Leftist Phonies, Harry Reid and Barney Frank on limiting "consenting adults"

Gambling is a challenging issue for politicians because lurking behind the debaters is a man with a suitcase full of cash. He can hire the best spin doctors from Madison Avenue and make massive cash contributions to his favorite pols. So Senator Harry Reid, a Mormon, and Barney Frank, whatever he is, want to reverse Congressional precedent and "re-legalize" internet gambling. Sadly, their favorite argument, posited by Barney "freedom for consenting adults (and page boys)" Frank is a twisted half truth that no honest liberal and no Republican should be caught dead defending.

First, "consenting adults" assumes that the internet gambler will be well, consenting. Is the sick addict consenting? No more than a young intern is consenting when Frank has him in his sights, is a pathological gambler a consenting adult. When the wife discovers "it is all gone" and her sick husband has left she and her children homeless, is she consenting? The Treasurer of Christian County Missouri embezzled over $600,000 from his taxpayers to support his habit. Were they consenting? When the taxpayers of Missouri paid for the prosecution and subsequent incarceration, were they consenting? Missouri, like almost every other State, still barred gambling when Gary Melton was the "big roller". Illinois placed a casino in eye shot of the famous Arch. Gary Melton left over an estimated $700,000 in Illinois. Missourians got the bills.

The most devious argument is the Frank assertion that his interest is letting "adults make a decision" about where they spend their money. Really? So is Frank moving to restrain federal agents who are breaking up home poker matches? Is that the question? Of course it is not. This is the big lie. If you want to gamble with your friends, gamble in Vegas, buy a lottery ticket, gamble at a bingo hall or go to a real live casino, you can find at least one of those outlets within a few miles of every consenting adult in the Country. Frank, an evil genius, is using a reasonable appeal in a false application.

The question for policy makers is not about further restraining gambling, but whether gambling on a large scale, an infinite scale in the case of the internet, something wise to promote or even allow? St. Louisans were shocked, when the brother of a prominent contractor was murdered in a botched robbery attempt. Tyrone Thompson, a former cop and dedicated mentor of troubled youth, was in his car picking up a friend when approached by two young men with guns. It turns out, the thugs needed money. They lost badly in a friendly home dice game and set out on foot to steal their money back. The "house" won, and the victim's family was left holding the bag. But Frank and Reid twist the question from whether more gambling is a desirable public policy goal to a false question about freedom to gamble. We have that freedom. To see how silly this is, the precise argument could be applied allowing consenting adults to do absolutely anything else. Why will he not allow consenting adults to take steroids or methamphetamines, gamble their money on Wall Street or with Madoff? So Mr. Frank, if it is all about leaving consenting adults alone, how about allowing consenting adults to listen to Rush Limbaugh, you bloviating fraud?

Finally, one can see how a libertarian reaches the conclusion that regulating gambling is somehow un-American. even though every single state in the union, save Nevada, banned it in their Constitutions back in the day. Even Republicans can get lost in arguments like "it is just a business, like any other business". But consider a "progressive". The late Senator Paul Simon (D-Illinois) fought gambling endlessly, speaking from the floor of the US Senate about how it corrupts public officials and hurts people. Barney Frank on the other hand, a progressive, who feigns anger with predatory businesses that hurt little people should not enjoy this privilege. He loves progressive taxation and soaking "the rich". Yet what transfer mechanism in the history of man takes more wealth from more of the poor and dimwitted and transfers it to the hands of a wealthy few? When gambling is at issue, the phony progressives bow to the man with the suitcase full of cash.

So we know why Harry Reid wants the bill. Internet gambling will result in huge profits in Vegas (favorite home of the men with cash-filled suitcases), and the Carribean. Casinos and governments, where the casinos are domiciled will make out handsomely. While the phony leftists show that principle matters far less than power and do the dirty work of the men with cash-filled suitcases, the rest of us get stuck with the bills.

