"10 Ways Profits Help the Poor"

by Jerry Agar (10/8/2009)

The number of poor people who can't afford food for their children is a lot smaller than it used to be -- thanks to capitalism. Capitalism didn't create malnutrition, it reduced it. The globalization of capitalism from 1950 to the present has increased annual average income in the world to $7,000 from $2,000. Contrary to popular legend, poor countries grew at about the same rate as the rich ones. This growth gave us the greatest mass exit from poverty in world history.

The parts of the world that are still poor are suffering from too little capitalism. Foreign direct investment in Africa today, although rising, amounts to only 1% of global flows. That's because the environment for private business in Africa is still hostile. There are some industry and country success stories in Africa, but not enough.

- William Easterly, professor of economics at New York University and visiting fellow at Brookings

Contrary to those claims that capitalism only favors the rich and that capitalists are in competition with the poor, profits are of immense help to the poor, whether or not they directly receive it. Here are ten reasons:

1. Employment. Profit equals investment which equals employment. The paychecks that employees get are a slice of the gross profits that any business makes. The best way to overcome poverty is to work.

2. Education. The best way to get work is to be educated. The poor can’t pay for it, so others do, out of their profits, and provide it free of charge to the poor.

3. Health. Miraculous medical advances and drugs come from profitable companies in capitalist nations, but the poor of the world benefit. AIDS drugs for Africa, for example. Hospitals in America will treat, free of charge, any person showing up at the emergency room, regardless of ability to pay. But someone pays, and that is someone who has made a profit and has the available funds.

4. Taxes. The rich pay the bulk of the taxes. A lot of those taxes are spent on the poor. Even the unemployed poor benefit from profits, because the more profitable a nation is the more gross tax revenue it can generate. For the poor who truly need some help from the system, some of those taxes provide valuable assistance such as food stamps and rent subsidies.

5. Philanthropy. Programs that do "social good", whether it is the food bank, library, charity hospital or providing playground equipment, cannot exist without profits. Those who truly cannot help themselves need – and receive – the help of those who earn a profit. Fund-raising for charitable causes, or even for the local T-Ball team, is generally done by approaching businesses, and those that are profitable are the ones who are able to help out.

6. Innovation. The pursuit of profit drives the improvement of the production and distribution process and the products themselves to the point where even the poor have things like television and washers and dryers as everyday items. It is the profit motive that "sees" that if only a product can be produced at a certain price point, market share can be gained. Wal-Mart became the biggest retailer in the world by focusing on making products as available and inexpensive as possible but did so in order to secure a profit.

7. Economic Growth. Profits grow the economic pie, so that we all share. The poor in America today live a better life than the poor in most nations and certainly more so than the poor in America a hundred years ago. In a profit driven economy there is no such thing as a static group of “the rich” and “the poor.” Economic growth offers more solutions than does economic redistribution.

8. Legal Protection. Having the right to an attorney and a jury of your peers is of no use unless the attorney, the police and the justice system can be provided at someone’s expense. Poor people don’t pay for the other poor person’s lawyer.

9. Upward Mobility. Without profits, no one moves up. Many of America’s rich were once poor immigrants who came here solely because profit was not possible, or as possible, where they were born.

10. Freedom. Profit can only come from freedom - the freedom to act on your dreams and to sell your labor, your services and your ideas on the open market. The poorest people in the world live in nations which offer the least freedom.

via the Illinois Policy Institute

Manzullo Urges President to Consider Bipartisan Alternatives to Make Health Care More Affordable, Accessible to Americans

September 9, 2009

[ROCKFORD] Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) issued the following statement tonight in response to President Obama’s address to Congress on health care reform:

“I know there are problems with our health care system – problems with too many Americans unable to get insurance because of pre-existing conditions, problems with too many arbitrarily dropped from their coverage, and problems with too many unable to afford the growing cost of health insurance. I have worked hard to try to solve these problems and I will continue to seek solutions. Unfortunately, the bill before us in the House causes more problems than it solves.

“As Chairman of the House Small Business Committee from 2001 to 2007, I held hearings throughout the nation and championed legislation to make health care more affordable and accessible to Americans. In the House, we passed bills to allow small employers to band together and purchase health insurance through national associations, and to place common sense limits on huge medical lawsuits. Unfortunately, we fell a few votes short in the Senate and the reform efforts ended.

“My advice to the President is to start over on health care reform, reach out to Democrats, Republicans and Independents, and let’s work on some alternatives we can all agree on to strengthen our health care system. We can adopt bipartisan measures to reduce costs and make health insurance more available to the uninsured without adding billions to our deficit, placing millions more jobs at risk, and threatening the private insurance millions of Americans enjoy. The key is, we must work together.”

For more information, please contact Rich Carter at 815-353-1991.

Texas Governor Republican Primary Candidates

The outcome of the Texas Governor Republican Primary is thought to reflect the future path of the GOP. Who do you want to see win... conservative Republican Rick Perry or moderate Republican Kay Hutchison? Leave us your comments!

Manzullo Invites Public to August 19 Health Care Town Meeting in Rockford

[ROCKFORD] Congressman Don Manzullo (R-Egan) is inviting area residents to join him for a town meeting August 19 in Rockford to discuss the health care reform proposals pending before Congress.

