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)

America Speaking Out is the 2010’s version of the 1990’s Contract With America. The idea is to provide a forum both in person and online to allow the American public to propose their policy ideas to the GOP.  Allegedly, the GOP will adopt some of these ideas as their platform for this election year.  I say allegedly because I know the party establishment sends out surveys every year asking their supporters what they should be doing in D.C.  and they apparently don’t pay much attention to them because nothing in the party has changed much over the years.

While I can understand their wanting to reach out to the people and think that is a logical move, I also have to think that if they don’t already know what the public wants then they are way behind the eight ball.  Have they not been paying attention to the polls?  Have they ignored the protests that have been going on for the past year against the current administration’s agenda?  Are they not alarmed by their incumbents and establishment backed candidates getting trounced by the tea party folks?  Seriously, how insulated are these people in D.C. from what is going on in this country?

Anyway, my cynicism isn’t meant to disparage Congresswoman Foxx in anyway because we like her here at CPO, so if you live in North Carolina’s Fifth Congressional District and want to call into her telephone town hall on June 8th, it will begin at 5:30pm.  The number to dial in is 1-877-850-4133 Passcode FOXX (3699). Foxx will post the list of ideas submitted on her Web site www.foxx.house.gov for participants to review after the call.

Update: The time has been changed to 5:00pm

So my mailbox has been the recipient of an onslaught of press releases from angry Republican Congressmen and candidates over the passage of health care deform last night.  I am not going to post every single one of them so I am just going to put up snippets of each one and whose office they were sent from.

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District)

“Now more than ever we need sensible health care reform,” Foxx said. “That’s why it’s so sad that the Democratic majority forced this overhaul through. This bill is bad medicine, plain and simple. It’s chock full of government mandates, $569 billion in job-killing tax hikes and $1.2 trillion in new government spending.”

In addition to increasing taxes by $569 billion, the final health overhaul slashes Medicare by $523.5 billion. It also includes nearly $200 billion in cuts to Medicare Advantage. There are more than 40,000 seniors in North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District who enjoy the benefits of Medicare Advantage.

Katherine Jenerette (Candidate for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District)

It’s a set up guys. Obama and his brain trust are out in front on this one. They put the ‘thou-shalt-purchase’ clause in the bill deliberately knowing every freedom-loving, red-blooded Republican AG would charge. They intend to have the Republican’s object to this in bit-and-pieces instead of a full frontal attack that the ENTIRE Bill is unconstitutional.

We Republicans bit the bait real good, but, it was a Trojans horse covered with shiny stuff like the abortion debate; deliberately set to get our attention. While all along, ‘Obamanistas’ fully expect that the Supreme Court will strike down the parts that mandate a person will buy insurance or they will pay through the nose to BigFed one way or another. There are bigger problems ahead, so save some ammo.

We had a saying when I was in the desert in the first Gulf War, ‘It’s not just the mouse that ran through the tent you need to worry about – it’s the viper that’s chasing the mouse you better be afraid of.’

When the Supreme Court decision is finally made – with the anticipated ruling, the bumper sticker “I Heart Socialized Medicine” liberal crowd will pull out the already prepared Round Three plan: Public Option in tandem with the Federal Government picking up the tab incrementally to offset the loss.

Scott Keadle (Candidate for North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District)

Congressional candidate Scott Keadle today called on North Carolina’s Attorney General Roy Cooper to join other states’ attorney generals in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the health care reform bill passed by Congress late last night.

Currently, Attorney Generals from Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington have announced plans to do so. Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum announced this morning that he would file suit on behalf of Floridians.

Keadle said, “The health care reform legislation passed by the U. S. House of Representatives last night violates the U.S. Constitution and infringes on each state’s sovereignty. North Carolina should join the other states and file a lawsuit to protect the rights and the interests of its citizens.”

“The 10th District citizens overwhelmly are opposed to this legislation, and they deserve legal representation from our state’s top lawyer to fight on their behalf,” he said.

