John Thune Attacks Conservatives, Ignores Ethanol Support

Potential presidential candidate John Thune (R-Ethanol) lashed out at conservative critics of the Porkulus II (Obama tax deal) today.  Thune said on the Senate floor,"Inaction is not an option, and advocating against this proposal is no different than advocating for higher taxes.”

It's funny that Thune makes no mention of the ethanol subsidies that he so emphatically supports.  He has supported subsides, tariffs, and mandates that have driven up the costs of food and fuel on every American.  If this is not a tax, please explain to us what is. So, Mr. Thune, who is the one who is raising taxes after all?

Senator Orin Hatch (R-UT) was on the Sean Hannity show last hour and expressed the same arrogance as Thune.  It is all about deal making and working with the political reality of Democrat control.  But here is the dirty little secret.  Even if these guys had 70 Senators, they would still support big government programs.  Thune and Hatch support ethanol subsidies even as a stand alone bill.  It has nothing to do with the tax deal.  They are always demanding that we support big government bills under the guise of it being "the best political option at the time".  Well, I'm waiting for a time in which the Republicans will finally stand on principle.

The Ethanol Juggernaut :Do Republicans Have the Will to Stop Big Government?

It's always politically advantageous to support tax cuts.  However, it takes more intransigence and fortitude to oppose big government programs and special interest handouts.  It is even more arduous to oppose such programs when they are coupled with tax cuts as part of a backroom compromise.  Based upon Senator Jim Inhofe's comments to NRO it appears that there aren't too many GOP Senators who are down for the struggle.  Concerning the green handouts hidden in H.R. 4853, Inhofe told National Review's Robert Costa:

“94 percent of the provisions are meaningful. For people talking about wind and ethanol subsidies, you’re talking about 2 percent of the whole deal.”

Well, if Inhofe is signing on to this, then there won't be too many others joining Jim DeMint.  If today's cloture vote to proceed with debate is any indication of the final outcome, only 5 Republicans oppose the bill: Coburn, DeMint, Ensign, Sessions, and Voinovich.  (Although Voinovich opposes it on liberal grounds).  What concerns me more than Inhofe's support for the tax deal is the way he expresses it.  I could respect the fact that some believe that this is the best political decision we could make given the circumstances.  However, to dismiss the permanent welfare benefits, the special interest handouts, and the regressive ethanol "Hawkeye Handout" as "2 percent", is very disconcerting.

Alex Mooney, A Movement Conservative, Becomes Chairman of MD GOP

Over the weekend, Maryland GOP Central Committee members met in Annapolis to elect a new leadership.  With the state party is disarray, the most important thing was to elect a leader who is one of us.  That is to say, somebody who views themselves as a movement conservative, and not a big government political hack with an R next to their name.  The two front-runners were former state Senator Alex Mooney and Ehrlich running mate Mary Kane.  Thankfully, Alex Mooney is the new chairman.

According to the Washington Post, Mooney lead on the first ballot but failed to garner a majority.  He defeated Rino Mary Kane by 362-219.  John Kane, husband of Mary Kane and former state party chairman himself expressed his dismay over the election of a conservative.  "I believe it's clearly a step back to an uncompromising and uninviting environment that clearly didn't work in the past and won't work in the future, said Kane".  This tells us everything we need to know about the results.  I wasn't quite sure how much animosity Kane held towards conservatives, but now it is abundantly clear that we made the right decision.

The Tax Deal and the Bush Republicans

President George W. Bush and his compatriots introduced a new typology of conservatism called "compassionate conservatism".  They believed in big government, entitlement and transfer programs, market distortions such as ethanol mandates, and special interest handouts.  They felt that it was all fine and dandy to grow government, as long as they advocated for tax reform.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has always been a paradigm Bush Republican.  It is therefore not surprising why he so emphatically supports the Obama tax deal. 

All throughout the week, we have highlighted the disastrous big government spending and ethanol price distortions that were part of the larger compromise.  All of these permanent concessions are being used as bait for temporarily retaining the marginal tax rates and reinstating the death tax.  I'm glad to hear that Rush is categorically rejecting the compromise even if it means that we miss the deadline.  The tax rates for 2011 will not be finalized until the end of the year and we will have the political clout and mandate to repeal them retroactively when we retake the House on January 3.  On the other hand, if we acquiesce to this deal, there will be no way to repeal the destructive entitlements, market-distorting corn welfare and tariffs, and God knows what other special interest handouts will be slipped into this bill before the session is over.

