Email of the Day

THE NEW WELFARE MAP

These 11 States now have More People on Welfare than they do Employed.

Last month, the Senate Budget Committee reports that in fiscal year 2012, between food stamps, housing support, child care, Medicaid and other benefits, the average U.S. Household below the poverty line received $168.00 a day in government support. What's the problem with that much support? Well, the median household income in America is just over $50,000, which averages out to $137.13 a day. 

 

To put it another way, being on welfare now pays the equivalent of $30.00 an hour for a 40-hour week, while the average job pays $20.00 an hour.

FRC to Hold Joint News Conference TODAY on HHS Mandate at NRB Convention

NASHVILLE, TN - Family Research Council (FRC) will host a news conference at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee today, Tuesday, March 5. FRC President Tony Perkins and FRC Executive Vice President Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Boykin will be joined by Janet Parshall, radio host for Moody Radio, Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr. of Hope Christian Church and Dr. Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), to discuss the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate that employers cover abortion-causing drugs, sterilizations and contraceptives in their health insurance plans, even if those employers have religious convictions against such coverage.

Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) introduced the Health Care Conscience Rights Act (HCCRA) yesterday to protect the religious liberties of anyone who purchases health insurance, including non-profits, businesses and individuals, as well as providing greater protections for health care workers who refuse to participate in abortion. Black will be holding a press conference in Washington, D.C. today on her bill and will join the press conference at NRB by video.

Last year FRC hosted a news conference at the NRB convention to release a petition signed by over 2,500 religious leaders in opposition to the HHS mandate.

WHO:

Tony Perkins, president, FRC

Lt. Gen. (Ret). Jerry Boykin, executive vice president, FRC

Janet Parshall, radio talk show host, Moody Radio

Richard Land, president, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention

Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr., senior pastor, Hope Christian Church

WHAT: News conference on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate on abortion-causing drugs, sterilizations and contraceptives

WHERE: News Conference Room, Delta Ballroom B (located inside the Media Center), Gaylord Opryland Convention Center

WHEN: 3 p.m. Central, TODAY, Tuesday, March 5

To view last year's petition signed by over 2,500 religious leaders in opposition to the mandate, click here: http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF12B47.pdf

March 19th - E.W. Jackson for Lt. Gov to speak in Madison

E.W. Jackson, Sr.

Candidate for the Republican nomination for
Lieutenant Governor

will be the
Guest Speaker

March 19th, 6:30-8:30 PM
 at the


Madison County Republican Women's meeting.

Everyone is invited to attend this informative meeting. 

     
The evening's menu features corned beef and cabbage. Dinner: $8. 

Location: Madison Presbyterian Church, Rt 29, 1st stoplight in Madison County, 7-11 to the right, left is Madison Presbyterian Church - 1236 Fishback Road (Rt. 722 at North traffic light) Madison VA 22727. The phone no. there is: (540) 948-6972.

FRC to Hold Joint News Conference on HHS Mandate at National Religious Broadcasters Convention

NASHVILLE, TN - Family Research Council (FRC) will host a news conference at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday, March 5. FRC President Tony Perkins and FRC Executive Vice President Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Boykin will be joined by Janet Parshall, radio host for Moody Radio, and Dr. Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), to discuss the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate that employers cover abortion-causing drugs, sterilizations and contraceptives in their health insurance plans, even if those employers have religious convictions against such coverage.

Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) will introduce the Health Care Conscience Rights Act (HCCRA) today to protect the religious liberties of anyone who purchases health insurance, including non-profits, businesses and individuals, as well as providing greater protections for health care workers who refuse to participate in abortion. Black will be holding a press conference in Washington, D.C. tomorrow on her bill and will join the press conference at NRB by video.

Last year FRC hosted a news conference at the NRB convention to release a petition signed by over 2,500 religious leaders in opposition to the HHS mandate.

