ACORN: A Nut That Needs To Crack

By Steve King

Until last fall, most Americans had never heard of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, more commonly known as ACORN. This relatively obscure community organizing group emerged on the national scene in 2008 after producing more than 400,000 false or fraudulent voter registrations during the 2008 election cycle.

Aside from being in the business of electing liberals, ACORN’s stated objective is to advocate for traditionally liberal policies of behalf of low and moderate income families. However, a deeper investigation into ACORN and its approximately 300 corporate affiliates reveals a complex organizational and financial spiderweb that functions both as a criminal enterprise and a self-contained economy.

ACORN has corroded the integrity of our electoral process by attacking the integrity of the ballot box. It is a crime to produce fraudulent registration forms and in many states, it is against the law to hire people and pay them commission to go out and gather voter registrations.

Yet ACORN is currently under investigation in 14 states for voter fraud and has frequently paid employees on a commission basis to register voters. ACORN was charged with voter fraud in Nevada.

According to an October 2008 article in The Economist, during the last election cycle, “in Orlando, home to the Magic Kingdom of Disney, Mickey Mouse tried to register. In Indiana there was an application from a sandwich shop called Jimmy Johns. Authorities in Nevada were surprised to receive voter registration forms from the starting line-up of the Dallas Cowboys.” All of these fraudulent voter registrations were later traced back to ACORN.

Any reasonable person would conclude that false voter registration almost inevitably lead to fraudulent voting, a felony charge. Because voter fraud is a crime nearly impossible to investigate and prosecute, there is no telling how many fraudulent votes have been cast across America because of ACORN’s illegal activities.

ACORN’s fraudulent voter registration drives may have been funded with taxpayer dollars. To date, ACORN and its business units have received more than $53 million in federal tax dollars via Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank and ACORN’s other friends in Congress. Recent stimulus legislation could give the organization access to up $8.5 billion in additional funding. The interlocking web of financial connections between ACORN and its affiliate organizations are rife with waste, fraud and abuse, yet have never been investigated because ACORN has been protected by cronies in Congress.

The White House also has deep ties to ACORN. President Barack Obama represented ACORN as an attorney in a voter registration case, and Obama forged his political reputation while leading a get-out-the-vote effort known as Project Vote, a subsidiary of ACORN.

ACORN also played a significant role in the mortgage meltdown by pressuring banks to make bad loans, by facilitating them and by lobbying Congress to lower the standards required by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. ACORN and many of its affiliates co-mingle funds and use the same accounting firm and same mailing address in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Individually, each of these factors is troubling, but added together, the facts surrounding ACORN warrant quick and decisive action. I believe an all-out, full court press federal investigation is the only way to bring ACORN to heel.

The Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service need to jointly investigate ACORN and perform a complete forensic analysis of the activities and finances of ACORN and its affiliates. Multiple congressional committee investigations need to occur to ensure this partisan criminal enterprise will not continue its shady practices while collecting taxpayer funds. People need to go to jail for their criminal activities.

Legislative action also needs to be taken to ensure ACORN will not receive any more of your taxpayer dollars. On September 17, the House, by 345-75 margin, passed an amendment blocking federal funding for ACORN. This vote sent a loud and clear message that no more taxpayer dollars should be given to ACORN, and I will be working with the Senate to try and get this ban enacted into law.

Taxpayers do not want their hard-earned money placed in the coffers of this partisan criminal enterprise. It is time for ACORN to crack and end its fraudulent operations.

LATHAM SPONSORS LEGISLATION TO BRING TRANSPARENCY TO CONGRESS

RESOLUTION REQUIRES 72 HOURS AND PUBLIC NOTIFICATION BEFORE DEBATE OF BILLS

Washington, Sep 24 – Iowa Congressman Tom Latham is spearheading an effort to make sure citizens have the time they need to analyze legislative proposals before Congress can vote on them.

Congressman Latham has signed on as a co-sponsor of a bipartisan resolution that would stop lawmakers from rushing votes on critical measures without allowing citizens adequate time to read the proposals and register their feedback with their representatives in Congress.

The legislation, H. Res. 554, would require any legislation to be made available to the public 72 hours before Congress can begin debate. It also requires that a document be made available to the public outlining the impact proposed legislation would have on existing law 72 hours ahead of any debate. The resolution applies to all significant amendments to legislation in addition to original bills.

“In my eyes, it’s simply common sense to give the American people the time they need to analyze proposed legislation,” Congressman Latham said. “Unfortunately, it’s become a common practice for lawmakers in the House of Representatives to offer sweeping legislative measures just hours before we’re expected to vote on them. Sometimes, these proposals are introduced in the dead of night. This is undemocratic, and it needs to stop.”

For example, lawmakers added a 300-page manager’s amendment to the cap-and-trade energy bill at about 3 a.m. on June 26, the day the House voted on final passage of the bill. Citizens had only a few hours to look at the proposal before it was approved by the House of Representatives.

