Alice's Thoughts

OK Parents if you are not Outraged, You are not Paying Attention; Dan Savage

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:41:22 -0700

Some of you may remember I did a post a couple of years ago with the same name.

OK Parents if you are not Outraged, You are not Paying Attention. "UPDATED"

It looks like things are getting worse and worse.

Are you sending your children to school to get and education to help them be competitive in the working world as a productive American?

Well what exactly are you getting for your money.

The great secret is out: Liberals dominate campuses, and they have your tax dollars.

Dan Savage, the creator of the two-year-old It Gets Better Project, which encourages teens struggling with same-sex attractions to embrace homosexuality, was invited to give a keynote address at the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention.

Savage is also the man who is known for cyber-bullying Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum.

”Dan Savage is not “blunt” he is debased. Savage has perpetrated digital slander and defamation against Rick Santorum. By launching what he calls “google bombs” – which are vile, obscene and intended to do harm – he is also engaged in cyberbullying.”

Don’t believe it? Watch this. Editors Note: Vile and foul language Dan Savage’s New Threat to Rick Santorum

At the JEA/NSPA convention students were expecting Savage to talk about bullying. But they also got an earful about birth control, sex, and Savage’s opinions on the Bible. Again Editors Note: Vile and foul language

So do your kids watch MTV~ do you know what they are watching?

Are your kids in College? They are after them in a big way and your dollars are paying for it.

MTV has a show called “Savage U” a “campaign to promote promiscuity on college campuses.” The question and answer show, which follows Savage as he visits college campuses around the country, deals with all aspects of relationships, not just sex.

MTV defended the show in a statement to ABCNews.com, saying “The intent of ‘Savage U’ is to promote an honest discussion around love, relationships and sex, encouraging college students to make informed choices and to do what’s right for them.”

REALLY! As I said before~ “OK Parents if you are not Outraged, You are not Paying Attention”

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The People ~ VS~ The Pundits; Inside Texas Politics

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 23:43:27 -0700

I had a very cool opportunity to debate on Inside Texas Politics with Katrina Pierson a staunch Newt Gingrich supporter and Jonathan Neerman a Romney supporter. I would like to share with you the video so I can clarify a few things and bring a few things to your attention.

Point #1 ~ Katrina says that "no other candidates can address the issues that we have in the country today."

I beg to differ, Rick Santorum is the candidate who is showing up at events all across this country and sharing his vision and solutions. What is truly exciting is that people are responding and telling their friends and neighbors about it and the pundits and mainstream media which is what Katrina sounds like with Newt's campaign talking points are being proved wrong. A prime example is Santorum's appearance in Louisana tonight. This live stream is being shared all across the country via the relationships that have been created by the grassroots. As I have said, unlike in the past when we would visit and debate politics on our front porch now our front porch has become a laptop and geography does not matter.

GSBC Live March 19, 2012 1:05 AM

Point #2 ~ Katrina says... "You have to be on the ballot to qualify for the Delegates. Newt Gingrich has a delegate problem because a majority people are not voting for him when he is on the ballot. The only way Gingrich or Ron Paul have a chance is by a brokered convention. It is called brokered for a reason. In Texas we are preparing for either situation, and we will be prepared to deliver Texas to Rick Santorum. #TexasPicksRick

Point #3 ~ Again Katrina uses the talking point that Newt is the only one with a Vision and a solution. Really~ I think the Duggar Family would beg to differ on that.

Point #4 ~ And this is a big one. THE CATHOLIC VOTE for Romney; Jonathan Neerman states that it is stunning to see the exit polls from some of these races with the Catholic Vote going to Romney. Actually that is not accurate. When you look at the numbers: when you combine Santorum and Gingrich the Catholic Vote does not go to Romney it goes to them. Just more proof that Newt is slitting the vote. I so wanted to make that clear and they did not come back to me. It is important that people understand that Romney has a read issue with the Catholic Vote.

Truth Matters and Romney seems to be lacking the ability to be an honest broker when it comes to similarities with the Romneycare mandate and the Obama HHS mandate.

If Mitt Romney is not telling the truth to the the American people is he really any different from Obama and the lies he has told the American people. The question is are you willing to take that chance.

Please listen to this video at timestamp 45:30-52:06 and you will see clearly
“He Did It!” Romney forced Catholic hospitals in Massachusetts to administer an abortion drug similar to Obama’s forced HHS mandate.

Inside Texas Politics (3/18)

From what we see playing out across this country, I believe that God is bringing Americans of all faiths and backgrounds to form a “pocket of faith” around Rick Santorum.

Rick is the only candidate who can bring together 4 major voting blocks that if we vote we beat Barack Obama.
1. Catholics ( Romney has a Catholic problem moving forward……)
2. Evangelicals
3. Jews ( Rick Santorum is clearly the strongest candidate on Israel) Jews for Rick Santorum: US Needs to Do More Than Talk on Iran
4. Blue Collar Manufacturing workers. My Economic Freedom Agenda

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Rick Santorum – “The Servant”

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:12:36 -0800

Today is an exciting day in the world of blogging.

Breaking National Blogger Ed Morrissey comes out to say:My choice: Rick Santorum

Hot Air is one of the leading conservative blog for breaking news and commentary covering the Republican primary, the 2012 election, politics, media, and culture.

“Why Santorum? In my estimation, Santorum is the last consistent conservative standing, and the only one both promoting the conservative agenda and campaigning as a conservative in the race. That doesn’t make Santorum perfect; he lacks the executive experience I’d like to see, and some of his positions in the past and present give me pause. However, compared to the heterodoxies of his competitors in the GOP race, Santorum has a superior record on promoting conservative policies and values.

Even more than that, though, Santorum has demonstrated a level of personal integrity in this race that outshines the rest of the field. Santorum has campaigned with blue-collar Reagan Democrats in mind, pushing for an economic plan that would revitalize manufacturing and small business.”

Then as I am looking through social media I come across this blog.

TimManBlog Whatever I’m Thinking

Rick Santorum - The Servant

Every once in awhile I read a blog post and I am truly blown away because it hits me in the heart. I only wish I had the talent to express my thoughts like this. I have no idea who TimManBlog is but I have some amazing admiration for him.

Rick Santorum — The Servant

Upon reflection, I was struck by the fact that Santorum received only one standing ovation through the entire speech. To be sure there was nothing in his presentation that was disliked, yet he doesn’t generate adulation the way some other candidates do. In fact, most candidates package their stump speeches around key words and phases specifically designed to make the audience swoon: Hope! Change! No New Taxes! 9-9-9! and the like. Santorum is different from them, and I don’t believe his difference is an inadequacy or a failing.

Thinking of the current four remaining GOP candidates I think we can now apply a single word description to each.

Romney is The Executive. Give him a job like running the Olympics or building big companies and he gets the job done. Unfortunately he is incapable of knowing which job to do. He’s been on both sides of so many issues (abortion, cap and trade, health care mandate, global warming, gun control, etc. etc. etc.) that he obviously will need some direction as President.

Gingrich is The Visionary. He has wonderous ideas every minute of every day. However, we end up bickering as to which of his ideas are brilliant and which are idiocy.

Ron Paul is The Ideologue. He doggedly sticks to his Free Market economic policy and his Non-Interventionist foreign policy like a Swiss watch sticks to its timing. Unfortunately he cannot conceive of any flexibility in his ideology even when confronted with practical problems such as killing Bin Laden.

That leaves Rick Santorum.

Santorum is The Servant. He is the Servant of his Country, of his Constitution, of his Family and of his Faith. He was the Servant to the people of Pennsylvania when he voted against a national right-to-work law because he would not approve of a federal law which overturned his state’s law. He’s been criticized for that vote and indeed it went against his own politics, but he would not abandon his role as Servant to the State of Pennsylvania.

People stood up for Santorum only once tonight. He is more soft-spoken than dramatic and people politely listen to him speak as if he were their neighbor next door. He is not a Napoleon by character or temperment. You will never cheer Santorum like a purple-clad Roman conquering hero; you will never faint at his feet. He will never become a despot.

Santorum will never present himself as your provider. He will expect people to pursue happiness and he will see his role as service to that pursuit by securing those natural rights we all deserve as people. In this way he will endeavor to be the Servant to Freedom.

Throughout this process we’ve seen that we live in an age of great egos. We see pundits and journalists and presidents vying with each other for our accolades. Santorum is the exact opposite, a Servant, and that difference may be what the country needs right now. Read the rest of this article Rick Santorum -The Servant

To learn more about former Senator Rick Santorum, please visit www.RickSantorum.com.

Interesting to note it is the Grassroots who are driving the Narrative about Rick Santorum. In my opinion Rick Santorum is a perfect example of “Flipping The Funnel” and electing a Civil Servant.

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Praying for Bella Santorum - Family is always Priority

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:27:14 -0800

As reported by ABC news.....
The reason Bella Santorum was admitted to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Saturday night is because she has pneumonia in both of her lungs, a campaign aide told ABC News.

The 3-year-old, who has the serious genetic disorder Trisomy 18, is not on a ventilator, though, which is a very good sign. The family has medical equipment in their Virginia home and because of the risk of infection in hospitals they try to keep her out unless it is absolutely necessary.

Personal note from Lisa Graas, please join Team Santorum in offering prayer for Bella and for the Santorum family.

One of the reasons I have been such a strong supporter of Senator Rick Santorum is because he clearly understands and can articulate the importance of Family in our country. This past week in Florida he gave an amazing talk and Q and A on many key topics and one of them was on the Family. Don’t miss the opportunity to be inspired by him. Be sure and watch all ten segments of this talk and learn why Rick Santorum should be the next President. And then pass these videos onto all your friends and neighbors. It is time to take a Stand and be Bold like Rick Santorum.

"Rick Santorum's Big Talk" Family Values:

To learn more about former Senator Rick Santorum, please visit www.RickSantorum.com.

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Demand that Tea Party Nation Retract their Open Letter to Tea Party Members

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:32:40 -0800

Please see the open letter Tea Party Nation e-mail to their large e-mail list!!

This is ridiculous.

I would like to ask Senator Santorum to publicly call Tea Party Nation to task on my behalf for trying to sway voters against voting for him. This is cheap trick politics. As a Texas Nationwide Tea Party Coalition Leader I am completely offended!! If you are as offended as I am please sign the petition linked below!! Game On!

This is like tactics the Gingrich campaign used in South Carolina and I will not be silent and allow this to happen in Florida.

Please see this article to see what happened in South Carolina. Rick Santorum – “It’s the “forcefulness,” stupid!

Thank you!

Alice Linahan

An Open Letter to Rick Santorum Supporters in Florida

Rick Santorum supporters have a difficult but important choice to make in the next few days as the Florida primary comes up on Tuesday.

Rick Santorum has left Florida. He knows he cannot win Florida. Florida is the first of the Winner take all states. In other words, Florida is crucial.

Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are running neck and neck in Florida. By all accounts this race is going to be very close.

The Santorum voters can make the difference.

The Republican establishment is working overtime to make Mitt Romney the nominee. While those of us who support Newt and those who support Rick Santorum may disagree about who is the best candidate, we all agree Mitt Romney is not the candidate. He is a liberal who probably cannot defeat Obama this fall and even if he does, will govern much as Obama did.

If Romney wins Florida, he will be ordained as the Republican nominee and both Gingrich and Santorum will have a very hard time stopping him.

If you are a Rick Santorum supporter, it is time to think strategically. If Romney wins, the race is over for Santorum. If Newt wins, he may or may not be able to continue, but that that is a different story.

If you vote for Rick Santorum in the Florida primary, you are splitting the vote with Newt. Splitting the vote with Newt will guarantee a Romney win.

That we all agree must not happen.

If you support Rick Santorum, use your vote to help stop Mitt Romney in Florida. Whether you agree or disagree with Newt Gingrich, he is close enough to stop Romney with your help.

If you are a Floridian who supports Rick Santorum, I strongly urge you to vote for Newt Gingrich in the Florida Primary. If you know someone who lives in Florida, please urge them to vote for Newt Gingrich.

Let’s stop Romney and keep a liberal from becoming the Republican nominee.

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Here is a comment that was left on the Voices Empower site.

"Take a listen to this before you punish Rick Santorum Tea Party! This is absolutely the most important presentation since RONALD REAGAN‘S famous “THE BIG TALK” in 1964…… see the dynamic modern presentation of “THE BIG TALK” by Rick Santorum, Presidential Candidate 2012."

