We’ve all seen them–the lovely green signs lining our roads and highways over the past year plus, letting us know that this government construction project is being paid for by the government. And we’re all really glad to know that, because normally there is a lot of confusion about who is paying the tab on road construction. Finally, someone in Congress is taking notice of this nonsense–Congressman Aaron Schock was on the FOX Business Channel to take the Obama Administration to task on the continued government waste of our tax dollars. Here are a few quick notes from Cong. Schock’s takedown of the ARRA signs:
-ARRA was supposed to be the largest allocation of funds for infrastructure projects since President Eisenhower, yet only 8% of the funds are going to infrastructure projects.
-These signs, with mandated design requirements cost anywhere from $300 to $10,000 a pop. Yep, $10,000. One sign, or funds for a year of college education at a state university in Ohio, with change.
-Over $20 million has been spent on signs already, and $100 million has been allocated over the life of the bill.
-”It is an insult to the intelligence of the taxpayers to suggest that we need to tell them that a public works project, that a road project, is their tax money at work. Think if every unit of government did that…the amount of overhead and unnecessary expense that would be coming in addition to the already costly public works projects that you all pay for with your tax money. Its ridiculous. But it is, it is the same propaganda, narcissism, self-aggrandizing promotional stuff that is indicative of the Obama Administration.”
Check out the video from Congressman Schock, and pass it along via the Sociable bar below to Facebook or Twitter!
Back in May, the College Republican National Committee launched an online effort called Don’t Put It On Our Tab, with an accompanying online petition and video, all designed to draw attention to the partisan politics transcendent issue of the rapidly ballooning national debt, which is now well over $13 trillion. Now, they’re back at it with a follow-up video entitled “America is not too big to fail”, and coverage all over the internet, including this great piece penned by CRNC Chairman Zach Howell over at the Daily Caller, where the following passage is taken from:
“Given their political record, it’s not hard to conclude that our Democratic leaders live in an alternate economic reality. Although their philosophies are based on illusions, the consequences of their policies are very real. The president’s confrontational stance toward American business and the fear of future increases in interest rates and taxes have depressed private sector job growth. America’s economy is becoming increasingly government-centric, while private sector initiative has been shackled by burdensome new regulations and uncertainty.
If our government doesn’t end its spend-now, pay-later approach, we will suffer the same fate as Greece. We are big, but we are not too big to fail. Our nation’s prosperity is not the result of our government’s ability to tax and spend its citizen’s wealth—it is the result of American ingenuity, innovation and entrepreneurial energy.”
And here is the brand-new video, America is not too big to fail:
Pass it along, share it with your friends on Facebook or Twitter using the Sociable bar below, and make sure you sign the petition at CRNC.org/petition to tell Congress don’t put your debt on our tab!
Check out this great new video from the College Republican National Committee on the national debt and how much every college student owes to Uncle Sam’s tab:
You can join the chorus of students calling on Congress to stop putting their spending spree on our tab–sign the petition at www.crnc.org/petition and become a fan on Facebook of Don’t Put It On Our Tab!, too.
Here are a few quick facts on the national debt, specifically as it applies to students:
Consider this:
-The 2010 budget deficit was a record $1.56 trillion;
-Total national debt is approaching $13 trillion dollars;
-President Obama’s budget doubles the debt in 5 years and triples it in 10;
-The government will spend $5.7 trillion in interest on the debt over the next decade and by 2020 will pay $916 billion a year in interest; and
-There is $76 trillion in unfunded entitlement liabilities – that’s $250,000 for every single American
-As of right now every student walks out of the classroom and into the tax-paying ranks owing $117,682 for the national debt, and with the government spending an estimated $6.8 million per minute, the problem is only getting worse. The time to act is now. Young people deserve a prosperous future. Don’t put it on our tab.
We had a few minutes to chat with Governor Mitt Romney as he stopped by the Joseph Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati on his No Apology book tour for his #1 New York Times Best-selling book, No Apology: A Case for American Greatness. You can follow the rest of Mitt’s tour at www.NoApology.com and check out some pictures of today’s event, too.
