DCRepublican.com

Had enough with high gas prices? Join the protest!

In related news and links, surging energy prices help drive annual cost-of-living rate rise to 4.2%.

Calculator: How long do you have to work to fill your tank? 

Map: Think your gas prices are expensive? You might be surprised.

Another great video from the folks at barelypolitical.com

Odds are, if you’re a commuter, there is one thing that is more painful these days than any traffic jam - gas prices.

Obviously, you’re not alone when it comes to resenting these extremely high fuel costs. However for most folks, it’s just assumed that there is nothing that they can do to lower these costs.

For some, people have changed their routines to make their drive times as efficient as possible. For others, they have decided to take public transportation to work instead of driving. Then there are those who simply want to avoid the stress and cost altogether and give up driving completely.

It’s not just a small handful of people who are making these various adjustments to save a buck either, just check out these statistics from CNN.com:

The Department of Transportation said Monday it had seen the sharpest monthly drop in driving since it began keeping records. In March, Americans drove 11 billion fewer miles than in March of 2007.

I have no doubt that when the data is released for April and May, the number of miles driven will continue to decline significantly.

While I think it’s great that Americans are driving less, there are many who simply can’t make these adjustments, whether that be due to location, schedule, etc. What about these people? How do they fight the pain at the pump?

The truth is, the American people DO have the ability to lobby their members of Congress to fight more aggressively to reduce the price we pay at the pump.

Just today, a new website was launched serving that very purpose - giving Americans the ability to sign a petition that urges Congress to suspend the federal gas tax, increase American oil production, and expand U.S. refineries.

If you’re tired of high gas prices, and want those you have elected to take action, you should sign this petition.

I’m confident that this petition will take off soon, and hopefully, instead of Congress spending hours questioning oil executives, they will use their power and creativity to pass legislation that eases gas prices immediately.

Here is a great post examining one Congresswoman’s mortgage problems and why she creates the perfect example of what the real problem with the housing market is.

I couldn’t have said it any better myself.

Here is a great article by Dr. Wayne Brough, discussing the implications of the Farm Bill. Click Here.

Just a taste of the article:

Farm policies in the United States continue to distort markets through government interventions that benefit farmers at the expense of consumers. Despite rhetoric to the contrary and the sentimentality of saving the family farm, the subsidies and crop programs Congress is peddling do little for the small farmer.

Amen.

Today President Bush gave an address from the Rose Garden at the White House where he held nothing back in expressing his frustration with the current Congress and their inability to work issues out, instead just resulting in using political tactics to block key programs.

Particularly, President Bush used this criticism to address the financial crisis facing the United States (courtesy of CNN.com):

“I repeatedly submitted proposal to help address the problems. Time after time, Congress chose to block them,” he said.

Bush called on Congress to send him sensible and effective bills to keep the country moving forward before taking questions from reporters.

I really hope this isn’t President Bush’s way of saying that he would hope for more bailouts of corporations and individuals who are facing financial troubles.

It was after all, President Bush who pushed hard for Congress to agree on a stimulus package, which in the opinion of many conservatives was an extremely wasteful idea that will probably have little impact on the economy.

However, in the same press conference, President Bush also went after Congress for even considering passing the Farm Bill, which has become even heavier in farm subsidies, increasing the burden on the American taxpayer.

Finally, President Bush made the effort to try and set the tone for Congress as his Presidency winds down:

Bush asked Congress to focus on four areas: energy, food prices, mortgage payments and student loans. The president urged Congress to pass legislation that would lead to more affordable and reliable energy at home.

While I give President Bush credit for calling out Congress, these directives sound almost exactly like the pitch the Democrats were giving the American people when they cleaned up shop in the 2006 elections.

Calling out Congress is extremely important when the country is in financial turmoil, but I think it’s also extremely important that when the President speaks, that he has more substance and addresses the real problems that are at hand.

Instead of telling Congress to address these issues, President Bush should have told Congress what specific things he would like to see, what he would be open to signing, and what things he isn’t going to cave in on.

This is his last term and he has absolutely nothing to lose.

I would argue that this is probably one of the few opportunities where the Republicans didn’t have to cave into the pressures of the Democrats, in fear of losing political points.

Before President Bush leaves office, I’d love for him to tell Congress that he will only support packages that are based on substance and real need for ALL Americans, not just small populations, or special interests. While it wont be the most popular action in his presidency, it will set a tone that Republicans can and will stand up to frivolous spending, and actually try and use fiscal restraint to try and get this countries economy back on track.

Bailouts, subsidies and pork-projects aren’t going to fix the economy, however prudence and cutbacks will put us on the right course.

I’ve made many posts here regarding my opposition to an alarming trend that I’ve seen growing rampantly here in Washington, a trend that all Americans will pay for, but only a few will reap the benefits of - government bailouts.

While the unorthodox treatment that Bear Stearns got from the Federal Reserve a few weeks ago was enough to cause short-term chaos in financial markets across the globe, the more troubling bailout, without a doubt, is one aimed at the mortgage markets.

