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**************************************** Cannon Fodder There are some cities around the country who refuse to co-operate with the INS in cracking down on illegal aliens and enforcing the country's immigration laws. A bill in Congress would have withheld funds from such "sanctuary cities." My old buddy Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) voted AGAINST the bill. He was on Fox's O'Reilly Factor tonight, and Bill O'Reilly shredded the guy to pieces. Cannon looked like a complete boob...which certainly comes as no surprise to me. But now a LOT of conservatives from coast-to-coast know it as well. You just can't keep fooling all of the people all of the time. And Cannon's song and dance flopped big time in the "no spin zone." **************************************** NEW Bumper Snicker! Going Fast! Get the HOTTEST bumper sticker in the country today: "Conservatives Are >From Mars, Liberals Are From Uranus!" $2.95 each. Buy 3...Get 1 FREE. No charge for shipping. Limited supply. Go to: http://chuckmuth.com/merchandise.htm ***************************************** If You Can't Find a Doctor, Thank Tom Daschle "Democrats have long made the Senate the graveyard of any and all legal reform. . . . It says something about Tom Daschle's devotion to the trial bar that he's willing to ask his Members to walk the plank even on medical liability, just as voters are discovering the damage it is doing to health care across the country. "No fewer than 19 states are in 'malpractice' crisis; doctors have protested or walked out from Nevada to New Jersey, while pregnant women have had to cross state lines to find an obstetrician. One New Jersey doctor has held seminars to train toll-booth operators in emergency delivery, since more live births are likely to occur in transit to a distant hospital." - OpinionJournal.com, 7/9/03 ***************************************** The Reverse Midas Touch "Government ruins everything it touches or pretends to touch, like education. I used to live in the DC area and worked a year for the feds--Health, and then Education. They were ridiculous--lazy and overpaid and unionized to the kazoo." - News & Views reader Jan Parys ***************************************** Rx Plan: What Would Reagan Think? "I'm 70, and to take the medical profession as a whole, the problems with the high cost of drugs and doctor fees is the damn federal government and crooked-ass attorneys. The problem all started when Medicare came into existence. THE Ronald 'R' was right. Government is the problem and not the solution." - News & Views reader Cy Gilson ***************************************** First, Do No Harm "Regarding the Rx drug bill, ANY intrusion by government into a private enterprise is sure to make matters worse. Additionally, along with the money for the program come the regulations and the regulators.. . . If the government insists on 'doing something,' they should come up with a simple fee for service co-pay plan for those who are not already covered. Leave the rest alone. Otherwise, their existing policies will drop them, and they will be dependent and without choices." - News & Views reader Jennie Stephenson of University Place, WA ***************************************** The Hidden Tax on Prescriptions "There is a cost of prescriptions (and other things) that most people overlook but it is a MAJOR factor in cost of production. That is the cost of meeting bureaucratic regulations. The consumer pays all costs. The producer merely adds them to his cost of production, if he makes a profit. Bureaucratic regulation is a 'hidden tax' that producers take the blame for while 'Big Brother' goes merrily on his way." - News & Views reader Orin Schwanke ***************************************** At Least His Name Isn't Kilgore "A press release from Sen. Joe Lieberman's office announces the appointment of his new communications director: the delightfully named Matt Gobush." - James Taranto, Best of the Web, 7/9/03 ***************************************** Running of the Dwarfs "In Pamplona, Spain, this week, brave men are being gored and trampled in the traditional running of the bulls. . . . The sport usually involves drunken men of all ages throwing themselves in the imminent path of the bulls, and then trying to avoid death or a certain act that is no longer illegal in Texas. . . . Participants are allowed only a rolled-up newspaper to fend off the bulls. This is curious. Even if a newspaper is as slanted as the New York Times, it is hard to see it having much effect on a Spanish bull. "...Meanwhile, here in the States, another ritual is being played out: The traditional running of the dwarfs through the quaint newsrooms and meeting halls of Iowa and New Hampshire. In this tradition, the running dwarfs - who are usually drunk only on their delusions of grandeur - dash about desperately for a full year before one of them reaches the national bull ring, where he will meet the professional bull fighter, George W." - Columnist Tony Blankley ***************************************** Queen of the Hill "In every poll of every sample of Democrats in every state that has polled, (Hillary Clinton) would win every election against every other Democratic candidate. In short, the Democratic nomination is hers for the asking. But, like all monarchs, Queen Hillary will not condescend to ask. The great prize must be offered to her by a band of supplicating Democratic grandees - top hats in hand." - Columnist Tony Blankley ***************************************** I Dream of Sandi "As Charles Krauthammer and others have noted, Sandy Baby (as John Riggins once dubbed Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor) is the Constitution of the United States of America. If she wants the text to mean free speech for everybody, then free speech for everybody it is. If she wants it to mean censorship for everybody, well shut my mouth! "This would annoy me less if she at least made more facial expressions when she rearranged the meaning of the ink particles on that old piece of parchment. Wouldn't it be much cooler if she at least blinked like Barbara Eden in 'I Dream of Jeannie' every time she pulled a new emanating penumbra from the Constitution?" - Columnist Jonah Goldberg ***************************************** What's Wrong With This Picture? "Canada began legally selling marijuana to several hundred medical patients on Wednesday becoming the first country in the world to allow the sale of marijuana for medical purposes," reports Talon News. Meanwhile, south of the Canadian border, "Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced (on Thursday) that food labels will be required to list the amount of trans fatty acids in addition to currently required information on overall fat and saturated fat content." So Canada, which has a socialized, government-controlled health care system is getting the government out of a decision on whether or not a patient can smoke pot to relieve pain and suffering while the United States, supposedly the bastion of limited government and free markets, is now going to require cigarette-like warning labels on Oreo cookies? Beam me up, Scotty. ***************************************** Some Are More Equal Than Others "The House voted Tuesday to guarantee that federal workers, including members of Congress, keep their current prescription drug benefits when they retire even if Congress agrees to a Medicare drug bill that provides significantly less generous benefits." - Associated Press, 7/8/03 ***************************************** Where's Your Daddy? "(Margaret) Gaffin is mad that under the recently passed tax cut she is ineligible for the child income-tax credit. Why, you may wonder, is she ineligible? Because she doesn't pay any income taxes! .'It hurts when my 8-year-old daughter wants to go to the movies or even have a meal at McDonald's and I have to say, 'No, Mommy can't afford it.' If I had gotten a tax cut, I would spend it on the mountain of bills that face me. Like millions of other working people, I would have put that money right back into the economy.' . . . Just one question: Where's the kid's father? Can't he take her to McDonald's?" - James Taranto, Best of the Web, 7/9/03 ****************************************** Sex Sells "Psychologist Erick Janssen has already received $237,000 from NIH (National Institutes of Health) for the first year of his study on how emotional mood affects 'sexual risk taking,' the latest federally funded sex-research project to draw criticism from Capitol Hill. . . . Asking taxpayers to foot the bill for such research is ridiculous, said one congressional critic. 'The important work of NIH ought to focus, as it usually does, on finding cures for the innumerable devastating illnesses affecting Americans,' said Rep. Patrick J. Toomey, Pennsylvania Republican. 'This just goes to prove that no matter how ridiculous your idea is, Congress just might fund it.'" - Washington Times, 7/10/03 ************************************ 4.75 cents-per-minute Long Distance * All state-to-state calls in the continental U.S. * Residential or commercial * 6-second billing increments * 24 hours/day * 7 days/week * No access codes * No minimums * No activation fees * Calling Card Rate is 10 cents per minute * No monthly service charge unless your bill is less than $20.00 a month (then a $1.99 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. Just go to: <http://www.GOPLongDistance.com> today. ****************************************** Labor Pains After spending months of whining and wailing about corporate financial scandals and demanding more accountability, it appears Big Labor is throwing stones from a glass house. Horror story after horror story comes out on an almost daily basis of financial shenanigans by union bosses all over the country - from petty thefts to Enron-level rip-offs. To protect union workers from the rising tide of Bonnie-and-Clod heists by union bosses, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao has established new rules requiring a much greater level of transparency in financial reporting by labor organizations. No more $12 million line items for "Miscellaneous." Naturally, the union bosses are having a conniption over the new disclosure rules. So they've gotten their Democrat friends in the House to team up with a couple dozen scared Republicans to try to legislatively overturn Secretart Chao's much-needed rule changes. If successful, the White House has threatened to veto such an effort. The union bosses are also having a cow over another rule change that would allow employers to offer "comp" time instead of overtime to their employees. Workers who would rather take some extra time off to spend with their families in lieu of the cash would have that OPTION. This drives union bosses nuts. The last thing they want is for employees and employers to cooperate without meddling from the