Seen at the Illinois Reagan Dinner…

-By Warner Todd Huston

I just got home from the Illinois GOP Ronald Reagan 100th Birthday dinner and before I turn info the night I wanted to give a quick account of some of the folks I ran into this evening.

Seen tonight was 6th District Representative Peter Roskam, the Chief Deputy Whip. I also saw Adam Andrzejewski, chief of For The Good of Illinois and former Illinois Gubernatorial candidate, John Garrido candidate for 45th Ward Alderman, Dave Dierson of the famous GOPUSA daily email report, former candidate for Attny General Steve Kim, former 59th District candidate Dan Sugrue, activist John Bambeneck, John Tillman and the folks from the Illinois Policy Institute, Fran Eaton and the folks at the United Republican Fund as well as Illinois Review and many others (as I remember more, I’ll add them later).

A few old blogger friends were also in attendance…


From left to right: Paul Miller, Myself, John Ruberry of MarathonPundit, and Paul Mitchell of Thoughts of a Regular Guy


Adam Andrzejewski (center) and John Garrido and his lovely wife
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Seen at the Illinois Reagan Dinner…”


Illinois Celebrates Ronald Reagan’s 100th

-By Warner Todd Huston

I am here tonight at the Illinois Republican Party celebration of Ronald Reagan’s 100 birthday. The event is being held at the Hilton on the Mag Mile, Michigan Avenue, downtown Chicago. Tonight we’ll be seeing a small retinue of stars in the GOP firmament. Senator Mark Kirk, Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, Congressman Mike Pence (Indiana), former Penn. Senator Rick Santorum, former Ambassador to the UN John Bolton, with closing remarks by Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford.

It is a packed house with over 600 diners enjoying the evening.
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Illinois Celebrates Ronald Reagan’s 100th”


Tennessee County School Board Fires Teachers Union

-By Warner Todd Huston

Now this is more like it. Back in October of 2010 the Summer County, Tennessee School Board decertified the Sumner County Education Association (SCEA), the union for county teachers, because it no longer satisfied the law by counting as members fifty percent plus one of the total number of employees requiring a teaching certificate. This, school board officials said, means that the SCEA can no longer engage in collective bargaining for teachers.

The school board has used this opportunity to immediately begin rewriting the relationship between teachers and schools.

Naturally, the union is running straight to what is usually the last bastion of mindless obeisance to union obstructionism, the courts, and is suing to force the school board to accede to union demands regardless of the law.
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Tennessee County School Board Fires Teachers Union”


Roskam Statement on January Jobs Report

From Congressman Peter Roskam (Ill., 6th District)…

Washington, DC – Congressman Peter Roskam (R-IL), Majority Chief Deputy Whip, issued the following statement after the Department of Labor released their January jobs report:

“President Obama and Democrats promised that if we just spent a trillion dollars on the ‘stimulus’, unemployment would stay below eight percent. Two years later, unemployment remains at nine percent, and our economy is still feeling the effects of the Democrats’ spending binge that brought trillions in debt, but not jobs. The 21st consecutive month of unemployment levels at nine percent or more is proof enough that it’s time to enact Republican plans to cut spending and regulation to grow jobs.
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Roskam Statement on January Jobs Report”


URF Calls on Lisa Madigan to Join 26 States in Federal Healthcare Lawsuit

From the United Republican Fund of Illinois…

CHICAGO, IL – The United Republican Fund (URF) calls on Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Governor Pat Quinn to join the 26 other states that have banded together to resist the federal government takeover of our states’ health care system. With the Florida federal judge’s decision deeming the health care reform law “void,” Illinois must move to protect our citizens from the law’s unconstitutional individual mandates.

