3
POPSSen Coburn Says Root Of The Problem Is Political Greed In Congress .....members of Congress chose to ignore the problem and distract themselves with unprecedented amounts of pork-barrel spending.” “Taxpayers who want to ensure that this doesn’t happen again should send a very clear message to Washington that it’s time for Congress to live within its means and restore the principles of limited government and free markets that made this country great. I will do everything in my power to ensure that this bill does not lead us down a slippery slope of European style socialism and slow economic growth. I will also promise taxpayers that I will do everything in my power to block what I expect will be hundreds of attempts by politicians in Washington to continue business-as-usual borrowing and spending in the next Congress. In a time of crisis, American families have to make hard choices between budget priorities. So should Congress."
3
POPSGet To Know Tim Pawlenty Speculation is that he's the man for McCain. Looks to be a solid but not very exciting pick. He does have more experience that Obama, and would be the only candidate in the race that isn't a US senator and who has executive experience. From what I can tell, this guy would help more than hurt McCain, but I don't think he would have a major impact either way right away. Looks like he would be a safe pick that could put Minnesota into play, but not an exciting pick like Alaska's Sarah Palin or Oklahoma's Dr. No Tom Coburn or even Joe Lieberman (not that I think he would be a good pick, but he would be exciting).
6
POPSSen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) Indicted For Being Sleazy And the “Congressional White Caucus” won’t jump to defend Sen. Stevens the way the Congressional Black Caucus did for William Jefferson. Why? Because Sen. Stevens’ actions — just like those of Sen. Jefferson — are indefensible. Oh, and the fact that there isn’t anything as absurdly segregationist and just plain absurd as a Congressional White Caucus. ________ With the possible exception of Rep. John Culberson (R-TX), Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), Sen. Jim Demint (R-SC), and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CN) — I think we should expel every other member of Congress and start over with people of honest and integrity…but more than that, people who don’t think my money is their money. Leaders committed to truly small and limited government. Sadly, our country is headed in exactly the opposite direction.
3
POPSEMAIL: Tell Congress: Sign The Earmark Reform Pledge! Current signatories as of 3/13/08: Senators Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) Reps. Paul Broun (R-Ga.), John Campbell (R-Calif.), Tom Feeney (R-Fla.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), Tom Price (R-Ga.), Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), and John Shadegg (R-Ariz.). Thanks to the more than 25,000 e-mails CCAGW members like you sent to Capitol Hill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid last Friday pulled the Climate Security Act after falling a dozen votes short of the 60 needed to end debate and bring the bill up for a vote!
3
POPSOklahoma Republican wants to replace U.S. made military rifle with German made gun. More: More than $300 million has been spent on 221,000 of the carbines over the past two years alone. And the Defense Department is asking Congress to provide another $230 million for 136,000 more. Lord, if republicans are going to deliver us BS wars couldn't they at least spend our taxpayer dollars on U.S. pork. Here's somemore brilliance from Oklahoma, Tom Coburn's senatorial twin Jim Inhofe, For example my area of expertise is the English language. -- Sen. James Mountain Inhofe (R - OK)
5
POPSI wonder if McCain's name came up. By the time Gibson got around to the issues, Obama looked lost and upset. It got worse when Gibson asked about capital-gains tax rates, which Obama has pledged to raise. When Gibson repeatedly pointed out that decreasing the rates actually increased the revenues, Obama simply couldn’t come up with an answer, stammering while trying to change the subject. On guns, both Hillary and Obama stumbled through tortured explanations of how they support a Constitutional right for individuals to own guns while backing gun bans like the one in DC. The winner of this debate? John McCain. Both Democrats came out of this diminished, but Obama got destroyed in this exchange.
0
POPS[MORE...] Food not Lawns: The website Lawns can be replaced with perpetually self-sustaining, thriving human habitats. Diverse environments with greenery, flowers, animals, birds. Sounds like a very palatable, enjoyable replacement for lawns -- those life sucking systems on permanent life support! Hey, maybe we could even turn grass clippings into fuel for automobiles??
0
POPSCould Earmark Moratorium Really Be On The Way? The GOP may be falling behind the Democrats, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi moving toward a moratorium. In the Senate, courageous freshman Democrat Claire McCaskill of Missouri supports the DeMint amendment. She could be joined by her choice for president, Barack Obama. These developments encouraged Flake to say: "If Democrats actually move ahead with an earmark moratorium before Republicans, the Democrats will get the credit for eliminating earmarks, and, frankly, they'll deserve it."
12
POPSOklahoma Republican admits, "Iraq Probably a Mistake" More: Coburn at one point in the campaign reportedly said the war in Iraq was "absolutely not" a mistake. Vice President Dick Cheney, a vocal defender of the war, came to Tulsa to cam paign and raise money for Coburn. During that visit, Cheney criticized Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry for flip-flopping on the war by voting in the Senate to go to war but voting against adequate funding for the troops. Still, his comments at the town hall meeting may be the first time he has ever suggested the war was a mistake. Coburn's comment came less than a week after he returned from his second trip to Iraq since entering the Senate.
3
POPS The Impending Clash Over "Earmarks" A band of Republican lawmakers led by Representative Jeff Flake of Arizona and Senators Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Jim DeMint of South Carolina has attacked earmarks, saying they waste money and corrupt the legislative process. But a larger number of lawmakers avidly seek them and boast of success in securing money for constituents. Republicans received about 40 percent of the earmarks in the spending bills for 2008. A new tally by the White House Office of Management and Budget shows that the 2008 spending bills signed by Mr. Bush include more than 11,700 earmarks, totaling $16.9 billion. By the White House count, the number was down 1,754 from 2005, and the amount of money was down $2.1 billion, or 11 percent. Mr. Bush recently mocked earmarks for a prison museum in Kansas and a sailing school in California.
1
POPSFire the Prosecutor I'm curious to know how they got convicted, actually. Perhaps a pardon, rather than just a commutation is in order? Not enough info in this piece.
6
POPSOpen letter to the president One of the biggest lies about the recent immigration bill is that it is a 'comprehensive' bill. Fact is, all the border enforcement provisions in the bill are already authorized under law. And in the case of the physical security, the fence bill passed last year authorizes more than the current bill does. In other words, it offers absolutely nothing when it comes to security if we would just enforce the laws already enacted. The bill offers nothing but amnesty to millions of people here illegally. And if we can't currently stem the tide of illegals entering the country, what will amnesty do to help?