Former NYC mayor rips Obama over Israel
Former New York Mayor Ed Koch, a Democrat who campaigned for President Obama in 2008, slammed the U.S. leader's recent treatment of Israel as "outrageous" and "hostile," declaring he is "getting off the Obama train."

ObamaCare strips Congress of Health Coverage
In other words, theoretically the law kicks them out of the federal health plan now in order to force them to join insurance exchanges … that don’t exist yet. Looking forward to tomorrow, when we’re inevitably told that they meant to do that. Exit question for lawyers: Who would have standing to sue to force the federal health plan to drop Congress now?

Newt’s Speech of the Century!
An outstanding speech by Newt Gingrich on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference ?New Orleans, Louisiana.

Lieberman: Omitting 'Islamic' Terrorism From ‘Offensive'
Sen. Joe Lieberman slammed the Obama administration Sunday for stripping terms like "Islamic extremism" from a key national security document, calling the move dishonest, wrong-headed and disrespectful to the majority of Muslims who are not terrorists.

U.S. Shouldn't Play Nice on Nukes
This administration seems to believe that by restricting retaliatory threats and by downplaying our reliance on nuclear weapons, it is discouraging proliferation. But the opposite is true. Since World War II, smaller countries have agreed to forgo the acquisition of deterrent forces -- nuclear, biological and chemical -- precisely because they placed their trust in the firmness, power and reliability of the American deterrent. Seeing America retreat, they will rethink. And some will arm. There is no greater spur to hyper-proliferation than the furling of the American nuclear umbrella.

Federalizing Disasters Weakens FEMA
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been responding to almost any natural disaster around the country, be it a contained three-county flood, or a catastrophe of near-epic proportions like Hurricane Katrina. As a result, many states and localities have trimmed their own emergency-response budgets, often leaving them ill prepared to handle even rain- or snowstorms without federal assistance. This leaves FEMA stretched far too thin and ill prepared to respond to grand-scale catastrophes. The "federalization of disasters" misdirects vital resources, leaving localities, states, and the federal government in a lose-lose situation. FEMA policies must be overhauled to let localities handle smaller, localized disasters, and to allow FEMA to respond fully and effectively when it is truly needed. If the status quo continues, it will be a disaster for everyone.

Kansas taxes and spending debated
The way to get out of this problem is to control spending so that taxes don’t have to be raised. A low-tax environment is the best tool Kansas can use to attract and keep business, Beisner added: “If the Legislature adopts what will amount to the largest tax increase in the state’s history, states more competitive than Kansas will no doubt take advantage of our resulting anti-growth climate and lure our employers and workers out of the state.”

Kansans Oppose Higher School Taxes
More than eight in 10 Kansans oppose higher taxes for schools following a five-year, 26 percent increase in per-pupil aid, according to a new statewide survey released today. The finding, in a survey conducted by The Research Partnership of Wichita is significant because the levels are baselines for recalculation of state aid under the Montoy decision and for budget decisions facing the state legislature later this month.

Wichita drug ring tied to Mexico
A federal grand jury has returned a 107-count indictment against 18 men accused of being part of a Wichita drug-trafficking ring linked to Mexico, U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch said today. The indictment "describes a far-reaching operation in which conspirators carried guns and laundered significant sums of cash from peddling drugs," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Five of the defendants are alleged to be Mexican citizens who committed crimes after illegally entering the United States, the office said.

Americans Feel Overtaxed
When thinking about all the services provided by federal, state and local governments, 75% of voters nationwide say the average American should pay no more than 20% of their income in taxes. Additionally 66% believe that America is overtaxed.

Glenn Beck’s New Favorite Conservative
Congressman Paul Ryan talks about the dangers of Progressivism on Glenn Beck. Excellent!

