The Daily Caller interviewed a leading official of the ACLU who stated:

“However, we also believe those checks have to be conducted in a way that protects privacy and civil liberties. So, in that regard, we think the current legislation, the current proposal on universal background checks raises two significant concerns,” he went on.

“The first is that it treats the records for private purchases very differently than purchases made through licensed sellers. Under existing law, most information regarding an approved purchase is destroyed within 24 hours when a licensed seller does a [National Instant Criminal Background Check System] check now,” Calabrese said, “and almost all of it is destroyed within 90 days.”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/04/04/exclusive-aclu-says-reids-gun-legislation-could-threaten-privacy-rights-civil-liberties/#ixzz2PXDdcoqt

In addition, the ACLU sent a long letter criticizing the gun control measures and echoed many privacy concerns that conservatives have. It is worth reading. Here it is: http://www.aclu.org/files/assets/aclu_letter_re_sjc_executive_business_meeting_on_guns_and_school_safety_legislation.pdf

So for once, Democrats in the Senate had better think twice before supporting these gun control measures. Call your senator today (whether he/she is a Republican or Democrat) and pressure him/her to vote NO on the gun control bills. Because this is not a conservative or liberal issue…this is an AMERICAN issue!

The Continuing Resolution that passed today failed to defund Obamacare. It included wasteful spending for the Departments of Commerce, Judiciary, Homeland Security. And it was passed before anybody likely read it because the Senate version was only returned to the House less than 24 hours before the vote, so how could any of these representatives have read the bill they voted to pass.

That is why it was a huge disappointment to see so many stellar conservatives vote yes. I would expect the establishment like Kevin McCarthy, Eric Cantor, Greg Walden, Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, and other Hall of Shamers to vote yes, but there were several unexpected names on the list of “yes” votes.

Here are some of the names that I would not have expected and was shocked/saddened to see them vote “yes”:

Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA 14)

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT 3)

Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ 8)

Rep. Jim Jordan (R- OH 4)

Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC 3)

Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO 5)

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC 4)

Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC 5)

Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ 5)

Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID 1)

Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL 15)

Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ 6)

Rep. Steve Southerland (R-FL 2)

Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA 39)

ALL of these listed were members of the Madison Project’s Hall of Fame last session. They were the “top dogs” in defending our freedom and fiscal responsibility. They challenged the leadership back then, but today they failed.

And the tea party freshmen we sent in 2012? Most of them failed too, succumbing to the influence of leadership. Representatives like Tom Cotton, Roger Williams, Mark Meadows, Jackie Walorski, and others voted yes too.

Here is the roll call vote:  http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/113-2013/h89 . ONLY 27 Representatives voted “NO”. Many are allies of ours like Rep. Fleming, Stutzman, Amash, Broun, McClintock, Massie, DeSantis, Salmon, Stockman, and others. They should all be commended and congratulated highly.

Here are the “no” votes…they should be thanked:

• Amash
• Bachmann
• Bridenstine
• Broun (GA)
• Crawford
• DeSantis
• DesJarlais
• Duncan (TN)
• Fleming
• Gingrey (GA)
• Gohmert
• Hall
• Hastings (WA)
• Huelskamp
• Hultgren
• Jones
• Kingston
• Lummis
• Massie
• McClintock
• Posey
• Salmon
• Simpson
• Smith (TX)
• Stockman
• Stutzman
• Westmoreland

Let’s hope that more conservatives regain their courage to fight.

The Senate added 3 additional department funding to the bill which increased the cost to additional billions. True conservatives must oppose this bill tomorrow.

This was the unanimous consent agreement that was passed for tomorrow’s debate:

Mr. Speaker:
I ask unanimous consent that –
· it shall be in order at any time to take from
the Speaker’s table the bill, H.R. 933, with Senate
amendment(s) thereto, and to consider in the House,
without intervention of any point of order, a motion
offered by the chair of the Committee on
Appropriations or his designee that the House concur
in the Senate amendment(s);
· the Senate amendment(s) and the motion
shall be considered as read; the motion shall be
debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled
by the chair and ranking minority member of the
Committee on Appropriations; and the previous
question shall be considered as ordered on the
motion to adoption without intervening motion or
demand for division of the question.

