Imagine President Palin

Executive Nullification

We don't want a regal presidency, do we?

It's appropriate for a president to veto a law on the grounds that it is unconstitutional in his opinion. Many have done so.

But imagine if, as Attorney General Eric Holder has announced regarding the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the executive refused to defend the constitutionality of settled laws (DOMA, signed by Clinton, has been on the books since 1998) based on whether the current president agreed with them?

When a plaintiff (recruited by the president's party) filed suit and the AG refused to defend it, lacking a defense, the court would enter a default judgment for the plaintiff. Without an appeal, the issue would never even get to the Supreme Court; individual federal judges might throw out major pieces of legislation without appellate review.

A president would suddenly gain, in effect, the power to overturn laws he didn't like without Congress having to repeal them.

Liberals should be careful how they applaud this choice by the Obama administration. What if a future Republican president were to refuse to defend the constitutionality of the Social Security Act? Or the Income Tax Code?

Presidents shouldn't have this sort of power by themselves.

OTOH, perhaps Republican presidential candidates should be rushing to microphones to be the first to announce that, if elected, they will appoint an Attorney General who will not defend the constitutionality of Obamacare.

SB 136 Tabled by Sponsor

SB 136, a bill to require registration of homeschoolers with the State Board of Education, has been tabled by its sponsor, Senator Ed Maloney (D-Chicago). We're told this means that the bill is dead for the session.

A rally outside the senator's district office in Chicago to oppose the bill had been scheduled for February 26th.

Illinois Review is calling on Sen. Maloney to issue a statement promising to abandon all such efforts during the current session.

I've received the following email from Senator Matt Murphy:

Good news! Efforts to stop SB136 have succeeded. For now! Senator Maloney tabled his bill today. However, I will continue to monitor the situation to make sure it is not later revived. Congratulations on your efforts, and those of the entire homeschool community, in derailing this unnecessary power grab. Please stay in touch. Matt

And from my friend Lauren Fleming, who serves as the legislative aide to my own state senator, Suzi Schmidt, I've received:

Paul,

Suzi wanted me to specifically contact you to let you know (though I think you may already be aware) that SB 136 has been tabled and is dead. If there are still questions or concerns from the group, she said she's happy to come in on Saturday to the district office and discuss it with anyone.

Lauren

It's really good to see legislators like Schmidt, Murphy, Duffy, Lauzen, McGann, Meeks, and others, step up to oppose vocally oppose such intrusive legislation.

Truant Officer Believes SB 136 Would Negate 4th Amendment

At yesterday's informational hearing on SB 136 held by the Senate Education Committee, we learned more about the intended purpose of the bill: to empower jack-booted thugs to kick down doors to make sure that homeschoolers are being properly indoctrinated:

The following exchange took place between Committee Member Senator Luechtefeld and a Truancy Officer:

Senator Luechtefeld: "If they register - will you go to any house and see if you can help?"

Truancy Officer: "Yes sir."

Senator Luechtefeld: "Even those that are doing a really good job?"

Truancy Officer: "That's right. And I'll know very quickly as I knock on the door the ones that are doing a great job won't let me go. They'll want me to come in. The ones that say we don't want you around I'll know to take further action."

Senator Luechtefeld: "I still don't see how this changes things just because they register."

Truancy Officer: "It gives me the name and opportunity."

What this Truancy Officer doesn't seem to understand is that government entities are accountable to the people, the people are not accountable to government entities.

This officer seems to suggest that all home educators should be considered guilty of neglect until they prove themselves innocent by allowing government agents into their homes with no evidence of wrongdoing. This is a dangerous assault on our Fourth Amendment rights. [Emphasis added.]

The relevant portion begins at about 5:00 into the following video:



This is alarming in the extreme. Under no circumstances will I be registering my children with the state. Again we see in this video that SB 136 is not about improving education, but about gaining control.

Ed Maloney Wants Homeschoolers In Jail

What Will Be The Penalty For Disobeying SB 136?

This is how liberals campaign. So turnabout being fair play, I want to know what the penalty for disobeying SB 136 will be? 20 years? 30? Senator Ed Maloney and the education establishment clearly wants to put homeschoolers in jail.

As we've been blogging here for the past week, Illinois Senator Ed Maloney (who accepted $13,000 in contributions from teachers' unions towards his latest re-election bid) has introduced a bill, SB 136, that would require that Illinois homsechoolers register their children with the State Board of Education. A hearing was held today in Springfield, and over 4,000 homeschooling parents and children were on hand.

