Watchdog Death! The Shocking and Tragic Loss of Tom Schweich

Missouri lost an amazing leader and one of the greatest Taxpayer Watchdogs ever with the truely tragic Loss of Tom Schweich.

He aparently shot himself today while his wife was in the next room. Thus, while he certainly had many enemies emanating from audits passed and current, and also as an announced candidate for Governor in what was to be an ugly battle against former House Speaker Catherine Hannaway, foul play seems unlikely. 

 The Missouri Net has the reactions from across Missouri which universally credit Schweich for his brilliance and integrity. In an interview on KMOX radio, veteran Missouri Capitol reporter Phil Brooks described Schweick to host Mark Readon as and amazingly rare politician whose door was always ope, literally. He then gave a most interesting insight wiht his personal assessment that Schweick seemed to lack the personal "thick skin" of most successful politicians he knew. 

Perhaps the personal criticism that all politicians must endure may have in fact taken a toll on the heart of this amazing public servant. 

 As a taxpayer watchdog, Schweick was second to none, and yours truly is in a unique position to assess as a 14 year lawmaker and even candidate for State Auditor (albeit a failed one). I am very familiar with what the job involves, from looking out for taxpayers and making sure taxpayers get the best value and efficiency from government agencies from the state and local agencies to public schools. Schweich not only took on anyone and everyone, he had the brilliance to take on the Mack's Creek Law. I voted for that taxpayer protection in 1995, so I was amazed that an auditor would have the foresight to take on the task of checking up on whether the policy is being followed almost 20 years later. It was another great Missouri invention, limiting the use/abuse of speed traps. Abusive locales like Macks Creek, MO could not gain more than 35% of their revenue from traffic tickets. 

Tom Schweich's amazing ability is perhaps best noted in the way he came to power as the Establishment's pick for Auditor designed to defeat Tea Party favorite Alan Icet, but quickly won over the Tea Party prompting a tribute by St. Louis Tea Party founder, Bill Hennessy. Schweich had all of the trappings of the typical Ladue blue blood, from his Ivy League lawyer credential to Ambassdor appointment, author and scholar. He was so stunningly dynamic and genuinely curious that he won over everyone who got to know him. The real tragedy is the loss to his wife Kathy and two children left behind. I am certain that a man like Schweich made every preparation for them. May God bless them.

Rand Is Right and Jeb Bush Must Want Government Forced Vaccinations

The vaccine debate is one of the most troubling of our time. The Republican bashing from the media and from fellow Republicans is more troubling than the health questions.

The core issue that Senator Paul espoused and that is lost in all of the vaccine hot air is the critical principle of individual and parental liberty. It is repugnant that anyone outside of the duplicitous political progressives would undermine the Senator for the "sin" of expressing such a bedrock Republican view but that is exactly what is happening. Those who do this are behaving in the cagiest anti-family manner while promoting truly dangerous policy.

We expect statist hate-mongers like the petty school boy impressionist Rachael Maddow to work to spin sentiment in favor of liberty trampling Big Government, but what was especially loathsome was the way would be Presidential nominee Jeb Bush took his shot. With the controversy of the entirely made up measles outbreak pandemic raging (the last US death was 2003), and Rand Paul being forced to "defend" his honest position,

Bush used the timing of s speech in Detroit to throw one of his Iowa opponents under the Big Pharma bus. Taking a page from Hillary Clinton (expect two years of that from the conjoined candidates soon to be separated at the birth of the 2016 campaign) he echoed the type of woefully uninspired vacuous rhetoric we have come to expect from Establishment candidates boldly proclaiming, "Parents should vaccinate their kids".

Really? How about giving us a real position on real policy? The only conclusion from anyone who would distance themselves from Senator Paul's (and to be fair Governor Chris Christie's) absolutely clear statement that parents should control the matter, is that you must hold the opposite view. So when Hillary and Jeb say that parents ought to vaccinate their kids, the only conclusion in context is that they would subvert parental control for government control. I witnessed the tyranny of the Big Pharma oligarchy first hand when I tried to make a simple change in the law. My cautionary note to Republicans and anyone left or right who claims to care about liberty and the Bill of Rights is that our rights are worthless if we do not understand and assert them. Wherever you fall on the vaccine issue, the devil as always,is in the details and the vaccine details hold incredible treachery when you examine two things: !. Who gets to mandate the vaccines on the list? 2. What force is behind the mandate, from a ban from "public, private, parochial or parish schools" (Missouri), from military service, etc)

