Archive for October, 2009

Posted by MATT SEDENSKY, Associated Press, October 27, 2009

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — A government-sponsored “public option” for health care lives, though it may be more attractive to skeptics if it goes by a different moniker, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday.

In an appearance at a Florida senior center, the Democratic leader referred to the so-called public option as “the consumer option.” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., appeared by Pelosi’s side and used the term “competitive option.”

Both suggested new terminology might get them past any lingering doubts among the public — or consumers or competitors. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Bobby Eberle, October 26, 2009 at 9:09 am

There are certain times in the cycle of politics when the party in power is so bad that the opposition doesn’t need to do much to win. In 1994, the approval ratings for Congress were terrible. Republicans, led by Newt Gingrich, put together the Contract with America, and presented a strong, conservative message to the voters. In that election year, not a single Republican incumbent lost, and the Republican Revolution began.

Now, Republicans face similar opportunities. Led by Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid, these ultra left-wing radical want to transform the country (Obama’s words) into a socialist nation, complete with government control over health care, banks, the auto industry, and more. So… how are Republican leaders responding? A recent Rasmussen poll shows that Republican voters don’t like what they are seeing, and recent actions by the Republican Party show that they don’t have a clue on how to turn this country around. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Rep. Garey Bies, Oct 22, 2009

Sturgeon Bay… State Representative Garey Bies (R-Sister Bay), following a
number of inquiries from residents of the First Assembly District regarding Wisconsin’s
Do Not Call List, took the opportunity to address the public on a broader scale about the
list.
“Wisconsin’s Do Not Call List is very popular amongst Wisconsin residents, and
for good reason,” said Rep. Bies. “The Do Not Call List largely eliminates unwanted
solicitation calls from businesses.” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Bobby Eberle, October 20, 2009 at 9:02 am

There have been some crazy actions to come from Obama and his advisors regarding race. Remember when, not knowing ANY of the facts regarding an incident between a white police officer and a black professor, Obama said on national television that the officer acted “stupidly?” Or how about Obama’s 20-year affiliation with a pastor who blasts America and advocates racial division?

Well, now I think I’ve seen it all. Obama’s Justice Department has ruled against the actions of the town of Kinston, North Carolina. What did this town do that was so terrible? The residents voted overwhelmingly to eliminate partisan elections for mayor and city council members. The Justice Department stepped in and said, “Whoa! Wait just a second!” According to the Justice Department, blacks in Kinston must have the Democrat Party in order to elect their “candidate of choice.” How insulting! Basically, what Obama’s team is saying is that blacks will only vote for Democrats, and without the party label, blacks can’t figure out for themselves which candidate will get their vote. This is not only a slap in the face of the voters, but it continues Obama’s efforts to divide people along racial lines rather than bring them together. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by ERICA WERNER, Associated Press, October 19, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) — You may think Democrats and Republicans are at odds over health care. Well, they’ve got nothing on House and Senate Democrats going after each other.

The intraparty disputes may prove the most grueling test of all as Congress tries to write a bill that fulfills President Barack Obama’s goal of extending coverage to millions of Americans and reining in rising medical costs.

The disagreements extend well beyond whether or not to allow the government to sell insurance in competition with the private market, though fissures over the so-called public plan — preferred in the House, less so in the Senate — have drawn the most attention. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by KARL ROVE, Oct 16, 2009

Now that the Senate Finance Committee has voted for the health-care bill drafted by Montana Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, negotiations over the real bill can begin in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s cozy Capitol hideaway. It won’t be easy.

Democrats now face a central problem for any governing party: How to pass a major piece of legislation when there are a lot of sharply different ideas about what should be in it. Trying to reconcile what Democrats in the House prefer with what Democrats in the Senate want is already opening up divisions among the party’s supporters. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Michelle Malkin, October 14, 2009

White House interim communications director Anita Dunn assumed the role of lead Fox News Channel-basher this weekend. The attack was a dud. The left-leaning Nation magazine ridiculed President Obama’s press shop for turning him into the “whiner-in-chief.” AOL media columnist Jeff Bercovici called the war on Fox a “loser’s strategy” that “signals weakness.” And that’s the friendly fire.

Dunn found refuge in rival CNN’s green zone, where she blasted Fox News as a “research arm of the Republican Party.” Unhappy with headline-generating Fox News hosts who have wrested control of the news cycle from Team Obama, Dunn complained about “opinion journalism masquerading as news.” Read the rest of this entry »

Postec by Henry Lamb, October 12, 2009

Rep. John Shadegg has been trying to get a bill enacted for 15 years that would simply require legislators to cite the constitutional authority for any legislation that is proposed. His bill is called the Enumerated Powers Act (HR450). It now has 52 co-sponsors, but there is very little chance that it will ever get to the floor for a vote.

Why? Because the Democrats in Congress will not allow it.

This bill would not be necessary if the Democrats would simply follow their own rules. House Rule XIII (3)(d)(1) requires: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by State Representative Garey Bies, Oct 10, 2009

Legislation

Good day to everyone out there in the First Assembly District! For today’s edition of Notes from the West Wing, I’d like to provide an update on legislation that I have authored here in the State Legislature.

First off, I want to mention my bill, Assembly Bill 154 (AB 154), which prohibits a person from purchasing tobacco products and providing them to a minor. It is currently against the law to buy cigarettes and provide them to a minor, but not illegal for an individual to buy other tobacco products, like chewing tobacco, and provide it to a minor. This bill, AB 154, would extend the prohibition on purchasing cigarettes and providing them to a minor to other tobacco products. AB 154 has a long list of bi-partisan co-sponsors here in the legislature and was unanimously approved in Committee. Unfortunately it has not yet been scheduled for floor action. I am not sure why as there is no opposition to the bill, even the tobacco companies are in support, but it languishes anyway. Hopefully we can get it scheduled soon. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Bobby Eberle, October 9, 2009 at 7:13 am

This is absolutely unbelievable! I was going through my morning routine, and I saw an e-mail telling me that Barack Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize. The first thing I did was check my calendar. No, it’s not April 1!

The fact is that Obama DID win the Nobel Peace Prize. He has been in office nine months, has nothing to show for it on the international stage except to make America less safe, and he’s being rewarded for his efforts and accomplishments? This is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard!

For those people who need coffee in the morning, you can skip it today. The news should be a good enough shock to your system. As noted in the AP story on GOPUSA, Obama “won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for ‘his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.’” Read the rest of this entry »