In Case You Missed It - Senator Bob Dole in The Washington Post: Starting Over on Health Care

/PRNewswire-/ -- In today's Washington Post, Senator Bob Dole urges a 'fresh start' on the issue of health care reform and said it is "the vital issue of our time, and Obama should be out front with his specific plan on this make-or-break issue." In June, Senator Dole, along with other former U.S. Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker and Tom Daschle, all members of the Bipartisan Policy Center's (BPC) Advisory Board and Leaders' Project on the State of American Health Care, released their comprehensive bipartisan health care proposal, entitled: "Crossing Our Lines: Working Together to Reform the U.S. Health System."

Quotes from today's Washington Post editorial:

"If I were a White House adviser, I would suggest that the day Congress reconvenes, President Obama's version of reform should be introduced by Democratic leaders in the House and Senate. Health-care reform is the vital issue of our time, and Obama should be out front with his specific plan on this make-or-break issue."

"Along with former senators Howard Baker and Tom Daschle, I serve on the advisory board of the Bipartisan Policy Center, a group searching for common ground on health care, energy, agriculture, transportation and national security . . . Out of Congress now, we have no votes and no power -- but we have our credibility. It is pleasing that many lawmakers, particularly the Senate Finance Committee leaders, Democrat Max Baucus and the GOP's Chuck Grassley, have looked favorably upon some of our recommendations."

"A bipartisan ending will have more credibility with the American people. Indeed, most important legislation in U.S. history has had broad bipartisan support. As a supporter of bipartisan health reform, I hope the president has gotten some rest in the past week. I also hope he puts the final touches on his own health bill. I'd bet a bottle of aspirin that it would cure many of his headaches."

The Leaders' Project report, released in June, was authored by Senators Baker, Daschle and Dole, and was co-chaired by Chris Jennings, a veteran of the Clinton White House, and Dr. Mark McClellan, administrator of Medicare and Medicaid Services under President George W. Bush. It offers politically-viable policy recommendations to address the delivery, cost, coverage and financing challenges facing the nation's health care system. For more information or to download a full copy of the report, please visit: http://bipartisanpolicy.org/projects/leaders-project.

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CREW Files Ethics Complaint Against Rep. Deal

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Yesterday, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics against Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA) for violating House rules and federal law by intervening with Georgia political leaders to preserve a program that financially benefits him.

This past weekend, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Rep. Deal, along with his business partner Ken Cronan, owns a lucrative business, Recovery Services, Inc., that – through a no-bid contract – provides inspection stations to the state for the inspection of salvaged vehicles. The business earned $1.4 million between 2004-2008 and Rep. Deal personally took home $150,000 a year.

In 2008, Georgia Revenue Commissioner Bart Graham took over responsibility for the inspection system and found the operational costs and locations of the inspection stations to be too costly and restrictive for the state of Georgia and its residents. Comm. Graham decided the best course of action was to reform the system and award contracts through a competitive bidding process.

Rep. Deal and his staff, with assistance from Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, then arranged meetings with Comm. Graham at which Rep. Deal and his chief of staff were present, to persuade him to reconsider his decisions, including the proposed elimination of $1.7 million that has been allocated for the program. After Comm. Graham’s plan was passed by the Georgia House, Rep. Deal’s chief of staff used his House email to contact Georgia state officials to ensure the state Senate did not pass the cut in the program. The money for the program was eventually kept in the budget.

Rep. Deal may have committed a federal crime by using his position and congressional resources to engage in self-dealing, thereby depriving his constituents of his honest services. By using congressional resources, including House computers and staff time to pursue his business interests, he violated the federal law and House ethics rule requiring taxpayer funds be applied only to official business. By using his position to force Comm. Graham to meet with him and his chief of staff to discuss his personal business, and by contacting other Georgia politicians to influence a vote on a state budget matter, Rep. Deal violated the House rule prohibiting members from using their positions to obtain financial benefit. Finally, Rep. Deal’s course of conduct violates the House rule requiring members to act in a manner that reflects creditably on the House.

Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW, said, “Astonishingly, Rep. Deal seems to believe he has the right to use his position as a member of Congress to ensure no one -- not even a Georgia official -- interferes with his sweetheart deal with the state of Georgia. The Office of Congressional Ethics and perhaps the Department of Justice should be able to teach Rep. Deal a valuable lesson: public service is not intended as a path to self-enrichment.”

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DeKalb Young Republican Meeting

"Come join the best Party in the County!"
What: Club/Group Meeting
Host: Dekalb County Young Republicans
Start Time: Thursday, August 27 at 7:00pm
End Time: Thursday, August 27 at 9:00pm
Where: Hudson Grille - Brookhaven Station

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=113319752873&mid=eec5bfG2210436bG2f066f1G7

Isakson Introduces Legislation to Strengthen Financial Disclosure Rules

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., has introduced legislation to increase transparency and strengthen mortgage disclosure requirements for Members of Congress.

The bill by Isakson and Senator Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., would require Members of Congress to make a “full and complete” disclosure of residential mortgages, which includes, the date that the mortgage was entered, the range of the amount, the interest rate, the term, and the name and address of the creditor.

Isakson and Boxer serve as Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, respectively.

Senator Isakson said, “Since my first year in Congress, I have always disclosed my home ownership and the mortgages against my home. It’s the right thing to do and I believe it should be required of all members of Congress.”

