March 14th,2010

G.O.P. Weekly Address: Administration will Jam Through Health Care Takeover

The Smoking Argus

OFFICIAL STATEMENT – Hello, I’m Dr. Parker Griffith, and I have the great privilege to represent Alabama’s 5th Congressional District. In the next 10 days, Democrats in Washington will try and jam through a massive government takeover of healthcare. It would raise taxes, slash Medicare benefits and destroy American jobs.

It would put federal bureaucrats in charge of medical decisions that should be made by patients and doctors. And it must be stopped. [FULL TRANSCRIPT]

—END OFFICIAL STATEMENT—

Video Courtesy: Republican House Conference
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G.O.P. Weekly Address, Senator Tom Coburn: Health Care Reform

The Smoking Argus

OFFICIAL STATEMENT – Hello, I’m Dr. Tom Coburn, a practicing physician from Oklahoma and a member of the United States Senate.

This week I had the opportunity to join President Obama and my Democrat and Republican colleagues for a summit on health care. We had a respectful and constructive discussion.

While we listened to one another, I’m concerned that the majority in Congress is still not listening to the American people on the subject of health care reform. By an overwhelming margin, the American people are telling us to scrap the current bills, which will lead to a government takeover of health care, and we should start over. FULL TRANSCRIPT

Video Courtesy: G.O.P. Weekly Address on YouTube
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Source(s): Republican National CommitteeGOP Weekly Address YouTube Channel

GOP Weekly Address, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (TX): President Obama’s Reckless Spending

The Smoking Argus

OFFICIAL STATEMENT

(RNC) – Hi, I’m Congressman Jeb Hensarling of Texas; I serve as the number two Republican on the House Budget Committee.

Some of you may have seen me on television last week when I had the opportunity to ask the President if his new budget would once again triple the national debt and dramatically increase the cost of government to 25 percent of the economy – up from its traditional 20 percent.

You may recall that the President declined to answer the question last week. But he has certainly answered it this week by submitting a new budget that does exactly what I feared. (FULL TRANSCRIPT)

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Video Courtesy: House of Rep. Republican Conf.
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  • GOP Weekly Address Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas: President Obama’s Reckless Spending TRANSCRIPT (PDF 15KB)

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Is Sarah Palin’s Endorsement of Rand Paul Good for the Liberty Movement?

Allison Bricker

“He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance, one cannot fly into flying”. -Friedrich Nietzsche

BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY – On Monday, former Governor of Alaska, and 2008 Republican Vice-Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin endorsed Dr. Rand Paul1 over his Primary opponent, Secretary of State, Trey Grayson stating:

“I’m proud to support great grass roots candidates like Dr. Paul — While there are issues we disagree on, he and I are both in agreement that it’s time to shake up the status quo in Washington and stand up for common sense ideas.”

Sarah Palin
Former Governor of Alaska

 

Recent polling was already showing Rand widening the gap substantially between himself and Grayson2 as well as beating every possible Democratic contender in the General Election prior to Sarah the Rogue’s verbal thumbs-up, so it appears to this blogger at least, as more of a calculated political move by the former Governor, than a huge plus for Candidate Paul.

In addition to her official statement endorsing the younger Paul, her political action committee, SarahPAC donated $2,000 to the doctor’s already burgeoning campaign war chest, again mostly thanks to money-bombs from the grassroots and not PAC’s. Her endorsement, in conjunction with recent controversial actions taken by the Campaign for Liberty, the attempted co-opting of the Tea-Party movement by the likes of Dick Armey3 and indeed the questionable platform stances by Rand Paul himself have left many in the Liberty movement, myself included, scratching our heads. It begs the question whether cozying up to establishment figureheads will lead to a watering down of the message, or derail the momentum thus far gained on the road to restoring the Republic.

However, where some see the aforementioned as nails into the coffin of all the progress thus far, upon further contemplation, I see opportunity; opportunity to make strides towards the reclamation of our natural rights formerly unfathomable in the wake of the Bush administration, September 11th, and the status-quo’s brand of neo-patriotism.

Video Courtesy: RandPaulSupporter

Nevertheless, it was very deflating to listen early on to Scott Horton’s interview of Rand Paul over at Anti-War.com4. During the interview, the younger Paul espoused believing in the Chief Executive’s right to act unilaterally without a Declaration of War, support for continuing the war in Afghanistan, and the absurd notion of keeping Club Torture, i.e. Guantanamo up and running in lieu of a total and complete shuttering.

Additionally, while continuing to observe Rand’s campaign it seems pedantic to me when he offers, “term limits”, code for lazy democracy, as a way to combat corruption in Washington D.C. As we all know, the 22nd Amendment has done little to spare us of corrupt, disastrous, power-hungry Chief Executives. It has only succeeding in perpetrating the illusion of change with each successive changing of the puppet.