A MUST SEE: "The Big Talk by Rick Santorum

Many Grassroots/ Tea Party members have taken a look at what is happening on the ground across the country and have chosen to take a stand, speak out and publicly endorse the True Consistent Conservative candidate.

Rick Santorum for President.

Petition Tea Party/Grassroots for Rick Santorum

This is a petition for Tea Party/Grassroots for Rick Santorum . Join the movement! Sign now! Here is the proof!!

Rick Santorum Question and Answer Session with Tea Party Members at the Punta Gorda Tea Party Rally

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Rick Santorum – The Power of a Uniter not a Divider!

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 12:30:33 -0800

Rick Santorum is strong in his core beliefs; what that means is that people who agree with him will stand strong and work hard for him, he is a Leader. Those who do not agree with him know that they have an honest broker when it comes to working on the issues important to America such as the Economy, Jobs, and Foreign Policy.

What happened in Texas this weekend is actually pretty amazing.

From CNN’s political ticker.

“A meeting of Christian conservative leaders resulted in the group backing GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum”, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins announced Saturday.

The group heard pitches from surrogates for Republican candidates on Friday, and voted to support Santorum after voting on Saturday.

“After three rounds of balloting this morning, and vigorous and passionate discussion, there emerged a strong consensus around Rick Santorum as the preferred candidate for this group,” Perkins said on a conference call Saturday.

The group of conservative leaders was meeting at a Texas ranch to discuss the 2012 race, although ahead of the meeting it appeared unlikely the gathering would come to an agreement on backing a particular candidate.

Well-known evangelicals flocked to the event, including Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, Perkins, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference president Rev. Samuel Rodriguez and former presidential candidate Gary Bauer. Members of the media were barred from attending.

Perkins expressed surprise the group was able to come to a consensus, but said what resulted would be a stronger chance of beating President Barack Obama.

“I will have to admit what I did not think was possible appears to be possible,” Perkins said.

I have been saying for awhile that one of the reasons I strongly support Rick Santorum is because he has the clear path to Victory in beating Obama. Today’s announcement of support from 150 Christian Evangelical leaders makes this path to Victory even more attainable.

Rick Santorum can bring together 3 major voting blocks that when they vote Santorum; we take Obama out of office.

1. Evangelicals – Prolife – Social Conservative

2. Catholics – Usually vote Democrat – Prolife

3. Jews – Santorum is the strongest supporter of Israel

So if the goal is to beat Obama you want the clear contrast not a moderate.

A good friend Foster Friess has described it this way….

“I look at the election similar to an athletic event. As a basketball player our coach always tried to create a mismatch where we would get our 6’4″ jump shot artist being guarded by the opponent’s 5’10″ point guard. So I ask myself, where are all of Obama’s weaknesses that we can exploit? My conclusion is that everyone of those are best exploited by Rick Santorum.

First of all, Obama’s politically correct approach towards the threat of violent Islamic extremism can be seen when Jon Stockton, Assistant Secretary of Defense forHomeland Security respond to Congressman Dan Lungren’s question…”are we at war with violent Islamic extremism? He replied, no sir.” You have to see the whole thing to believe it. It looks like a skit from Saturday Night Live. From FosterFriess.com

Imagine Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum confronting Barack Obama on the issue of violent Islamic Extremism…

Obama’s Assistant Defense Secretary says we are not at war with Islamic Extremism (4:57).

Watch Rick Santorum scold CNN’s Candy Crowley on her defense of Obama’s appeasement(4:30).

Who is better qualified than Rick Santorum to address the issue, perhaps the number one issue facing our nation in the next several decades of radical, extreme, violent Islamists. Egypt is now controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood and the more fundamentalist Salafists. Obama either knew that or didn’t know that but in any case can be harshly criticized. Only six percent of Israeli’s believe he has their best interest at heart.

Rick has been writing and studying about Ahmadinejad and Chavez and the connection between the two of them under his title “The Gathering Storm.” While I respect the efforts of all the other candidates (except Paul) and would gladly work hard for them, Rick by far is the one most able to exploit this Obama weakness.

Secondly, the number one issue right now that has crowded out everything else is jobs and I believe the fact that Rick worked in the business world, albeit he didn’t become a Steve Jobs, gives him an understanding of the importance or Regulating America (not deregulating America) and will be ferocious in bringing Obama to task for signing the Dodd-Frank bill which never addressed the needs that McCain and Bush talked about for regulating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Dodd and Frank are two people who created the mess and are given the job of cleaning up the mess and they make it worse.

In terms of all the other regulations which prevent the Keystone Pipeline, issuing coal permits, expanding our coal and gas industries, Santorum would rip Obama into shreds. So in terms of the second vulnerability of Obama’s over-regulation and lack of business people in his cabinet and top advisors, Rick here again stands head and shoulders above all the other candidates with the possible exception of Romney.

Third, can you imagine the debate on the values of life considering little Bella and knowing of the heartache that Rick and Karen suffered when their son died after a few days of birth—– the issue of life is seared in his heart and no one is going to accuse him of any waffling.

What’s going to happen when Obama has to defend in front of Rick Santorum’s blistering debating style why Obama was the only U.S. Senator to vote against the provisions of The Live Baby Protection Act? Even pro choice democrats are not going to stomach the fact that when a baby survives a botched abortion that medical treatment will be denied.

So if we look at just three of Obama’s vulnerabilities and figure out who’s the best 6’4″ jump shooter we can match up with the guy, tell me who’s better than Santorum?

I ask why is there any question about who can actually beat Obama?

GAME ON!

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Rick Santorum – “Profile in Courage”

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:52:25 -0800

Voices Empower is excited to share with you Foster Friess’ endorsement of Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum. Click highlighted text to read more of Foster Friess’ amazing story. ”Renowned investor Foster Friess works to encourage private sector solutions to improve the lives of others.”

TO: Iowa and national conservative leaders

By: Foster Friess (www.FosterFriess.com)

RE: January 3 Iowa Caucuses

One of the foremost reasons I support Rick Santorum is the same position causing others to dismiss him–his support of Specter over Toomey in 2004. He knew conservatives would revile this decision and perhaps never forgive him, but yet he assessed that Toomey would have a hard time winning and if Spector were removed as the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, the opportunity to confirm Alito and Roberts would be gone.

Rick got Specter’s assurances that he would support W’s Supreme Court nominees, and Rick was willing to put country ahead of his own political aspirations, knowing that having one or more Supreme Court justices (like Roberts, Alito) for the next 30-40 years was better than having a Democrat defeat Toomey.

Most of the pundits agreed with the assessment that Toomey would be vulnerable, and this was borne out by the fact that George W. Bush only won Pennsylvania by one percentage point in one of the best turnout efforts in Pennsylvania history; his candidacy would be more appealing than a more conservative Toomey candidacy in that particularly bluish state.

Again, this assessment was borne out by Toomey’s eventual victory where he won by only one percentage point when the Republican gubernatorial candidate, Corbett, won by 10 percentage points.

Recall that when Rick Santorum had to make his decision re Specter vs. Toomey, the Senate was narrowly balanced 49-51 toward the GOP. While we should all applaud Jim DeMint’s refreshing approach of favoring principled conservative Republican challengers over RINO incumbents or quasi-incumbents in general — eg. Rubio vs. Crist — we must admit that there are times, when the balance of the U.S. Senate or Supreme Court is on the line, that tough decisions must be made.

Rather than a sellout, in my opinion, Rick Santorum’s tough choice in that moment was a “profile in courage” — and a sneak preview of the kind of President he would be.

That said, I would fully hope and expect Rick Santorum to, in general, embrace the DeMint approach of favoring true conservatives over RINOs (yes, even RINO incumbents) from the GOP bully pulpit of the Presidency. In other words, had Senate and Supreme Court control not been so very clearly on the line that year, Santorum should indeed have endorsed Toomey over Specter.

Trust me: I have talked to Rick about these things, and if Iowans send Santorum on to the GOP nomination and the Presidency… I will be dogging his heels to embrace Jim DeMint’s general lean toward principled Republicans, rather than RINO incumbents.

Our debt and fiscal crisis has gotten as bad as it has, to a great extent, due to RINO cooperation with Democrat big spenders on Capitol Hill. Sadly, House Republicans only cut about $20 billion from last year’s $1.5 trillion deficit; often, it takes two to tango.

Pre-crash, moreover, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were busy corrupting Republicans as well as Democrats. This kind of thing — and so much of what we used to call “Big Gov Conservatism” — must come to a swift end. As a matter of survival, if not conservative principle, the USA needs limited government.

Rick Santorum is willing to put country ahead of himself and bear the political consequences. In addition to the episode described above — in which he blew a hole in his own base to get Roberts and Alito onto the Supreme Court — he has taken principled stands on reinstating “Don’t Ask;Don’t Tell”.

He signed the wonderful Iowa Marriage Vow (against redefining marriage into same sex marriage, polygamy, etc.) along with Michele Bachmann on day one; and he has never wavered on the Sanctity of Human Life.

In an era of politicians with constant fingers to the wind, the American public craves authenticity and a leader with convictions. A politician takes people where they want to go, a leader has the capacity to take people where they might not want to go, but need to go. In terms of that definition, Rick is a leader.

Similarly, where some might consider his defeat as a negative, again it demonstrates his willingness to stay committed to George Bush’s Iraq policy and the core principals for which the Republicans stood. A stance at a time when Republican ideas were not embraced by the American public. He was not the only Republican who lost in that same election cycle.

Rick stuck to his core convictions. People may disagree on the efficacy of his position on the Iraq war, but the point is we know what we’re getting as opposed to a more traditional approach by politicians which ask us “what do you want to hear?”

By engaging in the business world since leaving office, Rick clearly learned much as to the obstacles businesses have to face, and I believe would be committed to “Re-Regulating America’” . No, this is not a typo from DE-Regulating America. This is a term I champion as a way of going back to the drawing board to trash all existing regulations and start over; also Bush and McCain were right in calling for tougher regulation of Freddie and Fannie which Dodd/Frank/Maxine Waters dissed.

In addition he would work hard to drive down healthcare costs, and create favorable tax incentives to allow businesses to prosper. Like Governor Pawlenty used to say, ‘Why are people for jobs but against business?’ It’s like being for eggs but against chickens”. Rick’s experience in the business world equips him to be a better champion of those who want to create jobs and because of his own personal experience he understands how that can be done.

Also, Rick Santorum has proven his ability to be accepted by a wide range of the political spectrum by the fact that he defeated two Democratic incumbents when the registrations were stacked against him and perhaps caused a third Democratic incumbent not to run. The fact that as a very young Senator his peers selected him to the third most important position in the Senate speaks volumes about his leadership capability.

Rick will position himself well with many constituencies, against Obama. His strong advocacy of the state of Israel versus Obama’s actions which polls now show only 6% of Israeli’s believe Obama has their best interest at heart ought to chew significantly into the 68% Obama achieved of the Jewish vote.

Defenders of Israel love Rick, for example, because of his record and because of his pledge, finally, to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Israeli capital. (For decades, US presidents and State Departments — blowing the uncertain trumpet of moral equivalence and signaling wobbliness in US- Israeli relations — have denied Israel the international dignity of a US Embassy where these go in all other nations, in the capital city).

While Rick Santorum can currently position himself almost as a Washington outsider not having been in office for almost six years, he has the advantage of knowing exactly how Washington works having successfully authored the Welfare Reform Act, the Iran Freedom and Support Act and driven other key pieces of legislation through the process.

Because his positions on social issues are so well known, the main stream media glosses over the other two legs of the stool that President Reagan coalesced: fiscal conservatism and national security conservatism. He has written, some times on a daily basis, about the threat of Ahmadinejad, Islamist fascism and the connection to Chavez in Venezuela. He gets it!

His fiscal conservative credentials are borne out by his actions as a freshman Congressman when he joined the Gang of Seven to highlight the House banking and House Post Office abuses; championing for the line item veto and a balanced budget amendment.

Recent kind comments by Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck affirm his ability to ignite the all important voters who believe our country is facing a decision between being governed by rules and regulations or inspired by values and virtues.

The energy and enthusiasm and dedication he exhibits can best be demonstrated by his visiting all 99 Iowa counties and moving his entire family to Iowa for seven weeks to let people assess who he really is and to see him up close and personal rather than through the gloss of television messaging.

