For conservatives, the regulatory direction of antitrust enforcement strikes right at the heart of what defines a company: its property. Google has seemingly built and branded the most highly prized real estate on the Internet through innovation, investment and competitiveness. At first glance, Google could be a poster child for free enterprise. Is Sen. Lee simply encouraging big government to intervene once again in the marketplace and essentially seize and redistribute property?

But digital property ownership—of content, intellectual property and personal data—is exactly the issue that Google wants to sweep under the rug. To evaluate the need for antitrust enforcement against Google, we need to understand the extent to which Google has built its business through the abuse of the property rights of others.

Google’s search index is arguably assembled through the fair use of copyrighted content. Though Google largely does not seek permission to crawl websites, and copy and repurpose content on its own search pages, most websites—whether corporate or institutional—want to be found. That’s why they’re on the Web.

But Google has also built and maintained search on illegally copied content—and it continues to demonstrate a reluctance to address this issue. At September’s Senate Antitrust Subcommittee hearing, Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman detailed how Google had scraped (or in layman’s terms, “stolen”) Yelp’s content—reviews of local businesses—and put it on Google Places. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney General Thomas Barnett told a similar story about TripAdvisor’s content.

While Google appears to have misappropriated content in the cases of Yelp and TripAdvisor, it would be hard to argue that those specific transgressions warrant wholesale antitrust enforcement and de facto redistribution of Google’s property. Google might say that it merely stretched fair use in the service of consumers—a sort of Robin Hood defense, except where the kingmaker of search steals from small search companies.

But these specific transgressions are just two examples of a larger business plan that relies continuously on the misuse of the property of others. Handsets with Google’s Android now outsell all other types of smart phones—in part because Google allows manufacturers to load Android for free. How can that be possible? According to a lawsuit by Oracle, it’s possible because Android includes Oracle’s intellectual property, used without permission. Oracle is seeking billions in damages.

Google has created an enormous database of books by photocopying millions of books, including copyrighted works without permission. This project—now being commercialized—drove away competitors who were unwilling to overstep property laws.

In the September’s hearing, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) drew attention to Google’s embarrassing non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and forfeiture of $500 million in ill-gotten gains from the promotion of illegal and counterfeit pharmaceutical ads. In this instance, Google aided other property thieves—thieves of drug patents and trademarks—in a way that put the health of consumers at risk.

And perhaps most troubling, Google has collected content from individuals—personal digital property—again without permission or transparency. It scans emails sent to and from Gmail accounts. It collected personal information from unsecured WiFi hotspots—similar to wiretapping. Through partnerships with other websites, it also collects a range of other information about us and turns this data into its own digital property. We do not want government invading our privacy—and we should not stand for Google (which is also a government contractor) to do the same.

In the Heritage Foundation’s adaptation of their First Principles Essays, they summarized Friedrich Hayek’s insights in the Road to Serfdom which “made it clear he was not advocating a system of pure lasses-faire, but one with a general system of rules that would enable individuals to carry out their own plans.  Hayek’s contribution was to stress the importance of institutions – a market system, in a democratic polity, with a system of well-defined, enforced, and exchangeable property right, protected by a strong constitution, and operation under the rule of law, in which laws are stable, predictable, and equally applied.”

While antitrust enforcement has threatened marketplace competition in the past, it’s worth remembering that antitrust laws were developed by Republicans—and refined under the Rehnquist Court—to protect free enterprise. The telecommunications revolution began when Ronald Reagan enforced antitrust law and took the final step in dismantling AT&T’s government-sanctioned monopoly—and deregulating the industry.  As someone who started a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier in Michigan and consults for Microsoft, I have first hand knowledge how important a limited and targeted regulatory structure can be. There is precedence for the conservative application of antitrust against companies that have benefited from growing too close to government protectors.

In conservative circles, antitrust enforcement has often been seen as a big government tool for enabling intrusion in the free marketplace. But Senator Lee—along with Senators Cornyn and Chuck Grassley (R-IA)—rightly voiced concerns about Google’s impact on consumers, small businesses and marketplace competition. It makes sense for the FTC to act on these concerns, as Lee wrote this week. The common denominator of these concerns is not just unfair competition—but unfair competition powered by property theft.

August 11, 2011

Dear Michigan Republicans:

We write you at a time of great peril. Our nation is facing an unprecedented series of challenges both from without and from within. On the international front, we continue to stand—often alone—as the world’s defender of liberty and freedom in the age of terror.

At home, we confront the greatest fiscal/economic challenges since the Great Depression. Simply put, our nation’s economy is a mess. Washington’s appetite for spending has placed us on a glide path to ruin. Record deficits and an unsustainable national debt are destroying jobs and life savings. Our kids are shackled with debts they can never hope to pay.

How did we get here? We all know the answer. The people we’ve sent to Washington have too often failed us. Too many have forgotten why they were sent to Congress and instead become part of the problem. They’ve spent money we don’t have. They’ve forsaken their commitments to the people and replaced them with a commitment to special interests.

And now, as we reach a tipping point, many say the answer is more of the same: more spending and debt. And, of course, higher taxes on working Americans. Two such people are the President and our U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow. Even with the stock market in disarray and our credit rating downgraded, they want a bigger federal government, Obamacare, higher taxes and more regulations.

Next year these two incumbents will ask to be re elected. We strongly believe that must not be allowed to happen. The future of our nation is too important, and the times too critical, to stay on the course that the President and Senator Stabenow have been following. We need new leadership at the White House and Michigan needs a new US Senator.

That is why we are writing you today. We strongly believe that the strongest candidate we can run for Senate and the person who would make the best Senator for Michigan in these difficult times is Clark Durant.

Clark is a strong constitutional conservative. He believes in limited government and the rule of law. He is committed to upholding the sanctity of life. He favors a strong national defense. And he knows that the only way America will overcome our economic troubles is by allowing the free enterprise system to flourish and to let people keep more of what they learn.

But it is not just what Clark believes that counts. It is his breadth of experience “outside” Washington that will allow him to be the leader we need in the Senate.