Curt Mercadante made a compelling testimony:

First, I’d like to share the following quote: “To protect the integrity of the system.”

That quote was made on WLS Radio’s “Cisco Cotto Show” yesterday by Senator Edward Maloney as his reason for proposing SB 136.

I repeat the quote: “To protect the integrity of the system.”

With all due respect to Senator Maloney, I think the State of Illinois should worry more about protecting the integrity of the public education system before it begins trying to assert its authority over the rights and duties of parents to choose how to educate our children.

Because, as the SouthtownStar editorial board wrote on February 13: Homeschoolers are not the problem.

In fact, SB 136 is a government “solution” in search of a problem that doesn’t exist. And I use the term “solution” loosely.

In that same WLS radio interview, Senator Maloney admitted that he “doesn’t know” if there’s a problem. He also promised to provide anecdotal evidence in the hearing that some problems may exist.

Anecdotal evidence may be fine, and may provide for good theater. Each and every one of the home educators present today can provide overwhelming anecdotal evidence of their success in educating our children.

But we don’t need mere anecdotes to tell our story. We have statistics to show that the problem with our educational system certainly isn’t home educators.

For example, as that same February 13 SouthtownStar editorial pointed out, almost half of public school students failed to meet expectations in reading and math last year. That is despite being part of a state-run education system in which local superintendents and bureaucrats are fully aware of the curriculum, and supposedly in charge of the educators.

Senator Maloney has also stated that this bill is about “accountability.” Well, let’s talk about accountability.

In 2001, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that more than 5,000 Illinois public school teachers — not students — failed to pass basic skills exams. National Public Radio has reported that these exams should easily be passed by someone with an eighth or ninth grade education.

In the Chicago Public Schools system, only 28.5% of 11th graders met or exceeded expectations on Illinois standardized tests — yet, according to a report in Newsweek, only 0.1 percent of teachers were dismissed for performance-related reasons between 2005 and 2008.

That isn’t accountability. It’s failure. It is a sign that the State of Illinois is failing our children.

We, as home educators, have chosen to step up to the plate and choose something different — something better — for our children.

That is our right. It is our responsibility.

But education isn’t the only factor that influenced our decision to home educate. We have certain moral and religious values that we have chosen to instill in our children as part of their learning experience.

In addition, we are troubled by many of the social ills that plague American youth today.

For example:

• According to the Centers for Disease Control, for youth between the ages of 10 and 24, suicide is the third leading cause of death.
  
• According to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, during the past month 26.4% of children ages 12-20 used alcohol, and binge drinking among the same age group was 17.4%.
  
• Also according to the Department of Health and Human Services, in 2008, an estimated 20.1 million Americans ages 12 or older were current illicit drug users.
  In addition, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services “Stop Bullying Now” fact sheet: Studies show that between 15–25 percent of U.S. students are bullied with some frequency (“sometimes or more often”) while 15–20 percent report that they bully others with some frequency.

Now, can the public education system guarantee that our kids won’t be the ones who are failing in reading and math; or the ones who succumb to drug use, alcohol abuse, suicide or bullying? Of course not. But, as a home educator, can I guarantee that my kids will excel in their studies and avoid those social ills? Absolutely. [Emphasis added.]

Homeschooling mom Susan Ryan also testified:

...I would like to emphasize that laws are in existence now to protect all children, including homeschooled children in order to ensure a solid educational and nurturing base. The compulsory school attendance exemption requires private schools to teach the branches of education that are taught to children of corresponding age and grade in the public schools and that it should be in the English language. If there are questions, the truant officers employed in the Regional Offices of Education may follow up and confirm the education process. We’re not hard to find.

Registration has been unnecessary for our children to receive quality educations. Our esteemed University of Illinois created an admittance information page specifically to recruit homeschoolers. There are several other states proving the same educational results from our productive homeschooled adults.

Some worry about whether we are tested or not, even while the National Education Association has pled to Congress for less standardized assessments and more project based learning. Homeschoolers have the wonderful advantage of time and flexibility to create what the public school teachers crave. With that said, there are private means to test homeschoolers and access that progress and many homeschoolers take advantage of those opportunities.

The Home School Registration Form created some years ago has been a concern of mine - first of all - for the expended money for paperwork, mailing and other costs by the Illinois State Board of Education and the Regional Offices of Education for a non-mandated over-compliance demand. They already have this sort of spending history, so what can we tax payers expect if they are in charge of mandated registration.