Anyone who has received some sort of formal education understands that you shouldn’t borrow more money than you can afford, and more importantly shouldn’t sign a contract where you aren’t 100% confident of the specified terms and/or rates.

Even so, the government has felt the need to take responsibility for the actions of these irresponsible borrowers, and seems to think that using taxpayer money to stabilize these loans is going to be the best approach to preventing more long-term economic turmoil.

While I haven’t seen seen one good bailout proposal, I’m pleased to see that there are concerned citizens who are rallying against this showing of fiscal irresponsibility by both a select group consumers and the government.

What’s even more pleasing is that many of these people who are rallying against these bailouts aren’t usual suspects.

The impressive part of this movement isn’t the families with the 2.5 kids, white picket fence in the suburbs, etc, who have made smart financial decisions and are usually the first to rally against foolish government intervention. Sure, many of them are on board with opposing these bailouts, as they should be, but the really impressive thing is the number of renters who are following what is happening and realizing that they are getting screwed more than any other group of people.

A few weeks ago, FreedomWorks launched a site called AngryRenter.com, with the goal of bringing attention to how renters are being affected by these ridiculous bailouts.

Keep in mind that renters, for a variety of reasons, have chosen not to buy homes. For many, they are waiting for the market to get better, for others they are waiting until they have more money and for some, they just don’t want to deal with the responsibility.

(here is a great video by Peter Suderman summing things up)

Regardless of their rationale, is their any argument that can justify sticking the burden of covering these bad mortgages on people who don’t even have them? There is absolutely no argument for that.

Of course, the early results of AngryRenter.com clearly show that this is now an issue that has upset many, and if Congress wants to prevent their less than stellar approval rating from reaching new depths, they might want to pay attention.

In only a few weeks, AngryRenter.com has already gathered nearly 12,000 signers to their petition, and I don’t see any reason why that number wont grow exponentially in the near future.

I urge everyone to check out the site, sign the petition and even forward it on to your friends.

It’s tough to get Congress to pay attention to even the biggest issues sometimes, but when you present them with tens of thousands of names, they usually wake up… at least the good ones do.

With the start of the Pennsylvania Democratic Primary just hours away, I’ve found myself in a reflective state, looking back at what has really been accomplished by the two candidates over the past six weeks.

Of all of the tours had by both candidates around the state, I can’t think that of one new policy idea that was completely rolled out. Furthermore, even after all of the debate and media coverage, I still can’t find myself in a position where I can tell you why one candidate is better than the other.

From what I’ve seen, there are a lot of people who have found themselves in the same position and these are people who live in Pennsylvania.

It’s quite clear that this hasn’t gone unnoticed by the candidate’s campaigns either. Instead of going after statements that were made by either candidate in Pennsylvania, most of the attack ads are focusing on something that has been drawn out too long already – special interest dollars.

Here is a quick video summary:

When the race is between three Senators, as much people might hate it, special interest money is going to come up. All of the candidates have received money from a PAC or PAC affiliated donor at some point. All of the candidates have met with lobbyists, and yes, I guarantee you all of the candidates are friends with at least a handful of DC “power lobbyists.”

Aside from the special interest attack ads, the other attack seems to be on universal health care. What’s funny about these attacks is that they are going after each others plans, when in reality none of them will ever be implemented.

All candidates, Democrats and Republicans, make big plans for when they get elected, in terms of implementing different policies. However, the reality is that the majority of those plans never make it through the legislature.

Just as an example, take President Bush’s 2004 Social Security plans. Even when Republicans had control, they weren’t able to pass one of his biggest campaign pushes.

People shouldn’t be surprised to find that the same will probably hold true if a Democrat is elected, even with a Democratic majority in the House.

These plans, while they might sound good in their initial proposals will never make it through the bodies as they appear now. Each member of Congress wants their stamp on it and will do what they can to make sure it’s there.

This is where almost all legislation seems to fail.

I guess that’s why I’ve found it so odd that this is how the Democrats chose to wind down their races leading into the election.

Instead of driving hard key issue, like the economy, or going after Senator McCain more aggressively, they’ve chosen the path that only highlights both of their weaknesses against each other, instead of showing their viability against Senator McCain.

But, from a Republican perspective – this is great. They’re going to have their donor based maxed and polarized before they even have a presumed nominee. That’s something that even one of Howard Deans spin-cycle emails cant downplay.

Just look at what CNN.com is reporting on their front page today:

Obama has outspent his rival in Pennsylvania, thanks in part to his hefty fundraising.

He raised $41 million in March, compared with Clinton’s $20 million, according to the latest campaign finance report.

In March, Obama spent about $31 million on his presidential campaign, compared with Clinton’s $22 million.

I don’t see any way that Obama or Clinton can raise that much money without their donors reaching the FEC limits.

The Republicans should really start taking advantage of this… soon.

I haven’t seen all that many mail pieces of phone calls going from the McCain camp, or the RNC talking about how we’re at an advantage here.

When a party has been beaten down over the last 8 years, this is positive news that will make people want to make an investment in the GOP.

