364 Days until Election Day
MORNING UPDATE:
Ecclesiastes 10:2 "The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left".
Judge rules that keeping voter “party id” list confidential is unconstitutional…an appeal is expected…primary should go on as planned. We are working on a bipartisan legislative solution to keep the primary on track; it looks like just about everyone is on board.
Senate Republicans lead by Senator Nancy Cassis passed a repeal of the sales tax on services out of the Senate ….on a straight party vote…all Republicans voting YES.
Democrats continue to demand “revenue neutral” tax increases…NO reforms, NO budget savings?
Watch for House Democrats to push another tax increase to replace the sales tax on services. Remember, businesses don’t pay taxes…we, the consumers do!
More victories reported statewide…in Oakland county republicans won many municipal elections, with a few surprise losses. In Genesee County we won a Mayoral race along with winning City Council and School Board seats! Eaton County GOP picks up Grand Ledge Mayor’s seat. Granholm and taxes played a role in the races! Along with recalls…
Newt Gingrich lays out the beginnings of a new Contract with America…American Solutions:
http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2007/11/newt-on-america.html
See the latest budget numbers, see how the budget has grown, check out the number of state employees:
http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2007/11/budget-numbersg.html
Give a Gift this Holiday Season that Will Last a Lifetime!
The Michigan Republicans moved their headquarters to the Secchia-Weiser Republican Center in 2006 and plan to install a legacy site to honor those who have served the party and the citizens of Michigan. The legacy site will create a well-deserved tribute to honor Michigan’s past, present, and future Republican leaders! Buy a brick to celebrate, to inspire, or to commemorate friends, family, or yourself this holiday season! They are a great way to honor others in memoriam, birthdays, anniversaries, or any special occasion. Your honoree will receive a certificate commemorating their personalized brick. Choose from our four different options and be a part of the Michigan Republican Party Legacy!
To order your personalized Legacy Brick please visit www.migop.org/legacy, or contact Erin Meteer, Major Donor Program Manager at emeteer@migop.org.
THE REST OF THE STORY:
- Recall efforts start & grow….see UPDATE “Tax Hiker Portraits” by RightMichigan:
Robert Dean: http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/10/2/105439/416
Steve Bieda: http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/10/3/10332/0059
Mike Simpson: http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/10/4/92924/1118
Marc Corriveau: http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/10/8/93248/2721
Terry Brown: http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/10/10/101539/45
Mary Valentine: http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/10/9/6253/0133
Kate Ebli: http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/10/11/55455/873
Marty Griffin: http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/10/15/94238/961
Kathy Angerer: http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/10/16/14040/296
Aldo Vagnozzi: http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/10/17/103640/75
John Espinoza: http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/10/30/93255/658
Joel Sheltrown: http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/10/31/103434/30
Mike Lahti: http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/11/6/10250/0225
Kathleen Law: http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/11/7/104242/595
How does a recall work: http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2007/11/how-to-run-a-re.html
Saul Anuzis
STATE STORIES
Court ruling could derail Jan. 15 Michigan presidential primary
11/7/2007, 5:26 p.m. EST
By TIM MARTIN
The Associated Press
MASON, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's bid to have an early role in picking 2008 presidential candidates is in jeopardy after a judge ruled Wednesday that part of a state law establishing a Jan. 15 primary is unconstitutional. The ruling effectively cancels the primary date unless there is a successful appeal or state law is changed to allow the vote to go forward. The primary date had been pushed up by state Republicans and Democrats to make Michigan more relevant to the selection of presidential candidates. Michigan's move was under fire even before Ingham County Circuit Court Judge William Collette ruled unconstitutional a provision in the law to give the Democratic and Republican parties exclusive access to lists of who voted in their party's primary.
