Union County Republican Central Committee

Other: Dudley at the Pendleton Round-Up

jay — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:40:04 +0000

Join Chris Dudley in Celebrating 100 Years of Round-Up!

Walk with Chris Dudley and friends in the 100^th anniversary parade at the Pendleton Round-Up

Wear a Chris Dudley T-shirt and show your support for the next governor of Oregon!

The parade takes place on the Friday of the Round-Up, Sept. 17^th.

Walkers will meet at 9am.

For more details contact the Grassroots Director,

Teresa Lucas by email at tlucas@chrisdudley.com, or by phone at 503.250.3344

Let er’ buck!

UCRCC: Mitt Romney Endorses Jim Huffman for Senate

jay — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:25:46 +0000

Join Mitt Romney and Show Your Support for Jim Huffman

2 minutes to Donate $20, $50, or $100

Your generous donation helps us get out Jim’s message with radio and T.V. spots, lawn and field signs, bumper stickers, flyers and more.

Join us on Facebook:

Keep updated on Jim’s campaign on Facebook. You can stay current on the latest news and photos from the campaign trail, and let your friends know about your support for our campaign!

Mitt Romney Stands Up For Jim Huffman
“Jim Huffman will be a leader fighting for lower taxes, controls on spending and the pro-growth policies that are necessary to create jobs and get our economy moving again.“

Former Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney joins a growing list of political and business leaders endorsing Jim Huffman’s candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

“Jim Huffman will be a leader fighting for lower taxes, controls on spending and the pro-growth policies that are necessary to create jobs and get our economy moving again. As a constitutional scholar, he understands that big government and liberal spending programs threaten the personal freedom and individual liberty that are at the core of our democracy,” said Romney.

Huffman was pleased to receive the endorsement, stating, “I am very grateful to have the full support of one of our country’s proven leaders. Mr. Romney and I share the same goals – standing up against the reckless spending, higher taxes and runaway national debt.” Huffman added, “He knows what it takes to turn this economy around and I’m proud to have him on my side as we fight to restore accountability to Washington D.C.”

You can read more about Mitt Romney, and his support for Jim Huffman at www.HuffmanForSenate.com.

www.HuffmanForSenate.com

HUFFMAN FOR SENATE
11560 SW 67TH AVE, STE 200W
TIGARD, OR 97223

AFP: Labor Day 2010 – Can You Find a Job if You Really Want One?

jay — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:23:08 +0000

An annual $10 contribution from each AFP Member would fully fund our State operations. Please give today.

Please consider a donation to AFP-OR today. Click Here to make a secure on-line contribution using a credit card or see where to mail your check.

Labor Day 2010 – Can you find a job if you really want one?

I asked this question on my radio show today and the answer is “yes.” It may not be the job you want, but you can find one to keep working, paying taxes into the system and boost your self esteem. Thousands of Americans move from job to job daily as people retire, quit or are fired, so the jobs are out there. Yet we constantly hear that workers can’t find jobs and need more government welfare. It doesn’t have to be that way.

The problem is that 99 weeks – almost 2 years – of unemployment benefits has made it far too easy for workers to choose not to work at a lower paying job, thereby become a drain on the system, rather than paying into it and keeping unemployment rates higher than they should be (more on that in a moment).

Now, taking a lower paying job creates financial issues for most of us as we have structured our lives around a certain level of spending, saving and debt, yet lifestyles can be adjusted to make up for lower revenues. The Oregonian story today illustrates this perfectly with the family from Vancouver who has made lower incomes work, as they restructured their mortgage and car payments and adjusted their lifestyle. If they hadn’t had the two years of unemployment money, they would have had to do those things sooner, rather than later, producing positive benefits for all.

The moral of this story ought to be that if the free market is allowed to work without government interference, then things that are out of whack eventually find their natural way back into alignment. Unfortunately, the tone of the story is that this family is a victim and that the government safety net has failed them. Sadly, too many people believe that two years of being on unemployment is not enough and they want more, which I predict will happen if the socialists remain in power. The reality is that if unemployment benefits had been not extended, as with almost every other recession we have had since UI was implemented, then more people would be working and the unemployment rate would be lower. This was the thesis of a WSJ OP-ED last week by Harvard economics professor Robert Barro and it is pretty hard to argue with, once you think it through.

The more government interference with the free market that occurs, the more it distorts that free market and only makes the problem worse that the socialists think government must solve. If people are forced to take a job, any job, then sooner rather than later, the economy naturally adjusts and we get back on track. It may be hard in the short run, but much better in the long run for America.

Food for thought on this Labor Day.

UCRCC: Weekly Republican News Update

jay — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:11:24 +0000

The Republicans should take back the US House and possibly even the US Senate in less than 60 days: http://politics.usnews.com/news/washington-whispers/articles/2010/09/02/shock-prediction-gop-to-take-house-maybe-senate-in-2010-election.html

Can Republicans win back the US Senate? Dick Morris thinks so: http://townhall.com/columnists/DickMorrisandEileenMcGann/2010/09/01/how_republicans_will_win_the_senate

Democrats threw away an enormous political advantage in the last two years: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/How-Democratic-Congress-threw-away-its-advantage-over-GOP-101959693.html

The first order of business for a Republican majority in the US Congress would be to extend the Bush tax cuts: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/116865-pence-gop-majority-would-move-first-to-extend-bush-tax-cuts

The John Kitzhaber campaign goes negative with a very inaccurate ad and pays for it with a loss of credibility: http://www.oregonlive.com/hovde/index.ssf/2010/09/kitzhaber_camp_misfires.html

The Chris Dudley campaign responds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p44q6HXArY0

Republican candidates take the lead in California: http://townhall.com/tipsheet/GuyBenson/2010/09/02/new_california_senate__governor_polls_show_gop_leads

Mitt Romney’s Free and Strong America PAC announces its Oregon endorsements: http://www.freestrongamerica.com/press/item/release_mitt_romney_announces_oregon_endorsements

A 2012 poll shows Romney beating Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty in their home states: http://mittromneycentral.com/2010/09/01/2012-polls-romney-beats-palin-in-her-own-alaska-wallops-pawlenty-in-his-native-minnesota/

The Republican Party is prospering under a Tea Party takeover:

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/245269/welcome-party-michael-tanner

**************************************************************************************************************************
WE STAND FOR STRONG FAMILIES, A STRONG ECONOMY AND A STRONG MILITARY
**************************************************************************************************************************

UNION COUNTY REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITTEE

Lanny Hildebrandt MBA CPA
CHAIRMAN

1615 Fourth Street
La Grande, OR 97850
Ph: (541) 963-7930
Fax: (541) 963-7750
Email: hilde@eoni.com

VICE CHAIRMAN:    Phil Hassinger
SECRETARY:          Jay Mackley
TREASURER:          Vanessa Hagedorn

________________________________________________
Preserving the Republican Majority in Union County!
________________________________________________

UCRCC: Rep. Greg Walden`s Oregon Congressional Connection

jay — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:11:05 +0000

September 2, 2010

http://walden.house.gov/

Dear Jay,

I just wanted to drop a quick note to make you aware of what I consider to be an outrageous example of out-of-control government.

Here’s the backstory: Medford-based Mercy Flights, the nation’s longest serving air ambulance operator, was fined $30,000 by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for using the word “our.”

I’m not kidding. And keep in mind that they’re a nonprofit performing an essential service for southern Oregon.

They were punished for an infraction completely unrelated to safety or hazardous conditions. Their offense was using the pronoun “our” on its website and other company literature when referring to an air ambulance helicopter that it operates.

While Mercy Flights has exclusive use of the helicopter, pays all the costs of maintaining and operating the helicopter, and employs all the medical staff that work on the helicopter, the pilots and mechanics are controlled by BTS LLC.

So, the FAA decided the use of “our helicopter” in Mercy Flights’ literature constituted an act of deceiving the public, and slapped them with a $30,000 fine without even the opportunity to change the wording.

Huh?

As I told the Medford Mail-Tribune, since when did the FAA become the grammar police? It’s obvious that Mercy Flights wasn’t trying to deceive anyone.

I’ve written a letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood asking for a full explanation – and I must point out that Mercy Flights never contacted me about this. I just read the original story in the Mail-Tribuneand was outraged.

The Mail-Tribune’s most recent report is below.

Best regards,
Greg Walden

Rep. Walden goes to bat for Mercy Flights

He challenges severity of FAA’s fine for the Medford ambulance service’s misuse of ‘our’

September 02, 2010

By Greg Stiles

Mail Tribune

Congressman Greg Walden has asked Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for details on the Federal Aviation Administration investigation into Mercy Flights’ promotional material that led to a $30,000 fine.

“Since when did the FAA become the grammar police? This is the kind of nuance that only bureaucrats could love,” Walden said in a statement Wednesday. “It is obvious that Mercy Flights wasn’t trying to deceive anyone. It is beyond me why the FAA would think that this exceedingly minor word choice merits such a severe penalty. Mercy Flights provides an essential service and creates good jobs in Southern Oregon. This is Exhibit A for excessive government control.”

The Oregon Republican wrote LaHood on Tuesday after Southern Oregon constituents raised the issue following a Mail Tribune story about the Transportation Department’s consent order concerning the nonprofit’s marketing.

“I would appreciate you informing me of the details of FAA’s enforcement investigation into this matter and explaining why the FAA chose to levy such an unreasonable fine on Mercy Flights without even affording it the opportunity to immediately modify the language in question in its promotional materials or comply with a nonpunitive cease-and-desist order,” Walden wrote.

Medford-based Mercy Flights, the nation’s longest serving air ambulance operator, was punished for an infraction unrelated to safety or hazardous conditions. The FAA levied a fine because Mercy Flights used the pronoun “our” on its website and other company literature when referring to an air ambulance helicopter owned by BTS LLC, which hires the pilots and maintains the craft. The helicopter has been dedicated to Mercy Flights’ use since 1998.

A spokesman for the Transportation Department in Washington, D.C., said the closer scrutiny was the result of crashes involving other companies.

“Over the past few years there have been a number of air ambulance and air taxi crashes, some involving fatalities, where the people chartering the flights did not appear to know who was really providing the service and who was responsible for the safety of the operations,” said Bill Mosley, a Transportation Department spokesman. “Thus we have begun to more closely monitor advertising for these activities to ensure the operators do not deceive consumers in violation of federal law, the only law that applies.”

Mosley said the department will reply to Walden in the near future, but didn’t indicate the nature of the response.

###

Contact Information
Southern Oregon Office 843 East Main Street, Ste 400 Medford, OR 97504 Main: 541-776-4646 Fax: 541-779-0204 Tollfree: 800-533-3303		Central Oregon Office 1051 NW Bond St., Suite 400 Bend, OR 97701 Main: 541-389-4408 Fax: 541-389-4452
Eastern Oregon Office 1211 Washington Avenue La Grande, OR 97850 Main: 541-624-2400 Fax: 541-624-2402		Washington, DC Office 2352 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Main: 202-225-6730 Fax: 202-225-5774

EOP: Meeting this Thursday

jay — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:10:27 +0000

Eastern Oregon Patriots

		August 17, 2010


Did you miss the Restoring Honor Rally? You can watch the event on CSPAN. http://cspan.org/Watch/Media/2010/08/28/HP/A/37551/Restoring+Honor+Rally.aspx or www.glenbeck.com


Want to make a difference this election? EOP and other concerned citizens will deliver, door-to-door, nonpartisian voter guides this fall in an effort to help voters make informed choices and get out the vote. It will be a good time meeting neighbors and other like minded citizens. Contact us if you would like to help. eop912@gmail.com Have a few minutes a week and want to help the effort? No matter your skill level or time contraints, there are things big and small that you can do to help the effort of freedom both on the state and local level. Here are just a few areas. Education -contact Rae Anderson Elections- Heather Kirkham Research – Oregon912 Candiate Research -contact Lynette Hibbert Publicity – contact Al MacLeod Homecoming Parade – contact Al Email – eop912@gmail.com and put the person’s name in the subject line. Let us know of upcoming events, candidate nights, candidate coffees that we can post for our members in and out of Union County.	Upcoming Events General Meeting Tomorrow - Sept. 2, 7pm at the Flying J, La Grande Candidates for Union County Commissioner will speak and answer your questions. We will discuss a couple principles of liberty from the book “The 5,000 Year Leap” 21. Strong local self-government is the keystone to preserving human freedom. 22. A free people should be governed by law and not by the whims of men. Followed by a discussion on actions we take locally to help get constitutional minded statesmen in office. ____________________________________ Sept 12 (Sunday) TaxPayer’s March on D.C. This event will be organized by the same coalition that organized the original 9/12 March on Washington — including FreedomWorks, Tea Party Patriots, National Taxpayers Union, The Institute for Liberty and a host of other great free market groups from around the country. Who: FreedomWorks and allied conservative groups What: 9/12 Taxpayer March on Washington, DC – 2010 When: Sep. 12th, 2010, 10:00am until 5:00pm Where: The Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol building Why: To protest big government and support lower taxes, less government and more free For more information go to 9.12.dc.org Sep 13 (Monday) 06:00 PM This is a regular session of the City of La Grande City Council. For information regarding Agenda items, please call 962-1309 or see the City website. The Council Calendar may also be viewed at www.cityoflagrande.org on the CALENDAR tab. La Grande – 1000 Adams Avenue – Council Chambers, City Hall September 18, (Saturday) Gathering of the Eagles 4th Annual Conservative Republican Gala, Turner, Oregon All Day Event more information Sep 29, (Wednesday) 06:00 PM – City of La Grande City Council October 7, (Thursday) 7 pm- Flying J- Eastern Oregon Patriots Meeting Meet more candidates

Website:http://www.meetup.com/Eastern-Oregon-Patriots

www.oregon912project.org

Email: EOP912@gmail.com

UCRCC: Republican news you can use

jay — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:54:08 +0000

Four Oregon Republican candidates are endorsed by Mitt Romney and the Free and Strong America PAC: http://mittromneycentral.com/2010/08/31/four-oregon-candidates-endorsed-by-mitt-romney/

Investors want to see a real stock market rally in the next few months. Republican congressional candidates must make a strong case for a true economic-growth and jobs agenda now: http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/545305/201008271806/After-Boehners-Growth-Pitch-Is-Rally-Next-.htm

Republicans take a historically high 10-point lead in the generic congressional ballot: http://www.gallup.com/poll/142718/GOP-Unprecedented-Lead-Generic-Ballot.aspx

A Glenn Beck rally in Washington DC signals more election trouble for Democrat incumbents: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100829/D9HT1DS01.html

In the “no surprise” category, TV network reporters gave 88% of their political contributions to the Democrats in 2008: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Obama-Democrats-got-88-percent-of-TV-network-employee-campaign-contributions-101668063.html

A prognosticating professor at the University of Buffalo is predicting a Republican takeover of the US Congress: http://www.buffalonews.com/city/capital-connection/washington/article175227.ece

Oregonians favor Republican Chris Dudley’s economic plan over Democrat John Kitzhaber’s 2 to 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn-m8sJfo1w

A recent Zogby poll shows Mitt Romney beating Barack Obama and Michael Bloomberg in a three-way race in 2012: http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/zogby-romney-beats-obama/2010/08/30/id/368731?utm_source=kristofercowles.com&utm_medium=twitter

UNION COUNTY REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITTEE

Lanny Hildebrandt MBA CPA
CHAIRMAN

1615 Fourth Street
La Grande, OR 97850
Ph: (541) 963-7930
Fax: (541) 963-7750
Email: hilde@eoni.com

VICE CHAIRMAN:    Phil Hassinger
SECRETARY:          Jay Mackley
TREASURER:          Vanessa Hagedorn

________________________________________________
Preserving the Republican Majority in Union County!
________________________________________________

Other: Telfer Proposes Plan to Reduce Spendin

jay — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:52:26 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tiffany Telfer

August 31, 2010 (541) 678-3370

Telfer Proposes Ways to Reduce State Spending

Salem, OR – Last week state officials revised their revenue projections and they are down, again. Since the close of the 2009 Legislative Session revenue projections have fallen by more than $1.2 billion. Senator Chris Telfer (R-Bend) is proposing several ways that lawmakers can reduce state spending and balance the budget.

“As legislators it is our job to balance the state budget,” said Telfer. “Letting the Governor cut across-the-board is irresponsible.”

As he did in June, the Governor is ordering an 8 percent cut to every program regardless of its value to Oregonians. Telfer is asking lawmakers to meet in Salem to discuss a list of targeted budget reductions that will preserve the most vital state programs.

“From this point forward our budget must be focused on creating private sector jobs,” said Telfer. “Without them we will not get Oregon’s budget back on track. Washington D.C. cannot print money fast enough to bail us out. We must step up and fix this problem here.

Most of the items on the list below require lawmakers to meet. They cannot be enacted by the Governor or the Legislative Emergency Board alone.

Proposals include:

Transform Government

The Department of Human Services continues to lead the way in transforming the way services are delivered. Of the more than 100 recommendations for improvement 31 have been implemented saving more than $80 million. The department should be encouraged to keep moving with implementation of the remaining ideas and other state agencies must follow their lead.

Review all federal funds to see if Oregon’s required match is worth spending. The strings attached to federal funds may be greater than the benefit of spending Oregon tax dollars.

Reduce the cost of Government

Examine all new spending in the 2009-11 budget. Any reductions should start there. We have requested the information on this spending but based on the way the state drafts a budget we have been told the information will take weeks to put together.

Remove all General Fund money from the Department of Land Conservation and Development. Any functions the department can no longer afford can be handled at the local level by those with a vested interest in the economic health of the area. This would save about $7 million for the remainder of the 2009-11 biennium.

With three of four General Fund dollars going to employee salaries and benefits (according to the Governor’s Reset Report) we cannot balance the general fund budget without shared sacrifice. Options for reductions in employee costs include:

- Approximately 3,000 new positions have been created in state government since 2007 (excludes higher education). By eliminating those positions the state could save $160 million in the current biennium. If public employee union leaders are not willing to open contracts to deal with health insurance and/or PERS the state will have no choice but to reduce the number of state employees. Where possible, any of these reductions should be focused on positions that do not provide a direct service to Oregonians.

- Ask employees to pay for just half of the 6% of salary the state currently pays to their PERS accounts. For the remainder of the current biennium this would save approximately $53 million. This change was recommended by the Governor’s Reset Cabinet.

- Halt the practice of granting salary rate reclassifications to state employees which are really just a backdoor way to avoid the pay freeze. (A list of reclassifications this biennium has been requested).

- Ask state employees to pay for part of their health insurance. If state employees paid what the average teacher does ($187 per month) that state could save over $71 million for the remainder of this biennium.

- Do not fill any positions currently vacant without the approval of the Governor.

Suspend any Business Energy Tax Credits tax credits not yet approved. This could save approximately $80 million.

About Chris Telfer

Chris Telfer is the Republican nominee for Oregon State Treasurer. She is currently serving her first term as the Republican State Senator for District 27, representing Deschutes County in Central Oregon. Chris has been a Certified Public Accountant for nearly 30 years and presently owns a CPA practice catering to non-profit organizations. She is a longtime small business owner, former Bend City Councilwoman, community leader, and highly respected fiscally conservative elected official. Chris’ robust financial background, common sense approach, seasoned elected official and proven effectiveness as a Legislator overwhelmingly qualifies her as Oregon’s next State Treasurer.

Committee to Elect Chris Telfer | P.O. Box 2027 Bend, OR 97709 | [541]678-3157 | TelferforTreasurer.com

AFP: A Weekend to Remember with Glenn Beck and AFP

jay — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:48:47 +0000

Michele Bachmann had finished her speech to our 2,500-plus activists on Friday night at AFP Foundation’s 4th annual Defending the American Dream Summit. The crowd was still roaring. CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES AND FOOTAGE

A man in his 30s walked over to me, shook my hand and said “Tim, I took off 2 days from work, and rode one of the buses up from south Florida to attend this summit and the Glenn Beck rally tomorrow. We’re hurting financially but my wife and I wanted to show our children that sometimes you sacrifice for a bigger cause.”

On Saturday, I spoke to 3 ladies (two of them grandmothers) who had ridden a bus from El Paso, Texas to be at the Beck rally and one of them told me, “It’s the least I can do for a country that’s given me everything.”

Throughout our Summit on Friday and then again on Saturday morning for Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” event I heard similar stories including a family of 5 from Michigan who told me this was their “best get out of school field trip ever!”

President Obama can keep up his dishonest attacks on us — saying we’re front groups for “foreign corporations” is the oddest of all — but we know the truth. We know our movement is made up of millions of Americans from all walks of life united by a message of limited government, less spending, lower taxes, and more individual freedom. We also know that our ideas are winning with the American people.

A couple of our young staffers came up with a t-shirt that resonated with so many folks at our Summit and at the Beck event:

CLICK HERE TO SEE this t-shirt and to get one of your own.

Know this though, the attacks from the Left are going to continue to be numerous and venomous. On the day of our Summit, the liberal head of the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee weighed in saying, “Americans for Prosperity is not interested in Americans’ prosperity.”

They’re losing on the issues. So, they resort to negative, personal attacks that seek to denigrate and demagogue their opponents. It’s sad but true.

Already, the Left is filing frivolous complaints against our television ads — CLICK HERE TO SEE THESE ADS. They want to silence our message by intimidating us.

You can help keep those ads on the air – even with a contribution of just $20. CLICK HERE TO DONATE SO MORE AND MORE AMERICANS HEAR OUR MESSAGE.

Trust me on this, their intimidation tactics are not going to work. Americans for Prosperity is going to keep fighting. We’ll follow every rule and every regulation and WE WILL KEEP FIGHTING for our economic freedoms.

Thanks for all you are doing. Much lies ahead.

Tim
PS: Remember to take a look at our AFP “Obama Response” t-shirt and pick one up! CLICK HERE.

UCRCC: Union County Republican Headquarters

jay — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:32:54 +0000

Photographs of the Union County Republican Headquarters – located at 1019 Adams Avenue in La Grande.