September 11, 2009
By Faye Parrish
Dear President
Obama,
I read of your administrations plan to re-define September
11th as a National Service Day. Sir, it's time we had a talk.
During
your campaign, Americans watched as you made mockery of our tradition
of standing and crossing your heart when the Pledge of Allegiance was
spoken. You, out of four people on the stage, were the only one not
honoring our tradition. We noticed.
During one of your
many speeches, Americans heard you say that you intended to visit all 57
states. We noticed.
When Senator McCain leaned over at Ground Zero and gently placed a
flower on the memorial, you tossed your flower onto the pile without
leaning over. We noticed.
Every time you apologized to other countries for America's position on
an issue, we have wondered why you don't share our pride in this great
country. When you have heard foreign leaders berate our country and our
beliefs, you have not defended us. We noticed.
When your pastor of 20 years damned America and said that 9/11 was
"America's chickens coming home to roost" and you denied having heard
recriminations of that nature, we wondered how that could be. When you
later disassociated yourself from that church and pastor because it was
politically expedient to do so, we noticed.
When you announced that you would transform America, we wondered why.
With all her faults, America is the greatest country on earth. Sir, if
not for America and the people who built her, you wouldn't be sitting in
the White House now. Prior to your election to the highest office in
this country, you were a senator from Illinois and from what we can
glean from the records available, not a remarkable one. We noticed.
All through your campaign and even now, you have surrounded yourself
with individuals who are basically unqualified for the positions to
which you appointed them. Worse than that, the majority of them are
people who, like you, bear no special affection or respect for this
country and her traditions. We noticed.
You are seven months into your term and every morning millions of
Americans wake up to a new horror heaped on us by you. You seek to
saddle working Americans with a health care/insurance reform package
that, along with cap and trade, will bankrupt this nation. We noticed.
We seek, by protesting, to let our representatives know that we are not
in favor of these crippling expenditures and we are labeled
"un-American," and "racist." We wonder how we are supposed to let you
know how frustrated we are. You have attempted to make our protests seem
isolated. We noticed.
On September 11, 2001 there were no Republicans or Democrats, only
Americans. And we all grieved together and helped each other in whatever
way we could. The attack on 9/11 was carried out because we are
Americans. And we noticed.
There were many of us who prayed that as a black president you could
help unite this nation even more. In seven months you have done more to
destroy this nation than anyone since 9/11. You have failed us. We
noticed.
September 11th is a day of remembrance for all Americans. You propose to
make 9/11 a "National Service Day." While we know that you may not
share our reverence for 9/11, we pray that history will report your
proposal as what it is...a disgrace.
When Americans come together again, it will be to remove you from
office. You have made a mockery of our Constitution and the office that
you hold. You have embarrassed and slighted us in foreign visits and
policy.
We have noticed all these things. We will deal with you.
Faye Parrish is a concerned American citizen.
This piece has been erroneously attributed to Sherry Hackett, wife of
the late Buddy Hackett, via email. However, the open letter by Faye
Parrish was posted on familysecurityatters.org
before the misattributed email started circulating according to Snopes.com.
Read More......
Showing posts with label 2009. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009. Show all posts
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Thursday, December 31, 2009
FBI Reports Huge Decrease in Murders as Firearms Sales Soar
NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERT, Vol. 16, No. 51, 12/30/09 (Via email) - FBI Reports Huge Decrease In Murders As Firearm, Ammunition And "Large" Magazine Sales Soar ∴ Last week, the FBI issued its preliminary 2009 crime report, showing that the number of murders in the first half of 2009 decreased 10 percent compared to the first half of 2008. If the trend holds for the remainder of 2009, it will be the single greatest one-year decrease in the number of murders since at least 1960, the earliest year for which national data are available through the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Also, the per capita murder rate for 2009 will be 51 percent lower than the all-time high recorded in 1991, and it will be the lowest rate since 1963 - a 46-year low. Final figures for 2009 will be released by the FBI next year. Read more at NRA-ILA...
"According to gun control supporter dogma - 'more guns means more crime'..." Nope! --bc Read More......
"According to gun control supporter dogma - 'more guns means more crime'..." Nope! --bc Read More......
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Hugh Hewitt: President Obama's year of failure
WASHINGTON EXAMINER, 12/28/2009 by Hugh Hewitt - "President Obama's year of blunders is ending with the worst failure yet by the president and his team: An Islamist terrorist penetrated the United States and came very close to perpetrating the greatest mass-casualty attack within the U.S. since 9/11. ∴ The president's first year in office has been marked by a string of pratfalls." Read more at the Examiner...
Read More......
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Potential breakdowns in homeland security protections
THE HILL, 12/26/2009 - Congressional hearings will begin in January to investigate the alleged attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight just before touching down in Detroit on Christmas Day, as top lawmakers voiced concerns about potential breakdowns in homeland security protections. Read more at The Hill...
Read More......
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Newsletter: Benton Co. Republicans, Nov. 1, 2009
Please visit our website at http://bentongop.blogspot.com.
Rep. Michelle Bachman (R-Minn.) wants you to meet her on the steps of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, November 5, at noon. She will walk with you through the Capitol Building to the offices of her constituents so you can deliver your message about Pelosi’s 1900+ page health care bill. Then she will accompany you to the gallery of the room where the House of Representatives will hear testimony on the health care bill, The Crown Jewel of Socialism.A TeaParty bus [Tea Party Express II: Countdown to Judgment Day], filled with enthusiastic patriots and headed for Washington D.C., stopped in Portland yesterday at Michael’s Sausage Co. where 600+ people (including some from Benton & Linn counties) met them and wished them safe travel. Please be sure to thank the management of Michael’s Sausage Co. (1111 S.E. Stark, Portland OR 97205) for hosting this gathering.
What’s the Pelosi Prescription for Govt-run Healthcare?
The Heritage Foundation, Friday, Oct 30, 2009
Here’s the plan:
- Force all Americans to buy health insurance, regulate the private plans till they are too expensive, and then slowly expand the power and size of the public option as Americans are left with no choice but to turn to government run health care. That is how Pelosi aims to achieve Obama’s goal of “Everybody in, Nobody out” government run health care.
- The costs are going to be staggering. Not only will health care quality and choice suffer as more and more Americans are forced onto a government plan that reimburses providers at low government set rates, but the price tag is guaranteed to skyrocket. The only way the House managed to keep their price tag as low as $1.05 trillion is by pretending that Congress would cut Medicare reimbursement rates by 20% in 2010. The full ten-year cost of being honest about the Medicare reimbursement rates would be $250 billion.