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/NEWS06/711080408
Scramble on to keep primary in January
Judge rules law setting up election is unconstitutional
November 8, 2007
BY DAWSON BELL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Backers of Michigan's Jan. 15 presidential primary said Wednesday they hope to find a way, in court or in the state Legislature, to hold the election despite a judge's ruling earlier in the day that the law establishing the primary was unconstitutional. The Legislature could address the issue today. The primary could be held as planned if the Legislature revises the law to meet the judge's objections or if an appeals court intervenes, said advocates for the primary. In August, legislators put Michigan near the start of the national voting calendar in an attempt to increase the influence of state voters and issues in the presidential campaign.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/POLITICS/711080369/1022
Mich. presidential primary hits roadblock
Charlie Cain and Gordon Trowbridge / The Detroit News
Thursday, November 8, 2007
LANSING -- Michigan's embattled Jan. 15 presidential primary took another hit Wednesday when a county judge ruled it was illegal -- and can't be held in its current form -- because it gives voting records exclusively to the two major political parties. Ingham County Circuit Judge William Collette said the state-paid primary cannot go forward as planned because the Legislature goofed when it said only the state Republican and Democratic parties could keep lists of the names of voters who request a GOP or Democratic ballot on Jan. 15.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/OPINION01/711080314/1007/OPINION
State budget preserves status quo government
Jack McHugh
Thursday, November 8, 2007
For the past year, the public was told that even with nearly $1.4 billion in new state tax increases, severe cuts would be required to "balance the budget." Surprise! Michigan's "deficit" turns out to have been a gap between expected revenue and the level of desired additional spending. The state will spend $900 million more this year than last, most of which is from state taxes and fees. The following items from the just-passed budget illustrate the pattern:
http://battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071107/OPINION02/711070303/1014/OPINION
Michigan State Police need more bodies, not buildings
State Rep. Mike Nofs
November 7, 2007
There has been an increasing amount of publicity recently concerning the proposed new Michigan State Police (MSP) headquarters building in downtown Lansing, commonly referred to as the "Triangle Project". As a 25-year veteran of the Michigan State Police, I take public safety very seriously. Which is why this past week, I signed on as an original co-sponsor of HB 5378, sponsored by Rep. Rick Jones, which would bar the state from spending any money on this project until the state's budget stabilization fund reaches $1 billion for two consecutive years.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/OPINION01/711080318/1007/OPINION
Economy, state tax hike work against local levies
The Detroit News
Thursday, November 8, 2007
A bad economy and tax fatigue are likely behind the defeat of a number of local tax issues in Metro Detroit. When voters turn down money for a local fire department and school improvements, something is up. Lansing has just hiked the state income tax and botched a new tax on business, raising $1.4 billion in revenue without reducing spending. That's got a lot of Michigan residents angry. They're also worried about the ongoing economic downturn and how it will affect their household budgets. So a normally generous electorate Tuesday said, "Enough."
Michigan Senate votes to kill new sales tax on services
11/7/2007, 1:48 p.m. EST
By DAVID EGGERT
The Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — As expected, the Michigan Senate voted 23-15 on Wednesday to repeal a tax on more business services set to take effect Dec. 1. Republicans who control the Senate supported the bill as a step forward while Democrats said they could not back it unless the lost tax revenue is replaced, because the money is part of a deal to balance state government's budget. The 6 percent sales tax on more services such as consulting and landscaping appears likely to die before it ever takes effect, although Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm says an alternative must be found to replace the $614 million it would bring in this fiscal year to support schools and other services.
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/NEWS06/711080414
Services tax dying: What next?
Some lawmakers say a surcharge on businesses could fill state budget gap
November 8, 2007
BY CHRIS CHRISTOFF
FREE PRESS LANSING BUREAU CHIEF
LANSING -- It's almost certain the Legislature will soon kill the new sales tax on services before it takes effect next month. This isn't certain: How much of it will be replaced? The state Senate voted Wednesday for repeal. The House tax committee plans to do likewise today, and recommend replacing the lost revenue with a surcharge on the new Michigan Business Tax (MBT), which takes effect Jan. 1. The proposed surcharge has divided business groups. That complicates the effort to banish a tax on services that has been denounced even by lawmakers who created it in the wee hours of Oct. 1. The tax takes effect Dec. 1. Lawmakers are scrambling to spike it, as they're scheduled for a two-week recess starting Friday (for deer season).
