A Few Things Illinois Needs to know about the Debt Crisis

-By Warner Todd Huston

The debt crisis is a national disaster, of course. But Illinois will likely be affected worse than many other states. For one thing, Illinois is the most broke state in the union and will be affected more immediately by the mess that is our national economy than any other state. But, as Fox Business network’s Ashley Webster reports, there are five things that Illinoisans need to know about how the crisis will affect them.

Webster will be doing a special report on Fox Business Network on Monday, August 1 at 5AM, talking about how the debt crisis will affect Illinois, but I had a nice exchange with him and he gave me a little sneak peek at his report.

Webster told me several important points that the debt crisis means for Illinois.
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A Few Things Illinois Needs to know about the Debt Crisis”


Kinzinger Statement on the Budget Control Act

From the office of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL, 11th Dist.)…

Washington, D.C. – Today Congressman Adam Kinzinger (IL-11), issued the following statement upon House passage of the Budget Control Act:

“Over the course of seven months, House Republicans have changed the conversation in Washington from where to spend to where to cut and how much. Today, many of my colleagues and I in the House voted to reverse the failed trajectory.

“House Republicans recognize that we must pay back the bills that have been racked up by prior Congresses. We must get ourselves on a fiscal trajectory because our spending is out of control. We have the same tax rates, the same two wars, the same prescription drug benefit in 2007, and the same tax loopholes, but the deficit then was $161 billion. This year it’s $1.5 trillion.
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Kinzinger Statement on the Budget Control Act”


Illinois Policy Institute: The Truth is Out

From the Illinois Policy Institute…

For years, government unions have perpetuated the myth of the grossly underpaid civil servant. In our recent report, “Out of Sync,” we bust that myth wide open and got the word out to the media, the public and grassroots activists.

Out of Sync outlines a fact that many in Springfield don’t want you – the taxpayer – to know:

The average Illinois government employee takes home 23 percent more in compensation than the average private sector employee.

Who pays for these generous salaries and benefits?
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Illinois Policy Institute: The Truth is Out”


SOS Fest: Teachers Unions and Radical Left are in Charge

-By Larry Sand

Teachers should think twice before marching in lockstep with this revolting crowd.

Americans have always had a warm spot for teachers. We all have memories of those who have taught us, who were there every day for us and felt like part of our family. But over the past 40 years or so, teachers unions have begun to chip away at the public’s perception of teachers. And this changing perception has accelerated during the recent fiscal downturn.

Education policy expert Jay Greene addresses this phenomenon in The Army of Angry Teachers which was posted on Education Matters, his own blog, and elsewhere last week. The crux of his piece is that typically people tend to look at teachers as an extension of their family. But now during stressful times for teachers, the teachers unions have whipped the rank and file into a state of deep anger. Greene writes “But when the public face of the teacher unions is the Army of Angry Teachers, they no longer seem like Mary Poppins and begin to look a lot more like longshoremen beating their opponents with metal pipes.”

Greene has hit on a major point. Not surprisingly, the post was met with negative responses by, well, angry teachers.
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SOS Fest: Teachers Unions and Radical Left are in Charge”


DuPage Republican Party: Secretive, Insular, Corrupt

-By Warner Todd Huston

The nonsense going on in the DuPage County GOP is a perfect example of all that is wrong with the Illinois GOP. It all rather shows why the GOP is useless in the state of Illinois. The DuPage party organization took what could have been a great public relations opportunity and turned it into yet another secretive, back-room dealing that cut out voters and proved that even its own party rules make no difference to party powerbrokers. Worse, this isn’t the first time DuPage GOP has mishandled the same situation.

On July 18, a Monday, DuPage GOP Party Chairman Dan Cronin abruptly resigned from his post as chairman. It doesn’t seem to have been a long planned resignation — though Cronin had mentioned he would not run for reelection to the chairmanship — and it certainly was not one enacted with public note. In fact, no one outside of Cronin’s inner circle even knew it was coming until several hours beforehand when Dave Diersen reported the coming resignation the Sunday before Cronin stepped down.

After Cronin left his post that Monday evening, the nine GOP township chairmen in DuPage County unanimously voted to replace Cronin with Randy Ramey, the state representative for the 55th district as well as Wayne Township GOP Chair. Ramey is also the stepson of famed GOP politico Pate Philip, onetime powerful leader of the Illinois senate.
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DuPage Republican Party: Secretive, Insular, Corrupt”


Ill. Congressman Walsh Picks Up Re-Election Endorsement of Club for Growth

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Club For Growth, one of the most influential conservative groups in the country, strongly endorsed GOP Congressman Joe Walsh (currently of the Illinois 8th District) for re-election.

