The Economy

Dave Ramsey has written one of the best articles I've read on the current economic problems we are facing. You can read it here: http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/newsletters/company/092608.cfm?ectid=cnl0809_05 . There is no denying that we are facing economic problems, but I think the media has to stop blowing things out of proportion and stop over hyping what's happening. They never report anything positive and that's a shame. The media is not being responsible.

Pro-Life NC Voters Should Support Dole

Pro-life voters in North Carolina should support Senator Dole for re-election. Her opponent, Kay Hagan, has received the support of the EMILY's List PAC. EMILY's List makes no effort to hide the fact that they are pro-choice. Here's what they say on their own site: "EMILY's List is the largest political action committee in the nation. ...EMILY's List has raised over $240 million to elect 69 pro-choice Democratic women to the U.S. House, 13 to the U.S. Senate, and eight governors. Over the course of 23 years, EMILY's List has helped elect hundreds of pro-choice Democratic women to federal office, state legislatures, state constitutional offices, and other key local offices."

Senator Dole has been endorsed by the pro-life group, Susan B. Anthony List. In supporting Senator Dole, they say: "Elizabeth Dole is the first pro-life female Member of the Senate in over twenty years. She was elected in 2002 with an extensive amount of experience in public office. She served as Deputy Assistant to President Nixon, Assistant to President Ronald Reagan for Public Liaison, Secretary of Transportation for President Reagan - the first woman ever to hold that position - and Secretary of Labor for President George H.W. Bush. Senator Dole is dedicated to moving pro-life legislation that will protect the sanctity of life. She is the proud sponsor of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnancy and Parenting Services Act, which provides special assistance to student parents so they can choose Life. Elizabeth is married to retired Senator Bob Dole and has one stepdaughter, Robin."

NC Voters, we have a clear choice in November. Make a vote for life and support Senator Dole. If you would like to get involved, check out the Pro-Life Voters for Dole group at this site: http://team.elizabethdole.org/g/bc62a2c5-0e3c-47cc-b497-b78ce1812763 I challenge you to join this group and get involved!

Foxx On The List!

NC Congresswoman (NC-5) Virginia Foxx is on the Susan B. Anthony List for her pro-life stance. On their website, they say the following about Foxx: Virginia Foxx was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2004. The Former Virginia State Senator won a tough open seat race to represent North Carolina's 5th Congressional District. While in Congress, Congresswoman Foxx has co-sponsored the Fetus Farming Prohibition Act, the Weldon-Stupak Human Cloning Prohibition Act, the RU-486 Suspension and Review Act, the Child Custody Protection Act, and the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act. Virginia is known for her tenacity and passionas an outspoken advocate for women and unborn children.

Foxx Introduces New Legislation

The following is a press release from NC Congresswoman Virginia Foxx

Foxx bill sheds light on impact of federal laws, regulations
Legislation gives local governments, employers access to critical cost estimates

Washington, DC—U.S. Representative Virginia Foxx today introduced bipartisan legislation that will shed light on how federal policies impact the budgets of state and local governments and businesses. The legislation fixes loopholes in a 1995 law that reined in expensive and unfunded federal mandates. Ultimately, this legislation will help states and small businesses better manage and forecast their budgetary needs.

“State and local governments and small business owners are all too familiar with the financial burden of new federal laws and regulations,” Rep. Foxx said. “During these difficult economic times North Carolinians rely on small businesses and local governments for jobs and for services like healthcare, education and job training. My bill holds the federal government accountable to the public by exposing the hidden costs of federal policies.”

The purpose of this bipartisan legislation (The Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act of 2008) is to enhance transparency, accountability, and awareness of federal mandates. It amends the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA), which ensured public awareness of the crushing financial burden of federal mandates on employers and state and local governments.

UMRA’s main objective in 1995 was to force the federal government to estimate how much unfunded mandates would cost local governments and businesses and rein in out of control mandates. Foxx’s bill expands the scope of UMRA by closing loopholes that allowed certain policies to escape its reporting requirements.

