Chairman's Note
by Michael Huneke
michael@bartowgop.com
Writing this chairman's note after Obama Care passed the U.S. House is not easy. Our country is not lost yet by the passage of legislation, but hopefully this is just a great awakening of the sleeping giant, the American people. It is hard for most of us to understand, but there are still many people in America who still do not understand what took place Sunday night and the ramifications that it has for our freedom. I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with some local middle-schoolers and teach them a little about the process of our government. One of my favorite things to do with students is to have them tell me what kind of government we have. It never fails, but they never get the right answer until I have someone recite the "Pledge of Allegiance" and at that time they realize we have a Representative Republic and not a democracy. A great illustration of why we are not a democracy is that if we were, we would not have Obama Care now because the majority of Americans do not want it. Unfortunately, that is not what happened on Sunday night and now we have Obama Care. So the good news is, we are a Republic and we can send representatives to Washington to overturn Obama Care. In the meantime, we need to push our local representatives at the State Capitol to fight against it. On Monday, the State House tried to pass a Constitutional Amendment so that Georgians would not be forced to buy health insurance. It failed by 9 votes, but now is the time we need to put the pressure on those officials who voted no (at the time of this publishing, the names were not available, but will be posted at BartowGOP.com when available) and get them to vote yes on reconsideration. Then we can fight it from the state level. We have much work to do over the next few years as we can turn this country around in November of 2010 and 2012. |
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When:
Saturday, March 27, 2010 @ 9:00 AM
Where: Slope's BBQ, 1131 North Tennessee St., Cartersville, GA 30120
Speakers:
Candidate for Insurance Commissioner, Gerry Purcell
and
Gubernatorial Candidate, Senator Eric Johnson
April 24, 2010
Commissioner for Insurance Candidate, Maria Sheffield
and
Agricultural Commissioner Candidate, Gary Black
May 22, 2010
State School Superintendent Candidate, Richard Woods
and
Gubernatorial Candidate, Jeff Chapman |
Our 2010 Sponsors
John and Terry Bangert
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Ted and Gail Henry
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Douglas and Joan Jones
Rep. Barry and Desiree Loudermilk
Bruce Poore and Joan Stewart
$75
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Become A 2010 Sponsor TODAY! |
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State & Local
Senator Majority Leader Chip Rogers' property tax reform bill passed the Senate with a unanimous vote. This bill (SB-346) will reform the way property taxes are assessed and allow homeowners more options when they feel their taxes are too high.
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A bill sponsored by our own Barry Loudermilk (HB 31) would effectively ban all red light cameras in Georgia, arguing that red light camera citations violate the Constitutional protections afforded citizens in that we are not able to face our accusers, and we are being forced to testify against ourselves. Barry has already successfully passed an amendment in previous legislation that crippled the abilities of municipalities to use red light cameras for the primary purpose of raising revenue. Keep up the good work, Barry!
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In what may be the most important piece of legislation to come to the floor this year, Rep. Tom Graves has introduced HB 44, co-sponsored by Rep. Barry Loudermilk, that would reduce budgets for all government agencies and programs to $0 every four years and make them justify every dollar they receive (as opposed to the current method of starting with last year's budget as a baseline and adding a percentage annual increase). This would be an incredible tool for increasing government accountability for our tax dollars.
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Abortion
Last month we told you about HB 1155 the "Prenatal Non-Discrimination Act" introduced by Rep. Barry Loudermilk and Ed Setzler along with Melvin Everson, Willie Talton, and Democrats Toney Collins and Earnest Smith. This particular piece of legislation would make it illegal to conduct selective human abortions based on the sex, race or color of a child. It applies the same standards of non-discrimination that is in current law regarding employment, education, government and housing to the practice of human abortion. It also gives the mother the right to seek civil damages against any abortion doctor or clinic who conducts an illegal abortion in the state of Georgia. On March 10th it passed the Judiciary Committee by only 1 vote and then the next day the rules committee recommitted it back to Judiciary basically killing the bill because if it does not reach the House Floor by this Thursday it will not be able to pass this year. Thankfully, Sen. Chip Pearson introduced the same bill in the senate on March 18th (SB 529) and on the 22nd it passed the Senate Judiciary Committee. There is still a chance that this piece of legislation which fights abortion might actually pass. What is most disappointing is that most Republicans that currently serve were elected as pro-life candidates.
