Redstate

Posted at 8:45pm on Jul. 11, 2008 NH Lynch Mob

By El Cabra

John Lynch has introduced a broad based tax on New Hampshire and most of us don’t even know it. By signing up for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative(RGGI), Lynch will now be taxing us through our utility companies. The money earned by the state from energy providers in the form of carbon offsets, will raise the rates on electricity. So every home owner, renter, and business in New Hampshire, without exception, will now be hit hard by Lynch's new shadow tax.

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Posted at 9:30am on Jul. 8, 2008 Two thousand fifty nine is the luckiest number

By RightonNJ

In 2005, a young Jessica Lunsford was raped and murdered in Florida by a previously convicted sex offender. This spark already brewing outrage on repeat offenders and the cost it is having on our youth in this country. This atrocious crime also gave the birth to a new law: Jessica's Law.

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Posted at 10:47pm on Jul. 5, 2008 A New Resource for Georgia's Parents

By EdReformerGA

For those familiar with Georgia politics, most will agree with the assessment that the 2008 Legislative Session was nearly a complete failure. I, however, do not.

Education reform is an important issue across the county, but especially in a state with such dismal test scores and graduation rates like the Peach State. Essentially, when reforming education we have two options -- continue to throw money at a failing state-run monopoly controlled by edu-crats, or expand the choices that parents have in educating their children.

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Posted at 12:56pm on Jun. 30, 2008 BREAKING: Bobby Jindal vetoes pay raise.

By Erick

From a gubernatorial press release:

“I have opposed this pay raise at every turn and from the very beginning. A doubling of legislative pay is clearly excessive and it takes effect prior to the next election, which I believe is bad policy,” Governor Jindal said. “This bill would also have set up a system to give legislators automatic pay raises in the future without additional legislative votes - which is a lack of accountability that we cannot accept.”

The Governor had previously said he would not veto the pay raise to allow the legislature to conduct its own internal affairs. “I clearly made a mistake by telling the legislature that I would allow them to handle their own affairs,” Jindal said. “As with all mistakes, you can either correct them or compound them - I am choosing to correct my mistake now.

“I have said that I was not going to stop legislators from more than doubling their own pay by vetoing this because I did not want to give them any excuse to slow down the momentum of our reform movement here in Louisiana. It turns out this is an unsustainable position. I have come to realize that the reforms I have been fighting for are simply incompatible with this legislative pay raise.

“I was trying to preserve our reform agenda and our momentum by tolerating this legislative pay raise that I knew was completely excessive. But the two cannot coexist.

“The bottom line is that allowing this excessive legislative pay raise to become law would so significantly undercut our reform agenda, and so significantly diminish the people’s confidence in their own government, that I cannot let it become law. So, I have vetoed the bill.”

The Governor continued to say that, “The sideshow over massive legislative pay raises has already taken up far too much time. It’s time to get back to doing the people’s business. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done in our state…there are roads to build, jobs to create, business to open, and kids to educate.”

Posted in Bobby Jindal | Louisiana | State Politics — Comments (29)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:23pm on Jun. 29, 2008 Jindal's Legislative Director Resigns

By Vladimir

...and don't let the door hit you in the backside on the way out.

Jindal's legislative director resigns

Gov. Bobby Jindal's legislative director has resigned after serving fewer than six months with the new administration, which is embroiled in a controversy over the Legislature's large pay raise.

Tommy Williams, 65, said Sunday the decision to leave was his and that he left on good terms. He did not offer reasons for his departure, but said he plans to return to his career as a professional lobbyist.

Posted in Bobby Jindal | Louisiana | State Politics — Comments (5) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 7:02pm on Jun. 29, 2008 Club for Growth is not gunning for Governor Jindal

By Neil Stevens

Whilst the leftosphere borders on Civil War over the failure of Democratic leaders, Senator Obama included, to defeat the President's wishes on FISA and war funding, we on the right have had our own debate over our own rising star's first real conflict.

Yes, of course, I mean Governor Jindal and the legislative pay hike. Some on the right are up in arms, angry that given the opportunity to draw the line, gather the people behind him, and face down the intransigent legislators, he's turned it down, deciding it wasn't the fight to take.

Personally it doesn't bother me but then again, I'm not all that opposed to professional legislators, being an opponent of term limits as well. If all that Jindal had to trade off to get sweeping ethical reform in Louisiana, was a clean pay raise for the lowest paid legislators in the country, then I thought that was reasonable. So I was shocked to hear that there's actually a recall effort starting against the Governor.

Club for Growth was less shocked, though, and therein lay a controversy here at Red State.

Read on...

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Posted at 5:43pm on Jun. 27, 2008 BREAKING: Recall Petition Filed Against Bobby Jindal

By Vladimir

Recall petition filed against Jindal

What a joke. What a sad, pitiful joke.

Some in th elocal media have been stoking this fire for a week and a half.

Two Jefferson Parish residents have filed a recall petition against Gov. Bobby Jindal.
...

The two would have to collect and then have verified signatures from at least one-third of the registered voters in the state.

Posted in Bobby Jindal | Louisiana | State Politics — Comments (17) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 9:55pm on Jun. 26, 2008 Pension controversy will outlive Kentucky reform session

By David Adams in Kentucky

When Warren Rogers started a retirement plan for his employees more than thirty years ago, he never seriously considered offering a defined benefit program like Kentucky provides state and local government workers.