I first met him when he gave a speech at the National Republican Senatorial Committee when Phil Gramm headed it and instantly perceived his likability and leadership qualities. I can also attest he has a very good golf game which seems to be important if Clinton and Obama are any indication.

By the fact that he has won over Democrats and Independents in prior elections says a lot about his ability to bring people together rather than to be divisive.

The importance of getting all the players on the same team is demonstrated by the farmer who hitched his huge Percheron horse to pull a car from a muddy ditch, ‘Pull Jim’ nothing happened, ‘Pull Tom’ nothing happened, ‘Pull Todd’ nothing happened, ‘Pull Homer’ and the giant horse pulled it out as slick as could be. The happy driver asked, ‘why do you have to call your horse four names?’ The farmer replied, ‘You see son, Homer is blind. If he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t give a dang.’

This is where we find ourselves now in America. The solutions we need are not Republican or Democrat and we don’t have to argue who is at fault for where we are. It’s obvious that our balance sheet didn’t get there solely because of the Democrats.

If you take eight zeros off the government numbers, we find a person making $21,000 a year, spending $38,000 a year, with a $142,000 credit card tab. Our current Political Ruling Elite comes up with a plan to reduce the expenses by $385!

Rick has the ability to articulate that our solutions are not solely coming from the Republican or the Democratic party, but it requires an American solution. He can influence the American people of all political stripes to emulate Homer’s dedication to getting our country out of our current excessive spending ditch.

I like the guy. I like his wife. I like his kids. I like everything about him. He deserves to be seriously vetted by the American public despite the Main Stream Media’s efforts to ignore his qualities. The lack of attention from the Main Stream Media ought to endear him to the Tea Party folks. He is definitely not a Dole or McCain!

His Fiscal Conservatism, National Security Conservatism and his Social Conservatism make him an heir of Reagan’s three legged stool.

God Bless, Foster

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The Muslim Brotherhood: Rick Santorum- Truth and Respect

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:53:34 -0800

On the Daily Caller Ginni Thomas sits down with Institute of World Politics founder and president John Lenczowski to get his perspective of what our government is doing with respect to how our government confronts domestic Islamist enemies like the Muslim Brotherhood.

“There has been a serious lack of study and analysis of the different branches of Islam and a failure to understand the agenda of Muslim Brotherhood front organizations in this country.”

Can the government overcome political correctness and confront domestic Islamist enemies of the constitutional order?

Watch: Will the govt confront domestic Islamists? [VIDEO]

The only Presidential Candidate that I have seen articulate clearly the threat of the Muslim Brotherhood is Senator Rick Santorum. Please take the time to watch the video below.
So while candidates like Rick Perry are reaching the passive majority on the late night talk shows Rick Santorum is talking about major issues that must be addressed.

Knowledge is power! As American Voters our task is to know and understand who the elected officials are that we put into office. This is your opportunity to become an educated voter. Don’t miss the opportunity!!”

Rick Santorum in Keller, Texas – Speaks on the Muslim Brotherhood

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Call For Conservative Information Pushers! Foreign Policy Presidential Debate Tonight!

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:43:17 -0800

Tonight, November 22nd, the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute are sponsoring a GOP Presidential debate on foreign policy and national security. The debate will be aired on CNN at 8pmET and be moderated by Wolf Blitzer.

They have created a special website just for the debate that I hope you will check out. Included on the site are issues and important points we hope the candidates will cover! Additionally, we have a fun little section where folks can sign up to get a FREE debate watch party kit!

There is a a poll up on Facebook to gauge which foreign policy issues matter most to folks (check it out here!).

As I have said in earlier posts (Rick Perry’s Success Story: He Reached the Passive Majority) we are so addicted to the propaganda that we will not do what it takes to educate ourselves on the real issues and protect our children and our grandchildren.

This debate is an opportunity to dive into the foreign policy issues America faces today and where the GOP Presidential Candidates line up!

Help me push the word out!! Together we can reach the Passive Majority!!

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Brandon Darby the American Hero You Don’t Know About……

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 23:41:04 -0800

What an amazing week! Americans for Prosperity and GotVote Florida along with the LibertyLinked.com Team have been preparing the ground game for Victory 2012.

Voices Empower has been honored to be a part of it. Watch the videos below so you can understand the battles that we are facing ahead.

GOTVote Florida

Brandon Darby (Citizen Patriot Response) www.citizenpatriotresponse.org

Brandon Darby is an activist who rose to international recognition for his role in co-founding and directing the Common Ground Relief organization in New Orleans’ 9th Ward in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. His story is one of a leader of the radical Left who saw the light and became an American Hero for the right.

Brandon Darby – Citizen Patriot Response

Part 2 Brandon Darby

Brandon Darby Part 3

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Brandon Darby removes Occupy Protesters from interrupting Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 22:11:09 -0800

Brandon Darby (Citizen Patriot Response) and Chad Biddinger (LibertyLinked.com) remove Occupy protesters from interrupting Sheriff Joe at Eastern Orlando Tea Party

Brandon Darby - Citizen Patriot Resonse

From Breitbart.TV

Former liberal activist/turned tea party conservative Brandon Darby and Sheriff Joe Arpaio were featured speakers at the Choose Liberty 2012 event sponsored by the Eastern Orlando Tea Party. As Sheriff Arpaio took the podium, Darby called security over to point out Occupy Orlando activists where in the audience of the private event preparing to cause a disruption. When the activists tried to interfere with Arpaio’s right to speak and the tea party’s right to peaceably assemble, Darby and Chad Biddinger of Libertylink.com escorted the trespassers out in an emphatic way.

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Rick Perry’s Success Story: He Reached the Passive Majority

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:18:44 -0800

But, will that keep America safe?

Voices Empower has always stressed the importance of Conservatives reaching the “Passive Majority” and driving the narrative with truth and information.

The question is………

Does the GOP have a narrative worth driving. Do we dumb down the issues and make light of the Presidential Campaign as Perry has done appearing on David Letterman’s show last night presenting the Top 10 list (Perry Excuses)?

What does it say about our society that Rick Perry’s flub during the Presidential debate is one of the highest viewed You Tube videos of the day along with theliberal media’s coverage of sexual accusations of Herman Cain?

Where are the adults in the room?

Why is it that Rick Santorum’s speech in New Hampshire on the threat of Iran getting nuclear weapons does not make front page news? Why does it take so much work to push out a Narrative that there is a real threat to our US National Security and a real threat to Israel if Iran gets nuclear weapons. Are we so addicted to the laugh of the day that we will not do what it takes to educate ourselves on the real issues and protect our children and our grandchildren.

Ignorance is bliss until reality hits!! America it is time to wake up to reality!

Be sure and watch the next debate: Saturday, November 12, CBS News and the National Journal will be holding a Republican debate from Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The debate topic will primarily be foreign policy.

Air Time: Saturday, November 12, 2011 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT on CBS

Participants: Bachmann, Cain, Gingrich, Huntsman, Paul, Perry, Romney, Santorum (Unofficial list)

Submit Questions: Submit Your Questions for the CBS News/National Journal Foreign Policy Debate

Click Photo to the right to watch videos of Santorum on the issues.

Rick Santorum: The Iranian Threat

We know the world changed on 9/11, but we didn’t think it would change again so soon. With the news that Iran is literally weeks away from becoming a nuclear power, the game has changed once again.

A little over 5 years ago during an interview on Meet the Press, the late Tim Russert asked me what was the greatest threat to American security. We had been at war in Afghanistan for nearly five years and at war in Iraq for over three. Thousands of our bravest had already given what Lincoln poignantly described as the “last full measure of devotion.”

Yet there I sat, making the case Iran poses the greatest threat to our security.

I said ‘Iran’ because they have been at war with America since 1979. Iran has been a leading funder of Hezbollah – who is the provider of the most deadly weapon used against our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, Improvised Explosive Devices or I.E.D’s – and complicit in the training of al-Qaeda. Most recently, it was uncovered that Iran sought to assassinate the Saudi ambassador on U.S. soil – an unprecedented power play directed at becoming the preeminent Middle East power while at the same time showing complete disdain and disregard for – what they call, “the Great Satan” – America.

The parallels between 1980’s Soviet Union aggression and the aggression of this Iran are shockingly similar: an aggressive, expansionist ideology; projecting regional power and causing military mischief; creating alignments in our hemisphere, including support of militant and terror organizations that can penetrate our homeland.

However, there are almost no parallels between how we dealt with the Soviet Union and how we need to deal with Iran. Reason being, mutually assured destruction worked to keep the cold war cold. Russia was an atheistic enemy who didn’t believe in an afterlife. In this case, history proves self destruction is no deterrent for Iran. In fact, the Islamists ruling Iran view dying for its cause will be rewarded in the afterlife.

There are those in Iran’s ruling elite who use religious theology as justification for building a nuclear weapon. Some even believe that bringing about great worldly chaos that would certainly occur with the destruction of Israel, would usher in the rule of the 12th Imam – or Islamic religious Savior. This week’s report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) now shows that these radical Islamists are on the verge of having a nuclear weapon that could allow them to do just that.

The most tragic part is we could have avoided this escalation.

While in the senate serving on the Armed Services Committee, I warned repeatedly of the threat that a nuclear Iran would be, and urged steps to avoid it becoming one. As the IAEA’s report indicates, my predictions were unfortunately right.

“As President, I would exhaust every diplomatic option before exercising military might, but we cannot take military action against Iran off the table – because a nuclear Iran is gravely dangerous for American security and Israeli survival.”

In 2004, I first authored the Iran Freedom and Support Act (IFSA) – sweeping legislation that funded pro-democracy groups in Iran and imposed real sanctions on this regime aimed at stopping Iran’s nuclear weapons program. At first, not a single Democrats nor Republicans would join me. That changed in 2005, as it became evident of Iran’s involvement in killing our troops in the region – and I collected 60 co-sponsors. In 2006, President Bush entered into negotiations with Iran – over my strong objections. I brought IFSA to the floor of the Senate for a vote making it clear to the Iranians that Congress was ready to act if the negotiations were unsuccessful. My bill faced opposition from Joe Biden and President Bush and it was narrowly defeated. A few months later, Iranian negotiations broke down and that very same bill was passed unanimously and signed by President Bush.

While many of the sanctions were implemented, neither President Bush nor President Obama implemented a key aspect of the bill that funded a movement to overthrow the Iranian regime. President Obama actually cut the funds completely and the money intended to support pro-democracy groups in Iran was never provided to them. So, when the Green Revolution erupted in 2009, we were not in good positions to help them – even if we wanted to. And unfortunately, President Obama did not want to help them, and as a result that revolution failed.

More importantly and perhaps to many, more surprisingly, the threat of a nuclear Iran is not just “over there.” Reports now show that Iran has been building alliances in our hemisphere with countries like Venezuela, through which it has been funding and supporting terrorist groups like Hezbollah. Iran is literally operating off our shores and borders with partners like Cuba and Brazil, and this country has so far, turned a blind eye to their actions and motives.President Obama naively and cavalierly once declared Iran as a “tiny country” that did not pose a serious threat. Candidate Obama wanted to negotiate with Iran, just as JFK negotiated with Khrushchev. But just as negotiations with Khrushchev failed, so has Obama’s efforts and his naivety in international diplomacy has led our nation to the brink of a nuclear Iran that neither fears nor respects American power.

To make matters worse, the Obama administration’s support of the Start Treaty has limited our ability to build a missile defense system and its political correctness has tied our border security hands behind our backs.

We must move beyond our 9/10 mentality – ignoring clear threats. We must broaden our 9/11 mentality – solely focusing on a shadowing terrorist network thousands of miles away. Instead, we must immediately understand that we are facing a new enemy and entering a new age of international threats to this country and he allies.

The threat is here and it is now. We must work with Israel to determine the proper military response needed to stabilize the region, protect our allies and protect this country – if that includes targeted airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, then I am prepared to authorize that action. In addition, nuclear scientists who stand with Ahmadinejad must know that if they help the regime, they are enemies of the United States and they will be treated as such. In response to this latest revelation outlined in the IAEA’s report, I would work with Israel to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat immediately and put provisions in place to assist any pro-democracy uprising in the Iran.

As President, I would exhaust every diplomatic option before exercising military might, but we cannot take military action against Iran off the table – because a nuclear Iran is gravely dangerous for American security and Israeli survival. America must again be a leader for peace in the world, and leading against Iran is the most critical place to start. As President, I will commit to do just that.

