Senate President Faber Announces Legislation to Ban Internet Cafés

Release:

(Columbus) – Ohio Senate President Keith Faber announced today that legislators will take immediate action to ban Internet cafés in the state of Ohio.

“In the last 24 hours, my caucus received briefings from law enforcement officials, and we’ve been given enough information at this point to make an informed decision about how to proceed,” Faber said. “I am convinced that these entities are not only illegal but that many of them also engage in criminal activity within their facilities. Ohioans did not contemplate this kind of unregulated activity when they voted to approve gaming in this state, so the time to act is now.”

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, Public Safety Director Tom Charles and Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien joined Faber for the announcement. Faber added that he will personally introduce on Thursday a moratorium bill that immediately halts the expansion of Internet cafes. The bill contains an emergency clause that, with the governor’s signature, makes it effective immediately.

“The moratorium requires all operators to file new affidavits on a form prescribed by the attorney general,” he said. “Failure to properly comply will carry penalties of up to $1,000 per day and other potential sanctions.”

The moratorium is necessary because an existing moratorium on Internet café expansion expires in June.

Faber also announced that senators would immediately begin work on House Bill 7, the legislation that would enact a ban on Internet café operations in Ohio. He added that his goal is to move the legislation in May.

MATT'S CHAT: Because Ohio is business friendly.....

Ohio House Passes Legislation to Establish “Internet Cafe” Regulations

Release:

COLUMBUS—Ohio House Speaker Pro Tempore Matt Huffman (R-Lima) today applauded the House’s passage of Substitute House Bill 7, which provides much-needed oversight to sweepstakes parlors, or “internet cafes.”

Substitute House Bill 7 retains the general framework of House Bill 605 from the 129th General Assembly, while tightening some of the definitions and addressing issues raised by members of the House and Senate.

Specifically, the legislation:

Clarifies what is a prohibited scheme of chance
Prohibits sweepstakes games on sweepstakes terminal devices if they give out prohibited prizes (cash, alcohol, tobacco, etc.) or more than $10 in merchandise prizes per play
Authorizes sweepstakes gaming if a person meets certain criteria and gets a certificate of registration through the Attorney General

“This legislation protects the public and addresses a growing law enforcement concern with the widespread expansion of these sweepstakes establishments,” said Rep. Huffman. “The House’s action today brings us one step closer to providing appropriate oversight and accountability over this unregulated industry.”

During the previous general assembly, the Legislature passed House Bill 386 to establish a moratorium on internet cafes. The Ohio Attorney General, local government officials, law enforcement groups, prosecutors, charitable organizations, and veteran and fraternal organizations have consistently urged the Legislature to pass a bill that provides strong regulation language and clarifies whether sweepstakes are considered illegal gambling.

Substitute House Bill 7 passed with bipartisan support and now will move to the Ohio Senate.

Ohio House Approves Conference Committee Report on Gaming Legislation

Release: <blockquote>

COLUMBUS—Ohio House Speaker Pro Tempore Lou Blessing (R-Cincinnati) has announced that the Ohio House of Representatives today concurred on the conference committee report for Substitute House Bill 386, legislation that makes revisions to Ohio’s gaming-related laws related to casinos, the state lottery, video lottery terminals, horse racing, and gambling.

 

“House Bill 386 enacts important and comprehensive changes to Ohio’s gaming and casino laws,” said Blessing, who sponsored the legislation. “After much discussion in conference committee, we decided to move forward with the Senate-passed version of the legislation, and I believe that this legislation will greatly benefit Ohioans and our communities.”

 

Specifically, Substitute House Bill 386 makes sweeping changes to Ohio’s gaming-related laws, including provisions to:

• Include a moratorium on new Internet sweepstakes parlors until June 30^th, 2013 and also prevents existing locations from adding new screens
• Provide clarity regarding how the gross casino revenue tax is distributed to school districts
• Clarify the inspector general’s investigatory authority with regards to casino employees

 

With a unanimous vote of 6-0, the conference committee made changes to:

• Provide additional funds for the VLT Lottery Sale Agents Commission for gambling addiction and other related services
• Clarify portions of the racing law at the request of the Harness and Thoroughbred horsemens' associations and Ohio Racing Commission
• Direct $2 million from the Casino Operator Settlement Fund to Communities in which a VLT racetrack is located unless that community already has a casino
• Request that the governor negotiate an additional allocation to local communities after that initial disbursement

 

Substitute House Bill 386 passed by a vote of 71-22.

