Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: First GOP Congress Member To Pose For NOH8 Campaign

By On Top Magazine 

Staff Published: June 14, 2013 Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on Thursday became the first Republican Congress member to pose for the NOH8 Campaign, which raises awareness and funds for gay rights causes, including ending California's 2008 voter-approved gay marriage ban, Proposition 8.

 The campaign was on Capitol Hill for its NOH8 on The Hill photo shoot. “Meet our 1ST Republican Congress member to pose for #NOH8onTheHill!” the NOH8 Campaign tweeted. “Thank you @roslehtinen for taking the lead!” While Ros-Lehtinen's official photo won't be released for a few weeks, she posed for the campaign in a cream-colored pantsuit and pink blouse.

 The NOH8 Campaign later tweeted that 45 members of Congress participated in Thursday's photo shoot, including Representatives Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Dave Loebsack of Iowa, Donald Payne Jr. of New Jersey, Jim Moran of Virginia and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico and Senators Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

This article originally appeared here. [http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=15542] 

The Economy: A Persistent Failure to Act Will Undermine the Quality of America’s Future

By Susan Collins

There have been hopeful economic indicators recently – but not so encouraging that Congress can afford to continue to sit on its hands with regard to issues that are foundational to our future economic well-being.  Yet I am deeply concerned that is precisely what is occurring.

Congress’s inaction on jobs, economic growth, and deficits and debt has resulted in the worst post-recession economic recovery in our history, and a persistent failure to act will undermine the quality of America’s future.

In fact, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke blamed the polarized debate on these issues for disrupting the economic recovery.  A Federal Reserve study also concluded that had there been no policy uncertainty over the past four years, the U.S. unemployment rate would have been closer to 6 or 7 percent, rather than the 8 percent to 9 percent actually registered.

Fast forward to today, and at the current rate of monthly job growth (an average of 194,000 net new jobs per month over the past six months) it would take nearly ten years to reach prerecession employment levels.  And even if the economy were to consistently begin growing by 200,000 jobs per month, it would take 7.5 years to return to prerecession levels!

Now, contrast these facts with the reality that Congress has passed a grand total of 13 bills this year, and not one of them is related to jobs.  Are we really prepared to say this is the best we can do?  This is a can-do country with can-do people and a can-do spirit.  Isn’t it about time we had a can-do Congress to match?

So it is all the more disturbing that momentum for progress on issues critical to our overall economic health, such as our federal deficits and debt, have been even further eroded in light of recent estimates from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

The CBO has reduced its previous deficit estimate for this year from $845 billion to $642 billion.  Yet, lest anyone believe this means all our problems are solved, this reduction is the result of two factors that are purely temporary — first, an upward estimate of revenues due to early payment of capital gains and dividend taxes resulting from the lower tax rates in 2012 and, second, a $95 billion cash infusion to the U.S. Treasury from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

What is not sufficiently understood or apparently appreciated by Congress is that CBO projects the deficit will begin widening again in 2016 and resume its upward climb due to “the pressures of an aging population, rising health care costs, an expansion of federal subsidies for health insurance, and growing interest payments on federal debt.”

All of us should be concerned.  As the Washington Post has reported, interest payments will soar to 15 to 19 percent of the federal budget between 2015 and 2020, and in 2023 interest payments will total $900 billion.  And our national debt, which was 36 percent of GDP at the end of 2007, has now entered uncharted territory and is projected to reach 76 percent next year.  If current laws remain in place, debt will equal 74 percent in 2023 and then continue spiraling upward.

It is therefore essential that this blip of a temporary reduction on the debt and deficit radar not be interpreted by Congress as some kind of get out of jail free card, but rather a window of opportunity to act urgently to stem unsustainable debt and deficit growth in the future!

And yet as a result of this short-term deficit revision, it appears that Congress is instead lessening its attention to discussions of a “grand bargain” this year to reduce the federal deficit – and will instead focus on more modest restraints on federal spending. Congress still hasn’t convened a conference committee to work out the significant differences that exist between the House and Senate-passed versions of the 2014 budget. As a result, odds are now that the vast chasm will not be bridged by the end of this summer.