Free Lunch Health Care - GOP Recipe

So the latest disappointing news from the Republican leadership in Congress comes from Majority Whip in waiting, Eric Cantor. As Whip, Congressman Cantor carries the message of the caucus. So what does he think about healthcare? Does he support full repeal of Obamacare? Does he share the view of most Americans that the federal government should get back into its Constitutional cage and get out of health care, education, mohair subsidies and a host of other spheres of American life over which they should have zero sway? Nope! Sadly, Congressman Cantor has just affirmed our worst fear. He thinks the federal government should absolutely be regulating health care and guaranteeing Americans "free stuff".

I suppose the Congressman fancies himself a limited government fiscal conservative. Ok. What does that mean? I thought it meant that the federal government should handle basic things like fighting wars and coining money (and please coin way less than you are). Everything else should be left to the "several states".

But hey, at least the Republican leadership wants to give us less free stuff than the Democrats. Here is what Cantor says about Obamacare:

“We too don’t want to accept any insurance company’s denial of someone and coverage for that person because he or she might have a pre-existing condition,” he said. “Likewise we want to make sure that someone of your age has the ability to access affordable care if it’s under your parent’s plan or elsewhere.”

So, the Democrat are promising a chicken in every pot and the Republicans are promising a nice broth. Great message guys. Certainly your pollsters really dug deep for that. Here is a message for you: Resign now! You are incorrigible.

Perhaps we need to spell this out for you: THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS NO ROLE IN PRIVATE HEALTH CARE REGULATION! In order to make this simple, one can find the relevant section of the US Constitution pasted below. Perhaps the American people need to nail copies of it onto all of your doors. One sees lots of duties related to war, treaties and coining money. Giving us free health care just is not there. And please quit peaking into the "penumbras".

To take this illustration further, Cantor tells us he will give us the right to keep our kids on our policies until age 26. Well Congressman, it might interest you to know that all Missourians got that right in January 2008. I know, as I passed the law as a State Legislator. You see, regulating insurance companies is a State matter, not a federal matter. So keep your chicken broth.

So how about pre-existing conditions? To be fair, this is a tougher issue, but nevertheless one best handled by the states. But what are you promising, "no denial because of a pre-existing condition". So what if my car has a pre-existing condition? "Hello Mr. Insurance man. I just wrecked my car. I am on the way to the repair shop. I would like to go ahead and buy a policy now. Congressman Cantor says you cannot deny me. Where should I send my check?"

Congressman, in case you did not notice. All of our health insurance rates are going up because of wacky ideas like that. They violate basic principles of economics so they do not work. They will not work better because you will do less of them.

Congressman, the American people are cynical. They threw you out because when you were in power, you played by the Rove play book. "The Architect" believed that Republicans could hold power by giving stuff away in order to compete with the Democrats for blocks of voters. That is how we got policies like massive education spending to win soccer moms, open boarders to win Mexicans, and Medicare Part D to win seniors. As Americans found our Party looked pretty much like the other Party, and the spending made us broke, that is also how we got thrown out of office. Congressman, not only do we not want your free stuff, our Country cannot afford Socialist light. For the good of your children and mine, quit violating the Constitution or quit your office.

Section 8 - Powers of Congress

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and Post Roads;

To 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;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To 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;

To 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 like 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; And

To 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.

Tea Party President in 2012

Chilling thought for the day. Recall the election of 1948, when the Republican Party’s heavily-favored, moderate and uninspiring nominee lost to Truman in a race in which he was heavily favored to win. The tragedy is not that the Chicago Tribune got the headline wrong, but that the American people lost either way given the choice between a left-leaning Republican and a slightly right-leaning Democrat. To see how much we have learned from history, here is a pop quiz.



If you cannot answer any of the following questions, you are ill-prepared for 2012.

Leading up to the 1996 Presidential election, anytime Republicans were gathered, from Young Republicans to State Committees, anywhere in the Country, including Kansas, one candidate was the hands down favorite, usually with double the votes of the second pick.

Who was the darling of the Republican Party in 1996?

(hint: Pat Buchanan was usually second)

In 1964, Barry Goldwater won a primary victory defeating among others, Governor George Romney.

What book is credited with helping the Conservative Goldwater break the grip of the moderate wing that opposed him?

Who was the second, and only other Republican in the last century to defy the statist wing of the Republican Party and wrest the Presidential nomination?

