News for 07/18/2009
It is fairly clear, to anyone paying attention, that the people of the US are currently suffering the political tyranny of the special interest minority. We arrive at this point not because the character of the nation has changed dramatically – we are still a center-right nation ideologically, although we have become more permissive in our social views – but because we have fallen prey to exactly the political malady James Madison feared we would: factionalism. This factionalism exists within both political parties, as well as throughout our society. Instead of celebrating the hybrid identity that is American and standing as one people in support and defense of a singular culture we have become a country of hyphenated Americans all too willing to put our individual and special interest needs ahead of honest politics, good government and Americanism…. Would term limits be employed, instituted at the state level in an effort to usurp the special interest factions currently in control of our federal government, they would act as a great equalizer – an eradicator – of factions. …I still believe that an educated, aware and engaged American citizenry can provide effective governmental oversight. Our Founders and Framers constructed our Republic’s Charters of Freedom with that understanding. But today, we have become so self-absorbed as a culture that we have placed our personal wants and desires – as a society – above the duty demanded of us by the Framers and by constitutional mandate.
New – American Independent Party – God, Country, Constitution http://aipnews.com/
Our purpose? The same as the stated purpose of the U.S. Constitution: “To secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” This party is now an official party in the state of Michigan and most other states. Give them a look at the link above. That’s why we’re pro-life and pro-liberty, and will always unswervingly support a strong and secure America. Along with the signers of the Declaration of Independence, we believe in the self-evident truth that all men are created equal, that our unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness come from our Creator, and that just government can only exist by the consent of the governed. We call these “America’s Principles.” We are recruiting, training and equipping a new generation of leaders – patriotic men and women who will courageously act to implement those principles. History proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt: AMERICA’S PRINCIPLES WORK when the people put them into practice.
FORECLOSURES RISE FOR FIRST HALF 2009 DESPITE AID from Global Reasearch / Realty Trac
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14408
US home foreclosure activity galloped to a record in the first half of the year, overwhelming broad efforts to remedy failing loans while job losses escalated. Foreclosure filings jumped to a record 1.9 million on more than 1.5 million properties in the first six months of the year, RealtyTrac said on Thursday.
The number of properties drawing filings, which include notices of default and auctions, jumped 9.0 percent from the second half of 2008 and almost 15 percent from the first half of last year.“Despite everybody’s best efforts to date we’re not really making any headway against the problem,” Rick Sharga, senior vice president at RealtyTrac in Irvine, California, said in an interview.
TREASURY DEPT SEEKING SPEAKER TO ADDRESS “HUMOR IN THE WORKPLACE” AT THEIR SEMINARS
Please drop Treasury an email, as I did (seen below) to let them know we can not afford to pay for their entertainment. Email address is in the posting seen above. Please note, there is an error in the email address of the primary contact.. should be tres.gov not gres.gov. Thank you.
me very much… and the only laughter I can hear is those in government laughing as
Instituting a Safeguard Against Political & Ideological Tyranny from Canada Free Press
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )News for 07/15/2009- Be your own landlord, Bad to Worse, Up for Some Light Reading?, Give Me Liberty
Obama mulls rental option for some homeowners-sources from Reuters
http://www.reuters.co…
Government officials are weighing a plan that would let borrowers who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments avoid eviction by renting their homes instead, sources familiar with the administration’s thinking said on Tuesday. Under one idea being discussed, delinquent homeowners would surrender ownership of their homes but would continue to live in the property for several years, the sources told Reuters. Officials are also considering whether the government should make mortgage payments on behalf of borrowers who cannot keep up with their home loans, tapping an unused portion of a $50 billion housing aid kitty. As part of this plan, jobless borrowers might receive a housing stipend along with regular unemployment benefits, the sources said. (Reporting by Patrick Rucker; Editing by Diane Craft) .
(Ed note: good thing as interest rates climb and unemployment climbs this may become needed more than anyone now realizes)
The Economy Is Even Worse Than You Think by Mortimer Zuckerman at WSJ
http://online.wsj.com…
The Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminary estimate for job losses for June is 467,000, which means 7.2 million people have lost their jobs since the start of the recession. The cumulative job losses over the last six months have been greater than for any other half year period since World War II, including the military demobilization after the war. The job losses are also now equal to the net job gains over the previous nine years, making this the only recession since the Great Depression to wipe out all job growth from the previous expansion.