“It is the duty of Governor Quinn and Attorney General Madigan to protect the state’s citizens from federal intrusions and unconstitutional mandates. Illinois cannot afford our current expenditures, so it is absurd for those in Washington to force these new expensive mandates on our broke government and over-taxed citizens,” URF Executive Director Dennis LaComb said Wednesday.
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URF Calls on Lisa Madigan to Join 26 States in Federal Healthcare Lawsuit”


Senate’s Repeal Healthcare Vote Failure Further Makes Lie to Term ‘Conservative Democrat’

-By Warner Todd Huston

Newly minted West Virginia Senator, Democrat Joe Manchin, ran for office denigrating Obama’s take over of our national healthcare system with his Obamacare law. Tonight he and other so-called “conservative Democrats” in the Senate got a chance to prove that they were, indeed, as conservative as they claimed to be by voting to repeal Obamacare. Not one of them made that vote, however.

In a vote strictly down party lines, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R, KY) repeal measure lost in a 51 to 47 vote. It needed a 60 vote super majority to pass.

McConnell did not likely expect his measure to pass, to be sure. His aim was meant at the very least to put everyone in the Senate on record as to where they stood on Obamacare. This isn’t the last word on the debate, either, as Republican Senator John Cornyn (Texas) vowed that this fight was not nearly over.

Within minutes after the vote, on the GOP’s Senate Twitter feed, Cornyn talked of the battle to come. “These are the first steps in a long road that will culminate in 2012 where we will continue to expose the flaws in this bill,” he said.
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Senate’s Repeal Healthcare Vote Failure Further Makes Lie to Term ‘Conservative Democrat’”


Senate Republicans Call for Vote on a Repeal of Obamacare for Wednesday

-By Warner Todd Huston

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R, KY) announced on Tuesday that he intends to bring to the floor a vote to repeal Obamacare on Wednesday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid certainly does not want this vote to occur but even so it is highly doubtful that McConnell can get the 60 votes needed to sustain a repeal. The Democrats still out number Republicans 53 to 47.

But a repeal is not all that McConnell wants with this vote. At the very least the Republican leader wants to put the entire senate on record giving the voters a clear accounting of which senators support Obamacare and which do not. McConnell hopes to put centrist Democrats on record as to where they stand.
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Senate Republicans Call for Vote on a Repeal of Obamacare for Wednesday”


Jim DeMint…. A Squish?

-By Warner Todd Huston

David Weigel’s recent Slate piece on Jim DeMint (R, SC) is a perfect example of a gentle leftwing undertone sprinkled into a story like seasoning salt in order to gently spin a story to negatively effect conservatives, or at the very least to artificially heighten tensions in order to make it seem as if conservatives are at each other’s throats.

Weigel’s Slate piece was a report on the first ever meeting of the Senate’s Tea Party Caucus headed up by Senator Jim DeMint and Weigel was bound and determined to make the meeting into some sort of conservative slugfest where all parties were taking each other on in a cage match to top even the World Wrestling Federation’s best brawls.

Mr. Weigel started out with an account of DeMint’s encounter with Tea Party activist Lisa Miller from Alexandria, Virginia. Miller was insisting that DeMint balance the budget but opposed any constitutional amendment to require it. DeMint, on the other hand, was adamant that it would take a constitutional amendment to balance the budget because regardless that congress always has had the tools to balance the budget anytime they wish — as Miller pointed out – he maintains that congress does not have the “institutional discipline” to do so.
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Jim DeMint…. A Squish?”


Twitter Accounts for the Illinois GOP Congressional Delegation

-By Warner Todd Huston

Yesterday, I announced a Twitter List of all the freshman GOP congressmen. There you can find the Twitter feed of all the new GOP senators and house reps.

Today we have all the Twiter feeds of the Illinois GOP delegation. You can find the full list here : http://twitter.com/warnerthuston/ill-gop-delegation.

