About Me

In writing the "About Me" portion of this blog I thought about the purpose of the blog - namely, preventing the growth of Socialism & stopping the Death Of Democracy in the American Republic & returning her to the "liberty to abundance" stage of our history. One word descriptions of people's philosophies or purposes are quite often inadequate. I feel that I am "liberal" meaning that I am broad minded, independent, generous, hospitable, & magnanimous. Under these terms "liberal" is a perfectly good word that has been corrupted over the years to mean the person is a left-winger or as Mark Levin more accurately wrote in his book "Liberty & Tyranny" a "statist" - someone looking for government or state control of society. I am certainly not that & have dedicated the blog to fighting this. I believe that I find what I am when I consider whether or not I am a "conservative" & specifically when I ask what is it that I am trying to conserve? It is the libertarian principles that America was founded upon & originally followed. That is the Return To Excellence that this blog is named for & is all about.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

The Latest Anti-Illegal Immigration Conflict

Whenever statists talk about either "fighting the deficit" or "following the Constitution" we know they are about to use these terms as weapons against America since they don't give a hoot for either in their normal course of doing their destructive anti-American business.   And of course the preliminary injunction ruling by a federal judge that temporarily blocked some of the illegal immigration fighting provisions by Arizona police under The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (introduced as Arizona Senate Bill 1070 & now simply known as Arizona SB 1070) is the latest example of statists pretending to find importance in following the Constitution.
 
In both 2006 & 2007 illegal immigration was the hottest topic in our group in that we exchanged more messages on this issue than any other one.  The problem is that illegal immigration is an emotional issue & not one that will sway most people to vote for one candidate over another unless of course you are an illegal yourself & favor bills & politicians who are trying to bring the rest of your family to America free of charge to you.  This principle can only add to the degree to which the rest of us are already outnumbered.
 
The other weapon that statists like to use on the illegal immigration issue is to question the practicality of deporting 12 million illegals.  I always respond by saying let me see you deport one.  As long as there is talk of not deporting any one there is nothing to fear, but I vividly recall the brilliant Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute explaining that thousands of Pakistanis self deported from NYC right after 9/11 & of course tens of thousands of illegals have left Arizona in the past few months @ just the threat of Arizona SB 1070 becoming law.
 
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has promised to take this matter to the Supreme Court if necessary so it will be around for quite some time.  I refer all of you to ReturnToExcellence.net - under "Classics" on the left hand side of the blog click on the piece (third one from the top) I wrote on September 23, 2006 entitled "Immigration Laws & The Problems With Their Enforcement."  Long time members will enjoy the refresher & first time readers will find it very instructive in preparing  for what will be in the news for quite some time.  The piece was based on an interview that Congressman Frelinghuysen arranged for Carol & me with ICE Special Agent Mark Kelly in Newark. 
 
To give you an idea of what we are facing the summary of the 2006 piece ends - "The # of illegals has increased to epic proportions in some parts of the country - there are 10,000 ICE agents & 12 million illegal aliens in America."

Monday, July 26, 2010

FairTax TV Special - July 4, 2010 on FBN

For the many of you who have asked just click on this link to view the subject special program. I have also posted it on ReturnToExcellence.net under "The FairTax" on the left hand side of the blog.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Response & House Vote - Through No Fault Of Their Own?

The electronic ink was barely dry on the subject message yesterday when the House voted to extend unemployment benefits as predicted in the original posting. 
 
Below is the House vote - there are some surprises @ least for me. 
 
The response below sums up the matter accurately. 
 
"Many of the tax laws, healthcare costs, etc do not come due until several years later, so this year negative effect of those regulations will not be felt, therefore giving false security on how the country is faring.
 
Very little news was given to the latest initial claims for unemployment insurance that came out the same day as your posting - they went UP not down  This is not good news for economy, meaning more people unemployed.  With large numbers of people unemployed, how can government expect retail sales to zoom up - those people will spend less, to conserve their money.
 
As long as people who had well paying jobs are now unemployed the country cannot expect economy to improve.
 
Government talks about creating jobs - I ask how?"
 