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We have local grassroots groups here in Bartow that share our desire to see conservative government regain power. Please support the efforts of the Bartow Patriots as often as possible. Their next meeting will be at the Cartersville Civic Center on April 8th from 7-9PM. Guest speakers will be gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel and Attorney General candidate Sam Olens. For more information visit the Bartow Patriots website, and don't forget to check out upcoming events for the Georgia TEA Party on their website. |
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Greetings!
As I sat and watched the coverage of the House vote on the health care "reform" bill, I experienced a mixture of frustration and despair. How had we fallen so far as a country that we would allow this monstrosity of legislation to be forced upon the American people against their will? The answer is that we have gotten there like the proverbial frog in the pot...we have been complacent and complicit in our own destruction because it has come slowly and by degrees. For decades now, we have watched as both parties have stepped outside of the bounds of the Constitution, always justifying it by claiming that it was being done "for the children", "for the elderly", "for the environment", etc. We are outraged at this usurpation of power, and rightly so. But whether by reconciliation or "deem and pass" or other parliamentary procedures, Republicans have used these tactics as well as Democrats, leaving them with a very narrow ledge on moral high ground to stand on. "Sure we used it, but our cause was good", we say, and they in return claim that their cause is also good.
Both parties have passed extra-constitutional legislation. Democrats have passed Social Security and Medicare and now Health Care Reform, and Republicans created the EPA, passed No Child Left Behind, Medicare Part D and McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform. Each time we defended our party, rather than remind our politicians that we can accomplish the same goals through constitutional means, we sowed the seeds of our own destruction.
I'm not sure where we go from here. Democrats are going to be slaughtered in the mid-terms, but will we gain enough seats to overcome a presidential veto, and if so, will we have the spine to repeal this legislation? Or will we accept it and let it grow, just as we did with all of the other programs and agencies that have turned the federal government from one of enumerated powers to one that now is a soul-destroying leviathan with a gaping maw, consuming everything in its path? One that consumes more and more of our wealth (which is nothing more than a material representation of our hard work, blood, sweat and tears), one that dictates how we must live, what we must buy, what we can eat and anything else that they decide upon that they know better than us.
What I do know is this...if we are to save our republic, then come November we must vote these scoundrels out of office and replace them with men and women that respect, honor and defend the Constitution of the United States. That means that we must look past party lines and hold ALL elected officials accountable. When we have Republicans that vote for pork spending, for government expansions, for bloated appropriations and farm bills, for amnesty for illegals, for all sorts of "big government conservativism", we must vote them out during the primaries so that we are not left, once again, facing a choice of the lesser of two evils. We have members of the current delegation from Georgia that voted for many of these things. Do you know which ones? Where was this fiscal conservatism when Bush was in office and Republicans were passing tax cuts (good) with no corresponding spending cuts (bad). We must now, each of us, read and diligently study the Constitution. And then we need to hold our elected officials accountable when they stray from the Constitution. The fate of our republic depends on it. |
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It looks like high ranking Canadian officials will have to soon look elsewhere for the world's best medical care, like Newfoundland/Labrador Premier Daniel Williams had to do when he was diagnosed with a serious heart defect. If we are not able to somehow reverse this awful legislation, then America will soon become just another European-style social democracy with mediocre, rationed health care and long waits. Just look at the mess that the socialist, nationalized health care systems in Canada and England have become. All I can say is that you better put down the donuts, pick up the carrots and go for walks on a regular basis. It would be wise to do everything in your power to minimize the need for medical care. |
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The Economy, Taxes and Deficits
The American economy is struggling right now and it looks like it will get even worse. As it currently stands, America's total current debt load is $13 trillion, and is on pace to be $22 trillion by 2020. But that is only the debt that we are officially counting. If ObamaCare passes and survives legal challenges, that will add trillions of dollars more in unfunded liabilities to the federal budget. There is also the matter of the "doc fix", which will add another $200-350 billion to the deficit. You may not realize it but taxpayers are also on the hook for current and future losses by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to the tune of $400 billion.
