Maybe you are old enough, to remember the movie, "Telefon". It starred Lee Remick and Charles Bronson. The premise was... that there were sleeper agents inside the United States, hypnotically induced to carry out a mission, whenever they were fed the "key" phrase... Well, you are getting that phone call now. Whether you joined during the caucus training, and labored with learning "Robert's Rules of Order", or if you signed on because you "get" Audit the Fed... we are faced with a LOCAL representation of all that is bad with Government as Big Box brand. Public Private partnership! The City of St. Louis... its Mayor... has signed what was Aldermanic Board Bill # 218, and is now called ORDINANCE #68485. This is the Redevelopment Plan for Northside Regenerization LLC, (Paul McKee) and will undoubtedly involve the use of eminent domain. And even if that does not motivate you, Mr. McKee wants the City to buy half of the bonds that will back this $391 Million Dollar TIF. In case you are just joining us... Paul McKee has gotten EVERYTHING that he has wanted thus far. And "HIS" money, has ended up in the pockets of politicians all along the way. The City of St. louis is: A. corrrupt and B. broke. and...Yeah, I know one begets the other... The residents of North Side have initiated a movement, a referendum, whereby, IF we garner enough signatures, this ORDINANCE can be made to appear on a ballot. The amount of the TIF is historic, unprecedented... and the likelihood of Paul McKee being able to complete the task.. is slim. McKee and the politicians will skim the cream, and we will be left paying for spoiled milk. We have untill December 11 to attain enough signatures. I want YOURS! In the Board Bill, they have twisted the language of "force major", which is normally reserved for "acts of God", to allow that IF paul McKee CANNOT get the buildings that he needs, through eminent domain, then he can leave the agreement...no questions asked. (You may recall, that all through the "process" it was proclaimed adamantly and often, thet "there is no eminent domain in this bill". (that's spitoon splatter my friend...) If you are a St. Louis City resident, then your telephone is ringing... We need you right now. So, lets use this opportunity to gather together, identify ourselves to each other, strengthen our identities ward by ward, stop a little Evil, and get ready for 2010. We NEED a reason to get in shape... and this is it. And in case you think this is a North Side issue only, steps are being taken in Dogtown right now, to do similar. Maybe you are fortunate enough to be in Kelly Owen's area. You need to sharpen your pencil and your sword. ...cause as Kevin McCarthy cries, at the end of the original "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", "...they're coming for YOU!!!!!!!!" So, call me, or leave a comment. We will come to you. We will message the community, set up a Campaign For Liberty tent, hand out U.S. and State constitutions, have a rendezvous for C4L locals, garner some signatures, and whittle our wits a bit. We NEED to use this as a gathering in each and every ward in the City of St. Louis. The issue is right, and the opportunity is there. If you are like me, and the reason you even GET these messages, is because you want to DO THE RIGHT thing... then let this be a call to arms, and an opportunity for recruiting. It's time to make the doughnuts! Tags: |
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the title quote is from Dr Martin Luther King. Health Care - This is the time to step up and make a difference. Health care is not a right. Rights come from God. God never advocated stealing, fining and jailing as methods of providing individual rights. Pelosi and Reid's bill is not about helping poor people. It is about Control, raising taxes and helping Wall Street. The attempt at government takeover of the Health Care Industry will forever change the course of our country. We can fight now or surrender our country to total control by a Socialist/Communist/Marxist agenda implemented by Obama, Pelosi and Harry Reid Your focus this week [in Missouri] should be on Senator McCaskill, Senator Bond and Harry Reid. Campaign for Liberty is taking the battle against Big Government's takeover of health care and health freedom to the television airwaves, and we need your help to mobilize more Americans in key target states! Watch the ad here: We need about $40,000 more for the next ad buy. Time is critical. You can donate here and watch the thermometer rise as patriots across the country step up and donate to fund our ads.
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The Main Role Of A Coordinator Find more people to help you watch the employees of "We The People" in your area. They will share what they learn with others. Many of them will step up and take a job away from a corrupt empoyee, even if it means they have to do the job theirself for a year or two. I challenge every person who reads this to pledge to find one more person to help you watch a group of your employees in the next week.
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Foreign Policy, Education, Civil Liberties, Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Grassroots News, Action Item, Executive Power, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Philosophy, Revolution, Social Issues, Socialism, State Legislation, Economy, Congress Tags: , employees, meetings, precinct leader, local coordinator |
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Lloyd Marcus speaks from the Heart
Categories: Civil Liberties, Ethics, Social Issues, Socialism Tags: |
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Did anyone watch Bill Gates and Warren Buffet participate in the Columbia University televised CNBC program last night? Not once did I hear either one of them mention that it just might be our monetary system (Private Federal Reserve) that could be the cause of our country's financial problems. Warren Buffet even made the comment that Ben Bernanke, Geithner and Paulson had done an excellent job enacting the stimulus package and saving our country from economic collasp. I guess what he meant was that they had done a wonderful job for the" Banksters" but not for the American people! Not one of the students asked a question about the Federal Reserve or Fractional Reserve Banking. This is a perfect example of how our educational system is failing. A few months ago I borrowed a government book used at Central High School in St. Joe to see what it said about the Federal Reserve. It was only a short paragraph and it did not explain that The Federal Reserve was a private for profit corporation nor that the constitution does not authorize anyone other than our federal government to coin our money. Also no one mentioned Ron Paul's bill HR 1207 to audit the Fed. This is one of the most important bills to ever be considered by the current politicians and it wasn't even discussed. It would be interesting to know if the students were in some way stopped from asking such embarrassing questions about the Federal Reserve. Larry Flinchpaugh 11/16/09 www.larryflinchpaugh.com
Categories: Ron Paul, US Constitution, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Monetary Policy Tags: Federal Reserve, bill gates, Warren Buffet, Columbia University, CNBC |
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I recently received an email from a fellow Local Coordinator. In part, she wrote: "We used to have neighborhoods back when we were kids, when mothers stayed home and kids played outside after school, but that world is long gone. I think this is one of the reasons it's such a hard slog. Some of us have been going door to door with petitions; people don't even answer the door when you knock, even when they're obviously at home. This is happening now, more than it was, but it's slowed by the inherent social decay." I responded to this Local Coordinator, and I hope this will give all of our Local Coordinators food for thought and encouragement. Here is my message: I grew up the same way and have fond memories of my neighborhood. I agree that the social structure has decayed, so we need to re-build the social structure first. Here's what I'm doing - My first step was to decide to be a "neighborhood watchdog" of sorts. I attended neighborhood meetings, drove the neighborhood to see if there were things that might hurt the value of property, and counted how many homes are being sold on the market. I started talking to my neighbors during my trips around the neighborhood - would wave, stop the car, or stop to chat about these things when I walked. I had a pizza party at my house for several of my neighbors and we discussed the board actions of the homes association. I walked door to door to get email addresses so I could send tips, news and alerts. I now have 125 email addresses and send a monthly newsletter. I have a crime alert sent to me so I can let my neighbors know about crime happening in and around our neighborhood. We had a board election for our homes association and some of us walked door to door. Almost all of our neighbors were happy to see us. Two of our candidates won and we had a huge turnout at our annual meeting. My neighbors email me with tips and their opinions and I've got a much better idea of who might be with us based on our conversations. The value of this cannot be under-estimated. I now have 3 solid conservative neighbors that I know will be active with me, and a few others that I'm cultivating. I know they will help me walk the neighborhood and we are building a network here. My next neighborhood meeting will be to talk about how to keep our neighborhood safe and maintain property value - these are things that are important to all of us. There will be food, of course - that always brings 'em in. Note: My next step will be to walk door to door with a survey. It will go something like this: "Hello, again. I'm Deb Wells and live right down the street from you. I will be visiting our government representatives and would like to let them know what is important to you. I have a short survey here....(the survey will contain questions that will let me know who is with us)." Next will come a local candidate forum where we'll have the opportunity to control the debate. * * * * * * * There are different approaches that Local Coordinators use. Some have a "sales" personality - they walk right up, knock on the door, introduce themselves and say "I am the neighborhood representative for Campaign for Liberty" and hand their neighbor a flier, speak eloquently about it, and follow up with another visit. Some take a slower approach like mine. Whatever approach you use, there is no feeling like the first time you wave and speak to a friendly neighbor...you suddenly realize deep in your heart that you will be successful because you have begun rebuilding the social structure. After sending my story to my fellow Local Coordinator, she wrote: Very interesting. Rebuilding the social structure of the neighborhood will of course have inherent value, quite in addition to providing a framework for getting our message across. One could even posit that the whole "need" for big government is because of the breakdown of the neighborhood, along with the breakdown of the family. In earlier times, one's neighbors and family were the "safety net" that is now provided by the government. I agree. It is up to us to build the social structure again and as you begin to do this, soon you will find neighbors who want to help you build, and you'll view your neighborhood and your ability to succeed as a Local Coordinator in a whole different light. Remember: If you know that a person is home but won't open the door, they are probably not interested in their community and more than likely, not interested in voting or making a difference. Spend quality time with friendly neighbors that care - they will become your "army". For additional news and tips, see: What is a Local Coordinator - http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=26555 Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Grassroots News, Action Item Tags: coordinator, local coordinator, neighborhood, Social, structure |
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THIS IS A CITY ISSUE On November 12, 2009, St. Louis Mayor Slay signed Aldermanic Board Bill # 218, that paves the way for a $391 Million TIF, for Northside Regeneration LLC. This TIF amount is unprecedented in St. Louis history, and it was done quickly, and without proper consideration. To make matters worse, the developer (Paul McKee) wants the City of St. Louis to back 50% of the bonds. To her credit, Comptroller Darlene Green has said that she will NOT support this request. (She also returned a $5050.00 "donation" FROM the minions of McKee). The decision as to whether to back the bonds are not, does not lie solely with her, but rather with her vote, and that of the Mayor and the President of the Board of Aldermen, so it is very likely that the only mathematically trained mind in this matter will be outvoted. Our Mayor is deeply involved in all manner of shenanigans in this deal from day one. And he has received tens of thousands of dollars from "McKee"s...including 5000.00 on the very day that McKee presented his latest Redevelopment Plan. Rather blatant if you ask me. The referendum process allows us THIRTY DAYS from when the Mayor signed the bill, to gather 4% of the registered City voters, at the time of the last election. If you recall, that last election drew some large numbers. We are shooting for 7% of registered voters, to allow for any challenges. Our deadline is DECEMBER 11, 2009. If we reach our goal... WHEN we reach our goal, this bill, board bill 218, will be put on the public ballot. The City of St. Louis is broke. One of the reasons to rush this measure through, was because the TIF is one of the requirements for Northside Regeneration LLC, or some other McKee entity, to collect $20 Million from the State of Missouri, in a Land Assemblage Tax Credit, that is retroactive for five years. Paul McKee and his tanks are out of fuel. They need public financing, and yet are poised as the ONLY solution to the North Side. Goliath is on his side, and seems unlikely to champion on his own. THIS IS PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP.... and the swirl of money...is public money What is more than likely to happen, is that McKee and his multiple persona's will NOT complete the project, the City will hold almost $200 Million in bad bonds, and the infrastructure and services of St. Louis will continue to diminish. You do know, that both Fire and Police have been cut by at least a thousand postions apiece, right? I will post more as this develops...daily. We need your help, both as signers, and as signature collectors. If you believe...then join us. 7000 is a small number for us! THIS IS A CITY ISSUE Tags: |
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Press Release For immediate release - contact Paul Hamby 816 632 0602, Missouri Campaign for Liberty Sedalia Mo. Campaign for Liberty held a regional conference in Sedalia Saturday November 14. MO state Senator Chuck Purgason and Mo state Rep Jim Guest were among the speakers to the group who stand for free markets, low taxes and a non interventionist foreign policy. The 5 hour conference was organized by volunteer Randy Langkraehr, an insurance agent from Warrensburg. Senator Purgason R- Caulfield, who is also a Republican candidate for US Senate, pledged to block any attempts to raise taxes as the state Legislature wrestles with dwindling revenue in 2010 and 2011. He stated that the Republican Party has lost their way. "In 2002 Congress under Republican control had a 30 billion dollar deficit. I could live with that given the downturn in the economy and the 9/11 tragedy, but in the next 2 year the budget deficit grew to $792 billion dollars under Republican control of Congress. Purgason held up a chart showing the budget deficits over the past 8 years. Purgason stated that he is the first one from his family to run for office and chose to run as Republican based on the party's platform. "People wanted change in 2008, I believe the change they wanted was for elected Republicans to vote along the Republican Party Platform" "In 2008, a bad election year for Republicans nationwide, the Missouri Senate gained 3 Republican seats because we stood on conservative Republican principles." Purgason discussed tax credits, tax abatements and TIFFS. "The reality of TIFFS is that we often TIFF an area for economic development, and that hurts an existing area of businesses so then we TIFF that area. We should just stop TIFFS in Missouri. Rep Jim Guest, R - King City, read the 10th amendment to the US Constitution and discussed his resolution to reassert Missouri's 10th amendment rights. In 2009 his bill passed the house and passed the Senate committee but failed to make it to the Senate floor for a vote on the last week of the session. He stated he will file his bill again in January 2010 and that it has even more support after all the tea parties and town hall events. "There is a growing movement across the country. 10th amendment legislation will be filed in many states next year" The tenth amendment states that the Federal Government can only do what is spelled out in the constitution and all other rights are reserved to states and individuals. Campaign for Liberty members will be actively working to pass legislation that supports states rights and pushes back the federal government. Guest spoke about unfunded federal mandates that force state and local government to pay for the cost of compliance.
In the recent health care debate, Rep Nancy Pelosi was asked where in the constitution is a National Health Care Plan authorized? She replied "Are you serious?" and scoffed at the reporter. But the reporter's question was valid. There is no constitutional authority for national health care. Campaign for Liberty is opposed to Pelosi's National Health Care bill. Glen Nielsen, State chair of the Libertarian Party spoke about the MIAC center. Nielsen praised the efforts of Libertarian party members working along with Campaign for Liberty members and Liberty Restoration Project members to bring sunshine to the MIAC center report and functions. Last spring a copy of the MIAC report was leaked to alternative media. That report profiled groups such as supporters of Bob Barr, Chuck Baldwin and Ron Paul, home schoolers, Christians and gun owners as persons of interest that law enforcement should watch. Campaign for Liberty believes strongly in the first amendment rights to free speech and opposes political profiling of any groups. Nielsen said the combined efforts against MIAC led to the controversial report being rescinded and the Director of the MIAC center being reassigned. In May 2009, House Speaker Ron Richards set up a Legislative investigative committee that held hearings in St Louis, Grandview and Springfield. The committee is tasked with determining the future of the MIAC center. Cisse Spragins, vice chair of the Libertarian party testified at the MIAC hearing. She wondered if she is 'on the list' because she had attended a rally to End The Fed. Campaign for Liberty's honorary chairman, Ron Paul, released a new book this fall, End the Fed, that is already a best seller. Campaign for Liberty has worked hard all year to get the Federal Reserve audited. Ron Paul, a Republican Congressman from Texas, introduced HR 1207 to Audit The Federal Reserve. That bill now has 303 co-sponsors in the US House. Spragins talked about the importance of small business to create the jobs needed for economic recovery. "Federal regulations from Washington are killing small businesses." Spragins hinted she may join the race for US Senate. Ron Calzone, Chairman, Missouri Citizens for Property Rights, discussed their petition for Eminent Domain reform. "Missouri is ranked third of the worst states for private property eminent domain abuse" The secretary of state has challenged our ballot language and we are waiting for a court to approve the language so we can start collecting signatures. Calzone stated that they hope to have the issue on the November 2010 ballot. "We want to give Missourians an opportunity to vote on this issue, but we are fighting the Missouri secretary of state and the Missouri Municipal League. They are using your tax dollars to try and stop you from voting on this Missouri issue.
Robyn Hamlin and Paul Hamby, Missouri state co-coordinators for Campaign for Liberty, both spoke to the group. Hamlin urged the group to recruit new members and step up as local coordinators. Hamby said "The vice chairman of the communist party spoke in Columbia Missouri this week. He believes that Obama is a transitional President and the next President will fully implement the Communist Manifesto. It is up to you and me to make sure that does not happen." To learn more visit http://www.campaignforliberty.com/usa/MO/
Categories: Ron Paul, Republican Party, Grassroots News, US Constitution, Current Events, State Legislation Tags: |
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This presentation was given at CD4 Meeting November 14 2009
Please write Letters to the Editor and call local talk radio. We must continue to influence the political conversation in Missouri. Issues Overview and Update: State level Oath Keepers - Every Sherriff in Missouri should be asked to sign in the next few months. C4L can and should lead this effort. Missouri Sovereignty - 10th amendment legislation. Several bills will be introduced this year in the spirit of the 10th amendment to the Federal constitution. But, these bills will have teeth. They will be more than just resolutions, they will be legislation that tells the Federal government NO - Missourians do not have to participate in xyz feel good liberal program and if there are federal dollars at stake, then keep them. We will not stand for Missourians being blackmailed by the Federal Govt to participate in their programs. Elected reps and candidates are signing the pledge at the the Missouri Soverignty Project. Ask each of your elected reps and candidates to sign the pledge http://www.missourisovereigntyproject.com/index.html Review your local schools educational material on government to assure it is accurate. Run for school board. George Washington on education; "A primary object...should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing...than communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of this country?" Issues Overview and Update; National Important Video Update from Congressman Ron Paul - www.campaignforliberty.com Main page for Audit The Fed Call Senator Bond & McCaskill. Your communication is VITAL to kill the bill
CATO - Hubris in Afghanistan http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2009/10/22/hubris-in-afghanistan/ Chuck Baldwin Climate Change Treaty A Precursor To Global Government? http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2009/cbarchive_20091030.html Write Letters to the Editor and call local talk radio. We must continue to influence the political conversation in Missouri. Letters to the editor are important even if they are not published. Editors will read all letters sent to them. Editors are the gatekeepers of the newspapers content. If enough people write about an issue, then they will likely do a story on that issue. Post commentary on your blog and local articles on the C4L webpage. Liberals win with empty emotion based appeals. i.e. Climate Change. Hope. Change. To change the world, we must reach those who do not yet agree with us and present logical arguments with positive solutions.
Campaign for Liberty Our Mission To promote and defend the great American principles of individual liberty, constitutional government, sound money, free markets, and a noninterventionist foreign policy, by means of educational and political activity. http://www.campaignforliberty.com/usa/MO/ Tags: |
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We now have the video evidence, courtesy of our undercover civilian journalist, James O'keefe, of the university creating reasons to shut down our protest.
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He continues: "They are given a barn to hide in from the harsh winds. They don't have to worry about becoming faster to be able to run away from predators, or being able to be more quiet and careful to hide from their predators. They don't have to work on being stronger or bigger in order to fight off the other cattle to get to the hay, as the farmer spreads the hay far and wide making sure they all have access to their share. Why were the cattle so lucky mom?" he asks. "I sure wish I got to live the easy life of the cow". The mother listens as she hears her baby ask these questions. She wonders for a second in the back of her mind, hmm, maybe they do have it better in some ways. Wouldn't we be better off if we had a farmer to take care of us? Then the mother hears human voices, and her and her fawns instincts kick in and they scamper off quickly and hide in the woods. She watches her child stumble a bit, but then is proud as he falls and quickly gets back up. She thinks of how he reminds her of the buck that was his father in how he can move so silently but yet so quickly. Noticing the nubs on his head just beginning to break the surface, and hoping his antlers grow large like his father's so he will be able to compete to find a good mate.
She then thinks of the hard winter that is coming up, and how they would need to start looking for sources of food beyond this grass that is growing freely. She thinks of how her child will have to be hungry and how it's possible that he won't survive, she thinks of what harm could come from him if he scampers off into the roadway and get's hit by a car. She wonders if she might be better off to dress him up like a calf so he could stay on the farm and be taken care of.
But then she sees him bucking freely, cherishing his independent nature as he tries to venture off just a little further than what she allows. She thinks about the freedom that he gets to experience, the freedom that comes from the independence, and thinks about how the cattle are completely dependent. They would not be able to take care of themselves if it was not for the farmer. They would never survive a cold winter, and they are never given the chance to know what it's like to actually have to survive. She thinks about how she saw all the cattle pushing each other around, greedily fighting over all the hay that was given to them, thinking about how their deer herd, in the coldest of winter, would always signal to each other when they found a patch of edible grass so that they all share. Later that night as they are getting ready to sleep she turns to her child. She begins to explain to him the concept of independence, which required them to take care of themselves. She explains how the cattle being reliant on the farmer had made them completely dependent on him. How that by becoming accustomed to this easy meal, the cattle had lost their way in the natural order of the world, and now they are reduced to begging for food every morning, even when these obese animals obviously did not need it that bad. They had lost all of their survival skills; they had lost all of their natural instincts that were given to them by god. Their souls had been compromised as the challenges given to them to make them stronger were removed, and all of the rewards that would have been gained from these challenges were just handed to them freely. And then explained how the fences may keep predators out, and keep the harm of the world away from you, but they also keep you in a cage, away from the beauty of the world. Everyday those cattle followed the same beaten path, never free to roam and explore on their own. They were not free to make mistakes, to learn from their mistakes, and to become better from their mistakes. These cattle were never able to live these experiences, to know how to value them, yet anytime there is a hole in the fence, you will catch them trying to escape. As born within all living creatures is the natural desire to be independent, to not be caged.
She explains to her child "Yes, we may occasionally go hungry, yes we don't have fences to keep us from harming ourselves, yes we don't have someone guarding us from the predators, but we were given by god something much more important than that, we were given the gift of freedom."
