U.S. Supreme Court Blocks Release of Campaign Matching Funds

In a major victory for free speech, the U.S. Supreme Court this morning blocked the use of taxpayer money as campaign "matching funds." The Court will decide whether to review a ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

"This ruling vindicates the right of traditionally funded candidates to run their campaigns without the heavy hand of government helping their opponents," said Nick Dranias, the Goldwater Institute's lead attorney in the case known as McComish v. Bennett.

Under the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Act, candidates who run with public campaign subsidies receive an almost dollar-for-dollar match each time a privately funded opponent raises money above a certain amount, and additional matches when independent expenditures are made against the subsidized candidate.

Today, the Supreme Court restored an injunction against the use of matching funds ordered earlier this year by U.S. District Judge Roslyn O. Silver.

"In a time of soaring budget deficits, the last thing taxpayers should be paying for are politicians' campaigns," said Darcy Olsen, president and CEO of the Goldwater Institute.

The Goldwater Institute Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation represents John McComish, Nancy McClain and Tony Bouie, candidates for the Arizona Legislature whose campaigns are funded by private donations. All three are running against taxpayer-funded candidates who will receive a dollar-for-dollar match from the government for every dollar they privately raise.

In January 2010, Judge Silver ruled that matching funds discourage traditionally funded candidates from raising or spending their donations so they can avoid triggering more taxpayer-funded campaign money for their opponents. Judge Silver determined matching funds are an unconstitutional burden on the election speech of privately funded candidates.

A three-judge panel for the Ninth Circuit disagreed in May, and issued an opinion stating the damage to free speech is minimal.

The Goldwater Institute requested that the Supreme Court intervene before the state started to hand out this year's first round of matching funds on June 22, 2010. In a filing before the Court on Monday, June 7, the Goldwater Institute emphasized that publicly subsidized candidates were first warned by Judge Silver more than 18 months ago that matching funds were unconstitutional. Judge Silver issued her final ruling in late January, but delayed her order so the state could appeal. The Supreme Court's action today ended that delay and put Judge Silver's order into effect immediately.

Read more about this and other Goldwater lawsuits to protect individual rights and keep government within its constitutional limits at www.goldwaterinstitute.org/litigation. The Goldwater Institute is an independent government watchdog supported by people who are committed to expanding free enterprise and liberty.

Pro-Life Democrats Who Switched Vote for Health Bill Request Billions in Earmarks

The 11 House Democrats led by Rep. Bart Stupak who dropped their opposition to health care reform legislation mere hours before the final vote have requested $3.4 billion in earmarks -- and one watchdog group wants to know whether the money represents business as usual or political payoffs.

The Sunlight Foundation says it plans to track the earmark requests, which were put in one day after health care reform cleared Congress, to see whether they're approved and whether it appears lawmakers are being rewarded for their vote.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/29/pro-life-democrats-switched-vote-health-request-billions-earmarks/

Camp Statement on Preliminary CBO Cost Estimates of the Democrats' Health Care Bill

Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) today made the following statement on the preliminary cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office on the Democrats' government takeover of health care:

“Democrats have failed to listen to the American people and are plowing forward with a bill that still spends $1 trillion, raises roughly one-half trillion dollars in new taxes, cuts Medicare by more than one-half trillion dollars and increases Americans’ health insurance premiums. The American people have rejected this bill precisely because it taxes too much, spends too much and increases premiums too much.”

Watch a Special Report from the Front Lines of the Health Care Debate

On Tuesday, March 16th, at 8:30 p.m. EDT, FRC Action will host a live video webcast entitled, "National Townhall on Health Care: Stop the Government Takeover." We've invited Members of Congress, policy experts, and grassroots leaders to join us live at our Washington, D.C. headquarters to help us assess the pending health care overhaul as a vote in Congress looms. Confirmed participants include:

Host: Tony Perkins, President, FRC Action
Congressman Mike Pence (R-Ind.)
Congressman Tom Price, M.D. (R-Ga.)
Bryan Fischer, Director of Issue Analysis, American Family Association
Kristan Hawkins, Executive Director, Students for Life
Marjorie Dannenfelser, President, Susan B. Anthony List
Douglas Johnson, Legislative Director, National Right to Life
Tom McClusky, Senior Vice President, FRC Action
More to be announced.