 
FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 463
(Democrats in roman; Republicans in italic; Independents underlined)

      H R 4213      YEA-AND-NAY      22-Jul-2010      2:13 PM
      QUESTION:  On Motion to Concur in the Senate amdt to the House amdt to the Senate amdt
      BILL TITLE: Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010

Yeas Nays PRES NV
Democratic 241 10   4
Republican 31 142   5
Independent        
TOTALS 272 152   9


---- YEAS    272 ---

Ackerman
Adler (NJ)
Altmire
Andrews
Arcuri
Baca
Baldwin
Barrow
Bean
Becerra
Berkley
Berman
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Boccieri
Bono Mack
Boren
Boswell
Boucher
Boyd
Brady (PA)
Braley (IA)
Brown, Corrine
Butterfield
Cao
Capito
Capps
Cardoza
Carnahan
Carney
Carson (IN)
Castle
Castor (FL)
Chandler
Childers
Chu
Clarke
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly (VA)
Conyers
Costa
Costello
Courtney
Critz
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Dahlkemper
Davis (AL)
Davis (CA)
Davis (IL)
Davis (TN)
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
Dent
Deutch
Diaz-Balart, L.
Diaz-Balart, M.
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Donnelly (IN)
Driehaus
Edwards (MD)
Edwards (TX)
Ehlers
Ellison
Ellsworth
Engel
Eshoo
Etheridge
Farr
Fattah
Filner
Foster
Frank (MA)
Fudge
Garamendi
Gerlach
Giffords
Gonzalez
Gordon (TN)
Grayson
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hall (NY)
Halvorson
Hare
Harman
Hastings (FL)
Heinrich
Heller
Herseth Sandlin
Higgins
Himes
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hirono
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hoyer
Inslee
Israel
Jackson (IL)
Jackson Lee (TX)
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, E. B.
Jones
Kagen
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilpatrick (MI)
Kilroy
Kind
Kirkpatrick (AZ)
Kissell
Klein (FL)
Kosmas
Kratovil
Kucinich
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
LaTourette
Lee (CA)
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Loebsack
Lofgren, Zoe
Lowey
Luján
Lynch
Maffei
Maloney
Manzullo
Markey (MA)
Marshall
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McCotter
McDermott
McGovern
McMahon
McNerney
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Melancon
Michaud
Miller (NC)
Miller, George
Mitchell
Mollohan
Moore (KS)
Moore (WI)
Moran (VA)
Murphy (CT)
Murphy (NY)
Murphy, Patrick
Murphy, Tim
Nadler (NY)
Napolitano
Neal (MA)
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Owens
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor (AZ)
Payne
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Perriello
Peters
Peterson
Petri
Pingree (ME)
Platts
Polis (CO)
Pomeroy
Posey
Price (NC)
Quigley
Rahall
Rangel
Reichert
Reyes
Richardson
Rodriguez
Rogers (MI)
Ros-Lehtinen
Ross
Rothman (NJ)
Roybal-Allard
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Salazar
Sánchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schauer
Schiff
Schrader
Schwartz
Scott (GA)
Scott (VA)
Serrano
Sestak
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Sires
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (NJ)
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Space
Speier
Spratt
Stark
Stupak
Sutton
Tanner
Taylor
Teague
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Titus
Tonko
Towns
Tsongas
Turner
Upton
Van Hollen
Velázquez
Visclosky
Walz
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson
Watt
Waxman
Weiner
Welch
Whitfield
Wilson (OH)
Woolsey
Wu
Yarmuth
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
 
---- NOT VOTING    9 ---

Capuano
Doyle
Fallin
Hodes
Hoekstra
King (NY)
Ortiz
Tiahrt
Wamp

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Through No Fault Of Their Own?

The above graph shows the increase in the number of pages & rate of growth of federal tax rules from 1913 to 2003 that measures the entire body of knowledge that a taxpayer is held accountable for when he submits a tax return.  Just by itself this graph shows how destructive our tax system is to employment & continuing our American way of life.  If there ever was a case of the tail wagging the dog it is the 35,000 lobbyists in Washington & 535 Members of Congress & their staffs dictating to the rest of us 300 million sheep just what the tax rules will be & how much of our own money earned we will be able to keep.
 
With the above as a backdrop please do not believe that BO is trying to help small businesses (or any business), & the creation of jobs therein, no matter how often he claims he is. 
 
