“With the launching of StopAcorn.org, and a massive outreach efforts to grassroots activists nationwide,” ALG president Bill Wilson said, “we are today asking the President to defend our country by launching immediate investigations into a wide range of possible ACORN illegal activities.

“These range from voter fraud, for which ACORN has already been implicated in more than a dozen states this year alone, to the pivotal role ACORN played in bringing about the financial collapse Americans are enduring today.”

According to Wilson, ACORN’s voting fraud abuses have allegedly occurred nationwide, including:

• Michigan, where municipal clerks have reported that ACORN has been responsible for fraudulent and duplicate voter registration applications statewide.

• Seattle, Washington, where felony charges have been filed against ACORN in the states largest voter-fraud case ever.

• New Mexico, where officials in Bernalillo County have notified federal authorities of more than 1,000 fraudulent voter registration cards, with ACORN as the prime suspect.

• And Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where election officials have accused ACORN of filing multiple fraudulent voter registrations during the 2008 primary.

“These incidents are just the proverbial tip of the iceberg,” Wilson said. “And it’s an iceberg fully intended to chill the rights of honest citizens across the country. Now, to make matters worse, ACORN is attempting to run away from its complicity in corrupting our financial markets by conniving with left-wing politicians to forcing banks to make sub-prime loans to unqualified home buyers.”

According to Wilson, ACORN began pressuring banks to issue high-risk “affirmative action” loans under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) as far back as 1977. And, in fact, ACORN leader, Madeline Talbott has admitted “dragging banks kicking and screaming” into what had theretofore been considered highly dubious loans for bad-credit risks. ACORN also was able to profit from its community pressure tactics by positioning itself as an “advisor” to banks seeking regulatory approval.

In response to ACORN’s nationwide track record of voter fraud and coercive high-risk loan activities, StopAcorn.org is calling upon President Bush to take the following actions:

• Direct the Attorney General to investigate the voter registration programs of ACORN to determine the extent to which a coordinated effort at voter fraud has been undertaken.

• Direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to conduct an immediate audit of all tax money sent to ACORN or any of its affiliates to determine if public money has been diverted to partisan political operations and to refer any evidence of such diversion to the appropriate U.S. Attorney for prosecution.

• Direct the Secretary of State and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency to investigate the efforts of ACORN International in efforts to undermine democratically elected governments and to determine the full extent of the relationship between ACORN and ACORN International with the governments of Cuba and Venezuela.

“Through highly questionable activities, ACORN has clearly undermined our electoral system. And with its outrageous efforts to force government to underwrite sub-prime loans, ACORN played a primary role in undermining our financial system as well. It’s time for the President to bring the full force of the law to bear in exposing this radical organization’s destructive activities.”

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“The $61 billion House and $56 billion Senate so-called economic ‘stimulus’ packages are yet another futile proposal by Congressional Democrats. They think if you just hand out money that the economy can be rescued,” said Wilson.

“It doesn’t quite work like that,” Wilson declared.

“Government has tried repeatedly to ‘stimulate’ the economy this year to no avail,” said Wilson.

“There was a $150 billion ‘stimulus’ package earlier this year. No stimulus. There was a $300 billion Foreclosure ‘Prevention’ Act. Since then, foreclosures have actually increased. There has been $114 billion in loans to bail out Bear Sterns and AIG, a $200 billion nationalization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and taking up $9 billion in risk from Indy Mac. And yet the global financial system is on the brink of ruin,” Wilson added.

“We are awash in debt, already passing $10 trillion this year. And somehow, the Congressional majority believes that spitting out another $60 billion in boondoggles, earmarks, and kickbacks is going to in any way solve the massive problems facing the economy?” asked Wilson.

“That’s like going all in on a 2 and a 3 unsuited before seeing the flop,” said Wilson. “Now is the time to be saving the American taxpayer’s money for the hard times to come, and yet when faced with a challenging economic crisis, Congress’ first instinct is to spend, spend, spend.”

“It’s sickening,” he said. “These people are like crack addicts. And they need to be put into rehab. $1.83 trillion of the privately-held national debt is coming due in the next year, and yet we’re not planning for that. Instead, we’re going on a spending binge.”

Wilson emphasized alternatives to help stimulate the economy in the long-term: “We need honest credit, hard money, low taxes, and fiscal discipline by lawmakers. That means putting an end to housing welfare program that created the current mortgage securities meltdown. It means eliminating the dual mandate at the Federal Reserve and stabilizing the dollar. It means a flat tax at a lower rate. And it means balancing the budget and eliminating needless federal bureaucracy.”

