Friday, November 12, 2010

THANKSGIVING

I am not a holiday type of guy. Oh, I like giving the kids presents, watching them open them, and even playing with them for about 30 minutes on Christmas, but then it's time for everyone to go home and leave me the heck alone. My wife calls me a scrooge, but I just don't care for Christmas. If that makes me a scrooge – so be it. Halloween is fun if you're talking about an adult event, but trick or treating with the kids? No thank you! I'm sure a lot of it is that I've gotten to that age where if I wanted to deal with children I would deal with my own, and since I have no biological children then I'd just as soon not mess with any children.

But for some reason Thanksgiving just works for me. I guess it's the idea of taking a some time off to reconnect with your family and friends and be thankful for what you have. Oh sure the crowds and mess can be a pain in the butt, but a simple time to be thankful for the people in your life is just what the doctor ordered. Heck I try to be grateful year round, but having the entire country shut down so I have no choice forces me to take that time to give thanks for what I have, and I just find that time cathartic.

For instance, despite all of my health issues, I am grateful for the life I have. I am also grateful for:

  • My first Little Brother, he is now in college, and though he will never realize it until I am long gone and he has a child of his own I got far more out of our time together than he ever did.
  • My current Little Brother even though we've only been matched for a short time I am looking forward to our new adventures.
  • My wife. Even though I want to strangle her occasionally, she has been a Godsend during the last year with all the surgeries and other health issues.
  • Our medical system which has given me far more time on the planet than I had any reason to expect or hope for.
  • My mom for always being, well... my mom
  • My friends, and they know who they are, for the last 35 years (are we really that freaking old?) of being there.
  • So much more I can't list them all, but you get the picture.

So, this Thanksgiving holiday be sure and root for your favorite team. I will even though the Cowboys stink this year, and enjoy more food than you should ever poke down your face in one sitting. But remember to take a moment, and realize and be thankful for what you have. I will, and I will be a better person for doing so. After all that is the reason for the holiday. The turkey and football are just nice added bonuses. Oh, one more for the list. :D

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

HOW LONG UNTIL TAXATION BECOMES SLAVERY?

So, if the average American's tax burden is 40% as per Wikipedia then that means that we work 146 days, or from January 1 until May 26th with no weekends or holidays or sick time off just to have paid our taxes for the year. That's well over 5 months of continuous labor just to pay our taxes. So we enter each year as a literal financial slave to the government for nearly half the year. I submit the humble question: How long do we have to work for taxation to cross from civic duty to repression, and from repression to outright slavery?

For my part having to work nearly half the year is at least repression, and I would not fight defining it as slavery. And that's just the 'average' American. So, now that we have a new house of representatives that is supposedly conservative. Maybe we can get them to loosen these chains a bit, and we can go from being repressed to merely doing our civic duty as was intended by our Founding Fathers.

Of course we will have to hold their feet to the fire, but that will cost us in perceived benefits. At our current rate of taxation we can't afford all of our social programs so we will have to take the burden for our poor and downtrodden onto our own local charities, but it is a price I for one am prepared to pay gladly.

In the mean time our tax burden is about to go up in January merely because the Democratic house wouldn't vote in time to stop the current tax rates from sunsetting. I haven't the math to know how that will play out, but that nearly half a year is going to get longer, and in mind definitely cross over into slavery. I for one refuse to be a slave. Not sure how or what I'm going to do, but I will NOT be a slave to my government. They work for me dammit, not the other way around!

Friday, October 29, 2010

WHY NOT STUDY THE MILLIONAIRES?

Several years ago I read a book called, “The Millionaire Mind,” by a Dr. Stanley J. Thomas. Dr. Thomas was a professor of marketing at Georgia State University in 1996 when “The Millionaire Mind,” was first published. Since then he has transitioned in to a researcher and writer on the the rich and how they got that way. He now has a total of seven books to his credit, and is probably the foremost, and definitely the best known expert on millionaires and how they got to be millionaires. Heck, he may be the ONLY expert on millionaires and how they got to be millionaires. He's certainly the only one that I've ever heard of.

I'll tell you a secret though, he ain't that original. At least not in how he obtained his knowledge. He employed the simple method of finding them and asking them, “How did you get rich?” And, while it may be effective, it's not something new. My father used to tell me to do that when I had a car that I couldn't diagnose as a teenager way back in stone ages of the 1980s. Granted Dr. Thomas used more scientific methodology than just asking them out right. He had them take surveys and studied them as some scientist study lab rats while they were filling out the study.  And, he did extensive interviews with many of them.  But, he did get them to voluntarily participate. Trust me, the rich are VERY difficult to force into anything.

Here's what blows me away though is that we tend to teach by emulation  nearly all other subjects, but not when it comes to money. Why is that I wonder? Actually I don't wonder, I don't even care why it is that we won't study money the same way we study other subjects, I just want to change it. I do think though the reason why has to do with the love/hate relationship we all have with money. We all want it, but we don't want anyone else to have it. So rather than study those with money we vilify them, and hold them in scorn. Heck we even attempt to tax them back to our level with a confiscatory 'progressive' tax system. But, if we'd just take the time to learn about them, and how they go to be rich we'd all benefit. First off we'd know that if we didn't get rich, or at least self sufficient that the fault was all ours. Which may be part of why we don't study them. Who wants to take responsibility for themselves after all? And, we'd learn how they did it so that we would have the choice to do it ourselves.

But, it's not just millionaires that Dr. Thomas studied. First he studied the demographic of millionaires, and found that some huge incorrect perceptions about the rich. First off he found that most of them are indeed first generation rich, and that their children are financially self sufficient. Which leads me to believe that studying them is not some hopeless study of life's lottery winners. It's a study of repeatable behavior. With that in mind I think that developing a curriculum based on his work and making it required learning in our schools is something we must start doing immediately.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

WHY OUR SEX DRIVE MAKES SOCIALISM A FAILURE

Let me say that I am not politically correct. Sorry, I'm just not. I will however try to keep it clean.

Now to get started, it is buried in our subconscious that we mate and propagate the species. It's just hardwired into us as a species. With that in mind, from caveman times, really until just the last century or so the female's role in this left her helpless for long stretches of time. Think about it, she had to carry the child, and for some of that time she had at least diminished capacity and was less able to fend for herself. So she needed someone to help her fend off the predators and elements. Who better than the miserable jerk who got her in this condition? That's right, he had a role in this, and so should share the responsibility. So he'd better be able to provide for her and her offspring. And that need didn't end for several years after the offspring was born. First couple of years of course she had to nurse the baby and tend the baby. Of course when the height of technology is a sharp bone tied with rawhide to a long stick for your main weapon pumping milk and saving it was not realistic. So she had to physically have the baby with her for several years, and anyone who's ever even baby sat knows how that cuts down on your freedom of movement, and ability to work on productive projects. Eventually of course the baby grows to the point that it must be taught how to survive and live on it's own, and its role in society. That to usually falls on the mother because the male is out slaying the woolly mammoth to feed these other 2 mouths.

The male's role is more simple, and his motivations are also. He want's someone to keep the cave clean, the food cooked, and the bed warm. In exchange for this he will gladly go forth and undertake the most dangerous of tasks, including attacking a woolly mammoth that outweighs him a hundred to one, and has tusk the size of Grecian pillars. Of course he doesn't know the tusks are the size of Grecian pillars since the Greeks haven't been invented yet, but he knows they're huge and sharp, and can impale him in half a second if isn't careful. Then at night, when the saber toothed tiger comes around looking for a snack, he has to crawl out of the bed, and grab his puny spear and go convince it to get it's snack elsewhere. She can't, she's busy nursing the baby, and no matter how much the man would love to trade with her and let her risk her neck, he is simply not equipped to nurse the baby.

It's a symbiotic relationship. But how did they pick each other? Well, the male being a guy looked first for willingness in the bedroom, and then for aesthetics. Face it, he's a guy, he's thinking with the little head here. If he's luck he gave some thought to if she'll be a good cook, and treat the kids right, but pretty much once he found someone who would say yes to sex, and not be hideous to look at if he is normal, he is lazy, and done searching.

The woman on the other hand has a whole laundry list of things to look for before she'll say yes. Is this guy going to be able to feed me and my babies? Is he going to be able to fend off the saber toothed tiger? Is he going to actually stick around, or is he going to go to the next cave neighbor and canoodle her at the first sign of trouble? Lastly, can I live with him long enough to raise the kids without using his spear on him myself?

