March 2008

Photo Source:  Maysville Ledger Independent

Congressman Geoff Davis presented The Housing Authority of Maysville with two grants totaling $500,000.  The grants will help provide supportive services for the elderly and computer education.  To read the entire story in the Maysville Ledger Independent  click here.

The city of Maysville had quite an exciting time last week.  The week was kicked off by the visit of the Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings to the Mason County school district.   The week concluded with a state basketball championship, a movie premier, and a visit from a former U.S. President.  To read The Maysville Ledger Independent’s thoughts on the exciting week click here.    
 

What a week!
By Marla Toncray, News Editor
Whether you are a sports fan, movie buff, political guru or education advocate, the last week in Mason County offered something for everyone.
 
It started with a visit from U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings on Wednesday, March 19 and ended Tuesday, March 25 with a campaign stop by former President Bill Clinton.
 
In the middle of it all was the capture of the boy’s basketball state championship by the Mason County Royals and Oscar award winning actor George Clooney and actress Renee Zellweger walking the red carpet in downtown Maysville.

In an editorial on Monday, The Maysville Ledger Independent  called attention to the successes of the Mason County School district and the visit from U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.   Secretary Spellings’ visit to Mason County was a “watershed moment” for a school system that went from being ranked 126^th out of 176 districts in CATS testing in 1996 to 18^th in 2004.   The editorial calls the visit “the beginning of a new era that promises even greater success.”  To read the entire editorial click here. 

In a week filled with news stories, we need to take a minute to acknowledge a visit from the U.S. Secretary of Education and to salute the Mason County School system for a decade of remarkable progress.

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The arrival of Margaret Spellings and her staff at the intermediate school Wednesday morning was a watershed moment. Spellings had received word of the district’s success through U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis and from others in the state who recognized that something very special was going on in this corner of Kentucky.

In a school district that posts an enrollment of 3,000 students, more than 60 percent qualify for free or reduced priced lunches and almost 17 percent live at or below the poverty level. Administrators report that there has been an increase of 30 percent in the number of students who live in a single-parent home with a household income below the poverty line.

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In 1996, the district was ranked 126th out of 176 districts in the state on assessment tests. In just eight short years, the system ranked 18th of 176, and has maintained a ranking in the top ten percent of districts since. Mason County received the CATS Progress Award in 2004, from the Kentucky School Board Association, was recognized by Standard and Poor as one of 18 districts in Kentucky designated as an Academic Outperformer, and has met all goals established by the No Child Left Behind legislation.

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John Stanton, an aid to Congressman Geoff Davis said he loves to come to Maysville for lots of reasons. But one of the main reasons is because Maysville, unlike many areas, seems to sense that its best days are not in the past, but in the future. He said we honor and celebrate our past, but we don’t live in it.

We think he’s right about our community and especially about our school system. We are extremely proud of the accomplishments of students teachers and administrators over the last 10 years, but we are confident that even better days are yet to come.

Wednesday’s meeting was not the end of a great era in progress for the schools, it was the beginning of a new era that promises even greater success.

An editorial in The Oklahoman points out that the House Democrats refuse to negotiate in good faith on a terrorist wiretapping law that passed the Senate over a month ago by a vote of 68-29.  The Oklahoman suggests that Speaker Nancy Pelosi is betting the terrorist wiretapping measure is “too technical for many Americans to follow.”  To read the entire editorial click here.

The House Democrats have followed up on last week’s planned tax increases by proposing a 50- cent- per- gallon gasoline tax hike this week.  Rep. John Dingell, Chairman of the Energy Committee, is pushing for this tax increase in addition to the nearly $700 billion in new taxes already approved by the House

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of accompanying Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings to schools in Maysville and Newport.  It was an honor to have Secretary Spellings visit the 4^th District and discuss educational needs and policy with our local teachers. 

U.S. Secretary of Education visits

Mason County

By Barbara Goldman

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings paid a visit to the Mason County School District Wednesday morning.

Spellings accepted the invitation to visit Mason County through Congressman Geoff Davis. Davis traveled with her to an education policy roundtable discussion held at the Mason County Intermediate School. The program was attended by educators, students and business and community leaders.

“He’s been telling me about Maysville for over a year now,” said Spelling.

Tim Moore, superintendent of Mason County Schools, introduced Spellings by saying, “We are very very honored to be one of the few schools in the state that the Secretary of Education is visiting.”

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Davis said he felt Spellings’ visit provided educators the opportunity to discuss the local impact of federal education legislation in Kentucky and the improvements that can be made.

The roundtable discussion provided a forum for local educators to voice the community’s educational needs to the nation’s top education official. The event allowed the district to showcase the successful ways it has adapted to the specific challenges presented by the respective environments.

“Improving our educational system is a critical factor for developing a competitive 21st century workforce,” said Davis.

