Category Archives: Defunding Legislation and Federal Agencies

Obama’s Targets

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“Make it hurt!” That’s been Obama’s instructions to his troops when the Shutdown began. He had been planning for the shutdown for some time. The blockages, barriers, and propaganda appeared within minutes of the deadline.

Who are Obama’s targets? Those who have invested the more in our nation—the veterans, the military, the sick, the rank-and-file conservatives, anyone who won’t line up and kiss Obama’s feet.

The Washington Examiner identified six target groups, groups chosen by Obama as his personal enemies. I can only hope he reaps what he’s sown. It will not be what he thinks.

6 groups targeted to make the shutdown look worse

By ASHE SCHOW | OCTOBER 7, 2013 AT 4:22 PM

A partial government shutdown just wasn’t going to hit people the way the Obama administration needed it to, so officials resorted to some unprecedented acts to make Americans feel the pain, as Conservative Intel’s David Freddoso notes:

Most people — even the poor in state-run safety net programs — don’t have that many interactions with the federal government agencies affected right now by the shutdown.

So it’s a challenge to make people notice that your agency is vital to the survival of the Republic. The feds have to apply a lot of force and behave in unsubtle ways to make you angry with Congress.

1. Veterans

No group has been more visible during the shutdown than veterans. Memorials were closed, and House Democrats voted against bills that would restore funding to veterans programs.

A short list of some of the monuments closed (note that veterans moved barricades to see their monuments anyway):

» World War II Memorial

» Normandy cemetery

» Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall

» Iwo Jima Memorial

Just 4 percent of employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs have been furloughed, according to Government Executive magazine, making it even more odd that the department’s funding wasn’t restored.

2. Lake Mead, Nev., property owners

Suddenly, owning a home on federal land causes homeowners to be kicked out of their domiciles.

Ralph and Joyce Spencer, an elderly couple who own a Lake Mead cabin, were forced out of their homes by park rangers saying they had to leave until the federal government reopens.

The Spencers have owned their home since the 1970s, and fellow Lake Mead resident Bob Hitchcock, who’s owned a cabin on the lake for 26 years, said he wasn’t told to vacate during the previous government shutdown that occurred under the Clinton Administration.

3. Cancer patients

House Democrats also voted against a bill to restore funding to the National Institutes of Health, a federally funded medical research center.

Yes, there is privately funded cancer research still occurring, but saying no to cancer research of any kind is probably not a winning strategy.

NIH is an agency within the Health and Human Services Department, which furloughed 49 percent of its employees, according to Government Executive.

4. National Guard and Reserve units

House Democrats (noticing a pattern?) also voted against funding that would allow members of the National Guard and Reserves to return to work during the shutdown.

Democrats say the reason they won’t pass piecemeal funding bills is due to GOP “cherry-picking” parts of the government to fund instead of funding the entire government.

5. Tourists

Imagine saving up to visit the nation’s capitol or the Grand Canyon. The family is packed up and ready to fly — or drive — cross the country to see the sites and have a great time.

Then the government shuts down. No worries, how can the government shut down open-air monuments? Well, apparently they can — and did.

The Grand Canyon National Park is closed. How does one shut down a giant canyon? Apparently with gates and barricades similar to those veterans crossed to see their monuments.

Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis., refused to allow the federal government to close state parks in Wisconsin, since the state had the authority to operate the parks and provided most of the funding for them.

Mount Rushmore is also closed. Cones have been placed along the highway to keep tourists from pulling over and snapping pictures of the monument. Because it’s apparently cheaper to pay people to set up cones than it is to … not do that.

Across the country, in D.C., the Lincoln Memorial is closed. Note that this monument was not closed during the 1995-96 government shutdowns. Barricades were also set up outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

The National Parks Service attempted to shut down Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home. Problem is, the site is privately owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association. Also, NPS tried to shut down the Claude Moore Colonial Farm, which hasn’t received federal funding since 1980. Oops!