This is an interesting development as redistricting in Illinois has truly caused some major heartburn for Republicans in the next congressional elections in the Land of Lincoln, a state that sent five new Republicans to The Hill last year.

Mr. Walsh apparently will run in the newly reconfigured 14h CD and chances are he might be forced to compete with one of the other newly elected GOP congressmen that made their way to Washington in the tidal wave of 2010.
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Ill. Congressman Walsh Picks Up Re-Election Endorsement of Club for Growth”


States Taking Pro-Jobs Rules Into Their Own Hands

-By Warner Todd Huston

One of the first things that President Obama did when he walked into the White House was to authorize an Executive Order as a payback to his buddies in Big Labor by implementing project labor agreements (PLAs) for all federal construction projects. That this was his very first action upon taking office shows that he is definitely the president that unions bought and paid for.

A PLA is a set of rules that forces every contractor that works for the federal government to pay union wages, pay union dues, pay into union pensions and operate under union rules even if the company is not a unionized company. PLAs end competitive bidding and cost the government more on every project. These rules are nothing but a freebie, a sop to Obama’s Big Labor pals at the expense of taxpayers and lost jobs.

As the Wall Street Journal says, “PLAs are a form of political bid-rigging that robs taxpayers even in good economic times. Amid today’s limited fiscal resources, PLAs steal money from the likes of education and law enforcement to reward politically connected companies and their unions. They deserve to be outlawed.”
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States Taking Pro-Jobs Rules Into Their Own Hands”


National Teachers Unions Intensify War on Reformers

-By Larry Sand

NEA and AFT ramp up attacks on non-existent teacher bashers, while vilifying those who are trying to reform a failing system

In her address last week at the American Federation of Teachers TEACH conference, AFT President Randi Weingarten came out swinging. In an emotional speech to the faithful, she said that education reform should come from teachers and their communities, rather than from people “who blame teachers for everything.” While the teachers unions have been hammering away at this “blame the teacher” myth for some time now, the rants seem to be intensifying.

Invariably, what is labeled “teacher bashing” is nothing more than anger at the teachers unions for blocking every type of education reform imaginable, as well as the unions doing their level best to block school districts’ attempts to fire bad and even criminal teachers. So to be more specific, these phenomena should be called “teacher union bashing” and “bad teacher bashing.”

Education writer RiShawn Biddle does an excellent job of poking holes in the teacher bashing argument, claiming, among other things, that Weingarten “is just using a rhetorical trick often deployed by teachers unions and other education traditionalists to oppose school reform. They declare that any criticism of the unions and any effort to overhaul teacher quality are forms of ‘teacher bashing.’ And such proclamations end up forcing reformers onto their heels when they should actually take these critics to the woodshed.”
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National Teachers Unions Intensify War on Reformers”


Michigan Public School Illegally Uses Robocall System Against GOP Governor

-By Warner Todd Huston

News has emerged that a Michigan public school illegally used its automatic phone calling system to call the homes of every student to urge parents to join the recall effort against Republican Governor Rick Snyder last month. To imagine that they can illegally use public school facilities for a partisan, left-wing political effort, this is the arrogance of left-wingers in our mis-educational system writ large.

It is certainly illegal for a school to put it’s telephone alert system for partisan political use, but that is what happened nonetheless. Here is what the message said:

This is a message from the Lawrence Public Schools (inaudible) alert system. This is an informational item and not directly associated with the school. Concerned parents interested in cuts to education . . . we’re here to inform you that there is information about the problem. Also, be advised that there is a petition to recall Governor Snyder. If you want, stop by Chuck Moden’s house right by the school June 7th/8th between 3:30 and 4:00 pm. Thank you. Goodbye.

(To hear a recording of the message, click here.)
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Michigan Public School Illegally Uses Robocall System Against GOP Governor”


Rep. Walsh Tells Obama to ‘Quit Lying’ About Soc. Sec.

Illinois Republican Representative Joe Walsh takes it hard to President Obama. Mr. Walsh says that Obama is lying and he wonders if the president even has any clue about how the country works.

Walsh asks, “Have you no shame sir?” …

It’s about time someone in Washington talks straight about this budget mess.

