One US Reps Rationale For Oppossing Bailout

by Thaddeus McCotter,
Michigan 12th District

Thank you. I rise today not to change anyone's mind but to express to my constituents my reasons for opposing this bill. There will always be time and pretext enough for people to compromise their principles and put forward poor public policy that may in the short run be popular but in the long run will be detrimental to the long-term interests of the American people. We learn this through history.

In the 1832 Bank Panic, Andrew Jackson had the question of whether he would remove the Bank of the United States' charter. The people in the bank did not like that. They threatened the prosperity of the American people and in the middle of the panic Andrew Jackson looked at these bankers and said: "There are no necessary evils in government. The treasury to you, gentlemen, is closed." This was an act of courage on the part of President Jackson because he understood what was at stake was not merely an ephemeral prosperity or a panic caused by the very people with their hand out. Andrew Jackson understood this was about majoritarian rule. It was about the faith in the people's representative institutions and those who inhabit the seats in which they are entrusted.

Today we are in a global financial bank panic. It is the first of our global economy. We are seeing a leveraged bailout of the United States Treasury. And in the end, these interests that want your money are threatening your prosperity. And the choice you face is this: You will lose, potentially, for prosperity for a short period of time, at the expense of your long-term Liberty. Once the federal government has got you to take that risk and pass it onto you as a quote-unquote moral hazard, they will be in the marketplace and as the free market is diminished your freedom itself is diminished. And as your Congress does not stand up to these and put forward a better plan that truly protects the taxpayers, and truly has the long-term interests of the United States at heart, you will be in jeopardy of losing both your prosperity and your Liberty.

The choice is stark and it was put forward in the book by Doestoevsky. In the Brothers Karamazov the Grand Inquisitor came to Jesus and he said, "If you wish to subject the people, give them miracle, mystery and authority; but above all give them bread." And it has always been the temptation in a crisis especially to sacrifice Liberty for short-term promises of prosperity. And it was no mistake during that during the 1917 Bolshevik revolution the slogan was "Peace, land, and bread." Today you are being asked to choose between bread and freedom. I suggest that the people on Main Street have said they prefer their freedom, and I am with them.

I yield back.

Posted by email from scottoverpeck's posterous

Tyranny in Washington

“If you just solely rely on the phone calls we’re getting from home, listening to people who don’t understand the complexities of our marketplace and what we’re dealing with here, the easiest vote for you to make would be a no vote today. You have to go beyond that.” - Rep Gary Miller R-CA Dist. 42

Obviously any legislator who would listen to his constituents is a fool. Please let his Lordship know about your knowledge of “the complexities of the marketplace” by giving him a call at (202) 225-3201 in DC and (714) 257-1142 in CA.

