"These are ordinary people doing extraordinary things. And every generation has done that, from the founding of this country." -- Antonio Hinton, Knoxville Tea Party.
Monday, October 4, 2010
The Tea Party: Brewing Up A Movement
This 12-minute documentary was made by the "Knoxville News Sentinel".
Action Alert: Help out SFTP this month
The South Florida Tea Party needs help in October walking neighborhoods and calling voters in Palm Beach County.
E-mail Pam Fincham if you are willing to walk neighborhoods and hand out information or make calls from home or a central location. Please include your name, telephone number, town and zip code.
Don't just stop there. Take it a step farther and start your own mini-Tea Party group. We'll set you up with:
- Support to get your group started.
- A website and access to technology to promote your group.
- Access to our departments, such as research and operations.
- Special action alert items.
- One-on-one training and support for as long as you have your group.
We've also got positions open for a media buyer, database SQL programmers, graphic designers and a Dade County executive director and special project leader. The last position requires a signifiant amount of time and dedicated leadership.
Finally, we're looking for office space and items as well as volunteers who speak Yiddish and Spanish and volunteers to perform office work and database entry.
We can use your help, even if it's only five minutes. For more information, call (561) 247-5264, or e-mail volunteer@southfloridateaparty.org.
Allen West to Obama and Pelosi:
'Welcome to the jungle'
On Oct. 11, President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will come to Florida to campaign against Lieutenant Colonel Allen West, Republican candidate for District 22. Click here to read the story.
"They are afraid, and they are desperate, because they cannot stand a principled person that will fight against them; a principled person who has put their life on the line; a principled person that will leave in each and every one of you the abominable spirit of the American citizen." -- Lieutenant Colonel Allen West about Democrats
Action Alert: Tell Obama
to 'Stop Misdirecting America'
"Their anger is misdirected," President Obama told Rolling Stone on Sept. 28 when speaking about Dick Armey, FreedomWorks and the Tea Party movement.
FreedomWorks responded by saying Obama is the one leading the country in the wrong direction.
"He's misdirecting our economy toward joblessness and poverty. He's misdirecting our people toward servitude and tyranny. He's misdirecting our nation toward weakness and mediocrity," Matt Kibbe, president and CEO of FreedomWorks, said in a recent e-mail blast.
Kibbe pointed to five areas of Obama's misdirection:
- Generation-robbing deficits and debt.
- Crippling new cap-and-trade taxes on energy, hikes in the personal tax income, and a host of other redistributionist tax schemes.
- Government takeovers of the health care system.
- Bailouts of irresponsible and rightfully failing banks, businesses and labor unions.
- Foolish economic theories that have deepened the recession and sent unemployment rates skyrocketing.
FreedomWorks has taken one more step in response to Obama's comment by launching an online petition aimed at telling Obama to "Stop Misdirecting America." Sign your name, and add a comment if you'd like.
Whitman scandal: 'Smoking gun' or dirty politics?
I love Greta van Susteren -- one smart cookie. Here she goes telling off attorney Gloria Allred, pointing out that Allred got her client, Nicky Diaz Santillan -- the apparently illegal immigrant who worked as a housekeeper for Republican Meg Whitman, candidate for California governor -- deported because she admitted she is here illegally.
"Gloria, this is delusional!"
This raises an interesting question: What rights do illegal immigrants have as far as lawsuits and reparations?
Assessing the TARP on the eve of its expiration
From the Congressional Oversight Panel on Sept. 16:
The Congressional Oversight Panel's September oversight report, "Assessing the TARP on the Eve of Its Expiration," found that, although the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) provided critical support to the financial markets at a time when market confidence was in freefall, the program has been far less effective in meeting its other statutory goals, such as supporting home values, retirement savings, and economic growth.Under its original authorization, the TARP would have expired at the end of 2009. Late last year, however, the Secretary of the Treasury exercised his legal authority to extend the program until October 3, 2010, the latest date authorized by statute. This month, in anticipation of the final expiration of the TARP's most significant authorities, the Panel explored the program's overall effectiveness.Although the TARP quelled the financial panic in the fall of 2008, severe economic weaknesses remain even today. Since the TARP was authorized in October of 2008, 7.1 million homeowners have received foreclosure notices. Since their pre-crisis peaks, home values have dropped 28 percent, and stock indices -- which indicate the health of many Americans' most significant investments for college and retirement -- have fallen 30 percent. Given that Treasury was mandated by law to use the TARP to address these measures of the economy, their lingering weakness is cause for concern.
