Do the Six Tucson Council Members Represent All the Citizens of Tucson?

The Tucson City Council wants to mount a court challenge to stop the new law that redically changes how council elections are held in Tucson.  This is the same council that made no attempt to prevent the law from becoming law.  The excuses as found in the Arizona Daily Star, Sunday August 3, 2009, are: 

“Romero said the city was busy balancing its budget in the past several months and didn’t know about the vote on the bill until the day it occurred. In addition, Romero said the city’s opposition wouldn’t have made a difference.” 

“Councilwoman Karin Uhlich also said the city was busy balancing its budget,…”

What  incredibly lame excuses!  Remember, this is the same council that has turned Tucson into a laughingstock due to Rio Nuevo. 

These people actually oppose non-partisan elections and will use tax money to fight to overturn the new law.  Let’s recap:

• These are the same people who wasted millions on Rio Nuevo.
• They felt it was more important to fund social programs than to fully fund the TPD.
• They promised to rid the city of the water admin fee to get elected and did not get rid of the fee.

While the degree of responsibility does not fall squarely on all the council members, the council as a whole has not fairly represented all of the city.  The Southeast, mostly Ward IV, has been allowed to languish.  Shirley Scott—Ward IV, perhaps should not be lumped with the other five Democrats on the council, because she has operated in a somewhat non-partisan manner.  Yes Tucson has six council members and all are democrats.  While there are areas of the city with heavy republican voter registration, Tucson still has disproportionate representation of six democrats running the City Council. 

It is important to question why each ward cannot elect a representative of its own choosing.  In elections around the country, congressional districts vote for their representative and no other.  In the State Legislature the vote is for your representative and no other.  In presidential elections we use the electoral system to determine how our state wants to be represented. 

As for city elections, what party must you be to provide adequate public safety and to fill pot holes?  What is wrong with being non-partisan and for each ward to send its reprepresentative to the Council?  The last time this method of ward voting was put before the electorate was in 1993—16 years ago and well before the Rio Nuevo debacle.

Giffords Secures Federal Projects in Grijalva’s 7th District — Why?

Today, Representative Gabriel Giffords proudly announced on her 8th Congressional District web site that she  has secured funding of $4.47 Million for four infrastructure projects from the Federal Government.

An extract from her web site is as follows.  

“The four projects for which Giffords secured funding include Tucson’s Modern Streetcar, the light rail transit system that will connect University Medical Center, the University of Arizona, Fourth Avenue, Downtown Tucson and Rio Nuevo. Mayor Bob Walkup was very appreciative of today’s vote.”

As a constituent, I see one very large problem with this fabulous accomplishment.  Apparently Ms. Giffords does not know whom she represents.  These four projects are not in her district.  That’s right , they are in Congressman Raul Grijalva’s district.  Boy do I feel loved.  Perhaps the folks in the 7th will vote for her in the next election.

Hello Arizona!

For some time I have been writing about our national broken government in my Ken Moyes’ Weblog found at http://Brokengovernment.wordpress.com .  I have now decided to spend more time writing about the government and the government players of Arizona, my state.  These players will include representatives to Congress and the State House, along with Pima County and Tucson elected officials.  I hope we all learn something from this experimental excursion through what makes Arizona run.

Fixing Health Care The Smart Way: at the state level, starting with Arizona

With the very questionable and incredibly expensive and poorly though out presidential health care initiative appearing to be in trouble, one state among others remains in a high cost medical environment.  Arizona doctors, especially primary care physicians are leaving for more conducive legal environments.  One state, Texas, has had great success in attracting both primary care physicians and specialists, since it enacted wide-ranging medical tort reform.  Tort reform, however, is only part of the solution. 

What is wrong in Arizona?

1. A shortage of primary care physicians exists – patient to doctor ratio is and has been rising for some time.
   1. Too many Arizona trained doctors opt to leave Arizona.
   2. Too many opt to go into specialties.
2. Health care costs in Arizona and the nation continue to dramatically outpace inflation.
3. Too many tests ordered, too few primary care physicians, too many expensive specialists, too many frivolous malpractice suits, too many dollars awarded as punitive damages.

Why is it wrong?