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• 08:34 @bobbarr great article, but nothing about the BobBarr Liberty 'Stache? #
• 08:36 @MikeFoster www.nocashfortrash.org #nobailouts #
• 09:19 Just started raining on me and JC while we were 3 or 4 doors down the street with all of his toys out. Awesome. #
• 09:25 Army stations a unit in the US for civil unrest. in unrelated news speaker pelosi declared House martial law. #
• 09:42 @GOPLeader an economic rescue bill for taxpayers? socialist rhetoric from @gopleader Fantastic!!! #nobailouts #
• 09:46 Bailouts are historically ill conceived fear mongered irrational "solutions." www.reason.com/blog/show/129097.html #nobailouts #
• 09:51 Don't believe the hype (dont dont dont)!!! What crises!?! tinyurl.com/3rh8b7 #
• 10:14 @scrappleface You mean you don't support Commissar Bush's plan to save the world either?!? #nobailouts #
• 10:20 @ricksanchezcnn Yes. Where is McCarthy when you need him? We need impeachment hearings on anyone who votes for it. #nobailouts #
• 10:51 @scrappleface So you are not a socialist, but you support the socialists if they are in your club (oops i mean party). Got it. #nobailouts #
• 10:55 @shaunking Of course they would be excited to get a $700B cash infusion. who wouldn't? That doesn't constitute a crisis. #nobailouts #
• 11:00 I'm in trouble... Page 8 Lines 9-13 of Proposed Bailout: Page 8 Lines 9-13 of Propos.. tinyurl.com/3pwlny #
• 11:12 @shaunking only temporarily as it props up companies who made bad decisions. if we pay for them when is the next crises needing #nobailouts? #
• 11:16 @politicalticker WooHoo!!! Awesome!!! Freedom!!! #nobailouts #
• 11:20 @ricksanchezcnn tell your folks to stop interviewing brokers who stand to gain from this bill and get some economists on #
• 11:25 @lorelaicc Its a good day for freedom!!! #nobailouts #
• 11:36 House Vote is.gd/3hZb #
• 11:38 @catoinstitute hurray for freedom!!! #nobailouts #
• 11:48 132 R's and 94 D's want you to be free. 66 R's and 141 D's want you to embrace the failed ideology of socialism. #nobailouts #
• 12:02 I'm in trouble... House Vote : Republicans 66-132 yea/nayDemocrats 141-94 yea/nayS.. tinyurl.com/3fr5f8 #
• 12:06 @scrappleface facetious. 140 characters or less means lots of misunderstandings. #
• 12:07 @scrappleface ...or misunderestimations as our fearless commie in chief would say #
• 12:08 @ChrisElrod no blame should be cast except for the 200+ socialists who voted yea. #nobailouts #
• 12:09 @shoemoney maybe you just have very mccain friendly friends? #
• 12:16 List of votes Yes and No. Do not vote for the no's in Nov. tinyurl.com/4z9fvs #
• 12:24 Thanks to @joelevi for pointing out my Bush-ism. Do not vote for Yeas in Nov. tinyurl.com/4z9fvs Punish the socialists. #
• 12:37 @joelevi you are absolutely right, although the bailout is absurd period. I just had a bush-ism earlier and typed wrong word. #nobailouts #
• 12:39 @shaunking yep, how else are we going to fund future bailouts? #nobailouts #
• 12:40 @joelevi community reinvestment and development act among other things... #nobailouts #
• 12:59 @ricksanchezcnn www.nocashfortrash.org should be featured. #nobailouts #
• 13:01 I'm in trouble... Where is Oversight Needed?: tinyurl.com/543q7s #
• 13:14 Why is it that every time Bush says there is a crises everyone suspends judgment and says your unpatriotic if you disagree? #nobailouts #
• 13:30 News is hammering the biggest point drop in history, oddly quiet that percentage wise it is not even in the top 10% historically. #
• 15:39 @guykawasaki hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/ #
• 18:32 @charlestlee Right on!!! #nobailouts #
• 19:32 Whose to blame for the "market meltdown?" tinyurl.com/4lxpj4 #
• 19:32 @GregAtkinson ...and why its sending you to hell? #
• 19:41 @edstetzer feel your pain. work from home. child rearing is terrifying. understand human nature and the fall much better now. #
• 19:42 @GregAtkinson oh your no fun at all. #
• 19:53 @GregAtkinson Fred Phelps has been using blogs for a long time, multiple domains and creative interpertation of Bible (innovation) #
• 20:00 @tonysteward you would deny Bible Spice the potential future president of the US the opportunity to follow you? #
• 20:24 @mattsingley what happened to your blog? still have a pic of your business card? could I see? inspiration for a client needed. #
• 20:29 @tonysteward well I guess I cannot switch my pic to palin. Thanks for the heads up. #
• 20:32 @diecast I know seriously. If I made one it would most certainly have one. I'll keep working on trying to track down the creator of the site #
• 20:51 @NEENZ been thinking I should drop small biz consulting and get into repo. same principle. care to invest? #
• 21:07 Anyone know if there is a way to add fonts to google docs? Sort of dull choices for certain projects. #
• 21:18 @NEENZ hmmm. well i will have to look into what my overhead for a repo biz will be and get back to you. Maybe I can slap AllTop logos on it? #
• 21:26 @NEENZ Awesome!!! #
• 21:33 @NEENZ Or ketchup packets. #
• 22:32 What good is credit with sky high inflation and record high taxes? Whose pockets are they dipping into for that $700B cash infusion. #
• 22:37 @djchuang looking for investors? #
• 23:28 @guykawasaki what are doing in irvine? Need company? #
• 23:34 @guykawasaki sure thing. #
• 23:52 Let Palin be Palin. tinyurl.com/3hjn4n new right might love her but conservatives know better. #
• 23:53 @Mike_FTW what happened to rainbows and hope? #

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Where is Oversight Needed?

