Jack Kingston

This morning, the President nominated Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. to be Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).

It appears that Judge Alito is the type of person the president really campaigned to place on the bench - an individual with excellent credentials that will narrowly interpret the constitution in the mold of Justice Antonin Scalia.

Perhaps more importantly, Judge Alito has an impressive law career and his tenure on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia has prepared him well for what will be a difficult nomination process. I am sure the Senate Democrats are going to fight this one tooth and nail–regardless of his qualifications–because they are committed to being the party of obstruction instead of the party of ideas and viable alternatives.

A Kingston staffer made a “Jack-o-lantern.”

I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby was just indicted. I am currently on board Air Force II with Vice President Cheney at Warner Robins AFB in Georgia. Here is what I think:

Mr. Libby’s resignation is appropriate. The court can now decide the facts of the case. An indictment is not a statement of guilt, but simply outlines the case for the prosecutor. Keep in mind that we have not heard Mr. Libby’s side of this story.

Furthermore, the Vice President and the White House can now move forward. The Vice President has a capable staff of professionals that will step up to the plate.

It’s significant that the indictment does not mention the outing of Valerie Plame. It appears that after two years of investigation, Mr. Fitzgerald does not agree with the administration�s critics that her situation is what this is all about.

Release from the Office of the Vice President

___________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release October 28, 2005

STATEMENT BY THE VICE PRESIDENT

Mr. Libby has informed me that he is resigning to fight the charges brought against him. I have accepted his decision with deep regret.

Scooter Libby is one of the most capable and talented individuals I have ever known. He has given many years of his life to public service and has served our nation tirelessly and with great distinction.

In our system of government an accused person is presumed innocent until a contrary finding is made by a jury after an opportunity to answer the charges and a full airing of the facts. Mr. Libby is entitled to that opportunity.

Because this is a pending legal proceeding, in fairness to all those involved, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the charges or on any facts relating to the proceeding.

###

Good news that you probably won’t read on the front page of most newspapers:

Speaker Hastert Comments On America�s Economic Endurance

Says New GDP Numbers Illustrate “That America’s Economic Engine Continues to Churn”

(Washington, D.C.) House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) today released the following statement regarding the latest GDP numbers:

“Today’s GDP numbers illustrate that America’s economic engine continues to churn because of Republicans’ pro-growth policies. We endured devastating hurricanes in recent months, and our already strong economy was able to cope so that the economic destruction was not greater. This latest report proves that Republican policies of tax relief and fiscal responsibility are just the prescription the American economy needs. The House will continue to act to improve our economy. We’re working hard to impose fiscal responsibility in government spending, and just yesterday, we passed the Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2005, which cracks down on attorneys who file frivolous lawsuits that hurt job-creating small businesses. The Democratic strategy is clear. They want to raise taxes and impose runaway spending, a plan that will only stymie growth and kill off jobs.”

Note: The Commerce Department reported Friday that the economy grew 3.8 percent in the third quarter, higher than analysts expected. The GDP is widely considered a benchmark measure of the strength of the economy. The third quarter rate was an improvement over the 3.3 growth reported in the second quarter.

# # #

From today’s The Hill newspaper:

Rep. Jack Kingston (Ga.), the House GOP conference vice chairman, meanwhile, played down the impact White House indictments would have on House reelection chances.

“I think there�s concern about it, but [people are also wondering] where this investigation is going because we have all read that it does not seem like there was a violation� of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982.

“I don’t think it translates to anything that is going to hurt the House, in terms of anybody’s own fortunes or reelections,” he continued. “We’re more concerned about immigration, gas prices and spending cuts.”

You can read the full article HERE.

According to the Associated Press, BP has “reported a 34 percent rise in quarterly profit Tuesday. BP said net profit for the three months ended Sept. 30 rose to $6.53 billion, up from $4.87 billion in the third quarter of 2004. Revenue jumped to $97.73 billion from $66.73 billion.” Read the whole story HERE.

The Congressman issued a statement on these record breaking profits:

Today’s news that oil companies have made record profits over the past few months when most Americans are getting squeezed at the pumps is troubling. I know all too well that families have had to cut back on important expenses and vacations due to the high cost of gasoline. While oil companies have a right to make a living � I am proud to join House Leadership today in calling on them to give back to the American people and put some of that profit toward lowering the cost of gas and improving the nation�s energy infrastructure.

The looming problem is our nation�s dependence on oil, both foreign and domestic. In 2004 the U.S. economy consumed over 20 million barrels of crude per day and our nation imported over 11.8 million barrels of crude per day (over 58 percent). With a limited oil supply, we will remain threatened by high gasoline prices until we increase supply or decrease demand.

In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that will seek to dramatically decrease our dependence of foreign oil. By bringing new fuel choices, new technologies, and new conservation efforts to the market we will be taking steps to do just that.

###

You may have read that House Democrat’s are holding a closed door meeting this week to come up with a new slogan (read it here: The Hill).

Always one to add my two cents, I sent out my recommendation for their new slogan: “TAX OR SPEND? For Democrat’s The Answer Is Yes.”

Here are a few of the points that I highlighted in a document I sent around to my GOP colleagues:

House Republicans are committed to fiscal responsibility while the Democrats are convinced that the only solution is to “tax-and-spend” and increase the size of government.

Over the past three years, Democrats have offered amendments totaling:

• $61 billion additional spending � [House Appropriations Committee]
• $392.4 billion additional taxes � [House Budget Committee]

And the Democratic vision? Democrats in Congress have tried to increase federal spending by tens of billions of dollars at every stage of the legislative process. Many times these attempted spending increases were financed by raising taxes on small businesses. Earlier this year, not a single Democratic House Member supported the lean budget that passed the Congress.

In fact as the Speaker highlighted in a release earlier this week, Minority Leader Pelosi said: “We must rid the nation of this national debt and the debt service, the interest on the debt that goes with it, which is as big as the discretionary domestic spending, hundreds of billions of dollars.” [Pelosi News Conference, October 20, 2005]

Yet Democrats offered an additional $17 billion in additional spending for THIS YEAR during the FY ‘06 appropriations process. And they proposed an additional $61 billion in spending over the past three years. (House Appropriations Committee)

Before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit - our economy was surging, and deficits were shrinking. In fact:

• The budget deficit shrank last year from $412 billion to $319 billion � which is more than a 22 percent decrease.
• Continued Strong Economic and Jobs Growth � 24 straight months of rising job numbers, falling unemployment, and strong growth in GDP.
• Rising Tax Revenues � up 15% over the same period last year, and largest factor in deficit reduction.

• Restrained non-Security Discretionary Spending: Prior to Katrina, we were on course to holding non-security spending below last year�s level.
• And last year, Congress held non-security discretionary spending to a 1.4% growth rate � less than inflation � and already a significant reduction from previous 5-year average of 6.3% growth.
• FY06 budget continues freeze on non-security spending for 2007-2010 period.
• Lower Deficits � Both OMB and CBO projected dramatic decrease in deficit (OMB projection $94 billion drop from February estimate) � had we not reduced the deficit, we�d be in much worse position to deal with recent catastrophe. [SOURCE: House Budget Committee]

Our nation is at a fiscal crossroad � one party stands for responsibility and making tough choices in difficult times � while another party stands for raising taxes and growing government.