RSLC Encourages State Legislators to Focus On Necessities Not Niceties In Addressing Budget Shortfalls January 5, 2009
Posted by rslcpol in : State Legislature News , add a commentFor IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 5, 2009
ALEXANDRIA, VA – As legislatures across the country head into session this month, the majority will be faced with addressing budget shortfalls due to the continued weakened economy. The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), the nation’s largest caucus of Republican state leaders, encouraged state legislators to focus on necessities and not niceties in addressing today’s serious economic issues.
“Legislative leaders across the country are facing astounding economic situations. As they look at ways to address these serious budgetary issues during the legislative session, we hope they keep their focus on the necessities of state government programs and forgo the niceties,” said RSLC President Scott Ward. “During tumultuous economic times, the people need the government to create an environment for prosperity. While many Democrat leaders look to raising taxes as a simple fix to the complex economic problems facing all Americans, we encourage them to take a commonsense approach to solving these problems and not to further burden families already struggling across the country.”
Prior to legislatures going into session for 2009, Republican leaders took steps to help address state budget shortfalls. Some examples of Republican leaders taking a commonsense approach to addressing their state budget shortfalls:
- Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater called for a January special session in response to the “tectonic shift” of the Florida economy that went into session today
- South Dakota Republican Representative Larry Tidemann saying South Dakota might need to cut 2010 legislative session 5 days short
- Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett and state legislative officials are forgoing their 2009 cost of living increases
- Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell cut his office budget, salary and returned his state vehicle
- Virginia Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling cut his office budget
- Georgia lawmakers are forgoing their 2009 cost of living increases
OK: LG Askins Running for Governor
Posted by rslcpol in : Lieutenant Governor News, Attorney General News , add a commentLots of open seats in Oklahoma. First term Democrat L.G. Jari Askins is running for Governor. Four-term Democrat A.G. Drew Edmondson is running for Governor. What Republicans will run to fill the L.G. and A.G. slots in Oklahoma in 2010? We know - do you? From Tulsa World:
Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, a Democrat, plans to run for governor in 2010.
As first reported on tulsaworld.com, in a letter dated Friday and obtained by the Tulsa World on Sunday, Askins tells supporters she will “soon become a candidate for Governor of Oklahoma.”
Askins said Sunday in a telephone interview that she plans a formal announcement this month.
Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson, a Democrat, has said he intends to run for governor and will not seek re-election as attorney general.
Budget Problems in Missouri and Kansas
Posted by rslcpol in : State Legislature News , add a commentFrom KansasCity.com:
The nation’s recession already has gut-punched Americans at home. Now it’s hitting the statehouses hard.
Missouri and Kansas open their legislative sessions in a few days in the midst of what some lawmakers are calling a once-in-a-generation money crisis.
Mounting job losses. Plummeting home values. And now consumer spending declines have sent tax revenues dropping sharply. Lawmakers may be forced to dig deep into state spending just to stanch the red ink and keep their budgets balanced.
RI: Looking Ahead in ‘09
Posted by rslcpol in : State Legislature News , add a commentFrom Projo.com:
When the General Assembly reopens for business Tuesday, lawmakers must confront a sour economy, a $357-million current-year budget shortfall and pressure to act on the Carcieri administration’s first-ever plan to overhaul Rhode Island’s Medicaid program.
The mood on Smith Hill is ominous.
“To be perfectly blunt, the world really did change since we left this building in June with the global financial meltdown,” said Senate Majority Leader-elect Daniel P. Connors. “This year will be absolutely dominated by budget discussions.”
After six months off, legislative leaders have pledged to act swiftly to address the deficit, making committee appointments and holding hearings this week.
SC Governor Race: LG and AG Both in the Running
Posted by rslcpol in : Lieutenant Governor News, Attorney General News , add a commentWe at the RSLC have always said that your Republican secretaries of state, state legislators, lieutenant governors, and attorneys general are America’s future governors, congressmen (and women!), and even President. Republican Attorney General Henry McMaster, and Republican Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer are perfect examples. With leaders like this, this country’s future is very bright. From The State:
Gov. Mark Sanford says he will be involved in the 2010 race to elect his successor, but declined to say who he might support.
