Ed Morrissey - HotAir.com:
* from the area; live in the suburbs of Minneapolis - and even though we have ATMs here, our jobless rate is below the national average.
* While we send people to D.C. like Al Franken, we also send people like Michelle Bachman and John Kline
* always a thrill to talk to people ready to engage - love the massive energy of the people here and the tea party activists.
* record number of attendees here - because people see the success when they get active, get engaged and demand accountability. Of course, we've seen what happens when we don't: people in DC spend more than they have.
* not long ago, we didn't have the ability to engage nationally and that suited the politicians in a far away capital quite well. They could control the environment and the message
* the Internet changed everything. The growth of HotAir.com is a direct result and I can influence policy and politics 1,000 miles away from my home in Minnesota.
* appreciate that people like you are reading these sites and being engaged and making the message stronger.
* freedom and liberty are truly at stake: we have politicians who want to control what you eat and run industries. They want to redefine liberty as a government gift to be rationed by them.
* Time for government that stops picking winners and losers in the marketplace and stops heaping debt on our children and grandchildren.
* People think the tea party is done and that grass roots activists on the right have been satisfied...We need to keep working - 2012 is right around the corner.
Glenn Beck video:
* this is the kind of event that gives George Soros nightmares - thank you!
* there is nothing liberals fear more than people like you - citizens journalists, grass roots activists who dig for the truth and hold to the truth and speak without fear.
* they fear people who hold to the Constitution as a firewall between liberty and tyranny.
* they fear people who believe that man is capable of ruling himself.
* you know you can't rely upon the mainstream media or the political parties. We can rely on ourselves, our God and the truth.
* we must look out for each other and spread the message of liberty here and across the world.
* There's been an awakening in the country - people want to get involved. There is no mystery to our success - the Founders laid out the game plan. The logic, common sense and foresight that they used to defend our freedom is more important today than ever before.
* We don't ask Americans to 'trust us' or 'try something new.' We ask Americans only to educate themselves and take the Founders' vision and do it right.
* Progressives think that you'll just go away if they can wait you out. You will train future leaders...
(video stopped)
Erick Erickson - RedState.com:
* I've been stuck in every crummy airport east of the Mississippi over the last 24 hours.
* Can we hold two competing ideas in our head at the same time - we should, we're not at NetRoots...
* One: Ideas matter. Americans revolted because they didn't view themselves as colonists, but as Englishmen who had rights. And the only way to do make things right was to rebel and create a new union based upon life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; life, liberty and property - and they were willing to die for those ideas.
* how many do you think are willing to die for Obamacare?
* the ideas upon which we founded this country garnered the pledge of life and sacred honor. Are we willing to do that today?
* liberty was the freedom to pursue their destiny. Lincoln: in this country, all men make themselves. In other countries the government makes men.
* Ideas matter - founders were willing to die for them and if we're not willing to die for those ideas, there is something wrong with us.
* Two - ideas don't matter. ... in the general course of day-to-day debate. Most people don't care about that stuff - they care about the everyday emotion which is why we get ads about Republicans throwing grandmothers over the cliff.
* good government is defined and the stupid and the evil getting together and doing something that is both stupid and evil and having it called bipartisan.
* When we frame the debate, be sure what you believe. Be sure that you know that the ideas matter. Our principles matter. And understand that you're about to talk with someone who thinks you're a little weird. Start out with the reality of the situation - the day to day - and build to the idea.
* bad economist sees only what is seen and ignores what is unseen; when we hear the story about the one guy who needs help, remind people about the other people who will be burdened as a result of the action.
* We are the tomorrow that the bad economists of the past told us: like the people who said don't worry about Medicare going bankrupt, that's in the future - or the ones who 10 years ago said, 'if we start to drill now, it will take 10 years to get oil.'
* we must be able to frame the argument on the here and now; on the idea that we'll drive business out of your state and other examples.
* and don't forget what our founders did and be willing to risk your all for the ideas - because the everyday will build into the idea.
* 'what the law will mean for your neighbor' not for what the issue means for society as a whole. We are a society comprised of individuals and we must care about them and show how bad legislation will impact their neighbor ... you'll then have the attention to build to the idea of liberty and freedom.
Jim Hofft - Gateway Pundit:
* During 2008 convention here, their bus was attacked by people throwing cement bags on their bus. As a blogger, I took pictures, recorded the actions, interviewed the people on the bus and posted everything on line.
* Police tracked down one of the people from the tattoo and just last week, the culprits were convicted.
* started with two readers and today I have over 1.8 million visitors per month and listed as one of the top new sites on line.
* I'm a single guy is Missouri who is blogging and driving the left nuts. We can do this.
* I broke the story about Obama's green czar who was a 'truther' ... within a few days, he resigned. Now we have one less commie in the White House.
* In 2008, I broke the story about the media not releasing a tape of Obama toasting a bad guy...it resulted in protests in front of the paper demanding the release.
* active in the tea party movement, proud member in St. Louis. Filmed union thugs beating up people and sneaking into town hall meetings. I was involved and spoke out - you can do the same.
* now it's June 2011 and we know that the media isn't going to report the truth...there is potential for you to join together - we need an army of people willing to work to change the direction of the country - we can do it.
Jason Lewis - radio host:
* I have the heart of a liberal - I keep it in a jar on my desk....
* 30 years ago a famous president said, "government is not the solution; government is the problem." no truer words could be spoken about this crises.
* when 60% of the people get more from government than they pay in and more than 50% don't pay any income taxes; record numbers on food stamps...problem won't be solved until we take a meat axe to the federal government.
* we're spending 40-45% of our economy by government...that breeze you're feeling is our founders spinning in their graves.
* traded bailouts for bankruptcy...headed for Greece.
* if you didn't live through Jimmy Carter, you're about to get your chance.
* private sector is paralyzed by government regulation and action...
* Can't substitute capital investment with government consumption. President's budget adds $46 trillion in new spending and $10 trillion to the national debt. We don't have a problem because we need another stimulus - we're still suffering from the effects of the last stimulus.
* Sen. Harken from Iowa saying we need stimulus package 3 - or 4 - or 5... How do you solve a debt crisis by piling on more debt? The goal isn't to address the economy, it's to get more people dependent on the government. As you do, it ends up the Democratic majority.
* economic disaster of diverting private capital to public uses, you end up needing even more taxes... Libs says Carter's tax rates were higher...yeah, but before the 16th amendment, taxes were zero.
* we're facing energy rationing with the current policies. We have coal, oil and natural gas - the greatest reserves in the world. Policy is to deny the people access to their own resources.
* this is all about first principles: government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is not compassion, it is force - and force must be limited. Best way to do that is to reinvigorate states rights - the true theory of federalism.
* laboratories of democracy can handle the issues...the issues belong to the states...that's how we find America again.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
RightOnLine - General Session 2, Michelle Malkin
rough notes - apologies for typos:
Michelle Malkin
* When I wrote about liberals exposed, I really didn't expect the most recent 'exposures'...
* the only 'angry mobs' are the ones across the street (NetRoots is in the same city) - and they are spitting mad - blaming the messengers for the problems. Calls it 'spurned lover' syndrom - they're angry at Obama.
* marking 20th year in journalism and movements like RightOnLine energize me.
* asked on Radio Row, what my message would be for the rejective leftists: See? I told you so.
* In 2009, I read a NYT editorial asking 'Is Obama punking us?' and yes, he is. Now we have Dennis Kucinich ready to done is 'miss me yet' Bush t-shirt; a group calling for the rescincion of Obama's transparency award because he never meant it; and the NYTimes which ran a piece about disaffected college students and faculty at Oberlin College in Ohio. From the article: student spoke of a love affair that, to a palpable degree, had wound down. It started hot and heavy, he said, and with extremely idolized notion. It quickly waned. Malkin: boo, freaking, hoo!
* Obama's rule by executive fiat has spread through every section of the administration. HHS has decided to drop the Obamacare waiver program - this is a result of pressure from across America from all types of people - and from Republican watchdogs in Congress who are actually doing the job they were sent to do.
