From RPT,

: RPT Update Dec 11, 2009

: Texas Power Lines Debuts

: Earlier this week, we launched a new issue-based site within our
: larger Party site.  Called Texas Power Lines, the site tracks
: energy issues and the growing "Climategate" scandal.  We're
: updating it frequently, so check it often and tell your family and
: friends about it.

Texas Power Lines
http://www.texasgop.org/inner.asp?z=55

: Texas Power Lines joins Bad Medicine for Texas, a health care
: reform site we launched a few weeks ago.  We have other issue-based
: sites in the works, so stay tuned to texasgop.org !

Bad Medicine for Texas
http://www.texasgop.org/inner.asp?z=52

: Thank our Texas Senators for Standing Strong Against ObamaCare

: This week, President Obama's operatives sent out a request for
: Christmas cards to be sent to our senators, Sen. Kay Bailey
: Hutchison and Sen. John Cornyn.  As is typical of an administration
: that is literally politicizing the air we breathe, these Christmas
: cards are openly political: Senders are supposed to ask our
: senators to support ObamaCare.

: Both of our senators have stood strong against ObamaCare and will
: continue to do so, no matter how many of these DNC-driven cards
: they receive.  But how about we send Sens. Hutchison and Cornyn
: Christmas cards thanking them for their resolute resistance to the
: Democrats' ongoing attempt to take over our health care?

: Check the Republican Party of Texas website for daily updates on
: the news.  We need your support to help keep Texas strong, free and
: prosperous.

: Paid for by the Republican Party of Texas

Mark Reiff

Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the ClearLakeGOP
group.

   File        : /Reports/Mandate_Health_Insurance_Unconstitutional.pdf
   Uploaded by : lwtobin <lwtobin@...>
   Description : Why the Personal Mandate to Buy Health Insurance Is
Unprecedented and Unconstitutional

You can access this file at the URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ClearLakeGOP/files/Reports/Mandate_Health_Insuranc\
e_Unconstitutional.pdf

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit:
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/groups/original/members/forms/general.htmlfiles

Regards,

lwtobin <lwtobin@...>

From Dennis Paul - SD 11 SREC Rep.,

: This is Dennis Paul with a SREC update.  We just had our SREC
: meeting in Austin this weekend and we had a lot of business to deal
: with.  The first important issue was the election of a new RNC
: Committee women.  Cathie Adams was our RNC Committee women but she
: stepped down from that position after we elected her as the RPT
: Chairman.  We had three women run for the job, Kathy Haigler SD11's
: own resident and former SREC member for SD11, Dianne Carron another
: SREC member, and Borah Van Dormolen the former TFRW state
: president.  The first ballot forced a run-off between Kathy and
: Borah.  The second vote had Borah win by one vote and she is now
: our RNC Committee women until the 2012 state convention.  I know
: you all will thank Kathy for her hard effort in that race.

: We also passed 5 ballot propositions to be added to the primary
: ballot which will allow all republicans to vote on these issues and
: ask our elected officials to work on them as well.  I have added
: them to this e-mail.  We also had two other statement resolutions,
: which I have also added here.

: Also, mark the dates, Primary day March 2nd, Senatorial conventions
: on March 20th, and State Convention on June 11-12 in Dallas.

: Thanks for your interest and support and please pass this around to
: your friends, Merry Christmas and God Bless,

: Dennis Paul
: SREC SD11


: In the order of adoption by the Texas State Republican Executive
: Committee on December 5, 2009:


: Ballot Proposition #1:  Photo ID

: The Texas legislature should make it a priority to protect the
: integrity of our election process by enacting legislation that
: requires voters to provide valid photo identification in order to
: cast a ballot in any and all elections conducted in the State of
: Texas.


: Ballot Proposition #2:  Controlling Government Growth

: Every government body in Texas should be required to limit any
: annual increase in its budget and spending to the combined increase
: of population and inflation unless it first gets voter approval to
: exceed the allowed annual growth or in the case of an official
: emergency.


: Ballot Proposition #3:  Cutting Federal Income Taxes

: In addition to aggressively eliminating irresponsible federal
: spending, Congress should empower American citizens to stimulate
: the economy by Congress cutting federal income taxes for all
: federal taxpayers, rather than spending hundreds of billions of
: dollars on so-called "federal economic stimulus".


: Ballot Proposition #4:  Public Acknowledgment of God

: The use of the word "God", prayers, and the Ten Commandments should
: be allowed at public gatherings and public educational
: institutions, as well as be permitted on government buildings and
: property.


: Ballot Proposition #5:  Sonograms

: The Texas Legislature should enact legislation requiring a sonogram
: to be performed and shown to each mother about to undergo a
: medically unnecessary, elective abortion.