• Two medical schools in Arizona.
  1. University of Arizona, turning out only 110 doctors per year.
  2. A University of Arizona location in Phoenix will not significantly add to number of physicians output – output may be only and additional 24 doctors per year.
• A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Phoenix will have its first graduating class next year and produce only about 110 each year.
• The cost of medical malpractice insurance forces primary care physicians to order too many tests to protect themselves from malpractice claims.
  1. Damage Caps
     “Arizona does not place a cap on the amount of damages recoverable in a medical malpractice action. Article 2, § 31 of the Arizona constitution prohibits the enactment of any law limiting the damages one may recover for personal injury or death.”
  2. Statutory Cap on Attorneys’ Fees
     “Arizona does not place a limit on the fees recoverable by an attorney in a medical malpractice action.”
         Source for damage caps and attorney fees is McCullough, Campbell, and Lane LLP, attorneys: http://www.mcandl.com/arizona.html
• Physicians opt to become specialists seeking higher income to repay crushing student loans and cope with malpractice insurance premiums.

How does Arizona fix it?

1. Arizona should spend $500 Million annually to pay for the operation of “free” medical training for M.D.’s and D.O.’s.  This should allow for the doubling of doctor output from the 250 per year to 500 per year.  “Free” is not really free.  Doctors agree to work in primary care or community health care for 10 consecutive years in Arizona after becoming doctors.  Each year worked, eliminates 1/10th of the student loan made to the student who attends an Arizona medical school.
2. Quality of enrollees sours.
3. Double the output capacity for the two medical schools in Arizona, an initial expense of $200 Million.
4. Address tort reform in Arizona by seeking to amend the state constitution to:
   • Limit damage caps to actual damages, less contributory negligence from the patient.
   • Cap attorney fees.
   • Require mandatory initial medical arbitration, before referral to the courts.
5. Provide for a loser pays all cumulative attorney and court fees – if partial damages, then partial reimbursement of fees.  No one gets rich on malpractice.

Why will this work?

1. Costs across the board will be reduced.  Health insurance rates drop.
2. Malpractice premiums will drop in Arizona.  Health insurance rates drop.
3. Malpractice suits and awards will be diminished in Arizona.  Health insurance rates drop.
4. The number of new primary care physicians will reduce the current patient load.  More primary care physicians per capita means better health care.  Health insurance rates drop.
5. A higher percentage of D.O.’s become primary care physicians, than do M.D.’s.  More D.O.’s means more primary care physicians.
6. New doctors will not have crushing student loans to repay.
7. Fewer specialists, due to the better financial situation of new primary care physicians, as they no longer need to become specialists to increase earnings to repay loans and pay malpractice insurance.
8. Less need for specialist patient medical referrals to protect against malpractice – fewer higher cost specialists per capita needed.  Health insurance rates drop.
9. Fewer costly tests will be ordered in Arizona, lowering medical costs.  Health insurance rates drop.
10. Tort reform brings even more physicians to Arizona just as the tort reform in Texas has brought physicians to Texas. Supply and damand – Health insurance rates drop.
11. More primary care physicians actually doing hands-on medicine instead of being gate keepers will lower health care costs.  Health insurance rates drop.
12. Health care insurance becomes substantially more affordable to all in Arizona.  Many more people will be covered.
13. More small businesses in Arizona can now afford to provide health care insurance.
14. Small businesses migrate to Arizona, creating Arizona jobs.

Issues to overcome:

1. Malpractice attorneys are unhappy and fight the changes.
2. Progressives and liberals who want to control the population via health care are unhappy.
3. Coming up with the initial $200 Million to increase the capacity of medical schools and $500 million annually to fund the student loan / waiver program.  This equates to $30 per head and $77 per head respectively based on Census 2008 population estimates for Arizona.  Actually if  the federal government gave each state $500 million each year to cover this cost, it would cost only about $2.5 Billion annually and not the Trillions projected by out dysfunctional federal government.

Also included is a link to McCullough, Campbell, and Lane LLP, malpractice attorneys http://www.mcandl.com/arizona.html and a link to the School of Osteopathic Medicine web page explaining the difference between D.O.’s and M.D.’s http://www.atsu.edu/soma/programs/osteopathic_medicine/index.htm.

Today's Federal Government is Unconstitutional!

