07 Mar 2012

"This Is The Economy On Stimulus "

By Rick Martin
Friends, supporters, and fellow patriots;

February 17th, 2012 was the third anniversary of Barack Obama's $1.2 trillion "stimulus" bill. To say the effort has been a disaster for Americans is massive understatement. It was not just unsuccessful in jump-starting the economy, it has been an abject failure in every sense of the word.

Take a moment to check out our latest video "This Is The Economy On Stimulus " video here.

To better educate and illustrate the damage this bungled scheme has caused our nation, we've launched a new initiative, called; Sick of Stimulus to point out these failures at www.sickofstimulus.com.

We need solutions and not more rhetoric coming from Washington. The first step to bring this about is to sign the pledge and say "We the people are Sick of Stimulus!" 



If you'll remember, President Obama promised the stimulus would "save or create 3.5 million jobs," yet since the stimulus was passed, we've lost 1.1 million jobs, poverty and food stamp usage has reached an all-time high, the percentage of Americans even trying to find work is at a 30-year low, and the debt has increased by nearly $5 trillion.

And amazingly, even though Barack Obama's "Stimulus" efforts are a total fiasco, the White House and their colleagues in Congress want to spend even more of your hard earned tax dollars for more of the same!!

We must fight this outrageous agagenda which is sending our country's fiscal house off a cliff. But we can't do it alone -so be sure to sign the pledge and visit www.sickofstimulus.com often to see future videos.. 

I happen to believe we can win this folks! I am Sick of Stimulus!  Will you pledge the same?


Sincerely,

Herman Cain
07 Mar 2012

Message from the German American Heritage Center

By Janet Brown-Lowe
Dear GAHC Members and Friends,

Please take a moment to check out this link to the German Consulate in Chicago, which was a sponsor for our recent White Rose Exhibit.  They have featured our activities and events on their website - you can be very proud of your GAHC association!

We extend our thanks to Gunnar Christianesen, Vice Consul for Press and Culture at the Consulate  for his help and support.  DANKE!



Janet Brown-Lowe, Administrator
German American Heritage Center
07 Mar 2012

Author Rallies Conservatives to Take Office at Every Level

By Nicholas Depew

Foolish Ways to Lose an Election

While GOP candidates and party faithful focus on who can best beat President Obama in November, Craig Copland is rallying conservatives to take over the country - one dog catcher at a time.

"In November 2012 we can take back the White House, majority control of the Senate, more governors' offices, scores of state legislative seats, and countless local level offices," says Copland, author of the just released 2012 Conservative Election Handbook (www.conservawiki.com), a guide to winning campaigns at any level.

"It doesn't start with the office of president," he says. "That's where it ends."

Citizens who want to see conservative governance and policies throughout the fabric of the United States can make it happen by running for local office or volunteering campaign help for conservative candidates, Copland says.

"There are 600,000-plus elected offices in this country," he says. "If America is to remain a beacon of freedom and prosperity, then conservatives need to be elected as county clerks, judges, water commissioners, mayors, school board trustees, state legislators, and every other rank of public office in the country."

His new guide, researched and written with insights gleaned from his years of managing political and non-profit campaigns, lays out clear instructions for both political veterans and newbies, stepping up to do their part for the conservative cause.

Among them: Some foolish ways to lose an election.

• Sex: Voters will forgive divorce; they won't forgive active adultery. Don't get carried away by the headiness and pressures of the campaign trail and screw up.

• Lies: Do not lie. Not about anything. You will always be found out. Your credibility will be attacked. You will lose.

• Videotape: Once you become a public figure, everything you say will be on the public record - somewhere. If not on videotape, then audiotape, in print, or in a notebook. Emails, Facebook posts and tweets live forever. So be consistent, think before you speak, and don't let your guard down. It will reappear at the worst possible time.

• Do NOT Break the rules: Every election, every state, every district and every campaign will be faced with a staggering list of rules. Learn them. Follow them. Bring accountants and lawyers on board who are experienced with the rules. If you are caught breaking even one, it could derail your campaign.

• Avoid conflicts of interest: Never let yourself be caught supporting a political action in which you have an obvious interest. Voters will respect a candidate who believes in something because it's the right thing. But if you appear to be lining your pockets, it's game over.

• Do NOT fight losing battles: Don't waste a nickel or a minute trying to appeal to the group trying to repeal marijuana laws - they'll never vote for you. And you're not going to win a precinct that voted 90 percent liberal in the last election. Focus your time and money where you can make a difference in the vote.