State Representative Jeff Duncan (Candidate for South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District)

As I watched the health care debate, it was my hope that Congress would have considered legislation that would lower costs and improve access by offering free market solutions. I hoped Congress would have remembered the Constitution of the United States and realized they were leading our nation away from our founding principles

Instead, we witnessed a 2,700 page bill rammed through Congress by using a mixture of backroom bribes and procedural tricks. Instead of passing a transparent bill that would help rejuvenate our economy, thousands of small business owners are left wondering if this health care bill will be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

With the passage of this flawed health care bill we witnessed free market ideals substituted for more government bureaucracy. The federal government will be hiring approximately 16,000 new IRS agents just to enforce the new tax element of this legislation. In addition, this bill will make major cuts to Medicaid and Medicare and ask private citizens and doctors to pick up the tab. Ultimately, I believe this health care legislation is too expensive and is clearly unconstitutional.

Congressman Patrick McHenry (North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District)

“Today’s vote means the President will sign federal funding of abortions, the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase, 19 tax increases and $500 billion in Medicare cuts into law. His so-called health care ‘reform’ plan raises premiums, ignores lawsuit abuse and adds billions to the federal deficit.

“This is an anti-jobs bill. Instead of helping businesses create jobs it will increase federal spending, raise taxes and slow economic growth.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 24, 2010

Contact: Aaron Groen

202-225-2071

WASHINGTON—The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) today awarded Foxx an “A” grade for her record of consistently voting to reduce spending and keep taxes low.  In NTU’s detailed rating of more than 300 House votes in 2009 Foxx scored a 94 percent, giving her the highest score out of North Carolina’s congressional delegation.

“Working hard to keep federal government spending in check and to keep North Carolina families’ taxes low is one of my top priorities,” Foxx said.  “So I’m pleased that NTU recognized my commitment to fiscal responsibility and limited government in their 2009 vote ratings.”

NTU’s rating of members of Congress’ votes covers 333 House votes in 2009 that had a significant affect on taxes, spending or debt.  Foxx’s “A” grade reflects her voting record on these 333 votes and also earns her the NTU’s “Taxpayers’ Friend Award”.

For more information on NTU’s congressional ratings, how the ratings are calculated and what roll call votes are used please visit www.ntu.org.

U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, criticized for a string of polarizing statements made last year on the floor of Congress, drew attention this week for saying that the U.S. government should not pay for education.

“Most of the things that have been done by the federal government which are unconstitutional have been done for good reasons,” Foxx said. “They’re not malevolent reasons, but they’re wrong. We should not be funding education, for example.”

Foxx also said she did not believe that the federal government should mandate people to buy health insurance.

Aaron Groen, a spokesman for Foxx, said that, on the education question, what the congresswoman meant was that the federal government should leave the financing of education — and the policy decisions of how to educate — to state and local governments.

The W-S Journal

Foxx got skewered for her truthful and accurate comments on heath care, and she’s going to be skewered for her truthful and accurate comments on education too.  But all the skewering and name-calling won’t change the fact the 10th Amendment backs her up, as does simple reality. Anyone care to make the argument that the feds have done a good job with education over the last few decades? Anyone want to argue that our schools would be better if Congress Critters got even MORE involved?

You may recall that President Obama promised several times during his 2008 presidential campaign that if elected he would push for an overhaul of the health care system and that he would make the talks and negotiations publicly accessible by the media.  This of course has turned out to be another one of the many lies he fed the American people in the run up to the 2008 elections.  The health care legislation has been a rotting stew of secrecy, back room deals, and flat out bribery among our elected representatives on the left side of the aisle.

A few days ago C-SPAN finally got up the nerve to push House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to allow them access to cover the talks of the final legislation being reconciled by both Houses of Congress.  In what is more or less a mockery of their request, the Great O has bestowed upon them a one hour window to cover the talks.  The fact that they even have to ask permission in a “government for the people, by the people” is rather striking to begin with.

Understandably outraged by the behavior of the majority party, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC-05) has co-authored a letter with a few fellow Republican Congressmen to Pelosi demanding that they live up to the promise  of “a new era of openness in our country” made by the President early last year.  It will more than likely be ignored because this administration and Congressional leadership have demonstrated time and time again that they don’t give a damn about what the people of this country want, but hey, at least Foxx has tried.