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David Dewhurst – Does He Have the Guts to Show?

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:31:45 -0700

Modern day politics is all about timing and messaging. That is what these political consultants and PR firms are paid the big money to do, and that is why politicians need big bucks to win.

After this past weekend where we had 100+ Texas Tea Party leaders together for a training on how to Flip The Funnel on elections we have been given a great opportunity to show that money over issues is not how Texas politics is going to work in the future.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is seen by the political elite as the winner in the Senatorial race to replace Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson because he has the funds to buy the race. We are in transformational times and how Texas politics has worked in the past is not how Texas politics will be in the future. Enter the Grassroots Tea Party movement.

In light of all of the upcoming Lincoln-Douglas Debate between Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich in The Woodlands Senatorial Candidate Ted Cruz has invited Lt. Governor David Dewhurst to join him in 5 Lincoln-Douglas style debates.

The question is will Dewhurst show, so far that has not been his style.
Here are just a couple of the links to show this to be the case.

Another Forum & Another No-Show by Dewhurst

Waco Tea Partiers Hear From Candidates — Except Dewhurst

It is so bad that the Cruz campaign has been able to drive that narrative with videos like this one.

Below is information on how Dewhurst has been rewriting history and may well be why he can’t afford to show up and debate.

Dewhurst continued to rewrite his record

Dewhurst continued to rewrite his record to make it more palatable to Republican primary voters. In the interview, he said: “In the last 10 years, if you count this next biennium, I have the most fiscally conservative record in probably the country.” (http://www.wfaa.com/news/politics/Inside-Texas-Politics-102-130935503.html)

But the facts tell a different story:

On Income Tax

Dewhurst In 2006: “I’d Rather See A Tax A Based On Income.” “‘I think I’d rather see a tax that’s based on income – you earn money, you pay something, you don’t earn money, you don’t pay anything,’ Dewhurst said.” (April Castro, “Businesses Studying Proposed Tax Structure,” The Associated Press, 3/30/06)

On The Job-Killing Dewhurst “Wage Tax”

In May 2005, A Lead Editorial In The Wall Street Journal Slammed David Dewhurst’s Tax & Budget Plan. “Everything’s big in Texas, and, if powerful Republican Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst has his way, that will soon include the state budget.” (Editorial, “Deep In The Heart Of Taxes,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/10/05)

On The Job-Killing Dewhurst “Wage Tax”

The Dewhurst Wage Tax Would Cost Texas 40,000 Jobs. “A wage tax is a toll on employers for hiring workers, and according to one study the latest Senate plan would cost about 40,000 jobs, or the equivalent of eight auto factories.” (Editorial, “Deep In The Heart Of Taxes,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/10/05)

On Tax Hikes

Dewhurst Told Business Groups In 2005: “It’s Time To Start Paying Your Fair Share.” “Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst angrily accused some top business groups of spreading false information about the Senate’s tax plan Tuesday, and he issued them a stern warning: It’s time to start paying your fair share. ‘There are a lot of lobbyists running around the Capitol today that are interested in protecting special interests and loopholes in the [tax] law,’ Mr. Dewhurst said. Noting that five of six businesses don’t pay the state’s current franchise tax, he added, ‘That is called a loophole.’” (Terrence Stutz, “Dewhurst Blasts Tax Plan Foes Lieutenant Governor Tells Businesses: Pay Your Share,” Dallas Morning News, 5/4/05)

David Dewhurst, August 2003: “We Think We Can Shift Into A Montage Of Different Smaller Tax Increases In Different Areas And Also Put One Or Two Non-Tax Revenue Proposals Into The Mix.” “Regarding the funding of schools, the Republican said Senate leaders were committed to reducing school property taxes by at least 50 percent about $ 7.7 billion a year and replacing the money with a variety of tax increases and some new non-tax sources, including some savings. ‘We think we can shift into a montage of different smaller tax increases in different areas and also put one or two non-tax revenue proposals into the mix,’ he said.” (Terrence Stutz, “Panel To Weigh Tax Hikes In Texas School-Funding Overhaul,” Dallas Morning News, 8/1/03)

On The Rainy-Day Fund

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear what Grassroots and Tea Party people think about the job David Dewhurst and the Texas Leadership have done. Watch this video and get the real story on the Texas Budget.
JoAnn Fleming, Chair – Advisory Committee to the TEA Party
Where applicable, a political advertisement paid for by the GAWTP PAC, PO Box 130012,Tyler, TX 75713, Jimmie Taylor, PAC Treasurer. www.gawtp.com

In January 2011, Dewhurst Was Open To Tapping The State’s Rainy-Day Fund. “Dewhurst left open the possibility of tapping the state’s $9 billion Rainy Day Fund, but he said the baseline budget proposals will stay within the $72.2 billion the state expects to collect in taxes and fees. He ruled out any new taxes.” (Chris Tomlinson, “Lt. Gov. Says 8,000 State Jobs Cut In Draft Budget,” The Associated Press, 1/14/11)

Dewhurst Flip Flop On In-State Tuition For Illegal Immigrants

Ted Cruz statement: ”This is another Republican primary year conversion by David Dewhurst. He was for in-state tuition for illegal immigrants before he was against it. The next Senator from Texas needs to be a strong conservative who knows what he believes. I strongly oppose in-state tuition for illegal aliens, and categorically oppose amnesty or preferential treatment for illegal immigrants.”

In the WFAA interview, Dewhurst Is Criticizing The Texas DREAM Act – But He Won’t Say Whether It Should Be Repealed. “Though critical of the law, Dewhurst didn’t say whether it should be repealed. ‘I would not have signed that law, I if I were Governor Perry,’ he said. ‘From a perspective of fairness, I don’t think it’s fair for our fellow American citizens not to have that break.’”

In 2007 Dewhurst Said, “Historically The Senate Has Been In Favor Of Providing In-State Tuition For Everyone Living Here.”“‘We’d take a look at it, but historically the Senate has been in favor of providing in-state tuition for everyone living here,’ he said.” (R.A. Dyer, “Migrant Tuition Bill Derailed,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5/10/07)

At Least One Bill That Would Have Barred Illegal Immigrants From Receiving In-State Tuition Died In The Texas House. “Legislation that would have barred undocumented immigrants from paying in-state tuition at public universities was derailed Wednesday after Texas House lawmakers raised technical objections. The legislation, House Bill 159 by Rep. Bill Zedler, R-Arlington, would have reversed a 2003 law.” (R.A. Dyer, “Migrant Tuition Bill Derailed,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5/10/07)

Dewhurst Didn’t Lift A Finger & Dismissed The Bill; He Said The Chances Of That Bill Passing His Senate Were “Slim.” “Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, a Republican, indicated Wednesday that had the bill survived the House, its chances would have been slim in the Senate.” (R.A. Dyer, “Migrant Tuition Bill Derailed,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5/10/07

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Herman Cain’s Plan To Save America — 999

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:13:28 -0700

Are you ready to educate yourself? Check out the amazing work done by Henry Burke analyzing Herman Cain's 999 plan.

by Henry W. Burke

BOTTOMLINE:

Herman Cain’s 999 Plan would raise almost the same amount of taxes as our present system (i.e., revenue neutral). The higher-income people would save the most under the 999 Plan; but here is the good news: They are the people who create the jobs for the rest of us! The more money the higher-income people do not have to send to Washington, D. C., the more they will invest in jobs for the rest of us Americans. The 999 Plan would completely rejuvenate our country and would put huge numbers of Americans back to work. The 999 Plan’s pro-growth emphasis will light a fire under our economy and create millions of new jobs.

A predictable, business-friendly tax system will encourage businesses to expand and create jobs because the job creators will know what to expect in the future — no surprises. Herman Cain’s 999 Plan indeed is about “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs.”

Please read further to understand the details of Herman Cain’s 999 Plan.

INTRODUCTION

Presidential candidate Herman Cain has rocked the country with his bold but simple plan to ignite our economy. His “999 Plan” calls for an individual flat income tax rate of 9 %, a business flat income tax of 9 %, and a national sales tax of 9 %. Herman Cain’s plan does not affect state sales taxes; it only applies to federal taxes.

The plan is simple but will it work? This is the question everyone is asking. This relatively short and straightforward report will offer some answers and explore various aspects of the 999 Plan.

I have prepared examples to show how much tax you would save under the present tax system and under the Cain 999 Plan. These examples cover income levels from $25,000 to $1 million per year. Please refer to the second half of this report to view this information.

**If you do not care about the background details of the 999 Plan, and you mainly want to know how much a family making $75,000 per year (for example) would save under the Cain 999 Plan, please go straight to the section entitled “Section VIII. Comparison… ”

I. THE NEED FOR TAX REFORM

True tax reform is essential to bring our economy out of the recession and promote growth. Far-reaching tax reform is needed. Simply cutting spending and raising taxes will not succeed. As taxes are raised, growth slows; and the economy adjusts to a lower level of output. Lower output means lower revenues; this would necessitate another round of spending cuts and tax increases. To break the cycle, we must have a tax system that is more efficient and growth-oriented.

We need to replace our loophole-ridden Tax Code with true pro-growth tax reform.

We cannot continue to run annual deficits and add to the National Debt. Today (10.21.11) our National Debt (Total Public Debt Outstanding) stands at $14.939 Trillion. When Obama took office on 1.20.09, the National Debt was $10.627 Trillion. This means the National Debt has increased by $4.3 Trillion in the 33 months he has been in office. [$14.939 Trillion - $10.627 Trillion = $4.312 Trillion]

TreasuryDirect

The Debt to the Penny and Who Holds It

( Debt Held by the Public vs. Intragovernmental Holdings )

II. INDIVIDUALS

Herman Cain’s creative 999 Plan includes a flat 9 % tax on Gross Income less Charitable Deductions. The plan removes all payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare), thereby saving taxpayers about 6 %. Because the 999 Plan ends nearly all deductions and special interest favors, the Tax Code is drastically simplified; and tax preparation is facilitated. It features no tax on capital gains and dividends. This means that double taxation of dividends is eliminated.

The Plan also gets rid of the onerous Death Tax (Estate Tax). Repeal of the death tax would restore the American Dream that if you work hard and live a virtuous life, you can pass the fruits of your labor to succeeding generations of your family without fear that the government will take it away from them.

III. CORPORATIONS

The 999 Plan imposes a flat tax on businesses of 9 %. It starts with gross income, then deducts all investments and all purchases from other businesses. Finally it deducts all dividends paid to shareholders. Thereby, corporate tax rates would be lowered from a high marginal tax rate of 38 % (or 35 %) to 9 %.

A chart from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows the corporate tax rate for the period from 1999 to 2009. The U.S. corporate tax rate held steady at 39.4% to 39.1% during those years. In the same period, the OECD countries reduced their average corporate tax rate from 34.8% to 26.3%. The United States is simply not competitive.

Link to OECD chart: http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2010/08/Tax-Reform

The Cain 999 Plan’s U.S. corporate tax rate would be well below any foreign country. The new corporate tax rate of 9 % eliminates the incentive to move businesses and jobs overseas, and foreign companies would scramble to do business here. Because exports would leave our shore without the Business Tax or Sales Tax embedded in their cost, our products would become very competitive.

With no tax on repatriated profits, those funds would flow back into this country. [Example: If a U.S. computer manufacturer does business in France and makes a profit, it can move that profit (repatriate) from France back to the U.S. ]

Large U.S. multinational corporations have hundreds of billions of dollars in foreign profits. In recognition of the problem, a bill before Congress (the Hagan-McCain bill) will incentivize the repatriation of up to $1.4 trillion in foreign earnings. When these earnings are brought back into the U.S., the economy will be boosted and investment increased.

IV. NATIONAL SALES TAX

The element of the 999 Plan that gets the most attention is the national sales tax of 9 %. Unlike a state sales tax, this is a replacement tax; it replaces taxes that are already embedded in the selling prices. Under the 999 Plan, prices should be the same or lower.

Some people have incorrectly stated that Cain’s 999 Plan imposes a Value-Added Tax (VAT). Nothing could be further from the truth. The national sales tax applies the 9 % tax at the final point of sale; whereas, the European-style VAT imposes a tax at every step in the production process, from raw material to finished product. A VAT would be an absolute disaster!

V. CURRENT U. S. REVENUE

People rightly wonder if the 999 Plan will work. Will the 999 Plan raise enough revenue to cover the government’s expenses? This question needs to be addressed in a rational manner.

