Report: Cabot, AR Recess Rally
From Boot Berry
Approximately 100 people who our Democratic elected officials would call right-wing extremist un-American members of an angry mob gathered today outside Congressman Marion Berry’s office in Cabot, AR yesterday. The exercise of their 1st Amendment right to peaceably assemble and voice their grievances with government by these concerned citizens earns them such monikers from President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and even their own Arkansas delegation in DC.
The Good Lord blessed rallygoers with outstanding weather for the Cabot, AR Recess Rally. After several weeks of 90+ temperatures, high humidity, and rain, they had sunshine, low humidity, and a high in the mid 80’s.
Speakers at the rally included Jacque Martin, Buddy Rogers, Dr. James McNair, and organizers John Allison and Belinda Whitley.
Martin organized the Heber Springs Tea Parties and serves as a coordinator for the organization, Secure Arkansas. She passionately explained to the crowd that Obama’s government-run health care plan is less about providing quality care than it is about controlling the American people. Rogers and Dr. McNair are both exploring the possibility of seeking the GOP nomination for the 2010 Senate race against Democratic incumbent Blanche Lincoln.
Dr. McNair is a practicing opthamologist in Heber Springs and Rogers is currently working as a financial adviser in Rogers, AR. Rogers is an Army veteran who served 21 years as a medical officer in health care administration. For almost a quarter of that time he worked as a professor in a Baylor University-US Army master’s degree program in health care administration, teaching, advising graduate students, and conducting research. Rogers and Dr. McNair proposed alternative solutions to the Obama plan for health care reform, which proved Obama and congressional Democrats are lying through their teeth when they state Republicans have no alternatives to offer. The alternatives proposed at the rally did not include a government-run or single-payer system.
Whitley, a Registered Nurse, read several quotes from one of Obama’s top health care advisers, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, which make clear the doctor’s vision for our health care system will deprive the elderly and the very young of quality care, in order to preserve those “productive” citizens who contribute to the US Treasury.
Allison kicked off the rally by debunking the myth propagated by Democrats that rallies such as this are “astroturf” campaigns, implying special interest backing from lobbyists and other DC political interests. He explained that he spent his entire life in Arkansas with the exception of four years he served in the US Marine Corps. Allison told the crowd prior to taking on his current career as a high school math teacher at Vilonia High School, he and his wife owned and operated a chicken farm in north central Arkansas. He stated, “Folks, it doesn’t get much more grassroots than chicken farming.”
Allison and Whitley said they’d hoped for a larger crowd, but this was a start. Compared with other rallies held across the country, the turnout was pretty good on a per capita basis. Cabot, AR has a population of less than 24,000 compared to almost twice that in Salina, KS. According to one internet article, the rally in Salina also had approximately 100 in attendance. It was estimated about 2,000 showed up for rallies in Chicago which has a population of almost 2.5 million. So, for a small town like Cabot, the turn out was good and organizers consider the rally a success.
Only time will tell if Berry will listen to his constituents. Rallies held in Jonesboro and Mountain Home outside Berry’s other Arkansas offices coincided with today’s event in Cabot. Berry was invited to address the crowd but refused.
PAYGO won’t mean a balanced budget
Original post on Boot Berry
What would you call a Congressman who voted for a bill that led to the US being on the hook for nearly $24 TRILLION, then voted to spend billions more on the two most inefficient American auto companies, then voted to spend another $787 billion on a stimulus plan that didn’t stimulate the economy, then voted for a federal budget that QUADRUPLED the deficit in just one year, and after all that, claimed to be a fiscal conservative?
Hypocrite seems to fit the bill.
After voting for all the irresponsible spending noted above, last week I received an email from Berry titled “Join me in my support of PAYGO.” Just in case you don’t know, PAYGO is the short, misleading name for HR 2920 that passed the US House on July 22 of this year. The name of course leads one to believe this bill will force Congress to pass a balanced budget every year once it becomes law. So you may be asking yourself why would we have a problem with it?