: RESOLUTION REGARDING TEXAS FREEDOM NETWORK

: WHEREAS, Republicans have been confused by the deceptively-named
: Texas Freedom Network (TFN), mistakenly thinking the word "freedom"
: meant the organization was committed to principles and beliefs
: expressed by the 2008 Republican Party of Texas Platform; and

: WHEREAS, Cecile Richard, founder of Texas Freedom Network, is
: currently President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America,
: which promotes pro-abortion policies and actively extinguishes
: human life; and

: WHEREAS, the Texas Freedom Network claims to support religious
: tolerance but actively works to reduce the influence of Christians
: on public policy; and

: WHEREAS, the Texas Freedom Network attacks abstinence-only
: education at the state and federal level and has sought to repeal
: the requirement in Texas law that health education classes devote
: more attention to abstinence than any other sexual behavior; and

: WHEREAS, the Texas Freedom Network regularly attacks great
: Republican leaders like Rep. Phil King, Sen. Dan Patrick, State
: Board of Education member Terri Leo, and Supreme Court Justice Don
: Willett; and

: WHEREAS, the Texas Freedom Network has attacked Republican State
: Board of Education members for their efforts to ensure that Texas
: students have the freedom to ask questions in science class and
: that American history books place more emphasis on patriotism, our
: Founding Fathers and the free market system; therefore be it

: RESOLVED, The Republican Party of Texas finds that the Texas
: Freedom Network is a far left-wing fringe group; and

: BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, The Republican Party of Texas advises
: Republican Primary voters and Republican auxiliaries that Texas
: Freedom Network opposes the principles and beliefs expressed in the
: 2008 Republican Party of Texas Platform; and

: BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be
: electronically transmitted to Republican county parties and
: Republican auxiliaries.


: RESOLUTION REGARDING LOCAL OPTION TRANSPORTATION TAXES

: RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Texas urges the Texas
: Legislature not to enact any law which would allow a city, county,
: or other local or regional government entity to tax motor fuel
: sales or motor vehicle usage to fund bus or rail transportation.

: BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Texas
: communicates this resolution to the Republican State Legislators,
: the Speaker of the House, the Lt. Governor, and the Governor, as
: well as Republican county parties and Republican auxiliaries.


Mark Reiff

From Harris County Republican Party Chairman, Jared Woodfill,

: 2009 Republican Pioneer Awards & Christmas Dinner

: I am pleased to announce that on December 16, 2009, your Harris
: County Republican Party will host the 2009 Republican Pioneer
: Awards and Christmas Dinner at the Downtown Aquarium.

: The event will honor former Harris County Judge Robert Eckels,
: former Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt and
: former Harris County Republican Party Chairman Gary Polland, all of
: whom made groundbreaking accomplishments as Republican leaders.

: The event will also honor the efforts of grassroots Republican
: activists as we present awards for Volunteer of the Year for each
: Senatorial District in Harris County: SD 4: Alice & Glen Rekeweg,
: SD 6: Larry & Glenda Bowles, SD 7: Bruce & Sharon Slover, SD 11:
: Stanley Briers, SD 13: Ron & Deany Meinke, SD 15: Ned & Montie
: Watkins, SD 17: Robert Appleby.

: I hope you will join us at this important event as we celebrate the
: Christmas season and honor our GOP leaders and grassroots activists.

: The details of the event are as follows:

: 2009 Republican Pioneer
: Awards & Christmas Dinner
: A Night to Honor GOP Leaders and Volunteers

: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
: 6:00 p.m. Reception | 7:00 p.m. Program

: Downtown Aquarium
: 3rd Floor Ballroom | 410 Bagby | Houston, TX 77002

: Special Guest Speakers
: Harris County Judge Ed Emmett | Senator Dan Patrick

: Republican Pioneer Recipients
: The Hon. Paul Bettencourt | The Hon. Robert Eckels
: The Hon. Gary Polland

: HCRP Volunteers of the Year
: SD-4: Alice & Glen Rekeweg
: SD-6: Larry & Glenda Bowles
: SD-7: Bruce & Sharon Slover

: ++ SD-11: Stanley Briers

: SD-13: Ron & Deany Meinke
: SD-15: Ned & Montie Watkins
: SD-17: Robert Appleby

:Click here to download the invitation and reservation form.
http://www.harriscountygop.com/documents/Pioneer_Awards_Invite_Reply_Form.pdf

: Sincerely,

: Jared Woodfill
: Chairman, Harris County Republican Party

: paid for by Harris County Republican Party

Mark Reiff

From Harris County Republican Party Chairman, Jared Woodfill,

: HCRP Chairman's Report For The Runoff Election

: The Harris County Republican Party 2009 City of Houston Runoff
: Election edition of The Chairman's Report will start arriving in
: Republican homes tomorrow.

: Because the stakes are so high in the December 12th Runoff
: Election, your Harris County Republican Party Advisory Board met
: and carefully considered the qualifications of all the candidates
: and voted to recommend those who we believe will uphold the
: principles of the Harris County Republican Party and the
: conservative values to which we adhere.

