Oregon pensions and Measure 97: 'I can no longer keep quiet' (Letters to the Editor)

MUST READ ARTICLE!
[Excerpt below is Bob Tiernan's letter to the editor regarding Measure 97. Tiernan formerly served as a state legislator and Chairman of the Oregon Republican Party]:
Pensions and Measure 97: Reporter Ted Sickinger's article only scratches the surface of the "doomsday bomb" that has been ticking in Oregon for years. If you think our country's Social Security program is broken, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Oregon's broken pension system is bankrupting our state. Katy Durant, chair of the Oregon Investment Council, was correct when she was quoted as saying, "We should have been addressing this 20 years ago."

Well, Katy, it was addressed 20 years ago — in the 1993 and 1995 legislative sessions. And the Republicans tried to fix it. Unfortunately the misguided Democrats stopped the desperately needed reforms at the request of the public employee unions — their No. 1 financial supporter in getting reelected to office. In fact, the very politicians who led the fight to stop that reform effort in 1993 and 1995 are still in power today — Peter Courtney and Kate Brown — and are giving us the same excuses they did back then, when attempts were made to fix the pension system.

Kind of ironic, and also very sad.

Our pension debt will soon exceed our state budget. It is stealing money from Oregonians and needed services to overpay for bloated pensions and benefits for state employees.

Bob Tiernan
Lake Oswego

Tiernan was an Oregon state legislator in office from 1992 to 1996 and chief petitioner for Measure 8 in 1994, which dealt with pension reform. Read More......

Candidate Wall: 2016 Republicans for National, State and Benton County Offices

Click on images to visit the campaign websites (if available) of these Republican candidates, who will be on your November ballot in Benton County.

  
Note: Sen. Brian Boquist, Rep. Andy Olson and Rep. Mike Nearman are incumbents running for re-election. Read More......

Sturm: 2016´s gonna be A nightmare, believe me

“Our long national nightmare is over,” President Gerald Ford declared at his swearing-in, marking the end of the most dangerous constitutional crisis since the Civil War — Watergate. After becoming the only U.S. president ever to resign, Richard Nixon revealed in an interview his mistaken belief that “when the president does it, that means it isn’t illegal.” Thankfully, our constitutional system and watchdog media proved Nixon wrong...
Read more at the Aspen Times Read More......

Marco Rubio ends campaign... with class

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Official Statement by Dr. Ben Carson

DR. BEN CARSON: I have decided not to attend the Fox News GOP Presidential Debate tomorrow night in Detroit. Even though I will not be in my hometown of Detroit on Thursday, I remain deeply committed to my home nation, America. I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening’s Super Tuesday primary results. However, this grassroots movement on behalf of “We the People” will continue. Along with millions of patriots who have supported my campaign for President, I remain committed to Saving America for Future Generations. We must not depart from our goals to restore what God and our Founders intended for this exceptional nation. --I appreciate the support, financial and otherwise, from all corners of America. Gratefully, my campaign decisions are not constrained by finances; rather by what is in the best interests of the American people. --I will discuss more about the future of this movement during my speech on Friday at CPAC in Washington, D.C. Read More......

2016 Campaigns Turn Nasty

Clinton said in Indianola, Iowa, Thursday that while she shares many goals with Sanders, such as covering as many people are possible with health insurance, he is too theoretical while she is pragmatic. "I'm not interested in ideas that sound good on paper, but will never make it in the real world," Clinton said. "....Sen. Sanders has been in Congress for 25 years; he's introduced his health care plan nine times. But he never got even a single vote in the House, or a single Senate co-sponsor."
Read more at US News & World Report Read More......

Here's the Technology That Will Change the 2016 Election

Progress comes at the ballot box - and nothing changes the ballot box more than drastic changes in national demography. Yet, how do you link demography, to voting, to social change when not enough people vote, and legal challenges in different parts of the country seek to limit lower income and minority voters' ability to be a force in elections? Technology can be the force that binds progress to voting and forward-thinking non-profits are now using it to redefine how - and more importantly how often - people vote.

Read more at Inc.
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Trump, Cruz Prove Establishment Is Dead for 2016

The establishment features prominently in the GOP presidential race. It is what Donald Trump and Ted Cruz rail against. It is hated by a significant portion of the Republican electorate. It is a ready term of abuse.

Read more at Newsmax
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2016 Presidential Election Schedule

Schedule of Presidential Debates, Caucuses, Primary Elections and Conventions through Election Day
Compiled by the Wall Street Journal

Jan. 14: Republican debate in North Charleston, South Carolina

Jan. 17: Democrat debate in Charleston, South Carolina

Jan. 28: Republican debate in Des Moines, Iowa

VOTING BEGINS FEBRUARY 1ST

Feb. 1: Iowa caucuses

Feb. 4: Democrat debate in Durham, New Hampshire

Feb. 6: Republican debate in Manchester, New Hampshire

Feb. 9: New Hampshire primary

Feb. 11: Democrat debate in Milwaukee

Feb. 13: Republican debate in Greenville, South Carolina

Feb. 20: Nevada Democratic caucus, South Carolina Republican primary

Feb. 23: Nevada Republican caucus

Feb. 27: South Carolina Democratic primary

March 1 (Super Tuesday): Alabama primary, Alaska Republican caucus, American Samoa Democratic caucuses, Arkansas primary, Colorado caucuses (Republicans won't vote), Georgia primary, Massachusetts primary, Minnesota primary, Oklahoma primary, Tennessee primary, Texas primary, Vermont primary, Virginia primary, Wyoming Republican caucus, abroad Democratic primary

March 3: Republican debate in Detroit

March 5: Kansas caucuses, Kentucky Republican caucus, Louisiana primary, Maine Republican caucus, Nebraska Democratic caucus

March 6: Democratic debate in Flint, Michigan; Maine Democratic caucus, Puerto Rico Republican primary

March 8: Hawaii Republican caucus, Idaho Republican primary, Michigan primary, Mississippi primary

March 9: Democratic debate in Miami

March 10: Republican debate in Florida, Virgin Islands Republican caucus

March 12: District of Columbia Republican convention, Guam Republican convention, Northern Mariana Islands Democratic caucus

March 15: Florida primary, Illinois primary, Missouri primary, North Carolina primary, Northern Mariana Islands Republican caucus, Ohio primary

March 22: American Samoa Republican convention, Arizona primary, Idaho Democratic caucus, Utah caucus

March 26: Alaska Democratic caucus, Hawaii Democratic caucus, Washington Democratic caucus

April 1: North Dakota Republican convention

April 5: Wisconsin primary

April 9: Wyoming Democratic caucus

April 19: New York primary

April 26: Connecticut primary, Delaware primary, Maryland primary, Pennsylvania primary, Rhode Island primary

May 3: Indiana primary

May 7: Guam Democratic caucus

May 10: Nebraska Republican primary, West Virginia primary

May 17: Kentucky Democratic primary, Oregon primary

May 24: Washington Republican primary

June 4: Virgin Islands Democratic caucus

June 5: Puerto Rico Democratic caucus

June 7: California primary, Montana primary, New Jersey primary, New Mexico primary, North Dakota Democratic caucus, South Dakota primary

June 14: District of Columbia Democratic primary

July 18-21: Republican National Convention in Cleveland

July 25-28: Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia

Sept. 26: Presidential debate in Dayton, Ohio

Oct. 4: Vice presidential debate in Farmville, Virginia

Oct. 9: Presidential debate in St. Louis

Oct. 19: Presidential debate in Las Vegas

Nov. 8: Election Day Read More......

In Obama Era, G.O.P. Bolsters Grip in the States

Young, telegenic and news media savvy, State Auditor Adam Edelen looked like a shoo-in for re-election when Democrats gathered in a horse barn here for a buffet dinner late last month. Most figured he would go on to challenge Senator Rand Paul, whose Republican presidential bid is faltering even as he seeks re-election. --Now a Paul-Edelen matchup is off the table. Kentucky Democrats, including Mr. Edelen, were trounced last week in an election that swept aside decades of their dominance over state government — and added Mr. Edelen to a growing list of Democrats across the country who have had painful defeats since President Obama was elected.

Read more at the New York Times
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Why 2016 could be shattering for Republicans

Election Day 2016 will produce a shattering crash larger than anything the pundits anticipate because the revolutionary economic and social changes occurring in the United States have now pushed both the burgeoning new majority and the conservative Republicans’ counterrevolution beyond their tipping points.

Read more at the Washington Post
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A New Clue Suggests Biden May Run

Joe Biden has taken another step toward entering the Presidential race. --Representatives of the Vice-President held a meeting this week with Democratic National Committee staffers. They briefed Biden’s aides on arcane but crucial rules that the Vice-President would need to understand if he decides to run, according to a D.N.C. official.

Read more at The New Yorker

(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

We asked Al Gore three times if he’s running for president, and he wouldn’t say no

We all know where former vice president Al Gore stands when it comes to climate change, but what about a presidential bid for 2016? His name has routinely been floated as a potential Democratic candidate at every primary since losing the presidency to George W. Bush in 2000, but unlike 2004 and 2008, the environmental activist has yet to publicly rule out the possibility of a run. In fact, he’s remained especially shy on the subject this time around, keeping us all wondering about what would be a major political comeback.

Read more at Fusion
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Rick Perry ends White House bid

"[T]oday I am suspending my campaign for the presidency of the United States," Perry said. "We have a tremendous field - the best in a generation - so I step aside knowing our party is in good hands, and as long as we listen to the grassroots, the cause of conservatism will be too."

Read more at Washington Examiner Read More......

NBC partners with Dem political firm for 2016

NBC News is partnering with TargetSmart, a political data firm founded by Democrats that was also hired by the Democratic National Committee to provide voter information for the 2016 election.

Read more at the Washington Examiner
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James Carville: Biden 'hasn't had the best track record' running for president

Democratic strategist James Carville in an interview broadcast Sunday blasted a potential 2016 White House run by Vice President Joe Biden. --"He's done it twice, and he hasn't had the best track record doing it," the longtime Clinton adviser told host John Catsimatidis on “The Cats Roundtable” on AM 970 in New York. Biden met with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Saturday in Washington, D.C., CNN reported, amid buzz he is seriously weighing a 2016 Oval Office bid. --It is seen as biggest indicator yet that Biden is seriously tempted by a presidential run next year.

Read more at The Hill
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The John Kasich record

Here’s one reason Ohio Gov. John Kasich is running for president, becoming the 16th Republican to do so: His home state has 18 electoral votes and is a must-win for anyone from his party who hopes to win the White House. Ohio, in fact, is known as a maker of presidents. Eight of America’s 44 presidents have been from Ohio, and the last person to win the presidency without winning Ohio was John F. Kennedy, in 1960.
Kasich, 63, is counting on that history and hoping it gives him an automatic leg up on other midtier candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination, thanks to his relatively strong approval rating there.

Read more at Yahoo.com
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Taking on Wisconsin unions made Walker a conservative star and fundraising heavyweight

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker announced Monday morning on Twitter that he is running for the Republican nomination for president, saying, “I’m in. I’m running for president because Americans deserve a leader who will fight and win for them.” --Walker will give a speech kicking off his campaign Monday evening in Waukesha, Wis., becoming one of seven current or former Republican governors to enter the 2016 race — and the only one to survive a recall election in his own state.

Read more at Yahoo Politics
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How Not to Win the GOP Nomination: John Kasich is the Jon Huntsman of 2016

As he prepares to enter the 2016 presidential race on July 21, Ohio Gov. John Kasich is dusting off the playbook of failed 2012 presidential contender Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor who tried to secure the GOP nomination by badmouthing his own party’s voters. Like Huntsman, Kasich is setting himself up to win the media and lose the primary. Liberal commentator Ed Kilgore recently argued that, despite a gigantic GOP field with more than a dozen credible candidates, the contenders are all essentially trying to get to the right of one another. “You’d have to say that the shadow of Huntsman ‘12 is pretty big; nobody wants to go there at all, even if the minority of self-identified GOP moderates—and there are even some who self-identify as liberals—is a tempting target for someone trying to get into the mid-single-digits in polls.”

Read more at Politico
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Scott Walker files papers to run for President

Gov. Scott Walker is making it official that he is running for president — sort of. --Wisconsin's Republican governor filed papers with the Federal Election Commission Thursday "after hearing from countless Americans" during his testing the waters stage, an aide said. "While I have not yet announced whether I will be a candidate for President of the United States, I have received contributions of more than $5,000 within the last 15 days," Walker wrote in a Thursday letter to the FEC. "Should I formally announce, I will seek the Republican nomination for the office of President of the United States in the 2016 election."

Read more at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......