You can read the text of her letter here.

You can guarantee that California will fight this tooth and nail.  They have about five more seats than they should due to the population of illegals in their state.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Aaron Groen

October 14, 2009
202-225-2071

Foxx introduces bill requiring Census to determine number of illegal immigrants

Legislation will ensure fair congressional apportionment

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (NC-5) today introduced the Fairness in Representation Act (H.R. 3797), legislation that requires the Census Bureau to determine the number of illegal immigrants present in the United States in its decennial census. The census count currently does not distinguish between illegal immigrants and citizens or those legally present in the U.S.

“Accurately counting the number of illegal immigrants in our country is a matter of equity and justice for American citizens and those legally present in the U.S.,” Foxx said. “This bill is a commonsense proposal to require the Census Bureau to ask about citizenship status on the same census form that already asks recipients’ race, age, and sex.”

Foxx’s legislation aims to prevent unfair distortions in the distribution of House of Representative seats among the 50 states caused by large populations of illegal immigrants in certain areas.

By counting illegal immigrants the Census Bureau will be able to provide accurate data for the reapportionment and redistricting process. Without this data some states will receive fewer Congressional representatives than they should due to other states’ high illegal immigrant population.

“The census is a lynchpin in the proper functioning of America’s democratic and legislative process,” Foxx said. “Ensuring that the final tally is accurate and fair will mean everyone’s vote counts equally after congressional districts are redrawn in the coming years.”

Note: For more information on the Fairness in Representation Act or to schedule an interview with Foxx please contact Aaron Groen at 202-225-2071. To read the legislation please click here.

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Today in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009 whizzed through the House by a vote of 331 to 83.  This takes your hard earned money and hands it over to the unemployed for another 13 weeks.  It’s a good thing that “stimulus” bill is putting all of those back people to work, huh?

So instead of our Congress implementing real economic growth policies that would take the unemployed off of the unemployment roles as they begin to find work again, the Congress decided to add to our $11 trillion national debt in more welfare handouts.  All so they can send out glossy pamphlets to their constituents that say, “Vote for me!  I gave you more of other peoples’ money!”

So which House members, you ask, in our Carolinas are responsible for the passage of this bill?  The answer is easy.  All of them, except for two.  Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC-05) was the only representative to vote for fiscal responsibility.  But I said two didn’t vote for the bill.  The other was Congressman Gresham Barrett (R-SC-03).  He didn’t show up to vote.  I guess he is too busy running for governor.

Just an FYI, Congressman Bob Etheridge (D-NC-02) cosponsored this bill.

From a press release from Congresswoman Virginia Foxx

WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Representative Virginia Foxx (NC-05) today announced that she is cosponsoring legislation (H.R. 3226) to re-establish Congress’s constitutional role in the presidential appointment of government ‘czars’.  Since taking office, President Obama has appointed dozens of powerful administration officials, popularly known as ‘czars’, outside the Senate confirmation process established by the Constitution.

“In the past eight months the Obama administration has appointed more than 30 czars with power over every conceivable area of government and very few have gone through the constitutionally mandated Senate confirmation process,” Foxx said.  “Congress must reclaim its oversight role in the confirmation process of high-ranking administration officials.”

I’m glad to see someone taking the lead on this.  These czar appointment have greatly disturbed me.  Obama is appointing all of these people into powerful positions in our government with absolutely no accountability to the Congress or the American people.  Essentially, he is instituting a shadow government and this is incredibly dangerous to our Republic.

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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Aaron Groen

August 20, 2009
(202) 225-2071

Foxx to host Fifth District Telephone Town Hall

WASHINGTON, D.C.-On Thursday, August 20 Congresswoman Virginia Foxx will host a district-wide telephone town hall on the topic of healthcare reform for Fifth District constituents.  Constituents can call into the town hall meeting by dialing 1-877-850-4133 at 6:30 pm and entering the password FOXX (3699).

