I wrote before about the proposed House bill, the Student Nondiscrimination Act of 2010.

The bill was clearly motivated by a radical agenda; now, we have the chance to see what that bill might lead to, should it pass.

A similar bill (LD 1196, “An Act to Extend Civil Rights Protections to All People Regardless of Sexual Orientation,”) has been law in Maine since 2005, and questions are now being asked about whether the bill goes too far in its attempt to "protect" the rights of transgender students.

Here are the fruits of Maine's legislative labor (bold mine):

New guidelines under consideration by the Maine Human Rights Commission designed to clarify the rights of transgender students in Maine has sparked a passionate debate over what some feel are impractical or abhorrent new requirements for public schools.

The commission’s proposed guidelines … state that transgender students are guaranteed access to public school bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams based on whatever gender they consider themselves to be.

That means a boy who identifies himself as a girl is by law allowed to use girls bathrooms, locker rooms and participate on girls sports teams, or vice versa. Being “transgender” means having a gender identity that is opposite a person’s biologically assigned sex at birth.

Various moral, ethical, and practical issues aside, there are also questions regarding the commission’s broad power to interpret the vague law in any way it sees fit.

If the current Congress approves the comparable Student Nondiscrimination Act of 2010, who is to say that a commission appointed by President Obama wouldn’t interpret and apply the law similarly?

TakeThemOn.org has a new video out:

What do you think?

Forgive all the acronyms, the simpler thing to say would be "here's us in action!"

As far as I'm concerned, the superstar of yesterday's Health Care Summit was Paul Ryan. With crystal clear argument and all the facts at his fingertips, he efficiently and resoundingly pulled away the mask of confusion the Democrats have sought to hide their health care proposals behind:

More from Stephen Spruiell:

We have some strong disagreements on the numbers,” President Obama said after Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) concluded his devastating critique of the Democrats’ budget claims, “but I don’t want to get too bogged down.” In the ensuing debate, what became clear is that the Democrats just don’t have an answer to Ryan’s arguments. They ducked, dodged, and changed the subject repeatedly, because Ryan’s numbers themselves are unimpeachable.
The Democrats are touting an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office that their health-care bill would reduce the deficit by around $130 billion over the next ten years. What Ryan pointed out — and what no Democrat even attempted to counter — is that this is because the legislation front-loads tax hikes and Medicare cuts and defers costs, forcing the CBO to score ten years of offsets with only six years of spending. Looked at on a level playing field, the true ten-year cost of the bill is $2.3 trillion rather than $950 billion, Ryan said.

This poll published in the Dallas Morning News supports our belief at APP and at our Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles that Latino Americans have a natural home in the conservative movement:

A bent to conservatism and family makes Hispanics a promising pool of votes for Republicans, but the party's targeting of illegal immigrants has withered its attraction.

Not only that, but they are becoming more and more politically engaged:

... It shows more than half of Texas Hispanics call themselves conservative, and a surprising 23 percent say they might participate in Tuesday's GOP primary. Among those, Perry leads Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison by 2 to 1, according to the poll, commissioned by an Austin consultant for a national group of Hispanic legislative leaders.

One local politician speculates on Perry's winning formula:

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, said the poll hints at a little-noticed facet of Perry's political persona: He doesn't frighten Hispanics because he often visits their communities, and he distances himself from immigration hard-liners in the GOP.

Still, there remains much to do when it comes to involving Latinos more:

"It's really a wakeup call for both parties," said Santos, the group's executive director. "Either [Hispanics] are being taken for granted by the Democratic Party or they're being ignored by the Republican Party."

He said that of about 3 million new people added to Texas' population between 2000 and 2008, 63 percent were Hispanic.

... "What does that say?" Santos said. "It says they're a growing, developing and evolving electorate."

Learn more about our Latino Partnership here, or find out more on Facebook.

Why does Bart Stupak hold the keys to health care reform in his hands?

