Posted by Chris Stevens on 10/18/09

The immature mud slinging that goes on between various political pundits really turns my stomach. Does it win people over calling them names? Does it solidify your base by demonizing others? Or does it just create hysteria in otherwise reasonable people towards their neighbors who might have different political ideas?

Instead of being so divisive, why not discover how you can agree with others? Not everything is left or right. People on both sides agree on a lot of issues. Many Statists on both sides don't mind Big Government if their party is in power, while many Constitutionalists on both sides want limited government regardless of who's in power.

Many Americans are frustrated because they lose no matter who's in power. Whichever side is down stirs their base by condemning the Big Government interventionist policies of the other guys. But when power switches sides, not much changes. The revolving doors of beltway bureaucrats and corporate cronies continues to turn while the American public is pilfered.

I would like Americans to stop arguing and start over. How about talking to someone with different political views about some of the important issues facing America and see if you agree about how both parties' establishments have violated our Constitution and betrayed our trust with:

• Wall Street welfare and a horrendous national debt.
• Centralization of power in the federal government.
• Corporate interests and banks which, through lobbyist influence and vast financial contributions, control our political system.
• The unaccountable Federal Reserve refuses to disclose who is getting trillions of dollars or to give the details of what deals are being made with foreign banks and governments.
• The Surveillance State and endless expansions of federal police powers.
• Washington politicians destroying our economic security.
• Endless wars and bankruptcy-inducing foreign welfare.

It's easy to complain about the out-of-control feds, but restoring the correct balance of power to the states will only happen when We the People govern through our citizen legislators. How about talking to your neighbors about some Idaho issues? In the last legislative session there were a number of issues that shouldn't have been left or right:

• The Idaho legislature overwhelmingly passed a Resolution to remind the federal government that the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
• We almost got some better transparency and accountability from our state government this year. Legislation to create a searchable website containing all state spending was shot down. Why shouldn't they show us where they're spending our money?
• Health care has become a national issue partly because the states can't keep their fingers out of it. They have driven prices through the roof with all of their mandates. Just this year Idaho lawmakers continued their meddling with a government take-over of midwifery. Traditional midwives are now going under rather than paying to be reeducated and licensed to do what they've always done. This is just one example of how government meddling eliminates affordable choices in the marketplace, which limits availability and drives prices higher.

Most Bannock county legislators were on the wrong side of these issues. Unless new people are elected who will actually pursue liberty, we are likely to continue to have Statist philosophies represent Bannock County.

Some in Idaho have begun beating the drums for raising taxes to deal with the state's continuing revenue shortfalls. If allowed, they will further punish the producers by making them pay to sustain the bureaucracy that is smothering our economy.

"We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate."  -Thomas Jefferson

I believe we must not only stop a tax increase and other bad ideas, but even more importantly, we must restore free market principles that have been proven by previous generations.

• There are a number of measures in the works to strengthen Idaho's independence and protect Idahoans from the out-of-control feds.
• Follow the money trail and strike at the root: the Fed's Magic Money Machine provides the fuel that powers the Big Government engine. Sound money stops the Fed from stealing Idaho's savings via the inflation tax.
• The feds have no business in health care. Idaho can make numerous free market reforms that will increase availability and reduce costs. There has never been a more opportune time to undo the mess government has created.
• Government schools consume two thirds of the taxes collected by the state of Idaho while health and welfare is the fastest growing segment of the state budget. They should post their checkbooks online, making it easy for the public to audit their spending.

These and other common sense policies can be implemented in the upcoming legislative session if the people of Idaho decide to stop arguing and start working together to restore liberty to our land.

Posted by Chris Stevens on 10/08/09
Last updated 10/08/09

Because of you, Idaho's Campaign for Liberty is in a unique position:

• One year ago, our federal representatives had no interest in the Federal Reserve. Now all four of them are cosponsors of Audit the Fed legislation.
• Liberty has a number of friends in the Idaho state legislature. With your help, they passed a state sovereignty resolution during the 2009 session.

Now we need to tell our representatives what we want them to do in 2010 to make Idaho the freest state in the union.

Some in Idaho have begun beating the drums for raising taxes to deal with the state's continuing revenue shortfalls. If allowed, they will further punish the producers by making them pay to sustain the bureaucracy that is smothering our economy.

We must plan and implement an effective strategy to not only stop a tax increase and other bad ideas, but even more importantly, to restore free market principles that have been proven by previous generations.