- Less choice, lower quality health care, and trillion dollar deficits for years to come: that is the House’s prescription for health reform.
Last Monday, Sen. Harry Reid introduced his version of a health care bill in the Senate.
Oregonians Elected to the U.S. Senate
- Sen. Ron Wyden (D) - DC (202) 224-5244, DC Fax (202) 228-2717, Salem (503) 589-4555
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D) - DC (202) 224-3753, Salem (503) 362-8102
- Wu, David (D), Oregon, 1st - DC (202) 225-0855, Portland (503) 326-2901
Walden, Greg (R), Oregon, 2nd - DC (202) 225-6730, Medford (541) 776-4646
Blumenauer, Earl (D), Oregon 3rd - DC (202) 225-4811, Portland (503) 231-2300
DeFazio, Peter (D), Oregon, 4th - DC (202) 225-6416, Eugene (541) 465-6732
Schrader, Kurt (D), Oregon, 5th - DC (202) 225-5711, Salem (503) 588-9100
Benton County Republican Calendar
Thursday, November 5:
Benton County Republican “We the People” Dinner at The Clubhouse, 6097 NE Ebony Lane, Adair Village. Featured speaker: The Honorable Representative Bruce Hanna (R), Oregon House Republican Leader. Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. Dinner buffet by Valley Catering at 6:30 p.m. $20.00 per person.
Saturday, November 7:
THE MAKING OF AMERICA! A patriotic workshop for individuals and families
Time: 8:30am - 4:40pm
Place: Ames Research Laboratories, Inc (Ames Ranch), 1891 16th St SE, Salem, OR 97302
Fee: $18.00 per individual, $30 per couple, $55.00 per family of 4 ($10 for each additional person over 4) - Fee includes a 135 page study guide.
A box lunch can be ordered at the time of ticket purchase for an additional $10.00. Includes a sandwich, 2 salads, a cookie and drink
For more information go to
(Non-partisan event)
It’s About Time!
In the wake of plunging support, Republican Dierdre Scozzafava suspended her campaign yesterday for a U.S. House seat in a special election. She thinks stepping aside is best for the Party.
The announcement comes after a poll found she was in third place with 20 percent of the vote in the heavily upstate New York district that is heavily Republican. Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman and Democratic nominee Bill Owens were too close to call with 35 percent and 36 percent, respectively.
The development consolidates Republican voters behind the conservative candidate and improves the Party’s chances of retaining the seat in the 23rd Congressional District. Big name Republicans like Sarah Palin and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson threw their support behind Hoffman, and money poured into his campaign from all over the country.
The election is Tuesday. Scozzafava, a member of the New York legislature, was chosen as the Republican candidate by Republican leaders in 11 counties, even though Scozzafava is more liberal than half the Democrats in the New York State legislature. The Party is accused of picking a candidate who doesn’t represent the true Republican party.
Many people say that a conservative Republican is what people are looking for, not a Republican who acts like a Democrat. We can see what big spending, corruption, and lack of principles regarding illegal immigration got us: back to back election defeats in 2006 and 2008. In the Republican National Committee (RNC) election of a new chairman, speaker after speaker said that to win, Republicans must be more moderate. Republican legislators surely weren’t conservative when they were spending and spending, or when they tried to grant amnesty to illegal aliens.
That’s why so many in New York’s 23rd Congressional District are turning to the Constitution Party’s Doug Hoffman to be their next Congressman.
Religious Freedom Is At Risk
What is properly called our “First Freedom,” the free exercise of religion, is under attack, said Elder Dallin H. Oaks in a recent talk at Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho.
There is a battle over the meaning of that freedom,” Elder Oaks said. “the contest is of eternal importance. It is your generation that must understand the issues and make the efforts to prevail.”
Referencing the religious rights and freedoms available to people living in the United states by the creation of a constitution by inspired men, Elder Oaks said that the guarantee of religious freedom in the U.S. Constitution “should make us ever diligent to defend it,” he added.
“Truly, this nation’s most important export is its Constitution, whose great principles stand as a model for ‘the rights and protection of all flesh.’ On the vital human right of religious freedom, many nations’ constitutions fall short of the protections that are needed. We are grateful that the United States seeks to encourage religious freedom all over the world. This freedom comes from God.”
“The greatest infringements of religious freedom occur when the exercise of religion collides with other powerful forces in society. Among the most threatening collisions in the United States today are, one, the rising strength of those who seek to silence religious voices in public debates; and, two, perceived conflicts between religious freedom and the popular appeal of newly alleged civil rights.
“The extent and nature of religious devotion in this nation is changing,” said Elder Oakes. “The tide in public opinion in favor of religion is receding, and this probably portends public pressures for laws that will impinge on religious freedom.
“It was the Christian principles of human worth and dignity that made possible the formation of the United States Constitution over 200 years ago, and only those principles in the hearts of a majority of our diverse population can sustain that Constitution today. Religious values and political realities are so interlinked in the origin and perpetuation of this nation that we cannot lose the influence of Christianity in the public square without seriously jeopardizing our freedoms. “I maintain that this is a political fact, well qualified for argument in the public square by religious people whose freedom to believe and act must always be protected by the Constitution of the United States,” said Elder Oaks.
Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals”
Alinsky's Rules for Radicals: "Known as the 'father of modern American radicalism,' Saul D. Alinsky (1909-1972) developed strategies and tactics that take the enormous, unfocused emotional energy of grassroots groups and transform it into effective anti-government and anti-corporate activism. ... Some of these rules are ruthless, but they work." Republicans must be aware of what these tactics are so they can recognize them and counteract them.
7. Tactics
"Tactics are those conscious deliberate acts by which human beings live with each other and deal with the world around them. ... Here our concern is with the tactic of taking; how the Have-Nots can take power away from the Haves." p.126
Always remember the first rule of power tactics (pps.127-134):
- "Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have."
- "Never go outside the expertise of your people. When an action or tactic is outside the experience of the people, the result is confusion, fear and retreat.... [and] the collapse of communication.
- "Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy. Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty. (This happens all the time. Watch how many organizations under attack are blind-sided by seemingly irrelevant arguments that they are then forced to address.)
- "Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules. You can kill them with this, for they can no more obey their own rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity."
- "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon. It is almost impossible to counteract ridicule. Also it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage."
- "A good tactic is one your people enjoy."
- "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag. Man can sustain militant interest in any issue for only a limited time...."
- "Keep the pressure on, with different tactics and actions, and utilize all events of the period for your purpose."
- "The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself."