House Vote

Republicans 66-132 yea/nay
Democrats 141-94 yea/nay

Short term pain for long term gain.

www.house.gov is down

#nobailouts

Posted by email from scottoverpeck's posterous

Page 8 Lines 9-13 of Proposed Bailout

Page 8 Lines 9-13 of Proposed Bailout

"Designating financial institutions as financial agents of the Federal Government, and such institutions shall perform all such reasonable duties related to this Act as financial agents of the Federal Government as may be required."

Does this sound like freedom to you? Banks are federal agents

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• 16:49 Can we get something on the ballot that anyone who votes for the govt takeovers of banks have their citizenship revoked? #
• 17:01 Send them off to eastern europe, middle east, canada, etc. Get the commies out of office. #
• 17:03 Why is the media only putting on the same 10 economists who want the handout? What about the hundreds who disagree? #
• 17:08 I haven't been a fan of very many Republicans the last decade or so, but the House Reps are standing against our final descent to communism. #
• 17:29 700 billion dollar vote buying scheme expected to pass tomorrow. My toddler and my unborn son will never see freedom and liberty. #
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• 18:05 @lawson4congress no. no we can't. the vote is as good as past and it is the final nail in the coffin of freedom and liberty. #nobailouts #
• 18:24 @guykawasaki so basically they HAVE to support the bailout just both frame it that its the other guys fault. How about #nobailouts #
• 18:28 Text of BANK HANDOUT bill. online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/bailoutbill20080928.pdf #nobailouts #
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AllTop

Most of you probably know that I also blog about politics and the intersection of faith and politics at RedBlueChristian, but you may not have known that RedBlue is on AllTop, which is an amazing list aggregated feeds of the best sites in a given topic. Check it out.

The Republican Liberty Caucus is a political membership organization working within the Republican Party in support of individual rights, limited government, and free enterprise. 

The RLC is urging all you to protest the Administration's Bailout proposal via your members of Congress. 

The RLC press release against the bailout: 
http://www.rlc.org/rlc-resources-links/toolbox/693pressrelease/

The main RLC web site:
http://www.RLC.org/

Posted by email from scottoverpeck's posterous

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• 15:12 @djchuang Thinking I might not be eligible for the itouch. KAC seems to focus on a demographic I don't quite fit into. #
• 15:43 @ricksanchezcnn plan on covering #horseshit gate at #debate08 ?Seems like its blowing up on twitter. if so I want credit for horseshitgate #
• 15:51 @guykawasaki or pr? #
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• 09:55 @JPPinkerton use twitterfeed for your blog and use search terms to find feedback on stories. see @ricksanchezcnn for good journalistic use #
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• 14:49 Back from funeral. trying to catch up on churchtechcamp.com/LIVE/LIVE.html #chuchtechcamp #
• 17:10 Getting ready for the debate. #
• 17:36 I am nervous because I don't like to swear but I also want to write about what really happened during the debate. When McCain gets mad...? #
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• 20:18 @indulf @loswhit but if I asked los to tell me about a pony and he told me about sandals it would be odd. #
• 20:28 Both candidates are unable to tell the difference between the Republican Guard and the Revolutionary Guard. #
• 20:29 Both candidates are unable to tell the difference between the Republican Guard and the Revolutionary Guard. #debate08 #
• 20:30 Both candidates are unable to tell the difference between the Republican Guard and the Revolutionary Guard. #debate08 #
• 21:15 The US now owns a stake in Manchester United. I wonder if we will require kids to play soccer now that we have a financial interest in it. #
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Live Blog Debate Coverage