Just what are the powers granted to the federal government under our Constitution?  It’s simple; the powers are laid out clearly in the Constitution in Article 1, Section 8.  There is no secret here or any ambiguity in this matter.  The Constitution tells the federal government what it can do and anything not covered is reserved for the States, thus the power of the federal government is severely limited and the States are superior to the federal government.  Yet our federal government functions like it has unlimited power – if Congress says it is okay, it must be okay.  Well this current federal / state relationship is clearly wrong and unconstitutional.  Congress and the executive branch are out of control. 

The federal government, particularly Congress, in words directly taken from the Constitution, is empowered to:

1. borrow Money on the credits of the United States (this one has been worked to death);
2. regulate Commerce with foreign nations and among the several states, and with the Indian Tribes (regulate in this case means to make function smoothly and foster trade – not to control everything and anything that is remotely managed through interstate commerce);
3. establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States (the federal government has been remiss on Naturalization and violating its own laws on Bankruptcy);
4. coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures (the federal government certainly has been working the coining – printing – money to its fullest, but its current economic policies have actually worked to unregulate the Value of our Money);
5. provide for Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;
6. establish Post Offices and post Roads;
7. promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;
8. constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;
9. define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations (this specific power to punish piracy was not readily utilized by the Obama administration recently, until the Captain of a Navy vessel forced his hand);
10. declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water (military tribunals);
11. raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years.;
12. provide and maintain a Navy;
13. make Rules for the Government and Regulation of land and naval forces;
14. provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrection and repel Invasions;
15. provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress (your National Guard);
16. exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise the Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-yards and other needful Buildings;
17. and make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof (limited to the defined powers of the federal government). 

Under the 15th amendment, the United States has the power by legislation to enforce the voting rights of citizens.

In the 16th amendment, the Federal Government was given another power: The Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.  (This amendment has allowed the Federal Government to use the tax code to manipulate the States and to drive social issues, but it was never intended to allow this action.)

The federal government has absolutely no other authority than what is spelled out above.  Watching your Congress work would let you believe that it can do whatever it wants.

• Can you find the power to institute Cap and Trade – a tax on carbon emissions?
• Can you find in this list of powers the power to loan money to AIG and other TARP recipients?
• Can you find the power to regulate executive compensation?
• Can you find in this list the power to mandate educational requirements to the States?
• Can you find in these powers the right of the federal government to tell me what I should eat or, to make rules for national healthcare or to control healthcare – there is no interstate commerce when I visit my doctor?

Try your own test of these powers to see if other federal government regulations pass the test.

Just what are the powers of the States?  What limitation on these powers does the Constitution offer?  The limitations are those rights afforded the people of the United States in the Bill of Rights.  The Bill of Rights also provides for the powers of the States in the tenth amendment: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution (article 1, section 8 ), nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.  The 14th amendment provides additional restraints on the States “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Why have we let the federal government become what is was not supposed to be – all powerful?  Why have the States rolled over when confronted with federal legislation violating the assigned powers of the federal government?  Perhaps it is time to fight back and place the federal government back into an inferior position to the States.  Push, plead, and cajole your State representatives to fight back and regain their rights as States.

Had Enough?

I have had enough with the Congress, both Democrat and Republican – the lies and half truths by Dodd, Rangel, Pelosi, and Frank, feigned indignation from Republican leadership, and on and on.  Take a good look and you will see that the snake oil salesmen and women of the world have determined that Congress is the best gig in town.  Yes there are a few patriots in Congress, but the majority only care about staying in Congress and retiring rich.

I have had enough from the Bush and Obama administrations – each administration with its own gross degree of hypocrisy.  Does anyone really think we can spend our way out of debt?  Does anyone really think that the push for cap and trade is not a tax?  Does anyone really think that either administration really cared or cares about the future of the American people – we know they cared or care about the future of their ideology, but what about the future of the American people?  Main stream America is an afterthought to these parties.  I don’t mean sending stimulus checks – I do mean the overall health of this nation.  All we seem to believe in is short term appeasement of the voter in exchange for votes.  We use earmarks to gain campaign funds – how wrong is that?  Main stream America has been ignored by both parties, in favor of both right and left wing zealots and the progressives from both parties – oh and let’s not forget those very uber rich who are now buying our Congress and perhaps the presidency – you know – the George Soros types through tentacled organizations, with their own agenda.  Who do we blame?  Us, that’s who – not the U.S., but the people who are simply not engaged with their government.  Our government is no longer of the people and by the people.  It is now of the fringe and by the fringe – the 12% on each side.  Too many Americans are just interested in what is in it for them.  Too many Americans know who was thrown off American Idol, but not who the Speaker of the House is – yet they vote.