- "The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition. It is this unceasing pressure that results in the reactions from the opposition that are essential for the success of the campaign."
- "If you push a negative hard and deep enough, it will break through into its counterside... every positive has its negative."
- "The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative."
- Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. In conflict tactics there are certain rules that [should be regarded] as universalities. One is that the opposition must be singled out as the target and 'frozen.'...
"...any target can always say, 'Why do you center on me when there are others to blame as well?' When your 'freeze the target,' you disregard these [rational but distracting] arguments.... Then, as you zero in and freeze your target and carry out your attack, all the 'others' come out of the woodwork very soon. They become visible by their support of the target...'
"One acts decisively only in the conviction that all the angels are on one side and all the devils on the other." (pps.127-134)
This newsletter was sent by e-mail to subscribers by Benton County Republicans, P.O. Box 808, Corvallis OR 97339. Our office is located in the Millrace Center at 1760 S.W. Third Street, Corvallis. Our telephone number is 754 9155. Please visit our website at http://bentongop.blogspot.com.
If you would like to subscribe to our e-mails, please make your subscription request HERE. Thank you.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Newsletter: Benton Co. Republicans, Oct. 26, The Gathering Storm
Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. --James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)
Articles:
- Lord Monckton Warns of Cap and Trade Treaty
- Czar Accountability Is Questionable
- Benton County Republican Calendar
- Reformers Locked Out Of Reform Committee Room
- House Bill Raises, Not Lowers, Health Care Costs
- Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky
- Merkley tries to dilute 'Audit the Fed'
Lord Monckton of Brenchley Warns of Dangers in Signing Cap and Trade Treaty
In a passionate plea for Americans to wake up and tell Pres. Obama not to sign the Copenhagen Treaty, British Lord Christopher Monckton warned of dire consequences for the United States.
Lord Monckton, whose full title is 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, said that the purpose of the Copenhagen Treaty (an enlargement of the Kyoto Treaty) is the vast transfer of wealth from the West to third world countries. Western countries, especially the U.S., will be required to pay reparation for “climate debt”, a tax of up to 2% of GNP each year, he said.
Stating clearly that Pres. Obama is not trying to bring the U.S. into Socialism, but rather into Communism, Lord Monckton said that signing the Copenhagen Treaty will set up a world government (New World Order?). He said that right after the Berlin Wall came down, the former leaders of the Soviet Union began to build a “green” movement. Today, Michael Gorbechev is the darling of the Green Party and his doctrines and plans include sustainability and global warming.
After analyzing the actual document that will be presented to Pres. Obama for his signature, Lord Monckton says that the words “democracy,” “vote,” and “election” do not appear in the Copenhagen Treaty’s document. Our consent now will render us powerless to interfere later in the administration of the Treaty, says Lord Monckton. The U.S. will be handing power over our Constitution to a foreign entity.
Lord Monckton says that Pres. Obama WILL sign the Treaty unless we mount a huge effort to convince him that it will be political suicide. His vote must be ratified by 2/3 of the U.S. Senate in order to be effective.
_______________
Czar Accountability Is Questionable
Are the new wage control schemes launched by the Pay Czar and the Fed the acts of independent experts, or are they the closely controlled policy decisions of the Obama White House?
The answer to that question goes to the core of the very real constitutional problems that the proliferation of czars in the Obama administration creates. Obama appointed Feinberg to be his Pay Czar without any input from the American people and without any approval from Congress. Heritage fellow Matthew Spalding explained the problem in his recent testimony to Congress:
…..The Heritage Foundation, Friday October 23, 2009
____________________________
Benton County Republican Calendar
Thursday, November 5: "We the People" Appreciation Dinner
Benton County Republican “We the People” Dinner at The Clubhouse, 6097 NE Ebony Lane, Adair Village. Featured speaker: The Honorable Representative Bruce Hanna (R), Oregon House Republican Leader. Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. Dinner buffet by Valley Catering at 6:30 p.m. $20.00 per person. RSVP by October 29th by calling Maureen Russian, Dinner Chair (752 8244) or call Republican headquarters (754 9155). Reservations will be assured when your payment is received. Send Reservation to Benton County Republican Party, P.O. Box 808, Corvallis OR 97339
Saturday, November 7: THE MAKING OF AMERICA! A patriotic workshop for individuals and families
Time: 8:30am - 4:40pm
Place: Ames Research Laboratories, Inc (Ames Ranch), 1891 16th St SE, Salem, OR 97302
Fee: $18.00 per individual, $30 per couple, $55.00 per family of 4 ($10 for each additional person over 4) - Fee includes a 135 page study guide. A box lunch can be ordered at the time of ticket purchase for an additional $10.00. Includes a sandwich, 2 salads, a cookie and drink.
For more information go to Benton GOP Events or Website: www.912projectsalem.com
(Non-partisan event)
___________________________
Reformers Locked Out Of Reform Committee Room
By Tim Cameron on October 21, 2009 1:22 PM | Section: Reform & Corruption. From Newt Gingrich’s American Solutions

It's not hard to argue that government reform is taking a big step in the wrong direction when the Government Oversight & Reform Committee Chairman Ed Towns is doing everything in his power to stop an investigation into sweetheart mortgage deals issued by Countrywide Financial to Sens. Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad. The Ranking Committee Member Darrell Issa has been leading the charge for a formal House investigation, but his efforts have resulted in Rep. Towns literally locking Rep. Issa out of the process. Rep. Towns told Rep. Issa and other Republican committee members today that the locks on the doors of the committee room had been changed and that they wouldn't be getting a key despite the fact the room for the Oversight & Reform Committee was paid for and is maintained by our taxpayer dollars.
_________________________
House Bill Raises, Not Lowers, Health Care Costs
Posted October 22nd, 2009 at 12.29pm by The Heritage Foundation
The Chief Actuary in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Obama Health and Human Services department issued a memorandum late yesterday looking at the potential impact of the House health reform legislation (H.R. 3200). As the Associated Press and other media outlets have been reporting, the study shows that- among other things- the legislation would, as President Obama promised, bend the health care cost curve … but in the wrong direction.

The findings suggest that if the House legislation were enacted, President Obama would be breaking his long standing promise that reform would reduce rapidly growing health care costs. Although the President has continually argued that Americans spend too much on health care, and that under reform they would spend less, the new HHS report finds the opposite is likely to occur under the House legislation. Here are some key findings from the HHS memorandum:
__________________________
Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky
Did you ever say, “How can American have changed so much in such a short time?” Here’s the key. Learn how Communists, when they couldn’t foment revolution in the ‘60s, changed their tactics and began practicing the neo-Marxist tactics of the Alinskys.
