Carolina Politics Online

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is a taxpayer watchdog group that for years has been tracking and monitoring the wasteful spending being undertaken by our members of Congress. When I say waste I mean real waste, things that most all of us regardless of political ideology and views could likely agree on. Wasted spending like $1,454,000 for mosquito trapping research or $2,573,000 for potato research. Better yet, right here in our own backyard, UNC Charlotte received $762,000 for interactive dance software.

CAGW has a searchable database containing the 9,129 pork-barrel projects in the 2010 Congressional Pig Book. They also do a ranking of every member of Congress with a score of 100 indicating a taxpayer superhero and a score of 0 being a wasteful taxpayer abuser. Unfortunately, here in the Carolinas we have several big fat zeros. That list is below:

Do you remember a month ago when I warned you about a piece of legislation called the Disclose Act?  Well, it passed the U.S.  House about an hour and a half ago.  Just to recap the dangers this bill presents:

The point of the legislation would be to force corporations sponsoring a political ad to disclose their identity, even to the extreme of the CEO having to appear at the end of the ad in a disclaimer.  However, it’s the more ominous language in the bill that has raised the eyebrows of those in the blogosphere and questioning if this legislation could unconstitutionally impact us as well.  The issue is with the language.

Under the bill, the F.E.C. would have the authority to require disclosures regarding the funding of “coordinated communications,” defined in the bill as “a publicly distributed or disseminated communication that refers to a clearly identified candidate for Federal office” and is publicly distributed or disseminated within four months prior to an election. In other words, political ads. And this bill would specifically target those paid for by someone or some entity other than the candidates.

The bill specifically exempts certain forms of media from being considered “coordinated communications” and regulated by it, but blogs aren’t specifically listed.

OpenCongress

And that is what is sounding the alarm.  Here is the language of the bill stating who exceptions apply to.

‘(4) EXCEPTION- The term ‘covered communication’ does not include—

‘(A) a communication appearing in a news story, commentary, or editorial distributed through the facilities of any broadcasting station, newspaper, magazine, or other periodical publication, unless such facilities are owned or controlled by any political party, political committee, or candidate;

There is no mention of blogs in the list of communication and there is no language specifically exempting the communication of a private individual like myself and others who write Web sites like this.

It’s uncertain if this bill will make it through the Senate. After all, as the saying goes the Senate is the place where legislation goes to die. If they do pass it then we have an open door to Stalinism right here in the United States.  Think it’s out of the question that the Federal government couldn’t abuse this law to shut down Web sites like this one and others that they feel are a threat to their power just like they do in countries like Iran, China, and Singapore?  Think again.

The following Congressmen from North and South Carolina voted for this bill today:

• Bob Etheridge (D-NC-02)
• David Price (D-NC-04)
• Larry Kissell (D-NC-08)
• Heath Shuler (D-NC-11)
• Brad Miller (D-NC-13)
• John Spratt (D-SC-05)
• Jim Clyburn (D-SC-06)

The following members voted against the act to preserve freedom of speech:

• G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-01)
• Walter Jones (R-NC-03)
• Virginia Foxx (R-NC-05)
• Howard Coble (R-NC-06)
• Mike McIntyre (D-NC-07)
• Sue Myrick (R-NC-09)
• Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10)
• Mel Watt (D-NC-12)
• Joe Wilson (R-SC-02)
• Bob Inglis (R-SC-04)

HEALTH-CARE MANDATE: Voting 187 for and 230 against, the House on June 15 defeated a GOP bid to use HR 5486 (above) as a vehicle for repealing the new health law’s requirement that individuals who can afford it obtain medical insurance either at work or in a state-run exchange. The purpose of the individual mandate is to hold down everybody’s health costs by establishing the largest possible pool of insured persons. Critics say the mandate is oppressive because those without coverage will face financial penalties. At least 20 states have filed suits challenging the requirement.

