Not News: Federal Judge Blasts DOJ for Executive Order Deception

"Like the judge, the states thought nothing was happening. Like an idiot, I believed that."

That was the angry blast by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen against the Department of Justice whom he accused of misleading him on President Obama's executive order on immigration. In contrast to normal federal court proceedings, it was quite an emotional confrontation. That plus the fact that the executive order has been big news for months you would figure it would have been covered in the MSM. Well, for the most part you would be wrong.

Read more at NewsBusters Read More......

Rep. Richardson: Oregon's Political War Has Begun

REP. DENNIS RICHARDSON (R-Central Point), 4/7/2011 NEWSLETTER - The “Co-Chairs Budget” was the subject of last week’s newsletter. It was signed by my two Democrat Ways & Means Co-Chairs, Senator Richard Devlin (D-Tualatin), Representative Peter Buckley (D-Ashland) and me. ∴ This Co-Chairs Budget was agreed upon after weeks of daily meetings and negotiations between the Democrat and Republican Co-Chairs. ∴ While Oregon’s fiscal problems are being addressed in a bipartisan manner requiring thoughtful and well-reasoned compromise, it was disappointing to learn that three of Oregon’s most powerful political groups, the Oregon Education Association (OEA), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), are now trying to disrupt this bipartisan work through deception, intimidation and demagoguery. ∴ Consider the deceit in their political attack ad now being aired from Portland to Ashland: Click Here. Unfortunately it has caused anxiety and fear for vulnerable and confused seniors who have been deceived by it.

We three Co-Chairs and the rest of your Democrat and Republican legislators on the Ways and Means Committee are working together to face the reality of a difficult state economy. Such is not the case with three of Oregon’s most powerful unions, the OEA, AFSCME and SEIU. Instead, they collaborate and propagate lies. Their ad says: “Richardson wants to make drastic cuts to services we depend on … so Richardson can keep more than $440 million in unspent funds for his political priorities.”

This statement is false. The ending balance belongs to all Oregonians for protection from further recessionary pain.

As far as I am concerned, the airing of this fear-mongering statewide political attack ad is intended as a warning to other Legislators. They want to scare them into dancing to the unions’ tune, or risk being the subject of the next attack ad. The goal is to motivate the “unions’ legislators” to abandon fiscal prudence and perpetuate Oregon’s history of unsustainable spending. It was this kind of denial of economic reality that has grown Oregon’s all-funds budget by 50% in just the last four years.

Meanwhile, these very same public employee unions stand against every government reform intended to stabilize Oregon’s out-of-control spending, including the reforms suggested by former Governor Kulongoski’s Reset Cabinet and those proposed in Governor Kitzhaber’s recommended budget.

People in Oregon are tired of such negative political smear campaigns, and long for truth, transparency and meaningful reform. For the past decade Oregon unemployment has been above the national average. Yet during this same period, Oregonians have watched state government spending balloon by more than 100% in only ten years.

While hundreds of thousands of Oregon workers have taken pay cuts or lost their jobs, these public employee unions have negotiated sweetheart benefit deals, automatic pay increases and lucrative retirement packages. Even Wisconsin’s employee unions have allowed something to be paid by their members toward their retirement plans and health benefits. But not Oregon.

The attack ad states, “Richardson wants to make drastic cuts to services we depend on….” It implies the “we” are seniors, kids and vulnerable Oregonians. In fact, the opposite is true. The unions are angry because I suggest that their union members pay something toward their retirement and group insurance plans, which would free-up hundreds of millions of precious dollars that could provide services vital for Oregon’s most vulnerable seniors, disabled and children.

Oregon has great teachers who are members of the OEA, and dedicated public servants who are members of AFSCME and SEIU. These teachers and public workers should be embarrassed. While they work hard and earn their pay, their union bosses and lobbyists wield political power like aristocrats and take home six-figure paychecks, while acting as if they have actually contributed something to society.

The public sector unions get their employers to collect their union dues for them, which they use to recruit, fund and elect “their legislators.” These legislators pass pro-union legislation that gives the union members favored pensions, positions and pay. Such “sweetheart” union power brokering is incestuous and is threatening the financial stability of our local, state and federal government.

Political war has been declared against me and other fiscal conservatives by the OEA, AFSCME and SEIU. I am unimpressed. I will continue to work with Republicans and Democrats to pass a balanced budget that will meet the needs of Oregon’s most vulnerable citizens with the revenue we have available.

If we win, we pass the best balanced budget possible, end this legislative session and go home. In short, if we win, Oregon wins.

Sincerely,

Dennis Richardson
State Representative Read More......

Gov. Kulongoski: Sign the Bills

Reject the Denial, Deceit and Delay. Let Voters Decide!
Demand that Our Elected Officials Give Oregonians the Final Say on Tax Proposals

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In 2009, our Governor and the Democratic legislative leaders were not interested in hearing what Oregon voters had to say about the decisions they made. Recently, we have seen an unprecedented pattern of:

Denying Voters the Right to Vote on Legislation and Denying Oregon Business Owners the Right to Discuss These Tax Proposals with Employees
• The legislature refused to refer two tax increase proposals to the voters, which has now forced the voters themselves to put the taxes on the ballot.
  
