Here in Oxford Town everyone is in the process of recovering from yet another busy Christmas. No matter how many promises we made ourselves about 'not doing' such a BIG Christmas ever again seems we never stick to our guns. (Maybe it's just DNA stuff, or maybe it's tradition, or just maybe behind all the hoopla is something more significant.( Rasmussen's current national survey found that 71% of us celebrate Christmas because we see it as a religious holiday…. CHRIST mas... Don't you wonder why he had to do a national poll to discover this and how do many other folks miss the obvious as well... Oh well...)
It really is just too easy to keep doing things like we have done them 'all our lives' regardless of cost or stress. The simplest level of change is hard and in a general way we always try and protect ourselves from it. Like so many politicians who make promises upon promises and then don't follow through and who are forever missing the obvious.
Even with all the hubbub around the holidays our congressional folks have been hard at it. Trying to change our country, change our way of life, and adding to the national debt all in the name of taking care of us'ins their poor dumb constituents.
I propose a new and radically different schedule as to when Congress can meet and what they can or cannot consider. My suggestion is that Congress meets twice each year. First meeting on the third Thursday morning from 9 to 12 in March but only if it is raining. Then again of the last Thursday in August from 1 to 3 but only if it is snowing. The focus of these two meetings will be on redemption (as it applies to elected officials). The debate must be spirited with each member ending the meeting with a pledged list of promises from each as to the things they will do in their home state between now and the next congressional gathering to build trust and hopefully find forgiveness from the voters who elected them. Until these core problems (redemption and trust) are solved I don't know what else is important or how they can ever think the Tea Party will go away.
The large incoming freshman class is filled with Tea Party kinds of representatives. Yet the GOP’s old guard leaders are inhibiting this new freshman class already by appointing the most liberal possible choices to chair key congressional committees such as the Committee on Environment and Public Work, Fred Upton (R-Mich.) In this act GOP leaders signaled to us they are not serious about expanding the nation’s energy-producing capability. Upton, after all, is most recently famous for highly unpopular legislation on incandescent light bulbs. ( I think this is a clue as to his beliefs and values.) He is hardly the choice for a nation desperate for energy through an expansion of domestic oil drilling and the relaxation of regulations on nuclear, coal and other energy sources. Do Republicans really believe that he is the best choice for this important committee chairmanship? Stuck in the politics of the past, Republicans went for seniority over principle — and ignored the clearly expressed will of their supporters. Senator Upton changed his position on the light bulb issue during his run for the chairmanship of this committee. (As a reminder: This is the Senator that wrote and got the bill passed to do away with incandescent light bulbs by 2014.) Which makes him look like a politician who does not plan to act on principles but on what can help him get a chairmanship. (Note: At this time the light bulb legislation is still on the books.)
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) is a qualified and proven fiscal conservative, supported by Tea Partiers nationwide. Yet instead of Kingston, Republicans decided to put the powerful panel under the control of a liberal Republican — and one with a seemingly insatiable appetite for pork.
Another example of "Turning on a Dime."
Sen. Thad Cochran (R., Miss.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and his Mississippi colleague, Sen. Roger Wicker, had 517 earmarks worth more than $1 billion in the new spending bill, according to the group report. These earmarks were attached to the omnibus tax package bill that just failed. Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) has said this group belong to their own political party separate from Republicans and Democrats. As many as nine Republicans, led by Mr. Cochran, had initially sided with Democrats to move this tax bill forward. But under pressure, Mr. Cochran reluctantly backed down. Anti-spending Republicans credited the Tea Party and the rising power of the conservative grass roots as the cause of Senator Cochran's about face. (BUT don't think this bill is dead. When it is revived our 'always to be reelected good old boys' will be right there back at the trough. )
One More Whistle Blower (One more big leak)
WaPo (not WiKi) leaked another intelligence bomb titled "We are all being surveyed." Nothing will ever be private again. Facebook is a monster and the U.S. Government is keeping tabs on all of us. To wit: The Washington Post (our home grown whistle blower, known as WAPO) has released another data bomb in its series of leaks on the intelligence industrial complex. According to WaPo, "The FBI is building a database with the names and certain personal information, such as employment history, etc., on thousands of U.S. citizens and residents whom a local police officer OR fellow citizen believe to be acting suspiciously. It is accessible to an increasing number of local law enforcement and military criminal investigators along with increasing concerns that the information could somehow end up in the public domain." Other things WaPo uncovered: "The Department of Homeland Security sends state and local partners intelligence reports with little meaningful guidance. The State reports sent back to them have sometimes inappropriately reported on lawful meetings, etc...." So, basically, what we got is a left hand not even knowing there is a right hand and this is a dangerous systemic issue (Good tracking guys. I feel safer already. My add on. ) and terrifying."
We have WiKi Leaks, WaPo, blowing whistles on our government. Here is a test: When did Congress enact the very first whistle blower law? (Year or Congress will do … extra points if you know why Congress put the law in place….and what they paid the whistle blowers.) Every government relies on whistle blowers for information….Many think if the people could have gotten some leaks about what was being put into the Health Care Bill early enough they would have stopped it from passing.
Some good 'guessers' are saying that we will have only about ninety days to get this new Congress along with the new congressmen to know we are still out here. We are still watching…..We are ready to act… If they lose sight of us, before we know it, the new group may well be 'going along' with the old guard….Wanting to be part of the ruling class.
Most miracles get passed off as coincidence. The rationalizing that has been done around the November election by elected folks and the media cannot hide the obvious. November was a miracle.
Given the two months since the election everyone of them have been trying to rethink what happened… They can't get it…They can't get it because they are trying to figure us out intellectually. The Tea Party cannot be understood through the intellect or through intellectual measurement. The first news we have for them is the Tea Party exists because they don't understand what the Tea Party is about and the second news we have for them is they don't have to get it.
We don't want Dems from the right, left, or center and we don't want GOPs from right, left, or center… We want to govern ourselves and we will govern with or without any one of the current sitting elected officials. We are going to pilot our ship of state and they are on board or they aren't. They are paid employee and we just fired almost ninety of the rascals. This is just the first ninety. The third little news clip for them is we know they don't understand who we are, what we are about, and what we want, and that makes them vulnerable. This is not the time in this nation's life to have weak men in leadership positions. Man up, make tough decisions, don't compromise, don't just go along politically, stand up, be counted, and we will stand up with you. Anything short of this and we're coming after you. November was your assurances that we will keep our promises.
To the shame of our state, our two Senators have sold their votes to proudly bring home tainted bacon.
I don't know one single Tea Party member that ever wanted us to have another Tea Party. Not one. Also, I don't know one who isn't angry that these measures we taking have to be taken. The founding of this nation was a miracle. A silent hand was moving hearts. As we take this country back the same silent hand will be at work. Another miracle is going to happen.
The lesson learned is we are the ones who must be in charge and guard the gates. The founders knew it is we the people who must guide and direct. We are the nation. The nation exists through us and for us.
Before this next election cycle starts to gin up we need to take a hard look at what we have done over these last many decades that has allowed/caused this crises. 1) Through our complacency we have reelected and reelected the always to be reelected good old boys. These good old boys, over time, came to believe it was their country to do with as they liked and come to believed we would shut up and obey. 2) We don't have recall laws that allowed us to make corrections. Particularly with our Senators with their six year tenure. Over time we will make mistakes in the election process therefore we need a way to correct those mistakes.
The Court has ruled that we cannot set by law term limits on federal congressmen or senators. Only the voters can do that. Only voters….We didn't set limits. We didn't hold anyone accountable. We didn't set agendas...We just kept reelecting.