But my major uneasiness is that new homeschoolers are trying to find what works for their children, and particularly when they start - parents often find much that doesn’t work. What if a homeschooler listed Sonlight Curriculum in the box for “Which curriculum will you be using” and discovered it works for the 8 year old, but not the 11 year old. Will we be stopped from switching to useful materials for our children by a bureaucracy that hampers us? That seems to be the saga of too many public school learning opportunities. Homeschoolers will lose our flexibility. We aren’t running a classroom. We are tailoring a one on one educational plan at home.

Often we don’t use a textbook as much as we frequent the museums, nature trails, the park district programs, and various community programs that enrich our children’s education. For instance, the Annenberg Learner program offers Journey North – a global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. Science, math and observation skills are used in this program. The Great Backyard Bird Count- sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Audobon Society pulls families into the world we live in by observing birdlife in our backyards. The Cornell Lab also created specific homeschool resources online to use for their Project Feederwatch. But it’s not a “curriculum”.

In 1950, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Crampton delivered the opinion of the court in the Marjorie Levisen ruling that determined Illinois homeschools are private schools. In part of that legal documentation, he said this: “Compulsory education laws are enacted to enforce the natural obligation of parents to provide an education for their young, an obligation which corresponds to the parents’ right of control over the child.”

We don’t have to be forced to do the right thing for our children. We’ve proven that. Please honor our love, respect and nurturing of our children. Do not require onerous demands on our lives and our time with pointless paperwork held over our heads, when we’d much rather spend that time with our families living and learning. [Emphasis added.]

Senator Maloney wants to be in control of homeschooling. He cannot.

For those in Maloney's Chicago district, it's time to be recruiting his next Republican opponent, who will need to begin circulating petitions to get on the ballot this October.

For the rest of us, we must continue to contact our own state senators, the education committee members, and even our state representatives to line up their opposition to this bill.

This bill represents a clear intrusion into our homes, and our families. It is a legislative home invasion. We will not lie down for it, we will not stand still for it, we will not be content to only slam the door on it. We have now reached the point at which every legislator who goes on record on this bill must be noted and listed. Those who approve of this bill -- that is, those who approve of unwarranted government intrusion into homes and families, must be marked for opposition and defeat. Those who oppose this bill should likewise be noted, thanked, and defended from opposition when election season rolls around. I'm quite serious about this.

And just in case this bill passes, we must prepare to demonstrate to our children the lesson that there is an obligation to disobey unjust laws. How about it Senator Maloney? What will be the penalty? How many years will you give me?

Murphy On SB 136: I Am Opposed

Regular Guy with Sen. Murphy

I've received an email this morning from State Senator Matt Murphy (R-Palatine), newly appointed to the Republican leadership in the Senate:

Thanks for writing Paul. I am opposed to SB136 and will vote accordingly if the matter makes it to the Senate floor. I appreciate hearing from you about this issue. Please stay in touch. Matt

We appreciate this commitment from Senator Murphy!

We understand from our friends at the Illinois Family Institute this bill is scheduled for a hearing in the Education Committee at 10:45 Tuesday morning next week. Please call the committee members to make your voice heard:

Committee Chairman, Sen. James T. Meeks (D-Chicago)
Springfield: 217-782-8066
District: 708-862-1515

Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Westchester)
Springfield: 217-782-8505
District: 708-343-7444

Sen. Gary Forby (D-Benton)
Springfield: 217-782-5509
District: 618-439-2504

Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Highwood)
Springfield: 217-782-3650
District: 847-433-2002

Sen. Iris Y. Martinez (D-Chicago)
Springfield: 217-782-8191
District: 773-463-0720

Sen. John G. Mulroe (D-Chicago)
Springfield: 217-782-1035
District: 773-763-3810

Sen. David Luechtefeld (R-Okawville)
Springfield: 217-782-8137
District: 618-243-9014

Sen. Kyle McCarter (R-Decatur)
Springfield: 217-782-5755
District: 217-428-4068

Sen. Suzi Schmidt (R-Lake Villa)
Springfield: 217-782-7353
District: 847-752-7004

Sen. Christine Johnson (R- Sycamore) *Will be sworn in on Feb. 14th
Springfield: 217-782-1977
District: 815-895-6318

Why Register Home School Students?

My friend Fran Eaton is asking why the state should want to know more about homeschoolers:

"Why?” and “That’s odd” are the two responses we’ve heard to state Sen. Ed Maloney’s (D-Chicago) proposed legislation requiring parents of non-public school students to register them with Illinois’ State Board of Education.