Click here to read the report.
An important message from Uncle Sam
The most important think you can do ...
That about sums it up in 27 seconds.
Florida case puts focus on issue
of absentee ballot fraud
From Ed Barnes of FoxNews.com on Oct. 2:
When police raided Daytona Beach City Commissioner Derrick Henry's office this week and seized his computer, they say they discovered evidence of what election experts say has become a rampant, largely ignored and troubling issue in Florida — the widespread abuse of absentee ballots.Police say Henry's computer was used to obtain dozens of absentee ballots prior to the city's Aug. 24 elections, in which he was re-elected.The Daytona Beach probe started when an elections supervisor noticed that as many as 90 absentee ballots had been requested from two e-mail addresses, and that they came from a single computer. (It is illegal in Florida for anyone other than a family member to help in requesting an absentee ballot.)Volusia County Election Supervisor Ann McFall said she grew suspicious “because 40 requests arrived in one batch on the night of Aug. 6, and another 15 the next day.“The absentee ballots had no phone numbers on them, and my first concern was to get them in compliance. I emailed the sender and when I got no response checked with the Daytona Beach clerk, because all the requests were from Zone 5 and he didn’t recognize the address. Then I handed it over to the sheriff’s office,” she said.Police tracked the computer to the office of Henry, the city commissioner from Zone 5, who was running for re-election -- and who easily defeated his two opponents with 65 per cent of the vote.McFall declined to talk further about the investigation, except to say that it was active. Phone calls to Henry were not returned. If he were to be charged with election fraud, a felony, he could get five years in prison for each fraudulent absentee ballot he requested.Voting experts say the case could be the tip of the iceberg. Absentee ballots, they say, are the Achilles heel of the electoral system, and nowhere more than in Florida, which has a long history of absentee ballot fraud.Here's the kicker: "According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, fraudulent absentee ballots have sparked investigations in virtually every election cycle in the past 20 years."
'One Nation' crowd didn't exactly leave
the mall (or World Ward II memorial) spotless
Early voting locations in Palm Beach County
Early voting for the Nov. 2 general elections runs from Oct. 18-31.
Click to enlarge.
Government and how government works
This was forwarded to me.
Once upon a time, the government had a vast scrapyard in the middle of a desert. Congress said, "Someone may steal from it at night."So, they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job.Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two people: one person to write the instructions and one person to conduct time studies.Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people: one to do the studies and one to write the reports.Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So they created two positions: a time keeper and a payroll officer, then hired two people.Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an administrative section and hired three people: an administrative officer, an assistant administrative officer and a legal secretary.Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one year, and we are $918,000 over budget. We must cut back." So they laid off the night watchman.
Action Alert: Senate Debate Watch Party
Don't be alone while watching Republican Marco Rubio's debate with Democrat Kendrick Meek on Oct. 6. Attend the Senate Debate Watch Party at the West Palm Beach GOP Action Center.
Arrive at 6:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. debate, and enjoy pizza and beverages sponsored by the campaign team of Sen. Jeff Atwater, R-Fla. To RSVP, contact Genesse Casanova at (305) 479-8719.
What: Senate Debate Watch Party.
When: Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: West Palm Beach GOP Action Center, Regions Financial Tower, 1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 650, West Palm Beach.
For more information: Contact Genesse Casanova at (305) 479-8719.
A visit from Obama
This was forwarded to me.
'Twas the night before elections
And all through the town,
Tempers were flaring,
Emotions all up and down.
I, in my bathrobe
With a cat in my lap
Had cut off the TV,
tired of political clap-trap.
When all of a sudden,
There arose such a noise.
I peered out my window,
Saw Obama and his boys
They had come for my wallet.
