Well now we know why the Democrats don’t mind raising taxes — they don’t pay them.

Barack Obama has nominated another tax cheat.

With Tim Geithner we were told he was the indispensable man during the economic crisis. What about Tom Daschle? What makes him special?

In truth — nothing makes Daschle special other than he’s one of Barack Obama’s friends.

Call your Senators and tell them one tax cheat is enough, vote NO on Tom Daschle.

Maria Cantwell - (202) 224-3441
Patty Murray - (202) 224-2621

by Erick Erickson, RedState