The Herald-Journal

The Democrats in Congress continue to sustain the unconstitutional health insurance mandate that President Obama said during his campaign he would never support and criticized both Hillary Clinton and John Edwards for proposing such an idea.  Another one of this long list of lies.  With the exception of Congressmen Mike McIntyre (NC-07) and Heath Shuler (NC-11), every Democrat in both North and South Carolina voted to keep this oppressive and un-American mandate in place.

Every Republican voted against keeping the mandate with the exception of three who were not present to vote:  Henry Brown (SC-01), Gresham Barrett (SC-03), and Bob Inglis (SC-04).  I imagine Barrett and Inglis were too busy trying to save their political asses while Brown, well, he is retiring so maybe he just doesn’t give a damn anymore.

The House of Representatives approved a plan Friday that would pave the way for an eventual repeal of the military’s controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which bars openly gay and lesbian soldiers from military service.

The measure passed in a largely party-line, 229-186 vote as part of a larger defense authorization bill despite a growing controversy over allegations of wasteful spending in the legislation. Most Democrats backed the bill while most Republicans opposed it.

CNN

It’s the 21st century folks and we need to bury all of the superstitious bogeymen and progress with the times.  There are gay people in the military.  There were gay people in the military 100 years ago and there will be gay people in the military 100 years from now.  These people have bravely fought and served this country with the same courage as everyone else who has worn the uniform and they deserve the same respect.  Their sexual preference is of no consequence and is nobody’s business and they shouldn’t have to hide in the shadows about it for fear of being dishonorably discharged.  The repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is a good thing and I am fully supportive of it.

The bill still has to make its way through the Senate where the future of just about anything is always unsure.  There is a strong possibility of a Republican filibuster which I don’t think the New England Republicans will support, but the midwest and southern Democrats might, so it could be stopped.

The vote in the House was pretty much on party lines.  In North and South Carolina all of the Democrats voted for repeal except for Mike McIntyre (NC-07) who voted “No” and Heath Shuler (NC-11) who was not present.  All of the Republicans voted against the repeal except for Henry Brown (SC-01) and Walter Jones (NC-03) who were not present.

Republican Congressional candidate Will Breazeale wants voters to know that his main primary opponent, Ilario Pantano, only became a Republican late last year, when he switched affiliations from independent.

Pantano didn’t throw stones back when asked what voters should know about Breazeale. He said simply that Breazeale “loves his country and wants to serve the people of the 7th District.”

Pantano and Breazeale are vying for the Republican nomination in the district that includes all or parts of 10 Southeastern North Carolina counties, including Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender.

Randy Crow, who has been unsuccessful in 15 runs for elected office, is also in the race.

The winner of the May 4 primary will face incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-Lumberton, in the Nov. 2 general election. McIntyre is serving his seventh term in the House. All three GOP hopefuls support term limits.

The Star News

I sent a questionnaire to Pantano and Breazeale, but haven’t gotten a response. So if you’re interested in either Republican in this race, this article will probably be as close as you get to some elucidation.

The State Employees Association of North Carolina (SEANC) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are mobilizing in North Carolina and collecting signatures to form their own political party. I’m guessing that after 140 years of Democrats controlling the state legislature they are finally fed up with still being barred from holding the taxpayers hostage through public sector unionization and being unable to artificially inflate the fair market labor rate throughout the state, thus making it uncompetitive. The North Carolina First Party, which would be more aptly named as the Me First Party, is working on collecting the 85,000 signatures needed to get on the ballot, another reminder of the state’s grossly unfair ballot access laws.

Should they be successful in their endeavor, I imagine it will not sit well with Democrats like Heath Shuler, Larry Kissell, Mike McIntyre, and Bob Etheridge who represent Republican leaning districts and will more than likely experience tougher reelection fights than normal this year. If all end up in close races losing a percent or two to a third party candidate could make the difference between victory or early retirement.

The stated goal of the North Carolina First Party is to “to give working families the ability to choose a candidate that will fight for their interests – or to identify Congressional candidates who will stay accountable to the needs of working families not Washington’s special interests.”  In other words, steal more and more money from your wealthier and more successful neighbors and hand it over to you even though you don’t deserve it.