Senator Boxer said, “Transparency is the key to accountability in government. We must continually revisit ethics in government, and strengthening our disclosure rules takes an important step forward.”
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Town hall violence -- by Obama supporters

Town hall violence -- by Obama supporters

President Obama recently e-mailed followers to attend local town halls, and his deputy chief of staff promised to "punch back twice as hard" in the health care debate. Neither of them probably expected their backers to "get in the faces" of their opponents quite this much. Or to punch anyone -- not literally, anyway.

In Saint Louis, the Post-Dispatch reports that Kenneth Gladney, a conservative activist, was distributing Gadsden Flags at a town hall meeting for Rep. Russell Carnahan, D-Mo., when he was allegedly beaten by a group of Obama supporters. One of them reportedly flung racial epithets at him (he is black). Glandey ended up in the Emergency Room, and six people ended up in jail, including a reporter for the Post-Dispatch whom police accused of interfering. Carnahan was not yet present at the town hall when the incident happened.

Read the full story

Mark Tapscott - Angry Mobs Department: That was then, this is now

Democrats screaming to high heaven about those disrupted town hall meetings could use a little refresher on recent history concerning their partisans' conduct in 2005 in response to President George W. Bush's attempt to get Congress to move on a genuine Social Security reform.

Read the full story

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Cobb Countians for Accountable Government Rally

Wednesday, August 12 at 8:15am.
Event: Cobb Countians for Accountable Government
"Taxed Enough Already" Rally
Host: Cobb Countians for Accountable Government
Start Time: Wednesday, August 12 at 8:15am
End Time: Wednesday, August 12 at 8:45am
Where: School Board HQ, 514 Glover Street, Marietta Georgia

Isakson Criticizes Senate’s Refusal to Stimulate Housing Market by Expanding Tax Credit for Homebuyers

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today criticized the Senate’s rejection of his amendment to stimulate housing demand and boost the economy by expanding the first-time homebuyer tax credit to a $15,000 tax credit for any buyer of any home. The Senate rejected Isakson’s amendment, which he sought to attach to the “cash for clunkers” bill, by a vote of 47 to 50.

Isakson then voted against final passage of the “cash for clunkers” bill.

“I’m disappointed in this vote on the homebuyer tax credit, because every American is suffering in this economy. Every American deserves for Congress to look for positive incentives to bring the housing market back, restore their equity, improve their values and return us back to a vibrant economy,” Isakson said. “The ‘cash for clunkers’ program demonstrates what I’ve known all my life, which is positive incentives cause positive results. The problem we have, though, is it was not the automobile market that disappeared first in America. It was the collapse of housing market.”

Specifically, Isakson’s amendment would have increased the maximum amount of the credit from $8,000 to $15,000 and expanded the current tax credit so that it applies to any buyer of any home, not just first-time buyers. The amendment also would have eliminated the income caps of $75,000 for an individual and $150,000 for a couple under the current tax credit so that there is no income limit for eligibility. The amendment would have extended the tax credit for one year from date of enactment and would have still allowed homebuyers to claim the credit on their 2009 tax return for purchases made in 2010. Finally, the amendment would have required the expansion of the tax credit ultimately to be paid for by stimulus funds.

Isakson’s amendment was endorsed by the National Association of Home Builders and the National Association of Realtors.

Isakson has pushed hard for a tax credit for homebuyers since January 2008 because he knows that it will work. In the mid-1970s, America faced a similar housing crisis when a period of easy credit and loose underwriting flooded the market with new construction. Interest rates rose, the economy slowed and America was left with a three-year supply of vacant homes. Congress responded by passing a $2,000 tax credit for anyone purchasing a new home for their principal residence. Isakson, who was in the real estate industry in Atlanta at the time, says the results were clear and swift as home values stabilized, housing inventory dropped and the market recovered.

Isakson spent more than three decades in the real estate business, beginning his business career in 1967 when he opened the first Cobb County, Ga., office of a small, family-owned real estate business, Northside Realty. Isakson later served as president of Northside for 20 years, presiding over the company’s growth into the largest independent residential real estate brokerage company in the Southeast and one of the largest in America.
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Gary Black to Speak at Hart County Republican Party Meeting

Saturday, August 15 at 8:30am.
Guest Speaker: Gary Black - Agriculture Commissioner Candidate
Hart County Republican Party
Start Time: Saturday, August 15 at 8:30am
End Time: Saturday, August 15 at 10:00am
Where: Hart County Literacy Center (Hart Co. Library basement)

Join the Georgia Federation of Republican Women at their 26th Biennial Convention October 1-2, 2009

Join the Georgia Federation of Republican Women at their 26th Biennial Convention October 1-2, 2009.

The two-day event starts on Thursday, October 1st, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. with the
four-session Leadership Academy. Proposed topics include: The Importance of Leadership
and Grassroots Involvement; Team Building-Unlocking the Power of an Effective Team;
Making Meetings Memorable and Productive; and Image Building.

On Friday, October 2nd, from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Holly Robichaud will present
her interactive, lecture-style program designed to provide a comprehensive overview
of campaigns, including management and strategy, fundraising, conducting opposition
research, media, get-out-the-vote techniques, writing winning campaign plans and
communicating with voters.

The event is at the Hilton Hotel/Marietta Conference Center. For more information,
contact Millie Rogers, GFRW President at millierogers@bellsouth.net [mailto:millierogers@bellsouth.net].

Register online at: www.gfrw.org [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102662287259&s=730&e=001JliDiKXEOf3NKdB_jMMibQNAQ4DbMwVy6gxVj0VnHXvKqiDOa6Ak9BLsInlypki
dbG9Yd9JeajAaEGUM8kFnLRJkbwSpiiC8PpQ7LGIycSE=]

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