Karl Rove was in town last week promoting his new book, Courage and Consequence, and firing up Ohio Republicans in the process, and he was kind enough to take a few minutes with us during his Columbus book signing stop at Barnes & Noble. Here is the video of that conversation (apologies on the sound quality–you’ll want to turn up the volume on your speakers a bit!):
(COLUMBUS, OH) In a stunning upset, Massachusetts special election results rolled in to reveal a big win for Republican State Senator Scott Brown. The United States Senate seat held since the 1960s by late Senator Edward Kennedy will now be occupied by a Republican who has promised to vote against Obama’s sweeping government takeover of the Healthcare industry.
“This is not only another election win for Ohio’s College Republicans, but it is a huge win for the majority of America who does not want a government takeover of one-sixth of our economy” said Melissa Short, Executive Director of the Ohio College Republican Federation. “We knew this was an election we could win with hard work, which is why dozens of College Republicans spent their weekend calling voters in Massachusetts and why College Republicans from Ohio University made the 12-hour trip to the Bay State to help on the ground.”
The election of Scott Brown will place 41 Republican Senators in Congress’ upper chamber, leaving President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid one vote shy of the filibuster-breaking supermajority they have enjoyed since January of last year. Brown’s election is also the third statewide election won by a Republican candidate following an Obama victory in that same state in the 2008 Presidential Election, adding to the momentum built by Virginia’s Bob McDonnell and New Jersey’s Chris Christie, who both won gubernatorial races in their respective states last fall.
“While Democrats will punch on the accelerator, the American people are standing against big government and higher taxes—growing an already bloated government by taking over healthcare is not the type of change voters wanted from this President. In Ohio, vulnerable Democrats like Steve Driehaus and Mary Jo Kilroy are already feeling the heat from voters for their rubber-stamp votes on this abomination of a bill. We are glad to be a part of putting an end to this runaway train by electing Scott Brown,” stated Short.
The Ohio College Republican Federation (OCRF) is the statewide body of all College Republican chapters across Ohio. Currently giving support and aid to over 45 chapters, the OCRF brings together nearly 10,000 members throughout Ohio. The OCRF provides crucial grassroots support to Republican campaigns and organizations, serving as the preeminent Republican youth organization in the state.
Last night, you probably tuned in to see the State of the Union. Last night, you probably didn’t watch the coverage bookending the speech, and maybe you didn’t even catch Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell’s response (which was incredibly impressive–and why he will be a player on the national stage in the coming years). However, for those who missed it, there was a focus group of Central Ohioans held at The Ohio State University by CNN and conducted by a team from Southern Methodist University. The focus group was carefully selected, with an even demographic split of age groups, racial backgrounds, and political affiliations. I had the privilege of participating, as did recently elected Ohio State College Republicans Chairman Meagan Cyrus, who will lead the group in the coming year. A couple of law school Republicans from Ohio State were there as well, and if you did happen to catch any of the coverage, you would have seen Stephen White interviewed by CNN’s correspondent, Jessica Yellin, following the speeches. While neither of the CRs present got to face the music on CNN last night, there was certainly a lot on my mind after watching the two speeches. Here is what I would have said, given the chance:
-Democrats have only themselves to blame for a lack of bipartisanship. The rhetoric and dishonesty coming from the President’s party in the past 13 months has been nothing short of disgraceful. And when President Obama called for alternative solutions on healthcare, it was overly apparent that our President is content to placate Republicans without actually including their ideas–the GOP has had an alternative, viewable online (unlike Democrat legislation) at http://www.gop.gov/solutions for months. Then the President talks about bipartisanship, and Nancy Pelosi decides this would be a perfect time to roll her eyes. Of course the President then makes an additional comment directed at Republicans about simply saying no to his agenda–which is certainly not the case. At every turn, Republicans have offered solutions, and they have fallen on our President’s deaf “Bipartisan in name only” ears again. The whiny comment about holding up business in the Senate for want to 60 votes is both forgetful of Democrat’s repeated stalling of GOP nominees from 2001-2009, and ignorant of the fact that Democrats enjoyed a supermajority of 60 votes for all of last year, not needing any GOP support if their own house were in order.
-I’m all for tackling the big challenges of our day, but we fundamentally disagree with the President on the order of these priorities. America needs jobs, and nowhere is that more apparent than in Ohio. Our own Governor, Ted Strickland, in his final State of the State speech this past Tuesday, proposed a few band-aid fixes, recycled some Republican ideas, and mostly punted on the truly tough issues. We deserved better from Strickland, and we definitely deserve better from the President. We cannot have a leader publicly calling for a “Jobs” bill that masquerades as a job-creating bill while simply spending money on pet project after pet project. Spending our way out of recession is simply not the right move, and leading Americans into believing that the first stimulus bill did anything other than put up a lot of fancy signs along our highways is just not true. The bill was sold as a job creator, and we lost over 3 million jobs in the nation last year. The math does not add up, Mr. President.
