I’m not even sure what to say about this because it goes so far beyond absurdity it would actually be quite humorous if it wasn’t sadly so real. Can we officially say the Republican Party is now the “I’m not quite as Socialist as the other guy” party? What is wrong with our government when educated, elected officials come up with an idea so blatantly stupid and think it’s the cat’s meow of the day?

Here is an idea. Lower the friggin gas tax!! Yeah, right. That’s not going to happen. Once the price crunch is over the Republicans don’t want to have to be the ones to say, “Ok, time to raise it back up again.”

Most American taxpayers would get $100 rebate checks to offset the pain of higher pump prices for gasoline, under an amendment Senate Republicans hope to bring to a vote soon………

……. “Our plan would give taxpayers a hundred dollar gas tax holiday rebate check to help ease the pain that they’re feeling at the pump,” Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist announced Thursday.

Frist is such an ass. There is no way I am supporting this guy for President in ‘08. This whole move is nothing but pure cowardess.

Indoctrination begins at a young age.

I think this is yet another lesson to the Republican Congress that they just can’t pander to their base and then once they get in, forget about them. The result of this issue dealing with illegal immigration, in my opinion, will be the deciding factor this year as to how the Republicans do in November. While I don’t think it is realistic to go out and deport 12 million people all of a sudden, I do believe that this idea of a guest worker program as well as potential amnesty for these criminals in our country is not going to fly with the American public.

I think the best way to deal with this problem is: 1. Secure the border, 2. Cut off the jobs. Heavily, and I mean heavily, fine employers who are caught employing these people illegally. 3. Cut off the public dole to illegals. When the well dries up a lot of them will go back on their own. In concurrence to all of this, deport anyone who is found to be illegal at any time, such as a traffic stop, for instance. It is not impossible to fix this problem, not at all. It is simply reluctance on behalf of our politicians in Washington D.C. and quite frankly, I think Bush should be impeached for doing nothing about this problem in a post 9-11 world.

Minuteman organizers say this spring’s marches have proved to be an unexpected recruitment tool for Americans who feel uneasy about the burgeoning immigration movement but may have considered the organization a pack of gun-toting vigilantes.

“We’re not trying to be more mainstream — mainstream has found us,” said Stephen Eichler, the group’s executive director. “They’re saying, ‘These guys actually have teeth, they don’t all chew tobacco, they don’t all have a gun rack in the back of their truck.’ They’re saying, `They believe what I believe,’ and they’re joining us.”

Lisonbee, a registered Republican, said only one issue matters to her now.

“My vote will go to the candidate who’s the toughest on immigration, whether they’re Democrat or Republican,” she said from her home in Orem, Utah. “Before, we were pretty much the types of people who would call our congressmen and not take to the streets. But that’s all changed now.”

The Minuteman Project first gained attention last year when Orange County resident and former tax accountant Jim Gilchrist helped lead its first 30-day patrol of the border in Arizona. The group has added mainstream political tools, including a network of local chapters and e-mail lobbying campaigns.

AP

Interesting

Conservatives decided not to go down without a fight in New Jersey for the state’s GOP Senate nomination. Tom Kean Jr, son of the former Governor was expected to walk into the GOP nomination, but now is getting opposition from conservative John Ginty. Ginty and other party conservatives have pointed out Kean’s liberal support on issues ranging from abortion to gun control. Access North Georgia has more.

Yes, I know, that is a given, but aside from that, the man clearly has zero understanding of how economics works and how corporations functions.

Republican Senator Arlen Specter said the U.S. Congress should consider taxing the “windfall profits” reaped by oil companies as a result of surging crude oil prices……………..

……………. Specter, of Pennsylvania, earlier this month introduced legislation to strengthen antitrust enforcement of the oil and natural gas industry to counter the consolidation of production and refining operations. Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota is proposing a 50 percent excise tax on profits from oil sold at more than $40 a barrel.