Update: The House may be voting tomorrow.

Get the lie out first and ignore the truth later.  That is apparently the philosophy that the media and the Democrats are running with today.  You may have heard all the hype this morning about the CBO claiming that the health care bill will cost $940 billion and reduce the deficit by $130 billion over ten years, right?

Not exactly.

Although CBO completed a preliminary review of legislative language prior to its release, the agency has not thoroughly examined the reconciliation proposal to verify its consistency with the previous draft. This estimate is therefore preliminary, pending a review of the language of the reconciliation proposal, as well as further review and refinement of the budgetary projections.

You see, this is a preliminary estimate that does not include all the other changes that are being proposed to reconcile the House and Senate bills, yet the Democrats and their minions in the out of mainstream media are running around quoting this as fact.  It’s just more dishonesty in a long line of lies.

Here is one thing I am fairly certain of, though.  The House does not have the votes to pass this bill as of today.  If they did, they’d have already voted on it.  That doesn’t mean they won’t get them, however, so if you value your freedom and don’t want an unconstitutional government take over of your health care, then get on the phone and tell your Congressman to vote NO on this bill.

The four Democrats in our two states with the biggest potential of voting no on this are Heath Shuler, Mike McIntyre, Bob Etheridge, and John Spratt.  They all represent Republican leaning districts.  Definitely concentrate on them.

Heath Shuler
Phone: (202) 225-6401
Fax: (202) 226-6422

Bob Etheridge
Phone: (202) 225-4531
Fax: (202) 225-5662

Mike McIntyre
Phone: (202) 225-2731
Fax: (202) 225-5773

John Spratt
Phone: 202-225-5501
Fax: 202-225-0464

Yesterday, the Democrats in the U.S. House voted to raise the nation’s debt ceiling from $12.1 trillion to $12.39 trillion resulting in an increase to $40,300 for every man, woman, and child in America.  The very folks who rightly railed against the Bush deficits in 2006 have not surprisingly exposed their hypocrisy throughout the past three years as they continue to spend more and more money we do not have, bringing about the slow bankruptcy of America.

According to the Washington Examiner, the debt as a percentage of GDP has risen from 41% to 53% in just this past year alone.  At current projections the debt will reach 85% of GDP by 2018 and 100% by 2022.  Although, we may not even make it that far.

Long before the debt reaches such stratospheric levels, the commission warns, “Fears of inflation and a prospective decline in the value of the dollar would cause investors to demand higher interest rates and shift out of U.S. Treasury securities. The excessive debt would also affect citizens in their everyday lives by harming the American standard of living through slower economic growth and dampening wages, and shrinking the government’s ability to reduce taxes, invest, or provide a safety net.”

For those of you that ignorantly voted for President Obama last year, ask yourselves if this is the hope and change you expected to get.

Every Republican in North and South Carolina voted against fiscal bankruptcy.  They were joined by Democrats Mike McIntyre (NC-07) and Larry Kissell (NC-08).

Just a few hours ago the U.S. House of Representatives passed The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009, House Bill 4173, which if passed by the U.S. Senate will do the following:

The House voted 223 to 202 today to approve the most sweeping overhaul of financial regulations since the Great Depression, a sprawling measure that would create a new agency to protect consumers and give the government broad new powers to dismantle large firms that pose risks to the economy.

Los Angeles Times

So two things are happening here.  One, we will be creating yet another bloated Federal government bureaucracy with unconstitutional powers.  Second, the Federal government will now have the right to seize and liquidate a firm that it feels is “risky” to the economy.  Well who the hell makes that determination, the people in Congress?  Most of them have never operated a business in their lives.  What the hell would they know about what poses a risk to the economy?  Take a look at the state of the American economy today and tell me that these people are qualified to make this determination.

The potential for corruption of course is huge.  For example, what if the Feds wanted to force another industry to take government funds like they did to the banks with TARP and one firm pushes back saying no?  Under this new power all the Feds have to do then is lean on them and threaten to find them too “risky” to stay in business if they don’t play ball.

