Is Planned Parenthood a Wise Investment?

This is a "Take Action Alert" from the Family Research Council.

Please sign this petition to President Bush, which FRC will deliver, asking him to approve new Title X regulations that ensure no federal money goes to groups like Planned Parenthood. Ask him to see that legitimate clinics are not forced to refer for abortions.

Is Planned Parenthood a Wise Investment?
March 28, 2008

Would you invest in a company whose affiliates are complicit in sexual crimes against children?

Would you take your hard-earned money and pile it into a company whose fundraisers "get excited" when someone wishes to target African-American babies for extinction?

How secure would you feel if you found out this company was being charged by one of its own former executives with illegal accounting, billing and donation practices and with bilking the government?

Or that this company was taking your money and putting $10 million towards Congressional candidates who support eliminating abstinence funding, distributing needles to drug addicts, suggesting pornography for children to view and keeping parents uninformed in important medical decisions involving their own children?

Well guess what? That company is Planned Parenthood and each year you give them $300 million of your tax dollars, mainly through the federal Medicaid and Title X programs.

A majority of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of abortion - however, still Planned Parenthood receives more than $300 million in taxpayer funding each year for "family planning" projects that help bolster their abortion trade. Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kans.) put it best when he said, "While we continue to have a rigorous debate in this country about abortion, we should be able to come to some fundamental agreements. We should not use tax dollars to subsidize abortion clinics - particularly when there are serious concerns regarding their compliance with state law and medical standards."

Is Planned Parenthood a Wise Investment?

From the Taxpayer's League of Minnesota

The sales tax increase in Metro counties is going to be used for what?
State and county officials have been saying a lot of different things about what a sales tax increase will mean for Metro county residents; whether it means new roads, better transit or property tax relief, it seems a ¼ cent tax increase is the transportation panacea we’ve all been waiting for. But the tax increase that passed this week in Anoka and Ramsey counties (and will pass next week in one, two or three others – more on that below), isn’t quite all it’s been advertised to be. In fact, it’s much less:
Among the feats of strength wrongly associated with the tax increase “there is the fact that none of the ¼ cent sales tax increase will go for roads. That’s right; contrary to what most people believe is the case, not one dime of the increased sales tax dollars will be spent on roads.
“Wait, it gets worse. None of the tax increase will be spent on buses either. So, you ask, if you can’t spend the money on roads or buses…what are they planning to spend the money on? The answer is…only new transit projects.
“But before these ‘County Transit Bandits’ (CTBs) could divide up their ill gotten loot, another surprise came to light. The Metropolitan Council, which operates the bus system and the 11 mile light rail transit line, wants some of the new tax revenue to help erase their $18 million budget deficit. This operating loss is on top of the millions of dollars of new money Metro Transit received from the constitutional dedication of the motor vehicle sales tax.”
Minnesota Free Market Institute Senior Policy Fellow Craig Westover nicely summarizes the food fight taking place twixt the Met Council and the CTBs in his column today in the Pioneer Press. Take a look and then try and tell me the CTBs didn’t just pull a fast one on the State Legislature.

843,673 got tax increases this week. 1,772,224 get theirs next week.
Earlier this week, county boards in Anoka and Ramsey approved sales tax increases with little (but spirited) opposition. While Carver county commissioners rejected the tax increase by a 5-0 margin, the bigger test will come next Tuesday (April 1st) when commissioners in Hennepin, Washington and Dakota counties will hold their authorizing votes.
If you’re still looking to make a last-ditch effort to keep your local sales tax rate from continuing to climb that confiscatory ladder – and you happen to live in northern Washington County, you may want to give Commissioner Dennis Hegberg a call at (651) 430-6211 or send him an email at dennis [dot] hegberg [at] co [dot] Washington [dot] mn [dot] us.
For our friends in the Apple Valley and Rosemount areas (District 7) in Dakota County, try contacting Commissioner Willis Branning.And if you’re really feeling in need of some entertainment this weekend, call the ringleader of the County Transit Bandits, Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin.

The corporate tax fix leaders in the legislature are proposing isn’t going to fix much.
If you happened to read the Star Tribune’s editorial on Thursday about the tax bills percolating through the state legislature, you might get the idea that a new golden era of fairness and job growth was on the way. Unfortunately, the one percentage point cut being proposed for Minnesota businesses looks to be nothing more than a limp attempt to compensate for the myriad other tax increases that have been queued up this year. Scott Hodge from the Tax Foundation tells us why:
“America's political leadership is finally waking up to the fact that the tax rates businesses face in the U.S. are way out of step with our major economic competitors. Last year, for example, Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel proposed cutting the federal corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 30.5 percent. While a 5 percentage point cut in the federal corporate tax rate may sound significant, it may not be sufficient to meaningfully improve the competitiveness of the United States.
“Currently, the average combined federal and state corporate tax rate in the U.S. is 39.3 percent, second among OECD countries to Japan's combined rate of 39.5 percent. Lowering the federal rate to 30.5 percent would only lower the U.S.'s ranking to fifth highest among industrialized countries.”
To read the rest of the report from the Tax Foundation click here.