“Windfall profits, eliminating the antitrust exemption, considering the excessive concentration of power are all items we ought to be addressing,” Specter said today on CNN’s “Late Edition” program. “Anybody up for election this year ought to be working very hard, taking it very seriously.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=axsSLmjPMsdg&refer=us

Personally, I do think the oil companies are screwing us, but this idea of a Windfall Profits Tax is beyond assinine. All they will do is pass the cost of the tax off on the consumer and if by the other extreme they were to artificially lower prices down to the $40 a barrell price to avoid the 50% Windfall Profits tax we would have mass gas shortages that will make the 1970s look like a picnic in the park.

It’s great to know that we have Republicans like Snarlin’ Arlen looking out for the good of the people.

With the 2008 Political season kicking off already, and people speculating on this or that candidate, it made me reminisce about our resounding victory in 2004.

Just recently, I lamented to a friend that we would have no way of reusing such effective groups as Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, but it seems Kerry might just give us reason to rejoice, dust off the old commercials and watch those effective Swifties do their work.

So, while we may, as yet, have no true contender or heir-apparent, at least we have fine Vets ready to stand up and tell their side of things.

So told Horace Greeley to some youth, and in a way I’m taking his advice. I’ll be graduating this spring after 3.5 years at the College, and after a brief sojourn to the last frontier I will start working. As a result I will be retiring from this blog. I’d close with a certain Reagan quote we all know, but that would be pompous. Peace be with you.

I won’t pretend to know if Allen truly believes abortion is wrong, and if he’d vote to make it illegal in all cases (with the double effect exception.) Certainly there are those of us who have doubts. However, I would say this much: he is definitely anti-Roe.

There is a difference, as difficult as it is to remember in these days of soundbites. One can think Roe was poorly decided without supporting a ban on abortion. You can disagree with it because its an abrogation of states’ rights, or its poor logic on which to justify a federal right to abortion. Regardless, Allen is on record against it.

I’ll also have a post with some large personal news in the future, so please check back to the blog often.

Rob Couhig.
First candidate up on TV, only candidate talking real issues, media buzz… and he’s a Republican? He’s talking about self-sufficency for New Orleans… wow.

Great book review here.

Verification of Residence

Requires that entities verify legal U.S. residence for local, state or federal benefits administered by a state agency or a political subdivision of the state where residence is a requirement and where the individual requesting benefits is older than age 18.

Exempts prenatal and emergency care (same exemptions as federal exemptions for residence verification)
Requires that all individuals receiving state benefits sign one of two affidavits, either stating the individual is a U.S. citizen or a legal alien.
All “legal alien” affidavits must be checked in the federal SAVE program database to verify lawful eligibility for public benefits.
Provision is effective July 1, 2007.

State Contracts

Requires contracts for state agencies, departments and instrumentalities of the state and contracts and subcontracts thereof to use the federal BASIC Pilot program for newly hired employees to verify lawful employment in the United States.

Employer must perform employment check post-hiring;
Effective July 1, 2007 for employers with 500+ employees, effective July 1, 2008 for employers with 100+ employees and July 1, 2009 for employers with less than 100 employees.

Prohibit tax benefits

Specifies that undocumented employee compensation over $600 a year may not be used as an allowable business expense.

Allows Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR) to promulgate rules and regulations;
Applies only to those hired after January 1, 2008;
Provision is effective January 1, 2008.

Withholding Tax Requirement

Requires six percent state withholding tax for all nonresident aliens.

Requires six percent state withholding tax for 1099 employees who cannot provide a taxpayer ID number, who provide an incorrect taxpayer ID number or who provide a nonresident taxpayer ID number.
State requirement is similar to federal requirement;
Provision effective July 1, 2007.

Law Enforcement Training

Authorizes the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Commissioner to enter into an MOU with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) concerning the enforcement of immigration laws.

Directs the DPS Commissioner to coordinate with law enforcement entities to choose
appropriate peace officers for training;

States that state law enforcement training is contingent on funding by federal government;
Authorizes the trained law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration and customs laws while performing their authorized duties;
Provision is effective July 1, 2007.