Tomorrow, we will learn why it is not just enough to vote for people with (R)s after their names. Tomorrow, we will learn which GOP members are truly serious about cutting our debt. Because any member who votes for this bill cannot call him/herself a conservative…period.

And by the way, Speaker Boehner and Co. need to be replaced. Their record of fighting is pathetic.

Here are the Republicans who voted “NO” (the wrong vote):

Take a good look at these names of the spineless GOPers. And you should expect to see several of their names voting “yes” when the CR (that sadly passed the Senate today) returns to them. In 2014, we must elect Republicans with spines…PERIOD.

Only 3 Conservative Representatives Opposed Both Spending Bills (Amash, Massie, and Bridenstine).

This week, the House GOP voted on two bills that are well-intentioned: The Skills Act (HR 803) and the Preserving Work Requirements for Welfare Programs Act of 2013 (HR 890). Both bills follow conservative policies: reducing the number of programs and requiring people to be looking for work before they can get welfare. Unfortunately, the House RINOs and some liberals got together and included big spending provisions within these bills.

The Preserving Work Requirements for Welfare Programs Act was a fine bill before a manager’s amendment was included that would spend $19 billion annually for a program called the TANF.

Here’s Rep. Amash’s statement in opposition:

This bill authorizes more than $19 billion (annualized) in additional spending on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Among the grants extended under TANF are flagrantly non-federal items such as Healthy Marriage Promotion and Responsible Fatherhood Grants. Remarkably, some conservative outside groups are urging Representatives to vote in *favor* of this bill.

The conservative group he is talking about is sadly the Heritage Foundation. They urged a “yes” vote  on this bill and have not withdrawn their key vote alert. Since when was spending $19 billion annually on a program that should be returned to the states…conservative?

Then, today, the House voted on the Skills Act. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the SKILLS Act would result in approximately $32 billion in mandatory spending and $50 billion in additional discretionary spending through 2022. That is about $80 billion in federal spending, only 2 weeks after all of Washington was up in arms over $85 billion in sequester cuts. (Thanks to Rep. Massie for this info).

See the link below:
http://cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/hr803.pdf

The GOP would do well to return these job training programs back to the states because nothing in our Constitution authorizes “job-training” programs run by the Federal Government.

So as you can see, the House GOP leadership has passed two bills that are well-intentioned but actually increase spending instead of reducing our debt. This is sad. Next week should be a bigger week in the news as votes will occur on the Continuing resolution (which conservatives should oppose) and budgets. But this week was a sad week for those of us who believe that government spends too much!

Work for Welfare Vote: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll068.xml

Skills Act Vote: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll075.xml

Update 1 (3/5/13 about 5 P.M.) : Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) stated during the Rules Committee that while he likes Rep. Huelskamp and Bridenstine’s attempt to defund Obamacare…he stated that he doesn’t know “if now is the time for this fight”. Question to Mr. Burgess: If not now…when?

Today, the House Rules Committee is likely to pass a closed-rule that does not allow votes on amendments like the one by Reps. Jim Bridenstine, Ron DeSantis, and Tim Huelskamp that would defund Obamacare.

Freedomworks already released a statement in opposition: 

As one of our millions of FreedomWorks members nationwide, I urge you to contact your Representative and urge him or her to vote NO on a closed House Rule for the “Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act”, H.R. 933.

H.R. 933 contains the Continuing Resolution (CR), which is used to fund the federal government in the absence of a budget, since the Senate has failed to pass a budget resolution for nearly four years. But currently, the House Leadership has indicated that the CR will come to the House floor under a “closed rule”, meaning that debate will be limited, and no amendments will be allowed. On a bill which authorizes the government to continue its annually appropriated spending at over a trillion dollars per year, Representatives ought to at least be allowed to have a say in how that spending takes place.

Already, Congressmen Huelskamp (KS-1), DeSantis (FL-6) and Bridenstine (OK-1) have an amendment which would remove all funding for the implementation of ObamaCare from the CR, and other Members may have other ideas for useful spending reductions that would help reduce our unsustainable deficits and our $16.6 trillion in debt. But for these amendments to see the light of day, Leadership needs to allow the bill to the floor under an open rule, in which amendments are allowed.