Senate: Mark Kirk http://twitter.com/SenatorKirk

House of Representatives

Peter Roskam (Illinois, 6th District)
http://twitter.com/PeterRoskam

Joe Walsh (Illinois, 8th District)
http://twitter.com/JoeWalsh8th

Robert Dold (Illinois, 10th District)
http://twitter.com/ROBERTDOLD

Adam Kinzinger (Illinois, 11th District)
http://twitter.com/RepKinzinger

Judy Biggert (Illinois, 13th District)
http://twitter.com/JudyBiggert

Randy Hultgren (Illinois, 14th District)
http://twitter.com/RepHultgren

Timothy Johnson (Illinois, 15th District)

Don Manzullo (Illinois, 16th District)
http://twitter.com/donmanzullo

Bobby Schilling (Illinois, 17th District)
http://twitter.com/RepSchilling

Aaron Schock (Illinois, 18th District)
http://twitter.com/AaronSchock

John Shimkus (Illinois, 19th District)
http://twitter.com/RepShimkus
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Twitter Accounts for the Illinois GOP Congressional Delegation”


GOP Honors Reagan’s 100th With New Website

Happy 100th Birthday President Reagan

This Sunday, February 6th, marks the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Ronald Reagan, our 40th President, and a towering, visionary figure in the history of the Republican Party, the United States and the free world.

The Republican National Committee is celebrating this milestone with a special website devoted to President Reagan. The website will feature video tributes to The Gipper throughout the week from Republicans leading up to his birthday. I hope you will join in the Centennial Celebration by signing our birthday card to President Reagan and joining the conversation about keeping his legacy alive using the Twitter hashtag #Reagan100.

GOP On Twitter: http://twitter.com/RNC


The Twitter List of GOP Freshman in Congress

-By Warner Todd Huston

Want to know what all the GOP freshmen in the House of Representatives and the Senate are twittering about? Well, with this list you can tune into the Twitter feed of each of them and find out what is going on minute by minute.

Well, OK, not exactly minute-by-minute but at least week-by-week. Not all of them are using their Twitter to its full potential. A very few of these fellows have barley touched their Twitter feed at all, some don’t even seem to have one. Most of them, however, have fully populated their feed with Tweets and seem to understand that this is a great outreach tool. If the new reps that haven’t used it know what’s good for them they’ll get their feeds moving with some news.

It is also interesting to note that some newly elected folks have not yet separated their campaign Twitter feed from their feed as elected congressmen which might be a violation of election law. I have every new GOP senator and representative listed but where no feed is noted below I couldn’t find one for that member of congress. (And if anyone knows if I am missing one, please contact me so I can update the list)

I’ve put them all in a Twitter Follow List, too, at my gopfreshman Twitter List.

Senate

Arkansas: John Boozman http://twitter.com/JohnBoozman

Florida: Marco Rubio http://twitter.com/SenRubioPress

Indiana: Dan Coats http://twitter.com/SenDanCoats

Kansas: Jerry Moran http://twitter.com/JerryMoran

Kentucky: Rand Paul http://twitter.com/SenRandPaul

Missouri: Roy Blunt http://twitter.com/RoyBlunt
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The Twitter List of GOP Freshman in Congress”


A Snap Shot of Congressional Arrogance

-By Warner Todd Huston

POLITICO posted a piece last week that shows the arrogance of our duly elected Senators in Washington D.C. After reading this piece, one gets the impression that this good old boys club is not only one that not just anyone is allowed to join but one that finds itself beyond even the voters that put them there. It is an arrogance of self-assumed stature in this great Republic that is galling and should be.

The piece, headlined “Mark Kirk not sorry for Senate ‘end zone dance,'” was all full of the tsk tsking by nose-in-the-air senators that didn’t like the fact that newly minted Senator Mark Kirk was ebullient about the GOP having won a recent legislative victory. It was gauche, these senators said, not proper, completely untoward, over-the-top, low-rent, “amateurish,”and entirely eyebrow raising.

What did Senator Kirk do to cause all this finger wagging to be unleashed like a torrent in his direction? In a news conference Kirk put on a “demeanor” that amounted to “spiking a football on the decorous Senate floor,” after the GOP defeated the Democrat’s $1.1 trillion spending bill riddled with pork, waste, and earmarks.
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A Snap Shot of Congressional Arrogance”


Remember: Obamacare is Great… Well Unless You Are a Union, Then You Don’t Have to Suffer Under it

-By Warner Todd Huston

If you’ll recall, Big Labor was one of the biggest cheerleaders for Obamacare. Big Labor was insistent that Obama’s take over of our nation’s healthcare was the best thing since sliced bread, to be sure. But once Obamacare got passed into law, we’ve learned that dozens of unions have sought exemptions to get out from under the destructive dictates of the law and they have been given that pass by their pal in the White House. Republicans are vowing to probe these cynical exemptions.