“Those plans are built on an assumption that growth never ends,” Rogers, president of W. Rogers Company in Lexington, said.

Defined-benefit plans offer employees retirement pay based on years of service. As costs rise over time, any expenses not paid by investment gains become the responsibility of the employer. On the other hand, defined contributions pre-fund an investment account with employee and employer contributions. The employee is then responsible for investment gains or losses in the account.

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Posted at 10:04pm on Jun. 24, 2008 A Shameless Plug

By corbenrice

Cross posted at http://www.illinipundit.com/

I realize that this is perhaps more local then people here will be interested in but I thought I would post this here since redstate has been a hang out for me in the past:)

For those who don’t know me, I am Corben Rice and I live in Champaign, IL with my lovely wife and 5 young children. I work as a chemist at Isotech Laboratories. I am running for County Board in Champaign Illinois District 5.

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Posted at 9:50pm on Jun. 24, 2008 Jindal: "I've Learned My Lesson"

By Vladimir

WBRZ's video coverage (Baton Rouge ABC affiliate):
Jindal speaks about legislative session

The Times-Picayune's coverage:
Jindal admits mistake in not stopping pay raise for lawmakers

In a press conference today, Gov. Bobby Jindal said he "learned his lesson" about dealing with the legislature, meaning he gave them too much leeway. Look for a more activist Gov. Jindal in the future.

Posted in Bobby Jindal | Louisiana | State Politics — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:50am on Jun. 22, 2008 MI Morning Commentary: Ambinder: MI 'Tossup'...Bush in MI Wed...McCotter on Principles

By saul anuzis

135 Days until Election Day

June 22, 2008

MORNING UPDATE:

FUNDRAISER...2008 Max M. Fisher National Republican Leadership Award
Dinner...Please join President George W. Bush and the Michigan
Republicans as we honor the life of Max M. Fisher at the Max M. Fisher
National Republican Leadership Dinner on Wednesday, June 25, 2008, at
Laurel Manor in Livonia. Click here to reserve your tickets now! 

OBAMA'S HYPOCRISY...as he is set to raise more money than any other
candidate in history, his pledge to run a race using "public financing"
goes out the window.  The Democrats and their money machine will
probably outspend Republican at least 2:1.  Obama blames "third party"
groups...but the irony, the hypocrisy is that all of those groups are
working for Obama?!?  Watch for "how to buy an election" coming to your
neighborhood this fall.

HOW MUCH MONEY...see the AP's latest report for all the candidates who filed their May numbers below.

AMBINDER HAS MICHIGAN AS A "TOSSUP"...as
national pundits and analysts survey the lay of the land, Michigan
remains a battleground state.  Now that we are starting to gear up the
McCain operation on the ground...we have a unique opportunity to
attract the Reagan Democrats and Independents needed to carry Michigan
in the fall.

PEACE AND PROSPERITY...can only be achieved by having a clear purpose
and a guiding set of principles.  Take the time to think about these as
work to regain a conservative, Republican majority.

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Posted at 11:36am on Jun. 20, 2008 The Real ID Act of 2005 has been shot down in Arizona.

By PhxG

The Real ID Act of 2005 has been shot down in Arizona.

On Tuesday, Gov. Janet Napolitano signed a measure, House Bill 2677, barring Arizona's compliance with the Real ID program. In so doing, she called it an unfunded federal mandate that would stick states such as Arizona with a multibillion-dollar bill for the cost to develop and implement the series of new fraud-proof identification cards. Arizona Republic.

I didn't think Gov. Janet had it in her.

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Posted at 11:01am on Jun. 20, 2008 Virginia Democrats Propose $1 Billion Tax Increase, Soaked in Gasoline

By Bill Dupray

The Democrats have placed a big bulls-eye on Virginia this year. The Senate seat held by the retiring Republican John Warner is in grave danger of being flipped by Democrat Mark Warner. The Democrat Party loves its new Senator Jim Webb, mentioned as possible Vice-Presidential material, mainly because the guy has balls, something conspicuously missing on the left.

The current Democrat governor, Tim Kaine, has handed Republicans one of the few things with which they may be able to beat Warner and/or Obama this year. Democrats simply cannot keep their hands out of the cookie jar. From The Washington Post.

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Posted at 7:57am on Jun. 20, 2008 MI Morning Commentary: McCain Camp Announces Regional HQ, Staff in MI

By saul anuzis

137 Days until Election Day

June 20, 2008

MORNING UPDATE:

SLATECARD...AN EASY WAY TO CONTRIBUTE TO OUR FRIENDS...Slatecard was
designed to allow easy, online way to contribute and support our
candidates for federal office. Please take a minute to check it out...and hopefully help.

FUNDRAISER...2008 Max M. Fisher National Republican Leadership Award
Dinner...Please join President George W. Bush and the Michigan
Republicans as we honor the life of Max M. Fisher at the Max M. Fisher
National Republican Leadership Dinner on Wednesday, June 25, 2008, at
Laurel Manor in Livonia. Click here to reserve your tickets now! 

Posted in State Politics — Comments (1) / Email this page » / Read More »