Here are just a few examples of what Clark has achieved:

• He’s served as a Vice President of Hillsdale College and helped found its indispensible publication Imprimis.
• He has been a successful businessman. At the request of Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole, he transformed a floundering, near bankrupt public railroad and privatized it, turning it into a successful, profitable private venture, paying taxes not spending taxes.
• President Reagan named him, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him, to serve on the board of the Legal Services Corporation. As Chairman, he didn’t ask Congress for more money, he sought to break up a monopoly which was denying poor people access to justice and sought efficient ways to deliver more services with fewer tax dollars;
• He represented Michigan on the 1984 Republican National Committee Platform Committee where he helped draft the party platform on which President Reagan ran for and won his landslide re-election.
• At Governor Engler’s request, he ran for both the Michigan Supreme Court and later the State Board of Education. As a President of the State Board of Education he worked with Governor Engler to shake up the state education establishment, create charter schools, and bring more accountability and higher standards to the state’s public school system.

Clark Durant has taken tough jobs and achieved success. He has challenged the establishment and forced it to reform. He has succeeded in both the public and the private sectors. And, most importantly, he has shown himself to be a true “man for others”.

In the early 1990’s Clark Durant was one of the first to recognize the deficiencies in our inner city public schools. Recognizing that kids trapped in these hopeless situations were seeing their futures extinguished without being given a fair chance to succeed, Clark decided to do something about it. At the invitation of Detroit’s then Archbishop Adam Maida and a group of caring community leaders and businesses, Clark founded the Cornerstone Schools. Through his service as the founding Chairman, Clark led the effort to create urban schools which challenge, inspire and educate students to achieve a 95% high school graduation rate. From the first grade, inner city students master the basics (reading, writing and arithmetic), learn foreign languages, play violin, and are given opportunities to expand their horizons. Over the years, many Cornerstone graduates have attended college, including Ivy League schools, and have become successful citizens. Many, in fact, have become doctors and engineers. Through his vision, entrepreneurship and tenacity, Clark created opportunities for parents and children—a real alternative to failing schools.

The Cornerstone School experience illustrates how education pioneers, compassionate conservatives, and education entrepreneurs have gone into America’s inner cities and founded schools which often deliver near-miraculous results. Students from low-income, rough neighborhoods are given an escape hatch from the wasteful, bureaucratic big-city public schools and earn a pathway to college and middle class American life. This is what happens when the dynamic of freedom and free markets (empowerment through choice) are combined to truly lift our fellow citizens out of poverty. This is a lesson the Washington establishment needs to learn. This experience also shows you the kind of vision and courage that Clark Durant possesses.

And this is the kind of leadership we need in the US Senate. We need someone who will take on the system and set us on a new course for the future.

Clark Durant is not a creature of Washington. Rather, as a true conservative, Clark has devoted himself to demonstrating how freedom and empowerment works at the local level to transform lives, strengthen communities and provide hope for every person to maximize their potential.

Our voice in Washington needs to speak loudly and clearly for Michigan. It needs to rise above the voices that speak only the language of Washington. Our voice should not be afraid to speak loudly about what’s right and about the problems we face. It must speak clearly about the need to end the illogical cycle of trying to address problems with the same failed approaches. Clark Durant will be Michigan’s strong and clear voice in Washington

Debbie Stabenow certainly is not that voice. Debbie Stabenow arrived in Washington nearly 16 years ago and has consistently voted for more spending, more onerous regulations, and bigger government. After nearly two decades in Washington, she is now one of the leading voices in the choir.

The expense of the annual federal budget has increased more than $2 trillion; in fact it’s more than doubled, since Debbie Stabenow was elected.

In fact, the annual deficit is now equal to the size of the entire federal budget when Debbie Stabenow first was elected.

Here are some other facts:

She voted for the infamous Bridge to Nowhere, which came to symbolically highlight pork barrel spending excess.

She voted numerous times to raise the debt ceiling. For example:

• In 2002 she voted to increase the ceiling to $6.4 trillion.
• In 2004 she was a yes vote when the debt ceiling was increased to $7.4 trillion.
• Again in 2004, she supported an increase to $8.18 trillion.
• In 2006 she backed a debt ceiling increase that brought the limit to $9 trillion.
• In 2008 she was a loud and clear yes vote to raise the debt ceiling to $11.3 trillion.

Debbie Stabenow’s record on taxes is just as out of touch. Like the President she favors higher taxes as the solution to our economic problems.

We say enough is enough.

We don’t need more spending and taxes; more debt and red ink. We need leaders in Washington who will challenge business as usual and take on the status quo. We need proven conservative leaders like Clark Durant in the Senate.

Recently, Arthur Brooks, President of American Enterprise Institute, penned an insightful essay for the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page which puts the recent debt ceiling debate in clear context:.

“But before they succumb to too much caution, budget reformers need to remember three things. First, this is not a political fight between Republicans and Democrats; it is a fight against 50-year trends toward statism. Second, it is a moral fight, not an economic one. Third, this is not a fight that anyone can win in the 15 months from now to the presidential election. It will take hard work for at least a decade….No one deserves our political support today unless he or she is willing to work for as long as it takes to win the moral fight to steer our nation back toward enterprise and self-governance. This fight will not be easy or politically safe. But it will be a happy one: to share the values that make us proud to be Americans.”

Please join us and support Clark Durant to be Michigan’s new voice in the United States Senate. As our nation is at a tipping point, we need Clark Durant to wage a positive campaign for America’s future.

We hope you join us.

Abraham, Anuzis and DeVos have all served as Chairs of the Michigan Republican Party. Each was elected to multiple terms at the helm of the MRP. Abraham’s election to the US Senate in 1994 marks the only time during the past 40 years Michigan has chosen a Republican voice in the Senate.

