California & China - Both Think They Are Taking Care Of Themselves

Although many electrifying Senate Tea Party candidates such as Ron Johnson (WI), Mike Lee (UT), Marco Rubio (FL), Rand Paul (KY), & Pat Toomey (PA) won on November 2 there are still many areas of America such as California that may be hopelessly lost for the rest of our lifetimes. California is illustrative of a place where BO can say "my work here is finished" as indicated in the above photo.

California will never vote anything but Democrat again after this last election as the principles of Death Of Democracy continue to strangle their citizenry who just don't know better. The most powerful election principle in America is not the Independents swinging mindlessly back & forth between the two major parties but rather it is the principles of Death of Democracy as people become accustomed to receiving relief & welfare checks & becoming ever more dependent on government & accordingly voting Democrat from that point on - for instance there are currently 42 million people receiving food stamps up by over 13 million people in the past two years. Who do you think these people will vote for when they are organized in future elections? Think this is not per BO's design?

California elected a decades long state-wide politician in Jerry Brown as Governor & reelected Barbara Boxer to her fourth term to the Senate despite California's budget deficit reaching $42 billion, 1.4 million productive people out-migrating from California during the last 10 years, unemployment being the 4th highest in the country, having the worst credit rating falling below Louisiana's, having the second highest foreclosure rate, & having the governor threaten to furlough over 20,000 state employees. California has the highest rates for both state sales tax & income tax in the nation & yet they vote for more of the same.

Now not just California but the entire country's finances are in terrible shape & we can't blame the Chinese who are merely taking care of themselves - something you would think you could take for granted we would be doing for ourselves. China now holds over $880 billion in treasury securities & Japan is right behind with $865 billion.

The People's Bank of China (PBOC) intervenes in currency markets to peg the value of the yuan to the dollar. As dollars flood into China buying their exports the PBOC holds onto the dollars & buys treasuries rather than taking the dollars & buying the domestic yuan which would make the yuan appreciate. China has accumulated a massive $2.6 trillion stock of U.S. dollar assets which is larger than the dollar assets on the the Federal Reserve's balance sheet of treasuries & mortgage backed securities.

Now I say you can't blame China but you sure can wonder what the Fed is doing planning to buy $600 billion of long term treasuries between now & June 2011. The idea is to lower long term interest rates via the increased demand of these purchases but this theory forgets that the $600 billion will tend to increase inflation (@ least expectations) thereby raising interest rates. Alan Reynolds writes about the "contradictory objective of higher inflation & lower bond yields" when he says "the whole notion of simultaneously raising inflation & lowering bond yields presumes bond buyers are docile fools...Why would domestic investors accept a lower yield on bonds if they expect higher inflation."

You can sum this up by watching this link of a Chinese professor speaking in Mandarin Chinese (with English subtitles) in this 1 minute video to see who is laughing last & best.

TSA Procedures Designed To Protect Airplanes Not People In Airports

Many of us may have had personal experience in the airports over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with the Transportation Security Agency's (TSA) full body scan procedures or aggressive pat-downs either first hand (pun intended) or by friends or relatives who visited. The polls indicate that frequent flyers object more to these new procedures than less frequent flyers or non-flyers. Alert lovers of liberty will immediately recognize that this intrusion into our way of life is just one more liberty taken away or given up regardless of how often you personally fly so please be aware of what the real issue is. One woman told me "I just won't fly any more" as if that is an answer instead of a total capitulation. How pathetic a solution.

The choice is presented to us as one of safety or of liberty & of course this is totally misleading because the real question to ask is why are We The People putting up with these airport intrusions if we are the mightiest nation on earth. To say we prefer safety thereby giving up liberty marks us as cowards while if we say we prefer liberty in the face of imminent danger marks us as lunatics.

The libertarian approach is to eradicate the people causing the problem so that every law abiding person within America's borders can go about their lives freely as they see fit without having to make such a fools' choice. Many of you picked up on this point in a recent posting - "Our forefathers warned us of America's enemies - both foreign & domestic. America can't eradicate these enemies soon enough to suit me whenever & wherever we find them."