When we give the Feds the power to seize private businesses we take another step closer to becoming an oppressive Socialist state like Venezuela, Cuba, or North Korea.  This is incredibly dangerous, but your average American won’t even know this happened today and many that do will think it’s a fine idea to stick it to those Wall Street goons.  Let’s not forget that it was the Federal government that opened the door to this economic crisis in the first place.

Every Republican in North and South Carolina voted against this swipe of freedom.  They were joined by Democrat Mike McIntyre (NC-07).  All other Democrats in our two states voted for despotism today.

HR 3962, the infamous Pelosi health care bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives last night by a mere five votes.  This doesn’t mean that we’re doomed.  The U.S. Senate still has their own version to pass and then it has to be reconciled with the House bill and both chambers have to vote on the final combo bill.  It is unlikely this will all happen before the end of the year, so there is time for the American people to stop this.

I want you to understand what this bill does.  It is going to cost in excess of $1.2 trillion over the next ten years.  This is all new spending on top of what our government spends today.  Bear in mind, we have a $1.7 trillion budget deficit this year alone an $11 trillion debt.  It’s actually even worse than that, though.  The $1.2 trillion figure is what the House reps are saying.  The CBO has a much, much larger price tag.

Senator Gregg: Updated CBO Estimate of House Bill Pulls Back the Curtain on Majority’s Intent to Grow Government by $3 Trillion

Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee today commented on the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) more detailed cost estimate of the manager’s amendment to the House health reform bill.

Senator Gregg stated, “The CBO estimate released last night finally sheds light on the smoke and mirrors game the majority has been playing with the cost of their health care reform proposal. Over the first 10 years, this legislation builds in gross new spending of $1.7 trillion – and most of the new spending doesn’t even start until 2014. Once that spending is fully phased in, the House Democratic bill rings up at more than $3 trillion over ten years.

“Additionally, this bill cuts critical Medicare and Medicaid funding by $628 billion, accounts for nearly $1.2 trillion in tax and fee increases and will explode the scope of government by putting the nation’s health care system in the hands of Washington bureaucrats. The $3 trillion price tag defies common sense – we simply cannot add all this new spending to the government rolls and claim to control the deficit.

“If we continue to pile more and more debt on the next generation, they will never be able to get out from under it. The health care system needs reform, but this massive expansion of government, financed by our children and grandchildren, is the wrong way to proceed.”

This bill will fine employers who do not provide health insurance to their employees.  This is a double edged sword.  Many small business, for one, don’t provide it because they can’t.  Of those companies that do, the fine that would be implemented by the Federal government will actually cost less than providing the benefits.  The obvious result is that many companies out there will simply drop employee health benefits and force them onto the public “option.”  Personally, I think this is by design because the Democrats have been very open about wanting a single payer government run health care system and that is exactly the path we will go down.

This bill will make your current insurance policy even more expensive.  Remember how the whole point of health care “reform” was to lower the cost.  Yeah, that’s out the door.  Taxes on medical devices and supplies as well as on insurance companies and mandates requiring them to cover anyone who walks through the door regardless of age or preexisting conditions will raise the price of your insurance.  This will put many more Americans on the public “option” because they won’t be able to afford the premium increase or their company will stop offering the benefits and just pay the fine.  We are headed towards a two-tiered health care system.  High quality health care for the elite rich of our nation who can afford to pay outside the public “option” and a watered down rationed system for the rest of us.

This bill was 1,990 pages long.  Everyone that voted for this bill doesn’t have the slightest clue what is in it.  They haven’t had it long enough to know and many of them have already admitted that they don’t read the bills anyway.

Probably the most destructive part of this bill is the individual mandate.  Never in the history of our nation, one that prides itself of personal freedom and liberty, has our government passed a law forcing the American people to  buy a product.  This is blatantly unconstitutional and I imagine that if the Senate companion bill passes with the same mandate, which it does possess, and this is signed into law there will be Constitutional challenges to this piece.   I want you to understand the ramifications if such a mandate is held up by the Supreme Court.  Going forward our government will have no limitation of powers.  Once they are told by the highest court in the land that they are allowed to tell us what to buy based upon the court’s interpretation of the Commerce Clause or providing the general welfare, they will have complete control over the American people.  Our nation as we know it today will be a thing of the past.  We are heading into a Soviet style government.  Make no mistake about it.