Wilson noted prescient historical lessons about how governments tend to react to economic hardship: “Government’s first inclination whenever the economy hiccups is to grow government, make it bigger. Spend more. Raise taxes. Regulate businesses. Artificially control wages and prices. And that’s exactly what many politicians are doing today. It’s never worked, and it never will.”

“And yet, that’s what they’re doing,” said Wilson.

“Why don’t we try something different just this once? Why not shrink government? Why not reduce taxes? Why not cut spending?” asked Wilson.

“Never has the need for limited government been more apparent,” Wilson declared. “Congress needs to draw a line in the sand and vote no on these economic giveaway packages.”

# # #

The Senate voted 52-40 in favor of cloture to begin debate on the legislation, which has been bundled together by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), failing to reach the three-fifths necessary to move forward with the bill.

“This is a good day for the American taxpayer, who will not be bilked by creating 35 new federal programs. And it also a good day for the American consumer, as there is a growing number of members in the Senate that want to focus solely on addressing America’s energy crisis before any other business is attended to,” Wilson added.

“Americans for Limited Government would like to commend Senator Tom Coburn, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and all of the members of the Senate that voted to filibuster the $11.3 billion Reid Omnibus Spending Bill,” said Wilson.

“Majority Leader Reid attempted to sneak this legislation through while nobody was looking. But thanks to the efforts of journalists nationwide—print, TV, radio, and the blogosphere—who brought this important issue to the attention of the American people, it was defeated” he added. “It proves that when the American people are informed about the waste that is going on in Washington, that a loud chorus of voices can defeat that waste.”

The Reid Omnibus Spending Bill would include such items as $1.5 billion for the D.C. Metro, $12 million for a greenhouse in Maryland, and $17 million for captive primate safety.

“This is an important battle that has been won, but the war is not over. We will continue to pressure Congress to focus on addressing the energy crisis now,” said Wilson.

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“The American people need to know about these 19 Republican Senators that have joined with Senator Coburn,” said Wilson. “Instead of continuing to recklessly grow the size of government, they are determined to increase America’s energy supply right now and give the American people real relief from the soaring prices at the gas pump.”

“This is an important first step to defeating this $11.3 billion boondoggle. They should be praised and thanked, and Americans for Limited Government is encouraging them to go all the way to defeat it. If it comes down to it, they ought to filibuster it,” Wilson added.

The letter, addressed to Republican Leader Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), states, “Although the American people are calling for solutions to increase exploration, all Republican proposals to do so have been shut down before a vote could be taken because of the tactics employed by the Majority Leader [Sen. Harry Reid]. Until alternative proposals are allowed on the floor, the American public will not get relief from the high prices they are paying for gas.”

Wilson believes that the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-NV), who has blocked energy bills while pushing his omnibus spending legislation, has his priorities “exactly backward.”

“The only thing that should be on the fast track right now is increasing domestic oil drilling in the outer-continental shelf, off the east and west coasts, in ANWR, and on other federal lands where oil companies are currently barred by law from drilling,” said Wilson.

“Instead, Majority Leader Reid is ramming this $11.3 billion omnibus spending bill down the American people’s throats without so much as allowing a single amendment. It is willful negligence when he knows that hard-working Americans are expecting the government to do something about energy prices.”

According to the July 17th letter to Sen. McConnell, the twenty Senators opposing the omnibus spending bill and who signed the letter are:

Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Jim DeMint (R-SC)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Richard Burr (R-NC)
Wayne Allard (R-CO)
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Arlen Specter (R-PA)
Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Norm Coleman (R-MN)
Jim Bunning (R-KY)
James Inhofe (R-OK)
Mel Martinez (R-FL)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Sam Brownback (R-KS)
John Ensign (R-NV)
John Sununu (R-NH)
Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Larry Craig (R-ID)

“We are going to lobby every Republican Senator to oppose this mess,” said Wilson. “They need to understand that the American people want Congress to increase the energy supply and decrease energy prices, not work on pork-barrel spending that benefits only a select few.”

Wilson believes that every Republican Senator now has to “choose this day whom they will serve. They can either stand with Senator Coburn and filibuster this waste, and help pass meaningful energy legislation—or they can aid and abet Sen. Reid in bilking the American people.

Wilson warned, “We won’t forget who does which.”

