Democrats come to agreement on House Leadership Roles

Although the GOP tornado on election day caused the House to fall on Nancy Pelosi, it appears the Wicked Witch of the West Wing has worked out a deal that will allow her to keep the leadership broom for the House Democrats...

From Politico --

House Democrats have reached a deal to keep both Reps. Steny Hoyer and James Clyburn in the leadership, with Hoyer (D-Md.) serving as minority whip and Clyburn (D-S.C) taking a new, as-yet-still-undefined number three position.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calf.) who is seeking the minority leader's job in the next Congress, reached an agreement with Clyburn on late Friday night, and Democratic leaders quickly announced the deal.

The agreement ends a race between Hoyer and Clyburn for minority whip while leaving Rep. John Larson (Conn.) as Democratic Caucus chairman, the number four leadership position. More...

In the stand off over states accepting Stimulus funds and in a full frontal assault on state rights, Clyburn, former Majority Whip for the Democrats, inserted a last minute measure empowering state legislative leaders to accept the special federal aid if a governor fails to act within 45 days of the measure’s enactment....

“Just before the House passed President Obama’s $819 billion economic-stimulus bill Wednesday evening, Clyburn inserted an amendment empowering state legislative leaders to accept the special federal aid if the governor fails to act within 45 days of the measure’s enactment…

“Clyburn made it clear his provision was aimed squarely at Sanford.”

Then in typical liberal race-baiting fashion, Clyburn also claimed the states refusing to take Stimulus Funds were racist...

House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., amplified earlier statements that the governors' hesitation in accepting stimulus money had insulted him because "these four states are in the heart of the black belt.''

Clyburn singled out Republican Govs. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, Rick Perry of Texas, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Haley Barbour of Mississippi.

So what does all this mean? It means, with the House Democrats electing more of the same type of 'leaders' that have led to the decline of the United States -- it shows they have not learned their lesson and we will have our work cut out for us over the next two years.

Boehner Joins States' Effort to overturn Obama Care

Presumptive new Speaker of the House, John Boehner (OH-8) has filed a brief in support of the lawsuits filed by 20 state attorney generals against Obama Care...

Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) filed a legal brief today backing the growing state legal revolt against the job-killing health care law, which Boehner -- a former small businessman -- and other Republicans have warned will continue to cost our economy jobs unless it is repealed and replaced.

Boehner’s brief supports a lawsuit filed by 20 state attorneys general and the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), the nation’s largest small business association.

“I’m proud to stand with these states and the NFIB on behalf of America’s workers in the revolt against this job-killing health care law,” Boehner said. “Of course, the easiest way to prevent this health care law from costing our economy more jobs is to heed the outcry for its repeal.  That’s why Republicans have made a pledge to America to repeal this job-killing health care law and replace it with reforms that bring down costs and protect American jobs.”

Boehner’s brief requests leave from the trial judge to file an amicus brief challenging the constitutionality of the ‘individual mandate’ at the heart of the job-killing health care law.  In August, primary voters in Missouri rejected the mandate by a nearly 2.5-to-1 margin. Two months prior to that, House Democrats voted to reject a GOP proposal to repeal the mandate.

Earlier this week, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced his intent to file a brief backing the states’ lawsuit.

Now that Mike DeWine will be State Attorney General for OH we fully expect him to fulfill his campaign promise of having OH join these lawsuits against Obama Care.  Lawsuits against Obama Care is how this over reaching government intrusion in our life will be stopped. 

Defunding sounds good, is great for sound bytes & headlines -- but will or may have minimal effect on stopping Obama Care.  Congress can vote to defund all they want, and they should, but this will not stop the implementation of Obama Care. Not funding any of the newly created departments can and will most likely be circumvented by forcing the burden of enforcing these mandates on the states -- much like Medicare & Medicaid, etc..., through regulation.  As we have witnessed in the past, the federal government 'farms out' these duties to the states.  Then when states fail to meet these mandates they are threatened with loss of federal dollars for highway, schools, etc...

