Post Election Reactions, Part 1

D o w n s i z e r - D i s p a t c h November 4th, 2008

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Quote of the Day: "Under democracy, one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right." Source: "Minority Report" (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997 [1956]), p. 222

Subject: A state of permanent preparedness for impeachment

It's Election Day. What should we say about it? We're tempted to declare it a day of mourning, but instead, we're going to argue that today is the day to adopt a state of permanent preparedness for impeachment.

As of yet, neither a Democrat nor a Republican has been elected President. That outcome will be revealed later today. But before that happens, we should commit ourselves to closely monitor the actions of the new President, and to be ready to call for his impeachment, should that become warranted.

We should be prepared to do this regardless of partisan loyalties.

What warrants impeachment? Different people will have different standards. We plan to maintain a running "bill of impeachment," listing broken laws, Constitutional violations, and abuses of power. It will be up to you to agree or disagree with the items we choose to list, and to decide whether or not any one item or group of items justifies impeachment.

It's possible, given your level of sensitivity, that the new President could do something on his first day that would immediately warrant impeachment in your eyes, or that he will never do enough bad things to justify such an action.

The call will be yours.

Some people reasonably object that impeachment is too vulnerable to partisan ax grinding. There are also many things for which a president could be impeached of which the impeachers themselves will be guilty. It is precisely these concerns that prevented us from advocating the impeachment of President Bush. But . . .

We have come to believe, after long consideration, that this was a mistake on our part. President Bush should have been impeached. In our view, he richly deserved it, as have many previous presidents, both Democrat and Republican.

The Founders provided impeachment as one of many checks on government power. In doing so they were painfully aware of the dangers of faction, or what we call partisanship. They must also have known that no president would ever be impeached by a saintly Congress. But they provided for the impeachment power anyway. We think we know why . . .

Unchecked government power is so toxic that it must be limited by every means available. Impeachment is one tool for doing so, even when it is tainted by partisanship and hypocrisy.

Which is better, to allow a president to run wild, or to check his criminality through impeachment, even if the impeachers are hypocrites with partisan motives? We would choose the latter outcome.

But there is one other factor to consider. The mere threat of impeachment could itself regulate presidential actions, long before formal impeachment proceedings became necessary. This is especially true if the President and Congress begin hearing a growing cry for impeachment from a large number of citizens.

Calling for impeachment, when each of us feels it is justified, could serve as a powerful warning to both the President and Congress.

As of today, there is no "bill of indictment" for an impeachment proceeding. No such list can even be compiled for the new president until after January 20, 2009. But what we can do today is warn Congress that we intend to be vigilant this time. Toward that end . . .

We've created a permanent impeachment campaign, where we will list, if necessary, any potentially impeachable offenses by the incoming president. In the meantime, the message-to-Congress for this campaign reads as follows . . .

"I'm serving notice that I'll be watching the actions of the incoming president very closely. Should he break laws, violate the Constitution, or abuse his power, I'll be urging you, early and often, to start impeachment proceedings."

If you like the idea of maintaining a "permanent state of impeachment preparedness" then use our Educate the Powerful System to send this message to Congress.

If you feel that President Bush should have been impeached, then you could, if you wish, use your personal comments to state this opinion, and any supporting justifications you care to mention.

This is the most appropriate action we can suggest on Election Day.

Thank you for being a member of the growing Downsize DC army.

Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

My comments: Sounds like a good idea, but I don't think we'll be needing this provision in the next 4 years. I really hope I'm right.

The Heritage Foundation November 5th 2008

Dear Christopher,

We conservatives have our work cut out for us to hold back the liberal tide, and The Heritage Foundation is prepared to fight back.

Liberals have expanded their control of the Congress, and they have won control of the White House too.

The Left is sure to claim a mandate to impose its radical agenda on America—from the economy to energy to the war on terror, from the Supreme Court to taxes, health care and education.

If we are to fight back against the liberal onslaught, we need your support today. Our goal is to raise $80,000 towards this effort by November 15.