Congressman Manzullo and his staff will meet with residents from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, August 19, at the NIU Rockford campus, 8500 E. State Street, Rockford. The campus is located on East State Street a few miles east of Interstate 90 between Rockford and Belvidere.

During the meetings, Congressman Manzullo will discuss his concerns with a government takeover of health care and his alternatives to make health care more affordable and accessible to Americans. He wants to hear the thoughts and concerns of area residents, and Manzullo will take as many questions and comments as possible during the meeting.

The media is encouraged to attend this public meeting.

For more information, please contact Rich Carter at 815-356-9800.

Manzullo: Democrat Health Care Plan Would Cost Millions More U.S. Jobs, Reduce Quality of Health Care in America

July 29, 2009
Congressman Manzullo supports alternatives that lower costs, cover more Americans

On Tuesday, Congressman Don Manzullo said he opposes the Democrat health care bill because it will surge taxes on America’s small businesses – stifling their ability to create jobs at a time America desperately needs jobs – while forcing the government between patients and their doctors and putting the private health care coverage of 114 million Americans at risk.

Instead, Manzullo supports alternative health care reforms that would reduce the costs of health care in America and make coverage more available to the 46 million uninsured. The former Chairman of the House Small Business Committee, Manzullo for years has been a champion of efforts to make health care more affordable and accessible for America’s small employers and their employees, who account for more than 56 percent of our nation’s uninsured. In addition, Manzullo believes Congress should prohibit denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions and allow children to stay on their parents’ health care plans until they are 25 years old or emancipated (this woul d reduce the uninsured by 7 million).

“America’s health care system is struggling and is in need of reform to reduce costs and increase coverage to the uninsured. But the Democrat health care bill would do more harm than good, surging costs on the job creators of our economy, forcing the government between patients and their doctors, and putting the private health care coverage of 114 million Americans at risk,” Manzullo said. “The reforms I support would reduce the costs of health care in America, make the system more accessible to the 46 million uninsured, and preserve the strong doctor-patient relationship to ensure health care decisions are not made by Washington bureaucrats.”

By including a government-managed program, the Democrat plan (H.R. 3200) would:

• Risk the private health care coverage of 114 million Americans as employers would reconsider offering the benefit in lieu of government-provided coverage, according to the Lewin Group.
• Hike taxes more than $800 billion on struggling employers who can’t afford to offer insurance to their employees and on the uninsured w ho don’t purchase health insurance for themselves (the bill makes health care coverage mandatory for all Americans and actually slaps a 2.5 percent income tax surcharge on the uninsured who don’t purchase health insurance.)
• Surge government spending another $1.3 trillion over the next 10 years. This comes on top of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout and $780 billion stimulus plan that will take Americans generations to re-pay.
• Put another 4.7 million Americans out of work as struggling employers go out of business trying to comply with the new costly mandate that makes them non-competitive in the global marketplace.
• Establish new European-style government health bureaucracies to ration health care services. The bill creates a new government board, the “Health Benefits Advisory Committee,” that would empower=2 0federal bureaucrats to consider cost as factor when making coverage decisions.

Instead, Manzullo supports several reform initiatives that would make health care coverage more affordable and more accessible to Americans, including:

• Reforming our out-of-control medical liability system – Medical malpractice insurance continues to surge, skyrocketing health care costs and forcing doctors and other medical professionals to practice “defensive medicine,” which entails ordering costly and often unnecessary tests to cover all the bases from lawsuits. Manzullo is a cosponsor of the HEALTH Act (H.R. 1086) that would fully compensate victims for medical injuries but place reasonable caps on punitive and non-economic damages that often inflate the awards and contribute to out-of-control liability and health care costs.
• Creating refundable tax credits to help low-income Americans purchase health insurance – Low-income children are already covered through the federal SCHIP program, and Manzullo supports refundable tax credits to help low-income adults purchase health insurance.
• Allowing the creation of Association Health Plans -- AHPs would allow small businesses to pool together thr ough national associations to give them the same purchasing power as large companies and labor unions to buy affordable health insurance for themselves and their employees. Manzullo is a co-sponsor of the bipartisan SHOP Act (H.R. 2360) to accomplish this goal.
• Expanding tax-free availability to Health Savings Accounts -- HSAs20allow small business owners to offer more affordable high-deductible health insurance plans to their employees and make tax-deductible contributions to employee savings accounts to allow their employees to build equity and assume personal control of their health care needs. Congress should increase the tax deductibility for these insurance plans.
• Preserving high-quality health care through America’s community health clinics – Manzullo supports continued funding of our community health clinic system, which provides high-quality health care to America’s low-income families. Manzullo has been a strong supporter of Rockford’s Crusader Clinic, which serves more than 40,000 needy patients in northern Illinois each year.
• Expanding small business tax deductions for health care expenses – Corporations currently are able to purchase health care coverage for their employees before they pay their payroll taxes. Self-empl oyed small business owners – one of the toughest group of individuals to insure – should have the same opportunity, but do not. Manzullo is a cosponsor of the Equity for Our Nation’s Self-Employed Act (H.R. 1470) to allow the self-employed to purchase health care insurance prior to paying their Social Security and Medicare taxes. This would effectively reduce their health care costs20immediately by more than 15 percent.

