(From Rep. Dwayne Alons’ “Capitol Comments”)
Where, oh where, has Senator Gronstal gone? Where, oh where, can he be?
He is absent from the negotiating table, and he isn’t leading any floor action in the Senate to complete the FY 2012 state budget. He said he would have a new proposal not later than Friday, the 27th, for House Republican leadership to consider. He agreed to a meeting and picked the time on the 27th to offer that proposal, but did an “about-face”, canceled the meeting and walked out of the negotiations yesterday. He said he was listening to his caucus who informed him “he is negotiating too much (with Republicans) and he needs to take the dialogue to the public.” Will he really go to the taxpayers of Iowa to hear their voice? Does he remember that last fall, the people of Iowa overwhelmingly voted to stop the out of control spending by choosing a new direction away from complete Democrat control at the Capitol?
Senate Democrats will claim that the outstanding issues are about education and job creation efforts. This is false. The outstanding issue boils down to one thing: Democrats want to spend more money. The House Republican budget plan is a commonsense responsible budget that does not spend more money than the state takes in, while simultaneously providing sufficient funding for education and services essential to Iowans. The budget bills show that the Senate budget, as they passed their version, spends more for on-going expenses than we have in on-going revenue. We cannot continue on that pathway; we must get our fiscal house in order.
My House colleagues and I have told our leadership “hold the line on spending.” There is flexibility within the budget, but the total spending amount, limited by 99% of estimated revenue, is off limits for further changes.
I believe we should be posting a clock to show how many hours have elapsed since the Senate Democrats walked away from the table you purchased where our leadership figuratively remains seated, ready, willing, and able to negotiate. Our sleeves are rolled up, and we bring good faith, reasonableness, and your interests to the table. Oh, and if you see the senator, let him know that every minute that goes by, we remain at the table, with Governor Branstad, with a name tag on Senator Gronstal’s seat. In the waning hours of the 2011 fiscal year, should he choose to return to the negotiating table putting Iowans above politics, we’ll leave the light on for him.
Latest Revenue Numbers
Here is a link to the latest state revenue coming in to the Treasury. It shows another dip in receipts, which should be taken into account as the next budget is finalized. The numbers are through April 30, 2011″ (dated 5/27/2011) and published at:
http://www.legis.state.ia.us/lsadocs/TT/2011/TTJWR009.PDF .
(Capitol Comments – Representative Dwayne Alons)
IN FLANDER’S FIELD
by John McCrae
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead.
Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved and now we lie,
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw,
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us, who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow,
In Flanders Fields.
(For more history on the VFW Buddy Poppy go to http://www.vfw.org/Community/Buddy-Poppy/)
THANK YOU! to every soldier for the sacrifice you make every day on our behalf.
THANK YOU! to every soldier and their family who made the ultimate sacrifice for the United States of America.
Representative John Dingell, one of the most powerful Democrat Representatives in the United States Congress, once said, “I’ll let you write the substance…you let me write the procedure, and I’ll screw you every time,” when talking about legislation.
Liberal Democrat Senator Mike Gronstal lives by these words. And there’s one other code that Gronstal lives by, something we should take note of and apply to ourselves.
Gronstal never (and I mean NEVER) compromises his core principles.
His strict adherence to his core principles combined with the fact that he is the architect of the rules of the Iowa Senate makes him almost a mini-deity in Iowa politics.
Almost.
You see, Gronstal orchestrates everything to come together to give himself and the weak and vulnerable members of his caucus the cover they need to go back home and avoid paying the political price they should be required to pay.
Ridiculous as it may seem, they actually have the gall to blame the fact that they use rules and procedure to kill legislation ON THE RULES AND PROCEDURE! “It didn’t make it through committee,” or “it didn’t have enough support,” is just a false way of saying “we used our numerical advantage in committee to kill the bill and retain political cover,” or “we pretend we are concerned about this issue, but we’ll use the rules that we wrote to keep the bill from coming to a vote, thus giving us political cover.”
In this instance, they want political cover for allowing baby butchering slaughterhouse operator Leroy Carhart to set up shop in Iowa.
Gronstal says that he “reels at the thought of abortion.” But does he tell the rest of the story to the public and that it’s his SOLE prerogative to either call up HF657 (fetal pain bill) for debate or kill it?
NO! Instead, he shoves it in ouir face and lays out a new plan to let Carhart set up a death factory at his leisure and from multiple locations across the state!
So here’s what happens. Gronstal puts Senator Joe Bolkcom on point (Bolkcom’s ex-wife is the former director of the Emma Goldman baby slaughterhouse in Iowa City). He anoints Bolkcom as floor manager of the fetal pain bill, HF657. This way he can say that he’s doing his part and going through the motions following “procedure.” Bolkcom, in return, doesn’t pressure Gronstal to bring it up for debate.