What's Up with the Extension for Ethanol Subsidies?

As conservatives, we understand that not everything that is dubbed as a tax cut is a good thing.  Liberals are wrought to describe handouts as tax cuts and tax cuts as handouts.  Thus, the extension of the regressive, job killing, price hiking ethanol subsidies are not good tax cuts and should not be extended.  Yet, through all of the discussion concerning the deal on the Bush tax cuts, there is a total blackout concerning the deal with the ethanol subsidies.  Tim Carney reports at the Washington Examiner, that Chuck Grassley (R-Ethanol) is claiming that a one year extension of these subsidies is part of the deal.  He draws attention to this article from the Quad-City Times:

"A deal to extend the Bush-era tax cuts also includes action on ethanol and biodiesel credits, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Tuesday.
The details aren’t clear yet, but Grassley told reporters that the ethanol and biodiesel tax credits would get a temporary extension, through 2011.
The biodiesel credit of $1 a gallon expired last year, and farm-state lawmakers have blamed the expiration for the idling of biodiesel plants.
The ethanol credit, at 45 cents per gallon, is scheduled to expire at the end of the year.
Grassley said the biodiesel credit extension also included applying it retroactively to 2010."

Republicans have already agreed to a permanent unemployment welfare system in order to extend the tax cuts for just two years.  They also agreed to bring back the death tax, albeit at a lower rate.  Are we now going to agree to more corn welfare for special interest groups?  According to the CBO, the ethanol subsidies cost us $6 billion annually.  The payroll tax cut will cost social security $120 billion and the unemployment welfare will cost $57 billion.  How much more are we going to bankrupt the nation in order to make a deal with Obama on something that he is already compelled to support?  Where is this deal anyway?  What else is hidden in this compromise?  Could Senator Kyl provide us with a hard copy?

There is currently a robust debate among conservatives whether the current tax deal is the best we could get from Obama.  But don't the supporters want to see the full copy of the deal before they sign off on it?  Is there any limit to the number of poison pills that the deal  would contain before Republicans will oppose it?  How can we blindly trust an invisible deal made with the devil that already contains extraneous details that are detrimental to this country?  I guess it is all about compromise for some GOPers.  To hell with the details.

The EPA's War on.....Bed Bugs!

Liberals always like to feign indignation towards government regulation of marriage by exclaiming that "the government should stay out of our bedrooms."  Well, it appears that the EPA is doing just that.  Accodring to The Hill, the EPA will be holding a summit next year to "help find solutions to the nation’s bed bug problem.”  They report:

At the Feb. 1-2 meeting, government officials will review the progress made by the Federal Bed Bug Workgroup, which includes representatives from the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Agriculture. The EPA held the first bed bug summit last year.

The EPA said the summit’s agenda includes “identifying knowledge gaps and barriers to effective community-wide bed bug control, proposals for next steps in addressing knowledge gaps and eliminating barriers, and developing a framework for addressing the highest priority needs.”

Talk about the nanny state!  Well, Fred Upton, the incoming Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee is now provided with an opportunity to show that he is serious about reducing the mandate of the EPA.  He might want to start with cutting their budget for bed bug summits.

For Republicans, Elections Have No Consequences.

The GOP won their greatest electoral victory since 1938, but you wouldn't know it from most of the recent news.  Let's round up some of the GOP's greatest hits since November 2nd.