For instance, under little noticed section 9006 of BO's 2,409 page healthcare legislation that passed into law last March, starting in 2012 small businesses, the self employed, sole proprietors, non-profits, & local governments will have to file a 1099 information report whenever they buy more than $600 per year of goods or services from any company or contractor, including office supplies from firms like Staples.  This general idea is certainly not new because it has been required for years that people file an information return when payments to an independent contractor like a snow removal service exceed $600 per year to a category that is considered "nonemployee compensation."  It is just that the Democrat Congress & BO has expanded this requirement to include virtually everything done in the normal course of business & of course the resultant cost of compliance filing the millions of additional tax forms will further hinder job creation - all per BO's design to make people more dependent on government.
 
Also under the new healthcare legislation starting in 2012 employers will begin including the value of healthcare benefits in separate W-2 line entry for tax year 2011 for both current employees & retirees - the portion of such value over the so-called Cadillac amounts will be subject to a 40% excise tax that will be due by the April 15 income tax deadline.  The actual tax will not be paid by most people & is not collectible until 2018 in a postponement deal BO made with the unions but here again the paperwork burden will start for every business in 2011 thereby further impeding job creation. 
 
Now the Business Roundtable & the Chamber of Congress have finally started to fight back calling BO's policies "a general attack on our free enterprise system."  I hope that their concerns are maintained & do not disintegrate into some deal where they think BO is offering them something of value.
 
The economy will never recover with the jobloss policies BO is putting in place.  Thanks to David Wessel's column in the 5/6/10 WSJ entitled "Meet The Unemployable Man" please consider:
 
1.  One in every five men 25 to 54 isn't working & the jobs they lost aren't coming back.
 
2.  Demand for workers with not much education is waning.
 
3.  Surveys find that the unemployed spend 40 minutes a day looking for work & 3 hours & 20 minutes a day watching TV.
 
4.  The fraction of men with jobs in what once was their prime earning years has tended lower for 50 years.
 
5.  History suggests that the longer someone stays unemployed the less likely they are ever to work again.
 
6.  Men who in an earlier era would have been making good money on assembly lines are, & will be, working security or greeting @ Wal-Mart- jobs that almost anyone can do & thus jobs that don't pay well.
 
The latest attack on unsuspecting Americans who still would like to earn their way in the world is the tempting 99 weeks of unemployment insurance that will be renewed by Congress probably before week's end.  In a spiel that sounds like America is a banana republic Democrats say it is only compassionate to extend unemployment benefits (forever) while Republicans haplessly are characterized as rejecting the extension of unemployment benefits because they are fighting the deficit - what a losing political argument.  As long as we have a mindset as a country of government dependence with no stigma on being unemployed who among the unemployed would vote for someone wanting to control the deficit instead of someone who wants to send them a check.  The natural extension is for people who are not currently unemployed, but fearing the worst, to project ahead to endless unemployment benefits for themselves.  This illustrates the principles of the "Death Of Democracy."
 
Referring to all the economic policies of the last eighteen months Stephen Bourque writes "What has any of this to do with capitalism?  The evidence points to what should be obvious: it is not free markets that fail, but government controlled ones."  And of course the Republicans do not know how to express this.
 
Pelosi said on the House floor today - too many times to count - that people deserve government money when they have lost their jobs "through no fault of their own."  But oh yes it is their fault when they know they have not been properly educated in government schools, that they have low skills in shrinking industries like autos, that they have not done one thing to improve their employability for decades, & that they have no civic-minded interest @ all to know what is going on in their country.
 
 

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Candidates' Night - August 3, 2010

You are invited to attend & participate in the subject meeting @ the Bridgewater Library @ 1 Vogt Drive, Bridgewater NJ 08807 on Tuesday August 3 starting @ 6:30 PM. The purpose of the meeting is to bring all FairTax & tax reform candidates in NJ who ran for public office in the last year together to honor them & to develop the most synergy possible going forward. Eight such candidates accepted my invitation to participate in this meeting. There are two candidates - Mike Agosta & Anna Little - both of who will run in November on the FairTax after endorsing the FairTax during the primaries so it is important to maximize our efforts in spreading the word for these two candidates.

This is your chance to personally meet these high energy people who unselfishly ran for public office to defend all of our liberties. You will never get a better chance than this.

Please feel free to bring guests to the meeting - just let me know how many people you are bringing because in addition to being the host I am also the janitor who has to prepare the room & clean it up.

The agenda is as follows:

1. Introduction - Doug Hartlove

2. The Importance Of Running For Public Office - Stan Serafin, former NJ State Assembly Candidate

3. Statement by all candidates in attendance regarding their future plans & how they will support the FairTax & America (Greg Ament representing Mike Agosta, Tod Theise, Dave Corsi, Richard Luzzi, Lon Hosford, Jim Poesl, Gloria Leustek, & Alan Bateman)

4. Frelinghuysen, Lance, Garrett - no support of FairTax from them. John Boehner's call against the FairTax.

5. Discussion of attack ads used in other states against FairTax candidates. PA's negative experience & GA's positive experience. What was the difference in these results?

6. Discussion of Rick Barber's (losing candidate in Alabama Second District) appearance on Hardball & follow up attempt by FairTax NJ

7. Preparation of candidates - brush up on any points requested tonight

8. FairTax NJ will stand behind the active candidates as a resource ready to help. Private training sessions planned - seminar or moot court - candidates' preference of format.

9. Closing Remarks - Doug Hartlove

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Responses - WSJ Letter Published - Oath To Uphold The Constitution

Thanks to everyone who responded to the subject message that pointed out that it is officers of each branch of government that are equally bound to uphold the Constitution - not just the Justices on the Supreme Court as is popularly thought today after decades of statist brainwashing. 

Since the original writing I have learned from you that General Washington required all officers to take an oath pledging fidelity to America & that during the Civil War Congress required a similar pledge of civil servants & of course there is a military service oath taken by all of our volunteers including me in January 1969.

Response #1 below shows us there is also an oath taken when you register to vote in Vermont.  Response #2 indicates that Dr. Franklin was not always right - but in this context until the Civil War I'm sure he was not disappointed in the least.

---Response #1---

Congratulations, Doug, this is superb.  Everyone recites that oath, but few pause to reflect on what it actually means.  And it means exactly what you say.

In Vermont, when you register to vote for the first time, you must swear the Freeman's Oath (Article 42 of the Vermont State Constitution): 

You solemnly swear (or affirm) that whenever you give your vote or suffrage, touching any matter that concerns the State of Vermont, you will do it so as in your conscience you shall judge will most conduce to the best good of the same, as established by the Constitution, without fear or favor of any person.

I found swearing this to a nice, middle-aged lady in the DMV, genuinely moving.  I really do remember it when I vote.  And while I probably wouldn't vote any differently, it bolsters the spirit to remember you pledged to put the good of Vermont above personal interests.

---Response #2---

Doug - WELL DONE and WELL SAID!  See, Ol' Ben wasn't always right.  God bless you.

---Response #3---

This is so true!

Friday, July 16, 2010

WSJ Letter Published - Oath To Uphold The Constitution

Below is my letter that was published today in the WSJ.  The letter was prompted by a previous letter to the editor of the Journal that took the position that the Supreme Court is the only branch of government responsible for deciding if legislation is constitutional or not.  This of course goes right along with the power grab mentality of the courts that members of the other two branches let happen in direct violation of their oath to uphold the Constitution. 
 
Dear Editor,
 
Timothy Dreisbach is only partly correct when he writes (Letters July 6) that "...it is the responsibility of the Supreme Court to decide if they (laws) are constitutional."  Every member of Congress & the president & vice president take an oath to uphold the Constitution.  Until the Civil War, virtually every president regularly vetoed legislation because he thought some bills were unconstitutional - mostly for violating the Spending Clause of Article I, Section 8.  We'd have a better republic if our modern presidents followed this practice.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Responses - The List Of Members Favoring Repeal Of BO's Healthcare Plan

Below are three of the responses to the subject message I received that all came @ the problem of identifying phony Members of Congress from a different angle. I certainly did not mean to imply in my original commentary that if your Congressman was on the list that he was a good guy who had your interest @ heart. I remember the last time the late WV Senator Robert Byrd ran for the Senate that he had some very uncharacteristic votes that were designed only to get him reelected. You always must do your own homework as the three responses below indicate.

---Observant Response From Mid-west E-mail Club Member---

Yes, Shimkus is on the list. I understand that it is important to know that even if they do favor the repeal of BO's healthcare plan, there may be other factors to consider in the decision to vote for some candidates.

---Response From Blog Subscriber---

I don't see Frelinghuysen on that list, I think Luzzi would be on the list. I guess I'm going to have to contact Rodney again and disseminate this email. Thanks Doug

---Posting From Cyberspace Explorer Who Found Blog Through Google Search - First Time Reader Of Blog Who Follows His Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (Fifth Signer On List) Very Closely---

But 400 BILLION on unconstitutional health care is ok?