“We need sensible healthcare reform that is patient centered, not government-centered or insurance company-centered,” Foxx said.  “In the midst of the national debate over healthcare reform many constituents want to know what their government is up to with healthcare.

“North Carolina taxpayers are rightly demanding that Washington slow down the process and listen to their concerns,” Foxx said.  “So I am looking forward to hearing constituents’ thoughts about the health care reform bills moving through Congress.”

Constituents will be connected to a live conference call with Rep. Foxx and other constituents in the Fifth District when they call 1-877-850-4133 on August 20 at 6:30 pm.  All participants will need to enter a password for the call: the password is F-O-X-X (3699).  After joining the call, participants will be able to ask Rep. Foxx questions about the healthcare reform or any other issues on their mind.

“Please join me on this telephone town hall,” Foxx said.  “This will be a great opportunity for constituents to let their voice be heard in the important healthcare debate in Congress no matter where they live in the Fifth District.”

This telephone town hall is open to constituents in North Carolina’s Fifth District.

Individuals can visit Rep. Foxx’s website,  <http://www.foxx.house.gov/>  or click here
<http://www.foxx.house.gov/index.cfm?SectionID=116&ParentID=22&SectionTypeID=5&SectionTree=22,116> to determine if they are a Fifth District resident.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Aaron Groen

June 26, 2009
202-225-2071

Foxx votes against national energy tax

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05) today voted against H.R. 2454, a bill that would essentially create a national energy tax through a “cap and trade” scheme. Some estimates found that the total tax impact of this legislation will amount to $2,979 per year for a family of four.

“As we struggle to make our way out of a recession, I could not vote for the creation of a new national energy tax,” Foxx said. “North Carolina families and businesses can’t afford the financial strain of high energy costs in this bill. We should be working to ensure taxpayers are less burdened by taxes and red tape-not more.”

Under H.R. 2454, electricity costs are estimated to rise by 90 percent. According to the Heritage Foundation, employment will be lower by 1,105,000 jobs per year as a result of this national energy tax. The bill will have an especially negative effect on energy-intensive sectors like manufacturing-which employs one out of six people in North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District. H.R. 2454 will also reduce the United States’ economic output by $9.6 trillion.

“Tens of thousands of people in North Carolina who work in manufacturing are at risk of losing their jobs due to the burdens placed on employers by this bill,” Foxx said. “Many employers will be forced out of business or out of the country because of high energy prices and the new regulations in this legislation.”

The legislation will be particularly damaging to rural areas and farming communities. Because rural households spend 58 percent more on fuel than urban residents as a percentage of their income, high energy prices cause disproportionate harm to rural families. The Heritage Foundation also estimates that farm income will drop by $50 billion by 2035 if H.R. 2454 becomes law.

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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)

Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx said during debate in the House that the 1998 death of Matthew Shepard shouldn’t be used to justify a hate crimes bill because it wasn’t a hate crime. Foxx said Shepard was killed during a robbery.

The bill approved Wednesday by the House would expand a federal hate crimes law to include acts motivated by sexual orientation.

“We know that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn’t because he was gay,” Foxx said during debate. “The bill was named for him, the hate-crimes bill was named for him, but it’s really a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills.”

Foxx later said her comments didn’t convey what she meant to say.

“The term ‘hoax’ was a poor choice of words used in the discussion of the hate-crimes bill,” Foxx said in a statement. “Mr. Shepard’s death was nothing less than a tragedy, and those responsible for his death certainly deserved the punishment they received.”

Foxx said in her statement that she relied on two news reports for her comments about robbery being a motive for the slaying.

“Referencing these media accounts may have been a mistake, but if so, it was a mistake based on what I believed were reliable accounts,” she said.

The AP

The whole “outrage” over this is just more political football.  Foxx’s comments aren’t necessarily wrong.  This is not the first time I’ve heard this claim made.  The media just ran with the whole “he was killed because he’s gay” story ten years ago without really digging deeper.  I guess that’s what sells newspapers.  The authorities who were investigating this have speculated that the real motive of the killing was robbery and drug related and may not have had anything to do with Shepard being gay at all, but the media never really reported that part of it.

