The Faces of Democrat Bipartisanship

I'm sorry, but this from Politico is just to rich to not post with this picture. Enjoy!

There have been some tense moments during today's health care summit at the Blair House, but not for Vice President Joe Biden, it seems.

Just moments before the afternoon session got underway, C-SPAN's cameras picked up audio of Biden chatting casually with participants.

"It's easy being vice president — you don't have to do anything."

Whomever Biden was chatting with said, "It's like being the grandpa and not the parent."

"Yeah, that's it!" replied Biden.

Biden spokesman Jay Carney tells POLITICO that the vice president was "obviously joking, as any review of his schedule and responsibilities would make abundantly clear."

Healthcare Charade

Today, the administration will put on another show for the American people. The nationalized healthcare naysayers have been summoned to the White House to give their ideas on healthcare reform. Yet, the President announced his newly packaged plan days ago. So what’s the point?

Is this a meeting to exchange ideas and move forward in a bipartisan manner or a meeting to say this is my plan, get on board or get out of the way?

The American people see this meeting for what it is.

But, what I don’t understand is how this administration can continue to think that the people aren’t smart enough to see that for themselves.

We keep hearing that the White House has an open door and that this is the most transparent Congress in the history of our country. The door may be ceremonially open, but the window to hear the people must be closed.

The public has overwhelmingly rejected the idea that the government knows what is best for the rest of us.

Congressman Ted Poe

Hope & Change Tanking

A year after backing Barack Obama by an overwhelming 2-to-1 ratio, young adults are quickly cooling toward Democrats.

A study by the Pew Research Center, being released Wednesday, highlights the eroding support from 18-to-29 year olds whose strong turnout in November 2008 was touted by some demographers as the start of a new Democratic movement.

The findings are significant because they offer further proof that the diverse coalition of voters Obama cobbled together in 2008 – including high numbers of first-timers, minorities and youths – are not Democratic Party voters who can necessarily be counted on.

Huffington Post

With the economy being the number one concern for young people, the Republicans can position themselves as the champions of the free market and capitalism, so long as they remain solidly committed to opposing more bailouts and big government.

Matthew Hurtt

Washington State Senate Race In Play

Tracking 2010 U.S. Senate polls and projections, Freedom's Lighthouse is calling the Washington State Senate race a "toss up". That is NOT good news for incumbent Senator Patty Murray.

With multiple announced candidates vying for her seat the "mom in tennis shoes" may face an even greater challenge as it appears several big names are still interested in challenging her and may soon enter the race.

Big names or not, recent state polling done by Rassmussen and Moore indicate she is far more vulnerable than many expected. Murray continually polls less that 50 percent, even against Republican candidates with no name familiarity.

Eighteen years of Murray in office may be long enough for Washington voters, and our State may finally see a Republican win in 2010.

Eagle Forum at CPAC

Today marks the first day of the 2010 CPAC – Conservative Political Action Conference, the largest national gathering of conservatives in the U.S.

Eagle Forum President Phyllis Schlafly spoke to the exceptionally large crowd this afternoon on the topic Saving Freedom from The Enemies of Our Values

Nearly 12,000 people are attending this year’s event, which runs through Saturday, at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington State Citizens Lose Their Voice

If the will of the people stands in your way, suspend their voice.

That is the message Democrats in the House sent tonight to Washington State voters when they passed SB 6130 suspending the tax restraint voters placed on them in 2007 through I-960.

Legislators now plan to unleash a series of bills raising our taxes to pay their bills.

And as a result "we the people" will unleash an aggressive effort to unseat all 26 Senators and 51 House members who voted yea. Count on it!

Statement from Rep. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale:

“Citizens across this state who are worried about their financial well being lost their voices tonight. Majority Democrats have decided to defend the status quo in state government at the expense of struggling families and employers.

At a time when there should be public hearings on solutions to restructure state government and create jobs, majority Democrats have decided to focus on ways to increase taxes and fees in a down economy.

It really reveals an out-of-touch approach and is why so many people have grown distrustful of business as usual in Olympia.”