Unless and until we begin to care enough about our own future and how much the government should play in that future, we will continue down the path of letting the fringe of America – from each party – be in charge.  The Federal Government is out of control and has been out of control for nearly a dozen years.  In fact, we could say the Federal Government has been out of control since the seventeenth amendment – that was when the states abdicated their constitutional role of watchdog of the federal government.  Look it up.

Had enough?  If so, then do something about it.   Start by finding good people running for state office or in state office and get behind them.  Likely they have not been corrupted and if you find really good patriots to support, likely they will not be corrupted.  Push for the states to take back the watchdog role of the federal government.  Push for the states to control the federal government.  Sit on your hands and you will get what you deserve – a non-functioning nanny state, run by the fringe in power.  Soon they will tell you how to eat, drink, rear your children, and how to live, or are they already doing that?  They can’t help themselves because they believe they are much smarter than you.

Fix Congress, but how?

Tired and frustrated about Washington, D.C.?  Do you believe that Congress is out of touch with the people?  Do you believe that Congress does not represent us and instead represents special interests with their legions of lobbyists and big campaign donations.  It also seems clear that those in Congress have a sole purpose of continuing to serve and this purpose is to do everything and anything they can to remain in Congress.  Have you noticed that those who retire usually retire very wealthy?

Where else can we be told time and time again how the Congress will clean up its act, yet we suffer powerful committee chairpersons and rules designed to keep and grow the status quo.  The affliction of power brought about by seniority affects both parties.  Our two party system appears to be the problem and not the solution – ideology takes second place to capturing power and remaining in office.  Their real constituent is reelection!  We routinely return the incumbent to Congress at greater than a 90% rate.  Something is radically wrong when the very people who complain about the Congress, us, routinely return their representatives to Congress more than 90% of the time.  Perhaps this 90% return rate is not totally our fault, but can be traced to the design of the election system, campaign funding, and the support of special interests.  Does it seem right that your Congressman or Congresswoman is more influenced by money from outside his or her district?  Why should some agricultural company in Hawaii be allowed to monetarily influence a Congressman from an industrial district in Pennsylvania?  It happens that money flows in to Congressional campaigns from all over the United States and yes, Europe and China, among other places.  Why is it okay for everyone in the world to buy the loyalty of your representation in Washington?

If and when you call your representative in Congress, you will most likely get voice mail that asks you to leave a message about your issue.  They keep raising the funding for the staffing of their offices, yet there is no one to answer the phone?  These people feel so insulated that they have openly and brazenly discussed, and in committee voted to add a voting representative in Congress to the District of Columbia and the State of Utah.  This is highly unconstitutional behavior – the Constitution is crystal clear on how representation is handled and representation is not established by the Congress at their whim.  This vote in committee and soon to be a floor vote represents the ultimate example of people serving in Congress suffering the aphrodesiac of unchecked power.

What can we do about our Congress?  Can we amend the Constitution?  Congress controls the Constitutional amendment process or do they?  Our Constitution provides for an alternate amendment process, one initiated by the states.  A state can call for a constitutional convention and if two thirds of the states agree, i.e. 34 states, it convenes.  The states send representatives to the convention and any amendment coming out of the convention needs ratification by three fourths of the states, i.e. 38 states, to become an amendment of the United States Constitution.   Now you can petition your state legislators, your representatives in your capitol, for a constitutional convention to change Congress and to restore lost rights back to the states.

We can seek a change in how Senators are elected.  When the Constitution was adopted, it provided for election of Senators by the states legislatures and not direct election of the senators by the people.  While this method was subject to politics and political maneuvering, it gave the States a say in the size of the federal government, the judiciary, and foreign affairs through the Senate.  It was the seventeenth amendment that made this change.  We need to repeal the seventeenth and replace it with an amendment that provides for election of senators by their respective legislatures, with a restriction on recall requiring a two thirds vote in all houses of legislature of the state – Nebraska has only one house of legislature, while the others have two.  This would take the pandering and special interests out of the Senate, since Senators would not need multiple millions to run for reelection.  This amendment would add an additional check and balance – the state itself through its Senators.