</blockquote>

Congressman Latta Statement on SOPA and PIPA

Release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) issued the following statement regarding Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA):

“SOPA and Protect IP Act are well-intentioned proposals that attempt to address online piracy concerns; however, in their current form the legislation goes too far. The proposals can present damaging ramifications to free speech, global cybersecurity and Internet functionality. At this time, I do not support SOPA and Protect IP Act in their current form, and I hope further committee hearing will be held to resolve these concerns.

Teenagers Clueless About OBL

This is the fault of our education system having been taken over by liberal partisans and America haters (but I repeat myself).  Equally responsible are the tools in the "entertainment" industry.

Can you imagine teenagers in the late 40's and early 50's asking who Adolph Hitler was?  I can't...

What's changed?  Education is no longer about passing on the knowledge of "what is" to some touchy feely agenda.

At some point, Mark is going to write up (if he hasn't already) a bit about how modern day comic books have taken American heroes and turned them against our beloved nation.  In the old days, comic book characters FOUGHT Hitler and the Nazis; these days, Superman is renouncing his American citizenship.

And we wonder why kids have no idea who Osama bin Laden was.....

Rep. Latta on Net Neutrality

Statement:

WASHINGTON- Congressman Bob Latta (R- Bowling Green) made the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) ruling today regarding net neutrality. 

 

“Americans across the country recently made it more than clear that they want less, not more, government intrusion in their lives.  Unfortunately, today’s decision by the FCC brings additional government not just into people’s lives, but also into our free-market economy.  The Internet is the culmination of years of private enterprise that has thrived without regulation.  The FCC’s ‘net neutrality’ decision will only bring more government regulation and increased costs for both the Internet Service Providers and consumers. 

 

As a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, I look forward to working with my colleagues to dismantle this ruling.”

 

NOTE:  On January 7, 2009, Congressman Latta introduced H. Res. 30, which if passed, would “Express the sense of the House of Representatives that in order to continue aggressive growth in our Nation's telecommunications and technology industries, the United States Government should `Get Out of the Way and Stay Out of the Way'.”  A copy of the H. Res 30 can be found here.

GUEST COLUMN: "Social Networking Awareness Important"

By Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel

The advancements in social networking over the last few years have been incredible. People are now in contact with people that they haven’t talked to in decades thanks to sites like Facebook. Organizations are able to work quicker and more efficiently with the use of these advancing new websites. As we have seen with most technology there are significant advantages, but we must be aware of the drawbacks that come along with them. In the case of social networking the drawback is that what you put on your social network is not much different than what you wear to work - it is out in the open for everyone to see.

A recent Cincinnati Enquirer article cites a CareerBuilder survey that revealed that forty-five percent of employers reported that they use social networking sites to research job candidates. This is a 100% jump from last year and I expect that number will continue to climb with a competitive job market and more technologically advanced employers.

I have been advising teenagers for years to use caution when putting personal information on their MySpace and Facebook accounts, because it is open for everyone to see. This is important in protecting kids from the predators on the Internet, but this is good advice for everyone. If you wouldn’t want a potential employer, college or significant other to see a picture, it isn’t wise to post it on a social networking website, no matter how “private” you think your site is.

Crushing of Dissent: Obama Launches "Spread the Lies" Site

Whoops! My bad. I meant the Obama White House launches "Screw the Citizens" site. Nope. That isn't it. They launch the "Inform on fellow citizens site. Aw heck, I give up. Here is the story:

The Obama administration has launched a new Web site to battle what it calls "wild rumors" about the health care reform plans being pushed through Congress -- including an invitation for the public to tattle on any other "myths" they come across.

It comes a week after the White House asked the public to send in "fishy" information about health care reform.

The Web site, activated Monday, uses the same set-up as the "Fight the Smears" page the Obama campaign maintained last year to battle rumors seen as potentially damaging to his candidacy.

The new "Reality Check" site features a half-dozen alleged rumors about health care reform, responding to them with videos of top aides rebutting them.

"We're offering the site and tools to empower individuals across the country to take this content into their own hands and share it among their networks," a senior administration official said.

