Have Nancy Pelosi’s “chickens” come home to roost??? Apparently, her little global warming commercial with Speaker Newt Gingrich could be in violation of Federal election law, which states any ad of that sort distributed in a candidate’s district within 90 days of a congressional primary or general election is deemed a campaign donation. From the New York Sun:
“She’s in the ad. That means it’s coordinated,” a Republican attorney who battles to overturn campaign finance laws, James Bopp Jr., said. “I’m a guy that specializes in loopholes. I don’t know of any loopholes.”
What a treat for radical, anti-war loon, Cindy Sheehan, in her quest for Pelosi’s seat.
RTaylor
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate, in a direct challenge to President Bush, voted Tuesday to temporarily halt the shipment of thousands of barrels of oil a day into the government’s emergency reserve. Both Democrats and Republicans said such shipments make no sense when oil is costing more than $120 a barrel and could better be used to add supplies to a tight market and possibly lower prices.
“We are buying the most expensive crude oil in the history of the world and storing it,” said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. “When American consumers are burning at the stake by high energy prices, the government ought not be carrying the wood.”
Until both chambers of Congress pass the emergency reserve directive and Bush signs it—or Congress enacts it over a presidential veto—the legislation has no force of law. But the Senate’s message to the president Tuesday was a strong one. More from BreitBart.com
This is a nice little election year ploy. The Democrat controlled House and Senate still refuse to open ANWR and increase domestic drilling. The final paragraph says it all:
Democratic Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, interrupting their presidential campaigns, voted to halt the oil reserve deliveries. Sen. John McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, was not present for the vote.
Edgar Millan Gomez was shot dead in his own home in Mexico City on May 8. Millan Gomez was the highest-ranking law enforcement officer in Mexico, responsible for overseeing most of Mexico’s counternarcotics efforts. He orchestrated the January arrest of one of the leaders of the Sinaloa cartel, Alfredo Beltran Leyva. (Several Sinaloa members have been arrested in Mexico City since the beginning of the year.) The week before, Roberto Velasco Bravo died when he was shot in the head at close range by two armed men near his home in Mexico City. He was the director of organized criminal investigations in a tactical analysis unit of the federal police. The Mexican government believes the Sinaloa drug cartel ordered the assassinations of Velasco Bravo and Millan Gomez. Combined with the assassination of other federal police officials in Mexico City, we now see a pattern of intensifying warfare in Mexico City. Full article from Stratfor here
A very interesting “must read” regarding the southern border, security, NAFTA and the increased drug violence spilling in from Mexico.
CEDAR RAPIDS - Here are snippets from the introduction to the search warrant served on the Agriprocessors, Inc., meatpacking plant in Postville on Monday:
“Over at least the last two years, (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has received information concerning immigration offenses at and by employees of Agriprocessors, including allegations of harboring illegal aliens… engaging in a pattern or practice of hiring and continuing to employ undocumented aliens… document fraud… misuse of Social Security numbers… and aggravated identity theft. This affidavit sets forth some, but not all, of the information ICE and other law enforcement officers possess concerning potential violations of the above-referenced statutes and potentially other criminal laws, but rather, is a summary of evidence in ICE’s possession sufficient to establish probable cause to support this search warrant.
“This criminal search warrant is sought simultaneously… in connection with the issuance of 697 criminal complaints and arrest warrants against persons believed to be current employees of Agriprocessors… Of the approximately 697 charged by complaint, the government currently possesses copies of photo identification for only about 15 individuals. More from the GazetteOnLine.com
The article further details a meth lab at the plant, identity theft - at least three employees were using the same Social Security number - it’s a long laundry list. Excellent work by ICE.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The state Department of Transportation has commissioned a study on whether commercial truckers should pay tolls to use Interstate 80 in Wyoming.
The study will also examine public-private highway ownership partnerships, said Doug McGee, spokesman for the agency.
The study is part of an effort to explore alternative ways to pay for I-80 maintenance in light of flat or decreasing federal highway funding and rapidly escalating numbers of commercial trucks on the deteriorating interstate highway. More from The Trucker
I don’t care what the reasoning is - truckers do NOT need to continue paying for more tolls. The article sates further:
Von Flatern, who led an unsuccessful bid last year to raise the state gasoline tax, said it’s early in the process, but he estimates that commercial truckers could eventually pay from $40 to $80 to cross the roughly 400-mile width of Wyoming on I-80.
He said that price stacks up well against other states with pilot tolling programs on their interstates. Money raised could be used to pay for vast safety improvements on I-80, including the possibility of an added lane in both directions, he said.
Early estimates suggest that revenue from tolling might generate the entire $6 billion to $8 billion the state says it needs to maintain and expand I-80 in Wyoming over the next 20 years, Von Flatern said.
It’s all about the money. State and Federal agencies know that we have to be on the roads to deliver food, fuel and clothing - even the paper needed to come up with this nonsense. Trucking companies are already buckling under increasing fuel prices - now Wyoming wants to choke us even further.
RTaylor
After a slight decrease last week, the weekly retail on-highway diesel price rose 18.2 cents per gallon setting another new record, according to the Energy Information Administration.
On May 12 the price was $4.331, up $1.558 from the same week one year ago.