“Is there a compelling reason for parents of non-public, parochial or homeschool students to register with the state?” asked former state Sen. Patrick O’Malley (R-Palos Park). “That seems odd.”

That’s a question many interested parents are asking this week after learning about the buzz-creating Senate Bill 136. Tuesday morning, Maloney said things had slightly changed.

“We’re not after private school students. We’re going to amend the bill’s language. What we want is to know where the homeschoolers are,” he said.

“There are virtually no regulations on homeschools. No curriculum, no periodic checks on their progress. Regional superintendents tell me they have no way of knowing whether a home-taught student is truant or not,” he said. “We want more accountability.”

So, essentially, it's a naked power grab by the state. Parents have too much power, the state not enough.

Maloney, a former school administrator, said he plans to hold a subject matter hearing on Illinois homeschoolers’ accountability in the next few weeks. He’s not ready to table the legislation, as David Smith, a Will County homeschooling dad of five, would like him to do.

“We’re hopeful that Sen. Maloney will come to his senses and table this legislation,” Smith said after leaving a meeting with Maloney at the State Capitol on Tuesday. “We’ll be encouraging homeschoolers to call, write and pressure the senator to keep government out of the way of parents and their responsibilities.”

And Maloney said, “Certainly, for the most part homeschoolers do a conscientious job that exceeds standards. I’ve heard many anecdotal stories about home-taught students doing well, but there are some out there that aren’t. We need minimally to know who the home-taught kids are.”

For Terri Koyne, a homeschooling mom in Macoupin County, southeast of Springfield, that simply isn’t acceptable.

“He says he wants to just register us, then says we don’t have curriculum requirements,” the mother of four said. “Some of our curriculum is religious. Should a public school system be able to accept or reject that?” [Emphasis added.]

This is a grab for control: the state, which is bad at education, wants to gain control from homeschoolers, who are good at it.

Maloney says that some home-taught students aren't doing well. Well, neither are many, many, public school students, and if some kids aren't doing well, that's not a justification for the state to try to take control of my kids' education. Nor yours.

Senator Maloney's phone number is: (217) 782-5145.

Senator Maloney's email address is: ed@edmaloney.com.

Duffy On SB 136: "Trying To Kill It" UPDATED

Sen. Dan Duffy (R-26)

Illinois State Senator Dan Duffy, when asked if we can count on his opposition to SB 136, a bill to require that homeschool students be registered with the state education bureauracy, has a succinct answer:

"Yes, I am fighting hard against this bill and trying to kill it."

Having just completed the second year of his initial four-year term, Duffy has already made a reputation for himself as an opponent of irresponsible and overreaching state government, and I'm glad to have him on our side.

Sen. Duffy with the Regular Guy.

Regular Guy greets Sen. Lauzen.

UPDATE: Lauzen also opposes SB 136!

from an email received from Sen. Chris Lauzen's office:

Senator Lauzen agrees with you. He thinks this bill is a bad idea and he intends to vote no if it comes to the Senate floor.

Thank you for taking the time to voice your concerns.

Maloney on SB 136: "We're Not After Private Schools, We Want Home Schoolers"

You may think they're your own children. Illinois State Senator Ed Maloney (D-Chicago) knows better. Those aren't your children, they're the state's children.  You're expected to render them up to the state for education and indocrination, and if you prefer to educate them yourself at home, you're accountable to the state for how you do it:

Sen. Ed Maloney (D-Chicago)

"We're not going for the private school students, we're going to change that [in the proposal]. What we want to know is where the homeschoolers are. It's as simple as that," Maloney said from his Springfield office.

Maloney said the lack of accountability of homeschoolers came to his attention when a family member mentioned another was homeschooling. He asked about the procedure of homeschooling and was surprised to find out homeschoolers in Illinois had no accountability to local authorities for the students in their home schools.

"There is virtually no regulation, no curriculum requirements, no periodic checking on their progress," he said. "Regional superintendents are telling me that they have no way of determining whether the homeschooled students are truant."

So all the surmise that SB 136 to register homeschoolers was a first step towards the state taking control has been confirmed. That's the clear goal.

I've asked and asked what problem Maloney was trying to solve, and I now have my answer: the problem is that there are kids who are escaping the control of the state's education bureaucracy. That's the problem that Maloney is trying to solve.

The problem:  these children are not under state control

Well, that's his problem, not mine.