• State Sovereignty: There are a number of measures in the works to strengthen Idaho's independence and protect Idahoans from the out-of-control feds.
• Sound Money: Follow the money trail and strike at the root: the Fed's Magic Money Machine provides the fuel that powers the Big Government engine. Sound money stops the Fed from stealing Idaho's savings via the inflation tax.
• Health Care: The feds have no business in health care. Idaho can make numerous free market reforms that will increase availability and reduce costs. There has never been a more opportune time to undo the mess government has created.
• Transparency: Government schools consume two thirds of the taxes collected by the state of Idaho while health and welfare is the fastest growing segment of the state budget. They should post their checkbooks online, making it easy for the public to audit their spending.

In order to accomplish these significant goals we will have to reach critical mass momentum that can't be stopped by entrenched domestic enemies of freedom. This requires a well-planned legislative strategy involving all C4L members and our growing network of friends.

We are in a unique position with a responsibility to proactively lead Idaho to liberty and set an example for other states. Our first step is to form a specialized task force for each policy area to:

• Develop specific recommendations for legislation
• Build a coalition of individuals and groups who are supportive
• Identify legislators to sponsor and cosponsor legislation
• Plan a thorough strategy - from positive publicity to overcoming opposition
• Report progress and create action alerts for our growing network
• Send representatives to testify in legislative committees

There are already a number of ingredients in the cooker, but I know you will help us come up with the winning formula to make a huge difference in the upcoming legislative session. Members like you from all over the state who have an interest or expertise in each area must bring their ideas to the table in order to make each task force successful.

Please sign in to your account (or set up your account) and check your dashboard to see how you can get involved and help make Idaho the freest state in the union!

We have about three months to develop our plans and mobilize tea parties and friends of liberty from all over the state to converge on the capital and meet with our elected representatives on the opening day of the 2010 legislative session, and much has to be done well before then.

Posted by Chris Stevens on 08/16/09
Last updated 08/16/09

Will you help us bring about real reform and economic recovery by restoring the sound and proven principles America was founded on? Redistributing the wealth and political cronyism are more of the same destructive policies that America has increasingly suffered under for most of the last century. See below...

Congratulations!  After initial resistance, 100% of Idaho's federal representatives have seen the light on the Federal Reserve and have now all cosponsored "Audit the Fed."  Campaign for Liberty, with the help of our growing network of friends, can take full credit for making this happen. 

Thank you!  Campaign for Liberty is just a little over a year old and we're already making a huge impact -- and we're just getting started.  Imagine what we will be able to accomplish as we continue to organize and mobilize.  There is much work to be done, but we've proven that we can do it. 

Auditing the Fed is a big step toward ending the Fed.  Fiat money is the lifeblood of the Big Government beast, while honest money makes it easy for everyone to realize how much of their labor is being confiscated by government. 

"There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose."  (pg. 236 "The economic consequences of the peace," by John Maynard Keynes, 1920)

As recent uprisings have revealed, people are willing to act when they understand what's being done to them.  It is imperative that a growing number of Americans can understand and clearly articulate the fallacies of socialism and also the free market solutions that have been proven by earlier generations.  

Campaign for Liberty's mission is 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.  Now you can access An Introduction to Economic Reasoning and educational resources on Sound Money. 

We have never had a greater opportunity or a more pressing need to restore sound money than the present circumstances.  We must press forward boldly and change the course of history.  Here are two ways you can help:

1. Submit your petition urging Nancy Pelosi to schedule debate and a roll call vote on Auditing the Fed.
2. Pass sound money resolutions in every county, legislative district, and state political party committee for the purpose of creating wider understanding, public support, and pressure on the politicians to pass sound money legislation.

Many of our members are already active members of political parties and can help you get involved.  Political parties are responsible for electing representatives and holding them accountable, but they won't hold them accountable unless people like you are involved. 

By networking with other fans of freedom and engaging in the political process together, we rapidly gain momentum.  But it will take many more hands at the oars in order to propel us to victory in the turbulent days ahead.  

Over the past several months, Campaign for Liberty has been busy building the tools that are necessary to empower you and hundreds of thousands of others to take back America, one neighborhood at a time:

• Networking and communication tools that enable you to share important news and give you control of who you receive information from.
• New county, state, and national Campaign for Liberty Forums and blogs enable location-based discussions of issues and projects.
• Coordinators at every level to facilitate grassroots action and quickly spread important information to the members in their area.
• Local Coordinator Boot Camp and training to turn the principles of liberty into public policy.
• Plus merchandise, downloads, News Wire, local and regional events, and more.

Remember to log in each time you visit http://CampaignForLiberty.com so you won't miss important messages in your mailbox. 

This is your Campaign for Liberty - a growing organization of volunteers who count on each other for feedback and encouragement.  

The time to mobilize and confront the establishment is now!

