“The power under the constitution will always be in the people. It is entrusted for certain defined purposes, and for a certain limited period, to representatives of their own choosing; and whenever it is executed contrary to their interest, or not agreeable to their wishes, their servants can and undoubtedly will, be recalled.”

~ George Washington (1787)

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Saturday Cartoons


Saturday opinions and news!

Tyranny

Big Government, EPA, Taxes

ObamaCareTax

State Government, Taxes

Liberal Mindset

Foreign Policy

Second Amendment

It's The Economy

Politics

Abortion

Media

Friday, March 29, 2013

Friday Cartoons


News for Friday!

Tyranny

Politics

Looking Ahead

It's The Economy

Legislation

Foreign Policy

ObamaCareTax
 
Big Government

Corruption

State Government, Taxes

Unions

Liberal Mindset

Second Amendment

Budget Battle

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Thursday Cartoons


Thursday news & opinions

Tyranny

Big Government, Agenda 21

State Government, Budget Battle

ObamaCareTax

Budget Battle

Liberal Mindset

Elections

Second Amendment

Politics

Taxes

Education

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

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

Unions, Education
 
Second Amendment


Liberal Mindset

Big Government

ObamaCareTax

Media

It's The Economy

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

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!

WallaWallaCommunityCollege_Dist16
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

Looking Ahead

State Government, Legislation, Unions, Agenda 21

Media

Politics

Bill of Rights

ObamaCareTax

Big Government

Education

Foreign Policy

Monday, March 25, 2013

Monday Cartoons


Monday News

Tyranny

Taxes

Liberal Mindset

Communism

Politics, Tea Party

Second Amendment

Budget Battle

Unions

ObamaCareTax

Foreign Policy

Media

Sunday, March 24, 2013

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

Budget Battle, Taxes

Big Government, Corruption

Second Amendment

State Government, Legislation, Unions

Legislation

Media

It's The Economy

Education

ObamaCareTax

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Saturday Cartoons


Opinions, news, and thoughts on Saturday

ObamaCareTax

Media

Liberal Mindset

Communism

Politics

It's The Economy

Big Government

Tyranny, Corruption

Looking Ahead

Foreign Policy

Second Amendment, Legislation
Education

    Friday, March 22, 2013

    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

    Second Amendment, Legislation, United Nations

    Big Government, Taxes, Budget Battle

    State Government, Budget Battle, Taxes

    Budget Battle

    ObamaCareTax

    Looking Ahead

    Legislation

    Liberal Mindset

    Foreign Policy

    Thursday, March 21, 2013

    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

    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

    Patriotism
     
    Budget Battle


    Media

    Bill of Rights, Second Amendment

    State Government

    Foreign Policy

    Big Government

    Wednesday, March 20, 2013

    Wednesday Cartoons

    Click to enlarge!  More below the fold!


    News & Opinions for Wednesday

    Tyranny, It's the Economy

    Politics, Looking Ahead, Corruption

    Budget Battle

    Second Amendment

    Media


    State Government, Budget Battle, Taxes, Legislation

    ObamaCareTax

    It's The Economy, Taxes

    Big Government, Bill of Rights

    Tuesday, March 19, 2013

    Milton-Freewater Tea Party Patriots Meeting

    Milton-Freewater Tea Party Patriots 
    March General Meeting
    Thursday, March 21, 2013, at 6:30 PM
    American Legion Hall on 8th Street, in Milton-Freewater

    Special Guest Speakers: 

    • Rob Lovett, Chairman, Greater Hermiston Tea Party
    • Topic:  "The Declaration and the 2nd Amendment"

    • Jeff Pierce, CEO & Program Development, Double Diamond Tactical
    • Topic:  "Home Defense",

    Tuesday news & opinions

    Tyranny

    Taxes, Budget Battle
     
    Big Government

    Politics

    Bill of Rights

    Foreign Policy

    It's The Economy

    Looking Ahead

    Media

    Liberal Mindset

    Legislation

    Corruption