Joe Walsh represents the current 8th District.

http://walsh.house.gov/


AB 114: A Blatant Attack on California’s Schools

-By Larry Sand

The California Teachers Association and Democrats in the legislature join forces to victimize school districts, children and taxpayers

In Sacramento, on Tuesday night, June 28, school districts, children and taxpayers were essentially mugged by a gang of Democrat legislators at the behest of their bosses in the California Teachers Association. Governor Jerry Brown, also in the pockets of CTA, was a willing accomplice.

AB 114, a one hundred page monstrosity, was rammed through both houses of the state legislature late on the 28th and was not published until the following morning. Governor Brown signed it into law the next day. As the Sacramento Bee reported, there were no committee hearings and no chance for the public to scrutinize the bill, which became public less than an hour before it was approved for passage.

AB 114 does several things, all of which imperil local school districts by imposing a mandate upon them that many will not be able to carry out. Educated Guess writer John Fensterwald says there are three ways that AB 114 steals power away from the local district.
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AB 114: A Blatant Attack on California’s Schools”


Sizing Up Classrooms

-By Larry Sand (Originally posted at City Journal)

It’s time to expose the “smaller-is-better” myth

Summer is in full swing, and teachers’ unions are going on the offensive. Perhaps hoping to build on the public-relations bonanza that was California’s “State of Emergency,” union activists and their progressive allies plan to rally in Washington, D.C. and around the country later this month as part of the “Save Our Schools March and Call to Action.” The public will hear from writers like Jonathan Kozol and Diane Ravitch about the indignities schools have purportedly been forced to endure in the wake of the economic downturn. One of their key themes will be the “class-size crisis.”

Teachers like smaller classes, and understandably so. The advantages include fewer papers to grade, students to manage, and parents to deal with. The teachers’ unions like smaller classes, too. Smaller classes mean more teachers and more union dues. And parents like smaller classes because they believe that their children benefit from more individual attention. Everyone agrees that smaller classes are better, right?

In a word: no. Much of the rhetoric supporting small classes is demagogic and runs afoul of the research. Let’s begin with the oft-heard union claim that classes are getting larger. Not quite. A U.S. Department of Labor chart, courtesy of teacher-union watchdog Mike Antonucci, tells the tale. Since the mid-1950s, the number of public-education employees — including teachers — has risen steadily and inexorably nationwide. Brief hiring disruptions occur only during recessionary times, which result in a minor diminution in personnel. Immediately following the downturn, however, the hiring resumes with gusto. The result is that since the mid-1950s, the U.S. student population has increased by 60 percent, while the number of public education workers, including teachers, administrators, and other non-certificated staff, has exploded by 300 percent. (For every new member in California, the union pockets more than $600 a year in dues.) Antonucci has reported on this phenomenon for years. When the economy inevitably contracts, the bellyaching and the hand-wringing about laying educators off begin anew.
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Sizing Up Classrooms”


VIDEO: God Sides With Chris Christie, Lightening Zaps Dem That Threatened to Punch Guv

-By Warner Todd Huston

New Jersey’s Senate President is a vile, sort of loud-mouthed kind of cretin. Not long ago, in keeping with the Democrat’s New Tone (™) in politics, Stephen Sweeney threatened to punch Governor Christie “in his head.” Well, apparently God has added his thoughts to Sweeney’s preoccupation with violence…

Yep, that was Sweeney almost getting fried by the big guy upstairs for all his lies and nonsense.

Chris Christie, 1, Sweeney, 0.

Now if we can start zapping union members, too! Ha, ha.
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VIDEO: God Sides With Chris Christie, Lightening Zaps Dem That Threatened to Punch Guv”


Quinn’s Big Cuts Amount to a Mere $8 Per Citizen

From the Illinois Policy Institute…

Over the past week, there has been a lot of news coverage of the line item vetos Gov. Quinn made before signing the budget. Many have mischaracterized this budget as one that is austere.

As we’ve said before that is not the case and these additional “cuts” the governor made don’t change that assessment.

The cuts are minimal at best. The actual cuts equate to only $8 per person and still are not enough to allow for the scheduled sunset of the tax hikes.

To learn more, check out the latest in our portfolio of budget work.
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Quinn’s Big Cuts Amount to a Mere $8 Per Citizen”


Illinois Legislative Session Wrap Up

-By Warner Todd Huston

So, once we get past the vague, gut feeling that not much was done in this past legislative session, we can look over the last several months and assess what Springfield done for us all. As the state was distracted by yet another trial for Rod Blagojevich (this time a successful one) our elected officials were at loggerheads on many issues. But with the Democrats having such a hammerlock on power, most everything went their way. And, in some cases “their way” was no way at all.