Categories: Civil Liberties, Domestic Policy, 3rd Parties, Just For Fun, Philosophy, Revolution, Social Issues, Socialism Tags: |
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Categories: Education, Media, Law, Republican Party, Democratic Party, US Constitution, Ethics, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Congress Tags: | |||||||
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I have voted republican for most of my life but George W. Bush showed me just how much difference there is between republicans and democrats. If anybody haves the opportunity to attend any town hall meeting before elections please asked this question and post the answer. They will surly agree that the government is too big and spend too much money. My question would be. If you were elected, what departments, agencies, and programs, would you fight to eliminate after taking office to reverse this problem. Categories: Just For Fun Tags: |
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Kathie Obradovich, the political columnist for the Des Moines Register, has a very fair article today ahead of Congressman Paul's visit to Iowa this Friday and Saturday. "Paul strives to engage young people"Read the article at this link. Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty Tags: Campaign for liberty, Iowa, ron paul |
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Sen Dodd is introducing legislation to create yet another agency to deal with the economy. This one will control consumer credit and banking. He does hint at minimizing, if not eleminating the Fed. This last possibility does offer a hint of good thinking. What he and so many other don't realize, or are afraid to admit, is the government actions that caused the meltdown to begin with. Abandoning the gold standard and the creation of the fed is the source of the problem. When the federal programs of fannie mae and freddie mac were enacted the fuse was lite. When we put people into a mortgage they can't afford and they have a history of not being responsible just what do you expect the outcome to be? To allow for that you simply have the taxpayers co-sign those notes. Because that worked so well, Mr. Obama and his followers in congress passed the cash for clunkers program. This in principle is very similar to the home purchase scam. Granted, they were both vote getters for the democrats, but it has devastated our nation in the process. I personally have had enough of this. I plan on doing something about it, the question is, DO YOU? Categories: Finance, US Constitution, Federal Legislation, Economy, Monetary Policy, Congress Tags: |
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Twelve killed, thirty one wounded. So far the talking heads on the right are highlighting the Islamic connection, and criticizing the left for their inability to utter the words, "muslim extremist." True enough, there are evil people in the world who corrupt and use Islam as a method for spreading hatred and random violence. But remember that Adolf Hitler and Timothy McVeigh both called themselves Christians -- and no one seriously questioned whether or not "Christianity" justified their actions. I think it is important we remember there are millions of muslims in the world who do not hate America, who are not suicide bombers in the making, whose religion teaches them peace and submission to God. The terrorists who call themselves muslims (but aren't) and who claim that Islam justifies their actions (though it doesn't) are just terrorists -- people using violence to secure political changes. My reason for re-iterating this point -- which I know has been made many times over -- is not only to preserve the just treatment of Muslims, but also to keep freedom-loving people in this country watchful for what I think is the next threat to gun rights in this country. If history is any indication, shortly following any of these brutal shootings in America, the left will renew its call for more gun control legislation, more government intrusion to make all of us "safe." I believe you will soon see our left-of-liberal president and our complicit legislators in both houses doing what liberals do best -- exploiting this tragedy for political gains, by trying to increase the span of government control over our lives and further limit our freedoms. The favorite way for the left to take away freedoms is with promise of security. We will be told that America's "gun culture" can't be trusted any longer -- we must turn in our guns, or we must submit to "psychiatric evaluations" to determine if we can be trusted, and we must trust our government caretakers to make us safe from those who would do us harm. Here's where we are going wrong by focusing attention on "Muslim extremists." We've been trained to believe only the government -- the military -- can save us from a whole religion bent on our society's ultimate destruction. Those freedom loving people among us who understand this atrocity was committed by a lone nut case -- whatever his beliefs may have been -- need to focus our efforts toward understanding the real threat here will be the loss of our gun rights. As with any tragedy like this if you read almost any account of the atrocity, you'll see quotes from people who survived saying, "I just wish I'd had a gun." The real danger in our society is not the presence of guns, but the lack of guns in the hands of good people. There are plenty of examples where shooters were stopped by "good guys with guns" (whether police or civilian.) The number of times an armed civilian ends a tragic event is understated because, 1) the left-leaning news orgainzations in our country don't like to report that an armed civilian played a role, and 2) sometimes just showing a gun and willingness to defend causes the bad guy to give up before he can really get started. (Both of these topics have been studied, and one can find statistics backing these claims.) So when we inevitably hear in a few days that we all need to give up our guns and let our government keep us safe, we need to be ready to ask, "why -- this tragedy happened on a US Military installation -- how can government make me any safer in my home than a US Military base?" When the government says, "then you'll need to submit to psychiatric evaluation to determine if you are 'fit' to have a gun," we need to be ready to ask, "why - this tragedy was perpetrated by a psychiatrist." This was just a guy who went nuts, and by focusing on the whole Muslim Terrorist thing we miss the point -- had someone in the room had a gun when this nut case started shooting, the dead and injured toll might not have climbed so high. That's the real take away.
************************************************ Updated: 11/12/2009: Finally, here is a group that gets it -- this email from the National Association of Gun Rights says it better than I did -- see the text posted at http://tinyurl.com/nagr-email Categories: Civil Liberties Tags: |
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Today, commemorating the fall of the Berlin wall 20 years ago, Washington University Young Americans for Liberty (WUYAL) staged an event on campus that incited great controversy. In order to demonstrate the consequences of socialism, WUYAL crafted a Soviet-style gulag. The four walled, 10 foot high stockade was displayed prominently in the middle of campus for most of the day. Around the prison marched guards dressed in Soviet regalia and inside were abused prisoners who had resisted the socialist regime. Playing in the background was the Soviet National Anthem and a speech containing propaganda to which the prisoners were forced to listen. Students had a wide range of responses to the event. Some were amused, some were inspired and began arguing the merits of capitalism with our soviet guards, some regarded the event as petty, and others remarked that it was offensive to Russian Americans. The gulag drew a local radio station, the campus newspaper, and many bloggers who interviewed participants and passers by. Flyers were distributed with information regarding the realities of socialism and the destruction which it has caused in the 20th century. It was not long before for some professors decided they were unpleased with this sort of political protest. A few walked by and remarked that they would "make some calls" in order to ensure that we were shut down. About two hours into the event, a university official approached the guards and demanded that we provide him with our paperwork. After successfully demonstrating that we were authorized by event services, he marched off. An hour or so later came a police officer following up on a complaint about the event which she received. After being assured that our event was peaceful, she too left. Finally, the University brought out the big guns. They came with several armed officers and a university official and instructed us to take down our protest on account of the fact that our tools were not inspected prior to the erection of the gulag. Despite the University's antagonism, our message got out. Though we were forced to take down our gulag, we were able to distribute hundreds of flyers and reveal the destructive side of socialism to many students. It is unfortunate that universities believe in free speech only for the far Left. Thankfully, we were able to elude their bureaucratic system long enough to make an effect. The following link is to a local radio station which covered the event. More pictures and videos will be attached as I receive them. http://www.kmox.com/Students-against-socialism-turn-heads-at-Washingto/5635175 **Update** Another media report here.
More pictures and video can be found here. Tags: |
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As our membership continues to grow, more and more elected officials are finding that liberty and freedom are a compelling message, and that is exactly what the people want. The following candidates, confirmed supporters of Campaign for Liberty's Mission Statement, won state and local seats in the November 3 elections: New Jersey Pennyslvania Virginia Washington Michigan New Hampshire Minnesota Florida
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Election News, Grassroots News, Revolution, Voting Tags: Candidates, Election, november 3, 2009, local |
Comments (9)
Well, it happened! The question each one of us needs to ask is, "what now"? Did we lose a battle? Have we lost the war? We begin by putting it all in perspective. The measure passed by only 5 votes! This is hardly a "mandate"! Was it along party lines, of course. However, 39 reps defected from the democratic program while only 1 defected from the republican camp. Do you think the "town Meetings" played a role? Do you think the efforts of C4L played a role? I say it did!! So now we brush off the dust and move on to the challange in the Senate. It is time to redouble our efforts. Perhaps we should start by dumping our memberships in AARP, calling our Senators everyday, and each of us recruiting one new member to C4L. We must strenghten our grassroots level activities. Perhaps we need to reserect the battlecry, " Now is the time........"
Categories: Health Freedom, Socialism, Congress Tags: |
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Counterfeiting Instructions:
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Civil Liberties, Health Freedom, Democratic Party, Grassroots News, Action Item, US Constitution, Federal Legislation, Revolution, Miscellany, Socialism, Voting, Economy, Monetary Policy, Congress Tags: insurance, Choice, Freedom, health control |
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Update on Audit the Fed - Legislation Stripped of Substance Washington D.C. November 4, 2009 - Late last week, it was learned that H.R. 1207, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act, a bill intended to bring greater transparency to the Federal Reserve, has been stripped of many of its most substantial reforms by House Financial Services Monetary Policy Subcommittee Chairman Congressman Mel Watt of North Carolina. "This move by Watt is just part of the usual strategy used by politicians to stop people from affecting change," said John Tate, President of Campaign for Liberty. "We're not giving up on this; we are still calling for a standalone vote on the bill as it was originally introduced." Congressman Ron Paul, who has championed the bill on Capitol Hill, has pledged to introduce an amendment in the full Committee to restore the bill's thorough audit provisions. Many are questioning the move by Watt to remove the critical language from a measure that has garnered overwhelming support in Congress and from the American people. To date, the bill has 306 cosponsors in the House, and 30 in the Senate, with a poll boasting 75% of Americans in favor of a Federal Reserve audit. There has been speculation that Watt, who serves a district in North Carolina that happens to include the headquarters of Bank of America, is being influenced by the powerful banking lobby. The final legislation could be included in a larger financial regulation package to be offered by House Democrats later in the session.
Categories: Ron Paul, Federal Legislation, Economy, Monetary Policy Tags: audit the fed, HR 1207, Mel Watt |
Comments (15)
Obama and the Liberal Paradigm The sheep are quite capable of looking out for themselves. Someone tell the Democrats. Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to President Barack Obama, recently explained the White House war on Fox News as an example of "speaking truth to power." Much of the American political world collapsed in laughter, pointing out that her boss was president of the United States, the most powerful man on earth. His every word is news around the world. Fox News is a cable channel rarely watched by more than a few million people at a time. How could she have so blithely said something completely out-of-sync with reality? Simple: She's a liberal. As a liberal she carries around in her head the liberal paradigm of how the world works and what needs to be done to make it work better. There's nothing wrong with that. We all use paradigms to make sense of what we see around us and couldn't get along without them. Unfortunately, the basic liberal paradigm hasn't shifted in a hundred years, while the world we live in has changed utterly since the late 19th century, when modern liberalism was born. What is that paradigm? The basic premise is that the population is divided into three groups. By far the largest group consists of ordinary people. They are good, God fearing and hard working. But they are also often ignorant of their true self-interest ("What's the matter with Kansas?") and thus easily misled. They are also politically weak and thus need to be protected from the second group, which is politically strong. The second group, far smaller, are the affluent, successful businessmen, corporate executives and financiers. Capitalists in other words. They are the establishment and it is the establishment that, by definition, runs the country. They are, in the liberal paradigm, smart, ruthless and totally self-interested. They care only about personal gain. And then there is the third group, those few, those happy few, that band of brothers, the educated and enlightened liberals, who understand what is really going on and want to help the members of the first group to live a better and more satisfying life. Unlike the establishment, which supposedly cares only for itself, liberals supposedly care for society as a whole and have no personal self-interest. Thus the liberal paradigm divides the American body politic into sheep, wolves, and would-be shepherds. The shepherds must defeat the efforts of the wolves. This paradigm, while never wholly accurate and, of course, always self-serving (as political philosophies tend to be), had a basis in reality in the late 19th century. Then, industrial capitalism was being born and the rules needed to ensure that it worked for all, not just the capitalists, were only beginning to evolve. A few lived at an incredible level of affluence, such as can be seen in the summer "cottages" in Newport, R.I., and had disproportionate influence with government. In 1900 one-third of the Senate were millionaires at a time when a million dollars made you very, very rich. But millions of Americans lived in abject poverty, toiling long, dangerous hours as industrial workers or as sharecroppers in the impoverished South. These millions were indeed ignorant and weak. Even as late as 1937, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in his great second inaugural address, could quite accurately note the fact that he could "see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished." But by that time, liberals had stormed-and taken-the citadel of power. Between 1896 and 1932, the Republicans had been the majority party in this country and the conservatism of that day the ruling doctrine. Then, in 1932, Democrats swept into control of both Congress and the White House. They were now the establishment, as liberalism became the dominant American political philosophy, a status it kept for more than 40 years. A liberal revolution from the top began as the New Deal created a safety net for American families and reformed the banking and financial systems by greatly enlarging the government and what it regulated. At the end of World War II, college education became far more affordable, thanks to the GI Bill and other measures. The GI Bill also fostered home ownership, which for the first time became the norm among nonfarm families, giving them significant wealth. The sheep were becoming capitalists too. Between 1947 and the mid-1960s, the civil-rights movement overturned centuries of racial discrimination and greatly narrowed the gap between American claims of liberty and equality and American reality. By the 1970s, the percentage of Americans living in poverty had been greatly reduced and those still below the poverty line were receiving assistance such as food stamps, housing assistance, and refundable tax credits that lifted most of them above the line. Race was no longer a barrier to accomplishment. The majority of American families now lived at a level of affluence and financial security known only to a few in the early 20th century. The liberal revolution of the middle third of that century was, in short, one of the greatest-and most peaceful-political triumphs in history. And because of it, most of the sheep are now more than able to look out for themselves, having the means and education to do so. The wolves have been fitted for electric collars that largely keep them from straying into the wrong fold. Now if only someone would tell the shepherds about their own success. Ms. Jarrett still sees herself and her political allies as being on the outside, speaking truth to power, even when speaking from the Oval Office. The Congressional Black Caucus still routinely sees a pervasive racism, even though both the president of the United States and the chairman of the Republican National Committee are black. The rich are still looked upon by liberals as enemies of the poor and disadvantaged, even though Mr. Obama not only carried a majority of voters earning less than $50,000 but also a majority of those earning over $200,000. He did, in other words, as well among the wolves as he did among the sheep. Not only does the liberal paradigm not even come close to agreeing with the social and economic reality on the ground today, worse, it has largely congealed into a political religion, especially in the nearly 30 years since Ronald Reagan shifted the nation's political center of gravity, just as FDR had done 48 years earlier. Since liberals care about the sheep, all who disagree with liberalism must not, making them morally inferior if not downright immoral. Thus the nastiness in American politics is largely on the left. Whatever you think of Sarah Palin, her treatment in the liberal press was ugliness personified. The conservatives of today bear little resemblance to those of the 1930s that cartoonist Peter Arno immortalized heading down to Manhattan's Trans-Lux theater to hiss newsreels of FDR. They are instead abubble with ideas to reform aspects of American politics and economics that badly need reform, such as the tax and legal systems, and the impending entitlements crisis. They want to utilize the great power of markets to force efficiency, drive down costs, and drive up yields. But liberals refuse to engage those ideas, simply because they are not liberal ideas and must, therefore, be wrong if not the latest plot by the wolves to exploit the sheep. But in a world where a majority of Americans work at white-collar jobs, have high-school and college degrees, own their own homes, and hold financial securities in their own right, the so-called wolves are now a majority. If liberals don't begin to take that fact into account in formulating policy, the Obama administration will not only be an unsuccessful liberal administration, it may well be the last liberal administration. Mr. Gordon is the author of "Hamilton's Blessing: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Our National Debt," out in a revised edition by Walker & Co. early next year. Categories: Domestic Policy, US Constitution, Federal Legislation, Philosophy, Congress Tags: |
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I have been searching for others of like mind. Those of us that have joined this movement have a common thread in that we realize the precarious state of OUR country. We have let this happen because we didn't get involved. Now is the time to stand up and be identified. How about filling out some profile information for starters. Who are we, where do we live, what is our sphere of influence, and most of all what are our ideas. Now is the time to storm the beaches and take OUR country back!! Paul Mackey Categories: Grassroots News, Action Item, Revolution Tags: |
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I would like to extend a personal invitation to everyone here at C4L to come down to the Uptown Theater to watch V for Vendetta on November 5, 2009. Please come down to the Valentine Room along the north side of the Uptown around 6 pm. We should start the movie about 7 pm. I will be in costume so polish up your Guy Fawkes masks if you have them. Categories: Just For Fun, Current Events Tags: gay, fawkes, november, uptown, Party, Movie |
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The Canadian Government participated in the 2009 bailout of GM. The Canadians spent 2 million tax dollars per union job at GM to 'save' those jobs. Mexico really appreciates the USA and Canada saving GM since many of those jobs are headed to Mexico who spent 0 on bailing out GM. The US Government spent billions of tax dollars in the so-called stimulus bills to create jobs. Their definition of jobs includes many that are short term construction jobs or seed money jobs that leave local and state governments responsible for long term funding of those jobs. Government created jobs always come at the cost of private sector spending because government must take from taxpayers to give to the chosen group. Kansas Senator Brownback is touting a new animal research facility coming to Manhattan Kansas. The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility will deal with highly contagious diseases such as foot-and-mouth. Brownback said entrepreneurs working to turn the lab's discoveries into products for farmers and ranchers will want to set up shop in Kansas, creating jobs. This will be the first time foot and mouth live virus will exist on the North American continent since 1929. USDA plans to bring all these live viruses right to the heart of livestock country. The risk? Foot and Mouth disease is one of the most contagious viruses known. In 2001, an outbreak of the airborne disease in England devastated the livestock industry causing hundreds of thousands of animals to be killed and burned, Buildings were burned and and some farmers committed suicide. The total cost of the catastrophe was estimated at $13 billion dollars. The source of the live virus was a research facility similar to what the USDA is planning to put in Manhattan Kansas. The cause of the outbreak was human error. USDA says it will be safe to put this facility in Kansas. Of course, Kansas is known for Tornadoes. Think of a little girl, a house, a dog named TOTO and now a vial of live virus tumbling through the air. Just last week, former Missouri Senator Jim Talent warned Missourians to be vigilant and prepared for agro-terrorism. Please don't share the location of the new research facility or the truck routes to it with any potential terrorists. Jobs for Kansas! At what risk and cost? The recession is over! 3rd quarter GDP numbers show that the US economy grew in the 3rd quarter of 2009. So by the dictionary definition, the recession is over. Of course that increase in spending that caused the 3rd quarter increase was fueled by government spending of stimulus dollars and cash for clunkers. All of those stimulus dollars were borrowed money that you the taxpayer are now paying interest on. Meanwhile the unemployment rate is still hovering near 10%. Consumers are being frugal and spending cash while borrowing less. Nearly every economic recovery in history was created by private businesses hiring new workers. The only exception was recession ended by War Time Spending. The number one creator of jobs in America are small businesses. When a small business creates a job, it is a win / win situation. The worker must create value and profit for the company. The worker benefits with a fair wage and the company benefits with a fair profit. If Pelosi/Reid/Obama pass their Cap & Trade bill or Health Care Control Bill or if they raise taxes as they have clearly indicated they want to do, then they will squeeze small businesses to the point of not being able to hire more workers and expand. The result: This recession will be back in 2010 with a fury similar to the heat felt in the 1930's. Please call your Congressman and Senators and tell them No Cap & Trade! No Government controlled Health Care! No New Taxes! Paul Hamby Maysville Missouri 816 632 0602 Categories: Education, Finance, Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Action Item, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Economy, Monetary Policy, Congress Tags: |
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Yes! Ron Paul 2008 grassroots presidential campaign started the fire. The tea party movement spread the message in 2009 along with the Audit The Fed movement and the August recess Townhall meetings. The media and the liberals tried to downplay the movement that was most visible September 12 at the 912 march on Washington DC. That message is the American voters do not want more government. They do not want higher taxes. They do not want National Healthcare or Cap & Trade. They do want transparency for The Fed and Congress. They want free markets, individual freedoms protected and Americans want a non-interventionist foreign policy. Pat yourself on the back, all the work you have done in the past 2 years just forced the Liberal Republican to pull out of the race in NY23 leaving only the independent conservative opposite the democrat. This race is like a splitting mall hammered into the wood of the Big Government GOP establishment. The Arlen Specter / Lindsey Graham wing of the GOP just got a huge wack on that splitting mall and the first RINO fell before the first vote was even cast. The historical significance of the Republican establishment backed candidate withdrawing from this race is unprecedented. It was due to grass roots pressure. Yes, some big names signed on the effort as late coming opportunists, but the true pressure was from you. Congratulations! On with the revolution!