The current TSA procedures are designed to protect airplanes not people in airports who could be blown to smithereens before they get to the scanning stations. The government is fighting the last war whether it is shoes, liquids, or underwear. What happens if al Qaeda's fascination turns from airplanes to trains or buses - do we check every passenger before boarding there also? TSA has hinted they are prepared to do this - are we? What about Little League games let alone stadiums filled with a hundred thousand people - will the lady who is prepared to give up flying also be ready to never see her grandson play Little League baseball again if bombs start exploding @ games across America? Does she ever stop capitulating? Do the rest of us?

Now my eradication position comes with precedence. For instance Libya's Colonel Gaddafi, the longest serving of all current non-royal national leaders, voluntarily surrendered his weapons when he took America seriously after seeing our might on the Persian Gulf before the invasion of Iraq. When you grovel between the coward's choice of temporary safety & the lunatic's choice of essential liberty in the face of almost certain death you are about to get neither safety or liberty to paraphrase Dr. Franklin & you certainly will not get the same result we obtained with Colonel Gaddafi.

This condition & type of choice is what happens when you don't fight or wage war to win against an enemy who despises us & is trying his hardest to end our way of life - our military personnel are in harm's way instructed by the government to fight blindfolded with one hand behind them - a complete & tremendous disservice to them that has now spilled over to the rest of us in the airports.

But we should be heartened by this video of Congressman-elect Lt. Col Allen West speaking on the above subject exactly in line with my earlier point about eradication of our enemies. Please check the ReturnToExcellence.net posting of December 13, 2009 for the first posting on the blog featuring Lt. Col West - he is one who will stand up & work with us to return America to the excellence of our founding principles thereby ensuring the unconstitutional treatment in airports of innocent people is soon ended.

A Thanksgiving Present From The Morristown Tea Party President

Thanks to our marvelous Morristown Tea Party President Richard Luzzi for sending us the link for this slide show on screen heroes - it is a real Thanksgiving present.  Please enjoy the TV Guide memories @ the beginning of the slide show but the real emphasis should be placed on the difference between the Hollywood "stars" of today to those when we were growing up.  In fact Audie Murphy was a war hero & recipient of the Medal of Honor before I watched him as a movie star with my friends as a young boy on Saturday afternoons in the Alpha Theatre in Catonsville Maryland.

Responses & Results - Laura Ingraham Tax Poll

Thanks to everyone who voted for the FairTax in the subject poll which was removed from Laura's website before some of you had the chance to participate. The last I saw the FairTax was ahead of the Flat Tax 57 to 40. If any one has other information please let me know. Over the past several years the only issue to even come close to the FairTax in these polls is term limits which of course the FairTax takes care of by eliminating the big & powerful jobs in Washington that make people want to go there for decades @ our expense in the first place.

Three of the representative responses I received within minutes of last night's posting from people in three different states: "we both did it!", "Done! The FairTax is still way ahead.", & "This poll is certainly encouraging for the FairTax....but you are right when you say 'let's not be complacent.' I put my two cents in."

All of the work we have done & are doing is cumulative.

At times like this I realize more than ever how many people reading these messages were introduced to the FairTax by Carol & me & have become supporters. I thank you for your trust & promise that as we continue to work together for America to never let you down just as you have never let me down as witnessed by the overwhelming response to this poll.

Laura Ingraham Tax Poll

There's an insta-poll on the Laura Ingraham web site.  Click on this link to vote.

You may choose among FairTax, Flat Tax or Current System. The poll is about half way down the web page. The FairTax is out-polling the flat tax by 57-40 (3% prefer things just the way they are). But let's not be complacent.

A good result from this poll can only help the FairTax - it takes but a minute to vote so please do.

The Solution To Cody's & America's Problems

Members of our group have not stopped talking about the earlier message of Savannah, the five year old girl, who showed so much maturity in helping her father during his 911 ordeal with chest pains. With Savannah in mind, "another young American with overwhelming values" was the comment from a member who sent this link of a 13 year old boy in California who overcame problems he encountered for displaying the American flag - see above photo.