I urge you to call your Representative and urge him or her to vote NO on a closed rule for the “Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act”, H.R. 933.

If the House insists upon passing a closed rule, we will count the vote on the rule as a KEY VOTE when calculating the FreedomWorks Economic Freedom Scorecard for 2013. The Economic Freedom Scorecard is used to determine eligibility for the FreedomFighter Award, which recognizes members of Congress with voting records that support economic freedom.

In fact, once upon a time, Speaker Boehner supported having an open rule, and he attacked the Democrats for having a “martial law” in the House of Representatives. Wtach this video because not only does it show his team being hypocrites, but it also shows the importance of a rule: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRiRD9DBUrk

Now where is Speaker Boehner and his team? They are now supporting a closed rule. We join with conservatives in urging an open rule, but if the Committee decides today to have a closed rule, then TRUE CONSERVATIVES in the House must OPPOSE the rule tomorrow. Call your members of congress and urge a “NO” vote! Banding together, conservatives can defeat this rule and defund Obamacare.

As Erick Erickson wrote:

Republicans in the House are going to pass a continuing resolution in which they will endorse Obamacare and its funding. That is a fact. Congressmen like Jim Jordan (OH), Tom Graves(GA), Marsha Blackburn (TN), Mick Mulvaney (SC), Tom Cotton (AR), Raul Labrador(ID) and so many others conservatives will probably vote for the rule to ensure the continuing resolution passes, then vote against it on the floor to claim they really did not endorse Obamacare.

But they will have enabled it and ensured it passed and Republicans in Congress will have ensured Obamacare never goes away. They will, like with the Violence Against Women Act, talk out of both sides of their mouths and hope you ignore one vote and believe another.

The only way to stop them is to raise unmitigated hell immediately. Call your Republican members of Congress now.

Tomorrow, WE the people will learn which representatives are the true conservatives and which ones are just CINOs (Conservatives In Name Only). Because those who won’t fight to defund Obamacare (as unpopular as it is) will never fight to end the Department of Education or Energy. If they won’t fight now, they will never fight to repeal Dodd-Frank. If they don’t fight now, they will never fight on anything meaningful. The time is now, and the House GOP MUST fight!

Endorsed by Tea Party Congressmen Mick Mulvaney (R-SC 5) and Jeff Duncan (R-SC 3). Supported by many tea party groups including the Tea Party Leadership Fund. Recipient of awards from the Chamber of Commerce and the South Carolina Club for Growth.

Larry Grooms is the true conservative running for Congress. He’s a true defender of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

A small business owner, Larry Grooms ran for State Senate due to his frustration with the burdensome regulations. In the state senate, he has received numerous awards. His website states:

A champion of the free market principles of lower taxes and limited government, he was named ‘Friend of the Taxpayer’ by the S.C. Association of Taxpayers and was recognized by the state Chamber of Commerce as a ‘100 Percent Business Advocate’.

I did some research on my own and found that he got a B from the SC Club for Growth during the 2011-2012 Session, which makes him the 8th most conservative in the South Carolina State Senate.

He also has a proven record of standing up for pro-family values as he states:

Larry is committed to strengthening families and preserving the sanctity of life.  He’s earned a perfect 100% rating from the Palmetto Family Council and received the Westendorff Award for Service to Those in Need from the United Methodist Relief Center.  A leader in the education reform movement, he is an outspoken advocate for school choice, charter schools and home schools.

And Washington D.C. needs him to bring these values to the capital that is suppose to be for WE THE PEOPLE! And two conservative congressmen stated as such:

Congressman Mick Mulvaney (HAFA: 95% and Club for Growth: 99%) stated as he endorsed State Senator Grooms:

“Conservatives like Jeff and I need Larry to stand with us on the most important issues facing our country today. When it comes to reducing taxes, cutting wasteful Washington spending and protecting our liberties, I believe Larry Grooms is the right man for the job. Larry has been in the trenches, and he has proven his conservative credentials in the state senate. We want Larry on our team. While there are many good candidates in the field – Larry’s record is one we know and trust.  He will go to Washington and protect South Carolina from day one.

Larry’s Record is One We Know And Trust.”

