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gopweeklyaddress uploaded a new video
(5 days ago)
In the Weekly Republican Address, Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison calls on Senate Democrats to finally move small business jobs bills with overwhel...
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In the Weekly Republican Address, Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison calls on Senate Democrats to finally move small business jobs bills with overwhelming bipartisan support that they've been stalling on. Sen. Hutchison also discusses rising gas prices and laments the Obama administration's energy policies slowing down oil and gas production in the United States.
Sen. Hutchison says, "We have six months before the elections and there is much we could accomplish -- much on which we can agree. But the President should send his message to the Senate Democrat leadership. For example, three of my Senate colleagues and I last week reiterated our call to have the Senate consider four bills that would make it easier for smaller companies to expand and hire. The key to moving from a monthly trickle of jobs to a tidal wave of growth is getting obstacles out of the way of our small businesses -- they are our job creators. The four measures that we have brought forward would remove outdated barriers to raising private funds for expansion and new hiring. Each of these bills has already passed the House with more than 400 votes -- large majorities of both Republicans and Democrats. Each bill has also been endorsed in concept by the President. And yet, these bills have been bottled up for months in the Democrat-controlled Senate."
She continues, "President Obama also noted this week that Americans are concerned by 'the rising cost of gasoline.' They certainly are. Gasoline prices have almost doubled in just three years -- and it's getting worse. Last February, the average cost of a gallon of unleaded was $3.17 per gallon -- the highest February price ever. But this February's average is $3.57 per gallon -- and all forecasts are for prices to rocket above $4.00 per gallon during the summer driving season. Families and businesses will be devastated. President Obama's own Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, has said, and I quote: 'Somehow, we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe.' Well, this Administration is certainly trying their best to do that.
"We can't slow down global demand for oil and gas, but we can do a lot more here at home to assure that we have the energy we need and to halt skyrocketing costs. But, President Obama's policy has resulted in an unprecedented slowdown in new exploration and production of oil and gas. Offshore drilling permits are being issued at less than half the rate of the previous administration. The average number of leases issued on public lands is less than half than during President Clinton's term. Not only will the slowdown in domestic production drive up fuel prices, it also takes away jobs from tens of thousands of oil industry workers.
"The same is true for the Keystone pipeline. It would produce thousands of good-paying construction jobs and tens of thousands more at U.S. refineries and suppliers. That pipeline would assure the U.S. of 830,000 barrels of needed oil daily -- not from halfway around the world, but from our friend to the north, Canada. After four years of environmental reviews and regulatory approvals, the Obama Administration is still stalling. If we wait, the Canadians have indicated they can ship their oil to China, and a huge opportunity will have been lost."
Sen. Hutchison concludes, "Our message to the President is: We can keep going. Thirteen million unemployed Americans can't wait until after this year's election -- or next year's baseball season. We ask the President to help get a bipartisan jobs bill through the Democrat-controlled Senate and for an energy policy that puts American workers and their families first."
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gopweeklyaddress uploaded a new video
(2 weeks ago)
In the Weekly Republican Address, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell previews the budget President Obama is expected to release on February 13th.
Gov. ...
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In the Weekly Republican Address, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell previews the budget President Obama is expected to release on February 13th.
Gov. McDonnell says, "While federal law mandates that the President release his budget on the first Monday of every February, the Administration has extended that period another seven days. Of course that one week delay from the White House pales in comparison to the nearly three-year holdup in the Democratic Senate. In that body, Senator Harry Reid's majority hasn't passed a budget in over 1000 days. Now, the Senator is refusing to even consider a budget on the floor. This is an astounding failure of leadership and management of the nation's finances.
"Harry Reid may not want to act, but we will still get a budget from the President in less than 48 hours. While we don't know the specifics of that budget, we can reasonably predict a lot from the President's previews and his past policy decisions.
"We can expect the President's budget to make private sector job creation tougher because it will raise taxes and continue policies like Obamacare that are making it harder for small businesses to hire—at a time when millions of Americans remain out of work. We can expect the President's budget to ignore the growing entitlement crisis in this country. It won't protect the security of Medicare and Social Security and, absent major reforms, it'll continue down the road to bankrupting these programs in the years ahead. Now we can expect the President's budget to again fail to address the $15 trillion, and growing, national debt—in fact, it will probably make it worse. With no boldness or leadership or setting priorities, the Obama approach is simply more debt, more taxes, and more blaming others.