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/BIZ01/711080354/1022/POLITICS
Bills tackle insurance rates in city
Jasti Simmons / The Detroit News
Thursday, November 8, 2007
DETROIT -- Motorists paying Detroit's high auto insurance rates may get a break from two bills up for a vote today before the House Committee on Insurance in Lansing. Several Detroit lawmakers are pushing for passage of the bills in hopes of taking them to the Senate floor. One bill, House Bill 5250, is designed to eliminate insurance companies' ability to base premiums on drivers' ZIP codes or credit ratings. The other, House Bill 4702, would give drivers the option to forgo required unlimited medical care coverage and rely on their health insurance to foot medical bills.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/OPINION01/711080319/1007/OPINION
Update Michigan's embryonic research laws
Restrictive rules stymie hopes to make state biomedical center
The Detroit News
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Michigan is one of five states that most severely curtail scientific research using embryonic stem cells. The use of embryonic stem cells might be useful in finding cures for everything from breast cancer to Parkinson's disease. And the restrictions are impeding the state's bid to make use of its major universities to become a center for biomedical research. Michigan has the chance to progress in this area under new legislation introduced by state Reps. Andy Meisner and Mark Meadows, Democrats from Ferndale and East Lansing, respectively. Their three-bill package would update state laws to be in sync with federal law.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/POLITICS/711080381/1022/POLITICS
Stem cell debate hits House panel
Families, wheelchair users argue for or against state bills that will relax research restrictions.
Kim Kozlowski / The Detroit News
Thursday, November 8, 2007
LANSING -- Laura Jackson sat in a wheelchair Wednesday before a panel of lawmakers, unable to move her body from the neck down. Across the room, two parents cradled their children, who may have never been born. The two parties represented both sides of the debate over controversial bills aiming at loosening state restrictions on embryonic stem cell research and increasing penalties for human cloning. Embryonic stem cells are derived from excess embryos created in fertility clinics.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/columns-3/1194450873215710.xml&coll=7
Alternative energy should be part of Michigan's future
Kalamazoo Gazette
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
In the last 7 years, Michigan has lost 400,000 jobs. It has the highest unemployment rate in the nation. Gov. Jennifer Granholm's plan to promote Michigan as a place to develop a manufacturing sector that serves a growing alternative energy industry is a noble idea and shows progressive thinking. However, it will be quite some time before its full impact would benefit the state to any great degree. Yet it does plant the seeds for a healthier economy -- as well as a healthier environment -- years down the road.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23241
Communist Dissonance (Part One):'Huawei and CFIUS'
by Rep. Thaddeus G. McCotter
Posted: 11/06/2007
The psychological disorder termed “cognitive dissonance” occurs when individuals refuse to acknowledge facts that contradict their existing views. In the realm of national security, the equivalent of cognitive dissonance is properly termed “communist dissonance.” This occurs when the global sophisticates inhabiting America’s business and political elites refuse to recognize facts contradicting their belief communist China is our friend. A current case of communist dissonance is the attempt of Bain Capital and communist China’s Huawei Technologies to acquire a significant stake in the 3Com Corporation.
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/NEWS05/711080433
Clinton focuses Detroit talk on improving world
November 8, 2007
BY SUZETTE HACKNEY
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Former President Bill Clinton didn't spend much time politicking Wednesday in Detroit. Nor did he sing the praises of his wife, presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. He was all about business. The business of embracing common humanity. Speaking at the Max M. Fisher Music Center as part of the African American Family Magazine's distinguished speakers series, Clinton discussed topics ranging from the Iraq war to the auto industry to environmental responsibility. His message was sometimes depressing, other times uplifting. At the end, though, many in the almost-sold-out crowd said they were ready to give of their time and money to improve the world.
http://www.mlive.com/news/annarbornews/index.ssf?/base/news-25/1194450257177050.xml&coll=2
1st election requiring voter ID goes smoothly
Ann Arbor News
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
The first election that required voters to show photo ID was handled without much ado, local election officials said. Ann Arbor City Clerk Jacqueline Beaudry said some voters without a photo ID signed affidavits and were allowed to vote. She said some voters expressed frustration with the new procedure, including one who had a photo ID but refused to show it and didn't vote. Derrick Jackson, director of elections for Washtenaw County, said his office hasn't received any complaints about the photo ID requirement.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/METRO/711080367/1022/POLITICS
Lucky draws settle two cities' election ties
Mount Clemens commissioner, Grosse Pointe council winners settled Wednesday.
