Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Hillsdale College's Constitution Day Colloquium Available On-Line!

On September 16 and 17, Hillsdale College and its Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship, in Washington, D.C., hosted a Constitution Day Colloquium webcast for nearly 25,000 registered viewers.  

The entire program is archived and now available for online viewing at constitutiondaycelebration.com. With two days of presentations, panel discussions, and debates about the Constitution and current threats to its enduring principles, the event was both educational and inspiring.

Friends, family, and colleagues who have not yet registered and viewed the events may still do so by visiting constitutiondaycelebration.com. Please forward this event to those who are interested.

Also, a DVD version of the Constitution Day Colloquium will soon be available.


Even the San Francisco Press Is Rejecting Sen. Boxer

Newspaper endorsements don't move many votes -- ask Creigh Deeds how endless love letters from the Washington Post helped him in last year's governor's race -- and the polls have looked a little better for Barbara Boxer lately. But the San Francisco Chronicle editors' refusal to endorse Boxer as one might expect has to be something of a morale hit for them. In a way, the non-endorsement reinforces the point I tried to make with last week's series, that entirely separate from her very liberal voting record, there are a lot of reasons to want to see Boxer out of the Senate: her purchasing of endorsements, the five-figure expenses tied to her jaunts to do "official business" at beach resorts, her 143 bounced checks for more than $40,000 in three years, her massive payments to her family from campaign funds, and her amazing capacity to remember things that didn't happen.

A Republican watching this race closely flagged the editorial and told me, "This has got to be devastating news for Team Boxer. . . . This is the most liberal paper in the state, pretty much." I'm not sure it's devastating, but you have to figure a San Francisco paper's endorsement of a Democrat was one of those factors the Boxer campaign took for granted, like the continued presence of gravity.

It is clear that the editors disagree with Republican Senate nominee Carly Fiorina on policy; if elected, she wouldn't vote the way the Chronicle leaders would prefer. Even though Boxer would, they can't give her the formal thumbs-up: "The incumbent, Democrat Barbara Boxer, has failed to distinguish herself during her 18 years in office. There is no reason to believe that another six-year term would bring anything but more of the same uninspired representation. . . . For some Californians, Boxer's reliably liberal voting record may be reason enough to give her another six years in office. But we believe Californians deserve more than a usually correct vote on issues they care about. They deserve a senator who is accessible, effective and willing and able to reach across party lines to achieve progress on the great issues of our times. Boxer falls short on those counts."

There's even something of an unintended compliment to Fiorina: "In past elections, Boxer has had the good fortune of having Republican opponents who were inept, underfunded, on the fringe right -- or combinations thereof. Her opponent this time, Fiorina, is proving to be articulate, well-funded and formidable.

At Liberty Pundits, Clyde Middleton wants us to keep it in perspective: "What does it mean? Probably no more than a waste of soy ink printed on 90% recycled paper. . . . But it is important to note that the overwhelming majority of its readership is liberal. So an op-ed that fails to support Boxer is worth a few more stay-at-home folks that won't be voting. If Fiorina wins by default, that's perfectly fine. The key is that the 112th Congress opens with Boxer watching on CSPAN with a remote control in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other."

Califorina's liberal bloggers are furious: "The rationale is contradictory and ignorant of key facts, producing an outcome that lacks basic intellectual credibility. Their basic argument is that while Carly Fiorina is an extremist who doesn't share California's values, Barbara Boxer has spent too much time representing California's values. Because Boxer wouldn't sell out California's progressive values to implement a bipartisan set of corporate-friendly policies, the Chronicle views her as 'ineffective' and therefore not worthy of support."

Clifton B., writing at Another Black Conservative, has a problem with the paper's lament that Fiorina's agenda "would undermine this nation's need to move forward on addressing serious issues such as climate change, health care and immigration." He writes, "The nation has spent the last two years with dry heaves over the lefts' position on these issues. It is the main reason why Democrats are getting kicked to the curb in November. Why then would the Chronicle think Fiorina should champion those positions the same way Boxer did? Wake up Chronicle, America doesn't like left's ideas on climate change (sham science), health care (socialism deluxe) or immigration (amnesty for all). It will be interesting to see where the other California papers place their endorsements."

(Source: National Review Online)

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Northern Virginia "We Read the Constitution" Event, September 18

A good friend and great American Shak Hill, and his wife Robin, will be hosting a "We Read the Constitution" event as their home in Centreville, Va., this Saturday, September 18.  This is a fantastic way to celebrate Constitution Day (September 17, 1787).  See flyer below for more information.

Walker Captures Wisconsin GOP Nomination

In yesterday's gubernatorial primary in Wisconsin, Scott Walker captured the GOP nomination by 20 points (59-39) in his race to become the next governor of Wisconsin.  The RC Blog has been supporting Walker in his race since early 2009.  He is a true "Reagan Conservative" and is a rising star in the Conservative wing of the GOP!

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4338479/scott-walker-help-is-on-the-way

Monday, September 13, 2010

Sad but Predictable...

From last week's Washington Post...

Capitol Hill employees owed $9.3 million in back taxes last year, data show
By T.W. Farnam
Washington Post Staff Writer

Capitol Hill employees owed $9.3 million in overdue taxes at the end of last year, a sliver of the $1 billion owed by federal workers nationwide but one with potential political ramifications for members of Congress.

The debt among Hill employees has risen at a faster rate than the overall tax debt on the government's books, according to Internal Revenue Service data. It comes at a time when some Republican members are pushing for the firings of government workers who owe the IRS and President Obama has urged a crackdown on delinquent government contractors.

