Category Archives: Liberty
Happy Retirement, Dick Lugar!
Yesterday, a perfect defeat happened in Indiana, as Dick Lugar was defeated by Richard Mourdock. Mourdock ran a great campaign and really drove home the point that Lugar was an outsider. Lugar resides in Virginia, and he was mostly out-of-touch with his constituency. Now, it will be interesting to see how Mourdock will fare against his Democratic opponent, Rep. Joe Donnelly in the General Election.
In the meantime, we bid good bye to President Obama’s favorite Republican. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
Ron Paul Schools Paul Krugman
Check out Ron Paul’s recent appearance on Bloomberg regarding the economy. Ron Paul did a good job making everyone’s favorite Keynesian hack, Paul Krugman, look bad.
Ken Vaughn for Congress
I wished I could still vote in the 11th District. After all, I now live in the 8th District, where we have a Congressman more interested in getting himself arrested or screaming at constituents (including a 27-year Army Veteran).
In the 11th District, there are two Republicans running for the nomination: Ken Vaughn and Chris Perkins. I have had the opportunity to look over the materials for both candidates, and I believe that Ken Vaughn is the better candidate for the nomination.
Vaughn is a strong defender of the Constitution, and will defend/protect our liberties. After all, Vaughn understands the fiscal issues facing our country and has a plan to get our budget back in order. Additionally, Vaughn is solid on the issue of protecting life (where his opponent has been largely silent). The real issue that completely persuades me to support Vaughn is his positions on liberty. Vaughn realizes that both the PATRIOT Act and TSA have been an infringement on our liberties. With the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, we need someone who will fight to make sure we are within Constitutional means of declaring war (Congress formally declaring, not just following the leader).
After listening to Perkins speak at a YR meeting, I gathered he is not a big fan of Ron Paul (and his supporters). He admitted that to a few of us, who inquired about his positions on SOPA and some economic issues. Rob at The Liberty Zone even added that he is not very interested in Second Amendment related issues and that he will not end entitlements.
As a strong Ron Paul supporter, I am not too keen on Perkins after talking with him about the issues that should concern many in the 11th District. Vaughn offers a refreshing change and could provide Connolly with a strong challenge, if he gets the nomination.
While it is a shame that I am no longer in the 11th, there is no doubt that this primary will be one to watch.
Welcome to the Nanny State…School Lunch Inspections?
Remember the days when you could take a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, along with a snack bag of Doritos and a Twinkie to school for lunch. Well, those days are gone like the wind.
Welcome to the Nanny State, where state officials can take your lunch and replace it with what they feel is the healthier option. Recently, a student at West Hoke Elementary School in North Carolina had her lunch removed, because a government inspector thought her lunch was not healthy enough.
According to the John W. Pope Civitas Foundation, the student brought a lunch packed by her mother, which contained a turkey and cheese sandwich, a banana, apple juice, and a snack bag of potato chips.
What is so unhealthy (maybe with the exception of potato chips) about the rest of the student’s lunch? The real question that should be brought up: Whatever happened to parental rights? Is it not the right of the parents to pack a lunch that best fits the nutritional needs of their children, without government intervention?
So, what did the government give the child in return for the so-called unhealthy lunch? Chicken Nuggets. They are supposedly healthier than a turkey and cheese sandwich, apple juice, and a banana. I wonder where the government official and school system took their nutritional courses.
Welcome to the Nanny State…where parental rights are assaulted every day and a freedom destroyed.
Protect Community Pharmacies Receive Additional Support Against Express Scripts/Medco Merger
On Capitol Hill Tuesday, the Preserve Community Pharmacies Access NOW! (PCPAN) coalition and other local groups joined with Reps. Joe Courtney (D-Ct.) and Thomas Marino (R-Pa.) to voice their opposition to the merger of Express Scripts, Inc. and Medco Health Solutions, Inc., two of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits management companies. There is a push to urge Congress and the Federal Trade Commission to oppose the merger.
This merger could go into effect, if approved, in early 2012. Several elected officials, attorney generals of dozens of states, pharmacy service providers, consumer advocates, and patient advocacy groups have questioned the merger.
