Sunday Cartoons

Sunday news

• S. 649: Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013
• White House Warns Cruz, Paul, Lee Not to Filibuster Gun Control Bills
• Google: We make it easy for anyone to spy on you...using your own web cams or security cameras!
• Teaching by Example
• Gun-grabbing Democrats in Maryland about to force Beretta to leave state with their jobs
• WaPost op-ed blames whites for mass shootings; fact remains minorities are over-represented for ALL murder types, including mass murder
• Because It Wasn't Already Contentious Enough ... WaPo Op-Ed Injects Race Into the Gun Debate
• AN EXXON VALDEZ EVERY YEAR
• The Economist has a climate change of heart
• Video: Hollywood rediscovers The Bible?
• Labor, big business agree on key part of immigration reform, but final deal still faces hurdles

Saturday Cartoons

Saturday opinions and news!

Tyranny

• Obama Hectors, Lies on Gun Control Statistics (Again)
• Sen. Lee: 3 Reasons Why I Threatened to Block Obama’s Gun Proposals
• READ MEAT – Mark Levin’s fantastic rant: “I am sick and tired of my country being attacked from within!”
• Forget Cyprus, the real savings robbery is in Britain
• Obama uses executive power to move gun control agenda forward
• Stalled Obama Campaign Machine Restarted for New Agenda
• Biden: The assault-weapons ban is "just the beginning" of our gun-control plans

Big Government, EPA, Taxes

• Defense Department says giving Purple Heart to Fort Hood survivors would hurt Hasan trial
• FedEx founder: It is way more difficult to start an industrial company with today’s regulations
• Striking Subsidies Could Save Billions
• DOJ prosecutes Army veteran that conspired with wrong rebel group to shoot 10 Syrian soldiers; refuses to prosecute Attorney General than ran guns to narco-terrorists used in 302+ murders  
• Food Stamp Enrollment by State
• EPA to unveil plan to clean up tailpipe pollution that critics say would raise gas prices
• Obama creates panel to recommend state election law changes
• Mike Bloomberg’s Gun Control Paradise: Sandy-Ravaged Staten Islanders Fend Off Looters With Rakes and Sticks
• Lies, Damn Lies, and "Comprehensive Immigration Reform"
• White House Scrubs First Daughters Ski Trip Report   
• New Obama gas initiative could force rise in gas prices
• Biggest Gun Ban States = Lowest Prosecutions for Federal Gun Law Violations
• Cyprus: Can It Happen Here?
• Obama calls on Congress to approve $21 billion infastructure, a.k.a. stimulus plan
• Obama’s Interior has all the time in the world for wind and solar projects; oil and gas, not so much

ObamaCareTax

• THE CRUCIAL WORD NOT APPEARING IN THIS ARTICLE ON WALMART’S STAFFING WOES
• Second study this week shows ObamaCare will drive up premiums

State Government, Taxes

• Republicans say Inslee’s budget breaks ‘no-tax-hike’ promise

Liberal Mindset

• Rand Paul: Celebrities certainly seem a little hypocritical about self-defense, huh?
• Cops Disarmed By Ammo-Hoarding Gun Nuts, Complains Salon Writer 
• Alabama State Legislator Doubles Down On Racist Comments

Foreign Policy

• House GOP to DHS: We're partnering on easy travel access with ... Saudi Arabia?

Second Amendment

• Do Background Checks Work?

It's The Economy

• Flint Guts Services to Balance Budget
• Digital 'bitcoin' currency surpasses 20 national currencies in value

Politics

• Are Democrats going to try to ram the Gang of Eight’s immigration bill through the Senate?
• Behind Bloomberg’s Gun Buyer Background Check Ad Blitz

Abortion

• Question for Planned Parenthood official: What should happen to a baby born alive after a botched abortion?
• Another horrifying assertion by Planned Parenthood   

Media

• The Bloody Company Hollywood Keeps

Friday Cartoons

News for Friday!

Tyranny

• Krauthammer: With This Administration, I Don't Buy Anything They Are Telling Me
• "Bizarre Interpretation of Second Amendment" is Obstacle to UN Gun Grab   
• Bringing Down America with The Company You Keep
• Thousands of armed vigilantes takeover Mexican town, arrest police and shoot at tourists after 'commander' is killed and dumped in the street 
• Obama Administration Seeks To Nullify The Nullifiers
• Sen. Cruz Statement on President Obama's Comments on Gun Control Legislation

Politics

• Obama: Shame on us for not enacting my gun-control agenda already
• A Columbine Survivor Tells President Obama To Man Up
• Flashback: Remember when Democrats swore they opposed same-sex marriage? 

Looking Ahead

• The Wisdom of Dan Quayle

It's The Economy

• NBC: "surging" student loan debt "crushing" the system
• Not-So-Great News for Jobless Claims and GDP
• The Story Behind Walmart's Bare Shelves

Legislation

• Issue Spotlight: Firearms and Gun Control
• Issue Spotlight: Key Amendments Passed in the Senate's Budget

Foreign Policy

• Reminder: How Mexico Treats “Undesirable” Foreigners

ObamaCareTax

• Medicare Has Stopped Paying For Diagnostic Tests
• Obamacare isn’t forever, but what’s next is worse 
• Pssst: The super-secret GOP plan to repeal ObamaCare
• Little hope seen for millions priced out of health overhaul
• CNN: Hey, were Americans misled about the costs of ObamaCare?