They wanted my pay
To give to the others
Who had not worked a day!
He snatched up my money
And, quick as a wink,
Jumped back on his bandwagon
As I gagged from the stink.
He then rallied his henchmen,
Who were pulling his cart.
I could tell they were out
To tear my country apart!
"On Fannie, on Freddie,
On Biden and Ayers!
On Acorn, On Pelosi!"
He screamed at the pairs!
They took off for his cause
And as they flew out of sight.
I heard him laugh at the nation
Who wouldn't stand up and fight!
So I leave you to think
On this one final note —
IF YOU DON'T WANT SOCIALISM,
GET OUT AND VOTE!
GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR ONLY HOPE!
Comparison photos of Aug. 28, Oct. 2 rallies
On Aug. 28, Glenn Beck held a Restoring Honor Rally in Washington, D.C. to honor American heroes, heritage and future.
On Oct. 2, One Nation Working Together also held a rally in Washington, D.C., to bring attention to job creation, education and justice for all.
Crowd counts are hard to guess, and different media outlets will report different numbers. But photographs are hard to dispute.
New coalition wants companies to pledge
not to use corporate dollars on political campaigns
From Dan Eggen of The Washington Post on Oct. 4:
Several prominent Democratic politicians plan to announce a new coalition Monday aimed at pressuring major companies to foreswear using corporate money on political campaigns.The Coalition for Acountability in Political Spending, spearheaded by New York City PUblic Advocate Bill de Blasio (D), aims to secure promises from major corporations to fully disclose any political spending and, ideally, to avoid spending corporate money directly on elections.The effort marks the latest response to the Supreme Court's landmark ruling early this year in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which allows corporations, unions and nonprofit groups to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections. The ruling has helped fuel a record year for spending by outside interest groups, mostly in favor of Republicans, records show.The new coalition springs out of a successful effort by de Blasio, who serves as a trustee for New York City's largest pension fund, to convince Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley to adopt policies against spending money from their general treasuries in elections. The firms will still run their own political-action committees, which are operated independently, officials said.De Blasio said in an interview that the national effort was necessary because of the failure of Congress to agree to new disclosure requirements for corporations."The efforts to respond to Citizens United on the federal level haven't worked, so it's time for states and localities to step up," di Blasio said. "We have to encourage transparency and discourage bad corporate behavior."
Obama likely to scale back legislation plans
From Jonathan Weisman of The Wall Street Journal on Oct. 4:
President Barack Obama, facing at best narrower Democratic majorities in Congress next year, is likely to break up his remaining legislative priorities into smaller bites in hope of securing at least some piecemeal proposals on energy, climate change, immigration and terrorism policy, White House officials say.In a series of recent campaign appearances, Mr. Obama has talked up the stakes in the November election as he seeks to energize supporters and retain Democratic control of Congress. At the same time, White House officials have begun revamping their legislative strategies.They are talking about a new, more incremental approach, championed by former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, to fulfilling campaign promises on energy, immigration and on closing the military prison at Guantanamo Bay. The new White House chief of staff, Pete Rouse, is far more steeped than Mr. Emanuel in the culture of the Senate, where comprehensive approaches to some of these issues have fared poorly. White House officials hope Mr. Rouse's expertise will help navigate smaller measures through the chamber."We weren't able to do a lot of those other things even with this Congress. That obviously calls for a new approach," one White House official said.Mr. Obama, looking ahead to the 2012 presidential campaign, has told people he is determined to make good on his 2008 campaign promises. And with the departure of Mr. Emanuel—who came to be mistrusted by the left—the president has a better chance to repair relations with the party's liberal base on issues such as Guantanamo even as he reaches out to Republicans on the deficit.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Voter guide for Florida's 2010 ballot proposals
Looking for a conservative opinion on Florida's proposed state amendments? The James Madison Institute has released a voter guide to help you out. The guide explains each amendment's sponsor and background, provides an analysis and weighs the pros and cons. Click here to read it online or here for a PDF version.