The waivers the Obama administration bestowed upon his biggest donors and friends allows the insurance plans of unions and various Obama-friendly corporations to get out from under the annual limits on what they spend on their employee’s medical coverage. Obamacare bans annual limits, but 222 unions and corporations and other Obama buddies are now exempt from this ban.

Apparently, while they all clamored for the rest of us to suffer under Obamacare, they’ve decided that they shouldn’t have to. And who is the biggest beneficiary of these waivers? Unions, of course.
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Remember: Obamacare is Great… Well Unless You Are a Union, Then You Don’t Have to Suffer Under it”


The Left’s Lying Liars Trying to Smear Michelle Bachmann’s Tea Party Response

-By Warner Todd Huston

The left’s latest unfair, false, and downright scurrilous attack on Michelle Bachmann focuses on her Tea Party response video aired after President Obama’s State of the Union speech last week. I am a bit late to this story, I realize, but I wanted to get it aired here regardless.

The left’s claim is that Michelle is too stupid to understand how TV works because she was not looking into the camera as she delivered her comments. Further, the left (and some uninformed conservatives, too) are saying that Bachmann is dividing the Republican Party by delivering the speech at all.

Both claims are flat out false.
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The Left’s Lying Liars Trying to Smear Michelle Bachmann’s Tea Party Response”


Amazing: NPRs Out Of Context Use of Renew America Quote

-By Warner Todd Huston

Russ J. Alan is a writer whose work often appears on the website RenewAmerica.com, a news/opinion site started several years ago by Alan Keyes. Alan’s latest column is about the mess that is Social Security and a quote from his piece was posted on National Public Radio’s website under the rubric of quotes on Iraq. But NPR takes the quote so badly out of context that one would think that Alan was saying just the opposite of what he actually said.

Remember our tax money goes for this NPR “service” to the nation.

Under NPR’s topic page one can search for quotes on any particular subject and the Alan quote is under Topics/Iraq/Quote. There you will find this:
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Amazing: NPRs Out Of Context Use of Renew America Quote”


Roskam to Deliver Economic Speech At City Club of Chicago Tuesday

From the office of Congressman Peter Roskam (Ill., 6th District)..

BLOOMINGDALE – Majority Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam (IL-6) will deliver an economic speech at the City Club of Chicago this coming Tuesday, February 1st, at 12:30 pm CT. Roskam, a member of the influential Ways & Means Committee, will outline what House Republicans are doing to ensure the 112th Congress is a “cut-and-grow” Congress that eliminates wasteful spending and cuts harmful regulations, enabling private sector job growth. Roskam will offer a clear alternative to the job-destroying policies that Democrats are implementing both in Washington and in Illinois – on taxes, healthcare, trade and more.
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Roskam to Deliver Economic Speech At City Club of Chicago Tuesday”


Roskam Discusses No-Cost Job Creation At Ways & Means FTA Hearing

From the Office of Congressman Peter Roskam (Ill., 6th District)…

Roskam: “We need to make decisions moving forward that try and create an environment where worldwide American companies – or little American companies – are in the best possible footing to be competitive and dynamic. And that is no cost job creation.”

WASHINGTON – The Ways & Means Committee held a hearing today on the pending Free Trade Agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea and how they will create U.S. jobs. Below are the highlights of Rep. Roskam’s remarks at the hearing. Chief Deputy Whip Roskam is a leader on efforts to spur no-cost job creation through free trade, including having made visits to all three nations — Panama, South Korea and Colombia — with pending trade agreements.
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Roskam Discusses No-Cost Job Creation At Ways & Means FTA Hearing”


Jaw, Jaw and Bromides: Obama’s State of His Next Campaign for President Address

-By Warner Todd Huston

I sat through President Obama’s 2011 State of the Union Address last night. During the event I live Tweeted the whole thing (You can read that all at http://twitter.com/#!/warnerthuston) and ended up with an empty feeling and a headache. Obama’s address was long on calls for spending, filled with bromides, and weighted with jaw, jaw but pretty short on substance. In fact, it seemed like his 12 new spending ideas and his patriotic vagaries was simply his first step onto the 2012 campaign trail as opposed to a serious address to the nation.