• The House Republican Steering Committee, led by leadership, appointed big government, big liberals Fred Upton as Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Hal Rogers as Approps Chair, and Spencer Bachus (R- Freddie Mac) at Financial Services.  So we have three wolves guarding the hen houses by leading three of the most vital committees.
• Last week, 6 Republican Senators (including John Thune) joined Tom Harkin in signing a letter of support for extension of Ethanol welfare.  This comes at a time in which these same regressive policies of the progressives have already spiked the price of gasoline to $3 a gallon.
• Last week, 8 Republican Senators voted against the earmark moratorium.  Mark Kirk, a member of the class of 2010 voted against it.
• After the health care and financial services takeover, the FDA food-Nazi bill was one of the most egregious nanny state, job killing, cost raising, special interest pandering pieces of legislation to come out of the 111th congress.  15 Republican Senators, including the likes Vitter, Burr, and Enzi, ensured its passage.
• The Debt Commission.  Yes, even Conservatives like Coburn and Crapo voted for massive tax hikes and the exacerbation of the current Social Security ponzi scheme that will force young workers to pay even more into a bankrupt system until age 69.
• Incoming Majority Whip Eric Cantor announced that he would support the pre-conditions and slacker (26 year old's on parent's plans) previsions of Obama Care.  These mandates are the very reason why insurance is already so expensive and will ensure that costs rise to the point that all Americans will beg for single payer.  This is exactly what Obama had envisioned all along, and Cantor is being played like a fiddle.
• Loads of GOP Senators seem to support unilateral disarmament, the return to Soviet era rivalries, and the gutting of our missile defense by ratifying START.  Even John Kyl has indicated that Republican support of START might be part of a compromise to other issues.

The list is unfortunately too long to mention the numerous other policy hits from the GOP.  Are there any conservatives left aside for Jim DeMint?   Did we just have an election, or are we living in the twilight zone?

35% for Death is Still Confiscation

John Kyl is proud of his compromise with Obama that has resulted in an agreement to extend all of the Bush tax cuts until the next election, except for the death tax.  Those who are content with the death tax compromise are remembering the time when 55% of anything over $1 million was taxed upon death.  They therefore are praising the new rate of 35% on assets above $5 million.  The problem with it is that a 35% tax for dying is immoral, unconstitutional, and confiscatory no matter how you slice it.

The reality is that most of these taxable assets from estates were already taxed at least once (if not several times) and there is simply no reason to tax them again upon the owners death.  Also, if we cut through much of the class warfare rhetoric we will see that $ 5 million is not that much.  Keep in mind that we are not referring to $5 million in annual income.  The death tax confiscates all land, equipment, and assets of businesses and farms that have accumulated during the lifetime of its owner.  It is not hard to understand that any successful entrepreneur would be able to accrue such assets during his lifetime without reaching the top 1%.  Why should his descendants pay a dime to inherit the fruits of his labor?  The death tax, in any shape or form, fundamentally violates the spirit of liberty and property rights that the country was founded upon.

Even some authentic conservatives are applauding the Obama deal, especially in light of his surprise tax holiday on payroll taxes.  They believe that we have achieved an unimaginable victory by securing the Bush tax cuts while the Democrats control all branches of government. However, the fact is that the Democrats have been backed into a corner on this issue for quite some time and were forced to pass the tax cuts.  This is not only a result of the midterm elections, but also a consequence of so many red state Democrats up for election in 2012 (including Obama himself).  Despite their bravado shown through their class warfare rhetoric, in private, they knew that they could not raise taxes on anyone in a recession.  This is why they waited until the last minute to agree to the deal.  They didn't want to be perceived as giving into the Republicans until the last week of the session in which it would be do or die for the Democrats.

Baltimore Crime Update: White Patrols Are Racist and Must be Disbanded

Anyone who is familiar with the sociological orientation of Baltimore City knows that there is a a very troubling cycle of violent crime throughout every corner of the city.  Due to the Soviet style one-party rule for so many years, Baltimore has become one of the most criminally oriented cities in the country.  The laws that were passed by the legislature over many decades make it extremely difficult to lock up repeat offenders so they cannot hurt others.  The juvenile laws are non existent.  There are thousands of outstanding warrants in the city that are not pursued by the state's attorney.  In addition, Maryland has some of the most morally perverse anti-self defense laws in the country.

Now, the liberal media and prominent "black leaders" (creations of the media) are calling for the disbandment of a local Jewish patrol called Shomrim.  They claim that a recent incident, in which a patrolman roughed up a 15 year old black juvenile delinquent, is proof that the local Jewish community is racist and a threat to "community relations."  Worse yet, the police have arrested the patrolman for first degree assault.  Here is the report from the extreme leftist Baltimore Scum.