We can seek an amendment that would limit campaign contributions in cash, property, or services to an individual residing or a corporation headquartered in the district of the congressional candidate – no political party contributions, thus only constituents are important to the member of Congress.

We can seek an amendment that requires all spending bills and any spending appropriation to be of like kind in a bill, be in the body of the bill with no spending amendments, and have gone through committee and been approved by the majority of the committee.  This will eliminate earmarks. 

We can seek a change in ballots across this nation for candidates for a federal office.  No longer can states make special rules that make it hard for third party candidates to get on state ballots for president and vice-president, or congressional representatives.  This would stimulate the candidacy of members of parties other than Democrat or Republican parties.

We can seek term limits on members of the House of Representatives to three terms.  This will eliminate the individual absolute power some members of Congress have achieved.

These few amendments will re-establish this republic and fix the now forever and perpetually corrupt Congress.  Members of Congress are addicted to a drug of Congressional power and will never give it up on their own.  We need to make this change through the states – push your state representatives to make these changes.  Tell them these amendments will provide the states with more rights and make it easier and less costly for the state representatives to run for federal office.

California is an example of the socialist experiment.

A surprising number of people today are seeking a socialist government because they have a hope that a nanny state will improve their lives.  Many of these people, group one, are of modest income, brought about by modest education, and some early life mistakes.  Let’s not confuse these folks with those who want socialism because it gives them control of how we should all live, group two.  Group two is the alpha group with generally higher education and income levels.  This posting is targeted to those who are of modest means in group one.  There are three types of people: those who don’t know and know they don’t know; those who know and know they know; and those who don’t know and think they know – these are the dangerous ones and a bulk of these people fall into group two.  You will find a lot of these folks in Hollywood and in the Capitol Building.

Group one was provided an education in our schools run by controlling far left educators – group two.  The educators in their wisdom most likely dismissed the in depth teaching of U.S. and world history.  Group one simply does not realize exactly what they are seeking.  They have been sold a Utopian view by the far left of the Democratic Party, members of group two, with nary an explanation that all previous attempts at beneficial socialism worldwide have been abject failures.   China’s people are benefiting from improved prosperity and some limited advances in personal freedom, but these advances and improved prosperity are only brought about by shifts toward capitalism.  I cannot think of one nation that has adopted socialism and has seen economic prosperity and experienced widespread individual freedoms for its people through socialism.  The populace of these nations have no incentive to become wealthy and are generally regulated to death.  The socialist movement deflates any opportunity for a rags to riches rise.

Rather than use one of an unending list of failed socialist foreign nations as an example, I thought I would highlight one of our fifty states that entered into the socialism track years ago.  It is a state that has passed law after law impinging qualified personal freedom to the limit of our U.S. Constitution and has tried to be the most prolific nanny state that it can be.  It is a state where no one is held personally accountable.  I point out that personal freedom is qualified because their definition of freedom is unique to the rest of the country.  Smoking pot is good, but the rules on personal business expansion and prosperity are onerous.  It is a state that is suffering through and sharing the current U.S. and world severe recession, but is also suffering a self imposed economic collapse as a direct result of its attempt to be a nanny state.  It is a state that during a recession, where millions are suffering due to unemployment and rising costs, has decided it is good to increase taxes.  It has chosen to increase a regressive tax, the sales tax, to help solve the budget problem.  This is almost incredulous since they are raising taxes disproportionately on the people who have been weaned to depend on the nanny state.  How brilliant is that?

If you have not guessed as yet, it is the State is California.  This very liberal experiment in creating a nanny state, which included onerous rules on businesses and outrageously high taxes, is tanking faster than a falling meteoroid.  This State is suffering years of debt taken on to achieve the very liberal social programs that are the underpinning of the “nanny state”.  I hope the millions who are seeking the Nanny States of America take a moment to see what will become of the United States of America, if we continue on this path to a national socialistic nanny state.  One look at California and the multi-tentacled sink hole it has become should be enough to demonstrate to those of modest means, that in the long run the nanny state will only bring them abject misery.