Politico reports that Democratic strategists have revealed that the health care summit is designed to set up a ram-through of a Democrat-only takeover of health care:

Leader John Boehner - who spoke out in strong support of the Stupak amendment at last week's CPAC conference - today sent a letter to President Obama, requesting that he invite Rep. Stupak to Thursday's health care summit. Here is an excerpt of Boehner's letter:

During legislative action on the House Democratic leadership’s health care legislation (H.R. 3200) last November, a majority of members of the House of Representatives voted in favor of a bipartisan amendment authored by Reps. Bart Stupak (D-MI) that would prohibit federal funding of abortion.  The Stupak amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 290-194 and is part of the House-passed health care bill.

As you know, the Stupak amendment is not included in the Senate version of the health care bill, nor in the new proposal you put forth earlier this week and designated as the starting point for the discussion that will take place at Blair House on February 25.  But public opinion surveys (including two recent surveys conducted by CNN and Quinnipiac University) consistently indicate that the Stupak amendment reflects the will of the American people.

... I write today to respectfully ask that you invite Rep. Stupak to participate in the February 25 health care summit so that the will of the American people – and that of a bipartisan majority in the House – on the critical issue of life will be appropriately represented during the discussion.

... Including Representative Stupak in the February 25 discussion ... would send a signal that the White House respects the views of a majority of Americans and a bipartisan majority of the House on the critical issue of life.

Stupak had previously released a statement calling President Obama's plan "unacceptable" when it came to solving the problem of federal funds going to abortions:

"I was pleased to see that President Obama's health care proposal did not include several of the sweetheart deals provided to select states in the Senate bill. Unfortunately, the President's proposal encompasses the Senate language allowing public funding of abortion. The Senate language is a significant departure from current law and is unacceptable. While the President has laid out a health care proposal that brings us closer to resolving our differences, there is still work to be done before Congress can pass comprehensive health care reform."

Now might be a good time to join our "Support the Stupak Coalition!" group on Facebook.

Back in 2005 the Democrats said that dodging the fillibuster could never be justified. Now they are threatening to do so themselves, for a piece of legislation that effects 20% of our economy:

Tim Pawlenty, governor of Minnesota, and possible 2012 Republican presidential candidate, spoke this weekend at CPAC.  He outlined his four conservative principles:

1. God is in charge, a position Pawlenty conceded might not be politically correct, but was good enough for the Founding Fathers and should be good enough for each and every one of us.
2. We can't spend more than we have, a point which he's talked at length (and received some pushback) on before.
3. People spend their money differently when it's their money, a point he used when talking about his health care ideas.
4. Bullies prey on weakness. Pawlenty said his message for President Obama on this was: "Mr. President, no more apology tours, and no more giving Miranda rights to terrorists in our country."

Pawlenty has begun to display an interesting mix of social and fiscal conservatism, appealing to both the religious and tea party wings of the conservative movement. He has trumpeted his work on balancing Minnesota’s budget, as well as his policy views on health care, in effort to shore up his fiscal credentials.

This article was written when Pawlenty was considered for McCain's VP spot, and describes Pawlenty’s social conservatism as appealing to the Evangelical base.

Here, Pawlenty discusses his 5 steps to health care reform.

Pawlenty will also be headlining a Susan B. Anthony List banquet held in late March.

Blanche Lincoln has just had another withering blow dealt to her re-election bid in Arkansas.  Popular Republican Rep. John Boozman has declared that he will join the crowded field of possible GOP opponents to Lincoln.  All of her opponents have surged to large double digit leads against her in the most recent polls.

Arkansas, while a reliably Democratic state, is the only state in America where more voters opposed Barack Obama than John Kerry.  Arkansas is also considered to be the only state in America where any association with Obama would hurt a Democratic candidate.

Many believe that Blanche Lincoln needed to distance herself from the goals of the Obama Administration, which is perceived as radical in Arkansas.  Lincoln has always tried to be a moderate.  However, her vote in favor of health care reform has dealt her a crippling blow.