Not paid for by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

Specter Opens Door on White House Felonies

http://spectator.org/archives/2010/03/16/specter-opens-door-on-white-ho/

Slaughter House Rules:
How Democrats may ‘deem’ ObamaCare into law, without voting.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703909804575123512773070080.html

Check out the updates regularly…can CALL your Congressman!

http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/03/the_health_care_1.php#more

Lowden Leads, But GOP Wary Of Tea Party

Ex-state Sen./ex-NV GOP chair Sue Lowden (R) has a clear lead over her GOP primary rivals, according to a new independent survey, but GOPers should be worried about the presence of a third-party candidate running with the Tea Party label.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal poll of 625 likely voters, conducted by Mason-Dixon between Feb. 22-24, had a margin of error of +/- 4%. An oversample of 300 GOP LVs had a margin of error of +/- 3%. Lowden, businessman/’06 Sec/State nom. Danny Tarkanian (R), ex-Assemb.Sharron Angle (R), investment banker John Chachas (R) and Marine vet. Bill Parson (R) were tested. General election matchups posed Lowden, Tarkanian and Angle against Sen.Harry Reid (D).

Primary Election Matchup
Lowden        47
Tarkanian     29
Angle          8
Chachas        1
Parson        --

General Election Matchups
Reid          36     Lowden        52
Generic GOPer 32     Reid          39
Tea Party nom 18

Tarkanian     51     Angle         44
Reid          40     Reid          42

Reid’s electoral future remains uncertain, but businessman Jon Ashjian‘s ballot access as a Tea Party candidate will complicate matters for the GOP. The poll shows a generic Tea Party candidate would attract 22% of GOP voters versus just 12% of Dems. Matched up head-to-head, Lowden’s 13-point lead is 3 points higher than the Jan. 5-7 survey, and Tarkanian’s 11-point edge is up 3 points from Jan.

Reid’s ratings are still dismal, at just 33% fav/51% unfav. And though Pres. Obama has gone to bat for Reid more than for any other candidate, those visits are having little impact. Thepoll showed just 7% of voters said they are more likely to vote for Reid after Obama’s latest visit.

Lowden is the frontrunner to oust Reid, as we wrote last week. And while Reid can’t buy a break, this race, more than any in the country, is where the Tea Party could make a difference that hurts the GOP.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33652.html#ixzz0gsv16Xuq

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33652.html

Thanks for all you do!

Friday, February 05, 2010

Conservatives Need to Rally Behind Sue Lowden [Saul Anuzis]

Conservatives have a number of opportunities for victories in 2010, but none is more important than the chance to defeat Senate majority leader Harry Reid. We must rally behind the right candidate to ensure that we not only defeat Reid but also gain a solid conservative senator. That candidate is Sue Lowden.

I have known Sue and her family for years. I know that she has the fortitude to take on Reid and withstand the onslaught that he and his allies will unleash against her. More importantly, I know that she has strong conservative principles rooted in her personal faith and her belief in free-market ideals. (Sue recently spoke with a group of Nevada tea-party activists.) She is a proven leader with a track record of success, who has earned every opportunity she has had. Many don’t realize that Sue is the daughter of a former coal miner. She and her husband both come from humble backgrounds but have succeeded in business through smart decisions and hard work, not through government handouts or their family name.

In 1992, Lowden won election to the Nevada state senate by defeating the incumbent senate majority leader. Her victory ended Democrats’ control of the chamber, and Sue’s colleagues immediately elected her senate majority whip.

Because of her strong fiscal-conservative principles, Lowden later served as chair of the taxation committee. When pro-tax legislators tried to push through higher taxes, she blocked their efforts. Her panel became known as the “no-taxation” committee. Lowden fought against higher taxes in the state senate, and she will fight against higher taxes in the U.S. Senate.

Today, labor bosses continue their efforts to kill a union member’s right to cast his vote privately without the bosses looking over his shoulder. Will we have a conservative U.S. senator with the fortitude to stand up to them? As a state senator, Lowden cast the deciding vote in the Nevada state senate to protect Nevada’s right-to-work status. She has had unions picket her home and businesses, but she has withstood their onslaught. Lowden will stand with conservatives against union bosses in the U.S. Senate.

On issue after issue, we know where Sue Lowden stands because she has been elected to office and championed conservative principles. She earned the endorsement of the NRA in her race for state senate. She is one of the original architects of Nevada’s charter-school law. As a pro-life advocate, she fought for parental-notification laws. Through her personal family experiences and decades of work with children with muscular dystrophy and Jerry’s Kids, I know Lowden values life. I know she will be a pro-life U.S. senator.

Lowden proudly signed the Americans for Tax Reform Pledge the week she announced her Senate campaign. She has pledged to join Senate conservatives to fight for earmark reform and tax and spending cuts. She is staunchly opposed to taxpayer funding of abortion. Lowden has stated that she would not have voted for President Bush’s TARP bill and is a strong opponent of the “stimulus” bill passed earlier this year. She was the first candidate running against Harry Reid to sign the Club for Growth’s pledge, and she has also signed the Americans for Prosperity anti–climate tax pledge.

Some conservatives have chosen to support Danny Tarkanian for the Nevada GOP Senate nomination. I say to my friends that they are mistaken in their support for the son of the former UNLV basketball coach. Tarkanian has used his campaign to falsely attack Lowden and try to trick us into believing that she isn’t conservative enough. If Sue Lowden isn’t conservative enough to be a leader in the conservative movement, than neither was Ronald Reagan.

As I’ve listened to Tarkanian ignore the facts and twist Sue’s words, I’ve been reminded of Reagan, who once spoke of what he called “the 11th Commandment”: Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican. Reagan’s words highlight the contrast between Tarkanian’s rhetoric and Lowden’s conservative principles. It’s clear which candidate is best equipped to represent Reagan’s conservative movement.

I know that Sue Lowden is the proven conservative we can and should rally behind. Others do too. In the last quarter of 2009, Lowden raised more than twice as muchmoney as Tarkanian. In fact, she raised more money in her first quarter in the race than he raised in the past two quarters combined. We all know that it will take significant resources to defeat Harry Reid — and defeating him with a legitimate, tested conservative is our ultimate goal.