All Republicans in North and South Carolina voted against this bill.  Democrat Congressmen Larry Kissell, Mike McIntyre, and Heath Shuler also voted against the bill.

The following Democrats voted to throw you in the gulag if you don’t buy health insurance.

• G. K. Butterfield (NC-01)
• Bob Etheridge (NC-02)
• David Price (NC-04)
• Mel Watt (NC-12)
• Brad Miller (NC-13)
• Jack Spratt (SC-05)
• Jim Clyburn (SC-06)

Queen Pelosi has set a vote for this Saturday, November 7th for the $1.05 trillion tyrannical health care bill they have pieced together in the House. The Democrats hold 258 House seats; 218 aye votes are needed to pass, which means 41 Democrats need to defect from their party in order to stop this, assuming no Republicans vote for it and I don’t think any will. That might sound like a tall order, but it may not be. The Blue Dog Democrats as well as other more moderate Democrats representing Republican districts are considerably nervous after Tuesday night’s election wins for the GOP in Virginia and New Jersey, so there will be considerable resistance to this bill, mainly on the grounds that it is too expensive.

This can be stopped, but the public has to take action. If your Congressman is a member of the Blue Dog coalition absolutely call their offices and tell them to oppose this bill.  In North Carolina we have two Blue Dog Democrats, Congressman Heath Shuler (NC-11) and Congressman Mike McIntyre (NC-07).

If your Congressman isn’t a member of the Blue Dogs, but still represents a moderate or Republican leaning district, like my Congressman, call them too. They are just as vulnerable to an angry public.  I would recommend contacting Congressmen Bob Etheridge (NC-02), Larry Kissell (NC-08),  and John Spratt (SC-05).  And even if you have an out of touch far left kook “representing” you in Congress, it doesn’t hurt to call them either. You might be surprised. And call the Republicans too, just to be sure.

If you don’t want to be thrown in jail for not buying a government approved health care plan, then you had better take some action. If you don’t you only have yourself to blame when intrusive government comes barreling down on you and your family.

LUMBERTON — As the battle over health care reform rages across the country, U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre is standing firmly against the Obama administration-backed plan.

“Although health care reform is needed, this bill, H.R. 3200, is not the way to do it,” McIntyre, whose 7th Congressional District encompasses much of Southeastern North Carolina, told The Robesonian last week. “It costs too much and is being done too fast and too soon.”

The bill, known as “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act,” is far from the solution to the nation’s health care woes, contends McIntyre and other opponents of the more than 1,000-page document. It is a plan, the congressman insists, that cannot successfully address health care problems.

“I am concerned that this proposal, which is currently the leading proposal in the health care debate, will not solve the problem. I’m concerned that it will actually exacerbate the problem.”

The Robesonian

Well Congressman, well over half of the country shares your concerns about this bill and we’re glad to hear you are listening to the American people rather than the moonbat fringe of your party.

The Club for Growth has released their annual RePORK card that gauges how responsible our Congressional representatives have been with our tax dollars.  The result is usually pretty atrocious and this year is no different, but we do have a few responsible representatives in our states’ delegations.  The ratings are based on 68 amendments introduced in the House that would have stripped wasteful earmarks out of 12 annual spending bills.  Representatives who voted for all of the amendments received a score of 100%.  Those that voted for none received a zero.  So how did our guys and girls stack up?

Virginia Foxx (R-NC-05) was the only member to receive a perfect score of 100%.  However, there were a few others who weren’t far behind her.  Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10) received a 99%, voting against only one of the amendments.  Gresham Barrett (R-SC-03) and Sue Myrick (R-NC-09) both received a 97%.  Bob Inglis (R-SC-04) a 96%.  All others were below 90% which means the rest have some work to do, some a little and some are completely worthless.