union. So, of course, they have their Chicken Little friends in Congress running around telling everyone that the bad, old Republicans are trying to eliminate overtime pay. What a crock. These people will say absolutely anything. Isn't lying a violation of one of those commandment thingies? ****************************************** Airport Insecurity "Ironically, it is the very randomness of the new (airport) security checks that has generated so much skepticism about their efficacy. Old ladies, children, Catholic priests - all have been subject to searches of San Quentin-like thoroughness despite being beyond rational suspicion. According to the authorities, this randomness is itself a virtue, preventing would-be terrorists from easily predicting who or what will draw attention. "But it has nothing to do with security and everything to do with political correctness. Frightening as the prospect of terrorism may be, it pales, in the minds of many officials, in comparison with the prospect of being charged with racism." - Judge Robert Bork in the July-August issue of Commentary ***************************************** Cutting US Money from UN "Rep. J. D. Hayworth, a Republican Congressman from Arizona, and seven co-sponsors have submitted a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would lower the amount of money the United States sends to the United Nations by more than $240 million per year. Hayworth's bill, H.R. 2303, would make the contribution by the U.S. to the U.N. equal to the largest contribution from any of the other four permanent, veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council." - Talon News, 7/9/03 ***************************************** Color-Blind in Michigan "Ward Connerly, who successfully spearheaded ballot initiatives abolishing race-conscious policies in public hiring and admissions in California and Washington, said yesterday that he will begin similar efforts in several other states. 'We are exploring a number of states right now,' said Mr. Connerly. 'Michigan is solid, and has already begun.' . . . Polls in Michigan indicate the majority of residents oppose affirmative action." - Washington Times, 7/10/03 ***************************************** Gray Skies Ain't Clearing Up "Both political parties dislike the recall of Gov. Gray Davis that is now heading for the California ballot; Democrats and Republicans alike prefer stability to uncertainty. The White House is cool to the idea because it would prefer a crippled Democrat in the governor's mansion as President Bush seeks to win the state in the 2004 election. The Business Roundtable and Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce favor the devil they know and oppose the recall. The only supporters appear to be the people." - John Fund's Political Diary, 7/10/03 ***************************************** Total Recall "California's Gov. Gray Davis is virtually certain to face a recall election, the New York Times reports. Recall backers say they've collected more than a million signatures; putting the recall on the ballot requires just under 900,000. Steve Maviglio, the governor's press secretary, 'said he was prepared to wage a fierce campaign to keep his job,' the Times reports. The paper quotes Maviglio as saying of Davis: 'His attitude is, bring them on.' "We are shaking our head in disbelief. We've had enough of this phony, macho rhetoric. Maviglio's comment showed tremendous insensitivity to the dangers Davis faces. It was unwise and unworthy of the office." - James Taranto, Best of the Web, 7/9/03 ***************************************** Junk Mail List "The federal government finely had a good idea ... the DO NOT CALL LIST ... to lock out telemarketers. . . . This idea could solve the Post Office problem of needing larger mailboxes. Create a ... DEMAND JUNKMAIL LIST ... that forbids the Post Office from delivering junk unless specifically requested. "The handful of people who DO demand junk mail could receive it by going to any Post Office, standing in line, and presenting their official Postal Service 'Junk ID' card ... ($40 annual fee for the card). After a couple of months, massively downsize the Post Office to reflect the greatly reduced 'delivery volumes.' That should end the need for large mailboxes!" - News & Views reader Mike Lucas of Milwaukee, Wisconsin ****************************************** Affordable Campaign Websites! Now you can get professional-looking campaign web sites for as little as $10 a month. That's right...just ten smackeroos a month. Here's what's included in this fantastic new program from Campaign Secrets, Inc. (available ONLY to Republican candidates): * Free Hosting * Unique Domain Name * Personal Email Accounts * Credit Card Processing * Unlimited Edits * Event Calendar * Volunteer Sign-up Page * Built-in Bulk Emailer Campaign Site Builder can be used for political organizations and non-profits, as well. For more information, just go to: http://www.campaignsecrets.com/websites.asp *********************************** How to Subscribe If you know someone who might like to receive News & Views, you can sign 'em up at: http://www.chuckmuth.com. Also, occasionally, the automatic listserve we use will "bump" subscribers off the list if your mailbox is full or experiences some other technical glitch. If you suddenly stop receiving News & Views, the first thing you should do is try to re-subscribe using the link above. 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