"In short, we can expect that this will not be a proactive budget built to promote fiscal responsibility and future prosperity. Rather it appears we'll see a bloated budget that doubles down on the failed policies of the past.
"Republicans know that we can do better."
In stark contrast to the Obama administration, Gov. McDonnell notes, "While Washington D.C. borrows at a staggering $3.5 billion a day just to keep the lights on, Republican governors have closed $65 billion in deficits the past two fiscal years alone.
"Here in Virginia, we closed $6 billion in budget shortfalls without raising taxes and produced nearly $1 billion in surpluses the past two years, by putting new money into transportation and colleges and universities. In Nebraska, Governor Dave Heineman proposed $326 million in tax cuts. In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie is pushing to cut the state income tax by 10 percent. And Republican governors in Florida, Georgia, Iowa, New Mexico and South Carolina are all working to reform their tax systems to make their states more competitive.
Republican governors are balancing their budgets on time, without tax increases, and without deficit spending. And their hard work to make government more efficient and effective is helping to create the environment in which Americans can use their God-given talents to compete, grow, innovate and pursue the American Dream. In fact, in the most recent CNBC rankings of the most business friendly states in the country, 11 of the top 15 states have Republican governors. And Republican led states are outpacing Democratic counterparts when it comes to job creation. Seven of the 10 states with the lowest unemployment rates have Republican governors, and in 2011, states with Republican governors added 912,000 new jobs."
He concludes, "A true and lasting economic recovery will not come from government. It will come from the hard work, talents, and vision of the American people. Republicans believe that it is our duty to help create an environment in which private sector jobs can be best created and sustained. And we know that when we limit government to free up capital, and reduce onerous regulations and litigation, we spur private sector job creation.
"In short, we believe the role of government in an economic recovery is simple: At every level, governments should pass budgets on time that fund core functions like education, transportation, and public safety well, and don't waste precious taxpayer dollars. And, at every level, governments should enact policies that ensure our private sector job creators, small business owners, and entrepreneurs can compete against the world, create jobs, and innovate.
"The American people can out-compete and out-work anyone, anywhere. All they need is the opportunity. Republican leaders in our state capitals are creating those opportunities for success and they are getting results. Now, we need that kind of leadership in the U.S. Senate and the White House."
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gopweeklyaddress uploaded a new video
(1 month ago)
In the Weekly Republican Address, Florida Senator Marco Rubio explains the failures of the Obama administration. He contrasts those with the promis...
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In the Weekly Republican Address, Florida Senator Marco Rubio explains the failures of the Obama administration. He contrasts those with the promise of America that he and Republicans believe in, if the government stops doing the wrong things.
Sen. Rubio says, "As you know, earlier this week, President Obama delivered his fourth annual address to Congress. It was an opportunity for the President to talk about his accomplishments over the last three years and to lay out his plans for the year ahead.
"And he missed on both counts.
"You didn't hear much talk about the success of his Administration—and that's because there isn't much.
"Yes, this President inherited a significant national debt, but over the last three years he's made it worse. Our national debt has grown by nearly 50 percent since he took over, and now, for the first time since World War II, our national debt is larger than our country's economy.
"Yes, this President inherited an economy where unemployment was too high, but over the last three years he's made it worse. Today our unemployment rate is higher than the day he took office. In fact, since he took over, it's been stuck over 8 percent every single month.
"This President didn't talk about his record for one simple reason; he doesn't want you to know about it. But you do know about it, because you feel the failure of his leadership every single day of your life.
"The bottom line is this President inherited a country with serious problems. He asked the Congress to give him the stimulus and Obamacare to fix it. The Democrats in Congress gave it to him. And not only did it not work, it made everything worse.
"President Obama has a year left in the White House. So what are his plans now to make things better? What does he plan to do now, that he didn't do before? Well we got our answer Tuesday night. He plans to divide us against each other. To pit Americans against other Americans in the hopes of generating enough votes to get re-elected.
