"Which message would
you MOST like to hear in the President's State of the Union
Address this year?"
* He's sending troops to Pakistan to hunt down
Osama
* He's going to veto the omnibus spending bill
*
He's supporting the federal marriage amendment
* He's
proposing a major new tax cut
* He's introducing major
Social Security reform
* He's
recess-appointing judges being filibustered
Cast your ballot
on the "Survey Says!" page HERE!
___________________________________________________________________
THIRD TIME THE
CHARM?
After nine years of publishing News &
Views as a simple text-only e-newsletter, we’re launching a
whole new, modern, fancy-schmancy look...while retaining
the same ol’ cynical, sarcastic, smart-aleck attitude you’ve
come to know and love (and sometimes hate).
We still have some
"tweaking" to do, but I thought we’d give the new format a
little test drive today and see if everything is working
OK. Well, actually we gave it a test drive on New Year’s
Eve...and it didn’t work. And last Friday...and it
didn't work. So this is actually our
THIRD test drive. I hope this one
makes it to you!
Anyway, we’re expecting
2004 to be a BIG year with the White House, Congress AND
control of the Supreme Court up for grabs. So buckle up,
Buckaroos...it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
THE GREAT WHITE
HYPE
“John Kerry is the Ed Muskie and the John Glenn of 2004 -
so much promised, so little delivered.”
- Columnist Barry Casselman
HOOF-IN-MOUTH
DISEASE
“Why did God give Howard Dean a mouth? So he'd have some
place to put his foot.”
- James Taranto, Best of the Web,
1/5/04
DEAN FOR
PRESIDENT
“(T)he café society Left has a serious candidate for
president in Howard Dean. He would make a fine
president. For France.”
- Columnist Jack Kelly
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RUN HILLARY,
RUN
Conservatives for Clinton? Count
me in. Yes, I’ve officially thrown my support behind the
“Draft Hillary” movement. Think I’ve lost my
marbles? Check out our new website at www.runhillaryrun.com
______________________________________________________________________
COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATISM'S SILVER
LINING
“George W. Bush has proposed, fought for, and won a tax cut
each and every year of his presidency. This has been good
economic policy and good politics. The tax cuts of 200l, 2002
and 2003 have spurred economic growth, job creation and a
rising stock market. The annual tax cut has reminded Bush
voters why they benefit from his presidency, and cutting taxes
each year has taught the traditionally myopic business
community to think long term -- to support this year's tax cut
so their particular concerns may move to the head of the list
for subsequent years' tax cuts.”
- Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax
Reform and Cesar Conda of Empower America, Wall Street
Journal, 1/6/04
IT'S THE SPENDING,
STUPID
“Even liberal newspapers have been reporting the story of
runaway federal spending with front-page headlines. During the
past couple of years, we have seen the most rapid increase in
federal spending since the Great Society. In 2003, total
federal spending increased 10 percent; in 2002, it increased
7.9 percent.”
- Peter Ferrara of the Institute of Policy
Innovation
THE BIG QUESTION
“Were Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge's
Miami meanderings a gaffe, a trial balloon, an announcement of
his department's policy, or an announcement of Bush
administration policy? We are entitled to know.
His shocking words were a broadside on current law: ‘We have
to come to grips with the presence of 8 to 12 million illegal
aliens, afford them some kind of legal status some way.’
He pointedly did not say we have to come to grips with 8 to 12
million people who have violated our laws by entering our
country illegally, and further violated our laws by using
fraudulent documents to get jobs and remain here.”
- Columnist and
conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly
THE BIG
ANSWER
“President Bush tomorrow will propose sweeping changes to
U.S. immigration policy that would allow a portion of the 8
million illegal aliens in the country to move toward legal
status without penalty, a plan sure to meet strong resistance
from Republicans on Capitol Hill. Under the proposal,
which will come just days before Mr. Bush meets on the issue
with Mexican President Vicente Fox in Monterrey, illegal
aliens from Mexico and possibly other countries who pay Social
Security taxes but provide false identification numbers would
be allowed to collect benefits.”
- Washington Times,
1/6/04
IS
THAT YOUR RIGHT EYE? HERE, LET ME POKE
IT...
“President Bush yesterday began the election year with the
first of many political events aimed at securing a second term
by outspending and outmaneuvering Democrats. The
president rallied Republican activists at a Bush-Cheney
fund-raiser, but only after emphasizing his ‘compassionate
conservative’ agenda by celebrating the two-year anniversary
of his signature education initiative, the No Child Left
Behind Act. The event was designed to showcase the president
as a moderate Republican who is willing to expand the federal
government even if that means irritating his conservative
base.”