: The following are the Republican candidates for Houston City
: Council and Controller that your HCRP Advisory Board recommends:

: Houston City Council District A: Brenda Stardig

: Houston City Council District F: Al Hoang

: Houston City Council At-Large Position 1: Stephen Costello

: Houston City Council At-Large Position 5: Jack Christie

: Houston City Controller: M.J. Khan

: For those outside the City of Houston who will not receive The
: Chairman's Report, please go here to view the entire publication
: online:
: http://www.harriscountygop.com/HCRP_Chairmans_Report_Dec_2009.asp

: I would like to also take this opportunity to remind everyone that
: Early Voting continues through Tuesday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
: at many convenient locations throughout Harris County.  For a
: sample ballot, Early Voting locations and many more helpful
: resources, please visit our 2009 Elections page at:

: http://www.harriscountygop.com/Elections09.asp

: Sincerely,

: Jared Woodfill
: Chairman, Harris County Republican Party

: paid for by Harris County Republican Party

Mark Reiff

FYI,

"Borah Van Dormolen Elected Texas National Committeewoman"
Texas Federation of Republican Women Press Release

: TFRW Congratulations Borah Van Dormolen, TFRW immediate Past
: President, who was elected Texas National Committeewoman at the
: SREC meeting Saturday December 5, 2009.

: Borah Van Dormolen, a seasoned political activist and fundraiser,
: previously ran for this position in 2008 at the Republican State
: Convention, demonstrating her interest and dedication in serving
: Texas Republicans.  Borah is known for her achievements in
: fundraising and building Conservative coalitions.

: This Texas Republican National Committeewoman position was vacated
: earlier this year when Cathie Adams became the newly elected
: Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas.

: Borah will represent Texas well at the RNC. Thank you, Borah, for
: all your service to TFRW and the party. We wish you the best.

: Thanks for all that you do.

: Toni Anne Dashiell,
: President
: Texas Federation of Republican Women
: http://www.tfrw.org

Mark Reiff

From Harris County Republican Party Chairman, Jared Woodfill,

: Help the Children!

: On Monday December 7th, we will be holding our 4th quarter HCRP
: Executive Committee meeting in the main auditorium of the Houston
: Community College West Loop campus located at 5601 West Loop South.
: Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. and the meeting will be called to
: order at 7:00 p.m.

: In the spirit of the Christmas season, we are asking everyone to
: bring a donation so that families who may be experiencing hardships
: can have a better Christmas.

: At our meeting site we will have drop-off donation boxes for the
: following items:

: * Non-perishable food items

: * New or gently used clothing

: * New, unwrapped toys

: The meeting is open to the public so please come by and drop off
: your donation so we can help as many families in need as possible.

: Items can be dropped off in the foyer beginning at 6:00 pm.

: Thanks for your service to the HCRP and our community,

: Jared Woodfill
: Chairman, Harris County Republican Party

: paid for by Harris County Republican Party

Mark Reiff

FYI,

"Republicans Winning Recruiting Battle"
Politico
http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/1209/Republicans_winning_recruiting_batt\
le.html

: Cook Political Report House analyst David Wasserman notes a telling
: indicator that the political environment in 2010 is shaping up to
: be favorable for Republicans: Several Democratic candidates have
: decided to drop out of tough races, while Democratic members of
: Congress who rarely face serious challenges are finding themselves
: with their toughest re-elections in years.

: Over the last week, three Democratic candidates touted by national
: strategists abruptly withdrew from their races: Solano Beach
: Councilman Dave Roberts (running against California Rep. Brian
: Bilbray), state Rep. Todd Book (running against Ohio Rep. Jean
: Schmidt) and Tennessee Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Paula
: Flowers (in the seat held by retiring Rep. Zach Wamp).

: In a neutral political environment, the seats held by Bilbray,
: Schmidt, and the open Tennessee seat would be enticing targets for
: Democrats. Democrats aggressively contested the first two seats in
: both 2006 and 2008, and experienced unexpected success in Southern
: open seats over the last two elections.

: But in 2010, defense is the name of the game for the Democratic
: Congressional Campaign Committee, which is defending several dozens
: vulnerable freshmen and second-term members, while also protecting
: veteran members who could find themselves in newfound trouble. It
: will be a lot more challenging for a first-time candidate running
: in a tough district to get financial support from the DCCC when the
: party is worried about defending its own.

: The story is different on the Republican side, where recruiting
: hasn't been a problem lately. As I note in my story today, some of
: the most senior Democratic members of Congress have, for the first
: time in years, serious challengers.

: Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), who didn't even face a Republican opponent
: last year, now looks like he could be running against a top-tier
: challenger in state Sen. Jim Tracy as he vies for a 14th term in
: the House. Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.), one of the most influential
: Democrats in the House, is poised to face a serious challenge from
: state senator Mick Mulvaney, who has quickly moved up the political
: ranks in South Carolina.

: Two leading Republicans are already jumping in to run for the seat
: of retiring Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.), while no Democrats have yet
: stepped forward.