-Young voters are starting to get the picture and are waking up from a massive hangover. We’ve seen vast gains for the GOP in the youth vote in recent VA, NJ, and MA elections, all wins for the Republicans. And while the specifics of student loan reform are another post for another day, two things are extremely obvious. First, forgiving student loan debts will do little to reduce the actual cost of attendance, and it does nothing to create jobs for graduating students. Youth unemployment is drastically higher than the general population, and this is a problem that needs addressed. Secondly, nationalizing the student loan industry to cut out competition in the marketplace that helps create lower interest rates and more loan availability is a dangerous move. If you can show me a nationalized industry that works better under fed control than it did or does under private control, I’m all ears. And didn’t President Obama just get done talking about cutting government?
Most of you are probably well aware of the historically important special election taking place in Massachusetts this Tuesday for the vacancy in the US Senate caused by the passing of the “Liberal Lion”, Ted Kennedy. Most of you are also probably aware that Massachusetts is considered the most liberal Democrat state in the nation. That may have been true, but it appears a majority in the Bay State are ready for a real change. Recent polling shows that State Senator Scott Brown is neck-and-neck with Attorney General Martha Coakley, who was leading by wide margins just weeks ago.
That Democrat lead has evaporated, and Scott Brown is actually winning the race amongst those who have made up their mind on the race (Brown +1) and among voters who will definitely cast a vote in the race (Brown +2). Victory in Massachusetts is vital—sending Scott Brown to the US Senate will ensure that disastrous Democrat legislation like Obamacare and Cap & Trade come to a crashing halt. This race will come down to turnout, and we can make the difference from here at home in Ohio this weekend!
You have, or will be, getting a call from someone on our Executive Board to field any questions and see how many CRs your chapter has volunteering to call between now and this Tuesday. How can you make calls to Massachusetts from the comfort of your own campus? It is super-simple!
2) Follow the instructions in the email you receive from the campaign to log-in and pull up the volunteer center webpage. (Everyone calling will need to have individual internet access!)
3) Once logged in, read over the brief instructions on connecting your phone to the volunteer lines, and get started! Just an hour of your time can translate to 50 or more votes.
4) When you’ve made calls, please email our Political Director, Danelle Gagliardi, to let her know how many CRs from your chapter made calls so that we can have an idea of our exact impact on the race.
Scott Brown, the Republican Party, and all of America need your help! Election Day is less than a week away—and we have a three-day weekend, so the opportunity to make an impact will never be greater. Let’s make it happen and be the difference that makes history and sends a clear signal that all Democrats should be running scared in 2010. If we can win in Massachusetts, we will certainly win in Ohio!
Thank you for your continued leadership on your campus, Jonathon Snyder, Chairman
Well, we now know that President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Reid didn’t resolve to keep promises on open health care debates–and we can’t say that we are the least bit surprised! Sure, the President talked a good game about openness and transparency on the campaign trail he can’t seem to leave. Sure, Speaker Pelosi said this would be the most open and ethical Congress ever. But all of that is just political positioning, and we can’t really expect them to keep their word, right? Of course not!
Unfortunately for our dear leaders, Al Gore invented the internets, and there are quite a few people who can’t seem to forget that Pelosi, Obama, and Reid promised openness and honesty in debate. Plus, there is always the video evidence, which is plentiful, with their promises. C-SPAN is even getting in on the action, and they don’t have a horse in the fight, just a desire to hold our politicians to their word. Now, a group called Let the Cameras In! has popped up with a nifty online petition that we hope you will join us in signing.
Unfortunately, online petitions aside, we won’t be holding our breath on setting our DVR to tune in to the negotiations. As Speaker Pelosi is quick to point out, President Obama was for a lot of things on the campaign trail (and we know how many of those promises, like not raising taxes on the middle class, have turned out). She also thinks she is holding up her end of the deal on open & honest proceedings. Apparently she just wanted to hit April Fool’s Day about four months early this year, but for Americans, this is no laughing matter.