“I think some of my actions I’ve taken to date would probably give you some insights as to what I feel,” Sanford said, declining to clarify or elaborate.
When he left the U.S. House after three terms, the GOP governor did not endorse a successor.
Retrospectively, that “was a mistake,” Sanford said, adding of his Republican successor: “I think that (U.S. Rep.) Henry Brown has been anything but a guardian of the taxpayer.”
Ohio House Speaker/Senator Elect Rules Out Governor Run
Posted by rslcpol in : State Legislature News , add a commentOhio needs more state leaders like Jon Husted. He’s served well in the Ohio House of Representatives, and will be a solid leader in the Ohio State Senate. But we’re not the only ones who think so - you don’t get stories like this written unless there’s something being said on the ground by activists and volunteers. From Cleveland Plain Dealer Blog:
Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted, who is about to leave the House and become a state senator, acknowledges that there’s been a lot of speculation about his political future and whether he’ll run for statewide office.
Treasurer? Maybe. Secretary of state? Could be. But don’t count on the Dayton-area Republican to challenge Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland in 2010.
“I’m looking at lots of things, but running for governor is not one of them,” Husted told Plain Dealer editors during a visit on Friday.
KS: Dem LG Not Running for Governor Anytime Soon
Posted by rslcpol in : Lieutenant Governor News , add a commentThe former Republican state party chairman thinks twice about running for Governor as a Democrat. Maybe he figured that the Democrat primary race would be brutal for someone who once ran the Kansas Republican Party. No more brutal than if he ever tries to run as a Republican again. The Democrat Governor’s choice of Parkinson in ‘06 to be her running mate may be one of the more politically short sighted moves we’ve seen in a long time. So much for continuing her legacy after she’s out of office. From LJWorld.com:
Democratic Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson announced Friday he would not run for governor or any office in two years, opting instead to return to the private sector.
The announcement added another shakeup to Kansas politics before the 2010 election.
“I admire those who are willing and able to make the sacrifices to serve the public for their entire careers, but, I’m not one of them,” Parkinson said.
Funny Business in Minnesota
Posted by rslcpol in : Secretaries of State, Dems Behaving Badly , add a commentIf you haven’t been keeping up with this comedy of errors in Minnesota, you should read this entire piece. It’s down right goofy…and it could result in another great improv artist landing in the U.S. Senate. Ahhh - a true future leader. From the Wall Street Journal:
Strange things keep happening in Minnesota, where the disputed recount in the Senate race between Norm Coleman and Al Franken may be nearing a dubious outcome. Thanks to the machinations of Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and a meek state Canvassing Board, Mr. Franken may emerge as an illegitimate victor.
Mr. Franken started the recount 215 votes behind Senator Coleman, but he now claims a 225-vote lead and suddenly the man who was insisting on “counting every vote” wants to shut the process down. He’s getting help from Mr. Ritchie and his four fellow Canvassing Board members, who have delivered inconsistent rulings and are ignoring glaring problems with the tallies.
IL: Lt. Gov. Calls His State “Laughing Stock”
Posted by rslcpol in : Lieutenant Governor News , add a commentYes, corruption is fought by having meetings. Excellent strategy. Notify America in 2111 what you find out. From the AP:
Illinois’ lieutenant governor says his state has become an “international laughing stock” and he wants to form a panel to find ways to clean up corruption.
Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn told WLS radio Monday that the public’s highest priority should be urging scandal-tainted Gov. Rod Blagojevich (bluh-GOY’-uh-vitch) to resign.
It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like… December 19, 2008
Posted by rslcpol in : Blog , add a commentBarring a monumental August like story breaking between now and the first of 2009, your SNS team will be taking a break (how many consumer gift card alerts can we take?) and storming back with more news and commentary on January 5th, 2009.