Steve Pardo and Christine Ferretti / The Detroit News
Thursday, November 8, 2007
MOUNT CLEMENS -- The Election Day cynics who failed to go to the polls Wednesday need only to look to Mount Clemens and Grosse Pointe to see how a single vote does matter. Jack Johns and Gary Blash, after months of campaigning, tied with 806 votes each for the $900-a-year city commissioner job. Blash, a former Mount Clemens city assessor and current assessor for Harrison Township, won the tiebreaker when he drew the slip of paper with the word "elected" on it. "I guess my luck is changing," said Blash, 55, who has been in a wheelchair since 1994 because of multiple sclerosis. "I'm glad that I won, but I'm sad that (Johns) lost. I believe the community would have been very well-served with either one of us."
http://www.mlive.com/news/flintjournal/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1194448839114340.xml&coll=5
Mayor vows to stay course in second term
Williamson wins
THE FLINT JOURNAL
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
By Marjory Raymer
FLINT - Mayor Don Williamson nudged out challenger Dayne Walling in the city's closest mayoral election in more than 30 years. Williamson banked support in both the black and white communities in winning 51.2 percent of the total - just 581 votes more than Walling, a first-time candidate with a wide network of political allies. What's next for Williamson? "Straight ahead. The same thing I've been doing. No different whatsoever," said Williamson, who thanked a cheering crowd of 300 at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Purple Moon nightclub after the last results came in. Voters seemed won over by Williamson's emphasis on the basics: paving roads and knocking down abandoned homes, along with building a budget surplus.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/METRO03/711080338/1022/POLITICS
Three new mayors roll up their sleeves
Winners in Warren, Eastpointe, Fraser will be sworn in over the next couple of weeks, look forward to challenge.
Christina Stolarz / The Detroit News
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Incoming mayors in Warren, Eastpointe and Fraser say they're ready to tackle tough issues as they prepare to take the helm in those Macomb County communities. In the county's largest city, Jim Fouts, 63, said his first action will be to restore the Fitzgerald Recreation Center in the city's southwest that was closed in February 2004. He also will look for people to help run the administration "who will be professional and be working to respond to the needs of the people," he said.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/METRO01/711080333/1022/POLITICS
Election results spur criminal allegations
Doug Guthrie / The Detroit News
Thursday, November 8, 2007
ECORSE -- The outcome of an election that swept almost all of the city's elected officials from office Tuesday remains in doubt pending the result of an investigation of possible criminal wrongdoing concerning absentee ballots. Acting on a judge's emergency Election Day order, Michigan Secretary of State election workers seized absentee ballots and related paperwork Tuesday from Ecorse City Clerk Gary Sammons. Wayne County Circuit Court's Chief Judge Mary Beth Kelly issued a temporary retraining order Tuesday based on a request from Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox and Michigan State Police investigators who cited an ongoing criminal investigation and the "risk of irreparable harm" to the integrity of the city's elections.
http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2007/11/ypsilanti_voters_reject_income.html
Ypsilanti voters reject income tax proposal
Posted by Khalil Hachem
The Ann Arbor News
November 06, 2007
Ypsilanti residents rejected a city income tax proposal by a 2-1 margin Tuesday, dashing the hopes of local leaders who lobbied for the tax to raise revenues for the financially struggling city. The tax was defeated 2,240-1,096, losing in all of the city's three wards. The hot-button issue brought a high turnout at the polls, where the total number of ballots cast was 3,336. That represents about 30 percent of the 10,000 registered voters in the city. "People don't want the income tax," said Peter Murdock, a spokesman for the Stop City Income Tax group. "The message is clear about this issue, and let's move on." The proposal called for 1 percent tax on residents and corporations and 0.5 percent on nonresidents working in the city.
http://www.livingstondaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071107/NEWS01/711070309/1002
GOP looks to past for path toward future success
By Dan Meisler
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
November 7, 2007
Gathered at their annual Reagan Day dinner Tuesday, Livingston County Republicans talked about how to regroup from last year's national electoral loss by returning to their principles. Keynote speaker Jim Talent, a former U.S. senator from Missouri who lost his re-election campaign in 2006 in the Democratic congressional sweep, said GOP loyalists must remember the main distinction between the parties.
