I’ve often said that the Pigford scandal isn’t a partisan issue. This is about fraud and corruption and while there are many Democrats involved, one of the biggest promoters of Pigford has been Republican Senator Chuck Grassley. Grassley was the Senate sponsor of the Pigford Claims Recovery Act that extended Pigford to another 70,000+ claimants.

Even more troubling than Senator Grassley’s support of the Pigford Legislation, however, has been his explicit support of “Dr.” John Boyd.

Boyd is head of the National Black Farmers Assocuation, a group that he runs out of his house in Virginia. Boyd claims to represent ‘the farmers’ but in fact, he’s personally profited from the Pigford settlement to the tune of over $1,000,000. Boyd aggressively plays the race card against his critics, including Andrew Breitbart and this site.

In 2009, attorney Rose Sanders – a major advocate of Pigford, mind you –  said this about “Dr.” John Boyd…

Less than two years ago, I attended meetings by John Boyd where he and his attorneys were soliciting contracts from hundreds of eligible and ineligible claimants before the Pigford II legislation was passed in Congress. These contracts obligated citizens to pay 1/3 of their recovery to John Boyd’s attorneys plus expenses. Expenses had to be paid even if the claimant was unsuccessful. I objected to these outrageous contracts.

For more on Boyd, you can watch this clip from Pigford Blues about Boyd’s Institute and Doctorate and you can also read this post that shows how Boyd manipulates the press.

I contacted the office of Republican Senator Chuck Grassley today about his support for John Boyd. Here’s the response I got from Grassley’s press secretary, Beth Levine.

Senator Grassley’s support for Pigford II isn’t about John Boyd, it’s about the thousands of black farmers who were unable to have their cases heard before a neutral arbiter. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the courts and the Congress have all said that these farmers deserve to have their cases heard based on the merits. Pigford II simply enables the farmers, or those who attempted to farm, to plead their case in front of a neutral party and be judged on the merits. The law was also specifically written with extra protections to help ensure that fraud is kept out of the program. Those changes have been made to the settlement agreement that will enhance the Department’s ability to fight fraud including requiring adjudicators to be a truly neutral party; allowing that neutral adjudicator to ask the claimant for additional documentation if he or she suspects any fraud; requiring the claimants’ attorneys to certify that there is evidentiary support for the claims; and requiring the Office of Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office to evaluate the Department’s internal controls and audit the process in adjudicating the claims. (emphasis mine.)

This is all standard runaround that Pigford II somehow has higher standards – and it’s not true.

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Politicians, being what they are, tend to have an inflated view of what they can do. Some claim to create jobs while others claim to raise taxes. In truth, they are limited to passing political laws. Once enacted, those laws run into the laws of economics – which have never been repealed and have been largely the same since the beginning of time. The results are often different than those intended – and so it is for Jerry Brown, whose policies fly in the face of economics and Californians are paying the price.

Few can doubt the magnitude of the economic problems facing our once Golden State. Unemployment is above 12% and underemployment is above 20%. Over 1.3 million less people are employed today than a decade ago. California homeowners have lost over $1.7 trillion in equity in the last 4 years – an amount nearly equal to the entire state economy. That combination has resulted in California suffering the worst of the nation’s foreclosure crisis including startling figures such as in Fresno, where 46.7% of the mortgages are under water, i.e. the mortgage is larger than the home value.

California businesses face taxes among the highest in the nation, even higher regulatory burdens and, just around the corner, potentially large workers’ compensation rate increases. It’s no wonder CEO Magazine ranks California 51st in the nation (behind Puerto Rico) as a place to do business.

All combined, these economic problems have resulted in revenue problems for California governments because people without jobs don’t pay taxes; homeowners without equity spend and borrow less; and businesses with mounting costs have lower profits. That’s economics – not politics.

For Jerry Brown, however, economics remains a mystery to say the least.

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Big Government has received an outline of President Obama’s ‘framework’ for reducing the federal budget deficit. The White House claims the ‘framework’ will trim $4 Trillion, over 12 years from the deficit. The President will deliver a speech on this around 1:35pm EDT.