In her book A Choice Not an Echo (1964), Phyllis Schlafly names the dates, places and attendees of the meetings as she details how the Republican Presidential nominees are always hand-picked by a small, elite cadre’ thus relegating loyal Republican activists to “echoing” the pre-selection rather than exercising their birthright “choice”. The housewife-turned-activist Schlafly, was horrified to see the kingmakers actively manipulating the process in an attempt to steal the nomination away from the legitimate Republican popular candidate, Barry Goldwater. She rushed tens of thousands of copies of her book to Convention delegates who then stood with Goldwater to win the battle, if not the war.

Skeptics will wonder how it is possible that a selection of such magnitude could really be manipulated. If you are among them, ask yourself this question. How on earth did two candidates so universally unpopular in Republican circles as Bob Dole and John McCain manage to win their nominations?

In 1996, I joined most Republican activists in backing Senator Phil Gramm. That was not a hard choice. The Ph.D., economist, Texas blue dog Democrat, had ushered Reagan’s tax cuts through the Democrat controlled House into the waiting arms of the Republican Senate. In so doing, he helped turn our Country around. Realizing how his Party had become more Socialist than Democrat, he did an amazing thing. He resigned his seat and re-ran as a Republican. We loved him. You probably forgot about him. The kingmakers stole the 1996 nomination from him, and from us.

Why is this important now?

Governor Mit Romney stands eager to win the office his father never did. As a prolific candidate in leftist Massachusetts, he is on record vacillating on issues such as abortion and even the stature of Ted Kennedy. He is popular with the kingmakers. When the number 1 or 2 issue on voters’ minds is the repeal of Obama along with his Obamacare, conservatives are understandably cautious about the prospect of having as their nominee, the author of Romneycare. Schlafly warned of GOP candidates who echo the position choices of leftists. Hello?

So if Schlafly provided the tool to nominate Goldwater in 1964, and the sheer force of Ronald Reagan being, well, the Great One, allowed him to win the nomination in 1980, the Tea Party movement holds the key to beating the kingmakers in 2012.

Defeating the moderates in 2012 will require two things. First, the disparate groups will have to settle on one candidate, and do so fast. Second, they will have to work together, united and coordinated, grooming activists at all levels including the Tea Party Youth, Tea Party Students and Tea Party Centenarians. Hey, pull out all the stops! Right?

Certainly the midterm elections crushed the Obama-Reid-Pelosi oligarchy and slowed our great Country from a breakneck pace toward Socialism back down to mere creeping Socialism. There is so much to repair not just from Obama but even from the past Republican years. We need a nominee committed to nothing less than full restoration of our Constitutional Republic. Any hint of the stench of neo-conservative statism is unacceptable. As the pendulum swings, we appear to be returning from the leftward most swing of Obamafascism on a trajectory far back to the Founding Fathers’ perfect, small government vision. It is our watch. Let us pick the right nominee-fast, and pull out all the stops in that pendulum’s path to liberty!

YES TO BLUE FRIDAY

While not specifically a tax payer or political issue, I found this incredibly moving and important. Hat tip and a big "THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!!!" to my friend Bob Stevens who is a Navy Man and also the father of a Navy Man for sending this. He is a true patriot.

Here are two very touching photos honored this year:

First Place
Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News






When 2nd Lt. James Cathey's body arrived at the Reno Airport , Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac.

During the arrival of another Marine's casket last year at Denver International Airport , Major Steve Beck described the scene as so powerful: 'See the people in the windows? They sat right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta wonder what's going through their minds, knowing that they're on the plane that brought him home,' he said 'They will remember being on that plane for the rest of their lives. They're going to remember bringing that Marine home. And they should.'

Second Place
Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News




The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of 'Cat,' and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. 'I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it,' she said. 'I think that's what he would have wanted'

Blue Fridays.

Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing blue every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority' We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing.

Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something blue. By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of blue much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If everyone of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in BLUE and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is .'We need your support and your prayers.' Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something blue every Friday.

Message: With Attacks on Whitman and Blunt Dems tell Illegals - You are Expendable

Desperate Democrats looking to pull out all the stops are throwing illegal immigrants under the bus and sowing ugly seeds for the future.