Well, that last one is a personality thing, and highly subjective, but the others really boil down to will he be a loyal father who will provide well for her and her offspring? Answer yes, and she's willing, answer no, and she's not. Simple as that. But, how to answer this question? Ah, now we've hit the crux of the matter. You see, she can't just ask him, he's not totally stupid, he'll give the right answers, and usually will mean them. So she has to observe his behavior. Does he jump up and run out to confront the aforementioned saber toothed tiger, or does guard the fire pit? Does go on hunts with the other males, and does he come back with meat? Or, does he hide by the river pretending to fish while actually snoozing?

Well, any guy with half a brain soon realizes that to feed his little head he has to produce, both security and meat so he sharpens those skills, and if he's good at them he finds himself with a mate. If not he's lonely his entire life.

Fast forward a few million years, and it really hasn't changed. Substitute a large house for protection, and money for meat, and that's still where we're at. Women want (note I said want not necessarily need) security, and men want sex so to accommodate each other the woman looks for a man who can provide financially before she says yes. With that in mind socialism takes away not only all external incentive to produce, but also all signs that you have produced if you do produce. So, the male of the species has ZERO reason to produce. So he won't get up and go slay the wooly mammoth, or risk his rear end driving off the saber toothed tiger, or attempting to build a financially successful business. Instead he will spend his time trying to appear like he's able to provide security and meat. Usually that means turning to either governmental work, of which there is a limited supply, or extra legal work. That of course has it's own risks, but does offer the possibility of the reward he is seeking at the expense of undermining the socialistic system.

So, as you can see laying aside my attempts to make it humorous our sex drive makes socialism actually a failing proposition no matter what. So why don't we just let it go folks? We won't do it, and it won't work. You may argue that those things aren't needed anymore, and to some degree you're correct. Technology has tended to make us less dependent on raw physical skill, and a mate than ever before. And while that makes sex for fun a nice bonus it doesn't change the last 3 million years of hard wired behavior. Until that changes we need to be aware that we simply are not going to allow socialism to work. We as males will be able somehow to show our prowess as providers, and the female of the species will reward those males that do with sex. And anyone who's ever tried to get between a guy and his sexual partner knows how futile that is. Sorry, just the way it is.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

THIS IS FAILURE?

It was recently suggested to me by one of my Facebook friends that I as a White Christian Male Heterosexual, “ sit the f*** down and shut up for a change.” Now she tried to make it nice with the obligatory smiley emoticon, but she was serious in her collectivist goals, and that those of us that met her description should quit running for office since we have had centuries to get 'it' right, but instead have, “failed extremely bad bad bad.”

In particular she seemed to be annoyed with my ideals of personal property rights, rewarding individual achievement, and personal responsibility. Apparently to her the self made man is to be scorned. She claims to be centrist leaning Democrat, but then espouses the teachings and writings of either outright socialists or anarchists. Of course no specific examples of anything we have gotten wrong were given, just that we have, “failed bad bad bad.”

So, I got to thinking about our failures in the areas she did mention that her people would improve. Primarily improving the economic plight through the use of co-ops and local economies, and improving human dignity and rights in ways not specified, and thought of all the ways we White Christian Heterosexual Males have, “failed extremely bad bad bad.” Things like:

- Our life expectancy is longer than at any other time in known history.
- Our 'poor' typically have the problem of obesity rather than malnutrition. Multiple televisions, and often multiple cars. Frequently living a life style that in the 3rd world would be considered wealthy.
- It was a White christian male Republican president that ended slavery.
- Sen. William Fessenden & Rep. Thaddeus Stevens both White Republican (presumably) Christian Heterosexuals wrote and rammed through the 14th amendment.
- Come to think of it much more recently it was White Christian male Republicans that voted for the civil rights act in the 1960s when Democrats were against it.

 That's just a short list that I came up with off the top of my head.  Feel free to add any more in the comments if you'd like.  So while I've left some stuff out, and America is still a work in progress just as all history is a work in progress, all in all the last 250 years has been just that: PROGRESS. Progress in technology that makes our lives more comfortable, safe, and healthy. And, progress in freedom for all races and religions. While we may not have gotten to utopia yet right now we're doing pretty well, and moving along the right path. So, NO, I don't think this particular White Christian Heterosexual Male will sit back and shut up just now. But, thank you for asking.

Instead I think I'll continue what I'm doing, and urging the parts of the world that aren't doing as well as the United States is to emulate the United States, rather than allow the third world to drag the United States down in both the standard of living and personal freedom areas.  Indeed, I will if needed fight to the death to stop that downward slide.

Monday, October 4, 2010

IT'S HUMAN NATURE FOLKS

IT'S HUMAN NATURE FOLKS or WHAT THE COLLECTIVISTS DON'T UNDERSTAND



Via the wonders the internet I have been in touch with people all over the world, and more importantly the United States lately who have been espousing either extremely high taxes, and/or some sort of socialist/communist/collectivist government. Preferably run on a global scale to make everyone everywhere equal socially and financially. There is one small problem with that, no one does anything for free. Anytime you do anything it is because you desire the perceived results of that action.

I fix appliances, I desire the money that those jobs will pay me so that I can pay my bills and feed my family. Monks value a relationship with God far more than money so they take a vow of poverty. Sadly a battered wife values something in her abusive relationship more than she values her own safety. When you give the bum on the street corner a buck it just means that you value presumably the feeling of having helped that bum more than you valued the dollar.

So if you take the freedom to gain financially from those that produce financially they will either flee or go underground. This has been historically proven over and over again. Once the financial activity becomes inaccessible to the government the government will have nothing to take to that will enable it enforce its policies, and give the masses that keep it in power. When that happens civil unrest ensues, and it has brought down every civilization that has tried it in the past.

Fleeing to financially freedom is one of the reasons America became a nation, and then a super power. Now though you can see it happening right here in America. The rich are fleeing California and New York in droves. Just the other night I saw an interview with Donald Trump who is normally liberal leaning in which he made a threat to take his money overseas if taxation and regulation got any worse here in America. I don't know how many people Trump employees, but I can't imagine dumping them all into the American unemployment system will be good for our economy. That flight of financial producers is leaving those states with HUGE financial obligations, but no financial activity with which to pay for them. Want to look overseas, then look no further than birthplace of democracy in Greece where they have recently had riots because their economy is so hideously enmeshed in collectivism that no one bothers to produce because there is no gain from it.

Think about it this way. Tomorrow you go to work, and your boss tells you that your tax rate has gone down from the average (includes city, state, and federal) of 40% to 1%. You've just gotten a HUGE raise courtesy of the government. Most of us would suddenly be working fools, and we'd enjoy our newly found income. I personally would buy a new truck as soon as I got off work that first day. My ancient Ford is on it's last leg, and I'm worried about it going belly up any day now.

But, if you went in and found that you're tax rate has been hiked to 99% most people would simply not bother to show up the next day because it would cost more to drive to work and back than to stay home. Especially if a collectivist government is promising to pay you the same whether you work or not.

Now of those two scenarios which one creates more financial activity and more safety, comfort, and happiness for the people? And, which one ultimately leads to a de-civilization of American society? And, no discussing the destruction of American society over taxes isn't hyperbole it's a definite historic fact. There is no magic bullet that makes America immune to the lessons of history.

Unfortunately for those that would like to see a collectivist-every-one-is-equal world the people are GOING to feed themselves and their family, and defend themselves and their family. They are then going to try to obtain comfort for them and their family. That is not only a simple animal instinct, but a natural right of any species. Which is why there is rioting in Greece. The people realize that the gravy train of government money is drying up, and their first instinct was/is to riot and scream, “Hey reopen the gravy spigot!” When that doesn't work because the well is dry they'll have to reinvent their society to match the new reality. But, that transition will NOT be pretty. History tells us that there will most likely be more rioting, violence, and possibly a civil war. And historically it will not end up in more freedom for the Greek people until it gets much worse. Out of such things world wars and genocides are made.

All of which can be avoided if collectivism would simply be done away with, and people were allowed to work at what they wanted to work at while keeping what the market sees fit to give them for that work. Oh and being allowed to sink or swim on their own but that's another blog.

Unfortunately I can't say that taxes should be done away with, but as in all things in life a balance should be reached. And, since historically higher taxes have meant less economic activity while lower taxes have meant more economic activity I'd say that we need to examine the idea of cutting rather than raising taxes. Certainly raising taxes in a recession is not the way to go.

Hey, don't blame me, I'm just the messenger.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

BOO HOO!

There's an old saying, “There are three kinds of lies, lies, damn lies, and statistics.” With that in mind I just red the Yahoo News piece on how the gap between the rich and the poor is larger than ever. Well even though the article relies heavily on the that third type of lie let's assume that it is true. My question is; so what?