In addition to briefing us on the significance of this legislation, our guests will also answer viewer questions sent by you via SMS text or email. If allowed to pass, a health care overhaul like the one proposed by President Obama would be devastating to the health, economic well-being, and liberty of American families. Join us this Tuesday evening to find out what you can do to stop a government takeover on health care.

Register now to watch the live webcast on Tuesday, March 16 at 8:30 p.m. EDT

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Westmoreland fight against earmarks gaining steam

Today, the entire House Republican Conference voted to place a moratorium on requesting earmarks, taking a big step toward spending reforms long advocated by U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland.

“The earmark system in Congress is broken, and we needed to take dramatic action like we did today to show the American people we’re serious about doing a better job using their taxpayers wisely and efficiently,” Westmoreland said. “Along with several other conservative legislators, I took this stand against earmarks on my own several years ago, and I have refused to place projects in appropriations bills.

“The way earmarks are done in the House rewards seniority and power of members. It funds projects outside of the competitive process with little means of measuring success or cost-benefit analysis. Tax dollars should go first and foremost to national priorities, they should be distributed fairly and equitably, and when projects fall short of expectations, the funding should end.

“Americans, rightly, have lost faith in Washington’s ability to be responsible with their money. We’ve taken a positive step today. The Democrats’ vow to end all earmarks to for-profit businesses is just more smoke-and-mirrors; it leaves most earmarks safely in place and does nothing to correct the impression that members of Congress are using the federal treasury as a political piggy bank.”

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Republicans must teach the American Dream

Cal Thomas, Examiner Columnist
"America doesn't need restructuring. It needs revival; revival of the principles that made us strong and great; revival of the moral foundation that proved to be our real strength and allowed us to conquer our demons and become independent, not dependent on government."

Republicans must teach the American Dream

Isakson, Chambliss: Improving Immigration Laws Will Help Unemployment

Yesterday U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., joined six of their Senate Republican colleagues in signing a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., asking him to take steps to improve immigration laws in order to help reduce U.S. unemployment.

Isakson and Chambliss believe the millions of workers who are in the United States illegally are only exacerbating the unfair competition American workers currently face as they struggle to find jobs.

The text of the letter is below:

Dear Majority Leader Reid,

We understand that you are currently drafting major jobs legislation to help ease unemployment in the United States during these difficult times. We certainly share your goal of getting Americans back to work and wish to share our ideas with you in the hope that they too may be included in this jobs package.

The statistics are sobering. Currently 15.3 million Americans are officially unemployed. If one adds the number of Americans who are underemployed, what the Department of Labor calls the U-6 unemployment rate, that number jumps to 26.5 million. Meanwhile, there are between 7 and 8 million illegal aliens in the U.S. labor market, many of whom have only recently entered the country.

Despite these numbers, the U.S. government in 2009 failed to enforce our immigration laws. Between fiscal years 2008 and 2009, administrative arrests of illegal aliens dropped 68 percent; criminal arrests of illegal aliens dropped 60 percent; indictments of illegal aliens dropped 58 percent; and convictions of illegal aliens dropped 63 percent.

By taking certain steps to improve our immigration laws, we believe that Congress can help the American worker at little to no cost to the American taxpayer. These steps include:

§ Setting clear enforcement policies that reverse dramatic declines in actions;
§ Permanently reauthorizing E-Verify;
§ Allowing employers to use E-Verify to verify the work authorization of current employees;
§ Reinstating the No-Match Rule, which directs employers to take specific actions upon learning that their employees’ names and social security numbers do not match;
§ Increasing penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens; and
§ Prohibiting employers from deducting wages paid to illegal alien workers.