Human Trafficking

Creates the offense of human trafficking and contributing to human trafficking.

Penalty: 1-20 years; 10-20 years if the victim is under age18;
Georgia human trafficking language is similar to federal language;
Provision is effective July 1, 2007.

Legal status verification for those charged with felony or DUI

Requires that jail personnel check the legal status of those who are charged with a felony or DUI and notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if the individual is not legally in the United States.

· Practice already occurring in Georgia state prison system;

· Provision effective July 1, 2007.

Immigration Assistance Regulation

Limits what services a for-profit immigration assistance company can provide and criminalizes certain actions.

Requires that such businesses post signs stating they are not lawyers and cannot provide legal advice.
Restricts these individuals/businesses from using the terms notary, lawyer or attorney in advertising (may use term “notary public” if certified)
Misdemeanor for first offense of non-compliance; high and aggravated misdemeanor for second and subsequent offenses within 5 years.
Provision is effective July 1, 2007.

From the Prince of Darkness…

New national polling data show, to the surprise of many politicians, that the immigration issue is one of the very rare areas where President Bush is gaining rather than losing strength.

The conventional wisdom has been that Bush’s guest worker proposal runs sharply against mainstream Republican opinion and contributes to the president’s loss of party support. However, polls show Republican opinion on the issue is split, as are the Democrats, with a national majority actually backing Bush (while he continues to drop in nearly every other category).

Some Republican members of Congress have reported back from Easter recess to say their constituents are less outraged by leaky borders than the possible loss of immigrant workers, some from their own households.

If everyone agrees about the need to enforce the border, can’t we just pass a bill that does that and come back to the issue of what we do with those who are here later? I mean, it would be nice to see Congress pass something meaningful before November.

Pat Toomey on Tax Day:

“Tax Day is our annual reminder that despite the strong pro-growth tax cuts of 2003, the tax code is still pure lunacy. Tax rates are too high and if Congress doesn’t act soon they’ll go even higher.”

“Republicans could begin to recapture their claim to being the party of limited government, and the support of voters who gave them a majority based on it, by building on the success of that phenomenal pro-growth tax relief. They can vote to kill off the Death Tax once and for all in early May. They can also fulfill President Bush’s request to send him an extension of the capital gains and dividend tax relief that has fueled our strong economic recovery. Both of these actions would revitalize economic conservatives and support continued economic growth — two keys to electoral success in November.

“But a final bit of irony will come if Republicans in Congress are unwilling to recommit themselves to the principles of limited government and lower taxes. The GOP will lose their majority in the same way the Democrats they replaced lost theirs — by demoralizing their base voters.”

Amen. For a better system check out the Fair Tax.

Here is the latest approval ratings for all 50 of our governors. There is something that stood out at me right away. The Democrats that are governing in “red” states are overwhelmingly more popular than the Republicans governing in “red” states. Interesting topic for discussion. Any thoughts on why this is?

http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2006/50StateGovernor060412State.htm

Sen. Jim DeMint is proposing the Transportation Empowerment Act which would essentially cut off funding for ear marks. The Wardrobe Door has the scoop.

DeMint’s bill would basically cut the federal gas tax from 18.3 cents to 3.7 cents, which would pay for up keep of federal highways and roads on federal land. Currently all the other money (14.6 cents on every dollar spent on gas) is being sent back to states for projects, some of which are gigantic pieces of pork - Bridge to Nowhere anyone. States could then keep the rate the same or adjust it depending on their particular needs.

Will Congressmen cut off their own source for “bringin’ home the bacon”. I doubt it, but a conservative can hope.

H/T: The Wardobe Door and Ace

As Andrew can attest we need more conservatives Like Herman Cain. So I am saddened to report he has been diagnosed with colon cancer.

“The guy’s a fighter and he’s going to be fine,” said Ericka Pertierra, his chief of staff. “He’s trying to figure out how to do the radio show from the bed.”

Cain, 60, learned of the diagnosis “a couple weeks ago” and is scheduled for surgery later this month at a hospital in Houston, she said.