The reason for the difference between the rich and the poor income wise is habits. The rich have different habits when comes to money than the poor do. Dr. Stanley J. Thomas began studying the wealthy in 1979, and has written several books on how millionaires became and stay wealthy. The differences are both simple and profound. For instance:

  • The wealthy don't actually use credit, they at least use cash, and are the ones extending credit. The poor take that credit and buy stuff they can't afford.
  • The wealthy get up and go to work EVERYDAY. Or to paraphrase my uncle Lloyd, “They only work on days they eat.” And, they stay at that work until it is done or they are to exhausted to continue. Many of them will flat out state that's it's not a matter of how smart you work, or how lucky you are it's a matter of how hard and how much you work.
  • The wealthy live within their means, their favorite brand of car is Ford, and they pay cash for them. The poor buy as much car as they can borrow for, and by the time they've paid it off it's worth the same $500 that the wealthy person's Ford is worth, but they paid retail plus plus plus.

And those are just the contrasts I can recall from having read The Millionaire Next Door several years ago. What is annoying to me is that our school system, and society, instead of teaching the kids to think like millionaires, is teaching them to despise the wealthy, and punish them. So instead of whining about the gap between the rich and the poor, why don't we study the rich, and start emulating them?

And, I do mean studying them formally. In the class room. Let's start teaching our children how to be wealthy. It's not like emulating someone's behavior is a radical idea. It's pretty much how everything is taught from basic math to sports. We show a kid how to do something, and then have the emulate us to do it themselves. So, let's teach them to emulate the rich, and watch them learn how to be rich.

After all they are the ones who have to care for us in our old age, and I'd rather be old and broke down in comfort, wouldn't you?

As to the gap they're talking about: Who knows what will happen to that gap? But, for darn sure emulating the rich won't result in more poor. And, isn't eradicating poverty a worthy goal?

Sunday, September 26, 2010

HERE WE GO AGAIN, KILLING SMALL BUSINESSES

I was just thinking about this new health care bill provision that makes it mandatory for EVERYONE in business to file an I-9 for every vendor from whom they purchase more than $600.00 of stuff from in a year. And, it is a bad idea. But, for more than one reason. All I have heard anyone talk about is how it will put an undue administration stress on small businesses and drive them out of business because they can't afford to do all the paperwork and stay compliant with this law.


Well, as far as that goes it is 100% true. But, If they've discussed the entry burden raised I haven't heard about it. This provision will strengthen large businesses immeasurably by raising a HUGE entry burden to businesses. Here's how it works. Many of you know I'm in the appliance repair business, and I have already decided to simply go to using one national chain for my gas. That way I won't have to file multiple I-9s over gas. Just a couple to national suppliers. Guess who gets that money, the mom and pop stations I'm dumping? Um, NO! Walmart, there's one close to my house, and the gas is consistently cheap. So how then how is some mom and pop to get into business? They're not. Why? Because the mainstay of any business is repeat customers, and while the mom and pop may be able to attract some retail customers who fill up once a week, they will not be able to attract the business customers who buy gas everyday as I do.


So, in addition to raising an administrative burden and expense on the small business the federal government has raised an entry burden to new small businesses. This will of course have the effect of slowing employment, and tax revenue growth. And we wonder why the recession drags on?

Saturday, September 25, 2010

WHINING

What is it about whining that some people just can't do without? For instance, a couple of weeks ago I was at lunch with a the wife type at a Chinese buffet that had recently opened in town. I mostly wanted to check it out, and it was on our way. As a pleasant surprise it was a great Chinese buffet. We both liked it. Granted that's like saying, “He's the most honest politician around.” But, as Chinese buffets go it is the best I've been to for along time.


Fast forward to last night. I'm at dinner with my wife, and another couple. So I'm telling the other couple about this place, and I get to the part where they actually have a sushi chef on a buffet station making sushi in front of you, and it's not bad. I mean it's not great sushi, but it is great Chinese buffet sushi. Well, the wife launches into this whiny diatribe about how there's no selection, and the pieces are very small etc. Now I'm not saying that she said anything untrue in her whining but I think she lost sight of the fact that she was at a Chinese buffet. If you want an endless supply of fresh made to order sushi you have to go to a sushi bar and spend ten times the money. But for an 8 buck buffet it's darn good sushi. So what did she get from whining? I have no idea, but she seems to have to do an awful lot of it.


Now I'm tempted to pass this off as a PMS thing, or a female thing, but the reality is that we've all known people like this of both genders. I just don't get it. I have rarely known of a situation that can be improved by whining, but every time someone whines in my presence it annoys the heck out of me. It's so bad that I have instituted a no whining zone with my nephews and 'little' brother. The rule is that if you are in range of my ears you are in a no whining zone. So I guess it's a misery loves company thing. Problem is I can't see what everyone has to be so whiny about. I guess it's the old glass half full vs glass half empty thing. It's in our basic nature that we be one or the other, and being a glass half full guy I just don't understand those glass half empty people.


I'm guessing it comes down to a gratitude issue. You see I'm actually grateful that I wake up on this side of the dirt every morning. Compared to that tiny pieces of a small selection of sushi is heaven. But regardless, what is gained by whining? I wish you whiners would just ask yourself that questions before you launch into your diatribes sometimes. I bet you'll find that 90 plus percent of the time the answer is, “Nothing.” And, I can tell you one benefit of NOT whining – I won't as my mom used to say want to, “Give you a reason to whine.” And, trust me my mom wasn't bluffing. Those hot wheel tracks give good spankings.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

PLEDGE TO AMERICA – THE COMMENTS

I told you I'd comment on the Pledge to America So, what ygukfvj,uhg,jyhu

Sorry, contemplating it boredom over came me, and I fell asleep on my keyboard. But, I'm awake and the drool has been cleaned off now so on with the analysis. Granting you it says the right things, but after forcing myself through all 21 pages of self serving political drivel I have finally come up with an analogy to describe it. The Republicans sound like the kid who has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar for the 897th time, and is trying to get out of being punished, “Please mom, let me off, and I swear I'll be good... this time.” Accompanied by the big eyed stare, or in this case the photo op in front of a lumber yard. You see if they had just done their job, they wouldn't be needing to make this pledge, but instead they've spent the post Reagan years wallowing in the same indulgences as the Democrats.

They've been going along with the Democrats so long that it's impossible to tell the difference between your average Democrat and Republican. Problem is the Republicans have been lying about it, and now they're being spanked and they don't like it. So, it's just smacks of whiny pleading to me. To heck with them, let them take their spanking. It's not like they're going to wind up on the unemployment line. They've been in congress long enough they've surely stolen enough to retire on by now so send them home, and replace them with some folks who may actually do what we ask of them. That's my thought such as it is.

PLEDGE TO AMERICA

This is JUST the text.  I've stripped our all the graphs, charts, etc, and posted this as text here strictly for your convenience.  I will comment later I'm sure, but in the meantime:

--------------- PLEDGE TO AMERICA ------------------------


A PLEDGE TO AMERICA

America is more than a country.



America is an idea – an idea that free people can govern themselves, that government’s powers are derived from the consent of the governed, that each of us is endowed by their Creator with the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. America is the belief that any man or woman can – given economic, political, and religious liberty – advance themselves, their families, and the common good.

America is an inspiration to those who yearn to be free and have the ability and the dignity to determine their own destiny.

Whenever the agenda of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to institute a new governing agenda and set a different course.

These first principles were proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence, enshrined in the Constitution, and have endured through hard sacrifice and commitment by generations of Americans. In a self-governing society, the only bulwark against the power of the state is the consent of the governed, and regarding the policies of the current government, the governed do not consent.

An unchecked executive, a compliant legislature, and an overreaching judiciary have combined to thwart the will of the people and overturn their votes and their values, striking down long-standing laws and institutions and scorning the deepest beliefs of the American people.

An arrogant and out-of-touch government of self-appointed elites makes decisions, issues mandates, and enacts laws without accepting or requesting the input of the many.

Rising joblessness, crushing debt, and a polarizing political environment are fraying the bonds among our people and blurring our sense of national purpose. Like free peoples of the past, our citizens refuse to accommodate a government that believes it can replace the will of the people with its own. The American people are speaking out, demanding that we realign our country’s compass with its founding principles and apply those principles to solve our common problems for the common good. The need for urgent action to repair our economy and reclaim our government for the people cannot be overstated. With this document, we pledge to dedicate ourselves to the task of reconnecting our highest aspirations to the permanent truths of our founding by keeping faith with the values our nation was founded on, the principles we stand for, and the priorities of our people. This is our Pledge to America.