 
Big Government

• Running The Numbers On DHS’ Ammo Purchases
• Yes, liberal friends, the government is ‘protecting’ you from delicious, local food

Corruption

• Obama’s ‘Fast and Furious’ Body Count Continues Rising in Mexico

State Government, Taxes

• So Much for Inslee’s No-Tax-Increase Pledge

Unions

• Commentary: A Milestone for Michigan — Worker Freedom in the 'Big Labor' State

Liberal Mindset

• One Nation Above God

Second Amendment

• We Have the Language of Reid’s Bill, S.649
• Misplaced Words or True Intent?
• Republicans Clamoring For Bill?

Budget Battle

• White House: Okay, for real this time, Obama’s budget is coming April 10th 

Thursday Cartoons

Thursday news & opinions

Tyranny

• No word from the race hustlers.

Big Government, Agenda 21

• No big: Obama admin looking to set aside millions of acres for habitat preservation
• Video: “Victims of Government: Steve’s Story”
• Awesome: Vacant federal properties cost taxpayers billions every year
• Janet Napolitano: We shouldn't wait until the border is secure to legalize illegals 

State Government, Budget Battle

• Response to Treasurer McIntire on Pension Accounting

ObamaCareTax

• Study: Obamacare to raise claims cost 32 percent
• Sebelius: Well, yeah actually, ObamaCare is causing insurance premiums to rise

Budget Battle

• Swapping drilling for spending?

Liberal Mindset

• The Supreme Court of Consensus?
• Alabama State Legislator E-Mails Epic Racist Rant

Elections

• Recall Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray for Oath of Office Violations

Second Amendment

• Heitkamp to Bloomberg: How ’bout you do you, and leave North Dakota out of it
• What Bloomberg hath wrought: Colorado gun control blowback accelerates

Politics

• Illegal immigrant climbs border fence right in front of McCain and Schumer; Update: Video added
• New SarahPAC video: Palin will be a player in the 2014 midterms
• Reid faces dilemma over Dem defections after close budget vote

Taxes

• Sweet new idea out of California: Internet taxes, anyone?

Education

• Scott to FAU: Explain this Jesus-stomping incident to me, please

Word

Posted on Facebook, and well worth passing on:   

Dear conservative advocacy for WHATEVERS ~ do not send me ONE MORE solicitant email with a subject line "Sign the petition Barack Obama FEARS".  He fears and respects NOTHING ~ which pi**es me off supremely, mind you ~ and your puling, delusory attempts to convince me otherwise, disguising a craven grab at my wallet masked as an appeal to saving the unraveling social fabric of this country under siege, pisses me off exceedingly MORE so.   Handing YOU the few hard earned pesos I have left after the rapacious armies of the rampaging socialist reformers are done will avail me NOTHING in so far as relief is concerned.  Only my VOTE at the ballot box can do that.

 Just so people know that they are not alone.

Wednesday Cartoons

Wednesday opinions and news

Tyranny

• Yes, Actually, We Do Plan To Keep Stealing Your Money
• Proof The Obama Administration Is Going After The Good Guys With Guns

Unions, Education

• NEA’s Legacy: $310 Million in Direct Campaign Spending Since 2000
• Here’s the Video That Teaches Children That Decisions Made by U.S. May Have Caused 9/11 — and It’s Been Used by ‘Tens of Thousands of Schools’ for Over a Decade 
• Professor (and Vice President of Local Democratic Party) Conducts Exercise in Which Students Stomp on the Name of Jesus; University Hastily Suspends... the Student Who Told the Press About the Exercise

 
Second Amendment

• Arkansas: Pryor Disses Bloomberg’s Gun Control Media Blitz
• Paul, Cruz promise filibuster on gun-control bill
• CBS poll shows support for gun control push fading
• On Polling and Passing the Buck
• Multnomah County Proposes New Gun Restrictions

Liberal Mindset

• Flashback: Mayor Bloomberg Visits Gun-Free Bermuda, Requests Exception For His Bodyguards To Carry Guns
• As I'm NOT Buying This Month's Vogue Because of "The Fashion Icon's" Mug Plastered On the Cover

Big Government

• News You Can't Use, Because Your Government Is Remote, Arrogant, Unresponsive, and Monstrous: There Are No High Speed Trains And There Won't Ever Be
• CNN: Say, high-speed rail is an expensive bust, huh?
• No kidding: DOE mismanaged $1.5 billion in stimulus-backed "investments," report says
• Shocking: A Smart Idea From A Republican
• Issue Spotlight: Defense of Marriage Act

ObamaCareTax

• Great news: ObamaCare will provide a boost for ... temps

Media

• Ack. Alex Jones and Infowars. Good googly moogly folks

It's The Economy

• CBO: America Will Never See Full Employment Under Obama

Senator Hewitt's Eastsider's Report -- March 18th-22nd

March 25, 2013

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Week ten of the 2013 session is behind us and yesterday marked the two-thirds point of the 105-day session. Last week saw a major piece of the budget puzzle come into place with Wednesday’s revenue forecast. We learned that the state’s economy is continuing to recover, and tax receipts are anticipated to grow steadily through the next four years. It was welcome news that underscored the need – and ability – to craft a budget for without raising taxes.