* Obama's administration is in denial - saying the end of the waiver program doesn't have anything to do with the political pressure. It just comes late on a Friday night amid questions and issues of the legality of the program itself.
* But this is just a temporary evasion of transparency. While they pat themselves on the back for these monthly disclosures of waivers, they realized the damage the disclosure was doing. I believe they'll just come up with another way to waive the requirements, but will do so behind closed doors so they can continue to reward their cronies.
* In the end, REPEAL is the waiver we ALL want.
* The solution is not to just remove their authority in power to selectively enforce the law, but to remove them from power altogether.
* Obamarule by executive fiat; a culture of comtempt; a culture of corruption. Secret memos for a back-door executive fiat amnesty program has been revealed.
* This culture of comtemp is a recipe for what they want to do throughout all of America. Federal land grabs in the West - a map of what has been taken would shock you and they must be stopped.
* Spent time demanding that capitulatist Republicans start doing the job they were elected to do - they're now doing that and they deserve our praise for it. Just this past week, staunch House Republicans rolled back a Ken Salazar-initiative to take land. We should thank them for this.
* I'm not here to preach to the choir - I'm here to praise the choir...you are the wind beneath my wings - you help me to do my job better. I've seen the conservative social media and blogosphere come of age. In fact, blogging isn't 'new' media anymore... it's not just about old and new media - it's now about "right" and "wrong" media.
* I've had my interboos with liberals who have called me all sorts of names and women and minorities know the special denigration heaped upon conservatives for daring to 'disgrace' our chromosomes or skin colors. We are a diverse group and we need all of them if we are to be effective.
* She encouraged people to find their niche; find their style.
* Developments of the last year have raised a question confronted for a long time: Who is a journalist? for a long time, it was the journalists who defined the job and the credentials. Today, I'm not considered a journalist by the biased, propoganda carrying elitist journalist - but Rachel Maddow is?
* This is the same thing with bloggers like the local ones or major ones like Andrew Breitbart. They call investigative undercover journalists "activists." Anyone can be a journalist - you don't need a credential to do it, other than a brain that thinks.
* activist: Linda Greenhouse. NYTimes legal reporter who covers the issue of abortion at the same time that she marches in a pro-abortion event. She writes about Gitmo while her lawyer-husband is writing amicus briefs on behalf of prisoners there. That is bias.
* This is an amazing transformation.
* repressive civility: this campaign by the Miss-Manners Force is an attempt to stifle our voices and our agenda through the criminalization of conservative comment and expression. We must steel ourselves for the coming fight.
* at the local level, be aware, because that is where you can make the most difference. We need to stand up and say we are not the structures of dissent - you are. We're not the racists - you are. We are not the enemies of prosperity and freedom - you are. And you will not get away with it.
* parting advice: be bold, yet principled. be fierce, yet humble. cherish life, keep the faith. raise your children right (lower and capital R). count your blessings every single day.
* As a child of legal immigrants who chose to be Americans, I never take for granted the rights and privileges granted to me as a citizen. Fight for them.
Michelle Malkin
* When I wrote about liberals exposed, I really didn't expect the most recent 'exposures'...
* the only 'angry mobs' are the ones across the street (NetRoots is in the same city) - and they are spitting mad - blaming the messengers for the problems. Calls it 'spurned lover' syndrom - they're angry at Obama.
* marking 20th year in journalism and movements like RightOnLine energize me.
* asked on Radio Row, what my message would be for the rejective leftists: See? I told you so.
* In 2009, I read a NYT editorial asking 'Is Obama punking us?' and yes, he is. Now we have Dennis Kucinich ready to done is 'miss me yet' Bush t-shirt; a group calling for the rescincion of Obama's transparency award because he never meant it; and the NYTimes which ran a piece about disaffected college students and faculty at Oberlin College in Ohio. From the article: student spoke of a love affair that, to a palpable degree, had wound down. It started hot and heavy, he said, and with extremely idolized notion. It quickly waned. Malkin: boo, freaking, hoo!
* Obama's rule by executive fiat has spread through every section of the administration. HHS has decided to drop the Obamacare waiver program - this is a result of pressure from across America from all types of people - and from Republican watchdogs in Congress who are actually doing the job they were sent to do.
* Obama's administration is in denial - saying the end of the waiver program doesn't have anything to do with the political pressure. It just comes late on a Friday night amid questions and issues of the legality of the program itself.
* But this is just a temporary evasion of transparency. While they pat themselves on the back for these monthly disclosures of waivers, they realized the damage the disclosure was doing. I believe they'll just come up with another way to waive the requirements, but will do so behind closed doors so they can continue to reward their cronies.
* In the end, REPEAL is the waiver we ALL want.
* The solution is not to just remove their authority in power to selectively enforce the law, but to remove them from power altogether.
* Obamarule by executive fiat; a culture of comtempt; a culture of corruption. Secret memos for a back-door executive fiat amnesty program has been revealed.
* This culture of comtemp is a recipe for what they want to do throughout all of America. Federal land grabs in the West - a map of what has been taken would shock you and they must be stopped.
* Spent time demanding that capitulatist Republicans start doing the job they were elected to do - they're now doing that and they deserve our praise for it. Just this past week, staunch House Republicans rolled back a Ken Salazar-initiative to take land. We should thank them for this.
* I'm not here to preach to the choir - I'm here to praise the choir...you are the wind beneath my wings - you help me to do my job better. I've seen the conservative social media and blogosphere come of age. In fact, blogging isn't 'new' media anymore... it's not just about old and new media - it's now about "right" and "wrong" media.
* I've had my interboos with liberals who have called me all sorts of names and women and minorities know the special denigration heaped upon conservatives for daring to 'disgrace' our chromosomes or skin colors. We are a diverse group and we need all of them if we are to be effective.
* She encouraged people to find their niche; find their style.
* Developments of the last year have raised a question confronted for a long time: Who is a journalist? for a long time, it was the journalists who defined the job and the credentials. Today, I'm not considered a journalist by the biased, propoganda carrying elitist journalist - but Rachel Maddow is?
* This is the same thing with bloggers like the local ones or major ones like Andrew Breitbart. They call investigative undercover journalists "activists." Anyone can be a journalist - you don't need a credential to do it, other than a brain that thinks.
* activist: Linda Greenhouse. NYTimes legal reporter who covers the issue of abortion at the same time that she marches in a pro-abortion event. She writes about Gitmo while her lawyer-husband is writing amicus briefs on behalf of prisoners there. That is bias.
* This is an amazing transformation.
* repressive civility: this campaign by the Miss-Manners Force is an attempt to stifle our voices and our agenda through the criminalization of conservative comment and expression. We must steel ourselves for the coming fight.
* at the local level, be aware, because that is where you can make the most difference. We need to stand up and say we are not the structures of dissent - you are. We're not the racists - you are. We are not the enemies of prosperity and freedom - you are. And you will not get away with it.
* parting advice: be bold, yet principled. be fierce, yet humble. cherish life, keep the faith. raise your children right (lower and capital R). count your blessings every single day.
* As a child of legal immigrants who chose to be Americans, I never take for granted the rights and privileges granted to me as a citizen. Fight for them.
RightOnLine - General Session 1
These are my rough notes from the speeches in the General Session - my apologies for any typos.
Tim Phillips - President of AFP Foundation:
* talking about gas prices when Pres. Obama took office compared to today. President blames unrest in the Middle East, though, Phillips says, there's been unrest in the Middle East for decades.
* The Obama administration has systematically refused to allow new drilling, even in spite of a court order.
* Obama's energy secretary: "Somehow, we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe." That's why prices are high.
* Obama's quote when a Senator, referring to gas spike in 20O8: "I think that I would have preferred a more gradual adjustment. The fact that this is such a shock to American pocketbooks is not a good thing."
* As a candidate, Obama said electricity rates will "necessarily skyrocket."
