During his State of the Union address, the President said that success is limited only by the "strength of our work ethic and scope of our dreams."  By pointing out "the son of a barkeep is Speaker of the House," the President identified a unifying principle in which 535 lawmakers and the President can agree.  America is the land of opportunity.  Americans enjoy an inherent right to work for their own success and keep the lion's share of what they've earned.

To allow space for a thriving economy and civil society in which Americans can pursue their own dreams, the nation's founders enshrined principles of self-governance in the U.S. Constitution that created separation of powers among three branches of government.  The people's branch makes the laws.  The executive branch enforces the laws, and the judicial branch interprets the laws.

That's why it's alarming to hear the President report to America that he will bypass Congress when he sees fit.  It appears he's prepared to circumvent the Constitution and ignore our system of checks and balances.  Armed with his phone and a pen, the President has signaled he will unilaterally evade the will of the people as expressed through one of the co-equal branches of government.  Considering steps already taken by this Administration in the last year, it is cause for concern when the President says that 2014 will be a "year of action."

Keep in mind where the Obama administration already has taken liberties with its interpretation of the Constitution and laws passed by Congress:

Advice and Consent. The Supreme Court in January heard oral arguments to determine whether President Obama overstepped a constitutional boundary by appointing nominees to the National Labor Relations Board.  The President claimed the Senate was in recess, unable to provide advice and consent.  However, the Senate was holding pro forma sessions, not adjourned in recess.

Controlled Substances Act. The Obama Administration sent a dangerous, mixed signal to youth and local law enforcement across America when the Department of Justice announced it would not prioritize the prosecution of the large-scale trafficking and sale of marijuana. The Controlled Substances Act criminalizes the cultivation, trafficking, sale and use of marijuana. I'm hearing from Iowa law enforcement of a troubling increased presence of marijuana stemming from Colorado's legalization of medical marijuana.  With full legalization now in effect, this problem is likely to worsen.  As co-chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, I agree with a top official at the Drug Enforcement Administration who testified that efforts to legalize marijuana are "reckless and irresponsible."  Marijuana is widely recognized as a gateway drug to other illicit, lethal drugs.  Considering the implications to local law enforcement, public health and traffic safety, the Justice Department's "wink and a nod" approach to enforcing the Controlled Substances Act is more than disappointing.

Affordable Care Act. The Administration's signature health care law had a miserable debut in October with the rollout of HealthCare.gov.  Aside from on-going sign-up snafus, the President has enforced the Affordable Care Act as with the help of a roulette wheel, picking and choosing which mandates, waivers, penalties and fees to enforce.  It's a gamble the nation's recovering economy and growing national debt cannot afford.  Everyone agrees the Affordable Care Act has systemic flaws.  Now the President is using his pen to re-write the law without congressional consent.  It sure would be helpful if the President also had a magic wand up his sleeve.  He could use it to jump-start economic growth since productivity will drop over the next decade when as many as 2.5 million workers drop out of the workforce due to the new disincentive to work created by the Affordable Care Act, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.  When people exit the workforce, it's bad for economic growth.

So much for the President's call for a "year of action."  The Administration is on track for a year of overreaction.  Overstepping constitutional limits or enforcing laws for political convenience sow bad seeds into our system of self-government.  If allowed to take root, their growth would have a corrosive effect on the people's right to be heard through their elected representatives.

Centralizing power into the executive branch renders the commander-in-chief the only arbiter of the public good.  Therein lies the rub.  Limited government, separated into three branches, protects the individual rights of citizens.  Each branch has constitutional oversight authority to prevent overgrowth of one branch over the other on America's tree of freedom and liberty.

It's time for a reality check.  In keeping with the President's stated commitment to unprecedented levels of openness and transparency, I've written to the U.S. Attorney General to direct the Department of Justice to publicly disclose its legal analyses of all executive orders by the President.  Since passage of the Judiciary Act of 1789, the Attorney General has been authorized to render opinions on matters of law and issues of constitutionality.

The American people and Congress ought to know if the President's executive orders have withstood rigorous constitutional review.  If the President can't persuade the people's branch on the merit of his ideas, the American people have a right to know if his ideas are being implemented in a way that is consistent with the Constitution.

Friday, February 14, 2014

The Safer Foundation, Davenport, seeks businesses and organizations to participate in its ninth annual "Safer Sacks" initiative.

To participate, each business designates a contact person who will act as "point person" for lunch orders on Thursday, April 10.