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“There’s a lot of justifiable pride,” said Spellings as she left Mason County

The largest number of illegal immigrants deported from the United States in one year happened in 2007.  More than 280,000 illegal immigrants were deported, that is nearly 100,000 more than 2006.  The increase can be attributed to The Department of Homeland Securities which now adheres to the “strict policy of arresting, prosecuting and jailing.”  The Washington Timesdetails the progress being made in border security and the challenges we still face, to read the entire story click here. 

The Washington Times

U.S. boosts deportation of illegals

In 1976 the Washington D.C. city council passed the most stringent gun ban in the nation.  The gun ban “prohibits city residents — with few exceptions — from registering handguns and keeping them in the city. It also requires legal firearms such as shotguns and rifles to be stored disassembled or bound with trigger locks.”  The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday and will soon rule on whether the ban shall continue.  Having been called “an important, watershed case”, parties on both sides of the 2^nd amendment debate are anxiously awaiting the results of the case.  The ruling “will mark the first time in about 70 years that the Supreme Court has examined the Second Amendment.”

Big “I”, the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, has expressed its support for the bipartisan legislation sponsored by Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY) and Rep. David Scott (D-GA).  The legislation, H.R. 5611, “would provide for streamlined non-resident insurance agent and broker licensing while preserving the market conduct rights of states and their ability to supervise agents and brokers.”  To read the statement from Big “I” click here. 

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 13, 2008—The Big “I” today expresses its strong support for bipartisan agent licensing reform legislation introduced by Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) and Rep. Geoff Davis (R-Ky).  This legislation is also supported by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.

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“Big ‘I’ members from all over the country encounter unnecessary and duplicative non-resident licensing requirements that cost them time and money, and these expenses are ultimately detrimental to insurance consumers,” says Big “I” President & CEO Robert A. Rusbuldt.  “The NARAB Reform Act would solve these difficulties created by a lack of true reciprocal licensing and also would not impact agents who are satisfied with the current system.  This bill only applies to non-resident licensing and does not pertain to resident licensing in any way.”

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“We commend Reps. Scott and Davis for introducing this important legislation,” says Charles E. Symington, Big “I” Senior Vice President, Government Affairs.  “Our support for this bill will be the primary focus of our Legislative Conference early next month when more than 1,200 insurance agents from across the country will come to Washington D.C. to advocate on certain issues with their federal representatives.  We look forward to working with Reps. Scott, Davis and other Members of Congress on this bill that will benefit both insurance agents and the consumers they represent.”

Recently, Congressman Geoff Davis was interviewed by Brian Thomas of WKRC.  Congressman Davis discussed the new tax increases proposed by House Democrats and the need for energy independence.  To listen to the entire podcast click here.

In recent editorials, The Washington Times and Investor’s Business Daily point out that House Democrats are more interested in protecting trial lawyers than the American people.  Democrat House leadership has blocked the terrorist wiretapping legislation, because they are concerned that trial lawyers will not be able to sue telecom companies that are assisting the government in tracking the conversations of suspected terrorists overseas. Read the entire Washington Times editorial here and the Investor’s Business Daily editorial here.

Several Editorials have outlined the Democrats’ budget plan.  The National Review says their plan will constitute a $683 billion tax hike.  The Washington Times and Investor’s Business Daily point out that unlike the president’s latest budget plan the Democrats’ budget does nothing to address the exploding costs of entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security.

Investor’s Business Daily: “Taxocratic Rule. Jack Spratt may not have been able to consume any fat, but his namesake who chairs the House Budget Committee is making sure the federal government won’t be going on a diet anytime soon. …House Democrats weren’t just promising to deliver more goodies to the many beneficiaries of government largesse that form their political base; they were also promising that doing so would produce budget surpluses by 2012 and 2013. How? By factoring in the massive automatic tax increases that would come from the Bush tax cuts being allowed to expire. …Neither the House nor Senate budget plan addresses the exploding costs of entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security, with their built-in automatic spending increases.” (Editorial, 3/11/08)

National Review Online: “Taxing Budget. Very few congressional Democrats possess the candor to admit that they are in favor of letting the Bush tax cuts expire, yet for the second year in a row the Democrats have put forward a budget resolution that assumes rates will snap back to their previous levels. This would constitute a $683 billion tax hike over five years. …The Democrats’ budget is just as noticeable for what it leaves out. There is no attempt to address the looming entitlement crisis, as Medicare and Social Security obligations balloon in response to the retirement of the first baby boomers. There is no solution to the problem of earmarks, which allow members of Congress to direct funds to pet projects with little transparency or accountability. And there is no long-term fix to protect the middle class from the Alternative Minimum Tax.” (Editorial, 3/11/08)

The Washington Times: “The other budget plans.Unlike the president’s latest budget plan, which provided for Social Security private accounts beginning in 2013 and initiated the Medicare-reform process by calling for $178 billion in Medicare budget savings for the 2009-2013 period (and $556 billion in savings over the 2009-2018 period), the House and Senate blueprints effectively do nothing to begin addressing the long-term budget shortfalls for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. …Meanwhile, voters and businesses should keep this in mind: The present value of the de facto unfunded liabilities for the unreformed Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security programs will continue to increase by trillions of dollars each year.” (Editorial, 3/11/08)

An editorial from The Arizona Republic calls on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to “seriously consider the national-security implications” of not passing the bipartisan terrorist wiretapping program.  The editorial lauds the bill as a “reasonable, 21^st Century method” for tracking terrorists.  To read the entire editorial click here.

The contentious national debate over electronic surveillance of suspected terrorists finally has boiled down to a digestible nugget:

Should the nation’s telecommunications companies, which control the vast databases of electronic communications, be granted retroactive immunity from lawsuits for having cooperated with the National Security Agency, which sought their data without a court order to do so?

That key provision now constitutes the biggest stumbling block for the Democratic-led House of Representatives - which itself constitutes the final (and most exasperating) obstacle to enacting a reasonable extension to this essential element of our national defense.

Led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the House has refused to vote on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act modernization bill, specifically out of opposition to providing legal-liability immunity to the telecoms.

Pelosi’s opposition - erected on behalf of the trial lawyers and political activists who are pressing almost 40 lawsuits against the telecoms on this issue right now - exasperates even the Democrats in the Senate, where a solidly bipartisan FISA modernization bill passed three weeks ago, 68-29.

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Pelosi and other Democratic House opponents of telecom immunity - including Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz. - should more seriously consider the national-security implications of not passing this legislation.

Trial lawyers, among the chief opponents of the FISA extension, have utterly failed to explain exactly why telecoms would engage in a conspiracy with the Bush administration to mine the electronic communications of innocent Americans.

Which brings us to the great, as-yet unexamined story of this “domestic spying” debate: the cynical, fear-pandering presumption of guilt that the ACLU and its opportunistic allies have created regarding telecom cooperation in the NSA program.

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Since virtually the day after Sept. 11, 2001, the ACLU and others have opposed nearly every measure enacted by Congress, or conducted by the administration, to enhance the nation’s defenses against terrorists.

And they have done so - repeatedly and emphatically - on the argument that the Republican administration of George W. Bush and its cronies are plying the public’s irrational fear of terror attacks to . . . well, that part of the Bush-conspiracy theory never seems to get fleshed out.

But the great irony is that those opposed to the electronic-surveillance program have shamelessly exploited the other side of the fear coin - that is, the instinctive opposition of Americans to an intrusive federal government.

Radio ads sponsored by the ACLU in Arizona and elsewhere have plied those themes, making outlandish, baseless claims that a program dedicated to ferreting out terrorists overseas is actually an attempt to “go through our e-mails and listen to our phone calls for any reason,” and that the telecom-immunity bill is “really about protecting (Bush’s) corporate friends.”

Simply put, that is cynical, manipulative propaganda based on exploiting the nation’s weariness with George W. Bush.

It is no good reason to hamstring reasonable, 21st-century methods for tracking people overseas who wish to do great harm here.

When Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was sworn in as Speaker of the House the average price of a gallon of gasoline nationwide was $2.29.  Today the price at the pump has hit a new record high of $3.23 per gallon.  Below are quotes from Democratic leadership.  See how that matches up with the reality of what Americans are facing at the pump

Steve Forbes outlines the disastrous energy policy passed by House Democrats last week.  The energy tax bill passed by House Democrats will amount to an $18 billion tax increase and loss of a manufacturing tax credit for American oil companies.   This bill spares foreign oil companies the tax increase and allows them to keep the tax credit.  Click here to read the entire piece.

In a relentless resolve to craft national energy policy, House Democrats last week passed an energy tax bill for the third time and the bill is headed to the Senate. With oil clearing the $100 benchmark and ongoing instability in key oil producing regions of the globe, politicians in Washington want credit for some form of energy legislation, even if it is wrong for the country. What Congress has really concocted is a transfer of wealth scheme that raises taxes on oil companies to provide subsidies to “alternative energy.” The bottom line on their latest energy fiasco is that it raises taxes on select oil companies, spares foreign oil companies the same tax increases and hands over subsidies to some of the largest companies in the country who will benefit from the “renewable” tax credits.

This $18 billion tax increase concocted by Congress includes a provision that takes away a manufacturing tax credit - which companies across the board can use - from only the five largest oil companies. As bad as it is to raises taxes for the energy industry during an economic slowdown, a tax increase that’s only aimed at specific companies undermines energy security by putting a handful companies at the mercy of competitors across the globe.

Even more outrageous, foreign oil companies, including Citgo, owned by the government of Venezuela, will not lose the deduction. In other words, foreign oil companies with US production will actually pay a lower tax rate than American companies. How can members of