Obama fittingly began his address citing John Boehner, the new Speaker of the House, and memorializing the wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He then said that we had a “robust” debate in our politics and averred that it was one thing for the parties to sit together that night but it depended on what they all do “tomorrow” and he used that point to plead for moving forward with more bi-partisanship.

Tellingly, even as Obama has paid lip service to bipartisanship for three years, when he became president neither he nor his party made any moves to implement any bipartisanship. In fact, when Democrat Nancy Pelosi was Speaker of the House she never met with any Republicans on anything. This whole claim or bipartisanship is simply a farce on Obama’s part and Obama continued that farce in the SOTU speech.
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Jaw, Jaw and Bromides: Obama’s State of His Next Campaign for President Address”


John Garrido Wants to be Your 45th Ward Alderman

-By Warner Todd Huston

John Garrido is currently a Chicago Policeman but he wants to be your 45th Ward Alderman. He is running against long-time Alderman Pat Levar. (Skip to the bottom of this entry to see his current schedule of appearances)

Garrido’s basic platform is as follows:

  • Actually read city ordinances and raise common sense questions before voting on them;
  • Demand resources for public safety by properly staffing and equipping the Chicago Police and Fire Departments;
  • Speak out against selling off any more of our precious assets like they did with our parking meters and the skyway;
  • Be an advocate for small businesses who can bring jobs and revenue to our neighborhoods;
  • Never vote for a tax increase, but instead demand we properly manage our resources;
  • Welcome citizen interaction and work closely with neighborhood associations to rebuild and develop our Ward.

Here is an interview with Garrido that was posted at ChicagoElections2011.com.
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John Garrido Wants to be Your 45th Ward Alderman”


Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) Delivers Weekly GOP Address On Repealing Obamacare

“Thanks To The Vote In The House Of Representatives, We Are Now One Step Closer To Victory In The Fight For A Health Care Policy That Puts Americans First – Not Washington. Our Job Won’t Be Done Until We Repeal And Replace This Bad Law.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) released the following weekly Republican address. The address is available in both audio and video format and is embargoed until 6:00 a.m. ET, Saturday, January 22, 2011.


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Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) Delivers Weekly GOP Address On Repealing Obamacare”


The Left’s New Civil-sorship

-By Warner Todd Huston

Let’s be civil, OK? I mean, let’s tone it down out there. You people need to rise to a better, more civil discourse. I know this because the entire left wing in America today is telling us this (even as Democrat Steve Cohen is calling anyone that opposes him a Nazi).

We need to get rid of all the violent rhetoric, they say. We need to stop saying words like “target” or using a crosshair symbol on election maps. Maybe we should stop saying that politicians have a “war room,” too? And saying that we want to “beat” the opposition is right out.

So, yeah. Let’s get rid of all this violence shall we?

On second thought if you are signing onto this new line of civility being used as a means of censorship, well you are an idiot. A morn. A retard, even.
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The Left’s New Civil-sorship”


Chris Christie’s Jersey Attitude

-By Alan Caruba

It’s the curse of having sat through too many local town council meetings and too many speeches by politicians; it’s taking notes as they speak because you want to keep what’s said fresh in mind. Regular folks don’t do this, but anyone who has spent any time as a reporter will tell you it is a hard habit to break.

So, on Tuesday, January 11, I found myself taking notes as New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, gave his first constitutionally required State of the State speech. He will be back in February with a speech about his budget. It was delivered to the members of the New Jersey Senate and Assembly, mostly Democrats; all of whom had learned in the previous year that the Governor was a jolly, fat buzz-saw who just loves a good fight.