Two more Congressmen that stood out to me were our two Blue Dog Democrats in North Carolina:  Heath Shuler (NC-11) and Mike McIntyre (NC-07).  Bear in mind that the Blue Dogs are supposed to be fiscal conservatives.  Apparently, these two didn’t get the memo.  Shuler supported only one amendment out of the 68 and McIntyre found the only way to top his poor showing by voting for none of them.

Also on the wall of shame for frivolously throwing your tax dollars away are the following pigs who received a zero score:

• G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-01)
• Jim Clyburn (D-SC-06)
• Bob Etheridge (D-NC-02)
• Larry Kissell (D-NC-08)
• Brad Miller (D-NC-13)
• David Price (D-NC-04)
• Jack Spratt (D-SC-05)
• Mel Watt (D-NC-11)

It’s interesting to note that all the high scoring members of Congress are Republicans and all the ones with the shitty scores are Democrats.  That really illustrates the differing views the two parties have on the role of the Federal Government.

President Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel has insisted that a vote on the House health care disaster will take place prior to the August recess.  There is a very simple reason for this.  Obama knows that Americans are opposed to this bill coming out of the House and these Congressmen are going to catch hell when they get home over the recess.  The odds are better for House passage if the vote takes place before they are all confronted with their constituents.

Remember, Obama has lied about being able to keep your private insurance.  The bill clearly states that within five years of passage all employers must switch you over to a government managed health care plan.  If you refuse, you’ll be fined by the Federal government.  It will cost another trillion dollars (we are already $11 trillion in debt now) and still won’t cover every American.

This is one of the most irresponsible monstrosities to ever come out of D.C.  Call your Congressman NOW and tell him to vote against this.  It’s literally your life on the line, folks.

I doubt any of the Republican Congressmen in North or South Carolina will vote for this, but call them anyway.  Also, concentrate heavily on the following Democrats who represent Republican leaning districts:

• Bob Etheridge (NC-02)
• Mike McIntyre (NC-07)
• Larry Kissell (NC-08)
• Heath Shuler (NC-11)
• John Spratt (SC-05)

I live in Spratt’s district and already called his Washington office.  They have told me he is undecided at this point so keep the pressure on him to vote no.

You can get your Congressman’s contact information at the link below:

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt

By a vote of 183 to 247, the Pence of Indiana Amendment to H.R. 3293 which would have defunded Planned Parenthood was defeated in the U.S. House of Representatives today.  All Republican representatives from North and South Carolina voted in favor of the amendment.  All Democrats were opposed with the exception of the Blue Dogs, Heath Shuler (NC-11) and Mike McIntyre (NC-07).

I supported this amendment for two reasons.  One, I think funding Planned Parenthood is an unconstitutional use of Federal tax dollars.  The second reason is that abortion is an intensely emotional and volatile issue in this country and it’s something the government should stay out of.  A person appauled by abortion should not be forced to pay for it through their tax dollars.  Those seeking the abortion should pay their own way.  That seems like a fair compromise to me.

Democrat Congressmen Heath Shuler (NC-11) and Mike McIntyre (NC-07) along with 17 other Blue Dog Democrats sent the following letter to San Fran Nan informing her that she will get no support from them for a public health care bill that allows for the funding of abortions.

June 25, 2009

Dear Honorable Pelosi:

As the debate on health care reform continues and legislation is produced, it is imperative that the issue of abortion not be overlooked. Plans to mandate coverage for abortions, either directly or indirectly is unacceptable.

We believe in a culture that supports and respects the right to life and is dedicated to the protection and preservation of families. Therefore, we cannot support any health care reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan. We believe that a government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan, should not be used to fund abortion.

Furthermore, we want to ensure that the Health Benefits Advisory Committee cannot recommend abortion services be included under covered benefits or as part of a benefits package. Without an explicit exclusion, abortion could be included in a government subsidized health care plan under general health care. The health care reform package produced by Congress will be landmark, and with legislation as important as this, abortion must be addressed clearly in the bill text.

