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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:March 11, 2022Contact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343

WASHINGTON, D.C. Recently, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, recognized Burchetts Heating and Cooling of Paintsville, Kentucky, as the Senate Small Business of the Week.

Dr. Paul entered the following into the Congressional Record:

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, as Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize an outstanding Kentucky small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize the small business, Burchetts Heating and Cooling of Paintsville, Kentucky, as the Senate Small Business of the Week.

Rogell Burchett had a keen eye for business opportunities, which is why he opened Burchetts Heating and Cooling in 1978. As a gas company employee, he could not ignore all the new homes being built in his area when he knew there was little market for natural gas and furnace installations. So he started what was then a side venture called Burchetts Heating and Cooling. Rogells vision and dedication allowed that side venture to grow into a family business now entering into its third generation of management.

When the business was first founded, Burchetts operations mainly involved natural gas and furnace work. However as Kentucky saw the coal industry abate, Burchetts Heating and Cooling adapted to include more geothermal work as well as some light commercial work. Clearly Rogell passed his sharp intuition for running a business along to his children and grandchildren, as this transition took place over multiple generations. Growing into what his father created, Neal Burchett took over the business when his father Rogell retired. Later on, Neals son Ryan Burchett would also become part of the operation, serving as the management arm of this family owned business. Together, these three generations of Burchett men have kept Paintsville warm during the cold Kentucky winters, and cool in the summers, with the comfort of Paintsville citizens remaining their top priority.

With over forty years of experience, Burchetts Heating and Cooling maintains close relationships with customers that count on them for quality, year after year. Of course when the business stays in the family as it has with the Burchett men, it is easy to see how the community of Paintsville could place their trust in their services. That being said, Burchetts Heating and Cooling remains an active member of the Paintsville community outside of their normal business operations. Staying true to their family-owned nature, the business sponsors the local high school basketball and football teams, teams that both Neal and Ryan used to play for during their high school years. Burchetts Heating and Cooling also provides free services to their local church so that parishioners can worship comfortably.

Small businesses like Burchetts Heating and Cooling are the lifeblood of small towns across Kentucky, and they serve as an inspiring example of how the entrepreneurial spirit transcends multiple generations. Congratulations to Neal and Ryan and the entire Burchetts Heating and Cooling team. I wish them the best of luck and look forward to watching their continued growth and success in Kentucky.

As Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Paul continues the tradition of honoring Americas small businesses and entrepreneurs. The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship oversees proposed legislation on matters relating to the Small Business Administration and investigates all problems relating to Americas small businesses.

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Dr. Rand Paul Honors Burchett's Heating and Cooling of Paintsville, Kentucky, as the Senate Small Business of the Week | Senator Rand Paul - Senator...

Early Wednesday evening, in a 406-16 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Japanese-American World War II History Network Act, simple legislation directing the National Park Service to produce and disseminate material handbooks, maps, interpretive guides and the like relating to the Japanese-American experience during the global conflict.

You may recall that thousands of American citizens of Japanese descent were forcibly removed from their homes and dispatched to internment camps during the war, an event that stands as one of the darkest sins in the nations history. Interestingly, German-Americans, many of whom were Fifth Columnists, werent treated in similar fashion. The measure, offered by Rep. Jay Obernolte, a California Republican, is aimed at assuring such mortifying developments never disgrace this nation again.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-SomewhereorotherLewisCounty, voted against it.

A bit earlier that same day, the House passed, in a 403-25 vote, legislation designating the El Paso Community Healing Garden as a National Memorial, thus honoring the victims and survivors of the Aug. 3, 2019, domestic terrorist attack that resulted in 23 deaths and 22 serious injuries. The perpetrator told police he intentionally targeted Latinos in the massacre.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-SomewhereorotherLewisCounty, voted against it.

On Thursday, in due recognition of the war crimes Russia is perpetrating on neighboring Ukraine, a tragedy fueled by Vladimir Putins blood lust for power that already has run up thousands of civilian casualties, including children, the House voted 424-8 to withdraw Russias most-favored trade status.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-SomewhereorotherLewisCounty, voted against it.

Its been an interesting few weeks for Massie, the MIT Wonder Boy who just cant seem to help himself when it comes to favoring guns, his favorite play-pretty, expressing his admiration for war criminals, and opposing any legislation that might help people. Some forward-thinking lawmaker should introduce legislation designating the Whiz Kid as a National Embarrassment, a measure everyone should get behind, save for one nay vote, of course.

A few days before flipping off these three bills, Massie spent his copious free time joining only two others in voting against a House resolution declaring that the United States stands fervently with the Ukrainian people, and further urging open-ended military aid to Kyiv in its fight against Russia.

Oh, and on Feb. 28 he was one of three opposing the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act of 2022, which, as you may have deduced, makes lynching a federal hate crime.But wait! Theres more!