Gov. Christie was preceded by two of the worst Governors in current times, Jim McGreevey who discovered he was gay after he put his boyfriend on the payroll and the whispers in the statehouse became a raging storm. He was followed by Jon Corzine, a limousine liberal. Together they increased taxes and fees 115 times in eight years! In a single term in office, Corzine raised taxes $9 billion!
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Chris Christie’s Jersey Attitude”


An ‘Open Letter to the DuPage County GOP’ Protesting Sen. Scott Brown Visit?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Here is an interesting note from Frank Napolitano of the DuPage Conservatives. Apparently, the DuPage Conservatives are none too happy that a mushy-middleman like Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown is coming to speak to the conservative heart of collar counties.

I’d certainly agree with Mr. Napolitano that Scott Brown is in no way a conservative. I can’t imagine anyone mistaking him as one, either. He’s no more conservative than, say, oh, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney happens to be. I guess the main difference between Brown and Romney is that Brown admits to being a mushy-middleman whereas Romney is one, but won’t admit it. But… well… back to the subject…

Mr. Napolitano is wondering why Brown is speaking before an otherwise pretty conservative area of our fair state? I have to say, I wonder the same thing.
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An ‘Open Letter to the DuPage County GOP’ Protesting Sen. Scott Brown Visit?”


Roskam Votes To Rescue Economy From Job-Destroying Healthcare Bill

From the office of Congressman Peter Roskam (Ill., 6th Dist.)…

Rep. Peter Roskam: “[Americans] understand that what has to happen is that businesses have to be able to thrive, and to hire, and to grow and be dynamic. If we repeal this and replace this with the type of thoughtful healthcare initiative that is going to be forthcoming, I think we will do a world of service to everybody that we’re trying to help, and that is to change this economy so that people want to hire again.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tonight, the House of Representatives voted 245 – 189 to pass H.R. 2, repealing the Democrats job-destroying Healthcare bill. Earlier today, Congressman Peter Roskam (R-IL), the Chief Deputy Whip of the House Republican Majority, released the following video of him speaking on the House floor, and in his office, in favor of repealing the healthcare bill:

“I’m Congressman Peter Roskam, and I’m in my office here in the United States Capitol getting ready to go upstairs to the House floor.

“It’s a historic day in Washington D.C. It’s a day that is a reflection of all of the work, all of the energy and all of the speaking out that’s happened for the past year essentially. Without question the American public have said, ‘we don’t want this healthcare law jammed down our throats because it’s having an adverse impact on job creation, it’s making healthcare costs go up – let’s drop this thing.’
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Roskam Votes To Rescue Economy From Job-Destroying Healthcare Bill”


Do We Need ‘Civil Disobedience’ In Illinois? One Blogger Thinks So

-By Warner Todd Huston

Tom Mannis of Chicago News Bench says the time has come for civil disobedience in Illinois. With the recent steep climb in income taxes bequeathed us by Illinois Democrats it is painfully obvious that our politicians in Illinois don’t care much about us. It is obvious, too, that they have a single-minded intention to destroy every last job in the state… well, except, perhaps, the jobs offered by state government and the odd union and ACORN office, anyway.

Sure the Illinois GOP voted against the giant tax hike. But some feel that was just a smoke screen and that they are secretly happy with the move.

For his part Mannis wonders where the heck the Tea Party was during this recent wild tax hike. “In Illinois,” he says, “they seemed to be asleep at the wheel in the days leading up to voting in the State Legislature for one of the worst tax hikes ever.”

But civil disobedience?
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Do We Need ‘Civil Disobedience’ In Illinois? One Blogger Thinks So”


The Debate Begins Today‏

From the office of Congressman Peter Roskam…

This is an important week in Washington. As Congress goes back to work today following the tragic event in Tuscon, we do so with a critical task at hand: debate and vote on repealing Pelosicare.