NATIONAL STORIES
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SOUT000&show_article=1&lst=1
Pat Robertson Backs Giuliani's Bid
Nov 7 12:55 PM US/Eastern
By LIBBY QUAID
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Televangelist Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition, endorsed Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday. "It is my pleasure to announce my support for America's Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, a proven leader who is not afraid of what lies ahead and who will cast a hopeful vision for all Americans," Robertson said during a news conference with Giuliani in Washington. The former New York mayor backs abortion rights and gay rights, positions that put him in conflict with conservative GOP orthodoxy, and has been trying to persuade evangelical conservatives like Robertson to overlook their differences on those issues.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=M2VhZjY5NzUzMGQ3NGU2M2FkYTZjZmVmMDAyZTdlOTg=
Can Rudy Convince the Skeptics?
After the Robertson endorsement, the candidate talks about persuading social conservatives that he means what he says.
By Byron York
November 8, 2007
Will Pat Robertson’s endorsement help Rudy Giuliani win the support of wary social conservatives? The answer is most likely “yes” — at least a little. The benefit to Giuliani is not that millions of evangelical Christians will now vote for him because Robertson told them to; the old “easily led” canard was never true in the past and is certainly not true today. Rather, the benefit to Giuliani is that Robertson’s endorsement will help Giuliani shake his image as a candidate who can’t win evangelical support and therefore can’t win the Republican primaries.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/POLITICS/711080322/1022/POLITICS
Romney's wealth worries rivals in the early primaries
Ex-Massachusetts governor has put $17.5 million of his own money into his presidential campaign.
Liz Sidoti / Associated Press
Thursday, November 8, 2007
WASHINGTON -- How do you stop an ultra-wealthy presidential candidate who leads in early voting states, has dumped $17.5 million of his own money into his bid and could spend boatloads more to rack up wins in a squeezed primary schedule? Mitt Romney's rivals can only hope they figure that out -- and fast. One answer might seem easy: use your own millions to broadcast the nastiest flip-flop ads you can against him in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina -- and hope his poll numbers in those early states tumble. He already trails his top rivals in national surveys.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/11/fred_thompsons_blunder.html
Fred Thompson's Blunder
By Robert Novak
November 08, 2007
Fred Thompson was well into a prolonged dialogue about abortion with interviewer Tim Russert on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday when he said something stunning for social conservatives: "I do not think it is a wise thing to criminalize young girls and perhaps their parents as aiders and abettors." He then went further: "You can't have a [federal] law" that "would take young, young girls . . . and say, basically, we're going to put them in jail." Those comments sent e-mails flying across the country reflecting astonishment and rage by pro-life Republicans who had turned to Thompson as their best presidential bet for 2008. No anti-abortion legislation ever has proposed criminal penalties against women having abortions, much less their parents.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1107/6739.html
Ron Paul gets relevant in a hurry
By: Jonathan Martin
Nov 6, 2007 07:15 PM EST
In the space of 24 hours, Ron Paul achieved the extraordinary feat of raising over $4 million online in 35,000 separate contributions. And he is still going. As of Tuesday morning, the Republican congressman from Texas had already tallied $7.25 million for the quarter. At that pace, he’ll likely outraise or at least be at parity for the time period with most of the GOP field (not including Mitt Romney’s self-funding). In an interview, Paul’s campaign manager said the campaign would likely use its burgeoning war chest to broaden its ad campaign. “It’s reasonable to assume we’ll increase our presence on TV,” Lew Moore said.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/11/all_pols_waffle_hillary_is_jus.html
All Pols Waffle -- Hillary is Just Bad At It
By Steven Stark
November 08, 2007
Hillary Clinton is on the defensive, now that her opponents have honed in on her apparent flip-flops and "waffling" in this past week's debate. In truth, she's getting a bad rap -- or, at least, getting rapped for the wrong reasons. What she was trying to do was admirable: presidential candidates need to preserve their policy options and "waffle" as much as possible. What's worrisome -- both for Democrats and the nation at large -- is how badly she does it. When you're running for president, you don't want to take a stand in the primaries that will come back to haunt you as a general-election candidate, especially in a long campaign, during which events can change.