* This is now part of Liberal ideology to want Americans to pay higher fuel sources - they want this because their favorite sources of energy cannot compete in the marketplace - and they want us to use less energy. But, in order to create jobs, we need cheap, abundant energy - energy that our businesses can use to get moving again.
* Liberals say they want to look out for the poor and disadvantaged, people on fixed income - but the very people they claim to want to help are the ones hurt most by high energy prices.
* AFP has now launched the Running On Empty effort. RunningonEmptyTour.com will highlight how the President's energy policies are driving up the energy prices and hurting Americans.
* The message is that it doesn't have to be this way - there are steps we can take to have affordable, abundant energy.
* switch topic to the fact that when liberals have issues, they are able to motivate their troops, but there aren't really broad-based groups in the states and local areas who advocate for free-market principles. So Americans For Prosperity launched state chapters to provide for a method of coordinating individuals who believe in economic freedom and prosperity. Now have 1.8 million grassroots activists across the United States - urged people to get to know their state directors and join the efforts within their states.
Tim Phillips - President of AFP Foundation:
* talking about gas prices when Pres. Obama took office compared to today. President blames unrest in the Middle East, though, Phillips says, there's been unrest in the Middle East for decades.
* The Obama administration has systematically refused to allow new drilling, even in spite of a court order.
* Obama's energy secretary: "Somehow, we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe." That's why prices are high.
* Obama's quote when a Senator, referring to gas spike in 20O8: "I think that I would have preferred a more gradual adjustment. The fact that this is such a shock to American pocketbooks is not a good thing."
* As a candidate, Obama said electricity rates will "necessarily skyrocket."
* This is now part of Liberal ideology to want Americans to pay higher fuel sources - they want this because their favorite sources of energy cannot compete in the marketplace - and they want us to use less energy. But, in order to create jobs, we need cheap, abundant energy - energy that our businesses can use to get moving again.
* Liberals say they want to look out for the poor and disadvantaged, people on fixed income - but the very people they claim to want to help are the ones hurt most by high energy prices.
* AFP has now launched the Running On Empty effort. RunningonEmptyTour.com will highlight how the President's energy policies are driving up the energy prices and hurting Americans.
* The message is that it doesn't have to be this way - there are steps we can take to have affordable, abundant energy.
* switch topic to the fact that when liberals have issues, they are able to motivate their troops, but there aren't really broad-based groups in the states and local areas who advocate for free-market principles. So Americans For Prosperity launched state chapters to provide for a method of coordinating individuals who believe in economic freedom and prosperity. Now have 1.8 million grassroots activists across the United States - urged people to get to know their state directors and join the efforts within their states.
Friday, June 17, 2011
RightOnLine - Net Neutrality
The afternoon session, Internet Freedom: Washington's Internet Takeover, further emphasized Rep. Marsha Blackburn's comments during the opening session - that this is a critical issue for the future.
As John Fund of the Wall Street Journal stated, the issue of Net Neutrality started with Robert W. McChesney and his organization, Free Press, who have a goal of eliminating private ownership of phone, cable and Internet/wireless companies and replacing them with government ownership/control.
Fund explained how it works. McChesney's, and other supporting organizations are funded by such groups as MoveOn.org, Pew Charitable Trusts, George Soros's Open Society, the Ford Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation - all left-leaning organizations that support Net Neutrality. So when President Obama is elected, he decides to do an 'independent' review of the issue. He then stacks the review with representatives of the funding groups, who then quote their own information and research and issue a report. The FCC then bases their conclusions about Net Neutrality on that report and, not surprisingly, agree completely with these leftists that the only 'solution' to a future problem is to implement Net Neutrality.
On December 2010, Blackburn said, the FCC passed the Net Neutrality Order. As of today, six months later, they still have not published their order in the record - but the rules are being enforced. There is still a vote in Congress to defeat Net Neutrality and, Blackburn explains, only four more votes are needed to ensure the defeat.
Blackburn warned that this order has chilling effects on the future economic growth of the nation. She said that New Neutrality is "insidious" as it will end up restricting availability to broadband and access to high-speed Internet. She also said that a problem we have is in explaining just how bad this warm, fuzzy-sounding concept actually is.
She recommended two phrases which are accurate and can help individuals explain to their friends and family what Net Neutrality consists of: a 'fairness doctrine' for the Internet and price controls. Basically, Blackburn said, Net Neutrality will put the government in control of assigning priorities for all transactions and they will be in charge of telling companies what can be charged (or not) for what you're getting over the Internet. When people understand that Net Neutrality is the Fairness Doctrine for the Internet, they will reject it just as they did the Fairness Doctrine.
Crews, the last speaker, boiled the issue down explaining that government and Net Neutrality supporters are under the mistaken impression that phone/cable companies are 'blocking' certain traffic on the Internet. They conclude that these companies are so large and so powerful that they are capable of abusing the system. While there is no evidence that such abuse is actually happening, he said, that hasn't stopped them from advancing a 'pre-emptive strike' against what they say *may* occur. Despite no evidence of there actually being a problem, the FCC is advancing a government solution.
I must admit to not being as well-versed in the issue as I would like and you may agree with many Net Neutrality supporters that there is an actual problem. But hopefully you will agree that putting government (an even larger, more intrusive and less accountable entity than any Internet provider) in charge is not the solution.
In the end, I think it boils down to an issue of private property rights: either you believe that the Internet companies own their systems and can charge for their use; or you believe that no private property exists, that government should control anything done on the Internet and also dictate the terms of both delivery and usage.
If you want to download and watch movies on the Internet, using more bandwidth than someone who doesn't do such downloads, there's no reason why a company shouldn't be able to charge you more. After all, if you want to go see a movie in the theater versus waiting for it to come out on DVD and be available at your local video rental store, you're going to pay more. It's a basic concept in our capitalistic society.
But if you're like McChesney and believe, like Karl Marx, that government should control the means of production, you'll probably support the Net Neutrality order and legislation.
As John Fund of the Wall Street Journal stated, the issue of Net Neutrality started with Robert W. McChesney and his organization, Free Press, who have a goal of eliminating private ownership of phone, cable and Internet/wireless companies and replacing them with government ownership/control.
Fund explained how it works. McChesney's, and other supporting organizations are funded by such groups as MoveOn.org, Pew Charitable Trusts, George Soros's Open Society, the Ford Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation - all left-leaning organizations that support Net Neutrality. So when President Obama is elected, he decides to do an 'independent' review of the issue. He then stacks the review with representatives of the funding groups, who then quote their own information and research and issue a report. The FCC then bases their conclusions about Net Neutrality on that report and, not surprisingly, agree completely with these leftists that the only 'solution' to a future problem is to implement Net Neutrality.
On December 2010, Blackburn said, the FCC passed the Net Neutrality Order. As of today, six months later, they still have not published their order in the record - but the rules are being enforced. There is still a vote in Congress to defeat Net Neutrality and, Blackburn explains, only four more votes are needed to ensure the defeat.
Blackburn warned that this order has chilling effects on the future economic growth of the nation. She said that New Neutrality is "insidious" as it will end up restricting availability to broadband and access to high-speed Internet. She also said that a problem we have is in explaining just how bad this warm, fuzzy-sounding concept actually is.
She recommended two phrases which are accurate and can help individuals explain to their friends and family what Net Neutrality consists of: a 'fairness doctrine' for the Internet and price controls. Basically, Blackburn said, Net Neutrality will put the government in control of assigning priorities for all transactions and they will be in charge of telling companies what can be charged (or not) for what you're getting over the Internet. When people understand that Net Neutrality is the Fairness Doctrine for the Internet, they will reject it just as they did the Fairness Doctrine.
Crews, the last speaker, boiled the issue down explaining that government and Net Neutrality supporters are under the mistaken impression that phone/cable companies are 'blocking' certain traffic on the Internet. They conclude that these companies are so large and so powerful that they are capable of abusing the system. While there is no evidence that such abuse is actually happening, he said, that hasn't stopped them from advancing a 'pre-emptive strike' against what they say *may* occur. Despite no evidence of there actually being a problem, the FCC is advancing a government solution.