I'll give the liberal press, the national party leaders, and the sitting federal congressional folks a clue…"Love is a verb." A verb is a action word … Love is the act of giving of the self to the others and/or causes. (I love, you love, he loves, you love, she loves, they love) So when they hear our loud talk, when they see us on the street, all they are noticing is we are angry. God, country, individual freedoms are intellectual concepts for them so they simply miss what is being done.
The obvious is we are giving of ourselves, we are investing ourselves, we are encouraging others, we are sharing deeply held beliefs. These acts are the underpinning of miracles. These acts built the shinning city on the hill...Lest we forget.
The other bomb shell discovery Rasmussen reported was that states that didn't impose personal income tax on their people were the states that attracted the most new business, jobs growth, and their population grew. Another breath taking discovery.
Just a parting thought. America has problems. Social problems in minority groups and now spreading out into the larger population groups, public education system, and the loss of the jobs base for our low skilled workers. All of these problems are growing with each passing day. Core problems with food, shelter, and clothing are daily struggles for millions of our citizens. Older people trying to live off their social security is another growing problem and more retirees coming on board by the millions over the next few years. We can elect the most conservative congressional officials. They can cut taxes and shrink the size of government but the social problems still will not go away. We know this... We all know this but we don't usually see these problems because there are so many government programs in place the problems are mostly masked from our view... Christians in Christian nations have real moral dilemmas. Seemingly from day to day or worse from moment to moment.
What we have seen are many of the government's social programs, over generations, create a dependency that ends up destroying the very people they set out to help. That’s what we know but what to do.? Which way to turn?
So the train left the station in November with close to ninety of the always to be reelected watching it pull out scratching their heads assuring each other they were ruling us really good.
Ron
First whistle blower law was during the civil war....Business were shorting orders to the government. Whistle bloweres got from 30 to 50% of the settlement.
docnick37@gmail.com
http://theoxfordteaparty.blogspot.com/
Monday, December 27, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
It Is Our Turn - It Our Moment
History is written from moment to moment and chronicled from each act performed within each moment. What we do is who we are. We act or we don't act. What each of us chooses to do becomes our legacies as individuals. Who we were lives and dies through choices made in those moments. Our history becomes the sum of the individual acts at critical turning points. Within this combining of moments we, as a group and as a nation, are remembered, debated, and judged by children and grandchildren over time. They reject or emulate, what we did, what we believed, the values and principles we held, and the actions we took.
Our Tea Party is yet another example in our short national history of people making hard decisions. Our nation's legacy is a legacy of hard work and hard decisions. In their moment in time our founders were faced with hard choices. With little more than a belief to hold on to and without support of all the people they acted….They created a government for all the people...A government to serve the people... Our road is not as long or as dark because they lighted a candle for us. For over two hundred years this beacon has burned for all the world to see. Still burning, still bright, this beacon will guide our way back home.
We, like our forefathers, must choose. We must chose to act. November was the first shot heard in some parts of the world, heard by many in America, but not by all. Those that didn't seem to hear were our failing school leaders, our failing state leaders, our failing local leaders wanted to believe the November shot was not pointed at them but at officials above their pay grade and power level…How or what must we do to get their attention….?
American Majority
Out of twenty six people the American Majority trained to run a campaign and run for local offices seventeen were elected to school boards. This is how we get their attention….!(As our current President said in one of many speeches, "We are coming after you.") They can't hide, they will be judged by their performance in the education of our children and they will be turned out. Not because we hope so but because we take action.
Mississippi Tea Party is taking bold steps. They are asking that people who have a willingness and interest in running for local offices to contact them. You can find the address and phone number on the Website….
Between now and 2012 each Tea Parties must tend our hearths. When I was in school, at the end of the day, somebody had to clean the backboard. We are that somebody and it's a darned big blackboard that hasn't been cleaned in a long time. Every school board and every education leader who tells you they need more money to be successful, fire them. Do the same with town alderman and county supervisors. Intentions, regardless of how good or well meant they may be, are not the same as results. They have failed in their jobs and there is no redemption.
IF we had the ability to "RECALL" we could pink-slip all who have failed in their jobs this Friday…(Or any other Friday.) We need this law on our books… There isn't any other way to hold elected officials to their promises and their feet to the fire. Two year or so ago people were coming to our County supervisors meeting and complaining. Confronting the Supervisors on their decisions or lack there of. The Board voted and decided to limit tax payers discussions during their meetings. Can you imagine this kind of arrogance? The next election the people of the county turned our three of the five supervisors.
The recent death of the omnibus tax package could signal a real retreat for the power of congressional appropriators, whom Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) described as belonging to their own political party separate from Republicans and Democrats. As many as nine Republicans, led by Mr. Cochran, had initially sided with Democrats to move the bill tax forward. However, with some pressure from the Teasers and others Mr. Cochran reluctantly backed down. (Bless his heart.)
Together, Sen. Thad Cochran the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and his Mississippi colleague, Sen. Roger Wicker, had 517 earmarks worth more than $1 billion in the spending bill, according to the group report. Both men are Good old Mississippi politicians.…( Maybe IF they had done a better job none of us in Mississippi would have to pay taxes at all.)
Both of these senators are good men. Our house members are good men. All well intended...But the political game they were trained to play and clearly have mastered needs to end. This kind of political governing is quickly destroying our country economically. This political form of governing has corrupted the core values and beliefs this nation was buit on. This political governing has lost the trust of the people.
I truly resent that on the eve of celebrating our Savior's birth this government and all the elected representatives in it are behaving in ways that are hurting the citizens, our economy, as well as most things they have their hands in.
Our mission is not over... The battle is not won...Come next November the next shot will be fired.
Merry Christmas to all… God is with us and America is a Christian nation.
Ron
Docnick37@gmail.com
http://theoxforteaparty@google.blog
Our Tea Party is yet another example in our short national history of people making hard decisions. Our nation's legacy is a legacy of hard work and hard decisions. In their moment in time our founders were faced with hard choices. With little more than a belief to hold on to and without support of all the people they acted….They created a government for all the people...A government to serve the people... Our road is not as long or as dark because they lighted a candle for us. For over two hundred years this beacon has burned for all the world to see. Still burning, still bright, this beacon will guide our way back home.
We, like our forefathers, must choose. We must chose to act. November was the first shot heard in some parts of the world, heard by many in America, but not by all. Those that didn't seem to hear were our failing school leaders, our failing state leaders, our failing local leaders wanted to believe the November shot was not pointed at them but at officials above their pay grade and power level…How or what must we do to get their attention….?
American Majority
Out of twenty six people the American Majority trained to run a campaign and run for local offices seventeen were elected to school boards. This is how we get their attention….!(As our current President said in one of many speeches, "We are coming after you.") They can't hide, they will be judged by their performance in the education of our children and they will be turned out. Not because we hope so but because we take action.
Mississippi Tea Party is taking bold steps. They are asking that people who have a willingness and interest in running for local offices to contact them. You can find the address and phone number on the Website….
Between now and 2012 each Tea Parties must tend our hearths. When I was in school, at the end of the day, somebody had to clean the backboard. We are that somebody and it's a darned big blackboard that hasn't been cleaned in a long time. Every school board and every education leader who tells you they need more money to be successful, fire them. Do the same with town alderman and county supervisors. Intentions, regardless of how good or well meant they may be, are not the same as results. They have failed in their jobs and there is no redemption.
