Archive for November, 2009

Keep the Change

Friday, November 6th, 2009

“Having always observed that public works are much less advantageously managed than the same are by private hands, I have thought it better for the public to go to market for whatever it wants which is to be found there; for there competition brings it down to the minimum of value.” – Thomas Jefferson

“You Lie!” reads one sign, hoisted in the air. “Sweeping Away Socialism One Democrat at at Time” exclaims another. These signs are bound by a common thread of anger over deceit by the politicians teamed with the anti-socialist feelings gaining traction throughout America. John and Jane Public, who wake up and go to work everyday only to see their paychecks taxed more and more, are starting to feel the pinch. No longer is the frustration silent or even a low murmur. What began as a dull roar has built momentum and is now a country-wide movement with a very loud and prominent voice. The “Tea-Party” go-ers and 9/12-ers have spread their message to enough people and pointed out the hypocrisy in Candyland (this author’s not-so affectionate term for DC and the Fairy Tale currently happening) and stirred others to join the cause. The target currently in their sites? The Pelosi Health Care Bill.

Yesterday was an historic day in Washington DC. Several congressmen and women invited the public to the western steps of the Capitol to express their displeasure and outright opposition to the health care bill currently being debated on Capitol Hill. People of all ages from all around the country took the time to gather for a news conference and rally led by Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota [1].

Several thousand concerned citizens of widely varying age, race, and economic background gathered to protest what they deemed a government takeover of the health care system. Following the rally, the group descended onto the different offices of varying officials in Washington. One example that deems being highlighted is the encounter several native Minnesotans had with their representative Keith Ellison (D, MN). Having made the ~1,100 mile to speak with Mr. Ellison, they told the Congressman their story, noting their viewpoint on the upcoming bill and their adamant position against it. Renee Doyle, a member of the group making the trip, said, “[t]here’s a lot of emotion. But it’s very civil. It seems that he feels like he has a personal responsibility to – for us poor people – take over our will because he knows best” [2].

All parties involved in the discussion said it was civil with Mr. Ellison, who noted, “[n]ot that we ever agreed, but they really were fairly polite, you know, and I was not really prepared for that” [2]. So what exactly what was Mr. Ellison expecting? A rowdy, uncouth crowd whose knuckles drag on the ground when walking? It would seem as though the level of arrogance has reached an all time high in DC. It seems as though WE the people, whom politicians are supposed to serve, have turned into the public who don’t know what’s good for them, thankfully having the great fortune of a much wiser political elite class prepared to save them.

Personally, we believe that we should have the ultimate say in our lives. If you’ve taken the time to read this article, we bet you feel the same way.

Today’s call to action requires a bit more from you, the reader. Listed below are links to the contact information for all of the representatives in Congress. Make a phone call. Make your voice heard. Be respectful but firm. Voice your opinion. Do you want a public option? Or would you rather make health care more competitive and ultimately cheaper, opening the doors to those 12-14 million Americans who aren’t insured but want to be? If you want to see the future, you need only to look at the past. Government-run programs have a history of failure. Don’t let this become another statistic.

US Senator Contact Information
US Representative Contact Information

1. “On the Hill, Protesters Chant ‘Kill the Bill,” nytimes.com, November 5, 2009.
2. “Bachmann Leads Rally Opposing Health Plan,” startribune.com, November 6, 2009.

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Dodd Drafts Dirty Document

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

“The central bank is an institution of the most deadly hostility existing against the Principles and form of our Constitution.” – Thomas Jefferson

If you’re Senator Christopher Dodd (D, CT), your version of the Heimlich maneuver is to choke the poor bloke until dead and replace him with a scarier guy with even greater esophageal problems. The Senator has been hard at work drafting new legislation to strip the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Federal Reserve of their bank-supervision powers, handing over control to a new council of regulators, overseen by an “independent White House appointee” [1]. No, really, you’re not imagining things. There are a multitude of things wrong with this scenario, but let’s focus on two of them:

Firstly, introducing more regulatory groups creates issues when the remnant groups still exist, even if in a lesser capacity. Sociologists refer to this as “diffusion of responsibility.” Let’s not forget the post-9/11 firestorm about the relationship between the CIA and FBI and how the existence of the two departments, no matter how codified their distinct responsibilities were, created holes in the system [2]. If you’re in a restaurant with only one other person and that person starts choking, what is the chance you will assist with the Heimlich maneuver (the real maneuver, not the Chris Dodd version)? How likely are you to help in the same situation but with one hundred diners in the restaurant?

