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____________________________________ CHUCK MUTH�S NEWS & VIEWS February 27, 2004 To view the HTML version of today�s News & Views, just go to: http://www.chuckmuth.com/newsandviews/nv.cfm To subscribe, just go to: http://www.chuckmuth.com/newsletter/ To reach our 7-day News & Views archive, go to www.citizenoutreach.com _____________________________________ HIGHWAY TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET �With this year's budget deficit forecast to exceed $500 billion and conservative groups in an uproar over the breakdown in spending discipline in a Republican-controlled Congress, (House Speaker Denny) Hastert wanted to signal that no program would be automatically immune from Congress' newly sharpened budget knife. �Well, not exactly. The highway-and-transit authorization bill, one of the first pieces of legislation Congress has considered since President Bush released his budget Feb. 2, qualifies as a first-class budget buster. And both bodies of Congress, in the spirit of bipartisanship that evades most other legislation, seem determined to ignore White House warnings of a veto in order to deliver record-shattering transportation projects to the folks back home in an election year.� - Washington Times editorial, 2/26/04 GOOD NEWS FROM VIRGINIA Virginia�s House Finance Committee killed two monster tax-hike bills on Wednesday...one proposed by the state�s tax-happy Democrat governor and another by the states even tax-happier RINO Republican Sen. John Chichester. Chichester said of his lower house colleagues� vote, �It sounds to me like they have no intention to compromise.� Duh. Do ya think? Also in Virginia on Wednesday, a federal judge ruled that taxpayer-funded public universities could deny admission to illegal immigrants who might take up seats which otherwise would go to...gasp!...legal immigrants and citizens. Where did this sudden wave of common sense come from...and can we bottle it and distribute some on Capitol Hill? ________________________________________ GOP SURVIVOR SERIES Balloting for the Third and final preliminary round of our 2008 GOP Presidential Survivor showdown is underway. The top two finishers of Round Three will join the top two finishers from Rounds One & Two (Giuliani, Owens, Paul and Rice) for our big Super Tuesday elimination round. If you haven�t cast your vote yet, go to the Survey Says! page at www.citizenoutreach.com Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney Former Alabama judge Roy Moore PA Sen. Rick Santorum SC Gov. Mark Sanford Gary Bauer Alan Keyes Chuck Muth __________________________________________ UNION BOSS CRAPS OUT �In the past decade, the AFL-CIO has lobbied Congress on three major issues of any importance to union members: (1) Oppose the North American Free Trade Agreement; (2) Oppose permanent normal trade relations with China; (3) Support drilling for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. �The unions lost every vote. Demonstrating his savvy political skills, the head of the AFL-CIO, John Sweeney, repeatedly throws the federation's support to political candidates who opposed labor on all three issues. So if you ever find yourself negotiating with Sweeney, make sure your opening bid is �nothing.� � - Columnist Ann Coulter TICKING FINANCIAL TIME BOMB �Social Security reform cannot be put off. In less than 15 years, the national retirement program will begin to run a deficit, spending more on benefits than it takes in through taxes. The IOUs in the Social Security Trust Fund are merely a claim against future taxes, not real assets that can be used to pay benefits. Overall, the system is more than $26 trillion in debt.� - Mike Tanner of the Cato Institute THE KING OF HYPOCRITES �While Democrat presidential candidates complain that too many jobs are going overseas, the last Democrat to hold the office is having a Scottish firm build nearly $1 million worth of cabinets for his presidential library. The foundation building the $160 million Bill Clinton Presidential Library says limited choices forced it to look overseas for the specialized museum cases.� - NewsMax.com, 2/26/04 CLINTON�S MINI-ME �We never knew that Gen-X actor Ethan Hawke had ambitions to go into politics but -- based on his public explanation (or whatever you want to call it) of why he purportedly cheated on his soon to be ex-wife Uma Thurman -- he's ascribes political ambitions to himself. Here's what he said: �Martin Luther King Jr. suffered from infidelity, so did John F. Kennedy. You're more likely to find great leadership coming from a man who likes to have sex with a lot of women than one who's monogamous.� Since when did Hawke become a �great leader�?� - Ron Gunzburger, Politics1, 2/25/04 PAIGE ON THE HOT SEAT �We told you yesterday about the comments Secretary of Education Rod Paige made to the nation's governors where he called the National Education Association �a terrorist organization.� He apologized yesterday, but of course that's never enough. ...Reg Weaver, official crybaby pantywaist and head of the NEA...is asking that President Bush �express his regret to the nation's educators and demand that Secretary Paige step down.� Paige says he is not leaving, and President Bush says his job is safe. Good. Rod Paige is being raked over the coals for one reason and one reason only: because he spoke the truth. And sometimes the truth hurts.� - Talk-show host Neal Boortz, 2/25/04 SPANK YOU VERY MUCH If you talk to a lot of school teachers, you�ll often hear two primary excuses for why education in our government schools is so bad: lack of classroom discipline and lack of parental involvement. Now get this� Out in Cudahy High School near Milwaukee, Wis., a high school girl was fingered for disrupting her biology class. Her dad was in the school the next day on another matter and was advised of the disruption caused by his daughter the day before. The dad responded, �You know what? There won't be a problem in today's class because I�m going to be there.� According to WorldNetDaily.com, the father, �called his daughter to the front and told her he would not have her disrupting the class. The father then ordered her to turn around, and he spanked her bottom.� Naturally, school officials immediately called police and child welfare authorities on the father. Yet another example of damned-if-you-do/damned if you don�t. GORING NADER & BUSH WITH ONE STONE �In 2000, (Ralph) Nader's shrill mantra was �Republicrat,� that there wasn't a dime's worth of difference between the two nominees. That claim was dead wrong in 2000 and is ludicrous in 2004. Since George W. Bush took office, a budget surplus of $230 billion has become a deficit of $521 billion, 2.7 million jobs have been lost, clean air standards have been weakened, civil liberties have been trampled, long-time allies have come to mistrust us, and we've spent $150 billion and almost 600 lives in a war to protect us from weapons that didn't exist. Given the extremism of Mr. Bush's first term, imagine what a lame duck Bush would do.