"He tells Americans worried about their jobs that the way to help them is to raise their bosses' taxes.
"He tells those who are hurting that the only way they can be better off, is for others to be worse off.
"He tells all of us that the only way for some of us to climb up the economic ladder is for others to be pulled down.
"This divisive rhetoric, this effort to gain political support by convincing some that they will be better off if we punish others, this stuff has never worked anywhere it's been tried.
"People end up fleeing countries who adopt economic policies based on these flawed principles. And more often than not, they come here.
"They come here because this is not who we are.
"Americans have always believed that all of us can succeed.
"That those who have made it fairly, can stay there. And those who are trying to make it will have a real chance to join them.
"This is what has made us different. This is what has made us prosperous. This is what makes us exceptional.
"And now, for the first time in my adult life, we have a President who's asking us to abandon our economic heritage.
"To become like the countries people come here to get away from.
"To become like everybody else.
"Yes, people are hurting. Yes, there is a growing gap between the rich and the poor.
"But the way to solve it is not to embrace the 'trickle up poverty' economics of other nations.
"The way to solve it is to embrace the American Free Enterprise system.
"No economic system is perfect. But the American Free Enterprise system has empowered millions of people in the past. I know, because I saw it with my own eyes.
"My father was a bartender. And I thank God every night that there was someone willing to risk their money to build a hotel on Miami Beach and later in Las Vegas where he could work.
"I thank God that there was enough prosperity in America so people could go on vacation to Miami or Las Vegas. Where people felt prosperous enough to have weddings or Bar Mitzvahs and, by the way, could leave tips in my Dad's little tip jar. Because with that money he raised us. And he gave me the opportunity to do things he never had a chance to do.
"Now, we had help along the way. I had student loans and grants from the government to help me get my education. And I went to our public school system.
"That's an important role for government to play. And so I also thank God that we had an economy prosperous enough to afford to pay for these things as well.
"So, I'll just close by saying, I hope this year will be the beginning of our work towards a new and prosperous American century.
"Because I know that this idea of a nation where anyone from anywhere can accomplish anything, it's not just something I read about in history books. I've seen it in my own life. And there's no reason why we cannot continue it here, if only we do the right things."
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gopweeklyaddress uploaded a new video
(1 month ago)
In the Weekly Republican Address, North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven discusses the Keystone XL pipeline and why it's "in the national interest and ...
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In the Weekly Republican Address, North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven discusses the Keystone XL pipeline and why it's "in the national interest and the interest of the American people."
Sen. Hoeven says, "This new $7 billion, 1,700-mile, high-tech transcontinental pipeline, the largest shovel-ready project in the country, would reduce our dependence on Middle East oil, help keep down the cost of energy for American consumers and businesses, and create thousands of jobs for American workers at a time when our nation so greatly needs them."
He points out, "A week ago, newspapers across the country ran a story warning consumers that gasoline could rise to more than $4.00 a gallon this year. In the same week, we saw world markets react nervously to the standoff between the U.S. and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz—through which one-third of the world's seaborne oil is now shipped. Combine all of this with growing global demand for oil, especially in China, and we have a recipe for dramatically higher energy prices and more personal hardship for working Americans. . . . Yet the President is saying 'no' to the Keystone XL pipeline, he's saying 'no' to a project that will bring more than 700,000 barrels of oil a day from our friend and ally, Canada, and he's virtually assuring continued reliance on the Middle East. That makes no sense, and it's a matter of great concern for our national security, particularly with what's going on in Iran."
Sen. Hoeven continues, "Last month the U.S. Senate passed a payroll tax cut measure that includes an important provision that I, along with Senator Richard Lugar, introduced to clear the way for construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
"This pipeline will carry oil not only from Alberta, Canada, but also 100,000 barrels a day from the U.S. Bakken region in Montana and my home state of North Dakota. Our legislation accomplishes three crucial things. First, it makes sure the decision to permit the project can be reached within 60 days, it addresses routing concerns by the state of Nebraska, and then it ensures that the pipeline permit includes strong and specific environmental protections. It's hard to imagine a project that is more in the national interest and the interest of the American people."
