Monthly Archives: February 2009
Video from CPAC 2009: Dr. Ron Paul
Yesterday, I did a live blog of Dr. Paul’s speech to CPAC. Doug at Below The Beltway has video from the speech on his site, and I thank him for alerting me to the video.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Live Blog of Dr. Ron Paul's Speech at CPAC
Dr. Ron Paul is currently speaking to a packed house at CPAC. For those of you who are curious, I am a Ron Paul fan and yes, I came a little late in my support of his philosophies, etc. Here’s some quotes from the live blog of Dr. Paul’s speech:
“I thought we were supposed to get rid of the Department of Education. A Conservative has to willing to stand by and defend the Constitution. A good conservative will start talking about how we should get rid of the Federal Reserve system (AMEN!!) and the rule of law is very important.”
“I would like to remove the 16th Amendment of the Constitution. We need to get back to smaller, limited government and more individual liberty.”
“That financial system has come unglued. Conservatives, as believers in limited government, we need to be aware of the encroachments on liberty. We should be focused on preserving liberty. We have forgotten what our founding fathers have envisioned.”
“We have a foreign policy that was built on fallacies. The Conservatives had a different understanding about foreign policy, and we should not listen to the U.N., W.T.O., and the World Bank. They threaten our sovereignty. You can’t police the world. We received more donations from the military.”
“We need to eliminate the welfare state. The job that we have is to present this case that we are humanitarians, not the liberals. Everything is not for free, and if you care about your fellow man and prosperity, you need to educate those that freedom is an individual liberty, not a right.”
“You cannot have a fiat system. We need to have honest money and that gold and silver should be legal tender. We are closer to a fascist system, where the government has control of our lives and our property.”
“The Freedom of Speech allows you to write controversial things. We need freedom of choice with economic rights. You can’t go to the government begging, pleading and demanding.”
“We, the People Act has been introduced in Congress to protect the sanctity of life. We need to legalize competition and we need to audit the Federal Reserve to see what they’re doing.”
Ron Paul truly represented HOPE for America, and it is a shame that the Republican party did not realize this in 2008.
Property Assessments Likely to Go Up in Fairfax
With the economy on a free fall, there has been a great deal of talk on all three levels of government (Federal, State, and Local) to raise taxes. Their reasoning: make up for a blossoming deficit. A deficit that came with excessive and wasteful spending on programs, etc.
With the recent talk of tax hikes, Fairfax County will most likely raise property taxes, in addition to, cutting jobs and eliminating programs. The property taxes will raise from its current level of $.92 per $100 of the assessed value to $1.05.5 per $100. This would cause property owners to pay $14 more for property taxes in 2010. Along with this, there would be pay freezes and an increase in user and recreational sports fees. Additionally, there would an increase in storm water management.
Right now, we need to look more closely at programs that are not working for the benefit of those in Fairfax County and begin cutting those out before we resort to a tax hikes. Let’s be creative and find a way to solve these fiscal downfalls.
Obama's Budget Exceeds Sense and Sensibility
This morning, President Obama released his budget for 2010 with occasional groans from the already burdened taxpayers across America. For every man, woman and child, $11,333 will be spent on them by the Federal government. Shocking, I know, but wait until you really comprehend the facts.
According to The White House, there is some good news (if you can call it that…good news to some, bad news to others) from the budget. “We have already identified $2 trillion in deficit reductions that will help us cut our deficit in half by the end of my first term.” The downside is that we have accumulated a trillion dollar deficit that will take a long time to close. Well, this is unlikely to occur unless a solid fiscal conservative becomes President or never, if Obama tries to repeal the two term limit.
So, what does Obama’s budget mean to you, the taxpayer? Tax hikes…lots and lots of tax hikes! On people making more than $250,000 a year, they should expect to pay $636 billion over a ten year time frame. It’s even worst for businesses, who will be shelling out close to $353 billion over the same ten year span. [Source] Wow, talk about killing prosperity, as there will be none to rely on.
Here’s a glimpse into what the budget includes:
- Increased TARP funding
- Funding for Universal Health Care
Sense and Sensibility, what the Obama administration lacks and what they so desperately need in the years ahead if they want to succeed.
Here is the link to the actual budget released by The White House.
Big Government is Back!
Of course, this shouldn’t surprise you, but Big Government is back. President Barack Obama will be releasing his budget proposals today at 11 a.m., and the budget is filled with a $634 billion dollar health care plan, more tax hikes to the wealthy (which will not take place until 2010, and more money will be sent to domestic projects, rather than national defense projects.
According to The Politico, this budget would directly tax the wealthy at rates of 33 percent. While this may not seem alarming to many, it could not come at a worst time with the current state of the economy.
Hard on the heels of Obama’s speech to Congress, administration officials began briefing lawmakers Wednesday on their proposals including the healthcare reserve fund: half of which would come from health-related expenses and half by scaling back the value of itemized deductions for wealthier taxpayers.
By itself, the $634 billion won’t be enough to finance the president’s ambitious health plans. But it represents a major commitment upfront, with the administration promised to work with lawmakers to find additional savings as legislation is developed this year.
Obama’s focus on high-end households is consistent with his larger philosophy — both in taxes and spending.
Within the $2 trillion in savings, for example, the budget is expected to limit agriculture subsidies to farms earning more than $500,000, resulting in an estimated saving near $16 billion. Large charitable deductions—used to shelter income—would face new limits, and Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy would expire after 2010.
The new healthcare reserve fund is a separate enterprise but with much the same philosophy.
Wealthy individuals, taxed at rates of 35 percent or 33 percent, could still shelter part of their income with large itemized deductions, but these would be treated more as if the taxpayer were in the lower 28 percent tax bracket.