� - Karenna Gore Schiff, Al Gore�s politically ambitious and vengeful little girl, Wall Street Journal, 2/26/04 __________________________________________ THE (CAMPAIGN) DOCTOR IS IN! You can�t change public policy if you don�t change public officials. So Citizen Outreach has established a separate website project dedicated to helping under-funded, underdog campaigns...especially at the state and local levels. Visit today...and make sure you sign up for FREE email �hot tips� on how to get more votes, more money and more volunteers for your campaign or grassroots organization. Go to: www.campaigndoctor.com __________________________________________ NO DISCRIMINATION HERE �Every American of legal age, excluding some deemed mentally incompetent to fulfill a contract, is treated the same by our marriage laws. We can only marry if we are unmarried, and if the person we wish to marry is eligible to marry. We can only marry a person if that person wants to marry us back. And, yes, we must marry someone of the opposite sex. Equal rules. Equal protection. Anyone who wants to follow the rules of marriage can marry. Anyone who doesn't, doesn't have to." - Blogger Amy Ridenour THE ONE TRUE CONSERVATIVE POSITION ON MARRIAGE �How about government simply getting out of the marriage-license-granting business? (Ditto for government licenses necessary to cut hair, drive a taxi, open a business or enter a profession.) Leave marriage to non-governmental institutions, like churches, synagogues, mosques, and other houses of worship or private institutions. � - Town Hall columnist Larry Elder TALE OF TWO EXTREMES �On one hand you have the reckless law-breaking behavior of San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom bestowing marriage licenses on gay couples. A few of my gay friends have voiced their support for this. I reminded these friends, who are also pro-choice, that Fresno, California has a pro-life mayor. How would they feel if that mayor decided to ignore the law and keep women from accessing their legal abortion rights? �...Now, in Washington, D.C., the president has declared the need to amend the U.S. Constitution! Really now - that appears to be as much of a stunt as the rogue gay marriages in San Francisco. And this from a man (who along with Cheney) in the last election who said it should be a matter left to the states. It seems, though, only if the states do what you like. �...How seriously can any of us take the president's vow to �protect the sanctity of marriage� when Britney Spears indulges in it for 5 minutes in Vegas? Marriage has become a television reality game show. And protecting children? Before amending the Constitution, perhaps the Feds should make divorce a little harder to get. It's divorce that is ruining children's lives at the moment, not a couple of lesbians who want to get married (no matter how scary some of those pictures were out of San Francisco).� - Columnist Tammy Bruce POLL SEZ PREZ HAS IT WRONG �A statewide Field Poll released Wednesday (in California) found that half of those surveyed disapproved of same-sex marriages, while 44 percent approved. . . . The same voters, 55 percent to 40 percent, also disliked the actions of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and other top city officials, who on Feb. 12 began making marriage licenses available to same-sex couples. . . . . But asked if they would support or resist an amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning gay marriages, a move President Bush endorsed Tuesday, those polled said they opposed such a proposal 54 percent to 41 percent.� - Sacramento Bee, 2/26/04 IT�S THE POLITICS, STUPID - I �There is really no reason beyond political considerations for an anti-gay marriage amendment.� I've been trying for weeks to get listeners to explain just how their marriages will be adversely affected by the presence of �married� gays and lesbians in their community.� Thus far I've had no good examples of potential damage. My prediction?� The amendment will never happen.� It will be a political issue for this election, then it will fade.� - Talk-show host Neal Boortz, 2/25/04 IT�S THE POLITICS, STUPID - II �Why back an (gay marriage) amendment? Pure politics - of the most dangerous and cynical variety. . . . In practical terms, a constitutional amendment is utterly unnecessary. Same-sex marriage is no threat, and the president and his advisers know it. . . . . The reason for Mr. Bush�s endorsement is not legal, but electoral. He wants to throw red meat in the direction of radical religionists, who have made the issue their No. 1 priority.� - James Glassman of the American Enterprise Institute FMA IS DOA �One day after President Bush called on Congress to approve a constitutional amendment to bar same-sex marriage, Republicans and Democrats agreed that prospects for passage in this election year look dim. . . . Most members of Congress agree that marriage should be a union between a man and a woman. But far fewer want to enshrine that social construct in the Constitution, a document that has been amended only 27 times in 215 years.� - USA Today, 2/25/04 _________________________________________ WINNING �HOW TO� CAMPAIGN REPORTS Quick, down-and-dirty "how to" reports on specific aspects of political campaigns and grassroots organizations.� Written primarily for beginners with little or no experience, but certainly chocked full of tidbits and hot tips to benefit even the most seasoned political pro.� Generally 8-16 pages of A-Z, step-by-step instructions to gain more votes, more money and more volunteers for your political activities and/or campaign. � Don't expect fancy packaging with a lot of bells and whistles.� Just solid, up-to-date how-to information you can put to use IMMEDIATELY.� Nobody provides better, more useful, practical information as quickly and inexpensively as these babies.� Stock up.� Build a library.� Heck, become a bona fide political guru yourself!� Go to http://chuckmuth.com/specialreports.htm to check out our ever-growing library of winning publications! __________________________________________ Chuck Muth�s News & Views is published by Citizen Outreach, a non-partisan, 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. 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