Mark Reiff

The Web Discloses Inconvenient Climate Truths The world cannot trust scientists
who abuse their power. By L. GORDON CROVITZ

For anyone who doubts the power of the Internet to shine light on darkness, the
news of the month is how digital technology helped uncover a secretive group of
scientists who suppressed data, froze others out of the debate, and flouted
freedom-of-information laws. Their behavior was brought to light when more than
1,000 emails,and some 3,500 additional files were published online, many of
which boasted about how they suppressed hard questions about their data.

The emails, released by an apparent whistle-blower who used the name "FOI," were
written by scientists at the Climate Research Unit of the University of East
Anglia in England. Its scientists are high-profile campaigners for the theory of
global warming.

The findings from East Anglia have been at the core of policy reports by the
U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The IPCC does not do its own research but compiles information relating to
climate change. It has declared the evidence that the globe is warming to be
"unequivocal," a claim routinely cited by lawmakers in the U.S. and elsewhere as
authoritative.

The IPCC stresses honest science. According to its Web site, its goal is to
"assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the
scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding
the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential
impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation."

The panel, which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore, now faces the
inconvenient truth that it relied on scientists who violated scientific process.
In one email, the Climate Research Unit's director, Phil Jones, wrote Michael
Mann of Pennsylvania State University, promising to spike studies that cast
doubt on the relationship between human activity and global warming. "I can't
see either of these papers being in the next IPCC report," he said. He pledged
to "keep them out somehow—even if we have to redefine what the peer-review
literature is!"

In another email exhange, Mr. Mann wrote to Mr. Jones: "This was the danger of
always criticizing the skeptics for not publishing in the 'peer-reviewed
literature.' Obviously, they found a solution to that—take over a journal! So
what do we do about this? I think we have to stop considering 'Climate Research'
as a legitimate peer-reviewed journal. Perhaps we should encourage our
colleagues in the climate research community to no longer submit to, or cite
papers in, this journal."

Other emails include one in which Keith Briffa of the Climate Research Unit told
Mr. Mann that "I tried hard to balance the needs of the science and the IPCC,
which were not always the same," and in which Mr. Jones said he had employed Mr.
Mann's "trick" to "hide the decline" in temperatures. A May 2008 email from Mr.
Jones with the subject line "IPCC & FOI" asked recipients to "delete any emails
you may have had" about data submitted for an IPCC report. The British Freedom
of Information Act makes it a crime to delete material subject to an FOI
request; such a request had been made earlier that month.

Over the weekend, East Anglia officials disclosed they had disposed years ago of
the historic weather data underlying their analysis. This may be one reason
they've fought information requests. They say they'll release the data they
still have some time next year.

The emails showed how the global-warming group stifled dissent. They controlled
the peer-review process, keeping opposing views unpublished, then cited "peer
review" as evidence of their "consensus." One of the dissident scientists, Roger
Pielke of the University of Colorado, wrote on his blog that the emails show the
"collusion to suppress other scientifically supported views of the climate
system, and the human role within it, is a systemic problem with the climate
assessment process."

These disclosures have led to some soul-searching. "Opaqueness and secrecy are
the enemies of science," wrote George Monbriot, a leading British
environmentalist. "There is a word for the apparent repeated attempts to prevent
disclosure revealed in these emails: unscientific." Demetris Koutsoyiannis, a
hydraulic engineer who has written on climate change, wrote that scientists who
suppressed others "must have felt that this secrecy was their best weapon: to
censor differing opinions, to develop 'trick' procedures, to 'balance' the needs
of the IPCC, and even to 'redefine' peer review."

This unseemly business reveals another flaw. Why are scholars who review papers
allowed to remain anonymous? Reforming scientists and lawmakers might put the
question more concretely: How many of the anonymous reviewers who spiked
skeptical scientific papers over the years are the people who wrote these emails
detailing how they abused peer review to block contrary evidence?

Science was one of the first disciplines to insist on transparency in order to
foster competition in data and ideas. In the case of global warming,
transparency is better late than never, as policy makers now have the chance to
review the facts. Facing up to high-profile flaws is hard for any profession,
but honest scientists will cheer how in our digital era eventually the truth
will out, and will accept that no scientific hypothesis can be viewed as sacred
or can be proved in secret.

*One option should be for Nobel to understand that the Prize is Joke.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

From Harris County Republican Party Chairman, Jared Woodfill,

: Early Voting Underway!

: Early VotingEarly Voting for the December 12th Runoff Elections
: starts today, November 30th and runs through Tue., December 8th.
: Please consult our 2009 Elections page for election information.
: You will find information on early voting locations and hours,
: candidate questionnaires and a sample ballot. Please Vote!

: The Harris County Republican Party Advisory Board has endorsed the
: following candidates:

: - Houston City Council District A: Brenda Stardig

: - Houston City Council District F: Al Hoang

: - Houston City Council At-Large Position 1: Stephen Costello

: - Houston City Council At-Large Position 5: Jack Christie

: - Houston City Controller: M.J. Khan

: Sincerely,

: Jared Woodfill
: Chairman, Harris County Republican Party

: paid for by Harris County Republican Party

Mark Reiff

By RUSSELL HARDING

Published: November 28, 2009   Midland, Mich.