We pledge to honor the Constitution as constructed by its framers and honor the original intent of those precepts that have been consistently ignored – particularly the Tenth Amendment, which grants that all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

We pledge to advance policies that promote greater liberty, wider opportunity, a robust defense, and national economic prosperity. We pledge to honor families, traditional marriage, life, and the private and faith-based organizations that form the core of our American values.



We pledge to make government more transparent in its actions, careful in its stewardship, and honest in its dealings.

We pledge to uphold the purpose and promise of a better America, knowing that to whom much is given, much is expected and that the blessings of our liberty buoy the hopes of mankind.

We make this pledge bearing true faith and allegiance to the people we represent, and we invite fellow citizens and patriots to join us in forming a new governing agenda for America.

FOREWORD


Americans need no reminder that the challenges we face are enormous. Our economy has declined and our debt has mushroomed with the loss of millions of jobs. The social fabric that binds us as citizens, families, and communities is unraveling. Voices in and out of government whisper that our standing as the world’s leader of democracy and economic growth is ending.

The American people do not accept these counsels of timidity, failure, and despair. In town halls and on public squares, in every corner of this country, people have gathered and spoken out – in small groups and larger crowds, through phone calls and in letters, through websites and new technologies. Though these petitions come from different walks, their message is uniform: Washington has not been
listening. Politicians in Washington have imposed an agenda that doesn’t reflect the priorities of the people. What’s worse, the most important decisions are made behind closed doors, where a flurry of backroom deals has supplanted the will of the people. It’s time to do away with the old politics: that much is clear. It’s not enough, however, to swap out one set of leaders for another. Structure dictates behavior, so we have drafted this blueprint on a process of listening to the American people and fielding their concerns and ideas for turning things around.

• Our plan offers a clear and clearly different approach, one in which the people have the most say and the best ideas trump the most entrenched interests.
• Our plan stands on the principles of smaller, more accountable government; economic freedom; lower taxes; fiscal responsibility; protecting life, American values, and the Constitution; and providing for a robust national defense.
• Our plan puts forth a new governing agenda that reflects the priorities of the American people – priorities that have been ignored, even mocked by the powers-that-be in Washington.




• These are focused concrete examples of the policies through which we will promote greater liberty, wider opportunity, and national economic recovery – and they can be implemented today.


* * *

A plan to create jobs, end economic uncertainty, and make America more competitive must be the first and most urgent domestic priority of our government. So first, we offer a plan to get people working again. We will end the attack on free enterprise by repealing job-killing policies and taking steps to assure current businesses and future entrepreneurs that the government will not stifle their ability to compete in the global marketplace. By permanently stopping job-killing tax hikes, families will be able to keep more of their hard-earned money and small businesses will have the stability they need to invest in our economy and help grow our workforce. We will further encourage small businesses to create jobs by allowing them to take a tax deduction equal to 20 percent of their income. We will rein in the red tape factory in Washington, DC by requiring congressional approval of any new federal regulation that may add to our deficit and make it harder to create jobs. In addition, we will repeal the costly small business mandates contained in the new health care law.

If we’ve learned anything over the last two years, it’s that we cannot spend our way to prosperity. We offer a
plan to stop out-of-control spending and reduce the size of government.

With common-sense exceptions for seniors, veterans, and our troops, we will roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels, saving us at least $100 billion in the first year alone and putting us on a path to balance the budget and pay down the debt. We will also establish strict budget caps to limit federal spending from this point forward.

We will launch a sustained effort to stem the relentless growth in government that has occurred over the past decade. By cutting Congress’ budget, imposing a net hiring freeze on non-security federal employees, and reviewing every current government program to eliminate wasteful and duplicative programs, we can curb Washington’s irresponsible spending habits and reduce the size of government, while still fulfilling our necessary obligations. We will also prevent Washington from forcing responsible taxpayers to subsidize irresponsible behavior by ending bailouts permanently, canceling the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), and reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Instead of pushing off our long-term fiscal challenges, we will reform the budget process to ensure that Congress begins making the decisions that are necessary to protect our entitlement programs for today’s seniors and future generations. Of course, Americans remember that President Obama argued his government takeover of health care was the single most important thing we could do to address our growing debt crisis. This notion has since been thoroughly discredited: we now know the new health care law will mean more financial pain for seniors, families, employers and the federal government. We offer a plan to repeal and replace the government
takeover of health care with common-sense solutions focused on lowering costs and protecting American jobs. We will enact real medical liability reform; allow Americans to purchase health coverage across state lines; empower small businesses with greater purchasing power; and create new incentives to save for future health needs. We will protect the doctor-patient relationship, and ensure that those with pre-existing conditions gain access to the coverage they need. We will permanently end taxpayer funding of abortion and codify the Hyde Amendment.

We recognize that these solutions are ambitious, and that we are proposing them at a time of intense public distrust in politicians and the political system. That’s why we are offering a plan to reform Congress and
restore trust so that we can put power back where it belongs: in the hands of the people. We will govern differently than past Congresses of both parties. We will require that every bill contain a citation of Constitutional authority. We will give all Representatives and citizens at least three days to read the bill before a vote. We will make sure that the floor schedule and operations reflect the priority of revitalizing the economy, and ensure there is an open process that makes it easier – not harder – to eliminate unnecessary spending on any legislation that spends the people’s money. Above all else, the primary obligation of the federal government remains providing for the common defense against all threats foreign and domestic. We offer a plan to keep our nation secure at home and abroad that will provide the resources, authority, and support our deployed military requires, fully fund missile defense, and enforce sanctions against Iran. We will keep terrorist combatants in Guantanamo Bay not in our local jails and courtrooms. Our borders are a vital part of our security, so we will act decisively to ensure that the federal government fulfills its constitutional duty to protect our citizens and our Nation, working closely with our state and local governments.


A Plan to Create Jobs, End Economic Uncertainty, and Make America More
Competitive

Joblessness is the single most important challenge facing America today. Jobs are the lifeblood of our economy, and for our workforce, there is no substitute for the pride and dignity that comes with an honest day’s work and a steady paycheck. Washington’s heavy-handed approach is not working. Private sector unemployment remains at or near 10 percent, jobless claims continue to soar, and the only parts of the economy expanding are government and our national debt. It is time to end this liberal Keynesian experiment and stop the attacks on our employers that prevent them from investing in our economy. We need private sector jobs, not more government. We have a plan that will help create jobs, end economic uncertainty, and make America more competitive. WHAT WE’RE UP AGAINST The trillion-dollar “stimulus” spending bill has made “where are the jobs?” a national rallying cry after failing to live up to the specific promises made by its architects. Instead of remaining below eight percent, unemployment has been above nine percent for 16 consecutive months. This is a far cry from the recovery the American people were promised.

“Top-down one-size-fits-all decision making should not replace the personal choices of free
people in a free market, nor undermine the proper role of state and local governments in our
system of federalism.” – Gov. Bob McDonnell (VA)

Undeterred by dismal results, Washington Democrats continue to double-down on their job-killing policies. President Obama is proposing spending billions more on government “stimulus” projects. He also wants to raise taxes on roughly half of small business income in America. Raising taxes on anyone in a struggling economy – especially small businesses – is precisely the wrong thing to do. Economists agree, as do the American people.

“An economy constrained by high tax rates will never produce enough revenue to balance the
budget, just as it will never create enough jobs.” – John F. Kennedy

In addition to punishing businesses, these looming tax hikes will hurt every family in America. During the 1990s, a Republican Congress enacted pro-family policies such as marriage penalty relief and the child tax credit. Unless action is taken, a $3.8 trillion tax hike will go into effect on January 1, 2011 that will unravel the pro-family policies. A family of four with a household income of $50,000 a year will have to pay $2,900 more in taxes in 2011, according to a new analysis by Deloitte Tax LLP, a tax consulting firm. The same family making $100,000 a year will see its taxes rise by $4,500. In addition, the marriage penalty will return, the child tax credit will be cut in half, and the Alternative Minimum Tax will ensnare more than 25 million taxpayers.

Washington-focused economic policies have failed to put people back to work and have pushed our nation to the brink of a fiscal crisis. The American people know that to boost the economy, spending must be slashed, tax increases must be prevented, and small businesses must have certainty that the rules won’t change every few months so they can get back on their feet. The constant threat of new taxes and new regulations prevents investors and entrepreneurs from putting capital at risk. These private sector employers must be given the certainty that if they take a risk to expand their company or hire a new employee, Washington won’t yank the rug from under their feet.


