Nicholas Ballasy's blog

Congressman Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) has claimed that "Tea Partiers" have enacted a "plan to dismantle the American government" and in the process, the country has lost its "moral compass."

"These ‘Tea Partiers,’ as willing conspirators with their so-called leadership have enacted on a plan to dismantle the American government and in the process, we have lost our moral compass," said Johnson when speaking with the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus last week.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) argued at a news conference with the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus that the United States does not currently have a budget crisis.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said that President Barack Obama has shown a “level of patience” in debt limit negotiations with congressional leaders that does not compare to the biblical figure Job, known as the “Man of Patience.”

When unveiling a proposal to reform Medicare alongside Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) warned that the entitlement program will eventually “go broke” and lead to a “fiscal disaster” for the United States.

“Each Medicare enrollee will on the average take almost three times more out in Medicare benefits than they contribute in payroll taxes and premiums,” Lieberman said during a press conference at the Capitol on Tuesday.

The Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is accusing former House Speaker Newt Gingrich—along with deceased al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden—of “pushing Islamaphobia” in the United States.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she is “very protective of congressional prerogative” regarding military action but believes that President Barack Obama did not need Congress’ authorization to take action against Libya and does not need congressional authorization today to continue with the operation.

Actor and activist Richard Gere told CNSNews.com on Capitol Hill that President Barack Obama has done an "extraordinary job" in office and will probably go down as one of America's "great presidents."

Gere was on Capitol Hill to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee about religious freedom and human rights in Asia. After his testimony, CNSNews.com asked Gere, "Has President Obama, in your mind, been tough enough on China regarding human rights?"

Republican Congressman and retired Army veteran Allen West (R-Fla.) said he "cannot understand" America’s involvement in Libya and that U.S. military is being used as a "rent-a-force" in the region.

"For every decision there are consequences and we have to sometimes analyze what could be those consequences. Just the same with operations in Libya – I cannot understand it. I don’t know what the goal and objective are," West said in an address at the Heritage Foundation on Tuesday.

The Environmental Protection Agency informed Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) in a recent letter that it considers itself “prohibited” by law from considering costs when setting National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

“I received this week a letter from the EPA regarding a letter I’ve written them about some of their rules and they wrote here, quote, ‘Thus, the agency is prohibited from considering costs in setting these standards,'" Hartzler said last week. "Now in business we do a cost benefit analysis before we make policy changes. Washington should as well.”

Joan Rivers dropped the F-bomb on the red carpet at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, saying that President Barack Obama and other politicians should “stop campaigning” and "[t]ake care of the f****** country."

“No. I think President Obama should stop campaigning and take care of the country. I think it’s disgusting that everyone two years out is campaigning already. Take care of the f***ing country,” Rivers told CNSNews.com when asked if President Obama has lived up to her expectations (video below the break).

Actress Kate Walsh of ABC’s “Private Practice” told CNSNews.com that drilling offshore will not reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil and Americans who support domestic drilling are “misinformed.”

Walsh was on Capitol Hill with the nonprofit organization Oceana speaking at an event held to mark the one year anniversary of the BP gulf oil spill.

Rep. Louis Gohmert (R.-Texas), a former prosecutor and judge and a current member of the House Judiciary Committee, is offering some advice to Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, who has gained national attention since Saturday for his suggestions that radio and television talk shows were somehow responsible for the shooting attack in Tucson that took the lives of 6 people and wounded 14 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Grammy award-winning country singer LeAnn Rimes said her performance at a Republican fundraiser on Tuesday  in Washington, D.C., was “a job” and that she was “not making a political stance.”

Via Twitter, CNSNews.com asked Rimes, “What influenced you to participate in the GOP fundraiser tonight?”

Rimes replied, “It's a job! I'm entertainment, not making a political stance.”

Governor Ed Rendell (D-Pa.) said that Pennsylvania Democrats lost key House and Senate races in the midterm election because “voters don’t always vote on logical reasons,” adding that Democrats “understand” the reason for voters’ “anger” and “it’s pretty hard to quarrel with.” His comments were made while participating in a conference call sponsored by the Center for American Progress (CAP) about the need for Congress to extend unemployment benefits.

In a video interview this week, White House Office of Science and Technology Director John P. Holdren told CNSNews.com that he would use the "free market economy" to implement the "massive campaign" he advocated along with Population Bomb author Paul Ehrlich to "de-develop the United States."

In his role as President Barack Obama's top science and technology adviser, Holdren deals with issues ranging from global warming to health care.

"A massive campaign must be launched to restore a high-quality environment in North America and to de-develop the United States," Holdren wrote along with Paul and Anne H. Ehrlich in the "recommendations" concluding their 1973 book Human Ecology: Problems and Solutions.

"De-development means bringing our economic system (especially patterns of consumption) into line with the realities of ecology and the global resource situation," Holdren and the Ehrlichs wrote.