Foxx probably should have known better than to even bother going there and putting herself in that position knowing how hostile the media is towards the political right wing, but I don’t think she needed to apologize either.  By apologizing she basically is admitting she is guilty of doing something wrong and I really don’t see the problem with what she said.  Anyone with more than a third grade education can clearly see that she was referring to the hoax as exploitation of Shepard’s death for the purpose of passing hate crimes legislation, not his death itself.

This all underscores the larger issue, however, and that is that hate crimes legislation is discriminatory and creates a special class of victims.  It says that some lives are worth more than others.  To give an example, say you assault someone because you don’t like them for some reason, so you get two years in jail.  Now say you assault someone exactly in the same form because they are gay.  Now you get ten years in jail.  What’s changed?  Nothing, other than one victim was gay and another was not.  You assaulted both people because you didn’t like them for some reason, but apparently gay people are more valuable human beings than the rest of us since you’re getting punished more severely for assaulting the gay person.  This is what hate crimes legislation does.  It’s the same deal with murders, yet when is a murder committed by an act that does not result from hatred?  Aren’t all murders hate crimes by default?

Here’s another problem.  The idea behind hate crimes legislation is to punish people for committing crimes against minorities specifically because they are some kind of minority.  So say a white guy beats the crap out of a black guy for, I don’t know, say he stole his girlfriend.  It has nothing to do with the fact that he is black whatsoever, but the prosecutors say it was because he was black and want to charge you with a hate crime carrying a much stiffer sentence.  How do you prove that race was not a motivating factor?  Unless you were uttering racial epithets while you were kicking the crap out of the guy, and that still doesn’t prove you were attacking him for being black, nobody knows why you truly did what you did except for you.  So when you hear people discuss hate crimes legislation and claim it opens the door for the “Thought Police” this is what they are talking about.

Virginia Foxx is on the correct side of this issue.  This legislation needs to be stopped, but I doubt that’s going to be the case given the excessive majorities of the Democrat Party in Congress.

North Carolina’s congressional delegation served up $228 million in pork barrel spending for fiscal 2009, a 5 percent jump from the previous year, according to the latest report from the government watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste.

CAGW’s 2009 “Congressional Pig Book,” released one day before hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets to protest wasteful government spending in a series of “tea parties,” catalogued 10,160 total pork projects, also called earmarks, amounting to $19.6 billion. Although the number of earmarks was down this year, the amount spent on those projects rose by 14 percent compared to fiscal 2008.

The Carolina Journal

I guess while the rest of us cut back, Congress felt the need to make up for it by spending more. But hey, what’s another $19.6 billion compared to the trillions we’re tossing around?

Despite a pledge to reform the earmark system, President Obama last month signed a $410 billion omnibus appropriations bill laced with pork barrel spending. “I am signing an imperfect omnibus bill because it’s necessary for the ongoing functions of government, and we have a lot more work to do,” Obama said.

Hope and change. Change and hope. Just click your ruby slippers together and maybe it’ll come true.

U.S. Rep. David Price, D-4th, helped score the most earmarks among North Carolina representatives, followed by former Rep. Robin Hayes, R-8th. Price and Hayes secured a combined 34 earmarks totaling over $11 million in the omnibus spending bill alone, according to a report by Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Reps. Virginia Foxx, R-5th, and Patrick McHenry, R-10th, were the only Tar Heel lawmakers to pass on the pork. Rep. Walter Jones, R-3rd, was responsible for only one earmark: $2.4 million for a U.S. Navy cancer vaccine program in California.

Foxx, Jones, and McHenry have promised to abstain from earmarks. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., made the same pledge, but the CAGW report shows that Burr played a role in securing 52 earmarks in appropriations bills this fiscal year.

I’m interested to know what Burr’s earmarks were, and what excuse he had. Last week Bane took some S.C. lawmakers to task for breaking their no-tax pledge. Well, I’m not to pleased to see my U.S. Senator break a no-earmarks pledge. That and his support for Bush’s bailout plan last year are causing me to sour on this guy real quick.

I love a spirited discussion, how about you?