Scott's running mate: We'll foster
jobs, limited government
By Dan Well of Newsmax on Oct. 1:
Jennifer Carroll, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in Florida, says she and gubernatorial running mate Rick Scott are elected will limit the role of government and slash the Sunshine State’s 11.6 percent unemployment rate.Scott and Carroll have a seven-step plan to create 700,000 jobs in seven years, Carroll, a state representative and retired Navy lieutenant commander, told Newsmax.TV. She’s also the first black Republican woman to run on the state ticket.“We recognize that current [economic] conditions aren’t sustainable,” Carroll said. “We need to implement things from the private sector that are proven to work and then merge that with government.”Read more, plus watch Newsmax's interview with Carroll.
Fiscal report card on the governors
From Chris Edwards of the Cato Institute on Sept. 30:
We released Cato's report card on the fiscal policies of the governors today. We calculated data on the taxing and spending habits of 45 of the nation’s 50 governors, between 2008 to August 2010.
The governors are scored from 0 to 100 on seven separate taxing and spending variables. The scores are aggregated and converted to letter grades, A to F.
Four governors earned an “A” this year: Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Mark Sanford of South Carolina, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. You can read the report to find out what these governors did right from our limited-government point of view.
As it turns out, the residents of these four states seem to like the fiscal stance of their winning governors, who favor tax cuts and spending restraint.
Pawlenty has a 52 percent approval rating in quite a liberal state.
Jindal has a 74 percent approval rating.
Manchin has a 69 percent approval rating.
Sanford has a 55 percent approval rating, despite the troubles in his personal life.
Governors shouldn’t just focus on being popular in a superficial sense. These polls tell us that governors who focus on cutting taxes and spending in an honest and intelligent way will be supported by the people.
Charlie Crist, I-Fla., received a 49 percent approval rating, earning him a grade of a D, "mainly because of a large tax increase he supported in 2009," the report says. Cato rated him an A in 2008 mostly because he supported large property tax cuts. Here's Cato's summary of Crist:
In the 2008 Cato report card, Governor Crist received an “A” based on his support of property tax cuts and spending restraint. But since then, the governor has switched fiscal gears and supported large tax increases on Floridians. Crist signed into law a $2.2 billion increase in 2009, which included a $1 per pack increase on cigarette consumers and more than $1 billion in new “fees” for vehicle licenses, fishing licenses, and other items. Then, exhibiting amnesia, Crist declared in his 2010 State of the State address: “My core principle is to not raise taxes.”
Crist continues to support property tax relief, but it is not clear that such relief would lead to lower taxes overall. A proposed “tax swap” in 2008 would have reduced local property taxes but increased state-level taxes by perhaps a greater amount. This report does not consider Governor Crist’s troubling fiscal actions with regard to the state’s property insurance system. The actions of the governor have helped create a system that keeps insurance rates far below the market level, causing an exodus of private insurers, and leaving a government agency—the Florida Citizens Property Insurance Corporation—as the largest homeowners’ insurer in the state. Crist has also helped expand a massively underfunded government hurricane reinsurance fund, the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund.
Following a major hurricane or series of hurricanes, claims to the fund could be tens of billions of dollars more than available assets, and taxpayers would probably have to foot a huge bailout bill. Crist has repeatedly opposed bills that would improve the actuarial soundness of the state’s insurance system.
Congress must act to prevent the Obama tax increases
From LibertyCentral.org:
Unless Congress acts in the coming weeks, every taxpayer will see tax increases starting on January 1, 2011.Income taxes will rise for all earners. The marriage penalty will be re-instated. Child tax credits will be cut in half. The death tax will go from zero to as high as 55%. Taxes on investments will increase. Some exemptions and deductions will be eliminated. And the Alternative Minimum Tax will hit 15 million people.Unless Congress acts, taxes will increase by $200 billion next year alone - and $3.8 trillion in the next 10 years. Small businesses will be hit particularly hard, as small business owners will pay more than half of the taxes raised by increasing the top rates. Job creation is bound to suffer as individuals and businesses find their finances badly hurt by more taxation.Congress needs to act now to hold the line on all tax increases. Economic recovery and job creation are more important.
Click here to sign the "Congress Must Act to Prevent the Obama Tax Increases" petition.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