Ed note- he lists ten reasongs why we’re in more trouble than we think: estimates given are believed low, Employers requesting their workers take unpaid leaves are up, 1.4 million unemployed not counted in figures, many are underemployed and thus not counted, work week now aveages 33 hours for rank and file workers, Avg length of unemployment of 24.5 weeks is highest in history, compensation averages remain flat, goods production sector is way down, hiring after recession lets up will not happen quickly as workers there will have hours increased before hiring begins, unemployment nationwide projected to soon be stagnant at 11%
Read the House Dems’ Health Bill by Kevin Waterman at Americans for Tax Reform
http://www.atr.org/in…
As sad as it is to say, no one really expects that members of Congress are going to read a bill before they decide to pass it. Usually that means they see nothing wrong with pushing a bill out late and then quickly voting before anyone else has a chance to read it either. Lucky for us though, the House Democrats have let slip the full text of their healthcare bill. We know they won’t read it, so it’s up to us.
Americans for Tax Reform has already made note of several serious problems with the bill, including:
insurance mandates for both individuals and businesses
an excise tax on health insurance
steps towards full double-taxing of corporate income earned abroad
and of course, the new surtax on small businesses and high income earners
However, with 1,018 pages there’s bound to be some other surprises left in there. So if you can, do the work Congress won’t and read the bill. Leave a comment to let us know anything you find so we can make sure everyone else knows about it too.
Read the bill here: http://edlabor.house….
Bring Back the Declaration of Independence by Matt Hawes at Campaign for Liberty
http://www.campaignfo…
So, President Obama, we’ve asked if government works, and the answer is a resounding no. Why? Because of the overreaching vs. limited question you claim is outdated. Big government has had decades to make its case, and if its closing argument doesn’t drive our nation over the cliff, let us hope we have learned our lesson. Unfortunately, the president failed to realize he had answered his own question in the preceding paragraph of his statement, saying: “Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.” Our Republic can ill afford any more big plans from the federal government, but it has always needed — and has always had room for — the big plans of the individual, the big dreams of the new arrivals to its shores. From those who would create products for or entertain millions, to the ones who wish nothing more than to be left alone to live their lives in peace, our country does indeed have room. Though our nation can do more than just tolerate big plans, our system is built on the fundamental concept that you should not be able to forcibly take money from others to pay for them. President Obama was correct when he said that free men and women have achieved great things. It is their freedom, and not the government, that works. Why then, does our system insist on regulating and burdening them as much as it can get away with? Because we have allowed it to. So, what can we do to recapture the vision our Founders had when they declared their independence to the world? (the suggested solutions can be found in the full article, linked above)
News for 07/09/2009
“We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” Abraham Lincoln
Promise Appears Broken – Tax Hikes For All
http://www.atr.org/ta…
David Boaz from the Cato Institute has written up a great summary of all the tax hikes proposed by President Obama and his Administration.
They include:
Raise the top income tax rates from their current 33 percent and 35 percent rates to 36 percent and 39.6 percent in 2011
Limit itemized deductions for people paying high rates
Increase capital gains and dividend taxes by 33 percent for people paying high income tax rates
Impose a value-added tax (VAT) on all goods and services
Raise the Social Security tax by lifting the cap
Raise a variety of business taxes by $353 billion over 10 years, including repeal of LIFO rules, restoring Superfund taxes, seven tax increases on energy companies, and more
Tax employer-provided health benefits
Implement a cap-and-trade system for emissions permits, the functional equivalent of a massive new tax
Tax drivers on their mileage
Change rules to raise gift taxes
Restore the estate tax at 45 percent
Raise cigarette tax by 62 cents a pack
Raise taxes on beer, wine, liquor, and soda
Eliminate health savings accounts and flexible savings accounts
Tax employer-provided cellphones
Tax AIG employee bonuses
Raise taxes on overseas corporate earnings
See full article at http://www.cato-at-li…
Number of Czars On Rise Again
http://www.google.com…
Because nearly double of all the Russian Czars ever is not enough. This one to oversee healthcare insurance in US.
