Virginia Able to Regulate Abortion Centers

In an opinion released late last week, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli states that the Commonwealth of Virginia can regulate abortion centers absent legislation by the General Assembly. This means that these centers can be regulated through the state’s normal regulatory process.

The opinion was sought by state Senator Ralph Smith (R-22, Roanoke) and Delegate Bob Marshall (R-13, Manassas).

Providing safety standards for Virginia’s abortion centers has been a legislative priority for The Family Foundation for many years. Until the mid 1980s centers were regulated but that ended due to constitutional concerns. Since that time, abortion centers have been seen by the state as doctor’s offices, which require no emergency equipment for resuscitation or hemorrhage. The Family Foundation has worked to improve safety standards in abortion centers to those required for ambulatory (outpatient) surgery centers. After all, abortion is an invasive, surgical procedure.

Of course, the abortion industry in Virginia, Planned Parenthood and NARAL, have fought with all their might against safety standards for their centers. They argue that the procedure is safe, despite the fact that the state doesn’t have any reporting requirements for complications to abortion (also fought against by the abortion industry) so there is no way to really know. They also argue that abortion centers shouldn’t be “singled out” for regulation. What they don’t say is that other outpatient surgery businesses are self-regulated through respected, national accreditation organizations that require significant safety measures for their seal of approval. No such respected accreditation group exists for abortion.

The Attorney General’s opinion gives Governor McDonnell’s administration the opportunity to create necessary regulations for abortion centers without approval from the General Assembly. Since state agencies such as the Board of Health already have the power to regulate medical facilities this is not a new policy or a policy change that should require legislation. Previous governors simply have not acted on this ability.

(Source:  Family Foundation)

Some Light Political Humor...

Father O'Malley rose from his bed. It was a fine spring day in his new Washington D.C. parish. He walked to the window of his bedroom to get a deep breath of air and to see the beautiful day outside. He then noticed there was a jackass lying dead in the middle of his front lawn.

He promptly called the U.S. House of Representatives for assistance. The conversation went like this: "Good morning. This is Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. How might I help you?”

”And the best of the day te yerself. This is Father O'Malley at St.Brigid's. There's a jackass lying dead on me front lawn. Would ye be so kind as to send a couple o'yer lads to take care of the matter?"

Speaker Pelosi, considering herself to be quite a wit, replied with a smarmy voice, "Well now father, it was always my impression that you people took care of last rites!"

There was dead silence on the line for a long moment. Father O'Malley then replied: "Aye, that's certainly true, but we are also obliged to first notify the next of kin."

Reagan vs. The Current Left

Heard the audio track from this effective video produced by the House Republican Study Committee on the Mark Levin Show the other night.  This is must-see tv...

Wisconsin's Scott Walker Goes After the Obama Administration on Rail Transportation Stimulus Spending

In another chapter of a well orchestrated campaign, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker recently launched another in a series of targeted strikes against his November opponent (Tom Barrett) as well as President Obama. 

Following his effective "Brown Bag Movement" series of ads, talking points, and speeches, Walker has now developed the "Stop the Train!" slogan.  Walker wrote the following letter to President Obama:

Dear President Obama:

Last month, U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood was in Wisconsin to release $46.7 million of the $810 million in federal stimulus money designated for a train line between Milwaukee and Madison. Releasing these federal funds now is both premature and irresponsible. Public support for the Madison-Milwaukee train has fallen to just 41% as weary taxpayers watch our roads and bridges crumble without sufficient funds to repair them.

Still, Secretary LaHood declared that: “High-speed rail is coming to Wisconsin," and "there's no stopping it."

I am drawing a line in the sand Mr. President: No matter how much money you and Governor Doyle try to spend before the end of the year, I will put a stop to this boondoggle the day I take office.

It’s outrageous for Secretary LaHood to suggest that your administration can force Wisconsin to continue building a train it doesn’t want and cannot afford. Almost as outrageous as the fact that the decision to saddle Wisconsin taxpayers with untold millions in operating and maintenance costs, forever, was never debated or voted on by the Wisconsin legislature. If it had been, this letter would not be necessary.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, my opponent in the race to replace Governor Doyle, has made the Milwaukee to Madison train the centerpiece of his economic development plan for Wisconsin. The Mayor tells us that spending $810 million on high-speed rail will create thousands of new Wisconsin jobs, but according to the federal government’s own estimate, the total number of permanent jobs created will be 55. That’s $14.5 million per job, not including any hidden costs!

As for hidden costs, no one in your administration, nor Governor Doyle or Mayor Barrett can provide an accurate estimate of what it will cost to operate and maintain the new rail line. Rail projects in numerous other areas have seen original cost estimates skyrocket once construction begins.