No sir, Mr. President. You and Pelosi need the reality check. You all are the ones refusing to listen to the American people. You are the ones who talk about listening tours where the only ones who are supposed to listen are the people, not the elected official. You are the ones who refuse to see that the American people are against this, not just Republicans, but Dems and Indys both.

What Have I Been Up To?

During the hiatus, I've been spending a LOT of time with Twitter trying to figure out how best to use this "new" tool to best advantage. While I really am finding the promotional application of Twitter for drawing traffic to WMD and Red County to be useful, I've also started engaging a few of the "conservative" and "Republican" "communities" on Twitter.

What have I learned?

#dontgo

#dontgo started with the House GOP protest over the failure of Congress to address high gas prices before going on a break. It was a pretty big deal back in the day, but there isn't a whole lot still going on at Twitter in this tag as it seems that those interested in energy issues moved to the stand-alone website...when they made the jump, the pretty much jettisoned energy issues as the focus. Too bad really, because I thought that was an issue that really needed continued conservative attention.

#rebuild

#rebuild started -- as I recall -- after the election and was an effort focused on rebuilding the party focusing on the technology gap. Like, #dontgo, #rebuild didn't stick with Twitter for the long term and we have another stand alone website trying to take over the GOP one email and post at a time...

#TCOT

#TCOT stands for "Top Conservatives on Twitter" and started out as a listing of conservatives on Twitter, but there were no real controls placed on the list and so moderates and libertarians found their way in too. TCOT's leader got too big for his britches and has delusions of grandeur and also thinks that the GOP will bow to his whims. We have yet another stand alone website and a Drudge clone as well...why these two sites aren't consolidated in to the same domain is anybody's guess...

Conclusion

If Twitter is the answer, we're asking the wrong question...

Don't get me wrong, it is a good tool for connecting with people and getting a message out. But that is all it is...

New Chief Deputy Whip

Incoming-Republican Whip Eric Cantor has selected Kevin McCarthy to serve as the next Chief Deputy Whip, a very dynamic team that bodes well for the House GOP.

One item of particular interest is that both Cantor and McCarthy are genuinely passionate about the need to expand the use of the Internet and find new ways to involve the online conservative community with the House GOP.

Learn more about what Cantor and McCarthy have planned over at Politico.

Voinovich and the Internet

This is bound to get me email from certain quarters, but I found this rather interesting... David All used to work for George Voinovich:

After graduating, All landed a job as campaign manager to Ann Womer Benjamin, who was running against Democrat Tim Ryan for James Traficant’s old seat in Ohio’s 17th District. “It’s not like I knew what the hell I was really doing,” laughs All. But through the campaign he found his strength: communications. “I could always find the hooks to get the press interested,” he says, and he certainly got them interested, earning press coverage at a 5:1 ratio to Ryan. Although they lost the race, All had captured the attention of Ohio Senator George Voinovich.

After a two-year stint as deputy communications director under Voinovich, working as an “off-the-record guy” and fine-tuning his writing skills, All became the communications director for Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA), the vice chairman of the House Republican Conference. Since Kingston was beloved by his constituency, he gave All a great deal of autonomy in his work. All utilized a different approach than his colleagues—he included his instant message screen name and personal cell phone number in his signature line, allowing the media to contact him whenever they wanted. “You have to be accessible,” he explains.

Ahh, what could have been... While things have certainly gotten significantly better for me personally, I wonder if constituents are still having problems getting a response from Team Voinovich.

WMD has been one of the few blogs willing to state for sure that Voinovich is running in 2010 (much to our chagrin), such a campaign would be greatly enhanced with the skill and savvy that someone like David All could provide. At least, we might get a shot at a coherent and consistent message from the senior senator.

One of my biggest problems with Voinovich is his total lack of "fire in the belly" for any issue in particular. He can always be counted on for stabbing conservative Republicans in the back and waffling on virtually every issue on the table. Voinovich needs to repair his image with conservative Ohioans and while I will admit that it appears as if Team Voinovich is reaching out, I wonder if it is enough. I suspect that it is not...and if Voinovich goes in to 2010 without having fixed the damage, he will lose to whichever socialist the Ohio democrats put on the ballot.

But, Voinovich has time to fix it. Will he?