On the local front, we also received some important news last week. As you have likely heard, Walla Walla Community College was named the top two-year school in the nation by the Aspen Institute. That’s quite an honor and I couldn’t be more excited for the students and faculty of the school. In addition to highlighting their achievement in this edition of the Eastsider, I’m also going to outline the plan our bipartisan Senate governing coalition released last week for increasing the state’s investment in higher education and making sure that excellent institutions like WWCC remain attainable for all our state’s students.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and feedback. You can email me anytime or call me in Olympia at (360) 786-7630. I represent you most accurately when I receive your direct feedback, so please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have questions or concerns, or if I can be of assistance to you and your family in any way.

Thank you for the continued opportunity to serve you in the state Senate.

Sincerely,

Sen. Mike Hewitt


State revenue forecast – no bad news is good news
Last Wednesday the Legislature received an important piece of the budget puzzle – the quarterly revenue forecast. Every three months the state Economic & Revenue Forecast Council releases its projection of how much money the state will receive in taxes in the near future. Revenue projections from last week’s forecast will serve as the baseline for the upcoming two-year budget cycle, which begins July 1 of this year and runs through June 30 of 2015.

Lawmakers had been bracing for bad news, expecting to hear that revenues to the state had decreased as a result of payroll tax increases and budget cuts at the federal level. Instead we learned our state’s economy is continuing to recover and tax receipts are expected to stay on course with previous projections. Revenue to the state is anticipated to grow at a rate of about 6.6 percent in the next two year budget cycle, totaling $32.5 billion, which is more than at any time in our state’s history.

The chart below details recent and anticipated future revenue to the state. As you’ll note, revenue has been increasing steadily since the 2009-11 two-year budget cycle, a trend which is expected to continue through into the future.

A balanced budget – without new taxes
What does the stable revenue forecast mean for the upcoming budget? To me, it underscores the Legislature’s ability – and need – of balancing the budget without new taxes. While the economy is recovering, it remains volatile and businesses and families are not in a position to shoulder more of the burden. If we focus on what are the true priorities of our state, I am confident we’ll be able to craft a budget within existing revenue.

Within the next five to ten days the Senate will release its budget. Shortly thereafter, it’s expected that the House will release a separate budget proposal. The governor will then follow suit with a “priorities document,” which is intended as a sort of budget framework, but will not contain line-item details. Both of those plans will likely rely on new taxes. Once everything is on the table, it will be up to those who support new taxes to make their case for why it’s necessary at a time our state is receiving more revenue than any time in history.


Around the 16th District: WWCC is #1!
Last Tuesday it was announced that Walla Walla Community College was named the national Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The award – given annually to a school with outstanding academic and workforce outcomes – comes with a $400,000 prize and couldn’t have been bestowed on a more deserving institution.

The Aspen Institute cited a few rationales giving WWCC the award. First, the foresight displayed in focusing resources on programs that help prepare students for marketable careers in fields such as health care, viticulture and wind energy. And second, the hard work of faculty in building a culture where students are supported and expected to excel.Congratulations to the faculty, students and community that makes up WWCC on this exceptional achievement!


Senate coalition higher education funding plan – “10-3-50”
While we’re on the subject of higher education, I also want to share that the bipartisan coalition governing the Senate unveiled our funding plan for the state’s colleges and universities last week. The “10-3-50” plan contained in Senate Bill 5883 was introduced with the goal of reversing the recent trend of shortchanging our state’s higher education system. Here’s a summary of the plan:

• 10 percent increase in state funding for higher education, raising funding by $270 million to $3 billion
• 3 percent tuition reduction at all state institutions for the next two years
• Create a new $50 million fund for science, technology, engineering and math degrees, with funds awarded to institutions on a competitive basis
• Expand the state need grant by 7 percent to serve an additional 4,600 students

Higher education has seen steep reductions in state funding in recent years, with cuts of more than 40 percent to four-year universities since 2007. Those reductions have been backfilled by tuition increases of more than 100 percent at some schools. More funding has been added to the state need grant, which provides tuition assistance to low-income families, but many middle-class families in particular have found it difficult to foot the bill for post-secondary education.

I co-sponsored this plan because I feel it’s important that we put higher education at the forefront of budget conversations again. The fact is that post-secondary education is no longer optional – a college degree is required for most of today’s careers. By making these investments, we’ll be driving down the cost of college and helping ensure that higher education is attainable for students and families.

From Gun Owners of America

Sen. Reid Beefs up “Base Bill” to
Destroy Gun Ownership

"Unholy alliances" could become a concern

We now know a lot more about what's going to happen with gun control legislation than we did a few days ago.

First, the number of the bill we are fighting is S. 649. Harry Reid introduced it on Thursday and brought it directly onto the Senate calendar. This means the bill can now come up at any time — probably soon after the Easter recess is over.

Second, the bill is a lot worse than even we anticipated.