But wait, there is hope; Rand like his statesman father, understands the insidious parasitic relationship of the FEDERAL RESERVE and the U.S. government. This my fellow readers in my opinion is our “golden arrow”; our chance to come face to face with the absolute root which enables the promulgation of its siblings, the FEDERAL RESERVE. The reality that a private cartel of bankers and the cottage supporting industries, i.e. Goldman Sachs have intertwined themselves so tightly into government via currency creation and the endless list of their crony sycophants receiving high level cabinet and department level appointments are the core reason for the current dilapidated condition of our Constitutional Republic, once known as America.

The central banker puppet masters alone through legislation enacted almost a century age, ergo the FEDERAL RESERVE Act, 16th, and 17th Amendments succeeded in delegating ‘We the People’ as collateral to finance their odious debt, corrupted the Senate, and morphed us from Republic to populous democracy, whilst simultaneously bestowing upon themselves monopoly control over the currency.

Moreover fellow readers ask yourself this question, where was your political philosophy and understanding of the issues five, ten, twenty years ago? My sophomore year in high school for example, my mother and myself sat glued to the television watching Tom Brokaw declare Bill Clinton the 42nd President of the United States. Upon Mr. Brokaw’s announcement, I remember turning to my mother and asking, “Things are going to be better now –right?”

Up until the election of William Clinton, the previous Presidents were all ‘evil’ Republicans, save my infancy during the Carter administration, and we were a rust-belt working class “Democrat” family, so surely a Democrat in office would make life peachy. Unfortunately, reality painted a different picture and the election of Clinton was a furthering of my education rather than salvation for working-class families such as my own.

The actions of the Clinton Administration were the catalyst for me to dig beneath the nationalist sugary sweet veneer that was beat into my head throughout my tenure at government school. The nauseating actions undertaken especially by his Attorney General, Janet Reno forever removed my rose-colored glasses and prompted me to purchase my first copy of Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man/Common Sense from a local bookstore.

In addition, contrasted against the largely college-centric movement of the late 1960’s whereby the focus was largely on the dissatisfaction of college-aged anti-war protesters, the Liberty movement is not so one-dimensional.

We are made up of not only the 13th Generation, a generation literally written off in our infancy as “the lost generation”, the roots to the movement run deep and are of a diverse stock. The movement includes not only those of us in our 30’s and 40’s, but we also benefit from the excellent work undertaken at the college level by Young Americans for Liberty, and are blessed with the veteran elders of the movement like Dr. Paul, Lew Rockwell, and Judge Andrew Napolitano, to name just a few.

In addition to spanning generations, my time in the movement has afforded me the opportunity to meet those from every walk of life under the sun; black, white, yellow, red, Christian, atheist, rich, poor, queer, straight, it matters not. The liberty movement redefines “big-tent” simply as American, people-group be damned.

So please ask yourself the last time you can remember something that freely unified such a wide swath spanning generations, race, and class. Liberty, my fellow readers is a most glorious unifier like no other. Thus, this is why we shake the puppet masters to their core. Fear not the endorsement of “Sarah the Rogue”.

As such, as we all continue to learn and expand our understanding; we must make room for this to apply to individuals like Sarah Palin as well, and seize the opportunity to begin a dialog with her and her supporters about the insidious nature of Central Banking, true Constitutionally limited government, and the doctrine of just, not preemptive war.

The Kentucky Senate race is likely to be watched closely both to gauge the threat to the establishment’s entrenched power via the inclusion of a Paul in the Senate and to see if Democrats could steal the seat currently held by Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) who announced his retirement last year. Let us seize the opportunity before us to spread the warm glow of the Sunshine of Liberty through educating and conversing with others on the principles of natural rights and the dangers of Central Banking.

Our posterity and our Republic deserve no less and the opportunity before us has never before in my lifetime been so self-evident.

Source(s): 1Rand Paul U.S. Senate Campaign Website “Sarah Palin Endorses” by David Adams 02/01/20102Public Policy Polling “Paul Takes Big Lead in GOP Primary” 12/22/20093 Huffington Post “Operation Steele/Armey: GOP/Tea party Co Opt Each Other” by Alex Brant-Zawadzki published: December 17, 20094Scott Horton Interviews Rand Paul May 17, 2009

Senator Mitch McConnell (KY) GOP Weekly Address: Challenges We Face in the New Year

The Smoking Argus

OFFICIAL STATEMENT – In the Weekly Republican Address, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell [Kentucky] discusses the hope that a new year brings and the challenges Americans still face.

—END OFFICIAL STATEMENT—

Video Courtesy: GOP Weekly Address
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Source(s): GOP Weekly Address You Tube Channel

GOP Weekly Address by Rep. Kevin Brady (TX): Economic Recover Starts with Small Business

The Smoking Argus

Representative Kevin Brady (R-TX 8)PORTION of REMARKS by REP. KEVIN BRADY – Hi, I’m Congressman Kevin Brady. I’m proud to represent southeast Texas in Congress, and serve as the lead House Republican on the Joint Economic Committee, which keeps tabs on America’s economic health.

There are three big myths hurtling around Washington these days: no jobs equals an economic recovery, government-run health care will make it more affordable and deficits don’t matter.

The American public – to their credit – isn’t buying any of these.