Permanent bailouts, government takeovers, threats of tax increases and “stimulus” spending sprees have combined to create uncertainty for private investment in our economy and keep employers on the sidelines. The longer our government refuses to wake up and abandon its job-killing agenda, the longer it will take to turn things around and get people working again.

SIDE BAR TEXT:

o Since January 2009, President Obama and Congressional Democrats have enacted $680 billion in
gross tax increases, $316 billion of which are tax hikes that hurt the middle class families President Obama said would not see a tax increase.
o So far, Washington Democrats have passed, and the president has signed into law, at least 14 violations of his pledge that “no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase.”
o The White House’s own internal departments have identified 191 planned rules that will have an
economic cost of at least $100 million, including mandates related to the government takeover of health care and the financial regulation bill.

“Where Are the Jobs?” Since the trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ was signed into law in February 2009, the unemployment rate has climbed and is stuck at near 10 percent. Despite the ‘stimulus’ and Democrats’ promises the unemployment rate would remain below eight percent, the unemployment rate climbed from 7.7 percent in January 2009 to 9.5 percent in August 2010.

Source: January 2009 Romer/Bernstein Report and U.S. Department of Labor data.

“A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of
industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned -
this is the sum of good government.” – Thomas Jefferson


Our Plan to End The Uncertainty and Create Incentives for Job Growth If we’ve learned anything during the recession, it’s that we cannot tax and spend our way to prosperity. The best way to get people working again is to rein in the growth of government and end the uncertainty facing small businesses. By addressing both issues, our plan revives free enterprise and moves America away from a debt-driven economy.

• Permanently Stop All Job-Killing Tax Hikes: We will help the economy by permanently stopping all tax increases, currently scheduled to take effect January 1, 2011. That means protecting middle-class families, seniors worried about their retirement, and the entrepreneurs and family-owned small businesses on which we depend to create jobs in America.
• Give Small Businesses a Tax Deduction: We will allow small business owners to take a tax deduction equal to 20 percent of their business income. This will provide entrepreneurs with a much-needed infusion of capital for investment and new hiring.
• Rein In the Red Tape Factory in Washington, DC: Excessive federal regulation is a de facto tax on employers and consumers that stifles job creation, hampers innovation and postpones investment in the economy. When the game is always changing, small businesses cannot properly plan for the future. To provide stability, we will require congressional approval of any new federal regulation that has an annual cost to our economy of $100 million or more. This is the threshold at which the government deems a regulation “economically significant.” If a regulation is so “significant” and costly that it may harm job creation, Congress should vote on it first.
• Repeal Job-Killing Small Business Mandates: One of the most controversial mandates of the Democrats’ government takeover of health care requires small businesses to report to the Internal Revenue Service any purchases that run more than $600. This 1099 reporting mandate is so overbearing that the IRS ombudsman has determined that the agency is ill-equipped to handle all the resulting paperwork.. We will repeal this job-killing small business mandate.



MORE SIDE BAR TEXT:

• At the current pace of job growth, it will take longer to recover now than it did to recover from the Great Depression. At this rate, the pre-recession level of jobs will not be achieved until September 2017, more than 80 months from now. That would be nearly 10 years after the recession started, or almost two years longer than it took the U.S. to recover from job losses during the Great Depression.
• According to congressional analysts, these are the consequences of the tax hikes that are set to take effect on January 1, 2011:
• A single mom earning $36,000 per year could pay more than $1,100 more in taxes.
• Married senior citizens earning $40,000 per year could pay more than $1,400 in higher taxes.
• 31 million families will pay an average of $1,033 in higher taxes next year due to a reduction in the child tax credit from $1,000 to $500.
• 35 million married couples will pay an average of $595 in higher taxes next year due to a reinstatement of the marriage penalty.
• 88 million taxpayers will pay an average of $503 in higher taxes next year due to the elimination of the 10 percent tax bracket.


A Plan to Stop Out-of-Control Spending and Reduce the Size of Government


Washington’s out-of-control spending spree needs no introduction. Our debt is now on track to exceed the size of our economy in the next two years. The lack of a credible plan to pay this debt back causes anxiety among consumers and uncertainty for investors and employers. It isn’t just that we need to stop spending so much – we need to stop spending so irrationally. The spending process in Washington is designed to make it easy to increase spending and raise taxes and difficult to cut spending and lower taxes. The deck is stacked against limited government and fiscal responsibility. This must stop.

We have a plan to impose fiscal discipline and cut government down to size.

WHAT WE’RE UP AGAINST

Instead of putting the brakes on Washington’s spending habits as they promised, President Obama and Democratic Leaders have stepped on the accelerator and demonstrated unparalleled recklessness with taxpayer dollars.

Over the past three years, non-security discretionary spending (the spending that is approved each year by Congress outside of the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Veterans Affairs) has increased a staggering 88 percent. As a result, we now borrow 41 cents of every dollar we spend, much of it from foreign countries, including China, and leave the bill to our kids and grandkids.

Within three years, our government will spend more than $1 billion a day just to pay the interest on our debt. That money won’t build roads, fight terrorism, secure our border, or support Medicare for seniors. It is simply the cost of Congress’ failure to control spending.

“Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: if it moves, tax
it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” -- Ronald Reagan

Economists have warned that all this borrowing runs the risk of causing a damaging spike in interest rates, which would cripple job creation. If our economy remains debt-driven, it will not be in a position to support a lasting economic recovery.

Unfortunately, Washington Democrats refuse to listen to the American people and eliminate, restrain, or even budget for their out-of-control spending spree. Indeed, Democrats simply walked away from writing next year’s budget altogether – a first in the modern era. Without a budget, Washington will try to get away with continuing to spend at current “stimulus” levels. We cannot allow that to happen.



Our Plan to Put Government on a Path to a Balanced Budget

We will have a responsible, fact-based conversation with the American people about the scale of the fiscal challenges we face, and the urgent action that is required to deal with them. We will curb Washington’s spending habits and promote job creation, bring down the deficit, and build long-term fiscal stability.

• Act Immediately to Reduce Spending: There is no reason to wait to reduce wasteful and unnecessary spending. Congress should move immediately to cancel unspent “stimulus” funds, and block any attempts to extend the timeline for spending “stimulus” funds. Throwing more money at a stimulus plan that is not working only wastes taxpayer money and puts us further in debt.
• Cut Government Spending to Pre-Stimulus, Pre-Bailout Levels: With common-sense exceptions for seniors, veterans, and our troops, we will roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels, saving us at least $100 billion in the first year alone and putting us on a path to begin paying down the debt, balancing the budget, and ending the spending spree in Washington that threatens our children’s future.
• Establish a Hard Cap on New Discretionary Spending: We must put common-sense limits on the growth of government and stop the endless increases. Only in Washington is there an expectation that whatever your budget was last year, it will be more this year and even more the next. We will set strict budget caps to limit federal spending on an annual basis. Budget caps were used in the 1990s, when a Republican Congress was able to bring the budget into balance and eventual surplus. By cutting discretionary spending from current levels and imposing a hard cap on future growth, we will save taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.
• Cut Congress’ Budget: This year, Congress increased its own budget by 5.8 percent at a time when families and small businesses across the country are cutting back. We will make Congress do more with less by significantly reducing its budget.
• Hold Weekly Votes on Spending Cuts: Earlier this year, House Republicans launched the YouCut initiative to combat the permissive culture of runaway spending in Congress. Over the course of nine weeks, YouCut produced proposals to save taxpayers more than $120 billion. We will continue to hold weekly votes on spending cuts.
• End TARP Once And For All: Americans are rightly outraged at the bailouts of businesses and entities that force responsible taxpayers to subsidize irresponsible behavior. We will cancel the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), a move that would save taxpayers roughly $16 billion.
• End Government Control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Since taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage companies that triggered the financial meltdown by giving too many high risk loans to people who couldn’t afford them, taxpayers were billed more than $145 billion to save the two companies. We will reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by ending their government takeover, shrinking their portfolios, and establishing minimum capital standards. This will save taxpayers as much as $30 billion.
• Impose a Net Federal Hiring Freeze of Non-Security Employees: Small businesses and entrepreneurs are the engine of our economy and should not be crowded out by unchecked government growth. We will impose a net hiring freeze on non-security federal employees and ensure that the public sector no longer grows at the expense of the private sector.
• Root Out Government Waste and Duplication: Once created, federal programs almost never go away, even if the problem they were created to address is no longer relevant. More than 20 states have addressed this problem by requiring that programs end – or “sunset” – by a date certain. We will adopt this requirement at the federal level to force Congress to determine if a program is worthy of continued taxpayer support.
• Reform the Budget Process to Focus on Long-Term Challenges: We will make the decisions that are necessary to protect our entitlement programs for today’s seniors and future generations. That means requiring a full accounting of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, setting benchmarks for these programs and reviewing them regularly, and preventing the expansion of unfunded liabilities.