The NPS is on a roll, actually, when it comes to closing down privately owned businesses.

6. Taxpayers

One thing that isn’t closed during the partial shutdown: tax collection.

“The IRS will accept and process all tax returns with payments, but will be unable to issue refunds during this time,” the IRS website said.

Every day we hear of more villainous acts by the federal government and their surrogates. The National Park Service seems particularly apt and eager to oppress the public. Over the weekend the NPS issued 21 tickets to people wanting to see the Grand Canyon. They must appear in person before a federal Judge.

I wonder how long it will be before some trigger-happy federal JBT shoots someone for wanting to see one of our nation’s treasures?

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Mr Cruz goes to Washington

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Ted Cruz is Jimmy Stewart. Mitch McConnell is Claude Rains…or is it the other way around? In the movie, Mr Smith goes to Washington, Jimmy Stewart is in the Senate filibustering a corrupt bill. Claude Rains, supposedly Jimmy’s friend and fellow Senator, is quietly stabbing him in the back.

That is exactly the situation that is happening now in Washington, DC. All you need to do is change the names to Ted Cruz and Mitch McConnell. If I have calculated correctly, Ted Cruz is in his 19th hour, filibustering. He’s long surpassed the mark made by Rand Paul last year.

 The national media, the dems and the ‘Pub establishment are all stabbing Ted Cruz and his Senate partner, Mike Lee, in the back. But! Back home, people are outraged and letting their Senators know they are outraged. I called Senator Roy Blunt’s office yesterday to demand that he support Cruz and Lee. Their reponse? Blah, blah, blah. Blunt opposed Obamacare, etc. etc., but when asked directly if he would support Cruz, the answer was…**crickets**.

Bit by bit, other Senators are joining Cruz and Lee. One of the first was Marko Rubio, in an attempt to regain his “Tea Party” creds, (too late and too little, Marko. People are lining up to oppose you in the next primary,) quickly followed by Rand Paul and Pat Roberts.

Others are slowly joining according to Erick Erickson of RedState.

Finger Lickin’ Frauds

By: Erick Erickson,  September 24th, 2013 at 09:11 PM

Within hours of Liz Cheney, now a candidate for the Senate in Wyoming, announcing her support of Ted Cruz’s filibuster, Senator Mike Enzi, who Cheney is primarying, took to the floor of the United States Senate and declared he stood with Ted Cruz.

Pat Roberts, the elderly Senator from Kansas who may soon be getting a stiff primary challenge, stiffly stood on the floor of the United States Senate to show he too stood with Ted Cruz.

Rand Paul, after NBC News reported he may disagree with Cruz’s filibuster threat, went to the floor of the Senate and stood with Ted Cruz.

Meanwhile, John Cornyn and Mitch McConnell and Lamar Alexander and other Republican Senators are leaking attacks against Cruz on background. They complained to reporters about Cruz suggesting they were cowards. They did so off the record and in the shadows.

Mitch McConnell, instead of standing with Cruz on the floor of the Senate, participated in a teletownhall in which he told listeners the only way to stop Obamacare was for him to be Senate Majority Leader. [update: this information came after the initial post]

The article continues at the website.

At the last minute, Reince Preibus, reading the writing on the wall from his party’s core, decided, reluctantly, to enter the fray and back Cruz and Lee.

 It’s very unlikely that Cruz, Lee, et. al., will be successful in their filibuster. They need 41 votes. At this time, they don’t have the votes. But what is happening, however, is that Cruz and Lee are forcing the ‘Pub establishment to visibly take sides. If McConnell lets Harry Reid strip the Obamacare defunding language from the Continuing Resolution, McConnell and Boehner, into whose lap the CR will fall into next, will own the issue. They will be the ones who allowed funding of Obamacare.

John Boehner is increasingly expected to allow a vote that would pass the budget resolution with help from Democrats and a minority of House Republicans. — The Guardian, UK.