Now, with plummeting approval ratings and increasingly aggressive attacks from national conservative groups, her prospects look bleak.

Current Polling Scorecard If Race Was Today -- Republicans Pick Up 8 Seats.

Excerpts from Rep. Mike Pence's speech to the CPAC 2010 convention...

" ... to win back America we've got to offer solutions grounded in the timeless principles of America's founding.  There's nothing that ails this country that couldn't be fixed by paying more careful attention to the principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.  To win back America, we have to offer the American people real solutions to the challenges facing this country at home and abroad.  The American people are looking for answers. And Lord knows, we need them.  Despite the political gains of the last year, men and women, America is changing. And she is not changing for the better."

"... to reverse American decline we should recognize that our present crisis is not merely economic and political, but moral in nature.   We must win back America for the fundamental traditional values of the American people:  the sanctity of life, and the sanctity of marriage.  Marriage was ordained by God.  Instituted in the law is the glue of the American family and the safest harbor to raise children, and it must be defended against the onslaught of the left, in the Congress, in the courts, and if need be, in the Constitution of the United States of America.  And we must defend life.  You know, I believe that ending an innocent unborn human life is morally wrong, but it's also morally wrong to take the taxpayer dollars of millions of pro-life Americans, and use it to promote abortion at home and abroad as this government is busy doing every single day.  We need to restore the historic restrictions on foreign aid in Mexico City.  We need to end all federal funding for destructive embryonic research.  And the largest abortion provider in America should not be the largest recipient of federal funding under Title X.  The time has come to defund any and all funding to Planned Parenthood of America."

The Washington Post agrees with this claim made in the New York Times:

Obama's health plan does not include those Republican proposals, although White House officials said several times Monday morning that the president will be open to Republican ideas at the meeting on Thursday.

The president's plan does leave intact language relating to abortion already in the Senate bill that is less restrictive than the House measure. That would leave open the possibility that conservative Democrats in the House who oppose the use of federal money for abortion would oppose the measure.

The President is ignoring the position of Bart Stupak's coalition of pro-life democrats. The National Right to Life Committee has issued a press release detailing how the President's solution opens the door to government funding of abortion.

... and the White House is threatening Republicans that they may use reconciliation.

In preparation for his Thursday summit with Republicans, Obama has released his health care proposal for the first time this morning.

Here are the highlights from Politico:

"In an effort to rescue an increasingly adrift health reform effort, President Barack Obama released a $950 billion proposal this morning that makes targeted changes to the Senate-passed bill aimed at bridging the differences between the House and Senate versions of reform.

Obama’s proposal:
-- Increases the affordability tax credits for middle class families. -- Closes the gap in seniors’ prescription drug coverage. -- Eliminates the so-called Cornhusker Kickback and provides additional Medicaid funding assistance to all states, not just Nebraska. -- Includes the labor-backed deal on the Cadillac tax. -- Gives the federal government authority to block unjustified insurance premium rate increases."

APP notes that President Obama's bill still includes abortion funding, because it does not include the all-important language introduced by Rep. Stupak and his coalition.

More coverage in the meantime from Politico, WaPo, and NYT.

As a special Friday treat, a guest column from the perennially-witty Joshua Bowman.

"NOBODY PANIC"

With silver-tongued assurances that the US economy is on the "road to recovery," the Obama Administration and the Democrat-controlled Congress are beginning to sound a lot like the crew of the "unsinkable" Titanic.  Yesterday's Washington Post ran a story about part two of the mortgage crisis and the economic reality is less than reassuring.

"There's been an enormous bubble in commercial real estate, and it has to come down," said Elizabeth Warren, chairman of the Congressional Oversight Panel, the watchdog created by Congress to monitor the financial bailout. "There will be significant bankruptcies among developers and significant failures among community banks."

