Worcester County Freedom Trail

Congress is using billions of our tax dollars to bail out companies that should be standing on their own two feet and figuring out how to better run their businesses. And now they’re going to shovel millions more of our tax dollars into their own pockets. That’s right. Congress is getting a raise while the global economy is being shaken to its foundation (mostly thanks to the idiotic intrusion of government in places where it doesn’t belong).

This from The Hill:

A crumbling economy, more than 2 million constituents who have lost their jobs this year, and congressional demands of CEOs to work for free did not convince lawmakers to freeze their own pay.

Instead, they will get a $4,700 pay increase, amounting to an additional $2.5 million that taxpayers will spend on congressional salaries, and watchdog groups are not happy about it.

“As lawmakers make a big show of forcing auto executives to accept just $1 a year in salary, they are quietly raiding the vault for their own personal gain,” said Daniel O’Connell, chairman of The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), a non-partisan group. “This money would be much better spent helping the millions of seniors who are living below the poverty line and struggling to keep their heat on this winter.”

However, at 2.8 percent, the automatic raise that lawmakers receive is only half as large as the 2009 cost of living adjustment of Social Security recipients.

Still, Steve Ellis, vice president of the budget watchdog Taxpayers for Common Sense, said Congress should have taken the rare step of freezing its pay, as lawmakers did in 2000.

“Look at the way the economy is and how most people aren’t counting on a holiday bonus or a pay raise — they’re just happy to have gainful employment,” said Ellis. “But you have the lawmakers who are set up and ready to get their next installment of a pay raise and go happily along their way.”

Member raises are often characterized as examples of wasteful spending, especially when many constituents and businesses in members’ districts are in financial despair.

Rep. Harry Mitchell, a first-term Democrat from Arizona, sponsored legislation earlier this year that would have prevented the automatic pay adjustments from kicking in for members next year. But the bill, which attracted 34 cosponsors, failed to make it out of committee.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the many people who are still waiting for National Grid to reconnect them to the 21st Century!

We’d also like to remind everyone to take a few moments to spread joy wherever you can — this holiday season and throughout 2009. We all face many challenges…no one’s life is perfect. But there is always someone nearby with a sadder story than your own. So please take some time out of the busy holiday season to spread good cheer (and some toys for tots or help shoveling for an elderly neighbor, etc.)

The MassGOP started “Blogs for Joy” to help spread the word that we all need to reach out to families, friends, neighbors, and friends we have yet to meet. Here is their “10 Point Joy List.”

1. Organize a drive (toys, jackets, etc) and blog it (comment here and crosspost it)
2. Link to one or more of the Joy Avenues on your blog
3. Submit additional Joy Avenues for us to post
4. Work a soup kitchen
5. Recruit other blogs to join the JoyNetwork
6. Spread the word re BlogsForJoy via Twitter
7. Spread the word re BlogsForJoy via Facebook
8. Spread the word re BlogsForJoy via MySpace
9. Spread the word re BlogsForJoy via LinkedIn
10. Spread the word re BlogsForJoy via Tumblr

May peace, prosperity, and happiness be yours throughout the holiday season and new year!

This is what I’ve been saying all along. Republicans lost the last 2 national election cycles because our candidates weren’t being conservatives, they were being Democrats-lite.

Great article by Saul Anuzis, Chairman of the Michigan GOP and candidate for RNC Chair:

The Republican Party must shift toward the center say some pundits. Others urge a tilt to the right. The right answer is that our party must move forward as a party of ideas, innovation, and – yes – conservatism.

The first step is admitting that we were “thumped” in two straight elections not because of ideology but because of hypocrisy. What had been a party dedicated to the power of the American dream and individual freedom lost its way, mired in pork barrel spending and Wall Street bailouts. Barack Obama seized on this opportunity and won many Americans to his side by promising to deliver on our broken promises.

Rebuilding the Republican Party means reclaiming that vision of hope and opportunity for all, one idea, one neighborhood and one email at a time. For too long, our party has simply focused on finding voters who already agreed with us and getting them to the polls, but somehow we forgot about delivering a compelling message that inspired new members to join our cause. To win, we must do both, and here’s how:

One idea at a time. Republicans lost the presidency and seats in Congress on Nov. 4, but our ideas didn’t lose. After all, Obama won with a Republican idea as the centerpiece of his platform – tax cuts. To be successful, Republicans must present bold, conservative ideas that deliver on a promise of less government, more freedom and strong national defense.

One neighborhood at a time. Just as our ideas must come from the 50 states, the comeback of the Republican Party must begin with the grassroots in neighborhoods from coast to coast. Right now, there are too many neighborhoods where you are more likely to find a unicorn than a Republican. So our comeback strategy must concentrate on being a party of inclusion.

