About Us
The Pullins Report is a publication of the Pullins Group LLC, an Ohio based grassroots marketing solutions company. The Pullins Group LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Scott A. Pullins, Ltd., LPA, Attorneys & Counselors at Law. For more information, please click on the following buttons.
Who's Reading Us
Our Raw Feeds
Guest Column: GSE Bailout Contains Fingerprint Registry!!
Posted by John Berlau
While
pretty steep, $25 billion of our tax dollars isn't
the only thing many Americans could lose in the just-unveiled GSE bailout bill
likely being voted on later today in the House of Representatives. They could
lose valuable liberties as well. Despite opposition from a bipartisan
coalition including the American Civil Liberties Union and the
American Conservative Union, the bill just now being e-mailed around House
offices includes the Senate bill's mandatory fingerprint registry. Legions of
ordinary Americans working in the banking, mortgage and real estate industries
would have to send their fingerprints to the feds for continuous "tracking."
In
language virtually identical to that in the Senate bill that passed earlier
this month, the House bill — which I received via e-mail but could not find
online — requires any "loan originator" to "furnish" to the
newly created Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry
"information concerning the applicant's identity, including
fingerprints," that will be sent to the FBI and other government agencies.
"Loan originator" is defined broadly as anyone who "takes a
residential loan application; and offers or negotiates terms of a residential
mortgage loan for compensation or gain." Real estate agents are also
covered if they receive any type of compensation from "originators."
In
other words, people who are our friends and neighbors who did nothing fraudulent
or irresponsible would have to submit their fingerprint for tracking to a giant
federal database. As I have said before in the Wall Street Journal and other places, this
measure would probably not subject to fingerprinting the Angelo Mozilos who
designed these loans. Rather, it would affect hundreds of thousands of ordinary
employees in the mortgage and real estate industry, including many part-time
and clerical workers.
It
is in times of national emergencies that measures infringing on privacy and
civil liberties are advocated — and sometimes rushed through without even being
discussed — even if they turn out to do little to solve the problem at hand.
Then, when the emergency is over, the liberty-stealing measures remain.
The
current crisis at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and banks is being characterized as a
national emergency, and not surprisingly, political leaders are demanding that
war-like financial measures be enacted. But we can't let the rationale of a
financial crisis bring on unwarranted intrusion on our liberties any more than
we can let the justification of national security do so.
There
is no reason why the House must include the Senate's fingerprint mandate in its
bill. Even in a crisis, the burden should not be on privacy advocates defending
the liberties enshrined in the Bill of Rights to explain why a privacy-invading
measure shouldn't be enacted. Rather, proponents of the measure should bear the
burden of explaining why the current crisis justifies something that infringes
on their liberties.
Show
us the evidence that fingerprinting would have lessened the damage at Fannie,
Freddie, and now-insolvent banks! The proponents can't and they won't, because
there probably is none.
Some
good news is that in addition to bipartisan coalition that has risen up against
the fingerprint mandate, there has been some excellent news coverage of the
mandate and the coalition against it. Check out these articles from Washington Post
syndicated columnist Ken Harney, the Tampa Tribune, CNET, CNSNews, and WorldNetDaily.
I
usually don't call on Open Market readers to call their members of Congress.
But this is such a blatant outrage that it might be worth giving your elected
Senator or Representative a piece of your mind. The Capitol Switchboard number
is (202) 224-3121, and the operators can connect you to any member of Congress.
Let your fingers do the walking, before Congress makes you send the feds your
prints.
Scott Pullins: A Humorous Way to Get Back at OPEC
Scott Pullins, Esq.