Senator Maloney, let's be clear here. The Extraordinary Wife and I educate our children. We don't have to list our qualifications to you, or our methods, or our curriculum. They are our children. The State of Illinois has done a poor enough job with the children entrusted to it for public education that it should be ashamed to try to extend its reach -- indeed, that the state would try suggests to me that the current poor state of education in Illinois is intentional, and that someone now thinks it's time to extend that poor quality to others who don't submit to the low expectations and social indoctrination of the teacher's unions.

I'm glad that my senator has already come out in opposition to this bill.

But this will not be a quiet little bill that you can pass under the radar. If it passes, it will be over the loud and energetic objections of a group whose size you can't even estimate. If you thought the Tea Party made trouble, you haven't seen anything yet.

Senator Maloney's phone number is: (217) 782-5145.

Senator Maloney's email address is: ed@edmaloney.com.

Rutherford Gets It Wrong On Reagan

The closing speech at the Reagan Day fundraiser held Saturday was delivered by State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, who argued essentially that to win in Illinois, Reagan would have counseled Republicans to drop their unpopular positions.  That may not be a completely fair characterization, but it's what I, as a social conservative got from Rutherford's conclusion.  Lee Newcom seems to agree:

Rutherford claimed the key to winning Illinois was to support anyone who agrees with you 80 percent of the time. That, he shouted, is the key. The power he put behind that point seemed a little overemphasized and several around me caught the obvious pretext to his own potential as a Gubernatorial candidate next time around. There is no other way to handle a sticky issue most social conservatives would have with Rutherford.

In his 80% friend analogy, Reagan was speaking of supporting a Republican in a general election, because you must have a majority to govern. He was not, as some advocate, asking us to just ignore core issues. I believe Rutherford's take on Reagan is a demand to support Republican leaders without holding them accountable on issues. He misses the much more important point: we are not losing Illinois because we are not sticking together, we are losing in Illinois because we have campaigns like the recent one that told folks we won't raise their taxes, but said little more. I think we are losing because we don't stand for much and therefore don't inspire people to vote for what little we offer. But I am a pretty minor player in Illinois Republican politics, so I think I'll just defer to the big guy himself. This is how Ronald Reagan answered these politicians at C-PAC in 1975.

I am impatient with those Republicans who after the last election rushed into print saying, "We must broaden the base of our party” - when what they meant was to fuzz up and blur even more the differences between ourselves and our opponents.
Our people look for a cause to believe in. Is it a third party we need, or is it a new and revitalized second party, raising a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all of the issues troubling the people?

Let our banner proclaim our belief in a free market as the greatest provider for the people.

Let us explore ways to ward off socialism, not by increasing government's coercive power, but by increasing participation by the people in the ownership of our industrial machine.

It is time to reassert our principles and raise them to full view. And if there are those who cannot subscribe to these principles, then let them go their way.

Strong words for Illinois Republicans. Words I suspect would still not be comfortably accepted by many who today claim his mantle of endorsement by virtue of being in his party.

Once we've thrown out 20% of our platform, what next? If someone comes along who disagrees about something else, does that person have a right to claim he agrees with us on 80% of our platform?

I can support a pro-choice Republican like a Dold or an Enriquez over a Democrat.

But if we throw out abortion as an issue on which to take a stand, do we then have to agree that having thrown out abortion, we can also not stand strong on the defense of marriage?  Rutherford is pro-life, but almost his last act as a state senator was to vote for same-sex civil unions.

And if we can't defend innocent life or traditional marriage, can we stand up against illegal immigration? Many Illinois Republicans would say no to that.  Can we be firm on gun rights?  Former presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani wasn't.

If these things are not core issues, can we stand strong on lower taxes? What about a Republican who advocated a public takeover of healthcare? Are we still allowed to demand a strong, pro-active national defense? What about limiting spending? Is that a core Republican principle?

If we chip off 20% of our platform -- thereby making it that much smaller -- must we then submit to having another 20% chipped off later?

10 years ago, the issue was abortion. Today it's marriage. What will it be next?

Arguably, a majority of voters in Illinois recently voted for higher taxes, and bigger and more corrupt government. Does anyone want to argue that the GOP should adopt those things as platform planks in order to attract more voters?

Or is there a point at which a thing is the right thing to advocate, whether it's popular or not, and we simply have to work harder to make our case?

Let me conclude with this about our state treasurer. After the event was over, he came back and visited blogger's row, and stood for pictures with all of us. He was very personable, very friendly, very likeable. But I think he's wrong on this point.