How 30 years of custom and usage suddenly becomes inconvenient.
As Phil Krinkie talked about during the Capitol Update last Saturday, one of the last remaining legislative hurdles of the session is the bonding bill. At this point in the process it’s not if we’re going to have a bill, but whether or not a garden variety budget deficit is reason enough for bill negotiators to throw out 30 years of generally accepted accounting practices; accounting practices that have historically kept capital investment bills to 3% of the state’s projected revenues. The reason this is a problem now is that current projected revenues are much different than what was projected prior to the February budget forecast that came up $935 million in the red. So, last month’s $900 million plus bonding bills in the House and Senate now have to be trimmed to a number closer to $825 million or risk another veto from Governor Pawlenty.
Of course, no one wants to give up anything (because everything is a priority), and thus Rep. Alice Hausman [DFL-St. Paul], who’s job it will be to tell Rep. So-and-so that their re-election campaign isn’t as important as Rep. Such-and-such’s, starts throwing out lines like this:“[Hausman sees the 3 percent rule as somewhat arbitrary. ‘It's a little like signing a no-new taxes pledge.’” Eh?

Quote of the Day

" In the beginning of change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for it then costs nothing to be a patriot. " -Mark Twain

CDC gives $38.1 million to build intrusive patient monitoring system

Minneapolis/Saint Paul – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has just awarded $38.1 million to facilitate the sharing of private patient data with government. This is a violation of the patient's Fourth Amendment privacy rights, says Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC).

Twila Brase, president of CCHC makes the following statements:

"This is not about bioterrorism. The government's real intent is 24/7 surveillance of people through their medical records.

"The CDC, along with state health departments, intend to gain electronic access to medical records for the purpose of surreptitiously conducting research and 'sentinel surveillance' not just on infectious diseases, but on any medical condition they choose, including chronic or genetic diseases. Because of the so-called HIPAA privacy rule, no patient consent is required.

"The CDC is using millions of federal taxpayer dollars to deprive citizens of their Fourth Amendment right to privacy. With the government's eyes electronically ensconced in the patient's medical record, no person can ever feel secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects. This is most definitely unreasonable search and seizure.

"The government's "public health" exemption to patient consent is a travesty. It becomes clearer every day how the HIPAA privacy rule has subverted the individual's constitutional privacy rights, not protected them."

e-Health Smart Brief - March 21, 2008

Twila Brase is president of Citizens' Council on Health Care. She can be reached at 651-646-8935 office or 612-619-1889 cell.

Rick Hansen Vote Alert!

On March 13th, our state legislator, Rep. Rick Hansen, helped defeat a motion that would have allowed an up-or-down vote on HF 3010, a bill prohibiting sanctuary cities from harboring illegal aliens. Cities like Minneapolis and St. Paul have sanctuary policies that prevent police officers from inquiring about immigration status or enforcing immigration laws. These policies are allowing illegal aliens to openly enjoy the benefits of citizenship without the fear of deportation.

Legislators who support sanctuary cities are trying to stall HF 3010, hoping to simply allow the bill to die in committee. The recent vote was an attempt to pull HF 3010 from committee to the House floor for an up-or-down vote. But Rep. Rick Hansen helped to defeat this motion.

Sanctuary policies cause a host of financial, legal and criminal problems that negatively affect the quality of life for legitimate Minnesota citizens. The recent bus crash in Cottonwood is a tragic reminder of this fact and should have been a wake-up call to our state legislators to get tough on illegal immigration. But some legislators like Rep. Rick Hansen don't seem to be getting the message.


Also, on a recent bill (HF 3201) Marty Seifert introduced an amendment that would have prohibited local government aid (LGA) payments to sanctuary cities. Minneapolis and St. Paul have sanctuary ordinances, and MPLS is set to receive $82 million and St. Paul about $57 million in state LGA payments in 2008. If the amendment had become law, failure to repeal those ordinances would have meant $139 million would have been disbursed to other LGA cities in Minnesota. Rep. Rick Hansen voted against this amendment!

Hansen also voted to defeat another amendment to HF3201 that would cut LGA funding in half to sanctuary cities which was also presented by Rep. Marty Siefert.