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“The economy is very sick, and it is sick because of the excessive spending and debt that Congress creates year in and year out,” said Wilson in a statement. “Our overall financial system is teetering on the brink of ruin, the dollar is collapsing, prices are soaring, inflation is on the rise, and the national debt has never been larger.”

“This is no coincidence,” said Wilson. “All roads lead back to Washington on the current economic crisis, because Congress keeps on spending. Their response to every crisis is to spend more. A $25 billion omnibus bill here. A $300 billion bank bailout there. A $150 billion economic ‘stimulus’ package. It never ends.”

Wilson explained, “The problem is that Congress’ spending habits—they spend more than they take in revenue—further increase the money supply and the national debt, directly causing the economy’s downward spiral to continue. They call it ‘stimulus,’ but really it’s cyanide for our economy and our future.”

“Enough is enough,” he added. “This is why it is imperative that all Republicans in the Senate join Senator Tom Coburn’s filibuster of the $25 billion omnibus bill.”

Senator Tom Coburn recently stated that 20 Senators had already joined the filibuster. Procedurally, it takes 41 votes in the Senate to maintain a filibuster.

According to a July 17th a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senators may not even be allowed to offer amendments to the omnibus package.

Wilson believes that Majority Leader Reid’s move will erode the Senate minority’s ability to keep the majority in check. “How this bill turns out will absolutely set the pace for the next session of Congress. Senate Republicans have a chance to turn the tide,” said Wilson.

“But, it’s going to take fiscal discipline, something that has been severely lacking in Washington for generations,” he added. “Senator Coburn needs a lot of help from his colleagues if that is ever going to change. Right now, he’s the true conscience of the Senate.”

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In addition, ALG President Bill Wilson called upon 88-year-old Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens to “do what is right and honorable and resign now from the seat he has held too long and abused so badly.” Said Wilson, “In referring to Mr. Stevens’ convoluted reasoning as ‘grotesque,’ Justice Scalia summed up in a word Mr. Stevens’ entire career. He is clearly out of touch, out of sync, and, as demonstrated by his dissenting opinion in Heller, now barely coherent.”

In the historic 5-4 Heller ruling, the high court affirmed a lower court’s ruling that the District of Columbia’s gun ban is unconstitutional, violating the individual right to bear arms. Said Justice Scalia in writing the majority opinion, “Undoubtedly some think that the Second Amendment is outmoded in a society where our standing army is the pride of our Nation, where well-trained police forces provide personal security, and where gun violence is a serious problem. That is perhaps debatable, but what is not debatable is that it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.”

“This is a major victory for the citizens of the District of Columbia, and the rest of the nation,” said Wilson. “For far too long, citizens in certain parts of this country have been denied their constitutional rights. We commend the Supreme Court on this decision, and we trust it will mark the beginning of the end for misguided jurisprudence that views the Constitution as, in Jefferson’s words, ‘wax in the hands of the Judiciary’.”

In writing the majority decision, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that, “[W]e find that [the textual elements of the Second Amendment] guarantee the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation.”

Both parties in this case had argued on the basis of the meaning of the Second Amendment itself. D.C. had argued that the right to keep and bear arms only applied to State militias. But the Court ruled against that logic: “The prefatory clause does not suggest that preserving the militia was the only reason Americans valued the ancient right; most undoubtedly thought it even more important for self-defense and hunting.”

Wilson agreed, “D.C.’s argument – and Mr. Stevens’ defense of it — never even measure up to the basic rules of grammar, let alone the basic rule of law. The operative clause the Second Amendment has always been the right of the people to keep and bear arms. What is stunning to me is that the decision was so close.”

Wilson was guarded against overly praising the Court, “The Supreme Court has definitely been up and down with important decisions these past few years, with horrible rulings in both Kelo and the McCain-Feingold challenge, but this one they certainly nailed. In addition to commending the 5 justices ruled in favor of Mr. Heller, we would also like to praise the brave citizens who challenged D.C.’s unconstitutional law for their courage and patriotism. George Mason and Patrick Henry would be proud.”

Wilson added, “Nonetheless, Americans for Limited Government is very pleased with this decision protecting citizens’ rights to own and carry guns, and importantly that the case was decided on a textual basis. For too long the Court has done everything except rule on the basis of what the Constitution clearly says. Justice Scalia’s opinion, therefore, is a breath of fresh air for all Americans who value the rule of law.”

Americans for Limited Government is a 501(c)(4) issues advocacy organization based in Fairfax, Virginia. Additional information on this case will be included in Friday’s edition of ALG News’ flagship publication The Daily Editorialist.

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