This post is not targeted to group two socialism control freaks who truly believe that they know better how we should live and what our culture should look like – these are just misdirected fools and there is nothing you can tell or show them that will change their minds, since it is all about control to them.  They have no problem with constantly repeating history but with an expectation of a different result.  Fortunately for the conservatives and moderates who populate this nation, they cannot accomplish this trek to socialism on their own.  They need the votes of those with modest means.  They try to obtain these votes by promising stuff, lots of stuff.  They get these votes by pounding into these folks just how badly they have it and how dastardly corrupt business types are.

All we need to do is to point out California in detail to these modest means folks over and over again, and maybe we can wakeup some of these folks to the reality that their invitation from group two that says “we would like to have you for dinner” really means that they are the dinner.

Eric Holder's war on guns

Our new Attorney General, Eric Holder, has recently come out against semi-automatic weapons.  He says that our laws permitting semi-automatic weapons are fostering the shipment of these weapons to Mexico for the drug cartels, exacerbating the drug violence at the border.  Thus we must control the sale of these weapons in the United States and restrict ownership to address this crisis.  Boy does this ever sound reasonable.  I personally have no use for semi-automatic weapons, but I think that we do need to agree that the second amendment gives my solid citizen neighbor a right to own these weapons.

The truth, not told by our Attorney General, is that the Mexican drug cartels use not only these semi-automatic weapons, but fully automatic P90’s, hand grenades, and RPG’s as well.  The truth of the matter, not heard from Mr. Holder, is that the semi-automatic weapons are being purchased in the United States in such bulk as to be a currently illegal sale or they are bartered for drugs, also not legal.  The truth of the matter is that the Mexican authorities have not installed the proper detection equipment at the border to catch these weapons coming in to Mexico.  The truth of the matter is that Mr. Holder is using the Obama Administration playbook to “not let a good crisis go to waste”.   As was done with the stimulus bill and with the omnibus spending bill, we are told that an action is needed to solve a crisis, when in reality the bulk of these actions are designed to install their brand of socialism and government control of how we live.   For a very good and informative read on the Mexican gun and drug violence, read Stratfor’s piece: Mexico: Dynamics of the Gun Trade.

Mr. Holder has told us just enough to justify the Administration’s longstanding desire to eliminate gun ownership to fight crime.  Do you really think drug dealers apply for a gun permit before acquiring a gun?  Just how much illicit gun violence is there from permit carrying gun owners?  Mr. Holder would do better to spend his time marshalling his forces to track down and stop the wholesale market for illicit guns going to the drug cartels.   He need not spend his time trying disingenuously to snuff out the second amendment, simply because he and the rest of the Administration do not like it.

There are many people in this country who really want socialism, just read various blog comments on the internet.  Those who want socialism should study up on the effects of socialism.  It is a disease that slowly deprives a populace of freedom, and prosperity, with the non-workable utopian hope that the government can right all ills by bringing economic balance from those who have more to those who have less.   There are also many who open mindedly want to cut the Obama Administration slack because they feel that the Administration is working to solve our problems.  These people should stop and take a very close look at what the Administration is doing, under the guise of fixing a financial crisis.  If they did look under the hood, so to speak, they would find a host of actions that have nothing to do with fixing a financial crisis, and everything to do with installing heavy government control over the citizens. 

We must start to really listen to the Administration when its members speak, and we must really start to look at the people who are chosen to be in this Administration.  We cannot assume that because they say they are fixing our problems, that they are.  We must prevent them from acting like that distant cousin who shows up to stay, acts like he is mowing our lawn and fixing our shingles to help us out, but is really quietly cleaning us out of our silverware and other valuables.  When Erik Holder and other members of this Administration speak, listen very carefully to the actual words used, and you will hear the real agenda.  You will hear the very slick use of the English language to make you believe one thing, while they are doing something else.

Be sure to vote at: Rate the Obama Administration - Vote Here

Congress For Sale!

Have you ever thought that the actions of your Representative in the House or by your Senators defy reason? Have you ever wondered why Congress can’t act on clear cut initiatives? Have you ever wondered why the voice of the people appears not to be heard? Well, here is why.

Welcome to Lobbying 101!