"True revolutionaries do not flaunt their radicalism, Alinsky taught. They cut their hair, put on suits and infiltrate the system from within. Alinsky viewed revolution as a slow, patient process. The trick was to penetrate existing institutions such as churches, unions and political parties....
Today we’ll print a few excerpts from chapter 5, Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky, titled 5. Communication [Notice the emphasis on conflict, dialogue, relationships, etc. Team "service" is essential to building strong relationships through "common involvements"]
________________________
Merkley tries to dilute 'Audit the Fed' legislation
Sen. Merkley (D-OR) tries to dilute bill requiring government financial disclosure, audit of Federal Reserve Legislation that would bring a full audit of the Federal Reserve Bank, Congressman Ron Paul's H.R. 1207 and its Senate companion S. 604, has gained strong grassroots support and built tremendous pressure on banking special interests.
But Oregon’s Sen. Merkely is a co-sponsor of the Federal Reserve Accountability Act, an attempted compromise on the issue of transparency for America's secretive central bank. The bill would permit an audit of the Fed's actions in the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and similar high profile bailouts, but would not allow Congress to review the Fed's inflation of the money supply or the its agreements with foreign central banks.
We must audit the Feds in order to ensure their accountability. Write Sens. Merkley and Wyden and tell them NO! on S. 1830 and YES! on S. 604. Make the secretive Federal Reserve accountable!
_________________________________
This newsletter was sent by e-mail to subscribers by Benton County Republicans, P.O. Box 808, Corvallis OR 97339. Our office is located in the Millrace Center at 1760 S.W. Third Street, Corvallis. Our telephone number is 754 9155. Please visit our website at http://bentongop.blogspot.com.
If you would like to subscribe to our e-mails, please make your subscription request HERE. Thank you. Read More......
Articles:
- Lord Monckton Warns of Cap and Trade Treaty
- Czar Accountability Is Questionable
- Benton County Republican Calendar
- Reformers Locked Out Of Reform Committee Room
- House Bill Raises, Not Lowers, Health Care Costs
- Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky
- Merkley tries to dilute 'Audit the Fed'
Lord Monckton of Brenchley Warns of Dangers in Signing Cap and Trade Treaty
In a passionate plea for Americans to wake up and tell Pres. Obama not to sign the Copenhagen Treaty, British Lord Christopher Monckton warned of dire consequences for the United States.
Lord Monckton, whose full title is 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, said that the purpose of the Copenhagen Treaty (an enlargement of the Kyoto Treaty) is the vast transfer of wealth from the West to third world countries. Western countries, especially the U.S., will be required to pay reparation for “climate debt”, a tax of up to 2% of GNP each year, he said.
Stating clearly that Pres. Obama is not trying to bring the U.S. into Socialism, but rather into Communism, Lord Monckton said that signing the Copenhagen Treaty will set up a world government (New World Order?). He said that right after the Berlin Wall came down, the former leaders of the Soviet Union began to build a “green” movement. Today, Michael Gorbechev is the darling of the Green Party and his doctrines and plans include sustainability and global warming.
After analyzing the actual document that will be presented to Pres. Obama for his signature, Lord Monckton says that the words “democracy,” “vote,” and “election” do not appear in the Copenhagen Treaty’s document. Our consent now will render us powerless to interfere later in the administration of the Treaty, says Lord Monckton. The U.S. will be handing power over our Constitution to a foreign entity.
Lord Monckton says that Pres. Obama WILL sign the Treaty unless we mount a huge effort to convince him that it will be political suicide. His vote must be ratified by 2/3 of the U.S. Senate in order to be effective.
_______________
Czar Accountability Is Questionable
Are the new wage control schemes launched by the Pay Czar and the Fed the acts of independent experts, or are they the closely controlled policy decisions of the Obama White House?
The answer to that question goes to the core of the very real constitutional problems that the proliferation of czars in the Obama administration creates. Obama appointed Feinberg to be his Pay Czar without any input from the American people and without any approval from Congress. Heritage fellow Matthew Spalding explained the problem in his recent testimony to Congress:
- The issue is not whether the proliferation of “czars” amounts to a usurpation of power by the executive branch. Rather, the fundamental issue is how the rise of modern administrative government has put us in an unsolvable dilemma: whether policy should be made by technical experts, insulated from public accountability and control, or whether policy should be made by our elected representatives in Congress and the executive branch. The rise of government by bureaucrats–due to the delegation of power from Congress to administrative agencies, combined with the removal of those agencies from the President’s control–has given rise to efforts by Presidents from both parties to get the bureaucratic state under control through various mechanisms. The rise of “czars” in the current administration is just another manifestation–albeit, an unfortunate one–of this phenomenon.
…..The Heritage Foundation, Friday October 23, 2009
____________________________
Benton County Republican Calendar
Thursday, November 5: "We the People" Appreciation Dinner
Benton County Republican “We the People” Dinner at The Clubhouse, 6097 NE Ebony Lane, Adair Village. Featured speaker: The Honorable Representative Bruce Hanna (R), Oregon House Republican Leader. Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. Dinner buffet by Valley Catering at 6:30 p.m. $20.00 per person. RSVP by October 29th by calling Maureen Russian, Dinner Chair (752 8244) or call Republican headquarters (754 9155). Reservations will be assured when your payment is received. Send Reservation to Benton County Republican Party, P.O. Box 808, Corvallis OR 97339
Saturday, November 7: THE MAKING OF AMERICA! A patriotic workshop for individuals and families
Time: 8:30am - 4:40pm
Place: Ames Research Laboratories, Inc (Ames Ranch), 1891 16th St SE, Salem, OR 97302
Fee: $18.00 per individual, $30 per couple, $55.00 per family of 4 ($10 for each additional person over 4) - Fee includes a 135 page study guide. A box lunch can be ordered at the time of ticket purchase for an additional $10.00. Includes a sandwich, 2 salads, a cookie and drink.