Furthermore, one would assume we had learned from the housing bubble that politicizing anything, let alone banking policy was a bad idea. Allowing the White House to appoint a single person to be in charge of the monetary oversight is like letting a child decide what’s for dinner. It’s probably not going to be good for you. In the late 1990s and 2000s the federal government pressured banks to lend to people who were less likely to repay their loans – look what has happened and what is about to happen with the Option-ARM mortgages. We see foreign policy change with each new administration. We see energy and social policy change with each administration. Banks shouldn’t have to retool their sails to handle the political winds of each new administration. It’s not healthy for banks nor its customers, not to mentionl the financial stability of the country at home and worldwide.

We do agree with Dodd’s intentions of consolidating some responsibility, but this isn’t the right way. Why retain the empty shells of the Fed and the FDIC, causing more opportunity for gaps in coverage? Why take the responsibility away from semi-independent groups and place it upon the shoulders of the presidential administrations? Why ask the FDIC to insure banks subject to someone else’s rules instead of its own?

Today’s call to action: Let us know in the forums how you feel about this new legislation.

1. “Clash Looms on Banks,” The Wall Street Journal, November 5, 2009.
2. Davisson, Shawn P., “Spooks Vs. Suits – the Ultimate Sibling Rivalry: CIA/FBI Interagency Competition, Communicative Failures, and Effects on U.S. National Security,” 2004.

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GOP Stabs Itself in the Back

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

“Well Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” asked Mrs. Powel of Benjamin Franklin outside Independence Hall when the Constitutional Convention of 1787 ended. “A republic, if you can keep it,” he replied.

Well, if you needed any further proof that the GOP certainly isn’t conservative, you got it yesterday. Bill Owens’ victory over Doug Hoffman in yesterday’s election for the U.S. House Seat in New York’s 23rd district is a shining example.

Let’s run down the story: the candidates were Democrat Bill Owens, GOP-endorsed Republican Dede Scozzafava, and conservative Independent Doug Hoffman. Things got tricky when conservatives, in part riding the recent Tea Party movement, began supporting Doug Hoffman. Scozzafava, calling herself a Republican, supported President Obama’s stimulus plan, opposed many tax cuts, and actions to save Social Security[1].

When Scozzafava realized she was being squeezed out, she wisely dropped out of the race. But then she did the unthinkable – she endorsed Democrat Bill Owens. In effect, the GOP endorsed and wasted valuable campaign dollars on a candidate who values keeping returned TARP money for government use rather than returning it to the people [2] and massive redistributive subsidies [3] over a successful business owner and fiscal conservative [4].

Additionally frustrating was Newt Gingrich’s deferment to the Republican leadership. When asked at a book signing why he supported the GOP endorsee, he said, “my bias is to be for the nominee of the local party, and I don’t second guess the local party” [5], but later eventually changed his endorsement to Hoffman [6]. Admittedly, Gingrich pointed out issues on which Scozzafava was conservative. But considering that Gingrich is a strong choice for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012, this is very concerning. Why can’ Republicans pick the truly conservative candidate the first time?

Interestingly enough, Gingrich also said at the book signing that “it is a mistake for the conservative movement to think splitting in the special election is a smart idea. If we give that seat to the Democrats, shame on us” [7]. We say – shame on the GOP. We may disagree about whether conservatism or liberalism is better for the nation, but the real problem is the integrity we give up when we play politics.

Today’s call to action: Recommend this website to two friends.

1. “Republican Scozzafava Drops Out of New York Congressional Race,” foxnews.com, October 31, 2009.
2. “Bill Owens on Health Care Reform,” billowensforcongress.com, November 3, 2009.
3. “Bill Owens on Jobs,” billowensforcongress.com, November 3, 2009.
4. “About Doug Hoffman,” doughoffmanforcongress.com, November 3, 2009.
5. “Video: Tea Party-er Confronts Newt Gingrich at Book Signing on Scozzafava Endorsement,” mofopolitics.com, October 27, 2009.
6. “Question Marks for GOP in New York District and Beyond,” cnn.com, November 3, 2009.
7. “Newt on Scozzafava,” dailymail.com, October 26, 2009.