DID YOU KNOW?

• Today, Washington spends $7 million every minute of every hour of every day. That is twice as much as was spent per minute in 1980.
• Our cumulative national debt now exceeds $13,000,000,000,000 which is more than $42,000 for every
man, woman, and child in America. Under the most recent budget projections, it will continue to grow, doubling by 2020.
• There is literally no aspect of our economy or our society that the federal government doesn’t tax, regulate or subsidize, and often it does all three at the same time. The most recent edition of the Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance listed 2,050 different assistance programs available to states, local governments, for-profit and non-profit organizations, groups, and individuals. Taxpayers are literally funding programs from cradle to grave:



SIDE BAR TEXT/GRAPH

Federal spending consumes nearly one-quarter of our entire economy and is crowding out the private economy. Indeed, today more Americans work for one level of government or another than work in all the goods-producing industries, such as manufacturing, combined. According to the Obama Administration’s most recent budget forecast, government spending as a percentage of the economy will be, on average, several percentage points higher over the next ten years than it was during either the Clinton or Bush presidencies.

A Plan to Repeal and Replace the Government Takeover of Health Care

The American people wanted one thing out of health care reform: lower costs, which President Obama and Democrats in Washington promised, but did not deliver. Instead of expanding the size and scope of government with more debt, higher taxes, and burdensome mandates, Americans are calling for reforms that lower costs for families and small businesses, increase access to affordable, high-quality care and strengthen the doctor-patient relationship. We have a plan to do just that. WHAT WE’RE UP AGAINST

The core promises Washington Democrats made to force the health care law through Congress have already been broken:



• Jobs. Employers large and small coast-to-coast have announced that they are considering laying off employees or dropping their health care coverage in response to the new law, despite President Obama’s boast that it is also a jobs plan.
• Costs. Both the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the chief actuary at the Obama Administration’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have confirmed that the new law fails to lower health care costs as promised.
• Deficits and Debt. The Obama Administration’s Social Security and Medicare Trustees report confirms that the new law does little to address the nation’s growing fiscal crisis despite President Obama’s pledge that passing his plan constituted the “most important thing we can do” for the nation’s financial future.
• Taxes. The new health care law includes at least a dozen violations of President Obama’s pledge not to raise taxes on middle-class families. The Obama administration has conceded that the ‘individual mandate’ at the heart of the new law is indeed a tax, a notion the president “absolutely” rejected last fall.
• Seniors. The chief actuary at the Obama Administration’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has confirmed that the new law’s massive Medicare cuts will fall squarely on the backs of seniors, millions of whom will be forced off their current Medicare coverage.
• If You Like It… You Can’t Keep It. The Obama Administration has been forced to acknowledge that the new law will force some 87 million Americans to drop their current coverage despite President Obama’s promise that Americans would be able to keep the coverage that they have.
• Abortion. Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to using tax dollars to pay for abortion, and the executive order issued by President Obama in conjunction with congressional passage of the health care law is inadequate to ensure taxpayer funds are not used in this manner.


Instead of bringing the full weight of the government to bear in enforcing this job-killing health care law, Washington Democrats should listen to the American people and stand down.
Our Plan to Repeal the Job Killing Health Care Law and Put in Place Real Reform

o Repeal the Costly Health Care Takeover of 2010: Because the new health care law kills jobs, raises taxes, and increases the cost of health care, we will immediately take action to repeal this law.
o Enact Medical Liability Reform: Skyrocketing medical liability insurance rates have distorted the practice of medicine, routinely forcing doctors to order costly and often unnecessary tests to protect themselves from lawsuits, often referred to as “defensive medicine.” We will enact common-sense medical liability reforms to lower costs, rein in junk lawsuits and curb defensive medicine.
o Purchase Health Insurance Across State Lines: Americans residing in a state with expensive health insurance plans are locked into those plans and do not currently have an opportunity to choose a lower cost option that best meets their needs. We will allow individuals to buy health care coverage outside of the state in which they live.
o Expand Health Savings Accounts: Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are popular savings accounts that provide cost-effective health insurance to those who might otherwise go uninsured. We will improve HSAs by making it easier for patients with high-deductible health plans to use them to obtain access to quality care. We will repeal the new health care law, which prevents the use of these savings accounts to purchase over-the-counter medicine.
o Strengthen the Doctor-Patient Relationship: We will repeal President Obama’s government takeover of health care and replace it with common-sense reforms focused on strengthening the doctor-patient relationship.
o Ensure Access For Patients With Pre-Existing Conditions: Health care should be accessible for all, regardless of pre-existing conditions or past illnesses. We will expand state high-risk pools, reinsurance programs and reduce the cost of coverage. We will make it illegal for an insurance company to deny coverage to someone with prior coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition, eliminate annual and lifetime spending caps, and prevent insurers from dropping your coverage just because you get sick. We will incentivize states to develop innovative programs that lower premiums and reduce the number of uninsured Americans.
o Permanently Prohibit Taxpayer Funding of Abortion: We will establish a government-wide prohibition on taxpayer funding of abortion and subsidies for insurance coverage that includes abortion, this includes enacting into law what is known as the Hyde Amendment. We will also enact into law conscience protections for health care providers, including doctors, nurses, and hospitals.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Through July 31, 2010, 3,833 pages of federal regulations have been issued regarding the new law.
• Roughly 16,500 IRS auditors, agents, and other employees may be needed to collect the hundreds of billions of dollars in new taxes levied on the American people by the new health care law.
• The new health care law includes $569.2 billion in tax increases – including taxes that will directly increase the cost of health care goods and services – and $528.5 billion in Medicare cuts, which will be used to create new programs not related to seniors.
• The new health care law provides for the creation of more than 160 boards, bureaus, and commissions. Republicans on the Joint Economic Committee have released a chart detailing this maze of busybodies and bureaucracies:

A Plan to Reform Congress and Restore Trust

Americans have lost trust with their government, which has too often ignored the will of the people in favor of party loyalty and a desire to pass partisan bills at any cost. Backroom deals, phantom amendments, and bills that go unread before being forced through Congress have become business as usual. Never before has the need for a new approach to governing been more apparent than under Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership. Americans are demanding change in the way Congress works, and we are fighting to bring much-needed sunlight to the process and give the American people a greater voice in their Congress.
We now propose changing the way Congress works once and for all, so that the will of the people can be heard and the best ideas can trump the most vested interests.

WHAT WE’RE UP AGAINST

The House of Representatives continues to move further away from its roots as a deliberative body, toward a centralized power structure where the majority does whatever it needs to win at all costs. Over the course of her tenure, Speaker Pelosi has consolidated authority, abusing the letter and spirit of the House rules to get the outcome desired, while ignoring the voices of the American people, the minority and even dissenters within her own party.

Democratic Leaders continue moving in the wrong direction by limiting openness and debate, and using various backhanded tactics to ignore the will of the people:

• Despite having the largest Democratic majority since 1993, the current Congress marked the first time in the history that not a single spending bill was considered under an “open” amendment process.
• During final consideration of President Obama’s government takeover of health care, Speaker Pelosi and Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter publicly discussed a plan to allow the House to pass the bill without a vote by the House. Referred to as the “Slaughter Solution,” House Democrats eventually abandoned the scheme under the weight of a sustained public outcry.
• When the House was poised to consider legislation to impose a “cap-and-trade” national energy tax, a 300-page “manager’s amendment” rewriting key provisions of the bill without a separate vote was dropped in the laps of lawmakers at 3:00 am. The House began debate on the bill just a few hours later.
• For the first time in modern history, the House failed to pass or even debate a budget, allowing spending to continue to grow at a breathtaking rate without any blueprint for making fiscal decisions.


It’s no wonder that a national survey released earlier this year showed that just two in 10 Americans believe our government operates with the consent of the governed. We cannot continue to operate like this. Our Plan to Restore Trust

The top-down way of governing is outdated and just plain backwards. We will launch a prolonged campaign to transfer power back to the people and ensure they have a say in what goes on in the Congress. This year House Republicans launched a first-of-its-kind web platform called America Speaking Out to engage directly with the American people and allow them to establish a dialogue with their members of Congress. We will continue this groundbreaking transformative effort to give people a voice in real time with their government. We recognize that if we are truly committed to addressing the American people’s highest priorities, the House of Representatives must operate differently – differently from the way the Democrats do now, and differently from the way Republicans did in the past. Change begins at home.

