Upcoming Events
Friday, September 3rd, 2010 Events, Featured by IARCUpcoming events
Suhail Khan will be chairing the next meeting of the Conservative Inclusion Coalition on Tuesday, September 14 at 2:30 p.m. Suhail will also make a presentation on behalf of the Indian American Conservative Council on Wednesday, September 15 in Baltimore at the state’s monthly center-right meeting.
Many of our Washington, D.C. based members will be attending a young professionals event for Nikki Haley on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, September 22.
Summer Newsletter
Friday, September 3rd, 2010 Blog / Commentary, Events, Featured, Newsletter by IARCNew social media accounts!
We have a new Facebook page, please “like” it and help us build our fans!
You can follow us on Twitter here
Member updates
Swadeep Nigam, our co-chairman from Nevada, was quoted in the August 20 edition of Politico (“Angle aims to correct course”) about the 2010 Senate race.
Swadeep also co-wrote an opinion piece in the April 8 edition of Nevada News and Views (“It’s time for Ensign to resign”) calling on Senator John Ensign to leave the Senate, which was noted in the April 8 edition of Politico (“John Ensign faces increased pressure to quit”).
Council Board of Director member Suhail Khan, co-chairman of our DC Chapter, had an op-ed published in the August 23 edition of Foreign Policy (“America’s first Muslim President”) discussing the role of Muslim Americans in domestic politics.
Raju Chinthala, a leader from our Indiana chapter, was quoted in the August 15 edition of The Indianapolis Star (“Indy hosts first-ever India Day celebration today”) and was recently appointed by the Mayor of Indianapolis to the city’s Public Safety Advisory Board.
Our national Chairman Dino Teppara was quoted discussing the candidacy of Council member and SC gubernatorial nominee Nikki Haley in an August 19 Salon article (“For Indian American pols, the ’what are you’? test,”) in a July 17 article from India Today (“The Haley Comet”) and in a July 6 article from The Washington Post (“More Indian American seeking office this year”).
Council News
Insourcing letter
The Council was one of 36 organizations that co-signed a letter to the President urging him to stop insourcing government work. Insourcing is the conversion of work currently performed by private sector contracting firms to performance by federal government employees. This initiative was led by the Business Coalition for Fair Competition, a coalition of trade associations, businesses and organizations that is dedicated to free enterprise, relief from unfair government sponsored competition and smaller, more efficient government. The BCFC works to prevent unfair competition to private businesses from the government. The letter was cosigned by some of the largest trade associations and nonprofit organizations in the nation and was highlighted in several news articles, including the August 23 edition of The Daily Caller, which notes in an excerpt:
“Since taking office, President Obama has made insourcing a major piece of his agenda. A March 2009 memo, for example, directed all federal agencies to devise insourcing guidelines to be implemented by the summer. Then in July 2009, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed agencies to ‘consider on a regular basis’ how to turn jobs oftentimes performed by contractors into jobs for federal employees.
The BCFC’s letter comes on the heels of some very public statements made last week about the practice of the federal government taking over commercial jobs. In a briefing last week at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Robert Gates admitted insourcing had not produced results.
‘We weren’t seeing the savings we had hoped from insourcing,’ said Gates.
Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, who serves as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, also expressed concerns about insourcing in June, saying said that the practice is ‘counter-intuitive to the President’s goal of creating opportunities in the federal contracting system for diversity.’
‘We already have a much more limited universe than we should,’ said Menendez. ‘And if [insourcing] is being pursued, then it is only going to erode what exists, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense. . . .’
Earlier this year, the federal government’s workforce expanded to more than 2 million employees for the first time since the Clinton administration. . . .”
Incourcing saves taxpayer monies by competitively bidding work to the private sector, where the work can be done at a lower cost. It prevents the expansion of government bureaucracy, enables the private sector to create jobs and allows small contractors the opportunity to expand their business opportunities. Under President Bush’s administration, the outsourcing of contracts to the private sector greatly expanded; in the current administration, they are rapidly declining, as liberals seek to greatly expand the reach of government and have it compete with the private sector. Working with the BCFC, the Council will try and reverse this unfortunate trend.