IF we had the ability to "RECALL" we could pink-slip all who have failed in their jobs this Friday…(Or any other Friday.) We need this law on our books… There isn't any other way to hold elected officials to their promises and their feet to the fire. Two year or so ago people were coming to our County supervisors meeting and complaining. Confronting the Supervisors on their decisions or lack there of. The Board voted and decided to limit tax payers discussions during their meetings. Can you imagine this kind of arrogance? The next election the people of the county turned our three of the five supervisors.
The recent death of the omnibus tax package could signal a real retreat for the power of congressional appropriators, whom Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) described as belonging to their own political party separate from Republicans and Democrats. As many as nine Republicans, led by Mr. Cochran, had initially sided with Democrats to move the bill tax forward. However, with some pressure from the Teasers and others Mr. Cochran reluctantly backed down. (Bless his heart.)
Together, Sen. Thad Cochran the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and his Mississippi colleague, Sen. Roger Wicker, had 517 earmarks worth more than $1 billion in the spending bill, according to the group report. Both men are Good old Mississippi politicians.…( Maybe IF they had done a better job none of us in Mississippi would have to pay taxes at all.)
Both of these senators are good men. Our house members are good men. All well intended...But the political game they were trained to play and clearly have mastered needs to end. This kind of political governing is quickly destroying our country economically. This political form of governing has corrupted the core values and beliefs this nation was buit on. This political governing has lost the trust of the people.
I truly resent that on the eve of celebrating our Savior's birth this government and all the elected representatives in it are behaving in ways that are hurting the citizens, our economy, as well as most things they have their hands in.
Our mission is not over... The battle is not won...Come next November the next shot will be fired.
Merry Christmas to all… God is with us and America is a Christian nation.
Ron
Docnick37@gmail.com
http://theoxforteaparty@google.blog
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Say it ain't....SO
Our value and beliefs are assaulted every day from ever nook and cranny of our society, special interest groups, state and federal government. It's gotten to the point where I don't want to turn on the TV or read the news each morning…..Today's assault comes from the YMCA (meaning: Young Men's Christian Association) a 166 year old organization that emmigrated from England to our shores along with the multitudes of young Christian men. So one of these local organization decided to not have open house and Santa Claus this year, which was their tradition, for the young children in their area. Now guess what else they are doing….They are dropping the "MCA" from the "YMCA." Now the organization is called the "Y" so not to infer they are a Christian organization, which the operations committee feels would make it a much warmer and friendlier place. So they believe.
After reading about this "Y" decision I drove to Memphis to pick up my wife at the airport. Not busy as usual…. TSA folks seem to be behaving well… However I noticed there wasn't a Christmas tree. Maybe there never was a Christmas tree in the airport terminal. I don't know but what was in the lobby was a seven foot tall Menorah. Under the Menorah was a plaque giving the history of Passover for the "Children of Israel while in bondage in Egypt.
I don't want to say more about any of this because I doubt our readers would appreciate my ranting and use of certain expletives.
No matter what you hear or see in the media the vote on extending the "Bush" tax cuts does not have a critical time line. The press and the Dems would have us believe that all taxes will rise on January One. Yes, the cuts are supposed to end but Congress can and has on many occasions passed laws and made the new law retroactive back to the first of the year...No big deal...
Is the Senate going to pass this "tax cut" bill….(Don't you just love it when they are about to raise taxes they refer to their actions as a "tax cut?")…and YES they will pass the bill…..Why would we even suggest such a thing?
The Senate has attached mucho new spending to the bill which amounts to hundred of millions of dollars. So the game is this: If the more conservative members of the Senate want the tax cuts to stay in place they will have to vote for more spending also. Come January the liberal senators who lost their seats will not come back and the more conservative new members will show up hopefully committed to their campaign promises. In the House the GOP and new ones, hopefully, conservatives members will control the house . (So it may be a good thing for the bill not to pass in this session of congress but I wouldn't hold my breath.) Certainly our three Musketeers (OHN) would be disappointed.
ONLY in Congress….Our Social Security is going broke so they tell us and the only tax "cut" the President or the Dems in congress could find to cut is the SS withholding by two percent for the next year or so…..AND the two percent would be on the employee's side of the withholding. It a piddling amount of money but this money would have gone into the SS fund. This way some percent of the two percents is going to find its way into the general federal coffers.
Changing gears….Worrying about how this congress votes is just a waste of time because they and their votes are predicable. Consistent, harmful, predicable.. (CHP)
I have been talking to people as well as searching the 'net' for ideas people have come up with that will help fix the economy and the government. (People meaning 'not elected officials'. There are numerous newspapers and blogs around the country that have invited individuals to send ideas they feel will be helpful. Most of the ideas that I read had to do with needing to change things our government has done. Cutting taxes, spending, regulations, social programs, etc. All of the ideas have merit and many of this ideas are kicked around at Tea Party meetings and on the news programs nightly.
What was most interesting was how many people responded. Behind most of the ideas was government was too big, too many taxes, too much control, and the majority felt both House and Senate were untrustworthy culprits. Control them, change them, undo the wrong things they have done and our world would be better. Makes sense. All of the suggestions and ideas make sense and all seem doable.
However, I didn't stumble across one new idea. Maybe we don't need any new ideas. The thinking could be that until we try the suggestions on the front pages or the lead story in the nightly news and see the results why bother to look for something new to try…Good argument…BUT the ideas finding their way into the "lead news stories" no matter who comes up with them aren't being done. Aren't being tried…Du...Well why not?
If we believe our elected officials' actions along with big business actions caused the economic woes, we only have to notice that these are more or less the same elected officials and business leaders we had before the crises. The second thing we need to note is these elected officials are still in office because the voters in November in their districts voted to keep them in office. So to say to them "fix the mistakes you have made," their retort will be, "What mistakes?" The idea that government will fix government or that governments can or will correct their short comings is just a notion that, at best, brings about a wry smile.
American Enterprise Institute
A political polling report published last week by the Washington, D.C.-based American Enterprise Institute (AEI) captured the attitude of the American public towards government.
In short: cynicism and uncertainty across the board is a widespread trend.
Among the report’s findings is the fact that a record number of respondents believe government cannot solve the problems it tackles. Not only that, but most Americans now believe the government runs its programs poorly, and the performance is getting worse instead of better. Moreover, about 45 percent think government is a threat to personal liberty.
One of the polls analyzed in the report, in fact, revealed that 50 percent of Americans would be happier with a smaller government with fewer services. That number has also risen significantly since President Obama took office.
Seems someone came late to the party...This organization is located in Washington and this poll's NEWS would make you think there is a special Black Ops group within the TSA who 'tasking' is to prevent any information, ideas, wishes, dreams from American citizens finding their way into the vast base of elected officials, multitudes of bureaucratic departments as well as the organizations, such as AEI, that cohabit that small parcel of land.
Now that AEI has this new and confusing information what will they do with it?
We note this poll and AEI because there is a belief with many Tea Partiers that everyone knows government cannot solve the problems they create and knows that government runs programs badly. Seems clear to us but just look at the number of citizens who do their voting on the other side of the ballot. Educating, informing, inviting, and encouraging this other larger group is where the Tea mission work needs to focus. We need them or we cannot change the congressional numbers enough to meet the Tea Party goals.
The WikiLeaks is not just going to go away…..Assange is still in jail…More documents are being released…A Grand jury in Virginia is hearing a federal plea to indict him…Big to-do in Italy today over what these documents had to say about their Prime minister. The parliament gave him a vote of confidence today. So he won't lose his job. Some documents had military information in them….Here is what Gates had to say:
Defense Secretary Gates made the following point on this:
“Now, I’ve heard the impact of these releases on our foreign policy described as a meltdown, as a game-changer, and so on. I think those descriptions are fairly significantly overwrought. The fact is, governments deal with the United States because it’s in their interest, not because they like us, not because they trust us, and not because they believe we can keep secrets. Many governments — some governments — deal with us because they fear us, some because they respect us, most because they need us. We are still essentially, as has been said before, the indispensable nation.”