Social Security is the Poison Pill of the Debt Commission's Proposal

If the only legislative option is to vote on the entire report from the Debt Commission, then the changes in Social Security should serve as a poison pill to prevent any Republican from supporting it. While there are definitely some good proposals in the report that call for spending cuts, anyone who calls themselves a conservative cannot support the commission's report as a package deal.  It is therefore disappointing to hear that Senators Coburn and Crapo plan to vote for the report unconditionally. 

The Hill is reporting that these Senators believe that if something is not done soon we are headed for a fiscal ruin.  Therefore, they will vote for any proposal, irrespective of how flawed it is.  Coburn declared at a press conference,” I am scared to death of the potential that could unwind this country far greater than anything we've seen before.”

Senator Coburn is correct in asserting that if we don't cut the spending then we will face peril.  However, we need to understand that this is not about balancing a budget, it is about limiting government.  If our only option of immediate reform is to vote for modest spending cuts in conjunction with dramatic tax hikes, entrenchment of Obama Care, and the perpetuation of the SS ponzi scheme, then it is better that we wait two months so we can propose drastic limits in government spending without any tax increases.

Six Republicans Sign Letter Demanding Ethanol Subsidy Extension

The ethanol mandates are one of the most regressive socialist interventions into the free market that have been peddled by the progressives. [Here is our editorial on the costs of ethanol]  Unfortunately, many Republicans, red state ones at that, are signing onto the extension of these backdoor taxes on food and fuel.  6 Republicans joined seven Democrats in penning a letter to Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell demanding that the subsidies be renewed before the end of this congress. 

Here is a list of the Republicans who signed the letter together with their socialist compatriots.

Chuck Grassley
Kit Bond
Sam Brownback
John Thune
Mike Johanns
Mark Kirk

Mark Kirk is no surprise.  He has wasted no time in voting with the democrats on virtually every issue since the minute he took office.  The rest of these guys are from red states.  Did we gain anything from the midterm elections, or did it never take place?  Kit Bond and Sam Brownback are retiring and it remains to be seen if Moran and Blunt will be any better on this issue.  Chuck Grassley?  Well, he is .... Chuck Grassley after all.  Johanns and Thune are really upsetting.  Is this the best we can do from ruby red states?  John Thune should kiss his bid for the presidency goodbye.

When it Comes to the Regressive Policies of Progressives, Let’s Pin the Tail on the Donkey

Let's face it.  The Democrats get away with murder.  They pick an industry; from health care to energy, financial services to mortgages, and set a time bomb to blow it up through taxation, regulation, and or litigation.  It often takes years, maybe even decades to destroy that industry by raising costs of its delivery and by extension, its price tag for consumers.  By the time the crisis within that industry comes to fruition, nobody remembers to pin the tail on the donkey and ascribe blame to those who deserve it.

Worse yet, the Democrats attempt to enforce their "solutions" to their contrived crises.  These solutions usually contain every aspect of the factors which caused the crisis to foment in the first place.  They always include market busting mandates which raise the cost of doing business and purchasing that product or service to the point of unsustainability.  Then, the Democrats quickly swoon in to pick up the dead corpses of the private industry and demand full nationalization ( the auto industry is one of many great examples).

What is the typical Republican response?  Instead of agreeing that there is a problem of high costs to the American people and illustrating how that problem was caused by the very government intervention that was already implemented by the Democrats, they simply oppose the new Democrat "reforms".

The Earmark Eight, and the Food Fifteen

Everyone is busy analyzing what the Democrats have learned from the midterm elections.  The real question is what Republicans have learned from this election.  Within 25 minutes, 8 Republicans voted to continue the practice of pork barrel spending, while 15 voted to give the FDA unlimited power to shut down food producers and cut jobs.

Here is a list of the 8 Republicans who voted against the Coburn AMDT. to S.510 (S. AMDT. 4697), which would have placed a moratorium on earmarks.