For instance, the general assembly once again failed to address pension reform. Like the Sword of Damocles, the pension mess hangs over the heads of every single citizen of Illinois. Sadly, we cannot blame only the Democrats, here, as there has been a complete lack of political will (and courage) on both sides of the aisle to take on this issue. In fact, many of the problem legislators are those Republicans whose districts have a large population of state workers and are swayed by the government unions to which they belong.

Some think the pension mess will be brought up during the coming veto session. There is no timeline for such an action, though.
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Illinois Legislative Session Wrap Up”


Midwest Tea Party Convention: Beck, Breitbart and You‏

From the Chicago Tea Party…

TEACON 2011: Midwest Tea Party Convention in the Chicago Area

Is the Tea Party Movement united and ready to influence the 2012 election? The Chicago Tea Party is very proud to be hosting an event to help educate, engage and energize tea party members from across the Midwest to prepare for 2012. We are hosting a two-day Midwest Tea Party Convention, TEACON 2011, September 30 – October 1, 2011 in Schaumburg, IL. This will be the largest tea party event in the country this fall. TEACON will feature great speakers, valuable training and interactive breakout sessions for tea party activists, conservatives, libertarians and Americans who want to make a difference in 2012.

You can learn more about the event and purchase your tickets for TEACON 2011 at www.teaconmidwest.com. The fun begins Friday night.

Andrew Breitbart, author of Righteous Indignation and publisher of BigGovernment, BigJournalism, BigPeace, BigHollywood and Breitbart.com, will take a break from saving the world to be part of our kickoff reception on Friday night. You’ll have a chance to meet Andrew during the reception in addition to hearing him speak. Conservative comedian and Fox News Contributor Steven Crowder will provide the entertainment for the evening.
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Midwest Tea Party Convention: Beck, Breitbart and You‏”


CA Public Schools See Lower Funding But Higher Test Scores

– By Warner Todd Huston

It is pretty amusing to see the Sacramento Bee acting all shocked that less funding from the state didn’t hurt education and higher student test scores were realized despite the lower spending on education. But that seems to have been the case.

As the State of California has floundered state services have had to do with less tax money and the schools are no different than other departments. As the Sac Bee says, “conventional wisdom” states that schools need ever higher amounts of money to successfully teach our children. But, shock of shocks, the Sac Bee has found something that defies that purported wisdom…

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.


Chicago: Two Anti-American Conferences Held on Independence Day

-By Warner Todd Huston

While patriotic Chicagoans attended parades, BBQs and otherwise celebrated our Independence Day holiday — and while Democrats stayed home and brooded — two of the most anti-American ideologies imaginable met to plot their revenge on the USA.

Not only did representatives of these two ideologies meet, but they met in the same town, on the same dates, and right across the street from each other. How’s that for kismet?

Over the July Fourth weekend, radical Islamists met at the Rosemont Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois for their 48th Annual Islamic Society of North America Convention. Over the same days the Socialism 2011 conference met across the street at the Crowne Plaza Hotel & Conference Center.

Both groups plan to destroy what is currently the USA and replace it with their own particular un-American idea of what should be.
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Chicago: Two Anti-American Conferences Held on Independence Day”


Wisc. Firefighters Care More About Their Union Than 9/11 Memory

-By Warner Todd Huston

If you needed yet another example of why government employees should never be allowed to join unions, this is it. In Racine, Wisconsin the local fireman’s union got into an imbroglio over a July 4th parade float honoring the fallen first responders of the Sept. 11 attacks, a parade entry that the union supported previously. This time, though, union bosses decided not to support the 9/11 memorial float because one of the firemen on the float opted out of the fireman’s union this year.

That’s right, the fireman’s union decided that their union agenda was more important than supporting a memorial to their brethren that died on Sept. 11, 2001. Their union agenda was even more important than patriotism and an Independence Day parade.

Imagine that. These union thugs despoiled the memory of the Sept. 11 fallen and used them in order to make points for their union ideals and political policies.

What could be more disgusting?
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Wisc. Firefighters Care More About Their Union Than 9/11 Memory”


Pro-Life Group Thrown Out of Illinois July 4th Parade By Jaycees

-By Warner Todd Huston

Apparently, when no one was looking, the Jaycees became a pro-Infanticide group. I wonder about this because the United States Junior Chamber Jaycees has thrown the Palatine Area Catholics Respect Life Group out of the Palatine, Illinois July Fourth parade, preventing them from participating in this year’s celebration.