THE ethanol industry, once the darling of corn growers, environmentalists and
the auto industry, has fallen on hard times. Producers spent this year caught
between falling ethanol prices and rising corn costs, causing many to go
bankrupt. In response, they are pushing the Environmental Protection Agency to
increase the amount of ethanol they can blend into gasoline to 15 percent, up
from the current 10 percent. Allowing this, however, would only double down on a
discredited environmental policy without solving the industry's fundamental
economic problem. That problem is simple: Ethanol prices trend higher and lower
along with the price of gasoline, yet the cost of producing ethanol tends to
rise with demand, since higher ethanol production exerts upward pressure on the
price of corn. In a free market, corn prices might be expected to eventually
fall as the market adjusts to increased demand. But because the government
heavily promotes ethanol use through subsidies and regulation, the market is
continually strained.The problem is magnified because corn is a water- and
fertilizer-intensive crop that requires considerable investment. Worse, since
fertilizer is often an oil-based product, the cost of growing corn tends to rise
at the very moment ethanol prices, which rise with oil prices, might bring a
good return. The ethanol industry has less incentive to control its costs and
diversify its market as long as the federal government guarantees it a place at
the pump. Yet Congress's solution to the plight of ethanol suppliers has been to
mandate more ethanol use in gasoline. The Energy Independence and Security Act
of 2007 mandated that use of renewable transportation fuel rise from nine
billion gallons last year to 36 billion gallons in 2022. Although some of this
mandate must be met by advanced biofuels from switchgrass and other sources,
corn-produced ethanol is the only large-scale alternative fuel currently
available to meet Congress's mandate.The ethanol industry appears to recognize
that without government mandates there can be no sustainable market, hence the
push for 15 percent ethanol fuel. But we should be wary on several grounds.
First, many researchers are convinced that 15 percent ethanol in gasoline will
cause problems in small engines in everything from lawnmowers to portable
generators and boats. Some car engines will most likely tolerate the higher
blend of ethanol, but others - especially those in older vehicles - will require
costly repairs, a hardship likely to be borne by lower-income Americans. Second,
if ethanol use was really helping the environment, it might be worth putting up
with higher costs. But many environmental groups dropped their support for
corn-based ethanol after two studies published by the journal Science last
February concluded that ethanol production actually increases the amount of
carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. The main culprit is large-scale
conversion of forest and grassland to corn production. Researchers at Princeton
University estimate it would take 167 years of ethanol use in cars to offset the
release of carbon from converting lands to agricultural production. Third, a
2008 report prepared for the World Bank concluded that "the most important
factor" in rising global food prices "was the large increase in biofuels
production in the U.S. and the E.U." High food prices may be a hardship for
American consumers, but they are downright deadly in poor African nations. Last,
Washington already protects American companies with a 54 cent per gallon tariff
on sugar cane ethanol from Brazil and other countries that produce it at much
lower costs than American farmers can. This tariff not only hits United States
motorists in the pocketbook, it also leads to other mischief. An entire industry
designed to evade the protectionist tax has cropped up in Trinidad and 23 other
Caribbean countries that are exempt from the tariff. Trinidadian companies
import sugar cane ethanol from Brazil, dehydrate it to comply with the American
tariff exemption on products "substantially transformed" in the Caribbean Basin,
and then sell it in America.Allowing a higher percentage of ethanol in gasoline
will not make us less dependent on such foreign energy sources. It will not help
the environment. It will not lower consumer prices. And it will result in the
poor of the world having less to eat. Instead of raising federal mandates on
ethanol, Congress and the Obama administration should end them entirely. Russell
Harding, a former director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality,
is an environmental policy analyst with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

FYI,

"Obama and GOP Differ Over Recipe for Jobs, Economy"
Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091126/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_economy

: President Barack Obama and a top House Republican acknowledged in
: holiday messages Thursday the economic struggles facing Americans
: this Thanksgiving but offered starkly different recipes for relief.

: Obama and Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., singled out U.S. service members
: at home and abroad for special thanks before saying what they think
: should be done to fix the economy.

: Pence, the chairman of the House Republican Conference, said in the
: GOP's weekly address that Obama had promised that the $787 billion
: economic stimulus package would keep unemployment, now at
: 10.2 percent, below 8 percent. Yet, Pence said, the administration
: insists the stimulus plan is working.

: "In the city and on the farm, as millions of American families
: struggle to balance their checkbooks this holiday season, they
: watch in astonishment as Washington spends billions of dollars it
: doesn't have," he said.

: "And what is the White House's answer to our struggles? Another
: meeting next week. A 'jobs summit,' and most likely another
: proposal to grow government, raise taxes and place more debt on the
: shoulders of our children and grandchildren."

: Pence said Obama and the Democratic Congress have taken the economy
: "from bad to worse with their failed economic agenda and big
: government plans" and now want the government to take over the
: nation's health care system.