New Web page provides insight into tax burdens
A new Web page launched yesterday by the Missouri Show-Me Institute provides an interactive tool that can be utilized by residents throughout the United States to study how the tax burden in their area has changed throughout the years and how it compares with other states. The tax-calculating tool incorporates data from numerous categories within the United States Census in addition to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States Department of Labor and the Tax Foundation. The Web page is intended to be utilized by legislators, the press and the general public and was designed to be a nonpartisan source of information. Although the site is owned by the Missouri Show-Me Institute, it provides tax information on each of the states, not just Missouri.

Conservative Senator Make Bids for Congress
The Republican state senator considering a challenge against Rep. Lynn Jenkins faces a tight window of attack in a potential primary matchup, political observers say. On Monday, Sen. Dennis Pyle said he would announce a decision on his candidacy for the 2nd Congressional District in a few weeks. The farmer from Hiawatha is known for his conservative credentials in the Statehouse and has said Jenkins isn't a true conservative.

Taking Our Country Back Tour A KC Success
Attendees at Saturday's Taking Our Country Back political tour listened to speaker Karl Rove at the Sprint Center. The event also included speaker Sean Hannity, Laura Ingram and country singer John Rich.

ObamaCare could restrict hospitals in Kansas
Officials from physician-owned hospitals in Kansas are saying provisions within the federal health care reform legislation will stifle the ability of their hospitals to grow, and will place new regulations on how existing physician-owned hospitals can operate. According to Physician Hospitals of America, in Kansas there are 12 physician-owned or specialty hospitals that will be affected by the new regulations.

Alinsky's Avenging Angels: Tea Party Saboteurs
President Obama's community organizing allies whispered "racist," "fascist" and "fringe" in the earliest days of the stimulus demonstrations in January and February 2009, when hundreds of first-time protesters turned out on the streets in Washington State, Colorado, Arizona and Kansas. The whispers turned to hysterical screams as hundreds became thousands and thousands became millions of peaceful marchers who gathered for the first nationwide Tax Day Tea Party. Some fringe, huh?

Attend Preserving American Liberty
Preserving American Liberty has announced Fred and Jeri Thompson, Liz Cheney and J.C. Watts will join Sarah Palin at the Independence Events Center, Saturday, May 1, 2010 for “Winning America Back”. Fred Thompson is a former Presidential Candidate, U.S. Senator and is a well-known Actor, Jeri Thompson is married to Fred Thompson and is a political commentator; Liz Cheney is with Keep America Safe and the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney; J.C. Watts is a former congressman and football star from the University of Oklahoma.

Family-Friendly = Box Office-Friendly
The Parents Television Council (PTC) says the release of the Oscar-winning "The Blind Side" on DVD and this past weekend's opening of "Letters to God" shows that family-friendly movies can succeed.

TV Movie To See: "Secrets of the Mountain"
There will be a family-friendly movie on NBC primetime TV, April 16, 7 pm CST. Family-friendly movies are a rare occurrence these days. AFA reviewers said "Secrets of the Mountain" promotes wholesome family values, has no objectionable content and is totally family-friendly”.

Gender Related Issues Reach New Levels of Insanity
Just when you thought the world couldn't get any crazier, someone in Maine opens the door to a whole new kind of crazy. The Maine Human Rights Commission has issued guidelines that will ban schools in that state from "enforcing gender divisions" through such "out-dated and outrageous things" as having separate bathrooms and locker rooms for boys and girls!

Homeschoolers Win Round Against United Nations
Homeschoolers have won a round in the long fight against the crackdown on family rights contained in the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of the Child, but experts say they need to keep up their guard.

Abortion Doc Kills Wrong Twin
Matthew Kachinas was supposed to do an abortion in a "selective abortion" on one of the twin babies who had Down syndrome but wound up killing the other baby instead. Later, a second abortion was done to kill the unborn child with Down syndrome as well. As a result the doctor lost his license to practice medicine.

Fetal Pain Drives Nebraska to Enact Abortion Ban
Citing evidence that unborn children feel pain, Nebraska lawmakers on Tuesday passed a bill banning abortion at 20 weeks or later. Pro-life organizations welcomed the bill, which was signed into law on Tuesday afternoon, saying it is in the best interest of the state to protect unborn children.