Raising money, of course, is a big part of winning a campaign, but it doesn't take a lot to win a less dazzling local office. It's a good place to learn the ropes of fundraising and get some practice running a campaign without a lot of pressure, he says. And there's value in winning even the most down-ballot office.

"If conservatives set out to win every elected post in the country, all 600,000-plus of them, then America will be a truly conservative country," he says, "from dogcatcher to president."

About Craig Copland

Craig Copland is a retired entrepreneur with a long history as a volunteer and professional consultant with expertise in fundraising and managing political campaigns. He spent many years as an executive and CEO of international humanitarian aid agencies, helping establish and run disaster response programs for children in Africa, Bosnia, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, among other locations. As founder and president of Conservative Growth Inc., he helps elect conservatives to all levels of public office.
07 Mar 2012

New Interagency Trade Enforcement Center

By Grassley Press

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today made the following comment on the President's executive order creating a new Interagency Trade Enforcement Center within the office of the United States Trade Representative.

"When U.S. trading partners violate their obligations, the U.S. trade representative's office already should be taking the lead and working with other agencies to take action as needed.  I'm skeptical that a new Interagency Trade Enforcement Center is necessary to ramp up enforcement against trading partners who are playing fast and loose with trade rules.  There's nothing to stop the United States from bringing more cases now.  I plan to press the trade representative on the need for this new entity when he comes before the Senate Finance Committee soon.  If this new center gets up and running, there should be real results to back up the presidential pronouncement.  The pressure will be on the White House to deliver."
07 Mar 2012

Local Student Earns Academic Honors at Illinois Central College

By Susan Grebner

EAST PEORIA, IL (02/29/2012)(readMedia)-- Illinois Central College, East Peoria, released the names of students who earned academic honors during the Fall 2011 semester. The following local students received the honor:

Anthony Douglas Brodt, Jr., of Silvis, IL -- President's List

The honor is based on a 4.0 grading scale. Students who earned a perfect 4.0 were named to the President's List, and students who earned a 3.5 to 3.99 were named to the Dean's List.

07 Mar 2012

JUST WATCHING BAD STUFF HAPPEN

By Laurie Johns

At my last routine checkup, my doctor brought in a physician's assistant who was 'in training' and there to observe.  He stood there, scribbling, as I chatted about my insomnia, my diet, my stomach issues.  I had to trust that he really was there to learn, maybe even add new information about recommended prescriptions (being a new medical school graduate, he should have the latest information, right?) or help spot impending signs of illness or concern.  I had to trust he was there to learn, not there because he might 'dish' about private information he learned about recognizable patients in this respected doctor's office.

If I sound hesitant, it's because I've had my medical privacy invaded many times when I was a TV news anchor in Des Moines, so have others I've worked with.  I'm sure you'd agree it's absolutely justifiable to expect that everyone who helps care for their personal or family medical needs  is well-trained and professional enough to let them know immediately if they saw something 'out of line', 'out of whack' or potentially dangerous.

Putting those same concerns in another setting, it also seems reasonable to expect that if a person comes to work on an Iowa livestock farm, they're well-trained and professional enough to let a farmer (or law enforcement agent) know immediately if they see something 'out of line,' 'out of whack' or potentially dangerous when it comes to animals that are raised for our food.

Consumers are justifiably concerned about how animals they eat are treated on farms in Iowa.  I'm not saying the Ag Protection Bill just passed at the Statehouse is perfect, but at least it gets to the heart of the matter: trust.  I want to trust that if an animal is being mistreated on a farm, the person who sees it says something, and the person who does it, is removed or punished immediately.  It would also be nice if farmers could trust that people who work on their farms know what they're doing and stand up to correct or report bad behavior.

I understand we all are concerned about animals; we don't have to live and work with livestock animals every day to get that they deserve good food, timely medical attention and a compassionate, safe environment during their (somewhat short) lives.   Maybe that's why the majority of farmers speak out against bad actors when they see it because it's not just the industry that gets smeared when some grainy, heavily-edited, undercover video emerges; it also smears the character of the 99.9% of farmers who also wonder why someone would just stand there and watch.

07 Mar 2012

State Treasurer Fitzgerald Encourages Financial Literacy with New Program

By Karen Austin

The National Financial Capability Challenge runs from March 12 to April 13, 2012

DES MOINES, IA (02/29/2012)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald is getting the word out about a new program that will boost the financial literacy of Iowa's high school students. The State Treasurer's Office is partnering with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Education to introduce the National Financial Capability Challenge, a program that focuses on helping students increase their financial knowledge. The Challenge, which runs from March 12 through April 13, is a free, voluntary online series of financial questions for high school students to check their knowledge of earning, spending, saving, borrowing, risk protection and more.