: "The way to stimulate this economy and help working families is to
: let Americans keep more of their hard-earned money, not taking more
: from their wallets," he said. "Republicans have proposals to get
: our economy moving again, to achieve energy independence and lower
: the cost of health care."

Mark Reiff

FYI,

"Republicans Considering Ideological Purity Test for Candidates"
Yahoo News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20091124/pl_ynews/ynews_pl996

: Ten members of the Republican National Committee are proposing a
: resolution demanding candidates embrace at least eight of
: 10 conservative principles if they hope to receive financial
: support and an official endorsement from the RNC. The "Proposed RNC
: Resolution on Reagan's Unity Principle for Support of Candidates,"
: is designed to force candidates to prove that they support
: "conservative principles" while opposing "Obama's socialist
: agenda," according to The New York Times' Caucus blog. The proposal
: highlights the ongoing tug-of-war for the ideological soul of the
: Republican party, and has been met with skepticism both inside and
: outside of the party.

: James Bopp Jr., an Indiana attorney, initiated the resolution,
: saying that "conservatives have lost trust in the Republican
: party." Bopp Jr., who floated a failed proposal earlier this year
: demanding that Democrats rename their party the "Democrat Socialist
: Party," was joined by 10 RNC co-sponsors. The group says they cited
: Ronald Reagan in naming the resolution because the former president
: said that "someone who agreed with him 8 out of 10 times was his
: friend, not his opponent." The ten guidelines, distributed to RNC
: members in recent weeks, are as follows:

: (1) We support smaller government, smaller national debt, lower
: deficits and lower taxes by opposing bills like Obama's "stimulus"
: bill;

: (2) We support market-based health care reform and oppose
: Obama-style government run healthcare;

: (3) We support market-based energy reforms by opposing cap and
: trade legislation;

: (4) We support workers' right to secret ballot by opposing card
: check;

: (5) We support legal immigration and assimilation into American
: society by opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants;

: (6) We support victory in Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting
: military-recommended troop surges;

: (7) We support containment of Iran and North Korea, particularly
: effective action to eliminate their nuclear weapons threat;

: (8) We support retention of the Defense of Marriage Act;

: (9) We support protecting the lives of vulnerable persons by
: opposing health care rationing and denial of health care and
: government funding of abortion; and

: (10) We support the right to keep and bear arms by opposing
: government restrictions on gun ownership;

: However, not everyone finds fault with it. A Republican strategist
: and former Bush White House official, who asked to remain
: anonymous, told Yahoo! News that the resolution "bodes well"
: because "Republicans are continuing to discuss policy positions and
: principles," adding "this should not be treated as a purge document
: - as the media is portraying it - but more of a document for
: discussion as Republicans attempt to rebuild the party in 2010."

: Despite the debate that it's already inspired, whether or not the
: resolution even gets voted on by the RNC's membership remains up in
: the air. A spokeswoman for RNC Chairman Michael Steele told The
: Wall Street Journal that until the deadline for submitting
: resolutions for the party's winter meeting is reached, "we do not
: know what resolutions will be submitted, nor what the final
: language of any resolution ultimately submitted may be."

Mark Reiff

From RPT,

: RPT Update 11/20/09

: The Devious Democrats are At It Again

: Here we go again: As America gets ready for the weekend, the
: Democrats are getting ready to sneak another massive bill by in a
: late Saturday night vote.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
: announced Thursday that he will bring his version of the health
: care "reform" bill to the Senate for a vote Saturday night, after
: just ten hours of debate.  Reid's bill weighs in at over
: 2000 pages. That's over 200 pages per hour of debate.  That's not
: only unacceptable - it violates President Obama's promise to have
: open and substantive debate in front of the American people.

: This bill would impact every American family, but our
: representatives have not read it and will not have had ample time
: to study and debate it before Reid forces them to vote on it. It
: will raise premiums and raises taxes 11 different ways.  Here are
: just a few of the reasons that Reid's bill should fail.

: - It will burden states already struggling to balance their budgets
: by expanding Medicaid and forcing states to spend an additional
: $25 billion in reform costs.

: - It costs over $2.5 trillion after ten years of full
: implementation.

: - It imposes $28 billion in new taxes on employers that do not
: provide government approved health plans – taxes which will
: ultimately be paid by American workers in the form of reduced wages
: and lost jobs.

: - And the Reid bill includes language that will, for the first
: time, allow federal dollars to fund abortions in America.

: Harry Reid's bill is a massive experiment on America's health care
: system.  Voters made it clear in Virginia and New Jersey earlier
: this month that they're deeply skeptical of the Democrats' approach
: to health care and many other issues.  Polls show President Obama's
: job approval rating plummeting, and the Democratic leadership's
: approval rating is already rock bottom.  Democratic Senators from
: red states, like Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, are being forced
: to choose between supporting Reid's bill or getting re-elected next
: year.  Yet Reid is forcing a weekend vote on it anyway.