Feminist phony, Gloria Allred, in a two for one, sets back the cause of women and illegal immigrants in one sweeping, contrived move. Allred offered up "Darling Nicky", once the trusted, well-compensated housekeeper to the ridiculously generous Meg Whitman. Nicky is now the lying, overpaid illegal, backstabbing Benedict Arnold thanks to the camera-chasing Allred. We might expect that Allred, the self-styled feminist advocate would be gushing over the idea of putting a strong woman in the California Governor's mansion. Instead, she manipulated the vulnerable "Nicky" into putting her criminal status on the line on the alter of the Jerry Brown campaign. Just where is Moonbeam Jerry Brown when justice is called for? He is riding the politics of personal destruction wave into the Governor's mansion. But Allred's choosing a leftist male over a vulnerable woman is old hat phony feminism in the leftist playbook. The other "collateral" damage in the tawdry tactic is far more insidious.

Nicky Diaz, is now in legal jeopardy. At Allred's urging, she has now confessed to lying on federal documents and conning the Whitmans, honorable, pillars of the State of California into hiring her. Nicky is somehow now indignant that the Whitmans, upon discovering her status, chose to terminate their contractor agreement. Diaz faces an uncertain future now. What is not uncertain, is that all illegal immigrants, including political refugees, are now fair game in political smears, thanks the Democrats. The new tactic; confusing the illegal immigration debate to smear Republicans. The tactic in California is now being attempted in America's Heartland.

Missouri Senate candidate Robin Carnahan launched an "illegal" immigrant attack of her own yesterday. "Congressman Blunt hired an illegal worker and used his official office and Washington connections" to try to assist her immigration process, Corey Platt, a senior adviser at the Missouri Democratic Party said in a conference call with reporters. Really? Lets break that statement down, shall we?

Did you catch the wicked, depraved twist? More on that in a moment. The Democrat opposition research team has uncovered an alleged "offense" from 20 years ago. No statute of limitations here. The Blunts presumably hired the woman to do some work for a short time. The facts are in dispute, but it appears the woman worked less than six months. Democrats say she was a domestic worker, the campaign says she worked at the church. What they are doing is making an erroneous and egregious comparison.

In both cases, Whitman and Blunt, the argument is that unknowingly hiring a domestic worker is an offense that should speak to fitness to serve. In making this argument, they are comparing corporate interests who knowingly use illegal immigrants to gain an advantage over their competitors to individuals looking for help around their house or church. Nice try.

Worse yet, the second assault by Carnahan on Blunt is that he "used his office" to give aid to the woman described as a Nicaraguan political refugee and help move her paperwork along. Is that not exactly what we want in a politician? He showed compassion on a vulnerable woman, not a wealthy donor, and wrote a letter to make sure she did not fall through bureaucratic cracks. By attempting to turn this act of kindness into a millstone around Blunt's neck, the Carnahan and Brown campaigns are signalling to all Americans that instead of compassion, you better immediate turn in any illegal you suspect or else a political operative might use it against you in the future.

As per usual, these desperate campaigns have launched these attacks in the final hour of their lagging campaigns. Carnahan, is stuck on six points behind.

The bigger question here, is what does Nicky "I am Rosa Parks" have to do with Whitman's fitness to be Governor, or a Nicaraguan refugee with Blunt's fitness to fight Obama in the Senate? Whitman, while building a huge business success story was supposed to hire a private detective to thoroughly vet an agency-provided domestic worker. Blunt, while Secretary of State, showed enough compassion to try to help someone possessing little capability of ever being able to repay the favor. There is no proportionality to these acts and the acts of a for profit enterprise run on the backs of illegals paid below the minimum wage. This is the true aim of illegal immigrant reformers, not using the issue to trash the true immigration reform candidates.

Where is the duplicitous left-wing in all this? Instead of celebrating Blunt and Carnahan for their accomplishments and compassion for vulnerable people, they trash them. In so doing, they have created a Big Brother environment in which one is wise to turn in any suspected illegal and no matter what, give no comfort or quarter to them. In their zeal for short term political gain, the Democrats have put every illegal immigrant in greater jeopardy than 50 Arizona laws. We only hope voters in California and Missouri send Democrats the rebuke they deserve.