Reid is hoping that Tarkanian wins the Republican primary. While Lowden knows what it takes to be successful, Tarkanian has been on the ballot in two of the last three election cycles and failed to win both times. In his last campaign, he earned the endorsement of Sarah Brady and the Brady Campaign because of his liberal positions on the Second Amendment. Instead of taking responsibility for his stance on gun rights, Tarkanian claims it wasn’t his fault.

This is a critical moment when we must have the good judgment to stand behind the right conservative candidates who can win in November. There is a great uprising coming from the American people. We are ready to work and ready to earn real change, not only in government but also in the direction our economy and our country are headed. There is no better leader to join us in this effort than Sue Lowden — the right candidate to defeat Harry Reid.

— Saul Anuzis has been a conservative activist for much of his adult life, including serving in leadership positions in the fight against card-check legislation at American Solutions. He is former chairman of the Michigan Republican party.

A great read worth sharing with others.

Saul

June 11, 2009

GM offers brutal lesson about labor in U.S

By Saul Anuzis

The news that General Motors (GM) declared bankruptcy makes me ill. You see, I grew up in Michigan, where the auto industry was so much a part of the culture, that I and many others considered it as American as apple pie. My father spent 32 years as a skill tradesman at the GM Fisher Body plant in Detroit.

Yet, as GM awaits its $30 billion in government, bail-out money, 68% of which could end up going to the United Auto Workers (UAW), its employees look for new jobs. The same folks who made demands of GM it could not meet now stand to receive as much as $20 billion.

By the end of the day, the Federal Government will own more than 50% of GM and the UAW will own another 20%.

There is an old saying that “as GM goes, so goes America.” Let me explain.

The reason that the great American tradition of making cars in my home state has now gone belly up is due in large part to the irrational and unreasonable demands made by UAW chief Ron Gettelfinger, former UAW chief Frank Garrison, and the union leaders that came before them. And the rest of it lies with the management of the Big 3 who made promises they knew they couldn’t keep, and the politicians who continued to enable this to happen.

GM will have to close plants and dealerships all over the country just to stay afloat. But staying afloat is more than some of their employees may be able to get away with.

It seems like all we are left with are questions. What if the UAW & management had negotiated more reasonable and competitive contracts earlier, would GM have survived?

All of this serves as a sobering reminder of how power-hungry union leaders – still at work trying to elevate their interests above those of employees and employers – pose a major threat to other industries. Currently being considered in Congress is a bill that would decimate small businesses throughout the nation while lining Big Labor’s pockets. The Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act (EFCA) provides no real free choice to workers or employers, but does ensure both union bosses and their mismanaged pension programs are rewarded and subsidized.

Under EFCA, a worker’s right to a secret ballot vote during union elections would vanish as would a businesses right to determine the wages and benefits of its employees. Leaders on both sides of the political spectrum have decried EFCA as an unnecessary risk to the American economy and a step back in our democracy.

A recent economic study by Dr. Anne Layne-Farrar reveals that every three percentage points gained in union membership through card checks and mandatory arbitration would result in a one percentage point rise in the unemployment the following year.

The American people cannot afford legislation that further damages the economy. EFCA puts everything at risk – our jobs, businesses, sacred right to a private vote, and the right of workers to have a say on contracts determining their wages and benefits.

EFCA essentially serves as an opportunity for the labor bosses to do to small business what they have done to the great American auto industry. But, simply stated, our nation cannot afford it.

The common thread throughout all of this is that the workers suffer most – and in an incredibly challenging economic environment – there are few things that would be more damaging than the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act.

Any vote for job-killing legislation that eliminates worker rights and sacrifices small businesses in an attempt to reward union bosses will never see the light of day. The GM bankruptcy demonstrates just how high the stakes really are in this debate.

Saul Anuzis is the former chair of the Michigan Republican Party.

Some of the more extreme environmentalist, who are working to totally get the U.S. “off” from any use of carbon including coal.  These groups are being  intellectually dishonest when they insist that renewables can immediately replace coal which accounts for 50% of the electricity produced in the U.S. at prices that help to make our manufacturing sector cost competitive with foreign companies.  

Currently renewables minus hydro equal at most, about 4% of our needs and they are not reliable as a base load due to their dependence upon external factors such as wind and sun!  To ensure we have electricity when we turn on the light switch or maintain medical equipment, we need a base load that is reliable.  At this time, renewables do not afford that reliability.  Therefore, to advocate we can do away with coal is dishonest.   

Coal fired power plants have the ability to develop more efficient operations but are precluded from doing so because of the “New Source Review” regulation.  This requires any non maintenance improvement at a facility to make additional improvements which are prohibitive due to the high costs versus simply investing in the efficiency only upgrade.  This needs to be changed because the environment is missing out on some easy low hanging chances to reduce carbon emissions due to the rule which is considered sacrosanct to the “environmental” community.  

To gain a perspective of the scale of coal’s opportunity to contribute, consider this: if we were to improve the efficiency of the existing coal power-generation fleet by only one percentage point, that is to increase from 32% to 33% efficiency (which is well within the present technology’s capability to do), we would save more energy than we would gain by expanding existing wind generation capacity twelve fold! This increase in efficiency would also result in a 3% reduction in CO2 released from coal-powered generation for the same amount of power delivered.

Going further, if we aggressively improve efficiency by 4 or 5 percentage points, then emissions could fall by 25 MMmt 0, or about 13% of last year’s CO2 emissions from coal power (n.b. another example of why reducing carbon intensity is a worthwhile goal, but stymied by NSR problems).

Extrememist in the environmental movement don’t want incremental, practical change.  Chaos, controversy and excessive pollution helps their cause…and hurts our society and environment.  Their “politics” of extremism is bad for America and bad for the world we will leave behind to our children.

So when you hear them pitch their new “Cap & Trade” policies, the devil is in the details and for all practical purposed, Cap & Trade is designed to be one of the biggest tax hikes in America’s history.  If they really wanted to see carbon emissions reduced, there are practical alternatives available now!

You can see the whole report on the effects of reducing carbon emissions  here:  http://www.netl.doe.gov/energy-analyses/pubs/CFPP%20Efficiency-FINAL.pdf

After some 8 weeks of work and countless hours of meetings, research, analysis and discussions…the RNC Transition Team presented their findings and 100-Day Plans to Chairman Steele.  The last reports were presented this last Thursday.