Rep. Walsh’s Update from Olympia: March 26, 2013

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This week the state’s chief economist provided a revenue forecast so legislators can formulate budget proposals based on the amount sent to the state by taxpayers. The forecast for our next budget (2013-15, which begins in July) is scheduled to remain flat. However, we still have $2 billion more in tax collections for this budget than we had for the 2011-13 budget. This is a sign the economy is slowly stabilizing, though it is still fragile. The last thing we need is a tax increase; it will only hurt hardworking families and consumers and struggling employers. Read this column I wrote for the Prosser Record-Bulletin about the importance of protecting taxpayers and upholding the people’s will to set a high bar for raising taxes.

With a fiscally conservative majority in the Senate, and a Democrat majority in the House that has openly expressed a desire for tax increases, we will likely see very different budget proposals from the two chambers. We expect to see those proposals sometime in the next two weeks.

We are now more than half-way through the 105-day session. House bills are moving through the Senate, and Senate bills are being considered in the House. I’m pleased to share that House Bill 1588 to expand background checks on those purchasing firearms did not move forward beyond the deadline. You can read about the fate of other bills in this summary published March 14. Note that I may not agree with the categorization of each bill as “good” or “bad” – this just gives you an idea which bills are still moving forward here in the Legislature.

You’re invited to a telephone town hall

On Thursday, April 4, Rep. Terry Nealey and I will be hosting a telephone town hall. This is a chance for you to join in a community conversation, and ask us questions about this year’s session in Olympia. To join the phone meeting, call toll-free (877) 229-8493, then dial pin number 15516. I look forward to talking with you!


Walla Walla Community College – Number 1!
I was pleased to hear that Walla Walla Community College earned first place in the 2013 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence recently. The school beat out more than 1,000 other schools to earn the honor due to their fabulous programs to help train students in the highest demand career fields right now. The Walla Walla Community College is one of the many things I’m proud of in our district!

As always, please feel free to contact my office about these and any other questions or concerns you have. It’s my job to serve you, and I am honored to be your representative.

Sincerely,

Maureen Walsh

(From the Washington House Republicans website)

April Meeting and Tax Day Rally

For the April Meeting, we will gather on April 16th, 2013, at 6:30PM, in the Father's House, 304 North 2nd Avenue, in Walla Walla.  Please note that this is the THIRD Tuesday of the month, a change from our normal schedule, in addition to a change in location.

Our speaker will be Shahram Hadian, presenting "On Restoring The Republic".

A Christian pastor and former Muslim, Shahram Hadian travels around the nation speaking on critical issues facing us as Americans, with the Truth In Love Project.  You can read more about Shahram at his Truth In Love website.

Also, don't forget about the Tax Day Rally on April 15th, at the County Courthouse.  Shahram will be speaking there as well.

Wednesday Cartoons

Opinions and News for Tuesday!

Tyranny

• Cyprus strikes last-minute EU bailout deal
• New York Budget Will Include ‘Indefinite Postponement’ of Andrew Cuomo’s Absurd Gun Clip Law
• When is a citizenry justified in deposing its government?
• Eurozone chief: Yeah, the Cyprus deal could definitely augur future euro-crisis plans
  Member of Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns Dropped After Weapons Accusation 

Looking Ahead

• Resistance is Dangerous; Submission is Frequently Fatal
• Review: A Failure of Civility

State Government, Legislation, Unions, Agenda 21

• Teachers' union tops lobbying spending in Olympia so far
• House OKs greenhouse gas bill, whether it’s needed or not
• Lawmakers, civil rights groups spar over mental health regs 
• Can you balance Washington's budget?

Media

• CBS ‘Apologizes’ If You Were Offended By Their Communist Propaganda
• MSNBC panelists: A lot of this opposition to Bloomberg's anti-gun campaign is probably fueled by anti-Semitism 
• Wayne LaPierre Batters David Gregory: ‘Why Doesn’t NBC News’ Report That Chicago Ranks ‘Dead Last’ in Federal Gun Law Enforcement? 

Politics

• McCain emerges as key senator in expanding background checks
• Paul Ryan's disappearing act 
• Marriage and the Supreme Court
• Disaster for Dems

Bill of Rights

• Gallup: Drones over thee, not we 
• Michael Bloomberg is a one-man gang on gun control. But how much difference can he make? 
• The State of the Gun Rights
• Round Limitation in New York: Round Two
• Mike Bloomberg: "I do think there are certain times we should infringe on your freedom"
• Video: Guy in Bloomberg gun-control ads breaks all the major rules of gun safety

ObamaCareTax

• Coming Soon to the U.S.: Two-Day Waits for Doctors?
• Obamacare Premium Spike Goes National

Big Government

• US Border Patrol Uniforms – Made in Mexico
• Good news: FDA probably going after cigars next
• Regulatory pressure moves battery recycling south of the border
• The Obama administration is definitely not prioritizing oil and gas permits 
• Oh, joy: Obama creates five new national monuments

Education

• Forbidden City: The left-wing stranglehold on academia.