WHO:

Tony Perkins, president, FRC

Lt. Gen. (Ret). Jerry Boykin, executive vice president, FRC

Janet Parshall, radio talk show host, Moody Radio

Richard Land, president, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)

WHAT: News conference on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate on abortion-causing drugs, sterilizations and contraceptives

WHERE: News Conference Room, Delta Ballroom B (located inside the Media Center), Gaylord Opryland Convention Center

WHEN: 3 p.m. Central, Tuesday, March 5

To view last year's petition signed by over 2,500 religious leaders in opposition to the mandate, click here: http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF12B47.pdf

Staff Members From Rep. Robert Hurt's Office To Hold Local Office Hours In Lunenburg And Halifax Counties

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Staff members from Congressman Robert Hurt’s (R-Virginia) office will be holding Local Office Hours in Lunenburg and Halifax counties on Friday, March 8, to meet with constituents who need assistance with federal agencies. For more information, please visit our Local Office Hours Interactive Map.

Friday, March 8, 2013

 

9:00 – 11:00 AM

Local Office Hours in Lunenburg

Lunenburg County Administrator’s Office

Conference Room

11413 Courthouse Road

Lunenburg, VA

 

1:00 – 3:00 PM

Local Office Hours in Halifax

Mary Bethune Office Complex

Public Meeting Room, 2nd Floor

1030 Mary Bethune Street

Halifax, VA

Quote of the Day

"Let's be clear, the Obama administration's attempts at "accommodating" religious employers have been nothing but smoke and mirrors.

"The government's latest proposed regulation forces the insurer to provide coverage of objectionable services to employees - at the objector's cost! Rather than using accounting gimmicks, religious charities, health care providers, and other religious employers should be exempt. And companies like Hobby Lobby should not be forced to violate their deeply held beliefs or face fines!"

Tony Perkins
Family Research Council

Now Is the Time For Leadership From The President And The Senate

Congressman Robert Hurt

Weekly Column 3/04/13

 

Each month we provide an address to the people of Virginia’s 5^th District to keep you posted on the work we are doing in Washington and throughout the District. You may read our February video address below:

 

This past month our country came together as we honored the legacy of George Washington and the legacies of all of our presidents on Presidents Day. This month we also joined together to remember those who made sacrifices in the cause of freedom when we unveiled the statue of Rosa Parks in our nation’s capitol.

 

A great Virginian and former President, Thomas Jefferson, once said: “I place economy among the first and most important virtues and public debt as the greatest of dangers to be feared. To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with public debt.”

 

Today, the public debt held exceeds 16 trillion dollars – an amount that equals a size greater than our entire economy. The people of Virginia’s 5th District constantly share their concerns with the federal government’s spending problem, yet many in Washington have made it clear that they do not believe that we having a spending problem. As our debt continues to grow, every day we delay is a day closer to the day that we will be unable to prevent a devastating debt crisis. Now is the time for leadership from the President and the Senate.

 

True to our founders and to the principles upon which our nation was founded, we in the House have fought to pay down our debt. And though we believe the sequester does not properly assign spending reductions, we do believe that those cuts must be made. In fact, the House adopted two measures that will replace the arbitrary cuts with prioritized cuts and reasonable spending reforms. And we have also adopted a measure that requires the President to present his plan for balancing our budget over the next ten years.

 

As this debate goes on, the people of Virginia’s Fifth District are suffering in this stalled economy. As I have visited with folks from Danville to Warrenton, it is clear that years of failed policies set forth in Washington are negatively impacting our local communities.  And budget uncertainty is preventing our small businesses and family farms from expanding and creating jobs.  We need action now.

 

The President spoke about these important issues in his State of the Union address. But as we look at his track record over the past four years, the record shows something different. The President has failed to submit a budget on time for the past four out of five years and the debt has skyrocketed more than $6 trillion under his watch. It is time that the President’s words are followed by action.

 

The House stands ready to work together in the coming month, and to make the important decisions to put us back on a path to prosperity. We await leadership from President Obama and the United States Senate as we continue our work in the House to pay down the debt in a responsible way. The future of our country depends upon it.