While there may be many other good ideas to help reduce unemployment, these commonsense measures would go a long way to putting U.S. workers first and end the unfair competition that arises from the abuse of our immigration system. It is imperative that these provisions be included in any jobs legislation and we are fully committed to working with you towards that end.
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Hoyer: House can pass healthcare reform bill without public option

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Tuesday the House can pass a healthcare bill without a public option. Read more: http://www.thehill.com/homenews/house/72325-hoyer-house-can-pass-healthcare-without-public-option

Afghanistan action could test alliance between Obama, Pelosi

If President Barack Obama announces next week he's sending more than 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, as he's expected to do, most members of Congress will have plenty to say about it. Most of it will be critical. Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/69631-afghanistan-action-could-test-alliance-between-obama-pelosi

Stop Corruption in US Government!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009
7:00pm - 9:00pm
GA International Convention Center

JOIN TOGETHER FOR ONE VOICE AMERICA!

Stop Corruption in US Government....Jerome Corsi, book author speaking on his research found on corruption in government.

Tickets are $5.00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M68_E2PN5Qw

Pro-Troop Group Blasts Senate Democrats

Putting Party over Country

Move America Forward, the nation’s largest grassroots pro-troop organization , said members of the U.S. Senate are putting politics over their country by changing positions to support President Obama’s desire to close Guantanamo Bay and bring terrorists onto U.S. soil.

“This is exactly what sickens the American people with politics. Members of the Senate have been making it clear they opposed funding the transfer of terrorist detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the United States. But, now at the drop of a hat from the Obama Administration, they cave in and expose their true feelings – diametrically opposed by American citizens,” said Shawn Callahan, Executive Director of Move America Forward.

As the Obama Administration has been reviewing possible locations to relocate GITMO here to America, Congress has refused to give funding or authorization to enact such a move. Now, the Senate has given the authority and the funding to bring terrorists to the United States.

“Bringing GITMO terrorists to the U.S. is dangerous. Not only will it give the terrorists a platform to recruit more terrorists from around the world, but the constitutional protections that will not be afforded to these enemy combatants will allow them to expose some of America’s intelligence secrets through trial discovery,” asserted Callahan.

The Senate previously voted 90 to 6 with 3 abstaining against allowing Obama to bring terrorist from Guantanamo Bay into the United States. At that time even Senator Harry Reid said, “This is neither the time nor the bill to deal with this. Democrats under no circumstances will move forward without a comprehensive, responsible plan from the president.” Yet in today’s vote, all but one Democrat who previously had voted against GITMO in the U.S. changed positions.

“The Democrats in the U.S. Senate had the right idea in the first place and they knew that it was absolutely irresponsible to give President Obama the freedom to move GITMO detainees to the U.S. without a rational and detailed plan as to how it could be done while guaranteeing the safety of the American people.

“We have not seen that plan, most likely because there is no way to do it without putting innocent Americans in danger. These Democrats have gone back on their word by voting to allow President Obama to have this power without a plan for how to implement it. Obviously these Senators care more about the politics of appeasing the left-wing than protecting Americans from terror and being responsible with our homeland security,” concluded Callahan.
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Congressman Westmoreland: Democrats’ economic plans failing

The Obama administration announced this morning that the nation lost another 190,000 jobs last month, pushing the unemployment rate to 10.2 percent – the highest level since 1983.

“The Obama administration’s economic policies aren’t working, perhaps because the Democratic power structure has kept its focus on job-killing legislation such as cap-and-trade and a government takeover of health care,” U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland said Friday. “Businesses are facing a brutal economic climate, for sure, but they aren’t going to take risks or hire new workers with the possibility of all these new taxes and mandates hanging over their heads.”

Since the administration passed its stimulus package in February, the United States has lost 3 million more jobs. Georgia alone has lost more than 130,000 jobs.

“On Saturday, the Democratic House is scheduled to make the problem even worse,” Westmoreland continued. “According to a methodology set up by the president’s own senior economic advisers, this health care plan will lead to the loss of 5.5 million more American jobs over the next 10 years.

“Health care coverage is of vital interest to the American people, and we have some serious work to do on that topic, but Washington should focus on job creation first in this economic climate. I think that’s what this week’s elections show: Voters are highly concerned about the state of the economy, and members of Congress need to understand that or they are going to face a very angry electorate next year.”