On November 8, just before Veterans Day, young Cody Alecia was told by the Denair California Campus Supervisor he couldn't fly the American flag on his bike on school grounds because of racial tensions that might develop. There had been some tensions about flying the Mexican flag around Cinco De Mayo which is not a U.S. holiday (yet).

Denair Middle School is in mid-central California, southeast of Modesto. We know all of California has a large Hispanic population, but it's not like Denair is a border or urbanized region. Thus, it doesn't follow that Cody's display of the U.S. flag could be seen as anti-Hispanic or even counter to celebrating Cinco de Mayo. Cody had been displaying the U.S. flag on his bike since the beginning of the school year, so this is not a new issue.

Cody comes from a family with extensive military service & the young man plans to join the Air Force when he is older. The above mentioned video shows that all ended well for Cody @ his school.

Thanks to the public outcry Denair school officials have decided to focus on those students who are causing the problem - not Cody & the flag on his bike.

How much do we take? - a little boy reprimanded for flying the flag on his bike; millions @ airports subjected to full body scans or aggressive pat-downs (while CAIR demands an exception for Muslims wearing full Muslim clothes with only eyes showing.)

Our forefathers warned us of America's enemies - both foreign & domestic. America can't eradicate these enemies soon enough to suit me whenever & wherever we find them.

Responses - A Life Saving Lesson

Thanks to everyone who commented on the subject message & video of the five year old girl who responded so well to her father's medical emergency - with the help of a trained & professional dispatcher. Below are three responses that sum up the feeling that Savannah's upbringing came through loud & clear & really saved the day & her father's life.

Long time readers of this blog will readily recall that I have written for years of the all too prevalent "first generation of mismanaged children" - Savannah is certainly not one of them.

---Response #1---

Just watched this, it is precious. I laughed so much. Her complete control in what could have been total panic speaks volumes for her and her upbringing.

---Response #2---

Thanks for video. I was impressed that the 5 year old daughter spoke so well and was so calm.

---Response #3---

I love this video!

A Life Saving Lesson

Thanks to a subscriber to ReturnToExcellence.net for sending along this link showing a very valuable life saving lesson taught by a well trained dispatcher & a loving five year old daughter who will only fully realize what she did years later.  I hope the rest of us learn from this link to help save lives if & when a similar occasion arises in our own experience.

Tea Party Patriots - Claremont Institute Event Conflict

Thanks to a subscriber to ReturnToExcellence.net for sending this link of a message from Tea Party Patriots letting us know that Washington insiders, working through the Claremont Institute, are already planning to co-opt the newly elected Congressmen. In summary, based on information supplied by Tea Party Patriots, the Claremont Institute is deliberately holding a meeting the exact same day & time as the Orientation Meeting previously planned by Tea Party Patriots that will include Jim DeMint & Tom Coburn - the very people we want new Members to caucus with. Congressman-elect Rob Woodall, during a FairTax conference call Thursday night, confirmed to me that he was aware of the conflict in dates & will attend the Tea Party meeting.

The link above asks you to contact the new Congressmen listed - about 60 in total - & request that they attend the Tea Party Patriots event. I reviewed the list & recommend that you concentrate on the following two unless you have a new Congressman in your district or know another one better than the two I suggest. Both have been featured in previous postings on this blog.

FL-22 Allen West - 954-288-6934 gowest@allenwestforcongress.com

PA-11 Lou Barletta - 570-578-0026 loubarletta@gmail.com

The Claremont Institute has some decent credentials that we should reconfirm because of the seemingly uncooperative way described above. We should @ least expect them to explain why they would not work with Tea Party Patriots in coordinating this very important event for our new representatives.

Congressman-elect Woodall's Idea Of Leadership

Below is a letter from Congressman-elect Rob Woodall who won his election in GA 7th - the district currently represented by FairTax lead sponsor John Linder who is retiring @ the end of this Congress. It is expected that Mr. Woodall will be the lead sponsor of HR-25, The FairTax Act of 2011, in the next Congress. I am honored that Carol & I supported Congressman-elect Woodall during his campaign - the letter below illustrates why.