All regions showed at least a 12 cent increase, with the Midwest coming in with the largest jump of 19.7 cents a gallon to $4.298. The area with the costliest diesel was the Central Atlantic region at $4.516, which was a 17.1 cent increase from the week before. More from The Trucker
California, as usual, has the highest average diesel fuel price at $4.547 per gallon. At what point will Washington get serious about domestic drilling and realistic plans to get us off foreign oil?
RTaylor
A Christian pastor says he has filed an ethics complaint with the Texas Bar Association seeking an investigation into U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton’s “willfully misleading” statements in the case against former U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean.
Don Swarthout, president of Christians Reviving America’s Values, today confirmed his ethics complaint cites Sutton’s actions in the case in which Ramos and Compean were convicted of shooting at a drug smuggler who had dropped a load of marijuana near the Texas border and was fleeing back into Mexico. More from WorldNetDaily
WASHINGTON — The cost of mailing a letter goes up a penny to 42 cents on Monday, the latest in what are expected to be annual price adjustments by the Postal Service.
A new law regulating the post office makes it easier to raise rates as long as the agency doesn’t exceed the rate of inflation. Rates are to be adjusted each May.
But the post office also has introduced a way for people to save money when the price goes up, the Forever stamp, which remains valid for first-class postage regardless of any increases.
With the rate increase approaching, sales of the Forever stamp reached 64 million-a-day in April, postal officials said.
Forever stamps currently sell for 41-cents, but can be used after the rate increase without any additional postage. However, when the rate goes up, so does the price of Forever stamps.
Unlike the Forever stamps, other 41-cent stamps will require additional postage under the new rates, and postal officials said they printed an additional 1.5 billion 1-cent stamps in anticipation of the demand. From FoxNews
Does anyone even USE snail mail anymore? You can pay your bills on line or via phone (most of the time for free), send ecards, email, read magazines and newspapers…….
RTaylor
(Land O’ Lakes, FL - by Renee Taylor) Republican candidate for US Congress in Florida’s 5th District, Jim King, has released his Energy Policy for America.
Mr. King recognized the core issues that have created high energy costs and has created a four point plan to reduce those costs and reliance on foreign oil.
1. Immediately sell permits for oil and gas exploration in Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota and off the coast of Florida.King says, “With respect to exploration off the coast of Florida, America has two options:sit back while China and Cuba drill just off our coast with complete disregard to any environmental impact or do it ourselves.”
2. Immediately permit a number of oil refineries within the United States.If state and local governments are unwilling to issue the necessary permits, the Federal government should allow these refineries to be built and operated on a Federal basis.
3. Our economy needs lower corporate taxation on businesses to allow them to expand and create more jobs while decreasing our reliance on foreign oil. This will create a lasting stimulus to our economy, unlike “quick fixes” such as the recent “tax rebate”/redistribution of wealth stimulus program.
4. Immediately end ethanol subsidies and funding. The evidence is overwhelming that ethanol from corn is having a negative effect on our energy needs by raising fuel and food costs.
Many of us remember the long gas lines in the early 1970s. In 37 years, Congress has done nothing to protect and preserve our energy independence. Thirty seven years is plenty of time for Washington to act in the best interests of America.
The American people need a new congress. Incumbent Fifth District Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) has failed to demonstrate the leadership necessary to give America energy independence. She has squandered an excellent opportunity while the Republican Party held the majority in the House and Senate by failing to represent Florida and the American people by addressing this critical issue.
For more on Jim King’s stand on important issues such as energy, the economy and veterans’ benefits, please visit www.needanewcongress.com.
Around 100 truckers held a meeting in New Port Richey, Florida, today to discuss fuel related issues affecting the trucking industry.
At the meeting was State Senator Mike Fasano from District 11. Also in attendance was a VP from the Florida Trucking Association, Matt Ubben. The meeting was put toghere by Robert Solfio, the owner of Big Tiger Trucking. David Mika of the Fla Petrolem Concil was invited but backed out at the last minute. Also there was Owner Operators United (OOU) Inc Board Member Pat Kramer.
Most of the discussion was on fuel, and the crowd was rather unhappy with the answers that were given by the Senator.
While the crowd was rather loud through most of the speachs things got quite as a mouse when OOU board member Pat Kramer handed her cell phone to Robert Solfio, who in turn then placed the mic to the phone. on the other end of the line was OOU Inc CEO Dan Little. Dan first started out by thanking all the truckers for thier hard work, then he asked the Senator if he would actually stand up for the truckers. Dan also asked the senator to introduce a bill in Florida to suspend their state fuel tax, to introduce a bill in Florida to give truck owners a 100% Tax Credit on APU purchases, to introduce a bill to create an oversite comm. of class 8 truck ins. preiums & last he asked the senator to prove he truly was supporting the truckers by joining the OOU Inc.
The senator replyed by saying “I could not hear anything he asked” but refused to talk directly to Mr Little on the phone.
Everyone in the crowd said they heard Mr Little “Loud & Clear.
Pat Kramer, the OOU Inc board member from Florida, passed out around 5o OOU membership apps. She stated “people were coming up to me asking for the applications to join”,
Contacts in Florida goverment have been contacted to discuss the above mentioned bills. The OOU is leading the way to represent the trucking industry from O/Os & Company Drivers.
FMCSA Regulation 391.11 (b)(2) Can read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records.