RNC Chairman Michael Steele asked 10 RNC members from around the country and recruited a number of “politicos” and “consultants” to help analyze exactly what the RNC did…what it should do…and propose a 100-Day Plan to implement a new, fresh approach for the RNC.

I was most impressed with Michael’s initial meeting with the team where he challenged us to leave no stone unturned and not to be afraid to “think outside the box”.  He wanted us to challenge the status quo and just because things were done one way, it didn’t mean it had to be done that way going forward.

He created 7 sub-committees that analyzed various aspects of what the RNC does…those included Finance, Administration, Political, Education, Technology, Communications, Strategy and Legal.

Each group interviewed staff, reached out the other RNC members for their input and insight, put together current and suggested organizational charts, budgets and objectives.  Each group proposed a 100-Day Plan with timelines and goals to move the process forward.

Much of the analysis involved reaching out to the grassroots for comments and help.  I think it’s impressive that over 8,000+ activists from around the country provided insights, suggestions, comments and ideas…even plans and proposals.  Many volunteers just jumped in and did all they could to help Steele get all the input he should have as he prepares to implement his plans and strategy.

As of this week, Chairman Steele was presented with everyone’s final recommendations, suggestions and comments.  Needless to say, Michael and Jan have some “heavy reading” to go over this weekendJ

Overall I think the process was very productive and instructive.  Many great ideas and suggested were put forth.  The Chairman’s challenge is to go through this huge volume of information and recommendations and put forth his vision and plan on how to move our party forward and organize our troops nationwide.

I have to say, I feel confident Michael Steele has taken the time, made the effort and reached out to all that were willing to help put together a plan to lead us to victory.  The challenges are great, the obstacles formidable and the opportunities boundless.

As Chairman Steele implements his plan, builds him team and reaches out to the grassroots for help, I hope all of us join together to help move our party forward.

It was an honor to be part of this process and I look forward to working with and supporting Chairman Steele as we rebuild our great party and movement.

See my original post here: http://www.thatssaulfolks.com/2009/03/27/rnc-transition-team-report/

Freedom Not Fear in the Workplace!

With the Democrats in control of both chambers of Congress, union bosses have pushed for the introduction the so called “Employee Free Choice Act”, better known as Card Check. With wide majorities in both the House and Senate, many believe this could pass fairly easily and be on President Obama’s desk sooner rather than later.

The Wall Street Journal reports that several moderate Democrats and the lone Republican supporter of the EFCA legislation are having second thoughts of the economic impact of such legislation.

A recently released study by University of Chicago economist Prof. Anne Layne-Farrar points out that if the union bosses estimates are correct, we could lose some 600,000 jobs the first year EFCA takes effect nationwide?!?

President Obama’s key economic advisor and business leader Warren Buffett came out on CNBC’s Squawk Box and said he opposed “card check”.  Addingthe “Oracles” voice to those concerned about this legislation should carry some weight with Democrats. Not to mention Democrat Presidential candidate and former U.S. Senator George McGovern!

I have joined Newt Gingrich in organizing a nationwide, new media campaign to help stop EFCA in Congress.  We are collecting thousands of signatures online to turn into members of Congress and to encourage voters/activists to let their members of Congress know they oppose this reckless legislation, particularly during these tough economic times.  Our goal is to protect freedom in the workforce and not encourage fear through intimidation.

The key vote will be the vote for “cloture” in the Senate, which will call off debate and force a final vote on the bill.  The vote for “cloture” is “the vote” for the bill, therefore ALL eyes are on the U.S. Senate.  So sign our petition, encourage your U.S. Senators to oppose the “cloture vote on EFCA” and protect workers rights to a secret ballot and prevent government bureaucrats from setting the terms of their work conditions.

Go to American Solutions and sign our petition to help save American jobs and stop the union bosses and Democrats from playing these games.

AmericanSolutions.com/FreedomNotFear ]]> http://www.redstate.com/saul_anuzis/2009/03/10/card-check-bad-for-america/

So join Newt Gingrich and sign this online petition to Congress asap…and pass it along:

http://www.AmericanSolutions.com/FreedomNotFear

This is being done in a stealth manner because its backers know that this bill will not pass if the American people understand its destructive nature.

To expose and stop this effort, I’ve joined American Solutions as National Chairman of our “Freedom Not Fear” campaign, and you can join us by signing our petition here.

The Employee Free Choice Act, or “Card Check,” would eliminate the right to vote by private ballot when deciding whether to join a union, and it would undermine the right to freely negotiate contracts.

We can’t tolerate this. We must stand for freedom, not fear in the workplace. We cannot afford to be intimidated. Please stand with us now. This is about protecting our fundamental right to vote privately without coercion. It’s about protecting the right of employers and employees to negotiate freely. It’s about allowing businessmen and women, not bureaucrats and union bosses, to run our businesses. And in the end, it’s about saving and protecting American jobs.

Please sign the petition now.

http://www.AmericanSolutions.com/FreedomNotFear

Sincerely,

Saul Anuzis

National Chairman,

Save American Jobs Project

American Solutions

February 20, 2009

MORNING UPDATE:

FINAL COMMENTARY…BYE BYE…MAYBE NOT SO FAST…I can’t thank the Michigan Republicans and all our friends throughout the state who gave me this opportunity to serve as your Chairman. We had some challenging times over the last four years, but I think the effort each and everyone of you put in to help build our party and support our candidates made a difference.

I’m not sure where I will land, but I’m looking forward to continuing my activities with conservatives and Republicans nationwide. I have put together a blog that I’ll be posting to regularly, so you can still follow along. www.thatssaulfolks.com
Thanks again for all you do and your friendship!

COMMENTARY & ARTICLES COMING TO AN END…today will be my last “Articles of Interest” and collection of top political clips. I am in the process of creating my own private webpage where I will continue to post regular commentaries and share articles of interest…but not daily and no compilation of clips. A special thanks to Bob Wolfer, George Blichar, Brian Began, Jessica Aspiras, and all those who made the articles what they were. I hope to have an address by tomorrow…still called “That’s Saul, Folks!”.

