Flathead County Republican Women

We are happy to inform you that our next meeting will be at noon on Monday, March 15, 2010, at the Red Lion Hotel in Kalispell.

Our speakers will be:

- Sheriff Mike Meehan

- Candidate for Sheriff Chuck Curry.

We will be collecting items for the local Animal Shelter and the Humane Society. Useful items for cats and dogs are:
Food, beds, leashes, collars, old clean blankets, rugs, and towels to be used for bedding, dishes etc. Big items can be loaded into one of our trucks after the meeting.

Please join us for this interesting event. Contact Caroline Solomon at 837-4525 with any questions you might have.

Chapter BM is starting a new bridge marathon beginning September, 2010. The marathon will run from September through April with a final event the third Tuesday in May, 2011. The money raised by this marathon, after expenses, will go to the P.E.O. (Philantropic Educational Organization) projects.

The P.E.O. was founded 140 years ago to support the advancement of women through education.

To kick off this event the ladies are planning a “Spring Card Party” on May 18th and, even if you will not be joining the bridge marathon, you are welcome to attend this social event.

For more information, please contact Margie Simpson at 752-0802 or bmpeobridge@hotmail.com.

Over 20 Flathead County Republicans attended the Montana GOP Winter Kick-off at the Best Western Heritage Inn in Great Falls, February 11-13. FCRW were represented by Lois Lauman, Lynda Collins, Idella Smithers, LInda Jackson, Linda Tutvedt and Sany Welch The event included a variety of informative sessions, including policy/issue briefings (covering legislative campaigning, healthcare, redistricting, energy, and 2010 initiatives), in addition to training sessions on voter mobilization technology, Voter Vault, Cyber World, and the Precinct Captain Action Plan. Also, executive board meetings were held for the Montana GOP, Pachyderm, and Montana Federation of Republican Women.

Unfortunately, inclement weather on the East Coast prevented RNC Chairman, Michael Steele, from joining participants for brunch on Saturday. Nevertheless, House Minority Leader, John Boehner, and Minnesota Congresswoman, Michelle Bauman, addressed event participants via teleconference. Both speakers were greatly inspirational and added to the energy of the event.

Finally, Congressman Denny Rehberg served as the keynote speaker at the Saturday evening banquet, and electrified the audience with an uplifting and positive speech. Thanks to his words of encouragement, all participants came away from the Winter Kick-off feeling invigorated and ready to work towards electing our candidates in the November 2010 election. We will take our country back!

On February 17, 2009 President Obama signed the stimulus bill.

Here are 17 Numbers we think Montanans need to know about the Stimulus….

3.5 MILLION: Jobs Obama Promised Stimulus Would Create By End Of 2010. (President Barack Obama, Remarks At The Signing Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act, Press Release, Denver, CO, 2/17/09)

2.8 MILLION: Jobs Lost Since Obama Made That Promise. (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10)

6.3 MILLION: Jobs Obama Must Now Create To Keep Promise By End Of 2010. (President Barack Obama, Remarks At The Signing Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act, Press Release, Denver, CO, 2/17/09; U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10)

1.1 MILLION: Jobs Obama’s Economists Project Will Be Created By End Of 2010. (David Jackson, “Obama Economic Report: Stagnant Job Growth This Year,” USA Today, 2/11/10)

5.2 MILLION: Jobs By Which Obama’s Economists’ Projection Leaves Him Short In Keeping Promise. (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10; David Jackson, “Obama Economic Report: Stagnant Job Growth This Year,” USA Today, 2/11/10)

6 PERCENT: Not Surprisingly, Number Of Americans That Say Obama’s Stimulus Created Jobs. (Stephanie Condon, “Poll: Economy Brings Down Obama’s Job Approval Rating,”CBS News’ “Political Hotsheet” Blog, 2/11/10)

7.7 PERCENT: Unemployment Rate When Obama Was Selling Stimulus In January 2009. (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10)

8 PERCENT: Unemployment Rate Obama Pledged Stimulus Would Prevent Us From Reaching. (Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein, “The Job Impact Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Plan,” 1/9/09)

9.7 PERCENT: Current Unemployment Rate. (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10)

16.5 PERCENT: Current Unemployment Rate When Underemployed And Discouraged Workers Are Included. (Sara Murray, “Signs Of Hope As Jobless Rate Dips,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/6/10)

334,000: Americans That Have Given Up Looking For A Job Since Stimulus Was Signed. (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10)

47: States That Have Lost Jobs Since Stimulus Was Signed. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10)

10: States That Moved From Single-Digit To Double-Digit Unemployment Rate Since Stimulus Was Signed. (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10)

$82 BILLION: Updated Cost Of Stimulus, $75 Billion Increase From Last Year’s Cost Estimate. (“The Budget And Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2010 To 2010,” Congressional Budget Office, 1/26/10; Douglas Elmendor, Director, Congressional Budget Office, Letter To Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 2/13/09)

440: Number Of Nonexistent Congressional Districts That Received Stimulus Funds. (Richard S. Dunham, “Site Lists Jobs In Imaginary Texas Districts,” Houston Chronicle, 11/18/09)

$6.4 BILLION: Amount Of Stimulus Funds That Went To Nonexistent Congressional Districts. (Richard S. Dunham, “Site Lists Jobs In Imaginary Texas Districts,” Houston Chronicle, 11/18/09)

$18 MILLION: Cost Of Stimulus Website, Recovery.gov. (Rick Klein, ”$18M Being Spent To Redesign Recovery.gov Web Site,” ABC News’ “The Note” Blog, 7/8/09)

View This Research Briefing At www.GOP.com

A message from the President of the Montana Federation of Republican Women.

It is with great humility that I begin a two-year term as president of the Montana Federation of Republican Women. Montanans pride themselves in being self-sufficient, conservative, strong and hardy, friendly, with an ongoing love of the land, mountains, and our beloved Big Sky. Over the past 25 years, Montanans have become politically complacent assuming this state would always remain conservative. Complacency is a thing of the past. Over the next two years, the Federation will focus on increasing membership, campaigning for Republican legislative candidates, and supporting our communities through projects that teach the fundamentals of strength through freedom. The Montana Federation of Republican Women has a great legacy. We have been leading for over 100 years. We were inspired by the Republican Platform of 1872 which said: “The Republican Party is mindful of its obligation to the loyal women of America for the noble devotion to the cause of Freedom.” Our mission here in Montana is to have women from all age groups and walks of life as key players at the political table on local, state, and national issues. Our goal is To Win!!

Be Informed! Be Involved! Be Invested! Join the Montana Fedration of Republican Women and work to keep America, Montana and our homes free.

Elizabeth Cargo, President Montana Federation of Republican Women