Washington, D.C. – Today, during a hearing held by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, Congressman Tom Graves (R-GA-9) questioned Federal Communications Commission [FCC] Chairman Julius Genachowski about the status of the FCC’s investigation into Google’s “Street View” program, and whether Google’s mapping process eavesdropped on unsuspecting Americans.  Congressman Graves issued the following statement about the exchange:

“Nearly five months after the FCC announced its investigation into Google for potential violations of privacy, I was deeply disappointed that Chairman Genachowski did not provide any insight into the status of the Street View case for the many Americans who had their private information captured.  The public deserves, as the FCC said in November, a ‘full and fair accounting’ of the 600 gigabytes in private data that was lifted from an untold number of personal computers.

“Imagine the outrage and the consequences if government trucks roamed our neighborhoods and gathered personal information.  The fact is, a private company did exactly that, and the American people deserve reassurance that the FCC will not soft shoe around such a massive breach of privacy.  I urged Chairman Genachowski to move swiftly so the FCC can finally present their findings to Congress with recommendations on how to prevent eavesdropping by any entity that roams our streets and neighborhoods.”

Background:

In May 2010, Google admitted their Street View cars had gathered private information from unencrypted WiFi networks for years.

In October 2010, Google admitted data collected by their Street View cars contained emails, URLs, and passwords.

In November 2010, the FCC announced it was investigating Google to see if the Street View program violated any laws.

On March 22, 2011, France’s National Commission for Computing and Civil Liberties fined Google $142,000 for violating privacy laws with its Street View program.

ATLANTA – State Representative Lynn Smith (R-Newnan) and other federal and state elected officials will host an event to support the troops and recognize the Atlanta- based Human Resources Command (HRC) TOMORROW, Wednesday, March 16, 2011, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 1:30 PM.  During the event, letters of commendation will be presented from Governor Nathan Deal, Speaker David Ralston, Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, Senator Saxby Chambliss, Senator Johnny Isakson, and Georgia’s 13 congressmen.

This event is a way for the State of Georgia to recognize the United States Military and those who contribute to the success of the U.S. Central Command’s Rest and Recuperation (R&R) leave program and Military Personnel Assistance Point program, both of which are based in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.  Working 365 days a year, these programs assist members of the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard with travel needs, including transportation to and from basic training, as well as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait.

WHO: Major General Terry Nesbitt, Adjutant General of the Georgia National Guard

Major General Maria Britt, Commanding General of the Georgia National Guard

Sergeant Major James Nelson, Jr., Commanding Sergeant Major of the Georgia National Guard

Brigadier General Marcia Anderson, Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Human Resources Command

Major Mark Brown

Sergeant Major Jim Aiken

Sergeant Major Victor Allen

Rep. Lynn Smith, Georgia House of Representatives

Trey Kirkpatrick, Regional Director for Senator Johnny Isakson

Andy Bush, District Director for Congressman Lynn Westmoreland

Ben Spears, Outreach Coordinator for Congressman John Lewis

DETAILS: Question and Answer Session

1:30 PM

Small Executive Suite Conference Room

Fourth floor of the Airport’s Atrium

Main Terminal

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

(This is an open access area)

Recognition Event

2:00 PM

Gateway Conference Room

Fourth floor of the Airport’s Atrium

Main Terminal

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

(This is an open access area)

DIRECTIONS: http://www.atlanta-airport.com/GroundTransportation/directions.aspx

Dalton, GA – U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-9) will host an Open House for the 9^th Congressional District’s new Gainesville office today, February 22, 2011.  Following the well attended Dalton Open House, Rep. Graves is hosting this event to invite the community of the eastern portion of the 9^th district to meet him personally and familiarize themselves with the new Gainesville location.

What: Open House for the 9th Congressional District’s Gainesville Office

Who: U.S. Rep. Tom Graves and 9^th district Georgians

When: Today, February 22, 2011 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm

Where: 311 Green Street NW

Suite 302

Gainesville, GA 30501

Phone: 770-535-2592 (unchanged)

Note: This event is free and open to the public.

Received today from the US House Republican Conference:



Ways and Means put out this report today regarding yesterday’s CMS analysis of the Democrats’ health care bill. Check out a few of the ways in which the health care bill will increase costs. I’ll link to the whole report so you can get to typing away. This is simply outrageous. Of course WE knew this would happen. A preview:

– Health Care Costs Increase: “national health expenditures under the health reform act would increase by a total of $311 billion (0.9 percent) during calendar years 2010-2019.” [Page 4] The actuaries found the law bends the cost curve up by a greater degree than either the House or Senate-passed legislation, despite the Administration’s claim that slowing national health spending was the “single most important” reason to overhaul the health system.

– Over One-Half Trillion in Medicare Cuts: The Medicare actuaries found that the new health law cuts “$575 billion” [Page 4] from Medicare.

– Seniors’ Access to Care Jeopardized: As a result of the cuts to Medicare, the actuaries found, “absent legislative intervention, [providers] might end their participation in the program (possibly jeopardizing access to care for beneficiaries).” [Page 10]

– Workers & Seniors Can’t Keep the Health Plan They Have and Like: “We estimate that such actions would collectively reduce the number of people with employer-sponsored health coverage by about 14 million.” [Page 7] Furthermore, 2 million Americans who currently have employer-provided health coverage will be dumped into Medicaid. [Page 3] Additionally, the actuaries predict millions of seniors will lose their Medicare plan because massive cuts to the program will result in, “about 50 percent” of seniors no longer being in a plan. [Page 11].