That means reaching out to all states and all regions of the country, all ethnic, racial and religious groups, and all ages, especially young voters. The bottom line: If we only speak to white men over 40 in states we are already winning, like the many in the south, our comeback will fall short.

One email at a time. To be successful, the Republican comeback must be driven by a commitment to innovation and to use of the Internet – not just as a tool to communicate our ideas, but as a tool to organize, fundraise and manage every aspect of party operations.

We must learn from the Democrats’ success in 2008 and create a virtual community to carry our message across the nation. I’ve embraced the tools of the digital age, put them to work as a state party chair, challenged traditional media and communicated directly with the public. I blog and Twitter, and Facebook. The Republican Party needs a leader who understands how communities are built and nurtured on the web and knows how to lead our comeback online.

I’m not very happy with President Bush’s choices in his waning days. No surprise, the bailout is a total fiasco. In fact, I wish someone would lock Treasury Secretary Paulson in a closet for a few months so he can’t spend any more money and the economy can recover.

That said, I have no doubts about the current White House administration’s willingness to engage terrorists in order to protect Americans. So I was quite taken aback by Senator Joe Biden’s comments during the campaign about President Elect Obama being tested by an international crisis within his first few months in office. That’s not something that will make Americans feel more secure and it’s sure to get the attention of at least one terrorist faction, if not more.

Maybe that’s why Obama chose to keep Defense Secretary Robert Gates on board. Gates had a few choice words on this whole issue today:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned the United States’ enemies on Saturday against trying to take advantage of the early months of the new Washington administration to test U.S. resolve.

Gates also said the United States would stay deeply involved in the Middle East and the Gulf under Barack Obama’s administration.

“I can assure you that a change in administration does not alter our fundamental interests, especially in the Middle East,” he told a regional security conference in Bahrain.

Asked about Iran, he said the United States was not seeking to oust the country’s leaders but did want to see a change in Iranian policies.

“Nobody is after a regime change in Iran. What we’re after is a change in policies and a change in behavior,” Gates said.

“Anyone who thought that the upcoming months might present opportunities to test the new administration would be sorely mistaken,” he told the Manama Dialogue conference, organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“President Obama and his national security team, myself included, will be ready to defend the interests of the United States and our friends and allies from the moment he takes office on January 20th.”

Let’s hope they remain ready to defend us!

The Senate couldn’t force cloture tonight on the UAW bailout, so there is unlikely to be any more action on this front…at least this year. The vote was 52-35 for cloture, but didn’t reach the magic 60% number.

That said, the night ended with Sentors Boxer, Durbin, and Specter pleading for Treasury Secretary Paulson to give generously to the Big 3 from his $700B bailout package. ::sigh::

I love manufacturing, but this was basically a bailout of the UAW. As you will see in the article below, the unions were completely unwilling to make any compromises. So why should our tax dollars go to bail out 3 grossly mismanaged and union-burdened companies? I love my Buick SUV, but the Big 3 can’t compete their way out of a box right now. That’s not the kind of investment I would put my money into. It’s time for them to renegotiate terms with their creditors and unions, and figure out how to be great again.

From Politico.com:

A White House-backed bailout for ailing automakers collapsed in the Senate Thursday night, pushing General Motors Corp. closer to almost certain bankruptcy absent a major intervention by the Treasury Department.

The 52-35 roll call fell well short of the 60 needed to cut off debate, and appeared to doom any chance of legislative action until a new Congress convenes in January.

“We’re not going to get to the finish line,” said Majority Leader Harry Reid “I dread looking at Wall Street tomorrow (Friday). It’s not going to be a pleasant sight.”

Democrats and the United Auto Workers made a last effort to reach a compromise that would bring over Republican support for the $14 billion loan package. But the talks broke down over conservative demands that the UAW accept wage cuts by a date certain in 2009, putting its members at parity with workers at auto plants owned by foreign competitors like Toyota and Honda—many in the Republican South.

The date certain was pivotal to a proposal by Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) to toughen the terms set in the underlying administration’s bill, which had cleared the House Wednesday night. Corker demanded large concessions as well from bondholders to reduce the debt levels on GM. But the labor provisions were the most contentious, and much as the UAW gave ground on several fronts, it resisted the date certain demand as unfairly political.

Excellent news as fair redistricting should really be a non-partisan issue. But at the moment, it’s not. The Republicans are leading the charge. Here’s the latest from Politickerma.com:

Former House Speaker George Keverian, a Democrat, has signed on to help the Massachusetts Republican Party with its 2011 redistricting efforts.

Dan Winslow, who worked as former Gov. Mitt Romney’s chief legal counsel and is leading the Republican redistricting effort, told PolitickerMA.com that he met with Keverian earlier this week and Keverian agreed to help.