Is this embarrassing? Yes. Is it awkward? Yes. Consequences for U.S. foreign policy? I think fairly modest….
Not the slightest hint of remorse or any form of apology in this statement that I can see...I wonder if we have heard the last on this matter….
Another snippet of news:
Tea Party Patriots
Tea Party Patriots Statement on Ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson
Washington -- Mark Meckler and Jenny Beth Martin, national co-coordinators of Tea Party Patriots released the following statements today on the ruling by U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson on the unconstitutionality of ObamaCare:
"This is a great victory for the American people, the rule of law and the constitutional principles of individual liberty and freedom, " said Mark Meckler, national co-coordinator of Tea Party Patriots. "Although this ruling has a long journey before it reaches the Supreme Court, we are confident that this massive congressional mistake will continue to be found unconstitutional."
"It is difficult to imagine a more massive repudiation of ObamaCare than the recent November election, however, this ruling adds tremendous judicial weight to the votes cast by the American people," said Jenny Beth Martin," national co-coordinator of Tea Party Patriots. "ObamaCare is unconstitutional, and we are confident that the Supreme Court will ultimately protect the American people from a reckless congressional mistake.
We hope so also but the road to the Supreme Court will take a long time. This Judge put nothing in the health bill on hold…..
So ObamaCare can continue on it schedule.
Ron
Docnick37@gmail.com
http://theoxfordteaparty.blogspot.com/
PS: Last year at this time many of us were getting notices from Social Security informing us that there is no inflation therefore we would not be getting any increase in SS payments…. (Medicare deductions went up so I assume that doctors, etc.. were experiencing inflation.) At that same time Congress gave themselves a five thousand dollars raise to cover their "increased cost of living." Many of us are getting the same notice from Social Security this year informing us there is zero inflation therefore no "Cost of living adjustment" again this year. Let us watch and see if Congress creates a pay raise for themselves.
After reading about this "Y" decision I drove to Memphis to pick up my wife at the airport. Not busy as usual…. TSA folks seem to be behaving well… However I noticed there wasn't a Christmas tree. Maybe there never was a Christmas tree in the airport terminal. I don't know but what was in the lobby was a seven foot tall Menorah. Under the Menorah was a plaque giving the history of Passover for the "Children of Israel while in bondage in Egypt.
I don't want to say more about any of this because I doubt our readers would appreciate my ranting and use of certain expletives.
No matter what you hear or see in the media the vote on extending the "Bush" tax cuts does not have a critical time line. The press and the Dems would have us believe that all taxes will rise on January One. Yes, the cuts are supposed to end but Congress can and has on many occasions passed laws and made the new law retroactive back to the first of the year...No big deal...
Is the Senate going to pass this "tax cut" bill….(Don't you just love it when they are about to raise taxes they refer to their actions as a "tax cut?")…and YES they will pass the bill…..Why would we even suggest such a thing?
The Senate has attached mucho new spending to the bill which amounts to hundred of millions of dollars. So the game is this: If the more conservative members of the Senate want the tax cuts to stay in place they will have to vote for more spending also. Come January the liberal senators who lost their seats will not come back and the more conservative new members will show up hopefully committed to their campaign promises. In the House the GOP and new ones, hopefully, conservatives members will control the house . (So it may be a good thing for the bill not to pass in this session of congress but I wouldn't hold my breath.) Certainly our three Musketeers (OHN) would be disappointed.
ONLY in Congress….Our Social Security is going broke so they tell us and the only tax "cut" the President or the Dems in congress could find to cut is the SS withholding by two percent for the next year or so…..AND the two percent would be on the employee's side of the withholding. It a piddling amount of money but this money would have gone into the SS fund. This way some percent of the two percents is going to find its way into the general federal coffers.
Changing gears….Worrying about how this congress votes is just a waste of time because they and their votes are predicable. Consistent, harmful, predicable.. (CHP)
I have been talking to people as well as searching the 'net' for ideas people have come up with that will help fix the economy and the government. (People meaning 'not elected officials'. There are numerous newspapers and blogs around the country that have invited individuals to send ideas they feel will be helpful. Most of the ideas that I read had to do with needing to change things our government has done. Cutting taxes, spending, regulations, social programs, etc. All of the ideas have merit and many of this ideas are kicked around at Tea Party meetings and on the news programs nightly.
What was most interesting was how many people responded. Behind most of the ideas was government was too big, too many taxes, too much control, and the majority felt both House and Senate were untrustworthy culprits. Control them, change them, undo the wrong things they have done and our world would be better. Makes sense. All of the suggestions and ideas make sense and all seem doable.
However, I didn't stumble across one new idea. Maybe we don't need any new ideas. The thinking could be that until we try the suggestions on the front pages or the lead story in the nightly news and see the results why bother to look for something new to try…Good argument…BUT the ideas finding their way into the "lead news stories" no matter who comes up with them aren't being done. Aren't being tried…Du...Well why not?
If we believe our elected officials' actions along with big business actions caused the economic woes, we only have to notice that these are more or less the same elected officials and business leaders we had before the crises. The second thing we need to note is these elected officials are still in office because the voters in November in their districts voted to keep them in office. So to say to them "fix the mistakes you have made," their retort will be, "What mistakes?" The idea that government will fix government or that governments can or will correct their short comings is just a notion that, at best, brings about a wry smile.
American Enterprise Institute
A political polling report published last week by the Washington, D.C.-based American Enterprise Institute (AEI) captured the attitude of the American public towards government.
In short: cynicism and uncertainty across the board is a widespread trend.
Among the report’s findings is the fact that a record number of respondents believe government cannot solve the problems it tackles. Not only that, but most Americans now believe the government runs its programs poorly, and the performance is getting worse instead of better. Moreover, about 45 percent think government is a threat to personal liberty.
One of the polls analyzed in the report, in fact, revealed that 50 percent of Americans would be happier with a smaller government with fewer services. That number has also risen significantly since President Obama took office.
Seems someone came late to the party...This organization is located in Washington and this poll's NEWS would make you think there is a special Black Ops group within the TSA who 'tasking' is to prevent any information, ideas, wishes, dreams from American citizens finding their way into the vast base of elected officials, multitudes of bureaucratic departments as well as the organizations, such as AEI, that cohabit that small parcel of land.
Now that AEI has this new and confusing information what will they do with it?
We note this poll and AEI because there is a belief with many Tea Partiers that everyone knows government cannot solve the problems they create and knows that government runs programs badly. Seems clear to us but just look at the number of citizens who do their voting on the other side of the ballot. Educating, informing, inviting, and encouraging this other larger group is where the Tea mission work needs to focus. We need them or we cannot change the congressional numbers enough to meet the Tea Party goals.
The WikiLeaks is not just going to go away…..Assange is still in jail…More documents are being released…A Grand jury in Virginia is hearing a federal plea to indict him…Big to-do in Italy today over what these documents had to say about their Prime minister. The parliament gave him a vote of confidence today. So he won't lose his job. Some documents had military information in them….Here is what Gates had to say:
Defense Secretary Gates made the following point on this:
“Now, I’ve heard the impact of these releases on our foreign policy described as a meltdown, as a game-changer, and so on. I think those descriptions are fairly significantly overwrought. The fact is, governments deal with the United States because it’s in their interest, not because they like us, not because they trust us, and not because they believe we can keep secrets. Many governments — some governments — deal with us because they fear us, some because they respect us, most because they need us. We are still essentially, as has been said before, the indispensable nation.”