Foreign Policy

• Backing up Obama's warnings to Syria creates tough challenges on two fronts

Monday Cartoons

Monday News

Tyranny

• Mayor Bloomberg: Security Drones Over New York City Are 'Scary' But Inevitable
• Bloomberg group launches ad buy to pressure lawmakers as gun control push falters
• Gun Thread (3-24-2013):  A Reminder of What We're Up Against
• Loathsome nanny state mayor spends $12M on gun banning ads… with no gun ban
• France finally abandons that 75 percent tax on the wealthy
• Think it can’t happen here? It already has

Taxes

• Poll shocker – Americans don’t want higher energy taxes

Liberal Mindset

• Washington state weighs first-in-the-nation abortion insurance mandate
• How Feminism Mistook Fiction for Fact

Communism

• “For Our Next Trick, We’ll Give Every Child a Little Red Book”

Politics, Tea Party

• Cool Research - Tea Party Rallies Had a Very Big Impact on Politics

Second Amendment

• DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ET AL., PETITIONERS v. DICK ANTHONY HELLER
• NRA gains upper hand on Obama
• Issue Spotlight: Firearms and Gun Control
• Federally Licensed Firearms Retailers Overwhelmingly Oppose "Universal" Background Checks
• Want A .50 Cal Rifle, New York LEOs? Pound Sand.

Budget Battle

• The Senate continuing resolution

Unions

• Who is really blocking immigration reform?

ObamaCareTax

• The doctor will see you...never
• Hatch: Obamacare Was Designed to Become Single-Payer System

Foreign Policy

• Mr. Nobel Peace Prize Works His Magic: Israel Now at War With Syria?

Media

Not surprising, but just so there's no doubt.....

....on who does and does not support the Constitution.  Especially among the Congressional delegation from the State of Washington.

Question: On the Amendment (Inhofe Amdt. No. 139 ) 

Statement of Purpose: To uphold Second Amendment rights and prevent the United States from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty.

Vote Counts:

• YEAs: 53
• NAYs: 46
• Not Voting: 1

YEAs ---53
Alexander (R-TN) Ayotte (R-NH) Barrasso (R-WY) Begich (D-AK) Blunt (R-MO) Boozman (R-AR) Burr (R-NC) Chambliss (R-GA) Coats (R-IN) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Collins (R-ME) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Crapo (R-ID) Cruz (R-TX) Donnelly (D-IN) Enzi (R-WY)	Fischer (R-NE) Flake (R-AZ) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Hagan (D-NC) Hatch (R-UT) Heinrich (D-NM) Heitkamp (D-ND) Heller (R-NV) Hoeven (R-ND) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johanns (R-NE) Johnson (R-WI) Kirk (R-IL) Lee (R-UT) Manchin (D-WV) McCain (R-AZ)	McConnell (R-KY) Moran (R-KS) Murkowski (R-AK) Paul (R-KY) Portman (R-OH) Pryor (D-AR) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Rubio (R-FL) Scott (R-SC) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Tester (D-MT) Thune (R-SD) Toomey (R-PA) Vitter (R-LA) Wicker (R-MS)

NAYs ---46
Baldwin (D-WI) Baucus (D-MT) Bennet (D-CO) Blumenthal (D-CT) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Coons (D-DE) Cowan (D-MA) Durbin (D-IL) Feinstein (D-CA) Franken (D-MN) Gillibrand (D-NY)	Harkin (D-IA) Hirono (D-HI) Johnson (D-SD) Kaine (D-VA) King (I-ME) Klobuchar (D-MN) Landrieu (D-LA) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD) Murphy (D-CT) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL)	Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Schatz (D-HI) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Stabenow (D-MI) Udall (D-CO) Udall (D-NM) Warner (D-VA) Warren (D-MA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting - 1

Lautenberg (D-NJ)

Their names are also links to their "Contact Me" sites, in case you want to drop them a line about their vote on this.

Sunday Cartoons

Sunday news

Tyranny

• FAA to close 149 air traffic towers, senator calls for using untapped research money to save them
• N.Y. State Pays Gov. Snitches Cash Rewards To Help With Gun Confiscation
• Instructions for living in Coloradostan, 1

Budget Battle, Taxes

• Senate passes first budget in four years
• Senate approves Democratic budget after marathon 'vote-a-rama'
• Senate Narrowly Passes Budget, 50-49
• Senate Rejects Funding WH Tours to Save Elvis Cruises, Ukranian Easter Eggs 
• Obamacare Isn’t Forever

Big Government, Corruption

• 'Fast and Furious' report finds DHS missed warning signs, Napolitano in the dark
• DHS IG Report Fails to Detail Post-Fast & Furious Communications
• Department of Ed website for kids removes Mao Zedong quote
• What’s really behind those FAA tower closures?
• Congressman: DHS Refuses to Answer to Congress on 1.6 Billion Bullet Purchase 

Second Amendment

• Colt Firearms Threatens to Leave Connecticut over Strict Gun Laws
• Senate votes 53-46 to stop US from joining UN Arms Trade Treaty
• UN Holds "Final" Conference on Arms Trade Treaty

State Government, Legislation, Unions

• Routine Unemployment Bill Offers Labor a Hostage in Workers’ Comp Fight – 11th-Hour Objection Threatens $400 Million in Federal FundsOp-ed: State pension plan works, does not need fixing
• Charter School Commission Named