Massie has joined a handful of other lawmakers of dubious wisdom, including that perennial all-star, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Bowling Green, in a lawsuit against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seeking to overturn its rule requiring passengers to wear masks on airplanes and other forms of public transportation as part of the battle to limit the spread of COVID-19.

This comes just as researchers are expressing concern over the spread of a new variant of the disease that has killed almost 1 million Americans. No one has ever said the old Wonder Boys timing was all that great. And apparently traditional methods, like convincing fellow lawmakers to address the issue statutorily, failed to enter into his considerations. The current mandate, by the way, ends April 18, meaning the entire mess could be moot by the time it reaches the bench.

Oh, by the way, in regard to another lawsuit filed by our wildly litigious hero, Massie recently lost his case against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, who fined our boy $500 for refusing to wear a mask on the House floor. The federal judge declared she was within her right to do so.

Are you getting the feeling that the 4th District congressman is little more than a whiny child?

Of course these items constitute only Massies most recent assaults on the body politic, not to mention reason. There was the disgusting and indefensible e-Christmas card showing our boy and his kin armed to the teeth with weapons that would be better served in the arms of the Ukraine army, along with a note asking Santa to bring ammo.

And there was his strange admonition, odd even for a flake of Massies tremendous stature, declaring, Over 70% of Americans who died with COVID, died on Medicare, and some people want #MedicareForAll? That led Rolling Stone magazine to pose, It took nearly two years of batting back competition from hordes of right-wing commentators and conservative lawmakers, but the Republican from Kentucky appears to have devised the single dumbest take on the COVID-19 pandemic, which has now killed nearly a million Americans.

Good lord! Almost forgot. Its only been six weeks since the whole Voltaire rigmarole.

Massie elected to hop on the right-wing bandwagon excoriating Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Bidens chief medical advisor and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases better known as the man leading the nations anti-COVID campaign with a tweet depicting a giant hand crushing a group of small people with the legend, To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.

The poor boy misattributed the quote to Voltaire, a renowned 18th-Century Enlightenment writer and philosopher. It actually came from Kevin Alfred Strom, aneo-Naziwhoonce pleaded guiltyto possession of child pornography. And the hand illustration had anti-union origins.

Now we could go on, believe you me, but in deference to those who suffer migraines or have weak stomachs, lets end the lengthy indictment here.

It would be justice if anyone were to assert that Massie is an ass and a boil on the nations backside who has no business coming within 500 miles of the nations capital.

But, sadly, it would be going too far in this day and age to maintain that our homegrown Wonder Boy is the worst member of the 117th Congress, which tells you all you need to know about the current state of politics in this country.

Congress over the years has attracted its share of weirdos, nut jobs, and worse. You may recall guys like Jim Traficant, a Democrat from around Youngstown, OH, who wore his hair (actually a wig) like the top of a green onion and wailed nonsensically on an almost daily basis in the well of the House.

Traficant was harmless, crooked but harmless. He would hardly stand out in todays Congress that features folks like Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-CO, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA, who tell wild tales of dubious veracity and do so with a degree of nastiness seldom heard in the hallways of the Capitol.

While Boebert has exhibited sympathy for the Jan. 6 Capitol insurgents, Greene has managed to nonetheless separate herself from the rest of the dunderheads, aping Russian talking points regarding its invasion of Ukraine, heckling Biden with Boebert during the State of the Union address, attending a conference sponsored by a white supremacist outfit and disparaging gay and trans folks.

There exists an unusually large crop of these folks in the current Congress, perhaps because former President Donald J. Trump lowered the bar well below sea level when it comes to truth and civility in political campaigns. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-TX, is the grandaddy of this bunch and includes folks like Rep. Paul Goshar, R-AZ, with a lengthy history of ties to White nationalists, and Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-NC, who is confined to a wheelchair and uses it to carry a veritable armory with him.

Now, before you point it out, this confederacy of dunces is solely populated by Republicans, tis true. The GOP has tried to paint Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, under the same rubric, insisting that shes stupid to boot. The problem is Ocasio-Cortez is far from dumb she graduated cum laude from Boston University with a bachelors degree in international relations and economics and can more than handle herself in a debate.

Regardless, Massie is a party to this crew assiduously turning American-style democracy into a bad joke. The fact that he isnt the biggest nutjob in the House is a disturbing proposition indeed. How anyone in good conscience can vote for this man, given his extensive list of inanities, is one of the great mysteries of the universe.

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Bill Straub: For Thomas Massie here's a 'no' vote, there's a 'no' vote, everywhere there's a 'no' vote - User-generated content

If you believe the talking points of Congressional Democrats and the Biden administration, Americans are seeing high gas prices through no fault of theirs but because of two reasons Vladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich PutinRepublican senators introduce bill to ban Russian uranium imports Hillicon Valley Invasion complicates social media policy Defense & National Security Blinken details Russia's possible next steps MORE's invasion of Ukraine and the price gouging of selfish American oil and gas producers.