: Reid's bill is unpopular not because Americans don't want health
: care reform.  Americans do want and need health care reform.
:  Reid's bill is unpopular because it's the wrong approach, the
: voters know it, and want no part of it.  Reid's bill, like House
: Speaker Nancy Pelosi's bill that barely passed the House two weeks
: ago, is a top-down government-centered approach that doesn't
: actually fix the health care cost problem.  It just piles on more
: debt, and concentrates more power in the hands of the government.
: Reid's bill needs 60 votes Saturday night to get to the next round
: in the approval process.  If it doesn't get 60 votes, it's dead
: (for now, at least).  The good news is, our two Republican Senators
: from Texas - Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Sen. John Cornyn - will
: vote against this awful bill, and they are in Washington leading
: the charge to defeat it.  The bad news is, Harry Reid will pull out
: every trick in the book to get wavering Democrats and maybe even
: some Republicans to vote to move his bill forward.  Those wavering
: Senators need to hear from voters as soon as possible, so call
: family and friends in other states and ask them to call their
: Senators and tell them to vote "NO", especially those who reside in
: the in the following states. These Senators are on the fence. A
: "yes" vote this weekend is a vote to keep Reid's bill alive.  We
: need to push them off onto the "NO" side.

: Senator Joseph I Lieberman, Ind, CT
: 202-224-4041
: lieberman.senate.gov/contact

: Senator Blanche Lincoln, D  AR
: 202-224-4843
: lincoln.senate.gov/contact

: Senator Mark Pryor  D  AR
: 202-224-2353
: pryor.senate.gov/contact

: Senator Mary Landrieu  D  LA
: 202-224-5824
: landrieu.senate.gov/contact

: Senator Jim Webb  D  VA
: 202-224-4024
: webb.senate.gov/contact

: Senator Mark Warner,  D  VA
: 202-224-2023
: warner.senate.gov

: Senator Jon Tester  D  MT
: 202-224-2644
: tester.senate.gov/contact

: Senator Ben Nelson  D  NE
: 202-224-6551
: bennelson.senate.gov/contact-me

: Senator Evan Bayh  D  IN
: 202-224-5623
: bayh.senate.gov/contact

: Senator Kent Conrad  D  ND
: 202-224-2043
: conrad.senate.gov/contact

: Senator Byron Dorgan  D  ND
: 202-224-2551
: dorgan.senate.gov/contact

: Senator Thomas Carper  D  DE
: 202-224-2441
: carper.senate.gov/contact

: Senator Olympia Snowe  R  ME
: 202-224-5344
: snowe.senate.gov


: Training for VIctory in 2010

: Earlier this month, over 120 of our county chairs and more than
: 130 of our candidates and campaign staffers joined us in Austin for
: training.  The training sessions were overwhelming successes,
: and attendance was at capacity, showing just how fired up we and
: our county parties and candidates are about winning in 2010.  The
: training covered a full spectrum of issues, strategies and tactics,
: and we used our new facilities to shoot web video ads for several
: candidates for office, ranging from Justices of the Peace to
: Congress.  Our own Jenny Sykes and Ash Wright organized the
: sessions, and deserve congratulations for managing such tremendous
: and powerful party training.

: See more photos from the training sessions, and our Launch Party
: weekend at our new headquarters, on our facebook page.  And join
: our facebook group today!

: Check the Republican Party of Texas website for daily updates on
: the news.  We need your support to help keep Texas strong, free and
: prosperous.

: Paid for by the Republican Party of Texas

Mark Reiff

FYI,

"Republicans Blast 'Bait and Switch' Health Bill"
Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091120/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_care_overhaul

: Digging in for a long struggle, Republican senators and governors
: assailed the Democrats' newly minted health care legislation
: Thursday as a collection of tax increases, Medicare cuts and heavy
: new burdens for deficit-ridden states.

: Despite the criticism, there were growing indications Democrats
: would prevail on an initial Senate showdown set for Saturday night,
: and Majority Leader Harry Reid crisply rebutted the Republican
: charges.

: Republicans saw little to like.

: "It makes no sense at all and affronts common sense," said
: Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, one of several Republicans to
: criticize the measure. He added that a plan to expand Medicaid, the
: state-federal program for the poor, was a "bait and switch" with
: states as the victims.

: GOP governors, meeting in Texas, agreed. "We all know a sucker play
: when we see one," said Mitch Daniels of Indiana. The bill would
: expand the Medicaid program, which provides health care for the
: poor, and leave the states with part of the additional cost
: beginning after three years.

: In the Capitol, Reid answered Republican delaying tactics with an
: initial test vote set for Saturday evening. A 60-vote majority is
: required to advance the bill toward full debate, expected to begin
: after Thanksgiving.

: Counting two independents, Democrats control 60 Senate seats. Three
: moderate Democrats have been cagey about their intentions, although
: none of them has announced a plan to defect.

: While the struggle was forming, there were limits. Sen. Tom Coburn,
: R-Okla., backed off his threat to force the 2,074-page bill to be
: read aloud in the Senate chamber, a move that would have eaten into
: the Senate's Thanksgiving-week vacation.