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• 11:42 @rcarrasco who would join? Bush 43 and Cheney are not on facebook yet. #
• 13:44 @Mike_FTW no, not capn smackers. think of him everytime you see a rainbow. or have him stuffed and never let him leave your side. love... #
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• 16:14 @jonferguson @scotthodge @gregsurratt @geoffsurratt Boldly going places other churches won't? #
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• 22:39 @NSFoodsMemo I love me some Fresh and Easy, but John Mackey is a freakin' G and one of my top 10 favorite people on the planet. #
• 22:41 @NSFoodsMemo no but I will happily pay a little more for chicken that has a sticker on the wrapper from a consumer group indicating it wasnt #
• 22:54 @NSFoodsMemo I like both for different reasons. Shop at F&E much more but like to go eat at whole foods and 4 things 1 can only find there #
• 22:55 @NSFoodsMemo in my ideal world folks like Nader would work for good housekeeping and consumer reports and new consumer protection orgs #
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• 15:21 @flowerdust me too. also butterfingers and reeses. #
• 17:57 @rhetter didnt he just make a baby with a lady? i for one am shocked. he is still genius in my eyes. #
• 18:08 Breaking News: Musical Genius Clay Aiken claims that he is gay in an upcoming article tinyurl.com/4mxcu5 Probably a publicity stunt. #
• 18:12 @rhetter I am sure when his next album drops twits will be like Yo, did you here those new Aiken beats dawg. Off the hook, g. Word. #
• 18:45 @renewinghearts getting divorced makes you kids fat? That sucks. I am going to go be nice to my wife right now. Keep my son skinny. #
• 18:48 @ohmyseven are you being paid to tell me to go check out a site to get an internship or an entry level job? #
• 19:04 @ohmyseven full disclosure former clients include careerbuilder, monster and jobing but it looks like a cool ui...problem is that content... #
• 19:05 @ohmyseven ...is the main driver for job sites. look at how craigs list moved in on the big career sites even not being a "career&q ... #
• 19:06 @ohmyseven whats there distinctives. looks like jobing linkedin and some cool flashy site got it on and made a baby. #
• 19:18 @BrandNewAtheist ross perot was smart. we don't want leaders to make us feel dumb so we usually vote in the lowest common denominator. #
• 19:19 @BrandNewAtheist 3rd party candidates r usually smarter and never do well. Perot had the advantage of looking and sounding dumb which helped #
• 19:21 @ChrisElrod clinton on fox!?!? talk about a fox in the chicken coop. #
• 19:22 @JeffHenderson short skirt? #
• 19:33 @indulf what me sarcasm? #
• 21:38 Police serving a search warrant say officer had NO CHOICE but to shoot and kill an aggressive Jack Russell terrier tinyurl.com/4ha2og #
• 21:39 @ohmyseven not saying I don't like it. Just dont know if I like it or not and need to be convinced that it is worth my time to investigate. #
• 22:56 I'm in trouble... Ron Paul on Bail Outs: (CNN) — Many Americans today are asking thems.. tinyurl.com/53xbnv #
• 23:00 No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session. - Judge Gideon J. Tucker #
• 10:48 mom flies in soon. all my fam will be together without grandma to referee tommorrow. pray for peace. #

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Ron Paul on Bail Outs

(CNN) — Many Americans today are asking themselves how the economy got to be in such a bad spot.

For years they thought the economy was booming, growth was up, job numbers and productivity were increasing. Yet now we find ourselves in what is shaping up to be one of the most severe economic downturns since the Great Depression.

Unfortunately, the government’s preferred solution to the crisis is the very thing that got us into this mess in the first place: government intervention.

Ever since the 1930s, the federal government has involved itself deeply in housing policy and developed numerous programs to encourage homebuilding and homeownership.

Government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were able to obtain a monopoly position in the mortgage market, especially the mortgage-backed securities market, because of the advantages bestowed upon them by the federal government.

Laws passed by Congress such as the Community Reinvestment Act required banks to make loans to previously underserved segments of their communities, thus forcing banks to lend to people who normally would be rejected as bad credit risks.

These governmental measures, combined with the Federal Reserve’s loose monetary policy, led to an unsustainable housing boom. The key measure by which the Fed caused this boom was through the manipulation of interest rates, and the open market operations that accompany this lowering.

When interest rates are lowered to below what the market rate would normally be, as the Federal Reserve has done numerous times throughout this decade, it becomes much cheaper to borrow money. Longer-term and more capital-intensive projects, projects that would be unprofitable at a high interest rate, suddenly become profitable.

Because the boom comes about from an increase in the supply of money and not from demand from consumers, the result is malinvestment, a misallocation of resources into sectors in which there is insufficient demand.