FACT SHEET: THE PRESIDENT’S FRAMEWORK FOR SHARED PROSPERITY AND SHARED FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

The President believes that we need a comprehensive, pro-growth economic strategy that invests in winning the future, lays the foundation for strong private-sector job growth and ensures that shared prosperity will keep the American dream alive for generations to come. A key component of that strategy must be a commitment to fiscal responsibility and to living within our means. Today, the President is laying out a comprehensive, balanced deficit reduction framework to cut spending, bring down our debt and increase confidence in our nation’s fiscal strength, while supporting our economic recovery and ensuring we are making the investments we need to win the future.

• $4 Trillion in Deficit Reduction: The President is setting a goal of reducing our deficit by $4 trillion in 12 years or less. This deficit reduction would be phased in over time to protect and strengthen our economic recovery and the recovering labor market.

• Debt on a Declining Path, Backed Up By An Across the Board “Debt Failsafe” Trigger: The President’s framework would require that, by the second half of the decade, our nation’s debt is on a declining path as a share of our economy. To enforce this requirement, the President is calling on Congress to enact:

Ø  A Debt Failsafe that will trigger across-the-board spending reductions (both in direct spending and spending through the tax code) if, by 2014, the projected ratio of debt-to-GDP is not stabilized and declining toward the end of the decade. Consistent with prior fiscal enforcement triggers put in place by Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Clinton, the trigger should not apply to Social Security, low-income programs, or Medicare benefits.

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From Politico:

A foot of snow couldn’t keep Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Jennifer Hudson and other celebrities away from a star-studded celebration of civil-rights-era music, hosted by President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the White House in February 2010.

Dylan’s haunting rendition of “The Times They Are a-Changin’” was a highlight of the dazzling evening. The digitally friendly White House even posted the video of his performance on its website.

But you won’t find Dylan (or Robert Zimmerman, his birth name) listed in the White House visitor logs — the official record of who comes to call at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., which is maintained by the Secret Service.

Ditto Joan Baez.

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On today’s edition of Coffee and Markets, Brad Jackson and Ben Domenech are joined by Steve Hayward to discuss the importance of Paul Ryan in the House, whether he’d make a good President and what to expect from Obama’s speech tonight.

We’re brought to you as always by BigGovernment and Stephen Clouse and Associates. If you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

Related Links:

Paul Ryan for President
The Ryan Express
The Path to Prosperity: America’s two futures, visualized
Steve Hayward at AEI
Ben: Ryan’s choice
Obama’s four steps for fiscal reform

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The flyers and handouts and signs and banners are up at my local elementary school.  Seven teachers are scheduled to be fired on June 30th because — big surprise — there’s just not enough money to keep them.  So stand up for these beloved teachers — and they are beloved — by writing to the local School Board rep and demanding that cuts take place somewhere else.

Oh, and parents, while you’re at it, put pressure on your state legislator to vote in favor of Jerry Brown’s tax increase extension.   That would be the 5-year extension Brown failed to ram through the legislature — an even longer extension than voters smacked down in a proposition vote in 2009.   That way we can keep these teachers at further expense to our pocketbooks and the California economy.  Not that this is a scare tactic, but it is a scare tactic.  You don’t want your kid to be in a 39-student classroom, do you?  Do you?  Because the sky IS falling.

Because God forbid that the Teacher’s Union should make concessions.

In talking with unnamed Administrators they said the cuts could easily come from within Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) at many different levels.  What needs to happen is that the Board needs to communicate directly with the teachers and administrators in the trenches to learn what could be cut.   That, of course, would be far too easy.

Instead, the union trumpets the fact that everyone — from lunch personnel and bus drivers to rank-and-file teachers — voted to increase the number of unpaid furlough days from seven to eleven.  So while this is technically a cut, it’s a selfish one.  Why?  Because all it does is give teachers four extra vacation days, while chiseling on the kids.  The ballsy, and morally upstanding move, would have been to cut salary by the same percentage while actually providing instruction.  You know, being devoted to the kids.

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On Wednesday, April 5, our client, the Arizona State Legislature, was granted permission to intervene as a defendant in the Obama Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit against SB 1070, Arizona’s get-tough illegal immigration law. Judge Susan Bolton granted Judicial Watch’s motion over the objections of the Obama DOJ.