Martial Law Cht 1.ai
• Read The Bill: We will ensure that bills are debated and discussed in the public square by publishing the text online for at least three days before coming up for a vote in the House of Representatives. No more hiding legislative language from the minority party, opponents, and the public. Legislation should be understood by all interested parties before it is voted on.
• Adhere To The Constitution: For too long, Congress has ignored the proper limits imposed by the Constitution on the federal government. Further, it has too often drafted unclear and muddled laws, leaving to an unelected judiciary the power to interpret what the law means and by what authority the law stands. This lack of respect for the clear Constitutional limits and authorities has allowed Congress to create ineffective and costly programs that add to the massive deficit year after year. We will require each bill moving through Congress to include a clause citing the specific constitutional authority upon which the bill is justified.
• Make It Easier to Cut Spending: By forbidding amendments on spending bills, Democrats have denied lawmakers the opportunity to tighten Washington’s belt and slash wasteful and duplicative programs. Structure dictates behavior, so we will let any lawmaker — Democrat or Republican — offer amendments to reduce spending.
• Advance Legislative Issues One at a Time: We will end the practice of packaging unpopular bills with “must-pass” legislation to circumvent the will of the American people. Instead, we will advance major legislation one issue at a time.


DID YOU KNOW?

• The number of House legislative days devoted to action on noncontroversial and often insignificant “suspension” bills is up significantly in this Congress by comparison with the past several Congresses, wasting time and taxpayer resources. Of the bills considered under the suspension procedure – requiring 2/3 vote for passage – so far during this Congress, more than half were bills naming federal buildings, recognizing individuals or groups (like sports teams) for achievements, or supporting the designation of particular days, months, or weeks.
• This year, for the first time in the modern era, the House did not pass a budget, and of the twelve regular spending bills, only two have passed.
• House Democrats have relied heavily on what are known as “martial law” procedures during the current Congress, particularly provisions that allow them to bring any bill to the floor with little or no notice and deny Republican members of Congress or even factions of their own party their right to debate and offer amendments or substitutes for consideration or vote.

A Plan to Keep Our Nation Secure at Home & Abroad


We are a nation at war. We must confront the worldwide threat of terrorism and to deal with the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. We will do all that is needed to protect our homeland, support our troops and the veterans who have so honorably served us, and ensure our government has a coherent strategy to confront and defeat the terrorist threat. And we will never apologize for advancing the cause of freedom and democracy around the world, nor will we abandon our historic role in lifting up those who struggle to receive the blessings of liberty.


Over the last year, we have seen clear and immediate evidence that terrorists continue to plot devastating attacks against our homeland, including a plot to bomb the New York City subway system, and continuing with the attacks at Fort Hood, Times Square, and on board Northwest Flight 253. Each of these attacks represented new strands of terrorism, new signs of an enemy ready and willing to adapt.

“History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

We have a plan to keep our nation secure at home and abroad and hold the current government accountable for fulfilling its responsibility to provide for a robust defense. Our Plan for National and Border Security

Providing for the common defense is a not just a priority or political imperative – it is a Constitutional duty. National security is more than just war fighting: it is protecting our citizens, bringing certainty to an uncertain world, supporting those who volunteer in the service of their country and defend our way of life, using every tool to protect Americans from threats at our borders.

• Pass Clean Troop Funding Bills: When asked to provide our troops with the resources they need, we will do so without delay. That means no more troop funding bills held up by unrelated policy changes, or extraneous domestic spending and pork-barrel projects.
• Keep Terrorists Out of America: We will prevent the government from importing terrorists onto American soil. We will hold President Obama and his administration responsible for any Guantanamo Bay detainees they release who return to fight against our troops or who have become involved in any terrorist plots or activities.
• Demand an Overarching Detention Policy: Foreign terrorists do not have the same rights as American citizens, nor do they have more rights than U.S. military personnel. We will work to ensure foreign terrorists, such as the 9/11 conspirators, are tried in military, not civilian, court. We will oppose all efforts to force our military, intelligence, and law enforcement personnel operating overseas to extend “Miranda Rights” to foreign terrorists.
• Fully Fund Missile Defense: There is real concern that while the threat from Iranian intercontinental ballistic missiles could materialize as early as 2015, the government’s missile defense policy is not projected to cover the U.S. homeland until 2020. We will work to ensure critical funding is restored to protect the U.S. homeland and our allies from missile threats from rogue states such as Iran and North Korea.
• Require Tough Enforcement of Sanctions Against Iran: The Iranian regime is a state-sponsor of terrorism, has actively worked to harm our deployed troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and violates the rights and will of its own people. It has declared its determination to acquire a nuclear capability, which threatens its neighbors and the security of the United States. We will work to ensure the government aggressively and effectively implements the sanctions tools Congress has provided.
• Establish Operational Control of the Border: We must take action to secure our borders, and that action starts with enforcing our laws. We will ensure that the Border Patrol has the tools and authorities to establish operational control at the border and prohibit the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture from interfering with Border Patrol enforcement activities on federal lands.
• Work with State and Local Officials to Enforce Our Immigration Laws: The problem of illegal immigration and Mexican drug cartels engaged in an increasingly violent conflict means we need all hands on deck to address this challenge. We will reaffirm the authority of state and local law enforcement to assist in the enforcement of all federal immigration laws.
• Strengthen Visa Security: To stop terrorists like Omar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Christmas Day bomber, we will require the Department of Homeland Security to review all visa applications at high-risk consular posts and prevent aliens from attempting to avoid deportation after having their visas revoked.

Checks and Balances

Our founders built a system of checks and balances to slow the growth of government and prevent the tyranny of the majority. The ultimate power in this system of government is held by the people, who were given the tools by our Founders to hold those they elect as their representatives accountable for their actions. Government exists to be the servant of the people, not their master.

Unfortunately, the metrics used to hold Congress accountable are often flawed. Rather than using the scale of how well elected representatives represent the views of the people, the scale is often currently measured in bills passed, dollars spent, and programs created. This must change.

"But the whole history of America is quite different from Europe. People went there to get away
from the intolerance and constraints of life in Europe. They sought liberty and opportunity; and
their strong sense of purpose has over two centuries, helped create a new unity and pride in
being American.” – Margaret Thatcher

Every American must ask: what has Congress done to ensure opportunity and to safeguard my liberty and the freedoms guaranteed to me in the Constitution? We stand ready to be judged by that standard.

We will stand committed to our principles and fight to renew the drive for a smaller, less costly, and more accountable government. We will promote and advance solutions that get people working again, stop out-of-control spending, repeal and replace the government takeover of health care, make Congress more open and transparent, and keep our nation secure at home and abroad.

At the same time, we will serve as a check and a balance against any schemes that are inconsistent with the priorities and rights of the American people:

• We will fight to ensure transparency and accountability in Congress and throughout government.
• We will continue to fight the growth of government and oppose new stimulus spending that only puts our nation further in debt.
• We will fight efforts to fund the costly new health care law.
• We will fight to increase access to domestic energy sources and oppose attempts to impose a national “cap and trade” energy tax.
• We will fight for the rights of workers and oppose “card check” schemes that put union bosses before individuals’ right to a secret ballot.
• We will fight efforts to use a national crisis for political gain.

Call to Action

Built through a process of listening to the people, this is our Pledge to America. To begin the process of implementing a new governing agenda that honors our Constitution and reflects the will of the people, we call on the leadership of the 111th Congress to bring these reforms and policies to an immediate vote, and ask all citizens of our Nation – men and women of good will and good heart – who share in our beliefs, to join with us today.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

MORE ABOUT MONEY

I have been having an online debate with a gentleman who thinks the whole problem with our economy is the banking system. Particularly the fractional reserve banking structure we have. (Thank you sir, for that term, I knew the mechanics but not the name prior to our debate.) The basic idea is that because the Federal Reserve Bank can literally create money out of nothing we have this inflationary cycle. Well, he's right, as far as he goes. And, the Federal Reserve Bank is one of the most corrupt and evil entities in the nation right now. Which is made much worse because we have zero oversight, and no way to get any.