I must admit to not being as well-versed in the issue as I would like and you may agree with many Net Neutrality supporters that there is an actual problem. But hopefully you will agree that putting government (an even larger, more intrusive and less accountable entity than any Internet provider) in charge is not the solution.
In the end, I think it boils down to an issue of private property rights: either you believe that the Internet companies own their systems and can charge for their use; or you believe that no private property exists, that government should control anything done on the Internet and also dictate the terms of both delivery and usage.
If you want to download and watch movies on the Internet, using more bandwidth than someone who doesn't do such downloads, there's no reason why a company shouldn't be able to charge you more. After all, if you want to go see a movie in the theater versus waiting for it to come out on DVD and be available at your local video rental store, you're going to pay more. It's a basic concept in our capitalistic society.
But if you're like McChesney and believe, like Karl Marx, that government should control the means of production, you'll probably support the Net Neutrality order and legislation.
RightOnLine - Opening Session
Rough notes from the various speakers - apologies for typos:
Melissa Clouthier - @Melissa Tweets:
* I was asked to tell my story...
* I was a blogger and, in the beginning, I had a lot of very long posts with no comments. Attended the first RightOnLine in Texas and got to meet a lot of new people and learned a lot of good things.
* after the conference, I was overwhelmed and thought that there was no way I could implement the things I learned, but started a Twitter account and decided that Twitter could make a difference - it was the way we could help shape the argument and reach people directly.
* attended more conferences and continued to learn new things at each one.
* there is too much that we have to get done and we don't have enough people doing these types of events and implementing what they learn to keep an eye on government.
* saw that there are a lot of young people in this movement, working to make a difference and take our country back.
* with Twitter, you can cover things others don't - the Weiner issue is a prime example.
* I'm just a mom with three kids - and I can do this. If I can do this, so can you.
* Age is not a barrier - talking about Erik Telford with AFP who started RightOnLine and was just named a rising star by Politics and Elections. She presented him with a plaque for service to the conservative movement for building a blogger and activist community.
Ann McElhinney - producer of movie "Not Evil Just Wrong"
* describes herself as a 'recovering European' ... and an immigrant doing jobs ordinary Americans won't do...
* Conservatives in Name Only: CINOs (si-nos) We need to watch for them and be as aware of them as possible...
* Litmus test:
- they think we should subsidize industries - any industry, regardless
- they think humans control the weather
- they think we should use not resources in Alaska
- they think we shouldn't drill in the Gulf, the ocean or on land
- thinks it's okay to terrorize school children with the idea that the world is about to end
- anyone who talks nonsense about fracking
- anyone who thinks you can power the American dream with the wind or the sun is a CINO - they're probably certifiable, but they're definitely a CINO
(feminists should support all energy - the pill didn't liberate women - the washing machine did ... and it's a human rights abuse to deprive women of a washing machine)
* when we came to America, we were told Conservatives were obsessed with the bedroom. Found that liberals are obsessed with everything else - the bathroom, the living room, your washing machine, your light bulbs, your car - everything!
* CINOs are in favor of regulating my light bulbs.
* Quoted Charleton Heston - out of my cold dead hands, they'll take that light bulb.
John Hinderaker, PowerLineBlog.com
* MN is his home state and says we're here at the right time.
* We're gathered here at a critical time in our nation's history. Massive debt, IMF just issued a warning on debt crises and Dems didn't do a budget, abdicating their statutory responsibility.
* his blog played a role in the Rathergate scandal - and the blog is what they do in their spare time. He shares this to show that persistence plays off.
* wants to influence the debate on federal spending: PowerLine prize contest - offering a $100,000 cash prize to whomever comes up with the most effective and creative message to highlight the financial crisis. Powerlineprize.com is the website with rules and more information. Contest ends July 15.
* message needs to appeal to young people - if young people knew what the impact would be on them, they'd be protesting in the streets.
* want to display the winning entries and award the first prize live on TV.
* found it was astonishing easy to raise the money for the prize. Contest is a good example of the effectiveness of grass roots as it's been advertised only on-line and conservative radio.
Sen. Ron Johnson, WI (video)
* important and consequential moment in our nation's history ... face the most serious threat ever: national bankruptcy.
* need to come together to ramp up the pressure on Washington to address the fiscal crisis.
* spent 31 years building a plastics company with an educational background in accounting and finance. As business owner, I did it all - I'm not unusual. Every day, millions of small business owners do exactly the same thing - they live by the rules and live within their means. Why can't Washington do the same?
* Washington seems like a foreign universe - things don't make sense here. How can they not recognize the problem? The don't understand that the solution to too much debt is not more debt.
* The problem is spending - and we need to stop the spending and tear up the credit cards.
* While Washington doesn't understand this, the majority of Americans do, which is why we saw the 2010 elections. 2012 needs to see the same thing. With your help, we can address the pressing problem of spending and leave a prosperous nation to our children and grandchildren.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee
* This is a critical time in our nation's history - if we are going to endure it, one of the keys is the energy and enthusiasm of conservative values in the country.
* you share my fear that America will cease to be what American has been - that, for the first time, our children and grandchildren will not have the liberty we enjoyed.
* this is a worthy fight ... our greatest challenge is probably the lease understood.
* We need to defend conservative values in the technology sector...
* innocent-sounding terms like 'net neutrality,' 'data sharing' are the words used for control - we must stop them.
* Our liberal friends like to say that Pres. Obama has 'turned the country around' and I like to say he's turned it upside down. He's moved industries from the board room to the government room - they're not innovating, they're not hiring, but are becoming more and more addicted to government spending.
* Pres. Obama and his experts are without any real world business experience, but they're making decisions for businesses.
* We're in real peril of not being the economic engine of the next century, like we've been in the past. Even the military says that the #1 threat to our nation is our debt. It jeopardizes the promise that every generation has made to leave the country in better shape that we received it.
* Technology and virtual marketplace are leading the way in our economy from an industrial economy to a technology economy. The corporate headquarters of the new economy is not in the West Wing, but in the homes and garages of entrepreneurs located all across the country.
* Julius Jenikowski (sp?) - was sent to FCC to nationalize the Internet. Liberals have been after the Internet since it was invented. They did tremendous work in converting traditional conservative allies and convincing them to betray values like the free marketplace of the Internet.
* FCC is sinking its fangs into the most vibrant sector of our economy - taking codes and regulations that were written for Morse code and applying them to .com's. They are the biggest expansion of regulatory authority ever - and they're not chartered for this.
* Without evidence, they want you to believe that Internet companies born online can only continue to innovate and prosper under government control.
* After 7 months, they've still not published the new net neutrality rules so we can see what they are. The Republican senators have pledged to vote against Net Neutrality. They cannot filibuster this and they only need 4 Democrat senators to defeat Net Neutrality.
* While we have this facing us, they're up to no good with new regulations - the next target is the wireless industry. The FCC has declared the wireless marketplace 'uncompetitive,' taking us down the path to more government regulation.
* they contend that more government regulation begets competition. They say that two providers in a market equals competition, but with more than four providers in the wireless market in just about every area, they have said that this is non-competitive. They want pre-approval on all new Internet applications.
* same as saying - you can open a store, but we get to pre-approve your prices, your advertising, your products and your impact on your future competitor across the street. That is what the FCC is planning to do with their new regulations.
* no matter what Pres. Obama does, if Congress will finally decides the FCC has no authority over the Internet, it will be a fatal blow to a barrier-free market and leading economic driver.
* Continues to emphasize that they only need 4 senators to vote with them to finally defeat this measure - close, but up to you to provide the critical element in getting 4 senators to vote correctly.
Melissa Clouthier - @Melissa Tweets:
* I was asked to tell my story...
* I was a blogger and, in the beginning, I had a lot of very long posts with no comments. Attended the first RightOnLine in Texas and got to meet a lot of new people and learned a lot of good things.