Legislation

• The Marketplace Fairness Act

Media

• Ted Turner's Son: CNN Is So Far Left I Mostly Watch Fox
• Ammo vs. Amnesty in the MSM

It's The Economy

• The Keystone XL pipeline gets the Senate’s endorsement
• Crunch time in Cyprus
  Long-awaited vote on Senate budget exposes cracks among Democrats 

Education

• Scott Walker vs the world

ObamaCareTax

• Unqualified medical providers cropping up under Obamacare
• Obamacare Isn’t Forever

Saturday Cartoons

Opinions, news, and thoughts on Saturday

ObamaCareTax

• President’s Own Small Biz Advocate Fires on ObamaCare
• U.S. Senate signals willingness to repeal medical device tax
• Over 30 Senate Democrats vote to repeal the medical device tax
• Good News: Cost of Individual Healthcare Plans Could Rise 116% Under ObamaCare
• Obamacare official on exchanges: "Let's just make sure it's not a third-world experience." 
• Study: Obamacare threatens 3.2 million small business jobs

Media

• Andrea Mitchell Scolds Fellow Reporters: 'You Guys Let the Assault Weapons Ban Die!'
• Pew poll shows 8-point drop in Obama approval rating 

Liberal Mindset

• Narcissism and the Self-Esteem Cult
• University Apologizes for “Stomping Jesus”

Communism

• Venezuela Takes Desperate Measures to Put Off Day of Reckoning

Politics

• White House Misfire

It's The Economy

• Russia rebuffs Cyprus, EU awaits bailout "Plan B"

Big Government

• Reminder: That incandescent light bulb ban was not a good idea
• DWS: We need to make sure budget cuts won't lower the "quality of life" on Capitol Hill
• The Redskins really need to change their name and House Democrats are on it

Tyranny, Corruption

• Judge Walker, Who Ruled That a Constitutional Amendment Is Itself Unconstitutional If It Blocks Gay Marriage, Caught Coordinating With Pro-Gay-Marriage Legal Team
• Connecticut’s Malloy plotting to ram through “emergency” gun control bill
• Joe Biden dutifully follows own advice on spending
• Messina: Obama doesn't attack Fox News or Rush Limbaugh

Looking Ahead

• Does the GOP have a Jack Kemp today?
• Is Hillary Clinton Too Conservative To Become President?
• Refuting three complaints about the Electoral College

Foreign Policy

• Great news: Feds have quietly given up on measuring border security

Second Amendment, Legislation

• Gun Control Dates
• Stage set for Senate gun control debate; background checks are sticking point

Education

GOAL Post #10

GOAL Post, 2013-10

Legislative Update from Olympia, 2 March 2013

PUBLIC HEARING HELD ON SB 5282

THREE PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED

SECOND CHAMBER POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF 3 APRIL

D. C. ACTIVITY

This has been a relatively slow week in the legislature.  A public hearing was held on SSB 5282, with no surprises in testimony.  It is scheduled for a committee vote on  March 27th.

Three public hearings are scheduled next week:  SHB 1840 in Senate Law & Justice on 25 March, SHB 1382 in Senate Human Services & Corrections and SSB 5452 in House Judiciary, both on 28 March.

Wednesday, 3 April is the second chamber policy committee cut-off,  The five bills we are tracking must all come out of committee by that date or die for this session.

Again, I normally don't address the "other" Washington in GOAL Post, but we've had some interesting developments in the past week.  Senator Feinstein's (D-CA) "assault weapon" and magazine ban bill passed out of U. S. Senate Judiciary on a straight 10-8 party line vote, as did Senator Schumer's (D-NY) universal background check bill.  Senate majority Leader Harry Reid then had a meeting with Senator Feinstein, where he told her he did not have the votes necessary to pass the gun/magazine ban bills out of the Senate.

Reid is currently working to draft a bill that stands a chance of passage.  The consolidated bill will likely include the anti-gun trafficking bill passed out of committee two weeks ago, along with Schumer's background check language and likely some addressal of mental health records as part of the background check.  Feinstein will be allowed to offer the gun and magazine bans as separate amendments when the full Senate votes on the final; version of a Senate gun bill.  That vote will likely come in the second week of April.

The problem for Senate Democrats is the 2014 election.  Of the 33 Senate seats up for election/reelection, 20 are held by Democrats.  Of those 20, 13 are in states with a strong pro-gun culture, and 10 voted for Romney in the past presidential election.  Those senators don't want to go anywhere near a controversial gun vote.

How any Senate gun bill will fare in the House remains to be seen as well.  Speaker Boehner recently stated he would prefer to see better enforcement of existing law.  The House is unlikely to take any action until late April or early May.

Recent polling has indicated a decline in support for gun bans, although a majority appear to continue to support universal background checks.  (Unfortunately the polling data does not reveal the link between universal background checks and gun registration.)


BILL STATUS:

Friday Cartoons

Click to enlarge and enjoy!