Paul Hamby (who was proud to be a volunteer for Ron Paul 2008) Tags: |
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A Local Coordinator is a volunteer who is willing to go door to door in their precinct or neighborhood regarding an issue that affects their neighborhood. The times that people will go door to door are generally prior to an election to hand out information on candidates or issue that will be on the ballot, when there is a community or neighborhool issue that you want to raise awareness about, or just a neighborhood bar-b-que. Local Coordinators are the most valuable people to make a change in elections. There are 180,000 precincts in the country and if we can get 180,000 people who are willing to be Local Coordinators it will be very easy to make a difference in elections. For instance, if your county has 30 precincts and you have 25-50 people who agree on something that have stepped up to be Local Coordinators it is very easy to get information to people. We all are aware of the problems with the talking box (aka television) and newspapers. Many times they give an opinions and not facts but the people who watch or read them seem to think that they are seeing or hearing facts. Let's use the example of a new road. If a county wants to put in a new road for the benefit of a company in a neighboring county the currently elected county officials discuss it and how much it will cost. There are usually a few articles in the local paper about it and maybe a talking head will mention it once or twice. The request for the funding is put on the municipal ballot and people are asked to vote for or against it. Just how much information do the voters really have about the issue? Because this is not really a partisan issue the republican and democratic precinct leaders are probably not going to do any canvassing of their precincts to provide information to the people. Republican and Democratic precinct leaders mainly canvass to keep or get back their party's power or dominance. If there were liberty minded Local Coordinators who would go door to door with information regarding the project the voters would be better informed. Maybe provide a copy of the budget for the highway that shows where the county intends to get the funds from, information that shows the layout of the proposed road, information about who benefits the most from the road, and information about what property the county will intend to take through emininent domain for the project. This information is needed by voters to make informed decisions and they are not going to get it from partisan parties so it us up to us, We The People. The Local Coordinator would also remind people when the election day was and maybe even offer to provide a ride for their neighbors who don't drive. The Campaign For Liberty Local Coordinator program has great tools and teaching programs to help people learn about their precinct. While not necessary they are EXTEMELY helpful as you learn how many voters you have, how many people vote in the general election verses the municipal elections, which way your neighborhood generally votes, etc. As an active Local Coordinator your neighbors will start to look to you as a source of information after you have canvassed your area a few times. They will recognize you and most are happy that someone has stepped up and is willing to provide them with information that they don't get from the talking box or dying newspapers. How many of you walked your neighborhood to hand out information regarding Ron Paul? If you could walk your neighborhood to give out information regarding the presidential elections why can't you walk your neighborhood to give out information regarding local issues that directly affect you and your neighbors? To restore constitutional principles to our country we must to restore order to our local governing bodies. To make our voices heard we must stand together. As we work on our local areas as a Local Coordinator we can and will re-awaken the spirit of our country and remind people that what made our country great was less government, not more. Local elections are extremely important to fix the foundation of our government. Please join the Campaign For Liberty and become a Local Coordinator in your neighborhood. If you are a dues-paying member, Click here to complete your enrollment in the Local Coordinator program! If you are already a Local Coordinator please take advantage of the tools available to you on your dashboard under the Local Coordinator Tools link. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. You can message me here if your are logged into the Campaign For Liberty site or here if you are not a member yet. The R3volution continues with people taking action. Robyn Hamlin Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Education, Civil Liberties, Election News, Grassroots News, Action Item, Current Events, Revolution, Miscellany, State Legislation, Voting Tags: local coordinator, precinct leader, revolution, neighborhood issues, local elections |
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In 1994 during the Clinton Universal Healthcare push the Congressional Budget Office released a report saying: "A mandate requiring all individuals to purchase health insurance would be an unprecedented form of federal action. The government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States. An individual mandate would have two features that, in combination, would make it unique. First, it would impose a duty on individuals as members of society. Second, it would require people to purchase a specific service that would be heavily regulated by the federal government." Categories: Civil Liberties, Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Federal Legislation, Current Events Tags: |
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"Oh no," said my friend. "I've taken plenty of economics courses and you won't convince me of that." I said, "well think about this... If the money supply was limited by say gold and no more money was put into the system, how could all the prices keep rising?" I think he got the point.
The above drawing also explains why both Republicans and Democrats choose to ignore the will of the people and instead give their votes to lobbyists and the entities they represent. There are people who possess money and those who have the power to control it. You don't have to pay taxes on money you control, only that which you possess. Unfortunately, they've been able to get away with this through mutual propaganda and a previously disinterested public. So how does the quality of wealth transfer?
Just like illegal conterfieters, the Federal Reserve prints money and loans it to the government at interest. According to James Bullard, President of the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, the Fed will have to double the money supply to pay for the bailouts and budget deficits. The printer of the money and those who receive it first get the full value or quality of the new money because, the effects of inflation, i.e. the rise in prices hasn't occured yet. As the money flows to the right in the drawing, the market responds to the more plentiful commodity of dollar bills with a slight rise in prices. So those who receive the money a little later don't get the same buying power as those they received it from, but still pretty good. Eventually, the middle class gets the money, but by now prices have increased to the point that the dollar bills are worth have as much as when they started out. Unless you get a promotion, it is unlikely that you've been getting pay raises to keep up with the rising prices. So, when once there was a time that the middle class could put down 20% on a house and save for their childrens college on their own, buy what they needed without credit and the accompanying interest, save for their own retirement, and live in security. All of this on ONE income. They are now becoming an endangered species getting to the point where more and more will succumb to the temptation of selling their liberty loving souls to the care of the government while being told it's the patriotic thing to do. As mentioned before, the elderly's retirement accounts now have half of the buying power they had before the money supply was inflated. The previously lower classes are now destitute.
The Federal Reserve system does not create wealth for most Americans. For most it will only creates peasants, while the elites will get more power and pass unconstitutional laws of enslaving collectivism, and the extremely wealthy will end up paying the extortionists to keep their positions and their lives.
The first step to prevent this, or an eventual bloody revolution is to audit the Federal Reserve and make sure that their dirty dealings are explained so the people will demand that we get back to sound money, and true liberty with REAL properity within grasp for those who strive for it. Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it, and those who ignore the past are doomed to forget it. Categories: Finance, Domestic Policy, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Economy, Monetary Policy Tags: |
Murray Rothbard explains this very well in "The Case Against the Fed," but I had a little time on my hands so, I thought I would put this into graphical form. I was at work recently, and my general political views are fairly well known there. I don't remember how the subject came up, but someone had asked me something about the economy and I was explaining how the Federal Reserve was ripping us off through "Reserve Creation." I mentioned that rising prices isn't just a natural event. It is the result of reserve creation, or more properly inflation of the money supply.No comments yet.
Well over a hundred people gathered and voiced their opinions on the media bias present in mainstream media. The protest was decided to center on KSDK Channel 5 (most popular, or should I say LEAST POPULAR), on Market Street, Downtown St. Louis. Look for media coverage of the event on Channel 5. They came out to cover it, as they did not have to travel very far (just outside their lobby, on public property). As one sign pointed out: Truth is Treason in the Empire of Lies. Categories: Media, Social Issues Tags: media bias |
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My folks raised sheep for several years. They live up to their reputation of being followers. Sheep will blindly go where they are led. Mom's best old sheep dog was a tough scrappy mix breed. A Collie crossed with Great Pyrenees. It was a joy to watch her lead, guide and protect the sheep. I have witnessed her killing coyotes who would have eaten the young lambs. I have seen her fend off wild dogs who were only interested in the sport of killing. She would summon Dad if one of the sheep was in distress and needed human intervention. Webster defines Sheep Dog as (shep dôg , -dog ) n. A dog trained to guard and herd sheep. Seems to me that is exactly what Missouri Campaign for Liberty members do. The sheep are the voters. The coyotes and wild dogs are the biased or ill informed media, politicians and others who don't respect the rule of law or the constitution and special interests promoting public/private partnerships (Mercantilism) Your job is one with much at stake. Thank you for volunteering to be a Missouri Sheep Dog
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Education, Media, Globalism, Law, Domestic Policy, Democratic Party, Grassroots News, Federal Legislation, Philosophy, Revolution, Economy, Monetary Policy, Congress Tags: |
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Campaign for Liberty set up a booth this past weekend, passing out hundreds of US Constitutions (as well as Missouri Constitutions). We were able to make up the costs of the booth through donations as well. One thing nice about the booth, was the number of interesting characters we met. One guy was really tanked, double fisting 1-liter beers, came up to us with a "(expletive removed) the Government". I'm sure he got up in the morning (make that late morning) wondering how he got a copy of the Constitution. The vast majority of the people we did talk to were of a sober mind, very interested in the word of freedom. Categories: Grassroots News Tags: oktoberfest |
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The Conscience of a CapitalistThe Whole Foods founder talks about his Journal health-care op-ed that spawned a boycott, how he deals with unions, and why he thinks CEOs are overpaid.By STEPHEN MOORE"I honestly don't know why the article became such a lightning rod," says John Mackey, CEO and founder of Whole Foods Market Inc., as he tries to explain the firestorm caused by his August op-ed on these pages opposing government-run health care. "I think a lot of people who got angry haven't read what I actually wrote. There was a lot of emotional reaction-fear and anger. I just wanted to get people to think about whether there was a better way to reform the system." Mr. Mackey has flown into Washington, D.C., for a board meeting of the Global Animal Partnership, a group that advocates for the humane treatment of animals. There was no private jet: He arrived on Southwest Airlines from Austin, Texas, and he bought the "Wanna Getaway" bottom basement fare. "I barely got the last aisle seat," he says. While in town he stays in the bedroom of his regional president, who lives in Maryland. For the 12th straight year, Mr. Mackey's company has been praised as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" by Fortune Magazine. Whole Foods sells healthy food, practices "socially responsible trade," and prides itself on promoting foods that are grown to support "biodiversity and healthy soils." Mr. Mackey donates 5% of company profits to charity and has been one of America's loudest critics of runaway compensation on Wall Street. And he pays himself $1 a year. He would seem to be a model corporate citizen. Yet his now famous op-ed incited a boycott of Whole Foods by some of his left-wing customers. His piece advised that "the last thing our country needs is a massive new health-care entitlement that will create hundreds of billions of dollars of new unfunded deficits and move us closer to a complete government takeover of our health-care system." Free-market groups retaliated with a "buy-cott," encouraging people to purchase more groceries at Whole Foods. Why did he write the piece in the first place? "President Obama called for constructive suggestions for health-care reform," he explains. "I took him at his word." Mr. Mackey continues: "It just seems to me there are some fundamental reforms that we've adopted at Whole Foods that would make health care much more affordable for the uninsured." What Mr. Mackey is proposing is more or less what he has already implemented at his company-a plan that would allow more health savings accounts (HSAs), more low-premium, high-deductible plans, more incentives for wellness, and medical malpractice reform. None of these initiatives are in any of the Democratic bills winding their way through Congress. In fact, the Democrats want to kill HSAs and high-deductible plans and mandate coverage options that would inflate health insurance costs. The Whole Foods health-care story has been largely ignored by proponents of a government-run system. But it could be a template for those in Washington who want to drive down costs and insure the uninsured. Mr. Mackey says that combining "our high deductible plan (patients pay for the first $2,500 of medical expenses) with personal wellness accounts or health savings accounts works extremely well for us." He estimates the plan's premiums plus other costs at $2,100 per employee, and about $7,000 for a family. This is about half what other companies typically pay. "And," he is quick to add, "we do cover pre-existing conditions after one year of service." Whole Foods also puts several hundred dollars into a health savings account for each worker.This money can be used to cover routine medical expenses, like drug purchases or antismoking programs. If that money is not used in a year, the workers can save the money to pay for expenses in later years. This type of plan does not excite proponents of a single-payer system, who think that individuals can't make wise health-care choices, and that this type of system is "antiwellness" because it discourages spending on preventive care. Mr. Mackey scoffs at that idea: "The assumption behind that is that people don't care about their own health, and that somebody else has to-a nanny or somebody-has to take care of me because people are too stupid to make these decisions themselves. That's not been our experience. We find our team members [employees], not surprisingly, seem to care a whole lot about their health." Not surprisingly, Mr. Mackey is a fanatic about healthy eating. "A healthy diet is a solution to many of our health-care problems. It's the most important solution. How much sugar do you think Americans consume?" he asks. I shrug and he rattles off the statistics: "Every man, woman and child consumes, on average, 43 teaspoons of sugar a day. In 13 days that adds up to a five-pound bag of sugar." "We can spend all the money we want on bypass surgeries, chemotherapy and diabetes, but . . . two-thirds [of Americans] are overweight, one-third are obese." He's on a roll: "And it's not that they have to shop at a Whole Foods Market. But people need to eat whole food plant foods, primarily . . . whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. That diet supports our lives. We ought to live to be 90 or 100 without getting any diseases." Healthy eating, curbing the obesity epidemic-it's hard to find much of anything Mr. Mackey says that's controversial. But the health-care reform lobby continues to attack Whole Foods as if he were an apostate. In response to the hullabaloo, Mr. Mackey has been understandably defensive. In early September, he wrote about the op-ed on his blog: "I gave my personal opinions. Whole Foods has no official position on the issue." So I ask him, does he regret writing the article? "I regret the controversy that it caused for Whole Foods, but I don't regret writing it, because I think what I said is true and it needed to be said. I wasn't seeing anyone else saying it." Then he adds, half-jokingly: "I've written one op-ed piece in 31 years. It might be 31 more before I write another one." I ask if he thinks the attacks were instigated by unions. While many other grocery chains are unionized, Whole Foods is not. "Well, the unions have had an adversarial relationship with us," he replies. "I don't think all the protests are strictly union-based, but I do think the unions have contributed to that. I think they've piled on and in some cases are orchestrating some of it." He says he can't divulge private information about whether the boycott hurt sales, but the stock hasn't taken any hit. "I sometimes think that unions don't understand that we live in a free society and people have the right to not select union representation if they don't want it. I oftentimes hear things like 'Whole Foods is preventing people from unionizing,' which is a lie. That's illegal. We can't prevent anyone from unionizing," Mr. Mackey says. So why aren't they choosing it? "Because it's not in their best interest," he insists. "We have better benefits and higher pay" than Whole Foods' unionized competitors. "We wish the unions would respect people's right to not have a union." Do they keep agitating? "Yeah, they do." John Mackey is unlike any other Fortune 500 CEO I have met. He's got ruffled, curly hair, is thin and amazingly fit. He recently completed a three-week hike on the Appalachian Trail. He dresses casually, and his demeanor is almost always laid back. But his close friends say, don't let that fool you. Mr. Mackey is fiercely competitive and hates to lose-two traits that help a lot in business. His odyssey from a long-haired counterculture anticapitalist in the early 1970s to running a company that now has $8 billion in sales and 280 stores-is a remarkable tale in itself. He attended the University of Texas where he studied philosophy and religion. "I never got my college degree," he admits proudly. He started Whole Foods in 1978 with one store in Austin with $45,000 of seed capital raised from families and friends. "We lost half of it in the first year and then made $5,000 the next year." He wanted to double down and asked the board to put up more money to expand and build bigger stores. "And of course they thought I was nuts. 'You lost half of our money in the first year.'" The fledgling CEO convinced them that "if we don't grow, we probably won't survive." The first major super store in 1980 was a success "almost by 3 o'clock on the day it opened." It's been an upward trajectory of profits and sales ever since. "Before I started my business, my political philosophy was that business is evil and government is good. I think I just breathed it in with the culture. Businesses, they're selfish because they're trying to make money." At age 25, John Mackey was mugged by reality. "Once you start meeting a payroll you have a little different attitude about those things." This insight explains why he thinks it's a shame that so few elected officials have ever run a business. "Most are lawyers," he says, which is why Washington treats companies like cash dispensers. Mr. Mackey's latest crusade involves traveling to college campuses across the country, trying to persuade young people that business, profits and capitalism aren't forces of evil. He calls his concept "conscious capitalism." What is that? "It means that business has the potential to have a deeper purpose. I mean, Whole Foods has a deeper purpose," he says, now sounding very much like a philosopher. "Most of the companies I most admire in the world I think have a deeper purpose." He continues, "I've met a lot of successful entrepreneurs. They all started their businesses not to maximize shareholder value or money but because they were pursuing a dream." Mr. Mackey tells me he is trying to save capitalism: "I think that business has a noble purpose. It's not that there's anything wrong with making money. It's one of the important things that business contributes to society. But it's not the sole reason that businesses exist." What does he mean by a "noble purpose"? "It means that just like every other profession, business serves society. They produce goods and services that make people's lives better. Doctors heal the sick. Teachers educate people. Architects design buildings. Lawyers promote justice. Whole Foods puts food on people's tables and we improve people's health." Then he adds: "And we provide jobs. And we provide capital through profits that spur improvements in the world. And we're good citizens in our communities, and we take our citizenship very seriously at Whole Foods." I ask Mr. Mackey why he doesn't collect a paycheck. "I'm an owner. I have the exact same motivation any shareholder would have in the Whole Foods Market because I'm not drawing a salary from the company. How much money does anybody need?" More to the point, he says, "If the business prospers, I prosper. If the business struggles, I struggle. It's good for morale." He hastens to add that "I'm not saying anybody else should do what I do." Well, that's not exactly true. Mr. Mackey has been vocal in his opposition to recent CEO salaries. "I do think that it's the responsibility of the leadership of an organization to constrain itself for the good of the organization. If you look at the history of business in America, CEOs used to have much more constraint in compensation and it's gone up tremendously in the last 30 years." He bemoans the trend that once a Fortune 500 CEO made about 25 times the average worker pay, and now that's climbed to 300 times average employee pay. He says this violates the principle of "internal equity-what your leadership is getting paid relative to everyone else in the organization." But there's one other institution John Mackey thinks needs a makeover-and that's government. He describes what the Federal Reserve has done with massive money creation as "debauchery of the currency." He thinks the bailouts were a travesty. "I don't think anybody's too big to fail," he says. "If a business fails, what happens is, there are still assets, and those assets get reorganized. Either new management comes in or it's sold off to another business or it's bid on and the good assets are retained and the bad assets are eliminated. I believe in the dynamic creativity of capitalism, and it's self-correcting, if you just allow it to self-correct." That's something Washington won't let happen these days, which helps explain why Mr. Mackey felt compelled to write that the Whole Foods health-insurance program is smarter and cheaper than the latest government proposals. As he races out the door to catch a flight to spread the gospel of conscious capitalism elsewhere, I only hope he gets an aisle seat. He deserves it. Mr. Moore is senior economics writer for The Wall Street Journal editorial page.
Categories: Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, US Constitution, Social Issues, Economy Tags: |
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First let me begin by saying I am not a lawyer or an elected official. Let me follow that by saying that I do not have an infinite amount of time to read every possible bit of information published in my locale alone about economic development. I do read the local paper, partake of some television and radio news, visit websites pertinent to this issue, discuss these sorts of topics with family and friends, and draw on a lifetime of trying to think for myself. I consider myself well educated; I can read and use a dictionary. The topic for this post is central planning, as applied to a local economy. In my state there is a legal mechanism for significantly reducing, for a number of years, the property taxes paid on new development. This is justified under "economic development." (If economic development is the cathedral, job creation is the altar.) Since 1981, apparently, under what was called the "Enterprise Zone," this was done such that industries could be enticed to build facilities and generate jobs in my area. Since the property tax abatements under this program are to be retired by 2013, this is being supplanted by the EEZ, or "Enhanced Enterprise Zone." This program "designates an area in which incentives are offered to targeted businesses for location or expansion, and these benefits can only be offered in areas/census tracts which meet the conditions of poverty or blight," according to a statement by the director of my local Economic Commission. My entire city qualifies. What are the incentives, you ask? They are:
Apparently when the statute was crafted, there was concern that an EEZ would be designed to include tracts of property piecemeal, amounting to a "gerrymandering" of economic development. In order to render this impossible, larger whole tracts are required--I believe contiguous census tracts. This is perhaps due to the fact that 1) by state law, the area must have a certain population range (requiring census data) and 2) also by state law, the area must meet certain unemployment and income guidelines (again, census data required.)* See relevant Missouri statute, RSMo Section 135: Here We are told by our city's central planners that, though much of the proposed EEZ is not "plagued by blight," some areas/properties are in economic distress, such that on average, my entire city meets the numerical definition of blight. This is the part where I just have to put my foot down. I don't think my property is included, but the EEZ boundaries have changed multiple times, so there is little comfort in that. What concerns me more is that my destiny is tied to the city's--those of you living just outside a city will understand--and, as per the Golden Rule, I can't bear to see this travesty visited on my neighbors. What concerns me the most, however, are two things:
[*Now we see how those intrusive census questions, i.e., "How much do you make per year?" are put to use.] For whatever reason, the people of my nearby city do not seem to be as upset about this as the county residents are. Two hearings have been scheduled, both of which are open to residents of both the city and county:
I sincerely hope these hearings are very heavily attended. celticreeler
Categories: Grassroots News, Action Item, State Legislation, Economy Tags: missouri, Taxes, property, Blight, Economic Development, Central Planning |
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The Missouri Republic Roger Teagarden - Editor, Publisher 10/05/2009 Let no man turn aside, ever so slightly, from the broad path of honor, on the plausible pretence that he is justified by the goodness of his end. All good ends can be worked out by good means. --- Charles Dickens ______________ RE: Rules of the game We often ask what is wrong with America. We all are aware that there are many things wrong with America. There are many wrongs we can dwell upon. We can ponder, fret and worry into time immemorial. We can do that. But I think it is time we changed the rules of the American game. We have been playing cards with a stacked deck and crooked players for so long that most of us have forgotten what an honest game is like. It did exist at one time and if it did exist then we can get it back. We can play the game by following the rules as set forth by the Founding Fathers. I think it is time we actually followed the rules as set forth by the Founding Fathers in the original documents; the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to name but two. Our Founding Fathers repeatedly stressed that the citizens of America were to be active citizens. By that; we were supposed to be aware of what was politically occurring in the nation's capital as well as the state capital and our own counties as well as our own towns. And we were supposed to take an active part in the management of America. We have the aware part with the use of the internet; now its time to take that active part. Toward this end when we see hear or detect any deviation from the Broad path of honor as laid down by the Founding Fathers, I highly suggest you sit down at your computer compose and write a formal complaint letter. Rewrite your letter until you feel as though it will serve its purpose then send it off to the US Justice Department, Civil Rights Division, 950 Pennsylvania Ave N.W., Washington DC 20530-0001. I understand that most folks are terrified of sending letters off to the federal government. But all it has always seemed to me that the back-off of not wanting to send letters is part and parcel of not wanting to get involved. That is a Black Propaganda Campaign designed specifically to cut the communication lines between the elected and the people. Once this comm line is cut then the bad guys can stand their own people for election and push their own agenda as well as imposing socialistic laws and repressive regulations. Just recognize that for the past twenty, thirty or more years you have been bombarded with the evening news, movies, magazine articles and other claptrap which painted a picture that we were not supposed to get involved. What a load of horse manure. Nothing could be further from the truth of how we are supposed to act as responsible citizens. The idea is; Western Countries have minimal police forces, minimal taxes, and minimal government. Government relies on the average citizen taking responsibility. So do it. Be active. Be responsible. Ask for a grievance to be addressed. Compare the polls to the elected's vote and if they do not jibe then complain loudly about the obvious misrepresentation the elected did in your district. Scream about the tax give away to illegals. Yell about auditing the FED. And especially rage about the lack of a transparent legislature trying to ramrod bills through congress. And send em on to the newspapers of your area. They need to be fed stories to stay in business. The American government works for us, the American citizen, all we have to do is insist they do their jobs. It will all work out in the end if we just demand they do their jobs. Demand your product. _____________ The Missouri Republic and the themissourirepublic.com are protected speech pursuant to the "inalienable rights" of all men, and the First (and Second) Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. In God we trust 2009 © Roger W. Teagarden Categories: Grassroots News, US Constitution Tags: Rules of the game |
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Over the past few months I have been thinking about freedom, liberty and how we, as citizens can restore limited, Constitutional government. We have allowed our formerly federal government to transform itself into a national government.