The Jaycees claim that they have done so because the pro-life group has an “offensive” photo on the banner they planned to carry in the procession. Following is a photo of the banner as seen on the local Patch story:

“They decided that an unborn baby is too offensive,” said Martin Kelley, co-founder of Palatine Area Catholics Respect Life. “It’s an ultrasound photo. It’s not a picture of an aborted baby.”

So, how is an ultrasound photo of an in utero infant “offensive”? This isn’t a gruesome photo of an aborted fetus like many pro-life groups use to shock viewers — if it were I might agree with the claim that it is an offensive display. This is simply a live baby in the womb captured through the wonders of modern technology.
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Pro-Life Group Thrown Out of Illinois July 4th Parade By Jaycees”


Rep. Walsh to Spitzer: Obama ‘Acted Like a 10-Year-Old’

-By Warner Todd Huston

I am happy to say that Rep. Joe Walsh (R, IL) has been doing a great job of taking it to the president and the Democrats since he went to Washington. Here is yet another media visit by Rep. Walsh…

You can help support Joe at: http://walsh.house.gov/


Why Does Sen. Durbin Think Illegal Aliens Can Become President?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Once again we see a Democrat in Congress that is completely out of touch with, or unknowledgeable about, our U.S. Constitution, the law of the land. This time it’s Senator Dick Durbin that is so contemptuous of our immigration laws, so interested to pander to illegal immigrants, that he somehow imagines that an illegal alien could become president some day.

Durbin was once again advocating for the DREAM Act, a law that would give cash, education, and freebies to the children of illegal immigrants merely because they are illegals and he and his staff had stacked the audience in his hearing with illegal immigrants.

After pandering to the illegals in the audience at the Capitol (you know, those illegals so afraid of America that they have to “hide in the shadows”), Senator Durbin started his loving tribute to those bright, shinning faces in attendance…
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Why Does Sen. Durbin Think Illegal Aliens Can Become President?”


Unions Display Hatred in Union Derangement Syndrome

-By Warner Todd Huston

My Friend Maggie Thurber has a great piece chronicling the hate that unions in Ohio display for those voters that stand against the absurd riches that government employees have wrung out of the taxpayers in the Buckeye State.

Pointing out that union supporters are “dripping with ‘hate’ and derision toward people who see a problem and are trying to fix it,” Thurber does a great job of identifying the flawed logic in this union member’s argument on why the focus on the “opulent” benefits and pay scales of government workers is wrong on their opinion.

One point that Thurber makes is spot on. While it is true that many people are sick and tire of these union thugs ripping off the taxpayers, the unions are not the only entities at fault here.
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Unions Display Hatred in Union Derangement Syndrome”


Tea Party Poll: Rick Perry On Top

-By Warner Todd Huston

According to a McClatchy-Marist poll from Wednesday, Texas Governor Rick Perry is the Tea Party favorite to be president of the Untied States in 2012.

Perry has not made any announcement of running as of yet, but he comes in above Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann and the others either announced or mulling still.

The poll shows that Perry garners 20% support with Mitt Romney coming in second at 17%. Palin comes in third at 16% while Michele Bachmann rings in at 12%.

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.


Virginia Attny Gen to Sue FCC Over Net Neutrality

-By Warner Todd Huston

Up to this point, the far left has won the war for branding on the issue of Net Neutrality. Even many conservatives and Republicans have been fooled by the “freedom of the Internet” lies that the left has spun with NN. But the Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli of The Commonwealth of Virginia means to change all that by launching a lawsuit to stop the government take over of the Internet.

First off this claim from the left that they only want to keep the Internet free and open is simply an outright lie. What they really want is two fold. One, they want all capitalist ventures removed from the Internet, and two, they want government to have 100% control over the Internet and they want the Internet treated sort of like a public utility.

The simple fact of the matter is that if government has 100% control over the Internet “free and open” is impossible. Even if this government control starts with no rules over content (and it won’t start that way), it won’t be long before the federal government starts mandating what is on the Internet, starts banning content that it doesn’t like, and starts laying out requirements for those websites lucky enough to be allowed to stay in operation.
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Virginia Attny Gen to Sue FCC Over Net Neutrality”


Leftist Judge Leaked Anti-Posser Story Because Her Claim Is Garbage

-By Warner Todd Huston

A few days ago I posted a story about a leftist judge accusing Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser of physically attacker her in a closed-doors meeting of the justices. The lefty sites went mad for this story, but as the days wore on the lefty judge’s claims started to seem less and less credible. Now we are finding out that the lefty judge herself leaked the story in order to hurt Judge Prosser in the court of public opinion because she knew she had no real legal case against him. In other words, she was lying, she knew it, and she launched a program of character assassination because she had no real legitimate case to press in the courts.

