May 13, 2009 7:40 PM
Recommended: Family Research Council
Some of you have asked for me to recommend resources for keeping up with the REAL news - as opposed to the MSM daily kiss-up which more closely resembles Entertainment Today than the news we grew up with.
The Family Research Council is a reliable Washington watchdog/advocacy group which publishes a free email update. This is what it looks like when it arrives in my Inbox:
To learn more about this organization, visit the Family Research Council. Subscribe to the Update here.11,272,897,541,856 Reasons to Be Outraged
While President Obama tries to clamp down on credit card companies for hiking the rates on consumers, the latest figures suggest that the administration is busily raising its fees on you and me. Under today's deficit projections, which are up $89 billion from the White House's original estimates, the government will have to borrow almost half--46 cents--of every dollar it spends this year. As a result, the U.S. debt, which clocked in this morning at an astronomical $11,272,897,541,856.93, is expected to grow even faster than experts predicted. By the end of 2009, Americans will face a deficit that accounts for 12.9% of the GDP. And considering this administration's aggressive agenda, this "credit card spending spree" shows no sign of stopping.
With an unprecedented $3.6 trillion budget plan on the table, Americans are on the hook for 10-year deficits of $9.27 trillion that cannot be blamed on President Bush. While he did inherit a mountain of debt, President Obama's appetite for government expansion is pushing taxpayers to the brink. On his watch, Congress has put taxpayers on the hook for bailing out Wall Street, spending billions in economic stimulus, and carrying a back-breaking budget.
Earlier this month, the administration put up a facade of restraint by cutting $17 billion from next year's budget, but to most the gesture was laughable. Even USA Today pointed out that it's the equivalent of cutting a $100 grocery bill by returning a 50-cent pack of gum. Despite the deficit, President Obama is putting his foot on the accelerator of a massive health care overhaul. The spending and proposed spending are beyond irresponsible; they're endangering our economy and mortgaging our future in exchange for political porridge.
Additional ResourcesAssociated Press: White House: Budget deficit to top $1.8 trillion
Irresponsible Funding for Irresponsible Behavior
In keeping with the administration's lack of restraint, Washington is preparing to send a message to America's teens that sexual restraint is also unnecessary. One of the few places that President Obama has shown a stingy side is by cutting programs for teens that have made a meaningful impact on public health. Of course, it's not really a spending cut since the money is being redirected to new pro-contraceptive programs for teens.
In fiscal year (FY) 2009 the Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) fund was $94.7 million. Today the administration is proposing that of the $114.5 allotted for FY 2010, no less than $75 million would go to teen pregnancy prevention programs that include contraception promotion--not abstinence education. While another $25 million could be used for abstinence education, there is no guarantee that it will be since the proposal calls for "new strategies" with this money.
Abstinence funding in Title X Adolescent and Family Life funds is getting a similar cut. Instead of $13 million going to abstinence education, programs that advocate abstinence would have to compete for $3.28 million earmarked as "new strategies" for prevention, but as with CBAE there's no guarantee that the abstinence projects would be funded. The administration defends the abstinence cuts by pointing to studies, many of which are linked to Planned Parenthood, that question the effectiveness of abstinence programs.
The truth is, abstinence education goes beyond pregnancy prevention to promoting holistic change in teenagers. Studies show that in addition to preventing pregnancy and disease, teens who practice abstinence are better off emotionally and are much more likely to experience marital fidelity and satisfaction. The same cannot be said of the comprehensive sex education. In a review of 119 studies, comprehensive sex education has produced no compelling evidence of sustaining a meaningful effect on protective behaviors in a school-based setting, even after three decades of implementation and evaluation.
Additional Resources
Defund and Defend
Kansas State Senator Tim Huelskamp (R) has found a perfect way to save money: defund Planned Parenthood. "Despite allegations of impropriety," he said, "and more than a hundred criminal charges, this year Kansas taxpayers paid out nearly $300,000 to subsidize this entity." The Planned Parenthood gravy train may be coming to an end in Kansas, if Gov. Mark Parkinson (D) joins the state legislature in supporting Huelskamp's amendment. Under it, the state's taxpayers would no longer have to shell out hundreds of thousands to an organization marred by allegations of fraud, criminal cover-ups, clinic deficiencies, and falsification of documents.
We urge Kathleen Sebelius's replacement to set a new tone in Kansas by signing this measure into law and ending the political payoffs to abortion groups like Planned Parenthood. Our hats go off to Senator Huelskamp for what could be a significant victory for people who cherish life--and their hard-earned dollars.
I will be introducing more recommendations and also adding links to my sidebar so you can check in when you have time.
Posted in Activism, Current Affairs, Obama Nation | Permalink
Comments
It won't work. You defund Planned Parenthood, and you'll end up paying for more indigent women having babies. MUCH more expensive.
Posted by: ContraryVoice | May 13, 2009 10:40 PM
ContraryVoice: then we pay for those indigent women having babies. Maybe one will grow up to be President and fix this mess.
Posted by: Sue from Buffalo | May 14, 2009 9:29 AM