Help Heritage fight to defend conservative principles and advance conservative ideas with your gift today.

Triumphant liberals have already spelled out their plans:

• On the campaign trail, liberals called for tax increases, massive new government health care programs, drastic new environmental controls and more.
  
• Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts said, “we'll have to raise taxes ultimately” as a result of liberal spending increases. He also wants to cut defense spending by a quarter.
  
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she supports re-imposing the Fairness Doctrine—an onerous regulation that could silence conservatives on talk radio.
  
• Liberals of all stripes have pledged to enact the Employee Free Choice Act, a handout to big labor that eliminates the secret ballot in unionization elections.

The Heritage Foundation is ready to stand up to this challenge. We will not stray from our mission to fight for the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.

We are ready to fight back against the liberals and advance our conservative principles. We will build on our 35-year record of success—from welfare reform to missile defense to tax cuts—and help get America back on track.

But we need your help if we are to raise $80,000 by November 15 to make this possible. Will you stand with us?

Make a contribution to help Heritage counter the liberal threat.

In Washington, there are no permanent victories and no permanent defeats. We must remain firmly committed to our principles in both good times and in bad. That’s why your help is so important.

Now more than ever, we are grateful for your support for our conservative principles and ideals. Without the support of conservatives like you, none of what we do would be possible.

Sincerely,

Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D.
President

My comments: Honestly, I won't be donating, and not even for lack of money. If I donate any money to a political cause in the next 4 years, it'll probably be to DownsizeDC.

MoveOn.Org November 5th, 2008

Dear Christopher,

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Last night, together, we made history.

In the sun and the rain, from Virginia to Nevada, from New York to New Mexico, you knocked on doors, made phone calls and registered people who'd never voted in their lives. And you helped elect President Barack Obama.

So once again—thank you. Thank you for bringing our country back.

Tomorrow, we'll start on the next phase of this journey. But today, let's celebrate this moment. We've created a "Hope Wall"—a place where you can see what this victory means to other MoveOn members, and share your own thoughts and photos. Take a second right now to share your joy with the rest of us!

Here's one comment that pretty much sums it up:

I am so proud to be an American.—Edna B., Boynton Beach, Florida

Remember back in 2001 and 2002, when so many of you joined MoveOn? When President Bush had an 80% approval rating, when you held candles to stop a war the media was cheering on, when there were few politicians with the courage to stand up for the truth? Back then, a victory like this seemed impossible.

But yesterday you proved that nothing is impossible. If we stand up together and if we fight together and if we believe together, we can change the course of history.

Today, a new day has dawned in America.

Thank you for making it happen.

–Eli, Aaron, Adam G., Adam R., Aisling, Andrea, Anna, Ben, Carrie, Daniel, Dave, Erik, Ilyse, Joan, Justin, Karin, Laura, Lenore, Marika, Matt, Michael, Neil, Nick, Nita, Noah, Patrick, Patrick S., Perrin, Peter, Randall, Ray, Sam, Stephen, Tanya, and Wes

P.S. MoveOn members did a truly heroic amount of work on this campaign. Check out what you accomplished at www.moveon.org. It's amazing.

P.P.S. If the links above don't come through, click here for the Hope Wall:

http://pol.moveon.org/obama/hopeforum/?id=15059-10294791-IesoOXx&t=7

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 4.2 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

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PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to Christopher D. Osborn on November 5, 2008.

My comments: Uhh... you're welcome! ... ? Again, I actually voted for Bob Barr and would probably NEVER donate or volunteer for MoveOn.org. That said, I am glad of their victory in helping to elect Barack H. Obama.

D o w n s i z e r - D i s p a t c h November 6th, 2008

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Quote of the Day: "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." -- William Shakespeare

Subject: Not your usual post-election commentary

The media describes every election as historic, the most important in a generation, etc. When the voting is done they tell us a new era has dawned, that things will change, that nothing will ever be the same, blah, blah, blah.

