June 25, 2008

In the midst of a sluggish American economy, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) outlines "serious concerns" regarding H.R. 5546, a bill sponsored by Reps. Conyers and Cannon, which will legalize collusion among our nation's largest and most profitable retailers. In a letter sent on June 23, 2008 to Representative Lamar Smith, a senior official at DOJ emphatically states that the "bill may actually harm consumers, not benefit them." Full release

In a demonstration of strong, bipartisan opposition to a Bush Administration regulatory action that will cut $770 million in seniors' Medicare Part A nursing home funding in 2009, 40 Senators and 108 U.S. House members have joined U.S. Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Norm Coleman (R-MN), and U.S. Representatives Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Shelley Berkley (D-NV), to send separate letters to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt, warning Medicare beneficiaries are "severely threatened" by the Administration's imminent action. U.S. Senator John Warner (R-VA) has sent his own separate letter to Secretary Leavitt expressing his concerns. Full release

"It's time to hold liberals accountable for the energy crisis they have created," Richard A. Viguerie, publisher of ConservativeHQ.com, said. "On energy and the environment, Republican Party leaders have run for the tall grass. It's up to grassroots conservatives to stand up for regular Americans and to expose what the liberals have done to us," he said. Full release

Today Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), Chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, issued the following statement on the expected nomination of Sandy Baruah, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, for head of the Small Business Administration (SBA). Full release

John McCain Wants To Increase Energy Independence By Allowing States To Decide If They Want To Drill Offshore, But Obama Says No: John McCain Proposed Lifting The Ban On Offshore Drilling And Letting States Decide If They Wanted To Explore And Drill For Energy. McCain: "But I also believe that lifting the moratoria from offshore drilling or oil and natural gas exploration is something that we should place as a very high priority. Full release

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) today welcomes the Supreme Court's rejection of attempts to expand the death penalty to crimes other than murder. Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing the majority opinion, said the Constitution bars the imposition of "the death penalty for the rape of a child where the crime did not result...in death of victim." Full release

John McCain says that "energy security is the great national challenge of our time" and claims he has a responsible energy plan to create jobs and decrease waste. But like his poll-driven gimmick to drill for offshore oil and pretend it will have any effect on gas prices today, Mr. McCain's claims to support the core energy priorities of Nevada will ring as hollow as the caverns in Yucca Mountain. [johnmccain.com, accessed 6/24/08] Full release

On June 12th, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued the latest release in a series of press releases entitled "Myth vs. Fact". (http://www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba_homepage/myth_fact.pdf) The latest "Myth vs. Fact" press release is in response to a New York Times article on a multitude of significant problems at the SBA that continue even after the departure of Administrator Steven Preston. In the release, Bush officials at the SBA once again claimed, "Large corporations are not receiving contracts meant for small businesses." Full release

FLASHBACK: Sen. Clinton Attacked Barack Obama's "Long Record Of Changing Positions": Sen. Clinton Said Obama Has "A Long Record Of Changing Positions." Sen. Clinton: "When you say John Edwards isn't electable because he changed positions between 2004 and 2008, and then you have a long record of changing positions, you know, all of a sudden you start to ask yourself, wait a minute - I mean, what is the substance here. What is, as famously was said years ago, where's the beef? You know, where is the reality? And I think that's a fair question." (ABC's "Good Morning America," 1/7/08) Full release

In the same week John McCain admitted that his new plan to end the moratorium on offshore oil drilling would have nothing more than a "psychological impact" on energy prices, McCain is bringing his out of touch campaign agenda to Nevada. While recent polls show that three quarters of Nevadans oppose construction of a nuclear repository at Yucca Mountain, Senator McCain has repeatedly voted to approve it and now proposes the construction of at least 45 new nuclear power plants. Presumably, Senator McCain's energy plan would require shipping the waste from those new plants to Nevada. Full release

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