The federal government operates on a fiscal year basis. Federal fiscal years end on September 30 and are identified by the calendar year in which they end. For example, Fiscal Year 2011 (FY 2011) ended on 9.30.11; we are now in Fiscal Year 2012.

The U. S. government derives its income (revenue) primarily from taxes. Revenue varies from about $2 trillion in a poor year to about $2.5 trillion in a good year. Total revenue for Fiscal Year 2011 is estimated at $2.3 trillion. The sources of revenue are shown below:

Sources: Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Fiscal Year 2011, October 7, 2011, and Department of the Treasury

Note: Figures may not add exactly due to rounding.

Based on the above CBO table, the following table is derived:

From this table, you can see that 83 % of the revenue is derived from individual income taxes and social insurance taxes (47 % + 36 % = 83 %). We often think that corporations pay a huge amount of tax; actually, they provide only 8 % of the total revenues.

VI. HERMAN CAIN’S REVENUE NEUTRAL 999 PLAN

One of the most important hurdles for any tax reform plan is that it must be ”revenue neutral.” [Definition: The tax plan raises as much revenue as the current tax system.]

The best measure of our economy is given by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States. Current GDP figures are shown in the following table:

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), BEA 11-49, Gross Domestic Product, Second Quarter 2011 (Third Estimate), September 29, 2011.

http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/2011/pdf/gdp2q11_3rd.pdf

Herman Cain’s 999 Plan is revenue neutral. This means it raises about the same revenue as our present complicated tax system. Based on GDP figures, a reasonable (static) estimate is shown in the following table:

As you can see, the estimated revenue of $2.23 trillion generated under the 999 Plan is very close to the $2.30 trillion of revenue produced under our present tax system. Thus, the 999 Plan is definitely ”revenue neutral.”

VII. IMPACT OF THE 999 PLAN

Cain’s 999 Plan would provide a huge drop in the income tax rates for individuals. The plan will lower the highest marginal tax rate from 35 % to 9 %. (It would lower it from 35 % to 18 % if we include the 9 % sales tax.) The plan eliminates payroll taxes, death taxes, taxes on dividends and capital gains, and numerous hidden taxes. By ending the payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare), we will get a permanent payroll tax holiday.

Herman Cain’s economic adviser Rich Lowrie emphasizes that the mammoth drop in marginal tax rates would supply an incredibly strong growth incentive across the entire economy. The 999 Plan would add $2 trillion to the GDP, create six million jobs, increase business investment by a third, and lift wages by 10 percent. “And if you fold all that growth together,” said Lowrie, “federal revenues go up by 15 percent.”

The marginal tax rate is the rate on the last dollar of income earned. This is very different from the average tax rate, which is the total tax paid as a percentage of total income earned. Our tax system has a number of tax brackets (e.g., 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33%, and 35%). For example, if you are a “Married Taxpayer Filing a Joint Return” and you make $75,000, you are paying a marginal rate of 25%. Income below each threshold pays the lower rate; income above the cutoff point pays the higher marginal rate.

A report by Fiscal Associates, Inc. indicated that a plan of this nature would give a huge boost to the economy. GDP would increase by $2 trillion, hours worked would be 4.4 % higher, wage rates will be 10 % higher, and there would be 6 million more jobs! Also total federal revenue would be nearly 15 % higher.

**VIII. COMPARISON BETWEEN PRESENT TAX SYSTEM AND CAIN’S 999 PLAN

Nine scenarios will illustrate how the Cain 999 Plan compares with our present complicated tax system. I have provided a comparison that begins at a lower income level and progresses to upper income levels. If your income is not represented, you could easily insert your numbers (and your deductions) into the models shown. To keep it simple, the examples use round numbers and typical deductions. If you use different assumptions, you will get different results.

Herman Cain’s 999 Plan eliminates all payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare). In order to correctly compare Cain’s plan with our current tax system, payroll tax (approximately 6% of income) must be added to the current tax system side of the ledger. Because the 999 Plan imposes a new 9% national sales tax, this figure must be included on the 999 side.

Please refer to Example #1 (Mary) below. Her total tax under the present system is $1,900. Along with her income tax of $1,900, she pays a “hidden” Social Security tax of $1,412. (This $1,412 is deducted from her paychecks by her employer.) When you add the $1,412 Social Security (SS) tax to the $1,900 income tax, you get a Total Tax of $3,312 (under the present tax system).

The Cain 999 national sales tax is handled in a similar way. Under the Cain Plan, Mary will pay 9% of her taxable income of $25,000 ($2,250) as an income tax. She will spend about $1,260 on the Cain national sales tax as she makes purchases throughout the year. Her Total Tax under Cain would be $2,250 + $1,260 = $3,510.

The following tables are based on projected 2011 Tax Rates; final 2011 Tax Rates may be different. The Social Security Tax Rates are 4.20% for employees (6.20% for employers); the Medicare Tax Rates are 1.45% for employees (same for employers). The self-employed Tax Rates are 10.40% for Social Security and 2.90% for Medicare.

Under Cain’s Plan, the 9 % national sales tax does not apply to all expenditures. Non-taxable items include: mortgage or rent payments, auto loan or lease payments, auto repairs (excluding parts), services, tuition, used items of any type, saving and investing. To account for these factors, a consistent percentage (56%) is applied in all of the examples. The net spendable income (Gross Income – Charitable Contributions) is multiplied by 56% to get the tax base. The 9% sales tax is applied to this tax base.

Under the 999 Plan, Mary, who makes $25,000 per year, would pay about $198 more than under the current system. [$3,510 - $3,312 = $198]

Under the 999 Plan, Bruce and Alice, who make $50,000 per year, would pay about $44 more than under the current system. [$6,669 - $6,625 = $44]

Under the 999 Plan, Larry and Gail, who make $75,000 per year, would save about $16. [$9,493 - $9,477 = $16]

Under the 999 Plan, Dave and Rose, who make $100,000 per year, would save $792. [$14,130 - $13,338 = $792]

Under the 999 Plan, Bob and Ann, who make $200,000 per year, would save $7,335. [$34,011 - $26,676 = $7,335]

Under the 999 Plan, Paul and Carol, who make $300,000 per year, would save $14,017. [$51,925 - $37,908 = $14,017]

Under the 999 Plan, Ken and Amy, who make $375,000 per year, would save $25,267. [$63,175 - $37,908 = $25,267]

Example #8 — Rich & Alice ($1 Million, Married, w/ 2 Children)

($700,000 in Ordinary Income & $300,000 in Investment Income)

Under the 999 Plan, Rich and Alice, who make $1 million per year, would save $101,107. [$178,327 - $77,220 = $101,107]

Example #9 — Craig & Diane ($1 Million, Married)

(No Charitable Contribution & No Investment Income)

Under the 999 Plan, Craig and Diane, who make $1 million per year, would save $157,368. [$297,768 - $140,400 = $157,368]

For the rest of this amazing analysis click Herman Cain's Plan to save America.

BIO FOR HENRY W. BURKE

Henry W. Burke is a Civil Engineer with a B.S.C.E. and M.S.C.E. He has been a Registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) for 37 years and has worked as a Civil Engineer in construction for over 40 years.

Mr. Burke had a successful 27-year career with a very large construction contractor, where he was Engineer, Project Engineer, Engineer-Estimator, Superintendent, Senior Engineer, and Training Manager. Several of the construction projects include: Metro Center Station in Washington, D.C., Nine Mile No. 2 Nuclear Plant near Oswego, NY, Dobbin No. 1 Mine near Bayard, WV, and Lake Lynn Laboratory near Morgantown, WV.

In retirement, Henry continues to be a full-time volunteer who oversees various construction projects in his community. He has also assisted many people with business and financial decisions, including those that involve the present IRS system. Henry Burke has written well-researched articles on education, engineering, construction, and the U. S. economy.

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Grassroots Leaders in Texas Demand Gov. Rick Perry take Action - Illegal Immigration

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:34:27 -0700

A coalition of Texas grassroots leaders addressed the "no response" from Governor Perry and delivered significant legislative support for their efforts to ban sanctuary cities in Texas. Leaders have once again renew their call for Governor Perry to act on his unfinished business.

From various news outlets across the country.......

From Fox News Latino

"Governor Perry's decided, apparently, that he just needs to keep pointing the finger at Washington D.C., which absolves him of any responsibility," said JoAnn Fleming, chairwoman of the Tea Party Caucus Advisory Committee of the Texas Legislature.

Perry supports expanding police power as a means of detecting illegal immigrants, and made the issue a priority at the start of the legislative session in January -- seemingly fast-tracking its passage. Republicans hold a super-majority in the House, which passed the measure during the regular session, and a majority in the Senate, which approved another version of it during a special session in June.

The measures were fiercely opposed by Democrats, and neither made it through both houses in the same session to become law. Now the Legislature is not scheduled to meet again until January 2013.

Thursday's activists had held a similar news conference in September and made virtually the same demands.

"We do not intend to go away," Fleming said this time.

She said 16 Republican senators have now promised to vote in favor of the measure should it be revived -- enough to pass the 31-seat chamber. She said Republicans in the House could then easily pass the bill, if Perry convenes a second special session.

"Because we have House support and the votes we need in the Senate, the governor has no excuse," Fleming said.

Here is video from the Texas Grassroots Leaders press conference that the media won't show you, but you need to be aware of.

.

In video is Maria Espinoza with The Remembrance Project and the parents of Joshua Wilkerson, 18
Murdered by Hermilo Moralez, 19, an illegal alien from Belize, arrested for the brutal murder of Joshua Wilkerson, 18, of Pearland, TX.

Police say Moralez has confessed to murdering Wilkerson, who reported was a friend of Moralez and gave Moralez a ride home. Police also stated that they believe Wilkerson was first murdered, then bound and moved to a field where his body was set on fire.

Texas at Risk: Illegal Immigration, Sanctuary Cities

High Cost of Ignoring the Rule of Law

by JoAnn Fleming -Chair, Citizen Advisory Committee to the Texas Legislature’s TEA Party Caucus

Executive Director (volunteer), Grassroots America – We the People

While you were watching the out-of-control spending, new federal regulations, and national debt dramas play out in Washington, DC, your state legislature failed in the regular session (January – May) and in the special session (June) to end sanctuary cities in Texas. As the Republican leadership of the Texas House and Senate played political games to run out the clock, Alabama, South Carolina, and Louisiana joined a growing list of states whose legislatures and governors took decisive action to protect their citizens and legal immigrants. Texas now sits in the shadow of those “rule of law” states.

Photo Courtesy of KETX

“Sanctuary” is a term used to identify a city or county that follows certain practices to protect illegal immigrants. The practices employed to ignore the rule of law come by way of local ordinances or simply by habit. The elected officials presiding over these safe harbors do not allow local law enforcement to inquire about legal status while enforcing other laws, nor do they allow government employees to inquire about legal status while doling out taxpayer-funded services.

While border security is indeed a federal issue, the interior enforcement of the rule of law is very much a state matter. It is the constitutional responsibility of a state to protect the life, liberty, and property of its citizens and legal residents.

Why should the sanctuary cities issue matter to you? Read more.......

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The Texas Budget Boondoggle Part 2

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:00:46 -0700

Our Ongoing Fight to Cut the Size, Scope, and Cost of Texas State Government

JoAnn Fleming

By JoAnn Fleming, Chair, Citizen Advisory Committee to the TEA Party Caucus of the Texas Legislature; volunteer Executive Director of Grassroots America – We the People

“Don’t Spend All the Money!” Heard that from several stumping the campaign trails? Before you get stars in your eyes, you might want to check into the facts a bit before buying into all of the campaign sloganeering.

In spite of all the glowing rhetoric about how state leadership has done such a masterful job of not raising taxes and cutting spending, the truth lies somewhere just beyond that rainbow. We just can’t let them get away with the spin. Texas is not the Land of Oz; and the fairy-tale budget logic has to go. We just can’t afford it any more.

And just so we keep the timeline straight, no public official is getting clothes-lined here. Nobody’s getting ambushed. This follow-up message to our first Texas Budget Boondoggle Report should come as no surprise to anyone out campaigning. Our message throughout the legislative session, during the special session, and after the budget was passed and signed by the Governor has remained the same. We cannot support this budget because Texans do not need, do not want, and do not deserve the same kind of spending and budget trickery that goes on in Washington, D.C.