Boehner Praises House Panel for Adopting New Website Rules, Rejecting Proposed Internet Restrictions

Release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today praised members of the Committee on House Administration after the panel adopted a Republican-backed proposal that will expand the use of websites such as YouTube and Twitter by Members of Congress. The Committee rejected an alternate proposal that would have prohibited legislators and their constituents from communicating with each other via websites that do not appear on a list of “approved” sites created by a government panel. Boehner issued the following statement:

“I commend Chairman Brady and Ranking Member Ehlers for their leadership on this important matter. The Internet is a powerful tool that gives Americans an unprecedented window into the daily actions of their government. It’s critical for Congress to embrace new technology in all forms in order to more efficiently communicate with their constituents and promote increased openness and transparency in government.

“These new guidelines are a step in the right direction for a Congress that has been behind the technological curve for too long. By encouraging the use of emerging and established new media tools, Congress is sending the message that we want to speak to citizens, and receive feedback, in the most open and accessible manner possible.

“I’m pleased Chairman Brady and Ranking Member Ehlers were able to work in a bipartisan fashion and steer clear of proposals that could have had a negative effect on congressional transparency and open government.”

NOTE: This July, House Democrats on the Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards (“Franking Commission”) recommended that the House adopt regulations that would have restricted communication between Members of Congress and their constituents to websites appearing on a list of “approved” sites determined by government authorities. House Republicans voiced concerns about the proposal and worked with their Democratic counterparts on the House Administration Committee to stop the proposed new government censorship.

Culture of Carousing Update: 20th Senate District Edition

This is different... From the Columbus Dispatch blog Daily Briefing:

If Rick Shriver asks you to switch airline seats, you may want to do it and avoid having your e-mail box filled with sexually explicit spam.

As part of a his former website – rickshriver.net, which has since been turned into his campaign site – Shriver, a Democrat from McConnelsville running in southeast Ohio’s competitive 20th Senate District, included some podcasts where he told personal stories -- stories his campaign says were fictional and didn't really happen. Senate Republican campaign officials found one particularly interesting: “How I got even with Howard Kochs.”

You have to read the whole thing to believe it...

Now, this is Joy Padgett's district... I really can't imagine this sort of thing will be going over real well out there.....

Boehner Says to FCC: Keep Your Paws off the Internet!

Matt's Congressman, whom neither of us has ever met in person or been within 15 feet of, comes out today in a release telling the FCC to keep its hands off of the internet. This is true classic conservative values. Yes, there are some objectionable things on the internet (some might cite that experiment we did) but guess what? You can change a channel. Conservatives, true philosophical conservatives, are not about putting forth our personal views onto others in terms of what they can and cannot watch, or what is or is not clean to others. True philosophical conservatives are about getting the ideas into the marketplace and letting the consumer figure it out. If you don't like what the kids are getting on the net, get a blocker. If you don't like what is on the satellite tv, you can block it. True conservatives are about letting the individual decide, as opposed to being in some glass house talking about your own form of morality. Conservatism, at its philosophical core, is about choice, and Boehner showed his conservative street cred today by telling the FCC to buzz off when it comes to the internets:

Boehner: “This dangerous path would limit freedom, stifle innovation and entrepreneurship, and kill American jobs”



WASHINGTON, DC – House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today sent a letter to Kevin Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), urging him to keep the Internet free of new Washington regulation. He issued the following statement accompanying the letter:



“Recent media reports indicate the FCC is poised for massive, unprecedented regulation of the Internet. This dangerous path would limit freedom, stifle innovation and entrepreneurship, and kill American jobs. Internet regulation is a solution in search of a problem. We should maintain the ‘hands off’ approach that has served the Internet, the American people, and our economy so well.



“The wild success of the Internet and the wireless industry are perfect examples of what happens when entrepreneurship and innovation are allowed to flourish. Endangering ongoing innovation in our economy by crushing the entrepreneurial spirit of the American people is the wrong approach, pure and simple.”

For the full text of Boehner's letter, go here. I wouldn't want to be accused of just copying press releases, now would I?

UPDATE: Internet Freedom Alert

Previously on WMD...