Lunch consists of a croissant sandwich with ham, turkey and cheese, (condiments on the side) chips, cookie and fruit. Cost is $5 per lunch if picked up at The Center, 1411 Brady St., Davenport; or $6 if delivered.

Individuals willing to assist their business/organization/school in being the contact person will have e-mail access, promote the event to co-workers by email, provide order forms, email or fax the order back to The Safer Foundation, then collect money for delivery or pick up.

All money earned through this event goes to The Safer Foundation's Employment Services and Youth Empowerment programs in Moline, Rock Island and Davenport. Last year, The Safer Foundation earned over $10,000 through this annual fundraiser, with all the money staying in the Quad-Cities.

For more than 40 years, The Safer Foundation's mission has focused on reducing recidivism by supporting, through a full spectrum of services, the efforts of people with criminal records to become employed, law-abiding members of the community.

To participate or for more information about "Safer Sacks," contact Sue Davison, QC Manager at sue.davison@saferfoundation.org. or at 563.322.7002. The cut-off date to place orders is March 28th.

-end-

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2014 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that up to $35 million will be provided during the next three years to help landowners conserve grasslands and wetlands in the Prairie Pothole region. The announcement was made on the Secretary's behalf by Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Robert Bonnie.

Farmers, ranchers and conservation partners will have access to a mix of financial and technical assistance opportunities through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to restore wetlands and grasslands.

"This region of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Montana provides critical breeding and nesting habitat for more than 60 percent of the nation's migratory waterfowl," Bonnie said of the Prairie Pothole region. "Our goal is to help landowners manage their working lands in a way that's compatible with agricultural production and good stewardship of the soil, water and habitat resources of the area so we are really talking about keeping working lands working."

The wetlands and grasslands that characterize the region provide vital water storage to reduce regional flooding, improve water quality, and have tremendous potential to store carbon in soils, which reduces the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, one of the leading greenhouse gases contributing to climate change.

The funding comes in a couple of pieces, including:

• Environmental Quality Incentives Program: The agency's largest conservation program will help producers with expiring Conservation Reserve Program contracts keep their lands as working grasslands or haylands through implementation of prescribed grazing and other conservation practices.
• Ducks Unlimited-NRCS partnership for carbon credits: NRCS is working with North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana to create a carbon credit marketing system for landowners who agreed to avoid tilling grasslands. This work started in 2011 in North Dakota as part of a Conservation Innovation Grant, but now it's being expanded to the three states. Through this system, interested landowners can keep their land in grass, continue grazing and haying, and generate verified carbon credits that place a conservation easement on their land. These credits can be sold or traded into existing voluntary carbon markets.

NRCS also is providing additional technical assistance to complete certified wetland determinations, needed by producers to meet conservation compliance requirements first put in place in 1985.

Additionally, the 2014 Farm Bill has expanded opportunities for conserving grasslands and wetlands, including those in the Prairie Pothole region. To find out more about USDA's efforts to work with producers in the region click here. USDA also recently solicited proposals for Conservation Innovation Grants.

For more information on these opportunities, visit a local NRCS field office or the NRCS website.

#

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

#

Bettendorf – The Family Museum has announced the launch of a new and improved website that will provide visitors with Museum information through an easy-to-use, mobile-friendly site.

The Family Museum website remodel addresses programming changes made at the Family Museum over the last five years through goals set in the Museum's strategic plan. Programming at the Museum has shifted from mostly pre-paid and pre-registered classes to more Drop-In classes which serve a wider audience and are included with paid admission. While planning a visit to the Family Museum, guests to the new website will be able to navigate more easily through the hundreds of events offered at the Museum and discover all that the Family Museum has to offer.

The site overhaul also addresses the change in technology over the last several years. "Our analytics show us that back in 2008 only about 2% of our website visitors were using a smartphone to access our information. Today the percent of people using smartphones and tablets is closer to 60. We needed to adjust our website by improving the navigation and functionality to accommodate our guests," said Public Relations Coordinator Elly Gerdts.

The Family Museum Foundation provided the funds needed for the update. The Family Museum used Terrostar Interactive Media for web design. The website can be found at www.familymuseum.org.

The Family Museum is a hands-on, interactive children's museum located in Bettendorf, Iowa. In addition to the 44,000 square feet of exhibit space, the Museum also offers Drop-In programs, comprehensive dance classes, special events, and summer camps. Children and adults are invited to Play and Learn Together!

#####