In this case, this manifested itself in overbuilding in real estate. When builders realize they have overbuilt and have too many houses to sell, too many apartments to rent, or too much commercial real estate to lease, they seek to recoup as much of their money as possible, even if it means lowering prices drastically.

This lowering of prices brings the economy back into balance, equalizing supply and demand. This economic adjustment means, however that there are some winners — in this case, those who can again find affordable housing without the need for creative mortgage products, and some losers — builders and other sectors connected to real estate that suffer setbacks.

The government doesn’t like this, however, and undertakes measures to keep prices artificially inflated. This was why the Great Depression was as long and drawn out in this country as it was.

I am afraid that policymakers today have not learned the lesson that prices must adjust to economic reality. The bailout of Fannie and Freddie, the purchase of AIG, and the latest multi-hundred billion dollar Treasury scheme all have one thing in common: They seek to prevent the liquidation of bad debt and worthless assets at market prices, and instead try to prop up those markets and keep those assets trading at prices far in excess of what any buyer would be willing to pay.

Additionally, the government’s actions encourage moral hazard of the worst sort. Now that the precedent has been set, the likelihood of financial institutions to engage in riskier investment schemes is increased, because they now know that an investment position so overextended as to threaten the stability of the financial system will result in a government bailout and purchase of worthless, illiquid assets.

Using trillions of dollars of taxpayer money to purchase illusory short-term security, the government is actually ensuring even greater instability in the financial system in the long term.

The solution to the problem is to end government meddling in the market. Government intervention leads to distortions in the market, and government reacts to each distortion by enacting new laws and regulations, which create their own distortions, and so on ad infinitum.

It is time this process is put to an end. But the government cannot just sit back idly and let the bust occur. It must actively roll back stifling laws and regulations that allowed the boom to form in the first place.

The government must divorce itself of the albatross of Fannie and Freddie, balance and drastically decrease the size of the federal budget, and reduce onerous regulations on banks and credit unions that lead to structural rigidity in the financial sector.

Until the big-government apologists realize the error of their ways, and until vocal free-market advocates act in a manner which buttresses their rhetoric, I am afraid we are headed for a rough ride.

Editor’s note: Ron Paul is a Republican congressman from Texas who ran for his party’s nomination for president this year. He is a doctor who specializes in obstetrics/gynecology and says he has delivered more than 4,000 babies. He served in Congress in the late 1970s and early 1980s and was elected again to Congress in 1996. Rep. Paul serves on the House Financial Services Committee.

SOURCE: CNN

J-J-J-Jesus is a Friend of Mine

Big thanks to Bobby Chandler for tweeting me this video. Check out the BA bass solo in the middle. He also has incredible hair.

Republocrat Reign is Nigh

Life Share

Where We Spend Our Time...

...is a reflection of what is important to us.

The church spends WAY too much time talking about what it is against and never gets to the heart of the message that can actually change people from the inside out–JESUS!--Perry Noble

For more see Perry's blog

The GOP

Great article from Bradley Harrington. Here are some excerpts.

There was once a time, many decades ago, when the Republicans advocated liberty and individualism; when the GOP supported capitalism, free enterprise, and private-property rights; when the party opposed poverty-inducing schemes such as Social Security and food stamps; when they would have viewed institutions such as the Department of Energy or the Department of Education as unconstitutional; and when they believed that the proper role of our military was to protect our nation from attack - not to engage in costly, counterproductive, and imperialistic overseas adventures such as the floundering mess they have made of Iraq….

We all know that the Democrats stand for the “welfare” state. What do the Republicans stand for? McCain poses and postures before the American public as a “maverick,” but the facts beg to differ: McCain stands for the status quo, i.e., for the mixed-economy “welfare” state, just like the Democrats. He would merely exercise the federal government’s near-totalitarian control over the citizens of the United States in a slightly different fashion.

Yet if the Republicans do not stand for liberty, individualism, and constitutionally limited government, they stand for, and represent, nothing….

Patriots Day

Today, September 11, is Patriot day. A day where we mourn for the loss of 3000 Americans in a horrific attack on US soil. We were all shocked and horrified at these heinous crimes and rightly seek justice.