http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2007/11/07/news/local/doc4731f2601a6d6472999456.txt
Obama pitches tax cuts for the middle class during Q-C stop
By Ed Tibbetts
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Saying the American Dream needs reclaiming, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama laid out a vision for easing the burden of working people in a speech before several hundred people in Bettendorf today. Obama, a senator from Illinois, said the rich have been favored during the Bush administration and that working Americans are, in the meantime, falling behind. “You’re doing your part, you’re meeting your responsibilities, but it always seems like you’re treading water or falling behind,” Obama said at the Mississippi Bend Area Agency on Education. “I don’t accept this future. We need to reclaim the American dream.”
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/628/congress-democrats
A Year Later: Public Dissatisfied With Democratic Leaders, But Still Happy They Won
November 7, 2007
A year after the Democratic Party won control of both houses of Congress, Americans are increasingly dissatisfied with the party's congressional leaders. Just 31% approve of their job performance, down 10 points since February. Despite these tepid ratings, most Americans (54%) say that they are happy that the Democrats won control of Congress in last year's elections. That represents a modest decline since last November, but positive views of the Democratic congressional victory have remained stable since March. At least in part, this reflects the fact that Republican leaders are blamed as often as Democratic leaders for Congress' lack of productivity.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/OPINION01/711080305/1007/OPINION
Why health care reform fails
Henry Aaron
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Every 15 years or so, proposals to reform the entire U.S. health care system seize national attention. The cycle has endured since President Franklin D. Roosevelt considered proposing universal health coverage as part of the Social Security Act. Presidents Truman, Carter, Ford, George H.W. Bush and Clinton all produced proposals for universal coverage. Though different in detail, they shared one key characteristic -- failure. Each time, supporters of reform believed, popular clamor would drive elected officials to end the national embarrassment of millions of uninsured and rein in health expenditures that were needlessly high and bought less than they should. Each time, reformers were right in their indictment and wrong in their political judgments.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/dhenninger/?id=110010836
A Medal for Miss Lee
What would Atticus Finch make of the "high-tech lynching" of Clarence Thomas?
BY DANIEL HENNINGER
Thursday, November 8, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST
The Presidential Medal of Freedom was awarded on Monday to Harper Lee, the author of "To Kill a Mockingbird." "To Kill a Mockingbird"--in part the story of lawyer Atticus Finch's doomed defense of a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman in 1930s Alabama--is arguably the most famous book on American civil rights ever written. Publishers Weekly estimates it has sold some 30 million copies. Look it up on Amazon.com and you will find it has about 1,688 "customer reviews." So to the millions of student essay questions built around this book, let me add one more: Compare and contrast "To Kill a Mockingbird" to the current bestselling book, "My Grandfather's Son," by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/OPINION01/711080315/1007/OPINION
Snow: President Bush is 'aggressively curious'
Former press secretary says Bush invites debate, stands on principle
Shikha Dalmia
Thursday, November 8, 2007
I first met Tony Snow in the fall of 1995. He had, at 40, already acquired an impressive reputation and resume: A syndicated columnist, he had served as chief speech writer for the senior President George Bush. He subbed on the "Rush Limbaugh Show" and was the Washington, D.C., correspondent of this newspaper's editorial page -- where I was a new hire. We met in his grubby office in Rosslyn, Va., and, after a quick greeting, had lunch at a nearby restaurant. I was getting my first good look at him -- observing his deep-set blue eyes, crooked smile and lanky frame -- when a middle-aged woman walked up to our table and thrust a newspaper with his column before him. She wanted his autograph -- allegedly for her married daughter.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071107/D8SP502O0.html
House Passes Job Bias Ban Against Gays
Nov 7, 6:51 PM (ET)
By ANDREW MIGA
WASHINGTON (AP) - The House on Wednesday approved the first federal ban on job discrimination against gays, lesbians and bisexuals. Passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act came despite protests from some gay rights supporters that the bill does not protect transgender workers. That term covers transsexuals, cross-dressers and others whose outward appearance does not match their gender at birth. The measure would make it illegal for employers to make decisions about hiring, firing, promoting or paying an employee based on sexual orientation. It would exempt churches and the military.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/OPINION03/711080317/1007/OPINION
How should Americans 'give back'?