But you can’t get money if you don’t ask… so hopefully they’ll start soon.

Just when I thought that there was no Alaskan who could be less of a fiscal conservative than Senator Ted Stevens, the pitfalls of another Alaskan, Congressman Don Young are brought back into the spotlight, this time with the likely prospect of intervention from the Department of Justice.

Without a doubt, the actions of Congressman Young are far more appalling and apprehensible than any of the ridiculous earmarks that Senator Stevens has tried to push through Congress.

Here is a brief recap from CNN.com illustrating the problem Congressman Young now finds himself facing:

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Senate voted Thursday to seek a federal investigation into a 2005 earmark on a highway funding bill that was altered after Congress approved the measure but before President Bush signed it.

Earmarks are requests for money by a specific legislator, usually for her or his constituency, added onto often-unrelated government spending bills.

The $10 million earmark — originally designated for improvements to Interstate 75 in Lee and Collier Counties in Florida — was changed to put the money into building an interchange in Lee County, an apparent violation of congressional rules.

The staff of Rep. Don Young made the changes, the Alaska Republican’s spokeswoman said Tuesday, saying the staff had “fixed” a mistake in the original bill.

A proposal put forward by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California, to direct the Justice Department to investigate passed the Senate by a vote of 63-29.

Without a doubt, Congressman Young is in deep, and he’s known this for awhile.

Unlike bad earmarks from Senator Stevens that were for Alaska, this earmark was a pet project for Daniel J. Aronoff, a well known real-estate developer that helped Congressman Young raise $40,000 just a few days before the measure was introduced on the house floor.

It’s sad to think that even after all of these scandals, there are still Congressman (particularly Republicans) who are willing to do whatever they can to add to their war-chest. He wasn’t the first and probably wont be the last.

What’s even more appalling, is the response that one of Arnoff’s consultants gave the New York Times:

“We were looking for a lot of money,” said the consultant, Joe Mazurkiewicz. “We evidently made a very good impression on Congressman Young, and thanks to a lot of great work from Congressman Young, we got $81 million to expand Interstate 75 and $10 million for the Coconut Road interchange.”

Aside from this being a bold reply, I think it makes it quite clear that Congressman Young probably wasn’t the only member of Congress helping Mr. Arnoff get the projects that he needs.

Looking at what is being presented, and Congressman Young’s continuous “no comment” replies, I don’t see any way that he will get out of this. In fact, even though I am a Republican, if he is found guilty, I hope that the he has the book thrown at him. I’m guessing Senator Coburn probably agrees with me as well.

Congressman Young isn’t a rookie to Washington. In fact, he’s been here longer than I have been alive. As any member, hill staffer and lobbyist knows, there is a simple procedure in place to correct a bill that has already been passed by the House and Senate.

It’s called a “concurrent resolution.”

This isn’t an unknown process, in fact, I would argue that it is probably one of the most widely used processes amongst both bodies, especially when there are bills that have multiple earmarks and/or provisions. Regardless of how his staff tries to sugarcoat this, the procedure for correcting these bills is known and there is no way around the process, regardless of chairmanships and/or status.

Of course, one cant help but notice the timing of this.

This was something that happened in 2005, but for some reason it took over two years for major action to be requested? The Democrats have obviously been waiting and holding onto this one, and their timing is perfect.

For weeks, there has been virtually no talk of Republicans on the news, simply because John McCain has had smooth sailing after Mike Huckabee finally left the race. This means that all of the political coverage has been of Senators Clinton and Obama beating each other up, which has played a toll on mobilizing Democrats.

However, now the Republicans are back in the hot seat, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Democrats are able to use this a catalyst to raise a good deal of money for their candidates.

As unfortunate at it is, I think that this could very well be the straw that breaks the back of the NRCC… they just are having a horrible year.

Here is a site that I urge everyone who is interested and/or concerned with the latest actions and proposals to bailout certain segments of the housing market to visit.

Below is a brief overview of what this site is about:

This site is dedicated to stopping the government’s planned bailout of the housing market. A bailout requires responsible Americans to pay for the acts of greedy bankers, mortgage brokers, flippers, and over-extended homeowners. In other words, the government wants you to pay for the blunders of others who knew, or should have known, better.

Equally as important, a bailout would permanently price out of the housing market all those responsible Americans who have been patiently saving to buy a house that they can actually afford. The current housing correction is necessary to correct for the historic run up in housing prices over the past decade, which has pushed the price of housing beyond affordability. By bailing out the housing market, the government will prevent housing prices from returning to affordable levels and thereby ensure that young families will not be able to achieve homeownership.

A government bailout of the housing market is both fiscally and morally irresponsible; it is an unfair subsidy being paid to the wealthy (bankers), the greedy (mortgage brokers, flippers, and yes some homeowners), and the incautious (some homeowners), with little or no benefit to those paying the bill (taxpayers).

With the help of more bloggers, I think that this site could become an extremely important resource for sharing information about the real effects of a government bailout in the mortgage markets.