Quick Facts:

The Taxpayer Protection Act (I-960) passed in 2007. Current law requires: a two-thirds vote of the Legislature for tax increases; public e-mail notifications for tax increase proposals; and citizen advisory votes on tax increases.

Senate Bill 6130, as passed by the state House, would remove the two-thirds vote requirement of the Legislature for tax increases immediately after being signed into law by the governor.

There are currently 77 bills in the state House that, when combined, would increase taxes and fees by $11.46 billion in the state’s next two-year budget cycle.

Happy Stimulus Day or Celebrating Failure

Today is the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s signing of the $787 billion stimulus bill, and the administration is putting on a hard sell for the American people. There will be a White House reception today to mark the anniversary. Later this week, Vice President Joe Biden and various cabinet secretaries will fan out across the country to host dozens of rallies touting the stimulus package’s success.

Exactly what are they celebrating?

• President Obama told the American people that Congress had to pass the Democrat stimulus bill in order to keep unemployment from rising above 8%. After hundreds of billions of dollars were spent, unemployment hit 10% last year and remains near that figure today. On the most critical measurement of success laid down by the president, the bill is an abject failure.

• In promoting the stimulus, President Obama promised us that the funds would be spent on timely, “shovel ready” projects. In spite of the financial emergency that necessitated the biggest spending bill in American history, if not world history, just one third of the stimulus funds have been spent. So much for “shovel ready.” More than 2.5 million Americans lost their jobs last year, while most of the stimulus money intended to “save or create” jobs went unspent.

• President Obama promised us that the stimulus funds would not be wasted, and he named Vice President Biden “stimulus czar.” We now know hundreds of millions of stimulus dollars were spent to create jobs overseas. We learned that thousands of jobs were created in places that don’t exist.

President Obama promised that 90% of the stimulus jobs would be created in the private sector. An analysis by the New York Times found “the data suggests that well over half of the jobs claimed so far have been in the public sector.”

But, wait – there’s more. USA Today reports that billions of stimulus dollars are being spent on programs so inefficient or redundant that even Barack Obama wants to cut or eliminate them!

Instead of doing a victory lap around the country on the taxpayers’ dime, Obama and Biden ought to be apologizing for the biggest boondoggle in history. Instead, they are having a Marie Antoinette moment – while millions of Americans have lost their jobs, Obama is spending their money to create jobs overseas and grow the government. Now he wants to tell us what a great deal this has been!

Gary Bauer

ACTION ALERT - Protect Jobs & Taxpayers

Dear friends and neighbors,

We are now into our second day of a fierce battle on the House floor to protect taxpayers against the Democrat assault on Initiative 960, the Taxpayer Protection Act. This is the measure voters approved in November 2007 which requires the Legislature to have a two-thirds approval before taxes can be raised.

Senate Bill 6130 would gut the initiative and clear the way so that Democrats can raise taxes and take more of your hard-earned money. I am fighting, along with my fellow House Republicans, against this measure.

Last night, we held a seven-hour near filibuster on the House floor to oppose this bill and demand that our government produce a fiscally-sound budget that finds efficiencies and cuts spending, rather than ask taxpayers to bail out legislators’ bad spending habits.

Here is an excerpt from my speech last night on the House floor:

Mr. Speaker, I spent the majority of my life in the service of this country. I’ve been on the battlefields of two continents, fighting because the will of the people meant something. Because our Republican form of government meant something. And because freedom meant something. Because it’s freedom that creates prosperity, Mr. Speaker. It’s freedom that reduces poverty, Mr. Speaker.

And it is freedom that increases charity. Taxes are not going to do that! The power to tax is the power to destroy. And that’s why the people put the Taxpayer Protection Act into law, and put those shackles on us and on government. The people never stand in the way. The people are where we get our power from. And that, Mr. Speaker, is something we are fighting for! Please table this bill!

Friends, the will of the majority of Washingtonians is to keep I-960 in place to guard against onerous tax increases. The assault is not just against I-960 – it is against every taxpayer, every family in our state.

Again, we were on the floor this morning, fighting to stand up for the will of the people. At noon, the House went at ease, but it will again take up this issue tonight at 8 p.m.