The national government involves itself in every aspect of our lives. Even in areas where it was obvious, such as education, that the Founders had no intention of a federal government role, our national government butts in. Categories: Miscellany, Congress Tags: States, 10th amendment, Tenth Amendment, Federalism, federal government, national government, state legislatures, 17th amendment, 16th Amendment, sovereignty, Freedom, Liberty, Constitution, tea party |
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I have been involved in the City of St. Louis' relationship with developer Paul McKee Jr., and the $391 Million T.I.F. that the City is considering. The City is being asked, by McKee to cover half of the bonds. The Board of Commisioners approved the first Redevelopment Plan, and much was said about the non-inclusion of the use (or abuse ) of eminent domain AT THIS POINT in the process. So I have walked and talked with members of the North Side Community Benefits Alliance, and City Affair, and I have suggested that they now hold the stage that can be successfully utilized to draw attention, not to the statements of Paul McKee and the City, but rather to th neighborhood itself, and the State ballot initiative process, and where it stands, stalled today. The benefit to North Side, is to draw attention to it as a neighborhood, complete with businesses, schools and churches, the fabric of community, and not the black hole of "blight" and ghetto that is the image of it to most Greater St. Louis residents. So, we have proposed a parade...of sorts. We want to have a central location, that will have speakers, possibly Dick Gregory, possibly Ron Calzone....understand this is a crash and build project, likely to happen in three weeks, and so no formal notice or acknowledgemnt has yet occured... but these are likely, very likely possibilities. We want people to meet at designated spots... three, or four of them, and then walk in to North Side, tentatively to St. Louis Place Park. People...hopefully thousands of people, will walk past homes, with residents and their children waving a welcome from their brick porches. Possibly the streams of attendees will be led by high school bands, and hopefully, we can have this filmed from the air, as the streams of people converge in a show of strength that we want the ballot initiative freed up and submitted....NOW! North Side is obviously NOT Republican. And I can tell you, they are not being served by the Democrats either. To date, any of the "known" players, have taken a hands off approach, because there is no butter, nor bread in it for them. We are different. We have a unique opportunity to create an image of contrast that will not be able to be explained in the media in any other way, than WE... WE THE PEOPLE.... white... black... hispanic... right... left...far left... WE want eminent domain abuse to STOP. The contrast would be qite extraordinary. So... the question is... will you come? Will you be a part of possibly the most striking photo to adorn the St. Louis Post Dispatch in decades? What if ten thousand people walked into "harm's way", into the "ghetto"? And what if....it wasn't there? This is a warrior action. Will you come? Will you bring others? Will WE make a statement that no one can spin otherwise? Let me know. Mark Ogier 314-504-0302
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Flaws of Mercantilism by MO State Representative Ed Emery
"Mercantilism, which reached its height in the Europe of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, was a system of statism which employed economic fallacy to build up a structure of imperial state power, as well as special subsidy and monopolistic privilege to individuals or groups favored by the state." Murray N. Rothbard (1926-1995) American Economist, Historian, Political Theorist and Author
Mercantilism is the partnering of government and private industry in an attempt to join the taxing power of government with the productivity and efficiency of industry. Sounds like a great model if it works. However, because of the conflicting structures of government and private industry, few if any exceptions to Mr. Rothbard's description exist. And mercantilism is usually a disaster for the consumer. Accurate assessment of mercantilism is difficult, however, because once it is imposed; the private sector cannot compete independently and is soon absorbed or eliminated.
I was recently sent a letter-to-the-editor from the Nevada Daily Mail newspaper that illustrates the flaws of mercantilism and prompted me to write about its flaws. Written by Dr. Ron Jones and published in the September 1st edition, the letter provides information about the H1N1 virus (swine flu), how it has evolved, and the science and politics of treating it.
According to Dr. Jones, " is considered a fairly mild flu virus and not...any more dangerous than the 'usual' seasonal flu... Some say it could 'mutate' into a more virulent form, but mutations usually lead to milder forms." As a physician, Dr. Jones seems at least as concerned about the danger posed by insufficiently tested vaccines, mercury, and aluminum than the dangers posed by a case of the flu.
Alzheimer's Disease, Gulf War Syndrome, certain autoimmune disorders, and Guillain-Barre syndrome have all been linked to chemical components frequently used in vaccines according to Dr. Jones. He recommends some safer treatments while questioning why the government is pushing vaccination.
Dr. Jones points out that "The National Institutes of Health and the military contractor Dyncorp co-own some vaccine patents. This seems an odd partnership, but not that odd in this day of government/business mergers. They stand to make a ton of money from this vaccination campaign." Dr. Jones then claims that "the vaccine manufacturers have been given blanket immunity from prosecution over vaccine adverse effects..."
Mercantilism does not merge the best of public and private but the worst. A powerful natural constraint on free market misbehavior is the need to raise capitol. Without trust and integrity, capitol comes at a high price unless it can be raised from government where politics often trumps ethics and morality. Don't fall victim to the myth of mercantilism. It combines the worst, not the best of both worlds. Murray Rothbard was correct that its principle effect is "...to build up a structure of imperial state power...and ...privilege to favored by the state." Just look around! You may telephone me toll-free at (866) 410-8822. You may also email me at ed.emery@house.mo.gov . If you would like to receive the weekly Capitol Report by email, please send me your email address. Thank you for your interest in good government and a promising future in Missouri. editor note: Rep Ed Emery, R-Lamar represents the people of Barton, Dade, Polk & Jasper counties in Missouri. Emery serves on these commitees: He is running for MO State Senate in 2010. Categories: Civil Liberties, Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Republican Party, Grassroots News, US Constitution, Ethics, History, Current Events, Philosophy, Revolution, Social Issues, State Legislation, Economy Tags: |
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I am please to announce that the Sullivan 912 Group will join us at the KC Craft and Gift Show on November 21, 2009. Thank You Sandra Davidson for networking with us . We all need to support each others group. Strength is in the numbers. An informationaal and member drive is our goal. We are planning 2010 pre-election events in both Crawford and Franklin Counties . Thanks Sandra. Tags: |
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I usually catch Ron Paul's weekly update. I remember this one from March 9th. He presents an argument about foreign intervention that we have heard from him before. He used this argument in the presidential primary debate as well. When you look up his weekly update on Youtube, it typically shows his Congressional picture with a grainy recorded phone message. When looking at videos on Youtube, I found this version labeled as "remastered". Typically that means that someone has added video to the audio piece. This one blew me away, and really puts into perspective the words that he is saying. While it seems easy for us to understand what he is talking about, it can be hard to imagine exactly what it would look like if the roles were reversed with respects to the interventionist foreign policy. This video captures this idea very well. I will be inviting others to look at this video, hopefully it will shine a little light on what foreign intervention looks like from the foreigner's perspective. I usually bring humor and even use sarcasm at times to keep light of a serious issue to help entertain. There is nothing funny about this one.
Categories: Foreign Policy, War/Military Tags: |
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How Missouri Cut Junk LawsuitsWe showed how to do malpractice reform, if Congress wants a model.
By MATT BLUNTThere has been a lot of talk in Washington about cutting wasteful health-care spending, but it is troubling that such talk has not created a sense of urgency for national tort reform. It is especially frustrating because states have already shown that curbing junk lawsuits can cut costs, create jobs, and increase the quality of care available to patients. I know this because that is exactly what happened in Missouri when, as governor, I helped to enact comprehensive reforms. I took office in January 2005 at a time when runaway lawsuits were driving up the cost of doing business in my state and forcing doctors and other business owners to close their doors. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform keeps a list of states ranked according to their legal environment. At the time, Missouri ranked among the 10 worst. "Venue-shopping," a tactic that involves shifting a case to a friendly court regardless of where the injury occurred, was common. Defendants could be made to pay 100% of a judgment even if they were only 1% responsible for the injury. And caps on damages had been rendered meaningless by state court decisions. This legal environment raised the cost of health care for everyone and imposed stiff costs on businesses. It also forced doctors to close their doors. For example, the eastern half of Jackson County, one of Missouri's largest, lost its only neurosurgeons in 2003 due to high malpractice insurance costs. Many other parts of the state suffered from a lack of doctors able to deliver babies. One obstetrician who delivered more than 200 babies annually was forced to quit after his annual insurance premiums skyrocketed 82% in just one year. Making matters worse, few new doctors wanted to move to Missouri. One Kansas City area doctor sent letters to more than 400 physicians finishing their residencies and did not receive a single response back. To counteract these problems we required that cases be heard in the county where the alleged injury occurred, and we changed the law so that defendants could only be forced to pay a full judgment if their fault exceeded 50%. We put a $350,000 cap on noneconomic damages and created rules to prevent baseless cases from getting off of the ground. Previously, personal injury lawyers could file cases if they got a written affidavit from any qualified health-care provider claiming that there was negligence. We tightened that by requiring that the affidavit come from an active professional practicing substantially the same specialty as the defendant. We also took another common-sense step. Doctors often express empathy to a suffering patient regardless of fault. Saying you are "sorry" for someone's plight is a testament of good character, and should not be used against you in court. But tort lawyers were claiming that such statements were an admission of guilt. We stopped that abuse. Tort reform works. Missouri's medical malpractice claims are now at a 30-year low. Average payouts are about $50,000 below the 2005 average. Malpractice insurers are also turning a profit for the fifth year in a row-allowing other insurers to compete for business in Missouri. This will drive down costs, which will save government programs money as well as improve the system for patients. It will also leave doctors with more resources to invest in better care. Since 2005, Missouri has moved up to 31st on the Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform's list. Because we passed tort reform, cut taxes and controlled state spending, Missouri's economy is now in better shape than it would have been. During the four years I was in office, about 70,000 net new jobs were created in my state. Texas has seen similar success from its 2003 tort reforms. The number of doctors applying for a license in that state has increased by 57% and doctors' insurance rates have declined by an average of 27%. There are now more doctors in Texas providing care in previously underserved areas. There is no reason that the success that Missouri, Texas and other states have experienced cannot be replicated nationally. States are demonstrating that tort reform lowers costs, expands access, and creates jobs. The time to get behind national tort reform is now. Mr. Blunt, a Republican, is a former governor of Missouri. Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A23 Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit
Categories: Law, Health Freedom, Social Issues, Congress Tags: |
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Doubling Down on a Flawed Insurance ModelObama's plan takes the problems of the current system-mandates, runaway spending and more-and makes them worse.By JOHN F. COGAN, R. GLENN HUBBARD, AND DANIEL KESSLER"What this plan will do is make the insurance you have work better for you. . . . And here's what you need to know, I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits-either now or in the future. Period." So spoke President Barack Obama in his address to Congress earlier this month, for the first time laying out more specific goals for health-care reform. To persuade the American people to support his health reform agenda, the president has made two simple promises. First, his plan will benefit everyone who already has health insurance. Second, his plan will not add to the nation's yawning budget deficit. Both claims are essentially false, and examining them offers economic lessons for reform. The administration's plan will impose mandates that employers provide coverage, mandates that individuals obtain coverage, and mandates about the form this coverage will have to take. These will remove the freedom to choose one's health-insurance plan, because government, in its effort to correct perceived inequities, will dictate which health-care services must be covered and which health-care providers must be used. The proposed unprecedented intrusion of government into private markets will have adverse effects on people with insurance in both the short and the long run. The mandates will lead to large increases in the cost of health insurance for everyone. Research studies have shown that as people become insured, especially under a health plan that offers broad coverage and low copayments, they consume more health-care services. The best estimates indicate that each newly insured person will approximately double his or her health spending. With 30 million to 40 million newly insured persons under the administration's plan, aggregate health-care demand will increase significantly. But when demand expands prices increase. We estimate that the higher demand will increase health insurance premiums for the typical family plan by about 10%. Because an employer-sponsored family insurance plan cost $12,680 in 2008, this translates into an increase of about $1,200 in the typical annual premium. The mandates will also have adverse additional longer-run consequences. According to provisions in both House and Senate bills, mandated plans must have low copayments and provide coverage of health-care services that is at least equal in scope to a typical, current employer-sponsored plan. But these are the very flaws that are responsible for high and rising health-care costs, flaws that stem directly from the misguided tax exclusion for and the extensive state regulation of health insurance. By locking in these flaws, the mandates will inhibit precisely the innovation needed to reform U.S. health care. Ultimately, as government seeks to rein in costs, it will curtail access to health-care services by erecting barriers between patient and health-care provider. The current House and Senate bills will also break the president's second promise-not to add to the deficit. In part because the health insurance that the administration's plan forces people to buy is expensive, the plan proposes to give individuals large financial subsidies to partially offset the cost. The entitlement-based subsidy, combined with the proposed Medicaid expansion, would add between $700 billon and $1.2 trillion to federal spending over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The new entitlements would come on top of existing federal health-care entitlements that the government has been neither able to control nor finance. A portion of the additional spending is to be financed by savings from the existing federal health-care programs. But, thus far, the alleged savings come mainly from cutting future Medicare payment rates. If history is any guide, the savings won't materialize. For the past 25 years, Congress has repeatedly "cut" payment rates. Yet Medicare's expenditures have continued to outstrip its dedicated revenues. New taxes have been required but revenues still can't keep up with expenses. Recall that in the early 1990s Congress removed the cap on Medicare's taxable wage base. Today, the Medicare Board of Trustees projects that the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will be bankrupt in eight years. More important, cutting payment rates is not reform. Ultimately, such price controls will lower the quality of health care and reduce the supply of health services, just as price controls have in every market where they've been tried. Congress's near-exclusive reliance on such cuts is revealing. It is a clear demonstration that the federal government has no idea how to reform its current insolvent health-care programs, much less how to properly design a new one. Reform will be partly financed by higher taxes. The House bill proposes to raise the highest personal income tax rate by 5.4 percentage points. This is on top of the Obama administration's plan to raise the top rate by another 4.6 percentage points next year. The combined 10-percentage-point increase raises the top income tax rate to 45%-an economic growth-destroying level not seen since the early 1980s. Sen. Max Baucus (D., Mont.) proposes, instead, to tax some health insurance premiums. In neither bill do higher taxes finance the proposed additional spending. Should the Medicare savings fail to materialize, as we believe they will, the spending in either bill will add more than $100 billion per year in perpetuity to the already soaring national debt. Returning to President Obama's address: "We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it." But shaping needs a well-thought-out plan. To move forward, the country must begin to have two separate debates. The first debate centers on how to improve current health insurance arrangements in order to rein in the epidemic of health spending that too often fails to provide good value for money. The second debate should center on additional steps to improve access to health care for those who cannot afford it. However, this debate must be separated from the issue of insurance coverage. Many currently insured Americans, no doubt, would be willing to pay some additional amount if extending health insurance coverage actually improved the health of the uninsured. The hard reality is that there exists little evidence that it does. Helen Levy and David Meltzer, in a 2008 review of research in the Annual Review of Public Health, summarize the overwhelming conclusion of academic research by concluding: "The central question of how health insurance affects health, for whom it matters, and how much, remains largely unanswered at the level of detail needed to inform policy decisions." We must experiment with alternatives, such as further expansions of community health clinics, special assistance for the chronically ill, and other programs that might not supply traditional services but could have a big impact on people's health. Comprehensive, low-deductible, low-copayment insurance has brought us to where we are today. The administration's plan to expand and lock-in this flawed paradigm will ultimately defeat the goal of making health services more affordable for everyone. Fortunately, there are other options, many of which have appeared on these pages. These include policies that encourage more cost-conscious health-care choices, greater competition among health insurers, and reduce the practice of defensive medicine. President Obama claims to support these ideas, but the plan he outlined is not consistent with these claims, and neither is the Senate Finance Committee bill. The American people should ask for a second opinion. Mr. Cogan is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and professor of public policy at Stanford University. Mr. Hubbard, dean of Columbia Business School, was chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush. Mr. Kessler is a professor of business and law at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A15
Categories: Health Freedom, Social Issues, Congress Tags: |
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Remember the old adage for how they count constituent interest: 1 Phone call = 1 concerned citizen They figure that fewer people are willing to put in the effort to write a letter, so it is equal to the opinions of 10 people. Your calls are effective--your hand written letters are MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE. (PS: Thanks Ben) Categories: Grassroots News, Action Item, History, Current Events, Miscellany Tags: phone calls, emailing senators, contacting senators |
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There has been an interesting development in the Supreme Court on the subject of corporate personhood. It came up during oral arguments on the case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Citizens United, a non-profit advocacy organization partially funded by for-profit corporations, was barred by the FEC from advertising or distributing their documentary Hillary: The Movie during the 2008 primary season, as an alleged violation of federal election financing laws limiting electioneering by corporations. The government makes its case for the validity and enforcement of these laws in the interest of preventing undue influence on elections by large corporations. The difficulty lies in differentiating between the huge corporations the law was intended to tame, and the 96% of corporations that are small companies or individuals in business for themselves, or even associations of individuals banded together for the express purpose of advocacy for some cause. How can you limit the free speech of one without limiting the free speech of all? You can't. Citizens United argues to overturn the law and precedent and allow full 1st Amendment free speech protection to all corporations. But there is a more fundamental issue here. Did the Founding Fathers intend the 1st Amendment protection of free speech to apply to corporations, which are artificial persons? I think not. The Bill of Rights did not give us any rights; it was an acknowledgment of the God-given rights of natural persons. Ascribing these rights - and personhood - to corporations was a later aberration, of the age of Darwin, which saw no difference between man and ape and corporation. This came up, briefly, during oral arguments on September 9th from, of all persons, Justice Sonia Sotomayor. During questioning, Justice Sotomayor acknowledged that "... the courts who created corporations as persons, gave birth to corporations as persons, ... there could be an argument made that that was the Court's error to start with, ... the fact that the Court imbued a creature of the State with human characteristics." (Page 33 of official transcript of oral argument, Now, before you get too excited about this being the beginning of the end of corporatism, the chances of this making it into the final decision and overturning the corporate monster are approximately zero. Corporate personhood is too firmly entrenched, and the case at hand is way too narrow to affect it. But I thought it interesting that this has at least been questioned now, in the highest Court of the land.
(Thanks to Margaret Zonia Morrison, J.D., for the tip.)
Categories: Law Tags: corporations, free speech, Supreme Court |
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On August 13, I wrote a letter to Senator Bond asking him why he had not co-sponsored S 604. I briefly pointed out the failure of the Federal Reserve System (making sure to point out that the Fed can basically sign treaties with foreign central banks without Senate approval. I thought this fact might touch a nerve.) and asked him for his position on the bill. I also asked him if he thought the bill would have a negative effect on the country, thinking this might be why he has not co-sponsored it. I received his response a few days ago. Here it is in its entirety: Dear Mr. Kauffman Thank you for contacting my office regarding S. 604, the Federal Reserve Sunshine Act. I appreciate your taking the time to share your concerns with me on this issue. Throughout the financial credit crisis, I have strongly supported and urged the government to guide its actions on three principles to ensure taxpayer protection: accountability, transparency, and oversight. With trillions of taxpayer funds at stake, our fiscal condition is at serious risk due to mounting deficits, and families, businesses, and communities are struggling as the economy continues to deteriorate. Accordingly, it is critical that we closely scrutinize government actions and proposals. As you may know, S. 604 was introduced earlier this year and is awaiting further congressional action. The bill provides the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) with the broad authority to audit the Federal Reserve. The current outlook for S. 604 is unclear. Congress, however, provided the GAO in May with the legal power to examine the Federal Reserve's emergency financial rescue activities to such companies as AIG, Bank of America, and Citigroup. Providing the GAO with this authority is an important and reasonable step in increasing the transparency of the Fed's activities, and it does not jeopardize the independence of the Federal Reserve's monetary-policy responsibilities. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please be assured that I will keep your concerns in mind. If I may be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to let me know. Sincerely Kit Bond I don't think he really gave me an answer to my question of why he does not support the bill. If anybody can spot it in the letter, please let me know.