Publisher,
The Pullins Report
|
|
|
NozzleRage: America's Humorous Antidote Every American is getting hosed. Each time we fill up our gas tanks, we are putting money into the hands of OPEC - the oil cartel led by Saudi Arabia. The Saudis and the other countries that make up that monopoly control most of the world's reserves. Most of them pay just a couple of dollars per barrel to get oil out of the ground. Yet, OPEC is limiting production and encouraging speculation that is costing us and other consumers hundreds of billions of dollars every year. It amounts to the largest artificially engineered transfer of wealth in history. OPEC is waging economic warfare, and it is bleeding our country dry. Worse still, some of the oil money the Saudis, Iranians, Venezuelans and other OPEC members get from us is being used to support terrorism. We are literally paying people to try to kill us. CALL SANDY NOW at 516-735-5468 or e-mail Sandy to schedule interviews with Frank Gaffney, Jr. This is clearly a ridiculous and unsustainable situation. If not corrected, we are going to bleed out as we underwrite our destruction. NozzleRage is a video campaign designed, through viral YouTube and Internet distribution, to make clear what is happening to this country and its drivers. Its goal is to channel the fury most Americans feel into effective action. Go Here Now to watch the video on YouTube. The first of a series of 30-second NozzleRage videos features an OPEC gas pump ripping off and then attacking an ordinary American consumer. Conceived, directed and produced by the fabled Hollywood team of David and Jerry Zucker, it directs viewers to the www.NozzleRage.com Web site where they can register to view upcoming videos and find out what they can do to end our suicidal vulnerability to OPEC's oil cartel. NozzleRage's message is supported by a number of the nation's leading advocates for energy security including Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. (of the Center for Security Policy), who is available for interviews now. To arrange interviews about NozzleRage and get more information about this campaign and how America can stop getting hosed by OPEC, CALL SANDY NOW at 516-735-5468 or e-mail Sandy to schedule interviews with Frank Gaffney, Jr. |
Scott Pullins: Kasich forms State PAC
Under Ohio law this PAC will be able to raise up to $10,670.00 per person per year. It will be interesting to see how Kasich does.
While in Congress, as a Presidential candidate, and after leaving office, Kasich built a solid fundraising base from throughout the nation largely through his leadership PAC and nonprofit New Century Project. But it doesn't appear that he has raised any serious political money for some time. His 527 organization last reported any real activity in 2002 and Kasich's fundraising for his leadership PAC essentially ended in 2005.
Those were still the glory days for both Ohio and National Republicans. The economy was still in good shape and we were kicking butt against the terrorists. Much has changed. It will be interesting to see how Kasich does in raising money in these times.
Scott A. Pullins, Esq.
Publisher,
The Pullins Report
Scott Pullins: Oil Billionaire Has Plan to End Reliance on Oil
Scott Pullins: Ohio House Republicans Still Don't Have A Website
Too bad that Ohio House Republicans still don't even have a website. Even newly elected campaign chairman Matt Dolan isn't very web savvy. A Google search of Matt Dolan brings up an old placeholder site that says Thank you for your support. This web site will be down indefinitely.
Come on guys, its 2008. Hire some
Scott Pullins, Esq.
Publisher,
The Pullins Report
Scott Pullins: Memo to Senator Gramm, Recession Isn't Just in Our Heads
“You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession,” he said, noting that growth has held up at about 1 percent despite all the publicity over losing jobs to India, China, illegal immigration, housing and credit problems and record oil prices. “We may have a recession; we haven’t had one yet.”
“We have sort of become a nation of whiners,” he said. “You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline” despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy, he said.
Amazing. It's just in our heads.I live in rural Knox County, Ohio, a Republican stronghold. I can look out my downtown Mount Vernon office window, across the street, and see a beautiful, historic home that sold for a fraction of its value at a Sheriff's auction. It was formerly owned by a local homebuilder and his family who are now facing their own "mental recession".
As I drive home tonight I will see car after car, sitting in yards with for sale signs. The fact that their owners have lost their jobs or can't afford to commute 50 miles each way for a job just over minimum wage must be in their imaginations.
Likewise, the empty, bank owned homes, scattered throughout my planned community, must also be just in our heads. The truckers who are parking their rigs because they can't afford to drive them, just a mirage.
Senator Gramm, come here to Republican Knox County Ohio. You can sleep on my couch. I'll give you a personal tour and you can see for yourself how this war and this economy has bled this community and its people.