Bennett (R-UT)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Inhofe (R-OK)Lugar (R-IN)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Shelby (R-AL)
Voinovich (R-OH)

Here is a list of those 15 Republicans who supported the unconstitutional, food-Nazi, job killing bill. (S.510)

Alexander (R-TN)
Brown (R-MA)
Burr (R-NC)
Collins (R-ME)
Enzi (R-WY)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kirk (R-IL)
LeMieux (R-FL)
Lugar (R-IN)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Snowe (R-ME)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)

The amazing thing about both lists is that they include so many names from ruby red states like Utah, Mississippi, Alabama, Indiana, Wyoming, etc.  Is this the best that we can do from such conservative states?  Do the Democrats elect Senators from deep blue states Vermont and California who vote with conservatives?  Also, it is interesting to note that Mark Kirk has wasted no time in joining the Senate and voting with the Dems.  And as we predicted, Joe Manchin has voted with the Democrat leadership every single time!  With friends like these who needs enemies?

Update:  Here is a synopsis of the food bill from Fox News.  If this is not a socialist, job killing bill, then I don't know what is.  

• Gives the FDA long-sought power to force a company to recall foods believed to be contaminated and to impose fees on those companies under a mandatory recall.
• Authorizes the FDA to impose new fees for reinspecting those facilities and for registering food importers.
• Requires FDA to inspect registered domestic “high risk” food producers (as defined by HHS – parent of FDA) at least once five years after passage of the bill.
• Requires food processors, growers, and importers to meet additional safety requirements for high-risk foods and to meet new safety and security rules for the importation of food.
• Requires companies to turn over test results and other records to federal officials on domestic or imported food items believed to be contaminated.
• Requires imported food suppliers to meet established food safety requirements with a certification.
• Requires food processors to impose and monitor food safety systems.

John Danforth is Wrong About the RINOs

Recently, reports have been circulating in the Capitol Hill newspapers that conservatives are planning to challenge Dick Lugar and other RINOs in 2012.  Last week, former Missouri Senator John Danforth gave the following assessment of a potential primary challenge to Lugar:

“If Dick Lugar, having served five terms in the U.S. Senate and being the most respected person in the Senate and the leading authority on foreign policy, is seriously challenged by anybody in the Republican Party, we have gone so far overboard that we are beyond redemption.” 

This is simply one of the most preposterous statements concerning electoral politics that I have ever heard from a once respected Republican official.  Richard Lugar is the leading Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, yet there is not a single policy issue in which he differs from the Democrat Chairman John Kerry.  John Kerry is one of the most radical Senators in American history, but Lugar has supported every one of his appeasement policies; from his dealings with Israel to his support for unilateral disarmament with Russia.  He fought Senator Jessee Helms at every turn in order to promote Kerry's policies.  If the Republicans win back the Senate in 2012, Lugar would be slated to be the chairman of that committee.  I challenge Mr. Danforth to list one policy that Lugar will change from Kerry's tenure as leader of that panel.  The only difference will be that we will own all of the moral relativist, appeasement, and anti-American exceptionalism driven policies that emerge from that committee.

Interior Department to Lock up Drilling Because of Polar Bears

In yet another example of overzealous land confiscation on the part of the DOI, the WSJ is reporting that Interior has "designated 187,000 square miles of offshore sea ice and other areas as critical habitat for polar bears".  This act will severely hamper drilling activity in that large, oil rich region.  Although the designation doesn't automatically close off the land to development, it calls on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to research whether outside development will negatively effect the polar bear population.  Furthermore, it exposes the developers to endless lawsuits from radical eco-socialist public interest law firms.

This is a perfect illustration of the regressivness of the progressives.  They will destroy hundreds of local jobs in Alaska, while simultaneously keeping the price of energy high and unaffordable for the "little guy" whom they purport to care for.

It is also another example of the growing amount of public land that is either directly owned by the Feds or heavily regulated.  The DOI has been using contrived pseudo- environmental concerns to thwart other important activities in different parts of the country.  Obama's DOI has been hamstringing our border agents by preventing them from building watch towers along the border due to concerns about plant and animal life in the Arizona desert.

The pattern of overzealous regulations and land annexation on the part of the DOI is very disconcerting.  This is another reason why it is so vital that we have solid conservatives calling the shots on the natural resources and energy committees.  Any future chairman of those committees must make it an immediate priority to reign in the interior department's unconstitutional infringement on our economy, security, and pursuit of happiness.