I invite you to watch the debate on TVW or go to www.tvw.org.

I will do all that I can to stand against this job-killing measure, but I also need your help.

Please call and or e-mail the House Speaker’s office TODAY! Tell the House Speaker to STOP SENATE BILL 6130 and UPHOLD INITIATIVE 960!

House Speaker – Phone: (360) 786-7920;
E-mail: chopp.frank@leg.wa.gov

PLEASE CALL TODAY!

Sincerely,

Matt Shea
State Representative

Pushing Back

Thousands Push Back in Olympia today telling Democrats to balance the buget without raising taxes.

Democrats prefer to use the "R" word - revenue. Well, they can call it whatever they like, but every dollar they spend is a dollar they have taken.

No End to Democrat Greed

Is there no end to their greed?

Representatives Chase, Williams, Hunt, Dickerson, Flannigan, and Moeller have proposed a 100 percent increase in all death tax brackets for Washington taxpayers. HB 3184 would raise the top tax rate from 19 to 38 percent.

And to show just how much disdain they hold for taxpayers, the sponsors slapped an emergency clause onto the bill to deny the people the right of referendum.

Amber Gunn
Freedom Foundation

A Coincidence...Ya Think??

With their desperation to raise taxes clocked somewhere near "frantic" the Democrat controlled legislature has scheduled their hearing on SB 6130 (overturning I-960) for Saturday at 9 AM...which just happens to coincide with Republican caucuses being held all over Washington State.

How convenient...I mean, what a coincidence.

It is also interesting to note that Democrats are sooooooo interested in citizen input that they have cancelled their grassroots caucuses state-wide.

Now that's the real party of "no".

Support the Movement

KVI morning talk show host and all-around funny guy Bryan Suits will be in Olympia this afternoon (4 p.m.) to set up an I-960 voting booth for legislators in the form of an outhouse—a symbolic gesture of lawmakers’ treatment of Washington state taxpayers. Go support the movement if you’re so inclined.

Raising Your Taxes

Higher government costs are cutting another $96 million from the state's already hurting budget.

That's the word from the state Office of Financial Management, which reported its latest estimate of state costs Wednesday.

The change means the state's budget deficit gets a little bit larger - now, it's closer to $2.7 billion. Officials say higher teacher costs are the biggest factor in this latest change.

State lawmakers are planning to raise taxes and cut state spending to balance the budget. The Democrat-led Legislature is about halfway through its scheduled 60-day session.

AP

Jindal Leads "Louisiana Way Forward."

The first-term Republican governor Bobbie Jindal stakes out his fiscal position directly in what he calls the "Louisiana Way Forward."

"The Louisiana Way we are taking to move our state forward through these economic challenges is exactly opposite the Washington way," Jindal said.

"In Louisiana, when our revenue is down we really only have two choices -- raise taxes on our people or our businesses to keep government spending the same, or tighten our belt and find savings.

We will not raise taxes and balance the budget on the backs of the Louisiana people.

We will not follow Washington's lead and spend money we don't have or borrow money we can't pay back."

The governor's proposed spending plan will reflect recommendations made by two cost-cutting commissions, empaneled at Jindal's request. They were charged with identifying ways to reduce the size and cost of state government and public higher-education, while improving the efficacy of both.

What Goes Around...

Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs mocked Sarah Palin during his daily press briefing by writing a “grocery list” on his hand with the words, “milk, bread, eggs, hope, change.”

Maybe the rest of us should write little notes on our hands like “9.7” and “$1.6 trillion.” When folks ask us what that means, we can explain that they are “reminders of Obama’s accomplishments – 9.7% unemployment and a record budget deficit for one year.”

Gary Bauer

Ghost Bill - Only in Olympia

From WPC:

A strange thing happened in Olympia today. This morning a bill was introduced in the Senate, SB 6853, which has no text. The full bill can be seen using the link below.

The bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Ways and Means Committee this afternoon. Committee members may decide to pass it today and send it to the full Senate, going against the rule that legislation be made public for at least five days before being acted on.

This bill may make major changes in the tax code, and could result in a significant increase in the tax burden state lawmakers place on citizens, so it would be nice to know what the bill actually says.