* after the conference, I was overwhelmed and thought that there was no way I could implement the things I learned, but started a Twitter account and decided that Twitter could make a difference - it was the way we could help shape the argument and reach people directly.
* attended more conferences and continued to learn new things at each one.
* there is too much that we have to get done and we don't have enough people doing these types of events and implementing what they learn to keep an eye on government.
* saw that there are a lot of young people in this movement, working to make a difference and take our country back.
* with Twitter, you can cover things others don't - the Weiner issue is a prime example.
* I'm just a mom with three kids - and I can do this. If I can do this, so can you.
* Age is not a barrier - talking about Erik Telford with AFP who started RightOnLine and was just named a rising star by Politics and Elections. She presented him with a plaque for service to the conservative movement for building a blogger and activist community.
Ann McElhinney - producer of movie "Not Evil Just Wrong"
* describes herself as a 'recovering European' ... and an immigrant doing jobs ordinary Americans won't do...
* Conservatives in Name Only: CINOs (si-nos) We need to watch for them and be as aware of them as possible...
* Litmus test:
- they think we should subsidize industries - any industry, regardless
- they think humans control the weather
- they think we should use not resources in Alaska
- they think we shouldn't drill in the Gulf, the ocean or on land
- thinks it's okay to terrorize school children with the idea that the world is about to end
- anyone who talks nonsense about fracking
- anyone who thinks you can power the American dream with the wind or the sun is a CINO - they're probably certifiable, but they're definitely a CINO
(feminists should support all energy - the pill didn't liberate women - the washing machine did ... and it's a human rights abuse to deprive women of a washing machine)
* when we came to America, we were told Conservatives were obsessed with the bedroom. Found that liberals are obsessed with everything else - the bathroom, the living room, your washing machine, your light bulbs, your car - everything!
* CINOs are in favor of regulating my light bulbs.
* Quoted Charleton Heston - out of my cold dead hands, they'll take that light bulb.
John Hinderaker, PowerLineBlog.com
* MN is his home state and says we're here at the right time.
* We're gathered here at a critical time in our nation's history. Massive debt, IMF just issued a warning on debt crises and Dems didn't do a budget, abdicating their statutory responsibility.
* his blog played a role in the Rathergate scandal - and the blog is what they do in their spare time. He shares this to show that persistence plays off.
* wants to influence the debate on federal spending: PowerLine prize contest - offering a $100,000 cash prize to whomever comes up with the most effective and creative message to highlight the financial crisis. Powerlineprize.com is the website with rules and more information. Contest ends July 15.
* message needs to appeal to young people - if young people knew what the impact would be on them, they'd be protesting in the streets.
* want to display the winning entries and award the first prize live on TV.
* found it was astonishing easy to raise the money for the prize. Contest is a good example of the effectiveness of grass roots as it's been advertised only on-line and conservative radio.
Sen. Ron Johnson, WI (video)
* important and consequential moment in our nation's history ... face the most serious threat ever: national bankruptcy.
* need to come together to ramp up the pressure on Washington to address the fiscal crisis.
* spent 31 years building a plastics company with an educational background in accounting and finance. As business owner, I did it all - I'm not unusual. Every day, millions of small business owners do exactly the same thing - they live by the rules and live within their means. Why can't Washington do the same?
* Washington seems like a foreign universe - things don't make sense here. How can they not recognize the problem? The don't understand that the solution to too much debt is not more debt.
* The problem is spending - and we need to stop the spending and tear up the credit cards.
* While Washington doesn't understand this, the majority of Americans do, which is why we saw the 2010 elections. 2012 needs to see the same thing. With your help, we can address the pressing problem of spending and leave a prosperous nation to our children and grandchildren.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee
* This is a critical time in our nation's history - if we are going to endure it, one of the keys is the energy and enthusiasm of conservative values in the country.
* you share my fear that America will cease to be what American has been - that, for the first time, our children and grandchildren will not have the liberty we enjoyed.
* this is a worthy fight ... our greatest challenge is probably the lease understood.
* We need to defend conservative values in the technology sector...
* innocent-sounding terms like 'net neutrality,' 'data sharing' are the words used for control - we must stop them.
* Our liberal friends like to say that Pres. Obama has 'turned the country around' and I like to say he's turned it upside down. He's moved industries from the board room to the government room - they're not innovating, they're not hiring, but are becoming more and more addicted to government spending.
* Pres. Obama and his experts are without any real world business experience, but they're making decisions for businesses.
* We're in real peril of not being the economic engine of the next century, like we've been in the past. Even the military says that the #1 threat to our nation is our debt. It jeopardizes the promise that every generation has made to leave the country in better shape that we received it.
* Technology and virtual marketplace are leading the way in our economy from an industrial economy to a technology economy. The corporate headquarters of the new economy is not in the West Wing, but in the homes and garages of entrepreneurs located all across the country.
* Julius Jenikowski (sp?) - was sent to FCC to nationalize the Internet. Liberals have been after the Internet since it was invented. They did tremendous work in converting traditional conservative allies and convincing them to betray values like the free marketplace of the Internet.
* FCC is sinking its fangs into the most vibrant sector of our economy - taking codes and regulations that were written for Morse code and applying them to .com's. They are the biggest expansion of regulatory authority ever - and they're not chartered for this.
* Without evidence, they want you to believe that Internet companies born online can only continue to innovate and prosper under government control.
* After 7 months, they've still not published the new net neutrality rules so we can see what they are. The Republican senators have pledged to vote against Net Neutrality. They cannot filibuster this and they only need 4 Democrat senators to defeat Net Neutrality.
* While we have this facing us, they're up to no good with new regulations - the next target is the wireless industry. The FCC has declared the wireless marketplace 'uncompetitive,' taking us down the path to more government regulation.
* they contend that more government regulation begets competition. They say that two providers in a market equals competition, but with more than four providers in the wireless market in just about every area, they have said that this is non-competitive. They want pre-approval on all new Internet applications.
* same as saying - you can open a store, but we get to pre-approve your prices, your advertising, your products and your impact on your future competitor across the street. That is what the FCC is planning to do with their new regulations.
* no matter what Pres. Obama does, if Congress will finally decides the FCC has no authority over the Internet, it will be a fatal blow to a barrier-free market and leading economic driver.
* Continues to emphasize that they only need 4 senators to vote with them to finally defeat this measure - close, but up to you to provide the critical element in getting 4 senators to vote correctly.
RightOnLine - Tax Reform breakout session
Tax Reform: A Return to Economic Growth is one of the breakout sessions I attended. It was moderated by AFP's Steve Lonegan and featured Ryan Ellis from Americans for Tax Reform, JD Foster from Heritage Foundation and Dick Patten from American Family Business Institute.
Pictured, left to right, are Lonegan, Ellis, Foster and Patten
Here are my notes from their comments:
Lonegan started with a comment that I absolutely loved (paraphrased): only in government would a $200 tax increase be called 'small,' while a $.30 tax increase is 'large.' He then detailed how successful New Jersey, his home state, had been at the turn of the century with major economic growth and the establishment of many national corporations. But tax policy - New Jersey is one of the highest taxed states in the nation - destroyed most of that.
Patten was the first speaker and complimented the success in Ohio of repealing the death tax. He said that Minnesota is their next target. He is proud of the fact that in the last election, over 500 candidates signed the death tax pledge and that, currently, there are eight bills in Congress to repeal the death tax. He expects that HR 1259 Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2011 will be the one that goes forward. It has 118 co-sponsors, including members of the Blue Dog Democrats and the Congressional Black Caucus. Sen. John Thune has pledged to sponsor mirror legislation in the Senate. Patten expects this bill to see action in the House Ways and Means committee in the July-September time frame.
He then talked about why the inheritance tax is so detrimental to American philosophy and way of life. It started, he explained, in 1215 with the Magna Carta - 1/3 of which is devoted to addressing inheritance/property rights. For centuries, the concept of private property rights was sacrosanct, until Karl Marx came along. Marx's position was that all rights of property inheritance needed to be abolished, or confiscated by the state. It was his, and his followers, thought that 'inheritance isn't a natural right but merely a civil convenience granted by a benevolent government.' Patten explained that we do have property rights - the fruits of our labor do not belong to government so that they then need to be 'returned' upon our death. If that were the case, we'd be serfs to that government.