Time for the Friday news & opinions

Tyranny

• EU to Cyprus: We Are Not Impressed
• Biden: No, Obama and I haven't given up on the assault-weapons ban

Second Amendment, Legislation, United Nations

• Cuomo: That gun law I signed turned out to be utterly unworkable, huh?
• Suing the Gun Grabbers
• New York's New "Intelligent", "Reasonable" and "Common Sense" Gun Law Now Unworkable
• NRA sues Gov. Cuomo over New York gun law
• Florida firearm violence hits record low; concealed gun permits up
• (Congressional) Issue Spotlight: Firearms and Gun Control
• Stacked Deck at UN ATT Talks
• Gifts, gun raffles and multiple sales of guns would be effectively banned
• S. 54 Would Effectively Ban Even More Guns than Feinstein’s Bill! 
• Video: Gun-grabbing billionaire hints at defeating Senators who vote no on assault-weapons ban

Big Government, Taxes, Budget Battle

• The tobacco pirates invade Ireland
• California: How about a retroactive tax grab, plus interest?
• Super: Congress votes to force broke Postal Service back into 6-day delivery
• Hey, what if we fired federal employees seriously delinquent on taxes? Democrats: Nah.

State Government, Budget Battle, Taxes

• New revenue forecast says Washington state lawmakers face $1.2 billion shortfall
• Confusion in Olympia: Lawmakers try to assess tax breaks
• Why did that bill die? There’s a law for that, my friend

Budget Battle

• POPVOX Daily Digest - March 21, 2013 (Budget)
• House passes Ryan budget, 221-207
• Impact of "sequester" budget cuts on jobs may be exaggerated

ObamaCareTax

• Can you get Obamacare? This insanely complicated chart will tell you.
• Health-care law uncertainty grips Old Town Alexandria cafe - and other small businesses
• CVS preparing to penalize workers who won't disclose their health information 
• MSNBC to HHS secretary: So, three years later, what do Americans still not understand about ObamaCare?
• Poll: Not even Democrats are convinced ObamaCare will improve health care

Looking Ahead

• The surrenderers

Legislation

• (Congressional) Weekly Roundup: March 14 - 20

Liberal Mindset

• Mixed Martial Arts fighter Fallon Fox shouldn't be allowed to beat up women
• Food Stamp Nation: R.I. Town Shows Leftism's Dead End

Foreign Policy

• Graham: Yeah, it's time to subpoena the Obama administration on the Benghazi survivors

If a picture is worth a thousand words....

......then this one is the graphical equivalent of the Oxford English Dictionary:

(Click to enlarge, as always!)

Budget woes in Walla Walla

County to tap sales tax for DHS budget fix 

WALLA WALLA — Sales tax money raised to expand Walla Walla County’s mental health and substance abuse services will be used to halt “hemorrhaging” of reserve funds in the county Human Services Department, county commissioners decided this week.

At their Monday meeting, commissioners approved the use of up to $335,000 collected last year to offset the costs of providing mental health services to Medicaid clients in 2013. Under the plan, the use of the sales tax funds to support current operations will end on Dec. 31 of this year.

Other measures in the proposal call for developing program plans to minimize use of reserve funds and extending the loan payback period Community Service Center building at 1520 Kelly Place from 10 to 15 years.

The proposal was one of six alternatives put forward by Harvey Crowder, interim director of the county’s Human Services Department, to stop a drain on the department’s reserve funds that began several years ago. If left unchecked, Crowder told commissioners, the reserve funds could potentially be exhausted in 18 months.

The rest is here (registration may be required). 

Power and control

From Bob Owens, writer, blogger, and firearms instructor, his thoughts on where America is going:

Let’s not be fooled, America.

Both of this nation’s political parties operating at the federal level have far more in common with each other than they do with you and I.

The polimedia—the revolving door between the mainstream media, the consultant class, bureaucrats and elected officials—has no more in common with you, than you have with a Moro tribesman, and if your idealism and insistence upon clinging to your Constitutional rights gets in the way of their desire for power and control, they have little moral objection to treating you the same way.

Their goal is to exert their influence over you, using laws and regulations in such a way as to bring themselves both power and financial advantage. It is human nature that great power leads inevitably to great corruption, and it is no coincidence that the counties surrounding Washington DC are among the wealthiest in the nation.

These self-styled elite are offended and more than a little afraid of the electorate. No, they aren’t remotely concerned about the several dozen urban cores from whence they draw their power. They’ve pacified them with government handouts, and will continue to exert tremendous influence over those they’re paying off and scaring into complicity as long as they can steal from the productive and borrow from our enemies.

No, they’re specifically afraid of you, those who failed to gratefully receive your indoctrinations, who fail to see the State as benevolent, who continue to dare hold to those crusty old Enlightenment values that propose that man can be something greater than a datapoint, a row in a spreadsheet, or asset to be taxed.

Read the rest.

Senator Hewitt's Eastsider's Report -- March 15th, 2013

(This is posted late, as I missed it in my in box.  Apologies to all.)

March 15, 2013                                

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I’m checking in as the Legislative winds down week nine of the 2013 session. There was a sense of anxiousness in Olympia this week, due to the fact that Wednesday marked the “house of origin” cutoff date. That meant that by Wednesday, any bills introduced in the Senate had to be approved and sent to the House of Representatives for further consideration (and vice-versa in the House). Exceptions are made for those bills connected to the budget, which may be brought for a vote at any time.