Is this embarrassing? Yes. Is it awkward? Yes. Consequences for U.S. foreign policy? I think fairly modest….
Not the slightest hint of remorse or any form of apology in this statement that I can see...I wonder if we have heard the last on this matter….
Another snippet of news:
Tea Party Patriots
Tea Party Patriots Statement on Ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson
Washington -- Mark Meckler and Jenny Beth Martin, national co-coordinators of Tea Party Patriots released the following statements today on the ruling by U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson on the unconstitutionality of ObamaCare:
"This is a great victory for the American people, the rule of law and the constitutional principles of individual liberty and freedom, " said Mark Meckler, national co-coordinator of Tea Party Patriots. "Although this ruling has a long journey before it reaches the Supreme Court, we are confident that this massive congressional mistake will continue to be found unconstitutional."
"It is difficult to imagine a more massive repudiation of ObamaCare than the recent November election, however, this ruling adds tremendous judicial weight to the votes cast by the American people," said Jenny Beth Martin," national co-coordinator of Tea Party Patriots. "ObamaCare is unconstitutional, and we are confident that the Supreme Court will ultimately protect the American people from a reckless congressional mistake.
We hope so also but the road to the Supreme Court will take a long time. This Judge put nothing in the health bill on hold…..
So ObamaCare can continue on it schedule.
Ron
Docnick37@gmail.com
http://theoxfordteaparty.blogspot.com/
PS: Last year at this time many of us were getting notices from Social Security informing us that there is no inflation therefore we would not be getting any increase in SS payments…. (Medicare deductions went up so I assume that doctors, etc.. were experiencing inflation.) At that same time Congress gave themselves a five thousand dollars raise to cover their "increased cost of living." Many of us are getting the same notice from Social Security this year informing us there is zero inflation therefore no "Cost of living adjustment" again this year. Let us watch and see if Congress creates a pay raise for themselves.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
We said...Hey
On November 2 we said 'hey' to Washington and all its members. Being one of the 'dumb red neck tea partiers' the liberal press refers to, I thought the message was clear enough for them to understand. However, congress continues to see us in similar ways the press see us as people who are not to be listened to and congress has rationalized November as a blip on the computer screen of history. One of the first votes taken in this 'lame duck congress' was on 'pork barreling'. They said 'hey' back to us. Through this vote they said we are going to continue to do what we have done in the past with 'earmarking' because we think it’s the right thing to do and it's good for us in congress. OK…I get it…I wasn't surprised…I didn't expect them to vote down pork barreling...but I was disappointed never the less.
This week our President announced that federal employees salaries would be frozen. Turns out he was talking about the 'COLA' part of their union contract. However, what else is in their contract is a 2% yearly raise that will not be frozen. So they will get their raise but not any extra from the 'COLA' but that shouldn't have happened anyway because inflation is not high enough to justify the 'COLA' kick-in. This group however did get a COLA increase last year even though folks on Social Security did not get a COLA increase. OK…I get it…I can see where this is heading. These dog and pony shows work for him with the liberals, and with the press…(and maybe a whole bunch of others)…
And speaking of dogs and ponies… So long as politicians know that voters don't have the power to recall them at anytime, they will promise anything they think will get them elected and continue to vote anyway they want….This has been the history of elected officials throughout time. Our unique representative form of government was fashioned to try and prevent this very thing from happening in this country. (Congress just voted to unseat a federal judge. They can do it, so why can't we?)
For the most part, the goal of people seeking power is to rule not to serve….but without power concentrated in a centralized place, such as Washington and national political parties, they are not protected. That is from their side of the desk and from our side of the desk we are not protected so long as we don't have the ability to fire the people we elect at anytime they cease to serve us.
It’s a cold winter morning. In lots of ways I was looking forward to this year being over… It's almost seven and the sun isn't up yet but there is enough light to see the ducks swimming in the pond. The oaks are giving up their leave grudgingly. Things seem to be the same from these windows as they have been in yesteryears. "Seems" is the operative word. I know they are not the same and I know laws have been set in place that will prevent this from ever being so. This year and last year have been stressful on everyone….These past few years have truly tested us as a people and our form of government, a form of government that everyone said couldn't work and couldn't last. A government, at its very roots, was to be a government by the people. Certainly there were many around when the nation was founded that were naysayers. Sooner or later, they believed, that government would concentrate power in the hands of the few…..Just like before and before and before. These founders did everything they could think of to prevent this from happening. Going back into the sixties and in many ways earlier we began to fumble the ball. Taking short cuts…sliding on principles…distaining values and beliefs one vote at a time....Ignoring all the while what the good old boys were doing…
Now we find we are knee deep in the great all American game of catch up. Trying to come from behind. We are the leading country in producing technology and the only developed country in the world without a 4G network communication system. We are producing i7 computers and nothing to do with them but play games that demand high levels of graphics. Want to know how this can happen? Ask our FCC. This slippage in our standing in the world is directly related to our government through taxes, mismanagement, and regulations. It is and was our 'good old boys' that did the voting that allowed this to happen. It was us that did the voting that kept them in their positions of power.
If we don't clearly accept where the finger needs to be pointing we cannot find our way out of this hideous mess. Assuming, for the moment, we are not so far down the road and there is a way out.
Years ago, Californians joked about going to restaurants with waiters who were high school dropouts or had master's degrees. Now most have master or doctorate degrees and the high school dropouts have disappeared. Where did they go? What are they doing? Look at our state with its drop outs and poorly educated graduates. What will they do? They can't move to the northern cities any longer and find jobs. The jobs aren't there or here, once again, primarily because of taxes and government regulations. For the readers who have never run a business, know that OSHA and EPA through regulations have destroyed many if not most of the jobs this group of young people could do. According to California, its EPA (not Federal EPA) in the state was responsible for the loss of forty five businesses a week leaving the state and many of these companies simply moved across the border to Mexico. ( I think it was Barbara Boxer who responded to this announcement by saying, "Good riddance. We didn't those business anyway.") No one has to wonder why businesses large and small are fleeing the state and leaving it unable to support itself.
At this point, in this ranting about our government and its abusive business policies, I want to say that the 'law givers' that we vote into office have, on average, no experience running business a or meeting payroll. They take advice from people who have no experience running business or making payroll. They are the blind leading the blind. To go a step further, most elected people in congress have never had a job where they had to balance a budget and that most voters have never had those experiences either. Most voters have a hard time balancing their check books and their family budgets so its hard for them to understand the importance of this experience with the people they vote for. With this being said, we have to find a way to vet our future candidates better with a careful eye on experience. What we are doing cannot continue.
Attached is yet another important article from the Red State web site. (Get on their
e-mail list you will like the reading.)
Friends --
There are few organizations that I give an unqualified endorsement to and wholly support in their efforts to further the conservative revolution in this country. American Majority is one of those organizations.
With campaign season over, it is time to get ready for the next steps in the revolution. Giving to American Majority is one of those steps. It has the added benefit, at the end of the year, of being a 501(c)(3) so your contribution is tax deductible.
You'll make no better investment in our fight for freedom. American Majority's results speak for themselves.
Since January of 2009, American Majority's work was phenomenal. In that period of time, it:
Trained 12, 774 activists on how to hardwire precincts, build coalitions, be effective online, and work for greater transparency and accountability in our government;
Trained 1,099 candidates on how to run for office and win politically so that the new leaders can implement policies that reflect free enterprise, limited government and fiscal responsibility; Conducted 395 trainings in 40 states.