True, there were substantial cuts in some areas. Indeed, $12.1 billion in cuts came from the one-time federal stimulus funds. The overriding issue is this — we cannot support the budget because it has once again been balanced with poison pills – accounting gimmicks, deferrals, one-time fixes, tax payment speed-ups for some businesses, and a “Medicaid credit card.” We cannot support the crony capitalism that doles out tax dollars and steers some pretty lucrative perks to chosen “winners.” We cannot support a budget that continues to ignore the high cost of illegal aliens to this state because there’s no political stomach for interior enforcement of the rule of law.

The planned state budget deficit for 2013 comes to $7.1 billion. How did we arrive at this number? There’s no complicated chart or formula (simple math at work here). A $2.3 billion payment deferral to the Foundation School Program + anunderfunded Medicaid caseload growth estimated at $4.8 billion = a $7.1 billion budget deficit. The pure, unvarnished truth is – the Rainy Day Fund is spent!

The numbers we use for the minimum expected shortfall for 2013 have been verified by statewide conservative organizations and confirmed by our own research. The only way the Rainy Day Fund is not tapped in 2013 for this planned deficit will be the convergence of several miracles. The Medicaid/Health & Human Services caseload growth will have to drop precipitously and state revenues will have to exceed projections. We don’t see either of those two things coming to pass. So while we appreciate no increase in state taxes, state government remains anti-taxpayer because it still plans to spend way more than it takes in, and the way the state funds public education helps drive up local property taxes. This is unsustainable.

Adding insult to injury, the state budget contains $500 million in overt pork spending for Fortune 500 companies (advertisinggrants and other goodies) and $25 million for Formula One Racetrack funding in Austin. We asked the Governor to line item veto this nonsense. He did not. Every time we got Formula One stripped out in the House and Senate, the Budget Conference Committee – urged on by state leadership – raised it from the dead and put it back into the budget. It is not within the basic, core constitutional function of state government to act as an investment banker or venture capitalist for the entertainment industry or to act as a central economic planner by earmarking tax dollars for certain business interests.

The fully volunteer and “funded from our own pockets” TEA Party Caucus Advisory Committee worked very hard this session on spending issues. We watched as certain Republicans struck down amendment after amendment that would have made sensible cuts to state spending. We did not get our favored 2-year hiring freeze, even though the freeze would have exempted law enforcement, the state courts system, and corrections.

Photo Courtesy of the Texas Tribune who named Senator Robert Duncan one of the Best in the Legislature. Interesting.....

Senator Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) led the charge to strike down budget amendments calling for a 5% state employee pay cut for those making more than $60,000 per year, a 5% cut for those making over $100,000 per year, and a 10% cut for those making more than $200,000 per year. [Note: teachers are not state employees, thus were not under consideration in these proposed cuts, but statewide elected officials were!]

There were no taxpayer protections this session. Leadership shut out bills for appraisal district relief, spending caps, and curtailing services to illegal aliens. Likewise, there was no real interest from House or Senate leadership for zero-based budgeting or restructuring state government to streamline numerous overlapping, duplicative departments, agencies, commissions, and programs. There was zero leadership from the top to identify and eliminate spending that falls outside the core constitutional functions of state government. To put this lack of bold, decisive leadership into perspective, remember the elements present during this year’s legislative session: a huge budget shortfall, an out-of-control federal government, a constituency calling for less government, a super-majority of Republicans in the House, self-proclaimed “conservative” leaders Speaker Straus and Lt. Governor Dewhurst, and “Don’t Spend all the Money” Governor Perry. We expected more – much, much more. After all, none of these folks ran as big-spending, big government advocates, but as conservative problem-solvers!

But yes, Virginia, they did spend all the money. It’s just that all the bills aren’t in yet, but in 2013, the 83^rd Texas Legislative session will be awash in a sea of red ink. Short of some pretty big miracles, the budget struggles of the 82^ndLegislative session will pale in comparison. It will be tough. It will be messy, and some folks running for higher office are hoping they won’t be around when the calls for “Clean up on aisle nine!” go out.

If this sounds harsh, so be it. We live in harsh times. Liberty is at stake. The more government spends and grows, the less we are free. In Texas, we plan on living free. That’s why we won’t back down.

Coming soon: “2013 Go Forward Solutions: The TEA Party Caucus Advisory Committee’s Plan to Put State Government into a State Constitution-sized Box”

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Watch the video below and ask yourself are we being fed more propaganda by the career politicians so we will help get them elected to higher office? Should it be about them or should it be about what is best for Texas?

Gov. Perry: Fiscal Responsibility Will Guide Texas through Budget Process

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Just Breaking – Gov. Rick Perry is being called back to Texas

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:08:38 -0700

Press Conference called at the Capital
Coalition Releases Legislative Support for Sanctuary Cities Ban

Continues Call for Governor Perry to Act on His Own Emergency Issue

October 12, 2011

JoAnn Fleming

Contact: JoAnn Fleming, Chair of the Texas Legislature’s TEA Party Caucus Advisory Committee and volunteer Executive Director, Grassroots America – We the People

What: A Thursday, October 13^th news conference held as a follow-up to theSeptember 19^th news conference where coalition members delivered letters representing thousands of Texans to Governor Perry’s office. The letters called on the Governor to act in the wake of the legislature’s failure to pass a ban on sanctuary cites in both houses during the 82^nd Legislature’s special session. A ban on sanctuary cities was one of Governor Perry’s own “emergency” legislative items. [Note: TX House passed the ban on sanctuary cities during the regular session. The TX Senate passed it during the special session.]
Please see JoAnn Fleming article:

Texas at Risk: Illegal Immigration, Sanctuary Cities

Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore

Subject: Coalition of Texas grassroots leaders will address the“no response” from Governor Perry and will deliver significant legislative support for their efforts to ban sanctuary cities in Texas. Leaders will renew their call for Governor Perry to act on his unfinished business.

Where: Texas State Capitol, Speaker’s Press Room

When: Thursday, October 13th, 11:00 am

Background details:

At the close of the 2011 regular and special legislative sessions, a broad coalition of local grassroots organizations in Texas signed an open letter calling on Governor Rick Perry to address the urgent unfinished business of emergency legislation personally identified by the governor at the beginning of the 82nd legislative session – namely, a ban on “sanctuary city” policies in Texas. Over 3,000 local activists signed the letter, including representatives of over 100 local tea party, 9-12 and related grassroots groups. Signatures of representatives of these local groups, in many cases, represent hundreds – even thousands – of local group members.

Roberto Gonzales

One of the leaders scheduled to speak at the news conference:

“As legal immigrants in the late 1960’s, my family and I fled communism. We came here with the mission to become Americans. We did so to become part of all that makes this country great. Today, we cannot sit by and have our laws ignored by politicians who take an oath to uphold the rule of law and then proceed to choose the laws they want to ignore. We cannot continue to ignore the security threat of cities in Texas whose leaders insist on providing a safe haven to those who want to remain “under the radar” and use this country without any responsibility whatsoever. Texas elected officials need to do their job and quit playing games with our security and financial future.” Roberto Gonzalez, Clear Lake TEA Party

Below is video of Roberto Gonzales at the September 19^thnews conference

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Texas at Risk: Illegal Immigration, Sanctuary Cities

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:12:21 -0700

High Cost of Ignoring the Rule of Law

by JoAnn Fleming -Chair, Citizen Advisory Committee to the Texas Legislature’s TEA Party Caucus

Executive Director (volunteer), Grassroots America – We the People

While you were watching the out-of-control spending, new federal regulations, and national debt dramas play out in Washington, DC, your state legislature failed in the regular session (January – May) and in the special session (June) to end sanctuary cities in Texas. As the Republican leadership of the Texas House and Senate played political games to run out the clock, Alabama, South Carolina, and Louisiana joined a growing list of states whose legislatures and governors took decisive action to protect their citizens and legal immigrants. Texas now sits in the shadow of those “rule of law” states.

“Sanctuary” is a term used to identify a city or county that follows certain practices to protect illegal immigrants. The practices employed to ignore the rule of law come by way of local ordinances or simply by habit. The elected officials presiding over these safe harbors do not allow local law enforcement to inquire about legal status while enforcing other laws, nor do they allow government employees to inquire about legal status while doling out taxpayer-funded services.

While border security is indeed a federal issue, the interior enforcement of the rule of law is very much a state matter. It is the constitutional responsibility of a state to protect the life, liberty, and property of its citizens and legal residents.

Why should the sanctuary cities issue matter to you?

1) Sanctuary cities can harbor illegals that represent a national security threat. Those who are a threat to this country naturally gravitate to places where they feel safest from the rule of law.

2) Sanctuary cities harbor people who are a threat to the lives of citizens and legal immigrants. Too many law enforcement officers, citizens, and legal immigrants have lost their lives at the hands of illegals. See the Remembrance Project website: http://theremembranceproject.org/Sanctuary

3) Sanctuary cities are strong magnets for those who come here to exploit the social safety net for free health care and all manner of taxpayer-funded government hand-outs. These sanctuaries are magnets for those who want to work under the radar, and they enable businesses that want to employ cheap labor.

4) Sanctuary cities allow Mexico and other foreign countries to exploit the United States and our lack of enforcement of the rule of law.

Finally, any policy that gives safe harbor to illegal immigration escalates state spending. According to a January 2011 report published by the highly regarded Texas Public Policy Foundation, the price tag for Medicaid in Texas will soon overtake the cost of everything else in our budget – including education. Read the Foundation’s research: Texas Public Policy Foundation

In a June 28 meeting with Governor Perry, we asked him to call the legislature back into a special session to address the sanctuary cities issue, or since it is a law enforcement issue, settle the matter with an executive order. Will Governor Perry ride in to save the day? Or is he satisfied to sit in the shadow of “law and order” states? His white horse is saddled up and waiting.

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Join me next Saturday for a Social Media/New Media Boot Camp!

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 18:09:34 -0700

SIGN UP & RSVP TODAY
for our SOCIAL MEDIA WORKSHOP
Saturday, Oct 1, 2011
La Quinta Inn, 225 E Alsbury Blvd
Burleson, Texas 76028
10AM to 3PM

The workshop is free but the Texas Patriots Tea Party is reserving the hotel space. Please RSVP today or by Sept 26th via email to Barry A. Schlech at info@texaspatriotsteaparty.org

Hosted by Texas Patriots Tea Party
Instructor: Alice Linahan
CEO & Founder of Voices Empower

Bring your laptop if you have one. There will be wi-fi connection available.

A Special CAll to ACTION for the over 50 Crowd.

WHY - How did Obama win by a 10 million vote margin in a country where the majority of its citizens proclaim to be conservative?

Answer….. Obama’s 2008 Web 2.0 Juggernaut

The 2008 Obama campaign raised $500 million+ from 3 million people giving > $200
Obama beat McCain 4 to 1 in fundraising & exposure on social networking sites like

Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Youtube, Myspace, Linkdin…

My.BarakObama.com: 400K+blogs, 200K+ searchable campaign events, 45+ volunteer

groups utilizing online election tools generating 3 million volunteer Hrs.

The Huffington Post (purchased by AOL) and progressive sites like it continue to infuse the Left’s online presence and influence

So…when it comes to social media, wear your politics on your sleeve and get educated on "Social Media" by asking your children and grandchildren to help you learn about Facebook, Twitter, and LibertyLinked.com. They need to hear your stories and why you know the Left is not Right but Wrong!!

If you don’t have friends and family to ask for help Voices Empower will be there to train and support you and give you the tools you need to be in the conversation and the class above is the perfect opportunity to gain the skills needed to help “Drive the Narrative”.

It is time to……

Help us FLIP the FUNNEL with New Media Aggregation!

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Pushback Against Bachmann’s Gardasil Statement

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:24:19 -0700

By Donna Garner

Today’s pushback of Michele Bachmann has come from a writer named Ben Howe who has posted a caustic article on RedState: Bachmann Stayed Quiet on Mandatory Vaccinations While Serving Minnesota

Michele Bachmann did strongly criticize Rick Perry during the CNN Republican debate (9.12.11) for his executive order in 2.2.07 that required sixth-grade girls to receive HPV/Gardasil vaccinations before being allowed to enter Texas ’ public schools.

VIDEO: Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum take on Rick Perry on HPV Vaccine Mandate during CNN Tea Party Debate

Today’s pushback from Ben Howe condemns Bachmann for not speaking out about Minnesota ’s mandate in 1993 that requires Hepatitis B vaccinations without a parental opt-out.