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Finance, Economy, Monetary Policy Tags: |
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The U.S. dairy farm business is at a critical point. Record low wholesale milk prices have caused farmers to burn through their cash on hand and most have borrowed to the full extent of their credit lines. In the next 6 months, we will see hundreds of cow dairies fail. Why is it that a 2% change in consumption of fluid milk caused a 50% drop in mail box prices to our farmers? Meanwhile Dean Foods and other milk processors are posting record profits. The simple answer is Monopolies. Through exploitation of the COOP laws, the US Federal Government allowed the merger and buyout of milk processors throughout the country; there are now a small enough number of folks controlling milk markets to allow them to manipulate prices. An effective monopoly. This is not a failure of free markets. This is a failure of government meddling. I don't know the best short term answer for our dairy farmers. The best long term solution is to pull all government involvement in agriculture, but that won't happen soon. The government response so far is to hold hearings and 'listen'. Meanwhile Rome is burning. After hundreds more dairy farmers go bankrupt, the next thing that will happen is record high milk prices - Probably $6 and $7 per gallon milk in 2010. USDA will use that as reasons that we need even more government regulation. What we have is a system that creates boom and bust cycles, then the very government agencies that create the problems stand up and propose more regulations as solutions, giving them even more power to create more boom and bust cycles. The financial crisis of last year was created the same way. You can change a few names from the above examples. Substitute The Federal Reserve, The Treasury, SEC, Goldman Sachs, private banks and draw the same parallels. Just like the Dairy Industry, they have not yet dealt with the core causes of the crises and the solutions proposed so far are more regulation. The gasoline crisis of the past couple summers was created the same way. Government over regulation prevented building new refineries, while another government bureaucracy allowed the merger of hundreds of small oil companies over 30 years. Now we have just a few players who have an effective Monopoly over the price of oil and gas. Through another round of government meddling, the fate of GM and Chrysler are nearly sealed for certain demise. For those of you who think Cash for Clunkers was a success, all that did was push buyers forward to August and now the showrooms are barren of customers. More dealers and automakers will go broke in the next few months. Who approved selling AMOCO, our American Oil Company to a foreign nation? The idiots running Washington for the past 20 years. Folks they are the same. Clinton / Bush / Obama = same big government economic policies Too Big to Fail is the rallying cry to 'save' chosen corporations. The government answer is more bailouts and regulation. The common sense answer for Too Big To Fail is to stop allowing monopolies. More companies competing on a level playing field with less regulation will make a healthy economy. To learn more about free market economics visit www.mises.org To support free market economic policies visit www.campaignforliberty.com To support our efforts to End The Fed and save the dollar; www.auditthefed.com To save our dairy farms: Let's keep discussing this topic - I have not seen a good short term solution yet. Paul Hamby (this blog was also sent to our local newspapers as a Letter to the editor) Categories: Finance, Domestic Policy, Executive Power, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Philosophy, Socialism, Economy, Monetary Policy, Trade, Congress Tags: |
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Paul McKee Jr. is applying for T.I.F. monies amounting to around $398 Million, from the City of St. Louis, after already getting $97 Million from the State of Missouri. (We can thank Peter Kinder for lobbying this through.) He has been secretly buying properties on the City's North Side, creating blight in his wake, for the last five years. He has been so successful at decimating the area, that after four years, his total of aquisitions was approximately 500 buildings, and now, a year later, it is at 1000. He has doubled his land bank in a year. Emininet Domain WILL be an issue. At present, McKee has said that HE will not exercise it, yet his "partner", the City of St. Louis will still weild that power. And that power will extend for over tswenty years. Properties in this area will decline in value, locked in a decades long aura of "blight". This is the Prime Liberty issue to be supported in this area. This is First Congressional, William Clay, and these people are being railroaded. These are the people that will knock on every North St. Louis door when we finally get to gather signatures on the petitions for the ballot initiative to change the Missouri Constitution, with regards to eminent domain. Here's a little anectdote for you. Remeber Maxine Johnson, the woman in Hillsboro with the Rosa Parks poster? Well, eminent domain is "her issue". She battled Freeman Bosley Sr. over it, and she is long winded and gung ho about it. She knows of Ron Calzone, and wanted me to give her his number. (Ron, I don't have it, so I didn't. And I gotta belioeve that would cost you a lot of minutes...) Anyway, I explained to her the larger issue of the ballot initiative, and that Robin Carnahan had filed a suit to challenge to language. I'm not sure what's gonna happen next, but she was motivated. If you happen to see four black women marchinmg into the Secretary of State's office, with posters of black heroes unfurled before them, give them room, and follow. It ought to be quite a show. Monday Sept. 21, 2009 at 7:00 pm Ames VPA School 2900 Hadley 63104
Paul McKee will be there, presenting his plan. There is NO mention of this searchable online. If you go, I will be there. Tall guy, ponytail, End The Fed shirt, as my eminent domain abuse is dirty now. (big week) Ask me to show you the ward map, with McKee's project overlayed on it. There are three alderpeeps involved by only a square block or two...and this plan is still in design. So....this is "B-1" strategy. (You DO know that every single state in the union m,akes at least one part of the B-1. So, if ever they try to stop it....there will be cry and hue form every Senator.) There will be a whole lot of people that are really "getting" what a "Public Private Partnership" really is... There will be a rally on Thurs. and there is the hearing at City Hall Friday evening at 6:00pm I'll post again Tuesday, after this meeting
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I have been living in Vienna, Austria for the last month. I came here to research the European perspective of the "Global Financial Crisis." My research has opened my eyes to the outrageous economic ideology that is rampant throughout the continent. I came across an interesting report the other day that I felt was necessary to share. The G20 meetings of 2009 have resolved to get the world back on track with their "Global Plan for Recovery and Reform." What kind of recovery and reform do they want to implement you might be thinking? Ill lay out the highlights of the report from Sept 4-5, 2009: The report claims "Our unprecedented, decisive and concerted policy action has helped to arrest the decline and boost global demand. Financial markets are stabilizing and the global economy is improving, but we remain cautious about the outlook for growth and jobs...We will continue to implement decisively our financial support measures and expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, consistent with price stability and long term fiscal sustainability, until recovery is secured." I know that global initiatives are extremely boring (intentionally), but i need to get the point across that the strategic direction and mentality towards this crisis is completely backwards! Here are some of the proudly stated accomplishments of the report:
Here are some other goals and opinions of the report:
I wont get too detailed about my analysis of these proposals. It is pretty easy to spot the fallacy ridden Keynesian approach and the internationally focused authoritarian bureaucracy that is being reached for. There is a long list of terrible solutions: creating money out of thin air globally, international bailouts, attempting to spike aggregate consumption, using a financial crisis to push for unnecessary and wasteful government controlled programs, setting the groundwork for supranational organizations to seize more power and money, among a whole laundry list of other worthless interventions in the market. Overall, I just wanted to point out my perspective of the crisis in Europe. I have been exposed to so many economists that dont know the first thing about economics. They are the individuals that are going to slap a band-aid on this problem and hope it goes away. If anyone would like to know more about the crisis in Europe or any information about international issues feel free to contact me. I am more than happy to discuss my research or any other political issues. Jeremy Epperson
Categories: Foreign Policy, Finance, Globalism, Current Events, Socialism, World Affairs, Economy, Monetary Policy, Trade Tags: |
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Before people get too hot and bothered about the alleged conference in DC, please read:
And preferably BEFORE you open the PDF everyone is passing around. Categories: Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Executive Power Tags: swine flu, h1n1, conference, scam |
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Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus finally unveiled his health-care plan yesterday to a chorus of bipartisan jeers. The reaction is surprising given that President Obama all but endorsed the outlines of the Baucus plan last week. But the hoots are only going to grow louder as more people read what he's actually proposing. The headline is that Mr. Baucus has dropped the unpopular "public option," but this is a political offering without much policy difference. His plan remains a public option by other means, imposing vast new national insurance regulation, huge new subsidies to pay for the higher insurance costs this regulation will require and all financed by new taxes and penalties on businesses, individuals and health-care providers. Other than that, Hippocrates, the plan does no harm. ***The centerpiece of the Obama-Baucus plan is a decree that everyone purchase heavily regulated insurance policies or else pay a penalty. This government mandate would require huge subsidies as well as brute force to get anywhere near the goal of universal coverage. The inevitable result would be a vast increase in the government's share of U.S. health spending, forcing doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and other health providers to serve politics as well as or even over and above patients. View Full Image
An Obama 2008 campaign mailer
The plan essentially rewrites all insurance contracts, including those offered by businesses to their workers. Benefits and premiums must be tailored to federal specifications. First-dollar coverage would be mandated for many services, and cost-sharing between businesses and employees would be sharply reduced, though this is one policy that might reduce health spending by giving consumers more skin in the game. Nor would insurance be allowed to bear any relation to risk. Inevitably, costs would continue to climb. Everyone would be forced to buy these government-approved policies, whether or not they suit their needs or budget. Families would face tax penalties as high as $3,800 a year for not complying, singles $950. As one resident of Massachusetts where Mitt Romney imposed an individual mandate in 2006 put it in a Journal story yesterday, this is like taxing the homeless for not buying a mansion. The political irony here is rich. If liberal health-care reform is going to make people better off, why does it require "a very harsh, stiff penalty" to make everyone buy it? That's what Senator Obama called it in his Presidential campaign when he opposed the individual mandate supported by Hillary Clinton. He correctly argued then that many people were uninsured not because they didn't want coverage but because it was too expensive. The nearby mailer to Ohio primary voters gives the flavor of Mr. Obama's attacks. And the Baucus-Obama plan will only make insurance even more expensive. Employers will be required to offer "qualified coverage" to their workers (or pay another "free rider" penalty) and workers will be required to accept it, paying for it in lower wages. The vast majority of households already confront the same tradeoff today, except Congress will now declare that there's only one right answer. View Full Image
Associated Press Senator Max Baucus
The subsidies in the Baucus plan go to people without a job-based plan and who earn under three times the federal poverty level, or about $66,000 for a family of four. Yet according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis we've seen, the plan isn't much of an improvement over the current market. Take a family of four making $42,000 in 2016. While government would subsidize 80% of their premium and pay $1,500 to offset cost-sharing, they'd still pay $6,000 a year or 14.3% of their total income. A family making $54,000 could still pay 18.1% of their income, while an individual earning $26,500 would be on the hook for 15.5%, and one earning $32,400 for 17.3%. So lower-income workers would still be forced to devote huge portions of their salaries to expensive policies that they may not want or be able to afford. Other Democrats want to make the subsidies even bigger, but Mr. Baucus told reporters on Monday that, "We're doing our very best to make an insurance requirement as affordable as we possibly can, recognizing that we're trying to get this bill under $900 billion total." Another way of putting this is that he is hiding the real cost of his bill by pinching pennies to meet a less politically toxic overall spending number. In that sense, the House health bill which clocked in at $1.042 trillion because it was more generous upfront was more honest, though not by much. Like the House bill, Mr. Baucus uses 10 years of taxes to fund about seven years of spending. Some $215 billion is scrounged up by imposing a 35% excise tax on insurance companies for plans valued at more than $21,000 for families and $8,000 for individuals. This levy would merely be added to the insurers' "administrative load" and passed down to all consumers in higher prices. Ditto for the $59 billion that Mr. Baucus would raise by taxing the likes of clinical laboratories and drug and device makers. Mr. Baucus also wants to cut $409 billion from Medicare, according to CBO, though the only money that is certain to see the budget ax is $123 billion from the Medicare Advantage program. Liberal Democrats hate Advantage because it gives 10.2 million seniors private options. The other "savings" come from supposedly automatic cuts that a future Congress is unlikely to ever approve that is, until this entitlement spending swamps the federal budget. Then the government will have no choice but to raise taxes to European welfare-state levels or impose drastic restrictions on patient care. Or, most likely, both. ***To sum up, the Baucus-Obama plan would increase the cost of insurance and then force people to buy it, requiring subsidies. Those subsidies would be paid for by taxes that make health care and thus insurance even more expensive, requiring even more subsidies and still higher taxes. It's a recipe to ruin health care and bankrupt the country, and that's even before liberal Democrats see Mr. Baucus and raise him, and then attempt to ram it all through the Senate.
Categories: Health Freedom, Congress Tags: |
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I am not very good at putting video's together for youtube but here it is. There was a good group of people who gathered to deliver petitions to Senators Bond and McCaskill in St. Louis asking them to audit the federal reserve. We were very well received in both offices. In addition to delivering the petitions Laura H. had brought Ed Griffin audio Cd's to give to them. It was enlightening to find out that Claire McCaskill's office was not aware that the Senators could not ask too many questions of Fed Chairman Bernake and get answers. Maybe now that her Field Rep knows this he will pass it on to Senator McCaskill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0IteSb4nsg In addition to what the St. Louir area delivered today back on July 4th we collected 885 petitions that we mailed to be delivered to the Senators DC offices. Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Finance, Action Item, Economy, Monetary Policy Tags: S 604, audit the fed |
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A few questions for President Obama, members of Congress or others that support Health Care Reform. 1. If government competition in the health insurance industry is a good thing, then why not allow competition with the Post Office for delivering the mail? 2. If the government has identified billions of dollars in fraud and abuse where it can save the taxpayers money, why doesn't it end that fraud and abuse now and then issue a public report? 3. If government competition in the health insurance industry is necessary, should the government provide competition to charitable organizations such as Red Cross by establishing a competing organization? 4. If government wants competition in the health insurance industry funded with taxpayer money, then why doesn't it support increased competition in education and public schools? 5. After Cash for Clunkers, and the late payments to dealers that participated in the program, do you trust the government will pay as quickly or more quickly than your insurance company? Categories: Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Current Events, Congress Tags: health care, reform, questions, congress |
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Republicans file the Czar Act of 2009 - it's time to tell Obama 'Hell no you can't'.
Republican Representative Jack Kingston (GA) and 29 Republican co-sponsors filed legislation that From the United States Constitution - Article II, Section 2 : "[The President] shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law: but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments." This clearly states that what Obama is doing by appointing Czars left and right is a violation of the Constitution. I realize that Obama doesn't seem to think much of our Constitution but we, the people, DO. The only government officials who can make policy are the members of Congress who WE nominate. The 'Pay Czar' cannot tell anyone what their salaries or bonuses will be limited to, it has to be legislated by Congress. Yet Obama seems to think that his Czars can do whatever they want and most people probably don't understand that his 'Yes we can' is really our "Hell no you can't". Finally someone is standing up for us against Obama's outrageous appointments. I am currently researching Obama's 'Shadow government' appointees and so far I am finding that some of these people are clearly radicals like Obama. There is at least one Socialist (Carol Browner), a fellow ACORN organizer (Adolfo Carrion Jr.), a complete nut job who wrote a book about sterilizing people to quash the growing population (John Holdgren) and his latest appointment Cass Sustein who believes that animals should have the same rights as people, including bringing lawsuits against people. These Czars are clearly not representative of America or Americans. They should not be anywhere NEAR the White House or Capitol Hill other than to attend one of Obama's Wednesday night soirees. Presidents in the past have had Czars but they usually act as advisors and do not make policy. Obama has specifically appointed these people to make policy. The most Czars in any administration was during George Bush's reign who appointed 19 Czars in 8 years. Obama has appointed twice the amount of Czars in 6 months as Czarist Russia had in 300 years! As Kingston points out on his website: "At this rate, we will have: 272 czars in Obama's fist term (48 months) 544 czars if he lasts two terms (96 months)". This is obviously Obama's attempt to bypass Congress to further push his radical agenda by appointing radicals to make policy. We all must push for this Act to be brought to a vote and passed. This is for our present and our future. We cannot let the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee sit on this. After reviewing some of the representatives who are on the Committee, it is clear that this may be a battle as it is filled with partisan party-line-voting Democrats -Tierney, Maloney, Kennedy, Kucinich - are some examples. Email, call, write, fax every member of the Committee to let it be known that WE, THE PEOPLE, are aware of the Act and fully support it. The Republicans have brought this Act forward, it is now up to us to tell Obama "Hell no you can't". Photo from www.russiannobility.org See my Previous article about Obama's 'stupidly' made comments regarding healthcare and the Cambridge Police officer case: http://www.examiner.com/x-9100-Boston-Conservative-Independent-Examiner~y2009m7d23-Ob Categories: US Constitution, Executive Power, Congress Tags: |
would force Obama to actually be accountable by vetting his Czars. This is probably one of the most needed pieces of legislation that we will see in our lifetimes. Obama has a list of 34 Comments (1)
The speech just ended; I listened carefully. Using my Constitution-O-Meter, I will now rate it: Number of times the President mentioned the Constitution: Zero Times the President mentioned the Constitutionality of government-run healthcare: Zero Times the President referred to the Founding Documents: Zero Times the President mentioned the Founding Fathers or the Founders: Zero The Constitution-O-Meter detected no activity. Categories: Media, Domestic Policy, Executive Power, Federal Legislation, Congress Tags: |
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Hannibal, MO - I am steaming after reading the article about our city council wanting to raise our property taxes. Are they insane? Our country is in an economic crisis and their answer is to steal MORE of the citizens' money. Are they trying to drive people out of Hannibal? We already have one of, if not, the highest sales tax in the region. We just got a socialized recycling program shoved down our throats. These politicians are nickel and diming us to death.
Original article discussing the proposed rate increase Hannibal's property taxes going uphttp://www.hannibal.net/homepage/x1886198780/Hannibal-s-property-taxes-going-upThe Hannibal city council meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday every month on the second floor of the City Hall building located on Broadway. Feel free to attend :)Categories: Domestic Policy, Grassroots News, Miscellany, Socialism, Economy Tags: |
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NEW PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION This is probably the best e-mail I've seen in a long, long time. The following has been attributed to State Representative Mitchell Kaye from GA. This guy should run for President one day.... "We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt-idden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold these truths to be self-evident: That a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights." ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything. Tags: |
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Senator McCaskill is not being honest with us when she says that the public option won't lead to single payer. At least Barney Frank is.
Why are we allowing the media and the organized progressive movement to define this debate? Categories: Media, Health Freedom, Video Tags: |
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Congress returns after an angry August by Ken Newton Monday, September 7, 2009; St. Joe News http://www.stjoenews.net/news/2009/sep/07/congress-returns-after-angry-august/ An angry August bleeds into a factious fall as members of Congress return to Washington this week, their ears ringing and their agendas overflowing. Town-hall clamor occupied much of lawmakers' district work periods, and constituents let them have it on matters ranging from health-care reform, cap-and-trade energy legislation and federal spending. As representatives and senators resume their capital activities Tuesday, congressional approval ratings stand at 29 percent, according to Real Clear Politics, a Web site that aggregates polling data from several national organizations. "Folks are mad, and I don't blame them," said Rep. Sam Graves, who held about two dozen town-hall meetings in his Northwest Missouri district last month. Nationwide, news cameras focused on crowded gymnasiums and meeting rooms where Americans aimed ire at the nearest person with a federal title. In this region, civility mostly prevailed. Elsewhere in Missouri, Sen. Claire McCaskill, who hosted 10 public gatherings, heard a crowd cheer in Hillsboro when an audience member shouted distrust of the lawmaker. In Poplar Bluff, a man told her, "This is more about taking power and control than it is about health care." On her Twitter site, though, the Democrat thanked the thousands who turned out. "You are great Americans," she said. Missouri Sen. Kit Bond hosted a meeting on health care in Kansas City on Monday, saying his constituents disapprove of the congressional plan by an eight-to-one margin. "I have heard from the public across Missouri who clearly do not want government to over-reach, over-manage and over-spend," the Republican senator said in a statement after the restricted-attendance meeting. Mr. Graves, who opposes the measure, said Friday the outcome of health-care legislation remains a mystery. After the turbulent August, President Obama might scrap the current draft and push for a more workable plan, the Tarkio Republican said. Or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi might force the measure as written. "There's a lot of arrogance surrounding this bill," the lawmaker said. "A lot of members have been spending a month hearing about how bad that is." Even in the president's own party, rifts have developed. A bloc of more liberal Democrats has balked at hints the final bill will contain no public insurance option. Democratic lawmakers in more conservative districts recoil at the bill's intrusiveness and trillion-dollar cost. Mr. Obama plans to speak about health care before a joint session of Congress Wednesday. His supporters say they are ready for September's legislative battles. "We know the hardest work may yet lie ahead," said Mitch Stewart, Organizing for America director, in a statement. "The special interests and those in Congress who have pledged to oppose the president no matter what will stoop even lower in the weeks ahead." While health reform will get the highest visibility, lawmakers have yet to put the final touches on any of a dozen appropriation bills for the coming fiscal year. The Senate has not acted on the cap-and-trade bill that lawmakers of both parties concede will have an impact on Missouri because of the state's reliance on coal for electricity. Reauthorization of the surface transportation bill, a measure important to Northwest Missouri road projects, will likely come up in the House, said Mr. Graves, who sits on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The president, however, wants an 18-month extension, and the Senate will probably follow his lead, added the lawmaker. The town halls may have concluded, but Mr. Graves urged constituents to continue their feedback. Phone, fax and e-mail lawmakers, he said. Ken Newton can be reached at kenn@npgco.com. Categories: Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Current Events, Congress Tags: |
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On ABC's "This Week" this morning, George Will's retort to Robert Gates, Fred Kagan and everyone else criticizing his call for troop withdrawal in Afghanistan, was to note support for his position from former Marine Commandant Gen. Chuck Krulak and other military brass. From the Politico:
An actual debate in the conservative mainstream about U.S. foreign policy? Bring it on. Categories: Foreign Policy, Current Events, War/Military Tags: |
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Missouri Libertarian Party Vice Chair Cisse Spragins testified before the The last MIAC public hearing will be held 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 9, Here is her written testimony which was submitted to the committee: August 31, 2009 To: Missouri House of Representatives 95th General Assembly, 1st Regular Chairman Dixon and members of the committee: Thank you for conducting these public hearings on oversight of the Missouri MIAC Report Misrepresents Libertarians: The Missouri Information Analysis Center report on the "Modern Militia Political Profiling Inappropriate in All Cases: Irrespective of any overlap in views on issues between any violent groups and The right to freedom of speech and expression is also protected in both Why Do We Need "Fusion Centers"?: Libertarians do not feel threatened by foreign or domestic terrorists. We don't Concentration of power always leads to abuse. The purpose of law enforcement is Thank you. Cisse W. Spragins, Ph.D. Original article with video of Dr. Spragins testifying at: http://www.showmefreedom.org/2009/July/MIACHearing2.shtml
Categories: Civil Liberties, Law, Domestic Policy, 3rd Parties, Grassroots News, Miscellany, Social Issues Tags: |
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Does everyone know that there is a 2nd bus leaving from (St Louis) West County Assembly of God 5:00 am next Thursday? It's supposed to be first class with bathroom in the bus. Fellow Patriots will enjoy each other's company for the 14 hour journey to DC. They will be in DC Friday and the march on Saturday and return on Sunday. There are rooms reserved at Day's Inn and Red Roof Inn in Alexandria VA. Shared rooms would cost between $22 to $44 dollars a night---depending on how many are sharing. (Rooms are $85 each.) Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Grassroots News, Action Item, Revolution, Economy Tags: |
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A. "Hello sir, we have free stuff here" B. "Free stuff?" A. 'Yes sir. I'm giving away free copies of the U.S. Constitution." (smile) B. "Oh, I dunno..." (frown) A. 'Sir, it's alright. I know you're busy, and well, this IS kinda dry, so we have a Special Offer." B. (inquisitive look..) A. "That's right sir. Take this little book, and read it until you get bored. Then, just stop. Tear off what you read, save it, and throw the rest away. What could be simpler?" B. "Just throw it away?" A. "Yep. What could be easier? Just start reading until you no longer care, mark that spot, remove all the rest, and you are done. You are now an expert of YOUR version of the U.S. Constitution." B. "Done?" (uncertain smile) A. "Yes sir. Done. We will make sure, that all those boring parts of the U.S. Constitution never bother you again. Please keep your copy, in case...well, you know how that pesky ole Government can be...it might make a mistake, and you can present your copy of the rights you decided were interesting...and I'm sure, that it will all work out... eventually." B. "...but..." A. "Not to worry sir, you will not be held accountable for any other aspects of the Constitution. Those parts that you never read, will never trouble you by asking that you present them for validation, or require any of your leisure time to defend, amend, appreciate or understand them. And they in turn, will nebver...extend to you." B. "Hey now, I..." A. (holds up 'the hand') "I've gotta go now sir....America Can't Wait."