Today, 200 economists sent an open letter to House and Senate leadership highlighting the law’s negative economic impacts on our country. These respected economists include former Congressional Budget Office directors, Federal Reserve economists, White House officials, and a Nobel laureate – and they’ve recognized what the American people already know. Pelosicare is bad for employers and detrimental to job growth in America.
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The Debate Begins Today‏”


Happy New Years from Downtown Chicago Democrats

From the office of State Senator Chris Lauzen (25th District)…

Majorities in 99 out of 102 counties voted for his opponent, however Governor Pat Quinn declares that he has a mandate to raise our taxes. If the State of Illinois spent what we currently sacrifice in taxes prudently and ethically, the Governor and his enablers in the Legislature might be able to make their case against my assessment that we are “taxed enough already”.

Illinois Medicaid eligibility levels substantially higher than averages, grants for favorite pork projects like Oswego Park District’s purchase and bulldozing of perfectly good and property-tax-paying homes, and unsustainable public employee pensions are all examples of cuts to unnecessary government spending that have not been made. It is no secret that public employee unions provided the money and manpower to get Quinn elected; now “to the victors to the spoils” . . . at your expense . . . during already difficult times for most taxpaying families in Illinois.

During the election, Pat Quinn claimed that he had cut state spending by $3 Billion. This is false – – some people would say it is a deliberate campaign lie. According to a report (that I would be happy to provide you) that his own Budget Office sent last summer to New York bankers and bond rating agencies, Quinn has actually increased spending $1 Billion. I would think that he would be embarrassed by a $4 B error, and that the Establishment Press would scold him every time he lied. Did you know that Quinn promised the state’s employee union that there will be no layoffs for them for the next two years? He did accept their endorsement and did cash their campaign contribution check.
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Happy New Years from Downtown Chicago Democrats”


NH Republican Establishment Working Against Tea Party Candidate?

-By Warner Todd Huston

And so it begins. Now that the 2010 midterms are done and the Tea Party has shown itself to be a real political force, the GOP establishment is making plans to undermine Tea Party power and reassert its own RINO, country club control of the party. It’s happening in New Hampshire, anyway, as it seems as if outgoing NH Republican Party Chairman John Sununu is engaging in a whisper campaign against Tea Party backed Jack Kimball who is vying to become the next GOP chairman for the Granite State.

According to New Hampshireite Skip Murphy of GraniteGrok blog, Sununu is telling people that he’ll only support the next iteration of the state central committee unless he is “confident that the State Committee has assembled a team that is capable of effectively managing the organization.”

Worse he is personally calling voting members and warning them off Kimball.
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NH Republican Establishment Working Against Tea Party Candidate?”


Roskam Remarks on Resolution Condemning Attack of Rep. Giffords

From the office of Congressman Peter Roskam (R,ILL)…

Rep. Peter Roskam: “…I think as we all reflect on the gift that we’ve been given, we have a great example in Gabrielle Giffords of somebody who understands the nature of democracy, and a real willingness to serve. And we wish her the very best and pray for her complete recovery.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Peter Roskam (R-IL), the Chief Deputy Whip of the House Republican Majority, made the following remarks on the House floor this morning regarding House Resolution 32:

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Roskam Remarks on Resolution Condemning Attack of Rep. Giffords”


Repealing and Eliminating the Tax Hike‏

From the Illinois Policy Institute…

On the same day the General Assembly abolished the death penalty for capital crimes in Illinois, lawmakers also implemented the death penalty on Illinois’s economy and taxpayers by passing a 67 percent income tax hike in the face of overwhelming public opposition. The good news is that the citizens of Illinois have the power to overturn this effort during the 2012 elections, now just over a year away.

This tax hike tells the working and middle class voters of Illinois where they stand with the Democratically controlled state government – on the outside looking in. At the front of the line are the public employee unions, their leaders and all who benefit from state government spending at the expense of average citizens (who pay for state government with their private sector jobs).

Today’s study on taxpayer migration shows that the negative Illinois environment is not just driving out job creators and workers, but also the income and tax revenue they represent. Between 1991 and 2009, one Illinois citizen left the state every 10 minutes – that’s 1.2 million residents in all. But these folk didn’t just take their friendships with them; they took $163.6 billion in income and $16.9 billion in state and local tax revenue – gone forever.
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Repealing and Eliminating the Tax Hike‏”