Start with the economy. We’re all pleased to see the stock market go up, but middle class America knows hundreds of thousands of jobs are disappearing each month. Many of them may never reappear.

As families in my communities and across the country watch the national unemployment rate close to topping double digits — with very few real signs of relief ahead — they have one question for the White House: ‘Mr. President, where are the jobs?’

-–SEE TRANSCRIPT for FULL REMARKS—

Video Courtesy: House Republican Conference

 

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Source(s): Republican National CommitteeHouse of Representatives: Republican Conference YouTube Channel


Rep. Ron Paul Responds to Sen. Lindsey Graham’s Accusation that he is Hijacking the Republican Party

Allison Bricker

At an October 12th town hall meeting in Greensboro, South Carolina, Senator Lindsey Graham (R) accused Representative Ron Paul of ‘hijacking’ the Republican Party, stating:

 

“I’m going to grow this party. I’m not going to let it be hijacked by Ron Paul”,

Senator Lindsey Graham
October 12th, 2009

 

Orig. Town Hall Video
Unedited town hall footage
Video Courtesy: 33ItHappens

The Senator’s terse tone a result of hecklers in the meeting chastising the former supporter of John McCain’s abysmal failure of a presidential bid, for voting in support of banker bailouts via the TARP program, as well as his support for extending the PATRIOT Act and President Obama’s troop surge in Afghanistan.

However, my view differs greatly with that of Senator Graham’s. Where he sees a “hijacking”, I see liberation from a party occupied for far too long by insurgent Whigs, perhaps the 2.0 variety, but Whigs nonetheless.

After all, today’s so-called “mainstream republicans” are just are just as backwards with their perpetual warmongering, chicken hawk imperialism, banker bailout, torture-apologist agenda, as were their predecessors; Whigs 1.0 from the 19th century in their support of denying inherent liberties to African-Americans via the promulgation and expansion of slavery.

As such, never failing to parallel their political coverage to a style more befitting of a magazine show like “Extra”, (think Election Day holograms) CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and his merry panel of peanut-gallery talking heads invited Representative Ron Paul into ‘The Situation room” Wednesday evening. Practically salivating for an attempt to degrade the issue into a worthless petty verbal dispute, host Wolf Blitzer sophomorically began by asking Dr. Paul for his “reaction”.

Always the statesman more concerned with principle, Dr. Paul pulled the debate back between working to support the Constitution, or further allowing the status quo to persist with its utter disregard for one of our most cherished founding documents. In consequence to the tone set by Mr. Blitzer, the other commentator/old-media journalists could not seem to structure a question without first displaying a philosophical bias for government to intervene in as many areas of our lives as possible.

The only exception to the vacuous line of dribble was Arianna Huffington of The Huffington Post. So kudos to her for demonstrating some new-media moxy soliciting Representative Ron Paul’s opinion on the true issues at hand like the never-ending war in Afghanistan.

Video Courtesy: Ron Paul vs. Tyranny

GOP Weekly Adress by Sen. LeMieux of Florida: Health Care reform Legislation

The Smoking Argus

OFFICIAL STATEMENT – Sen. George LeMieux (R-FL) discusses health care reform legislation in the Weekly Republican Address.

Sen. LeMieux notes, “Right now Senate Democrats and White House officials are behind closed doors crafting their final health care overhaul proposal. While the Democrats in Congress have no provided the actual language of their proposed law, we do know enough for Americans to be concerned.”

Sen. LeMieux points to some serious concerns with the bill: “We know it takes nearly $500 billion out of Medicare funding for seniors and requires our states to shoulder billions more in health care costs, which they can ill-afford to do.”

—END OFFICIAL STATEMENT—

Video Courtesy: GOP Weekly Address
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Source(s): Republican National Committee • GOP Weekly Address YouTube Channel

Rep. Miller of Michigan GOP Weekly Address: Plan for Economic Recovery

The Smoking Argus

Representative Candice Miller from the 10th Congressional District of Michigan delivers the Republican weekly address.

Video Courtesy: Republican House Conference
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Source(s): House Republican Conference YouTube channelRepublican National Committee

GOP Weekly Address: Senator Isakson of Georgia, Health Care Reform

The Smoking Argus

OFFICIAL STATEMENT – Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) delivers the weekly Republican address on the Health Care Reform bill that is currently being debated in the Senate Finance Committee. Senator Isakson also sends his condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives due to the recent flooding in Georgia.

Senator Isakson discusses how important this Health Care Reform bill is to the American people and how the Republicans have listened to what their constituents have demanded at local events and town hall forums.

Senator Isakson declares that “Americans are rightly concerned about the rush to pass a massive overhaul that will raise their taxes, lower their quality of care and put government between them and their doctor.” And that “Republicans believe the key to reforming health care is strengthening the doctor-patient relationship by using choice and competition rather than rationing and restrictions to contain costs and ensure access to affordable health care.”

—END OFFICIAL STATEMENT—

Video Courtesy: GOP Weekly Address
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Source(s): House Republican ConferenceThe Weekly Republican Address YouTube Channel