There are 22,000 registered government lobbyists. Tom Daschle (Barack Obama’s campaign co-chair) , his wife, and his son are registered lobbyists. These lobbyists do not just lobby Congress. They also lobby The White House, and all White Houses offices, including the Office of the Vice-President, and all Executive Departments. Incredibly they even lobby The White House’ National Security Council. These lobbyists not only saturate Capitol Hill, they also lobby the numerous Government Agencies reporting to Congress. Here is a partial list of the number of lobbyists by client industry:

• Agriculture / Agronomy – (corn ethanol included here) 453
• Banking / Finance 755
• Energy / Electricity 685
• Environment / Conservation 691
• Foreign Relations 685
• Governments and Government Related (this included your city and state) 896

The lobbying information was courtesy of http://www.lobbyists.info/

The Government and the Government Relations lobbies are my favorite. Congress and the Executive Branch are so tied up by lobbyists, your tax dollars have to pay for 896 lobbyists hired by your city, county, and state with your tax dollars just so you can be heard in Washington D.C. Just how mixed up are we?

My second favorite is the lobby of the National Security Council – these NSC folks make recommendations to the President on matters of National Security – just what does a lobbyist do here and why are they entitles to interfere. Again, just how mixed up are we?

Just how much money do these 22,000 people and their firms give to Senate and House campaigns every two and six years? How much pressure against your best interest comes from the lobbyist when they, their family, and their firm have contributed to your Representative or Senators? How much are your Representative or Senators selling their soul when they very subtly point out to a lobbyist that they did not see their name on the campaign donor list? You see it is illegal to ask a lobbyist directly for campaign contributions, while in government buildings or on government property. Are we sure that some of the very plentiful quasi-secret earmarks are not going to lobbyist projects to pay the lobbyist back for a contribution? Rest assured your Senators and Representative are literally selling their services. The good ones have no choice but to partake because they must keep up with the corrupt ones to stay in office. They are on a never ending fund raising carousel.

If we are to ever take our country back from the special interests represented by these lobbyists, we must take the money out of the lobbyist’s game. The Federal Elections Commission website lists individual contribution limits as follows:

	To each candidate or candidate committee per election	To national party committee per calendar year	To state, district & local party committee per calendar year	To any other political committee per calendar year[1]	Special Limits
Individual may give	$2,300*	$28,500*	$10,000 (combined limit)	$5,000	$108,200* overall biennial limit: $42,700* to all candidates $65,500* to all PACs and parties[2]

For more from the Federal Elections Commission on limits click here.

Based on this chart, if each lobbyist gives the maximum to each candidate, then combined all candidates would receive $939 Million. Each lobbyist is restricted to giving a combined $42,700 to all candidates and more if spouses were not registered lobbyists. Of course, all lobbyists are not going to give to all candidates and all spouses are not going to give. However, let’s consider the Banking and Finance lobby. This lobby can give each member of the House Committee on Financial Services and the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking $2,300. Combined, assuming that only one third of the Senate committee is up for election, the 77 committee members up for election might receive $134 Million or $1.7 Million each ($2,300 x 755 lobbyists x 77 members). Ask yourself why we are in a mortgage crisis?

SOLUTION?

The only solution to reigning in the Federal Government and our lost representation is to take the money out of Congressional election campaigns. This will need to be done with two or more Constitutional amendments.

The first would be the repeal of the Seventeenth Amendment, which stripped the States of their right to have a say in the Federal Government. Senators, until 1913 were elected by your state legislature and not by the people. This meant that the U.S. Senators answered to your state house and not lobbyists on your behalf.

The second would be to severely restrict ALL House campaign contributions to INDIVIDUALS PRIMARILY RESIDING in the district for that campaign. Only individual constituents, you, may contribute. You will not be competing with any influences from outside your district. All candidates will have to dip into the same pool, whether it be a wealthy or a poor district. When your Representative gets to Congress, you will have that person’s undivided attention.

Contact your state representatives and ask them to have your state legislature require Congress to call a Constitutional Convention to consider these changes. When two thirds of the states request the Convention, the amendments can be ratified by a three fourths vote at the Convention or a polling of the states and Congress will have nothing to say about it.

Read more about the proposed amendments and why we need them at: Why Is Congress The Way It Is?

We can either take back our Congress or continue to watch this nation’s ruination. We no longer have representation in Congress – it was not supposed to be like this. In the interim, you might start by NOT voting for any incumbents, no matter how good you might think they are. This will place 468 new fannies into the House and the Senate – it is a start.