And Congressman Jeff Duncan (HAFA: 97% and Club for Growth: 97%) stated similarly about Larry Grooms:

“South Carolina’s Congressional Delegation is known across the country and in Washington for being a united voice for conservatism.  In fact, we’ve earned a reputation of working together, standing on principle and protecting South Carolina values. It’s important to ensure that the person who replaces Tim Scott be a reliable conservative, a proven fighter and a leader who will join our mission to cut wasteful Washington spending.

The Tea Party Leadership Fund sent out an e-mail praising Larry Grooms  and stated:

It is 100% crystal clear that, out of a crowded field, Larry is the ONLY candidate who can fill the big shoes left open by Tim Scott’s appointment to the Senate.

So today, LLPH is proud to join with conservative voices across this nation and South Carolina’s 1st District in endorsing Larry Grooms to be the next congressman from South Carolina’s 1st District. We are confident he will lead with humility, honor, and integrity. And he will be ready to get his hands dirty for freedom and cutting wasteful spending on day one! As we have seen, there are 3 types of Republicans: the RINOs, the “I’ll vote correctly” ones, and the ones who will get their hands dirty for freedom. Larry Grooms is the right man for the job as he falls in the third category and we are proud to endorse him for congress!

Visit his website here and donate if you can…let’s get him to Washington D.C.: http://groomsforcongress.com/welcome

Cross-Posted from: http://llphsecondrevolution.wordpress.com/

Washington D.C. is up to its old tricks again as seen on February 4, 2013. The House voted on two pieces of legislation that are just a small microcosm of the spending and unconstitutional problem in the House of Representatives.

The first bill which was voted on, the National Pediatric Research Network Act of 2013, does not have any additional spending, but it gives more power to federal bureaucrats that is not authorized by the United States Constitution.

Rep, Justin Amash explained it best:

I voted no on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H R 225, National Pediatric Research Network Act of 2013, which expands the existing Pediatric Research Initiative (PRI) to include a new National Pediatric Research Network. Under the bill, public and private research institutions can receive monetary awards for the establishment and operation of up to 20 pediatric research consortia to conduct research on pediatric diseases and conditions, including an “appropriate” number that focus on rare pediatric diseases and conditions. Although the bill doesn’t authorize any additional spending, it puts upward pressure on funding by encouraging more of the PRI’s limited resources to go toward “rare” pediatric ailments. The bill is also unnecessary, since the National Institute of Health already has broad discretion in the allocation of PRI funding. Additionally, I’m concerned by the bill’s requirement that each consortium assist the CDC in the “establishment or expansion of patient registries and other surveillance systems.” It passed 375-27.

The second bill was the worse one of the two bills. It was called the Children’s Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2013. This nice-sounding bill (which is what politicians always do-name something nice and then demagogue those  who vote against their favored bill) authorizes $330 million PER YEAR from 2013-2017. This adds up to more than $1.3 billion for a program that the federal government has no right being involved in.

So all in all, LLPH Second Revolution opposed both of these bills. As we have previously stated several times…we are in a fight for America’s freedom. We are fighting a revolution against the out of control spending and unconstitutional legislation. We are not fighting against individuals…we are fighting against terrible principles and ideas that will lead America down the path to destruction. And this fight is harder than ever.

As seen above, we must commend 21 fabulous representatives who voted against both pieces of legislation:

(From R-L as seen in the picture above): Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI 3), Jim Bridenstine (R-OK 1), Paul Broun (R-GA 10), Mike Conaway (R-TX 11), Tom Cotton (R-AR 4), Jeff Duncan (R-SC 3), Virginia Foxx (R-NC 5), Louie Gohmert (R-TX 1), Tom Graves (R-GA 14), Raul Labrador (R-ID 1), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY AL), Kenny Marchant (R-TX 24), Thomas Massie (R-KY 4), Tom McClintock (R-CA 4), Randy Neugebauer (R-TX 19), Ted Poe (R-TX 2), Trey Radel (R-FL 19), Steve Stockman (R-TX 36), Marlin Stutzman (R-IN 3), Randy Weber (R-TX 14), Ted Yoho (R-FL 3).

A big WOOAH to this great group of representatives who fought for fiscal responsibility (trying to preserve $1 billion) and against unconstitutional legislation (like the first vote). There will be many more opportunities for other representatives to redeem themselves and more spending battles in the future. We congratulate these representatives and hope that in the future, more will follow their lead.