It’s simple. This bill DOES NOT force Congress to pass a balanced budget. It’s nothing more than a typical Washington con job, intentionally designed to fool the American people. Marion Berry and his Democratic colleagues expect you to see the title and read no more. They don’t expect you to read the bill and they don’t expect you to look back to the previous grossly irresponsible, wasteful votes listed above.
But we did read the bill and the Democratic hypocrisy is more blatant than we could have even imagined. After pages and pages of lawyer language demanding the return of fiscal responsibility in DC, we arrived at the final section of the bill. Section 11 is titled “Exemptions” and as its name implies, it enumerates all the government programs the DC swindlers can continue to spend more money than we have on. Now, if you want to read them all, you’re going to be here a while.
Here’s a list of programs that the government will still be able to spend more than it takes in on, even if this supposed “PAYGO” legislation becomes law. This list just makes the hypocrisy of Berry and the rest of the DC Democrats as obvious as the nose on your face.
- ‘Activities resulting from private donations, bequests, or voluntary contributions to the Government.
- ‘Activities financed by voluntary payments to the Government for goods or services to be provided for such payments.
- ‘Administration of Territories, Northern Mariana Islands Covenant grants (14-0412-0-1-808).
- ‘Advances to the Unemployment Trust Fund and Other Funds (16-0327-0-1-600).
- ‘Black Lung Disability Trust Fund Refinancing (16-0329-0-1-601).
- ‘Bonneville Power Administration Fund and borrowing authority established pursuant to section 13 of Public Law 93-454 (1974), as amended (89-4045-0-3-271).
- ‘Claims, Judgments, and Relief Acts (20-1895-0-1-808).
- ‘Compact of Free Association (14-0415-0-1-808).
- ‘Compensation of the President (11-0209-01-1-802).
- ‘Comptroller of the Currency, Assessment Funds (20-8413-0-8-373).
- ‘Continuing Fund, Southeastern Power Administration (89-5653-0-2-271).
- ‘Continuing Fund, Southwestern Power Administration (89-5649-0-2-271).
- ‘Dual Benefits Payments Account (60-0111-0-1-601).
- ‘Emergency Fund, Western Area Power Administration (89-5069-0-2-271).
- ‘Exchange Stabilization Fund (20-4444-0-3-155).
- ‘Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Deposit Insurance Fund (51-4596-4-4-373).
- ‘Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, FSLIC Resolution Fund (51-4065-0-3-373).
- ‘Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Noninterest Bearing Transaction Account Guarantee (51-4458-0-3-373).
- ‘Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Senior Unsecured Debt Guarantee (51-4457-0-3-373).
- ‘Federal Housing Finance Agency, Administrative Expenses (95-5532-0-2-371).
- ‘Federal Payment to the District of Columbia Judicial Retirement and Survivors Annuity Fund (20-1713-0-1-752).
- ‘Federal Payment to the District of Columbia Pension Fund (20-1714-0-1-601).
- ‘Federal Payments to the Railroad Retirement Accounts (60-0113-0-1-601).
- ‘Federal Reserve Bank Reimbursement Fund (20-1884-0-1-803).
- ‘Financial Agent Services (20-1802-0-1-803).
- ‘Foreign Military Sales Trust Fund (11-8242-0-7-155).
- ‘Hazardous Waste Management, Conservation Reserve Program (12-4336-0-3-999).
- ‘Host Nation Support Fund for Relocation (97-8337-0-7-051).
- ‘Internal Revenue Collections for Puerto Rico (20-5737-0-2-806).
- ‘Intragovernmental funds, including those from which the outlays are derived primarily from resources paid in from other government accounts, except to the extent such funds are augmented by direct appropriations for the fiscal year during which an order is in effect.
- ‘Medical Facilities Guarantee and Loan Fund (75-9931-0-3-551).
- ‘National Credit Union Administration, Central Liquidity Facility (25-4470-0-3-373).
- ‘National Credit Union Administration, Corporate Credit Union Share Guarantee Program (25-4476-0-3-376).
- ‘National Credit Union Administration, Credit Union Homeowners Affordability Relief Program (25-4473-0-3-371).
- ‘National Credit Union Administration, Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (25-4468-0-3-373).
- ‘National Credit Union Administration, Credit Union System Investment Program (25-4474-0-3-376).
- ‘National Credit Union Administration, Operating fund (25-4056-0-3-373).
- ‘National Credit Union Administration, Share Insurance Fund Corporate Debt Guarantee Program (25-4469-0-3-376).
- ‘National Credit Union Administration, U.S. Central Federal Credit Union Capital Program (25-4475-0-3-376).
- ‘Office of Thrift Supervision (20-4108-0-3-373).
- ‘Panama Canal Commission Compensation Fund (16-5155-0-2-602).
- ‘Payment of Vietnam and USS Pueblo prisoner-of-war claims within the Salaries and Expenses, Foreign Claims Settlement account (15-0100-0-1-153).
- ‘Payment to Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (24-0200-0-1-805).
- ‘Payment to Department of Defense Medicare-Eligible Retiree Health Care Fund (97-0850-0-1-054).
- ‘Payment to Judiciary Trust Funds (10-0941-0-1-752).
- ‘Payment to Military Retirement Fund (97-0040-0-1-054).
- ‘Payment to the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability Fund (19-0540-0-1-153).
- ‘Payments to Copyright Owners (03-5175-0-2-376).
- ‘Payments to Health Care Trust Funds (75-0580-0-1-571).
- ‘Payment to Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust Fund (15-0333-0-1-054).
- ‘Payments to Social Security Trust Funds (28-0404-0-1-651).
- ‘Payments to the United States Territories, Fiscal Assistance (14-0418-0-1-806).
- ‘Payments to trust funds from excise taxes or other receipts properly creditable to such trust funds.
- ‘Payments to widows and heirs of deceased Members of Congress (00-0215-0-1-801).
- ‘Postal Service Fund (18-4020-0-3-372).
- ‘Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust Fund (15-8116-0-1-054).
- ‘Reimbursement to Federal Reserve Banks (20-0562-0-1-803).
- ‘Salaries of Article III judges.
- ‘Soldiers and Airmen’s Home, payment of claims (84-8930-0-7-705).
- ‘Tennessee Valley Authority Fund, except nonpower programs and activities (64-4110-0-3-999).
- ‘Tribal and Indian trust accounts within the Department of the Interior which fund prior legal obligations of the Government or which are established pursuant to Acts of Congress regarding Federal management of tribal real property or other fiduciary responsibilities, including but not limited to Tribal Special Fund (14-5265-0-2-452), Tribal Trust Fund (14-8030-0-7-452), White Earth Settlement (14-2204-0-1-452), and Indian Water Rights and Habitat Acquisition (14-5505-0-2-303).
- ‘United Mine Workers of America 1992 Benefit Plan (95-8260-0-7-551).
- ‘United Mine Workers of America 1993 Benefit Plan (95-8535-0-7-551).
- ‘United Mine Workers of America Combined Benefit Fund (95-8295-0-7-551).
- ‘United States Enrichment Corporation Fund (95-4054-0-3-271).
- ‘Universal Service Fund (27-5183-0-2-376).
- ‘Vaccine Injury Compensation (75-0320-0-1-551).
- ‘Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Trust Fund (20-8175-0-7-551).
- ‘(B) The following Federal retirement and disability accounts and activities shall be exempt from reduction under any order issued under this part:
- ‘Black Lung Disability Trust Fund (20-8144-0-7-601).
- ‘Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System Fund (56-3400-0-1-054).
- ‘Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (24-8135-0-7-602).
- ‘Comptrollers general retirement system (05-0107-0-1-801).
- ‘Contributions to U.S. Park Police annuity benefits, Other Permanent Appropriations (14-9924-0-2-303).
- ‘Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Retirement Fund (95-8290-0-7-705).
- ‘Department of Defense Medicare-Eligible Retiree Health Care Fund (97-5472-0-2-551).
- ‘District of Columbia Federal Pension Fund (20-5511-0-2-601).
- ‘District of Columbia Judicial Retirement and Survivors Annuity Fund (20-8212-0-7-602).
- ‘Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Fund (16-1523-0-1-053).
- ‘Foreign National Employees Separation Pay (97-8165-0-7-051).
- ‘Foreign Service National Defined Contributions Retirement Fund (19-5497-0-2-602).
- ‘Foreign Service National Separation Liability Trust Fund (19-8340-0-7-602).
- ‘Foreign Service Retirement and Disability Fund(19-8186-0-7-602).
- ‘Government Payment for Annuitants, Employees Health Benefits (24-0206-0-1-551).
- ‘Government Payment for Annuitants, Employee Life Insurance (24-0500-0-1-602).
- ‘Judicial Officers’ Retirement Fund (10-8122-0-7-602).
- ‘Judicial Survivors’ Annuities Fund (10-8110-0-7-602).
- ‘Military Retirement Fund (97-8097-0-7-602).
- ‘National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust (60-8118-0-7-601).
- ‘National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration retirement (13-1450-0-1-306).
- ‘Pensions for former Presidents (47-0105-0-1-802).
- ‘Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund (24-5391-0-2-551).
- ‘Public Safety Officer Benefits (15-0403-0-1-754).
- ‘Rail Industry Pension Fund (60-8011-0-7-601).
- ‘Retired Pay, Coast Guard (70-0602-0-1-403).
- ‘Retirement Pay and Medical Benefits for Commissioned Officers, Public Health Service (75-0379-0-1-551).
- ‘Special Benefits for Disabled Coal Miners (16-0169-0-1-601).
- ‘Special Benefits, Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (16-1521-0-1-600).
- ‘Special Workers Compensation Expenses (16-9971-0-7-601).
- ‘Tax Court Judges Survivors Annuity Fund (23-8115-0-7-602).
- ‘United States Court of Federal Claims Judges’ Retirement Fund (10-8124-0-7-602).
- ‘United States Secret Service, DC Annuity (70-0400-0-1-751).
- ‘Voluntary Separation Incentive Fund (97-8335-0-7-051).
- ‘(2) Prior legal obligations of the Government in the following budget accounts and activities shall be exempt from any order issued under this part:
- ‘Biomass Energy Development (20-0114-0-1-271).
- ‘Check Forgery Insurance Fund (20-4109-0-3-803).
- ‘Credit liquidating accounts.
- ‘Credit reestimates.
- ‘Employees Life Insurance Fund (24-8424-0-8-602).
- ‘Federal Aviation Insurance Revolving Fund (69-4120-0-3-402).
- ‘Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund (12-4085-0-3-351).
- ‘Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Flood Insurance Fund (58-4236-0-3-453).
- ‘Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac).
- ‘Federal National Mortgage Corporation (Fannie Mae).
- ‘Geothermal resources development fund (89-0206-0-1-271).
- ‘Low-Rent Public Housing–Loans and Other Expenses (86-4098-0-3-604).
- ‘Maritime Administration, War Risk Insurance Revolving Fund (69-4302-0-3-403).
- ‘Natural Resource Damage Assessment Fund (14-1618-0-1-302).
- ‘Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Noncredit Account (71-4184-0-3-151).
- ‘Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Fund (16-4204-0-3-601).
- ‘San Joaquin Restoration Fund (14-5537-0-2-301).
- ‘Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance Fund (36-4009-0-3-701).
- ‘Terrorism Insurance Program (20-0123-0-1-376).
- ‘(h) Low-income Programs- The following programs shall be exempt from reduction under any order issued under this part:
- ‘Academic Competitiveness/Smart Grant Program (91-0205-0-1-502).
- ‘Child Care Entitlement to States (75-1550-0-1-609).
- ‘Child Enrollment Contingency Fund (75-5551-0-2-551).
- ‘Child Nutrition Programs (with the exception of special milk programs) (12-3539-0-1-605).
- ‘Children’s Health Insurance Fund (75-0515-0-1-551).
- ‘Commodity Supplemental Food Program (12-3507-0-1-605).
- ‘Contingency Fund (75-1522-0-1-609).
- ‘Family Support Programs (75-1501-0-1-609).
- ‘Federal Pell Grants under section 401 Title IV of the Higher Education Act.
- ‘Grants to States for Medicaid (75-0512-0-1-551).
- ‘Payments for Foster Care and Permanency (75-1545-0-1-609).
- ‘Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (12-3505-0-1-605).
- ‘Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (75-1552-0-1-609).’
- (d) Economic Recovery Programs- Section 255 of BBEDCA is amended by adding the following after subsection (h):
- ‘(i) Economic Recovery Programs- The following programs shall be exempt from reduction under any order issued under this part:
- ‘All programs enacted in, or increases in programs provided by, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
- ‘Exchange Stabilization Fund-Money Market Mutual Fund Guaranty Facility (20-4274-0-3-376).
- ‘Financial Stabilization Reserve (20-0131-4-1-376).
- ‘GSE Mortgage-Backed Securities Purchase Program Account (20-0126-0-1-371).
- ‘GSE Preferred Stock Purchase Agreements (20-0125-0-1-371).
- ‘Office of Financial Stability (20-0128-0-1-376)
- ‘Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (20-0133-0-1-376).
- ‘Troubled Asset Relief Program Account (20-0132-0-1-376).
- ‘Troubled Asset Relief Program Equity Purchase Program (20-0134-0-1-376).
- ‘Troubled Asset Relief Program, Home Affordable Modification Program (20-0136-0-1-604).’
With all of these “exemptions,” does anybody really believe this bill will provide for a balanced budget? This is a typical Berry tactic. In the months leading up to an election, Berry dons a conservative hat. As soon as he’s elected, or his liberal Democratic colleagues need his vote, he’s all too willing to turn on his conservative Arkansas constituents.
Don’t let him fool you. Berry’s no fiscal conservative.
Rep Marion Berry (D-AR) Doesn’t Want to Hear from Constituents
Originally posted on Boot Berry
I just contacted Representative Berry’s office (again) and asked if he has any town hall meetings or other public appearances scheduled for the August recess. Their answer was typical of the response I seem to get everytime I contact his office, nothing.
“As of now, he doesn’t have anything scheduled,” was all I could get from the man on the phone. Of course, it’s July 31 so that means he’s not going to schedule any time to hear from the folks back home.
One would think, with such an important issue looming as the government takeover of our health care system, the Congressman would want to hear from his constituents while he’s back home. Especially if the answers I’ve been getting to my questions are correct–that he hasn’t yet determined his position on the so-called “public option,” he doesn’t know where he stands on employer mandates, he can’t refute the inevitable rationing of care with previously released versions of the bill, he has no response to questions about the so-called “end of life counseling” that could also be referred to as “go ahead and die counseling,” etc.
Congressman Berry evidently doesn’t want to hear from the same constituents who responded to the Talkbusiness.net poll we reported on here. The 86% who are satisfied with their current health care system may demand he not sell them out to the left-wing Obama-Pelosi branch of the Democratic party. The 74% who prefer private insurance companies to an impossible to navigate monstrous bureaucracy may insist he side with them in this life and death battle. And the 59% of Arkansans who don’t want their taxes increased to fund rationed care of reduced quality may demand he ignore special interest groups like ACORN and the SEIU and listen to those he supposedly represents.
Perhaps he plans to spend his time off pandering to those he really represents, the folks who fill the coffers of his campaigns. Of course these folks aren’t even from Arkansas for the most part! So maybe it’s little wonder he has no intention of engaging voters in his district during the August recess.
His staff informed me that his Jonesboro office handles scheduling when Berry’s in Arkansas. So be sure to attend the Recess Rally closest to you. Let’s also overwhelm his staff in Jonesboro with calls to demand our employee listen to us. After all, he does work for us.
Marion Berry’s Jonesboro Office
(870) 972-4600
(800) 866-2701
(870) 972-4605 FAX
Does Marion Berry (AR-01) Accept Federal Farm Subsidies?
So which is it, Congressman? View the following video and referenced articles to find the truth! Marion Berry has long denied that he owns any farms that accept subsidies, yet his response to a question on the topic yesterday seems to contradict this. And the data shows “slick” Berry is may seem more dim witted with age but he has been more than smart enough to fleece the public for years.
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