The only way out of this mess is increased revenues and decreased spending. Yet this administration and Congress continue to pass legislation that kills jobs, increases taxes and suppresses economic growth. At the same time they are increasing the debt at a staggering rate, which will continue to devalue the dollar and worry our creditors as to whether we can ever repay our debt. Now more than ever we need principled leaders that will tell the American people the hard truth...that the only thing we are "entitled" to is the air we breathe and an equal opportunity to pursue success and happiness. We must end this culture of dependency or we will soon go the way of Greece and Rome, as empires that crumbled from within due to our own apathy and neglect. |
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Things just keep getting worse for the global warming fearmongering crowd. Coming on the heels of the leaked e-mails showing IPCC scientists were intentionally manipulating data to fit their political agendas, now we find out that the warnings issued by the IPCC in 2007 (claiming that sea levels would rise by 3-to-33 inches by the year 2100) were a fraud. Of course, they don't call it a fraud. They attribute it to a "miscalculation" and to "not...allow[ing] fully for temperature change over the past 2,000 years".
Not allowing fully for temperature change?! I thought that was the whole point of what they claimed to be doing!? There is a reason why fewer and fewer people believe in the global warming scam with each passing day. Things like this just reinforce for us "deniers" that we have been right all along. |
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National Security and Defense
It is difficult to convey just how out of touch and destructive this administration's policy is on matters of defense and national security. From weakness in dealing with continued Iranian aggression, to trying terrorists in domestic civilian courts, closing Guantanamo and moving terrorists to a federal prison in Illinois and so many other cases, the Obama administration is on a perilous path which threatens the very lives of American citizens. The disconnect with reality has been stunning. Apparently some Democrats are starting to realize how pathetic they are and are trying to change the image, if not the substance, of their security policies by taking classes on how to talk about terrorism. Here's a clue for you...start by calling it Islamic terrorism and not "man-made disasters".
It was recently reported that Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano met in January with a group of Muslim, Arab and Sikh organizations, including the Muslim Brotherhood, a group with strong ties to Islamic terrorist organizations. The purpose of the meeting was to brief these groups on our counter-radicalization and anti-terrorism programs. In other words, giving them inside information on how we combat the efforts they are taking to destroy America. |
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Informational Miscellany
Last month, American citizens with conceal-carry permits were finally able to legally carry concealed weapons in national parks across the country. Just as gun control advocates predicted, our national parks have turned into the Wild West, with lethal gunfights breaking out and innocent people dying on the crossfire. In the last month alone the total number of victims has risen to...zero? Well that can't be right. Everyone knows that guns kill people and licensed gun owners are just looking for a reason to kill people...right? (Hat tip: Patriot Post)
The iconic Phyllis Schlafly details how Alinsky-style radicalism is being taught in our public schools. Is anyone actually surprised in light of the fact that Obama has been advised on education by domestic terrorist and Alinsky-ite Bill Ayers.
Unemployment benefits are turning into another entitlement program...benefits have been extended to 99 weeks so far!
Democrats knew they were lying about the cost benefits of the Democrat health care reform bill. Even Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) admitted that it will cause premiums to go UP! | |
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And Justice for All...
In yet another example of moral relativism and political correctness run amok, prosecutors in Arizona recently announced that they will not be seeking the death penalty in the case of Faleh Al-Maleki, an Iraqi immigrant who killed his 20-year old daughter Noor and the woman protecting her for the crime of becoming "too Westernized". This was a blatant case of a Muslim honor killing (the belief that the males of a family may kill the females for bringing dishonor on the family), as even Al-Maleki fully admits, yet public defender Billy Little asked the judge to make sure that precautions were taken so that the prosecutor would not seek the death penalty because his client is a Muslim (even though the murder occurred precisely because of Al-Maleki's Muslim faith). Little, in noting that County Attorney Andrew Thomas is Christian, pleaded for "an open process that provides some level of assurance that there is no appearance that a Christian is seeking to execute a Muslim for racial, political, religious or cultural beliefs." So apparently we have to go easy on Muslims now if a crime committed was in keeping with their Muslim faith.
It's nice to have friends in high places...the Brooklyn branch of ACORN has been cleared over giving illegal advice of money laundering and prostitution. Now that is change you can believe in.
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The Culture of Corruption...it's the Democrats Turn!
If you needed proof that the culture of corruption is alive and well in Washington, D.C., you need look no further than the threats, extortion, open bribery and use of arcane parlaimentary tactics and machinations that have been used to get the health care "reform" bill passed. From the Louisiana Purchase to the Cornhusker Kickback, from GatorAid to special deals for labor unions, Congress has turned into a black market for legislative malfeasance. There is no doubt that the Democrats will pay a fierce price in November, but the question is how much damage can they do between now and then. Even if Republicans take back the House and Senate, they will need enough votes to override a presidential veto to roll anything back, or wait until Obama is voted out in 2012. By that time these programs will have taken root, and we all know that once a new program or entitlement is passed that it is nearly impossible to get rid of. Although they are near bankruptcy, do you honestly think that Republicans, or at least the majority that are now serving, have the spine to institute meaningful reform, or better yet, do away with or offer privatized alternatives to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other similar programs?