Thus, each $10,000 in deductions — worth about $3,500 for a 35 percent taxpayer today — would be worth closer to $2,800 or 20 percent less.
Why should the government tax and spend its way to prosperity? I think you should not tax in troubled times to fund for a nationalized health care plan, which does not work. For example, in Canada (where nationalized health care is mandated), there are many who travel to the U.S. for health care due to the massive delays in common life saving procedures. Our country is renowned for its quality health care system, and universal health coverage would drive many of doctors out of business or being entirely overworked.
However, with the expansion of big government programs and initiatives, many Republicans have embraced the core principles, which they strayed from in the past. Many of them have chided President Obama for his love of expanding the size of federal government. Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) recently published an editorial in The Hill that criticized the looming expansion of super-sized government. Boehner inquired how both Obama and the Democrats were planning to pay for each of these proposed programs, while he took a hard line stance on saying that a national health care is just “preposterous.”
It is time to fight back and stick to our guns on the expansion of big government. Hopefully, the GOP in Congress has awaken to their bad behavior and get back on track advocating for our core party principles of limited government and fiscal responsibility. Remember, Ronald Reagan once said, “The most terrifying words are “I’m here from the government and I’m here to help.”
The Economic Advice We Should've Taken
During the 2008 election, there was constant discussion of where our economy was headed. This was not from McCain or Obama. It was from Dr. Ron Paul and Peter Schiff, an advisor to Paul’s campaign. They knew what was lying ahead for our country and made some predictions that were spot on. Maybe, we should have taken their advice. If we would have listened to Paul and Schiff, we could have dealt with the economic crisis in a sensible manner.
Dr. Paul will be at CPAC on Friday. While many think his policies are slightly crazy, I find his economic initiatives to be a step in the right direction.
Transparency is about to become reality in Virginia
Today, both the House and the Senate voted on transparency legislation that will soon bring accountability in government spending in Richmond. Both SB936, which was patroned by Sen. Ken Cuccinelli (R-Centreville) and HB2285, which was patroned by Del. Ben Cline (R-Buena Vista) were voted in each chamber.
With transparency, we can monitor the spending our State Government makes and call attention to those expenditures that are wasteful. Now, we officially have some sunlight in Virginia.
Stuck in Traffic…Better Thank Two Fairfax County Supervisors
Lately, it seems that I-66 has become more clogged with traffic. Commute times that ordinarily take anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes are now ranging from an hour to an hour and a half of sitting in gridlock. Now, this may not seem atypical for most living in Fairfax County and Northern Virginia, but it’s not getting any better on many of our area highways. No doubt, traffic is predicted to become worst, and we can thank Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins and Providence Supervisor Linda Smyth for their recent votes of not adding another lane of traffic to I-66. This will no doubt result in more time away from our lives and families.
Why would these two supervisors vote against the funding? After all, they sit on the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, and the board also voted for the expansion previously. So, why the change? I guess the traffic does not phase them in the afternoon rush hour that seems endless at times.
Even, a candidate for the Braddock District Supervisor seat (previously held by Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Sharon Bulova), John Cook expressed his disappointment in the decision of these two Supervisors.
“It is simply unbelievable that two representatives of Fairfax County would vote against traffic improvements on one of the most-clogged roads in the entire country,” said John Cook. “Northern Virginia politicians spend so much time trying to get funding for transportation, and when we finally get some, they say ‘No thanks’?”
At least, Cook gets it and even mentioned that his district is starting to see an overflow of traffic on Braddock Road and Little River Turnpike, which are often used as alternatives for I-66, when people have to drive into work. Cook is willing to work with public officials on both sides of the aisle to address transportation issues that affect not only Braddock, but the entire County.
We need common sense solutions that will help make the commute less stressful. With Metro improvements and expanding I-66 heading Westbound, transportation pains might be alleviated. Until then, I guess it is back to gridlock.
Standing Strong for Welfare Reform
In the Virginia General Assembly, there has been debate about cutting back on the success of the welfare reform in the Commonwealth. H.B. 1714, which was being debated in the Senate. Since the House is not reconsidering this bill, Senator Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg) is shown here standing up for principle and talks about “Welfare Lite.”
Welfare reform actually holds the recipients accountable for finding work and taking initiative to provide for themselves. Upon its passage during the Allen administration, more Virginians have taken the initiative and got back on their feet. Sure, there might be some abuses of the system, but they are lower than in other states. Welfare reform should not be lightened to allow for abuses and free give outs.
Assault on the Freedom of Speech
Imagine, you are driving in your car with a bumper sticker that says “Abort Obama Not the Unborn” down I-95, and you get pulled over by a police officer for no apparent reason (you were doing the speed limit), only to be interrogated for making a death threat to the President. You did not intend to do harm, only to exercise your right as a pro-life supporter with no intentions of any death threats.
Well, this scenario occurred in Oklahoma City, when a man who was the subject of the above scenario was pulled over by a police officer and investigated for threats against the President all due to the “Abort Obama Not the Unborn” sticker. The Secret Service was pulled in, only to find out that the man was not a threat, as he was expressing his First Amendment right of the freedom of speech.
What has the country come to that we threaten the Freedom of Speech over one sticker that had no credible threat attached? It is just another example of persecuting conservatives for their non-support of Barack Obama and his policies. We are granted protection under the First Amendment to speak freely and express our opinions. However, for someone to be placed under scrutiny for one little bumper sticker is absurd. If it were a liberal driving their Subaru or Volvo around with a bumper sticker with a controversial remark about George W. Bush, they would not be prosecuted or placed under any scrutiny. Maybe, it’s time to focus on the issues of importance, rather than the government having an all-out Conservative witch hunt.