This outrage is laughable because Democrats areactively pursuingat least 17 energy tax increases that would raise prices for families and small businesses.

President BidenJoe BidenRepublican senators introduce bill to ban Russian uranium imports Energy & Environment Ruling blocking climate accounting metric halted Fauci says officials need more than .5B for COVID-19 response MORE's fiscal year 2022 budget includes a dozen tax increases on American energy. The Democrats' socialist tax-and-spend bill,Build Back Better, includes several tax hikes on energy including a home heating tax. Progressives like Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenThe Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Facebook - What now after Zelensky's speech? Senate panel advances Biden Fed nominees to confirmation votes On The Money Fed starts hiking rates as prices climb MORE (D-Mass.) and Sheldon WhitehouseSheldon WhitehouseGas prices lead to tensions within Democratic Party Senate unanimously approves making daylight saving time permanent Carole King to discuss forest fires before Oversight subcommittee MORE (D- R.I.) want a 50 percentwindfall profits taxon oil and gas businesses.

Higher taxes do not just hit businesses they are also passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices. Raising taxes on corporations as Democrats have repeatedly proposed will hit families and businesses through the increased costs of basic goods and services.

The Democratic push for higher taxes on American energy producers and manufacturers will see the price of gasoline and energy increase, despite the fact that consumers are already facing record-high gas prices. In the past 12 months, gasoline has increased by38 percent, while energy has increased by25.6 percent.

However, things would be much, much worse if Democrats have their way.

First, Bidens FY 2022 budgetincluded30 tax increases totaling $3.5 trillion. This included roughly a dozen tax increases on American energy, which the left routinely characterized as tax loopholes.

However, these provisions promote manufacturing jobs and American energy independence. Repealing them would only lead to higher prices, less investment and fewer jobs. For instance, the deduction for intangible drilling costs (IDCs) allows independent producers to immediately deduct business expenses related to drilling such as labor, site preparation, repairs and survey work.

Asnotedin a 2014 study by Wood Mackenzie Consulting, repealing the deduction for IDCs would cost 265,000 jobs in the long-term.

The study notes the elimination of IDCs would also result in a $407 billion reduction in investment, or roughly 25 percent of the capital used by producers to continue investing in new projects. This would mean even less oil andhigher pricesfor American consumers.

The Democrats trillion dollar socialist Build Back Better proposal doubles down on this approach with several tax increases on American energy including a 16.4 cents per barrel tax on crude oil and petroleum products that would raises taxes by nearly $13 billion and an $8 billion home heating tax.

Americans understand that these taxes will increase energy costs according topolling conducted by HarrisX, 66 percent of voters believe these energy taxes will increase energy costs, compared to just 12 percent of voters who do not think it will increase costs.

This is not the only way prices would go up the legislation also includes $800 billion in tax increases on American businesses that would further exacerbate inflation and raise prices for consumers.

More recently, Democratsproposeda windfall profits tax which would impose a 50 percent tax on the difference between the current price of a barrel of oil and the average price per barrel between 2015 and 2019. This could raise taxes by as much as $450 billion over the next decade and would be used to finance a new welfare payment, that in combination with other Democratic policies, will pay people not to work and drive inflation.

A windfall profits tax has been tried and failed in the past. It was signed into law in 1980 by Jimmy CarterJimmy CarterWhy it's time for Black women state supreme court justices Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Walter Mears dead at 87 Administration eyes re-regulation of rail industry; would magnify supply chain problems MORE but was repealed eight years later. The Congressional Research Service hasnotedthat the windfall profits tax was an extremely complicated tax to comply with and administer, that it generated a fraction of the revenue projected and that it raised the cost of gasoline and increased dependence on foreign oil.

The Democrat's tax obsession is not limited to energy they want to use higher taxes as the solution for everything. They have pushed a global minimum tax agreement based on thebeliefthat we should be partnering with Europe, China, Russia and the rest of the world to ensure businesses pay their fair share. They havepusheda 95 percent tax on American pharmaceutical manufacturers as a solution to lower the cost of medicines. They have pushed afinancial transactions taxon every single stock trade as a solution to get tough on Wall Street and even proposed atax on businessesthat do not pay their workers $15 per hour.

While Democrats are playing politics with high energy prices and rampant inflation in general, the bottom line is their policies of higher taxes, more spending and more regulations make these problems worse, not better.

Alex Hendrie is director of Tax Policy at Americans for Tax Reform.

Continued here:
If Democrats have their way, gas prices will surge even higher | TheHill - The Hill

New Jersey is a wallflower during presidential primary season.