This just in...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today wrote to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), urging her to join him in opposing a new rule proposed by the Democratic leadership of the House Administration Committee that would require outside websites such as YouTube to comply with House regulations before Members of Congress could post videos on them. Under the proposal, the House Administration Committee would develop a list of “approved” websites, and Members of Congress would be restricted to only publishing content using these sites. Calling it “new government censorship of the Internet,” Boehner asked Speaker Pelosi to join him in opposing the proposed rule.

“The Internet is a powerful tool for promoting openness and transparency in government,” Boehner wrote. “It has given individual Americans an unprecedented window into the daily actions and policy debates of their Congress. The result has increasingly been a better informed electorate – better equipped with real-time information about what is happening in their government, and more empowered to hold their leaders accountable.”

Highlighting the Democratic-controlled House Administration Committee’s attempts to effectively shut down the free flow of information on the Internet between Members of Congress and the American people, Boehner assailed the proposed rule.

“If this proposed rule were to be implemented, Americans who currently use free websites such as YouTube to obtain uncensored daily information on congressional policy debates would suddenly be forced to visit websites ‘approved’ by the House Administration Committee in order to continue getting such information,” explained Boehner. “This would amount to new government censorship of the Internet, by a panel of federal officials that is neither neutral nor independent.”

Urging Speaker Pelosi to join him in opposing the Democratic-controlled House Administration Committee’s planned actions, Boehner concluded, “Millions of Americans get information about what is happening in their government through the Internet and free websites like YouTube. I am writing to seek your assurance that the Democratic majority does not intend to deprive them of this right, and to request that you join me in opposing the proposed new rules.”

Internet Freedom Alert

This just in...

From: House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH)

TO: Online Community & Activists

RE: An Attack on Internet Free Speech

DATE: July 8, 2008

I'm writing to alert you to an attack on free speech that is making its way through Congress. This attack, which should concern activists of all political affiliations across the ideological spectrum, comes in the form of a new congressional rule that would prohibit Americans from viewing content published by Members of Congress on websites that are not "approved" by the Committee on House Administration, the panel that creates rules governing the internal operations of the U.S. House.

Millions of Americans today utilize free, unregulated and uncensored websites like YouTube on a daily basis to not only obtain information from their elected leaders about what's going on in their government, but to also give feedback and easily share that information with others.

The advent of new media technology has empowered American citizens with real-time information about the policy debates and actions being undertaken by Congress. This has increasingly forced Congress to become more transparent and made it easier for American citizens to hold their elected leaders accountable.

The Committee on House Administration is considering a new rule that could bring this trend to a screeching halt. The Committee is considering the adoption of new rules that would require outside websites such as YouTube to comply with House regulations before Members of Congress could post videos on them. Under the proposal, the House Administration Committee would develop a list of "approved" websites, and Members of Congress could post content only such websites. The rule has been proposed by the Democratic chairman of the Commission on Mailing Standards, Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA), and is being considered for adoption by the Committee on House Administration, chaired by Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA). A copy of Rep. Capuano's letter is available at http://gopleader.gov/UploadedFiles/Capuano_letter.PDF.

If the proposed rule is adopted, the free flow of information over the Internet between Americans and their representatives will be significantly curtailed. Americans who currently use free websites like YouTube to obtain uncensored daily information about congressional policy debates will instead be forced to go to websites "approved" by the House Administration Committee in order to continue getting such information. This would amount to new government censorship of the Internet, by a panel of federal officials that is neither neutral nor independent.

House Republicans, led by Reps. Vern Ehlers (R-MI), Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Tom Price (R-GA), have expressed their opposition to this attack on Internet freedom and proposed an alternative solution that would allow Members of Congress to continue posting content at sites of their choosing. I will continue to keep you updated as this situation unfolds. For further information, please visit the House Republican Leader website or contact Nick Schaper, my Director of New Media Operations, at nick.schaper@mail.house.gov.

Democrats want to stifle free speech...shocking!

Yahoo Mail Bashing Bush

As a Yahoo Mail user, I get irritated from time to time with all of the PinochiObamessiah ads, but I can live with that nonsense knowing that his campaign wasted half a cent advertising to ME... What I can't abide by is stuff like this...



Seriously...what is this? And why is this crap being advertised to ME...???

More Intern Problems for Ohio

This is ONN:

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State Highway Patrol on Wednesday was investigating a state intern who, according to a search warrant, accessed a state computer system through his personal laptop.