“New, costly regulations and legislation are often created with little thought for how they will squeeze local governments and employers,” Foxx said. “By updating this law, we can ensure that Congress and the public are aware of how federal policies financially impact the people we serve.”

Foxx’s bill also requires the federal government to report on how changing the requirements for existing federal grant programs would shift costs to local governments. For instance, grant programs—such as No Child Left Behind—that are administered by states are often altered by federal legislation. Under this bill the federal government would have to report how such changes could negatively impact state or local government budgets.

Presidential Voters Guide

Wallbuilders has created a Presidential Voters Guide. You can find it at their website here: http://wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=5386

Foxx Slams Energy Bill For Stealing From North Carolina

The following is from a press release from NC Congresswoman Virginia Foxx.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Aaron Groen
September 16, 2008 202-225-2071

Foxx slams no energy bill for stealing from North Carolina
Bill introduced last night would bar NC from oil revenue off its own shores

Washington, DC—Congresswoman Virginia Foxx today voiced strong opposition to legislation drafted behind closed doors that will prohibit North Carolina from receiving revenue from new offshore oil drilling. Instead all revenue from new offshore drilling leases will go straight into federal government coffers. The bill, HR 6889, does not allow for any amendments and was written and introduced without Republican input.

“This bill is a slap in the face to the state of North Carolina,” Rep. Foxx said. “It would lock North Carolina out of a share of the $2.6 trillion in tax revenue from new drilling right off our shores. What a sham.”

The new 290-page legislation was introduced just before midnight last night, only hours before it is scheduled for a vote. It does not allow amendments or Republican alternatives. In addition, bill was written behind closed doors and did not go through the normal committee process.

“This bill is wrong for North Carolina and it is wrong for America,” Rep. Foxx said. “Is Speaker Pelosi so concerned with placating her extremist environmental backers that she has to push through this legislation to lock coastal states out of oil revenue?”

“Today’s farce of a bill not only steals North Carolina’s new coastal energy revenue, but it also locks us out of the energy debate. Thanks a lot, Speaker Pelosi. This bill is a perfect example of the House Democrats’ broken promises.”

Foxx today also voiced opposition to provisions in the legislation that would permanently lock up more than 95 percent of offshore oil on the west coast and 88 percent of offshore oil overall.

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx is available for comment on this legislation and how it will hurt North Carolina. Please call (202) 225-2071 to schedule an interview with Rep. Foxx.

Note: Gulf coast states like Texas and Louisiana currently receive a share of revenues from offshore drilling, which last year were about $9 billion. The Norfolk, Va. Virginian-Pilot reports that this bill blocks “coastal states from sharing in a $2.6 trillion bonanza of tax revenue expected to flow from offshore fields.”

Dole Supports Homeschoolers!

Homeschoolers in North Carolina have increased by 4% last year and there are currently over 71,500 homeschool students in North Carolina. As parents, we take our children's education seriously. It is a right that we have, and we should support those elected officials that support this right.

Senator Dole supports homeschoolers and deserves your support for re-election. Just one example of this is when she sponsored a bill (S. Res 572) which says that homeschooling is a "fundamental and constitutional right of parents." It also states, "...the modern homeschool movement in the United States demonstrates that homeschooled children are a vital component of the United States education system...homeschool graduates act responsibly as parents and as students in colleges and universities, are valuable in the workplace, and are productive citizens in society at large...many studies confirm that children who are educated at home score considerably above the national average on nationally-normed achievement tests, and above the average on both the SAT and ACT college entrance exams."

Senator Dole strongly supports parent's rights to homeschool. I urge you to support her and vote for her this November!

McCrory Leads Perdue For NC Governor

According to a recent SurveyUSA poll of 900 North Carolinians, Republican Candidate Pat McCrory is leading Democrat Bev Perdue overall and in several important groups.

• McCrory leads Perdue overall 49% to 41%
• McCrory leads Perdue in both male and female voters
• McCrory has more support from Republicans than Perdue has from Democrats
• McCrory leads Perdue among all age groups (tied in one)

I was able to watch some of tonight's debate between the candidates and felt McCrory had a firm grasp on the issues that are important to North Carolinians.