Of course, this is certainly contrary to our founders' perspective, but many on the left have gone so far as assert that no one should be able to leave an inheritance to their descendants. In the end, he said, the rallying cry needs to be "No Taxation without Respiration!"
Ellis was up next with an update on the Taxpayer Protection Pledge that ATR has sponsored for several years now and he is proud of the number of elected members of Congress who have signed the pledge. He used the ethanol issue as an example of why the pledge of 'no new taxes' is so critical.
Ethanol is supported in three ways, he explained: a tax credit to incentivize production; a tariff to restrict foreign ethanol and protect domestic production; and a mandate by government for ethanol use. I found it startling that 98% of ethanol production is a direct result of the mandate and only 2% of production is due to tariff and tax credit incentives. While there is an amendment in the Senate to kill the tariff and repeal the tax credits, without addressing the mandate, there really is no solution. Sen. Jim DeMint has an amendment that not only repeals the mandate, but ties it to the elimination of the death tax.
As Ellis detailed, tax credit destroy markets, change what prices would have normally been and cause ruin to the economy. In fact, this is true regardless of what the tax credit is for (including such credits as mortgage interest deductions), so eliminating a specific tax credit - or even all of them - without corresponding cuts in spending is bad policy. This is why ATR supports the approach of tax reform being revenue neutral. The Taxpayer Protection Pledge is critical in that approach.
The last speaker was Foster who started with MOTO (master of the obvious) statements like "tax reform is long overdue." Current tax policy distorts how we invest and save and how companies plan for capital items. It also wastes money in time and compliance. But, he warned, we must be vigilant as tax reform can be a Trojan horse. In the guise of 'closing the tax loopholes' we may just get more revenue to government and even more spending as a result. The idea of tax reform is being hijacked by those who just want more money to government.
Many Democrats and people on the left want to promote the idea that raising taxes is inevitable - if we truly want to address the deficit and the debt. Heritage rejects this position and, instead, published "Saving the American Dream," a plan to fix the debt, cut spending and restore prosperity, to prove it. As Foster explained, this tax reform plan balances the budget in 10 years without raising taxes - and it continues to keep the size of government small by limiting government to only things that are necessary. He encouraged us all to read the Heritage plan and support it.
Pictured, left to right, are Lonegan, Ellis, Foster and Patten
Here are my notes from their comments:
Lonegan started with a comment that I absolutely loved (paraphrased): only in government would a $200 tax increase be called 'small,' while a $.30 tax increase is 'large.' He then detailed how successful New Jersey, his home state, had been at the turn of the century with major economic growth and the establishment of many national corporations. But tax policy - New Jersey is one of the highest taxed states in the nation - destroyed most of that.
Patten was the first speaker and complimented the success in Ohio of repealing the death tax. He said that Minnesota is their next target. He is proud of the fact that in the last election, over 500 candidates signed the death tax pledge and that, currently, there are eight bills in Congress to repeal the death tax. He expects that HR 1259 Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2011 will be the one that goes forward. It has 118 co-sponsors, including members of the Blue Dog Democrats and the Congressional Black Caucus. Sen. John Thune has pledged to sponsor mirror legislation in the Senate. Patten expects this bill to see action in the House Ways and Means committee in the July-September time frame.
He then talked about why the inheritance tax is so detrimental to American philosophy and way of life. It started, he explained, in 1215 with the Magna Carta - 1/3 of which is devoted to addressing inheritance/property rights. For centuries, the concept of private property rights was sacrosanct, until Karl Marx came along. Marx's position was that all rights of property inheritance needed to be abolished, or confiscated by the state. It was his, and his followers, thought that 'inheritance isn't a natural right but merely a civil convenience granted by a benevolent government.' Patten explained that we do have property rights - the fruits of our labor do not belong to government so that they then need to be 'returned' upon our death. If that were the case, we'd be serfs to that government.
Of course, this is certainly contrary to our founders' perspective, but many on the left have gone so far as assert that no one should be able to leave an inheritance to their descendants. In the end, he said, the rallying cry needs to be "No Taxation without Respiration!"
Ellis was up next with an update on the Taxpayer Protection Pledge that ATR has sponsored for several years now and he is proud of the number of elected members of Congress who have signed the pledge. He used the ethanol issue as an example of why the pledge of 'no new taxes' is so critical.
Ethanol is supported in three ways, he explained: a tax credit to incentivize production; a tariff to restrict foreign ethanol and protect domestic production; and a mandate by government for ethanol use. I found it startling that 98% of ethanol production is a direct result of the mandate and only 2% of production is due to tariff and tax credit incentives. While there is an amendment in the Senate to kill the tariff and repeal the tax credits, without addressing the mandate, there really is no solution. Sen. Jim DeMint has an amendment that not only repeals the mandate, but ties it to the elimination of the death tax.
As Ellis detailed, tax credit destroy markets, change what prices would have normally been and cause ruin to the economy. In fact, this is true regardless of what the tax credit is for (including such credits as mortgage interest deductions), so eliminating a specific tax credit - or even all of them - without corresponding cuts in spending is bad policy. This is why ATR supports the approach of tax reform being revenue neutral. The Taxpayer Protection Pledge is critical in that approach.
The last speaker was Foster who started with MOTO (master of the obvious) statements like "tax reform is long overdue." Current tax policy distorts how we invest and save and how companies plan for capital items. It also wastes money in time and compliance. But, he warned, we must be vigilant as tax reform can be a Trojan horse. In the guise of 'closing the tax loopholes' we may just get more revenue to government and even more spending as a result. The idea of tax reform is being hijacked by those who just want more money to government.
Many Democrats and people on the left want to promote the idea that raising taxes is inevitable - if we truly want to address the deficit and the debt. Heritage rejects this position and, instead, published "Saving the American Dream," a plan to fix the debt, cut spending and restore prosperity, to prove it. As Foster explained, this tax reform plan balances the budget in 10 years without raising taxes - and it continues to keep the size of government small by limiting government to only things that are necessary. He encouraged us all to read the Heritage plan and support it.
Morning at RightOnLine
I'm all set up on Bloggers Row at RightOnLine and looking forward to the breakout and opening sessions today.
Presented by Americans for Prosperity, RightOnLine is the place for on-line and grassroots activist training, with prominent speakers and training sessions you won't get in one place anywhere else.
Sponsors include: American Family Business Institute, Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, Townhall.com/Hot Air, The Heartland Institute, The Leadership Institute, Gridiron Communications, Ashley Events, Competitive Enterprise Institute, State Policy Network, Media Research Center, and Penley.
I'm honored to have received a scholarship to cover the costs of my travel and hotel room so I can attend and share with you the events and information.
If you have time, they will be live streaming many of the events and key note speakers, including:
The breakout sessions here are geared to meet the educational needs of various groups. There are tracks for Online Activism, Advanced Online Activism, Tools and Resources, Citizen Journalism and Investigative Reporting, Grassroots Activism Training and Public Policy Issues.
I'll be attending several of the Public Policy tracks today:
* Tax Reform with representatives from American Family Business Institute, Heritage Foundation and Americans for Tax Reform;
* Internet Freedom: Washington's Internet Takeover;
* Extreme Power Abuse: Global Warming & Energy Regulation
Tonight, after the Grassroots Awards Dinner, we'll be screening "The Undefeated - The Sarah Palin Documentary." Tomorrow, I have an interview with Steve Bannon, the producer of the movie.
So stay turned for blogging updates!
Presented by Americans for Prosperity, RightOnLine is the place for on-line and grassroots activist training, with prominent speakers and training sessions you won't get in one place anywhere else.