Furthermore, funding restrictions save lives by reducing the number of abortions. The Guttmacher Policy Review, a leading pro-choice research organization noted “that about one third of women who would have had an abortion if support were available carried their pregnancies to term when the abortion fund was unavailable.”

Thank you for taking the time to consider our request. By ensuring that abortions are not funded through any health care reform package, we will take this controversial issue off the table so that Congress can focus on crafting a broadly-supported health care reform bill.

Respectfully yours,

Reps. Dan Boren (D-OK); Bart Stupak (D-MI); Colin Peterson (D-MN); Tim Holden (D-PA); Travis Childers (D-MS); Lincoln Davis (D-TN); Heath Shuler (D-NC) Solomon Ortiz (D-TX); Mike McIntyre (D-NC); Jerry Costello (D-IL); Gene Taylor (D-MS); James Oberstar (D-MN); Bobby Bright (D-AL); Steve Driehaus (D-OH); Marcy Kaptur (D-OH); Charlie Melancon (D-LA); John Murtha (D-PA); Paul Kanjorski (D-PA); and Kathleen Dahlkemper (D-PA).

By a vote of 219 to 212, the House narrowly passed the Cap and Trade bill that will cost us millions of jobs and devastate the American economy even more as it starts going into affect. Just ask Spain how well it went for them?

This still has to pass the U.S. Senate of course and that is nowhere near certain. They need 60 ayes just to be able to vote for it and I imagine there will be Democrat defectors there just as there were in the House.

Those who voted to raise your energy bills by about $1500 a year to “save the planet” are as follows:

• G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-01)
• Bob Etheridge (D-NC-02)
• David Price (D-NC-04)
• Heath Shuler (D-NC-11)
• Mel Watt (D-NC-12)
• Brad Miller (D-NC-13)
• Jack Spratt (D-SC-05)
• Jim Clyburn (D-SC-06)

Those who voted to protect your liberty, labor, and livelihood were:

• Walter Jones (R-NC-03)
• Virginia Foxx (R-NC-05)
• Howard Coble (R-NC-06)
• Mike McIntyre (D-NC-07)
• Larry Kissell (D-NC-08)
• Sue Myrick (R-NC-09)
• Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10)
• Henry Brown (R-SC-01)
• Joe Wilson (R-SC-02)
• Gresham Barrett (R-SC-03)
• Bob Inglis (R-SC-04)

The House may be voting on the Waxman/Markey Cap and Tax bill today.  Congressman Mike McIntyre (D-NC-07) is leaning towards voting no on this bill and Congressman Heath Shuler (D-NC-11) is undecided.  Both are Blue Dog Democrats.  If you live in their district call their office immediately and tell them to vote no on Cap and Trade!

Mike McIntyre
Phone: (202) 225-2731
Fax: (202) 225-5773

Heath Shuler
Phone:(202) 225-6401
Fax: (202) 226-6422

Will Breazeale, a White Lake pilot who unsuccessfully ran for Congress last year, says on hits Web site he intends to try again in 2010.

Breazeale, a Republican, lost 32 percent to 68 percent against U.S. Mike McIntyre, a seven-term Democrat from Lumberton. He represents the 7th District, which includes Cumberland and Bladen counties.

The Fayetteville Observer

If Will Brezeale wants to enter public service, I think he is better off starting more locally, like for a state legislative seat or town/county government.  McIntyre clobbered him last year.  Granted, some of that was from the Obama momentum, but even absent that and with what I predict will be a favorable environment for the GOP, I don’t think Breazeale has much of a shot in unseating McIntyre.  It’s not impossible.  The 7th has the ability to be a Republican district if it were an open seat, but that’s not likely to happen anytime in the near future.  McIntyre is a centrist and has a good rapport with his district.  Barring some scandal or an environment as viscious to the Democrats as 1994 was, McIntyre is probably not going anywhere until he decides to draw the curtain.

