Week Ending July 27, 2007 - Washington, DC
July 27, 2007 5:27PM EST

July 27, 2007

Week Ending July 27, 2007 - Washington, DC The July 18th issue of the Chairman's Report is available! THE PRESIDENT IMMIGRATION GETS "UGLY" - Shortly after the President's amnesty plan for illegals failed, I stated in a weekly update that the Administration would make high profile arrests of illegals who have children in an effort to raise sympathy and bring back amnesty. This week Secretary Chertoff was ready for the media when an illegal woman with five children who are US citizens was arrested by ICE. Cameras went along on the raid. Secretary Chertoff reiterated that it was going to get even more "ugly." Meanwhile the Administration is doing little to round up hundreds of thousands of illegals who have committed felonies. VETO THE FENCE? - The President has informed Congress that he will veto the Homeland Security appropriations bill if it contains the $3 billion the Senate added to build the fence along our southern border. This is the same amount the President requested for the fence in the amnesty bill he proposed and the Congress rejected. (SEE SENATE SECTION) WHAT IS SCHIP ANYWAY? - In 1997 the Republican Congress passed a law to provide insurance for "poor" children. The program has grown to the point that many middle class families have taken their kids off of private insurance to get the free insurance. Now Democrats want to increase the program to cover all kids in families up to four times the poverty rate. The President has said he will veto the increase because even some wealthy families would qualify. PROBLEM: While this is a move toward socialized medicine, the American people are so fed up with greedy health care insurance executives who cheat doctors and get multi-million dollar salaries for themselves, that the President is finding little support in the public for his veto. THE HOUSE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE - The censorship of talk radio proposed by the Democrats is running into some unexpected roadblocks. While the Hispanic Group LULAC supports censorship on talk radio, the so- called "Fairness Doctrine" is opposed by Mychal Massie, chairman of the black leadership networks Project 21. Although the concept of censorship via the Fairness Doctrine was voted down 309 to 115 in June, Representative Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) plans to try to offer censorship legislation again. Even the ultra liberal Los Angeles Times has published an editorial against the concept. NO SUBSIDIZED HOUSING FOR ILLEGALS - The Section 8 of the Voucher Reform Act (HR 1851) faced a Republican motion to amend the bill to require an individual, or all adult members of a household, to provide valid personal identification- such as a social security card, driver's license, passport, or photo identification card issued by the Department of Homeland Security-to the local public housing agency before becoming eligible to receive Section 8 voucher assistance for housing. This of course is to ensure that individuals in the country illegally are not given taxpayer subsidized housing. Caught off guard, 45 Democrats joined Republicans to carry the amendment by a vote of 233-186. This was a rebuke to those who support amnesty for all illegals in the United States. THE SENATE THE FENCE - Minority Senator Lindsey Graham is trying to make a comeback in conservative circles. He was the biggest backer of the President's amnesty bill, calling those of us who opposed it "bigots." Now, Senator Graham has led the fight to add $3 billion to the Homeland Security appropriations bill for the unfunded fence on our southern border. President Bush has said the bill is too "bloated" with the fence and other non requested items, and that he will veto it. The Graham amendment funding the fence passed 89 to 1. Click here for details. UNDERSTANDING SCHIP - No, it is not made by Intel! SCHIP is the State Children's Health Insurance Program and it is a nightmare created by the Republican controlled Congress back in 1997. The same Republicans who voted to create this monster are now complaining that the Democrats are expanding it to create socialized medicine in the United States. Yes ... that is exactly what the Democrats are doing, but the base to do this was indeed created by the Republicans. Social conservatives are torn on this issue. Private medical insurance has become expensive and monopolistic. Companies such as Wellpoint and Anthem cheat doctors and abuse customers while keeping "bankers hours" in a 24/7 industry. These monopolistic giants are finding it hard to get allies other than President Bush in the conservative community to stop the advance of SCHIP. HOW MUCH IS THAT ANYWAY? - The Heritage Foundation estimates that the cost of SCHIP with the Democrat added funding will be about $50 billion over the next five years. To put that in perspective if you were to spend $1,000 every day, starting today, it would take you 2740 years to spend just $1 billion. And that is if you didn't earn any interest on money left in the bank while you were out spending. RELIGION AND CULTURE THE CHAIRMAN'S REPORT- Every three weeks I issue a Chairman's Report that is mailed to the supporters of the Religious Freedom Coalition. While it contains some material from Legislative Updates, much of it is new or expanded material about the work of the Religious Freedom Coalition. The July 18th edition of the Chairman's Report is now available online. INTERNATIONAL The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom held a hearing attended by Canon Andrew White, vicar of St. George's Anglican Church in Baghdad, and four other panelists. They detailed the horrors overtaking Christians, Yezidis (angel worshippers) and Mandaeans. The international community and the United States has done little to stop the persecution and murders of Christians in Iraq by Islamists since the US invasion. Click here for details of the hearings. SUPPORT THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM COALITION CHRISTIAN INTERNET STORE - There are literally tens of thousands of Christian theme items available at our affiliate store including jewelry from the Holy Land. It is a great place to shop for gifts. The store is located at www.rfcstore.com. Please help us with our various projects on Capitol Hill and in the Holy Land by shopping at our affiliate Christian Superstore . Contributions to the work of the Religious Freedom Coalition can be made at www.rfcnet.org. email: support@rfcnet.org phone: 202.742.8990 web: http://www.rfcnet.org William J. Murray, Chairman Religious Freedom Coalition, PO Box 77511, Washington, DC 20013 - (202) 742.8990 This publication is a service of the Religious Freedom Coalition (RFC). Links to political and other sites are for informational purposes and do not constitute endorsement. No statement is intended to assist or defeat any candidate running for public office. Religious Freedom Coalition * Copyright - 2007