What has been lost in the innuendo is that Michele Bachmann was not in the Minnesota Legislature in 1993. She did not get elected to the Minnesota State Senate until 2000.

In 1993, Bachmann had been a tax attorney since 1988 and left that practice to be a full-time mom with five children of her own and numerous foster care children.

Back in 1993 when the Minnesota legislature passed the Hepatitis B mandate, Bachmann had no “voice.” She did not have the “microphone” to take a public stand against the Hepatitis B requirement. She was not a politician; she was a busy and involved mother.

So much for Ben Howe’s misdirected allegations today –

Gov. Rick Perry was in error when he signed an executive order on February 2, 2007 mandating that sixth grade girls be given the HPV/Gardasil vaccine before being allowed to enroll in Texas public schools.

At a legislative hearing in that same month, Executive Commissioner of Health and Human Services Hawkins (waiting for confirmation) was asked whether HPV was a true communicable disease. He answered, “…HPV is not a communicable disease and, in fact, is a sexually transmitted disease that poses no threat to anyone without sexual contact.” During his questioning of Hawkins , Texas Senator Glenn Hegar also noted that the Gardasil vaccine provides at best only 70% prevention against cervical cancer and only 90% prevention against genital warts.

Certainly parents are the ones who should make such a serious decision for their children. HPV/Gardasil vaccinations are tied to the whole concept of abstinence-until-marriage vs. sexual promiscuity on the part of teens.

Parents who give their 6^th graders an HPV vaccination are basically sending a message to their children that they expect them to be sexually active. That can be a deadly message to send to children when caring parents ought to be clearly communicating the abstinence-until-marriage message for many reasons, one of which is so that teens will remain free from a whole host of terribly serious sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS, Chlamydia, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), genital herpes, chancroid, syphilis, and gonorrhea.

When Gardasil was pushing their well-planned marketing scheme throughout the country in 2006-2007 by manipulating and funneling money through Women in Government (an organization for state and national female politicians), there were already clear-thinking citizens who knew Gardasil had certainly not had time to do any long-term, longitudinal studies done on young girls because the FDA had only approved the vaccine on June 8, 2006.

The public’s fears were confirmed on 10.4.09 at the 4^th International Public Conference on Vaccination (Reston, Virginia) when Dr. Diane Harper, the lead researcher of Gardasil (and Cervarix), stated, “The controversial drugs will do little to reduce cervical cancer rates and, even though they’re being recommended for girls as young as nine, there have been no efficacy trials in children under the age of 15.”

Dr. Harper went on to say that Merck studied only a small number of girls under 16 who had been vaccinated with Gardasil but did not follow them long enough to conclude that the vaccine produced a sufficient number of HPV antibodies.

Another considerable problem arose for Gov. Perry when the cost of the Gardasil shots was brought to light. A series of three doses would have cost $360 per patient. Low-income Texans would have had their shots paid for by the taxpayers – $72 Million a year ($29 Million in state dollars and $43 Million in federal dollars).

Some in the Texas Legislature made a concerted effort to get Gov. Perry’s attention (e.g., Hegar, Nelson, Delisi, Keffer, Zerwas). On 2.9.07, Tex. Rep. Glenn Hegar sent out a press release in which he questioned how the Texas Director of Health and Human Services was going to implement the mandate when Gardasil’s own literature warned against giving the vaccine if the young girls were already pregnant. Legislators wanted to know what agency would the state use to make sure sixth-grade, low-income girls receiving the taxpayer-paid “free” HPV vaccines were not pregnant before receiving the vaccine. No state officials stepped forth to answer that question.

Finally on 5.9.07, Gov. Perry sent out a press release (that included a hard-hitting video in support of the HPV mandate) but said begrudgingly that he would not veto HB 1098 in which the Texas Legislature rescinded Perry’s executive order.

Up until he began his run for the Presidency, Gov. Perry evidently still believed the Merck/Gardasil talking points; and I think he genuinely thought he was helping to spare the lives of women. Unfortunately, he ignored the documented reports of adverse reactions and deaths from the Gardasil vaccine.

On 8.15.11, Gov. Perry said he made a mistake when he ordered sixth-grade girls to get the HPV vaccination and that he should have gone through the legislative process.

9.14.11, 11:00 A. M. — BREAKING NEWS:

Legislation Introduced to Restore Abstinence Funding

September 14, 2011
Washington DC

Yesterday, legislation was announced on the floor of the House of Representatives that will restore funding for Abstinence –Centered Education by reallocating prevention funds for this purpose. The Abstinence-Centered Education Reallocation Act, sponsored by Rep. Randall Hultgren (R-IL), is a bill that will put a priority on the sexual risk avoidance message found in abstinence programs. “ Since President Obama chose to eliminate all funding for abstinence education, this bill is a welcome sign that sexual risk avoidance can once again be the primary prevention message that youth will receive in classrooms across America,” stated Valerie Huber, Executive Director of the National Abstinence Education Association( NAEA).

The bill follows a recent HHS study, The National Survey of Adolescents and Their Parents which reported that 70% of parents and nearly as many teens support the abstinence until marriage message. It also acknowledges the recent CDC report that shows teens are increasingly choosing abstinence with 68% of boys and 67% of girls ages 15-17 reporting that they have not had sex. “NAEA applauds the leadership of Rep. Hultgren who has taken legislative action to support these positive trends in the healthy decisions teens are making,” added Huber. “We encourage other Members of Congress to co-sponsor the Abstinence Education Reallocation Act of 2011 and urge the House to quickly approve the federal sex education policy change called for in this bill.”

Click here to read the bill.

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The Irony; History Repeating Itself…….

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:10:24 -0700

As my Facebook friend Miguel Gonzalez said……

“It was completely ironic that while Bobby was trying to bust Hoffa, his big bro had been relying on Hoffa to deliver the union votes he needed to win in the ’60 election.”

It is amazing how history does keep repeating itself. You would think that Americans would learn. I pray that we are.

The real question is will Hoffa Jr.’s comments on Labor Day expose what is truly happening in America……

Will Chicago style politics of the “Mob Mentality” win or will ” We The People” win?

The Tea Party may just be America’s saving grace from the Mob.

As Victor Davis Hanson states…. Obama’s Credibility is on the Decline.

Jimmy Hoffa, in his introduction to Barack Obama, managed to violate almost every liberal commandment on “civility”:

They’ve got a war, they got a war with us and there’s only going to be one winner. It’s going to be the workers of Michigan, and America. We’re going to win that war . . . President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march. Let’s take these son of bitches out and give America back to an America where we belong.

1) The use of martial imagery: After the Giffords shooting, we were lectured that metaphors like “crosshairs” were inflammatory; but war seems pretty overt.

2) Coded threats: We were lectured that talk radio often uses language tantamount to calling for near insurrection; but by that logic “war,” “army,” and “march” are, again, not an implied but in some sense an overt call to action of some sort (e.g., what does Hoffa mean by his army marching to war?).

3) Profanity: Even talk radio cannot get away with “these son of bitches”; we are back to Reverend Wright’s “God damn America” both in language and in the apparent compliant silence of the hearer Barack Obama.

4) “Take out”: For many Americans, “take out” is popular jargon for assassinate; it was used a lot in the Cold War in the sense of killing some foreign despot. That message probably was not lost on the audience.

5) “Give America back”: A common liberal complaint is that conservative phrases like “take back America” are a sort of charge of treason, as if the liberals in power were not genuinely American. But Hoffa was even more overt. He thinks un-Americans now have America and it has to be forcibly retrieved from these counterfeits by his and Obama’s real Americans.

A growing problem for Barack Obama is Barack Obama. Because he chose to be a sermonizing president, he is bound to practice what he so commonly preaches — otherwise he risks the fate of an Elmer Gantry, or sanctimonious Jimmy Carter. But on a number of topics, he has simply lost all credibility. How can Obama ever again lecture Americans on “civil discourse” and the need for common standards of polite public speech after following Hoffa’s mean-spirited rant and offering him praise? How, after these first family elite vacations to Martha’s Vineyard, Costa del Sol, Vail, etc., can Obama ever again credibly lecture on the dangers of indulgent “millionaires and billionaires,” “corporate jet owners,” “spread the wealth,” and “fat cats” whose lives are so very different from our own? And how — after confessing that his “shovel-ready” $800 billion “stimulus” targeted at “investments” and “infrastructure” in fact “was not as shovel ready as we expected” — can he request to borrow hundreds of additional billions for shovel-ready investments in infrastructure? What has now changed to ensure the next near trillion will be “shovel-ready”?

All this is becoming worrisome beyond partisan politics. We are only in our third year of this administration, and already it is beginning to implode. The White House is in danger not just of becoming far more polarizing than even Bush in his latter years, but of descending into such incompetence and petty spitefulness that it inhibits economic recovery at home and the very sense of American confidence abroad.

One result of all this has been the radical reappraisal of the Bush and Clinton presidencies. A lot of liberals are wondering whether their harsh rhetoric of 2003–7 might be equally applicable to Obama, and conservatives are starting to see, that in comparison with Obama, the protean second-term Clinton was not all that bad. Relative to serial 9-plus percent unemployment, Monicagate seems much less important.

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Americans……She writes in Russian: “You are always here”

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:38:44 -0700

Brilliant-This quote came from the Czech Republic

"The danger to America is not Barack Obama, but a citizenry capable of entrusting an inexperienced man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Barack Obama. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools, such as those who made him their president."

The Question for Americans is…….

Will we listen, take action and learn from their History?

Amazing and Beautiful, With Tears in Your Eyes…

Hat tip to one of my favorite Active Rain Bloggers Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL. FunCoast Realty

The Sacred War

Arise, beloved country!
Arise, for mortal fight
With Fascist hordes despicable,
The forces of the night.

”Refrain:
Let waves of righteous fury
Swell up as ne’er before
And spur us to the vict’ry of
Our sacred people’s war.”

And then yo see the cradle and you hear one of the most popular war-time songs – Dark Night (music – Bogoslovsky, lyrics -Agatov)

Dark is the night, only bullets whistle over the steppe,
Only the wind hums in the wires, the stars flicker dimly.
This dark night I know that you, my love, are not asleep,
And by our child’s bed you secretly wipe away a tear

Then she is holding the so called Triangle, that dreaded small envelope from the frontline, which was called the burial letter.

Then the monumnet. And you hear a song written after rthe war, the song where the poet thinks the fallen soldiers become white cranes and they fly high in the sky and call us. Very beautiful lyrics… (here it is translated by Peter Tempest)

CRANES

I sometimes think that riders brave,
Who met their death in bloody fight,
Were never buried in a grave
But rose as cranes with plumage white.

And ever since until this day
They pass high overhead and call.
Is that not why we often gaze
In solemn silence at them all?

In far-off foreign lands I see
The cranes in evening’s dying glow
Fly quickly past in company,
As men on horseback used to go.

And, as they fly far out of reach,
I hear them calling someone’s name.
Is that why sounds in Avar speech
Recall the clamour of a crane?

Across the weary sky they race,
Who friend and kinsman used to be,
And in their ranks I see a space-
Perhaps they’re keeping it for me?

One day I’ll join the flock of cranes,
With them I shall go winging, by
And you, who here on earth remain,
Will hear my loud and strident cry.

And that image of a sailor (it is a sailor cap he wears behind the window), and a child in the same sailor’s cap on the window sill, they are waiting for their loved one to come back, and he never will…

… and she writes in Russian: “You are always here”

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Is Rick Perry a Compassionate Conservative On Illegal Immigration?

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 01:10:57 -0700

Great article from Dr. Richard Swier using LibertyLinked.com

Texas Governor Rick Perry has thrown his hat into the Presidential primary race. I like Governor Perry and he has shot to the top of the polls. Statesman.com reports, "Well, that was easy. Two weeks after announcing he'd seek the Republican presidential nomination, and just as the country is starting to pay attention, national and key state polls show Gov. Rick Perry has vaulted to the top of the GOP field."

But who is Rick Perry?

Governor Perry has accepted invitations to debates in Iowa and Florida. He will be tested on his political beliefs but more importantly on his actions and statements as Governor of Texas.

Conservatives are looking for the perfect candidate. That person does not exist. However, there are key issues facing America that are of broad concern to you and I. One of those is illegal aliens. Here in Florida illegals cost the state over $5 billion annually. Illegals are at the top of the list when it comes to taking advantage of free healthcare and public education. Illegals also fill Florida's jails costing taxpayers over $100 million annually. Every illegal alien is an unfunded liability to legal and naturalized Americans.

