IA Caucus Voter’s Guide
THE DAILY BLADE: IA Republicans should check where the candidates stand on the issues most important to them before they caucus tomorrow, with this handy cheat sheet from Tea Party Nation based on a survey of members:
- Repeal Obamacare
- Secure the border
- Bachmann Yes. Signed Americans for Secure Borders pledge. Source
- Gingrich Yes. Signed Americans for Secure Borders pledge but also believes “it is neither optimal nor feasible nor humane to deport every single illegal immigrant”. Source
- Huntsman Yes. Source
- Paul No. Believes a fence could be used to keep Americans in. Source
- Perry Supports strategically placed fencing, but also supported in-state college tuition for some undocumented immigrants in Texas. Source
- Romney Yes. Source
- Santorum Yes. Source
- Reduce Government waste, fraud and abuse
- Bachmann Mixed. Has won recognition in Congress for trying to reduce waste and got perfect score from Club for Growth in 2010 but also sought stimulus money for projects. Source
- Gingrich Yes. Adopt Lean Sigma Six strategies to eliminate waste. Source
- Huntsman Mixed. Huntsman states he supports cutting waste but independent analyses by the Club for Growth and the Cato Institute say his performance in Utah on reducing spending was ineffective. Source
- Paul Mixed record. Supports “a 10% reduction in the federal workforce, slashing congressional pay and perks, and curbing excessive federal travel” but also sought stimulus money for Texas projects. Source
- Perry Yes. Source
- Romney Yes. Source
- Santorum Yes. Source
- Abolish the Department of Education
- Bachmann Yes. Source
- Gingrich Would shrink Education Department into a research center. Source
- Huntsman No, but would eliminate no Child Left Behind. Source
- Paul Yes. Source
- Perry Yes. Source
- Romney Supported abolishing it in the 1990s, but now wants a limited federal role in education. Source
- Santorum Would shrink but not eliminate it. Source
- Balanced budget amendment
New Year, New Laws
The National Conference of State Legislatures issued Monday its annual list of laws set to take effect in 2012. Of the roughly 40,000 state laws that took effect on January 1st, quite a number were passed by legislators in CA. For example, CA & OR have banned the sale, trade, or distribution of shark fins, as well as beer laced with caffeine.
CA has also banned the use of E-Verify by employers to check the immigration status of prospective employees. San Francisco has raised its minimum wage to $10.24 per hour nearly $3 above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
State residents are now required to obtain a prescription to buy any drug containing dextromethorphan, which is found in many OTC cough suppressants, including Robitussin, NyQuil and Dimetapp.
Another new law requires public schools in CA to teach students about the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. But the state’s legislators do have their priorities and have now banned teens from using indoor tanning beds.
Elsewhere around the country:
† AL, GA, LA, SC and TN require use of E-Verify.
† AR requires facilities that perform 10 or more nonsurgical abortions a month to be inspected and licensed by the state Health Department.
† AZ, CO, FL, MT, OH, OR, VT and WA have all raised the minimum wage.
† CO coaches are now required to bench players if a concussion is suspected, and they will need medical clearance to return to play.
† In IL, students 18 and under to ride taxis to school-related functions must wear seatbelts.
† KS, TN, TX, RI and SC passed voter ID laws, but the Justice Department overturned SC’s.
† In ND and NV you can no longer text and drive, while in OR a law banning the foolhardy practice was relaxed for drivers of tow trucks, roadside-assistance vehicles and utility vehicles.
† OR raised its penalties for illegally killing certain game animals, but increased access to public lands for hunting.
† Drinkers in UT will no longer be able to enjoy Happy Hour drink specials – and it is now a crime for any establishment with a liquor license to offer them.
Shoes To Kill For
Fist fights and riots that had to be controlled with the use of pepper spray broke out at malls nationwide just before Christmas when Nike released the Air Jordan 11 Retro Concords as a limited edition, reports MyDesert.com:
The mayhem stretched from Washington state to Georgia and was reminiscent of the violence that broke out 20 years ago in many cities as the shoes became popular targets for thieves. It also had a decidedly Black Friday feel as huge crowds of shoppers overwhelmed stores for a must-have item.
Inevitably, shoppers who were able to get their hands on the coveted shoe were robbed by covetous have nots:
A 19-year-old Houston-area man says he was beaten and a friend was slashed in the face as a group of men robbed him of his new pair of expensive Air Jordan shoes.
Efrain Espinoza says the men first tried to steal his cell phone, followed him from a party Monday to his home near Pearland and then swiped the $180 shoes during a fight.
Nike’s marketing department planned the mayhem as part of its roll-out strategy, The Wall Street Journal reports:
Nike Inc.'s Jordan line of sneakers is drawing iPhone-like lines of buyers despite iPhone-like prices.
The phenomenon underscores the strength of a brand that brings the company about $1 billion a year in sales. But it also reflects a strategic choice by Nike and its major retail outlets like Foot Locker Inc.: keep supplies of hot models limited and time releases for when target customers are in the best position to buy. …
Ken Hicks, chief executive of Foot Locker, said his company works closely with Nike to time releases of new shoes. "This is choreographed months in advance," he added.
"Sneakerheads," as they are referred to in the industry, tend to be young, male and live from paycheck to paycheck, Mr. Hicks said. As a result, he said, many launches are scheduled for the second Friday of the month or the end of the month, when they tend to have the most cash.
Friday's release of the Concord came just before the holiday, when potential buyers who work in service industries would have received Christmas tips, Mr. Hicks said. This coming Saturday's release of the LeBron 9 Freegums shoe will come at a time when shoppers are armed with gift cards and Christmas money, he said.
The Stiletto never thought she’d have to say this but, they’re just shoes. Get a grip!
The Stiletto Scoops Jon Huntsman
It has not escaped the notice of The Boston Globe that as former MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) “lays the groundwork for a possible second presidential run” he is steering clear of Tea Party activists" in NH and other key primary states. … No pundit or poli sci prof can explain why 2012 won’t be Romney’s year any better than these lyrics from the Culture Club song “Karma Chameleon”: He’s a man “without conviction”/ he’s a man “who doesn't know/how to sell a contradiction.”
- Update to Romney: The Sequel, The Stiletto Blog, January 21, 2011
Our Destiny PAC, the outside group supporting Jon Huntsman’s presidential campaign, is going on the air in New Hampshire with an ad that implores voters there to “stop the chameleon.” That “chameleon” would be Mitt Romney – one of two candidates the super PAC says is still viable in the 2012 primary.
- Huntsman PAC hits 'chameleon' Mitt, Politico, December 30, 2011
In Memoriam
Kaye Stevens, July 21, 1932 – December 28, 2011
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