Lincoln to Travel State, June 29-July 4

Washington – U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln will travel across Arkansas during Congress’ annual Fourth of July work period, Monday, June 29, through Saturday, July 4.

“After a busy session in Washington fighting for priorities such as health care and energy reform, I’m looking forward to coming home,” Arkansas’s senior senator said.  “As we recognize the independence that our forefathers fought to provide, we must not forget our men and women in uniform who continue to fight to preserve that freedom today.  The Fourth of July is a wonderful time to spend with family and friends celebrating the blessings we enjoy as Americans.  I am proud that I will have the opportunity to honor this occasion with my fellow Arkansans.”

During the week, Lincoln will attend several health care-focused events to highlight ways health care reform will bring all Arkansans greater stability—stable coverage that can’t be taken away through ups and downs; stable costs that won’t eat away at paychecks and put coverage out of reach; and stable quality so patients get the treatment they need, when they need it, and from the doctors they choose.  Lincoln has said her top priority in health care reform, currently being debated in Congress, is to ensure all Arkansans have access to quality, affordable, and meaningful coverage.

Lincoln will wrap up her week with several Fourth of July celebrations in Northeast Arkansas.

For more information, please call (202) 224-4843.

Click on Picture for more information on No-Cook Recipes

Click on the Picture

WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator Mark Pryor today introduced the Fueling American Act to increase the production and sale of natural gas and propane vehicles and develop natural gas and propane vehicle infrastructure across the country.

He said states like Arkansas — rich in natural gas resources — stand to benefit from the increased demand as more consumers purchase natural gas and propane vehicles. Additionally, these vehicles reduce the burden of fuel costs for consumers, encourage the development of more environmentally-friendly sources of energy and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil.

The Fueling America Act provides a consumer tax credit for the purchase of natural gas or propone vehicles as well as a tax credit for the installation of natural gas and propane refueling stations.  The bill also establishes a natural gas and propane vehicle research and development program within the Department of Energy and requires the General Services Administration to study increasing the federal fleet that runs on natural gas or propane.

You can access audio of Senator Pryor’s discussing the Fueling America Act by clicking on the following link:

http://pryor.senate.gov/audio/press_audio.cfm

If you experience technical difficulties, please contact Brigit Helgen at 202-224-2353.

(Above) Larry Carter and Carson Lewis

Carter’s Hardware of Shirley $1000.00 Shopping Spree Giveaway was won by Carson Lewis of Shirley, Arkansas. Larry and Donna Carter would like to thank all their custormers for participating in their  $1,000.00 Shopping Spree contest, they are always ready to serve your hardware needs.

Old Time Gathering and July Fourth Celebration in Mountain View

The Mountain View Area Chamber of Commerce is making plans for the July 4th Old Time Gathering on the Square, with a barbecue lunch, kids parade, live music and fireworks.

Following the recent sanctioned barbecue event, the Chamber plans to revive the “good ol’ boys competition” that began two years ago by holding a Rib Burn for local competitors who enjoy informal rivalry. Check-in for that event will take place at 7 a.m. on July 4th.

Opening ceremonies will be held at 9:30 a.m., with a “Parade of Kids” taking place at 10 a.m. around the courtsquare. Live music and cloggers will offer entertainment beginning at 11, with a barbecue lunch offered at noon.

Winners of the Rib Burn will be announced at 1 p.m., followed by an auction of meats.

The hottest part of the afternoon will be siesta time, then activities resume at 5 p.m. with live music, cloggers, cake walks and food concessions at the Stone County Fairgrounds main building.

Fireworks will light the sky around 9 p.m.

For more information contact th Mountain View Chamber of Commerce 870-269-8068.

Lincoln Pushes Education Reform

Washington—U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and nine fellow moderate Senate Democrats today sent a letter to President Barack Obama voicing support for his key education goals and pledging to “lend our voices to the debate as proponents of education reform.”