For more information about Congressman Don Manzullo, please visit www.manzullo.org.

Springfield tax fight energizes state GOP

by Steve Huntley via the Chicago Sun-Times
July 28, 2009

For years the conventional wisdom has been it didn't make much difference which party held power in Springfield because Illinois Democrats and Republicans pretty much operated alike, in tandem and to their mutual benefit. So a lot of people, myself included, were surprised Republicans held firm and didn't go along with Gov. Pat Quinn's demand for a 50 percent increase in the state income tax.

I fully expected moderate Republicans at some point would cave in to pressure from the governor, state-funded interest groups, political calculations based on Illinois' status as a blue state, and House Speaker Michael Madigan's ploy to blame the GOP for any severe budget cuts hitting human service agencies.

But Republicans stood their ground. And, with big Democratic majorities in both houses, voters didn't buy the snake oil that the GOP was responsible for fiscal chaos in Springfield. "For the first time in this state, people are starting to see a clear distinction between Republicans and Democrats," asserted House Minority Leader Tom Cross of Oswego in a recent interview.

The reason, Cross said, is the strategy the GOP adopted in Springfield early this year when the income tax proposal seemed to monopolize policy discussions in the capital. His House Republican Organization partnered with the Illinois Policy Institute, a nonpartisan free-market research group, to focus on the spending side of state government. Spending in the last decade has risen by 39 percent after accounting for inflation.

The GOP position was that discussion of a tax hike wasn't even on the table, and they demanded much needed fixes such as controls on spending, a commission to find duplicated, wasteful and obsolete state programs, and reforms in paying for Medicaid and the under-funded state pensions.

Republicans gained leverage when Democrats failed during the regular session to enact a tax hike and the Legislature went into overtime, where a supermajority is required to pass tax increases. Democrats don't have that in the House. The next regular session starts in January. Speculation has it Democratic legislators will know then what kind of primary challenges they face and, if the outlook is favorable, Madigan and they may be willing to raise taxes.

Regardless of how that turns out, Cross believes the GOP's new identity will play well in the 2010 elections among voters he sees as upset about the economy and spending, the Rod Blagojevich scandal, seven years of one-party incompetence in Springfield and Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's sales tax increase.

Republicans would have to win 12 seats to take the House. "There are going to be 15 or 20 races we will push," said Cross. One GOP strategist counts 16 seats that in the last three election cycles the party lost by 2 or 3 percentage points. "It's unbelievable the number of people who want to run," said Cross, though he didn't offer any names. "This is the best year we've had in recruiting -- people are disgusted, they see an opportunity, they think they can win."

He expects open seats as some Democratic lawmakers, "frustrated with what's going on in the House" and the Democratic scandals, decide not to seek reelection

Cross figures funding 15 to 20 races would cost $5 million. "We don't have $5 million at this point," he conceded. But he spoke optimistically of "people being aggressive about wanting to give us money." Still, he said, "Maybe we can't fund every one of those races, but if there's a trend and there's a wave [in throw-the-bums-out voting], maybe the tail end of that 15 to 20 can jump on that wave." He said GOP poll numbers are better than in 1993 before the big Republican year of 1994.

Helping form that GOP wave will be the U.S. Senate candidacy of Mark Kirk. "We haven't had someone that competitive at the top of the ticket in a long time."

Perhaps the ace in the hole for Republicans is the pay-to-play trial of Democrat Blagojevich. It's set to start in June, so it will be fresh in the memory of voters. Comment at suntimes.com.

Painting

Painting
Originally uploaded by countygop

Check out the newest addition to our office! This lovely custom painting came to Chairman Klaas courtesy of Pamela Ratmeyer. Thank you again, Pam!

Guest Editorial: Sonia Sotomayor

by Rafael Rivadeneira, Illinois Republican National Hispanic Assembly

In nominating Hon. Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, President Obama broke yet another promise to the American people. He promised hope and change and unity—but with Hon. Sotomayor, he brought anything but.

She has proved to be—through her words and rulings—one of the most divisive, racist, and sexist jurists this country has seen since before the Civil Rights Movement. It’s hard to imagine the reaction from the Left if President Bush would’ve nominated or appointed or simply had dinner with someone who said, “I would hope that a wise White Man with the richness of his experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion [as a judge] than a Latina woman who hasn’t lived that life.”

Not only would that nominee or appointment or dinner guest be ridden out of town by folks pumping their pitchforks, but the cry for the President himself to resign would’ve deafened us all!

And yet, we don’t hear much when President Obama’s nominee says, “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion [as a judge] than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”

Sure, some people critique her, but overall Republicans have proved too nervous to respond. We don’t want to be labeled “racist” for “attacking” a Latina. Or, more truthfully, we fear losing Hispanic votes.

Fear not, friends. She’s overcome remarkable hardships and adversity in her life. She is tough and strong and wise, indeed. She can take getting called to the carpet on her beliefs. (And thinking we need to take it easy on someone because of race is racist in and of itself!). And Hispanic votes? Well, you have mine still. And the Democrats didn’t exactly shave votes when they went after Miguel Estrada.