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Breathing New Life into an Old Fire

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

“Strength Through Sacrifice. Never Forget” – motto of the USS New York

The fires which forged our nation are still burning, stoked by the bravery of American men and women. Yesterday, the newly-built USS New York, set to be commissioned Saturday, sailed the Hudson River, firing a 21-gun salute at Ground Zero [1]. The new 25,000-plus ton amphibious-warfare ship, built in Louisiana, is constructed with 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center [2].

The resolute determination of the American people to keep fighting for what’s right still exists. And though it has lain somewhat dormant as their protests fall on the deaf ears of the federal government, the will to fight is still there. The momentum is building. People are voicing their discontent with the status quo and today are expressing their desire for pragmatism and accountability among our leaders in the polls.

The construction of the new vessel signals that we won’t forget what we’ve sacrificed in order to retain our rights. If we are to take back our rights, we must act and act soon. A torch is being carried forward – will you pursue it?

Today’s call to action: Think about a cause you’ve been meaning to take up recently. What can you do to take the first step toward action?

1. “USS New York Arrives in ‘Hometown,’” Wall Street Journal, November 2, 2009.
2. Reiss, Adam. “New Navy Ship Honors 9/11 Victims,” Cable News Network, November 2, 2009.

Want to talk about the articles posted here? Please visit our forums to discuss this and other issues.

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What Happened to America?

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

“Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one” – Thomas Paine

Thousands of people crowd the streets of Washington and town hall meetings are packed with barely enough room to stand. Yet the voice of the people is drowned out by the noise of self-congratulatory patting on the back of the Washington elite as another power-grabbing, deficit-increasing bill is signed into law.

What happened to the discourse reveled and honored by the revolutionaries who molded a land of oppressed people into the world’s greatest nation, a people beaten down by a tyrannical political machine which asked for more and more, failing again and again to grant representation? It was a time when the government was not nearly what it claimed to be. What was played off as a democracy was little more than rule of a greedy king relinquishing an inconsequentially minute amount of power in an effort to silence the people. But the discourse of the colonists became the catalyst for the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the 11-year-long authoring of our Constitution, the most perfect legal document ever written.

It’s now over two hundred years later and you and I have again been plunged back into submission by a political elite who neither act on the wishes of the nation nor abide by the Constitution on which it stands. Admittedly, it didn’t happen overnight and it’s not that we didn’t see it coming; but we believed that our politicians would at some point exercise restraint and begin acting like the rest of us. We hoped that their behaviors would mimic those responsible for our overwhelming success – behaviors which not only provide sustenance but the promise of a better future and fulfillment of our meaning. The coiled tail of the serpent squeezes us tighter, forcing more liberties to escape upon each labored breath.

Tragically, the illusion that the opinion of the common man carries weight in Washington is as transparent as the government’s repeated promises to secure our borders. The government’s consistent assertion that only they can solve our problems only highlights the belief that they are indeed far superior to the rest of us; if they considered us to be equally intellectual or just, should not they permit us to solve the problems ourselves?

The irony is this – the government which today actively seeks to demean you and silence your dissent merely serves to stoke the fires of a Constitutional revival. Let us not forget that we were a strongly divided people when we chose to break the chains of Britain’s control. Our Constitution was voted down until George Washington united the colonies. We were a divided people when we entered both World Wars. But we are less divided today than those times; the vast majority of Americans fear permanent expansion of government. Friends, there is still time to make our voices heard.

In the Declaration of Independence, our nation’s founders spoke of “the patient Sufferance” of the colonies under a “long train of abuses and usurpations” as the British government strove to increase its stranglehold over them. They concluded that the only course of action was to alter government. As we again are suffering from the hostilities of our government, we merely seek to promote true unity among countrymen and a rekindled respect for the Constitution, our history, and the spirit of independence among free peoples.

This website will highlight articles based on current events, drawing insight from the writings and actions of our founding fathers. Each writing will be vehemently researched and cited so you can go to the source itself. To set us apart, however, each article will conclude with a call to action, such as writing your Congressional Representative or Senator or just thanking your employees or coworkers. We won’t tell you what to say, we just care that you say something. It is only through activism that we can hope to secure a Constitutional revival.

So continue your pursuit, brothers and sisters. Feed off the dismissals by your government and its hubris and avarice. Thomas Jefferson once said, “when the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” Let us press on together, restoring the liberty we deserve. Ask that they not pass out fish but rather give us the freedom to catch them on our own.

…or are they afraid that we’d become too great?

Today’s call to action: Find your favorite inspirational quote from a founding father like George Washington or Thomas Jefferson and post it on your wall at work.

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