Moral Repair update—

State Governors are taking action that Congress won’t

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.

1. Multi-state coalition sues over Barack Obama immigration executive action

AUSTIN, Texas (December 4, 2014) – Texas is leading a 17-state coalition suing over President Barack Obama’s recently announced executive actions on immigration, arguing in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that the move tramples key portions of the U.S. Constitution.

AP

Many top Republicans have denounced Obama’s order, which was designed to spare millions living illegally in the United States from deportation. But Texas Gov.-elect and current Attorney General Greg Abbott took it a step further, filing a formal legal challenge in federal court in the Southern District of Texas.

His state is joined by 16 other mostly conservative ones, largely in the south and Midwest, such as Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana and the Carolinas. They aren’t seeking monetary damages, but instead want the courts to block Obama’s actions.
While Abbott had pledged for weeks that his state would sue, the span of the coalition Texas put together surprised both proponents and opponents of the executive order.

Announced Nov. 20, Obama’s order extends protection from deportation and the right to work to an estimated 4.1 million parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents who have lived in the country for at least five years and to hundreds of thousands more young people.

The lawsuit raises two major objections: that Obama violated the “Take Care Clause” of the U.S. Constitution — which Abbott said limits the scope of presidential power — and that the order will “exacerbate the humanitarian crisis along the southern border, which will affect increased state investment in law enforcement, health care and education.”

“We joined this lawsuit to stand up once again with other state attorneys general and governors against an out-of-control executive branch,” West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said in a statement.

Here are the 17 States—Write a letter to your Governor and thank them for fighting for your liberty!

STATE OF TEXAS; )

STATE OF ALABAMA; )

STATE OF GEORGIA; )

STATE OF IDAHO; )

STATE OF INDIANA; )

STATE OF KANSAS; )

STATE OF LOUISIANA; )

STATE OF MONTANA; )

STATE OF NEBRASKA; )

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA; )

STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA; )

STATE OF UTAH; )

STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA; )

STATE OF WISCONSIN; )

GOVERNOR PHIL BRYANT, State of Mississippi; )

GOVERNOR PAUL R. LEPAGE, State of Maine; )

GOVERNOR PATRICK L. MCCRORY, State of North )

Carolina; and )

GOVERNOR C.L. “BUTCH” OTTER, State of Idaho, )

http://onenewsnow.com/ap/politics/multistate-coalition-sues-over-immigration-order#.VIDnE8n4Hkc

 

2. Utah to Seize Own Land from Government, Challenge Federal Dominance of Western States

Time to put the federal government in their place.

In three weeks, Utah intends to seize control of 31.2 million acres of its own land now under the control of the federal government. At least, that’s the plan.

In an unprecedented challenge to federal dominance of Western state lands, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert in 2012 signed the “Transfer of Public Lands Act,” which demands that Washington relinquish its hold on the land, which represents more than half of the state’s 54.3 million acres, by Dec. 31.

So far, however, the federal government hasn’t given any indication that it plans to cooperate. Still, state Rep. Ken Ivory, who sponsored the legislation, isn’t deterred.

“That’s what you do any time you’re negotiating with a partner. You set a date,” said Mr. Ivory. “Unfortunately, our federal partner has decided they don’t want to negotiate in good faith. So we’ll move forward with the four-step plan that the governor laid out.”

In other words, there won’t be any escorting of federal officials by state troopers to the eastern border. Instead, he said, state officials will proceed with a program of education, negotiation, legislation and litigation.
Read more at http://conservativebyte.com/2014/12/utah-seize-land-government-challenge-federal-dominance-western-states/

 

3. Barron’s: North Dakota Ranks Best in Debt Quality as Illinois Struggles

Tuesday, 25 Nov 2014 11:01 AM

By Rob Williams
North Dakota, Wyoming and Utah rank as the best states for investors who want secure municipal bond holdings, while Illinois and New Jersey are two of the worst.

Those states represent the broad range of investments among the $518 billion of state-supported debt that is “probably the best slice of the $3.7 trillion municipal-bond market,” according to a report in Barron’s this week.

“U.S. states represent one of the most secure areas of the global bond market, typically benefiting from low debt levels relative to the size of their economies, and the ability to cut spending and raise taxes during tough times,” the newspaper said.

North Dakota has a solid credit rating with high economic growth, a large cash pile and the lowest unemployment rate in the country, 2.7 percent, because of the energy boom.

Utah has a low jobless rate, little debt and the second-highest median household income, adjusted for the cost of living, behind Virginia. Wyoming’s economy is healthy while its cash pile is large enough to support its budget for four years, even as the state has no income tax.
Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.Newsmax.com/Finance/municipal-debt-bond-Moodys/2014/11/25/id/609491/#ixzz3KyQR6yVA

4. Your Action Can Help Solve the Conservative Leadership Problem

John Biver

A good friend of mine said something the other day that struck me because I have not heard anyone else say it so simply: “We have a leadership crisis.”

It’s not a lack of leadership — it’s a lack of leadership for the right cause.

We know there are plenty of people championing the fundamental transformation of America — in fact, the guy in the Oval Office is all about that.

We know there are plenty of Republicans and Democrats that work hard to get elected and reelected, but not much else.

And we know there are plenty of people filling the media, educational, and cultural airwaves with left-wing propaganda aimed at convincing people that the direction we’re headed in is the right one.

The void exists when it comes to leadership that seeks to re-establish limited and Constitutional government — including the protection of our God-given rights like freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

Despair is rampant in conservative circles because of what we’ve witnessed from our elected Republicans at all levels for the past twenty years. Nevertheless there is plenty of good news to be found.

First, the antidote for pessimism is purposeful action.

Second, leadership doesn’t start in Congress, or the White House, or in any elected office for that matter. Leadership starts with those individuals that engage the process.

Third, there’s more of us than you think — I’ve called it an idle army — and in Illinois a call to action is being sounded by the Land of Reagan project. Its purpose is to create a network of citizens willing to help organize in advance of the 2016 presidential primaries.

Effective voter contact is the key to winning elections, and we can’t wait for the party or the politicians to get the job done. The Land of Reagan project seeks to work with team leaders around that state that support the Republican candidates for president. Few people pay attention to the delegate process during the primary season, making those races an untapped resource for inviting motivated people into the arena.

It’s all about getting a lot more information to American voters. In order for conservative policy solutions to win enough public support, conservatives will have to be involved in political action in greater numbers than ever before.

Land of Reagan invites you to take their straw poll and keep in touch via email. The political left never stops working — and the political right must not either.

Even if you were happy with the last two Republican presidential nominees, you couldn’t have been happy with the campaigns they ran. Visit LandOfReagan.com and join in the work to elect another Reagan.
Read more at http://barbwire.com/2014/12/04/0700-action-can-help-solve-conservative-leadership-problem/

 

Heritage: Can Congress Use Spending Bills to Address President Obama’s Executive Actions on Immigration?