It is also day where we see the tragic consequences of a nation who pays little heed to September 17, Constitution Day.

9/11 plus 7 years

Reformer.com

Thursday, September 11

Ever since the terror attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush administration has maintained that the civil liberties guaranteed by our Constitution are luxuries we can no longer afford and that we must learn to live without.

The words of Benjamin Franklin from more than two centuries ago apply here: "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

The civil liberties that our forefathers fought and died to obtain and preserve did not make us vulnerable to terrorism on 9/11. The suspension of these civil liberties do not protect us from foreign terrorists. Instead, it makes us more vulnerable to abuses by our own government.

Seven years after 9/11, it seems perfectly normal that our public spaces are now filled with security personnel. It seems perfectly normal to be searched and frisked and poked and prodded to get on an airplane. It seems perfectly normal that access to previously public information is curtailed and hidden from view. It seems perfectly normal to conduct warrantless searches and wiretaps, to torture detainees, to imprison people indefinitely without charge.

Professionals in the field call this "anti-terrorism theater," actions that look impressive but do nothing to deter actual terrorism.

But these acts do have a larger purpose -- to sow fear and confusion among the citizenry that can be exploited by the unscrupulous for political gain. Keep the public afraid of the evil that lurks beyond our borders, and you can manipulate that fear to keep yourself in power while portraying anyone who questions you as disloyal and un-American.

This, in a nutshell, has been the last seven years in America.

All the empty promises of the so-called global war on terror are still unfulfilled. Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of 9/11, still taunts us. Al-Qaida has cells all over the world. The invasion of Afghanistan and the overthrow of the Taliban was left undone to instead invade a country that had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11 -- Iraq.

Now, U.S. forces are enmeshed in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Because of the U.S. war of choice in Iraq, the Taliban was able to regroup and reassert itself in Afghanistan. Instead of one war, we have two conflicts that might never be truly won.
Our nation's standing in the world has diminished with every day since 9/11. The one brief moment when we had virtually the whole world in our corner, immediately after the attacks, was squandered to pursue a dream of total global dominance by the United States. It will take generations to rebuild the lost credibility of the United States, particularly in the Arab world.

But the Bush administration and its supporters are steadfast in their belief that our nation did the right thing. But we have neither liberty or safety anymore.
The list of abuses of power by the administration are long, and nothing, not even 9/11, justifies them.

Will our nation ever return to the way it was before that terrible day? It depends on how soon we wake up and see that we have been manipulated by our leaders for nothing more than political gain.

That is why, on this day, we not only mourn those who died in New York and Washington and Pennsylvania, we also mourn our lost freedoms and resolve to reclaim our democracy from the grasping hands of those who want to take it away.

Palin's Rising Celebrity

Watch TechCrunch50

Funny Interview with Presidential Candidate Bob Barr

No Conservatives in Sight

For anyone still harboring doubts that the current administration lied to you when they said they were conservatives, believed in the free market or knew anything about the economy, the final nail in the coffin has arrived. The largest government bailout in history. $100 billion in tax payer money going to bad business deals by bad business men who now know for certain that they need not take responsibility for their decisions. That's the government's job. So go ahead, America, sign on the dotted line. If it is a mistake someone else can fix it. That is the new American way. But do not attempt to call Bush a conservative. That ship sailed a long time ago.

10 Poorest Cities in the USA

Biz Journal just released a list of the 10 poorest cities in the USA.  Definetly worth a look.  I am curious if anyone is already doing something in any of these areas.  Is this big news?  Are there community development centers, churches, non profits, etc. already working to make sure people in these cities are able to take care of their families and better their communities?  I was shocked to hear that three seperate New York cities made the list.  What can I do, what can you do, what can we as concerned individuals and communities do to help existing efforts?  

1.   Brownsville, Texas
2.   Flint, Mich.
3.   Syracuse, N.Y.
4.   Rochester, N.Y.
5.   Dayton, Ohio
6.   Cleveland
7.   Detroit
8.   Buffalo
9.   Erie, Pa.
10. Waco, Texas

Palin Worship a Little Premature?