We as a party need to condemn her hateful, divisive, sexist, and racist remark. What she said is horrible, wretched hate speech. Nothing less. Words like hers have been used to oppress (and enslave!) so many groups of people throughout history—including her (and my) own. Her line of thinking is behind so much evil.

We as a party need to call for the retraction of her nomination and an apology from her as well as President Obama for thinking a blatant racist and sexist jurist would be appropriate to serve on the U.S Supreme Court.

Our president has shown poor judgment here. According to Hon. Sotomayor, maybe his race and sex are to blame. Perhaps if he were a wise Latina, he’d have come to a better conclusion.

Illinois Budget Proposal

This is the economic reform agenda that is being proposed by the Republicans in Springfield in contrast with the Democrat's out-of-control spending plan.

Click on the image below to expand and read it; alternately, you may download a PDF of the agenda by right-clicking here and selecting "Save Target..."

Manzullo to Vote Against Job-Killing Cap and Tax Bill, Support Pro-Energy Alternative

June 26, 2009

[WASHINGTON] Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) will vote against the job-killing cap and tax bill when it comes to the House floor today because it will give foreign companies a huge competitive advantage over American manufacturers, putting 2.5 million more Americans out of work without ensuring a cleaner environment for future generations.

The legislation puts severe limits on energy usage in the United States and could double or triple energy costs for most American manufacturers, putting them at a huge disadvantage with their competitors from China, India and other foreign countries not required to comply with such limits. A study by the National Black Chamber of Commerce estimates the bill would devastate U.S. manufacturers, causing many to go overseas to avoid the energy taxes and putting 2.5 million Americans out of work by 2030.

Manzullo attempted to amend the bill to eliminate the International Climate Change Adaptation Program, which would give companies in China, India and other “developing nations” up to 4 percent of the overall allowable carbon credits, taking them away from U.S. manufacturers and forcing American companies to essentially pay for the continued pollution of their primary competitors in China and India. Democrat House leaders would not even allow Manzullo’s amendment to come to the floor for a vote.

In addition, the energy caps will cause the price of American-made products to surge along with the utility bills of American families. President Obama himself – while on the campaign trail last year – said his cap and trade bill would cause electricity rates to “necessarily skyrocket.”

“At a time when unemployment is over 10 percent in northern Illinois and many employers are struggling to survive, this misguided cap and tax bill will put millions more Americans out of work and surge utility costs for all Americans. And amazingly, it will not ensure a cleaner environment for future generations because the biggest polluters in the world – China and India – have indicated their desire to keep the pedal to the floor and continue polluting at will,” Manzullo said “Some scientists even say that if we completely eliminated all carbon emissions from the United States tomorrow, China and India would replace all of it in the atmosphere within 10 years. This is mind-boggling.”

Manzullo supports alternative legislation that promotes innovation, conservation, and responsible production of energy as a way to achieve America’s energy independence and a cleaner, healthier planet.

The American Energy Innovation Act represents a fiscally responsible approach to reducing our dependence on foreign energy, providing a cleaner environment, and putting Americans to work by:

• Encouraging innovation within the energy market to create the renewable fuel options and energy careers of tomorrow.
• Promoting greater conservation and efficiency by providing incentives for easing energy demand and creating a cleaner, more sustainable environment.
• Increasing the production of American energy by responsibly utilizing all available resources and technologies and streamlining burdensome regulations.

For more information, or if you have any questions, please contact Rich Carter 815-356-9800.

"Stand Firm"

by Chicago Tribune Editorial Board
June 18, 2009

"[W]e will never see reforms if we just go ahead and send more money to the same old rotten system that's produced the mess that we're in right now." -- Illinois Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno, June 17, 2009.

Yes, yes, yes.

The current Democratic strategy for passing a state income tax increase couldn't be more transparent: Blame minority Republicans for all the horrors that allegedly will occur if -- for lack of more taxing power -- Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn chooses to slash spending on social services.

Senate President John Cullerton, House Speaker Michael Madigan, good luck with that one: Your party owns Springfield. Yet after failing to stop Illinois from chronically overspending by the billions, you expect voters to now blame the minority party for ... not helping you pass a Democratic-sponsored tax increase?

Do citizens look that gullible? It isn't the Republicans who couldn't muster enough Democratic votes for a big tax increase a few weeks ago. Mr. Cullerton, we were particularly amused by your comment Tuesday that there's no point in resuming this budget debate until Republicans identify the tax hike they're willing to support.

The truth here is much simpler: GOP leaders Christine Radogno in the Senate and Tom Cross in the House want to repair how state government dishes out taxpayers' dollars. They have the leverage now to insist on that. Good for them.

Better the Democrats start listening to what Radogno and Cross keep explaining: Illinoisans don't want to shovel more money to Springfield until the legislature and governor adopt spending reforms. That includes revising a too-generous pension calculation for new hires, moving Medicaid recipients to managed care, canceling all pork spending -- the list of needed fixes goes on and on.

Radogno and Cross also want the Democrats to stop pretending they've passed significant ethics reforms. Cullerton and Madigan scuttled one anti-corruption measure after another rather than let their members vote on every proposal from the Illinois Reform Commission. It's not too late to revisit that. How does next week sound?