Christian Schneider of The National Review’s The Corner blog reports some more of the sad details about this left-wing attack and gives us even more reason to suspect that lefty Justice Ann Walsh Bradley is simply a liar…

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.


Senator Coburn’s Ahistorical, Unworkable Tax Hike Plans

-By Warner Todd Huston

Senator Tom Coburn (R, OK) is trying to break heavy with the Tea Partiers — and for that matter his own party — by encouraging Republicans to include massive tax hikes in the on going budget discussions in congress this year.

Coburn appears to feel that a tax hike simply must be part of the discussion to get a deal this year simply because the Democrats control both the White House and the Senate. Apparently Coburn is afraid that a deal must happen this year or the U.S. will become a third world nation over night.

Unfortunately, Coburn’s ideas on the budget have no historical basis at all. Tax hikes have never helped raise a down economy. It seems Coburn is far more interested in the relative success of a deal to solve our economic situation than in what a tax hike means for both the country and his party and whether it will even work or not.

Coburn is fighting both his party and several anti-tax advocacy groups like Americans for Tax Reform.
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Senator Coburn’s Ahistorical, Unworkable Tax Hike Plans”


Vote Fraud Paradise in Maryland

-By Warner Todd Huston

Thanks to SB167/HB470, Maryland is yet another U.S. State attempting to reward illegal immigrants with free or cut rate in-state university educations all at the detriment to the real citizens of the state — and all without the direct vote of the people. But this state version of the DREAM Act has resulted in some other attempted skullduggery, mainly violations of the state’s voting laws.

Here is what happened. Two Maryland legislators, Senator Victor Ramirez and Delegate Sheila Hixson of St. George’s County, introduced the bill in question that gave illegals in-state tuition to the state’s colleges – in other words, illegals will be taking the place of actual citizens at the state’s colleges. Even as the bill became law, the people of Maryland were not too happy with the whole thing. So, in time-honored fashion, the people of Maryland took up petitions to try and have a voice about being rid of this rewarding of illegals.

As it happens the citizens against this Maryland version of the DREAM Act didn’t just collect the requisite 18,579 (or so) petition signatures, they collected 40,000! This made the supporters of illegal immigrants suddenly all upset, as you can imagine, and here is where the lawbreaking came in.
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Vote Fraud Paradise in Maryland”


Kinzinger Statement on Blagojevich Verdict

From the office of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R, IL)…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) today issued the following statement in response to the partial verdict in the retrial of Rod Blagojevich, former governor of Illinois:

“Rod Blagojevich never seemed to understand the difference between serving the public and serving his personal self interests. The evidence presented and verdict confirms that he was found guilty of seventeen of the twenty counts including wire fraud, attempted extortion and attempting to sell President Obama’s old Senate seat, but far worse, he abused and shattered public trust. The shame and national embarrassment Blagojevich cast onto our state has only created further financial bearing.

“I applaud the U.S. Attorney’s office for their hard work, dedication and effort to see to it that justice has somewhat been served. Unfortunately, Blagojevich’s verdict and punishment will not restore statewide, much less nationwide certainty in Illinois. We must now move beyond Rod Blagojevich and turn our focus toward working together to rebuild Illinois.”

http://kinzinger.house.gov/


Progressive Education Circus Goes to Washington

-By Larry Sand

The folks who have resisted real education reform will attempt to sell their broken ideas, tax-the-rich schemes and radical socialism in D.C. next month.

Sorry to be the bearer of unpleasant news, but the SOS (Save Our Schools) March on Washington — an attempt to con the public by diverting the debate away from real education reform issues like failing schools, irresponsible spending, retaining bad teachers, etc. – will be setting up their Big Top in Washington D.C. from July 28th to July 31st.

The annoying whiny voice in the SOS promotional video is probably an indication as to what the tone of the event will be. Its endorsers are the usual motley collection of progressive educators, socialist organizations and teachers unions that one would expect – Diane Ravitch, Jonathan Kozol, Students for a Democratic Society, the Freedom Socialist Party and the National Educational Association are just a few of the individuals and organizations lending their name to this circus. I will be reporting more on the event in the weeks to come.
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Progressive Education Circus Goes to Washington”