So now “process” is to blame, Bolkcom takes the heat (Bolkcom is safe in his district), and Gronstal issues his sound-bites to the media back home saying how he tried to protect the health of women and children, but Republicans voted it down.
The bill dies.
Bolkcom, in turn, introduces the bill intended to give them political cover, SF534, which allows Carhartt to set up his infanticide center as long as it’s near a hospital that’s able to handle late term abortions gone wrong.
This bill was shceduled for debate last Thursday, but as my right as a Senator, I refused unanimous consent to call it up. That forced them to come back on Monday to debate their “political cover” pro-abbortion bill.
On Monday before Gronstal could be recognized to call up the bill, I invoked Rule 19 of the Senate Rules allows any senator to make a motion that the Senate go to “committee of the whole” to consider a bill (in this case HF657), take a roll-call on what action the “committee of the whole” recommends the Senate pursue regarding a bill and have that vote recorded in the Senate Journal. This is a procedural vote designed solely to identify who stands for life and who stands for murdering the innocent.
At first, the majority leadership ignored my “point of order.” I actually had to raise my voice to an elevated level to force the thugs in charge to recognize me for my perfectly legitimate request! In the end, we got a vote on the fetal pain bill and it failed, 26-23 (one Republican was excused for the day). But I was able to accomplish my mission of separating the wheat from the chaff. I have to admit that it felt god to use their own rules to force them to expose their true colors! This goes back to what I was saying at the beginning of this email. Gronstal and his minions’ true colors are portrayed in the blood of the babies they murder through their direct actions and direct inaction. They aren’t willing to compromise their core principles and belief that murder is acceptable.
My recommendation? I’d say that contacting guys like Gronstal and Bolkcom is a waste of time if your intention is to persuade them to do the “right thing.” Only God and prayer can accomplish that. Rather, continue to barrage them with emails and pdhone calls to ge them on record. Put it in your minds and remember the blood on their hands.
And when the election season comes around, show them no mercy, and give them no quarter. They don’t. I can personally say that in the political arena, they sure don’t. And the babies who pay with their previous lives are an eternal testament to that fact.
Go to their forums and call them to the carpet for their lies.
Tell them you know they hide behind the cover of procedure to prey on the lives of innocent babies. Talk about what they’ve done at your local coffee shop.
Donate to the principled fighters who decide to run for office against them. Get your friends to do the same. Pound the pavement for them.
Knock on doors. Go to town hall meetings. Go to civic events and talk about it with yoiur family and friends.
Work a few hours extra and donate that income to your local incumbent-removal campaign.
Folks, I can’t ell you how much we need everyone to stand up right now and start fighting. If now isn’t the time, when will it be?
Sincerely,
Kent Sorenson
Serving Warren, Madison and SE Dallas Counties
T
American Minute with Bill Federer May 24 William Lloyd Garrison published the Boston anti-slavery paper "Liberator" and founded the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833. Suffering hundreds of death threats for his politically incorrect stand on the value of human life, William Lloyd Garrison died MAY 24, 1879. He wrote: "I desire to thank God that He enables me to disregard 'the fear of man which bringeth a snare' and to speak His truth...while life-blood
warms my throbbing veins...to oppose...the brutalizing sway - till Afric's chains are burst and freedom rules the rescued land."
In "W.P. and F.J.T. Garrison," 1885-89, William Lloyd Garrison wrote: "Wherever there is a human being, I see God-given rights inherent in that being, whatever may be the sex or complexion."
www.AmericanMinute.com
(From Representative Dwayne Alons “Capitol Comments”)
In the recent hearing at the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, Neal K. Katyal, the Acting Solicitor General, made several shocking statements in defense of ObamaCare’s outrageous intrusion into private citizens’ affairs. Those admissions will doubtless play a major role in the court’s decision at this level and, eventually, at the United States Supreme Court.
The first oral arguments challenging the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) were given at the federal appeals level. Matt Staver, representing Liberty Counsel, was up against Attorney General Eric Holder’s Department of Justice (DOJ) and their virtually unlimited resources.
In arguments that this so-called health insurance “reform” law redistributes wealth among private parties to achieve an alleged humanitarian ideal at an unacceptable cost and is not authorized by the Constitution, the DOJ’s response was, “The federal government can mandate anything it wants!” The Acting Solicitor General, also, acknowledged that the law was unlike any other law in American history. He also admitted that he believed Congress COULD force individuals to buy certain kinds of food, for instance, wheat! By the government’s own admission, if ObamaCare is upheld Congress would no longer have any limitations on its regulatory power. Today it is health insurance, but tomorrow it could be food, transportation, housing, or whatever! Truly astonishing and CHILLING!
This would be socialism for America, at its worst, with Big Government as the CEO of every business and the dictator of all private choices. Hopefully the courts will be able to uphold the Constitution on this massive legislation because our divided government at the federal level does not seem to be able to move in that direction.
(From Representative Dwayne Alons “Capitol Comments”)