With this week’s Eastsider’s Report, I’m highlighting two of my proposals that made it through the Senate in advance of the cutoff date, and are aimed at growing our state’s emerging wine, beer and distilling industries. I’ll also provide details – and my take – on a bill approved by the House of Representatives this week that would open up higher education financial-aid programs for students who are illegal immigrants.

Thanks for all of the questions, comments and concerns you’ve provided in recent weeks about the issues facing our state. I hope you will keep that feedback coming, and feel free to email me or call me in Olympia at (360) 786-7630 if I can be of assistance to you or your family in any way.

Thank you, as always, for the continued opportunity to serve you in the state Senate.

Sincerely,

Sen. Mike Hewitt

Thursday Cartoons

Click to enlarge!

Opinions and news for Thursday

Tyranny, Corruption

• Harry Reid is simply a bad man
• Obama turning to executive power to get what he wants
• All Good Soviets New Yorkers Inform
• Your Government Is Now Officially Your Religion
• Colorado governor signs landmark gun bills
• Are We Really This Naive? 

Patriotism

• Revolutionary War Veterans Association Calls For April To Be Recognized As ‘Patriots Month’

 
Budget Battle

• House rejects Senate Democrats’ budget, with the help of 35 Democrats
• Exclusive first-look video: Issa slams WH over tour cancellations
• Morning Bell: A Stark Choice for America’s Budget
• The White House is Closed, But Yale Still Got $384,949 to STUDY “Sexual Conflict, Social Behavior and Evolution”
• Senate passes a continuing resolution through September
• Budget Proposals for FY 2014 
• Fox News Poll: Voters say debt is immediate problem, nervous about economy
• Economists: Obama Exaggerated Sequester Job Losses
• Rand Paul: Democrats are going to start blaming the bubonic plague on sequestration

Media

• Dr. Carson: Media Will Change When They Realize They'll Also Be Destroyed If We Destroy This Nation

Bill of Rights, Second Amendment

• The Epic Gun Control Testimony You’ve Been Waiting For: ‘The Constitution Did Not Guarantee Public Safety, It Guaranteed Liberty’
• The White House Won't Give Up

State Government

• Nealey statement on state revenue forecast: ‘We’re not out of the woods yet’ 
• Open Letter To Senator Rolfes

Foreign Policy

• Flexibility achieved: Obama pulls missile defense system from eastern Europe
• Islamic law comes to rebel-held Syria
• Boehner: I sure hope Obama consults with Congress before he bombs Syria

Big Government

• Federally mandated ethanol credits are getting pricier. Consumers, this means you.

Wednesday Cartoons

Click to enlarge!  More below the fold!

News & Opinions for Wednesday

Tyranny, It's the Economy

• Russia offers to bail out Cyprus … for a price
• Cypriot Government Freaks Out 
• Cyprus lawmakers on “one-time” bank deposit levy: Yeah, we’re not doing that

Politics, Looking Ahead, Corruption

• Dodge of the Day: Reporter asks Jay Carney if Obama plans to cut back on lavish vacations and golf trips
• White House refuses to promise that Obama will cut back on ‘lavish vacations’
• Harry Reid hints: The explosion that killed those seven Marines was caused by sequestration, you know
• Dingy Harry Insinuates That Explosion That Killed 7 Marines Was Caused By... The Sequester
• The GOP's Plan To Save Itself Involves Destroying Grassroots Conservatives
• Reince Priebus’s not so crazy plans
• Recall Campaigns for Colorado Democrats who pushed draconian anti-Second Amendment bills through state legislature
• CNN: Obama approval drops to 47/50
• GOP catfight: Michael Steele calls Reince Priebus 'numb nuts'

Budget Battle

• "Yes”

Second Amendment

• Reid kills Feinstein AW ban, making it even more dangerous
• Feinstein: Reid excluded the assault-weapons ban from Senate gun bill
• Holy cow: Not even 40 votes in the Senate for the assault-weapons ban, says Reid
• Magpul's response to passage of anti-gun laws in Colorado
• Lupica: Morbid find suggests murder-obsessed gunman Adam Lanza plotted Newtown, Conn.'s Sandy Hook massacre for years 
• CT governor’s post-Sandy Hook advisory panel avoids real solutions to play politics 

Media

• Pew study: Fox News reports three times more news than MSNBC

State Government, Budget Battle, Taxes, Legislation

• State budget shortfall grows by $300 million
• Critical numbers coming for Olympia
• Legislature clamps down on tax breaks with bills that set standards for those that exist, lay out expectations for new ones
• Dozens Killed in House Battle Over Gun Control — and Other Tales from Deadline Day
• Democrat Pedersen Offers Astounding Explanation for Epic Flopperoo of Gun-Control Bill – It’s the Republicans’ Fault
• Bill would prevent government from using its own lobbyists

ObamaCareTax

• Implementing Obamacare? “Impossible endeavor”

It's The Economy, Taxes

• Are we experiencing an off-the-books boom?
• Save Small Businesses from the Internet Tax Mandate
• Shocker: Oil companies pay the most in income taxes

Big Government, Bill of Rights

• I Should Apply For Federal Funds 
• Grounds for Warrantless Search and Taking Kids in New Jersey?
• TSA agents 'humiliated' wounded Marine with aggressive inspection: report