Please Keep Mr. Cain and his family in your prayers.

Mike and I have been discussing this topic at great lengths lately, and are pretty disgusted with the current direction our national government and Republican party are taking (go figure). At our current pace, the federal government will consume over 70% of our nation’s GDP by the year 2047 (Heritage Foundation budget analysis). The House of Representatives, which is supposed to be the more conservative body by today’s standards and was meant to be the body more responsive to the populace in the Constitution, just passed the 527 reform bill, which further regulates the freedom (or lack thereof) of speech and political organization. Though the Republican Party leadership claims it is for fiscal responsibility (which they would know nothing about) and cleaner elections, the sole purpose of the bill at its core is to silence true conservative groups that hold the RNC’s feet to the fire, most importantly the Club for Growth. Several years ago, a Republican Congress passed and a Republican president signed the 527 bill’s predecessor, the McCain-Feingold election reform bill, which placed unconstitutional (per the 1st Amendment) limitations and regulations on political campaigns. Though that bill was also trumpeted as a vehicle for cleaner elections, all it does is strengthen incumbents’ hold on their precious seats like the Gollums many of them are (and I’m not even a big LOTR fan).

The Contract With America has been torn to shreds, burned, then the ashes defecated upon by our Republican majority. A bill moving the country closer to nationalized healthcare, Medicare Part D, was passed by a Republican majority and president. A federal highway funding bill was threatened to be vetoed by this Republican president if it exceeded a certain amount; that amount was grossly exceeded, bursting at the seams with unconstitutional earmarks, and the president looked the other way and signed the bill.

Rather than stand up against the “tyranny of the minority” and block judicial filibustering, 7 Republicans joined 7 Democrats to form the Gang of 14; while this agreement did result in swift confirmation of several judges that had been delayed for years, it also was the death knell for others whom the Democrats deemed too “extreme.”

All around the country, hundreds of thousands of protestors, many backed up by the Communist A.N.S.W.E.R, marched against a resolution passed by the House of Representatives that would start to enforce our immigration laws and protect our borders. Many of these protestors were illegal immigrants, demanding more rights and privileges from our country despite the fact that they break the law every second they spend in this country. Where was the INS, and the Border patrol, when these demonstrations started? Why not surround these “protestors,” and simply go around asking for green cards, and pick off the many illegal immigrants and send them packing? Even if only a small percentage of the millions of them here were affected by this, imagine what a signal this would send. Why will our president refuse to secure our borders, and why is he trumpeting a plan to simply allow all of these criminals to stay in the country and give them amnesty? What in the world has this nation come to?

A supposedly conservative party has expanded the federal government to historic and frightening proportions both in size and in monetary terms (not to mention incompetency, but I digress). They have passed unconstitutional bill after unconstitutional bill, all the while pledging to uphold the Constitution every 2 or 6 years that they are re-elected. The “Contract With America: Renewed” proposed budget from the Republican Study Committee has had no endorsement from the RNC and hardly any mention by our “conservative” politicians. I can go on and on. I haven’t even touched the ideas and proposals trumpeted by the liberals; the actions of our “conservatives” are sickening enough. I am disgusted, apathetic, and fed up. This isn’t a Republic. This isn’t a representative democracy. Statesmen that the Founding Fathers would be proud to know, such as Senator Tom Coburn, Representative Mike Pence, and many others, are marginalized and ridiculed by our “Republicans.” Our nation, our society, and our national government are going downhill quickly, currently at the hands of the “conservative” party.

Let’s start some comments going, see how much I can stir up the pot around here.

That’s news to me, but so says Club for Growth Andy Roth, who said so to The Hotline.

I think we can all agree on our opposition to Huckabee raising the minimum wage, but can we also come to a consensus that no organization (especially one dedicated to one slice of the conservative pie) is the arbiter of who is liberal/conservative and who is not? Huckabee is extremely sound on the social issues, and for all we know on the foreign policy issues as well.