Maryland Democrats Love their Pork, Even for Illegals

If you travel on Maryland highways, and wonder why you encounter random construction every few miles, look no farther than Maryland's two Senators for the source of the prodigal and costly juggernauts.  Yesterday, the Baltimore Sun published an article lamenting the fact that a GOP moratorium on earmarks will severely effect Maryland's share of the public lard.  They also reveal that Barbara Mikulski is one of the most prolific porkers in the Senate, hauling in over $50 million in pork for FY 2011.  Junior Senator Ben Cardin is quickly catching up, while some of Maryland's congressmen like Dutch Rupersberger are willing to fight to the death to defend their raiding of the public trough.

Anyone who travels on Maryland's interstate highways and major byways can attest to the fact that there is construction everywhere.  Most of the construction sites are on roads that have recently been paved and appear to be nothing more than wasted money.  What about the lost revenue and productivity due to unwarranted traffic jams?  Tough luck!  That's what you get in a one party state, in which its congressional delegation includes a member on the Senate Approps Committee (Mikulski), House Approps Committee (Rupersperger), a House Leader (Steny Hoyer), and House campaign chief (Chris Van Hollen).

As if the highway pork is not enough, Mikulski plans to earmark $750,000 for the criminal organization, Casa de Maryland.  Keep in mind that these illegal alien smugglers already secure over $1 million in state funding.  Maybe we should open an organization involved in slave trading and ask congress for some bacon to fund its operations.  After all, as long as it's a Democrat who advocates for the criminal behavior, they won't face electoral reprisal in the state of Maryland.  In fact, if Democrats have their way, the criminals will be voting in our state elections.

Andy Harris's Health Care Request: Who are the Real Hypocrites?

The drive-by media is attempting to gin up political hay for Democrats by accusing Andy Harris of hypocrisy.  Last week, Andy Harris asked if he can pre-buy his health coverage from the FEHBP because he was told that he would not be insured until February.  In response, the government run Democrat lobby, AFSCME, is calling upon Republicans to opt out of the "government-provided" health care benefits that are given to congressmen.  These clowns are missing one basic point about the health care debate, which is partially exacerbated by a lack of articulation from most Republicans.

We all agree that the cost of health care and health insurance has skyrocketed (even before Obama Care, which is already causing severe increases in premiums) to the point that it is hard for individuals to pay for it on their own.  However, the factors that are driving up those costs are all related to the 50 years of Democrat inducement of taxation, regulation, and litigation which has all but eliminated the free market from the health care industry.  The result is that all of us (yes, even conservatives like Harris) must suffer with artificially high prices and are forced to rely on third parties to provide it; namely the employer.  If the employer is the federal government, then they are even more responsible for providing coverage because they have destroyed health care insurance in this country.

The fundamental effect of the GOP's communication problem lies with the perception of most people that the Republicans own the status quo of health care, while the Democrats own the changes made by Obama Care.  To that end, although the country strongly opposes the socialist takeover, they are also wary (and justifiably so) of the rising costs of health care and health insurance even without Obama Care.  Unfortunately, the reality is that the Democrats own the problems with the current system as well as the disaster that will arise from the new system.

Tony Campbell, Baltimore County's Obama Supporting Republican Chairman

Lost amidst the devastation of of the Maryland GOP this past election, was a low profile election for Chairman of the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee.  Baltimore County is one of the few localities in which the voters choose the committee chairman as opposed to the committee's members. During the September primary, a little known challenger, Tony Campbell, edged out incumbent Chris Cavey for the Chairmanship of the Committee.  Some members of the committee warned that Campbell had worked for an organization named "Republicans for Obama" and that we were facing an Orwellian situation in which there would be a wolf gaurding our hen house.  Well, it appears that our fears have been confirmed.

Last week, Campbell urged his fellow committee members to endorse radical, campaign finance crook,  Democrat Ken Oliver for County Council Chairman because he would "become the first African-American chair of the County Council".  In addition, he is demanding a commission for organizing fundraisers for local Republicans.  Last Wednesday, he sent out an email to the other members of the central committee telling them to impeach him of they don't like it.