Prescription Drug Benefit.

The final version (conference report) of H.R. 1 would create a prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. Beginning in 2006, prescription coverage would be available to seniors through private insurers for a monthly premium estimated at $35. There would be a $250 annual deductible, then 75 percent of drug costs up to $2,250 would be reimbursed. Drug costs greater than $2,250 would not be covered until out-of-pocket expenses exceeded $3,600, after which 95 percent of drug costs would be reimbursed. Low-income recipients would receive more subsidies than other seniors by paying lower premiums, having smaller deductibles, and making lower co-payments for each prescription. The total cost of the new prescription drug benefit would be limited to the $400 billion that Congress had budgeted earlier this year for the first 10 years of this new entitlement program. The House adopted the conference report on H.R. 1 on November 22, 2003 by a vote of 220 to 215 (Roll Call 669).

Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
Marsha Blackburn is a Hypocrite.
Marsha Blackburn is my Congressman.

See more from this writer on the blog under comments of original blog posting dated July 13, 2010.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

The List Of Members Favoring Repeal Of BO's Healthcare Plan

Thanks to Americans For Prosperity for sending along the list below of the Members of the House who have signed Iowa Congressman Steve King's Motion To Discharge BO's healthcare plan (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) that was passed into law in March. AFP reports that there's a simple legislative fix to repeal this horrible legislation. House Discharge Petition Number 11 will force a vote on repeal if a majority of Members sign it - the people on the list are the ones who have not given up yet.

A discharge petition is used when the chair of a committee refuses to place a bill or resolution on the Committee's agenda; by never reporting a bill, the matter will never leave the committee and the full House will not be able to consider it. A successful petition discharges the committee from further consideration of a bill or resolution and brings the bill directly to the floor which is what Congressman King is trying to do.

Check the list below carefully & if your Member is not on it I recommend that you consider that when you vote in November regardless of which party you favor or which party your Member belongs.