One aspect of these claims is true, this time. It is both historic and meaningful that the United States has elected its first African-American president. We applaud and celebrate this. We think the significance of this event transcends mere symbolism. Otherwise, the election was what all other elections have been . . .

" . . . a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

Can we support this harsh assessment? Consider . . .

The election thoroughly repudiated the Republican Party. They lost the White House in a landslide, and got clobbered in Congressional races. We might assume from this, if elections really produced change, that many Republican policies of the last eight years will be reversed. We predict that almost none of them will be.

The Republicans were responsible for . . .

* Enacting the largest new entitlement in decades -- the prescription drug program
* Passing social engineering schemes like "No Child Left Behind"
* Starting an un-provoked war
* Gutting constitutional liberties
* Running-up vast deficits

Will the Democrats reverse any of these actions? Sadly, we think the answer is "No." What, then, was the point of the election?

Was it merely to punish the Republicans while leaving their sins uncorrected? Was the purpose to give the Democrats permission to pursue all of their own pet projects for social engineering, and to spend, spend, spend to their hearts content?

Undoubtedly this last item is the message Democratic politicians will claim they heard. After all, they received a mandate, and if the mandate was not to pursue their dreams then the word has no meaning.

Of course, some voters can say, "Don't blame me, I voted Libertarian . . . or for the Constitution Party . . . or the Greens." Didn't these voters, at least, send a clear message about what they want?

We think not.

What does the average person assume when he or she sees third party candidates listed in his newspaper with tiny vote percentages next to their names? We think he or she assumes that . . .

"Those are fringe candidates with fringe ideas that no one supports. Therefore, I need not consider what they have to say."

The system is rigged against third parties. This guarantees low vote totals for those parties. It also guarantees that the ideas those parties represent will always be viewed as marginal.

Third parties don't promote ideas, they marginalize them!

Oh yes, we know all about the exceptions, like the Socialists and the Progressives, both of whom had ideas adopted by the major parties. But please notice, those ideas made the politicians, and even tax-funded intellectuals in the school system, MORE POWERFUL. That's the real reason those ideas were adopted; it wasn't because the Socialists and the Progressives managed to score a few points on Election Day.

So what does voting for partisan candidates actually accomplish? What does it communicate? As far as we can tell the answer is nothing, except that . . .

It gives the victims of the con game -- the American people -- an illusion of control. But we have no control -- no say so.

Voting in the partisan electoral contest merely gives sanction to the con-artists who constantly victimize us. That's the role of the voter, to sanction what the politicians do. That's it. It's like Emma Goldman said, "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal."

Is this the way you want things to be?

The ways of the future do not lie in the ways of the past. The ways of the past involved hoping the new boss would be different than the old boss. But many decades have come and gone, and the new boss has always been the same as the old boss. We should abandon the old ways and adopt new ways.

The way to a better future lies in withdrawing our consent and issuing direct orders to our supposed public servants. Votes send confusing signals. But plain talk is rarely misunderstood.

The new way involves building a new social force with the power to make public servants miserable. Withdraw consent. Issue orders. Make the public servant submit.

The politicians are busy right now convincing themselves that the public wants top-down, centralized, Democratic social engineering. Who can disabuse them of this notion? After all, the votes have been cast. The people have spoken.

Only YOU can disabuse the politicians of their self-serving interpretations of inarticulate votes. The Republicans were repudiated. Therefore, the things the Republicans did must also be repudiated. This should be the mandate for the new Congress. Fortunately, we have a vehicle for doing just that . . .

Ron Paul's "American Freedom Agenda Act" would repeal a good chunk of the bad things the Republicans did. Use our Educate the Powerful system to ask your elected representatives to pass this bill.

Use your personal comments to tell your elected representatives that the Republicans were repudiated, therefore the things the Republicans did must also be repudiated.

And stay tuned for new steps in a new direction, starting next week.

Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

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My comments: I don't like their cinicism on voting, but I still like their strategy. It doesn't matter who's in charge, asl long as they know whatWe The People want and that their position in power will be jeapordised if they don't do what We say. Some day I'll have money and be able to support them financially.

September 17th was Constitution Day

I had planned to post something here yesterday, but being in Norge trying to get settled got in the way. I really I wish I had fit this in though, I feel terrible that I ignored the 2nd most important American Holiday just like most of the rest of my country does. To try to make up for it, I'd like to share with you what Downsize D.C. posted on their website.

I hope it is inspires you.

Quote of the Day:

"Americans just want us to... not be concerned if they can be constitutionally justified... Why, if we had to do that we could not pass most of the laws we enact around here."
-- Sen. John Glenn

Subject: The Unknown Holiday

Today is Constitution Day. Few Americans know this. Neither banks nor government offices will be closed. And most of us will go to work today, spending nearly half our time laboring to pay taxes to the various levels of government. In this sense today is no holiday at all. It's merely a designated spot on the calendar during which Americans are to . . .

Do what?

The politicians won't take notice of the day, though we've joined with the Liberty Coalition to encourage McCain and Obama to discuss Constitutional issues on the campaign trail. We won't be holding our breath in expectation that they will do so.

It remains to us, as individuals, to do something meaningful with the day.

We should be mindful of the role the Constitution has played in the success of our own lives. We live the freest and most affluent lives of any people on the planet, or in history. Our Constitution, which is now the oldest governing document in continuous use anywhere, has been crucial to this outcome.

The Constitution gave us a system of government with divided, competing, and explicitly defined powers. It gave us a Bill of Rights with strong limits on government action. The politicians have waged a continuous and largely successful assault on these attributes of our Constitution, but even so, the Constitution has continued to protect us often enough to make it one of the most important, if unappreciated, contributors to our daily lives and personal well-being.

It's easy to forget, overlook, or disparage, the number of times the Supreme Court has declared some act of Congress or the President as un-constitutional. But it has happened often, and has served to preserve our freedom and prosperity. In this we see not only the genius of the separation of powers, but also the continuing efficacy of the Bill of Rights. Without these attributes of our Constitution we would be not only less free, but also more poor.

Likewise, it's easy to under-appreciate the number of times Presidents have vetoed some over-reaching act of Congress, or times when Congress has acted to curtail the power of the Executive. Likewise, the Senate has often blocked actions of the House, and vice versa. And we have also been served when there have been partisan divisions between the Congress and the White House.

The separation of powers works. The Bill of Rights works. The Constitution works.

Look around the world. Wherever governments have less power, and the people more freedom, affluence, security, and peace reign. And wherever governments have more power, and the people less freedom, misery flourishes. And for as long as we have been the most free people in the world, we have also been the most prosperous and secure.

In America, even our poorest citizens live as kings compared to much of the rest of the world, and few of us need fear a policeman's knock on the door in the dead of the night, or that we will disappear into some camp or torture dungeon.

All of this, and more, is primarily a gift of our Constitution, for without it the people would long ago have voted their freedom away, and/or the politicians would have quickly assumed absolute power. A strong case can be made that only the Constitution has prevented these outcomes. So, today . . .

Ask not what the Constitution can do for you, for its gifts have already been conferred upon you in great abundance. Instead, ask what you can do for the Constitution. We would submit that you can, and should, speak up strongly on behalf of the Constitution's preservation. Please remind Congress that . . .

* Today is Constitution Day
* That they swore an oath to serve, protect, and defend the Constitution
* And that you would like to see them take concrete action to honor that oath, on today of all days

You can use your personal comments on two important campaigns to make these points to your elected representatives. First, ask them to pass the "Enumerated Powers Act," which would force Congress to specify their Constitutional authority for every act of legislation. You can send that message here.

Second, ask Congress to repeal previous egregious violations of the Constitution. You can do so by asking your representatives to co-sponsor Congressman Ron Paul's "American Freedom Agenda Act." This bill would . . .