 

If you need any additional information, please visit my website at hurt.house.gov or call my Washington office: (202) 225-4711, Charlottesville office: (434) 973-9631, Danville office: (434) 791-2596, or Farmville office: (434) 395-0120.    WC: 573

Tweet of the Day

Michelle Malkin ‏@michellemalkin
 

I don't agree w/her on everything, but when it comes to natlsec & defiance of GOP's soft-on-jihad lobbyists, yes, i #standwithpamelageller

Video Pick of the Day

Video Pick of the Day

Facebook Pics of the Day

Tweet of the Day

Dict8r H8r ‏@lheal

If you feel compelled to explain that you're not a dictator, #YouMightBeADictator.

FRC Praises Over 60 Texas Leaders for Standing with Boy Scouts of America

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Family Research Council (FRC) praised a group of over 60 Texas elected officials who have signed on to an open letter encouraging the Boy Scouts of America to stay true to their long-standing support of family values and moral principles. They joined Gov. Rick Perry, who had previously announced his support for the Boy Scouts and their current policy on homosexuality.

Of the open letter, FRC President Tony Perkins said:

"Gov. Rick Perry, and now over 60 fellow elected officials in Texas, are showing the Boy Scouts that they're not alone in standing for their values. As leaders from the Boy Scouts organization meet in Texas, we hope that seeing the solidarity of so many Texas leaders will encourage them to reaffirm their current policy on homosexuality.

"Thanks to the organizing efforts of Texas Values, the Lone Star State's vocal support of the Boy Scouts and parental rights is being heard.

"Last year the Boy Scouts confirmed that 'the vast majority of the parents' of Boy Scouts reserve to themselves the right to introduce and give guidance on sexual topics. Gov. Perry and these Texas officials understand that, and are putting parents' rights first, and we applaud them for it."

To read the letter signed by over 60 Texas elected officials, click here: http://txvalues.org/2013/02/02/state-leaders-urge-boy-scouts-to-uphold-moral-values/

Obama "Evolves" Again

Gary L. Bauer
American Values

Barack Obama's evolving position on same-sex "marriage" has taken yet another turn. In 2008, during a debate at Saddleback Church, Obama told Pastor Rick Warren, "I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman." But many years before, in 1996, Obama said that he supported the radical idea of men "marrying" other men.

Last year, he changed again and came out in support of same-sex "marriage," telling ABC News, "I've been going through an evolution on this issue." But he added:

"I have to tell you that part of my hesitation on this has also been I didn't want to nationalize the issue. …And what you're seeing is, I think, states working through this issue … all across the country. Different communities are arriving at different conclusions, at different times. And I think that's a healthy process and a healthy debate. And I continue to believe that this is an issue that is gonna be worked out at the local level, because historically, this has not been a federal issue."

So, while he supported same-sex "marriage," he was willing to let the states decide the issue for themselves.

Evidently in the past seven months since he made that statement, Obama has evolved yet again. Last night the White House filed a brief demanding the Supreme Court strike down Proposition 8 -- California's voter-approved constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

The militant homosexual rights movement is cheering today. As one activist put it, "If the court accepts the reasoning that the White House has put forward every state’s anti-gay-marriage amendment will fall quickly. Make no mistake about it, the brief is a very bold endorsement of [same-sex marriage]." Evidently, Mr. Obama now wants to federalize the issue and force same-sex "marriage" on every state in the union.


March For Marriage

On March 26th the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case seeking to overturn Proposition 8. It is infuriating that we have arrived at this juncture.

Since judicial activists first tried to redefine marriage in the 1990s, the voters of 31 states have approved constitutional amendments preserving the definition of normal marriage.

But just as it did with abortion, when the left used the Supreme Court to impose its morality on the people, it is once again hoping that the high court will invalidate the will of millions of Americans in states all across the country.

You and I may not have a vote in the Supreme Court, but we can still make our voice heard!