111th Congress 2nd Session United States House Of Representatives #11

Motion to Discharge a Committee from the Consideration of a resolution

June 16, 2010

To the Clerk of the House of Representatives:
Pursuant to clause 2 of rule XV, I, Steve King of Iowa, move to discharge the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, Education and Labor, the Judiciary, Natural Resources, Rules, House Administration, and Appropriations from the consideration of the bill (H.R. 4972) to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; which was referred to said committees on March 25, 2010, in support of which motion the undersigned Members of the House of Representatives affix their signatures, to wit:
June 16, 2010
1. Steve KingIowa05
2. Connie MackFlorida14
3. Michele BachmannMinnesota06
June 22, 2010
4. Todd TiahrtKansas04
June 23, 2010
5. Marsha BlackburnTennessee07
6. Tom PriceGeorgia06
7. Paul C. BrounGeorgia10
8. Jerry MoranKansas01
9. Tom GravesGeorgia09
10. Rob BishopUtah01
11. Joseph R. PittsPennsylvania16
12. Mike PenceIndiana06
June 24, 2010
13. Lynn A. WestmorelandGeorgia03
14. Glenn ThompsonPennsylvania05
15. Jeb HensarlingTexas05
16. Louie GohmertTexas01
17. Judy BiggertIllinois13
18. John BoozmanArkansas03
19. Kenny MarchantTexas24
20. Jim JordanOhio04
21. Jason ChaffetzUtah03
22. Gary G. MillerCalifornia42
23. Bob GoodlatteVirginia06
24. Doug LambornColorado05
25. Robert E. LattaOhio05
26. Tom ColeOklahoma04
27. Trent FranksArizona02
28. K. Michael ConawayTexas11
29. Jo BonnerAlabama01
30. Dan BurtonIndiana05
June 29, 2010
31. J. Gresham BarrettSouth Carolina03
32. John LinderGeorgia07
33. Bill PoseyFlorida15
34. Lynn JenkinsKansas02
35. Mike CoffmanColorado06
36. Roscoe G. BartlettMaryland06
37. Virginia FoxxNorth Carolina05
38. John CampbellCalifornia48
39. Mike Rogers (AL)Alabama03
40. Randy NeugebauerTexas19
41. Charles K. DjouHawaii01
42. Pete SessionsTexas32
43. F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr.Wisconsin05
44. Howard CobleNorth Carolina06
45. Candice S. MillerMichigan10
46. Steve ScaliseLouisiana01
47. Robert B. AderholtAlabama04
48. Phil GingreyGeorgia11
49. Kevin BradyTexas08
50. Pete OlsonTexas22
51. C. W. Bill YoungFlorida10
52. Tom McClintockCalifornia04
June 30, 2010
53. Joe WilsonSouth Carolina02
54. Mac ThornberryTexas13
55. John R. CarterTexas31
56. John ShimkusIllinois19
57. Mary FallinOklahoma05
58. Gus M. BilirakisFlorida09
59. John FlemingLouisiana04
60. Jeff FlakeArizona06
61. W. Todd AkinMissouri02
62. Peter HoekstraMichigan02
63. Donald A. ManzulloIllinois16
64. Eric CantorVirginia07
65. Scott GarrettNew Jersey05
66. John A. BoehnerOhio08
67. Henry E. Brown, Jr.South Carolina01
68. Kay GrangerTexas12
69. Parker GriffithAlabama05
70. Ted PoeTexas02
71. Cathy McMorris RodgersWashington05
72. Rodney AlexanderLouisiana05
73. Fred UptonMichigan06
74. Jean SchmidtOhio02
75. John SullivanOklahoma01
76. Peter J. RoskamIllinois06
77. Blaine LuetkemeyerMissouri09
78. Michael C. BurgessTexas26
79. Ken CalvertCalifornia44
80. Lee TerryNebraska02
July 1, 2010
81. Patrick T. McHenryNorth Carolina10
82. Mary Bono MackCalifornia45
83. Spencer BachusAlabama06
84. Jeff MillerFlorida01
85. John B. ShadeggArizona03
86. Gregg HarperMississippi03
87. John Abney CulbersonTexas07
88. Dana RohrabacherCalifornia46
89. David P. RoeTennessee01
90. J. Randy ForbesVirginia04
91. Bill CassidyLouisiana06
92. Brett GuthrieKentucky02
93. Denny RehbergMontana0
94. Sue Wilkins MyrickNorth Carolina09
95. Tom LathamIowa04
96. Michael K. SimpsonIdaho02
97. John KlineMinnesota02
98. Ron PaulTexas14
99. Thomas J. RooneyFlorida16
100. Daniel E. LungrenCalifornia03
101. Darrell E. IssaCalifornia49
102. Harold RogersKentucky05
103. John J. Duncan, Jr.Tennessee02
104. Todd Russell PlattsPennsylvania19
105. Duncan HunterCalifornia52
106. Sam GravesMissouri06
107. Bob InglisSouth Carolina04
108. Edward R. RoyceCalifornia40
109. Ralph M. HallTexas04
July 13, 2010
110. Timothy V. JohnsonIllinois15
111. Michael T. McCaulTexas10
112. Thaddeus G. McCotterMichigan11
113. Robert J. WittmanVirginia01
114. Lamar SmithTexas21
115. Cynthia M. LummisWyoming00
116. Wally HergerCalifornia02
117. Vern BuchananFlorida13
118. Christopher H. SmithNew Jersey04
119. Geoff DavisKentucky04
120. Jack KingstonGeorgia01
121. Brian P. BilbrayCalifornia50

Saturday, July 10, 2010

BO Plans To Turn Oil Spill & Suing Arizona Into A Winning Hand

I pointed out in the May 28 posting that no one is required to indict himself which of course was exactly what BO did the day before this posting when he admitted @ his news conference that he had been in charge & was personally responsible since day one for control of the oil leak that resulted from the BP/Transocean Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20.  
 
So you can imagine how surprised I was when on Tuesday BO repeated the arrogance & conceit of his self-indictment policies - this time by admitting through his Attorney General that "enforcing immigration laws is a federal responsibility."  It is the lack of enforcement of these laws that is responsible for all of the murders, kidnappings, aggravated assaults, robberies, & other violent crimes by illegal aliens on America's southern border & specifically Arizona where BO filed a lawsuit to block the state from protecting its citizens when the federal government just won't.
 
Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer called BO's lawsuit "a massive waste of taxpayer funds" believing that the money "could be better used against the violent Mexican cartels than the people of Arizona."  She also believes the lawsuit would have been better directed going against the many local governments who for years have adopted "sanctuary" policies that instructed police not to cooperate with federal immigration officials.  To me under these circumstances a lawsuit would be more justified & better directed coming from Governor Brewer against BO.
 