How a newly elected Congressman views the will of the people who elected him to represent them.

Leaders Should Be Bold

Knowing the economic growth that the FairTax will bring to America, I am always pleased when one of America's major news outlets focuses on this legislation, as happens frequently. A recent Wall Street Journal editorial warning politicians against supporting the FairTax was no exception. While I certainly disagree with the editorial's conclusion, in the wake of Tuesday's midterm election results the WSJ's admonition is tremendously instructive to the new Republican majority set to lead the House.

The WSJ concludes, "Our advice to candidates would be to avoid the FAIR tax [sic] and focus on goals that are more achievable and less politically self-destructive."

We have a President in the White House and a leader in the Senate whose policies have been so thoroughly rejected that the party in power lost more seats in the House on November 2 than have been lost in any election since 1948, when Republicans suffered an even greater defeat. Despite this rejection of the direction of their leadership, the President and the Senate leader seem committed to continuing their course.

The American people have a different plan. Having appeared at hundreds of events as a congressional candidate over the past seven months, I have never once had a voter ask me to "focus on the achievable"—those things that the President supports and will sign. Never once has a voter asked me to do what is politically prudent. Over and over again, voters have asked—nay, demanded—that I do what is right…that I be bold…that I speak the truth irrespective of the consequences. That is what the FairTax is all about.

Would it be "easier" or "safer" to simply talk about tax reform generally rather than write down all of the specifics in a 131 page piece of legislation that is introduced in the House and Senate for all to read? Absolutely. It would be both easier and safer, but the American people deserve better, and the FairTax gives it to them.

Would it be "easier" or "safer" to simply make some minor changes to the current income tax code rather than trying to abolish and replace it? Absolutely. It would be both easier and safer, but the American people deserve better, and the FairTax gives it to them.

The payroll tax is the largest tax that 80% of Americans pay, but the FairTax is the only bill in Congress that is bold enough to take on that burden. American businesses face the highest corporate tax rates in the world and we are losing American jobs as a result, but the FairTax is the only bill in Congress bold enough to say that businesses don't pay taxes—only consumers do—and so in the name of transparency we should abolish corporate tax rates and be honest about how those taxes affect consumers.

The WSJ recognizes the merits of the FairTax. "[A] consumption tax like the FAIR tax [sic] is preferable to an income tax," it says. "If we were designing a tax code from scratch, the FAIR tax would be one consumption tax option worth debating," it concludes.

But not now, it advises. This is too soon, it warns. It is too hard, it cautions. I don't have all the answers but I have this one: not one voter in Georgia elected me to wait; not one voter in Georgia elected me to do what is easy. Shame on the WSJ for encouraging either.

With our economy in shambles, our debt growing by trillions annually, and our faith in government at an all time low, we must act. If it was easy, it would have been done already. It is hard. If it was politically safe, it would have been done already. It requires risk.

As I look at new Congressmen elected across this country on Tuesday I am filled with hope for our nation's future. These are men and women who will not wait, who will not be cautious, and who will gladly sacrifice themselves for a brighter future for our nation. I am proud to share those convictions, and I am committed to doing what must be done.

The time is now.

Rob Woodall is the Congressman-elect for Georgia's 7th U.S. Congressional seat. Rob is the former Chief of Staff to retiring Congressman John Linder (R-GA-7) and is the co-author of the New York Times Bestseller, FairTax: the Truth. The FairTax is the most widely cosponsored fundamental tax reform bill in either the U.S. House or Senate.

Card Check Rules & Pelosi Don't Mix

BO & Pelosi's analysis of the biggest net change in the number of House seats by either party since 1948 is not that it was a repudiation of their policies of the past two years but rather a call for the new Congress & BO to work together. In contrast Boehner & McConnell's analysis of the election results is that the GOP has a mandate to repeal Obamacare, end overspending & job killing policies, & ultimately work to deny BO a second presidential term. Their fallback is to do such things as defunding or delaying programs like Obamacare. Boehner says that as new Speaker he will insist that every bill must specify the source of authority under the Constitution in order for the bill to be introduced.