Here’s a quick exerpt from the order, which was short and sweet:

On February 7, 2011, Arizona Governor Janice K. Brewer signed into law Senate Bill 1117 (“S.B. 1117”), which provides that “the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate may direct counsel to initiate a legal proceeding or appear on behalf of their respective chambers or on behalf of the Legislature in any challenge in a state or federal court” to S.B. 1070. The Legislature now seeks permission of the Court to intervene as a Defendant in this action…permitting the Legislature to intervene at this time will not unduly delay or prejudice the original parties…the Court in its discretion finds that the Legislature should be permitted to intervene as Defendant at this time.

The Legislature now  joins the State of Arizona, Governor Brewer and the author of the law, Arizona State Senate President and Judicial Watch client Russell Pearce, for the purpose of defending its enactment of SB 1070 in the interests of the people of Arizona.

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Here is a nice little case study in the way way pro life protesters carry themselves compared to how pro abortion protesters carry themselves. It really is a very nice comparison since it was at the same time in the same town at the same event. You see the citizens for a pro life society was holding a celebration  for Joe Scheidler when some counter-protesters of the pro abortion persuasion showed up. (strong language warning)

Now, tell me, after watching that video which side would you want to be on? Which side values human life and is filled with compassion? Which side is driven by vengeful hatred?

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It seems Arianna Huffington has something in common with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker: They’ve both incurred the wrath of the Left. You may remember barely a month ago when, following Arianna Huffington’s $315 million sale of her website to AOL, a group of unpaid artists demanded their “fair share” of the pie. Arianna refused to negotiate—wouldn’t budge, in fact—so, the artists went on strike. Shortly afterward, the Writers Guild (an affiliate of the Communications Workers of America) called on the (paid and unpaid) writers and bloggers at Huffington Post to honor the e-picket line by withholding their work.

Well, the e-strike Huffington Post has failed—miserably.  Progressive bloggers have refused to honor their union brethren’s picket line. Apparently, “solidarity(!)” only goes so far outside of Madison’s city limits, which Ms. Huffington clearly knew when she dared progs to follow the union’s lead and honor the e-picketline:

“The idea of going on strike when no one really notices,” Huffington said. “Go ahead, go on strike.”

At first, it seemed as though Huffington and her fellow capitalists corporate heads had the union and the unpaid bloggers beat. However, on Tuesday, the unpaid bloggers did something that so many Americans do when they feel aggrieved…they filed a lawsuit. (more…)

Today, in 1919, Eugene V. Debs entered prison for speaking out against the draft in WW I. We agree with next to nothing politically with Debs, but find his imprisonment reprehensible. Freedom of speech has improved in this country.

Never acknowledge conservative victories as legitimate.

Never concede defeat in legislative votes. There is always a cloud.

Litigate everything.

Rely on Dane County judges whenever possible.

Elections only matter if liberals win.

Shut down schools, bring legislative process to a halt, tie up the courts, extort  businesses, try to overturn elections … and then say “this is what democracy looks like.”

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Documents  call for takeover of Capitol, using kids and taxpayer-funded public classrooms for protest activities, controversial “secondary boycott” tactics

The California Teachers Association is preparing for Wisconsin-type activities aimed at forcing the legislature to pass tax increases on Californians in a series of actions planned for next month culminating in a takeover of the State Capitol.

Many of the steps outlined in CTA plans include the use of students, taxpayer-funded public school facilities to which the union has access, and highly controversial “secondary boycott” tactics that involve targeting businesses in the districts of legislators who refuse to accede to union demands.

The union is conducting its actions in support of taxes under the guise of a “State of Emergency.”

Our team believes the true “state of emergency” is in public education’s crushing bureaucracy, lack of choices and options offered to parents, and bizarre union-supported work rules that produce phenomena like New York City’s infamous “Rubber Room” where the city’s worst teachers go because they can’t be fired.

Union officials were clearly caught off guard today when our team circulated links to the union’s plans, which were posted on a non-descript website online.

The CTA’s plans can be found here:

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Today marks the 150th Anniversary of the start of the American Civil War, with the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter. For both good and bad, America would be forever changed.

Today is Equal Pay Day, so named by the National Committee for Pay Equity, which represents feminist groups like NOW and the National Council of Women’s Organizations. According to Marxist-feminist logic, women have to work through April 12 before they earn what men already earned the year before.  Carrie Lukas, Executive Director of the Independent Women’s Forum, debunks this charade in full here.  Women actually earn more, but in a sense, that is beside the point.