* Repeal the “Military Commissions Act of 2006” and thereby restore the ancient right of habeas corpus and end legally sanctioned torture by U.S. government agents
* Restore the ”Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act” (FISA) and thereby outlaw warrantless spying on American citizens by the President of the United States
* Give Congress standing in court to challenge the President's use of "signing statements" as a means to avoid executing the nation's laws
* Make it illegal for government agents to kidnap people and send them abroad to be tortured by foreign governments
* Provide legal protection to journalists who expose wrong-doing by the Federal government
* Prohibit the use of secret evidence to label groups or individuals as terrorists for the purpose of criminal or civil sanctions

You can send that message here.

Please also support out work to defend the Constitution by making a contribution or starting a monthly pledge. You can do that here.

NOTE: You can remove this funding section if you forward this message to others, or post it on your blog. You can also comment on this message or "Digg it" at our blog.

Thank you for being a part of the growing Downsize DC Army.

Perry Willis
Communications Director
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

Another thing I did to commemorate yesterday's holiday is start the process of getting an absentee ballot. There are loads of partisan websites trying to help, while at the same time trying to get you to vote the way they want you to. Here's a great nonpartisan absentee voters website, The Overseas Vote Foundation.

It's very good technologically too. The first page you get to is very simple, simply having links to four different websites. First there is the main page for all absentee voters, then the Youth Vote page for overseas voters between 18 and 28 years old, then the Military Voter Services page for voters either in the military and their eligible spouses and dependents, and finally theirs the low bandwidth version with reduced graphics and a higher speed for all overseas voters who have a slow internet connection. Basically, that last one is a speedier lighter version of the first one.

For all of you not voting because they don't think it'll matter. Remember, you are not alone. If everyone who isn't voting because they don't think their vote will really matter decided to vote, we would have a very different election.

Happy Constitution Day!

In liberty,
from Bergen, Norge,

Christopher D. Osborn

Federal deficit soaring, here's how you can help.

The Kansas city star has decided to speak up on our lack of leadership in turning around our national debt. I've got some ways you can personally help reduce our national debt, but first, here's the article.

Posted on Tue, Sep. 09, 2008

Federal deficit soaring, but McCain, Obama offer no answers

By DAVID LIGHTMAN AND KEVIN G. HALL
McClatchy Newspapers

Just weeks before the government's fiscal year ends Sept. 30, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday projected a near-record federal budget deficit of $407 billion, sharply higher than White House projections six weeks ago and more than double last year's figure.

Mammoth federal-budget deficits feed inflation, make America dependent on foreign lenders, cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars in interest payments on the growing national debt and drain capital savings from more productive investments.

The widening gap between what the government spends and the revenue it brings in is sure to weigh on the next president and impede his efforts to spend on new or larger programs or to cut taxes.

Yet John McCain and Barack Obama show few signs that they're ready to take tough steps to curb deficits, according to budget analysts.

"I don't think either candidate is treating the deficit, or the debt, seriously. And I don't see any proposals from either one that would make the situation any better," said Robert Bixby, the executive director of the Concord Coalition, a bipartisan budget-watchdog organization.

Maya MacGuineas, the president of the bipartisan Center for a Responsible Federal Budget, said in a statement that both candidates "are promising hundreds of billions more in spending and tax cuts than they are paying for."

Republican nominee McCain has promised to balance the budget by 2013, but most analysts consider that goal elusive unless lawmakers make radical changes in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid funding. McCain has made no such dramatic proposals.

Obama issued a statement Tuesday on the new data, promising that he'd "bring real change by cutting taxes for middle-class families and small businesses, paying for all his proposals to reduce the deficit" and working toward fiscal responsibility. He'd let tax cuts for the wealthiest earners expire and would impose higher taxes on certain corporations.

However, the Brookings Institution-Urban Institute Tax Policy Center has found that Obama's tax-reduction plan would increase the national debt by $3.5 trillion by 2018. McCain wants to leave existing tax cuts in place rather than let them expire, which the center said would add $5 trillion to the debt.