The letter was initiated by Lincoln and Senators Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Tom Carper (D-DE), leaders of the Senate Moderate Dems Working Group, and signed by seven of their colleagues.

“As legislators, we believe we must embrace promising new approaches to education policy if we are to prepare our children to fill the jobs of the future,” they wrote to President Obama. “By 2016, four out of every 10 new American jobs will require at least some advanced education or training. To retain our global economic leadership, we share your sense of urgency in moving an education reform agenda through Congress.”

Saying that “now is the time to explore new paths and reject stale thinking,” the moderate Democrats commended President Obama for his focus on teacher quality and noted a recent report by McKinsey and Company that highlights the achievement gaps that persist among various economic, regional and racial backgrounds in the United States and the gaps between American students and their peers in other industrialized nations. Based on this report, the senators noted that “had the United States closed the gap in education achievement with better-performing nations like Finland, Iceland, and Poland, our GDP could have been up to $2.3 trillion higher last year.”

The senators expressed support for new pay-for-performance teacher incentives and expansions of effective public charter schools. They also endorsed the Obama administration’s desire to extend student learning time to stay globally competitive and called for investments in state-of-the-art data systems so school systems can track student performance across grades, schools, towns and teachers.

Other signatories on the letter include Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Mark Warner (D-VA) and Herb Kohl (D-WI).

“Our nation must confront the growing challenges of an increasingly competitive global economy: an outdated health care system in need of reform, an energy policy requiring an overhaul, and an economy still on the road to recovery,” the 10 senators wrote. “We will not be equal to the extraordinary task before us without a public school system that offers our children the tools needed to reach their potential.”

Lincoln: President Should Follow ITC’s Recommendation, Provide Relief to Arkansas’s Workers

Washington – U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) today called on President Obama to follow the recommendation of the International Trade Commission (ITC) and provide relief to domestic tire industry workers in Arkansas and across the nation who have been harmed by a surge of Chinese imports.

“Earlier today, the ITC voted for a strong tariff remedy that will give our domestic tire industry and workers the competitive breathing room they need and deserve,” Lincoln said.  “President Obama has signaled that the United States will stay engaged as a leading trading nation.  He has promised to enforce trade laws more vigorously and to promote America’s interest in the welfare of workers and the protection of the environment.  Following the ITC’s recommendation of relief will enable him to make good on that promise.”

On April 20, the United Steelworkers (USW) submitted a petition to the ITC under Section 421 of the Trade Act of 1974 seeking relief from a surge in Chinese imports.  The Section 421 trade safeguard became law in 2000 as a condition for China’s entry into the World Trade Organization.  Under this safeguard mechanism, companies or workers injured by import surges from China can petition for temporary relief in the form of reduced imports.

The USW petition explained how imports of passenger vehicle and light truck tires from China between 2004 and 2008 led to sharp declines in domestic production and over 5,000 job losses.  The petition showed that there was a 215 percent increase in imports by volume and a 295 percent increase in imports in terms of dollar value over the five-year period.

In its petition, the USW requested an import quota of 21 million consumer passenger tires.  The quota would then increase by five percent per year over three years.  This initial quota would return imports from China to the 2005 level.  This would give U.S. producers a chance to adjust to changing market conditions, upgrade facilities, and take other steps to preserve jobs and enhance competitiveness over the long term.

At the request of Cooper Tire workers in Texarkana, Lincoln testified in support of the USW petition at the ITC public hearing earlier this month, stating that Arkansas’s workers are entitled to compete on a fair playing field in our global marketplace.

On June 18, the ITC affirmed the USW petition and ruled that the U.S. tire industry has been adversely affected by Chinese imports.  Following today’s vote for a strong tariff remedy, the ITC will present its report and recommendation to President Obama on July 9. The President’s decision for a remedy is due in mid-September.

HART Center Fun Olympics!

Come join us at the HART Center for our annual “Fun Olympics”, Friday, July 3rd, from 2-4 p.m.!!!  Teams of 4 will compete in a free-throw contest, water balloon toss, water bucket fill relay, and obstacle course relay.

Awards will be given to the top three teams!  Everyone is welcome.  Freshly grilled hot dogs and hamburgers will be served.  The price is only $20.00 per team!  Please pre-register at the HART Center by Friday, June 26.  Kick off your 4th of July with some fun at the HART Center! Any questions call Kelly Farrell, Fitness coordinator at 884-7777.

June 29th, 2009, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today strongly condemned Congressman Vic Snyder for approving legislation “that intentionally will drive up the costs of gasoline, oil, and coal at a time when the American people are just struggling to make ends meet.”

“Nancy Pelosi’s House of Representatives, including Congressman Snyder, has handed over the nation’s energy policy to a radical faction that has but one agenda: to wreck the nation’s economic standing in the world by making energy unaffordable, eliminating real jobs, and sealing away American natural resources from an economy that will be unable to grow without them,” said Wilson.

“They have opened up a Pandora’s box,” Wilson added.

The legislation, HR 2454, would force carbon-emitting industries coal, oil, gasoline, and natural gas to purchase carbon permits.  The bill aims to reduce industrial emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by 17 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050.

“The fact is: the United States depends upon carbon-emitting sources of energy for electricity, transportation, home heat, and much, much more.  Capping carbon emissions necessarily means restricting the available supply of these resources, thereby deliberately increasing the prices of energy,” Wilson added.

Wilson noted that supporters of the legislation “want to increase the prices of oil, gasoline, coal, and natural gas across the board, and thereby ‘incentivize’ alternatives like solar, wind, and hybrid vehicles,” Wilson explained.  “It won’t work, because the alternatives are inefficient, have a lower yields, and are more expensive.”

Wilson believes that there is already upwards pressure on energy prices.  “Energy prices are already primed to begin soaring again purely because of inflation caused by Congress, the Treasury, and the Federal Reserve’s respective spending, lending, borrowing, and printing binges.”

Wilson pointed to more than $12.8 trillion of bailouts committed by the federal government, the trillion-dollar “stimulus”, the proposed $3.6 trillion budget, and the CBO-projected $1.8 trillion deficit as being “highly inflationary, and when that happens, investors flee to the safety of commodities.”

“So, with the recession moving from bad to worse, unemployment poised to reach double-digits nationally, and that inflation primed to strike, Congressman Snyder in the Waxman-Markey bill has set the stage to make energy ever more expensive for decades to come,” said Wilson.

The final vote in favor of the legislation was 219 to 212.

“How will businesses function? Where will people work when they cannot even afford to turn on the lights? Who will be able to afford the fix-ups necessary for their homes to be up to new federal zoning codes?” Wilson asked, referring to portions of the bill that will require homes to be up to California’s energy standards.

“The American people’s only hope now is Harry Reid’s rubber-stamp Senate,” Wilson noted.  “But hope is not a strategy.  In truth, it is up to the American people, millions of whom made history today with phone calls and emails to stop this legislation dead on its tracks,” Wilson said.

Wilson called upon the American people to make their views against the legislation known to every member of the Senate.  Wilson noted that similar legislation had failed in the Senate last year.  “This bill was rejected last year, and should again be rejected this year, because it will destroy the economy.  Period.”

Wilson also pointed to a study from APS Physics, “Climate Sensitivity Revisited,” as discrediting the justification for capping carbon emissions. “The Monckton study raises serious doubts as to the accuracy of the UN International Panel on Climate Change’s computer models.  The whole hypothesis is not even  based on actual observable data that can be confirmed.”

Wilson says that the Congressional majority is lying to the American people about the reasons for the legislation.  “Congressman Snyder has bowed at the altar of radical environmental extremism.  ‘Man-made’ climate change is a myth and cult, and its lies are based upon faulty computer models that act as the movement’s oracles.”

“Now, the hour grows late, and it is up to the Senate to close this Pandora’s box before it reaches the President’s desk,” Wilson concluded.