Congressman Latham also is co-sponsoring H. Res. 721, which calls for any major health care reform legislation to be available to the public for 30 calendar days before a vote in the House of Representatives.

“Shadowy legislative practices shut the people out of the process and force representatives in Congress to vote on important proposals without knowing what’s in them,” Congressman Latham said. “It’s time to bring transparency back to Congress.”

Steve King Writes Letter in Support of Joe Wilson

LATHAM STATEMENT ON OMB DEFICIT PROJECTIONS

$9 TRILLION DEFICIT OVER NEXT DECADE

Washington, Aug 25 – Iowa Congressman Tom Latham issued the following statement on Tuesday in response to recent federal budget figures from the White House Office of Management and Budget projecting a $9 trillion deficit over the next decade:

“These latest budget numbers illustrate the depth of our country’s fiscal predicament. The national deficit is spiraling out of control, weakening America’s economic foundation and pinning future generations with massive debt. Irresponsible and ineffective measures such as the $787 billion stimulus package, the $410 billion omnibus appropriations bill and risky bailouts for Wall Street financial firms have contributed to America’s fiscal disarray, all while American families continue to deal with high unemployment and economic uncertainty. The cost of a government takeover of health care would add even more fuel to the skyrocketing deficit.

“This path is unsustainable. The current economic climate requires us to return to fiscal discipline. We must abandon the erroneous notion that we can tax, spend and borrow our way back to prosperity. It’s time for Congress to put the American taxpayers first and stop treating them as if they are a resource to be harnessed in difficult times.”

Latham: The Health Care Debate

Dear Friend:

Health care reform has the potential to be one of the most consequential initiatives to come before Congress in decades. The decisions made on Capitol Hill and in the White House in the coming months will directly impact the health care your family receives.

That’s why I’m heartened to see so many Iowans getting involved in the debate by contacting their elected officials, taking part in town hall meetings and letting Congress know how they feel about health care reform. A robust public debate that allows every citizen to have a voice will improve the final outcome. That’s the American way.

In that spirit, I’m inviting you to attend one of the public town hall meetings I’m hosting throughout Iowa’s 4th Congressional District in the coming weeks. These meetings offer you an opportunity to have a frank and honest discussion with me and other members of your community about health care and what the proposed reforms mean for Iowans. I’ve also posted an in-depth health care survey on my website as another avenue for Iowans to let me know how they feel about health care reform.

In an effort to make sure the health care debate is as transparent and accessible to the citizenry as possible, I’ve signed a pledge stating that I will not vote for any health care reform package that I have not read in its entirety, and I will not vote for any reform proposal that has not been available for public scrutiny at least 72 hours before a vote on final passage.

Throughout this debate, I’ll fight to uphold the principles of choice, competition and individual responsibility in our health care system. I’ll vote against any proposal that would allow a government bureaucrat to come between you and your doctor. And, I will only support health care legislation that meets the following criteria:

- The legislation must contain future health care costs for consumers and must not increase our nation’s deficit

- The legislation must be the result of a truly bi-partisan effort

- The legislation must provide accessibility for every single American

- The legislation must provide affordable health care

- The legislation must be responsive to the needs of patients

- The legislation must not stifle innovation and groundbreaking research

- The legislation must protect and preserve choices for patients

- The legislation must guarantee that government rationing is prohibited

- The legislation must uphold and improve the quality of health care overall

- And the legislation must provide coverage that is owned by individuals – rather than the government.

Please visit my website if you’d like to learn more about my common-sense health care proposal to expand accessibility and rein in costs or about my response to the proposal put forward by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Health care reform will have a direct impact on you and your loved ones, and you can’t afford to remain silent in this debate. Please get in touch with me, take my survey and let me know where you stand on health care reform.

Best wishes,

King Statement on Confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to Supreme Court

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Steve King (R-IA) today made the following statement regarding Senate confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court.

“It is too bad Judge Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings and the public dialog about her nomination centered on race and gender rather than jurisprudence. To those who see her confirmation as a triumph of race and gender, I say first ‘congratulations’ if you are now inspired to self-motivation and if you dedicate yourselves to individual achievement based on merit rather than race, ethnicity or gender.

“If you achieve excellence in anything you decide to do, you will create opportunities for yourselves and inspiration for others. The excellence of Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball in 1947 and made him MVP only two years later. No barriers exist today that compare with those Robinson faced. And no barriers exist today that cannot be overcome simply by achieving excellence. God Bless America for how far we have come! Every American has the opportunity to triumph over every actual or perceived barrier.

“Sadly, it is clear that the jurisprudence of Judge Sonia Sotomayor is not the only qualification that placed her on the Supreme Court. It is also clear that her judicial activism was a requirement rather than a disqualifier. Judicial activism effectively amends the Constitution. The very last nine people on the planet who should be amending the Constitution are Supreme Court Justices. I will watch her decisions carefully, encourage her to adhere to the Constitution and encourage her to reject de facto amendments to it and the unconstitutional preferences that were one of the qualifiers that President Obama used in her selection.”