Hansen also voted against motions to bring these two bills out of committee and onto the House floor on the same day (last Thursday) that he voted against bringing the sanctuary city bill out:

HF 2652 (making English our official language) - authored by Rep. Steve Drazkowski

HF 775 (Constitutional amendment; Right to keep, bear, and use arms defined as a fundamental right) - Authored by Rep.Mark Olson

Contact Rep. Hansen here,
(651) 296-6828
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/mailto.asp?district=39A

CORNISH’S CASTLE DOCTRINE LEGISLATION STALLED IN HOUSE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

ST. PAUL – A measure authored by State Representative Tony Cornish (R-Good Thunder) allowing Minnesota citizens to protect themselves and their property from law-breaking criminals that break into a home, car, or business was defeated on a 9-9 tie in the House Public Safety Committee recently.
“The DFL holds a five seat majority on the committee, and nearly all of those members are from Minneapolis, St. Paul, or the Metro Area, so I’m not surprised the bill didn’t make it,” Cornish noted. “The Twin Cities liberals have opposed this legislation from the start, as they incorrectly believe this is another bill that will turn Minnesota into the ‘Wild West’. They said the same thing about our conceal and carry law, and they couldn’t have been more wrong.”
Cornish’s Castle Doctrine bill authorizes the use of deadly force against an unwanted attacker in an effort to allow Minnesota citizens to protect themselves and their property from law-breaking criminals that enter by stealth or force into their home, car or business. It creates the presumption that an attacker or intruder intends to do great bodily harm.
“Therefore force, including deadly force, may be used to protect yourself, your family and others in the face of attack,” Cornish said.
Cornish added that the bill would not allow a person to use force against police for entering their home for valid reasons. It also does not prohibit a person from criminal charges if a prosecutor believes the victim acted irresponsibly. However, the burden of proof falls to the prosecution.
“Criminals have no business breaking into the homes of law-abiding citizens and terrorizing them,” Cornish said. “We have the right to bear arms, and we should also have the option to use those arms if a robber or rapist threatens our safety.”
Cornish said the setback will not deter him from bringing up the legislation again this year.
“I’ll be looking for ways to attach this bill to other public safety bills later this year,” Cornish said. “Despite the setback, this bill is gaining plenty of momentum with the public and I will continue to advocate for passage of the Castle Doctrine at the State Capitol.”

Bill Jungbauer, House Candidate for 39A

I have been working toward this moment for the last few months and now it is official, I am the House District 39A candidate for 2008. On Saturday, March 8th I was unanimously endorsed at our 39A convention. We had a great turn out with more than 120 people and many new faces. At this time I must let everyone at the convention and all my supporters know how very thankful I am. I am truly a lucky man.

It has been mentioned that I should write about what is involved in a campaign. So I may just do that. But before I go into any of my campaign episodes I have to mention that I have great respect for the work a person puts into running for office. Despite what party they are with, it takes an incredible amount of energy and creativity to be a candidate. Win or lose. The moment you put your name on the ballot it is as if you are instantly disliked by 30% of the voters. Just because of that "R" or "D" or "I" after your name. What makes us alike is that we have a desire to serve our community, and in my eyes, that is honorable. So now it is time for me to say to my opponent Rick Hansen, good luck! It's game time!

Greatest Movie Line Ever!

This little clip is of Bob Hope in some old movie. Probably one of the funniest things I have seen all week. Can anyone tell me what movie this came from?

Sun Current Censorship

Terry Pearson wrote this fine letter to the Sun Current newspaper and they refuse to print it. It seems to me that they bend over backwards for our little band of liberal incumbents. Maybe it's time for us to flood the Sun editors with a good pile of conservative letters.

Dear Editor,

I do not think that I have ever been as disappointed in our state government as I am today. Today, our representative, Joe Atkins, along with many others in the Minnesota House and Senate voted to impose one of the largest tax increases in Minnesota history.

While nobody likes to have their money taken from them, it especially hurts when you know that just one year ago the state of Minnesota had a multi billion dollar surplus. Instead of being frugal in the good years, our state representatives squandered that surplus on various pork projects throughout the state in order to give favors to supporters.

Due to the tremendous growth in spending last year, along with a stuttering economy, we find ourselves in a major deficit. This is a problem that could have been avoided if our leadership had planned for the long run. Even the week before the vote on the tax increase, Democrats were not trying to find ways responsibly cut spending. Instead, they were giving away money to every earmark project they could think of. I suppose this was to ensure the need for a tax increase.

Today, we are faced with higher fuel prices, increased unemployment, and a weak dollar. With our economy running on fumes, the DFL proposed the worst solution to the problem. They thought that the best course of action would be to take more money from the working middle class families of Minnesota.

The tax increases that were passed by the Senate and House include a gas tax, a sales tax, and a vehicle registration fee increase. It’s funny, because I thought that the DFL said that they were going to go after the rich. Instead, they proposed increasing taxes where it would hurt the middle class the most. Contractors, couriers, even commuters will be hurt by these increases.