The likely result? This diatribe from Breeanne Howe, writing in RedState. For too many, the betrayals of McConnell, Lamar, Boehner, Cantor and others has lead to this.

We’re Breaking Up

By: Breeanne Howe,  September 24th, 2013 at 11:30 AM

Dear GOP,

I’m breaking up with you.  It’s not like we didn’t see this coming.  We’ve had our ups and downs.  The Tea Party years were tough enough, but I truly thought we could make it when we elected (who we thought were) more principled leaders to replace at least some of the old guard.  Unfortunately, the old guard and their old ways just won’t go away and you seem to be more in tune with them.

To be honest, I’ve been drifting away from you for some time now.  I was getting the sense your values weren’t in line with mine and then Syria happened.  And, well, let’s just say that Syria really showed me what is important to you.

But the death knell to our relationship wasn’t Syria; although that one cut pretty deep.  Nope, it’s your treatment of Senator Ted Cruz.  You’d think he was a Democrat with all the open hostility you’ve been hurling at him.  Senator John McCain has been reported, for the whole world to see I might add, as f***ing hating Cruz.  Now you’ve sent opposition research on Cruz to a reporter, hoping the press would help you in your crusade.  No wonder so many Christians don’t vote.  On the one side, we have Democrats okay with baby murder and on the other side we have Republicans openly knifing one of their own.

I can’t take it anymore.  I don’t know what you stand for.  I can’t figure out what your strategy could possibly be.  Are we to be the party that folds in the face of any pressure and hangs out to dry anyone in the party that might actually stand for our supposed values?  No thanks.  I’ll take my vote and dollars elsewhere.

Yes I know my dollars won’t be missed.  They are a pittance compared to the money the old guard is stuffing in your pockets to act like losers.  But consider this: I’m your base.  I’m a Christian, wife and mother with conservative values.  You don’t have to like me but you should know I’m not going away.  If you want an open fight then we shall have one.  I’ll be standing with Ted Cruz and Mike Lee and the few who are brave enough to stand for me.  And I’ll be sure to let my mom friends, who mostly don’t care to keep up with your shenanigans, who stands for them.

See you at the polls.

Says it all, doesn’t it?

Acquitted!

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Tom DeLay Acquitted!

Many of you, especially the under-40 crowd, may not remember Tom DeLay. He was the ‘Pub Majority Whip in the mid-90s while Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House. It was his job to get the ‘Pubs in line whenever a vote or an issue arose. He did his job so well, he was known as the “Hammer.”

In fact, DeLay was so effective that he was specifically targeted by Texas democrats. They charged him with money laundering—in Austin, “the only liberal hotspot in Texas,” not DeLay’s home county—chose a specific prosecutor who was a long-time enemy of DeLay—and cherry picked a liberal jury. As the democrats planned, tom DeLay was found guilty, fined an enormous amount and sentenced to prison for not less than three years.

“Got ‘im!” they thought.

Then their plans unraveled. DeLay appealed and was allowed to go free pending the appeal. The dems dug in their heels and delayed, and delayed, and delayed for nearly a decade. DeLay was in limbo. He could not run for his House seat while convicted, not even while under appeal.

Yesterday, the Texas Appellate Court announced their judgment. Not only was the conviction reversed, Tom DeLay was acquitted! That last, the acquital, was very, very unusual. You see, there was NO crime. Money cannot be laundered unless it was illegally gained. The money DeLay was accused of laundering was campaign donations. There was nothing illegal about the money. Therefore, if the money was legal, there could not be any criminal ‘money laundering.’

The Texas democrats used a law to specifically target a political opponent. The prosecutor in that case is now, herself, under investigation—as she should be. What goes around, comes around.

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Will they or won’t they? Defund Obamacare, that is. (Update: the House just passed a CR that does not include funding for Obamacare.) The title of the article below tells the tale. There are ‘some’ GOP who are willing to stick to their guns and keep funds for Obamacare out of the Continuing Resolution and the subsequent debt limitation bills.