: Given the political stakes, there was disagreement even about the
: bill's cost.

: Democrats put the price tag of the 2,074-page measure at
: $979 billion, higher than the $849 billion figure they had cited
: Wednesday as the cost of expanding coverage to 31 million who now
: lack insurance. Republicans calculated it at more like
: $1.5 trillion over a decade, and said even that was understated
: because Reid decided to delay implementation of some of the bill's
: main features until 2014.

: Among the cost-cutting provisions would be creation of an
: Independent Medicare Advisory Board which could be required to
: recommend steps limiting the growth of the program that provides
: health care to millions of seniors. The recommendations would go
: into effect automatically unless Congress blocked them.

: But CBO also cautioned the bill includes "a number of procedures
: that might be difficult to maintain over a long period of time."

: In part to reduce costs, the legislation would delay until
: Jan. 1, 2014, creation of so-called insurance exchanges in which
: individuals and small businesses could shop for affordable
: coverage.

: Republicans said little if anything about subsidies during the day,
: instead focusing much of their criticism the bill's tax increases
: and its curbs in Medicare spending.

: Democrats included a new tax on high-value insurance policies, an
: attempt not only to raise money but also to dampen the appetite for
: costly coverage. In addition, Reid included a payroll tax increase
: of .5 percentage point on income greater for $200,000 for
: individuals and $250,000 for couples. Medical device manufacturers,
: insurance companies, drug makers and recipients of elective
: cosmetic surgery would also face new or higher taxes.

: About half of the bill Reid unveiled Wednesday would be financed by
: curbs in projected Medicare spending. While providers such as home
: health care agencies would absorb some of that, the biggest blow
: would fall on private Medicare plans.

Mark Reiff

FYI,

"Improper US Government Payments Hit $98 Billion"
CNBC
http://www.cnbc.com/id/34009267

: Improper payments by the U.S. government to people, firms and
: contractors rose sharply to $98 billion in fiscal 2009 and
: President Barack Obama plans new rules to clamp down, the White
: House said Tuesday.

: Over half the mistakes were made in the Medicare and Medicaid
: programs, and although some of the deterioration reflected stricter
: measurement, it also showed the need for healthcare reform, Office
: of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag told reporters.

: Improper payments in the Medicare and Medicaid programs totaled
: $55 billion in fiscal 2009, according to documents provided by OMB.

: Medicare covers healthcare for the elderly and some disabled, while
: Medicaid does the same for the poor.

: Orszag said the error rate for payments under Medicare Advantage,
: where private insurers offer coverage to Medicare beneficiaries,
: jumped to 15 percent, or to $12 billion, in fiscal 2009. The error
: rate was 10 percent in fiscal 2008.

: "This was not the result of methodological changes. This is one of
: the reasons why, as part of health reform, we believe there are
: crucial changes necessary to the Medicare Advantage program," he
: said on a telephone conference call.

: The government made improper payments of $72 billion in the 2008
: financial year. Fraud may also be partly to blame.

: But Orszag stressed that the lack of tools to identify how much
: fell into this category made it impossible to estimate the size of
: the problem.

: One exception to this rule was fraud connected with improper
: payments under unemployment insurance, which OMB said added up to
: around one-fifth of the $12 billion in improper payments in that
: program.

: "It goes without saying that these results would be completely
: unacceptable in the private sector, as they should be in
: government, especially at a time of record deficits," said
: Democratic Senator Tom Carper, chairman of the Senate subcommittee
: on federal financial management.

: "Unfortunately, these numbers may still be just the tip of the
: iceberg since they don't even include estimates for several major
: programs, including the Medicare prescription drug plan," Carper
: said in a statement.

Mark Reiff

From Rae Sinor,

: DEAR PRAYER WARRIORS---

: Hopefully many of you have already heard that Holly came out of
: surgery around 9:30ish last night and into the Recovery room.
: Her Doctor came out around 7:30 and gave us a thumbs up.
: Said it took a long time but he got all of the arteries off of the
: tumor and got it out.  Early Lab reports was that is was benign.
: He told us that for the next 24-48 hours they would be watching her
: and hoping for no complications...so keep your prayers coming.

: He did say that he did NOT expect any and that he expected a full
: recovery.

: We were told that she would be awake during the days, and NOT being
: kept heavily sedated and would hopefully be moved into a regular
: room in the next 1-2 days.

: I'm headed up this morning to spend the day with her and will be
: sharing all of your wonderful words of love and support..
: From the bottom of our hearts and especially from Danny and Kate
: and the rest of Holly's family...
: THANKS BE TO GOD, and thank you all for your continued love and
: support.

: DON'T STOP NOW...Keep prayers coming for no complications and for a
: FULL RECOVERY!!!

: GOD BLESS each and every one of you...

: Your prayers DID make a HUGE difference..
: LOVE TO YOU ALL,
: Rae

Mark Reiff