President Obama is again pushing for a new federal watchdog to monitor "systemic risk," but this will accomplish nothing.  A watchdog is only useful if its owner pays attention when it barks.  Federal regulators repeatedly testified to Congress over the past decade that the mortgage bubble was a growing and imminent threat.  Like the unheeded iceberg warnings telegraphed to the Titanic, past warnings of "systemic risk" were ignored by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

Then, in response to the greatest economic disaster in decades, the President and Congress have spent most of the past year on an increasingly quixotic health-care bill.  Aside from a few saber-rattling press conferences which sent the stock market plummeting last month, Democratic leaders are still more committed to health-care than true financial reform and are paying a heavy political price for it.

Like any disaster, the Washington Post piece also includes an ironic twist of fortune in the chaos.  "Even the Mortgage Bankers Association has fallen victim, selling its $90 million Washington headquarters earlier this month for $41 million."

That is to say, by lobbying the government to encourage people to buy property they could not afford with loose monetary policy, perverse tax incentives, and shady accounting rules, the Mortgage Bankers Association indirectly contributed to the bankruptcy of hundreds of banks and layoffs of thousands of mortgage bankers, which in turn decimated its own membership.

With fewer member contributions to cover the higher real estate prices caused by the speculative bubble of its members own making, it's hardly fair to call the Mortgage Bankers Association a "victim" of this crisis.  The most charitable view would be that, like Captain Smith, the association is honorably going down with the ship.

Mr. Bowman writes from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Early press coverage of our launch this week of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles:

A conservative group has begun a new initiative to bring Hispanics into their movement by emphasizing traditional social issues, but the fight over immigration may prove this to be a futile effort.

The American Principles Project announced this week its Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, a new initiative that will promote conservative values in the Hispanic community and attempt to persuade conservatives on immigration reform, opening doors to a possible untapped mass of support in the nation's growing Hispanic community.

"We believe that it is time that the conservative movement proactively and intelligently reach out to Latinos, because we believe strongly that Latinos are conservative, that Latino values are conservative values," said Alfonso Aguilar, a spokesman for the partnership.

... educating Hispanics on conservative political views is only half of the struggle, according to the Latino Partnership, which supports comprehensive immigration reform that legalizes undocumented immigrants, with a penalty for entering the country illegally.

The group said its initiative also would focus on educating conservatives about Hispanic values and immigration reform to achieve its goal, saying that people are angry with big government policies and the Hispanic vote is needed to see the conservative movement expand.

Mr. Aguilar was optimistic about conservative acceptance of immigration reform. He acknowledged that many conservatives may not come out in support of reform immediately but that as the Hispanic vote continues to increase, they will see the demographic necessity to back reform.

The U.S. Census Bureau in 2009 reported that the number of Hispanic voters increased by 2 million in the 2008 presidential election compared to the 2004 election, while the number of non-Hispanic white voters was not statistically different from 2004.

Although President George W. Bush's plan for immigration reform was not highly regarded among Democrats or Republicans in 2007, Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and a member of the Latino Partnership's board of advisers, said President Obama has yet to produce immigration reform legislation.

"We now have a Democratic president, an overwhelmingly Democratic Senate, an overwhelmingly Democratic House, and they've done nothing in the last year," he said. "It was Republicans like [President] Reagan, that began, and Bush, which we said, that started to get a handle on coming up with a reasonable immigration policy that benefits the country."

The Latino Partnership can be found on Facebook here.

I'm not sure if this is a situation of "better late than never":

Reporting from Washington - President Obama, after sustaining months of criticism for not being clear about what he wanted in healthcare legislation, will post specific proposals for a comprehensive plan on the Internet by Monday, according to the White House.

The posting would come three days before a televised meeting that Obama plans to convene with congressional Democratic and Republican leaders in hopes of restarting his stalled bid to overhaul the nation's healthcare system.

"There will be one proposal. It is the president's," Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday while unveiling a report highlighting large premium increases by insurance companies nationwide, including California-based Anthem Blue Cross.

"I think the idea is that it will take some of the best of the ideas [from the House and Senate bills] and put them into a framework moving forward," Sebelius said. (LA Times)