But, what he and those like him miss in blaming the Federal Reserve Bank is the real root of the issue. And, that is that we are on a Fiat Money system as opposed to a Commodity Money system. You see commodity money is simply money backed by a commodity. Mostly gold, but the earliest version 5,000 years ago was Mesopotamia who used the Shekel which was a measure of barley. So the first money was one of the ingredients of beer. Gotta love that. But, their money was backed by something. Granted it was a consumable good, but it was something you could lay your hands on


Fiat money on the other hand is backed by the “full faith and credit of the government.” I use quotations for a reason. That reason being that almost no one has full faith in any government, and for good reason. Putting that aside though let's examine what happens to fiat money on a historical cycle.


Most civilizations start out with a commodity money type system. Whether it is backed by barley, gold, or widgets doesn't matter. The currency is backed by SOMETHING. For the Dollar it was the gold standard. Then the government realizes that unless the supply of that commodity is grown they can't grow their power as fast as they'd like so they move the currency off the standard and it becomes a fiat currency.


Initially not a problem, they can now create money by simply firing up the printing press, and giving said money away causes them to be liked and able to stay in power. Here we took the Dollar off the gold standard in the 1970s.


But, and this is where it gets silly, everyone seems to lose sight of the fact that unless it's backed by some service or good money is just worthless paper. So, the powers in charge, in order to stay in charge, have to print and give away more of these now worthless pieces of paper to appease those that keep them in power. Remind you of any politicians you know? But, eventually everyone realizes that those pieces of paper are indeed worthless, and the currency collapses. Then a new currency has to emerge, hopefully backed by a commodity, and the cycle starts all over.


Some say this is happening to the Dollar right now. I would not disagree with that, but don't know for sure that it's this cycle that will cause the ultimate collapse. I can tell you though that every fiat currency in the history of the world has eventually become worth nothing. I wish I had a solution, but other than teaching this history to our kids so that future generations can avoid going off their commodity I don't have one, and I fear it is to late for the Dollar.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

IS THIS THE AMERIKA YOU WANT TO LIVE IN?

Steve Miller in Clarkson County Georgia is in trouble. What you may ask is Mr. Miller's great crime? Did he kill someone? No. Whew, got no sympathy for them murderers. Did he steal something? No. Great, not really fond of thieves either. Did he burn down a building that wasn't his? No. Not a scumbag arsonist either. “OK Dan, my three guesses are up what's his great crime?” Well this miserable excuse for a human being was growing vegetables in his yard. He was growing more than the law allowed, and then selling or giving the extra away!

Oh the horror! This MUST be stopped. We must have order. What kind of Amerika is it when some random guy can grow his own food on his own land, and then sell the extra? Not the kind of Amerika I want to live in that's for sure! I say string him up by his scrawny neck, and have the villagers throw stones at him. Let his body rot on the gallows as a reminder to any other possible errant gardener out there. After all this is the Peeples Republik of Amerika, and we WILL HAVE ORDER!

If you wish to grow vegetables you will apply for the proper zoning and then if it is deemed permissible by the powers that be for you to grow vegetables on your property you will allow anything you don't eat to rot! Like any other good subject. Got it? Now, off with his head!

Oh the people? Let them eat cake!

Dekalb Farmer Lawsuit

Suburban Atlanta Farmer Cited on Zoning Charges

Monday, September 20, 2010

WHAT IS MONEY?

What is money? Stupid question on the surface isn't it? I mean we all know that money is those little pieces of paper and metal that represent... Yeah, here's where it gets sticky. For some reason this is where most people lose sight of what money exactly is. Money is just the representation of the idea of how much service you have given your fellow man. That's all. When you give a farmer on the side of the road five bucks for a basket of tomatoes you are saying, “I value your service in producing these tomatoes five dollars worth.”

So, if you want to be honest and able to look yourself in the mirror realize that your only value is the value of how well serve your fellow man. Set about serving your fellow man in the best way you are able, and the money will follow. If you're good you can serve man as much as Bill Gates, but no matter if you just serve man as much as the McDonald's clerk you will still KNOW how much your service is valued, and you will have the physical representation to prove how much you have served your fellow man. If you're not happy with the amount of that money your service provides, then change how or what you do to serve your fellow man.

Just be aware of some traps. For instance often when when people think of government money they don't realize the cost. You see, no matter how money is routed to you ultimately some service has to have been produced. For some reason when that money doesn't come directly from the person who received the service the person who received the service doesn't value the service. But it doesn't matter if you produce the service, I receive it, I pay taxes, and then you collect from the government, or you produce the service, I receive it, and I pay you directly. Either way ultimately you have had to produce a service and I had to pay. That's a law of nature ranking right up there with Newton's Law of Gravity. For money to be anything more than paper and bits of metal something had to be produced. All the paper and metal bits do is represent that service in a portable form that allows me to transform my service of appliance repair into tomatoes. All getting it free from the government does is put in a middle man that will take his cut both ways. Which is why as Heinlein says, TANSTAAFL. Or for you non Heinlein fans out there, “There Ain't No Such Think As A Free Lunch.” So think long and hard about free money from the government, it's not really free, and it may not really be money if there is/was no service produced to back it up.

Some other time I will get into the evil of government money, but for now realize that all money really does is represent the value you and your fellow man place on your service to your fellow man.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

BASIC ECONOMICS

For those of you who follow me on facebook this is a rerun. Sorry, but with Yahoo, and others FINALLY pointing out that the tax hike going into effect soon is going to effect more than just the 'rich' it seemed an appropriate lesson to re-post.

--------------------------

BASIC ECONOMICS

I hate it when people talk about “tax the rich,” or “let the government pay for it.” It tells me just how much our educational system has let us down in the areas of logical thinking and basic economics.

Let's take, “Tax the rich,” first shall we? You see the rich don't pay taxes at all. Most rich people are business owners, and business owners do not pay taxes, they collect them and send them up the line. So you as the consumer pay the taxes, THROUGH the business. Let me say it more clearly – all taxes are paid by the end user of the product. Taking the evil oil companies for instance. They make an average profit margin of 9.7% as per CNNmoney.com. That will be a very important figure later.

There are 4 basic line items on a companies budget; cost of goods produced, cost of labor, taxes and regulatory costs, and profit. Every thing a company spends is represented on one of these lines. For accounting purposes they are often broken down into much smaller subdivisions, but that's usually for marketing and/or regulatory purposes.

So let's define our terms I'll bet you can figure most of them out;
Cost of goods produced (COG) – all materials that go into a the production of a given product
Costs of labor (Labor) – simple, costs for labor, and usually the most expensive of the 3 line items
Taxes and Regulatory costs (Taxes) – what the government costs you to do what you do legally
Profit (P) – this is the simplest and yet often most misunderstood cost. In accounting terms it is what is left over after the product is sold, but it is also often maligned as evil or bad. What most people who think of profit as bad don't realize is that often the business owner doesn't draw a salary, to the business owner the profit IS the salary, and if there is no profit his family doesn't eat. If we're talking a huge corporation we're talking the share holders who have to obtain their share of the profits in various ways either through dividends or through selling the stock. Either way the profit is not evil, it is the point of the exercise. With out profit you couldn't live in your house or drive your car or eat food you didn't raise or kill because no one would have been paid to provide these things for you.

So let's make the example of the wildly thought of evil oil companies. Right now gas in the Austin area is about $2.60/gallon. So, while I don't know the exact numbers I can make an educated guess to make my point.

0.85 = COG
1.00 = Labor
0.52 = Taxes (national average)
0.23 = Profit = (COG + Labor + Taxes)0.097
2.60 = Gallon of gas in your tank
39.00 = Filling your car assuming 15 gallon tank
2028.00 = Full tank once a week for a year

So, let's raise the taxes on this evil oil company and see what happens to the costs of filling you gallon can of gas for your car.

0.85 = COG
1.00 = Labor
0.53 = Taxes
0.24 = Profit = (COG + Labor + Taxes)0.097
2.61 = Gallon of gas in your tank
39.15 = Filling your car assuming 15 gallon tank
2035.80 = Full tank once a week for a year

Most of us can live with an extra 15 cents/week so, let's raise the taxes on this evil oil company by 325% and see what happens to the costs of filling your car.

0.50 = COG
1.00 = Labor
1.74 = Taxes
0.31 = Profit = (COG + Labor + Taxes)0.097
3.55 = Gallon of gas in your tank
53.25 = Filling your car assuming 15 gallon tank
2769.00 = Full tank once a week for a year

Now the real question you need to ask yourself before you scream about taxing the evil rich is – can I afford this little temper tantrum? You see the rich are simply going to roll that costs to you, raise their price and maintain their salary percentage. Either that or go out of business. So, you can have high a priced moral statement that costs them nothing and you everything, or cheap gas, and be happy for them that they get to make a living also.