So, in the interim please enjoy your holiday of choice - Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, Boxing Day, Samuel L. Jackson’s birthday, Maurice and Robin Gibb’s birthday, Susan Lucci’s birthday, Jimmy Buffet’s birthday, Woodrow Wilson’s birthday, Val Kilmer’s birthday - safely, soberly, and with as much eggnog as possible since December 24th is National EggNog Day.
Blog: IL LG Quinn Fundraiser Update
Posted by rslcpol in : Lieutenant Governor News, Dems Behaving Badly, Blog , add a commentFrom the Chicago Reader:
Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn held a fund-raiser Monday night—but he refused to accept any funds at it. Quinn spokesman Bob Reed said Quinn “didn’t feel it was appropriate” to throw a check-collecting party while the country is waiting to find out the latest sordid details in the state’s latest pay-to-play scandal. Instead, Reed said, the gathering “became a holiday reception.”
But that doesn’t mean the lieutenant governor won’t receive donations at other times. Interest in Quinn has grown in proportion to disgust with embattled governor Rod Blagojevich; expect the money to flow in even faster if impeachment proceedings against Blagojevich move along.
NAAG: Dem AG Lynch Leads Group of AGs To Meet w/Obama Administration
Posted by rslcpol in : Attorney General News, Blog , add a commentFrom the Providence Journal:
Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch yesterday became the state’s first Democratic official to meet with President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team in Washington, D.C.
Lynch, who heads the National Association of Attorneys General, traveled to the nation’s capitol with several of his colleagues from around the country for a daylong sit-down with the transition group at the Department of Justice.
The topic: How the federal government and state-level law enforcement leaders can collaborate on a national and local level to address issues such as predatory lending, mortgage foreclosures, cyber crimes and greenhouse gas emissions.
OH: Disgraced Former Dem AG Accused of Misusing Campaign Funds
Posted by rslcpol in : Attorney General News, Dems Behaving Badly, Blog , add a commentFrom the Columbus Post Dispatch:
Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann was hit with two elections complaints yesterday, alleging that he broke state law by converting tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funds for personal use, then disguising it in falsified reports submitted to the state.
The complaints filed with the Ohio Elections Commission by Inspector General Thomas P. Charles and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner accuse Dann, his wife and top campaign staff members of violating Ohio law no less than eight times.
Receipts and expenditures that Dann’s campaign filed with the secretary of state “contain incomplete, inaccurate and false information concerning expenditures from the fund for travel, food, beverages, cell phones and other expenditures,” Charles said in a sworn statement filed late yesterday.
PA Gov ‘10: GOP AG Corbett Early Frontrunner
Posted by rslcpol in : Attorney General News, Blog , add a commentFrom The Bulletin:
Without question, the Pennsylvania attorney general has earned the “frontrunner” label after his resounding win in November. In a year of huge anti-Republican sentiment, and in a state that saw Barack Obama win by 600,000 votes, Mr. Corbett won by six points. His 400,000 vote margin equates to a net swing of one million, which political experts view as nothing short of spectacular, defying all expectations.
The attorney general has now re-focused his efforts on more indictments in the “Bonusgate” scandal, where state employees are accused of taking taxpayer-funded bonuses for campaign activities. With 12 indictments already under Mr. Corbett’s belt, the investigation will only continue to garner attention around the state, bolstering his law-enforcement image as a no-nonsense crusader against public corruption. Factor in his background as a U.S. attorney, and his credentials as a non-partisan, good-government reformer will play well around a state rocked by corruption and scandal (such as the Vince Fumo trial and Philadelphia’s pay-to-play convictions).
GA: Candidates Lining up for Open LG Race December 18, 2008
Posted by rslcpol in : Lieutenant Governor News, State Legislature News , add a commentFrom the Savannah Morning News:
Vowing to be a bridge between citizens and elected officials, Eric Johnson has formally launched his bid for lieutenant governor in 2010.
For months, the state senator from Savannah has been gearing up to seek the job fellow Republican Casey Cagle is leaving to run for governor.
Johnson is giving up Senate leadership posts - most notably that of president pro tem - to focus on 2010.