The CBO also offered a dismal forecast Tuesday, projecting a record deficit of $438 billion in the coming year due to the slowing economy, which would reduce tax receipts to the Treasury.

That fiscal 2009 deficit could rise another $83 billion if Congress, as expected, adjusts the alternative minimum tax. The deficit projection also doesn't include the potential costs to taxpayers from last weekend's seizure of mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The CBO had estimated a takeover cost of $25 billion, although financial experts suggest that it could exceed $100 billion.

The CBO's latest estimate for fiscal 2008 is $18 billion higher than the Bush administration's projection six weeks ago. The record is $413 billion in fiscal 2004. Fiscal 2007's deficit was $161 billion.

"The significant expansion in the deficit is the result of a substantial increase in spending and a halt in the growth of tax revenues," the CBO said.

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said that one big reason the deficit went up was the stimulus that President Bush signed into law in February. The CBO said that another large part of the deficit's unexpected growth came from rising unemployment-benefit payments and higher spending to cover insured deposits in insolvent financial institutions.

Another boost to the deficit came from Congress and Bush's appetite for discretionary spending, which is expected to rise by $85 billion, or 8.1 percent, in the current fiscal year, mostly because of higher defense costs.

The CBO projected that economic growth would slow to a 1.5 percent annual rate this calendar year and 1.1 percent next year. Even if the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 expire as scheduled on Jan. 1, 2011, the deficit would be $325 billion the following year.

To bridge the gap between spending and tax revenues, the federal government borrows, increasing the national debt. It's grown from $5.7 trillion in 2000 to almost $9.7 trillion on Tuesday.

Analyst Bixby doubted that either presidential candidate's proposals would make a serious dent in the deficit and debt.

"Even if both of them can pay for their new initiatives and not make the situation any worse, the situation is unsustainable," he said. "Simply treading water is not good enough if you are headed over the falls."

© 2007 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.com

Sounds pretty bad eh? Well, it is, and here's how you can help. The Peter G. Peterson Foundation lists 10 general things you can do now.

1. Become informed about the key issues facing our country and society.
2. Teach children the importance of being financially responsible.
3. Register to vote. Your vote DOES make a difference. If you want the federal government to address the looming fiscal crisis, vote and let your voice be heard.
4. Engage current and prospective elected officials.
5. Vote for candidates who are leaders and responsible stewards for our future.
6. Hold elected officials accountable for acting on key issues and delivering on their promises.
7. Join with other citizens to broaden public knowledge about our fiscal challenges and support civic groups that are working to address them.
8. Establish a personal budget. Identify essential and luxury items and be diligent in cutting back excessive spending on luxury items.
9. Formulate a financial plan, make sacrifices, but stick to it.
10. Become more responsible in decisions to spend and use credit, save for the future and invest savings wisely.

Now, here are some of my own suggestions on specific ways you can do those ten things.

1. Other than reading my blog? Heh, well, personally I like to to read news.google.com and customize it to leave out the junk about celebrities and focus on the more important things.

2. Be frank with them about how much money you earn. Then tell them how much debt you have, how much the rent, mortgage, groceries, and other things cost. Then tell them how hard the work is to earn he money which goes into paying for all these things and how long it takes sometimes to finish paying off a bill. When they're older you can explain to them that the same principles that govern your family economy also govern the economy of different stores they go to, the school they attend, and even the government.

3. To register to vote online, go here: http://www.rockthevote.com/
I know for many of us it seems pointless to vote because we feel the majority in our state will always vote the same way. For instance, in my home state of Massachusetts we will definitely be voting for Barack Obama. However, if you have a different opinion on who should be president, let it be heard! Even if that person doesn't get any electoral college votes from your state, you can still let other elected officials, as well as other citizens, that there are some people in your state who want this other candidate and therefor may hold different values than one might stereotypically think based on the stat electoral college. Also, I think if everyone who didn't vote because they new it wouldn't make a difference did in fact vote, the total number of these people would in face make a big difference.