Another Reason For Tea Party November Enthusiasm - Ligies

No matter what happens on November 2nd, 2010 will be year for that conservatives won. Patriotic conservatives of all flavors, have risen up in extraordinary ways, in every corner of the country. It appears all but certain that Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be dethroned. Dick Morris even predicts as many as 100 new Republican Congressmen giving many people really high expectations for the new Congress. Others fear that for all their trouble from organizing to holding rallies to knocking on doors, they will only replace the leftist Democrats with RINO Republicans who will squander the victory. Will we get Speaker Boehner, or a fresh new conservative leader who will truly take a big stick to big government. A closer look at the numbers should give conservatives reason to be really excited and also a cause for continued resolve.

If you want a conservative Congress, you have to ask yourself just what kind of conservative are you after. Drew Kurlowski, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Missouri who studies voting behavior and partisanship, referred me to a dataset popular with political science academics called DW-Nominate. It is a tremendous resource that meticulously compiles the voting records of the Congress going back to the1st Congress. If you want to know who George Washington’s favorite conservative was, this is your site. Moreover, they settled on a definition of “conservative” that is tremendously useful. Move over “fiscal conservative” and “social conservative” and make room for (limited) "government intervention in the economy”. Let’s call it L’GIE. So who are the ligies?

That most potent army of political groupies has one more reason to crow about Congressman Ron Paul. He sets the bar as champion of limited government. No one is close. For the rest of the nation, imagine what a force his son, Senate candidate Rand Paul will be in the Senate. "Senator Paul" is just the beginning.

By sorting the Senate in order of most conservative to least, it is no surprise that the fiscal champion, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma gets the award. Conservative darling, Jim DeMint is close behind. Which one of them will run from President? Hint: I asked Coburn’s office already, someone needs to call DeMint.

Another trend is fun to see but stands as no great surprise. The sisters from Maine, Senators Snowe and Collins compete for dead last among Republicans but still destroy every single Democrat.

Here is where it gets fun for conservatives. There are five Republican House members making strong bids for the Senate. None of them ranks lower than the Senator being challenged. In Missouri, Roy Blunt is running extremely hard and looks almost a shoe in to replace Kit Bond. Bond ranks a surprisingly low 35 out of 40 on the conservative scale. By contrast, Roy Blunt would join the Senate as the 6th most conservative on the L’IGGE scale. Illinoisans may finally be so fed up with infamous Chicago Democrat corruption that they will elect Republican Congressman Mark Kirk. While the Illinois Tea Party activists preferred Patrick Hughes, it may be a nice consolation prize to hear that Mark Kirk at 23, is eight points to the right of Bond. It is important to note, that Kirk is pro-choice while Bond is pro-life. Also, because the House and Senate members do not take the identical votes, comparisons are imperfect yet illustrative.

This data will surprise a lot of patriotic Tea Party activists who are disappointed by Mssrs Blunt and Kirk for support for the high profile TARP and “cash for clunkers” votes. High profile votes however, often overshadow the facts in balance. According to Kurlowski, “I think it is a fair assessment to say that Blunt has compiled a more conservative record in the House, than Bond has in the Senate. The DW-Nominate scores show it, and ideological rankings from major interest groups on both sides of the aisle confirm the data.” The same surprisingly, applies to Kirk. So the Illinoisans who suffered under liberals Durbin (10th), Burris (97th) and Obama, for many years left casting an occasional jealous gaze across the Mighty Mississippi River upon Missourians who enjoyed 18 years of Kit Bond’s leadership, now have the opportunity to install a centrist technically more conservative than Bond! Happy Day!

All told, taking the House and vastly improving the Senate, conservatives have a lot to be excited about. The next vote will be for a Republican Speaker, and quite possibly, Republican Senate Majority Leader. The next task for patriots is to challenge their delegates to vote for conservative leadership. You rose up and elected them, now tell them what you want.

JammieWearingFool

JammieWearingFool