The Gulf oil spill issue & the lawsuit against Arizona really show BO's priorities front & center.
 
In the Gulf oil spill BO certainly has disfavored life long shrimpers, crabbers, fishermen, & people who rely on making their livings in the tourist industry while favoring a chance to use this environmental disaster to try to limit deep water offshore oil drilling & link it to show the need for his Cap & Trade initiative.  Besides, having all of the hurting Gulf workers become dependent on government is another BO statist plus.
 
Please note that the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (also known as the Jones Act) does in fact, despite many claims to the contrary, allow foreign oil spill response vessels to operate in U.S. waters without a waiver (see Title 46 U.S. Code 55113) so this act by itself was not part of the clean-up delay - not accepting the help offered by other countries was.
 
And of course the obvious ploy in the Arizona matter is to gain the support of the Hispanic vote & it is working especially well in states with large Hispanic populations like Texas where incumbent Republican Governor Rick Perry had been 12 points ahead in the polls until the flare-up between BO & Governor Brewer.  Perry now trails among Hispanics in Texas by 34 points & the overall race is considered too close to call.
 
Despite the likelihood of losing his large majorities in Congress in November 2010, a recent poll shows that 45% of respondents still think BO himself is doing a good job which leaves him in a strong position for his 2012 reelection bid.  The contingency plan for BO's agenda is for the lame duck Congress this December to pass union card check & add carbon taxes or regulations in a conference committee (please remember that the House passed Cap & Trade in 2009). 
 
All of this means that BO is successfully turning the country into one where as Jeff Leonard wrote "we will be forced to show proof of health insurance, but having to show proof of citizenship is racist & unconstitutional."

Monday, July 5, 2010

FairTax Gives America A Chance To Return To Excellence

Thanks to all of the people who sent me the link to the Hardball video of Chris Matthews' interview with Alabama congressional candidate & FairTax supporter Rick Barber - I didn't realize this many people watched MS-LSD.

Matthews masterfully played to his statist audience by acting confused about current embedded taxes & seemingly could not understand that the FairTax is a replacement for all of the IRS enforced taxes - he kept describing the FairTax as an add on to state sales taxes as if this is not the case today with the income tax. Matthews' goal was to make a perfectly normal Tea Party candidate look like an extremist & in the process make the FairTax look extremist. What is extremist is that the income tax system is strangling our economic activity @ the expense of the citizenry to the benefit of a handful of socialist elites. The sooner people stop watching people like Matthews altogether the better so that we get them off the air.

Anyone who has read these messages for any length of time can see through Matthews' charade & answer his questions themselves. That is why this blog, TV programs like the national FairTax TV program on July 4, & educational seminars given in your neighborhood are so important so that people understand the truth about the FairTax so that they can withstand the purposely misleading lies presented by the enemies of America.

Ken Hoagland writes from Houston after the initial ratings of yesterday's national TV program came in - "We'll be doing much more based on this great public response because—as you already know—when people know the details, they like the FairTax.

Our biggest challenge is not convincing people this is a good idea but convincing people that the power of political insiders can be overcome. You and I both know that we have to roll over Congress, tax lobbyists and insiders who profit richly from the corruption of the income tax code.

A lot of our fellow citizens just don't believe anymore that the Founding Father's promise of a nation, 'of, by and for the people…' can be achieved anymore. It is the worst kind of cancer on our system of self-determination.

That's why it falls to us not just to tell more and more Americans about the potential of the FairTax but to be real leaders in restoring a kind of "citizen self-confidence" that makes our Constitution actually work."

Pick your battles & I hope supporting the FairTax is one of them. The drumbeat continues by the most dedicated & committed people I have ever worked with - to give America & your family a chance to Return To Excellence.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

An Old Marine

Thanks to a subscriber to ReturnToExcellence.net for sending us this link to a video of a Tea Party meeting with the great Herman Cain taking a question from a man who refers to himself as a former Marine. The result is inspirational as all of Mr. Cain's events are. In this case it brings in the fourth verse of the National Anthem.

The Marine made a mistake though in referring to himself as a former Marine - I have never met a former Marine or an ex-Marine. I have met old Marines.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

FairTax On Fox Business Network On July 4

There will be a FairTax Nationally Televised Independence Day Program on the Fox Business Network airing @ 1:30 PM on Sunday July 4. This special runs 30 minutes. Please record it & watch later if the original airing time is not convenient for you.