Now I for one will only be too happy to see these two positions completely play out. If neither side blinks in the next two years America will have the clearest choice possible in November 2012 between a free enterprise way of living or plain style socialism (for starters).

I do not know one Tea Partier who says they voted to have Congress & the White House negotiate & "get along" which in the case of Republicans too often means selling out their stated principles.

Pelosi intends to run for House Minority Leader & since this caucus is now more statist than ever after Tuesday's election she probably will win in the upcoming meeting of the House Democrats.

We all know that one of the biggest frustrations the Democrats had the past two years was not passing union card check legislation that would do away with the current secret-ballot voting by employees whose work places are targeted for unionization. Under the legislation a simple check of a card by over 50% will bring in the union.

Now thanks to a subscriber to ReturnToExcellence.net you can click on this link to find out how any Member of Congress voted on recent major issues - no secret ballot here; however you will not be able to find out who votes for Pelosi to be Minority Leader in the upcoming closed-party caucus election because that vote is conducted by secret-ballot.

This type of double standard runs like a golden thread through every statist personal practice re how they live their lives. Once again statists do not live by the principles they believe & preach the rest of us should follow. Paraphrasing from Peter Schweizer's book "Do As I Say" - "Statism, in the end, forces its believers to become hypocrites. Statists' rules apply to "other Americans" - that is Americans other than them."

The Dangerous Lame Duck

The best result of the midterm election was Kentucky Senator-elect Rand Paul saying that he wanted to form a Tea Party caucus combining Tea Party Members of both the Senate & House.  This will provide the bedrock for the real change we need for America.

 

Now before we focus on Tea Party caucuses or the 2012 presidential election we have to get past the dangerous lame duck session of Congress that will convene shortly.  In particular we should ask why Congress left town before the election without addressing the following points - but of course you know why.

 

1.  The current continuing resolution expires on December 3.  If the lame duck Congress does not extend funding for continuing operations some programs will expire or will be severely disrupted possibly resulting in a government shutdown.   

 

2.  Just about as big a point to the lame duck as #1 above is the fact that the so-called Bush tax (rate) cuts of 2001 & 2003 will expire on December 31 if no congressional action is taken thereby resulting in an automatic average income tax increase of about $2,000 a year for a typical family of four. 

 

3.  Part of the expiration of the above referenced Bush tax (rate) cut program is the expansion of the Alternative Minimum Tax that will ensnare 29 million people in 2010 up from 4 million people in 2009 &  the return of the federal estate tax that drops the federal exemption to a level of $1 million with a 55% tax rate.

 

4.  Unemployment benefits that were extended under the Bush administration are also set to expire this month without congressional action.

 

5.  Medicare payments to doctors are expected to fall 20% without congressional action.

 

Every bit as insulting as Congress leaving town with the above points in limbo is the fact that BO's Budget Commission (appointed by executive order after being rejected last winter by the Senate) will not report until December.  How are you feeling if you have been out of work for months leading into years waiting for some Congress or Commission to remove @ least some of the uncertainty that will encourage entrepreneurs to invest their money to possibly create good paying jobs thereby putting you back to work?

 

Of course the lame duck could be much more dangerous than indicated above if they take up & pass such measures as union card check & comprehensive immigration programs with no regard for the consequences because the ousted Members have kicked the socialist can down the road as far as they can.

 

To give us a chance against the professional career politicians described above we should encourage our Tea Party caucus to work with the large coalition of newly elected Governors & other responsible ones in redrawing the 2010 decennial census redistricting lines following the advice of George Hazel who provides an answer to gerrymandering when he writes "Technology now affords the possibility of fair, non partisan redistricting by computer.  Computer software would only identify numbers of citizens & their location, not their political party, gender, or race.  The districts would be designed to have the smallest perimeter, thus producing compact districts."