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This is my first article of this year. Philip Christofanelli Sophomore Keep the Change As the nation considers much needed health care reform, we must seek to cure the disease of our health care system and avoid treating its symptoms. Most would agree that the main problem with healthcare in America is the exorbitant costs involved. The free market has consistently been proven to be the most efficient vehicle for providing consumers with desired goods at the lowest price. Many now claim that in healthcare, the free market has failed in this regard. It is important to recognize, however, that a free market in healthcare has not existed for some time, and for this reason, we continue to face costs which spiral out control. Currently in the United States, we operate under a managed-care system, where government intrusion has touched nearly all aspects of medicine. One of the most devastating interventions has been in the insurance industry. For some time now, large insurance companies have used the government to push through regulations and subsidies that isolate their industry from the competition necessary to lower costs. Through code incentives that exempt employer-benefits from taxation, the insurance giants have managed to preserve the employer-based insurance system, and to prevent the possibility of individualized insurance policies, tailored to the needs of the buyer. Also, through various regulations, the government has restricted the supply of healthcare to the populace. The government licensing system limits the number of medical schools, medical students, hospitals, and doctors available for use in the economy, and consequently, drives up the price. This fact is well known by the cartel that is the American Medical Association, which has been lobbying for trade protections since its inception in 1847. There are solutions to these problems, but they do not involve increasing government involvement, for typically, when one is in a ditch, it is time to stop digging. A good start would be eliminating the employer-benefit exemption with a simultaneous revenue-neutral decrease in income taxes. This act would return insurance to its original intention, a backup plan for emergencies. Insurance was never intended to be used for everyday doctor visits, but rather for major, unexpected medical crises. Accompanying this change would be the institution of tax-free medical savings accounts where individuals could pay for every day medical expenses out-of-pocket. Introducing this sort of system would effectively lower the cost of healthcare because insurance companies and doctors would have to compete for customers instead of charging arbitrary figures to a price-insensitive population. Another price lowering measure would be to legalize nurse-practitioners. Under our current system, it is illegal for nurses to perform certain medical services which they are completely capable of providing. In an effort to protect their trade, doctors have successfully lobbied for these restrictions, and kept the prices of these medical services unnecessarily high. A strong nurse-practitioner market would do wonders for providing healthcare for those less able to afford doctors. These suggestions are just a few of the possibilities when it comes to getting government out of healthcare, and making care more affordable for all income classes. Unfortunately, the only suggestions from the Obama administration involve more government, more money funneled to insurance agencies, more regulation of the doctor-patient relationship, more mandates, more government committees, more false competition, and more interference with the natural allocation of goods and services that the free market provides. Obama's plan is not change at all, but more of the same nonsense that has infected our healthcare system for nearly a century. If this is all Obama has to offer, he can keep the change. Tags: |
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Watch the 4 minute video here This video shown to school children throughout the country and distributed by Obama's dept of education set the stage as to why people are so ANGRY about Obama talking directly to our children next Tuesday The role of the President and the Federal Government is not to spread propaganda to our children - whether it is Left or Right, liberal or conservative or pushing a non profit. or a particular agenda. Propaganda from the government designed to create BLIND LOYALTY TO A LEADER brings back very bad memories from the early part of the last century. Plus many of us fear that Obama is starting to campaign for 2012 right here in our schools. Will the schools give equal time to Conservatives? To the Green party? to the Constitution party? To the Communist party? Oh yes, the first one will be a tame innocent broadcast, but then how long before it is a monthly broad cast to the school children, and then Obama's weekly radio address to the schools (including the high school students and teachers that he wants voting for him in 2012) Another troubling aspect of this, is Presidents historically broadcast to the country in the evening. Parents can watch with their children and explain / interpret through their own families values. It is our responsibility as parents to teach our children to listen objectively, draw their own conclusions and discuss what they hear and see in life based on our family's own values. This new tactic further erodes parents ability to effectively parent. Obama broadcasting to our children at school means that the explanation / interpretation comes through teachers and from Dept of Ed materials that many of us would not agree with. This is a dangerous road to go down. For those who say, how much harm can one 15 or 20 minute broad cast do? May I remind you that the same argument was used to implement the income tax. The first one was only 1 percent. and only on the rich. Now how much harm can a 1% tax on the rich do? So are you Rich? do you pay just 1% in federal taxes? No? Its called incrementalism. Government programs start watered down to the point that most people won't complain. then they turn up the pain a little bit at a time hoping you won't notice the pain. The time to stop this nonsense is NOW BEFORE IT GETS STARTED Democrat Congressman Dick Gephart said "The Department of Education Should Not be Producing Paid Political Advertising for the President..." (1991) He was right! Education should be local. Not top down. Here is another video of Children indoctrination
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From the 1800's until 1976, there was a long history (over 100 years) of Republican Presidents who advocated peace and ended wars, and Democratic Presidents who advocated and started wars. In the following 30 years, the reverse was true. Democrat Barack Obama has announced an increase in troop strength in Afghanistan, effectively shifting the trend. Timeline: War & Peace 1800's-1976: Republicans seek peace * Theodore Roosevelt (R) - first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize, winning its Peace Prize in 1906, for negotiating the peace in the Russo-Japanese War. 1977-2007: Democrats seek peace * Jimmy Carter (D) - negotiated a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in 1979. 2008: Shift * Barack Obama (D) - announces increase in troop strength in Afghanistan. CURRENT WAR BUDGET: $535,000,000,000+ References: Wikipedia and http://usdebtclock.org/
Categories: Foreign Policy, Republican Party, Democratic Party, Executive Power, History, War/Military Tags: war, peace, Republican, Democrat, Timeline, History, war budget |
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These are pages from the book, "Ecoscience" co-authored by President Obama's Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, and Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Dr. Joseph Mengele... Er...I mean, John Holdren.
John Holdren on Government Enforced Reproduction Policies:
Obama's Science Advisor on Population Law (Changing American Institutions): "...there exists ample authority under which population growth could be regulated." He supports his postition with the general welfare clause which we know only applies to the enumerated powers.
Below he says: Individual rights must be balanced against the power of the government to control reproduction.
These pages are posted for convenience. The rest of the story can be found here:
PDF's for good portions of the book can be found here and I would suggest as the post says to check out page 857 in Eco-Science-seven about suggestions for a new constitution with a planning branch: http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?topic=118985.msg784383#msg784383 So there's Barack Obama's science advisor... Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Globalism, Civil Liberties, Domestic Policy, Grassroots News, Ethics, Executive Power, Federal Legislation, Philosophy, Social Issues, Socialism Tags: |
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This is not my video but thought this would be a good place to post it.
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For Immediate release: Monday August 31, 2009 The Missouri House Interim Committee on State Intelligence Analysis Oversight met today in Grandview Missouri. The committee chaired by Rep Bob Dixon and co-chaired by Rep Jim Guest heard testimony from citizens concerned with the MIAC report released last spring by the Missouri Highway Patrol Fusion Center. Grandview Alderman Mike Furgason testified his concern that MIAC has no oversight and suggested the state legislature should set up an oversight committee. "Someone needs to read and approve these reports before they are released" The committee is charged with taking recommendations back to the legislature regarding the MIAC, Missouri Information Analysis Center. Last spring, the MIAC garnered national attention when a report was leaked to the news media. That report profiled many Missouri citizens as potential Militia Members. The report profiled gun owners, Christians, home schoolers, constitutionalists and implied that persons who displayed a Gadsden Flag or bumper stickers of Presidential candidates Ron Paul, Bob Barr or Chuck Baldwin were persons of interest for law enforcement to watch out for. Constitution party Vice Presidential candidate Darrell Castle testified at Monday's hearing. He expressed concern that his parties members simply want our federal government to follow the constitution and the members were unfairly lumped with people who are true threats to society. When asked what the solution was, he recommended eliminating the MIAC department completely. Castle testified that the Federal Government has gone well beyond its mandate in the US Constitution. That theme that the federal government is not abiding by the 10th amendment of the constitution was a concern of several citizens and at least 4 of the legislators on the committee. Deb Wells, National Member Services Director for Campaign for Liberty testified that a 2007 audit shows nearly 700 people a day are being added to the watch lists. She fears she might be on the watch list and could be detained at a simple traffic stop. It appears nearly impossible to remove your name from the watch list due to the way the information is shared worldwide. "Will I be put in jail for 60 days because I believe in the 2nd amendment or because I supported Chuck Baldwin for President?" Larry Flinchpaugh, a Buchanan county volunteer for Campaign for Liberty, testified "I was appalled and insulted to read that I was being profiled as possibly belonging to a subversive group simply because of my political activism." Flinchpaugh, an author from St Joe Missouri further testified "I believe that our government should (1) abide by the Constitution, (2) adopt sound monetary policies by abolishing the private and unconstitutional Federal Reserve and Fractional Reserve Banking and the 16th amendment authorizing income taxes to be collected on our wages, (3) stop being the policeman of the world and bring our troops home from most of the hundreds of military bases around the world, (4) respect the sovereignty of the individual states, and (5) recognize that a government that governs "least" governs" best." Does this sound like a description of a "Militia Movement" member or "Terrorist" or a "Patriotic American" who believes like our founding fathers?" Paul Hamby, a Missouri Coordinator for Campaign for Liberty testified "Political Profiling discourages free speech. Beyond the constitutional issues, we need to look at the Big Picture. How will we ever find the best solutions to the issues facing our country today, if we cannot have Honest Open Debates?" Hamby praised Missouri Highway Patrolmen, then testified that the MIAC report hurt the department's credibility. Will Missouri Law enforcement take these reports seriously next time? What if the next report is a real threat of the next Timothy McVeigh?" Hamby held up John Ashcroft's book "Never Again" and told the committee "Never Again shall Missouri Government profile our citizens based on their political beliefs" 72 Fusion centers have been set up across the United States. They are funded by the Dept of Homeland Security with a 2009 budget of 274 million dollars. Rep. Brian D. Nieves expressed concern that this was another case of the Federal Government telling us how to run our state. "The risk is that we start these projects with federal dollars and then 2 or 3 years later the federal government comes along with mandates tied to the money." The House committee will hold one more hearing for public testimony.
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Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Media, Globalism, Civil Liberties, Law, Domestic Policy, Presidential Race, 3rd Parties, Grassroots News, US Constitution, Ethics, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Revolution, State Legislation Tags: |
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I am getting very weary of this "debate", which is more, "Hammer the patriots" until they: 1) Scream "uncle" and beg to be left alone so they can go back to earning a living, paying their taxes, saving a little perhaps, and looking after the children who are still their responsibility, 2) Cough up the magic focus-group soundbite that will then be utilized to persuade enough of the public that they really WANT what Uncle Sam is offering, 3) Provide enough opportunities for unscrupulous and statistically unschooled pollsters to generate fictitious numbers which suggest the American Public has issued a mandate for further government meddling in health care, drafted by the Executive Branch, divorced from representation in Congress, or 4) Are distracted from what is REALLY happening, which is erosion of more and more Liberty, a gigantic stall on Auditing the Fed, the crash of the currency and the banking system, expansion of military conflict and involvement abroad, and gargantuan growth of the size of the central government. My local paper provided oodles of column space for a local M.D. to push for expansion of government health care. In his 8/27/09 article, he said, "...it matters less who pays for health care than what is being paid for." Just feast your tired, bleary eyes on THAT for a while. A meeting (I really can't call it a "forum") was held at my county courthouse 8/28/09, with a panel uniformly in favor of expansion of government health care, at which no dialogue was allowed--only pre-submitted questions, which then were read/edited at the discretion of the moderator. A bright and patriotic college student was brusquely put in his place toward the end, when he blurted out a question, i.e., "Where is that in the bill?" It is a testament to the discipline and temperance of the good people of my county, that they played by the rules established in advance of this gathering, which was a colossal charade, really. A D.O. physician on the panel said, "The big problem with our health care system is that it's a for-profit system. No other industrialized country does it that way." [The trite and over-used "Profit is evil" approach.] She also said, "Health care is a right." This is turning into a marathon. So, here is the text on my latest sign: Plead, beg, insist, coax, harangue, cajole, nag, harass, THREATEN...the answer is still NO! Please stop asking the question! Categories: Grassroots News, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Socialism Tags: |
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Comedian Tim Hawkins
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Today was a very good day in O'Fallon MO. There is a group that stands at a corner every Saturday and waves signs. This weekend several other grassroots groups were invited to stand with them and it is starting to look like the sleeping giant is waking up. The people are getting real tired of losing their freedoms and liberties by the thumbful here and there and have now had enough. I think that there were about 300 people there. Some Campaign For Liberty members were there with signs and there were several of us taking video and pictures. This was my first day using a video camera so I pretty much practiced with it. Bob took some great video. We will have more up in the next few days. I will be in Sullivan, MO tomorrow at the State-wide Pink Slip Rally that is being sponsored by the Sullivan 9/12 group and will be one of the speakers. They have also invited several groups to come together. The sleeping giant is doing it's waking yawns. Here is some video from Bob Therina that was taken today. Hope to see some of you tomorrow. These rallys are great places to network with others and explain one on one with people how to get our country back. You can also view this and other video's from local MO Campaign For Liberty members at: http://www.youtube.com/STLC4L Robyn.
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Finance, Civil Liberties, Domestic Policy, 3rd Parties, Grassroots News, Action Item, US Constitution, Executive Power, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Social Issues, Socialism, Video, Economy, Monetary Policy Tags: k and n, o fallon, mo, ofallon |
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http://www.liberatetheunitedstates.com/ "We seek to support one liberty candidate for every single political office in the United States of America. Categories: Election News, Grassroots News, Revolution, Miscellany, Voting Tags: |
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http://www.corbettreport.com/articles/20090825_geithner_audit.htm
Categories: Current Events Tags: audit the fed, wsj, Geithner |
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My husband has a friend living in Montana who attended President Obama's "town hall" meeting on health care there earlier this month. This is the couple's recounting of the experience. They asked to remain anonymous on the posting. *********************************************************** Hello All, By now you have probably heard that President Obama came to Montana last Friday. However, there are many things that the major news has not covered. I feel that since Bill and I live here and we were at the airport on Friday I should share some facts with you. Whatever you decide to do with the information is up to you. If you chose to share this email with others I do ask that you DELETE my email address before you forward this on.
On Wednesday, August 5th it was announced locally that the President would be coming here. There are many groups here that are against his healthcare and huge spending so those groups began talking and deciding on what they were going to do. The White House would not release ANY details other than the date.
On about Tuesday Bill found out that they would be holding the "Town Hall" at the airport. (This is only because Bill knows EVERYONE at the airport) Our airport is actually located outside of Belgrade (tiny town) in a very remote location. Nothing is around there. They chose to use a hangar that is the most remotely located hangar. You could not pick a more remote location, and you can not get to it easily. It is totally secluded from the public. FYI: We have many areas in Belgrade and Bozeman which could have held a large amount of folks with sufficient parking.
(gymnasiums/auditoriums). All of which have chairs and tables, and would not have to be SHIPPED IN!! $$$$$ During the week, cargo by the TONS was being shipped in constantly. Airport employees could not believe how it just kept coming. Though it was our President coming several expressed how excessive it was, especially during a recession. $$$$$ Late Tuesday/early Wednesday the 12th, they said that tickets would be handed out on Thursday 9am at two locations and the president would be arriving around 12:30 Friday.
Thursday morning about 600 tickets were passed out. However, 1500 were printed at a Local printing shop per White House request. Hmmmm......900 tickets just DISAPPEARED. This same morning someone called into the radio from the local UPS branch and said that THOUSANDS of Dollars of Lobster were shipped in for Obama. Montana has some of the best beef in the nation!!! And it would have been really wonderful to help out the local economy. Anyone heard of the Recession?? Just think...with all of the traveling the White House is doing. $$$$$ One can only imagine what else we are paying for.
On Friday Bill and I got out to the airport about 10:45am. The groups that wanted to protest Obama's spending and healthcare had gotten a permit to protest and that area was roped off. But that was not to be. A large bus carrying SEIU (Service Employees International Union) members drove up onto the area (illegal)and unloaded right there. It was quite a commotion and there were specifically 2 SEIU men trying to make trouble and start a fight. Police did get involved and arrested the one man but they said they did not have the manpower to remove the SEIU crowd. The SEIU crowd was very organized and young. About 99% were under the age of 30 and they were not locals! They had bullhorns and PROFESSIONALLY made signs. Some even wore preprinted T-shirts. Oh, and Planned Parenthood folks were with them.....professing abortion rights with their T-shirts and preprinted signs. (BTW, all these folks did have a permit to protest in ANOTHER area)
Those against healthcare/spending moved away from the SEIU crowd to avoid confrontation. They were orderly and respectful. Even though SEIU kept coming over and walking through, continuing to be very intimidating and aggressive at the direction of the one SEIU man.
So we had Montana folks from ALL OVER the state with their homemade signs and their DOGS with homemade signs. We had cowboys, nurses, doctors you name it. There was even a guy from Texas who had been driving through. He found out about the occasion, went to the store, made a sign, and came to protest.
If you are wondering about the press.....Well, all of the major networks were over by that remote hangar I mentioned. They were conveniently parked on the other side of the buildings FAR away. None of these crowds were even visible to them. I have my doubts that they knew anything about the crowds. We did have some local news media around us from this state and Idaho. Speaking of the local media...they were invited. However, all questions were to be turned into the White House in advance of the event. Wouldn't want anyone to have to think off the top of their head.
It was very obvious that it was meant to be totally controlled by the White House. Everything was orchestrated down to the last detail to make it appear that Montana is just crazy for Obama and government healthcare. Even those people that talked about their insurance woes........the White House called our local HRDC (Human Resource and Development Committee) and asked for names. Then the White House asked those folks to come. Smoke and mirrors...EVERYTHING was staged!!!!!!!!!!!
I am very dismayed about what I learned about our current White House. The amount of control and manipulation was unbelievable. I felt I was not living in the United States of America, more like the USSR!! I was physically nauseous. Bill and I have been around when Presidents or Heads of State visit. It has NEVER been like this. I am truly very frightened for our country. America needs your prayers and your voices. If you care about our country please get involved. Know the issues. And let Congress hear your voices again and again!! If they are willing to put forth so much effort to BULLY a small town one can only imagine what is going on in Washington DC. Scary!!