Join me in our nation's capital on Tuesday, March 26th for the March for Marriage. I am proud to co-sponsor the March for Marriage along with the National Organization for Marriage and other pro-family organizations. Please share this report with like-minded friends, family members and fellow worshippers, and encourage them to attend. Visit MarriageMarch.org for handouts, talking points and more information.

I look forward to seeing you there!

FRC's Dr. David Prentice Congratulates Kansas Senate for Passing Ethical Stem Cell Therapy Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Family Research Council (FRC) Senior Fellow Dr. David Prentice, a native Kansan, congratulated the Kansas state senate for passing S.B. 199, a bill that would establish the Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center, a regional hub to advance and deliver adult and cord blood stem cell therapies to patients and serving as a resource for adult and cord blood stem cells for therapies. The Center would also inform professionals and the public about such therapies.

Dr. Prentice, a cell biologist who was selected by George W. Bush's Council on Bioethics to write a comprehensive review of adult stem cell research in 2004, testified before the Kansas Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare in support of S.B. 199 on Feb. 25. Dr. Prentice additionally serves as adjunct professor of molecular genetics at the John Paul II Institute at the Catholic University of America, and formerly served as professor of life sciences at Indiana State University and adjunct professor of medical and molecular genetic at Indiana University School of Medicine.

The bill will now go to the Kansas House of Representatives for consideration.

In his testimony Dr. Prentice said:

"There are significant opportunities right now for Kansas ... to benefit from the establishment of a center of excellence specializing in the application of adult stem cell therapies for certain diseases, as well as educating physicians as well as the public about the advantages and availability of stem cell treatments.

"Kansas is moving forward as a potential leader in the area of adult and cord blood stem cell therapies. Estimates are that KU Med has done over 1,000 adult stem cell transplants, from bone marrow as well as a growing number from umbilical cord blood. These include stem cell transplants for various cancers and leukemias, but also initiating clinical trials to treat heart damage. Much more is possible.

"Kansas is well-positioned to become a leader in this area, and a global resource. The potential benefits for patients are incalculable. I urge you to support S.B. 199."

To read Dr. Prentice's testimony, click here: http://www.frc.org/testimony/testimony-of-dr-david-prentice-before-the-committee-on-public-health-and-welfare-kansas-senate

How to stop China's hacking.

Scott Paul, President
Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM)

China's hacking, brought to you by U.S. trade policy.

Washington still doesn't get it. We've known for years that China hacks government networks, industry computers, and advocacy groups like ours.

A study released last week by a Virginia-based cyber-security company confirms this: The Chinese military is responsible for a series of sophisticated computer hacking attacks on more than 140 American companies.

These hackers have stolen everything from product design blueprints to business strategies, and have also made a persistent effort to gain access to the controls of our infrastructure, including oil and gas pipelines and our electrical grid. 

The Obama administration has known about China's cyber hacking for some time. But the White House has sat on its hands because it believes calling Beijing out for cheating could undermine our overall relationship. In fact, the Administration still sometimes refrains from specifically identifying China as the hacking extraordinaire it's proving itself to be.

News flash: When China uses its military to steal from American companies, it undermines our relationship. And when it starts groping for a hand on our power switch, we need to rethink what we're getting in return.

Our official strategy -- twisting like a pretzel to avoid offending the Chinese government (even when we catch them stealing from us) -- is clearly not working. So why not try something else?

We run an enormous trade deficit with China every year, including a record $315 billion in 2012.  China uses that money to spy on us. So here's an idea: Why not use our trade relationship to force Beijing to play by the rules?

Contrary to what some Washington insiders suggest, getting tough on China's cheating won't start a trade war. Just like anyone else, China responds to pressure. In fact, when Washington has actually moved to address China's currency manipulation, Beijing has responded by budging the value of its currency incrementally (see the chart, above).

Yes, we have a large, complex relationship with China.  But it's really not rocket science: Calling out Beijing for flouting the rules gets results, a point I made this morning in an editorial for CNBC.

If China's cyber-hacking concerns you, keep yourself up to date.  Follow the conversation on our blog, ManufactureThis, and on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr.