Archives for February 2011

February 28th, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government (ALG) President Bill Wilson today urged passage of a bill by South Carolina State Representatives Bill Sandifer and Dwight Loftis that would allow the manufacture and purchase of incandescent light bulbs in South Carolina that are subject to a federal ban that begins to take effect in Jan. 2012.

“State Representatives Sandifer and Loftis are taking the lead in protecting the rights of South Carolina consumers, who don’t want the federal government telling them which light bulbs they must use,” Wilson said.

“The basic concept of the bill is to allow the citizens of South Carolina to be able to continue to buy incandescent light bulbs,” said State Representative Bill Sandifer, Chairman of the House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee.

“It is my strong belief that the feds have overstepped the Tenth Amendment, and now are venturing into telling us what kinds of lighting we can have in our homes,” Sandifer added.

But how can the federal government ban light bulbs? “They are trying to use again as they have so often done, the Commerce Clause. But I have a real problem with Big Brother intruding in how I live in my home,” Sandifer declared.

Explaining what the bill does, Representative Loftis said “it provides for the option of an entity manufacturing these bulbs in South Carolina to be sold in South Carolina”.

Wilson explained, “since the bulbs would be made entirely in South Carolina and sold in South Carolina, the federal government has no power to regulate it under the Interstate Commerce Clause.”

Sandifer said that there would be more hearings at the subcommittee level before it comes up for a final vote in his committee. He is hopeful for full House approval for the bill.

Loftis blasted the federal ban on incandescent light bulbs, saying, “On the one hand, the feds say we need to do something about cleaning up the environment, and on the other hand, they impose requirements that we use this particular light bulb that has hazards with the disposal of it.” The new fluorescent bulbs are laced with mercury, raising concerns over the costs of proper disposal and over mercury seepage back into the environment.

“All in all, it’s just something that the feds really I think have no business in regulating,” Loftis said, saying that the supposed cost savings from using the bulbs simply will not be there for consumers.

Loftis said that passage of the bill may depend on how environmental groups respond to it. “What side are they going to take?” Loftis asked. “Are they going to take the side of clean disposal? Or are they going to take the side of potentially putting some of the hazardous materials in the landfill or back out into the environment?”

Wilson said the issue came down to protecting the rights of consumers to be free to make their own choices, saying, “The government is attempting to micromanage our decisions as consumers. The federal government has no power to tell South Carolinians, or any citizen, what types of lighting they are allowed to use. Representatives Sandifer and Loftis deserve the support of their constituents to help overturn this tyrannical dictate by the federal government to use unsafe, mercury-laced bulbs.”

Wilson concluded, “Thomas Edison would be turning over in his grave if he knew that his invention, one of the greatest in human history, was being banned.”

The federal legislation effectively banning incandescent light bulbs, the “Energy Independence and Security Act,” was enacted in 2007.

Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

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February 24th, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government (ALG) President Bill Wilson today issued the following statement praising committee passage of HR 1593 in Oklahoma that would bring an end to a state mandate that municipalities that have more than a 35,000 population must engage in collective bargaining with public employees:

“Rep. Steve Martin is taking a reasonable step, offering legislation that gives municipalities the option of whether or not they wish to engage in collective bargaining with public employees. There is no reason the state of Oklahoma or any government should be requiring as a matter of law that such arrangements take place. That should be up to the municipalities, not politicians in Oklahoma City.

“We praise the General Government Committee for moving the bill to the floor of the House by a vote of 9-7. Now the full body can determine whether they ought to be forcing municipalities into collective bargaining arrangements that have resulted in unsustainable public pension and health-care liabilities across the country. The time for action is now to rein in the excessive costs of government.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

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February 23rd, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government (ALG) President Bill Wilson today issued the following statement condemning 14 Wisconsin State Senators for fleeing the state to avoid a vote on Governor Scott Walker’s proposal to end collective bargaining for public pension and health care benefits:

“The 14 Senate Democrats have engaged in a gutless move to flee their state rather than vote up or down on Governor Walker’s proposals to balance the budget. At a bare minimum, they shouldn’t be paid. But if a quorum cannot be reached to work on budget matters, which requires 20 members be present, then Senate Republicans will have to consider other options.

“The Wisconsin Senate, of course, could move forward with a quorum of 17 to pursue legislation minus any budget items. They should put a straight right-to-work law on the table, which would give all workers in the state the option of whether they want to join a union or not. They could move it to the floor and have it on the calendar, and then adjourn for a day. The delinquent 14 Senate Democrats would probably come scurrying back rather quickly to try to defeat the measure.

“But if they did not, Senate Republicans could be even more aggressive with more legislation: lower Medicaid eligibility requirements, saving the state tens of millions of dollars, roll back authorizations for entire departments, enact a sunset rule on all regulations issued by the state government, and require that all regulations that affect more than 50 people be approved by the state legislature. These are all items Senate Democrat would want to be there to try to stop.

“Ultimately, these 14 faithless senators need to get back to work on the budget. If Senate Republicans move aggressively, the ‘Delinquent 14’ can be made to meet their obligations.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

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February 18th, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government (ALG) President Bill Wilson today praised Alaska Governor Sean Parnell for joining with Florida Governor Rick Scott and Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen to follow the ruling by Federal Judge Roger Vinson striking down ObamaCare as unconstitutional.

Governor Parnell yesterday announced that “We will not proceed down an unlawful course to implement this law. The court’s declaratory judgment that the federal health-care law is unconstitutional is the law of the land as it applies to Alaska.” Parnell said implementing the voided law would violate his oath.

On February 16th, ALG had sent a letter to Governor Parnell and 27 other state governors a party to the Florida and Virginia suits, plus New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, urging them to take immediate action against the implementation of new regulatory processes forbidden by Judge Vinson’s ruling. Wilson thanked Governor Parnell for “doing the right thing.”

“This is the correct response by the states, which have no power in any event to follow a law declared unconstitutional by the courts,” Wilson said of Governor Parnell’s action. “It is the Obama Administration that has lawlessly implemented this law in spite of the Judge Vinson’s ruling. They have not taken the basic step of seeking an appeal or a stay. They are pretending they cannot comprehend what Judge Vinson meant when he declared the law unconstitutional.”

Wilson said that without a ruling specifically overturning Judge Vinson’s ruling, it “was the law of the land that both the states and Obama must follow.”

According to Bloomberg News, Alaska’s move allowed it to “skip a deadline to apply for a grant that federal officials say is needed to develop exchanges where residents would be able to buy medical insurance under the new health-care law.”

By withholding their cooperation, Wilson credited the states with prompting the Obama Justice Department to yesterday return to court to ask Judge Vinson to clarify his ruling. According to the Wall Street Journal, Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler said the agency filed the court motion “to confirm that the court did not intend to disrupt the many programs currently in effect, including small business tax credits, the millions of dollars in federal grants awarded to states to help with health care costs and other ongoing consumer protections while this case is on appeal.”

Wilson called the Justice Department’s move a “diversion,” saying the Justice Department was stalling for time. “They did not file a motion for a stay because that would be admitting that they knew Judge Vinson’s ruling was binding in the first place. Now it’s up to Judge Vinson to clarify that his ruling strikes down every single regulation being implemented pertaining to the law.”

According to ALG counsel Nathan Mehrens, the states have 14 days to file an opposition to the Justice Department motion.

ALG Research Director Don Todd explained the states’ options, “The Plaintiffs can file an opposing motion but they are not required to. They were asked to join this motion but did not. Whether there is enough cohesion among them to ask Judge Vinson to hold against all ObamaCare regulations is open to question.”

Wilson agreed, saying, “There has been a level of dissension between the various states about the best way to proceed in light of Judge Vinson’s ruling. Luckily, the Obama Administration flinched and went to court first. Now, it is very clear that the states will argue that the initial ruling strikes down all ObamaCare regulations.”

According to the Associated Press, “A spokeswoman for Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said Vinson’s ruling indeed does mean the states need not move forward with the health overhaul. Vinson ‘clearly stated’ that the order equaled an injunction, Jennifer Meale said in an e-mailed statement.”

Wilson praised Bondi’s “dedication to ensuring Administration compliance with Judge Vinson’s ruling.”

In Wilson’s Wednesday letter to the governors, he had urged the states to return to court. “I urge you to ask Judge Vinson to find the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in contempt for violating his ruling and seek an order to desist from any further actions relating to the unconstitutional act,” he wrote.

Wilson had cited a new ObamaCare regulation published in the Federal Register affecting student health plans as evidence that the Obama Administration was continuing with implementation of the voided law, demanding action by the states to seek further relief from the courts.

“Now, the states have no other choice,” Wilson said, concluding, “They must ask Judge Vinson to clarify his ruling, which was already as plain as day, and argue that the new regulatory processes must not continue. We thank Governor Parnell and others for taking the lead to oppose Obama’s unlawful action to proceed with implementing the voided law.”

Attachments:

ALG Letter to 29 Governors, February 15th, 2011 at www.getliberty.org/files/ObamaCareImplementationLettertoStates2-15-11.pdf.

“New ObamaCare Regulations Defy Court, ALG Urges States to Take Immediate Action,” February 11th, 2011.

“Obama Defies Judge, Implementation Continues,” February 7th, 2011, ALG President Bill Wilson.

“The Week Ahead Analyzes Judge Vinson’s Ruling,” Video News Segment, February 1st, 2011.

“Judge Stops ObamaCare, but Who Will Stop Obama?” February 2nd, 2011, by Robert Romano, Senior Editor, Americans for Limited Government.

Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

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February 18th, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today issued the following statement urging members of the House to approve a proposal by Rep. Jim Jordan to cut another $20 billion from the budget:

“Rep. Jordan’s proposal for an additional $20 billion in spending cuts improves upon the continuing resolution. It will keep to Pledge to America to ‘roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels’ by ensuring that all agencies operate at FY 2008 levels. And the amendment would bring the total cuts for the bill up to about $80 billion from current spending levels. We urge all members to support it.

“With a national debt of $14 trillion that cannot be repaid, and a $1.65 trillion budget deficit that cannot be balanced, House Republicans must aggressively make the largest amount of cuts as possible. A vote against the Jordan amendment is a vote against fiscal responsibility, and it is a vote against keeping the Pledge to America.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

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February 18th, 2011, Fairfax,VA—Americans for Limited Government (ALG) praised Congressman Stephen Fincher (R-TN) today for introducing House Resolution 98 which demands that the Food and Drug Administration rely on legitimate science in making regulations or findings.

In an exclusive interview with ALG, Fincher explained that the sense of the House resolution is designed to put the FDA on notice that they, “need to be careful not to legislate from the Executive branch.”

The Resolution specifically urges the Commissioner of the FDA to, “give the greatest weight in making critical policy decisions to readily available hard science data, including evidence from the natural sciences, physical sciences and computing sciences.”

Bill Wilson, President of Americans for Limited Government noted, “Mr. Fincher’s resolution will put the FDA on notice that they need to be constrained by actual science and not political science, and it is a good first step in reining in their dramatic overreach.”

The U.S. Government Accounting Office has found numerous instances of the FDA failing to follow its core mission with respect to the oversight of products within its jurisdiction, and that they are not using up to date scientific technologies to make determinations.

Fincher expressed that he is “troubled” by the fact that the FDA may be acting upon “whim” and not following hard science. His resolution will put the FDA on notice that they should not take actions unless warranted by real scientific determinations instead of other considerations.

The Resolution concludes by stating that the Commissioner of the FDA should :

(1) give the greatest weight in making critical policy decisions to readily available hard science data, including evidence from the natural sciences, physical sciences, and computing sciences; and
(2) avoid paternalistic policy decisions that are not grounded in hard science.

The Resolution has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration.

Click here to read H.Res 98

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February 18th, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today issued the following statement condemning 92 House Republicans for helping defeat a proposal by Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Marsha Blackburn to cut another $20 billion from the budget:

“Rep. Jordan and Rep. Blackburn’s proposal for another $20 billion in spending cuts would have helped House Republicans keep the Pledge to America promise to ‘roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels’ by ensuring that all agencies operate at FY 2008 levels.

“Although 147 Republicans, a broad majority of the conference, supported these cuts, incredibly, 92 members of their own caucus chose to protect funding for the government. Unfortunately, now the House will come far short of its pledge to cut at least $100 billion of spending this year.

“Americans for Limited Government will continue our fight to hold House Republicans accountable to keep their pledge of cutting $100 billion in spending this year. We urge all concerned citizens to contact their representatives atwww.keepthepledge.org.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

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February 17th, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government today commemorated the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Mt. Vernon Statement. Last year, ALG President Bill Wilson was among the original free market and limited government leaders that signed it.

Wilson said the statement “reaffirms that constitutional, limited government is the best means of preserving liberty, promoting prosperity, and opposing tyranny in America, and throughout the world.”

The Mt. Vernon statement was signed almost fifty years after the 1960 Sharon Statement by William F. Buckley, Jr. that many consider to be one of the founding documents of the modern conservative movement. More than 200,000 people have signed the statement in the past year.

Wilson said the statement remains relevant to the current political climate: “The rise of the tea party movement and increasing citizen participation shows that the people of the United States remain vital to preserving the Constitution. The Mt. Vernon statement reaffirms their natural rights to petition their government.”

According to the Mount Vernon Statement, “The federal government today ignores the limits of the Constitution, which is increasingly dismissed as obsolete and irrelevant.”

The statement continues, “The change we urgently need, a change consistent with the American ideal, is not movement away from but toward our founding principles. At this important time, we need a restatement of Constitutional conservatism grounded in the priceless principle of ordered liberty articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.”

Wilson praised former Attorney General Edwin Meese for putting together the coalition of national, grassroots leaders to pen the document. “Attorney General Meese deserves the thanks of the American people for bringing so many together behind a strong message promoting the proper, limited role of government.”

Wilson concluded saying, “The need for that discussion remains urgent. The continued support of the Mount Vernon Statement shows that Americans continue to be committed to constitutional, limited government. The unbridled and dangerous expansion of central power in Washington has gone unabated, and without constitutional limits being exercised, the liberty of every American is threatened.”

Wilson urged citizens to sign the statement themselves at www.themountvernonstatement.com.
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The Mount Vernon Statement

Constitutional Conservatism: A Statement for the 21st Century

We recommit ourselves to the ideas of the American Founding. Through the Constitution, the Founders created an enduring framework of limited government based on the rule of law. They sought to secure national independence, provide for economic opportunity, establish true religious liberty and maintain a flourishing society of republican self-government.

These principles define us as a country and inspire us as a people. They are responsible for a prosperous, just nation unlike any other in the world. They are our highest achievements, serving not only as powerful beacons to all who strive for freedom and seek self-government, but as warnings to tyrants and despots everywhere.

Each one of these founding ideas is presently under sustained attack. In recent decades, America’s principles have been undermined and redefined in our culture, our universities and our politics. The selfevident truths of 1776 have been supplanted by the notion that no such truths exist. The federal government today ignores the limits of the Constitution, which is increasingly dismissed as obsolete and irrelevant.

Some insist that America must change, cast off the old and put on the new. But where would this lead — forward or backward, up or down? Isn’t this idea of change an empty promise or even a dangerous deception?

The change we urgently need, a change consistent with the American ideal, is not movement away from but toward our founding principles. At this important time, we need a restatement of Constitutional conservatism grounded in the priceless principle of ordered liberty articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

The conservatism of the Declaration asserts self-evident truths based on the laws of nature and nature’s God. It defends life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It traces authority to the consent of the governed. It recognizes man’s self-interest but also his capacity for virtue.

The conservatism of the Constitution limits government’s powers but ensures that government performs its proper job effectively. It refines popular will through the filter of representation. It provides checks and balances through the several branches of government and a federal republic.

A Constitutional conservatism unites all conservatives through the natural fusion provided by American principles. It reminds economic conservatives that morality is essential to limited government, social conservatives that unlimited government is a threat to moral self-government, and national security conservatives that energetic but responsible government is the key to America’s safety and leadership role in the world.

A Constitutional conservatism based on first principles provides the framework for a consistent and meaningful policy agenda.

• It applies the principle of limited government based on the
rule of law to every proposal.
• It honors the central place of individual liberty in American
politics and life.
• It encourages free enterprise, the individual entrepreneur, and
economic reforms grounded in market solutions.
• It supports America’s national interest in advancing freedom
and opposing tyranny in the world and prudently considers what we can and should do to that
end.
• It informs conservatism’s firm defense of family, neighborhood,
community, and faith.

If we are to succeed in the critical political and policy battles ahead, we must be certain of our purpose.

We must begin by retaking and resolutely defending the high ground of America’s founding principles.

February 17, 2010

Edwin Meese, former U.S. Attorney General under President Reagan
Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America
Edwin Feulner, Jr., president of the Heritage Foundation
Lee Edwards, Distinguished Fellow in Conservative Thought at the Heritage Foundation, was present at the Sharon Statement signing.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council
Becky Norton Dunlop, president of the Council for National Policy
Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center
Alfred Regnery, publisher of the American Spectator
David Keene, president of the American Conservative Union
David McIntosh, co-founder of the Federalist Society
T. Kenneth Cribb, former domestic policy adviser to President Reagan
Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform
William Wilson, President, Americans for Limited Government
Elaine Donnelly, Center for Military Readiness
Richard Viguerie, Chairman, ConservativeHQ.com
Kenneth Blackwell, Coalition for a Conservative Majority
Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring
Kathryn J. Lopez, National Review

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February 16th, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today issued the following statement urging adoption of an amendment to the continuing resolution by Rep. Denny Rehberg defunding the implementation of ObamaCare:

“House Appropriations Labor and Health Subcommittee Chairman Denny Rehberg has taken an important and necessary step in offering an amendment to the continuing resolution that stops federal implementation of ObamaCare.

“Rep. Rehberg is to be praised for keeping this promise to the American people. It is outrageous in light of Judge Roger Vinson’s ruling voiding the law that Obama continues to spend federal money and issue new regulations on something that is no longer the law of the land.

“Today, I am sending a letter to every governor involved in the Florida and Virginia suits, as well New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, urging them to return to court. Obama must cease and desist from all implementation of this defunct law. To waste taxpayer money putting something into effect that has been found to be unconstitutional is a dereliction of duty. We urge Congress and governors across the nation to use all their resources to stop Obama’s illegal continuance of regulation writing.

“And we urge every member of Congress to support the Rehberg amendment to stop ObamaCare.”

Attachments:

ALG Letter to 29 Governors, February 15th, 2011 at www.getliberty.org/files/ObamaCareImplementationLettertoStates2-15-11.pdf.

“New ObamaCare Regulations Defy Court, ALG Urges States to Take Immediate Action,” February 11th, 2011.

“Obama Defies Judge, Implementation Continues,” February 7th, 2011, ALG President Bill Wilson.

“The Week Ahead Analyzes Judge Vinson’s Ruling,” Video News Segment, February 1st, 2011.

“Judge Stops ObamaCare, but Who Will Stop Obama?” February 2nd, 2011, by Robert Romano, Senior Editor, Americans for Limited Government.

Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

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February 15th, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government (ALG) urged the recusal of four members of an FDA panel deciding whether to ban menthol flavored tobacco products for “blatant conflicts of interest” in comments submitted today to the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC).

ALG President Bill Wilson clearly defined the issue stating, “The integrity of the process is the issue, and the American people need to be assured that those making regulatory decisions and recommendations are not doing so to line their own pockets or those of their current or former clients.”

Wilson states in the submission that, “at least four members of TPSAC have conflicts of interest by virtue of receiving payments from special interests with billions of dollars riding on the outcome of the committee’s analysis.”

ALG communicated the conflict of interest issues in a July 13, 2010 letter to Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, M.D., of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration which stated, “These irreconcilable biases jeopardize the neutrality that examination of this issue demands and requires. It also threatens to erode Americans’ confidence in government. It creates an anti-government sentiment that leads the public to question decisions, a dynamic that certainly is not healthy for our democracy….We can envision no greater conflict. We urgently request that you revisit these disqualifying conflicts of interest.”

“As we have made clear from the outset, the conflict of interest within the panel is the problem, and the failure of the Obama appointed FDA Administrator to take her responsibility to provide conflict of interest free decision making is just further evidence of the political agenda, rather than fact, driven power grab that this panel represents.”

Americans for Limited Government is a non-profit corporation dedicated to free market principles and rolling back the massive overreach of government that threatens individual freedom.

Attachments:

ALG Letter to Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, February 15th, 2011 at http://www.getliberty.org/files/TPSAC-21511.pdf .

ALG Letter to FDA, July 13th, 2010 at www.getliberty.org/files/ALGLettertoFDA.pdf .

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