TWITTER…anyone can follow my daily activities and impressions throughout the day by joining and following along. Twitter.com is another social networking site most easily described as a type of instant messaging – but with tons of people. You can follow the ‘tweets’ of others – and they follow you and what you write. The catch is that your posts are limited to 140 characters. But for many, that’s enough to say the important things. To follow me click here. To follow the Michigan Republicans, click here.

FACEBOOK...is a great "social networking" tool that many Republicans are using. This is particularly popular with College Republicans, TeenAge Republicans and Young Republicans. If you would like to become a "friend" join me here. To join the Michigan Republicans, you can join here.

MRP STATE CONVENTION…Just a quick note to let you know that the Michigan Republican’s website has been updated with State Convention information.   For your reference in directing potential delegates to the site, the address is: http://www.migop.org/event.asp.

CPAC 2009 Timeless Principles, New Challenges…Register today for the largest gathering of conservative grassroots activists in the country! The American Conservative Union Foundation is pleased to invite you to participate in the nation’s largest annual gathering of conservatives. The 36th Annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) will be held on February 26-28, 2009.

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FOR THE LATEST NEWS, COMMENTARY & INFORMATION:

Check…out…our…online Articles of Interest………News…you…can…use………

************************************************************************

REST OF THE STORY:

No Further Commentary Today

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

The following stories and more are available at my Articles of Interest online.

Taxpayers Revolt Against Gimme-Mania

By Michelle Malkin

There’s something in the air. It’s the smell of roasted pork. President Obama heralded the signing of the trillion-dollar "stimulus" bill in Denver and promoted his massive mortgage entitlement expansion in Mesa, Ariz., at tightly controlled campaign events. But outside the Secret Service perimeters, a raucous grassroots rebellion against Beltway spending binges has caught fire. The new Boston Tea Party is here, baby, and it’s doused in barbecue sauce.

The first revolt took place on Presidents Day in Smurf-blue Seattle, where mom-blogger Keli Carender hastily organized a downtown demonstration to oppose what they called the "stimulus rip-off." A motley band of nearly 100 protesters — moms and their kids, college students, libertarians, taxpayer groups, GOP activists — raised their voices and dined on pulled pork (donated by yours truly). They assailed both the substance of the overstuffed stimulus package and the short-circuited, nontransparent process by which it was passed.

Some wore pig noses. Others waved Old Glory and "Don’t Tread on Me" flags. Their handmade signs read: "Say No to Generational Theft"; "Obama’$ Porkulu$ Wear$ Lip$tick"; and "I don’t want to pay for the SwindleUs! I’m only 10 years old!" The event was peaceful, save for an unhinged city-dweller who showed his tolerance by barging onto the speakers’ stage and giving a Nazi salute.

Auto bankruptcy changes offered

BY JUSTIN HYDE • FREE PRESS WASHINGTON STAFF

WASHINGTON — It’s not the kind of new chapter in the history of General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC that executives have in mind, but two bankruptcy experts unveiled a plan Thursday for a "Chapter 10" bankruptcy tailor-made for automakers.
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While it’s just an idea, at least one prominent member of Congress, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., has raised the possibility of changing federal law to allow automakers into bankruptcy while minimizing the damage to the rest of the economy.

"Chapter 11 for a ‘too big to fail’ company, such as a Big Three automaker, could be disastrous for the country," said George Kuney, a law professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law, and San Francisco bankruptcy attorney Michael St. James, in a paper for the American Bankruptcy Institute Journal.

Victoria McGrane / Politico.com

President Barack Obama’s sweeping plan to stabilize the housing market leaves out critical pieces that may determine whether the administration can halt the growing mortgage crisis, critics say.

Potentially, the most gaping hole in the housing plan could be the lack of an aggressive attempt to encourage principal write-downs on homes that have lost much of their value.

And there’s the threat that the nation’s economic woes will mount to such a scale that the plan would be worthless.

"There is no loan modification plan that will work in the long run if unemployment spirals out of control," a senior Treasury adviser said in a background briefing, stressing the housing plan’s links to the $787 billion economic stimulus bill that Obama signed Tuesday.

Mr. President, Keep the Airwaves Free

By RUSH LIMBAUGH

Dear President Obama:

I have a straightforward question, which I hope you will answer in a straightforward way: Is it your intention to censor talk radio through a variety of contrivances, such as "local content," "diversity of ownership," and "public interest" rules — all of which are designed to appeal to populist sentiments but, as you know, are the death knell of talk radio and the AM band?

You have singled me out directly, admonishing members of Congress not to listen to my show. Bill Clinton has since chimed in, complaining about the lack of balance on radio. And a number of members of your party, in and out of Congress, are forming a chorus of advocates for government control over radio content. This is both chilling and ominous.

As a former president of the Harvard Law Review and a professor at the University of Chicago Law School, you are more familiar than most with the purpose of the Bill of Rights: to protect the citizen from the possible excesses of the federal government. The First Amendment says, in part, that "Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." The government is explicitly prohibited from playing a role in refereeing among those who speak or seek to speak. We are, after all, dealing with political speech — which, as the Framers understood, cannot be left to the government to police.

Jackson bar owners lament Governor Jennifer Granholm’s plan to double liquor license fees

by Chris Gautz | Jackson Citizen Patriot

Local bar owners are not happy with what Gov. Jennifer Granholm wants to serve up in 2010 — a doubling of their annual liquor license renewal fees.

Granholm is seeking to raise the fees — which haven’t been increased since 1976 — as a way to help solve the state’s massive budget deficit.

"It’s a 100 percent tax increase," said Jeff Veach, owner of Veach’s Office Bar in downtown Jackson.

Lance Binoniemi, executive director of the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association, said the cost of the license fees depend on the establishment and what types of permits they have. Permits for an average bar can range from about $700 to $1,000 annually, he said.

Barbour to speak at Michigan Republican convention

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour will be in Michigan this Friday night to speak at the state Republican Party convention.