Sponsors include: American Family Business Institute, Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, Townhall.com/Hot Air, The Heartland Institute, The Leadership Institute, Gridiron Communications, Ashley Events, Competitive Enterprise Institute, State Policy Network, Media Research Center, and Penley.
I'm honored to have received a scholarship to cover the costs of my travel and hotel room so I can attend and share with you the events and information.
If you have time, they will be live streaming many of the events and key note speakers, including:
* Gov. Tim Pawlenty
* Rep. Michele Bachmann
* Herman Cain
* Rep. Tim Huelskamp
* Michelle Malkin
* Jason Lewis
* John Fund
* S.E. Cupp
* Ed Morrissey
* Erick Erickson
* Guy Benson
* Andrew Breitbart
* Rep. Marsha Blackburn
* Rep. John Kline
* Ann McElhinney
The breakout sessions here are geared to meet the educational needs of various groups. There are tracks for Online Activism, Advanced Online Activism, Tools and Resources, Citizen Journalism and Investigative Reporting, Grassroots Activism Training and Public Policy Issues.
I'll be attending several of the Public Policy tracks today:
* Tax Reform with representatives from American Family Business Institute, Heritage Foundation and Americans for Tax Reform;
* Internet Freedom: Washington's Internet Takeover;
* Extreme Power Abuse: Global Warming & Energy Regulation
Tonight, after the Grassroots Awards Dinner, we'll be screening "The Undefeated - The Sarah Palin Documentary." Tomorrow, I have an interview with Steve Bannon, the producer of the movie.
So stay turned for blogging updates!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Quote of the Day - political plunder
"If you look at Washington, you see permanently camped on the banks of the Potomac spread around in concentric circles an army representing thousands of selfish interests. The sole purpose of their presence is to plunder, by hook or crook, the public treasury for the benefit of their particular people or corporations." ~ Charlie Reese
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Economic Study Shows EPA Regulations Increase Prices, Kill Jobs | CNSnews.com
I'm all for clean air and water, but I wonder at what cost compared to what benefit? Will we spend billions, lose jobs and raise prices just to change the pollution content by a fraction of a measure?
Is this just like 'man-made global warming,' where policy initiatives have serious costs and job consequences only to maybe change the temperature by a degree or two. Tell me, can you really tell the difference between 78 degrees and 76 degrees?
And many of these EPA regulations will impact coal states like Ohio much more than others, so it's easy for less-impacted people to say, 'sure - pay any cost for cleaner air and water.'
Economic Study Shows EPA Regulations Increase Prices, Kill Jobs CNSnews.com
I think we need to have government perform a ROI (return on investment) analysis for each policy proposal and let the people know that as 'good' as many of these programs sounds, in the long term, they cost us much more than they provide in benefits.
Is this just like 'man-made global warming,' where policy initiatives have serious costs and job consequences only to maybe change the temperature by a degree or two. Tell me, can you really tell the difference between 78 degrees and 76 degrees?
And many of these EPA regulations will impact coal states like Ohio much more than others, so it's easy for less-impacted people to say, 'sure - pay any cost for cleaner air and water.'
Economic Study Shows EPA Regulations Increase Prices, Kill Jobs CNSnews.com
I think we need to have government perform a ROI (return on investment) analysis for each policy proposal and let the people know that as 'good' as many of these programs sounds, in the long term, they cost us much more than they provide in benefits.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Flag Day 2011
My apologies for the light postings the last several days - I've been extremely busy with a client...but not too busy to remind you that today is Flag Day.
From the National Flag Day Foundation:
Happy Flag Day - and remember to display it proudly and properly.
From the National Flag Day Foundation:
In Waubeka, Wisconsin, in 1885 Bernard John Cigrand a nineteen year old school teacher in a one room school placed a 10” 38 star flag in an inkwell and had his students write essays on what the flag meant to them. He called June 14th the flag’s birthday. Stony Hill School is now a historical site. From that day on Bernard J. Cigrand dedicated himself to inspire not only his students but also all Americans in the real meaning and majesty of our flag.
...
This observance, commemorated Congresses adoption of the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777. This observance was also the beginning of Cigrand’s long years of fervent and devoted effort to bring about national recognition and observance of Flag Day. The crowning achievement of his life came at age fifty when President Wilson, on May 30, 1916, issued a proclamation calling for a nation wide observance of Flag Day. Then in 1949, President Truman signed an Act Of Congress designating the 14th day of June every year as National Flag Day. On June 14th, 2004, the 108th U.S. Congress voted unanimously on H.R. 662 that Flag Day originated in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin.
Happy Flag Day - and remember to display it proudly and properly.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Quote of the Day - personal responsibility
"[T]he power system continues only as long as individuals try to get something for nothing. The day when a majority of individuals declares or acts as if it wants nothing from the government, declares that it will look after its own welfare and interests, then on that day the power elites are doomed." ~ Anthony Sutton
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Quote of the Day - government's attraction
"The fatal attraction of government is that it allows busybodies to impose decisions on others without paying any price themselves. That enables them to act as if there were no price, even when there are ruinous prices -- paid by others." ~ Thomas Sowell
Friday, June 10, 2011
EPA rules lead to loss of 157 Ohio jobs now with more to come
Press Release from Rep. Bob Latta:
EPA Rules Lead to Shutdowns in Ohio
BOWLING GREEN – Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) issued the following statement after Columbus-based American Electric Power (AEP) announced Thursday it would close and downsize three plants in Ohio at a loss of 157 jobs, to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new coal-fire plant regulations:“This is a perfect example of the EPA’s assault on American business and the economy. The cost of complying with burdensome regulations will cause higher electricity bills and fewer jobs in America. Time and time again, I, along with other members of the Energy and Commerce Committee, have said that overreaching regulations and stringent timetables for compliance are a deterrent to job growth and energy stability.
“The EPA must come to terms with the fact that their overly broad one-size-fits-all regulations hurt companies. The EPA should set up amechanism by which states can apply for regulatory waivers, giving states the flexibility to determine their business and environmental priorities.”
AEP expects EPA regulations to cause a net loss of approximately 600 power plant jobs with annual wages totaling approximately $40 million.
-30-
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Living history - not just studying it
"But when the test came, when freedom had to be fought for or abandoned, they fought. They were soldiers of democracy. They were the men of D-Day, and to them we owe our freedom.” ~ Stephen Ambrose
Rogers High School student Corey Fink is going to get the opportunity of a lifetime - a chance to actually live history. He and his American History teacher, Joe Boyle, are one of 15 student-teacher teams selected in a nation-wide competition to participate in The Albert H. Small Student/Teacher Institute sponsored by National History Day.
This year's theme, Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom, is of special interest to Boyle whose uncle is buried in Normandy.
Together, the two have spent the last several months reading and researching the battle in preparation of their additional studies at the Institute before travelling to Normandy to experience the sights and sounds of the area first-hand.
As part of the requirements, Corey had to research a veteran of the battle from his home state. He chose Captain John A. Kulp of Franklin County who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross while serving with the 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division for action against the enemy on June 21-22, 1944.
From the citation:
"When Captain Kulp's company was pinned down near Cherbourg by heavy fire from strong underground positions, he made a person reconnaissance in the face of the enemy fire to determine the best way to assault the position. Returning to his company, he organized his men for the advance and led them toward their objective. With complete disregard for the intense enemy fire, he moved from one platoon to another, directing and encouraging the men in their advance. At the head of his unit as they neared the enemy fortifications, he led a bayonet charge with overwhelmed the enemy garrison and forced the surrender of 144 Germans."
Corey will also lay a wreath at the U.S. Cemetery in Normandy as part of the schedule while in France.
Corey was selected, from all of Boyle's students, to apply for the program. After speaking with him, I understand why Boyle chose him. He describes himself as 'a history geek,' and exhibits a maturity in perspective that belies his 15 years. He is at the top of his class, having just completed his sophomore year, is active in multiple clubs and is a member of the track team. He's proud of his service hours, working primarily in youth programs, and doesn't seem bothered by the fact that he and his little sister celebrate their birthdays together because of the closeness of the days.