Boehner and Cantor in the House and Mitch McConnell in the Senate are the core of the weak-willed in Congress. Sure, the House can delete Obamacare funding and Harry Reid will stick it back in—as he has already vowed! The bill(s) will go back to the House where the dems expect the spineless GOP to cave and vote to accept the CR with the funding of Obamacare intact.

I’ve discussed this topic on several venues. One FB commentator took offense at the idea of defunding Obamacare. He called it, “an abuse of Congressional power.” I called it an application of checks and balances as designed in the Constitution. He, like all too many of the ignorant, listen to the lies of democrats. He should, instead, heed the intent of the Founders to limit the power of government by balancing power between each branch of government. The Executive branch is not supreme, contrary to the dictates of Obama.

Some in GOP willing to endure government shutdown to defund Obamacare

By DAVID M. DRUCKER | SEPTEMBER 19, 2013 AT 3:47 PM

Congressional Republicans’ willingness to risk a government shutdown to defund Obamacare could squander their single biggest political asset heading into the 2014 elections: the party’s unified opposition to this increasingly unpopular law.

House Republican leaders calmed a brewing intraparty divide this week when they announced support for a budget bill that would keep the government running beyond the Sept. 30 deadline, but eliminate funding for implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The legislation is set for a vote Friday and the overwhelming GOP support it is expected to have should quiet a sharp disagreement over the tactics of defeating Obamacare that has engulfed Republicans for weeks.

But the reprieve is likely temporary. The issue is sure to resurface early next week, when the Democratic Senate takes up the budget bill.

The Senate is expected to strip the Republican bill’s Obamacare provision, replace the money for its implementation and return the legislation to the House, putting back in Republican hands the responsibility for passing a budget bill or allowing the government to shut down on Oct. 1.

Neither House Republicans committed to defunding nor pragmatists worried that a shutdown will backfire politically have figured out what to do when the Senate and President Obama inevitably reject the defunding provision and the government shuts down. One option is an alternative House bill that doesn’t defund Obamacare but would delay its implementation for a year. Republicans bent on defunding, however, have so far showed little enthusiasm for a delay.

“I think we have a united front, not just among conservatives, but among the majority of our conference, to really fight for this thing,” said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., a House leader of the defund movement. “Going back on my word, to allow Obamacare to be implemented, is not something that I can do, nor many in our conference can do.”

Polls continue to show low public support for the new health care law, whose implementation will accelerate on Oct. 1. Among Americans’ worries is that Obamacare would raise insurance rates and reduce access to quality care.

The article continues at the website.

The establishment ‘Pubs, like Lamar Alexander (R-TN) fear a backlash of voters in the next election. I say to them, “Fear a backlash of your core supporters. We can remove you from Congress quicker than any democrat backlash.”

Tax and Spend

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It’s Fall and two monstrous spending bills will be working their way through Congress. The first is the Continuing Resolution, the democrats spending solution that bypasses the budget process. The second will be the Debt Limit.

Depending on your viewpoint, there has been significant progress on the Continuing Resolution—removing funding for Obamacare. It’s a step but it doesn’t address the validity of Continuing Resolutions as a budget substitute.

Some House conservatives are going further—replacing Obamacare with another system. I haven’t read all the few details yet but I wonder about the wisdom of replacing one horrific government operation with another government operation. The rough outline presented so far retains government-sponsored insurance pool and federal subsidies to selected groups. So far, I have yet to find any substantive improvement in the new bill over Obamacare. Supposedly, the ‘new’ substitute would eliminate some taxes.

Big Whoop!

There’s more to Obamacare than taxes, it is an entire system of federal mandates that robs us of personal choice, selection and plans for our own future.  I would hope the ‘Pub alternative fulfills its hype. Given the leadership of Boehner, Cantor, McConnell, et. al., I have strong doubts.

According to the Heritage Foundation, Boehner has been forced to allow a version of the CR to go forward without Obamacare funding. That limited CR will go to the Senate where Harry Reid will stick Obamacare funding back into the CR. It will then return to the House where dems hope Boehner will cave and allow the funding to remain.

