Posted by Matt Holdridge on 09/07/10 Last updated 09/07/10
Jon Ward at the DailyCaller is reporting that if the GOP manages to take back the House in November, many suspect that the Obama Administration will pivot from moving its agenda legislatively to doing it through the regulatory agencies.
Opponents of the Obama administration’s agenda said they are shifting their attention away from the legislative arena and toward the regulatory field of battle.
“Right now we see the next two years, the battles moving from Capitol Hill probably to the regulatory agencies,” said Randel K. Johnson, senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
What policies you ask?
The Environmental Protection Agency is also planning to regulate carbon emissions, in the absence of a bill written by Congress to do so. That figures to be a third major avenue of action for the Obama administration no matter who controls Congress.
And the fourth avenue is labor law, where the Obama administration shares many of the same goals as organized labor, which is also one of its biggest sources of political and financial support.
“With the slowing of the labor/employment agenda on Capitol Hill, the administration is utilizing the regulatory agencies to implement its agenda,” read a U.S. Chamber report released this past week.
It has been noted many times that the various administrative agencies have become super-legislative bodies because their "regulations" have the force of law and can be enacted without the consent of Congress. In essence, the IRS, FCC, FDA, OSHA, USDA, EEOC, EPA, FTC, NIH, etc, are all three branches of government consolidated into unelected and unaccountable bureaucracies.
Thomas Jefferson once referred to this as the definition of a despotic government.
All the powers of government, legislative, executive, and judiciary, result to the legislative body. The concentrating these in the same hands is precisely the definition of despotic government. It will be no alleviation that these powers will be exercised by a plurality of hands, and not by a single one. One hundred and seventy-three despots would surely be as oppressive as one....As little will it avail us that they are chosen by ourselves. An elective despotism was not the government we fought for..."
The use of administrative agencies to further a political agenda isn't unique to the Obama White House. After all, it was Teddy Roosevelt who said, "The bulk of government is not legislation but administration."
Posted by Tim Shoemaker on 09/07/10 Last updated 09/07/10
C4L is announcing our first competition for the "I Am Campaign for Liberty" video project. We've split the country into four regions. The region with the most videos submitted by 9:30am EST on Monday, September 13 will win, and all participants within that region will receive a copy of the Rally for the Republic DVD autographed by Ron Paul!
Regions are based on geographic location consisting of the Northeast, South, Midwest, and West. For more information regarding the competition please visit the I AM C4L website.
Jimmy Carter legalized home brewing in 1978, and that newfound freedom fueled the craft beer movement that continues to lavish beer lovers with endless choices. But in many ways, laws that govern whiskey, gin, and other distilled spirits are stuck in the 1920s.
The home brewing movement has changed the dynamic and taste of beer in America. Who's to say that legalizing home distilling wouldn't do the same for liquor?
Take a look at Reason.tv's video below, "Free the 'Shine! Why It's Finally Time to Legalize Liquor," and let us know what you think.
Posted by Tim Shoemaker on 09/07/10 Last updated 09/07/10
Financial regulators Central planners are set to meet this month to craft the "new financial regulations." The gargantuan Dodd-Frank bill created a new "US council of financial regulators" who are to "oversee systemic risk," in addition to the new bureaucracy housed at the Federal Reserve - the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. While specific implementation of the Dodd-Frank bill will fall at the feet of Geithner, the rules and regulations will be flowing from the other two.
In Basel, [Switzerland] international regulators aim to strike a deal on new capital standards - known as Basel III - that will impact the world's largest banks and financial firms.
"Everything else flows from here," said Scott Talbott, senior vice president at the Financial Services Roundtable. "Once you have a CFPB head you can start defining rules. Once you have Basel III, we'll know capital levels. And once you have the systemic risk council, the regulations can flow. These are major milestones."
The Basel discussions may receive the most attention as financial officials look to forge standards before the heads of the G-20 nations meet in Seoul in November.
It will be interesting to see what the council of financial regulators does since they are tasked with preventing future financial crises. Funny how a group of people who didn't see the last financial crisis coming will be responsible for seeing the warning signs and preventing the next one.
Posted by Matt Hawes on 09/03/10 Last updated 09/03/10
Kudos to the AP for refusing to go along with the story that all the combat troops are out of Iraq. Read about the memo from the AP's standards editor, Tom Kent, here.
Posted by Matt Hawes on 09/03/10 Last updated 09/03/10
If you're in the San Francisco area, don't forget that Congressman Ron Paul is coming to the San Francisco Civic Center for a free and open to the public rally this Saturday!
"Principles Over Parties: Ending Washington's War on Us" will be a clear call to return to the Constitution, end our reckless foreign policy, and reclaim our liberties. Dr. Paul will be joined by congressional candidate John Dennis, and the rally will last from 2pm to 4pm.
Note: C4L does not endorse, support, or oppose candidates for federal office. "Principles Over Parties" is not a campaign event but a rally of like-minded individuals who are tired of out-of-control government.
I AM Campaign for Liberty is an interactive declaration designed to bring recognition to the many personalities that make up the C4L community. Campaign for Liberty members from across the country will be posting videos on this site, thereby breathing life and conviction into the foundational mission and principles of Campaign for Liberty. To find out more and learn how to submit your own video, visit IAMC4L.com today!
Yesterday, Jack Hunter (a.k.a. - the Southern Avenger) finally had his opportunity to interview Lindsey Graham on WTMA in South Carolina. The interview can be found here. Jack joins the interview around 9 minutes in and challenges Graham on numerous issues. By the end, Graham has his neoconservative flag unfurled and begins ranting about the war in Iraq being "just," and how it was "right" to topple Saddam Hussein, and that it's better to be continuously "fighting them over there, so we don't fight them here."
Posted by Matt Holdridge on 09/02/10 Last updated 09/02/10
A story like this comes up at least once a year. We've heard it before: a resident and member of a homeowners' association wants to display a political or religious item in their yard, which violates the association rules. From there a battle begins between the two parties over "free speech" and "censorship."
In this case, an Arizona man wanted to proudly display his Gadsden Flag to the objections of his homeowners' association.
You can view a report about it on Fox News and read the article here.
The question for discussion is whether this really has anything to do with either free speech or censorship. On the other hand, is this a property rights dispute, and if so, who is at fault, the homeowners' association or the Gadsden Flag-waving homeowner?
Does the homeowner have it correct that the flag could be interpreted as a military flag and thus be allowed by his association's bylaws, or he is simply creating a scene; after all, he did agree to live by the rules of his neighborhood when he purchased property there?
"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."
—Thomas Jefferson
Campaign for Liberty is a 501(c)4 lobbying organization which neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office and claims no responsibility for the actions of individuals or groups of individuals who use the Campaign for Liberty logo or name or who may claim to act as representatives of the Campaign for Liberty without prior written consent of the Campaign for Liberty. [?]
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