Jack Roeser On SB 600

Many of us were quite shocked, recently, when Jack Roeser came out against SB 600. In fact, I had occasion to mention the fact to SB 600 opponent State Senator Dan Duffy on Saturday afternoon and he was, to use a technical term, gobsmacked.

So when I ran into Jack Saturday evening at the Reagan Day Dinner I took the opportunity to ask him about it.

Roeser told me about a new change he's now advocating to the by-laws of the IRP, which would provide a secret ballot process for committeemen to elect the State Central Committee members at the county conventions. County chairmen would no longer be allowed to cast the votes of vacant committeeman positions. Committeemen would be empowered.

While I have questions about this (how would the "weighted" vote each committeeman casts be preserved -- or would it?), I think it has a great deal to recommend it, if it could be adopted.

But something must change.

Schmidt Announces Opposition to SB 136

State Senator Suzi Schmidt, a member of the Education Committee, sent me the following email message on Friday:

Dear Paul,

Thank you for contacting our office regarding Senate Bill 136, proposed legislation requiring all non-public school students to register each year with the State Board of Education. I understand and appreciate your concern on this issue and am working diligently to respond to all inquiries in a timely fashion and with the most up-to-date information.

Currently SB 136 has not been assigned to a committee for review, but as a member of the Education committee, this legislation is of noted concern to families and students throughout the state as well as myself.

In its current form the bill would mandate all non-public school students (including home-schooled students) to register with the State Board of Education each year, which appears unnecessary, excessive, and provides no solution to a given problem in the public or private education systems. Additionally there is no available information regarding how this mandate might improve education for students, the number of families it will affect, or the anticipated additional cost to taxpayers it will create. Because the proposed legislation seemingly provides no added value to education and is unnecessary to student achievement, I do not support this bill.

Because of these reasons, many individuals and groups are currently lobbying for amendments to this particular legislation, which may or may not be proposed in committee, so it is likely SB 136 may evolve before being called for a vote on the Senate floor.

Please rest assured that if SB 136 is called for a vote in the Senate, I would consider all constituent comments and concerns fully and cast a vote in favor of the 31st district's best interest. Thank you again for contacting our office, and please let me know if I can be of further assistance to you.

Regards,

Suzi Schmidt
State Senator
31st District

[Emphasis added]

My sincerest kudos to Senator Schmidt on her reasoned, principled opposition to a bad bill that simply has nothing to recommend it. I hope that all my local friends, especially homeschoolers and those concerned with education reform, will take note of Senator Schmidt's excellent words, and remember them.

Happy 100th Birthday, Mr. President!

Ronald Reagan was President-elect at the time of my enlistment in November, 1980, and served as commander-in-chief throughout most of my time in the Air Force. Regan won the Cold War that had been going on since before I was born, and I am proud of my service on the front lines in West Berlin.

Because of Ronald Reagan, millions live who would surely have died, and tens of millions live in freedom who would have never known it.

He would have been 100 years old today. Happy birthday, wherever you are, Mr. President.

Mike Pence on Reagan's Unfinished Work: Restoring Federalism and the Right to Life

I was privileged to be present for this speech last night:

Reagan's Unfinished Work: Restoring Federalism and the Right to Life

[Excerpt of remarks by Congressman Mike Pence to the Illinois Republican Party Tribute to Reagan's 100th Birthday Banquet, Chicago, Illinois, February 5, 2011]

On this night, a night that would have marked the last day of his first 100 years, we do well to recall that Ronald Reagan had a vision for America. It was a vision grounded in the timeless ideals of our founders and in the Constitution of the United States.

He accomplished much of his vision and we all know where that led. His vision of America as the arsenal of democracy brought the Soviet Union to it's knees and his vision for economic growth launched the longest period of peacetime economic expansion since World War II.

But there was unfinished business in the vision of Ronald Reagan; restoring the sanctity of human life to the law and returning power to the states.

The only book Ronald Reagan wrote during his time in the White House was entitled 'Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation'. In it he wrote, 'to diminish the value of one category of human life is to diminish us all'. Central to Ronald Reagan's vision for America was his gentle but steadfast commitment to the right to life. To complete Reagan's work, we must never relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law.

And Ronald Reagan had a vision for restoring federalism and empowering states. In the first paragraph of his First Inaugural Address, Ronald Reagan reminded the American people that, "the federal government did not create the states, the states created the federal government". He said it was time to "demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted the federal government and those reserved to the states and the people".

