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********************************** Who Didn't See This Coming a Mile Away? Soo-prise, soo-prise, soo-prise. California's left-wing Democrat Gov. Gray Davis announced on Friday his plan for $8.3 BILLION in new taxes on shoppers, smokers and the wealthy. Yep, you get the government you vote for. ********************************** Go Forth and e-Multiply If you know someone who might like to receive News & Views, you can sign 'em up at: http://www.chuckmuth.com. Also, please help us continue bringing you the best in conservative news and views briefs with a voluntary contribution today. It's fast, simple and secure. Just go to: http://chuckmuth.com/voluntarysubscription.htm ********************************** Who Let the Dogs Out? "Gov. George H. Ryan, Illinois Republican, yesterday commuted the death sentence of all 156 inmates on his state's death row, . . . - unprecedented in U.S. history - two days before he is slated to leave office. . . . The departing governor announced the 'blanket commutations' to a cheering, standing-room-only audience at Northwestern University law school. . . . Families of the death-row inmates' victims were not invited to the event. "...The governor said his decision to commute the sentences was made within 48 hours of the announcement. 'I always said this was an option, but I didn't believe I'd do it myself,' Mr. Ryan said. 'I'm going to sleep well tonight, knowing I did this.'" - Washington Times, 1/12/03 [Wonder how well the murder victims' families slept this weekend. What an outrage.] ********************************** Howling at the Moon "President Bush's new economic plan is eliciting the usual howls from Democrats. 'The president is using the word 'stimulus' . as a Trojan horse to wheel in some of their pet projects for their rich friends,' complained House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "Indeed, Democrats howled nearly a full week before the plan was actually made public. But that's OK, their anger toward tax cuts hasn't changed in decades. And that is how it should be. Democrats don't like tax cuts and Republicans do: This is one of the few reliable ways you can tell the difference between the two species." - Columnist Jonah Goldberg *********************************** CPAC 2003 The 30th annual Conservative Political Action conference will be held in Crystal City, Virginia from January 30 through February 1. For more information, go to www.cpac.org. *********************************** Same Ol' Song and Dance "Like the TV Land cable channel, that recycles decades-old television shows, Democrats are reprising their familiar class warfare drama in opposition to the Bush administration's tax-cutting proposals. . . . Democrats, led by their new House Minority leader, Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, whine about the deficit, which is caused by too much spending, not too few taxes. "Funny how the deficit never bothered Democrats while they were in the majority. If they care about it now, let them lead the way in reducing waste, fraud and abuse in government. Some Republicans, who are just as guilty as Democrats for binge spending, need to go on the wagon as well." - Columnist Cal Thomas *********************************** Enviro-Wackos Having Hissy Fit Over Pombo "The elevation of Rep. Richard W. Pombo...to the chairmanship of the House Resources Committee brought...outrage from environmentalists. . . . Susan Holmes of Earth Justice, an environmental law firm, said Mr. Pombo is a dangerous choice. 'He is at the radical fringe of even the Republican Party when it comes to the environment,' she said." - San Francisco Chronicle, 1/11/03 ********************************** Litigation Nation "Joseph Bisignano, 66, of Des Moines, Iowa, spent two years -- and, he says, more than $330,000 -- in an attempt to convince Mary Toon, 54, to become his fourth wife. He says she wanted a formal engagement party, so he bought her a designer wedding dress and a $75,000 engagement ring. "Alas, Toon threw him over ...shortly after he bought her a $4,000 fur coat. In response, Bisignano has sued Toon, alleging fraud, breach of contract and 'unjust enrichment'. The suit demands the return of $129,000 worth of gifts, plus $201,259 cash for loans and purchases Bisignano made for her. "Toon's lawyer says the 'mere allegations' won't stand up in court, and that there was no 'relationship as he described it.' That's one way to avoid a fourth painful divorce: get it over with early!" - Randy Cassingham, The Stella Awards, 1/8/03 ************************************ Long Savings on Long Distance Just 4.97 cents/minute (5.97 cents for some non-regional bell companies) * All state-to-state calls in the continental U.S. * Residential or commercial * 6-second billing increments after the first 18 seconds * 24 hours/day * 7 days/week * No access codes * No minimums * No activation fees * No monthly service charge unless your bill is less than $20.00 a month (then a $2.50 service charge will apply) * No need to change your local phone company * No hassles * Easy sign-up. *And a small portion of each bill goes to help continue publishing our FREE Chuck Muth's News & Views e-newsletter. go to <http://www.GOPLongDistance.com> today. ************************************ Arbitration Nation "(T)he real solution (to the medical malpractice insurance crisis)...is arbitration. Arbitration is the ideal forum in which to decide disputes concerning healthcare. Patients and providers can agree to shift future disputes out of the lawsuit system, with its huge risk and expense, and into a fair, inexpensive and efficient 'private court system' - arbitration. Arbitration does not limit a party's right to seek redress but simply shifts the resolution of the dispute from the court system to a more rational forum." - Keith Maurer, National Arbitration Forum ********************************** Hey, Here's An Idea "I think the solution to the lawyer/lawsuit crisis is to socialize legal services the way Hillary wanted to socialize health care." - News & Views reader Norman Hines ********************************** The Vulture Culture "(I)n many counties and states, tort laws make it easy for individuals, businesses and professionals such as doctors to be sued even if they've done nothing wrong. For example, in the United States (in contrast to many other countries) losing plaintiffs do not have to cover the huge legal bills of defendants whom they sue unsuccessfully. Furthermore, insurance companies will often settle with plaintiffs, even though their clients are innocent, so long as the settlement is substantially less than the cost of mounting a defense. Thus, there's little downside to filing a false suit. "Such defective laws have given rise to a new predator class, plaintiffs' lawyers, who, rather than merely helping individuals collect just compensation for injuries, are systematically targeting the most productive and thus wealthiest members of society for the same reason bank robbers rob banks: because that's where the money is. And because there are no objective limits to 'pain and suffering' damages, a plaintiff lawyer's cut of his client's award can be huge indeed. "Worse still, these lawyers try to give their nefarious activities the sheen of moral superiority, claiming to help 'little guys' who suffer injuries at the hands of the greedy rich. Naturally, they are major donors to the Democratic Party, which specializes in loot-the-rich rhetoric and which supports the laws that make possible such predation." - Columnist Edward Hudgins ********************************** Ambulance Chasing: No Experience Necessary For an idea of exactly how organized and active the slip-'n-spillers are in DC, take a gander at this "help wanted" ad from the trial lawyer lobby appearing in this week's The Hill... "Legal organization dedicated to preserving the civil justice system seeks highly organized Associate Director for Grass Roots Development. 3-5 years relevant experience; experience motivating large membership organization to achieve advocacy goals; excellent personal and communications skills, including strong writing; proficient database and computer skills required. College degree strongly preferred. Salary competitive based on experience." *********************************** 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" [ To help promote the "Goldwater Doctrine" in public policy and government, join the Goldwater Club by going to: http://chuckmuth.com/goldwater.htm ] ********************************* ********************************* Published by The Goldwater Club Chuck Muth Editor/Publisher P.O. Box 15307 Middle River, MD 21220 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The opinions and views expressed in Chuck Muth's News & Views reflect those of the writers, editors and columnists therein and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the sponsors, advertisers ... heck, even some of our readers. 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