Barbour spokesman Laura Hipp says the governor is not traveling at public expense. The convention is Friday and Saturday in Lansing.

Barbour was chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1993 to 1997 and often travels to other states to speak to party gatherings or on behalf of Republican candidates.

Headed for another budget meltdown?

Phil Power

I hate to tell you this, but as of now, resolving the state’s budget deficit looks as though it’s going to be just as much of a mess as it was back in 2007, when Michigan was shut down for a few hours and our legislative leaders were reduced to attempting to tax the bronzing of baby shoes, and negotiating by text messaging.
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The problem lies in the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, when Michigan will be facing a $1.5 billion deficit in the $9 billion general fund (give or take a few hundred million).

Whatever anyone tells you, nobody yet knows in detail what all the Obamabucks from Washington will really mean for Michigan, although lots of lawmakers are hoping the stimulus plan will give them a way to wriggle out of some tough decisions.

Grading Bailout?: Student Expectations Seen as Causing Grade Disputes

By MAX ROOSEVELT

Prof. Marshall Grossman has come to expect complaints whenever he returns graded papers in his English classes at the University of Maryland.

“Many students come in with the conviction that they’ve worked hard and deserve a higher mark,” Professor Grossman said. “Some assert that they have never gotten a grade as low as this before.”

He attributes those complaints to his students’ sense of entitlement.

“I tell my classes that if they just do what they are supposed to do and meet the standard requirements, that they will earn a C,” he said. “That is the default grade. They see the default grade as an A.”

Auto industry aid request balloons to $39B

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors and Chrysler said Tuesday their request for federal aid ballooned to a staggering $39 billion — only months after receiving billions in loans — in new plans that envision massive job losses and intense restructuring to survive a deepening recession.

General Motors Corp. presented a survival plan that calls for cutting a total of 47,000 jobs globally and closing five more U.S. factories, a move that represents the largest work force reduction announced by a U.S. company in the economic meltdown. Chrysler LLC said it will cut 3,000 more jobs and stop producing three vehicle models.

The grim reports came as the United Auto Workers union said it had reached a tentative agreement with GM, Chrysler and Ford Motor Co. on contract changes. Concessions with the union and debt-holders were a condition of the government bailout.

February 19, 2009

MORNING UPDATE:

OBAMA’S WAR…Barack Obama, whose presidential ambitions were launched by his opposition to one war, moved Tuesday to expand the U.S. deployment in another. Despite no presidential verbal statement about the troop increase to Afghanistan and despite the fact the president spent all day in Phoenix talking about housing, it’s the issue of Afghanistan that is starting to dominate the news. After all, the addition of 17,000 troops by the summer is a 50% increase in the U.S. commitment. The announcement of the 50% troop increase came without any presidential explanation or new policy announcement. And that’s got some anti-war advocates very upset. More “change” we can count on? http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-02-17-afghanistan-forces_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Once again, Obama’s campaign “anti-war” rhetoric doesn’t seem to match the “change” he promised. Folks may not be mad yet, but clearly many are disappointed in the politics as usual.

EFCA – CARD CHECK…With successful passage of the $787 billion stimulus package in their rearview mirror, organized labor is returning to their top political priority: convincing Congress and the President to pass and sign the Employee Free Choice Act, or card check, which removes to the right to a secret ballot to organize and direct negotiations on the terms and conditions of employment.

The grassroots field campaign of the unions continues to be gradually ratcheted up; events will be held in 16 states. And labor is working closely together: the state-based events are being done in complete coordination between AFL-CIO, Change to Win, and SEIU, who will be working in total coordination to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.
Talk about a job killer program…at a time we can least afford these union boss’s games.

COMMENTARY & ARTICLES COMING TO AN END…this Friday will be my last “Articles of Interest” and collection of top political clips. I am in the process of creating my own private webpage where I will continue to post regular commentaries and share articles of interest…but not daily and no compilation of clips. I hope to have an address by tomorrow…still called “That’s Saul, Folks!”.

THAT’S SAUL FOLKS!…starting next week, I will have my own blog where you can follow my commentary and activities as I move on. The new site will be at www.thatssaulfolks.com and will be up and running next week. Let’s keep in touch!

TWITTER…anyone can follow my daily activities and impressions throughout the day by joining and following along. Twitter.com is another social networking site most easily described as a type of instant messaging – but with tons of people. You can follow the ‘tweets’ of others – and they follow you and what you write. The catch is that your posts are limited to 140 characters. But for many, that’s enough to say the important things. To follow me click here. To follow the Michigan Republicans, click here.

FACEBOOK...is a great "social networking" tool that many Republicans are using. This is particularly popular with College Republicans, TeenAge Republicans and Young Republicans. If you would like to become a "friend" join me here. To join the Michigan Republicans, you can join here.

MRP STATE CONVENTION…Just a quick note to let you know that the Michigan Republican’s website has been updated with State Convention information.   For your reference in directing potential delegates to the site, the address is: http://www.migop.org/event.asp.

CPAC 2009 Timeless Principles, New Challenges…Register today for the largest gathering of conservative grassroots activists in the country! The American Conservative Union Foundation is pleased to invite you to participate in the nation’s largest annual gathering of conservatives. The 36th Annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) will be held on February 26-28, 2009.

************************************************************************

FOR THE LATEST NEWS, COMMENTARY & INFORMATION:

Check…out…our…online Articles of Interest………News…you…can…use………

************************************************************************

REST OF THE STORY:

No Further Commentary Today

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

The following stories and more are available at my Articles of Interest online.

Feds Re-Impose Loan Standards They Helped Undermine

By Steven Malanga

When President Obama announces Washington’s new plan to help troubled mortgage-holders today, the betting is that the program will include a loan-modification effort that reduces the size of a besieged homeowner’s debt. One goal would be to cut the size of loans and perhaps also their interest rate so that a mortgage holder’s monthly payment would equal no more than 31 percent of his pre-tax income. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have already been experimenting with an income-to-payment ratio of 38 percent in their loan modification efforts, but Washington wants to go further, indeed probably needs to go further, if it is to stem the tide of defaults.