Bozeman, Montana Categories: Health Freedom, Grassroots News, Ethics, Executive Power, Social Issues, Socialism Tags: Montana, town hall, health care |
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Below is a letter to the editor that Andrea Berghold, a Campaign For Liberty member, sent to her local newspaper. This is absolutely awesome and personally, I think deserves to be published in every paper in the nation, even if groups have to pay to have it put in their papers. August 21, 2009 Dear Mr. Martin, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to speak with me regarding your "Opinions" piece relating to healthcare reform. There are many reasons why this specific legislation is so personal to me. First and foremost, the proposed healthcare reform is unConstitutional, as is EVERY OTHER HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION AND REGULATION IN EXISTENCE in this country. Nowhere can it be found in our Constitution, Bill of Rights, or Declaration of Independence that healthcare should be funded, regulated, provided, or controlled by the federal government. Healthcare is a service, not a right. The entire issue is moot, because it's not within their listed powers to interfere with. That being said, our current Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Disability, and the many other new programs being forced upon us, are completely unConstitutional and should be phased out. They should remain in effect long enough to provide promised services to those that were forced to pay into it, and then be dissolved. One (of several) reasons this will never be done is because our federal government is unable to admit their mistakes and take the necessary action to stop repeating them. I would be happy to provide examples: The Department of Energy: Created in the 1970's out of a need to become less energy dependant on foreign suppliers. Results: After more than 30 years and hundreds of billions of dollars, we are MORE dependent on foreign suppliers now than before the creation of this department. What has the fed govt done about this enormous waste of time and money? They budget MORE time and MORE money. The Department of Education: Created out of a need to promote a higher level of education for our children. Also the inspiration for the creation of "No Child Left Behind." Results: Suffice it to say that MOST of the 'victims' of these programs are able to graduate from high school, yet are unable to perfom simple tasks like making change at McDonalds. The fed govts answer? Throw MORE MONEY at it. And one of my favorites, the Food & Drug Administration: Created out of a need to assure the safety of the food and drugs we ingest. Results: (Food) Mad Cow disease, bird flu, E-coli covered spinach, and 'toxic' peanut butter (just to name a few from recent years), and (Drug) Can you say, "Have you or a loved one experienced unexpected side effects from using (Rx)? Call our law firm at 1-800-OUR-BADD." The fed govts answer? We all know the FDA is still alive and kickin,' and I'm sure our fed govt is taking aim to throw more money at 'em. There are hundreds of billions of our tax dollars being used for programs like these, all completely unConstitutional, and yet all still alive and sucking down our tax dollars faster than me and you can earn them. Are the intentions all pure? I would hope so, but I can't prove either side. Are the ideas behind them worthy? Absolutely! Who in their right mind wouldn't want someone to look into alternate energy sources, and perform quality control checks on our food and drugs? Should our fed govt be in control of them? No way, no how. Imagine how many jobs would be created in the public sector (that's all of us, by the way) if there were companies that checked these things and could give their 'Seal of Approval' or a 'Star Rating System.' The competition would be in our best interest!! How many NON-fed govt businesses could make SO MANY mistakes like Mad Cow and E-coli spinach before they would be out of business? NONE! But not the FDA!! There's no incentive for you to do above average work when there's no healthy competition for your job. I know that Obama promises that a National Healthcare Program (NHP, for simplicity) would bring about competition in the insurance industry, but who really believes that? Government and competition simply cannot co-exist. How many other seals of approval are on food containers? None, because there is NO competing with the govt funded FDA, and there will be no competing with NHP, especially when there is a list of rules 1,018 pages long that the entire industry would have to follow, whether they want to participate or not. That's not really a fair competition. Now, about the cost of NHP. Obama has stated that it wouldn't be free, and because we all know that nothing in life ever is, it will be up to taxpayers to pay for the 47 million+ people that would now be receiving insurance. First, it's important to make the distinction between insurance and healthcare. Right now, if I need to make an appointment with my doctor, I can expect that it will probably take a week or two to be seen for non-urgent visits. The office may be able to fit me in within 24 hours if I say that it's urgent, otherwise I would go to the ER for emergencies. The key here is that I have insurance. Now let's say that NHP is in effect and EVERYONE has insurance, and I would like to schedule an appointment with my doctor. It will now take several weeks and possibly months to be seen, and if it's urgent, I will sit in the waiting room at the emergency room for several hours and possibly days to be seen. It has to be understood that an increase of 47 million+ new insured patients will not automatically introduce the million or more doctors, specialists, nurses, and other healthcare providers into the system that will be needed, and there you have the 'rumored' rationing. If there is anyone out there that can explain how care will NOT be rationed, and that there won't be loss of life from waiting for treatment or testing, please help me to understand, because as Obama's proposed healthcare legislation stands, it will be an unavoidable side-effect of govt meddling. What I think most people are not seeing is that INSURANCE for ALL will eventually lead to HEALTHCARE for NONE. When you're sitting in the emergency room for hours on end, you will receive no comfort from your insurance card...THAT is a promise you can take to the bank. This letter will end up being as long as the legislation if I don't stick to the point, but the fact is, our fed govt has taken a large ball of twine and twisted it and knotted it all up, so that everything is somehow connected to something else, which leads to public fear when it's time to untangle it. The fact is, if the fed govt was forced to completely untangle itself from all of the unConstitutional issues it's weaved itself into, the people in our great nation would have an opportunity to utilize personal knowledge, experience, creativity, and work ethic to solve the many situations we have allowed our fed govt to seize control of. We should not be asking the fed govt for answers to problems IT created! I have to say, also, that in reference to your OpinionS article, you stated, "The Medicare they receive is provided by - Surprise! - the federal government. So are the interstate highways they drive on and the military that protects them." To be more correct, the Medicare they receive is provided by tax dollars from a system WE ALL paid into, and shouldn't be thought of as our govt 'just tryin to be nice'. WE PAID for that! Same with the interstate system...we ALL pay taxes, registration, license fees, tickets and fines, etc. to pay for our streets and interstates. The military was supposed to be paid for with Income Tax collected on the PROFITS of corporations (think BigPharma??), and NOT on our individual labor. But that was back when the wisdom of the founding fathers envisioned "peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none." Since it's become the fed govt's past-time to meddle in the affairs of others and plop military bases all over the world, well, that can get a little bit expensive from what I hear. Makes one wonder what WE Americans would think if say, Saudi Arabia or China plopped a military base here in St. Louis, or in Washington, D.C., but that's a whole other can of worms our big brother has opened up for us all... One other point I would like to mention. In the 'Letters to the Editor' section of the same edition, there was one titled 'Tire angel goes by name of 'Alan." This is a perfect example of how, when charity is not forced, people will 'rise to the occasion.' Back before Lyndon Johnson started the Medicare/Medicaid programs, and later the HMO/PPO/Managed Healthcare Systems, doctors and patients had the freedom to negotiate fees and services. When the regulations were set into place (for OUR own good, mind you), doctors no longer had the FREEDOM to negotiate with their patients. If they were discovered charging different prices to different patients, they could be fined or removed from that network, thus the end of spontaneous acts of kindness and the freedom of performing charitable acts. If a doctor wants to treat a patient for less than what the HMO/PPO regulates, that should be his/her personal free choice, after all, it was THEY that attended medical school, and THEY that pay student loans, and THEY that provide the service, but their freedom to be charitable has been stripped away by govt regulation. How many of you out there want a "No Child Left Behind" graduate to determine YOUR insurance benefits? How many of you want a govt bureaucrat with no personal stake in you or your family to decide if 'grandma even get's to be plugged in to begin with?' More importantly, shouldn't it be MY choice if I want to max out my credit cards, sell everything I own and mortgage my home to save my life, without turning it into a federal case?? The Constitution was written by the very people that fought a tyrannical govt, if only to turn over a country rich with freedom and personal liberty to it's children. Those children have handed said freedoms and liberties back to the govt on a silver platter with the understanding that the govt is to take care of them, cradle-to-grave. This whole mess isn't about liberal vs conservative, left-wing vs right-wing, dem vs repub. When all of those labels that are meant to divide us are stripped away, we are all Americans that want the best for our parents, our children, our neighbors, and ourselves. In a perfect world, we SHOULD all have health insurance, but the fact is, it's not a perfect world, and not everyone will have it. Those that don't should be able to rely on their families and the ability to privately negotiate with a provider (without the fear of govt involvement or punishment), and various charitable organizations. The truth is, the majority of people feel better when they are charitable, as you can see by the number of people that donate to organizations like BirthRight and GoodWill, food pantries, cash donations for Muscular Dystrophy and others as seen hanging in the drive thru windows at fast food restaurants, the people that sponsor families at Thanksgiving and Christmas, etc. People, for the most part, WANT to be kind and charitable. A free market approach to healthcare WOULD work, IF we force our fed govt to uphold their sworn oath to the Constitution. Thanks again for speaking with me about this, and for taking the time to read it. I realize there is NO WAY this will be printed due to length, and that wasn't really my goal. I just wanted to be able to say that some things are better left to the govt, such as preserving, protecting, and defending our country and the freedoms and liberties it's citizens enjoy. The car I drive, the mortgage lender I use, the credit contracts I enter into, and my families healthcare would be issues I think I should be able to decide on based on my INDIVIDUAL needs and the needs of my family, just as YOU should be able to decide what's in the best interest of yours. For Liberty, Andrea Berghold Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Education, Finance, Civil Liberties, Health Freedom, US Constitution, Ethics, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Philosophy, Revolution, Social Issues, Socialism, State Legislation, Economy, Monetary Policy, Congress Tags: Healthcare, public health insurane, social security, Freedom, government interention |
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I just made an interesting discovery and sent this letter to the News Leader: Categories: Media, Health Freedom, Democratic Party, Grassroots News, Ethics, Current Events, Social Issues Tags: health care reform, town halls |
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Stimulus Bills Purpose: To expand the size, scope and power of the US Federal Government. To pay back political favors to those who brought Obama and the Democrat Congressional majority to power Consequences; Skyrocketing National Debt. Inflation. Higher Taxes. Blatant theft from our children and grandchildren
Cap & Trade Purpose: To expand the size, scope and power of the US Federal Government
Theft of GM and Chrysler Corporations
Unintended Consequence: Ford Motor Company out foxed Obama and company in battle one. But watch your back boys, they still have your company in their sights
Cash For Clunkers
Unintended Consequences; Higher Used car prices - hurting low and middle income Americans. Lower September and 4th quarter 2009 car sales further damaging an industry that has struggled with balancing supply and demand. More dealers on the verge of bankruptcy due to the Federal Government not paying the promised rebates to dealers in a timely manner. Higher taxes on your Children and Grandchildren when they have to pay for this program in about 20 years. Estimated cost of each 4500 rebate: Over $9,000 with interest when finally repaid.
National Health Care
2010 elections; Coming soon, but the 2010 revolution is brewing right now at a town hall near you.
Paul Hamby, Missouri Co-Coordinator, Campaign For Liberty 816 632 0602 Categories: Finance, Media, Globalism, Civil Liberties, Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Election News, Republican Party, Grassroots News, Federal Legislation, Revolution, Socialism, Economy, Monetary Policy, Trade, Congress Tags: |
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Like many Americans, my wife and I travel regularly for business, pleasure, and yes, for political activism. Usually, we plan our travel to encompass all three activities, after all, they do go hand-in-hand. This weekend was one of those occasions. Our journey took us to southeastern Texas to the coastal town of Galveston for the Ron Paul BBQ.
We left Philadelphia on Thursday, mid-afternoon, and arrived in Houston in the early evening. As expected, our flight was uneventful. We grabbed our bags from the baggage claim, found our rented Ford F-150 pickup truck, opened up my luggage to remove our Ron Paul magnets, and slapped them on the driver's and passenger side doors before leaving the airport. (We made the decision to never fly without them). In the bag with all of my personal affects was a flier from TSA notifying me that my bag had been searched...If you follow my blog(s) you know that this is not the first time. Nor will it be the last.
We had an excellent time in Galveston. Man it is hot and humid in Texas! We settled in on Thursday night, bumped into blues legend, and fellow patriot Jimmie Vaughan (and family) in the San Luis lobby, and had a late dinner. Friday we did a little sight seeing, and took the Galveston Ferry north to Bolivar. We witnessed a lot of the destruction left behind by Ike, did some beach combing, and saw numerous dolphins (or porpoise) along the way.
Saturday's events began with the "Liberty Lectures" at the San Luis Convention Center. Lew Rockwell shared the Paul family history, and gave us a glimpse into the mind and life of Dr. Paul that only Lew's life-long friendship could provide. Tom Woods, as always, entertained and educated us with his unique blend of facts, figures, and at times, self deprecating humor. Judge Napolitano shared with us his resounding message on the continual unconstitutional behavior and laws of the federal government. The crowd loved it, and met our speakers with numerous standing ovations throughout the event. Side note - there was seating in the room for approximately 800 people. The chairs were filled, the aisle was filled, it was standing room only, with approximately 1200 people packed in the room and close to another 2000 outside in the halls. Wow! Dr. Paul is right, freedom is popular. Judge Napolitano at the Ron Paul BBQ Parts 1, 2 , and 3
The Ron Paul BBQ was fantastic. I believe they managed to pack in nearly all 3000+ of us. We encountered people from all walks of life, from all over the country, saw some good friends and made some new ones. Somehow, we all feel like we are constiutents of Texas' 14th congressional district. There was a charity auction , a great band, Barry Goldwater Jr., the Paul family, and of course, a thought provoking oration by the birthday boy, Dr. Paul. The food was delicious, and well worth the wait. I am a sucker for grilled sausage with barbecue sauce. We had birthday cake, sang happy birthday, and I believe Dr. Paul posed for a couple thousand pictures. Money was raised not only for his campaign, but, two local charities that are helping Galveston rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, benefited from the events of the day as well.
We closed the day with a rally and cocktail party for Debra Medina, liberty candidate for governor of the great state of Texas. That event, like the previous events of the day, gave us an opportunity to spend some time laughing and sharing some heartfelt moments with our friends in the rEVOlution. I am sure in the coming days video will surface of the various speaking events. Please take the time to watch, and share them with everyone who values liberty, especially those who are still in the process of awakening.
We packed our bags to fly home on Sunday. Knowing full well my bag would be searched, I placed my "END THE FED" shirt on top and filled one of the pockets with literature including C4L brochures, End the Fed fliers, trueworldhistory.info cards, and a note that I signed, that read "FREE LITERATURE. PLEASE TAKE." . When we got to the airport I removed the Ron Paul Magnets from the pickup and buried them under my END THE FED shirt in my luggage. . Sure enough when we arrived home 8 hours later I opened my bag to find the Ron Paul magnets on top, and an all too familiar note from our friends at the TSA. Again I ask you, do you feel safer?
Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Media, Civil Liberties, Grassroots News, US Constitution, Just For Fun, Current Events, Revolution, Economy, Monetary Policy Tags: galveston, kokesh, Maresco, Ron Paul BBQ |
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The full report can be found on the website - http://showmeinstitute.org/publication/id.205/pub_detail.asp This organization uses critical analysis, and historical facts to create their publications. Share this with all of your friends From the conclusions section: "The bottom line is that increased government intervention in the health care market results in skyrocketing health care costs that limit dollar wage growth, accelerate medical inflation, and increase the total government burden on the private sector." Categories: Health Freedom, Federal Legislation, Current Events Tags: |
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In researching issues related to the H1N1 "swine flu" "epidemic", I am having trouble finding good information on Missouri's public safety laws which might support mandatory vaccination. I have read in several places that "38 states" have "mandatory vaccination laws" and elsewhere that "42 states have laws mandating vaccination for school-age children" but I have not been able to find an actual list of those states. I have identified some of the individual states such as New York and Arkansas which have passed regulations specifically leading up to mandatory swine flu vaccinations but have found little in Missouri nor (much) relevant case law. I have found "recommendations" by the Missouri Department of Health on which vaccines children "should" receive, but no information on which ones may or may not be mandatory and what may happen in a declared "public emergency". If you have specifc information that would help with this project, please send it my way (you can just post it as a comment to this blog). I will publish a summary of all the information I find. My intent is to create an "Action Page" for people to reference in composing letters to Missouri officials, local papers, and so forth. I want to make sure that my information is correct before I get too far. Thank you.
Categories: Civil Liberties, Health Freedom, Action Item, Current Events, State Legislation Tags: swine flu, vaccinations, h1n1 |
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Categories: Education, Civil Liberties, Law, Domestic Policy, Philosophy, Video Tags: |
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I have not had time to write much to my blog of late since so much has been going on. I went to a 2nd Amendment rally in Springfield, MO today and a gun show. A lot of people turned out and I got many signatures on the Audit The Fed petition (we are trying to push Senators Bond and McCaskill here to cosponsor S 604, the Senate version of HR 1207; Congressman Blunt is already a cosponsor of HR 1207 in CD7) and gave out a good deal of literature. Most people worried about 2nd Amendment issues seem very knowledgeable about the currency problems and are a very easy sell. If I had had an hour more, I could have gotten as many signatures as I wanted. We saw a number of familiar faces at the rally, including several local state representatives and a few of the candidates running for Bond's Senate or Blunt's CD7 House seats, including State Senators Jack Goodman (my current State Senator for District 29) and Chuck Purgason who has been instrumental in getting rid of Real ID in Missouri. Tomorrow my wife and I go back to the gun show and then have a meeting with the Well-Fed Neighbor Alliance to work on planning the Well-Fed Neighbor Farmers' Coop. This is an effort to start a system in Southwest Missouri centered on Springfield to get local farm products into several of the local grocery stores. Not only will these stores sell local food, but they will also have a desk where people can sign up for a set price to to get one or two grocery bags of fresh produce and farm products every week during the growing season (produce, dairy, meat, value-added products), dependent on the success of the crops at that particular time. The co-op solves the grocery stores' problem of not wanting to deal with 80 different farms, gets local farmers an outlet for their fresh local produce at a premium, and gets customers a way to get fresh, local, seasonal produce at its best. We are involved in the paperwork of setting out all of the details and have agreement-in-principle with several local stores. This next week I hit the ground with the next phase of organizing the local neighborhood watch and will use my rounds as an opportunity for getting Audit The Fed signatures. My wife and I are taking steps toward getting our CCW permits and are encouraging a few of the neighbors to not just be gun owners but safe and responsible gun owners. I am hitting stumbling blocks on getting REACT participation here. We are perfectly situated on the 44 corridor to monitor emergency traffic on public channels (e.g 9,19,17 on CB, 1 on FRS/GMRS) and relay to local emergency professionals. Most emergency professionals no longer carry radios that can receive emergency signals from private citizens. But neither REACT, ARES (national amatuer emergency radio organizations) nor the Barry/Lawrence Emergency Management Agency are getting back to me with any information on how to do this. I may have to get creative... As I meet people, I am seeing more and more people who are at least aware that there is a problem and are looking for answers. My wife and I still meet people from the "Don't ask, don't tell," school of political thought and that is always depressing, but they are decreasing in number. As people start to blink, look around, and question, we need to be ready with constructive answers. Do not harp too much on the gloom and doom: people are coming to us now because they are worried. They do not need to have it beaten into them. They need an answer to "What can I do about it?" and that answer should be primed at making real changes in their communities, not (just) getting angry and going to a representative's Town Hall. And on the Town Hall's, I have found the Democratic National Committee's frantic emails about "paid agitators" disrupting "their" meetings. If anyone knows how I can become a "paid agitator" protesting the health care takeover, please let me know because I am definitely not getting paid now and a little cash would be nice. But, please, do be polite and courteous at these meetings. Be firm and forthright in your disappointment with our 'representitives,' but comport yourself with dignity. You are the citizen and they are the 'public servants;' you do not need to lower yourself to the level of a rabble to deal with them and they are not worth it. Remember that your behavior reflects on everyone else in the movement and that you are not really trying to convince a crooked politician to not be crooked, you are trying to convince other citizens to join you in bringing your servants to heel. Anyway people, keep up the dream. Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Finance, Civil Liberties, Health Freedom, Grassroots News, Economy, Monetary Policy Tags: |
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Most C4L members are familiar with Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution which enumerates the powers of Congress. Most also, have a good understanding of Amendment 10 because it was written at a time when politicians didn't feel a need to obscure their intentions in difficult to understand legalese. Even though the 10th amendment was one of our original "Bill of Rights," demanded by enough Jeffersonians who were skeptical of some of the vague references in the Constitution, we have polititians today who claim that the General Welfare clause gives them just cause in enacting laws through powers not enumerated nor allowed by amendment.
Today, we have Cap and Trade in which the Federal Government has decided that it owns all rights to the use of carbon, or the right to control how states may want to control polution in their own borders. Congress is considering National Healthcare legislation in the name of General Welfare, yet as we shall see, nothing like this was ever intended. They have used tax payer funds to bail out private banks and buy what once were private corporations. They've passed budgets with enormous deficits knowing that the only way to pay for them is through an unrepresentative tax now called "Reserve Creation" by the Federal Reserve. They quickly passed a law called the "USA Patriot Act." The name of it sounds good, but among other things and in direct opposition to our Constitution it allows for today's patriots, tomorrow to be labeled by any president an "Enemy Combatant," and subject to being held in secret, and without trial indefinitely. I'll stop there for now.
The Soviet Union, Communist China, and the Fascist dictatorships of Germany and Italy in the early 1900's claimed their edicts were for the "General Welfare." Hitler came to power legally according to German law at the time. We always see the video clips of the street fights in Berlin and such. That's like taking the video of events at some of the Townhalls and believing that the year 2009 was full of street brawls across the country. The German people weren't all idiots. They were promised great things for their General Welfare, and found out too late that it was in exchange for their freedoms and at a huge cost of lives, fortune and humanity.
Concerns toward the "General Welfare" clause were presented by Robert Yates, also known as Brutus in his 6th Anti-Federalist paper written in December of 1787. This was responded to by James Madison in Federalist Paper #41 in which Madison made very clear that the term "General Welfare" was in itself a generalization in which the specifics are the enumerated powers in Article 1 Section 8, and nothing more.
The following are excerpts from the exchange: ----------------------------------
Robert Yates: Brutus #VI December 27, 1787
...How far the power to lay and collect duties and excises, may operate to dissolve the state governments, and oppress the people, it is impossible to say. It would assist us much in forming a just opinion on this head, to consider the various objects to which this kind of taxes extend, in European nations, and the infinity of laws they have passed respecting them. Perhaps, if leisure will permit, this may be essayed in some future paper....
...This power, exercised without limitation, will introduce itself into every comer of the city, and country - It will wait upon the ladies at their toilett, and will not leave them in any of their domestic concerns; it will accompany them to the ball, the play, and the assembly; it will go with them when they visit, and will, on all occasions, sit beside them in their carriages, nor will it desert them even at church; it will enter the house of every gentleman, watch over his cellar, wait upon his cook in the kitchen, follow the servants into the parlour, preside over the table, and note down all he eats or drinks; it will attend him to his bed-chamber, and watch him while he sleeps; it will take cognizance of the professional man in his office, or his study; it will watch the merchant in the counting-house, or in his store; it will follow the mechanic to his shop, and in his work, and will haunt him in his family, and in his bed; it will be a constant companion of the industrious farmer in all his labour, it will be with him in the house, and in the field, observe the toil of his hands, and the sweat of his brow; it will penetrate into the most obscure cottage; and finally, it will light upon the head of every person in the United States. To all these different classes of people, and in all these circumstances, in which it will attend them, the language in which it will address them, will be GIVE! GIVE!...
...It is as absurd to say, that the power of Congress is limited by these general expressions, "to provide for the common safety, and general welfare," as it would be to say, that it would be limited, had the constitution said they should have power to lay taxes, &c. at will and pleasure. Were this authority given, it might be said, that under it the legislature could not do injustice, or pursue any measures, but such as were calculated to promote the public good, and happiness. For every man, rulers as well as others, are bound by the immutable laws of God and reason, always to will what is right. It is certainly right and fit, that the governors of every people should provide for the common defence and general welfare; every government, therefore, in the world, even the greatest despot, is limited in the exercise of his power. But however just this reasoning may be, it would be found, in practice, a most pitiful restriction. The government would always say, their measures were designed and calculated to promote the public good; and there being no judge between them and the people, the rulers themselves must, and would always, judge for themselves...