  
• The legislature passed a law that stops employers from talking to employees about these tax increase measures, or anything political in nature. (SB 519)
Trying to Deceive Voters if their Tax Increases End Up on the Ballot
• Legislative leaders tried but failed to pass a law that said a yes vote on these tax increase proposals meant no and a no vote meant yes. (HB 2414, -A16 Amendments)
Delaying the Time Citizens Have to Gather Enough Signatures to Let the Voters Decide on New Taxes
• The Governor has already delayed signing the two tax bills on his desk in an effort to shorten the time citizens have to gather signatures to put the legislatures tax proposals on the ballot.

Whether or not you support the taxes the legislature passed, every Oregon voter should be outraged that our elected officials have tried to stop us from voting on these taxes and to trick us into believing we’ve voted one way, when we meant to vote another way.

The Right to Vote is an American Value.
It’s not a Democrat or Republican Value.

Demand Protection for Your Right to Vote and Decide!

Prepared by Oregonians Against Job-Killing Taxes, July 2009

Read More......

Sowell: A Tangled Web

Townhall.com, 7/7/2009 by Thomas Sowell - While the recent Supreme Court decision in the New Haven firefighters' case will be welcome news to those who don't think that a gross injustice is O.K. when those on the receiving end are white, the reasoning behind the 5 to 4 decision is a painful reminder that the law is still tangled in a web of assumptions, evasions and contradictions when it comes to racial issues. ∴ Nor have these problems been clarified with the passage of time. On the contrary, the growing complexity and murkiness of civil rights law over the years recalls the painful saying: "Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive." Read more at Townhall.com... Read More......

Open Letter to Congress: 'You Are Being Deceived

CLIMATE DEPOT, 7/1/2009 - Scientists Write Open Letter to Congress: 'You Are Being Deceived About Global Warming' -- 'Earth has been cooling for ten years.' ∴ 'Present cooling was NOT predicted by the alarmists' computer models, and has come as an embarrassment to them.' ∴ Read the July 1, 2009 Open Letter to Congress by a team of prominent atmospheric scientists at Climate Depot...

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Oregon: Democratic leaders back off "yes is no" change

NOTE: LIGHTING UP THE SWITCHBOARD WORKS! :-)
Posted by Jeff Mapes, The Oregonian June 29, 2009 11:21AM - Democratic legislative leaders on Monday dropped their attempt to reverse the meaning of a "yes" and a "no" vote on two tax increases that may go before voters early next year. ∴ Lawmakers backed off after several of them were besieged with a number of calls from constituents complaining about the proposed change, which many critics saw as an attempt to boost the chances that the two tax measures would survive a ballot referendum.

"It's become obviously controversial at this point," said Senate Majority Leader Richard Devlin, D-Tualatin, "so we decided to just go with current law."

This means that if the two tax hikes go before voters next January, voters will have to vote "yes" to uphold the tax hikes. A "no" vote would mean the tax increases would be rejected.

A coalition of business groups has formed to collect the 55,179 valid signatures needed to refer each of the measures to the ballot.

Mark Nelson, a lobbyist running the campaign to refer the two ballot measures, said legislators pulled back "after voters rebelled. The rank and file just lit up this building."

Devlin and House Majority Leader Mary Nolan, D-Portland, both argued that reversing the meaning of a yes or a no vote on referendums would have made the issue clearer for voters. If voters want to reject the Legislature's handiwork, they said, they should have to vote yes.

However, ballot measure experts say it is easier to persuade citizens to vote on a ballot measure than to vote yes. So both supporters and opponents of the tax hikes had a stake in wanting to be on the side pushing a no vote.

The two taxes approved by the Legislature raise corporate and personal income taxes by $733 million in the next budget cycle. One would raise taxes for individuals with a taxable income of more than $125,000 or joint filers with a taxable income of more than $250,000. the other would raise the corporate income tax minimum and also increase the rate.

Legislators struck the "yes is no" language out of House Bill 2414. It still contains a provision that sets a Jan. 26 election date if opponents of the tax increases obtain enough signatures to put the issue before voters.

Kevin Hoar sent this message to the members of Oregon Republican Party

See names of Democrat legislators who supported "yes is no" HERE Read More......

Deception from Oregons' Democrat Legislators

VICTORIA TAFT, 6/26/2009 - Victoria Taft asks, "Who voted for the 17 WORDS to subvert the will of the voters?" The 17 WORDS are:

"For purposes of this subsection, a measure is considered adopted if it is rejected by the people."

She continues, "17 WORDS to change Oregon Voters' future "NO" votes into "YES" votes. YOU WILL KNOW THEIR NAMES: State Senator Susan Bonamici is re-writing the language to make it *look* better but with the same result. She's doing this at the behest of Senate Leader Peter Courtney and Dave Hunt. [And the supporters are] Sen. Margaret Carter, Rep. Peter Buckley, Rep. Nancy Nathanson, Sen. Alan Bates, Sen. Rod Monroe, Sen. David Nelson, Sen. Joanne Verger, Sen. Vickie Walker, Rep. Chris Edwards, Rep. David Edwards, Rep. Larry Galizio, Rep. Bob Jenson,Rep. Tina Kotek, Rep. Chip Shields and friends of the 17 WORDS... Rep. Brent Barton and Rep Nick Kahl"

Why? Read More......