For more information go to Benton GOP Events or Website: www.912projectsalem.com
(Non-partisan event)
___________________________
Reformers Locked Out Of Reform Committee Room
By Tim Cameron on October 21, 2009 1:22 PM | Section: Reform & Corruption. From Newt Gingrich’s American Solutions

It's not hard to argue that government reform is taking a big step in the wrong direction when the Government Oversight & Reform Committee Chairman Ed Towns is doing everything in his power to stop an investigation into sweetheart mortgage deals issued by Countrywide Financial to Sens. Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad. The Ranking Committee Member Darrell Issa has been leading the charge for a formal House investigation, but his efforts have resulted in Rep. Towns literally locking Rep. Issa out of the process. Rep. Towns told Rep. Issa and other Republican committee members today that the locks on the doors of the committee room had been changed and that they wouldn't be getting a key despite the fact the room for the Oversight & Reform Committee was paid for and is maintained by our taxpayer dollars._________________________
House Bill Raises, Not Lowers, Health Care Costs
Posted October 22nd, 2009 at 12.29pm by The Heritage Foundation
The Chief Actuary in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Obama Health and Human Services department issued a memorandum late yesterday looking at the potential impact of the House health reform legislation (H.R. 3200). As the Associated Press and other media outlets have been reporting, the study shows that- among other things- the legislation would, as President Obama promised, bend the health care cost curve … but in the wrong direction.
The findings suggest that if the House legislation were enacted, President Obama would be breaking his long standing promise that reform would reduce rapidly growing health care costs. Although the President has continually argued that Americans spend too much on health care, and that under reform they would spend less, the new HHS report finds the opposite is likely to occur under the House legislation. Here are some key findings from the HHS memorandum:
- The legislation would increase total national health expenditures in the U.S. by about 2.1 percent during the period between 2010 and 2019.
- As a share of gross domestic product (GDP) health care spending would grow to 21.3 percent compared to 20.8 estimated under current law.
- The bill carries a price tag of about $1 trillion dollars (from 2013 to 2019), which does not even represent a full 10-year cost estimate.
- The measure is likely to deliver only small savings despite the many provisions intended to reduce the growth in health care costs.
- While the proposal might cover 34 million uninsured it would still leave 23 million people without coverage, including as many as 18 million Americans who would remain uninsured and face a new tax penalty.
- More than 50 percent of the new coverage gains under the bill (18 million out of 34 million) would come from expansions in the Medicaid program.
- 40 percent of those obtaining coverage through a newly established health insurance exchange could be enrolled in the public option.
- Cuts to the popular Medicare Advantage program for seniors could have the effect of reducing enrollment by 64 percent, with projected enrollment in 2014 falling from 13.2 million to only 4.7 million seniors.
- And, all told, the plan puts new strains on health care providers which could lead to price increases, increased cost-shifting onto the privately insured, and/or compromised access to high quality care.
__________________________
Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky
Did you ever say, “How can American have changed so much in such a short time?” Here’s the key. Learn how Communists, when they couldn’t foment revolution in the ‘60s, changed their tactics and began practicing the neo-Marxist tactics of the Alinskys.
"True revolutionaries do not flaunt their radicalism, Alinsky taught. They cut their hair, put on suits and infiltrate the system from within. Alinsky viewed revolution as a slow, patient process. The trick was to penetrate existing institutions such as churches, unions and political parties....
Today we’ll print a few excerpts from chapter 5, Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky, titled 5. Communication [Notice the emphasis on conflict, dialogue, relationships, etc. Team "service" is essential to building strong relationships through "common involvements"]
"And so the guided questioning goes on without anyone losing face or being left out of the decision-making. Every weakness of every proposed tactic is probed by questions.... Is this manipulation? Certainly...." p.88
"One of the factors that changes what you can and can't communicate is relationships. There are sensitive areas that one does not touch until there is a strong personal relationship based on common involvements. Otherwise the other party turns off and literally does not hear....
"Conversely, if you have a good relationship, he is very receptive.... For example, I have always believed that birth control and abortion are personal rights to be exercised by the individual. If, in my early days when I organized... neighborhood in Chicago, which was 95 per cent Roman Catholic, I had tried to communicate this, even through the experience of the residents, whose economic plight was aggravated by large families, that would have been the end of my relationship with the community. That instant I would have been stamped as an enemy of the church and all communication would have ceased.
"Some years later, after establishing solid relationships, I was free to talk about anything.... By then the argument was no longer limited to such questions as, 'How much longer do you think the Catholic Church can hang on to this archaic notion and still survive?' ...the subject and nature of the discussion would have been unthinkable without that solid relationship." pp.93-94
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Merkley tries to dilute 'Audit the Fed' legislation
Sen. Merkley (D-OR) tries to dilute bill requiring government financial disclosure, audit of Federal Reserve Legislation that would bring a full audit of the Federal Reserve Bank, Congressman Ron Paul's H.R. 1207 and its Senate companion S. 604, has gained strong grassroots support and built tremendous pressure on banking special interests.
But Oregon’s Sen. Merkely is a co-sponsor of the Federal Reserve Accountability Act, an attempted compromise on the issue of transparency for America's secretive central bank. The bill would permit an audit of the Fed's actions in the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and similar high profile bailouts, but would not allow Congress to review the Fed's inflation of the money supply or the its agreements with foreign central banks.
We must audit the Feds in order to ensure their accountability. Write Sens. Merkley and Wyden and tell them NO! on S. 1830 and YES! on S. 604. Make the secretive Federal Reserve accountable!
- Sen. Roy Wyden (D) - DC (202) 224-5244, DC Fax (202) 228-2717, Salem (503) 589-4555
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D) - DC (202) 224-3753, Salem (503) 362-8102
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This newsletter was sent by e-mail to subscribers by Benton County Republicans, P.O. Box 808, Corvallis OR 97339. Our office is located in the Millrace Center at 1760 S.W. Third Street, Corvallis. Our telephone number is 754 9155. Please visit our website at http://bentongop.blogspot.com.
If you would like to subscribe to our e-mails, please make your subscription request HERE. Thank you. Read More......
Monday, September 7, 2009
Newsletter: Benton Co. Republicans, Sept. 7, TEA Party, Costuitution Day
The American’s Creed
I believe in the United States as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed, a democracy in a republic, a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States, a perfect union one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.
I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag and to defend it against all enemies, foreign and domestic. --- written in 1917 by William Tyler Page; accepted by the U.S. House of Representatives April 3, 1918
See Calendar of Events, GOP Report and Tidbits.
Calendar of Coming Events
ORP Chair Tiernan Responds to Kitzhaber Candidacy Announcement
“At a time when Oregon’s unemployment is among the highest in the country and our own state economists predict that our economic recovery will be slow with tough times ahead, Oregonians deserve new ideas and solutions to get our economy and state headed in the right direction.
John Kitzhaber’s candidacy represents more of the same – higher taxes and increased government spending – instead of ideas to lead our state in a new direction. You don’t have to look any farther than the $2 billion in new taxes and fees passed by the Legislature this session.
Kitzhaber supports these new taxes and new higher government spending, including the two massive job-killing taxes that will be rejected by the people of Oregon in January,” Chairman Tiernan said.
