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Texas and several national industry groups on Tuesday filed separate petitions in federal court challenging the government's authority to regulate U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Texas, which leads U.S. states in carbon dioxide emissions due to its heavy concentration of oil refining and other industries, will see a major impact if U.S. mandatory emissions reductions take effect. In December, the Environmental Protection Agency ruled that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide endanger human health, opening the door for the agency to issue mandatory regulations to reduce them. "The EPA's misguided plan paints a big target on the backs of Texas agriculture and...

Thank you for contacting me to express your views on H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. I appreciate your taking the time to share your views on this important matter. There is widespread agreement that our health care system needs to be reformed - all of the major Republican and Democratic candidates for President in the 2008 election agreed that serious action needed to be taken immediately. So drawing on expert testimony received during 100 congressional hearings and scrutiny and feedback from the American people at more than 3,000 congressional events and town halls, H.R. 3962 seeks...

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Barack Obama increased unemployment benefits as part of his economic stimulus, he also made some Americans ineligible for hundreds of dollars a month in food stamps. Under the economic recovery plan, laid-off workers have seen a $25 weekly bump in their unemployment checks as part of a broad expansion of benefits for the poor. But the law did not raise the income cap for food stamp eligibility, so the extra money has pushed some people over the limit. Laid-off workers and state officials are only now realizing the quirk, a consequence of pushing a $787...

April 17 (Bloomberg) -- House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman said he won’t compromise on his proposed 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gases over the next decade in the face of criticism from lawmakers who say the economy could suffer. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aaE9Lr1448tM&refer=home

I don't know why this came as a surprise, just one more turn of the knife from our pathetic and paranoid president. For the last decade, Senators Cornyn and Hutchison have nominated and screened potential candidates for lifetime spots on the Federal Bench in Texas and U.S. Attorney positions. Over the last two months, however, Liberal Democratic Congressmen, such as Lloyd Doggett, have been meeting with Obama’s top lawyer, Greg Craig, to urge the President to write out our Texas Senators from the process of selecting Texas judges. To Texans’ dismay, the White House granted the Democrats’ request this week....

WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) - U.S. oil and natural gas producing companies should not receive federal subsidies in the form of tax breaks because their businesses contribute to global warming, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Congress on Wednesday. It was one of the sharpest attacks yet on the oil and gas industry by a top Obama administration official, reinforcing the White House stance that new U.S. energy policy will focus on promoting renewable energy sources like wind and solar power and rely less on traditional fossil fuels like oil as America tackles climate change. "We don't believe it makes...

RUSH, Bobby L., a Representative from Illinois; born in Albany, Dougherty County, Ga., November 23, 1946; attended Marshall High School, Marshall, Ill.; B.A., Roosevelt University, Chicago, Ill., 1974; M.A., University of Illinois, Chicago, Ill., 1994; M.A., McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, Ill., 1998; United States Army, 1963-1968; insurance agent; alderman, Chicago, Ill., city council, 1983-1993; deputy chairman, Illinois Democratic Party, 1990; unsuccessful candidate for mayor of Chicago, Ill., 1999; minister; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Third and to the seven succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1993-present). (Source.)

This morning, radio host Bill Press brought up the recent closing of liberal station Obama 1260 when speaking with Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, and talked about whether there needs to be a balance to right-wing talk on the radio dial. BILL PRESS: Yeah, I mean, look: They have a right to say that. They’ve got a right to express that. But, they should not be the only voices heard. So, is it time to bring back the Fairness Doctrine? SENATOR DEBBIE STABENOW (D-MI): I think it’s absolutely time to pass a standard. Now, whether it’s called the Fairness Standard, whether...

UPDATE: We have been reminded that Senator Stabenow's husband, Thomas Athans, is the co-founder of the liberal TalkUSA Radio network and is now the Executive Vice-President of liberal Air America. Liberal talk radio has of course failed miserably every time it has been tried, all the while watching it's conservative counterpart's success soar. Which might lead one to believe that Senator Stabenow, in addition to her zealous will to slam the fist of government down upon her opponents, has some business skin in the game as well. If you can't beat 'em, censor 'em. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Calderone in today's Politico...

Mayor Richard Daley said today Chicago has compiled a wish list of "shovel-ready projects" to spend federal economic stimulus funds on should Congress approve a plan. Unlike hundreds of other cities, however, Daley said Chicago won't make its list public. "Yes, we do, we have our list, we've been talking to people. We did not put that out publicly because once you start putting it out publicly, you know, the newspapers, the media is going to be ripping it apart," Daley said. "It's very controversial. Yes, we have ready projects from the Board of Education to the City Colleges to...