Over the weekend, the Associated Press reported that President Bush will promote fuel saving technologies in his State of the Union address tomorrow night. In his speech, the President will focus on new energy proposals that will make us less dependent on foreign oil. This is exactly the goal of my Fuel Choices for American Security Act.
You can read the article HERE. And read more about my bill HERE.
This past week, Congressman Kingston sent a letter to his GOP colleagues outlining eight items he believes the American people want Congress to deal with in the coming year. He is calling the agenda the American Renewal Project.
From the letter:
In December we were on offense and had a strong finish. In fact, our team came on strong in the second quarter to pass a strong border enforcement bill, pension reform, legislation to reform federal programs to save taxpayers billions of dollars, appropriations bills that made real reductions in federal spending, and a Department of Defense spending bill which included a pay raise for our soldiers and the funds necessary to win the war on terror.But now there are those who want to put us back on defense. They would like the current transition process to weaken, not strengthen us. And they would like to keep it going until November.
But it will only happen if we let it.
Our Conference has been through tougher transitions and tackled tougher issues. The way to move forward is to do just that�move forward. We need to get back to our basic priorities, to the issues that our constituents want us to address. We need priority-based leadership.
Enclosed is a list of issues with which we are all familiar. These are the issues that have great support among our base and swing voters. These are the issues that matter outside of the beltway, regardless of what the New York Times or Washington Post opine.
Over the past months I have spoken to many Members�from our Freshman class to our Senior Committee Chairmen�about these issues and how they would play out in their district. I have also talked to consultants and wordsmiths. While not everyone agrees with everything on the list, I hope it can help us focus on our priorities and serve as a point of discussion. I hope you will consider these or other priorities you feel are key to the debate.
At the upcoming retreat, we should work together to agree on a list of issues that we will dedicate all our efforts to passing this year. It will be our commitment to America that we are focused on their concerns and worthy of retaining the majority.
You can download the American Renewal Project HERE.
It’s being reported that President Bush may recommend some new energy policy initiatives in his State of the Union next week. Some of the initiatives he has already endorsed include developing new technology so that coal will burn more cleanly and advocating more research and development of alternative fuels made from farm products.
Along those same lines, I’ve already introduced the Fuel Choices For American Security Act. Among other things, the bill would establish an aggressive goal to achieve oil savings and embrace new fuel choices, including a goal to replace 10 percent gasoline demand with ethanol in 10 years. All of this is aimed at reducing our dependence on foreign oil.
You can read more about my plan HERE. And the text of my bill can be found HERE .
A meeting between Congressman Kingston and the family of missing teacher Tara Grinstead has been set for this week. He is scheduled to meet this week with Tara’s sister Anita Gattis to discuss the ongoing search. Tara, a teacher at Irwin County High School, disappeared from her home back on October 22nd and has not been heard from since.
Congressman Kingston wants to bring continued attention to the search for Tara as well as help the family in any way possible. After the private meeting with the Grinstead family, he will meet with the press at the Tara Search Command Center which is located at 415 West Fourth Street in Ocilla.
For more information go to http://www.findtara.com/
On Friday, Congressman Kingston assisted in the ribbon cutting on a new satellite facility for Second Harvest food bank. Joining him in the ribbon cutting were Brunswick Mayor Bryan Thompson, Glynn County Commissioner Carl Johnson and members of the Second Harvest Board of Directors. The new facility will service non-profit agencies and churches that provide vital food assistance in Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Glynn, McIntosh and Wayne counties.
Today Congressman Kingston had the honor to present military awards and medals to the family of Elton Tucker, a World War II veteran who sadly passed away in 2000. Upon presenting the awards, Congressman Kingston remarked that Americans were able to enjoy the freedoms they do thanks to veterans such as Mr. Tucker. The Bronze Star, Purple Hearts and Good Conduct Medal were among the many honors bestowed upon Mr. Tucker who was only 18 years old when he enlisted in the Army and fought with the 34th Infantry “Red Bull” Division in Italy. Mr. Tucker’s son, Tommy Tucker, had asked Congressman Kingston’s office for assistance in obtaining the medals for his father.
You can check out the picture HERE.
As was reported on Court TV’s Crimelibrary.com, Congressman Kingston is scheduled to meet with the family of missing Ocilla teacher Tara Grinstead later this month. She has been missing now for almost four months and there is currently a $200,000 reward being offered. Congressman Kingston will lend his support to Tara’s family, including exploring the possibility of enlisting more law enforcement to assist in the search for Tara. He is also hoping to attract more media attention to the case.
Read the article HERE.
I had the great honor to be at Hunter Army Airfield in the early morning to welcome home soldiers of the 3rd ID. Their commanding officer, and my good friend, Major General William Webster brought home the division’s flag from Iraq. These brave men and women deserve our thanks and gratitude for all their sacrifice in bringing democracy and freedom to a country that suffered under Saddam Hussein for so many years.
Check out the pictures HERE.
As we begin 2006, more good economic news continues to roll in. Today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 11,000 today for the first time since before the September 11th attacks. This news comes on the heels of recent reports that jobless claims plunged to a five-year low.
These numbers certainly demonstrate that the Republican party’s pro-growth economic agenda of low taxes and fiscal restraint is a winning combination. Read all about it:
Dow Jones Industrials Close Above 11,000
The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 11,000 Monday for the first time since before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, lifted by a five-day rally that has sent stocks soaring so far in 2006.
According to preliminary calculations, the average of 30 blue-chip stocks ended the day up 52.59, or 0.48 percent, at 11,011.90, its first finish above 11,000 since June 7, 2001, when it closed at 11,090.74.
Monday’s advance followed a 241-point surge last week as investors grew increasingly optimistic that the Federal Reserve will soon end its string of interest rate hikes. Investment firms’ upgrades of Dow components General Motors Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. gave the Dow the final push above 11,000 Monday.
Jobless Claims Plunge To Five-Year Low
The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level in more than five years last week, providing strong evidence that the labor market is shaking off the effects of a string of devastating hurricanes.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for unemployment benefits dropped by 35,000 to 291,000, the smallest number since Sept. 23, 2000, when the economy was in the concluding months of the longest economic expansion in history.
The decline of 35,000 claims was much better than Wall Street had been expecting and bolstered the belief that the labor market is on the mend after a rough period in the fall when Gulf Coast hurricanes caused the loss of more than 600,000 jobs over a period of four months.