“John Kitzhaber and the Democrats have had their chance to lead Oregon and look where it’s gotten us – the highest income tax and the 5th highest unemployment in the nation. Oregonians want a new direction and new ideas for our state and that won’t include John Kitzhaber as Governor again,” concluded Chairman Tiernan.
***
TIDBITS
Patsy Anderson sends word that President Barack Obama's "Green Jobs Czar" quit Saturday after pressure mounted over his extremist history. The last straw for Jones was being caught on tape in an expletive-packed rant, directly attacking Republicans in the Senate who he said abused their majority position in the past to push legislation through. He admitted after the statements were released that the comments were "inappropriate" and "offensive." "They do not reflect the experience I have had since joining the administration," Jones said in the statement.
Jones was also linked late last week to efforts suggesting a government role in the Sept. 11 terror attacks and to derogatory comments about Republicans.
***
With the help of the Obama administration, a coalition is launching a public relations campaign to try to change 9/11 from a day of reflection and remembrance (which they consider to be tools of the Republicans) to a day of activism, food banks, and community gardens. The administration's plans were outlined in an Aug. 11 White House-sponsored teleconference call run by Obama ally Lennox Yearwood, president of the Hip Hop Caucus, and Liv Havstad, the group's senior vice president of strategic partnerships and programs. At no time does anyone explain why this National Day of Service has to be held -- of all the 365 days in a year -- on Sept. 11.
***
Michelle Malkin reports the Obama administration says money from pharmaceutical firms and the health care industry is dirty, evil and corrupting—except when key members of team Obama are pocketing it. Three weeks ago, the White House embraced $150 million in drug industry ads supporting Obamacare. Last week, Bloomberg News reported that White House senior adviser and chief campaign strategist David Axelrod’s former public relations firm AKPD Message and Media, has raked in some $24 million in ad contracts supporting Obamacare—along with another PR firm, GMMB, run by other Obama strategists. The ads are funded by Big Pharama, AARP, AMA and Service Employees International Union (which dumped $80 million in independent expenditures to get Mr. Obama and the Democratic majority elected).
__________________________
Obama’s Popularity Plummets (from Charles Krauthammer, “Obama the Mortal”, Friday, September 4, 2009)
What happened to bring Pres. Obama’s popularity down further than that of any new president in polling history save Gerald Ford? From 80% approval to somewhere between 42% and 49%, depending on the pollster, is a huge drop!
But for the first time since election night in Grant Park, he will appear in the most unfamiliar of guises -- mere mortal, a treacherous transformation to which a man of Obama's supreme self-regard may never adapt.

***
This e-mail is sent to you by Benton County Republicans, P.O. Box 808, Corvallis OR 97339. Our office is located in the Millrace Center at 1760 S.W. Third Street, Corvallis. Our telephone number is 754 9155. Please visit our website at http://bentongop.blogspot.com.
If you would like to subscribe to our e-mails, please make your subscription request HERE. Thank you. Read More......
I believe in the United States as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed, a democracy in a republic, a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States, a perfect union one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.
I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag and to defend it against all enemies, foreign and domestic. --- written in 1917 by William Tyler Page; accepted by the U.S. House of Representatives April 3, 1918
See Calendar of Events, GOP Report and Tidbits.
Calendar of Coming Events
- SEPTEMBER 17, 12:00 NOON - CONSTITUTION DAY, Benton County Courthouse. Holly Swanson will speak on saving our nation and its Constitution.
- SEPTEMBER 17, 4:00 TO 6:00 P.M. - TEA PARTY in front of the Benton County Courthouse. Please invite your friends to attend and make this the largest TEA PARTY ever! There are so many issues that need your support, so SPEAK OUT by attending with your sign.
- SEPTEMBER 19, 2:00 TO 7:30 P.M. - GATHERING OF THE EAGLES. 3rd Annual Celebration of Freedom and Bar-B-Q at the Ames Ranch Estate, 4135 Paradise Hill Dr SE, Turner OR. Catered family style barbecue picnic. YOU MUST PREREGISTER. Admission: adults $25, $45 per couple; Youth (age 14-17) $15; Children (age 0-13) FREE. RSVP by September 12th at ameseagles@live.com. Write your check to Dr. Wm. Ames Curtright, PO Box 1350, Jefferson OR 97352. Speaker: Tom Delay, former conservative member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas (1986 to 2006). To have your copy of Tom Delay’s book “No Retreat, No Surrender” autographed at the gala, order your book now at www.tomdelay.com
- SEPTEMBER 26-27 - FALL FESTIVAL. Volunteers needed for the Republican food booth at the Fall Festival, September 26 and 27. Benton county Republicans depend on the revenue earned by selling spaghetti, grilled Italian bread, beverages and hot fudge sundaes. So please tell us that you’ll help by sending us your name and phone number. Please REPLY HERE to volunteer. We need YOUR help. --Thank you.
ORP Chair Tiernan Responds to Kitzhaber Candidacy Announcement
“At a time when Oregon’s unemployment is among the highest in the country and our own state economists predict that our economic recovery will be slow with tough times ahead, Oregonians deserve new ideas and solutions to get our economy and state headed in the right direction.
John Kitzhaber’s candidacy represents more of the same – higher taxes and increased government spending – instead of ideas to lead our state in a new direction. You don’t have to look any farther than the $2 billion in new taxes and fees passed by the Legislature this session.
Kitzhaber supports these new taxes and new higher government spending, including the two massive job-killing taxes that will be rejected by the people of Oregon in January,” Chairman Tiernan said.
“John Kitzhaber and the Democrats have had their chance to lead Oregon and look where it’s gotten us – the highest income tax and the 5th highest unemployment in the nation. Oregonians want a new direction and new ideas for our state and that won’t include John Kitzhaber as Governor again,” concluded Chairman Tiernan.
***
TIDBITS
Patsy Anderson sends word that President Barack Obama's "Green Jobs Czar" quit Saturday after pressure mounted over his extremist history. The last straw for Jones was being caught on tape in an expletive-packed rant, directly attacking Republicans in the Senate who he said abused their majority position in the past to push legislation through. He admitted after the statements were released that the comments were "inappropriate" and "offensive." "They do not reflect the experience I have had since joining the administration," Jones said in the statement.
Jones was also linked late last week to efforts suggesting a government role in the Sept. 11 terror attacks and to derogatory comments about Republicans.