Citizens Against Government Waste has for years tracked the spending of our government and combed through every dollar spent to report back to the public the yearly waste that occurs with our tax dollars.  We are now almost half way through 2009 (how time does fly) and they have already compiled a sizable list of wasteful pork spending by the Federal government and our representatives in North and South Carolina haven’t been thrifty to say the least.

Here is summary of CAGW’s report.

The fiscal year 2009 appropriations process was unique as three of the appropriations bills (Defense, Homeland Security and Military Construction) were passed and signed on September 30, 2008 under a different Congress and President.  But the change in control in the White House did not change the culture of corruption that surrounds pork-barrel spending.

In fiscal year 2009, Congress stuffed 10,160 projects into the 12 appropriations bills worth $19.6 billion.  The projects represent a  12.5 percent decrease from the 11,610 projects in fiscal year 2008.  The $19.6 billion is a 14 percent increase over the fiscal year 2008 total of $17.2 billion, belying claims of reduced spending.  Total pork identified by CAGW since 1991 adds up to $290 billion.

The 341 projects, totaling $4.2 billion, in this year’s Congressional Pig Book Summary symbolize the most egregious and blatant examples of pork.  As in previous years, all of the items in the Congressional Pig Book Summary meet at least one of CAGW’s seven criteria, but most satisfy at least two:

• Requested by only one chamber of Congress;
• Not specifically authorized;
• Not competitively awarded;
• Not requested by the President;
• Greatly exceeds the President’s budget request or the previous year’s funding;
• Not the subject of congressional hearings; or
• Serves only a local or special interest.

And here is the specific waste requested by some of our North Carolina and South Carolina representatives:

From Congressman David Price (D-NC-04)

$2,000,000 for textile research by House appropriator David Price (D-N.C.):  $1,000,000 for the Textile/Clothing Technology Corporation in Cary and $1,000,000 for North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

and

$167,000 by House appropriator David Price (D-N.C.) for the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill for a digitization project.  The Center is currently planning a renovation and expansion so, on March 3, the planetarium’s Director of External Relations Jeff Hill tried to argue for funding for the project, saying it could create jobs.  Hill wrote, “This project could result in jobs today as well as support science education across the state that could result in jobs tomorrow. … We’re sensitive to the economic situation, appreciative of the support that we receive from all quarters and ready to put people to work if and when this capital project receives funding.”  While there is much skepticism that the expansion will create many jobs, a digitization project will be temporary and create fewer jobs.

From former Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC)

$475,750 by then-Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) for the North Carolina Center for Automotive Research (NCCAR).  According to NCCAR’s website, “NCCAR is uniquely positioned to meet the demanding research and testing challenges of the automotive industry.”  A March 11, 2009 Charlotte Observer article noted that Concord, N.C.-based Speedway Motorsports, which owns seven major tracks, “reported a 2008 profit of about $80 million, more than double its 2007 profit of $38.4 million.  Its fourth-quarter loss was about $4.9 million, compared with a $20.2 million loss a year earlier.”

From Congressman Mike McIntyre (D-NC-07)

$11,600,000 by Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) for a chapel at Fort Bragg

From Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

$2,135,000 for six projects for trade centers funded through the SBA by Senate Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee member Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Senate appropriator Robert Bennett (R-Utah), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)

and

$27,820,000 for three projects funding fitness centers:  $11,580,000 by Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) for a fitness center at Naval Air Station Kingsville; $9,900,000 by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.) for a physical fitness center at Shaw Air Force Base

From Congressman John Spratt (D-SC-05)

$175,000 by Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.) under the Save America’s Treasures program for the Winnsboro Historic Clock Building.  On March 5, 2008, Rep. Spratt led his fellow House Budget Committee Democrats in voting unanimously to defeat a Republican amendment to place a moratorium on earmarks for the 110 Congress.

and

$27,820,000 for three projects funding fitness centers:  $11,580,000 by Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) for a fitness center at Naval Air Station Kingsville; $9,900,000 by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.) for a physical fitness center at Shaw Air Force Base

Bear in mind that these are only the most egregious.  As the year goes on they will most certainly be adding to the list.