"Financial literacy has always been one of my office's most important initiatives, so I'm glad we were given the opportunity to help implement this program," said Fitzgerald. "The Challenge is a great opportunity for participating Iowa high schools. The test and the toolkit used to prepare for it are found online, making it easy to use, and the Challenge itself is quick - it only takes 30 minutes to take. Even though it doesn't take much time to participate in the program, the lessons students learn from it will last them a lifetime. I encourage all high schools to take advantage of this opportunity."

Educators don't need to be math or personal finance teachers to register their students to participate. To register, educators should visit www.challenge.treas.gov. After signing up, they are encouraged to help spread the word about the Challenge by using the tools provided through the website. After the program concludes, educators and top-scoring students in each school will earn personalized award certificates, and states with the highest participation will also be recognized.

###

07 Mar 2012

ASPCA Urges Iowa Governor to Veto Dangerous "Ag-Gag" Legislation

By Rick Martin

House File 589 passes Iowa General Assembly

NEW YORK–In response to the Iowa General Assembly's passage of House File (HF) 589 Tuesday, the ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is urging Governor Terry Branstad to veto the dangerous "ag-gag" bill. HF 589 would criminalize activities used to conduct undercover investigations on farms, penalize whistleblowers, and protect animal abusers instead of working to prevent such mistreatment.

This dangerous bill is aimed at preventing investigations on farms that expose inhumane and cruel treatment of animals. However, HF 589 also has the potential to suppress the exposure of child abuse, drug use, assault, theft, violations of workers' rights and other illegal or unethical activity. A broad spectrum of groups representing environmental, workers' rights, civil liberties, public health and food safety interests have joined animal protection organizations in opposing the ag-gag legislation.

"The ASPCA urges Governor Branstad to prevent this harmful and unnecessary bill from becoming law," said Suzanne McMillan, director of the ASPCA farm animal welfare campaign. "We need additional transparency, not less, regarding the production of our food supply. Documentation by whistleblowers exposes animal abuse, environmental dangers, and serious health problems with our food supply. Where there are problems, industry should direct its energy toward resolving them, not covering them up."

A newly released poll commissioned by the ASPCA and conducted by Lake Research Partners reveals that almost two-thirds (64 percent) of Americans oppose making undercover investigations of animal abuse on industrial farms illegal. Accordingly, 71 percent of Americans support undercover investigative efforts by animal welfare organizations to expose animal abuse on industrial farms, including 54 percent who strongly support the efforts. The nationwide survey also reveals that 94 percent of Americans feel that it is important to have measures in place to ensure that food coming from farm animals is safe for people to eat, and 94 percent agree that animals raised for food on farms deserve to be free from abuse and cruelty.

For more information on the ASPCA and to join the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade, please visit www.aspca.org.

About the ASPCA®
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is the first humane organization established in the Americas and serves as the nation's leading voice for animal welfare. One million supporters strong, the ASPCA's mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. The ASPCA, which is headquartered in New York City, offers a wide range of programs, including a mobile clinic outreach initiative, its own humane law enforcement team, and a groundbreaking veterinary forensics team and mobile animal CSI unit. For more information, please visit www.aspca.org.

To become a fan of the ASPCA on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/aspca. To follow the ASPCA on Twitter, go to http://www.twitter.com/aspca.

###

07 Mar 2012

Governor Quinn Issues State Disaster Declaration in Harrisburg Following Tornado

By Andrew Mason

Governor Declares Disaster After Touring Damage and

Meeting with First Responders

 

HARRISBURG - February 29, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today issued a state disaster proclamation following a tour of damaged areas in Harrisburg after a tornado devastated parts of southern Illinois Wednesday morning. State resources including the Illinois State Police, Illinois Department of Transportation and Illinois Department of Natural Resources were also deployed on the ground to respond to the damage.

 

"My heart goes out to the victims of this devastating storm, and I would like to thank the many people who have stepped up and volunteered to aid their neighbors," Governor Quinn said. "I have met with local community leaders and first responders, and they know the state of Illinois is here to help as they recover from this disaster."

 

The disaster declaration issued by Governor Quinn today covers the southern-third of Illinois and will ensure that state resources and personnel are available to assist with response and recovery efforts.

 

"My thoughts and prayers go out to our neighbors in and around Harrisburg today as we learn of the devastation that hit the region early this morning," Lt. Governor Sheila Simon said. "I will continue to work diligently to coordinate state and local disaster relief efforts and bring aid and support to this community."