Pre-marital Sex: Lessons from Reason and Scripture
Chastity respects the dignity of our human sexuality and the sacredness of marital love. In chastity, a person strives for mastery over feelings and passions, respects the sacredness of marital love, and takes responsibility for his actions.

The Tweeting Nun
Sister Mary Agnes tweets to evangelize and has more than one thousand followers. "Consecrated men and women working in the media have a special responsibility" the pope says, "to help the men and women of our digital age to sense the Lord´s presence, to grow in expectation and hope, and to draw near to the Word of God.

The Faith of Doubting Thomas
We often call him “doubting Thomas,” but if we look more closely at the Gospel account, we might learn something new about the great faith of this holy apostle.

God Made Me Video
This is for all the little ones. Our four year old loves this video so much that she listens and sings to this video until her siblings beg her to stop.

Falling Star’s Love Article on Stephanie Moore
“I’ve been interested in public issues that have an effect on our communities for a long time,” she said. This is my home.” She signaled that she would run, much as her husband did, as a conservative Democrat who tried to downplay partisan differences in a district that tilted Republican. “If it’s good for Kansas, that’s all that really matters,” she said. Moore’s advantages begin with strong name identification, courtesy of her marriage to a congressman. She is a fresh face in a position to re-energize the party base. And she has a sense of how campaigns operate, having watched her husband run six times.

Gospel of St. John 3:7b-15

7b You must be born anew. 8 The Spirit inspires where he wills. And you hear his voice, but you do not know where he comes from, or where he is going. So it is with all who are born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus responded and said to him, “How are these things able to be accomplished?” 10 Jesus responded and said to him: “You are a teacher in Israel, and you are ignorant of these things? 11 Amen, amen, I say to you, that we speak about what we know, and we testify about what we have seen. But you do not accept our testimony. 12 If I have spoken to you about earthly things, and you have not believed, then how will you believe, if I will speak to you about heavenly things? 13 And no one has ascended to heaven, except the one who descended from heaven: the Son of man who is in heaven. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so also must the Son of man be lifted up, 15 so that whoever believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life.

Economic realities are slapping states in the face as they come to terms with the fact that they can’t afford costly government programs amid declining revenues. Though many states are on a path toward economic ruin, some legislators in Missouri are taking heed and cutting spending.

The Associated Press reports that a Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee voted last week to eliminate state funding for several government programs, reducing state expenditures by $506 million.

The committee’s actions are incredibly significant, given the difficulty that comes with eliminating government programs, once enacted. The AP notes that some of the Republican Missouri senators “have resorted to quoting an observation made nearly a half-century ago by Ronald Reagan”:

“Government programs, once launched, never disappear,” the future president said in a 1964 speech in support of Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. “Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.”

Other states, though, aren’t finding as much success in addressing their budget shortfalls.

New York has a $9.2 billion budget deficit and is passing a series of emergency spending bills this week to keep the government running, according to Buffalo Business Reports. It doesn’t have funds to pay for union salary increases or construction projects, and the state is considering a mix of “sin tax” hikes for cigarettes and sodas, new borrowing, and cuts to education.

Massachusetts might bet on resort casinos and slot machines to solve their budget woes, despite gambling being rejected there seven times in the last 14 years. And some 2,500 miles away, Arizona is witnessing a bare-knuckle fight over a plan to raise sales tax from 5.6% to 6.6% to cover the state’s massive budget gap. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is campaigning for the tax increase and telling crowds, “The checkbook is overdrawn, we’ve maxed out the credit cards, we’ve mortgaged the house.” It’s the same story across the fruited plain. What’s causing the problem? The Pew Center on the States cites symptoms including: major drops in revenue, growing budget gaps, increasing unemployment, high foreclosure rates, a supermajority requirement for state legislatures to pass budget bills (which includes making budget cuts or raising taxes), and troubles managing long-term fiscal matters and budgetary processes.

The good news for Missourians is that some of their legislators have the willpower to make the cuts they need to get the state’s budget on track. Other states might not be so lucky.

Source: Heritage Foundation