The people of this state might wind up sending more tax revenue to Springfield. But Radogno and Cross have their priorities straight, and we hope the members of their GOP caucuses don't wilt as the pressure for a tax increase builds: Major reforms have to come first.

"Unemployment in America"

WASHINGTON - Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele released the following statement today:

“Today, the White House confirmed that the Democrat economic stimulus bill is simply not creating the jobs President Obama promised. Simply put, the White House spin doesn’t square with reality. Since President Obama signed the so-called ‘stimulus’ package, 1.5 million Americans have lost their jobs making the unemployment rate soar to a 26 year high. Families today are struggling to pay their bills, make their mortgage payments, and send their kids to college. Republicans want to work with the president to get our economy back on track, but the president seems intent on promoting and adopting some of the most liberal and reckless government intervention economic policies we have ever seen.”

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT JOBS

GENERAL MOTORS: The Government's Ownership Stake in GM Came Only After Its Initial $19 Billion Bailout Failed to Keep the Company Out of Bankruptcy. "The plan, laid out in an SEC filing, would give the government a 72.5 percent stake in a new GM, but the administration said it could cost taxpayers another $30 billion, reports CBS News correspondent Anthony Mason. Washington has already invested more than $19 billion to keep GM's motor running. But people familiar with GM's plans said the automaker would still file for bankruptcy protection on Monday." ("Report: GM Set For June 1 Bankruptcy," CBS News, 5/28/09)

According to a USA Today Review, The Federal Stimulus Money Has Yet to Reach States Where Unemployment Has Hit Hardest. "Nationwide, federal agencies have awarded nearly $4 billion in contracts to help jump-start the economy since President Obama signed the massive stimulus package in February. But, with few exceptions, that money has not reached states where the unemployment rate is highest, according to a USA TODAY review of contracts disclosed through the Federal Procurement Data System." (Brad Heath, "Stimulus Projects Bypass Hard-Hit States," USA Today, 5/28/09)

"Keep Demanding Reform", a Chicago Tribune Editorial

Citizens, congratulations. Your relentless pressure on Democrats in the Illinois legislature has kept them from greasing a big tax increase without doing the difficult work that needs to come first. This is a moment of great opportunity: Keep demanding reform in ethics and spending from those Democrats -- and from Republicans who need to stay resolute and united.

Solidarity from Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno and House Minority Leader Tom Cross also has helped block the tax-hike plans of Democrats -- lawmakers who don't want to wear the jacket for their years of overspending. Many Democrats had hoped that if they voiced enough threats about alleged (and often exaggerated) horrors that would descend on Illinois without fat tax increases, they could persuade their members, and some Republicans, too, to raise revenues by the gazillions.

Hasn't worked. The Republicans correctly have insisted on tough spending and ethics reforms before they even consider big tax increases. And enough Illinois Democrats have seen the Cook County Board's current agony to understand that voters won't pay more money to overextended and inefficient governments without complaint.

Thirty-one Senate Democrats, plus 42 in the House, must be a sking why they went on record over the weekend as favoring major income-tax increases. Those rival proposals were so doomed that neither chamber even bothered to vote on the other's bill.

With the legislative session now in overtime, Republicans have more muscle: If Democrats want to fully fund the state budget, they'll need some GOP assistance. Democrats from Gov. Pat Quinn -- he of "cut, cut, cut" fame -- on down are correct that Illinois doesn't have enough money to meet all of its obligations. The Democrats will be tempted to score political points by slashing needed social services as a substitute for structural reforms. They'll be playing the rest of us for chumps if they don't make serious fixes to how this state operates:

--House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton need to embrace, rather than keep dodging, the many excellent suggestions from think tanks and others on how to restructure the state bureaucracy and streamline much of what Springfield does: pensions, Medicaid, education and other costly endeavors. Employees unions and clouted interest groups oppose these best-practices solutions. But Illinois can't keep spending more than recession-battered taxpayers and employers can afford.

--Pass more, and tougher, ethics legislation from the Illinois Reform Commission. Citizens have seen how Madigan, Cullerton & Co. have hidden from reforms that would diminish their power. Enough of that obstructionism. Illinois is broken -- and you, Democratic leaders, are failing us all.

Legislators eventually will face voters. The question then will be whether this session ended with dramatic spending and ethics reforms -- or if it ended in a fusillade of job-killing tax increases and little else.

Read the original copy here.
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune

"Being True to Our Philosophy During Our Comeback"

by Robert E. Brokish, Jr.
Rockford Committeeman, 3rd Ward, 7th Pct.

After significant defeats in 2006 and 2008, the RNC is striving to “rebrand” the GOP. Without a doubt, the majority of the electorate is no longer in favor of the dominant philosophy that has guided the Republicans for a decade. While it is wise to take stock of the Party at the national level, we, in the countless counties of this Great Land must guard against a one-size-fits-all GOP being thrust upon us. We must strive to find our way out of the wilderness as well, lest the national “rebranding” lead us to the fate of New Coke^tm.