4. Engaging current and prospective officials is a really good way to get your voice hear, and believe me, you do have a real chance of making a difference this way. I have personally gotten responses twice from writing emails to my senator and representative. Here's a good website giving some good advice on how to go about engage these sorts of folks. http://www.heartsandminds.org/articles/lobby.htm Here's another helpful tool: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

5. Some of my favorites or Ron Paul, John Cunningham, Bob Barr, and Chuck Baldwin. Here's a website full of other similar-minded folks: http://paulcongress.com/Candidates.html

6. One organisation which is leading the effort to make government accountable is the We The People Foundation and their petitions for redress.

7. Well, I've already mentioned the We the People Foundation. Other good places are the Downsize D.C. Foundation, Ron Paul's Campaign For Liberty, The Heritage Foundation, and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. Of these, I find Downsize D.C. the very best, and I think it could be the most effective in getting rid of our national deficit, increasing our freedom, and holding our elected officials more accountable all at once. I love it so much that I'll be dedicating several blogposts to them within this month.

8 and 9. Well, here's one free Christian personal finance book which might be interesting: http://www.scribd.com/doc/835/Managing-Your-Finances
Here's a basic form for you to fill out to set up a budget: http://financialplan.about.com/cs/budgeting/l/blbudget.htm
An About.com article about different helpful computer programs:
http://financialplan.about.com/od/software/tp/MoneySoftware.htm My mother, who also works for the Martha's Vineyard Savings Bank in the accounting department, does her family accounting using Quicken.
Finally, a helpful video: http://www.ehow.com/video_2202023_how-personal-budget.html

10. Using credit wisely (plus tips for people trying to pay off their student loan): http://www.youcandealwithit.com/credit_card_debt/using_credit.shtml
http://alabama.tomorrowsmoney.org/section.cfm/861/863/866
Ways to save money:
http://www.wikihow.com/Save-Money
http://alabama.tomorrowsmoney.org/section.cfm/386
http://www.libertydollar.org/

I hope you find this helpful.

In Liberty,

Christopher D. Osborn
Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, United States of America

NAACP President: Ron Paul Is Not A Racist

Austin NAACP President Nelson Linder, who has known Ron Paul for 20 years, unequivocally dismissed charges that the Congressman was a racist in light of recent smear attempts, and said the reason for him being attacked was that he was a threat to the establishment.

I truly hope that this can be spread around so this rumor of Dr. Paul being a racists can be fully squashed. I don't agree with him 100% on all the issues, but I cannot imagine anyone who believes so strongly in individual liberty could possibly be at all racist. Racism and Libertarianism are completely counter to won another. If you read up on Libertarianism, I'm sure you will agree.

Click here for an article by Ron Paul about racism and the government's role in it.

read more | digg story

"Yet it is the Federal government more than anything else that divides us along race, class, religion, and gender lines.  The Federal government, through its taxes, restrictive regulations, corporate subsidies, racial set-asides, and welfare programs, plays far too large a role in determining who succeeds and who fails in our society." - Rep. Ron Paul, MD, December 24th, 2002

Global Warming, or Global Fraud?

Thanks go to my father, James G. Osborn, for bringing this video to my attention, and finally to yours.

First, some background information. Professor Robert M. Carter is a research professor in the Marine Geophysical Laboratory at James Cook University, Australia, and a founding member of the Australian Environment Foundation. He is considered an experienced marine geologist, environmental scientist, paleontologist, and stratigrapher. Here's his personal website.

Biologist Dr. Jennifer Marohasy is a senior fellow and director of the environment unit at the conservative Australian think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs. Check out her Sourcewatch profile here.

Here it is, thank goodness for YouTube. This is the first of four videos. I won't post the rest, but you can see the others on YouTube itself here in the related videos section. Just to give you a little warning, he's an Australian Scientists, so because of his accent and the terminology he's sometimes hard to understand. However, at least in the first video, I think you'll get it pretty easily. The last video is also pretty easy to understand.