So the burden of funding these mandates can be passed on to the already cash-strapped states.  Much like the federal government & the EPA is doing with bypassing legislation for Cap & Trade and in effect enacting it through regulation.

So along with State Attorney General elect Mike DeWine promise of initiating legal proceedings against Obama Care & now that OH has turned 'red' our newly elected State Legislature should proceed with supporting the PCCOH's efforts for a State Sovereignty Amendment to the OH Constitution or begin crafting legislation to this effect. 

Our three branches of government, Executive, Legislative & Judicial, have a built in checks and balance system. The check & balance on the federal government is the states -- this is what makes our state sovereignty rights so vitally important in this fight against not only Obama Care, but illegal immigration, any Cap & Trade legislation and, any attempts of over-reaching regulation by federal entities under directives or mandates from the Executive Office in violation of our State Constitution.

Cigarette Nazi's at it AGAIN!

The nanny-state nitwits have convinced the Goose-Stepping Secretary of Health & Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, to force cigarette companies into printing color photos of tobacco related diseases and corpses of lung cancer victims on cigarette packs....

From Legacy for Health --

Legacy applauds HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and the

leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its bold new effort announced today to dramatically reduce the number of American lives lost annually to tobacco-related disease. Still the number one preventable cause of death, tobacco continues to claim more than 400,000 lives each year in the United States.

Today’s announcement included a proposed rule, Required Warnings for Cigarette Packages and Advertisements, requiring more prominent warnings to better communicate the deadly effects of tobacco. As Secretary Sebelius shared with us today, anyone who picks up a pack of cigarettes will soon clearly understand the risk that comes with smoking. Placing prominent color photos and warning statements will hopefully help young smokers make more informed decisions about lighting up, and give current smokers a renewed commitment to quit their addiction for good.

The proposed graphic warnings would significantly cover the front of cigarette packs, replacing the current warnings on the narrow side of cigarette packs, and would be required as part of the new proposed rule. The proposed warnings include images of tobacco-related cancers and even the corpse of an individual who has passed away from lung cancer. More....

So you hate smoking and don't care that the governement Brown Shirts are stepping on someone's rights?  That's great fast-food Sparky -- because besides other things, the HHS Hamburgler's are already attacking  Happy Meals, salt intake, banning of trans fats, drinking of Coke/Pepsi, etc...

I wonder if this means they will put a picture of Nancy Pelosi's face on the door of all plastic surgeon offices? 

National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility & Reform releases Report

Co-Chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility & Reform, former Sen. Alan Simpson and Bill Clintons ex Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, released their bipartisan plan for reducing federal spending and deficits. Needless to say, many of the "feed at the federal trough" entitlement groups were less than thrilled spitless.

Below is a statement from Tax Payers for Common Sense President Ms. Ryan Alexander & some info supporting some of the proposals in the plan....

The co-chairs’ proposal makes clear that they are serious about leaving no budgetary stone unturned. While many sacred cows were put up for sacrifice, some remain. And just as no one likes to see their tax dollars wasted, no one likes to see their favorite program on the chopping block. Policymakers and interest groups across the spectrum are already leaping to attack almost every proposed reform. To overcome opposition the proposals cannot simply be aspirational instead of implementable and projected savings need to be real and realistic.

But political challenges should not deter the Commission and Congress as we move ahead. This is a great starting place for the commission’s work. These proposals challenge the Commission and Congress to make the kind of hard decisions it is going to need to make if there is any hope of putting the government’s finances on a more sustainable path. We cannot afford to squander this opportunity to rid the budget of ineffective and wasteful spending – from energy and agriculture subsidies to wasteful defense spending practices – and put the country in a better position to face the challenges ahead, whether from global economic shocks or threats from terrorism.

Taxpayers for Common Sense looks forward to working with the Commission to adopt a strong proposal that is adopted by Congress
Research by TCS on some of the Co-Chair’s Proposals

Defense:


We are less convinced savings from Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ proposed Pentagon reforms should be applied toward deficit reduction. Laudable as the reforms are, we’re unsure the methods he’s outlined will produce the savings he’s promised. Likewise with defense contracting reforms: Though we have long advocated for such steps, it’s difficult to measure just how much savings these reforms will produce and foolhardy to budget around it.