Concluding, Sen. Hoeven says, "The point is this: If the Keystone XL pipeline isn't built, Canadian oil will still be produced and transported—700,000 barrels a day of it—but instead of coming to our refineries in the United States, instead of creating jobs for our people, instead of reducing our dependence on Middle Eastern oil and keeping down the cost of fuel for American consumers—that oil will be sent to China. A number of year-end stories recently made much of the fact that the Keystone XL pipeline project isn't on the President's agenda before next year's election, which is unfortunate, because it is private-sector projects like Keystone XL—and the hundreds of others cited by the U.S. Chamber study—that will get our nation working again.
"I have worked towards approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, first as governor of North Dakota, and now with my colleagues as a U.S. Senator, because it is just the kind of project that will grow our economy and create more jobs. And that's the larger point here. We must empower private investment and create sustainable jobs through private enterprise to lift up our country. The President and his Administration need to join us in creating the kind of legal, tax, and regulatory environment that empowers private investment. That's the approach that will grow our economy and get people back to work. That's the approach that will reduce our deficit and debt, and strengthen our nation."
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gopweeklyaddress uploaded a new video
(2 months ago)
In the Weekly Republican Address, Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson lays out the commitments Republicans have for the American people for the new year.
Se...
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In the Weekly Republican Address, Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson lays out the commitments Republicans have for the American people for the new year.
Sen. Isakson says, "It's no secret that the number one issue facing our country is jobs. So the number one goal of the Republicans for 2012 is to continue to make it easier for American small businesses to create jobs. We'll accomplish this by focusing on three things: fundamental tax reform, regulatory reform and energy security."
Concerning tax reform, Sen. Isakson says, "We should lower tax rates, do away with certain specialized and targeted tax deductions, broaden the tax base and close loopholes. Many of these suggestions were included in President Obama's own deficit commission's proposal, the Simpson-Bowles plan. Unfortunately, the President chose to ignore that plan. Congress cannot wait any longer to get our nation's fiscal house in order. This means tackling the nearly $4.5 trillion in additional debt that the Obama Administration has racked up in just the past three years. Democrats have pushed over and over again to raise taxes on the American families and small businesses to pay for their unsustainable spending habits. This is absolutely the wrong solution, especially in a time of a recession. Instead, we must dig our way out of this debt by reforming our tax system, cutting spending and extending opportunity for businesses to grow."
On regulations, Sen. Isakson says, "In 2012, Republicans will continue to fight to remove the shackles of onerous federal regulations on American small businesses. This is one of the fastest ways we can empower small businesses to begin hiring again. It's one of the keys to bringing our country out of this recession. The burdensome overregulation by President Obama's federal agencies has resulted in small businesses holding capital on the sidelines and freezing plans to hire new workers. American business cannot plan ahead because they fear the next expensive regulation might be coming from the federal government. It is uncertainty that must end. The federal government cannot regulate our country into prosperity. Our job as legislators is to see to it that there is a level playing field for businesses, entrepreneurs and workers."
"The third way that Republicans will make it easier to create jobs in the New Year," he continues, "is by continuing to push for energy solutions that create jobs, lower energy costs and remove our dependence on foreign oil. We can accomplish these goals by tapping into our domestic resources in an environmentally responsible way; such as through offshore drilling and shale extraction. We must develop all forms of energy—wind, solar, nuclear and others—if we're ever going to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. This past year, Republicans pushed for construction of the Keystone XL pipeline to transport 700,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada to the United States. This project would give America a reliable source of oil from our largest trading partner, and it would create tens of thousands of jobs for the American people. The Keystone pipeline is exactly the type of energy project this country needs."
Sen. Isakson concludes, "As we enter into this New Year, many have predicted that Congress will be too consumed with the Fall elections to accomplish anything significant. Americans cannot wait until after the November election. They need us to do our job and do it right now to create an economic climate that makes it easier to put people back to work. Republicans stand ready to do that. We're ready to go to work in 2012 to get the American people back to work.
"God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America in this New Year."
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by Karl Marx, Al Sharpton, MSDNC, ABC, CBS and NBC.