I Went to My First Political Event!

As most of you know, I am a career military man, recently retired.  I don't mention it too much because I wasn't a hero or anything like that.  Having been in the Air Force my entire adult life, I had always avoided political events.

Well, I'm a private citizen now, so I put on my ostrich skin boots, American eagle bolo tie, and with the sexy Mrs. Silverfiddle on my arm, I went to a candidate's forum featuring Republican US Senate hopefuls Jane Norton and Ken Buck.

Buck is the underdog, but I came away a fan after initially leaning towards Norton because she is the establishment candidate with Reagan administration and Lieutenant Governor experience.  Nothing against Jane.  If she beats Ken in the March Caucus I'm voting for her, and the praise I heap on Ken Buck is no way is a slap at her.  The only bad thing I can say about her is she sounded "canned," like a well-polished politician, while Buck had a more sincere and populist patina.   

Ken Buck for US Senator from Colorado

Ken Buck's unrehearsed but articulate and candid manner really impressed me. I got to look him in the eye and shake his hand as we discussed the ACLU and La Raza attacks against him for going after illegal aliens involved in identity theft.  He's a sincere man with a populist streak.  Here are some random thoughts from the evening:

The woman sitting next to my wife announced that she recently abandoned the Democratic party!  We welcomed her warmly into the Republican Party bosom as a church would welcome a reformed drunk.

The Moderator Led Off With Two Of My Questions!

Amy, the ResistNet District Coordinator for our congressional district, was the moderator, and she started off by asking the candidates two of my questions!  One concerned the 9th and 10th Amendments to the constitution, and the other invited their views on Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution, specifically the enumerated powers and how broadly the candidates interpreted the interstate commerce and the general welfare clause.

Both candidates gave good answers, but Buck specifically mentioned housing and schools as issues the federal government should not be involved in.

Mr. Buck also spoke eloquently of avoiding foreign entanglements, citing George Washington.  No more ambiguous congressional kinda sorta approvals of some type of presidential action.  Declare specific objectives, get the troops in and then bring them home.  No more endless commitments.

To hearty applause, he gently poked at John McCain as one of the Senators he would not be seeking out.  Jim DeMint and Dr. Tom Coburn are more his style.

He stated flatly that George Bush spent too much and grew government too much (more applause), and then added on that Barack Obama is expanding upon this madness at a frightening pace (applause increased).

I could hear echoes of pre-17th Amendment days in his vow to meet with Colorado's state representatives at least quarterly to get feedback on how federal policy was affecting the state.

The evening was capped off  by the exciting announcement that Scott Brown had been declared the winner in the Massachusetts senate race.

I urge each of you to get involved in politics in your state and congressional district. 

Most Expensive Government Money Can Buy

We Used to Call this Bribery and Corruption...

From Landreau's Louisiana Purchase to Nelson's Cornhusker Kickback, congressional crapulence is on full display.

Senators who held out got all kinds of goodies for their own states.  Ben Nelson got Harry to exempt his state from the medicaid increases caused by the bill, and you and I are picking up the tab.  Politico catalogs the greed of these pigs at the trough, from Vermont to Michigan. 

This craven, immoral display dishonors the man who set the cornerstone of the capitol, George Washington.  It is a contravention of everything our founders stood for.  Pitchforks and torches are all this gang of bandits deserves.

The Utopian schemes of leveling, and a community of goods, are as visionary and impracticable, as those which vest all property in the Crown, are arbitrary, despotic, and in our government unconstitutional.
-- Samuel Adams

"In questions of power then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution."
-- Thomas Jefferson

If this "health care reform" is so great, why do they have to bribe everybody to vote for it?

UPDATE!

It's not just rightwing yahoos from flyover country calling this corruption.  Dr. Tom Coburn, Senator from Oklahoma has chimed in:

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) was even harsher, calling the internal Democratic negotiations - which included expensive provisions aimed at winning over Democratic holdouts - "corruption."

"This process is not legislation. This process is corruption. And it's corruption that's obvious to the average American in this country," Coburn said. "And it's a shame that that's the only way we can come to consensus in this country is to buy votes."

 Harry Reid Redefines "Normal"

Jim Manley, a spokesman for Majority Leader Harry Reid, called the special provisions aimed at swaying certain Democratic senators "a normal part of the legislative process."

It's past time to throw the bums out. That's a"normal" part of the citizens taking back their country process

Senate Seats Circus Clown


... He'll be in good company. This should be entertaining.

Senate Demotes Captains of Industry

The Captains of Industry Have Been Demoted.