Here is the entire list of ways in which costs will increase. But I’m sure there’s more to be disovered even beyond this:
http://republicans.waysandmeans.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=182448

The Icing:
Sebelius admitting she’s clueless on how much ObamaCare will cost just two days ago! (VIDEO)
http://www.breitbart.tv/obamacare-sebelius-admits-admin-has-no-clue-how-much-high-risk-pools-will-cost/

The New York Times: All the news that’s fit to print after they get what they want.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Now-they-tell-us-NYT-health-care–89002817.html

Sam Olens, Republican candidate for Georgia Attorney General, released this statement this morning:

“Today is a terrible day in our country’s history. As your next Attorney General, I will do everything legally and constitutionally possible to fight the federal takeover and implementation of heath care. I would join AG’s from states across the county to file lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of this Leviathan.

“As a State Attorney General is it your constitutional duty to protect the rights of Georgia’s citizens and the sovereignty of the state. This bill contains federal mandates and provisions that are unconstitutional and must be challenged.

“I commend the current AG’s of South Carolina, Florida and Virginia who have taken the lead and I challenge all current state AG’s and AG candidates for this important office to tell the voters what they would do if elected. In Georgia, it will be incumbent on the next AG to lead the fight for future generations.”

If you can’t find this on Youtube, search for the movie subject line. Mike the Mime will be back!

I spotted this YOU LIE! bumper sticker in east Cobb this afternoon. You gotta love east Cobb Republicans…

I’ve started reading FairTaxSOWEGA.com in my spare time. The fair tax would hurt my fiancée’s accounting business but I believe it is the solution to all of our tax woes. I’ll be learning more over the next few months.

By Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine


As State Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner, the safety and protection of our citizens is my job. That is what Georgians elected me to do. That is why I cannot be silent about the government takeover of healthcare that the U.S. House of Representatives is proposing this week. If your mental smoke alarm has batteries, it should be going off now.


First, a government takeover of anything usually results in higher prices and poorer service. Think about what has happened to our schools with the price-per-pupil continuing to rise and test scores staying flat or only inching up. The unions, such as the National Education Association, have resisted educational choice with every fiber in their being. They have used dues from hard-working Georgia teachers to lobby against even the most basic educational choice. Obama’s so called “public-option” is nothing more than the first step of government takeover.


The government acquisition of General Motors may save the Camaro and the Corvette, but may give the new company such an unfair financial advantage that it drives Ford Motor Company to the brink of bankruptcy. This kind of meddling in the private sector was certainly not a mandate from any voter back in November. And if the members of Congress aren’t careful, they are going to allow the president to do the same thing to the healthcare network in America.


Second, destroying the private sector in healthcare would substitute bureaucratic planning and control for competition and consumer choice. I realize that the word “destroying” sounds pretty strong. But when you are able to undercut the private healthcare market, and then add a trillion dollars of new taxes to pay for it, the result will be companies going out of business. And, all the while, workers likely will be forced into the government-sponsored plan simply because it is less costly for employers, even though the care may be inferior. In a word, a monopoly is created. And when that monopoly can decide whether you live or die, it is too powerful.


How did a country built on the entrepreneurial spirit ever get to a point where we take glee in seeing the freemarket punished and forced into bankruptcy? This is not the kind of leadership we need in Washington, Atlanta-or Moscow for that matter.

Third, as the government-run healthcare plan gobbles up business, there would be no incentive to improve quality or increase efficiency, but instead we’ll see eventual efforts to control costs by restricting access and choice-such as happens now in England and Canada. When the good people of Georgia have to wait months or years for surgery or specialized medical care, we’ll know the house is on fire. Access and Choice will decrease-not increase.


The societal engineers who want to tear down the private sector in health insurance don’t want to be honest about the “uninsured” statistics either. They pad the numbers with illegal aliens, with young people who choose not to be insured (because they often think they are invincible), and with people in transition between jobs. So, before we take such drastic action, let’s do more to encourage the non-profit clinics out there providing a medical home to the uninsured-clinics such as the Good Samaritan Health Center in Atlanta and the Athens Neighborhood Health Center.


Fourth, have you ever thought that if government can’t afford to finance existing programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, then providing health care for all our citizens might really be tricky? We must wake up and smell the smoke before it’s too late.


I travel the state frequently and often tout the importance of changing the batteries in smoke detectors and testing the equipment at least once per year. Fellow citizens, the detector in all our brains is beeping incessantly trying to warn us of a disaster that awaits if we allow this takeover. Yet, our smooth talking president and his big-government allies in the U.S. Congress are telling us it is a false alarm and urging everyone to return to business as usual. This is a mistake, and as a statewide-elected official in Georgia, I must urge you to tell your Congressman to vacate this hasty plan and return to sanity.


Finally, let’s think about the future. Do you possibly want to saddle your children, your nieces and nephews, and even your grandchildren with trillions of future tax payments when we can’t pay the debt we already have?


The house is on fire-but the fire can be put out. Call the White House and the U.S. House of Representatives today and tell them to back away from this ill-considered government takeover of healthcare. Urge them to delay this rushed effort to socialize the best medical system in the world.


John Oxendine is the State Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner and can be reached at john@johnoxendine.com