One year later, addressing the Indiana General Assembly on February 9, 1982, Reagan asserted that restoring federalism was the "new phase" of the "great American experiment". He called on states to partner with his administration to outline a new relationship between the states and the federal government, suggesting that Washington turn back 40 federal programs to the states with resources to pay for them.

Quoting favorably the remarks of Governor Thompson of Illinois Reagan agreed that 'It (was) time to give us our money back. It's time to give us our power and authority back. It's time to let governors and mayors of this nation respond to the needs of the people in their states and cities'.

The president challenged Hoosier legislators with the words, "let us join together to restore federalism...the nation's vigor...and the faith of our people in their government at every level".

Ronald Reagan knew that the states were our past. They were forged from the wilderness. The states hold the promise of the future. They will lead America back or not at all.

Life and Federalism were Reagan's unfinished work.

As we seek to honor his memory this night, let us resolve to complete the unfinished work of Ronald Reagan, restore life to the center of American law and reaffirm our nation's practice of federalism by returning to the states and to the people those responsibilities and resources which are rightfully theirs."

Illinois Republican Party Ronald Reagan Day Dinner

I'm live-blogging live from the ILGOP Ronald Reagan Day Dinner fundraiser at the magnificent Grand Ballroom of the Chicago Hilton.

I'm here with John Ruberry of Marathon Pundit, Warner Todd Huston of Publius Forum and Kyle Maichle of North Shore Exponent, among other bloggers and reporters.

As I write this, this first of four speakers, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich is just finishing up his remarks. I've a large number of photos to upload, but there's more to come.
_________

Now Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) is speaking: "As Henry VIII said to his fifth wife: 'I won't keep you long.'"

Pence repeats some of Reagan's best humor: When running for governor of California, Reagan was asked what sort of governor he would be, and Reagan answered, "I don't know, I've never been a governor."

When Reagan and Queen Elizabeth II were riding on horseback together, and Queen

Pence calls on the audience to finish Reagan's great unfinished work: federalism. Also called on the audience to fulfill Reeagan's dream to end abortion and return the sanctity of life to the center of American society. Most of the audience stands to applaud.

Pence concludes with Reagan quote: "Our best days are yet to come."
_________

Now Chairman Pat Brady is introducing Rick Santorum.

"He believed in American exceptionalism. Ronald Reagan never apologized for America."

Santorum explains his own recent remarks comparing abortion to slavery, and points out that Reagan made the same comparison five times.

On Islamic terrorism: "We cannot defeat an enemy unless we tell the American people and the world who that enemy is."

Unlike Gingrich and Pence before him, Santorum is speaking more about Obama and the contrasts with Reagan.  He quotes Reagan less, while applying Reagan's principles to current events.  This sounds more like the speech of a presidential candidate than the others.
__________________

Chairman Brady thanks the Tea Party for their work this year, and expresses his gratitude for the presence of Tea Party people. He doesn't seem to realize that most Tea Party people really are Republicans.
__________________

Ambassador John Bolton is speaking. "Reagan proved that a president could walk and chew gum at the same time."

"When it comes to health care, I do believe that both Mahmoud Achmadinajad and Kim Jong Il would support the public option."

"Barack Obama is our first post-American president."
________________

Treasurer Dan Rutherford is delivering closing remarks about the 1980 campaign.

Exciting News

We've just been invited to sit on Bloggers' Row at the Illinois Republican Party Reagan Day Dinner tomorrow night.

Confirmed speakers include former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Senator Rick Santorum, and Congressman Mike Pence.


All of the cast and crew here at Thoughts of a Regular Guy are grateful for this opportunity.  Watch this space tomorrow evening for the live-blogging fun!

Illinois Senate Bill Would Require Homeschoolers Register With State

Illinois Senator Ed Maloney

Illinois State Senator Ed Maloney (D-Chicago) has introduced SB 136 which would

Amends the School Code. Requires the parents or legal guardians of children attending non-public schools, a defined term, or private or parochial schools to annually register their children with the State Board of Education, in conformance with procedures prescribed by the State Board of Education.

The legal definition of "non-public schools" in Illinois includes home schools.

Let's be clear: the presumption that the education of children belongs to the state, and not to the parents -- that is that parents are accountable to government, and not government accountable to parents -- is at the root of much of what is wrong in American society today.

The Home School Legal Defense Association comments:

Right now, Illinois homeschools are not required to register because they are classified as "non-public" schools. Many other states likewise do not require homeschoolers to register, including New Jersey, Indiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, Alabama, Michigan, Texas, etc.