***
With the help of the Obama administration, a coalition is launching a public relations campaign to try to change 9/11 from a day of reflection and remembrance (which they consider to be tools of the Republicans) to a day of activism, food banks, and community gardens. The administration's plans were outlined in an Aug. 11 White House-sponsored teleconference call run by Obama ally Lennox Yearwood, president of the Hip Hop Caucus, and Liv Havstad, the group's senior vice president of strategic partnerships and programs. At no time does anyone explain why this National Day of Service has to be held -- of all the 365 days in a year -- on Sept. 11.
***
Michelle Malkin reports the Obama administration says money from pharmaceutical firms and the health care industry is dirty, evil and corrupting—except when key members of team Obama are pocketing it. Three weeks ago, the White House embraced $150 million in drug industry ads supporting Obamacare. Last week, Bloomberg News reported that White House senior adviser and chief campaign strategist David Axelrod’s former public relations firm AKPD Message and Media, has raked in some $24 million in ad contracts supporting Obamacare—along with another PR firm, GMMB, run by other Obama strategists. The ads are funded by Big Pharama, AARP, AMA and Service Employees International Union (which dumped $80 million in independent expenditures to get Mr. Obama and the Democratic majority elected).
__________________________
Obama’s Popularity Plummets (from Charles Krauthammer, “Obama the Mortal”, Friday, September 4, 2009)
What happened to bring Pres. Obama’s popularity down further than that of any new president in polling history save Gerald Ford? From 80% approval to somewhere between 42% and 49%, depending on the pollster, is a huge drop!
- Obama’s extreme leftist associates mirror his attitudes. His vision of America, beginning with his first address to Congress, contained the boldest far-left social democratic manifesto ever issued by a U.S. president.
- Pres. Obama greatly misread his mandate. Winning by a mere seven points in a year of true economic catastrophe, of a very unpopular republican incumbent and a politically weak and unsteady opponent, Obama nevertheless imagined that he had won the kind of banana-republic plebiscite that grants authority to remake everything in one’s own image, said Fouad Ajami. Obama unveiled his plans for a grand makeover of the American system, with greatly enlarged state power, government spending and national debt.
- The public resisted Obama’s plans. TEA PARTIES sprang up across the nation. Obama’s reaction made things worse. He and his supporters called the resistance a racist mob. All the while the administration was cutting quiet, opaque backroom deals with every manner of special interest, exchanging favors for $ billions.
- Obama undertook a summer campaign to enlighten the masses by addressing the objections to his reforms, and things got worse. Obama jeopardized the trust of the people. He overstated the need for reform, promised that his changes would have no effect on us, either didn’t know or purposely misled the public, and said that he would expand coverage while reducing deficits—inspiring incredulity and mistrust. We BRISTLED. Meanwhile, Obama continued to centralize power, govern left, believe his press, disdain citizens and organize resistance against what citizens were saying.
But for the first time since election night in Grant Park, he will appear in the most unfamiliar of guises -- mere mortal, a treacherous transformation to which a man of Obama's supreme self-regard may never adapt.

***
This e-mail is sent to you by Benton County Republicans, P.O. Box 808, Corvallis OR 97339. Our office is located in the Millrace Center at 1760 S.W. Third Street, Corvallis. Our telephone number is 754 9155. Please visit our website at http://bentongop.blogspot.com.
If you would like to subscribe to our e-mails, please make your subscription request HERE. Thank you. Read More......
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Senator Frank Morse 2009 Session: Looking Back…
John Detweiler suggests that we read Sen. Morse's Newsletter, particularly his "...comments on a rainy-day-fund and his letter from a friend to get an idea of what the additional taxes will do. As this tax flap heats up, the ideas in this newsletter are good fodder for letters-to-the-editor." Senator Morse's entire newsletter (Volume 14) is reproduced below.
FURTHER REFLECTIONS ON THE 75th LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
FISCAL
This legislature may ultimately be known for what it didn’t do as opposed to what it did do. At a time of unprecedented economic implosion, a time when the most glaring weaknesses in our state’s fiscal policies have been brutally exposed, what did the legislature do to address the weaknesses? Regrettably, nothing. $2.0 billion in new taxes were enacted, but nothing was done to address the lack of a meaningful Rainy Day Fund, the presence of which would have eliminated the need for new taxes.
The fact that our income tax structure is the most volatile of any tax structure is not a new concept. We have known this for years. And that our dependence on this one form of revenue is singular to all other states is also not new information. We have known this for years also. We also know that a majority of Oregonians do not want to create any new tax structure, even if it means greater stability and reduces the total tax burden now paid. In the mind of taxpayers, the legislature is not to be trusted and we have known this for years as well.
What is new is that in this time of economic stress, when the absence of an adequate Rainy Day Fund could never have been more exposed to the consciousness of Oregon’s citizens, the legislature did not seize on this opportunity to refer to voters a means to create a constitutionally dedicated Rainy Day Fund.
My highest priority this session was to refer to voters SJR 29. One hearing was held with particularly strong support from business. The bill’s summary is as follows: “Establishes reserve fund intended to provide funding in response to economic decline. Establishes mandated savings rate from surplus revenues. Transfers surplus revenue above estimate for biennium to reserve fund. Returns surplus revenue that exceeds certain thresholds to taxpayers. Refers proposed amendment to people for their approval…”
The bill would create a mandated 1% savings from current revenues which would require the legislature to budget for the 1% savings. The bill also would amend the “kicker” provision of the constitution to provide that unanticipated personal income tax evenues up to 6% in excess of the forecasted revenue, would go into the Rainy Day Fund. Any excess above the 6% would be returned to tax payers and when the fund then equals 10% of the previous general fund budget, ($1.4 billion current dollars), any excess above the forecast revenue would be returned to taxpayers. Corporate income taxpayers would be treated similarly.
Had this bill been in effect in 2007, we would have had an extra $1.4 billion to provide funding for critical services and no new taxes would have even been considered.
So, what we now have are highly contentious tax increases that dampen any expected economic recovery and likely will be referred to voters for a January 2010 election. Citizen referendums of legislative tax increases have always succeeded in Oregon and this history is not likely to change come January.
What disappoints me the most is that this legislature has sacrificed the opportunity to build desperately needed stability into funding for education, public safety and human services. If voters overturn the tax increases, the well of cynicism and distrust will have only been dug deeper, and any chance of referring SJR 29 to voters in the February session will have been lost. Quite simply, the legislature has sacrificed the opportunity for stability on the altar of an ill conceived tax increase plan. Oregon has not been well served in this legislature’s rush to new taxes.