Simply put, American Majority is building a farm team for our movement and so far, the results have been nothing short of remarkable.
In Minnesota, 94 of 100 American Majority alumni won their primaries.
In Arkansas, 74 of the 78 alumni who ran won their primaries.
In Oklahoma, 45 of 79 alumni who ran won in their primaries.
In Kansas, 44 of 59 alumni won their primaries.
38 of the 65 AM Texas alumni running for office won their primaries.
We're talking school board all the way up to federal office. In the general election, the results were much the same, with 56 of the 74 candidates winning in November, 30 of the 44 in Kansas, and dozens winning in Minnesota.
It is because of American Majority's proven results in recruiting and training candidates and activists that I have agreed to lend my support to it and their recently launched New Leaders Project. Working with local tea party, 9.12 and other conservative groups, American Majority plans to have 1,000 local groups identify 10 new leaders to run for anything from school board to Congress in 2011 and 2012; this project will not only impact elections in the immediate future, but for years to come.
American Majority
We can longer look at the Tea Party movement simply as a group of voters with a cause. That will not get us to where we need to go. We must seek out, educate, train, and elect people with similar values, beliefs, and principles at every level of government. Waiting for a white knight to come to the rescue or continuing to vote for the lesser of two evils are failed alternatives. American Majority has laid out a simple and direct plan of action.
In closing let me thank all of you who have sent 'comments' on these last few articles from http://theoxfordteaparty.blog.com You encouragement and support is important…
If you would include your e-mail address with your comments I can put you on the mailing list and you can also see what else we are up to…Frankly, I don't always remember to post to the various Tea sites. I'm sure it age. However, the best way for Tea Party blogs or groups to be effective is for everyone to have a say and voice their ideas. Comments are a one good way of getting this done. Example of this is if I have a dollar and you have a dollar and I give you my dollar and you give me your dollars we each end up with a dollar. However, if I give you an idea and you give me an idea we both end up with two ideas and each of us end up richer.
Only 698 days, 23 hours, and 24 minutes till the 2012 elections. Really, that is not much time…
We must continue to substitute action for hope…..(while never giving up hope)
Ron
Docnick37@gmail.com
http://theoxfordteaparty.blogspot.com/
This week our President announced that federal employees salaries would be frozen. Turns out he was talking about the 'COLA' part of their union contract. However, what else is in their contract is a 2% yearly raise that will not be frozen. So they will get their raise but not any extra from the 'COLA' but that shouldn't have happened anyway because inflation is not high enough to justify the 'COLA' kick-in. This group however did get a COLA increase last year even though folks on Social Security did not get a COLA increase. OK…I get it…I can see where this is heading. These dog and pony shows work for him with the liberals, and with the press…(and maybe a whole bunch of others)…
And speaking of dogs and ponies… So long as politicians know that voters don't have the power to recall them at anytime, they will promise anything they think will get them elected and continue to vote anyway they want….This has been the history of elected officials throughout time. Our unique representative form of government was fashioned to try and prevent this very thing from happening in this country. (Congress just voted to unseat a federal judge. They can do it, so why can't we?)
For the most part, the goal of people seeking power is to rule not to serve….but without power concentrated in a centralized place, such as Washington and national political parties, they are not protected. That is from their side of the desk and from our side of the desk we are not protected so long as we don't have the ability to fire the people we elect at anytime they cease to serve us.
It’s a cold winter morning. In lots of ways I was looking forward to this year being over… It's almost seven and the sun isn't up yet but there is enough light to see the ducks swimming in the pond. The oaks are giving up their leave grudgingly. Things seem to be the same from these windows as they have been in yesteryears. "Seems" is the operative word. I know they are not the same and I know laws have been set in place that will prevent this from ever being so. This year and last year have been stressful on everyone….These past few years have truly tested us as a people and our form of government, a form of government that everyone said couldn't work and couldn't last. A government, at its very roots, was to be a government by the people. Certainly there were many around when the nation was founded that were naysayers. Sooner or later, they believed, that government would concentrate power in the hands of the few…..Just like before and before and before. These founders did everything they could think of to prevent this from happening. Going back into the sixties and in many ways earlier we began to fumble the ball. Taking short cuts…sliding on principles…distaining values and beliefs one vote at a time....Ignoring all the while what the good old boys were doing…
Now we find we are knee deep in the great all American game of catch up. Trying to come from behind. We are the leading country in producing technology and the only developed country in the world without a 4G network communication system. We are producing i7 computers and nothing to do with them but play games that demand high levels of graphics. Want to know how this can happen? Ask our FCC. This slippage in our standing in the world is directly related to our government through taxes, mismanagement, and regulations. It is and was our 'good old boys' that did the voting that allowed this to happen. It was us that did the voting that kept them in their positions of power.
If we don't clearly accept where the finger needs to be pointing we cannot find our way out of this hideous mess. Assuming, for the moment, we are not so far down the road and there is a way out.
Years ago, Californians joked about going to restaurants with waiters who were high school dropouts or had master's degrees. Now most have master or doctorate degrees and the high school dropouts have disappeared. Where did they go? What are they doing? Look at our state with its drop outs and poorly educated graduates. What will they do? They can't move to the northern cities any longer and find jobs. The jobs aren't there or here, once again, primarily because of taxes and government regulations. For the readers who have never run a business, know that OSHA and EPA through regulations have destroyed many if not most of the jobs this group of young people could do. According to California, its EPA (not Federal EPA) in the state was responsible for the loss of forty five businesses a week leaving the state and many of these companies simply moved across the border to Mexico. ( I think it was Barbara Boxer who responded to this announcement by saying, "Good riddance. We didn't those business anyway.") No one has to wonder why businesses large and small are fleeing the state and leaving it unable to support itself.
At this point, in this ranting about our government and its abusive business policies, I want to say that the 'law givers' that we vote into office have, on average, no experience running business a or meeting payroll. They take advice from people who have no experience running business or making payroll. They are the blind leading the blind. To go a step further, most elected people in congress have never had a job where they had to balance a budget and that most voters have never had those experiences either. Most voters have a hard time balancing their check books and their family budgets so its hard for them to understand the importance of this experience with the people they vote for. With this being said, we have to find a way to vet our future candidates better with a careful eye on experience. What we are doing cannot continue.
Attached is yet another important article from the Red State web site. (Get on their
e-mail list you will like the reading.)
Friends --
There are few organizations that I give an unqualified endorsement to and wholly support in their efforts to further the conservative revolution in this country. American Majority is one of those organizations.
With campaign season over, it is time to get ready for the next steps in the revolution. Giving to American Majority is one of those steps. It has the added benefit, at the end of the year, of being a 501(c)(3) so your contribution is tax deductible.
You'll make no better investment in our fight for freedom. American Majority's results speak for themselves.
Since January of 2009, American Majority's work was phenomenal. In that period of time, it:
Trained 12, 774 activists on how to hardwire precincts, build coalitions, be effective online, and work for greater transparency and accountability in our government;
Trained 1,099 candidates on how to run for office and win politically so that the new leaders can implement policies that reflect free enterprise, limited government and fiscal responsibility; Conducted 395 trainings in 40 states.
Simply put, American Majority is building a farm team for our movement and so far, the results have been nothing short of remarkable.
In Minnesota, 94 of 100 American Majority alumni won their primaries.
In Arkansas, 74 of the 78 alumni who ran won their primaries.
In Oklahoma, 45 of 79 alumni who ran won in their primaries.
In Kansas, 44 of 59 alumni won their primaries.
38 of the 65 AM Texas alumni running for office won their primaries.