Folks, you can't make this stuff up!  Do the Democrats have county party leaders who are members of Democrats for Palin?  Why are we saddled with this nonsense when our party is so small and insignificant in the first place?

Baltimore County is the key jurisdiction to any electoral success in Maryland and it is imperative that we have a committed conservative to lead our effort in this area.  Is it too much to ask for to have the leaders of our decimating fractious party be authentic conservatives?

Unfortunately, it appears that we are stuck with this impostor in Baltimore County for 4 years.  But we have a golden opportunity to elect a conservative tea party leader as state party chairman on December 11th.  Sam Hale, the founder of Maryland Society of Patriots, stands out as the only effective conservative voice among many uninspiring candidates.  You can see an interivew of Sam with our friend Mark Newman here.  Call your Republican Central Committee members and urge them to vote for Sam Hale so we don't wind up with Obama Republicans running the full state Republican Party.

Lamar Smith and Steve King: The Paradigm Committee Chairmen

When the Republican led 112th congress is sworn in next January, the magnitude of the turnover will be most evident on the Judiciary Committee.  Instead of radical John Conyers heading the committee, we will have border champion Lamar Smith as chairman.  Also, instead of Zoe Lofgren chairing the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship, Steve King will lead that panel.  Today, the Miami Herald is reporting that Congressman King plans to go after birthright citizenship during the next congress.  While other Republicans are intimidated by the left's demagoguery and distortion of the 14th amendment, King realizes that the constitution never meant to bestow citizenship upon babies that are illegally thrown across the border.

This latest news concerning Steve King made me reflect on what we are lacking in leadership of other vital House committees.  For many years, we have been conditioned to accept the reality that important committees (A's and B's) will be chaired by the old bull, compromising, Democrat light veterans.  We see this playing out in regard to the chairmanships of the Energy and Approps Committees.  But why should we settle for mediocrity when it comes to committee chairmanships?  Why should we have our weakest link on spending issues chair the Appropriations Committee, or a big government statist chair the Energy and Commerce Committee?

We should have our toughest guns who have excelled in those particular issues lead the committee.  Lamar Smith and Steve King have fought against illegal immigration for years and therefore rightfully deserve the leadership of those panels which deal with immigration related issues.  However, when you examine the seniority of the other committees you find that at best the leadership is mediocre and at worst it is Democrat light.  This is why the Judiciary Committee stands out to me as a guide for who should be appointed Chairman of their respective committees.

Republicans Must Eliminate Ethanol Mandate

The government's ethanol mandates embody everything that is wrong with Democrats, RINOs, and Marxists.  It is an unconstitutional regulation that has enriched a few special interests with $7.7 billion taxpayer dollars, regressively drove up the cost of food and fuel; and by extension all products and services that rely on fuel based delivery.  The tax credits for energy producers who blend fuel with ethanol have created so many unintended (or intended by some)  negative consequences that even Al Gore is calling for its repeal.  The tax credits are slated to expire in one month and yet, we have not heard much from the newly elected Republican majority in the House.  Is your Republican Congressman more conservative than Al Gore?

According to analysts at Goldman Sachs, the ethanol industry consumes 41% of the domestic corn crop.  Corn is at the top of the food chain, so by creating an artificial shortage in supply of corn, the feds have caused a spike in the cost of meat and chicken as well. In addition, it costs much more to produce a barrel of ethanol than it does a barrel of oil.  Also, aside for providing corporate welfare to domestic ethanol producers, the government slapped high tariffs on imported ethanol.  This prevents us from importing cheaper, more efficient sugar based ethanol from Brazil.  All of this leads to higher prices for home heating and gasoline for cars.  The costs for trucks are even more devastating, as most domestic products that are transported by trucks are now more expensive for consumers.

Every Republican needs to make this a top priority.  Energy is the lifeblood of our economy, while fuel and food represent the basic needs of the low income Americans whom the liberals purport to defend.  This is a perfect opportunity for us to push a prudent policy that will "stimulate" the economy, save taxpayer dollars, put corrupt lobbyists on the defense, and make political hay from it as the same time.  However, does anyone believe that Fred Upton would support repeal of ethanol if he were to become Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee?  Call your congressman and tell him/her to vote to repeal the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit.