Letter to the Editor

Letters to Editor

Dear Editor:

I believe the recent attacks against the Catholic School children in Washington is the canary in the coal mine regarding the direction of our great country.

Viewing the entire video of the Catholic School children incident proves that these kids were just waiting for their bus when they were taunted by adults from a hate group. Their response was to respond with their school cheer. This prompted Native American activist Nathan Phillips to walk up to them and bang his drum inches away from the face of a 16 year old in the group.

Because the 16 year old did nothing but stand there smiling (the left wing haters in the Democrat Party and the media reported it as a smirk, but I saw it as a non-aggressive smile) he, his parents and his school received death threats! Even if you saw it as a smirk, what has the Left Wing Democrat Haters in the Congress, the media and Hollywood done to our country, that they feel the threat of death is the proper response to smirking?

At the same time, there are few if any hateful responses like this from Conservatives. Think about it, when was the last time Conservatives en masse, harassed and demonized someone on the Left with these hateful actions. Incidences of Left Wing violence against the Right are running at 100 to 1. The only reason the public does not notice it is because the media reports the 1 act of violence on the Right and ignores or excuses the 100 acts of violence on the Left.

Call your members of Congress (both House and Senate) and tell them the time to speak out is now before this goes too far and anyone wearing a MAGA hat has to fear for their safety. Because, make no mistake, these people not only hate Trump, they hate the 63 million people who voted for him.

The Rev Martin Niemoller was a Lutheran pastor who survived Hitler’s Concentration Camps. After the war his said; “First they came for the trade unionists, but I was not a trade unionist, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew, so I did not speak out. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out.” And it’s long past time Republicans in Washington spoke out.

Republican members of Congress seem to be loath to speak out against the worst kind of violence against Conservatives and the cruel social media attacks described here. Yet numerous Democrat members of Congress joined the Left Wing mob and pounced on this poor 16 year old child screaming for his head. At the same time, only one Republican from Kentucky came to his defense. My question is, what has happened to the Democrats to do this and what’s wrong with Republicans that they are so afraid to speak out?

Kasich’s Attacks Continue

Opinion

A perennial GOP wanna-be presidential hopeful, John Kasich tells us: “Every day there is chaos coming
out of Washington and the Trump White House. It’s diminishing our American values, threatening our
international alliances and resulting in few policy accomplishments for the American people. Enough is
enough. It’s time for us all – as Americans to put aside the party politics and work together to face our
greatest challenges.”

I want to try to decipher what the estimable John Kasich thinks he means: First, “chaos” is a word which,
in its negative connotation, basically describes the violent collapse of societies. Now, only the Democrats
are in a state of violent hysterical collapse. But, once started, lurking within its violence, old scores are
settled, revenge meted out, hatreds revealed and destruction of property becomes the rule of the day.
Actually, Chaos is anarchy as Kasich sees it but we’re not there yet, except Portland and Baltimore.

Chaos is part of the necessary cleansing feature when societies attempt to reestablish order and
authority. I didn’t say ‘lawful order’ because as we learned from Lenin’s Bolshevik revolution that
overthrew Czarist Russia and the National Socialists that suborned then lawfully displace the decrepit
Weirder Republic of post WW1 Germany, we see two examples of Socialism’s chaotic roadmap to
achieve leadership by tyranny. Excuses for these revolutions will vary.

Kasich say’s the “chaos” comes out of Washington and the White House. Washington is a broad brush
word that covers a multitude of sins but, by saying ‘White House,’ he directly means president Trump.
Kasich hates President Trump because of Trumps accomplishes and, he’s mean. By Trump’s frontal
attacks against the open enemies of American, the socialist embedded within the Democrat party and the
their policies that fail the test of Constitutionalism, reveals the real chaos Kasich talks about. Trump has
been a huge success. John Kasich, nor any other Republican, could never do that. Kasich is part of the
problem, a uni-party deep-state advocate.

John K. believes the ‘chaos’ he mentions is “diminishing our American values.” Well, what are those
American values he envisions? I don’t know but, clearly the voters who put Trump in office wanted a
restoration of our liberties, and a reduction of Obama’s onerous and economically regulation state that
nearly crushed American progress under the heels of totalitarian incompetency where nothing works but
government. Trump has done that!

John also said: Trump “was threatening our international alliances resulting in few policy
accomplishments by the American people.” First, what foreign policy accomplishment did Obama make?
Actually, there’s not enough space left here to list Trump’s accomplishments. In only two years he has
eliminated NAFTA and the TPP, challenged China’s economic espionage, confronted our disjointed
immigration polices, and did so by using means that remain mysteries to the likes of politicians like John
Kasich. John wants us to “put aside party politics (and) work together to face our greatest challenges.”
That’s an easy one. As I see it, we have two competing policies, one of good and one of evil. What John
means here is “bipartisanship” by which definition Democrats means we capitulate to them, always.

What are our “greatest challenges?” Well, people like Kasich is a good example of a pitiful challenge, but
restoring America constitutionalism, the rule of law, removing the corruptive issues of big money, re-
establishing trust in the election process and cleansing out the RiNO’s still sucking the life blood out of the
party is really our biggest challenge, John doesn’t think so. He wants to save it.

Locally, here in my county in Georgia’s 9th congressional district, my sources tell me of troubles in our
once solid Republican party. “The recent meetings of the local GOP, he said, reflect the disunity of the
Republican party nationally, with internal accusations of who’s doing the most to support our elections,
etc.  They’re the same few folks at the party meeting (locally)…maybe 10 of the old guard…while the local
Democratic party is growing and seems enthusiastic. I have no doubt that Georgia will be “blue” after the next state-wide elections, even without the current vote maneuvering.” Continuing, he said: “Someone
mentioned a while back that the Republican lawmakers really don’t care who controls the legislative
branches of government; they each have their funding sources and will play to those interests to keep
their positions….or if they have enough time in service, will retire and become a lobbyist.” And that my friends highlights our biggest problem. We have too many professional politicians, citizens who made
promises to get elected, then succumbed to the corrupted call of easy money to join the ranks of the
disciples of the “deep state.”

Politics should not be a career profession and John Kasich, in his pleading diatribe against Donald Trump
should realize that and go run a lawn and garden center somewhere where manure speak is understood
and acceptable. In the end, John Kasich is a “squabbler” not a fighter. He can’t compare with Trump in
real competition with America’s enemies or match Trump’s accomplishments.

Finally, this from a fan in Nevada: “Damn Republicans want to be known as “gentlemen” and have no
balls. When ignorant idiots like Crooked Hillary, Pelosi, Chuckie, and of course, Maxine Waters make
stupid statements the RNC should run commercials non-stop showing how truly ignorant and out of touch
with reality they are. But the RNC, which is always chaired by a spineless jerk will never do so as they
have no guts to do so. Fight fire with fire I say. Will never happen.”

President Harry Truman said: “Give it to them hard and straight and they’ll remember you!”
Remember, freedom is the goal, the Constitution is the way. Now, go get ‘em! (01Sec18)

House Republicans Hit Record Productivity in Work with Trump Administration

Politics

House Republicans Hit Record Productivity in Work with Trump Administration

“This year in Washington has been remarkably productive. We have an active president who is eager to work with lawmakers, and the House remains motivated to enact the conservative reforms the American people elected us to champion.”

WASHINGTON—House Republicans, including Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference Doug Collins (R-Ga.), have passed more bills than under any of the previous four administrations during the same time period. Similarly, President Trump has signed more bills into law—37 since January—than any of the four previous presidents at the same point in their administrations. Collins released the following statement in response to these reports, provided by Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy:

“This year in Washington has been remarkably productive. We have an active president who is eager to work with lawmakers, and the House remains motivated to enact the conservative reforms the American people elected us to champion.

“Although Senate Republicans face unprecedented obstructionism from across the aisle, our unified government has still managed to pass laws that reduce regulatory burdens, support our veterans, and whittle down bureaucracy. I look forward to continuing to work with this administration and my colleagues to replace big government with common sense.”

Productivity of the House of Representatives and the President of the United States as of June 8, 2017:

dougcollins.house.gov  twitter-icon facebook-icon youtube-icon

Washington, D.C. Office:
1504 Longworth H.O.B.
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-9893
District Office:
210 Washington St. NW, Suite 202
Gainesville, GA 30501
Phone: (770) 297-3388

ICYMI: Liberals Shun Science, Defy Obama in Poultry Production

Politics, State & National

Liberals shun science, defy Obama in poultry production

WASHINGTON—This op ed by Congressman Doug Collins (R-Ga.) first appeared in The Hill on September 27, 2017.

Not much has changed since 1906, when Upton Sinclair dropped his magnum opus on a world in the throes of industrialization.

At least, that’s the picture that liberals like Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) are propagating: Big business is forcing poultry workers to brave conditions straight out of “The Jungle,” and “any attempt to increase lines speeds” at poultry plants would erode food and worker safety.

If these claims were rooted in reality, allowing producers to increase the speeds of certain processing lines might be inappropriate, especially since my northeast Georgia home is the poultry capital of the world. My neighbors have made their careers in this industry. We see each other at church and at the grocery store, and I want only their safety and success.

If we’re being honest, though, we admit that a lot has changed since 1906, and scientific advances have transformed the industrial landscape and equipped us to evaluate accusations leveled by my friends across the aisle.

Unfortunately, opponents of increasing line speeds have scuttled a broad range of scientific disciplines in order to advance their anti-poultry position. They walk a road so extreme and so hostile to empirical evidence that it requires them to break with President Obama himself, whose administration introduced a rule that would have allowed processors to increase their line speeds safely (and, in so doing, to benefit American workers and consumers).

The first casualty of their argument is geography. These critics say that faster line speeds would force workers on those lines to dismember chickens at dangerous rates. The geography of the production process, however, makes their claim disingenuous.

Poultry plants exist in two distinct sections—one for first processing and one for second processing. Every petition to raise line speeds that I’m familiar with applies strictly to the first-processing zone, where birds enter the plant and undergo cleaning to make the food safer before ending this journey in chillers. The primary duty of workers on these lines is inspection. They wield cotton swabs, not paring knives.

Workers who debone the birds operate only in second-processing areas, physically separate from the largely-automated first-processing lines. The chillers represent a full stop in the process and physical division between these sections of a plant, so raising line speeds in the first area doesn’t require work speeds in the second area to increase. The geography lesson here is simple: The layout of these plants means that increases in line speeds in the first-processing zones would, by design, not jeopardize worker safety.

Line-speed skeptics also ignore biology. Since 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has overseen a pilot program for plants operating at speeds of up to 175 birds per minute (bpm). These plants had implemented new safety models that shifted focus from low-value activities—like checking birds for bruises or remaining feathers—to high-value food safety tasks like microbial testing.

A landmark study demonstrated that plants with higher line speeds met or exceeded FSIS food safety standards. Among other successes, FSIS (that is, the government inspectors) saw the percentages of unacceptable samples for E. coli fall from 3.9 percent to 0.7 percent while the plants were able to operate at increased speeds. The rates of Salmonella and Campylobacter bacteria further show that these have food safety outcomes as good as or better than traditionally-run plants, whose line speeds are capped at an arbitrary 140 bpm.

Why would anyone shun innovation that improves both efficiencies and product quality while guarding employee welfare?

I can’t answer that, but we do know this: Such objectors dismiss ergonomic data—even when it comes from federal regulators. They fly the banner of worker safety and efficiency in theory but seem to disregard insight from the Department of Labor, which reports that the poultry industry’s 2015 illness and injury rate was 4.3 cases per 100 full-time workers compared to a rate of 4.7 cases for the food manufacturing sector at large. According to these records, the men and women engaged in poultry processing have found a safer career than those working in the average tortilla manufacturer or bottled water operation.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports that injury and illness rates among poultry employees have fallen 81 percent since 1994. So, as poultry plants have become more efficient, they have also become safer for the individuals operating them. Innovation is not a zero-sum game.

Yet, in the face of scientific data, industry detractors demonize even economics and its positive externalities. They bemoan the news that poultry “profits are soaring” and decry a company that reported its earnings for “bragging.”

Yet successful companies often find themselves in the best position to supply the market with more affordable goods, and that dynamic serves American consumers—especially the middle class, who spend a greater portion of their income on staples like food than higher-earners do.

The economic cost of locking our producers into slower line speeds became clear in 2010, when Brazil outpaced the U.S. as the world’s leading poultry broiler meat exporter. Like operations in Canada, Europe and Asia, Brazilian plants can run at line speeds of over 200 bpm. Handcuffing American consumers and producers to arbitrarily low line-speeds hurts our economy and may even undermine food and worker safety, both of which have improved as line speeds have increased and oversight techniques have advanced.

Liberals appropriate the stories of individual poultry employees without disclosing that they don’t actually work on the lines in question here. They jettison a host of scientific data because it is inconvenient to their narrative of doom, gloom and righteous indignation.

We serve our neighbors best when we allow evidence to mobilize our empathy. Scientific analysis demonstrates that innovation has simultaneously improved worker safety, product quality and operational efficiencies across the poultry industry, which means that they’re protecting and stewarding America’s most valuable resource—our workers.

Rep. Doug Collins has represented Georgia’s 9th District since 2013. He is the Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference and a member of the Judiciary and Rules Committees.

Collins Statement on House Passage of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

State & National

WASHINGTON—The House of Representatives today passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference, issued the following statement in response:

“This afternoon, the People’s House reaffirmed its confidence in American workers and families by passing comprehensive tax reform. The last three decades empowered the IRS to dig its tentacles deeper into the wallets of our neighbors, and we acted to reverse that trend today.

“Middle-class Americans and job creators deserve relief from burdensome taxes and the opportunity to pursue more of their ambitions on their terms. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act can deliver on both fronts on behalf of our nation’s families and future.”

Senator David Perdue Comments On Confirmation Of President Trump’s Judicial Nominees

State & National

Senator David Perdue Comments On Confirmation Of President Trump’s Judicial Nominees

“These judges will help shape the direction of the courts for years to come.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) comments on the United States Senate’s work to confirm President Trump’s judicial nominees:

“The United States Senate has been stalled by historic obstruction from Senate Democrats. Despite this partisan gridlock, we confirmed Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court earlier this year, and have since confirmed 15 judicial nominees, including eight judges to the powerful United States Circuit Courts. These judges will help shape the direction of the courts for years to come. Unlike most things in Washington, we are moving quickly to get more judges in place. By comparison, in Obama’s first year in office, only three Circuit Court judges were confirmed. While we are making significant progress, there is still a lot more work to be done. President Trump has been in office for 10 months now and still doesn’t have his full team in place. Washington needs to pick up the pace and get all of President Trump’s nominees confirmed as quickly as possible.”

Background:

  • 16 judges confirmed this year, including Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch.
  • judges confirmed to the powerful United States Circuit Courts.
  • district judges confirmed.
  • 3 judges confirmed to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
  • There are 15 district and circuit court judges pending on the executive calendar.
  • The oldest judicial nomination on the executive calendar is 113 days.
  • There are 39 judges still pending in the Judiciary Committee.
  • There are currently 145 federal judge vacancies that the Senate will confirm.

Senator David Perdue Announces Bipartisan Agreement To Reduce Dodd-Frank Regulations

State & National

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) and 17 members on the Senate Banking Committee have drafted a bipartisan proposal to roll back significant portions of the Dodd-Frank Act, providing regulatory relief for Georgia’s community banks, credit unions, mid-sized banks, regional banks, and custody banks, none of whom contributed to the financial crisis of 2008. The proposal also improves important consumer protections, particularly for veterans, senior citizens, and victims of fraud.

“This is a huge win for our rural communities, small businesses, and the banks supporting them,” said Senator David Perdue. “This proposal will improve access to capital for small businesses, particularly in Georgia’s rural communities who have struggled with overregulation. In addition to this proposal, there is still work to be done. We will continue working with Secretary Mnuchin and the Trump Administration to eliminate even more regulations for consumers and business.”

“We appreciate the hard work of Senator David Perdue on behalf of the bankers and consumers in Georgia,” said Joe Brannen, President & CEO of the Georgia Bankers Association. “We are more hopeful that true relief can be accomplished in the near future so that Georgia bankers can continue to serve their communities in even more meaningful ways.”

Last spring, the Senate Banking Committee issued a request for legislative proposals from stakeholders, companies, and consumers aimed at creating economic growth. The committee then held a series of hearings exploring these ideas and has been drafting this proposal since that time. Democrats agreed that significant regulations of Dodd-Frank were negatively impacting local economics across the nation and joined Republicans in drafting this proposal.

Three key bills sponsored by Senator Perdue are included in this agreement: the Reciprocal Deposits Bill, the Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act, and the PROTECT Act, which simplifies the credit freezing process. View the proposal’s text here and a summary here.

Highlights of the bipartisan package include:

  • Improves consumer access to mortgage credit;
  • Provides regulatory relief for small financial institutions and protects consumer access to credit;
  • Provides specific protections for veterans, consumers and homeowners; and
  • Tailors regulations for banks to better reflect their business models.

Media Update: Collins Helps Pass Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act

Politics, State & National

Collins Helps Pass Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act

WASHINGTON—Today the House passed H.R. 36, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) co-sponsored.

Science has demonstrated that unborn children can feel pain 20 weeks after conception, and the bill would prohibit abortions once the fetus has reached that age. Fifteen states, including Georgia, have passed laws that parallel this federal bill, while many others currently allow providers to perform abortions on older babies.

“When modern medicine leads doctors to administer anesthesia to children at 20 weeks’ gestation, basic integrity gives us no way to ignore their personhood. Science leaves us no room to justify their slaughter, and our founding fathers leave us no path to disregard their right to life,” said Collins.

“Every liberty that my colleagues and I fight for is predicated on our right to life, and this bill ensures that unborn, pain-capable individuals enjoy this most basic of our American freedoms. By passing the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, we recognize and defend humanity at its most vulnerable, and I’m thankful to have the opportunity to help move this bill forward today.”

The bill will now go to the Senate for consideration, and President Trump has said that he will sign the bill into law if given the opportunity.

In addition to voting for the bill, Collins defended it on the House floor.

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