In other news of Democrat corruption, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), under fire for numerous violations of ethics and tax laws, has finally stepped down (albeit "temporarily") from the chairmanship of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Rangel has been the subject of investigation for failure to claim income on rental property and other sources of revenue that almost doubled his claimed income, for using his Congressional stationary to solicit donations for a new building at the City College of New York which just happened to be named after him, for improper use of rent stabilized apartments in NY that saved him thousands of dollars, trips to the Caribbean paid for by lobbyists, and numerous other ethics violations.
Rangel was replaced by Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), but that lasted for all of one day. Stark stepped down after it immediately became clear that he would not have the votes to confirm him within his own caucus. Stark has a reputation for being impossible to work with. Stark said in 2007 that Bush sent American soldiers overseas to fight so they would "get their heads blown off for his amusement". He also called "Blue Dog" Democrats "brain dead" last year. Needless to say, Democrats did not want to compound the Rangel scandal by having Stark in such a prominent position.
Maybe none of the Democrat scandals of late has been more surreal than that of Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY), who resigned for "health reasons" after being accused of sexual harrassment by a male staffer. The story changed several times after that, including claims that Democrats had set him up to fall after he voted against the health care reform bill. To add to the problem, it appears that Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Whip Steny Hoyer were aware of the allegations since last October and did nothing about it, the same thing that they vilified Republicans for in the Mark Foley scandal. So much for the most ethical and transparent Congress in history... |
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A Little Good News and Comic Relief
A prominent Muslim scholar has issued a fatwa (religious ruling) stating that suicide bombers are destined for hell and that terrorism and violence are not justified by Islamic teaching. Hopefully this idea will take root in the Muslim world.
In a stunning decision (stunning only because it was made by the ultra-liberal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals), the 9th Circuit Court ruled that Bradley Johnson, a California teacher, being forced to take down classroom banners bearing slogans such as "In God We Trust" and "We are endowed by our Creator" was a violation of his constitutional free speech rights. It was a wonderful decision, and further proof that even a blind squirrel occassionally finds a nut. Great news! In a decision that will affect textbook content nationwide (because the state is one of the largest purchasers of textbooks in the country), the Texas State Board of Education has successfully passed new curriculum standards that include teaching that America is a constitutional republic and not a democracy, the Judeo-Christian influence of the Founding Fathers, American exceptionalism and the free enterprise system and a number of other items held dear by those that actually believe America is a great nation. You can tell this is great news because MSNBC is frothing at the mouth at the "far-right" agenda.
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This is a very sad story about a bear. Everybody should heed the warning to not feed wildlife because they become dependent and cannot forage for themselves anymore. This is such a tragedy to see what they have done to our country's wildlife!
The photo below captures a disturbing trend that is beginning to affect US wildlife . . .
Animals that were formerly self-sufficient are now showing signs of belonging to the Democrat Party, as they have apparently learned to just sit and wait for the government to step in and provide for their care and sustenance. This photo is of a Democrat black bear in Montana nicknamed Bearack Obearma.
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 This is an actual sign placed in a homeowner's yard...I love it!
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Reading for Extra Credit
Keeping Up With the World of Politics, Government, and the Social Issues of the Day
Democrats have been pushing for reconciliation as one of the underhanded ways to be used to pass health care reform. Well, it seems that at one time they thought it was an abuse of power.
It looks like high ranking Canadian officials will have to soon look elsewhere for the world's best medical care. Danny Williams (Premier of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador) needed heart surgery. Instead of going to a Canadian facility, he chose to pay out of pocket and go to the Mount Sanai Medical Center in Miami. Responding to criticism, he said it was "my heart, my choice and my health." If Obamacare is fully implemented, where will American's go for superior medical care?
Chief Justice John Roberts responds to the classless SOTU attack on the Supreme Court by Obama. | |
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May God Bless You,
Louis DeBroux, Vice Chair of Communications
Bartow County Republican Party
Michael W. Huneke II, Chairman
Bartow County Republican Party |
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