For Freedom, 

Chris Stevens
Interim Idaho State Coordinator
208-478-8683

P.S. Please continue making a difference in your community and utilize all of the tools and training to help active members of your local Campaign for Liberty reclaim our Republic and enforce our Constitution!

Posted by Chris Stevens on 07/05/09

We Are The Silent Majority No More!

Pocatello, ID - The Independence Day Tea Party drew about 70 patriots to the streets to march in the parade and protest out-of-control government bailouts and spending; taxing and borrowing; inflation and regulation... great signs were displayed to the crowds and a couple thousand 5000 Year Leap/Principles of Liberty bookmarks were passed out, along with hundreds of Economic Freedom handouts.

We were arguably the largest contingent in the Fourth of July parade. We let everyone know that we are everywhere and what a strong and united force we really are!

Americans are tired of being taxed and regulated to death! We're onto politicians' tax and spend games and are united in our opposition to them. We aren't simply going to sit back and take it anymore. Citizens are turning out in force to oppose their taxation by misrepresentation. They hope we'll just go away, but that's not going to happen!

After the parade we headed to the fairgrounds. Over 150 petitions to Senator Risch were signed. He is the only federal representative from Idaho who has not cosponsored "Audit the Fed." Please print petitions, gather signatures, and stay tuned to find out when we schedule a time to deliver them all to his local offices on the same day.

Also at the fairgrounds where the crowds gathered for the evening's entertainment and fireworks, Chris Stevens read the Declaration of Independence accompanied by harmonica played by David Cook. 

Posted 07/06/09 Caleb Kinley Hot Springs, AR

Beautiful! Keep up the great work!

Posted by Chris Stevens on 06/21/09
Last updated 06/21/09

Our country is ailing. That is the bad news. The good news is that the remedy is so simple and attractive: a return to the principles our Founders taught us. Respect for the Constitution, the rule of law, individual liberty, sound money, and a noninterventionist foreign policy constitute the foundation of the Campaign for Liberty.

Socialism is essentially an economic theory that is diametrically opposed to free markets. History consistently teaches that freedom creates the most prosperity for the most people while socialism creates the most poverty for the most people. People benefit from freedom while Government & Co. benefit from socialism.

So why are the American people allowing socialism to be foisted upon them? I don't think there's any single simple answer, but I believe a lot of the problem lies in the widespread lack of understanding about sound economics. Although there's plenty of blame to spread around, I believe that socialized education is largely to blame for this.

Don't expect the government to teach your children and grandchildren the great American principles of individual liberty, constitutional government, sound money, free markets, and a noninterventionist foreign policy. If you want future generations of Americans to live free, it's up to you to educate and influence your family and neighbors.

Education for Liberty

An educated public is an essential ingredient of a free society. Ambitious governments would have far greater difficulty implementing schemes that undermine liberty and prosperity were they faced with an informed and vigilant population.

In that spirit, we have assembled these resources to help you learn more about some of the pressing issues of our time. The resources you'll find here include books (many of which we link to in free online versions) and articles, as well as audio and video available online and for free download. We receive many requests from people wondering what they should read to learn more about free societies. These resources, to which we intend to add periodically, will go a long way toward satisfying this demand.

For resources specifically addressing the current economic crisis, we recommend The Bailout Reader, an excellent and informative collection.

Finally, we recommend the reading list Ron Paul includes in his book The Revolution: A Manifesto. Many of those titles also appear in the resources below.

• Economics
• Sound Money
• Foreign Policy
• Constitution
• Civil Liberties
• Education Freedom

Posted 06/22/09 SteveNYGuy Wormit, United Kingdom

America is (fairly) new to the level of socialism being imposed. As an American living in the U.K. I have seen the argument that some believe... "I've paid in for so long I'm entitled to get something back." This notion forgets the ever increasing costs and losses of liberty this carries with it. As I wrote very recently in reply to a new Liberty News Wire posting: When governments become entangled with matters of tax collection for socialized programs or when governments ask/take funding (rightly or wrongly) collected through taxes towards programs neither wanted nor needed but rise with inflation to a point whereby borrowing is required - we will see people pushed into state controlled welfare programs. The mindset will become ever increasingly noted as "I paid for it so I deserve it now", even in the face of little contribution or in the face of the knowledge of failure. The perpetuation of such programs will divide individuals until a smaller and smaller group of people will be taxed at greater and greater levels. One group will find ways to avoid or defer such payments of taxes whilst another will not be able to contribute. The resulting effects will be smaller pockets of individuals not being able to meet the programs requirements until loans are required and, with that, interest. This will grow until the burden of the program implodes Steve Constitutionalist at home... Libertarian whilst abroad.