ACORN TIMELINE by Washington Examiner
http://www.washington…
Your Acorn Primer – very imformative
Labeling That Makes Sense from Cato Institute
http://www.cato-at-li…
…To wit, every product whose ingredients benefit from a subsidy should include the following language on the label: “This product has been subsidized by the U.S. government at taxpayer expense. For more information, please visit usda.gov.” And every product that benefits from tariff protection should have the following language on the label: “This product is protected from foreign competition by U.S. import tariffs. Its price is higher as a result. For more information, please visit usitc.gov.”…..
Union Leaders to Meet With Obama Next Week By Steven Greenhouse
http://thecaucus.blog…
A dozen union presidents will meet with President Obama in the White House next Monday to discuss health-care legislation as well as a bill that would make it easier to unionize, labor leaders and administration officials said on Tuesday. Labor leaders said they hoped to talk with the president about the status of health-care legislation and what the nation’s labor unions can do to advance the administration’s efforts to assure passage of such legislation, including the enactment of a public option in which a government-run health insurance entity would compete with private insurers. Union leaders also said they wanted to reiterate their opposition to enacting a tax on employee-provided health benefits to help finance health-care reform. Such a move that would hurt union members disproportionately because so many receive health benefits from their employers. One top A.F.L.-C.I.O. official said the labor leaders also wanted to voice their hopes about enacting the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it far easier for workers to unionize (card check). …. For more on this legislation visit: http://shotsonthehous…
The Cost of Global Warming Greed By Daniel Greenfield at Canada Free Press
http://canadafreepres…
Cap and Trade has outsourced Federal taxation to Wall Street, just in time for Wall Street to be Federalized. The result is an abomination that’s two parts capitalist, three parts socialist, and rabidly greedy. By banking on a phony crisis, the environmental lobby and the Obama administration have transformed taxation into a commodities market. The resulting alliance makes it hard to tell apart the private sector from the government, not that there’s any point in even trying, because in the final result it’s the big promoters of a phony crisis, such as Al Gore, that will profit, and the rest of us who will lose out.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission, sole regulator of the carbon market created by cap-and-trade legislation
Goldman Sachs to be carbon regulator? By Steve Milloy
http://canadafreepres…
Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Olympia Snow (RINO-ME) have introduced a bill to make the Commodity Futures Trading Commission the sole regulator of the carbon market created by cap-and-trade legislation. So does this mean that freebooting Goldman Sachs could be the de facto regulator of the carbon market? Consider…. (see article linked above) (Ed note- Goldman Sachs has rooted itself into every single facet of our government- Henry Paulsen, of the first bailout fame, used to head Goldman Sacs, for example)
In health bill, billions for parks, paths-Supporters cite prevention, but add-ons’ critics see pork By Michael Kranish
http://www.boston.com…
Sweeping healthcare legislation working its way through Congress is more than an effort to provide insurance to millions of Americans without coverage. Tucked within is a provision that could provide billions of dollars for walking paths, streetlights, jungle gyms, and even farmers’ markets. The add-ons – characterized as part of a broad effort to improve the nation’s health “infrastructure’’ – appear in House and Senate versions of the bill. Critics argue the provision is a thinly disguised effort to insert pork-barrel spending into a bill that has been widely portrayed to the public as dealing with expanding health coverage and cutting medical costs. A leading critic, Senator Mike Enzi, a Wyoming Republican, ridicules the local projects, asking: “How can Democrats justify the wasteful spending in this bill?’’
News for July 3, 2009
Now, Obama’s Homeland Security chief, Janet Napolitano, is urging Congress to enact what is portrayed as “REAL ID-Lite” — the PASS Act (Providing for Additional Security in States’ Identification Act of 2009).
Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world.”
Daniel Webster
http://www.wethepeoplefoundation.org/
News for 06/26/2009
http://www.sickoflawsuits.org/index.cfm
Our civil justice system is under attack by personal injury lawyers who game the legal system for personal profit in the name of “consumer protection.” The reality is that consumers are the ones getting fleeced. These abusive lawsuits harm the economy and job creation, threaten our access to affordable, quality health care, and delay justice for the truly injured by clogging our courts. Ultimately, lawsuit abuse hurts all of us.
Soldier For Liberty 