See also: List of scientists opposing global warming consensus.

On a different topic, I also recommend checking out the YouChoose'08 section of YouTube. It's really a great place to check out all the candidates. Within this section, I especially like the CNN/YouTube Debate Section.

Candidates I like the best, in order, are John McCain, Ron Paul, Barack Obama, and Christopher Dodd. In case you don't now John McCain and Ron Paul are Republicans, while Barack Obama and Christopher Dodd are Democrats.

U.S. Delaware Senetor Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr.'s Plan for Iraq

Alright, before I say anything else, let me be clear. This is not an endorsement of Senetor Biden for president in 2008. I don't know enough about the guy to endorse him completely. I like his opposition to the idea that money matters in an election campaign, and I like his plan for Iraq. That is all for now.

I am not a Republican, and definitely not a Democrat. I am a conservative independent and therefore usually admire Republicans more than Democrats, but the case is different here. Sen. Biden is the only one I've heard to not only have a plan, but have one that I like and think could work.

I'll post the main part of his plan here, but also give a link to his website, as well as some other related links.

A Five Point Plan for Iraq

1. Keep Iraq Together Through Federalism and Local Control

• Federalize Iraq in accordance with its constitution by establishing three or more regions - Shiite, Sunni and Kurd -- with a strong but limited central government in Baghdad
• Put the central government in charge of truly common interests: border defense, foreign policy, oil production and revenues
• Form regional and local governments that give Kurds, Sunni and Shiites control over the fabric of their daily lives: security, education, marriage, social services.

2. Secure Support from the Sunnis

• Gain agreement for the federal solution from the Sunni Arabs by guaranteeing them 20 percent of all present and future oil revenues -- an amount roughly proportional to their size -- which would make their region economically viable
• Empower the central government to set national oil policy and distribute the revenues, to attract needed foreign investment and reinforce each community's interest in keeping Iraq intact and protecting the oil infrastructure. Provide for an international oversight group to guarantee a fair distribution of oil revenues.
• Allow former Baath Party members to go back to work and reintegrate Sunnis with no blood on their hands.

3. Enlist Help from the Major Powers and Iraq’s Neighbors

• Initiate a major diplomatic offensive to secure the support of the major powers and Iraq’s neighbors for federalism in Iraq.
• Convene with the U.N. a regional security conference where Iraq's neighbors, including Iran, pledge to support Iraq's power sharing agreement and respect Iraq's borders
• Engage Iraq's neighbors directly to overcome their suspicions and focus their efforts on stabilizing Iraq, not undermining it
• Create a standing Oversight Group, to include the major powers, that would engage Iraq's neighbors and enforce their commitments

4. Responsibly Drawdown US Troops

• Direct U.S. military commanders to develop a plan to withdraw and re-deploy almost all U.S. forces from Iraq by the summer of 2008
• Maintain in or near Iraq a small residual force -- perhaps 20,000 troops -- to strike any concentration of terrorists, help keep Iraq's neighbors honest and train its security forces

5. Increase Reconstruction Assistance and Create a Jobs Program

• Provide more reconstruction assistance, conditioned on the protection of minority and women's rights and the establishment of a jobs program to give Iraqi youth an alternative to the militia and criminal gangs
• Insist that other countries take the lead in funding reconstruction by making good on old commitments and providing new ones -- especially the oil-rich Arab Gulf countries

Plan for Iraq
Biden President '08
Joe Biden wiki
Iraq's President Supports U.S. Senate's Plan to Decentralise Iraq wikinews
Bush apposes Iraq's Partition, reaffirms support of Maliki TOI
Turkey to Invade Iraq?! Fipher.net

P.S. No news on the water situation. Hopefully Lisa will be able to find out something today. God I love that woman. She brings an ecstasy to my life that just cannot be described in English any better than that- ecstasy.