Its June primary comes too late to help choose the nominee, so candidates skip the state and campaign elsewhere. And the last two New Jerseyans to seek the presidency, Republican Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, long had dropped out before their home state voters even got to go to the polls.

Now some state Democrats want to make New Jersey a player in presidential politics.

State Party Chair Leroy Jones Jr. asked the Democratic National Committee to make New Jersey one of the first primary states as the committee looks at changing its calendar, and state Sen. Richard Codey, a former governor, said he would introduce legislation that would move the states primary to the third week in February.

Our party cannot cling to outdated traditions that do not help us reach new voters and motivate the diverse coalition of supporters needed to win elections and enact our pro-middle class agenda, Jones wrote to national party chair Jaime Harrison, who attended Yale University with Booker. New Jersey has everything that our party needs to fulfill this important role.

Jones cited the states diversity, with double-digit percentages of Black, Latino and Asian residents; and its geography that includes large cities, suburban towns and rural counties.

And Codey, D-Essex, said moving the primary up would help build relationships with the presidential candidates, which could translate into more federal aid and other support.

The state traditionally has been one of the last to vote, except in 2008, when the primary was held on Super Tuesday in February and Democratic voters picked Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama. Four years later, the primary was returned to June.

Giving New Jersey an early primary slot isnt such a far-fetched idea, said Chris Lehane, a veteran of Al Gores 2000 presidential run.

Lehane wouldnt replace Iowa and New Hampshire, which he said force candidates to engage in retail politicking and therefore deserve their early spots.

What Iowa and New Hampshire do really, really well is demonstrate whether a candidate has the retail skills to be successful, he said. These retail skills are really important in terms of how you can actually work with Congress, your ability to work with world leaders.

But New Jersey could provide another key test for candidates, Lehane said.

If you think running for office is like cultivating a garden, the Garden State would make a lot of sense, he said.

Lehane said the states primary could serve as an arbiter of how well a candidate can communicate to a large audience, especially one as diverse as New Jerseys, an audience that reflects what the nation looks like.

New Jersey is sandwiched between two major media markets: New York City and Philadelphia.

Its a visual age that we live in, Lehane said. The modern presidency is really running a content platform. Theres a lot to be said, in addition to the retail stuff, for having a state or subset of states that would be able to prove that ability to run a content machine or a content platform.

Jones said New Jerseys compactness would make Iowa superfluous.

Our state is noteworthy for its compact size as the fourth-smallest state in the nation, which would save candidates valuable travel time and resources and encourage the kind of retail campaigning that has always been a hallmark of the Democratic presidential primary process, he said.

Besides, candidates would get to meet a lot more potential voters, Codey said.

I have more people on my block where I grow up that vote in a primary than Iowa, he said.

Codeys bill would need to pass both the Democratic-controlled state Senate and Assembly and be signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat.

Murphys office deferred comment to Jones on Thursday.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @JDSalant.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @johnsb01.

Continued here:
Top Democrat pushes for N.J to hold one of the earliest presidential primaries in 2024 - NJ.com

One of the two Democrats vying to represent north Portland in the Oregon House dropped out of the race earlier this week.

Still, Eric Delehoy will still appear on the May ballot and in the government-issued Voters Pamphlet because he didnt end his campaign before the states deadlines to withdraw from consideration.

Delehoy, a college counselor, sought to be appointed to the House seat formerly held by Tina Kotek, the former speaker now running for governor. Travis Nelson, a registered nurse who now works full time as a union representative with the Oregon Nurses Association, won the appointment and is running for election with the full backing of FuturePAC, the political action committee for House Democrats.

No Republicans are running for the seat. Candidates from minor parties have later filing deadlines.

Delehoy told supporters Monday evening that he realized over the weekend that he couldnt compete with Nelsons structural advantages.

We knew this would be a difficult race when we entered, yet we took that challenge because we believed strongly that people in our district are suffering and that they deserve more than they are currently getting, Delehoy wrote on Facebook.

Its unusual, though not unheard of, for candidates to drop out but remain on the ballot. Oregons late presidential primaries meant Democrats in 2020 and Republicans in 2016 cast ballots for candidates who dropped out before Oregonians had a chance to vote. In 2018, a state House candidate from Bend who ended her campaign in September still received more than 15% of the vote in November.

Delehoys campaign manager, Henry Pratt, said in an email that Delehoy tried to remove himself from the Voters Pamphlet and ballot but was unable to because deadlines passed. Candidates had until March 10 to finalize their Voters Pamphlet statements and March 11 to withdraw.

The campaign has about $40,000 left in its bank account, and Delehoy will pay campaign staff through the May primary.

He plans to write a memoir about his campaign experience.

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Portland Democrat drops out of House race, still will appear on ballot Oregon Capital Chronicle - Oregon Capital Chronicle