In addition, study after study shows that rail passenger fares are likely to cover only 20% of the operating costs. That leaves hardworking Wisconsin families to pick up the other 80% through higher taxes and fees.

It’s reckless of Governor Doyle and Mayor Barrett to commit to spending $810 million of our money on a boondoggle train when we can’t even afford to fix our roads and bridges. Our state is facing a $2.5 billion hole in next year’s budget and a list a mile long of transportation needs. If your administration is truly interested in helping Wisconsin build the transportation infrastructure it needs and desires, you should allow us to use this money for roads and bridges instead.

Governor Doyle and Secretary LaHood say we can’t stop the train. I say, just watch us.

Sincerely,

Scott Walker
Milwaukee County Executive
Republican Candidate for Governor

This "Stop the Train!" initiative has garnered national attention and exposure for Walker and shows voters in Wisconsin, once again, why he is the best candidate for the job.  The RC Blog applauds Walker and his staff for developing this effective piece.

Control Freaks - 7 Ways Liberals Plan to Ruin Your Life

Listened to C-SPAN on Friday morning and heard Terry Jeffrey, editor-in-chief of CNSNews.com, who recently released a book called, "Control Freaks - 7 Ways Liberals Plan to Ruin Your Life" (click here to order).  Sounds like a great book and Jeffrey had the Left-minded callers all up in arms!

Here is a recent review on Amazon.com:

This is a perfect book for the times. Terrence Jeffrey clearly explains what Obama, Pelosi, and Reid are trying to accomplish and demonstrates why their policies, actions, and legislative tactics are against our Constitution, our heritage as a nation, and the will of the majority of Americans. (Of course, I hope we correct this in 2010 and 2012.)

Chapter One shows how Obama, our disgraceful transportation secretary Ray LaHood (a nominal Republican from Illinois) are using the force of government to manipulate markets to force us out of our cars and even our homes to live in the "high density" housing environments they preferred we would inhabit. You see, they are not about enabling us to fulfill our dreams and live in freedom and liberty, but as far as they are concerned we exist to allow them to fulfill their dreams and visions.

The second chapter focuses on the lies that were used to create social security and why it is collapsing today. Mr. Jeffry shows why would all be better off caring for our own retirement and how to do it than allowing the control freaks to keep ripping us off. And no, none of this is about breaking our promises to those in or near retirement. The rip offs have gone on from the beginning. Did you now that Ida May Fuller, the first recipient of social security, retired at 65 after paying a 1% tax on her $900 salary as a secretary. She had paid in $49.50 from 1937 until her retirement in 1939. By the time she died in she had collected payments from 1940 until 1975. By her third check she had recouped everything from her "trust fund" and when on to collect a total of $22,888.92 of other people's money.

We next explore the way our Federal Constitution has been tortured and ignored by Congress, abetted by "living Constitutionalists" in the judiciary to accomplish an expansion of government to intrude into every aspect of our lives. "Freedom, what freedom? We just want the illusion of security! No matter if we ruin the country as long as I get mine!" is what too many of seem to be saying with our votes and inattention to what our government is really doing to us. It cannot and won't go on, my friends. Not much longer, anyway.

I found the chapter on the perversion of "public use" into "public purpose" and an analysis of the "Kelo" decision by the Supreme Court to be most interesting and useful. I think you will to. This is a huge threat to our lives and property. Of course, the Left doesn't much like the idea of Private Property. To them, everything belongs to the state and they allocated it as the 535 demigods in Congress, the Chosen One in the White House, and the 9 great priests in the Supreme Court see fit. What was it the Declaration says about government existing to protect our natural rights and what we should do if the government fails to protect us in our rights?

The chapter on the way the Left strives to control political speech is exasperating and yet we know from what we see on the news and read in the paper that it is absolutely true. They act as if our Founders wrote the First Amendment to protect pornography rather than political speech. Another chapter on health care and our right to life is also a very important read. Obama pretends that the notion of when life begins is "above his pay grade" when he is a candidate, but when he is in office as a state legislator, a federal Senator or our President, no one is more pro-Abortion than he. Wait until some bureaucrat decides you aren't worth the healthcare sources they would have to allocate to treat you. Even if you have your own money, they will withhold it from you. We have to fight this, folks. Seriously fight it and repeal it.

Which leads us to the culture war the Left wants to fight while preventing the opposition (you and me) from resisting their efforts to "fundamentally transform" our culture and our nation.

An excellent book and you will find you can read it quickly while getting good information you can look up and verify if you want to.

Please get and read this book.