There is a common myth that Illinois homeschools are unregulated. While Illinois homeschools don't waste time processing bureaucratic red tape, they must comply with significant substantive mandates, including the requirement that they teach the branches of education taught to children of corresponding age and grade in the public schools, that they teach in the English language, and, if challenged, meet the burden of showing that they have in good faith provided an adequate course of instruction in the prescribed branches of learning. This sensible combination of no red tape plus meaningful mandates has protected freedom in Illinois and produced outstanding academic results.

SB 136 would give the Illinois Department of Education literally unlimited power to dictate what information homeschoolers must submit. Since the Department is composed exclusively of staff who are appointed or hired, rather than elected, they have little or no incentive to respond to the voice of citizens. In other states, when education departments have been given power to act against citizens' wishes, they have sometimes brushed aside overwhelming opposition and done as they pleased to homeschoolers.

SB 136 is the greatest threat to Illinois homeschoolers in more than a decade. HSLDA and Illinois Christian Home Educators are united in opposing the bill and are committed to protect your freedom. This fight belongs to every Illinois homeschool family.

This bill has not yet been assigned to a committee.

The Regular Guy and the Extraordinary Wife
with Illinois Senator Suzi Schmidt,
campaigning in 2009.

My own newly-elected state senator, Suzi Schmidt (R-Lake Villa), is a member of the Education Committee. When I was a candidate for state representative last year, I had the pleasure to become acquainted with her. An email to her office this morning elicited the following response from her legislative aide, Lauren Fleming:

Paul,

Glad to hear from you! Suzi asked me to respond to you as she has meetings today but wanted to get back to you right away.

As for this bill, Suzi's exact words were: "I want more details, but this seems too much like Big Brother to me. I don't like it." As you may know, Sen. Schmidt has been assigned to the Education committee, but this bill has not been sent to committee yet. We're in the process of communicating with some of the Senate staff to get details about some of the repercussions of this legislation, the costs associated with this mandate, the number of families potentially affected, etc., etc. When we get those numbers and that information, I will make sure you are included on that. As it stands, she opposes this bill. [Emphasis added.]

I would encourage my local friends in the homeschooling community to contact Senator Schmidt's office and cheerfully commend and encourage her on her opposition to this bad bill.

This post would not be complete without a shout-out to my friend Fran Eaton at Illinois Review, whose coverage and advocacy brought this matter to my attention, most recently in this post.

What Is Obama Hiding This Time?

It seems that this president is always trying to hide something or other. Whether it's his birth certificate, his academic records from Columbia or Harvard, the actual contents of pending legislation, or... the list goes on... this man who campaigned on promises of transparency always seems to find something new to cover up. Now, it's abortion statistics:

RedState has uncovered evidence - confirmed by the CDC’s own press office - that the Obama administration is deliberately playing “hide the ball” on nationwide abortion statistics. For apparently the first time in 40 years, the CDC’s annual “Abortion Surveillance Report” was not published, and there are “no plans” for the data to be produced at this time.

Whatever you feel about abortion and its legality, virtually all people agree that transparency and factual accuracy are important in the abortion debate. That is why even Planned Parenthood spends a substantial amount of money each year funding the Guttmacher Institute’s studies on abortion statistics. While pro-life groups have long contended that Guttmacher’s methods systematically undercount abortions, that is beside the point; the Guttmacher studies have long provided a consistent source for studying abortion trends over time. Which aggregate data, we re-emphasize, is important not only for both sides of the ideological debate, but is also important medical information.

Yet, in the wake of numerous damaging disclosures about unscrupulous practices by abortionists (from Kermit Gosnell to Planned Parenthood clinics across the country), the Obama Administration has apparently ordered that the only Federal government report on abortion statistics – again, a report that has run continuously for 40 years – be deep-sixed. The immediate question this raises is: what is the Obama administration trying to hide? [Emphasis added.]

Can there be any doubt that it's such an increase in abortion numbers as to embarrass even Obama, who once asserted (contrary to the clear evidence of his own voting record) that "no one is 'pro-abortion'"?

(Cross-posted to Lake County Right to Life Blog.)

Planned Parenthood Consults On Sex-Slave Ring

Here we see the small-business consultants at Planned Parenthood facilitating the work of a local pimp to set up a sex-slave ring with underage illegal-immigrant prostitutes:



This is outrageous on the face of it, but there's much more I'll have to say on this. But here's a teaser.

(Cross-posted to: Lake County Right to Life Blog.)