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James Madison: From Federalist #41 January 19, 1788
Some, who have not denied the necessity of the power of taxation, have grounded a very fierce attack against the Constitution, on the language in which it is defined. It has been urged and echoed, that the power "to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises, to pay the debts, and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States," amounts to an unlimited commission to exercise every power which may be alleged to be necessary for the common defense or general welfare. No stronger proof could be given of the distress under which these writers labor for objections, than their stooping to such a misconstruction.
Had no other enumeration or definition of the powers of the Congress been found in the Constitution, than the general expressions just cited, the authors of the objection might have had some color for it; though it would have been difficult to find a reason for so awkward a form of describing an authority to legislate in all possible cases. A power to destroy the freedom of the press, the trial by jury, or even to regulate the course of descents, or the forms of conveyances, must be very singularly expressed by the terms "to raise money for the general welfare."
But what color can the objection have, when a specification of the objects alluded to by these general terms immediately follows, and is not even separated by a longer pause than a semicolon? If the different parts of the same instrument ought to be so expounded, as to give meaning to every part which will bear it, shall one part of the same sentence be excluded altogether from a share in the meaning; and shall the more doubtful and indefinite terms be retained in their full extent, and the clear and precise expressions be denied any signification whatsoever? For what purpose could the enumeration of particular powers be inserted, if these and all others were meant to be included in the preceding general power? Nothing is more natural nor common than first to use a general phrase, and then to explain and qualify it by a recital of particulars. But the idea of an enumeration of particulars which neither explain nor qualify the general meaning, and can have no other effect than to confound and mislead, is an absurdity, which, as we are reduced to the dilemma of charging either on the authors of the objection or on the authors of the Constitution, we must take the liberty of supposing, had not its origin with the latter. Categories: Civil Liberties, Law, Domestic Policy, US Constitution, Federal Legislation, History, Current Events, Philosophy, Congress Tags: |
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Because of a two-inch minnow on the endangered species list, the water to California Central Valley has been turned off. Farms are closed, entire communities are suffering, with unemployment up to 40% in some areas, and people are being forced to visit food banks. Sean Hannity interviewed comedian Paul Rodriguez who is fighting to get the water turned back on. Rodriguez, an Obama supporter, admits "We wanted change; we didn't think it would be this kind of change, but he kept his promise - we got change." Notice that a Campaign for Liberty sign is slipped into view at about 2:20, then again at about 4:00, and again at 5:20. Thanks to Steve W. for forwarding this video of the interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InelCf0tMFI Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Grassroots News, Current Events, Economy Tags: california, water, Change, Obama, unemployment, food banks |
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Rep. Clay announces he does not want to hear from constituents regarding healthcare AUG. 10, 2009 - U.S. Congressman William Lacy Clay, D-Missouri 1st District, and Pete Rahn, Director of the Missouri Department of Transportation, hold a news conference on the western edge of Clayton Avenue overlooking Highwy 40 construction. Pete Rahn: We are here today because Congressman Lacy Clay had asked for a briefing on the status of the I-64 project. Pete Rahn and William Lacy Clay: Laughing Pete Rahn: When we talked about closing this thing down and people said we were idiots and we were gonna cause all kinds of problems... William Lacy Clay: In the beginning, when this project first began there was a lot of skepticism; that's why I am here today to see for myself the progress that's being made on the roadway as well as the progress that's being made with the workforce and business development. William Lacy Clay: During my summer break which we are in, instead of having a healthcare town hall, I've decided to come out and see just what the people that I represent do. I am confident that this sets the stage for future projects in this region, when you think about the Mississippi River Bridge, which comes next, we want to duplicate what they have done here. Link to video- http://videos.stltoday.com/p/video?id=5546153 Link to article- Call Clay and ask why he does not want to hear from people regarding such an important issue. Also, just how many of his constituents really work at that job site? He said he wanted to see what the people he represents do. His numbers are: 314-383-5240
Categories: Finance, Health Freedom, Democratic Party, US Constitution, Ethics, Federal Legislation, State Legislation, Voting, Economy, Congress Tags: William Lacy Clay, Lacy Clay, Rep Clay |
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Why government run health care hasn't worked:
What might be a great solution:
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5660N620090707 Categories: Health Freedom Tags: health care crisis |
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'You Are Terrifying Us'Voters send a message to Washington, and get an ugly response.We have entered uncharted territory in the fight over national health care. There's a new tone in the debate, and it's ugly. At the moment the Democrats are looking like something they haven't looked like in years, and that is: desperate. They must know at this point they should not have pushed a national health-care plan. A Democratic operative the other day called it "Hillary's revenge." When Mrs. Clinton started losing to Barack Obama in the primaries 18 months ago, she began to give new and sharper emphasis to her health-care plan. Mr. Obama responded by talking about his health-care vision. He won. Now he would push what he had been forced to highlight: Health care would be a priority initiative. The net result is falling support for his leadership on the issue, falling personal polls, and the angry town-hall meetings that have electrified YouTube. In his first five months in office, Mr. Obama had racked up big wins-the stimulus, children's health insurance, House approval of cap-and-trade. But he stayed too long at the hot table. All the Democrats in Washington did. They overinterpreted the meaning of the 2008 election, and didn't fully take into account how the great recession changed the national mood and atmosphere. And so the shock on the faces of Congressmen who've faced the grillings back home. And really, their shock is the first thing you see in the videos. They had no idea how people were feeling. Their 2008 win left them thinking an election that had been shaped by anti-Bush, anti-Republican, and pro-change feeling was really a mandate without context; they thought that in the middle of a historic recession featuring horrific deficits, they could assume support for the invention of a huge new entitlement carrying huge new costs. The passions of the protesters, on the other hand, are not a surprise. They hired a man to represent them in Washington. They give him a big office, a huge staff and the power to tell people what to do. They give him a car and a driver, sometimes a security detail, and a special pin showing he's a congressman. And all they ask in return is that he see to their interests and not terrify them too much. Really, that's all people ask. Expectations are very low. What the protesters are saying is, "You are terrifying us." More Peggy NoonanRead Peggy Noonan's previous columns. And click here to order her new book, Patriotic Grace. What has been most unsettling is not the congressmen's surprise but a hard new tone that emerged this week. The leftosphere and the liberal commentariat charged that the town hall meetings weren't authentic, the crowds were ginned up by insurance companies, lobbyists and the Republican National Committee. But you can't get people to leave their homes and go to a meeting with a congressman (of all people) unless they are engaged to the point of passion. And what tends to agitate people most is the idea of loss-loss of money hard earned, loss of autonomy, loss of the few things that work in a great sweeping away of those that don't. People are not automatons. They show up only if they care. What the town-hall meetings represent is a feeling of rebellion, an uprising against change they do not believe in. And the Democratic response has been stunningly crude and aggressive. It has been to attack. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the United States House of Representatives, accused the people at the meetings of "carrying swastikas and symbols like that." (Apparently one protester held a hand-lettered sign with a "no" slash over a swastika.) But they are not Nazis, they're Americans. Some of them looked like they'd actually spent some time fighting Nazis. Then came the Democratic Party charge that the people at the meetings were suspiciously well-dressed, in jackets and ties from Brooks Brothers. They must be Republican rent-a-mobs. Sen. Barbara Boxer said on MSNBC's "Hardball" that people are "storming these town hall meetings," that they were "well dressed," that "this is all organized," "all planned," to "hurt our president." Here she was projecting. For normal people, it's not all about Barack Obama.
The Democratic National Committee chimed in with an incendiary Web video whose script reads, "The right wing extremist Republican base is back." DNC communications director Brad Woodhouse issued a statement that said the Republicans "are inciting angry mobs of . . . right wing extremists" who are "not reflective of where the American people are." But most damagingly to political civility, and even our political tradition, was the new White House email address to which citizens are asked to report instances of "disinformation" in the health-care debate: If you receive an email or see something on the Web about health-care reform that seems "fishy," you can send it to flag@whitehouse.gov. The White House said it was merely trying to fight "intentionally misleading" information. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas on Wednesday wrote to the president saying he feared that citizens' engagement could be "chilled" by the effort. He's right, it could. He also accused the White House of compiling an "enemies list." If so, they're being awfully public about it, but as Byron York at the Washington Examiner pointed, the emails collected could become a "dissident database." All of this is unnecessarily and unhelpfully divisive and provocative. They are mocking and menacing concerned citizens. This only makes a hot situation hotter. Is this what the president wants? It couldn't be. But then in an odd way he sometimes seems not to have fully absorbed the awesome stature of his office. You really, if you're president, can't call an individual American stupid, if for no other reason than that you're too big. You cannot allow your allies to call people protesting a health-care plan "extremists" and "right wing," or bought, or Nazi-like, either. They're citizens. They're concerned. They deserve respect. The Democrats should not be attacking, they should be attempting to persuade, to argue for their case. After all, they have the big mic. Which is what the presidency is, the big mic. And frankly they ought to think about backing off. The president should call in his troops and his Congress and announce a rethinking. There are too many different bills, they're all a thousand pages long, no one has time to read them, no one knows what's going to be in the final one, the public is agitated, the nation's in crisis, the timing is wrong, we'll turn to it again-but not now. We'll take a little longer, ponder every aspect, and make clear every complication. You know what would happen if he did this? His numbers would go up. Even Congress's would. Because they'd look responsive, deliberative and even wise. Discretion is the better part of valor. Absent that, and let's assume that won't happen, the health-care protesters have to make sure they don't get too hot, or get out of hand. They haven't so far, they've been burly and full of debate, with plenty of booing. This is democracy's great barbaric yawp. But every day the meetings seem just a little angrier, and people who are afraid-who have been made afraid, and left to be afraid-can get swept up. As this column is written, there comes word that John Sweeney of the AFL-CIO has announced he'll be sending in union members to the meetings to counter health care's critics. Somehow that doesn't sound like a peace initiative. It's going to be a long August, isn't it? Let's hope the uncharted territory we're in doesn't turn dark. Categories: Health Freedom Tags: |
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Some St. Louis area folks have set up a YouTube Channel for their area. You can see the channel at www.YouTube.com/STLC4L
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Civil Liberties, Health Freedom, Grassroots News, Action Item, Current Events, Social Issues, Socialism Tags: |
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Interesting OpEd by Ralph Benco at WashingtonExaminer.com about the breakdown of the Left, citing scathing denunciations of populist MoveOn.org by the elitist liberal media and blogs, while action appeals to the rank and file are getting a weak response:
(Read the rest here: This confirms something that I have long held to be a possibility: that when things finally come to a head, the masks are torn away, and the rank and file Obama supporters wake up to what has been going on, we may well find many erstwhile liberals marching by our side as allies. As we know, it's not really a matter of Republican vs. Democrat or Left vs. Right. It's Statism (Elitism) vs. Liberty (We the People). This is now shaping up among the Democrats, as it already has in the Republican party. Categories: Democratic Party Tags: |
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The results are in. The U City sales tax increase was defeated with 63% of the vote. A petition being circulated at the same time requesting an audit by the State Auditor's Office is getting an 83% favorable response (signing the petition). This was entirely the result of a grass roots initiative by Citizens for Transparency & Accountability, which is just a group of ordinary people who decided they had had enough. Grass Roots Rules! This is doubly significant, as University City is considered "uber liberal," with a demographic heavy with academics. We're even going to host Claire McCaskill for her Healthcare Listening Forum at the local high school! Tax-and-spend liberals at all levels of government are hereby placed on notice: even your liberal base isn't buying it any more.
Categories: Election News, Grassroots News Tags: Taxes |
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From an unknown author in Massachusetts: "Is health care a right? I propose that one person's rights may not create a burden for another person. We have the right to free speech, but we may not force someone else to listen. We have the right to worship as we choose, but we may not compel another person to attend church with us. We have the right to keep and bear arms, but if our neighbor chooses not to, we may not require that he carry a firearm. A right to health care cannot exist because it requires that someone else provide it. Another person may not infringe on my Liberty by requiring that I provide for his needs. That was called Slavery, and has long been abolished in America." --Framingham, Massachusetts Categories: Civil Liberties, Health Freedom, Action Item, Philosophy, Social Issues, Socialism Tags: slavery, right to healrhcare |
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You may have seen this video of me (Paul Curtman) taking Senator Claire McCaskill's (MO) office to school on the Constitution.
Since then I have been on national television and radio programs to talk about my statements on the Constitution. The point I was trying to get across is that if members of the armed forces take an oath to the Constituiton and are then given body armor and sent to battle to fulfill that oath, then our leaders in government should be held true to their oath to to at least the same degree; operating ONLY within the confines that the Constitution sets for them. I made clear that since this legislation IS outside the confines of her powers, I need not hear an explanation, but rather an apology. I think Thomas Jefferson might say that I was attempting to bind down the Senator from her mischief by the chains of the Constitution. Please tell me what you think about this. Your response would be reatly appreciated.
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[B]Reporting for jury duty:[/B] Who should I ask if I have questions about reporting for jury duty? http://www.videojug.com/interview/reporting-for-jury-duty-2 [B]Jury Summons[/B] How do I know if I've been summoned for jury duty? http://www.videojug.com/interview/jury-summons-2 [B]Jury Selection [/B] What is 'voir dire'? What kind of questions will I be asked as a juror? http://www.videojug.com/interview/jury-selection-2 [B]Jury Service During The Trial[/B] What is the 'power to nullify'? http://www.videojug.com/interview/jury-service-during-the-trial-2 [B]Jury Restrictions[/B] Can I be kicked off a jury? http://www.videojug.com/interview/jury-restrictions-2 [B]Jury Duty: Why Everybody Wants Out [/B] Why do so many people want to get out of jury duty? http://www.videojug.com/interview/jury-duty-why-everybody-wants-out [B]Jury Duty: Excuses And Exemptions[/B] What are legal ways to get out of jury duty? http://www.videojug.com/interview/jury-duty-excuses-and-exemptions [B]Jury History[/B] Why do we have juries? http://www.videojug.com/interview/jury-history-2 Bonus Vids: Pete from Motorhome Diaries talks to Sam Dodson about the Fully Informed Jury Association and jury nullification activism.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYP0cUBNoMk Betty Mydland discusses what she has learned about jury nullification. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nF0y-QL4e8
FIJA/AJI
Categories: Civil Liberties, Law, Domestic Policy, Grassroots News, US Constitution, History, Philosophy, Revolution, Miscellany, Social Issues, State Legislation, Video, Voting Tags: |
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This hearing was held on the immaculately rebuilt Linenwood College...oops... University, in St. Charles, MO. It began at 1:00 p.m., and ran until 6:00 p.m. What a wonderful experience it was for me. It ranks right up there with our State meeting in the Capitol, in Jefferson City. The panel consisted of:
Rep. Dixon Greene 140 Chair Rep. Guest Gentry 5 Vice Chair Rep. Funderburk St. Charles 12 Rep. Zerr St. Charles 18 Rep. Jones St. Louis City 63 Rep. Dougherty Jackson 53 did not show Rep. El-Amin St. Louis City 57 Marc Webb Legislative Analyst Eric Jennings Lesislative Assistant Rep. Fallert Ste, Genevieve 104 Rep. Viebrock Greene 134 did not show Rep. Nieves Franklin 98 Rep. Schoeller Greene 139 Rep. Smith Dent 150 (corrected)
There was a very impressive turn out from Campaign For Liberty members. As Robyn noted on the way home, "We had a quorem". Indded, we did. And every one of us testified, and the panel was gracious enough to stay and hear us. Remember, that many of these representatives still had a couple hours drive to return home, to their families. We thank them from the bottom of our collective, Liberty loving hearts. The two most 'impressive' testimonies, for me, my own excluded, clouded as it was by nerves, emotion, and lack of discipline, were Michael Fagen, testifying for what I took to be the "defense", and Catherine Bleish. Mr. Fagen assumed the position with bundles of information, and delivered a well rehearsed, almost verbatim sounding defense of the M.I.A.C. system, citing terrorism pursuits in the Missouri area. In fact, Mr. Fagen never once refered to the M.I.A.C. report in question, nor did any of his examples of the benefits of the fusion center cover any of the groups mentioned in the report. In fact, Mr. Fagen went so far as to say that he had read every page of the Patriot Act, and that the American way of life, had not changed in the least because of it. He enumerated aspects of persoanl freedom, seeing fit to include "watching pornography" as evidence that all is well and good in the Police State. (No mention of Posse Comitatus, of Habeus Corpus...why speak ill of the dead, eh?) I would like to make clear, that the representatives on the panel, AS A WHOLE, expressed concerns and awareness that this application of information accumulation was disturbing, if not unconstitutional. And except for Rep. Jones' point, that "profiling" has existed for ages in the black community, and her challenge that these claims of "profiling" are less invasive than those incurred by her constituency, there was no challenge presented to any testimony, except to that of Mr. Fagen. When Catherine Bleish took the microphone, the days events shifted into a new gear. Here was this young atrractive woman, who by all rights "should" be otherwise, and pleasantly engaged. Instead, she also sat to the microphone armed with sheafs of paper, She rattled off statistic and instances in a rapid fire, emotional delivery that never lost track of her goals. She produced internal documents, e-mails, and relayed how she had "worn out her welcome" at the Governor's office, in an attempt to get information about this report. I was both inspired, and shamed at how far there is yet to go, to get really "good" at all this. At one point, Ms. Bleish looked around to see that Mr. Fagen had gone back to his 'pick pockets', and she stated that she would love to debate him, anytime, one on one, on all these issues, and I for one, would pay good money to see that. Campaign For Liberty.... ...keep showing up!!!! God, I am proud to be one of you!
Mark in St. Louis
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From the Oath Keepers "About" page: Oath Keepers is an non-partisan association of currently serving military, veterans, peace officers, and firefighters who will fulfill the oath we swore to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, so help us God. Our oath is to the Constitution, not to the politicians, and we will not obey unconstitutional (and thus illegal) and immoral orders, such as orders to disarm the American people or to place them under martial law and deprive them of their ancient right to jury trial. We Oath Keepers have drawn a line in the sand. We will not "just follow orders." Our motto is "Not on our watch!" If you, the American people, are forced to once again fight for your liberty in another American Revolution, you will not be alone. We will stand with you. There is at this time a debate within the ranks of the military regarding their oath. Some mistakenly believe they must follow any order the President issues. But you can rest assured that many others in the military do understand that their loyalty is to the Constitution, and understand what that means. The mission of Oath Keepers is to vastly increase their numbers. We are in a battle for the hearts and minds of our own troops. To win that battle, Oath Keepers will use written and video testimony of active duty military, veterans (especially combat vets), and peace officers to reach, teach, and inspire our brothers in arms in the military and police to fulfill their oaths and stand as guardians of the Republic. If you are currently in the military, are a veteran, or are a peace officer, please submit your written and/or video testimony on your oath, so you can help us win that battle for hearts and minds. Your submission may be anonymous. Guardians of the Republic, fulfill your oath. Join us. (read a longer description here) What We Are NotWe are Not advocating or promoting the overthrow of any government whether local, state or national. We want our governments to return to the Constitutional Republic which the Declaration of Independence and the We are Not advocating or promoting violence towards any organization, group or person. We are determined to Keep our Oath to support and defend the Constitution. We are not advocating or promoting the removal of any person from his or her elected office. We want all elected persons to live up to their Oath to "support and defend the Constitution" as it is written or to leave of their own volition. We are not advocating or promoting that anyone in the Judicial Branch be removed or replaced. We want the Justices in the Judicial Branch to follow the Constitution as written without interpretation. We are not advocating or promoting any particular form of government other than the Constitutional Republic which the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution defined and instituted. We are not advocating or promoting the rewriting of the Constitution nor are we asking for an Amendment thereto. We are insisting on the Constitution being Enforced as it is written. We are Not advocating or promoting any act or acts of aggression against any organization or person for any We hope for a return to a Constitutional Republic free from fear and hatred. We hate only tyranny. We are Oath Sworn Americans who want the Constitution returned to its legal and rightful place, intact, as the ultimate Law of the Land. Categories: US Constitution, Ethics, Revolution, War/Military Tags: |
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My county fair was held July 22-25, and I saw this as an opportunity to interact with fellow Missourians regarding the Health Care Reform legislation currently being forced upon us all. Have I read the 1,018 page tome, H.R. 3200? No. Have I read the 615 page Senate version, the Affordable Health Choices Act? No. Does this render me unqualified to have an opinion as to whether I want further nationalization of health care? No. I have not heard one member of Congress say, for the record, that they have read their version of the legislation in its entirety, and unless I hear my three federal legislators swear an oath to this fact, and say publicly that they can accept this bill as worthy for all American citizens, including themselves and their loved ones, I will not for one nanosecond give consideration to lending my support to Health Care Reform, as envisioned by the current administration. This is, very simply, unsustainable and unconstitutional growth in federal government. I am standing athwart bureaucracy, screaming "Stop!" I composed these two petitions to permit the citizens at my county fair an avenue to protest this boondoggle/lunacy/tyranny/totalitarianism. My intention is to distribute these petitions to anyone who would like to make use of them. Please feel free to contact me through the site mail if you would like the petitions forwarded; they're pretty simple (House and Senate versions slightly different); since I didn't major in Internet Technology I'll probably have to send them to you in your outside email, as an attachment. I do not have the time or patience right now to figure out how to post these on the site. celticreeler Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Domestic Policy, Grassroots News, Current Events, Congress Tags: |
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http://www.thehamiltonpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Free-Market-Chart.gif Compare this to an overly simple graph of the government's health care scheme:
Categories: Health Freedom, Just For Fun Tags: |
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There is a big difference betweeen these two words "Inalienable" means government given rights that are "in-a-lien-able" condition. "Unalienable" means God given rights that are "not-in-a-lien-able" condition. Categories: Education, Civil Liberties, Law, Republican Party, Executive Power, Miscellany Tags: Unalienable, Inalienable |
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