Moreover, the U.S. will reach its statutory debt limit again sometime in October or perhaps as late as mid-November.  At that point, if no action is taken, we will no longer be able to meet our debt obligations. Recent reports are that Republicans want an overhaul of the tax code and major changes to entitlements in exchange for raising the limit.  At the same time, however, Democrats want no pre-conditions.  So the two sides remain far apart.

As Tom Friedman recently wrote, “We wasted a time out these last 5 years” in America.  I worry we are about to waste another one unless we speak up and insist that our Senators and Representatives start compromising and reaching agreement on these crucial matters that will dictate our nation’s future.

This article originally appeared here. [http://www.olympiaslist.org/?page_id=11] 

Bigotry Isn’t a Conservative Value

Its time for the hitherto silent majority on this issue to root them out. Real conservatives have never shied away from the problem of racism in America or in the conservative movement. Russell Kirk, one of the godfathers of the New Right, was noted for his condemnations of white supremacy and for the policies that were devastating to the black community. William F. Buckley, founder of the National Review, went on a crusade to root out the John Birchers, the white supremacists and the antisemites.

They come from a long line of conservatives who realized that the essence of conservatism; limited government, natural rights, free markets and the rule of law, demanded a recognition of the moral and political equality of people regardless of race or color. John Quincy Adams, the last of the northern conservatives, was fundamental in the early abolitionist movement, defending the African men who commandeered the slaver Amistad.

The Radical Republicans were crucial in the passage of the 13th and 14th Amendments, convincing and cajoling the rest of the party. Lincoln, the first Republican president, realized that the moral equality between Americans was the essence of this American experiment of government. This trend continued after the Civil War, as Grant crushed the KKK, Eisenhower stood up to George Wallace, and Republicans, such as Governor George Romney, were critical in the passage of the Civil Rights Act. We have a proud heritage of resisting this pernicious doctrine that preaches discrimination and hate towards us.

MORE: http://cafeconlecherepublicans.com/bigotry-isnt-a-conservative-value

Why Bob Dole Is right about the GOP

"The 90s Republican Revolution was led by a trio of Ph.Ds. ― Gingrich, Dick Armey, Phil Gramm ― back when being stupid wasn’t a badge of honor, wonkish wasn’t a source of derision, and “serious” presidential contenders didn’t propose bills be limited to five pages."

Why Bob Dole Is right about the GOP

communities.washingtontimes.com

There's much from the 90s GOP we should bring back

Ghosts haunt Republican minority outreach

If we are going to promote an ownership society in a society that let our ancestors own human beings we need as much distance from that dark legacy as we can get. This is more than just a marketing problem. Our insensitivity to legitimate minority concerns leads us to develop policies that are often doomed from inception.

Ghosts haunt Republican minority outreach

communities.washingtontimes.com

Republicans are recognizing that their established strategy has exhausted its usefulness, but change is hampered by a frustrating leg

David's Bookclub: Strom Thurmond's America

"How did the party that elected the first black U.S. senator, the party that elected the first 20 African-American congressmen, become a party that now loses 95 percent of the black vote? How did the Republican Party, the party of the Great...See More

David's Bookclub: Strom Thurmond's America

www.thedailybeast.com

"How did the party that elected the first black U

The Virtuous Circle of Declining Crime

"One interesting way to look at this is to do the math and chart not just the decline in homicide but the even steadier and more amazing decline in unsolved homicide. Part of the story could just be that the cops are getting smarter. One possible answer is that as crime falls the remaining crimes are disproportionately easy ones to solve—perhaps domestic violence cases."

The Virtuous Circle of Declining Crime

www.slate.com

Those of us who've read out Kevin Drum know that declining lead levels are a key driver of falling rates of violent crime in America. But I was looking

How the Religious Right and the Libertarians Buried the Hatchet

"Weyrich’s strategic shift not only changed the shape of the Religious Right, it eventually shifted the balance of power among the various libertarian factions.