At best, the CR will ping-pong back and forth, from the House removing Obamacare funding, to the Senate that restores it until one side blinks. The dems hope, and I expect, that side will be the ‘Pubs. The way to end that cycle is to remove RINOs like Boehner, Cantor and McConnell from any leadership role in Congress and come the primaries, send them home—permanently.

The other spending bill is the increase of the nation’s debt limit. Obama wants us to believe, 'RAISING DEBT CEILING DOES NOT INCREASE OUR DEBT'. Yeah, and pull my other finger while you’re at it. We know now that we cannot believe anything from the pathological liar in the White House.

Obama and the dems both claim that failure to pass either bill, the CR or increase the debt limit, will shutdown the government. Many of us think that would be a good thing. We note that the government shuts down every weekend. We have sufficient income to pay the basic bills, pay for the entitlements of Social Security and Medicare, meet our debt and interest payments, and maintain the vital departments, such as Defense.

The dems disagree and if any spending cuts were made, they would target Defense and the vital programs of government instead of weaning the parasite class that keeps the dems in power.  Boehner and the GOP establishment are preparing to sell us out again by agreeing to a 1-year increase of the debt limit. John Boehner is morphing into Obama—you can’t believe a word that come out of his mouth.

In the end, if either bill passes both Houses of Congress with no funding for Obamacare, Obama will veto it. Next he’ll shutdown the government and blame the ‘Pubs. We know what happens next. The ‘Pubs get weak-kneed and give in.

Am I confident we’ll be able to defund Obamacare? No. The track record has been established in Washington beginning in the early Bush administration. Whenever a tough decision is required from the ‘Pubs, they will duck and weave and give in to the dems. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and other conservatives are fighting this record and practice. Unfortunately, they are outnumbered by the weak-willed and the ‘Pub democrat-lite members of Congress.

Yes, it is a pessimistic day.

The Follies for Friday, July 26, 2013

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The battlelines in Washington, between the dems, the conservatives, and the ‘Pub establishment, are being drawn. The next major battle will be the continuing resolution that funds the FedGov. The dems block every budget bill coming out of the House and the establishment hasn’t the guts to stand their ground on this spending bill. The major objective of this coming battle will be to defund Obamacare.

The ‘Pub establishment in the form of Boehner and McConnell, aren’t known for having any backbone. It took a concerted effort by House conservatives, a direct threat to remove him as the House Speaker, to make Boehner table (so far) the Senate travesty of an Immigration bill (colloquially known as the Democrat Voter Recruitment bill.)

A number of conservative organizations are targeting House members, members supposedly conservatives, to vote to eliminate Obamacare funding in the continuing resolution. Our own Vicky Hartzler is one of those House members whose vote to defund Obamacare is in doubt. Hartzler has a deserved reputation for being an establishment rubber-stamp. It will be difficult to get her to show some spine and rebuff Boehner’s demands to go along with the dems.

I received the email below this morning. I’m passing it along. Let’s set Miz Hartzler’s office lines on fire.

Heritage Action for America (If you are reading this, click to display images in your email program.)

Encourage Rep. Vicky Hartzler to Defund Obamacare

Yesterday, President Obama doubled down on Obamacare, saying his administration will continue to implement this disastrous and unpopular law. Fortunately, momentum is growing in the House to defund Obamacare in its entirety.

>> Take Action: Encourage Rep. Vicky Hartzler to support defunding Obamacare.

In May, Rep. Vicky Hartzler voted to repeal Obamacare. When the House considers a year-end funding bill in September, the lawmakers will have a chance to do the next best thing: defund it.

>> Email Rep. Vicky Hartzler: We must defund Obamacare now.

Obamacare is already increasing premiums, destroying jobs and reducing work hours. Hard working Americans simply cannot afford Obamacare, and Congress should not expect them to fund it.