Social Security/Biometric ID Cards
The Council was a signatory to a letter initiated by the Liberty Coalition, a coalition of liberal, conservative, libertarian and privacy organizations opposing a congressional effort to impose biometric social security cards on American businesses. While we share concerns over privacy, our main contention with this proposal is the unfunded mandate on businesses, which will ultimately be forced to pay for this proposal. The issue was also reported on in the Wall Street Journal.
Labor union memo
The Council signed onto the latest “Memo for the Movement,” circulated by the Conservative Action Project, which is chaired by former United States Attorney General Edwin Meese. Members include more than 100 conservative organizations.
The latest memo discussed the excessive influence of labor unions in our society. The memo points to Gallup polls, which show for the first time that the majority of Americans think “unions mostly hurt the U.S. economy.”
Past events
The Council was pleased to host a well-attended reception at the Capitol Hill Club to welcome to Washington, D.C. the 2009 Miss Louisiana, Katherine Putnam. Katherine was most gracious with her time, and we enjoyed learning of her Indian heritage and time spent studying music in India.
Upcoming events
Suhail Khan will be chairing the next meeting of the Conservative Inclusion Coalition on Tuesday, September 14 at 2:30 p.m. Suhail will also make a presentation on behalf of the Indian American Conservative Council on Wednesday, September 15 in Baltimore at the state’s monthly center-right meeting.
Many of our Washington, D.C. based members will be attending a young professionals event for Nikki Haley on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, September 22.
Liberal quote of the month..
“When I came in, I said we’re draining the swamp. And we did.” (Aug. 1, 2010), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Not yet a member of the Indian American Conservative Council? Annual membership is only $25, please sign up here today.
Heritage Foundation Luncheon
Thursday, April 15th, 2010 Blog / Commentary, Events by IARCThe leadership of The Heritage Foundation has invited the leadership of the Indian American Conservative Council to a private luncheon on Friday, May 7 from 12:00 noon to 2 p.m.
This is an important meeting to begin a dialogue between our organizations on issues affecting the Indian American community and our nation as a whole.
There is no cost to attend but there is a cap on the number of attendees (25 total), so please RSVP as soon as you can. If you RSVP and later discover you are unable to attend, please make every effort to secure the attendance of another member in your place.
Thank you,
Dino Teppara, Esq
Chairman
RSVP
Friday, February 5th, 2010 Events by IARCThe Embassy of India is hosting a documentary screening and dinner event on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. Members of the Indian American Republican Council, Republican Jewish Coalition, and The Harbour League who wish to be invited to this event can RSVP to us by using the form below. You will then receive a formal invitation from the Embassy.
This one-hour film is based on actual footage of the November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai, India with interviews with survivors and the surviving terrorist along with telephone intercepts of the conversation between the gunmen and their handlers in Pakistan. The movie screening will be followed by a discussion and buffet dinner.
The RSVP page will close on Friday, February 19 at 5:00 p.m. Please note that seating is limited and is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. You will receive a formal invitation via e-mail from the Embassy of India prior to the event. Please RSVP again directly to the Embassy once you receive this e-mail. This is a free event for members of the IARC, Republican Jewish Coalition and The Harbour League.
This event has reached capacity! Thank you!
Upcoming Events
Thursday, November 19th, 2009 Events, News by IARCMay 7, 2010
The leadership of The Heritage Foundation has invited the leadership of the Indian American Conservative Council to a private luncheon on Friday, May 7 from 12:00 noon to 2 p.m.
This is an important meeting to begin a dialogue between our organizations on issues affecting the Indian American community and our nation as a whole.
There is no cost to attend but there is a cap on the number of attendees (25 total), so please RSVP as soon as you can. If you RSVP and later discover you are unable to attend, please make every effort to secure the attendance of another member in your place.
PAST EVENTS
February 27, 2010 – Washington, D.C.