I know that Representative Atkins followed the lead of his party when he voted for the tax increases, but it would have been nice if he chose to do what is best for his community instead. I think that it is time that we push for a change in leadership in the Minnesota House and Senate. It is time that we elect people who put our community, and its families, before the DFL party platform.

- Terry Pearson
Inver Grove Heights, MN

Stop the DFL TV Ad!

The Republican Party of Minnesota is proud to announce the unveiling of a new television ad entitled "Stop DFL." This ad takes aim at the DFL's $6.6 billion in tax increases on hard working Minnesotans. Please visit the new website launched to help in this endeavor, http://www.stopdfl.com/.



Here is something I just bumped into while poking around YouTube. Please tell me which one of these people is the liberal and which one is the conservative. This is an informative debate with many interesting facts. Such as Europeans having to pay more than twice as much as we do at the pump, 70% still use the automobile for transportation. Only ten percent less than here in the U.S.



We need people like Sen. Jane Doe here in Minnesota! Here is part 2 of the gas tax debate from MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics. This is like watching our democrat controlled legislature telling us how much we need the burden of additional taxes to be imposed upon us. Give em hell Jane!

URGENT: Minnesota’s Hunting Heritage is Under Attack!

This piece of garbage, HF2501, is authored by Jaros; Kahn; Erhardt; Huntley; Tschumper; Loeffler in the house. In the Senate it is Dibble; Pappas; Doll; Marty; Anderson who are listed as authors of SF2329.

Your Immediate Action is Needed!

Anti-hunting forces have launched an all-out assault on Minnesota’s rich hunting heritage.

On Monday, March 3, the House Game, Fish and Forestry Division Committee will hear House File 2501. The Senate companion bill, Senate File 2329 is also scheduled to be heard Monday in the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. Plainly put, these bills would ban dove hunting in the State of Minnesota.

Make no mistake, “animal rights” radicals won’t stop with doves! In 1990, Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) admitted, "We are going to use the ballot box and the democratic process to stop all hunting in the United States... We will take it species by species until all hunting is stopped..."

Please contact the members of BOTH committees TODAY and respectfully urge them to defeat this attack on hunting in Minnesota.

Contact information for both committees can be found below.

House Game, Fish and Forestry Division Committee:
Chair: State Representative David Dill (651) 296-2190 rep.david.dill@house.mn
Vice Chair: State Representative Kate Knuth (651) 296-0141 rep.kate.knuth@house.mn
Lead-GOP: State Representative Tony Cornish (651) 296-4240 rep.tony.cornish@house.mn
State Representative Karla Bigham (651) 296-4342 rep.karla.bigham@house.mn
State Representative Tom Hackbarth (651) 296-2439 rep.tom.hackbarth@house.mn
State Representative Rick Hansen (651) 296-6828 rep.rick.hansen@house.mn
State Representative Joe Hoppe (651) 296-5066 rep.joe.hoppe@house.mn
State Representative Denny McNamara (651) 296-3135 rep.denny.mcnamara@house.mn
State Representative Frank Moe (651) 296-5516 rep.frank.moe@house.mn
State Representative Terry Morrow (651) 296-8634 rep.terry.morrow@house.mn
State Representative Aaron Peterson (651) 296-4228 rep.aaron.peterson@house.mn
State Representative Dean Simpson (651) 296-4293 rep.dean.simpson@house.mn
State Representative Jean Wagenius (651) 296-4200 rep.jean.wagenius@house.mn

Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources:
Chair: State Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary (651) 296-4334sen.satveer.chaudhary@senate.mn
Vice Chair: State Senator Dan Skogen (651) 296-5655sen.dan.skogen@senate.mn
Ranking Minority Member: State Senator Pat Pariseau (651) 296-5252sen.pat.pariseau@senate.mn
State Senator Ellen R. Anderson (651) 296-5537
State Senator D. Scott Dibble (651) 296-4191sen.scott.dibble@senate.mn
State Senator Steve Dille (651) 296-4131sen.steve.dille@senate.mn
State Senator Dennis R. Frederickson (651) 296-8138sen.dennis.frederickson@senate.mn
State Senator Bill G. Ingebrigtsen (651) 297-8063sen.bill.ingebrigtsen@senate.mn
State Senator Gen Olson (651) 296-1282 sen.gen.olson@senate.mn
State Senator Tom Saxhaug (651) 296-4136sen.tom.saxhaug@senate.mn
State Senator Kathy Sheran (651) 296-6153sen.kathy.sheran@senate.mn
State Senator Katie Sieben (651) 297-8060 sen.katie.sieben@senate.mn
State Senator LeRoy A. Stumpf (651) 296-8660
State Senator Jim Vickerman (651) 296-5650