General Motors has been busted all the way down to a buck private, conscripted into serving the corporatist state. Swarms of bureaucrats now infest every corner of American industry, and 535 shareholders will make GM and Chrysler rue the day they made their Faustian bargain.

Senators Blast Automakers
Empowered by the government's emerging ownership role, members of a Senate committee yesterday excoriated General Motors and Chrysler for their decisions last month to close more than 2,000 dealers.

Because the federal government is slated to own most of General Motors and 8 percent of Chrysler, some of the senators said they have a responsibility, as major shareholders do, to review company decisions.(Source: Washington Post)

Good luck trying to break those shackles, you corporate weasels! You brought this on yourselves: First by your irresponsible behavior, and then by your shameless groveling before the government. Obama owns you now; get on your knees where you belong, and recall the words of a great man:

When you get in bed with the government, don't be surprised if you get more than a good night's sleep.
-- Ronald Reagan

WaPo - Senators & the Car Companies
http://businessandmedia.org/articles/2009/20090520141935.aspx

4th and 99

The dollar is falling, the debt is ballooning, the Taliban is resurgent, China, Russia and African Pirates are testing us at every turn. The pot-bellied pig of North Korea is launching missiles. These are times that try men's souls, as Thomas Paine would say.

So what is the Senate up to? AP reports that it is "reviewing how college football picks its number 1 team."

Our nation's #1 standing in the world is in danger, but as long as we know who the #1 college football team is we'll all be OK! Maybe next they can get to the bottom of other burning questions like whether American Idol is rigged or what the true sum of global livestock flatulence is.

Bread and Circuses...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hV4mOJQgUsQthrydU_Vty4iVgC5gD9759GG00

Carolyn Kennedy failed in her bid to become Kennedy # 5,237,000,432 to infest some level of government in the US. Is this any way to treat royalty?

ALBANY — Problems involving taxes and a household employee surfaced during the vetting of Caroline Kennedy and derailed her candidacy for the Senate, a person close to Gov. David A. Paterson said on Thursday, in an account at odds with Ms. Kennedy’s own description of her reasons for withdrawing.

Translation: She's a millionaire tax cheat who hires illegal aliens. She would have fit in perfectly in the federal government.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/nyregion/23caroline.html

How To Contact Your Elected Officials

The 111th Congress has been sworn in, and the nation will soon have a new president. With liberals controlling the White House and Congress, we conservatives will have plenty to howl about as the Democrats attempt to fix every ill in their chymeric quest to build a perfect society.

Being outraged does no good unless you do something about it. Otherwise, it’s just blind rage, and we already have enough of that. Here’s my simple three step plan to make yourself heard:

Find out who your elected representatives are
Go to http://www.congress.org and enter your zip code. Entering Zip+4 is even better, since that will get you down to your state representatives as well. This site has mucho information on bills before congress. It also has links to your representatives’ official websites where you can contact them.

Research
Just how liberal or conservative is your senator or congresswoman?http://www.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/ has the unbiased, non-partisan answer. For a conservative perspective, you can go to http://www.acuratings.org. I don’t have a good authoritative source for progressives, but if you’re sophisticated enough to know you are a progressive, you’re probably already plugged in. http://www.congress.org is also an excellent research site.

Write
No stamps, no envelopes. Use the link from Congress.org or go directly to the House or Senate website. Each congressman and senator has his own website with an area where you can send her a message. It’s as easy as surfing the web.

OTHER TIPS
- Do your homework. Get the facts, not rumor. Avoid extreme left and extreme right sources. These sites are often identified by screaming headlines, garish fonts and outrageous claims.

- Know where your elected official stands. Party is not always a predictor of position on an issue

- Type and edit your message in a text editor, then cut and paste

- Be brief and be logical. Rambling, incoherent messages are not effective

- Be courteous. You’ll be more effective. Would you be willing to listen to someone calling you names?

- Write to encourage and thank, not just complain. This includes writing officials from other districts and states to thank them for taking a courageous stand. Politicians love praise.

Write early, write often. Add your voice to the debate. You may think it does no good, you’re just one person. But, just as every vote counts, so does every message.

Senators Enjoy Taxpayer-Subsidized Meals

Last year, our tax dollars subsidized Senate meals to the tune of $13,000 per senator. The august body is now arguing over whether to privatize Senate food operations, which have been losing money for years.

This should be a no-brainer. MercuryNews.com points out that while privatized House restaurant operations have made $1.2 million over the past five years, the Senate operations have lost almost $5 million.

This illustrates two important points:

1) Private enterprise can do things much more efficiently than the government.

2) Our senators are incompetent. They can't even run their own restaurant within budget, so is it any wonder they've screwed things up so badly?