Richard Viguerie supported Ron Paul (who received 11 votes on the convention floor last night) in the primaries. He has actively (and rightly so) spoken out against the modern breed (they use to be the Rockefeller wing of the party) of Republicans. Now he floods my inbox with this nonsense:

Richard Viguerie:
Now we know why liberals hate, fear Sarah Palin
“Sarah Palin is the next Ronald Reagan”

(Manassas, Virginia) With her acceptance speech, “Now we know why liberal Democrats hate and fear Sarah Palin,” Richard A. Viguerie said.

“A week ago, conservatives and most Republicans were down-in-the-dumps, listless, unengaged. That lack of enthusiasm is a thing of the past. Tonight, thanks to Senator McCain and Governor Palin, conservatives and Republicans are fired up as they have not been since Ronald Reagan was president,” he said.

“Sarah Palin is the next Ronald Reagan,” Viguerie, the Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, said.

“In less than a week, Governor Sarah has captured the heart and soul of this convention, the Republican Party, and the conservative movement. She brings together social conservatives, and economic conservatives and libertarians, and people who are fed up with the Culture of Corruption that infests our nation’s politics,” he said.

“From this moment forward, there’s no limit on where Sarah Palin might go,” Viguerie concluded.
-- 30 --
NOTE TO EDITORS:Richard A. Viguerie pioneered political direct mail and has been called “one of the creators of the modern conservative movement” (The Nation magazine), one of the “conservatives of the century” (The Washington Times), and one of 2008’s “top 25 influencers” among Republicans (NewsMax magazine). His latest book is Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big-Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause.

How quickly he forgets that Palin is not running for President. John McCain is running on a platform of State Worship (not very conservative) and perpetual war (very Republican, but not in line with Mr. Republican)

The Vice Presidency is only as important as the President allows. McCain, during the debates, said he would rely on his friends from over the years, not official advisory boards within the executive branch. This would include Palin, whom he only met a few months ago (although he liked what he saw apparently.

During the early parts of Reagan's administration lots of conservatives and libertarians went to work in Washington. Most if not all sold out to big government and corruption, not the other way around. McCain himself used this as a talking point during the primary debates, saying, "We came to Washington to change Washington, but Washington changed us." If we are to use history as our guide, (not popular with the current leadership) the same is likely to happen with Palin, long before she becomes the second coming of Reagan.

Only time will tell, but I for one am not prepared to bow on McCain's altar of state worship and trashing of the bill of rights (1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 6th, 9th and 10th were forgotten long ago by all federal politicians).  Let us hope that Palin will stand up to him, but I am not holding my breath.  

Tom McClintock on California State Budget

Tom McClintock, who delivered a great speech via video at the Campaign for Liberty--Rally for the Republic, recently on the floor of the State Senate about the State Budget.  It is posted on his blog and is well worth checking out.  I for one am very excited to see him running a strong campaign for Congress.  It will be nice to see another fiscally sane individual in Congress, and from California no less.  Who would have thought?

Sarah Palin and John McCain: More in Common Than We Thought?

It would appear John McCain may have known more about Palin than we could have thought. Brings new meaning the the phrase, "Tapped for the Vice Presidency." Answers all those pesky, "why did he pick her?" questions.

I doubt it is true, but it certainly makes for a compelling narrative given what we know about McCain.

David Weigel wrote at Reason regarding Palin's speech.

"For six months I've heard Republicans attack Barack Obama, on point, for having nothing to offer but a bunch of speeches. Tonight they're willing to overlook the falsified spin that got her this job, the blundering lack of vetting that sealed the deal, and the telling refusal of Palin to face questions from media tougher than People.

I guess this is the GOP coming to its sense on Obama. The idea that the country would reject a charasmatic, history-making fortysomething who makes great speeches wasn't working. So they looked for their own Obama, and they think they've found her, in the crudest sense."

Make sure to read the rest of it.

McCain's Judgement

Just a thought, but should the man who has been accused of numerous affairs really choose a hot young thing to be his running mate. Isn't he just asking for more allegations of impropriety?

McCain's First Marriage

Have a look at the integrity and character that everyone keeps talking about.

For Those Who Think Me KGB, I Offer Yet More Proof

Check out this article from the American Conservative (a Russian propaganda magazine) by Leon Hadar (sounds like a Russian name) of the Cato Institute (obviously a pro Russian think tank).