We're talking school board all the way up to federal office. In the general election, the results were much the same, with 56 of the 74 candidates winning in November, 30 of the 44 in Kansas, and dozens winning in Minnesota.
It is because of American Majority's proven results in recruiting and training candidates and activists that I have agreed to lend my support to it and their recently launched New Leaders Project. Working with local tea party, 9.12 and other conservative groups, American Majority plans to have 1,000 local groups identify 10 new leaders to run for anything from school board to Congress in 2011 and 2012; this project will not only impact elections in the immediate future, but for years to come.
American Majority
We can longer look at the Tea Party movement simply as a group of voters with a cause. That will not get us to where we need to go. We must seek out, educate, train, and elect people with similar values, beliefs, and principles at every level of government. Waiting for a white knight to come to the rescue or continuing to vote for the lesser of two evils are failed alternatives. American Majority has laid out a simple and direct plan of action.
In closing let me thank all of you who have sent 'comments' on these last few articles from http://theoxfordteaparty.blog.com You encouragement and support is important…
If you would include your e-mail address with your comments I can put you on the mailing list and you can also see what else we are up to…Frankly, I don't always remember to post to the various Tea sites. I'm sure it age. However, the best way for Tea Party blogs or groups to be effective is for everyone to have a say and voice their ideas. Comments are a one good way of getting this done. Example of this is if I have a dollar and you have a dollar and I give you my dollar and you give me your dollars we each end up with a dollar. However, if I give you an idea and you give me an idea we both end up with two ideas and each of us end up richer.
Only 698 days, 23 hours, and 24 minutes till the 2012 elections. Really, that is not much time…
We must continue to substitute action for hope…..(while never giving up hope)
Ron
Docnick37@gmail.com
http://theoxfordteaparty.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Eye Ball to Eye Ball
It is time to play hard ball.
Finally we are beginning to see local Tea Parties directing their attention to their local governments.
About as close as you can get to 'the home fire' is city and county government. At this rung of-the-ladder is where many of us grew up, went to school, had kids, etc. During those yesteryears little was expected of local government officials. They were known... Their family were known… Often they went to school with us… Local election victories were often based on how many friend you have…Elections loses often had to do with how many enemies you had…not much more. Few candidates had any experience running anything certainly not a micro government and that was just fine…..Very little was required…Little was wanted.
Shazam …Times changed… Population grew and costs grew... Towns and counties became complex with ever growing needs, demands, and growing right along with these changes came ever growing budgets. With this complexity our elected neighbors' short comings and lack of experience became blatant. All said, their names were still all that was on the ballots.
For years local taxes have gone up without any positive outcome. Our schools seem to be failing in their mission yet continuing to say it is because of lack of money…More money is allocated and they continue to fail… The schools financial demands (which this year accounts for two thirds of our personal property tax bill) along with ever greater expanding city, county, and state workers with their consistent financial demands along with social programs account for the largest budget increases. This has been such an going practice that it has become expected and the voters just roll over. Election cycle after election cycle.
Getting control over the majority of federal elected people will not accomplish our goals as the Tea Party…There is a old political adage, "All politics are local." Look around and see if this adage still holds today? If you local government isn't functioning well our districts won't function well and the state won't function well…Everything needs to start at home. This past election there was such a desperate need we had to look at the federal people first and we did. We have some breathing room the next federal election cycle which won't get in high gear for about a year….
What to do and where to start?
The article below, we send along without comment. The ideas that different Tea groups are coming up with are all good ideas but what we believe is the most important in the article is that Tea group are organizing. Without the underlying organization structure there really will never be real strength as a group or within the groups. We want to suggest, once again, we in Mississippi need to pull all our Tea groups together for some meetings. We think there has been and may well continue to be some who think if the groups get together there will be a pull to act like or be seen as a third party movement. That would not be a good thing… The down side is if we don't, it will be more difficult to work on local, city and state, government issues and the elected officials.
Twenty twelve will be harder than twenty ten. The Dems won't be in denial. The planning has started.(Rumor has it that Axelroad will be leaving the White house staff to head up Obama's run for president in 2012. So don't doubt they are getting their gears in motion.) We to must get our gears in motion and organize on a broader base.
Below are a couple of articles on some things Tea Parties are doing on their home fronts in different parts of the country.
HAMILTON, Ga.—
The Harris County Tea Party near the Alabama border campaigned far and wide in this month's midterm elections. Donations were mailed to tea-party candidates in Nevada and Alaska. There were multiple overnight bus trips to rallies in Washington, D.C.
The next stop, however, is closer to home: the local school board.
"Don't get me wrong, we're still going to engage in Washington, but now we're going after what is here locally. Our focus is turning to our community," said Kathy Ropte, the group's founder, over coffee at a Blimpie sub shop, a popular local tea-party meeting spot off the town square. Aware that education consumes a big chunk of local property taxes, group members are combing through the salaries of every county school employee from the superintendent down.
After fighting for several months on the highest level of American politics, the leaders of many local tea-party activist groups now plan to take their agendas of limited government and penny pinching to their hometown governments.
Most say they'll stay involved in watching Congress, and dozens attended a recent Washington summit organized by national umbrella group Tea Party Patriots for newly elected members of Congress. But the local leaders say that to truly stem spending, they also must stage what Steven Vernon, vice president of the Tea Party Manatee on Florida's Gulf Coast, calls "a ground-level attack."
"We have to start at the lowest level and take our country back," Mr. Vernon said.
It's also more convenient for tea-party activists—typically volunteers with separate full-time jobs–to be local gadflies than national ones. "We can't go to every congressional hearing in D.C. but we can go to every school-board meeting in Manatee County," said Mr. Vernon, a technology-contracts negotiator.
Meanwhile, many recession-weary local officials are gearing up for a potential clash with tea partiers, saying they have already squeezed all they can out of their budgets.
Tea-party groups in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Michigan have recently voiced plans to have members run for local town boards in 2011—a bid to start a farm team of politicians who can move up to higher offices.
912 Patriots
"We hope to field candidates for the congressional race two years from now, but for 2011, our focus has shifted to the school boards," said Lee Ann Burkholder, spokeswoman for the York 912 Patriots, a tea-party-affiliated group in York, Penn.
The 912 Patriots last month drew some 300 people to an area hotel for a meeting by taking out a front-page ad in a local paper, asking: "Why are your property taxes so high? How is your school district spending your hard-earned dollars? You might be surprised."
"A lot of our members are upset that we have to pay for raises and fund pensions for teachers while many people in York County are out of work," Ms. Burkholder said.
Teachers' representatives warn against skimping on pay. "If you don't invest, you're not going to get the best and brightest and that will manifest itself in student performance," said Brian Koppenhaver, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the union that represents York County school employees.
On Election Day, Don and Diana Reimer, co-founders of the Philadelphia Tea Party Patriots, were in Washington, waving signs for Republican Pat Toomey, a fiscal conservative who won the Pennsylvania Senate race.
Now, the Philadelphia Tea Party Patriots plan to launch the "Watchman Project," in which members will be assigned to attend local government meetings, monitor meeting minutes and then report back to the group, Mr. Reimer said. "If there is a particular vote coming up that we support or oppose, we would all show up to hopefully influence what is going on," he said.
Already, tensions are brewing in some municipalities, with local officials saying they need new revenue to maintain public services, while tea-party activists say new taxes aren't an option.
Earlier this month in Troy, Mich., tea-party activists delivered a petition to city hall, seeking to force officials to keep the Troy Public Library open without a new tax. "We really are embroiled in a big controversy here in Troy," said Janice Daniels, co-founder of the Troy Area Tea Party. Local voters narrowly shot down a proposal for a library tax on the Nov. 2 ballot. Now, the library is scheduled to close in June.