As independent policy analysts, it is hard for Washington Policy Center, or anyone else, to make a fair assessment of a major bill when the public has no idea what it says, or how it may affect our lives.

See for yourself.

Three Things Every Citizen Can Do

Despite the fact that he voter of WA state have three times used the initiative process to restrain the ability of legislators to raise taxes, our State Senate has passed ESB 6843 suspending the two-thirds vote requirement to raise taxes.

The final vote was 26 to 23, with five Democrats joining all Republicans in opposing this bill.

It now heads to the House where Democrats, who control the legislative process, say it may be voted on as early as this Friday, but more likely early next week.

What can you do?

1 - Check this list. If your Senator voted 'yea' make every effort to replace them.
2 - Call and e-mail your Representative about their coming vote on ESB 6843. Be sure they know you are watching this process and their vote very closely.
3 - Join us in Olympia on Monday, February 15, 10:00 AM on the North Capitol steps for the Push Back No Tax Rally.

See you in Olympia!

America on Socialism

"Socialism" was one of seven terms included in a Jan. 26-27 Gallup poll. Americans were asked to indicate whether their top-of-mind reactions to each were positive or negative. Respondents were not given explanations or descriptions of the terms.

More than one-third of Americans (36%) have a positive image of "socialism," while 58% have a negative image. Views differ by party and ideology, with a majority of Democrats and liberals saying they have a positive view of socialism, compared to a minority of Republicans and conservatives.

Americans are almost uniformly positive in their reactions to three terms: small business, free enterprise, and entrepreneurs. They are divided on big business and the federal government, with roughly as many Americans saying their view is positive as say it is negative. Americans are more positive than negative on capitalism (61% versus 33%) and more negative than positive on socialism (36% to 58%).

Notes from I-90 Hearing - Senator Benton

“What does the phrase will of the people mean to you,” Sen. Don Benton asked the Ways and Means Committee.

Of course Initiative 960 makes raising taxes more difficult, Benton said. But that’s what the people wanted. It also makes government more transparent.

“Too many of our citizens find the legislative process a mystery,” Benton said. “Too often legislators hear more from lobbyists than their constituents.”

The voters did support the initiative, he said. “Why does public knowledge frighten so many here?”

Don’t throw out the rules for giving more information on the cost of legislation to the public.

Democrats Maneuver to Raise Your Taxes

**Call 1.800.562.6000 and tell your legislators NO on SB 6843**

Rep. Matt Shea said today he is extremely concerned about a bill introduced this week that would suspend the super majority required to raise taxes through the middle of 2011 and make other permanent changes to the tax-limiting measure, Initiative 960, which voters approved in 2007.

Senate Bill 6843 received a hearing in the Senate Ways and Means Committee yesterday and is expected to move quickly through the legislative process.

“Paramount among my many concerns regarding this legislation is that the majority party in the Legislature is using this as a tool to overrule the will of the people. Two years ago, the voters expressly put I-960 into place to rein in government spending and tax increases. It is arrogant for the Legislature to ignore the express wishes of our citizens, and it will be to the detriment of this state,” said Shea.

The 4th District Republican says the sole purpose of SB 6843 is to allow Democrats to raise taxes.

“Leaders of Democrats in both the House and Senate fully understand they will not have Republican votes they need to reach a two-thirds majority to increase taxes. That’s because Republicans believe the best way out of our budget mess is to create jobs in the private sector, not take more money from people already struggling to pay their bills,” said Shea. “It’s essentially a way to do an end-run around the voters and Republicans in the Legislature so they can raise taxes.”

Shea is concerned that tax increases could push Washington’s economy deeper into a recession at a time when more than 334,000 people are out of work, including more than 6,600 in the 4th Legislative District.

“Tax increases are the wrong direction for the state. I believe raising taxes will have the opposite effect of increasing revenue for the state,” said Shea. “For those of us who live in the Spokane area, we think the tax package expected from Olympia is the ‘Idaho Economic Stimulus Act,’ because it will force many of our local businesses to either shut down or simply move 20 miles across the border into Idaho.”