"This carefully calibrated opening from well-established Republican evangelica...See More

How the Religious Right and the Libertarians Buried the Hatchet

communities.washingtontimes.com

The awkward alliance between the libertarian movement and fundamentalists helps explain why Republicans care so little about governing.

More Demographic Thoughts on the 2012 Election

The GOP cannot become a governing party again if it doesn’t find an economic message that has some relation to the actual economic situation in the country. I suspect that if it did, the old pattern would reassert itself, and it would win a larger share of both the white vote and the non-white vote. If not, the rump GOP base will continue its slide into petulant fury at the country it “lost.”

More Demographic Thoughts on the 2012 Election

www.theamericanconservative.com

The GOP is rightly concerned that its share of the Hispanic vote has dropped to historic lows. What's interesting about that drop, though, is that it occurred a

Jon Huntsman creating new PAC, testing the waters - Byron Tau

"The very survival of the party is based on our ability to really begin to define the real issues that we confront and to begin a dialogue of problem solving around them."

Jon Huntsman creating new PAC, testing the waters - Byron Tau

www.politico.com

Former 2012 presidential candidate Jon Huntsman is forming a new PAC dedicated to helping elect like-minded Republican candidates across the 

Solution-oriented black conservatives vs. Fame-oriented black conservatives

Essentially, black conservatives can be divided into two groups: solution-oriented black conservatives and fame-oriented black conservatives. Solution-oriented black conservatives prefer to use their platforms to intellectually engage wit...See More

Hip Hop Republican | Music, Politics & Culture

www.hiphoprepublican.com

Music, Politics & Culture

What If The Government Just Kept A Lot Fewer Secrets?

"It's a problem that the government collects the phone records of substantially all Americans and didn't tell us that it was doing so, but not for any of the usual reasons that people talk about overclassification being a problem. The issue here is that the secrecy prevents a public debate on the question of whether the policy of collecting the records is wise."

What If The Government Just Kept A Lot Fewer Secrets?

www.businessinsider.com

If we want the government to keep fewer secrets, we have to get agencies to properly treat secrecy as costly and weigh the cost of secrecy against the...

Republican ‘RINO’ Hypocrisy

Given the hypocritical application of the term, it is safe to say that being called a ‘RINO’ carries as much rhetorical sting as any random playground insult. Far from being a devastating critique indicting a political person for being insufficiently conservative, the current iteration of the term is largely futile.

Hypocrisy has rendered the term ‘RINO’ meaningless

communities.washingtontimes.com

Given the hypocritical application of the term, it is safe to say that ‘RINO’ carries as much rhetorical sting as any playground insult.

More White Votes Alone Won't Save the GOP

"To have prevailed over Mr. Obama in the electoral count, Mr. Romney would have had to carry 62.54% of white voters. That's a tall order, given that Ronald Reagan received 63% of the white vote in his 1984 victory, according to the Congressional Quarterly's analysis of major exit polls.

It's unreasonable to expect Republicans to routinely pull numbers that last occurred in a 49-state sweep."

More White Votes Alone Won't Save the GOP

online.wsj.com

In The Wall Street Journal, Karl Rove writes that to win the presidency in 2016, the party needs to do better with Hispanics.

The danger in Republican climate denial

We can give hedged answers on the age of the universe with little consequence. Denying the reality of evolution won’t cause anyone to lose their favorite beach house, or for that matter, their favorite island. Climate change, on the other hand, is becoming apparent enough to the average layman to affect their holiday plans. We cannot swim against this scientific tide much longer.

The danger in Republican climate denial

communities.washingtontimes.com

For Republicans, denial is a river that is rapidly running dry.

"My creed is that public service must be more than doing a job efficiently and honestly. It must be a complete dedication to the people and to the nation with full recognition that every human being is entitled to courtesy and consideration, that constructive criticism is not only to be expected but sought, that smears are not only to be expected but fought, that honor is to be earned but not bought." —Margaret Chase Smith (14 December 1897 - 29 May 1995)