The IRS information does not identify delinquent taxpayers by name, party affiliation or job title and does not indicate whether members of Congress are among the scofflaws. It shows that 638 employees, or about 4 percent, of the 18,000 Hill workers owe money.

The average unpaid tax bill is $12,787 among the Senate's delinquent taxpayers and $15,498 among those working in the House.

IRS debt among government workers has surfaced repeatedly as a political issue over the years, most recently when Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) introduced legislation this year to fire federal workers who owe back taxes unless they have entered into a payment plan. Eight Republicans co-sponsored the bill. No Democrats have signed on, and some have said firings would reduce the government's prospects of being paid.

"If you're on the federal payroll and you're not paying your taxes, you should be fired," Chaffetz said in an interview. He said the policy should apply across the board and "there should be no special exemptions."

An agency-by-agency breakdown of IRS debt is not published but is available in a redacted form from the agency upon request. Along with the Capitol Hill totals, it shows that three employees at the Office of Government Ethics owed a combined $75,000. And 41 employees at the Executive Office of the President owed $831,000 altogether - about the same amount as during the last year of George W. Bush's administration.

Some tax experts and watchdog groups say that Capitol Hill employees have an added obligation to settle IRS debts.

"Congress and their staff - because they are the people who write the tax laws and because they work for the public - have to be held to a higher standard," Steve Ellis, vice president of the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense, said when told of the IRS numbers.

"These are hard times, but they are on the government payroll," said Mortimer Caplin, an IRS commissioner for presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson and a founding partner of the Caplin & Drysdale law firm. "The idea of paying taxes is kind of fundamental to a sound democracy, and they certainly have a special obligation in that regard."

Nationwide, debt to the IRS has been rising steadily, even before the current economic downturn, with $103.2 billion owed at the end of last year. Tax experts say that delinquencies are another sign of economic pressures on American families, but they also may represent bad individual money management or skewed spending priorities.

On Capitol Hill, recent increases in delinquencies also may reflect the unusual nature of the workforce, which turns over dramatically when a new political party comes into power.

From 2004 through 2006, the last three years that Republicans were in power, the total amount of back taxes owed each year by congressional workers hovered just below $9 million. But in 2007, when Democrats took control of both houses, it dropped to $6.8 million. Since then, it has increased by 37 percent.

Jock Friedly, who publicizes congressional salaries on the Web site LegiStorm, said many new staffers come from the private sector, where they worked as lobbyists or in other higher-paying jobs. "They go to a somewhat lower-paying government job and then, over time, debt starts to build up," Friedly said.

During 2008 and 2009 - when the financial crisis took hold and the economy started sinking - the Senate debt increased 80 percent and the House debt increased 25 percent.

Aides to Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) declined to comment, and aides to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) did not respond to a request for comment.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

9/11 Event in Centreville, Va., Tonight

Let Us Never Forget September 11!

We encourage all neighbors and friends to come to Fire Station 438 on Stone Road & Oday Drive to show their patriotism and support to our servicemen and women, and first responders!

On Saturday, 9/11/10, we will meet at 7:45 PM in front of the fire station for a brief ceremony. Please bring a flashlight, lanterns, or candles and an American flag! Ceremony will include bagpipes, patriotic songs, prayers, comments from firemen and police, local delegates, and more.

The Dream 2010

Great new election commercial from CatholicVote.org (thanks to Dominik H. for the link...):

Remembering September 11, 2001

We will never forget....

Thursday, September 2, 2010

College Football Kicks Off Tonight!

Ahhhh...  The start of another college football season is finally here!  After a long off-season of coaching moves, conference realignments, and cheating programs finally getting caught and punished (goodbye USC!), we're looking forward to the various games this weekend starting tonight with No. 2 Ohio State hosting Marshall at The Shoe and going all the way to Monday night's clash between Boise State and Va. Tech at FedEx field in D.C.

Alabama and Florida remain the elite programs in the SEC and country while Ohio State, Iowa, and Wisconsin will battle it out for the Big Ten title.  Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas look like the cream of the crop in the Big 12, while the Pittsburgh Panthers, led by Sophomore sensation Deon Lewis, will take the Big East.  If Boise State can knock off the Hokies on Monday night, the Blue Turf Boys could run the table and end up playing for the national title.  Although most experts are looking at Ohio State QB Terrell Pryor as the pre-season favorite to win the Heisman, the RC Blog is putting its money on Wisconsin big brusing running back John Clay.  Enjoy the season!!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Robert Gibbs -- Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!

Yesterday was another comical and absurd day for the Obama Administration.  The day began with the White House Press Hack Robert Gibbs lying on Fox and Friends.  In the evening, President Obama addressed the nation thanking himself for the withdrawal of troops in Iraq and highlighting the successes in promoting freedom and liberty in that country under his watch. 

Of course, anyone with any kind of short-term memory knows that the success in Iraq was due to the leadership of (1) President Bush and (2) General Petraeus.  The actual timeframe nearly hits Bush's original estimate for withdrawing troops from Iraq!  This Oval Office address last night only took place because the President and his party are getting crushed in the polls.  Hopefully, most Americans will see through this political tactic. 

Our thoughts and prayers go out today to all of our country's military and their families, especially the Gold Star families who lost their loved ones in the Iraqi theater over the past several years.  Thanks to the courageous efforts of their children and spouses, success in Iraq became a reality.  Their efforts will never be forgotten...

On a lighter note, here are the videos of Gibbs lying and Obama's comments on the surge in 2007. Does the Left ever think that maybe somebody has recorded all of their public comments and will catch them in their lies?  



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