- Washington Times,
1/6/04
Add your
two cents on this issue on our Discussion
Board HERE
______________________________________________________________________
THE GOLDWATER
DOCTRINE
“I have little
interest in streamlining government or in making it more
efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake
to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is
not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate
new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the
Constitution, or that have failed in their purpose, or that
impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden. I will
not attempt to discover whether legislation is 'needed' before
I have first determined whether it is constitutionally
permissible. And if I should later be attacked for neglecting
my constituents' interests, I shall reply that I was informed
their main interest is liberty and that in that cause I am
doing the very best I can.”
- Barry Goldwater, “The
Conscience of a Conservative”
_____________________________________________________________________
GUESS TOMMY IS
"SADDENED, SADDENED" AGAIN
“Former South Dakota Republican congressman John Thune's
long anticipated announcement to challenge Senate Minority
Leader Tom Daschle came at a GOP Lincoln Day Dinner on Monday.
Thune told those in attendance at the Sioux Falls banquet that
he would file papers on Tuesday to begin fund raising and
organizing a campaign for a senate bid. The match-up instantly
becomes the most watched race in the nation.”
- Talon News,
1/6/04
GUN
FACT
“(G)uns are used defensively four times more frequently
than they are to commit crimes.”
- John R. Lott Jr. of
the American Enterprise Institute
THE
WAR ON SNACKS
Government school officials in Arizona plan to test a new
ban on snack food and soda vending machines to combat bad
eating habits and childhood obesity. Yeah, right.
We’re sure once the machines are banned, no kid will bring his
own Pepsi or Snickers bar to school in his lunchbox,
right? Why can’t government schools stick to what they
are *supposed* to do - teach the three R’s and maybe a little
Constitution? It’s not like they’re doing a cracker-jack
job in THAT department. Oh, I’m sorry. Did I say
“cracker jack.” Uh-oh. Here come the Food
Police!
CHILDREN'S
STORIES
Our almost-four-year-old Kristen started pre-school home
schooling on Monday and has taken to it like a duck to
water. Anyway, yesterday’s Lesson Plan included reading
the “Little Red Hen” story to her. And thanks to many of
you, I was able to read her the “modern” version (as is now
posted on the “Children’s Stories” page at www.citizenoutreach.com)
instead of the “traditional” version. I wonder why I
have this funny feeling that I’m gonna end up in a major fight
with the government over this home-schooling thing before
long?
LET'S PLAY 20
QUESTIONS
20 Questions for
the Democrat presidential wannabe’s, courtesy of the
Manchester Union-Leader:
1. How do you think Britain, Spain, Italy, Australia,
Poland and America’s other allies in the Iraq war and the War
on Terror would react if they knew that in your campaign
rhetoric you have completely ignored their contributions to
these efforts and repeatedly insisted on characterizing
President Bush’s foreign policy as entirely “unilateral,” as
if no other nation joined America in defeating the Taliban and
Saddam Hussein?
2. Four years from now Baby Boomers will begin to retire.
Not long after that retirees in America will greatly outnumber
those who pay Social Security taxes. Specifically, how will
you keep Social Security from running out of money?
3. Would you ever use military force without United Nations
approval, and if so, under what circumstances?
4. Should the United States always wait until attacked
before using military force against an enemy?
5. As President, what, if any, business regulations would
you attempt to repeal?
6. Do recent medical advances allowing unborn children to
survive outside the womb sooner than ever before require any
re-examination of abortion policies?
7. Will you pledge never to appoint a pro-life federal
judge? What other litmus tests would you apply to the
judiciary?
8. Should sales over the Internet remain tax-free?
9. If the rich should pay a larger portion of their income
in taxes because they can afford to, shouldn’t they also
receive fewer Medicare, Social Security and other benefits
from the federal government?
10. Does every qualified American have the right to attend
college, with government subsidies if necessary?
11. Are pharmaceutical companies good corporate citizens?
12. In what areas of life would you prevent the federal
government from interfering?
13. Regardless of whether it is a federal issue, has the
time come for gay marriage?
14. Will there ever be a day when affirmative action is no
longer needed?
15. Name a war that America has fought for oil.
16. Is it appropriate for the billionaire George Soros, one
of the richest men in America, to spend his money trying to
discredit and oust a President?
17. To what degree did Bill Clinton’s behavior in office
damage the presidency?
18. Why have Americans elected a Republican President and
Congress?
19. In every other nation in which health care is paid for
by the national government, that care is rationed and citizens
must wait months, even years, for treatment. How would you
avoid this outcome in the United States?
20. Suppose you win the nomination. If, in the general
election, President Bush wins the popular vote by a few
hundred thousand votes, but you win the Electoral College
vote, will you concede the election to Bush, as so many
Democrats said President Bush should have done for Al Gore in
2000?
______________________________________________________________________
Chuck Muth’s News
& Views is published by Citizen Outreach, a non-partisan,
501(c)3 non-profit corporation. The opinions and views
expressed in Chuck Muth's News & Views reflect those of
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officers, directors or employees.
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