“Speaker Keverian is a walking encyclopedia of historical communities of interest in Massachusetts, which is a key ingredient in redistricting,” Winslow said. “We reached out and we are thrilled that he is willing to consult with the GOP effort to have fair and competitive redistricting.”

Winslow, currently an attorney with Duane Morris LLP, also met with state Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei (R-Wakefield) and House Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading) this week about redistricting.

Redistricting of the state legislative districts and congressional districts will take place in 2011 based on the 2010 census. Following that census, the Massachusetts GOP plans to propose maps of how to redistrict the state.

“The right to vote is the most fundamental right of a free society,” Winslow said in a statement when the party announced he was leading the effort.

“Without fair elections, the power of the people in Massachusetts to fight for reform will continue to elude our grasp…We will work to ensure fair legislative and congressional districts, where votes are equally valued and candidates can compete without the burdens of prejudice or backroom politics.”

Man, weren’t the Republicans paying attention during the last two elections? The reasons they’re elected is to be fiscal conservatives, watchdogs for the taxpayer. Apparently, the following Congressmen weren’t listening. This from Michelle Malkin:

Act I of Kabuki Auto Bailout Theater is over. The House tonight passed the UAW bailout bill 237-170, with 1 voting present and 26 not voting.

Here are the Republicans in the House who voted yes — 32 pro-bailout, anti-free market Republicans. Remember them:

Barton (TX)
Buyer
Camp (MI)
Capito
Castle
Ehlers
Emerson
English (PA)
Frelinghuysen
Hoekstra
Hunter
King (NY)
Knollenberg
LaHood
LaTourette
Lewis (KY)
Manzullo
McCotter
McCrery
McHugh
Miller (MI)
Murphy, Tim
Porter
Ramstad
Regula
Rogers (MI)
Ryan (WI)
Smith (NJ)
Souder
Upton
Walsh (NY)
Young (AK)

Here’s the full roll call.

The good news is that apparently there are some Senators with spines who are willing to stand up to this blatant socialistic bailout of the UAW. Here is an interview with Senator Jim DeMint on why we shouldn’t bail out the Big 3.

Sometimes politics is just pure fun. Like whenever I watch one of the RedStateUpdate videos. This latest one has Jackie and Dunlap pondering whether they can take advantage of the fact that President Elect Obama still smokes. Hilarious!!!

I sent in my FreedomWorks letter, begging our legislators to stop the Big 3 bailout. Have you sent yours?

Since the 1970s, Detroit’s Big Three auto makers have failed to keep up in the competitive auto industry. Now they are begging the federal government for a bailout to the tune of $75 billion!

Ten years ago the Big Three posted a combined profit of over $16 billion dollars. But management failed to wisely invest these profits.

The Big Three are heavily weighed down by irresponsible labor costs. The problem in the auto industry is caused by unrealistic union contracts written decades ago. These contracts did not give the industry the flexibility it needed to respond to market changes and burdened the industry with legacy costs.

General Motors is leading the call for the $75 billion taxpayer bailout, speeding up the $25 billion loan program to develop fuel-efficient vehicles, $25 billion in general support to keep the companies operating, and $25 billion to bailout promises to union benefits.

It is time to draw the line in the sand when it comes to federal bailouts. Please do not support a bailout of the Big Three auto makers.

Check out the new blog from the Republican Senate Caucus on Beacon Hill, Scaling the Hill. Great tidbits like this:

Who says crime doesn’t pay? Certainly not Teamsters Local 25.

The Boston Herald is reporting that the union – which has had its share of run-ins with the law in the past – recently employed several career criminals on the set of the taxpayer-subsidized movie “The Surrogates,” which was shot in Boston last summer. The list of felons reportedly earning up to $3,000 a week included a killer, bank robbers, repeat drunk drivers, and a convicted cocaine trafficker who served 15 years in federal prison.

Apparently, big-shot Hollywood producers and actors aren’t the only beneficiaries of the state’s $100 million film tax “giveaway.”

And this…

The housing market may be in a slump, but the Boston Globe reports that many Massachusetts homeowners are about to get hit with higher property tax bills anyway. Based on a review of the new rates cities and towns have filed with the Department of Revenue’s Division of Local Services, the Globe has identified a disturbing trend: property values are falling but, with few exceptions, the taxes paid by homeowners are going up.

So, we have to ask Governor Patrick, who campaigned on a promise to end the “shell game” of high property taxes: Where is your plan to provide some relief to struggling Massachusetts’ homeowners?

After two years in office, Patrick’s plan for dealing with high property taxes essentially boils down to one thing: raising taxes, including the meals tax, hotel tax and a host of other taxes. That’s not real relief; all it means is that, one way or another, government will be reaching deeper into residents’ pockets, at a time when they can least afford it.