 

Simon said the Red Cross Little Egypt Network is coordinating volunteer efforts and accepting monetary donations to aid in disaster relief efforts. The Little Egypt chapter can be contacted at (618) 529-1698, and donations can be sent to the chapter office at 665 North Airport Road, Murphysboro, IL 62966.

 

Shortly after the storm this morning, Governor Quinn directed the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) to activate the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Springfield. IEMA personnel and several other state agencies are coordinating at the SEOC and continue to assess the impact of the storms.

 

"The focus of the state right now is to coordinate with local emergency response officials in the affected areas to determine what state resources are needed for response and recovery from the storms," said IEMA Director Jonathon Monken.

 

IEMA regional personnel were deployed to Harrisburg soon after the storms and representatives from the Illinois State Police, departments of Transportation, Central Management Services, Corrections, Public Health and Natural Resources, along with the American Red Cross, reported to the SEOC soon thereafter. The SEOC will remain activated as long as necessary.

 

State resources on the ground in the affected storm areas include :

 

  • Illinois Department of Transportation(IDOT) - helicopter to assist with damage assessment

o   35 IDOT employees and equipment in Harrisburg assisting with access control

o   60-90 additional IDOT employees on stand-by

  • Illinois State Police - 20 troopers assisting with security and access control
  • Department of Natural Resources - five Conservation Police Officers assisting with search and rescue/security

 

March 1 marks the beginning of Severe Weather Preparedness Month in Illinois.  IEMA has a Severe Weather Preparedness Guide on the Ready Illinois website (www.Ready.Illinois.gov) that provides information on how to stay safe when severe storms and tornadoes approach.

 

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07 Mar 2012

Banning Packer Ownership of Livestock Bill Introduced

By Grassley Press

Grassley Works to Ban Packer Ownership of Livestock

 

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley today said he's introducing his bill that would make it unlawful for a packer to own or feed livestock intended for slaughter.

"The 2012 farm bill is a great opportunity to deal with vertical integration before it's too late.  The ag concentration forums provided a real opportunity to make progress, but unfortunately the administration failed to follow through on any of the grass roots input and we're still at square one." Grassley said.  "Outlawing packer ownership of livestock would make sure the marketplace works for the farmer just as much as it does for the slaughterhouse."

Grassley's Packer Ban excludes single pack entities and packers that are too small to participate in the Mandatory Price Reporting program.  The bill also exempts farmer cooperatives where the members own, feed, or control the livestock themselves.

Grassley said that the CEO of a major slaughter house once told a group of farmers:  You wonder why we own livestock?  Well, we own livestock so that when prices are high we can kill our own and when prices are low we can buy from the farmer.

"This statement shows their intent and unfairness to the family farmer," Grassley said.  "Vertical integration leaves the independent producer with even fewer choices of who to buy from and sell to.  And, it hurts the ability of farmers to get a fair price for their products."

Here is a copy of the statement Grassley entered into the Congressional Record upon introduction.

 

Prepared Floor Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley

Introduction of the Packer Ban

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

 

Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation designed to help family farmers across this nation have a more level playing field when it comes to livestock markets.  The bill would prohibit meat packers from owning livestock.  The ownership of livestock by packers compromises the marketplace and hinders the ability of the farmer to receive a fair price.  It is simple, as one meat-packing executive once told me, packers own livestock so that when prices are high, they slaughter their own livestock.  When prices are low, they buy from farmers.

 

I would love to say opportunities for independent producers have gotten better since the last time we debated this bill during the 2008 Farm Bill.  But that simply isn't the case.  We are to the point where most farmers have to deliver their livestock to one of a few very large packers.  Farmers' bargaining power is diminished by the sheer size and economic position of the packers.  But beyond that, farmers have to compete with the livestock owned by the packing plant itself.  The packer ban would make sure the forces of the marketplace work for the benefit of the farmer as much as it does for the slaughterhouse.

 

I'm sure there will be folks in the packing industry that point out that farmers are doing okay right now, and that's great that farmers are experiencing a good period.  I am pleased anytime the hard work of livestock farmers results in a good price.  But I don't want my colleagues here in the Senate to be lulled to sleep and think just because prices are good right now means we don't have competition issues in the livestock industry that need to be addressed.  This is about ensuring farmers are able to get fair prices for years to come.  We need to work today, and implement this reform, to ensure the next generation of independent farmers has an opportunity to raise livestock and receive fair prices as a result of their hard work.

 

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