Everything we do, from cooking dinner, to planting a garden, to sending our kids to college has an anticipated outcome. We buy the food, we hoe the garden weeds, and we prepare our kids and save for the cost of their college fees. If we burn the dinner, don't hoe the weeds, we suffer the loss. We learn from those mistakes and don't repeat them because it's our money and their future that’s on the line. This issue of loss and personal money is never the issue with elected officials at any level of government. If they fail they simply want more money to continue to do more of the same thing. They do not learn from their mistakes and there is no economic reason why they should. As well intended as some of them may be they need to be replaced.
How to replace them it is the sixty four dollar question and don't you wish it was only sixty four dollars at stake.
Ron
Docnick37@gmail.com
http://theoxfordteaparty.blogspot.com/
Finally we are beginning to see local Tea Parties directing their attention to their local governments.
About as close as you can get to 'the home fire' is city and county government. At this rung of-the-ladder is where many of us grew up, went to school, had kids, etc. During those yesteryears little was expected of local government officials. They were known... Their family were known… Often they went to school with us… Local election victories were often based on how many friend you have…Elections loses often had to do with how many enemies you had…not much more. Few candidates had any experience running anything certainly not a micro government and that was just fine…..Very little was required…Little was wanted.
Shazam …Times changed… Population grew and costs grew... Towns and counties became complex with ever growing needs, demands, and growing right along with these changes came ever growing budgets. With this complexity our elected neighbors' short comings and lack of experience became blatant. All said, their names were still all that was on the ballots.
For years local taxes have gone up without any positive outcome. Our schools seem to be failing in their mission yet continuing to say it is because of lack of money…More money is allocated and they continue to fail… The schools financial demands (which this year accounts for two thirds of our personal property tax bill) along with ever greater expanding city, county, and state workers with their consistent financial demands along with social programs account for the largest budget increases. This has been such an going practice that it has become expected and the voters just roll over. Election cycle after election cycle.
Getting control over the majority of federal elected people will not accomplish our goals as the Tea Party…There is a old political adage, "All politics are local." Look around and see if this adage still holds today? If you local government isn't functioning well our districts won't function well and the state won't function well…Everything needs to start at home. This past election there was such a desperate need we had to look at the federal people first and we did. We have some breathing room the next federal election cycle which won't get in high gear for about a year….
What to do and where to start?
The article below, we send along without comment. The ideas that different Tea groups are coming up with are all good ideas but what we believe is the most important in the article is that Tea group are organizing. Without the underlying organization structure there really will never be real strength as a group or within the groups. We want to suggest, once again, we in Mississippi need to pull all our Tea groups together for some meetings. We think there has been and may well continue to be some who think if the groups get together there will be a pull to act like or be seen as a third party movement. That would not be a good thing… The down side is if we don't, it will be more difficult to work on local, city and state, government issues and the elected officials.
Twenty twelve will be harder than twenty ten. The Dems won't be in denial. The planning has started.(Rumor has it that Axelroad will be leaving the White house staff to head up Obama's run for president in 2012. So don't doubt they are getting their gears in motion.) We to must get our gears in motion and organize on a broader base.
Below are a couple of articles on some things Tea Parties are doing on their home fronts in different parts of the country.
HAMILTON, Ga.—
The Harris County Tea Party near the Alabama border campaigned far and wide in this month's midterm elections. Donations were mailed to tea-party candidates in Nevada and Alaska. There were multiple overnight bus trips to rallies in Washington, D.C.
The next stop, however, is closer to home: the local school board.
"Don't get me wrong, we're still going to engage in Washington, but now we're going after what is here locally. Our focus is turning to our community," said Kathy Ropte, the group's founder, over coffee at a Blimpie sub shop, a popular local tea-party meeting spot off the town square. Aware that education consumes a big chunk of local property taxes, group members are combing through the salaries of every county school employee from the superintendent down.
After fighting for several months on the highest level of American politics, the leaders of many local tea-party activist groups now plan to take their agendas of limited government and penny pinching to their hometown governments.
Most say they'll stay involved in watching Congress, and dozens attended a recent Washington summit organized by national umbrella group Tea Party Patriots for newly elected members of Congress. But the local leaders say that to truly stem spending, they also must stage what Steven Vernon, vice president of the Tea Party Manatee on Florida's Gulf Coast, calls "a ground-level attack."
"We have to start at the lowest level and take our country back," Mr. Vernon said.
It's also more convenient for tea-party activists—typically volunteers with separate full-time jobs–to be local gadflies than national ones. "We can't go to every congressional hearing in D.C. but we can go to every school-board meeting in Manatee County," said Mr. Vernon, a technology-contracts negotiator.
Meanwhile, many recession-weary local officials are gearing up for a potential clash with tea partiers, saying they have already squeezed all they can out of their budgets.
Tea-party groups in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Michigan have recently voiced plans to have members run for local town boards in 2011—a bid to start a farm team of politicians who can move up to higher offices.
912 Patriots
"We hope to field candidates for the congressional race two years from now, but for 2011, our focus has shifted to the school boards," said Lee Ann Burkholder, spokeswoman for the York 912 Patriots, a tea-party-affiliated group in York, Penn.
The 912 Patriots last month drew some 300 people to an area hotel for a meeting by taking out a front-page ad in a local paper, asking: "Why are your property taxes so high? How is your school district spending your hard-earned dollars? You might be surprised."
"A lot of our members are upset that we have to pay for raises and fund pensions for teachers while many people in York County are out of work," Ms. Burkholder said.
Teachers' representatives warn against skimping on pay. "If you don't invest, you're not going to get the best and brightest and that will manifest itself in student performance," said Brian Koppenhaver, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the union that represents York County school employees.
On Election Day, Don and Diana Reimer, co-founders of the Philadelphia Tea Party Patriots, were in Washington, waving signs for Republican Pat Toomey, a fiscal conservative who won the Pennsylvania Senate race.
Now, the Philadelphia Tea Party Patriots plan to launch the "Watchman Project," in which members will be assigned to attend local government meetings, monitor meeting minutes and then report back to the group, Mr. Reimer said. "If there is a particular vote coming up that we support or oppose, we would all show up to hopefully influence what is going on," he said.
Already, tensions are brewing in some municipalities, with local officials saying they need new revenue to maintain public services, while tea-party activists say new taxes aren't an option.
Earlier this month in Troy, Mich., tea-party activists delivered a petition to city hall, seeking to force officials to keep the Troy Public Library open without a new tax. "We really are embroiled in a big controversy here in Troy," said Janice Daniels, co-founder of the Troy Area Tea Party. Local voters narrowly shot down a proposal for a library tax on the Nov. 2 ballot. Now, the library is scheduled to close in June.
Everything we do, from cooking dinner, to planting a garden, to sending our kids to college has an anticipated outcome. We buy the food, we hoe the garden weeds, and we prepare our kids and save for the cost of their college fees. If we burn the dinner, don't hoe the weeds, we suffer the loss. We learn from those mistakes and don't repeat them because it's our money and their future that’s on the line. This issue of loss and personal money is never the issue with elected officials at any level of government. If they fail they simply want more money to continue to do more of the same thing. They do not learn from their mistakes and there is no economic reason why they should. As well intended as some of them may be they need to be replaced.
How to replace them it is the sixty four dollar question and don't you wish it was only sixty four dollars at stake.
Ron
Docnick37@gmail.com
http://theoxfordteaparty.blogspot.com/
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