Boyle, who because of his uncle's service has long had an interest in the taking of Normandy, was a journalist before entering the teaching field and has been the American History and government instructor at Rogers for seven years. He was the BCSN Teacher of the Year for the 2010-11 school year.
This is certainly a unique opportunity to 'live history,' as Boyle described, rather than just study it in the classroom. Unfortunately, this isn't a completely happy ending. In March, thinking he was having a bad reaction to some antibiotics, Boyle went to the emergency room and a test revealed he had a cancerous tumor on his kidney. After surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in April, he developed a blood clot in his leg. While thinking he would be recovered enough to meet the physical demands of touring the Normandy battle sights, the blood clot ended those hopes and he will not be making the trip with Corey.
Arrangements were made so Corey could still attend the Institute and the trip to Normandy and the organizers hope that it will be possible to include Boyle next year.
This is not just a tremendous experience for the student-teacher team, it is a testament to the two individuals: a teacher with a love of the subject and a passion for making history more than just a topic to be studied in the dry atmosphere of a classroom; and a student with the intellect, curiosity and diligence to meet the difficult requirements of the program.
They are a compliment to their families and their school and I congratulate them both!
My exclusive interview and their story:
The final obligation Corey has in the program is to create a website after he returns from France. I will link to that page when he has it completed. He also said he would, if time permits during his two weeks at the Institute, send an email and some photos that I can share with you.
Upcoming good news story
I've got an interview today with a local student his teacher about their participation in The Albert H. Small Student and Teacher Institute offered by National History Day.
I'm excited to talk with Corey Fink and Joe Boyle and learn more about the program and their upcoming trip to Normandy. I plan to have the blog post done tomorrow and hope you'll be sure to check back and read about their terrific accomplishment.
I'm excited to talk with Corey Fink and Joe Boyle and learn more about the program and their upcoming trip to Normandy. I plan to have the blog post done tomorrow and hope you'll be sure to check back and read about their terrific accomplishment.
Fire Chief Wolever to retire
Press Release:
Toledo Fire Chief Wolever to retire after 33 years of service
Assistant Chief Luis Santiago to serve as department leader
Chief Michael Wolever has announced that he will retire from the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department after 33 years of service as a firefighter and four years as chief.
Chief Wolever joined the department in August 1978. He was promoted to Lieutenant in June 1982, Captain in June 1984, Battalion Chief in October 1988 and served as Deputy Chief under Michael Bell beginning in 2002. When then-Chief Bell retired in 2007, Wolever stepped up to lead the department.
Chief Wolever additionally serves as vice-chair for the Ohio Homeland Security Advisory Committee and has served as Chairman of the State of Ohio Medical Technical Advisory Committee, co-chair of the City of Toledo Urban Area Security Initiative, and co-chair of the Metropolitan Medical Response Team.
“As Fire Chief and Mayor, I have counted on Mike Wolever to be a leader in the fire department for 20 years,” said Mayor Michael P. Bell. “I appreciate his service and his dedication to Toledo Fire and Rescue and to the residents of the city and the region. The knowledge and experience he has contributed to the department have helped to make us one of the best in the nation.”
Also during Chief Wolever’s tenure, two major policy initiatives were accomplished. The long-term federal consent decree issued in the Brown v. Winkle case was dismissed allowing the department to move forward with more modern and widely accepted recruiting practices. The department also continued a move toward regional safety cooperation by merging fire and rescue services with the Village of Ottawa Hills.
As Wolever departs, Luis Santiago will lead the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department. Santiago has served as Assistant Chief since December 2007. He joined the department in 1984.
“I have every confidence in Lou’s ability to lead this department into the future,” said Mayor Bell. “He has proven himself to be a valuable leader among Toledo’s firefighters and a strategic incident response commander. I have no doubt that Toledo can continue to depend on a competent and professional fire department under his leadership.”
Wolever’s last day of service will be Friday, July 1, 2011. Santiago will serve as acting chief until a permanent appointment is made.
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Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Quote of the Day - private property
"The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If 'Thou shalt not covet' and 'Thou shalt not steal' were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free." ~ John Adams
Wood County Heritage Days: BBQ, barn dance, awards and eagles!
Press Release from Wood County Commissioner Tim Brown:
Saturday and Sunday (June 11th & 12th) is our annual Wood County Heritage Days at the Historical Center & Museum.
Things kick off Friday June 10th with an old fashioned barn dance with square, round, & line dancing. For more information or to reserve a spot call 419-352-0967. Saturday and Sunday is filled with events for the entire family - tractor show and parade, kids crafts, live animals, music and many local food vendors. Visitors will also be able to see the working oil derrick and blacksmith shop.
Sunday there will be a chicken and pork chop BBQ fundraiser for the Historical Society. The BBQ begins at 11:00 am until sold out and I will be joined by my fellow elected officials in serving. The event is held in the barn and we are really hoping for a big turnout – so please consider bringing the family out to celebrate our Wood County heritage and join us for the BBQ!
Following the BBQ at 2:00 p.m. the Board of Commissioners will be honoring citizens who have worked to better our Wood County community. This year citizens nominated Richard Martin for Agricultural Leadership, Elaine Paulette McEwen for Education for Civic Responsibility, Barbara Keller for Liberty Through Law/Human Freedom, and Rebecca Bhaer for Self-Government; Perrysburg Resident Douglas Pratt for the Lyle R. Fletcher Good Citizenship Award; and former Wood County resident Daryl Stockburger for Industrial/Economic Development. Please join us in honoring these individuals at the ceremony.
The Historical Center & Museum is located ¼ mile from I-75, (exit 179) – then east on State Route 6. The event will be held rain or shine, parking and admission are free and I really hope to see you and your family this weekend!
www.woodcountyhistory.org
Invitation to watch the falcons living on top of the Wood County Courthouse clock tower:
http://www.co.wood.oh.us/falconcam.htm
The Wood County Courthouse clock tower is home to a nesting pair of Peregrine Falcons and their baby chicks. All of the chicks are approximately 3 weeks old and they are all female. Thanks to strong public interest we have installed a camera which allows citizens to watch the newest residents of our county via the internet.
Currently, the video only supports Internet Explorer which means that it is not available on an Android phone, an Apple phone, or a Mac PC.
When you click on the link above a new page will open and after a few minutes a yellow banner should appear at the top of the page asking you to install an ActiveX file. Follow the steps to install this file and then refresh the page after a couple minutes. The page is under construction so it may change a bit over the next few days and it currently allows for a maximum connection time of 5 minutes.
Enjoy watching the falcons and I hope to see you this weekend!
Tim W. Brown
Wood County Commissioner
TimBrown@wcnet.org - email
www.CitizensforBrown.com – web site
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Fact-checking Obama's Toledo speech on auto bailout
I didn't do the leg work, but Glenn Kessler, The Fact Checker, at The Washington Post did. In his column he starts with this:
Read the entire analysis and educate yourself about the truth versus the spin.
"With some of the economic indicators looking a bit dicey, President Obama traveled to Ohio last week to tout what the administration considers a good-news story: the rescue of the domestic automobile industry. In fact, he also made it the subject of his weekly radio address.
We take no view on whether the administration’s efforts on behalf of the automobile industry were a good or bad thing; that’s a matter for the editorial pages and eventually the historians. But we are interested in the facts the president cited to make his case.
What we found is one of the most misleading collections of assertions we have seen in a short presidential speech. Virtually every claim by the president regarding the auto industry needs an asterisk, just like the fine print in that too-good-to-be-true car loan.
Let’s look at the claims in the order in which the president said them."
Read the entire analysis and educate yourself about the truth versus the spin.
Quote of the Day - taxation and the Republic
"It is said, mostly by Libertarians, that ‘taxation is theft.’ Theft is too mild a word. Typically, a thief strikes only once, and doesn’t pretend that his robbery is legitimate. Taxation is actually slavery." ~ Rick Tompkins
And why do we need such taxation?
"The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money." ~ Alexis de Tocqueville
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