In the warrant obtained by 10TV News, it states that state security detected an unauthorized computer access of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicle's computer network on the day after Christmas, 10TV's Maureen Kocot reported.

The warrant also said that encrypted files were transferred using a peer-to-peer file sharing program.

Get the rest of the story here.

Seems to me as if the great state of Ohio has an intern problem...

While the story says that officials state that no personal information was accessed, we've heard that routine before...

Who do we make that check out to again? That's right, DICK Cordray...

Congressional Hearing Set as Support Grows for Regulated Internet Poker

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Tomorrow the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to examine the United States policies as they relate to Internet gaming. Annie Duke, one of the top poker players in the world will testify before the Committee on behalf of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA).

The hearing comes on the heels of a successful PPA Washington Fly-In where nearly 100 online poker enthusiasts converged on Capitol Hill for two days of advocacy and meetings with more than 50 members of Congress.

According to a recent poll conducted by RT Strategies National Omnibus Poll, Americans, by a two to one margin (51 percent - 21 percent) oppose government prohibitions to Internet poker. Moreover, by a two to one margin (56 percent - 23 percent) Americans strongly support federal regulation of Internet poker as a means to control underage gambling and help problem gamblers. Full data can be found at:
http://pokerplayersalliance.org/pdf/PPA_Poll_102107.pdf

"Chairman Conyers hearing is an important step toward educating Congress about the folly of an Internet gaming prohibition," said PPA Chairman, former Senator Alfonse D'Amato.

"It won't work, and it is tremendously bad public policy. Only through proper regulation can we provide the proper safeguards for consumers and generate billions in additional, and much needed, tax revenue for this country," D'Amato said.

Hearing Information
Wednesday, November 14th at 10:00 AM
Hearing on Establishing Consistent Enforcement Policies in the Context of Online Wagers
House Judiciary Committee, 2141 Rayburn House Office Building
Media Opportunities
Annie Duke and former Senator Alfonse D'Amato, PPA Chairman, or John A. Pappas, PPA Executive Director are available for print and broadcast interviews.
The Poker Players Alliance http://www.pokerplayersalliance.org is a non-profit organization advocating on behalf of American poker players.

That Congress would even consider shutting down internet poker is a Constitutional travesty... Politicians who would support such a measure ought to be run out of office and replaced with people who realize that government doesn't belong in our everyday lives...

Conference Call with Congressman Boehner

Mark and I just got off the phone with Congressman Boehner, Gribbit, Justin, and Bizzy.

The Congressman opened up the call with some comments on the Mother of All Tax Hikes, the Democrat's inaction on veteran and troop funding, Murtha Inc. and earmark reform.

Justin has a pretty good rundown on the opening comments and the first question, which was his, on the few Republicans on the pork list. Check out his post for details.

Gribbit did us the favor of asking about the status of the Internet Radio Equality Act, which the congressman said that he is going to have to research. That is not a good sign as I thought he was "up" on this issue already. I accept blame for that one, as I haven't been as diligent as I should in my advocacy for the bill.

Bizzy asked about the lack of a statement on the 55 consecutive months of economic expansion, a topic which he has written about here.

Justin then asked about Pakistan and the actions of one President Musharaff.

I am shocked by the actions he's taken. I am hopeful he will restore the Constitution and put Pakistan back into Democratic rule as soon as possible."

I then shifted the conversation to SCHIP... Justin's post is here.

The most important thing I can relate from the discussion is that if the Democrats continue to fail to enact real reform to their proposal, there is going to have to be an extension of the funding at current levels for the program. The congressman was very confident that this would happen should the issue not be resolved before the November 16th deadline.

Congressman Boehner was quite confident that if the Democrats bring an override vote, that the Republicans would still remain firm on the issue. There has been talk that Harry Reid has asked Nancy Pelosi to NOT bring it up again.

Boehner handled the Sen. Grassley solo act question with appropriate humor and candor. Republicans and Democrats continue to negotiate on the issue. Contrary to what you may have heard from the liberal blogosphere and from the 527 media, Republicans love children and are fighting hard on their behalf. It is shameful that liberals and Democrats continue to use the issue in such a shameful manner. Perhaps this might explain the Democratic Congress' dismal approval numbers.

We are likely to cover this call, with some audio, on the TIB All-Stars show on Saturday night at 7PM...be sure to tune in for more!