This is a fight we can (and must) win. Thank you for taking action to defund Obamacare.

Sincerely,

Russ Vought
Political Director
Heritage Action for America

***

In the continuing recall battle in Colorado, there’s been a new attack—the dems have forced through new voting laws to hinder the recall.

Colorado recalls to be held under new election law

Thursday, July 25, 2013 – Red Pill, Blue Pill by Al Maurer

COLORADO SPRINGS, July 25, 2013—The Colorado recall elections to be held on September 10 will be conducted under new Colorado election laws passed by the Democrat-controlled legislature at the very end of the session in May. Senators Giron and Hudak, both under threat of recall at the time, reportedly pushed for the new law to take effect almost immediately.

Under the provisions of House Bill 1303, all elections in Colorado will be via mail-in ballot. The precinct polling place will be a thing of the past. Same-day voter registration and voting is allowed; there is no longer such a thing as a “provisional ballot.” Ballots will be mailed to all registered voters, inactive as well as active.

In Colorado, an inactive voter is one who has not voted in several elections. They are often people who have died or who have moved, either from house to house or out of state entirely. Even under existing law, the Secretary of State’s office had been prevented from cleaning up the voting rolls.

Before the new law, a person had until 30 days prior to an election to update their voter information. If someone moved into the state within 30 days of an election, they would not be eligible to vote. If someone changed address within the 30-day window, they could vote a provisional ballot.

Now all that is throw away. If you show up at one of a smaller number of “voter service centers” after Labor Day—in the case of these recall elections—and you’re breathing, you get to cast a ballot.

Voter ID was rejected by Democrats. A utility bill with an address on it is all that is needed.

El Paso County District Attorney Dan May says that under the old election law the emphasis was on fraud prevention. Under the new one, it will be tracking down the fraud and prosecuting it. It’s now a game of catch me if you can.

“Catch me if you can.” That really says volumes about the dems in control of the Colorado state government. The dems know the tidal wave is coming to oust them. They are using every legal, quasi-legal means to block the recall. One even called for a criminal investigation of the people behind the recall effort. Now, they’re trying a new trick. If the law won’t help block the recall—change the voting law to allow more democrat vote fraud.

***

“When is it time to vote for a democrat to remove an unfit republican?” That was a question Mark Levin posed last night on his radio show. This is what was said on that show…taken from Levin’s website.

So what do we do about John Boehner?

While there are grassroots efforts emerging to primary Boehner in Ohio’s 8th District — and we wish them all possible success — the time has come to consider an alternative plan. A nuclear option, if you will.

Assuming that Boehner wins his primary in OH-8, I suggest we rally support among Tea Party and Constitutional Conservatives in that district to vote. To vote Democrat.

That single seat has virtually no chance of swinging the majority in the House one way or the other. A newly elected Democrat in that very Red seat will be a back-bencher and virtually powerless. This will give time to the district (and it is a very conservative district by all accounts) to assemble a credible candidate should one not emerge in 2014.

I would never advocate such a tactic in the Senate even though Mitch McConnell is Boehner-lite. In the Senate the odds of taking majority control are simply too tempting to chance returning the dimwitted crackpot from Searchlight, Nevada to a seat of power.

But Boehner, on the other hand, is such an egregious failure, such a cowardly and un-principled operator, that he must be ripped out of the Speaker’s chair by any means necessary.

Let’s see what happens in OH-8, but I suggest we fund and vociferously support any — and I do mean any — Boehner opponent. Enough is enough.

A drastic measure, to be sure. But, what are the options when the establishment (Boehner) is fully in control of his district’s ‘Pub organization  and central committees? Vote for a dem to remove an unfit ‘Pub, go 3rd Party and be assured the establishment of both parties will remain in control, or vote for the status quo? The latter choice is to retain Boehner in his office. That would be the worse choice of all.

A targeted approach may be the only effective means of removing those in the ‘Pub ranks who lack the guts to oppose the libs and Obama. It is an option to consider for specific House seats.

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