Category: Political

Ann Coulter: IF THE GOP IS THIS STUPID, IT DESERVES TO DIE

Click Here: “The fact that our government is attempting to censor our service members from  the truth of what is happening here at home is truly frightening and  disheartening,”

The New York State Senate today passed a bill that creates the crime of aggravated harassment of a police or peace officer. The bill  (S.2402), sponsored by Senator Joe Griffo (R-C-I, Rome) would make it a felony to harass, annoy, or threaten a police officer while on duty.

“Our system of laws is established to protect the foundations of our society,” Senator Griffo said. “Police officers who risk their lives every day in our cities and on our highways deserve every possible protection, and those who treat them with disrespect, harass them and create situations that can lead to injuries deserve to pay a price for their actions.”

The bill establishes this crime as a Class E Felony, punishable by up to four years in prison.

“At a time when shocking incidents of disrespect and outright confrontation are at an all-time high, the men and women who patrol the streets of our cities deserve every possible protection we can offer them,” Senator Griffo stated. “My bill would make it a crime to take any type of physical action to try to intimidate a police officer. This is a necessary action because we can see from the rise in incidents that too many people in our society have lost the respect they need to have for a police officer. We need to make it very clear that when a police officer is performing his duty, every citizen needs to comply and that refusal to comply carries a penalty.”

“Professionally, I am grateful to see this bill pass through the Senate. Our police officers have a very dangerous job and need the support of our government leaders to help make them safe,” said Utica Police Department Chief Mark Williams. “All too often persons are physically challenging police officers in the line of duty. Currently in those instances where an officer is physically attack (short of sustaining a physical injury) the lawful charge is only a violation. The consequences are way too low for the offender and it sends the wrong message to the public. Police officers are the public’s first line of defense to restore order in dangerous/chaotic situations. Citizens do not have the legal right to physically challenge the authority of an officer lawfully performing their duties. Threats, intimidation and physical force used upon our police officers not only erode respect for our criminal justice system, but also endanger the public as well.

The bill is being sent to the Assembly.

Click Here: Nearly two-thirds of Americans who currently lack health insurance don’t know yet if they will purchase that coverage by the Jan. 1 deadline

Click Here: Mr. Obama, It’s Moore. Not Monroe. Monroe is an unincorporated community more than 200 miles east of Moore, close to the Oklahoma-Arkansas border.

Click Here: “Two years before World War II broke out, John F. Kennedy wrote, “The Germans really are too good – therefore people have ganged up on them to protect themselves.” JFK also wrote, “The Nordic races certainly seem to be superior to the Romans.”

 And with regard to Hitler, JFK wrote: “Hitler will emerge from the hatred currently surrounding him to emerge in a few years as one of the most important personalities that ever lived.”

Kennedy’s father, Joseph Kennedy, was an admirer of Hitler’s as well. Kennedy’s admiration for Hitler verged on the rapturous: “His boundless ambition for his country made him a threat to peace in the world, but he had something mysterious about him,” Kennedy wrote after the war. “He was the stuff of legends.””

News from the Hill…

When we began the eighty-fifth General Assembly, I was committed to focusing on ways to make Iowa strong — creating certainty with balanced budgets, promoting job creation through tax reform, with strong schools and communities.  As we close the session, I am proud to have fulfilled these commitments.

The last two weeks have been filled with many highs and many lows on the emotional scale.  One minute it looked like we were heading for adjournment, then the wheels would come off to bring us to a screeching halt.  Working countless hours trying to negotiate a property tax compromise has been extremely draining on me.  Couple that with trying to work some at the bank, drive back and forth from Des Moines and living out of a suitcase has been tiring to say the least.  But now that we have passed the largest tax cut in the history of the state and adjourned sine die, it has all been worth it.  We started working on property taxes three sessions, ago.  The first two sessions, we came so close in getting something significant passed, but continued to come up short.  This year the bill filed was HF 2 and was assigned to committee on opening day.  We were off and running and never looked back.  The first bill that was passed by both chambers and signed into law by the Governor was the IRC update bill which couples Iowa Tax code with Federal Tax code changes.  It was only fitting that the last bill passed by the Iowa House of Representatives was the Conference Committee Report on SF 295, dealing with property taxes.  This was something that no other legislature has ever been able to do.  I had the great opportunity to not only floor managing this bill, but writing most of it.  As I was giving my closing remarks on the final day, Governor Branstad and Lt. Governor Reynolds entered the House Chamber to listen to my remarks and witness the passing of the bill.  This was a historic moment and one that has not completely sunk in.  However, it is a moment that I will never forget.  I have the people of House District 88 to thank for trusting me once again to be their voice in Des Moines.  Thank you, it is an honor to serve you and one that I hold in high respect.

We also passed a major Education Reform Bill.  Students must possess the skills necessary to succeed in college or in the workforce.   The reform package offers flexibility for school districts, innovation for teachers, accountability for parents and protection for taxpayers.   It also brings new approaches and measureable results to the system.  The bill includes choice for parents and strengthens the role of the parent, not the government.  Finally it adds modern evaluation and accountability measures to ensure Iowa students are receiving first-rate instruction.

In the final days of the session House Republicans crafted a bipartisan health care plan that focuses on making Iowans healthier without bowing to federal pressure to expand Medicaid.  Since the plan focuses on health, wellness and prevention, costs can be controlled at the state level saving taxpayers money.  This plan needs to be monitored closely in the future to make sure it does exactly what it is support to do. However, it is much better than what the Federal Government wanted us to do which was to expand Medicaid which places more people on welfare, it never is in society’s best interest to expand the amount of people on its welfare system.

http://coolice.legis.iowa.gov/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=ArchiveDay&vid=769&iDate=2013-05-23

Click on the above link to watch the video of the last morning of session which will include closing remarks of the Speaker of the Iowa House, Majority Leader and Minority leaders of the Iowa House.

The screen will show the House at ease for 1 minute and 20 seconds before the Speaker gavels us in.

To watch the video of just the property tax bill,      click on SF 295 below the video screen.

For more information on these and other bills:  www.legis.iowa.gov

-Tom Sands