The North American South Asian Law Students Association
National Convention – Georgetown Law Center
South Asians in American Politics
Learn from a bipartisan panel of South Asian politicians/professionals about their experiences as they describe what it takes to run an effective campaign for public office at any level of government. How do you know if you are ready to run for elected office? How do you effectively assemble a campaign staff? How do you become effective at campaign fundraising and developing a winning field plan for election day? Moreover, panelists will detail the significance of the upcoming 2010 mid-term elections.
The panelists are Toby Chaudhuri, Srinu Sonti, and Awais Khaleel. IARC Chairman Dino Teppara and IARC Member Tessie Abraham, staff member and counsel to U.S. Congressman Lee Terry (R-NE), will represent the IARC.
February 18, 2010 – Las Vegas, Nevada
Vegasdesi.com, representing the South Asian community in Las Vegas, is hosting a barbeque meet and greet for former Nevada Attorney General and Federal Judge, Brian Sandoval, candidate for Governor. This is a nonpartisan event and will allow members of the Indian American and South Asian community the opportunity to speak with Mr. Sandoval about issues important to them
IARC-Nevada co-chairman and member of the Board of Directors Swadeep Nigam is part of the official host committee. For more details, please click here.
February 18-20- Washington, DC The IARC is pleased to serve as a cosponsor of the 37th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. Please plan to attend and visit us in booth 705 in the exhibition hall!
February 25, 2010 – Washington, D.C.
The Embassy of India is hosting a documentary screening and dinner event on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. Members of the Indian American Republican Council, Republican Jewish Coalition, and The Harbour League who wish to be invited to this event can RSVP to us by using the form below. You will then receive a formal invitation from the Embassy.
This one-hour film is based on actual footage of the November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai, India with interviews with survivors and the surviving terrorist along with telephone intercepts of the conversation between the gunmen and their handlers in Pakistan. The movie screening will be followed by a discussion and buffet dinner.
The RSVP page will close on Friday, February 19 at 5:00 p.m. Please note that seating is limited and is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. You will receive a confirmation e-mail from us prior to the event. This is a free event for members of the IARC and Harbor League. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO RSVP!
January 30, 2010 – Gaithersburg, Maryland
The IARC was pleased to serve as an official sponsor of the 61st Republic Day Celebration on January 30, 2010 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The event was hosted by the National Council of Asian Indian Associations (NCAIA) and the theme was “Celebrating the Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi.”
January 21-22, 2010 – New York City
The IARC was pleased to cosponsor The Harbour League’s 1st annual conservative conference on January 22, 2010 in New York City featuring conservative luminaries such as Grover Norquist, the President of Americans for Tax Reform; Rich Lowry, Editor of the National Review; and JohnStossel, journalist at Fox News Business. Learn more about the conference here.
October 26, 2009 – Washington, D.C.
Organized by the Network of South Asian Professionals (Netsap), the IARC participated in a Capitol Hill discussion with the Indian American Leadership Initiative and North American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA) on how the South Asian American community can become more empowered. Speakers from the IARC included Dino Teppara, former Chief of Staff to U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson; Suhail Khan, former Department of Transportation and White House staff member; Neil Chatterjee, staff member to U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican Leader; and attorney Neena Shenai, who served in the U.S. Department of Commerce and is an Adjunct Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).
September 17, 2009 – New York City
IARC-New Jersey Co-Chairman Pat Sonti participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Network of Indian Professionals (Netip) on the health care reform debate in Congress.
September 17, 2009- New York City
“Unraveling the health care debate”
Who is at Risk? What are the Options? Whose ideas do we adopt – Liberals or Conservatives? Come find out and join the debate!
6:30 p.m. – 9:00 pm
Sutra Lounge, 16 First Avenue @ 1st Street, New York, NY 10009
August 20-23, 2009 – New York City
The IARC served as an official sponsor of the 20th Anniversary celebration of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO)’s annual convention.
May 31, 2009 – Washington, D.C.
The IARC served as an official sponsor for a dinner reception welcoming Indian Ambassador Meera Shankar to the United States.
March 8, 2009 – Washington, D.C.
The IARC served as an official sponsor of a farewell reception and dinner in honor of outgoing Indian Ambassador to the United States Ronen Sen, hosted by the Indian American Associations of the Washington, D.C. metro area.