There is a great irony that Washington will now lead the way in imposing new, stricter standards, including a tougher income-to-payment ratio, because it was Washington, prodded by affordable housing advocates, which pushed mortgage lenders to dilute their traditional underwriting values in the first place. Federal regulators attacked those established standards as being “unintentionally biased” against low and moderate income borrowers and used a variety of laws and regulatory bodies to push often resistant lenders into programs based on these lower standards. The government and those who backed its actions assured lenders these lower standards were safer than they thought, even though there was little research to support that contention. Now that a huge chunk of the market based on these debased standards has melted down, the government is going full circle.

If Stocks Are in Turmoil, Blame the Feds

by Declan McCullagh

(CBS) In financial and investing circles, it is an article of faith that investors abhor uncertainty. Measurable risks are fine, but unknown risks can be deadly.

Unfortunately, both the Bush and Obama administrations are responsible for injecting a staggering amount of uncertainty into the world’s financial markets. If you’ve given up opening your 401(k) statements, or this week’s dismal stock market news has postponed your retirement, thank your elected officials for their contribution to this situation.

Since September 2008 — a mere five months ago — the Feds let Lehman Brothers fail while seizing control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and rescuing insurance giant AIG. It temporarily suspended investors’ ability to bet on price declines in some stocks, but not others. It has bailed out some failing companies and ignored the pleas of others.

By Cathy Young

February is the cruelest month – at least for Barack Obama. After the very real sense of hope and renewal that surrounded Obama’s inauguration, shared even by many who did not vote for him, came the morning after. First, another scandal over unpaid taxes took down Health and Human Services nominee Tom Daschle. Then came the acrimonious battle over the stimulus bill, with a victory that may or may not turn out to be a Pyrrhic one.

In some corners of the right where Obama Derangement Syndrome has been as fierce as the similar Bush-related malady on the left, these new developments have been viewed as justifying the worst of fears about Obama: a phony and a commie. In recent days, far-right websites have psychoanalyzed Obama’s alleged hatred of America and free enterprise and suggested that he may be (I kid you not) a well-groomed Soviet plant. In fact, so far, Obama’s policies are those of a mainstream liberal-to-centrist Democrat. He is no dangerous radical and no idealistic bringer of change. And, while he is a gifted and usually smooth communicator, he is neither a messiah who can lead us into a glorious future nor a pied piper who can lure us to perdition with seductive words.

Obama banked a great deal of his credibility on the stimulus package, and his appeals managed to improve public opinion of the legislation during the Congressional wrangling. Yet a Rasmussen poll of likely voters conducted on February 14-15 found that only 38% thought the bill would help the economy, and 29% thought it would hurt. Albeit by a small margin (35% to 32%), Americans said that they would be less, rather than more, likely to vote for a member of Congress who supported the bill.

Some Republican governors may reject stimulus funds

Melinda Deslatte / Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. — A handful of Republican governors are considering turning down some money from the federal stimulus package, a move opponents say puts conservative ideology ahead of the needs of constituents struggling with record foreclosures and soaring unemployment.

Though none has outright rejected the money available for education, health care and infrastructure, the governors of Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alaska, South Carolina and Idaho have all questioned whether the $787 billion bill signed into law this week will even help the economy.

"My concern is there’s going to be commitments attached to it that are a mile long," said Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who considered rejecting some of the money but decided Wednesday to accept it. "We need the freedom to pick and choose. And we need the freedom to say ‘No thanks.’ "

Bishop takes first step toward run for state AG

Gary Heinlein / Detroit News Lansing Bureau

LANSING –Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, announced Wednesday he has formed an exploratory committee to consider running for state attorney general in 2010.

The 41-year old Bishop, who will complete his second and final Senate term that year, said he’ll spend the next two months talking with state leaders and gauging the support he could expect.

The current attorney general, Mike Cox, can’t seek re-election under the state’s term limits law and is considering a run for governor.

White House: Obama Opposes ‘Fairness Doctrine’ Revival

BY Judson Berger

President Obama opposes any move to bring back the so-called Fairness Doctrine, a spokesman told FOXNews.com Wednesday.

The statement is the first definitive stance the administration has taken since an aide told an industry publication last summer that Obama opposes the doctrine — a long-abolished policy that would require broadcasters to provide opposing viewpoints on controversial issues.

"As the president stated during the campaign, he does not believe the Fairness Doctrine should be reinstated," White House spokesman Ben LaBolt told FOXNews.com.

Auto analysts predict painful picture, whether it’s bankruptcy or bailout for auto industry

by Rick Haglund | Detroit Bureau

Viability plans submitted Tuesday by General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC to the Obama administration, raise serious questions about whether the two troubled automakers can be viable at all.

Chrysler is asking for an additional $2 billion from the federal government above the $7 billion it already requested and says it will need a check from Uncle Sam for $5 billion by March 31 to stay alive.

UAW, Detroit Three land tentative deal

Tom Krisher • Associated Press

DETROIT – The United Auto Workers union and Detroit’s three automakers reached a tentative agreement on contract concessions Tuesday, about the same time General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC filed restructuring plans to justify government loans.

But the union was unable to make a deal with GM, Chrysler and Ford Motor Co. on funding for a trust fund that will take over retiree health care costs starting next year.

Terms of the deal were not announced, but they were expected to eliminate the jobs bank in which laid-off workers get most of their pay, as well as make work rule and other changes that the government loan terms set out so the companies’ labor costs are competitive with their Japanese counterparts that have U.S. factories.

US commander: Troops ‘stalemated’ in Afghanistan

By LARA JAKES

WASHINGTON (AP) – The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan offered a grim view Wednesday of military efforts in southern Afghanistan, warning that 17,000 new troops will take on emboldened Taliban insurgents who have "stalemated" U.S. and allied forces.

Army Gen. David McKiernan also predicted that the bolstered numbers of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan – about 55,000 in all – will remain near those levels for up to five years.

Still, McKiernan said, that is only about two-thirds of the number of troops he has requested to secure the war-torn nation.