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Thomas Sowell
Among the many mindless mantras of our time, "making a difference" and "giving back" irritate me like chalk screeching across a blackboard. Making a difference makes sense only if you are convinced that you have mastered the subject at hand to the point where any difference you might make would be for the better. Very few people have mastered anything that well beyond their own limited circle of knowledge. Even fewer seem to think far enough ahead to consider that question. Yet hardly a day goes by without news of some uninformed busybodies on one crusade or another. Even the simplest acts have ramifications that spread across society the way waves spread across a pond when you drop a stone in it.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/POLITICS/711080321/1022/POLITICS
RVers encounter voting obstacles
Tennessee county blocks 286 voters without permanent address
Bill Poovey / Associated Press
Thursday, November 8, 2007
CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- When your home is the open road, where do you register to vote? A total of 286 people who live full-time in their recreational vehicles were dropped from the voter rolls in one Tennessee county over the past two years because they did not have a genuine home address, only a mailbox. That has left them unable to vote in national or local elections. What happened in Tennessee may be an extreme case, but an Associated Press review of laws and policies across the nation found that election officials sometimes make it difficult for the nation's thousands of devoted RVers to cast a ballot.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1192380756670&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Ahmadinejad: 3,000 centrifuges running
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nov 7, 2007
Iran has achieved a landmark, with 3,000 centrifuges fully working in its controversial uranium enrichment program, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Wednesday. "We have now reached 3,000 machines," Ahmadinejad told thousands of Iranians gathered in Birjand, in eastern Iran, in a show of defiance of international demands to halt the program believed to be masking the country's nuclear arms efforts. Ahmadinejad has in the past claimed that Iran succeeded in installing the 3,000 centrifuges at its uranium enrichment facility at Natanz. But Wednesday's claim was his first official statement that the plant is now fully operating all those centrifuges.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071107/D8SP2VI00.html
Bush, Sarkozy Oppose Nuclear-Armed Iran
Nov 7, 4:33 PM (ET)
By DEB RIECHMANN
MOUNT VERNON, Va. (AP) - President Bush and French President Nicolas Sarkozy stood shoulder-to-shoulder against a nuclear-armed Iran on Wednesday, demonstrating the cozier relationship between the two countries under France's new conservative leader. Bush said agreement on Iran was a hallmark of their talks here at the Virginia home of George Washington. He said they expressed "the desire to work jointly to convince the Iranian regime to give up their nuclear weapons ambitions for the sake of peace." "It is unacceptable for Iran at any point to have a nuclear weapon," said Sarkozy. He said, "I believe even in the need to toughen" United Nations sanctions now leveled against Tehran for continuing to enrich uranium.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071107171938.06pkhw1y&show_article=1&lst=1
'We love America,' Sarkozy tells Congress
AFP
November 7, 2007
French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the friendship between France and the United States and paid tribute to American sacrifices in World War II, in a rare address Wednesday to the US Congress. "Since the United States first appeared on the world scene, our two peoples, the French and the American people, have always been friends," Sarkozy said, as he emphatically drew a veil on years of cross-Atlantic tensions sparked by the Iraq war. He received lengthy and warm applause as he arrived for a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and his address was met by several standing ovations as he heaped praise on the United States.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SP0R4G0&show_article=1&lst=1
State of Emergency in Nation of Georgia
Nov 7 03:07 PM US/Eastern
By MISHA DZHINDZHIKHASHVILI
Associated Press Writer
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) - U.S.-allied President Mikhail Saakashvili declared a state of emergency Wednesday in the capital of Georgia, where six days of demonstrations have fueled a worsening crisis. Saakashvili has blamed Russia for fomenting the unrest in the former Soviet nation. His prime minister, Zurab Nogaideli, said in a televised statement that there had been an effort to overthrow the pro-Western government. "An attempt to conduct a coup was made, and we had to react to that," Nogaideli said. The emergency declaration "will temporarily ban demonstrations and protests, and calls in the media for violence, and the ouster of the government by force," Nogaideli said.