Chuck Norris Supports McCain/Palin

Chuck Norris gave his support to John McCain and Sarah Palin's campaign. You can watch a video clip here from Fox News.

YAF's 9/11 Never Forget Project

Thursday, 9/11 is Patriot Day, the day we remember the terrorist attacks on our country. Please watch the video below on YAF's 9/11 Never Forget Project.

New Dole Ad

Here's a new ad from Senator Elizabeth Dole. Despite what her opponent would have you believe, she has done a lot for North Carolina. She has done a lot for our country as well. Please take a moment to review this new ad.

Dole Set Up New Interactive Site

The following information is from an email from Elizabeth Dole's reelection campaign.

It is only two months until ELECTION DAY and we are getting ready for the big push by launching an exciting new grassroots feature on our website! You can now join our volunteer network called “Team Dole” and influence this election directly. Click here to sign-up today! and invite five of your friends to support Senator Dole. If you already had an account with our website you should be able to login to the site with the same information.

The Team Dole site is a new and innovative way to get involved at the campaign grassroots level. Impact the campaign both online and offline. You can recruit friends, join your county team and even start a local group yourself to support Senator Dole.

Foxx Fighting For American Energy Independence

The following is from an email from NC Congresswoman Virginia Foxx.

End-of-summer update: Fighting for American Energy Independence
By Congresswoman Virginia Foxx

As Labor Day weekend passes, it is clear that this has not been the summer North Carolinians had planned on. Too many families have been forced to cancel their vacations and trim their budgets in order to compensate for the sting of high gas prices.

It certainly hasn’t been the summer I planned on. Since the beginning of last month, when House Democrats voted to adjourn for a five-week recess without taking action to deal with our nation’s energy crisis, my fellow Republicans and I have taken to the floor of the House of Representatives – without cameras, lights, or microphones – to talk directly to visitors and make the case for meaningful energy solutions. It has been quite an exhilarating experience to return to Washington, bring visitors to the Capitol on to the House floor, and then have a dialogue with them about energy policy. And it has certainly been worth it.

North Carolina families realize that there is no one silver bullet that will ease the pain at the pump and lessen our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. That’s why I am proud to co-sponsor the American Energy Act, legislation that puts a balanced “all of the above” approach to work by creating new American-made energy, unleashing the potential of new technologies, and further fostering conservation efforts.

I have repeatedly stressed how America’s dependence on foreign oil poses a major threat to the United States’ national security. In 2007 alone the U.S. increased imports of oil from OPEC by 12.7 percent for a grand total of nearly 2 billion barrels of oil—the highest amount in 30 years. This means that the majority of America’s oil comes from an oil cartel composed of countries that vary from the anti-American regime of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela to authoritarian governments in the Middle East.

Imported oil puts America’s energy supply at the mercy of unsavory regimes and can even funnel cash into the hands of state sponsors of terrorism. These are direct threats to our national security.America’s national security and economic stability are directly linked to energy independence. The best way to counter America’s dependence on foreign oil is to produce oil here in America and reduce our oil consumption by using alternative sources of energy.

Tapping into new sources of domestic oil or gas would create a massive funding stream for alternative energy research—without increased federal spending or raising taxes.

According to the federal Energy Information Administration, renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric, geothermal, wind, sun solar, and biomass—met only about seven percent of America’s total energy needs in 2006. The House Republicans plan would help to increase this number and develop other alternative energies. The plan is a pro-American energy strategy that eases the pain at the pump and lessens our dependence on foreign oil.

As Democrats in charge continue to ignore the will of the American people, my House Republican colleagues and I will continue to fight for the American people and their wallets. We will continue to work hard to bring attention to the American people’s struggle and urge Speaker Pelosi to allow the House to vote on the American Energy Act. When the House Democrats return from recess this month, they will struggle to answer the question, “How did we spend our summer?” However, House Republicans will be able to say that we continued to represent the American people and that we fought for American energy independence

Editor’s Note: Virginia Foxx a United States Representative from North Carolina’s Fifth Congressional District, is a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. You may contact her office toll free at 1-866-677-8968 or e-mail her from her website, www.foxx.house.gov.