During their visit, the coalition expressed concerns that the merger would mean that the new mega-PBM would control the supply line of brand-name and generic drugs, as well as hurting health care quality and limiting access to community pharmacies driving prices through the roof.
Kelly Williams, past president of the Virginia Dental Hygienists’ Association said, “The merger would make it difficult for smaller community pharmacies to keep their doors open, resulting in reduced competition, and reduced competition means cost increases for the public.”
Joining Williams to express concern about the pending merger was William Towler, who owns Grove Avenue Pharmacy in Richmond. If this merger goes through, there would be a detrimental impact on Towler’s business and other small community pharmacies across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Ron Paul's New Ad Proves He is a Strong Pro-Life Advocate
Back in 2008, I did not support Dr. Ron Paul’s candidacy until later on after learning about his stance on pro-life issues and the economy. I am now a strong supporter of Dr. Paul’s candidacy for President. He is exactly the right person for the job. We need a President, who will stand strong for the sanctity of Life, and someone who believes in ensuring the liberty of all Americans. Dr. Paul’s new ad on Life shows his dedication to ensuring liberty for the born and unborn.
Dr. Paul recently said at an event:
Life is most precious. I talk about life and liberty. I defend liberty to the nth degree, as long people aren’t hurting and killing each other and stealing and robbing. But you cannot defend liberty unless you have a clear understanding of life. And believe me, as an experienced physician and knowing the responsibility of taking care of life, from the earliest sign of life – I know, legally and morally, I have a responsibility to take care of two lives. And therefore you cannot be a great defender of liberty if you do not defend and understand what life is all about and where it comes from.
Life and liberty go hand-in-hand, and at least, there is one candidate who will stand strong for both.
If I were Speaker of the House…
I would issue an ultimatum to President Obama. First, Mr. President, we need to stop spending on wasteful programs, and we can do this by eliminating some unnecessary departments by giving control back to the states. We don’t need the Department of Education, as the states can do more by regulating their own education system and increasing teaching standards, etc. Another department to eliminate would be the Environmental Protection Agency. Once again, the states can handle the regulating the environmental standards. (Oh boy, I am waiting for BSC responses from this idea or those calling me out for such a ludicrous idea.)
If you eliminated the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency, you would save a total of $78.5 billion (Source: U.S. Dept. of Education and EPA Budget). This would bring more money back to help the deficit.
Perhaps, it is time for the President to consider the solution at hand here. Unfortunately, I know this is not going to fly, since President Obama and the Democrats in Congress believe in expanding the size of government without thinking about the costs that come with the decision. At this point, no deals are being made, so I think we should head towards default. I mean we are headed that way regardless of what Congress or President Obama says in a flashy press conference or not.
My Summer Reading List
This summer, I have made a goal to make a small dent on my reading list. There is no doubt that the recent copy of Runner’s World will be on the short list, as I have two fitness goals: run a half marathon and complete a sprint triathlon. However, Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead is on the top of my list.
So far, The Fountainhead is great, and even though, I am only in Part II, I am amazed by the characters and how Rand uses them to teach lessons on objectivism.
I recommend Rand’s writings, as they shape libertarian thoughts. Rand was no doubt a libertarian and this shines through in The Fountainhead.
File this under crazy…
If you think I am taking a swing at Maryland today, you are right. Why not bash the liberal bastion to the North? After all, they have to push some sort of agenda. Aside from the economic outlook for Maryland, there will soon be some changes to the high school curriculum, and this won’t surprise you the least.
Maryland high school students will now have to take an environmental literacy course before they can graduate high school. While some students are struggling with knowing basic grammar skills and history, there will not be a shortage of learning how not to pollute the environment and how to save the Chesapeake Bay. Yep, you can forget about the date of the Magna Carta, but you can ensure that students will become indoctrinated with the environmental agenda.
Perhaps, it is time for Marylanders to step aside and think about electing new leadership that will actually improve the quality of education, rather than pushing forward an agenda.