As is predictable, progressives of all stripes mistakenly attribute the unknown (and often unknowable) reasons for differences in individual and group performances and outcomes to discrimination.

Feminists, like Unions, and the NAACP are an outdated notion. Each may have had had a noble origin, but as Eric Hoffer (The True Believers) said, “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and then a racket.” Feminism has been a racket for some time.

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Immigration laws in this country are convoluted, of that there is no doubt. Through the years, far too many politicians have changed this or that aspect of our policy to suit their fancy (and gain votes), and as a result, minutia and backroom deals crowd out what is really important: enunciating a congruent approach to immigration and enforcing the policies that constitute that approach.

But who shall enforce it? Particularly when there are so many illegal immigrants and drug cartel members flooding into one state that citizens of that state risk being invaded?

It would seem that Article IV, Section 4, of our Constitution recognizes such enforcement as a federal duty, insomuch as it says the government of “The United States…shall protect each of [the states] against Invasion.”

But what if the illegal immigrants and drug cartel members are so powerful, because so well armed, that they actually outmaneuver the federal presence within a state to the point of literally controlling certain parts of that state? At that point, whose job is it to enforce immigration laws?

Here, Article 1, Section 10, of the Constitution seems to indicate that the states can act in their own defense, if “actually invaded” or “in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.” In other words, the same Constitution that recognizes immigration enforcement/border security as the duty of the federal government also admits that in a pinch, the states have the right to repel invaders and fight against threats that are so imminent there’s no time to waste. (The Supreme Court said as much in 1976 [De Canas v Bica] when it ruled “that federal immigration laws did not prohibit the states from enforcing the policies embodied by those federal immigration laws.”)

And this brings us to Arizona, where Governor Jan Brewer has long contended that the federal government refuses to enforce immigration laws or secure the border separating her state from Mexico.

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There’s seriously nothing more you can say about unions given everything that happened in Wisconsin and Ohio- that speaks for itself, and volumes at that.

Now, in Washington, a mob of SEIU protesters were arrested for bringing their thuggish demeanor to the House of Representatives. Notice how they always play the outdated ‘victim’ card time and time again. Committing actions such as these then crying foul is not going to win over sympathy from anyone.

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We continue to hear from teachers unions and the rest of the education establishment that if public schools aren’t up to par, it’s because they’re “underfunded.”

That’s natural response from the adults – 80% of every education dollar goes to benefit them, so of course they would be fighting for more spending.

As we’ve seen in Madison, Trenton, Columbus and Lansing, the unions are making good use of their First Amendment rights “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

But the unions have no right to conscript students to help fight their battles.

In Wisconsin, the union was exposed for busing kids to the Capitol protest without having the faintest idea of why they were there.  One student interviewed on camera couldn’t even name the governor – he called him “some guy.”  How’s that for government-school civics?

Now, the geniuses of Michigan Big Education aren’t even hiding their idea to use kids for their protests.  As a “revenue enhancement” is to a “tax increase,” Grand Rapids teachers union president Paul Helder is calling for a day off from school so kids can take “educational civics field trips to Lansing to teach our students about the importance of having a voice in government.”  You must listen to the audio clip to fully appreciate his arrogance and gasbaggery.

The union’s idea of “a voice” in government consists of shouting out well-phrased slogans at the Capitol dome and carrying signs comparing the governor to Hitler and Mussolini.

But they already have some politicians on their side.

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If you are an average American, today is a great day. According to the Tax Foundation, you have finally worked long enough and earned enough money to satisfy the annual tax demands of federal, state, and local governments.

This means you now get to keep any additional income you earn.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that Tax Freedom Day only measures the direct and immediate impact of taxation. It doesn’t measure the overall burden of government. This chart from the Tax Foundation shows that the fiscal burden of government has jumped enormously since the end of the Clinton years.

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On today’s edition of Coffee and Markets, Brad Jackson and Ben Domenech are joined by John J. Miller to discuss his new book, The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football. Then Nick Ayers stops by to discuss Tim Pawlenty’s 2012 presidential campaign.

We’re brought to you as always by BigGovernment and Stephen Clouse and Associates. If you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

Related Links:

The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football
John Miller’s Website: Hey Miller
TR’s Goal-Line Stand
Tim Pawlenty lands a presidential campaign manager

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