Energy:


Issues in the Report in General:Bridge the Partisan Budget Divide

Highway Trust Fund:Finding New Fixes for the Highway Trust Fund
Highway Trust Fund Fix Hurts Taxpayers

Abandoned Mines:More than 161,000 Abandoned Mines in the West

Market Access Project:Representatives Murphy and Garrett Introduce Bill to End the Wasteful Market Access Program

Congressional Pay Raise:Let’s Stop the Congressional Pay Raise

Army Corps of Engineers:Taxpayers Must Not Carry Water for Bad Projects: Comments on the Draft Principles and Standards for Water Resource Projects

Doc Fix:Intensive Care Budgets

Medicare Part D:Prescription Propaganda

Medicare and Social Security:Next President’s Challenge: Medicare and Social Security

Agriculture Disaster Aid:Taxpayers Plowed Under
Cultivating Cash As in today’s proposal, we have historically called for eliminating business tax expenditures, including the LIFO method of accounting and energy tax preferences for the oil and gas industry. We would go further to include loan guarantees to mature industries, like nuclear power, and eliminating other subsidies to energy companies. We applaud the Commission for taking on some sacred cows in its defense proposals. Budget-watchers agree Defense Department health care programs such as Tricare are in desperate need of reform despite political aversion to taking them on. We are also confident our military can absorb the suggested topline cuts in procurement and research & development without compromising our security.  

Taxpayers for Common Sense has also put out a list of Common Sense Reforms for the incoming 112th Congress that can read by clicking here.

CBO Confirms Obamacare Will INCREASE Drug Prices

Last week we made a post regarding the misleading report from the Dept. of Health & Human Services claiming that the average Medicare beneficiary will save $3,500 a year in out-of-pocket health care costs under the Affordable Care Act. At that time the CBO disputed that assertion. 

Now in a letter to House Budget Committee Ranking Member Paul Ryan, the CBO highlights the latest broken promises of Obamacare...

WASHINGTON – In response to a request from House Budget Committee Ranking Republican Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the Congressional Budget Office [CBO] confirmed that President Obama’s massive health care law will increase prescription drug prices. The CBO confirms the range of onerous restrictions and requirements will drive health care costs up, at odds with the claims made by its proponents. CBO’s letter specifies that manufacturers will have an incentive to raise drug prices and that, as a result, health care costs will increase for some seniors and for those who are uninsured.

In response to the findings, Ranking Member Ryan issued the following statement:

"On Tuesday, the American electorate forcefully repudiated President Obama’s agenda, including his massive health care overhaul. Today, the Congressional Budget Office refuted President Obama’s claims, making clear that his policies will drive health care costs up, not down. Especially troubling for many seniors is the news that their prescription drug costs and premiums will increase as a result of this legislation. I will continue to work to repeal this deeply flawed overhaul, advancing instead patient-centered health care reform and reforms to secure Medicare for current and future generations."

- "[The] increase in prices would make federal costs for Medicare’s drug benefit and the costs faced by some beneficiaries slightly higher than they would be in the absence of those provisions…"
　
- "The legislation also imposes an annual fee on manufacturers and importers of brand-name drugs. CBO expects that the fee will probably increase the prices of drugs purchased through Medicare and the prices of newly introduced drugs purchased through Medicaid and other federal programs by about 1 percent. Those increases will be in addition to the ones described above that stem from the new requirements for discounts and rebates."
　
- "The premiums of drug plans will increase along with the increase in net drug prices, so the premiums paid by beneficiaries will increase slightly."

To read CBO Director Doug Elmendorf’s Letter to Ranking Member Ryan: http://cbo.gov/ftpdocs/116xx/doc11674/11-04-Drug_Pricing.pdf   Highlights from the CBO’s letter to Ranking Member Ryan:

Help Stop the Earmarks! (Action Alert)

Our first battle with the newly empowered GOP

For two years we have told the media and the rest of the country that we are nonpartisan and that we intend to hold all lawmakers to a higher standard, and now is our first chance to hold accountable the newly empowered Republican Party.