There is a great tumult in the air, as evidenced by the display of passion at the recent Tea Parties. Disdain has been shown towards protesters who are deemed foolish to object to tax policies that will put money, albeit very little, in their pockets. The passion is, perhaps, not so much foolishness, as it is wisdom to see there are no “free lunches” and the price paid by posterity is too high. However, passion without a plan soon dissipates. Let us not allow a dissipation of this energy. Rather, let us endeavor to promote a distillation of new ideas and new plans.

By convening this think tank, we aspire to articulate policies of governance that will capture the imagination of the electorate and remain solidly within a Conservative framework of:

• Defining what government should be in the business of doing and letting the Private Sector do the rest.

• Taking care of governance at the most local level the particular task will allow.

• Spending the fewest tax dollars possible for the best return on the People’s money.

• Fostering individual freedoms most carefully, for Freedom is inalienable to all Mankind and government should be loathe to hinder it, only doing so when the Greater Good hangs in the balance.

If you would like to contact the author, Robert Brokish, you may
e-mail him at robertbrokish@aol.com.

"The Revolution Begins on April 7th"

by Robert E. Brokish, Jr.
Rockford Committeeman, 3rd Ward, 7th Pct.

My friends, battle lines have been drawn. We here, in the Land of Lincoln, are particularly aware of the fight we face, in this, the bicentennial of our Martyred President’s birth. It is a time of discontent and a season for frustration.

Frustration weighs on us with the governance in Springfield: impoverished through waste, soiled by scandal, and chained to Chicago’s Democratic Machine.

That Machine has compounded our frustration by giving rise to a President who has co-opted Lincoln’s message of personal freedom for one entire nation and twisted it into an invoice for economic enslavement to one nation-state.

If that were not enough, to subvert the memory of our first Republican President, our opposition reaches the heights of hubris in claiming the mantle of The Great Communicator. Our current President has been declared Reaganesque and they say it is again, “Morning in America.” Mr. President, I remember Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan was my Commander-in-Chief. Mr. President, you’re no Ronald Reagan.

What do these offenses in Springfield and Washington have to do with the aldermanic, township, and other “off-year” races being decided on April 7th?

Long ago, before Native hunters of the Great Plains could ride amongst the thundering herds of bison and bring down prey, they had to cut their teeth on smaller game. As they honed their skills, so shall we sharpen ours.

While they are small in scope, the 4th and 14th wards are in the opposition’s hands. The 4th Ward seat was snatched away from us in a moment of weakness, and the 14th Ward has seated a Democrat for more than a decade. It is especially important to rise to the challenge in the 14th Ward, since our candidate faces not one, but two opponents and was beset with machinations to keep him off the ballot altogether. Winning the seat will be, no doubt, challenging.

If, however, we fail to take on that challenge, we will have the scorn of would-be Republicans and ersatz Conservatives heaped upon us, to say nothing of how the Democrats will make mockery.

To Ed Geeser in the 14th Ward, to whom this challenging candidacy is given and to Pete Scordato, the GOP candidate in the 4th Ward, as well as our incumbents striving to retain their seats, I say gird thy loins, stiffen the sinew and summon up the blood. Time and tide are against you, but we shall all rise to your support. While aldermanic seats seem but a small matter, they shall be the morsels by which our appetite for victory will be whetted.

Yes, the battle lines are drawn. Let us win these skirmishes and stride forward to victory in the greater struggles in 2010 and triumph in the War of 2012.

If you would like to contact the author, Robert Brokish, you may
e-mail him at robertbrokish@aol.com.

Message from the Chairman

Dear Friends,

As we celebrate the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, we celebrate our heritage as Americans and as Republicans. May the life of Lincoln inspire us as we remember his rise from humble beginnings to President of the United States. Lincoln was self-educated, read borrowed books, memorized large portions of the Bible, fathered a family of four sons, and practiced law in our capital city. Lincoln represented the frontier virtues of hard work, initiative, self-reliance and personal kindness.

During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln once stated, "... I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side." Lincoln understood that a nation needed to take stands that lined up with God's principles so that God's blessing could rest on the nation. As your chairman, that is my hope as well.

After a very busy election year, Winnebago County Republicans are pleased to celebrate the following accomplishments for 2008:

• Successful fall elections with the re-election of Congressman Don Manzullo, all of our state senators and representatives, Judge Gene Doherty and Judge Ron White, County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen and four county wide candidates, as well as maintaining a Republican majority on the county board.
  
• Campaign coordination with all candidates, sharing volunteers and expenses.
  Printed and distributed 20,000 candidate fliers and mailed 14,000 fliers prior to the election.
  
• Successful GOTV effort with 126 poll watchers and 200 volunteers on Election Day.
  
• Our office served as the campaign headquarters for McCain-Palin. We supplied yard signs, bumper stickers and buttons while identifying over 500 new Republican volunteers.

Thank you to all our volunteers and precinct committeemen who made these accomplishments possible!

Mark your calendars now for Tuesday, April 7th, 2009, as a reminder to vote for all the Republican candidates running in the municipal/township election. Volunteers will be needed during the month of March to help our candidates with their campaigns. Please call our office (815-387-2874) to offer your time or financial assistance.