King, Latham Introduce Bill Supporting Iowa’s Rural Hospitals

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Iowa Congressmen Steve King and Tom Latham today introduced the Medicare Support for Rural Hospitals Act. The legislation will provide increased Medicare payments to “tweener” hospitals – hospitals too large to receive additional Medicare payments as Critical Access Hospitals, but too small to be financially viable under the Medicare hospital prospective payment system (PPS).

There are eight “tweener” hospitals in Iowa, including three in Iowa’s Fifth District: St. Anthony Regional Hospital (Carroll), Spencer Municipal Hospital and Lakes Regional Hospital (Spirit Lake). Other “tweener” hospitals in Iowa are located in Fort Madison, Muscatine, Grinnell, Newton and Keokuk.

“Iowa’s rural hospitals are extremely important to the communities they serve,” Congressman King said. “It is important that we take steps to ensure the viability of our rural hospitals. For years, these tweener hospitals have been put at a significant financial disadvantage by Medicare’s payment policies. This bill will begin to address this problem by providing these hospitals with much-needed support through increased Medicare payments. This will allow these important community anchors to continue the great work they do in rural Iowa.”

“Iowa hospitals continue to deal with a Medicare system that penalizes medical facilities in rural areas,” Congressman Latham said. “This system ultimately hurts the seniors and communities that depend on these hospitals, and I’m proud to work toward a more equitable disbursement of Medicare payments.”

King Receives Defender of Economic Freedom Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Chris Chocola, President of The Club for Growth, the nation’s leading free-market advocacy organization with over 40,000 members, announced that Congressman Steve King has earned the annual Defender of Economic Freedom award. The award honors Members of Congress who have a strong voting record on economic growth issues.

“Congressman King is a champion of the pro-growth agenda,” Chocola said. “As 1 of 54 Congressional Members to earn this award, Congressman King has demonstrated a strong commitment to economic freedom and free-market principles.”

The award is based on certain votes in 2008 that the Club for Growth tracks on its scorecard, including cutting and limiting government spending, lowering taxes, expanding free trade, regulatory reform and deregulation. The study included a comprehensive examination of each lawmaker’s record on pro-growth policies and computed an Economic Growth Score on a scale of 0 to 100. A score of 100 indicates the highest support for pro-growth policies. Those lawmakers scoring 90 or higher receive the Defender of Economic Freedom award.

“I am grateful to receive this award from the Club for Growth,” King said. “The principles this award is based upon are the foundations of our nation’s economic strength and prosperity and key to the creation of more good-paying jobs.”

King: 6,900 Iowa Small Businesses Hit With Tax Hikes Under Liberal Health Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Steve King (R-IA) today made the following statement about new research from the Heritage Foundation revealing that 6,900 Iowa small business owners will pay a 5.4 percent surtax under the liberal health care plan being debated in Congress. The Heritage study also states that the liberal plan will carry a $1.3 trillion price tag and will increase the tax burden of 2.04 million Americans, about half of them small business owners.

“Liberals have put forth a health care plan that will empower Washington bureaucrats to control our health care system. To pay for their plan, liberals are proposing more job-killing tax hikes – up to an additional 5.4 percent – on the engine of economic growth in America: small businesses.

“In Iowa and across America, many small business owners are doing all they can just to get by. Hard and smart working Iowa small business owners cannot afford these tax hikes. Iowa’s small businesses employ 668,226 people per year, and a number of these jobs will be lost if these tax hikes go through. Raising the taxes of small business owners will cost jobs and could result in some small businesses shutting their doors and closing their operations.

“Instead of destroying jobs and empowering Washington bureaucrats to control our health care system, I want to create new jobs and protect the relationship between patients and doctors. The liberal plan will decrease the quality of our health care, cost American jobs and raise our taxes to pay for more Washington spending.”

The full Heritage Foundation study is available at http://www.heritage.org/research/healthcare/upload/Surtax_table.pdf.

King: Taxpayers Forced To Fund Abortion

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Steve King, a member of the Pro-Life Caucus, made the following statement regarding abortion funding in the health care reform bill being pushed by liberals in Congress.

“Health care is about protecting life, not taking it. The health care bill put forward by liberals in this Congress will force pro-life Americans to pay for abortions in violation of their deeply held religious convictions. We know from past experience that unless abortion funding is expressly prohibited, it will be mandated and subsidized. Nowhere in this bill is taxpayer funding for abortion prohibited.

“This bill will also penalize Americans enrolled in health insurance plans that do not provide abortions. Bureaucrats will define ‘minimum benefit standards’ to require coverage of abortion, and any employer who offers a plan that does not cover abortion will face up to 8% in tax penalties. Individuals who choose not to purchase a plan that covers abortion will be forced to pay a 2.5% tax penalty.

“Americans should be free to have a health care plan that does not pay for abortions and should have the right to refuse to pay for abortions with their hard-earned tax dollars.”