So where does Governor Perry stand on illegal immigration?

Is he tough on illegals or is he a compassionate conservative like George W. Bush on this issue? Debates have a way of making candidates either stand by what they said and did or shift like desert sands to gain votes.

Perhaps it is time to review this video of his public statements on securing America's borders and illegals:

I for one am not looking for a compassionate conservative. I am not seeking Bush Light. I do not want Obama like amnesty continued by a President Perry. I do not want pandering. I want a candidate who will uphold the U.S. Constitution. The illegals issue is key, Perry has taken a stand on it. Will he be principled and stick by his open borders position as governor? Or will he slip and slide away from this issue?

How he answers these questions is as important as the answer he gives. Perry is the proverbial new kid on the block. It is early and he could fall from grace with conservatives. Time will tell.

Just to add a little information to Dr. Swier's blog.....

From a great write-up called “Seventeen (17) things that critics are saying about Rick Perry“.

As of 8/17/2011, NumbersUSA has given Rick Perry a grade of “D-“. Mitt Romney also gets a “D-“, and for what it’s worth, Ron Paul gets an “F.” President Obama gets an “F-“ – an F-minus? I certainly would agree with the grade given Obama – or maybe it should be a “P-,” for “present”?

Though not (yet) running, Sarah Palin gets a “D” and Herman Cain gets a passing “C-“. The onlyleading candidate for the GOP nomination to get a good grade was Michelle Bachmann with a “B-“. Those are the headlines.

For his part, Rick Perry is graded poorly on two items: “mandating e-verify,” which is defined as:

“Jobs held by illegal aliens SHOULD be opened up for unemployed Americans and legal immigrants already here by REQUIRING all businesses to use the Federal automated, rapid-response internet E-Verify system to screen out illegal foreign workers.”

And “Limit Unfair Worker Competition,” which means:

“The government should institute SAFEGUARDS that will prevent importation of foreign workers any time they would threaten the jobs or depress the wages of American workers.”

Another challenge for Texas is the law Perry passed in 2001 giving In-State Tuition to Illegal Aliens. The below link is a good explaination of the bill passed.

Number of illegal immigrant college students paying in-state tuition and receiving financial aid at Texas' climbs.

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Politifact runs cover for Obama, will Willie Nelson?

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:10:29 -0700

I hope you find relevant the latest article on Voices Empower.com

Once again great insight from Weston Hicks with the Agenda Wise Reports.com Team.

What will Willie Do?

My question is will Willie change his mind about Obama after this and support a Republican in 2012?

Will Willie Nelson?

Politifact runs cover for Obama

August 23, 2011 | By Weston Hicks

Gardner Selby of Politifact provided a perfect example of why Politifact are political hacks.

The Obama Administration was behind an awful law proposal, one requiring any farmer who crosses a road to have a commercial driver’s license. That may not jump off the page to the average American, but if you farm in Iowa and cross lonely highways in your tractor to get to the rest of your land, you understand how stupid it is for community organizers in Washington DC to meddle in Iowa farming law.

The Obama Administration tried to get this stinker off the table at the last minute, issuing a press release on August 10^th, ahead of the national focus that comes with the August 13^th Straw Poll.

However, it had already been the source of a thousand conversations in the Iowa farm community. That the Obama Administration ever pushed this proposal is enough to prove their incompetence to Iowa farmers. Iowa farmers are grateful the Obama Administration displayed such bad timing, since Iowa Straw Poll attention is what really killed the proposal.

The proposal, dead or not, serves as a symbol of federal incompetence in local issues, a strong conservative issue this election cycle. As a result, expect conservative candidates to talk about it.

Like good liberal soldiers, Politifact came in after the fact and called Republicans liars for citing the issue. After all, the Obama Administration tried a last ditch effort to hurry the issue off the stage, saying the proposal was being abandoned. Politifact pretended it’s continued viability was the only newsworthy thing about the proposed law.

In truth, Politifact exists to call conservatives liars, the more important the conservative and the issue, the better. Everything else they do facilitates that, including occasionally calling liberals liars (useless liberals, most times) over meaningless things, as they sometimes do.

Link to Gardner Selby Politi-hackjob

Could Willie Support an American with Family Farmer’s values…..

Sarah Palin in Iowa!

What would Willie Do!!

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Let’s Be Honest About Gov. Perry

Alice Linahan (Voices Empower ) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:13:00 -0700

I hope you find relevant the latest article on Voices Empower.com

By Donna Garner photos by Alice Linahan

Texas Governor Rick Perry

Right now is the vetting season in politics. This is the time for us to make sure that our country does not make the same mistake twice in voting for a President who has not been properly vetted.

We citizens are doing the right thing to look at each candidate’s background, voting records, policies, preferences, philosophy of life, and personal positions on important issues. Then after taking a truthful look at a candidate’s full profile, we can make our decision as to whether we believe he or she would make a good President.

Those who are criticizing researchers who are uncovering the facts behind various candidates are actually repeating the same mistake that occurred when researchers tried to educate the public about Obama and his disastrous positions during the run-up to his Presidential election.

Those researchers were vilified; and the American people were so star-struck by Obama (who has turned out to be the essence of the “Manchurian candidate) that they voted with their emotions instead of with logical, informed reasoning. The United States is now having to live out the disastrous consequences of that wrongful, emotion-based decision at the ballot box.

Voting blind is not a smart thing. It is like throwing dice and hoping the right numbers come up.

I have grown concerned as of late about the blind acceptance that some people want to direct toward Gov. Rick Perry and his record. Because I published an article that told the “good and the bad” about Gov. Perry (11 positives and 11 negatives), I have been criticized by people on my side of the aisle who have said that my efforts will end up helping Obama get re-elected. (I have posted my article at the bottom of this e-mail.)

I presented 11 positives about Gov. Perry knowing that the liberal news media certainly would not focus on his good points, and Gov. Perry definitely does have some strong attributes.

However, Gov. Perry also has some weaknesses; but what does our side have to hide? If we really have the best candidate in Gov. Perry, then what have we to hide about his record? If Gov. Perry is the best person for the Republican nomination, that is great; but we who live inTexas and know certain facts about him (both positive and negative) have the right and the responsibility to share this information with the rest of the country.

Again, we need to remember that this is the vetting season; and our goal must be to put forth the very best candidate possible to defeat Obama. What we do not want is for our candidate to “flame out” in the last couple of weeks leading up to the November 2012 election because at the last minute, voters find out unfavorable information about our Republican candidate.

We also do not want to support a Republican nominee for whom we feel no “fire in the belly.” To overcome Obama’s series of overreaching decisions that are meant to build up his voter base (e.g., his obvious catering to labor unions and the LGBT community, his recent decision to grant “amnesty” to illegals — all of whom are sure to flood the ballot boxes in the Nov. 2012 election) and to overcome the cheating by the Democrats that is sure to occur at the polls, our side is going to have to produce twice as many votes for our candidate than are technically needed to win.

We Republicans must feel “fire in the belly” for our candidate so that we will get out and walk the blocks and get every possible voter to go to the polls with us. We have to produce a huge groundswell of support for our candidate. We must not choose another limp candidate such as John McCain for whom many in this country felt no connection and no real passion.

The time to lay out the truth is right now, and we are not being disloyal to the Republicans, conservatives, and independent voters by making sure that fact-based information is shared across the country with the voting public.

=================================

Photo Courtesy of Ray Myers, Kaufman County Tea Party

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

FACT — ISSUE #1: Gov. Perry did sign HB 1403 in June 2001 (after having been passed by the Texas Legislature). HB 1403, referred to as Texas’ version of the DREAM Act, allows illegal immigrant students who want to attend Texas colleges/universities to pay in-state tuition rates if they will first sign an affidavit promising that they will apply to become permanent residents as soon as they are eligible.

The catch is that no agency or organization was designated in HB 1403 to follow up and make sure the affidavits and the promised actions are taken by the illegals.

When pressed about the lack of follow-up on the affidavit provision, Gov. Perry said the Texas Education Agency does the follow up. However, Suzanne Marchman, a spokesperson for the Texas Education Agency, said the TEA oversees K-12 public education and has no authority to audit colleges and universities to make sure the illegals are following through with the provisions of HB 1403.

Spokespersons from the two largest universities in Texas — Texas A&M University and TheUniversity of Texas – both said that they have no designated authority to verify the affidavit mandates.

Allowing these illegals to pay in-state tuition rather than out-of-state tuition is a huge savings for them: The base tuition set by Texas statute is $50 per semester credit hour for in-state tuition at four-year universities and $327 per semester credit hour for out-of-state residents. ( Texas colleges/universities are allowed to set their own tuition rates in addition to the state statute amounts.)

Not only do illegals get to pay the lower in-state rates, but their admittance can deny enrollment seats for legal residents.

As Republican State Rep. Debbie Riddle told the Houston Chronicle on 1.12.07, “What we are doing is grossly unfair to people who are here legally…It gets down to the question: Are we going to continue rewarding people who cut to the front of the line and are not here legally.”

================================

FACT– ISSUE #2: Gov. Rick Perry told a child questioner in New Hampshire on 8.18.11 that Texas public schools teach creationism alongside evolution.

________________________________________________________________________

Nowhere in our new-and-improved Science standards (TEKS) that were passed by our elected Texas State Board of Education in March 2009 is the word “creationism” or “Intelligent Design” used.

What the Science TEKS do say is this: “In all fields of science, analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing including examining all sides of scientific evidence of those scientific explanations so as to encourage critical thinking by the students.”

After Gov. Perry’s gaff this week, his spokesperson, Catherine Frazier, clarified what he should have said:

Creationism could be discussed in the classroom as students are taught about evolution. It is required that students evaluate and analyze the theory of evolution, and creationism very likely comes up in that process…Teachers are also permitted to discuss it with students in that context. Schools are also allowed to teach biblical history as an elective and creationism is part of that teaching, too.

==============================

“The Good and the Bad About Gov. Perry” By Donna Garner

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Alice's Thoughts

OK Parents if you are not Outraged, You are not Paying Attention; Dan Savage

REALLY! As I said before~ “OK Parents if you are not Outraged, You are not Paying Attention”

The People ~ VS~ The Pundits; Inside Texas Politics

Inside Texas Politics (3/18)

Rick Santorum – “The Servant”

TimManBlog Whatever I’m Thinking

Praying for Bella Santorum - Family is always Priority

Demand that Tea Party Nation Retract their Open Letter to Tea Party Members

An Open Letter to Rick Santorum Supporters in Florida

Rick Santorum for President.

Rick Santorum – The Power of a Uniter not a Divider!

Rick Santorum – “Profile in Courage”

The Muslim Brotherhood: Rick Santorum- Truth and Respect

Call For Conservative Information Pushers! Foreign Policy Presidential Debate Tonight!

Brandon Darby the American Hero You Don’t Know About……

Brandon Darby removes Occupy Protesters from interrupting Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Rick Perry’s Success Story: He Reached the Passive Majority

David Dewhurst – Does He Have the Guts to Show?

Herman Cain’s Plan To Save America — 999

Grassroots Leaders in Texas Demand Gov. Rick Perry take Action - Illegal Immigration

High Cost of Ignoring the Rule of Law

The Texas Budget Boondoggle Part 2

Just Breaking – Gov. Rick Perry is being called back to Texas

Press Conference called at the CapitalCoalition Releases Legislative Support for Sanctuary Cities Ban

Texas at Risk: Illegal Immigration, Sanctuary Cities

High Cost of Ignoring the Rule of Law

Join me next Saturday for a Social Media/New Media Boot Camp!

A Special CAll to ACTION for the over 50 Crowd.

Pushback Against Bachmann’s Gardasil Statement

The Irony; History Repeating Itself…….

Americans……She writes in Russian: “You are always here”

Is Rick Perry a Compassionate Conservative On Illegal Immigration?

Politifact runs cover for Obama, will Willie Nelson?

My question is will Willie change his mind about Obama after this and support a Republican in 2012?

Will Willie Nelson?

Politifact runs cover for Obama

Could Willie Support an American with Family Farmer’s values…..

Sarah Palin in Iowa!

What would Willie Do!!

Let’s Be Honest About Gov. Perry

Press Conference called at the Capital
Coalition Releases Legislative Support for Sanctuary Cities Ban