Jan Klaas, Chairman
Winnebago County Republican Central Committee

"Spending"

by Steve Scherrer

Few would argue that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has a well earned reputation for partisanship. He was quoted saying, “Obama will challenge Americans to embrace a new era of responsible behavior and reject the culture of anything goes”. He also said that “a crisis should not go to waste”. One month into the new administration we have markets dropping faster than a meteor and a restructuring of the American economy into a European style of socialism. The market reflects not only a no convince vote in his economic plan but shocked disbelief in the manner and lightening speed it was jammed through Congress.

Keynesian economics contends that economic prosperity flows from the hand of government. Both common sense and history has shown that to be utter nonsense. Government creates no wealth. It has the power however unless restrained by a free people to confiscate the wealth and productivity of a society. Margaret Thatcher once said that the trouble with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people’s money. All power in Washington is now in the hands of the most anti-capitalist politicians in the history of this Republic. With Democrats holding an overwhelming majority in both Houses of Congress a sympathetic media will have a difficult time making excuses for the sheer recklessness of their actions. The Bush administration cannot be held up as a scapegoat forever. They expanded government far too much to the disliking of true conservatives. The left was right to criticize Bush but now they embrace the expansion of government far beyond the previous administration and tell us that we have to give it a chance. Where’s the logic in that kind of reasoning.

The so called stimulus bill has virtually nothing in it to support small business which is of course the engine of economic growth. The amount of wasteful spending is unprecedented. A trillion dollars is a million million. Numbers like that are hard to fathom. The spending bill amounted to about a billion dollars per page which by the way not a single member of Congress had a chance to read after it came out of the conference committee and came up for a vote. Not a single Republican was involved in the crafting of this monstrosity thus sending down in flames Obama’s promise of bipartisanship and transparency. Obama however behaved as a petulant child when none of the Republican House members voted for his bill. He of course was looking for cover from the Republicans when this massive expansion of government buries our economy. While in Peoria at the Caterpillar plant he promised that his stimulus package would put their workers back on the job. Later Caterpillar’s CEO was asked if that was true and he remarked that more layoffs were planned.

Buried in Obama’s stimulus plan is a giant leap towards imposing a government takeover of all health care. Billions of dollars will flow to a newly formed bureaucracy called the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology. As in Canada and England health care will be rationed. This agency will deem who will be unworthy of care because of age or severity of illness. Decisions that in the past that were made between a doctor and the patient will be gone. This bureaucracy will maintain an electronic database giving it access to everyone’s medical records so that decisions regarding rationing of care can be made. Why was this put in the Obama’s stimulus plan? The fact that there was no debate on this is frightening. It’s not how the country is supposed to work. So much for Obama’s campaign promise that the American people would have the same health care plan as the members of Congress.

We were told that last September’s $700 billion bailout was necessary to deliver us from that crisis and now $350 billion cannot be accounted for. National debt as a part of GNP is now projected to be 13.5%. Historically it’s been between 2 to 4% and we’ve always recovered from recessions which normally last 18 months. The Democrats who are in power are behaving like out of control adolescents who now have the ability to do whatever they want. His cabinet appointee’s alone have been found to owe $450,000 in back taxes. Obama promised hope and change. He is delivering on his promise to radically change America. The hope part of the equation is where he will fail miserably.

"Why the Republican Party Needs to Stand For Principles"

by Chairman Jan Klaas

Over the past week, questions have been raised regarding the right of political parties to remove candidates from the ballot. In a recent column, Chuck Sweeny asserts that the local parties are grasping at straws to be relevant in local government. Well I disagree. What is actually happening is that Republican leaders are in the process of implementing positive reforms for our Party. Our state faces a crisis in government due to corruption and poor leadership in both Parties and voters are cynical about politicians in general. I can assure you that the local Republican Party is carefully reviewing our candidates and our message with the hope of returning our Party to our conservative roots and providing honest leadership in government.

So what does it mean to be a Republican? Exit polls show that many people have forgotten what the Republican Party stands for. Perhaps the "big tent" has become so large that we have lost our distinctive characteristics. Why would people join an organization that has no core beliefs or common cause? Republicans have written a state and national platform that clearly outlines our approach to government and solutions to our most pressing challenges. In a nutshell, the ideals of the Republican Party include:

1. Fiscal Responsibility. A free society rests upon a free economy. Government must be limited and encourage growth and enterprise through minimal taxation and careful regulation. Spending reductions are preferred to tax increases.

2. Maintaining strong national security. A fundamental roll of government is the protection of life and property. Peace is maintained through strength; therefore, Republicans support maintaining a strong military and securing our borders against illegal immigration.

3. Traditional Values. We see all Americans as individuals and not as members of one group or another. We recognize that virtues and moral habits are foundational to a strong society. Core among these are respect for human life from birth to natural end, support of the family by recognizing marriage as a permanent relationship between men and women, and empowering parents with educational choice. A successful Nation requires its citizens to be instilled with a sense of duty and honor as well as fundamental love of country.

I believe that ALL of these ideals are important and necessary to win elections. Our Party must stand strong on our core principles because they work and will attract voters. Our principles have already led to great achievements. Against fierce opposition, Republican reformers brought forth the 13th Amendment banning slavery, the 14th Amendment extending the Bill of Rights to the states, and the 15th Amendment according voting rights to African Americans. More recently Regan reforms led to the end of the Cold war, collapse of the Soviet Union, and a robust economy. These ideals work and are worth fighting for.The challenge for Republicans is finding candidates that will not compromise our core beliefs.