Scott Pullins, Esq.
Publisher,
The Pullins Report
Scott Pullins: Ask Your Mayor to Sign A Resolution Opposing War with Iran
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is holding its annual meeting
from June 20-24 in
Ask your Mayor to sign on to the resolution. Below is a sample letter you can modify and send. If your mayor has already co-sponsored the resolution, please thank him/her.
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Mayor x,
The U.S. Conference of Mayors will be holding its annual
meeting June 20-24, 2008 in
A military conflict between the
I urge you to sign onto this important resolution and
register your support for diplomacy to prevent war with
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
RESOLUTION
OPPOSING MILITARY INTERVENTION IN
2. WHEREAS, these allegations are similar to the lead-up to the Iraq War and U.S. occupation, with the selective use of information and unsubstantiated accusations about Iran's nuclear program and its supply of weapons to Iraqi forces as centerpieces of a case to the American people for aggression against Iran; and
3. WHEREAS,
4. WHEREAS, we support the people of
5. WHEREAS, a 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), representing the consensus view all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, concluded that Iran froze its nuclear weapons program in 2003, and an earlier NIE concluded that Iran’s involvement in Iraq “is not likely to be a major driver of violence” there; and
6. WHEREAS, an attack on
7. WHEREAS, a pre-emptive
8. WHEREAS, an attack on
9. WHEREAS, the Iraq war and occupation has already cost the lives of over 4,000 American soldiers, the maiming and wounding of over 38,000 American soldiers, the death and maiming of over one million Iraqi civilians; and
10. WHEREAS, the Iraq War and occupation has cost U.S. taxpayers more than $500 billion, depriving our cities of much-need funds for services and infrastructure; and
11. WHEREAS, except at our peril, we cannot ignore the history of
12. WHEREAS, any conflict with
13. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors hereby urges the Bush Administration to pursue diplomatic engagement with
14. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors urges Congress to prohibit the use of funds to carry out any military action against
15. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that suitable copies of the resolution be forwarded to President George W. Bush and all members of Congress.
Scott Pullins: The U.S. Needs to Have a Dialogue With Iran
The Campaign for New American Policy on Iran (CNAPI) represents a transpartisan coalition of diverse groups which share the objective of promoting responsible and effective U.S. diplomacy and leadership in resolving long-standing tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Campaign supporters share the basic core beliefs outlined in the mission statement and urge direct, sustained, unconditional and comprehensive talks between the governments of the United States and Iran as a realistic way to resolve all outstanding issues.
The Pullins Report has recently become a partner of this new coalition. I hope that you will visit their site and think about what we have to say.
Scott A. Pullins, Esq.
Publisher,
The Pullins Report
Scott Pullins: 300 Million Reasons Why John McCain is In Deep Trouble
• If each of Obama’s donors gave him a modest $250, he’d have $375 million to spend during the two-month general election sprint. That’s $186 million a month, $47 million a week.
• During the same September to Nov. 4 period, McCain will have about $85 million to spend since he has decided to take taxpayer money to help finance his campaign activities.
• The Republican National Committee, which is charged with closing the gap between McCain and Obama, has $40 million in cash. Obama raised almost as much — $31 million — from just his small donors in the month of February. His total for the month, $57 million, exceeded the RNC’s cash balance. • Obama has more than 1.5 million donors; McCain has a few hundred thousand. If just a million of Obama’s donors sent him the maximum donation, $2,300, he could raise $2.3 billion.
OK, that’s not going to happen. But campaign finance experts and Democratic fundraisers say a conservative estimate of Obama’s general election fundraising potential hovers around or above $300 million.
Such a massive financial advantage will allow Obama to compete in more states than McCain and force his rival to defend states that should rightfully be Republican wins.
I can't recall a Republican candidate for President that has been outspent at this level. Even Bill Clinton took public funds for the general election in his 1996 rout of Bob Dole.
Scott A. Pullins, Esq.
Publisher,
The Pullins Report