Democrats on Gas, Earmarks and Debate

Stuart Shepard shares how to save 40 cents a gallon on gas – and how stealth taxes hurt struggling families.....



Democrat Senate Passed 94% of Bills without Debate or Roll Call Vote-“The U.S. Senate has a nine percent approval rating, because the American people believe that much of our work is done in secret with no debate, no transparency and no accountability,” Coburn told reporters at press conference Wednesday at the Capitol. “This report shows that the reality is worse than the public’s fears. Instead of encouraging open debate, I’m disappointed that Majority Leader Reid often chooses secrecy or demagoguery,” he added. Coburn was referring to a non-partisan study released on June 10 by the government’s Congressional Research Service (CRS), which indicates that 855 of the 911 bills passed by the Senate of the 110th Congress have been streamlined by Democratic Party leadership with a procedural tactic known as Unanimous Consent (UC), which requires no debate or even a vote."

Democrats Try to Shut Down Republicans' Earmark Reform Web Site-"House Republicans are blasting Democratic leaders for ordering the shutdown of an "earmark reform" Web site that was launched two weeks ago as part of a Republican effort to "change the way Washington spends taxpayer dollars." On Feb. 12, House Republicans announced that their new Web site would serve as a hub for news and information regarding House GOP efforts to hold Democrats to their earmark-reform promises.But nine days later, on Feb. 21, House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio) was told the Web site (earmarkreform.house.gov) must be shut down and moved to a different location with a different domain name."..Boehner noted that the "shut down" order came just days after The Hill newspaper reported that the freshman Democratic class has been "showered in pork" by Democratic leaders. The shutdown order also coincides with Democrat Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) being named "Porker of the Year by a taxpayer watchdog group (see story). House Democrats, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have refused to join Republicans in supporting a moratorium on all earmarks, and the Republicans' Web site is an effort to keep the pressure on them."The leaders of both parties in the House have discussed the need for greater transparency and 'sunshine' in Congress," especially when it comes to spending taxpayers' money, Boehner said."By serving as a public clearinghouse for real-time information on legislative efforts to reform the earmark practice in Congress, http://www.earmarkreform.house.gov/ contributes to this goal and helps to increase accountability in the use of taxpayer funds."-This was in February of 2008 and it's still their. Check it out to get more informed on the tax payer costs of these Earmarks.

$7.5 Million in Taxes Earmarked for Golfing



Medicare Fraud

Registered Sex Offenders Are Beneficiaries of Medicare Fraud-"Registered sex offenders and deceased doctors are among the beneficiaries of more than $60 billion in fraudulent Medicare claims paid by the U.S. government each year, according to experts. “(LexisNexis) reviewed 248 million Medicare claims from public record data and performed analysis, and the results were alarming,” said Haywood Talcove, CEO of the company’s special services. He listed some of the fraud the study uncovered based on claims filed between 2001 and 2005 for the states of Illinois and Washington."...Talcove spoke Monday at a hearing on Capitol Hill led by Sens. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), who have introduced a measure to help prevent Medicare fraud. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) “Each year, roughly $30 to $60 billion a year in taxpayer dollars is wasted because of Medicare fraud and abuse,” Cornyn said when the measure was introduced in June. “This hurts not only taxpayers, but Medicare recipients and legitimate providers as a result.”...Some of the high-profile Medicare fraud cases highlighted at the hearing included a “provider” who billed Medicare multiple times for a $5,000 wheelchair, raking in more than $5 million on the claim....LexisNexis’s Talcove warned that if 20 percent of Medicare claims are fraudulently paid, as estimated, $80 billion of the $400 billion in payments made yearly will be paid for by taxpayers"

Iraq

July Was Least Deadly Month of Iraq War-"U.S. combat casualties in Iraq dwindled to the lowest level of the war in July, according to a CNSNews.com analysis of Defense Department data. Four U.S. service personnel were killed by the enemy in Iraq in July, the fewest combat casualties for any month since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003....

Troop Surge Objectives Not Fulfilled, Says Pelosi-"President Bush’s troop surge in Iraq has not been successful, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), however, said the surge has been “a success,” but he wondered when U.S. troops can return home."

Iraq Coverage Plummets Amid Progress-"Statistics from the Multi-National Force-Iraq revealed that the number of reporters there went from 219 in September 2007 to 58 in June.
Less reporters meant less coverage over the past months, CNSNews.com says....CBN News spoke with CNSNews.com editor-in-chief Terry Jeffrey. Click the play button for his comments on the current decline in coverage on progress in Iraq."-Video

Global Warming

Good News: Gov. Schwarzenegger Vetoes Global Warming Curriculum-"
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill Friday that would have required global warming to be added to California schools’ curriculum. Schwarzenegger said he supports education that addresses climate dangers, but was opposed to educational mandates. Though a discussion of global warming is currently allowed in high school classes, the measure would have mandated all future science textbooks to include it as a subject. “At a time when dismal graduation rates were recently announced in California, it’s ridiculous to try to force teachers to waste valuable class time on politically correct agendas,” said Candi Cushman, education analyst for Focus on the Family Action. “That’s a disservice to taxpaying parents — and it’s a good thing Gov. Schwarzenegger took a stand against it.”