Americans in general have become tolerant of weak, unprincipled leadership. Voters often express dismay at having to vote for the "lesser of two evils" on Election Day. Some Republican leaders think we should abandon core principles to attract voters; I disagree.

If we want real change in government today, we have to get serious about recruiting better candidates and electing better leaders. Regardless of what Hollywood or the media says, character still counts and morality matters. Locally the Republican Party is reviewing our process of selecting candidates. Through surveys and interviews we hope to determine a candidate's approach to government and issues we are facing. The decision of the precinct committeemen in Rockford Township to elect candidates through a caucus has been harshly criticized, yet the results are that new, young, well-qualified candidates for office have been identified.

This brings us to the events of the past week. The Republican Party of Winnebago County stands by the decision made by other Republicans to challenge candidates who voted in the Democrat Primary of 2008 and who are now claiming to be Republican. The Republican Party will maintain its right to defend the integrity of the ballot. It is our right to ensure that those who seek office and represent the Republican Party are what they say they are. A recent court case clearly upholds the election law against candidate party switching and states that it is the right of Republicans or Democrats to challenge the validity of a candidate's claim to Party affiliation based on that candidate's voting record. The people need now more than ever, candidates with principles, not party shoppers looking for social status and the easiest route to a government pay check.

It is wrong to claim that a challenge to a candidate's credentials based on this court decision is somehow reflective of any Party's "inclusiveness". Yet one such candidate, Mark Bonne, has attempted to make this claim despite the fact he himself used the very same objection to the candidacy of his opponent. Mark Bonne's criticism is without merit and hypocritical. Bonne's criticism of the very same Republican Party that he professes to be allied with proves that he has no allegiances to either Party or consistency. As Party Chairman I will support the Republican candidates who qualify for the ballot and will bear our standard in the April municipal elections.

In conclusion, I wish to thank Chuck Sweeny for wishing us luck in our Party reforms. I believe the community will see that positive changes are ahead for the Winnebago County Republican Party.

"Manzullo Supports Health Care for Needy Children, Opposes Bill that Threatens Benefits"

WASHINGTON -- Congressman Don Manzullo (R-Egan) voted today against legislation that could threaten the quality of health care for millions of children by crowding them out of high-quality, employer-paid health insurance plans in favor of government-run health care that limits medical choices.

The legislation is a Democrat leadership attempt to massively expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Manzullo supports the reauthorization of the current SCHIP program that provides health care benefits to 6 million of our nation's neediest children. But he opposes the expansion bill that would provide taxpayer-funded health care benefits to children of families earning up to $83,000. The expansion bill (H.R. 2) also would:

Provide an incentive to move 2.4 million children out of high-quality private health insurance plans when employers learn they no longer have to pay the benefits to 20 employees whose children qualify for government health care, according to a non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) study.

Continue to provide taxpayer-funded health care coverage for up to 780,000 adults until at least 2012 while 500,000 poor children continue to go uncovered, according to the CBO.

Make it easier for illegal immigrants to get taxpayer-funded benefits by eliminating ID verification in the current program.

Fund the $73 billion expansion bill with an increase in the federal cigarette tax by 61 cents per pack, requiring 22 million Americans to start smoking the next several years to meet the revenue projections, according to a Heritage Foundation study. The opposite will occur and people will stop smoking because of the tax increase, leaving the expanded program with huge revenue shortfalls.

Create a budgetary gimmick by dropping 65 percent of SCHIP funding in 4 1/2 years, requiring more tax increases or cuts elsewhere to continue the program.

Limits health care choices for seniors by banning new physician-owned hospitals (similar to the Mayo and Cleveland Clinic) from participating in the Medicare program and places severe restrictions on the expansion of existing hospitals.

Last Monday, Manzullo co-signed a letter to the Speaker and President-elect Obama urging them to work in a bipartisan manner to draft a SCHIP reauthorization bill that places a priority on serving eligible low-income children first, protects private insurance options, establishes a stable funding source, and prevents benefits from going to illegal immigrants. Unfortunately, that request fell on deaf ears. As an alternative, Manzullo voted for a motion to H.R. 2 that incorporates these suggestions and extends the current SCHIP program through 2015 by putting poor kids first.

"I strongly support the extension of the existing SCHIP program that helps provide health care to our neediest children, but the bloated Democrat bill over-promises and under-delivers," Manzullo said. "It would provide taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal immigrants, increase taxes, cut senior's access to some hospitals, continue to cover up to 780,000 adults while 500,000 poor children go uncovered, and actually cause many families in America to lose their high-quality private health insurance in exchange for government-run health care.

"Social Security is short by $13 trillion and Medicaid and Medicare are already stretched. This massive expansion of SCHIP would shortchange these existing health care programs and continue the raid on the incomes of our children and grandchildren. I care about our future generations and don't believe we are doing them any favors today by saddling them with these huge costs in the future," Manzullo added.

For more information, please contact Rich Carter at 815-394-1231.