Here is the roll call vote for vote #31 on the unconstitutional bill: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll031.xml

Here is the roll call vote for #32 on the $1 billion bill:

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll032.xml

The sequester would implement $1.2 trillion in true and immediate spending cuts to be divided equally between defense and domestic programs. Liberals are screaming bloody murder on the cuts to domestic programs, and some RINOs are doing the same on domestic programs. The funny thing is that both Liberals and RINOs voted for this plan in the first place. And the sad thing are the Republicans who want to stop sequestration and will do anything to stop it. 

Take Senator John McCain for example. He voted for the increase to the debt ceiling and sequestration in 2011. And now, he is the loudest voice for wanting to stop the cuts to defense stating:

The sequestration — Secretary Panetta, outgoing secretary of defense, is one of the most widely respected men or person in Washington, D.C., and he has been saying it will devastate our national security. We are — Republicans and Democrats are responsible for this new cliff and I’ll take responsibility for it for the Republicans.

And a lot of us, Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte and I were traveling around the country warning about what was going to happen as a result of sequestration. And it is devastating.

Devestating? Then why did Senator McCain vote for this deal? Why did he not join his two friends Senators Graham and Ayotte in voting against this deal? Why did he call those who opposed this deal ”hobbits” ?  I’m glad he’s taking some responsibility for this deal, but a deal is a deal and must be implemented.

Now, Senator McCain is leading an effort with Senators Graham and Ayotte (along with some anti-defense cut hawks) to stop the defense sequestration cuts.

From Senator Ayotte’s page:

The Down Payment to Protect National Security Act of 2013 would pay for one year of defense and non-defense sequestration by requiring a reduction in the federal workforce through attrition and a pay freeze for Members of Congress. The House version of her bill is set to be introduced by Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA). Senator Ayotte introduced similar legislation last year.

While I respect the motives of this group of legislators, LLPH cannot support this deal. And no conservative should either because this simply punts spending cuts for 10 years with no assurance that we will even get these spending cuts. No, these spending cuts must be now and immediate!

The Club for Growth stated it best:

Congress should not pass a sequestration replacement that replaces real spending cuts now with promised future cuts,” said Club for Growth President Chris Chocola. “Both the McCain/Graham/Ayotte proposal to replace sequestration with attrition of federal employees and the House GOP sequestration replacement proposal that pushes the cuts into the out years flunk that test and are fiscally irresponsible. The Club for Growth opposes allowing Congress to punt yet again on addressing our spending problem.”

“Congress should keep the promise that it made when both parties voted for the Budget Control Act and enforce sequestration. We expect that the next continuing resolution will fund the government at this level and we urge House Republicans to include deeper cuts, entitlement reform, and stop funding ObamaCare,” added Chocola.

The funniest thing is that conservative rock stars like Senator Rand Paul, Rep. Justin Amash, Rep. Tim Huelskamp, and others who voted against this deal agree that sequestration must happen if no replacement and true spending cuts are provided.

So in conclusion, conservatives and anyone who cares about the fiscal health of our nation should support letting sequestration happen. The cuts to domestic programs would reduce the role of government and stop them from performing unconstitutional acts. The cuts to the defense programs will not harm our national security as it would simply reduce it back to 2008 levels. Both Republicans and Democrats must give up their sacred cows and agree to let these spending cuts happen. It is the only way to save the fiscal state of our nation.

If conservative reps write an amendment, giving the $51 billion (or whatever amount is truly necessary) for Sandy victims, and then offsetting it with spending cuts, they can claim that they are serious about both helping the victims and fighting for the next generation by stopping the debt.

Conservative reps need to communicate the right message. I applaud them for their courageous vote today (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll007.xml), but they have to play smarter in the future. Democrats like to lie, and I will bet you they will make these into campaign ads that Conservatives will have nothing to show for.

Here is research done by the Heritage Foundation on areas that could be cut: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/11/150-billion-in-spending-cuts-to-offset-defense-sequestration

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/01/hurricane-sandy-relief-bill-and-bloated-deficit-spending

Conservative reps should get working so they can communicate a better message. Let’s do this!