A Poignant Letter From a Friend
Of the many excellent letters we receive, I cannot recall sharing any of them in our previous newsletters. I believe the following letter is particularly worth sharing. It was written to the leadership and Governor and shared with me as the author is a close friend.
Best wishes for a safe and enjoyable summer.
Frank Morse Read More......
FURTHER REFLECTIONS ON THE 75th LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
FISCAL
This legislature may ultimately be known for what it didn’t do as opposed to what it did do. At a time of unprecedented economic implosion, a time when the most glaring weaknesses in our state’s fiscal policies have been brutally exposed, what did the legislature do to address the weaknesses? Regrettably, nothing. $2.0 billion in new taxes were enacted, but nothing was done to address the lack of a meaningful Rainy Day Fund, the presence of which would have eliminated the need for new taxes.
The fact that our income tax structure is the most volatile of any tax structure is not a new concept. We have known this for years. And that our dependence on this one form of revenue is singular to all other states is also not new information. We have known this for years also. We also know that a majority of Oregonians do not want to create any new tax structure, even if it means greater stability and reduces the total tax burden now paid. In the mind of taxpayers, the legislature is not to be trusted and we have known this for years as well.
What is new is that in this time of economic stress, when the absence of an adequate Rainy Day Fund could never have been more exposed to the consciousness of Oregon’s citizens, the legislature did not seize on this opportunity to refer to voters a means to create a constitutionally dedicated Rainy Day Fund.
My highest priority this session was to refer to voters SJR 29. One hearing was held with particularly strong support from business. The bill’s summary is as follows: “Establishes reserve fund intended to provide funding in response to economic decline. Establishes mandated savings rate from surplus revenues. Transfers surplus revenue above estimate for biennium to reserve fund. Returns surplus revenue that exceeds certain thresholds to taxpayers. Refers proposed amendment to people for their approval…”
The bill would create a mandated 1% savings from current revenues which would require the legislature to budget for the 1% savings. The bill also would amend the “kicker” provision of the constitution to provide that unanticipated personal income tax evenues up to 6% in excess of the forecasted revenue, would go into the Rainy Day Fund. Any excess above the 6% would be returned to tax payers and when the fund then equals 10% of the previous general fund budget, ($1.4 billion current dollars), any excess above the forecast revenue would be returned to taxpayers. Corporate income taxpayers would be treated similarly.
Had this bill been in effect in 2007, we would have had an extra $1.4 billion to provide funding for critical services and no new taxes would have even been considered.
So, what we now have are highly contentious tax increases that dampen any expected economic recovery and likely will be referred to voters for a January 2010 election. Citizen referendums of legislative tax increases have always succeeded in Oregon and this history is not likely to change come January.
What disappoints me the most is that this legislature has sacrificed the opportunity to build desperately needed stability into funding for education, public safety and human services. If voters overturn the tax increases, the well of cynicism and distrust will have only been dug deeper, and any chance of referring SJR 29 to voters in the February session will have been lost. Quite simply, the legislature has sacrificed the opportunity for stability on the altar of an ill conceived tax increase plan. Oregon has not been well served in this legislature’s rush to new taxes.
A Poignant Letter From a Friend
Of the many excellent letters we receive, I cannot recall sharing any of them in our previous newsletters. I believe the following letter is particularly worth sharing. It was written to the leadership and Governor and shared with me as the author is a close friend.
“I write to express extreme displeasure with your votes to impose permanent Oregon income tax increases without making necessary real spending cuts or considering long overdue structural reform of our tax laws. Furthermore I have been shocked by your comments in the media reflecting a total lack of understanding regarding the unintended consequences of your actions, not to mention openly celebrating the highest income tax in the country on the floor of the legislature.It is my sincere hope that the Governor and Legislature will take up the task of building the financial foundation our state so desperately needs.
Our company is family owned with roots going back over 100 years. We are a Sub S company with over 300 employees earning generous wages and benefits, and we do not rely on the lavish tax credits and loans that you regularly dole out to trendy new endeavors with flawed business models (ethanol). Our shareholders receive a modest dividend ( they would earn more risk free if the company is sold) and the “wealth” reported on their Oregon income tax returns remains in the company to grow the business, secure jobs, and retain the confidence of our lenders during difficult times such as we are currently experiencing. We compete with the largest agribusiness companies in the country and our industry is highly capital intensive so it is imperative that we maintain a strong balance sheet. Our family is actively engaged in non-profit work and annually contributes between 3% and 5% of pretax profits to worthy organizations.
The tax and spend policies as proposed and implemented on the federal and state levels will extract over $600,000 in additional taxes from our company. In order to maintain the financial strength of the company we will reduce the dividend that goes to our shareholders and eliminate our corporate giving program. From a longer term standpoint we will not re-invest in the state, but focus our investments in other western states where we do business. My family came to Oregon in 1863 and I love our state, but with the government now totally controlled by the public employee’s union and with the repeated failure of leadership in Salem I have never been more pessimistic regarding Oregon’s economic future. I have always dismissed those who chose to move across the river and I am depressed to find myself weighing the pros and cons of retirement in another state. I am a fervent supporter of a progressive tax structure and I want to responsibly fund education, infrastructure, and public safety. But you have crossed the line by placing inordinate tax burdens on small and family owned businesses thereby stifling new job creation and precluding a balanced approach to financing our community needs.”
Best wishes for a safe and enjoyable summer.
Frank Morse Read More......
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The World in 2009
Townhall.com, February 28, 2008 - by Victor Davis Hansen
When President George Bush leaves office, will America once again be liked by most of the world? Not necessarily, since most current problems are either already getting better or not our fault.Read More......
When the next president takes office in January 2009, he or she will be confronted by a world that either understandably appreciates America or for self-interested reasons will challenge it.
On the positive side, the new president will see a Middle East without the Taliban in charge in Afghanistan or Saddam Hussein ruling Iraq. A stabilizing constitutional Iraq should result in a steadily diminishing American presence there.
In Europe, the French under Nicolas Sarkozy and the Germans under Angela Merkel will remain pro-American. But they will also expect continued American leadership. Both may talk grandly of the Atlantic Alliance, but in real terms they do little to help us in Afghanistan or elsewhere.
Most of Africa likewise is already friendly to the United States. And why not? President Bush extended more humanitarian aid to combat African hunger and disease than any president in our history.
But what of our enemies? Won't adversaries back off when the Christian cowboy George Bush rides back to Texas -- and we have a kinder, gentler commander-in-chief who offers hope, or at least change, to the world?
Hardly.
There are plenty of problems that both antedated George Bush and are likely to continue well after he's left office.
For starters, continued...
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