Next week, Senate Republicans will meet privately to elect their leaders and to consider changes to their conference rules. This is incredibly important and could determine whether or not they were serious about their campaign promises to reduce spending and the size of government.

Earmark ban being introduced

Senator Jim DeMint is introducing an amendment to ban all Republican earmarks in the Senate for the 112th Congress in their closed-door caucus meetings next week. Representative Boehner will be introducing a similar amendment in the House. Senator DeMint and Senator Cornyn will also submit an amendment making it the policy for the Republican conference to support an amendment that forces Congress to balance the budget without raising taxes.

The Senate earmark ban has been co-sponsored by Senators Tom Coburn (OK), John Ensign (NV), Mike Enzi (WY), and John Cornyn (TX) along with Senators-elect Pat Toomey (PA), Marco Rubio (FL), Rand Paul (KY), Mike Lee (UT), Ron Johnson (WI), and Kelly Ayotte (NH).

Senator DeMint states, "If adopted, the GOP earmark ban will represent a very important step toward getting our fiscal house in order. While the cost of earmarks is not large compared to the entire budget, they are used to pressure senators into supporting budget-busting spending bills that have buried our nation under a mountain of debt. As you know, many Republicans are still addicted to earmarks and won't give them up without a fight. I know it's difficult to quit this habit because I used to request earmarks too. But once senators give them up, they're free to fight against excessive spending without fear of retaliation. It's time for Republicans to lead by example on this issue so we can effectively stand together as a party against excessive spending."

Some Republicans trying to fight the ban

Here is the bad news – there are already a group of Republican lawmakers that are trying to fight against this ban. To read the Politico article about it, click the following link: http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=317CEEC0-DC88-C8A7-61499B727950D540. 

The Senators that plan to vote against Senator DeMint's amendment need to be reminded about the message that was sent to them on November 2nd. Americans are tired of these games, including earmarks that breed corruption and favor-trading.

Take action now

We need to call these Senators that are thinking of voting no on Senator DeMint's amendment. Their numbers are listed below. Let’s melt their phone lines, and let them know that the Tea Party Patriots didn't disappear just because the elections are over.

We ask that you call Ohio Sen. George Voinovich first to find out how he is voting and then call the rest of the senators. Be polite, but firm. Some of these senators have been with us on other issues, but on this issue we need to remind them that they work for the people, and the people spoke last Tuesday – no more wasteful spending.

List of Senators to call

Sen. George Voinovich (OH)

DC Phone: (202) 224-3353

Cleveland Phone: (216) 522-7095

Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY)

DC Phone: (202) 224-2541

Jim Inhofe (OK)

DC Phone: (202) 224-4721   

Lindsey Graham (SC)

DC Phone: (202) 224-5972

Lamar Alexander (TN)

DC Phone: (202) 224-4944

Jon Kyl (AZ)

DC Phone: (202) 224-4521

John Barrasso (WY)

DC Phone: (202) 224-6441

John Thune (SD)

DC Phone: (202) 224-2321

Important note: The reason that these Senators are saying they will vote no on the amendment is because earmarks are such a tiny portion of federal spending that the effort to ban them is meaningless, especially when compared to reforming entitlements and cutting spending for other federal programs. This is true in the sense that compared to all the other trillions of dollars that politicians are spending, earmarks seem inconsequential. However, make sure you let them know you fully understand the numbers, but that regardless of the comparative size, it is still important. It shows that they were serious and honest in their campaign promises. As Marco Rubio said, the Republicans were given a second chance and this is their first test.  (H/T Medina Tea Party Patriots)

CTPP Salutes our Veterans

Don't forget to thank & hug a veteran today! It is because of their sacrifices, and the ultimate sacrifice of our fallen soldiers and their fallen brothers - that we have the freedom we do!  We must all remember... if it was not for what our veterans have done and are doing -- "We the People" would not exist!