In Missouri, I was surprised when the chicken pox vaccine was added to the list of mandates vaccines. As I opened the State Statutes to review the relevant vaccine mandate section, I noticed that the varicella vaccine is not on the list passed by lawmakers and no bill had been passed to add it. That is when I learned that the power to add vaccines to the list rests not with elected lawmakers but is 100% in the hands of the appointed Director of the Missouri Department of Health. When I attempted to take back the power and put it with the people, I was shut down by both political parties and the Republican Governor. Virtually every lobbyist related to doctors, hospitals and leftist social service groups opposed me, while Big Pharma hid. My liberty-loving colleagues saw the writing on the wall and hid as well. As I sat there contemplating my own fully vaccinated children and surveyed the sorry state of liberty in the Heartland, my

biggest fear was not vaccine dangers, but the power of corporate America to get politicians to do their bidding. It should be hard to add to the list of mandated vaccines. All Big Pharma needs to do in Missouri to gain a huge new market for a product is to win the support of one appointed Department Director. That is a massive moral hazard. I was then truly dismayed and disgusted when Republican Governor Rick Perry added Gardasil (to prevent a sexually transmitted disease) to the Texas list.

Any debate that centers on whether vaccines are good or bad misses the point. The issue is about whether children should be forced by any government over the protests of their parents, to ingest a for profit product at all, especially in light of the fact that Federal Courts have allowed almost 4000 families to share over $3 billion in awards for vaccine injuries and/or deaths since the Vaccine Injury program was launched in 1988.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Gina's Book Launches Del Mar Horse Racing Opening Day

Ok, shameless plug for my best girl. Please link it, "like" it, tweet it or otherwise share it, because the fruit of Gina's labor of love is born today. When the publisher, AMG established today as the date, who knew there would be so much excitement in San Diego surrounding the opening day of the 75th anniversary of the races at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. So when the bugler plays "Call to the Post" at Del Mar, you won't see Seabiscuit, but you may see Gina, probably on her phone doing one of about 20 radio interviews today regarding the book she co-authored with Dr. Dathan Paterno, Ladies and Gentlemen: Why the Survival of Our Republic Depends on the Revival of Honor. Phyllis Schlafly says, "Dr. Gina and Dr. Dathan Paterno open a groundbreaking window to a world of chivalry, manners, and decorum that our younger generation has never visited and, indeed, has never even heard described. The feminists have repeatedly manifested a particular animosity toward the word “lady.” But this remarkable book puts male and female behaviors in proper focus, historically, biblically, and in contemporary relationships." Pamela Geller adds, "Gina Loudon and Dathan Paterno diagnose the political contro- versies of our age magnificently, rightfully perceiving them as symptoms of a much deeper malady. The unique and profoundly perceptive cures they prescribe are right on target. If the analyses in this book are heeded, our country will be on track to regain the position of preeminence that it once won not by force of arms, but by the power of ideas and the ladies and gentlemen who exemplify them." About the book: Ladies and Gentlemen studies the history of the terms that once elevated the ideal woman and man and illuminates how the structure of Western society established and maintained the virtues. In contrast, the book demonstrates how three movements—atheism, liberalism, and radical feminism—undercut these ideals, especially in the 20th Century. Rather than a dry history lesson, readers will understand the crucial contributions of government, family, literature/media, and churches in producing a culture that either esteems or debases the best of each gender. Ladies and Gentlemen draws aggressive battle lines in today’s culture war, pressing Christians and conservatives to value all people, cherish manners, humility, and graciousness, and esteem virtue above self. It directly challenges politicians and media personalities to honor and reflect a culture of honor, as well as calling all conservatives to reward public figures who exhibit these traits, while rebuking or rejecting those who do not. The book exemplifies several public figures on both ends of the political spectrum who engender the traits of the lady or gentleman, as well as several who clearly fail. Finally, Ladies and Gentlemen paints a portrait of modern civility, proving that women can be warriors without burning bras and men can be tough without smoking Marlboros on horseback. It instructs parents how to raise their own children to be ladies and gentlemen. Incorporating Biblical principles and an awareness of modern day challenges, it boosts parents’ ability to navigate the murky waters of today’s culture.

Breaking! Fired Fire Chief's Suicide Prompts Demand for Resignations

(cross posted on 24thState)

The favorite fire board candidate of Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder stands defiant. As related earlier, voters in West County have fought for years to first regain and then hold the Monarch Fire District away from control of the union felt betrayal when several Republican lawmakers endorsed the union-backed Swyers. While Kinder, Auditor Schweik, and State Reps McNary and Gosen insist they endorsed the right guy, the suicide of Chief Fred Goodson may have been an attempt to jog minds to see the horrible destruction the union is perpetuating in their blood coup.

Chief Goodson Attendees received the stunning revelation that the excuse for the firings pertained to the alleged mismanagment of the sexual harassment allegations is contradicted by the revalation that the firings were promised over a month in advance of the court ruling. So it appears that were the leaders who were not even accused, then fully vindicated, they still would have been fired. When all you have ever done is lead a fire house, how do you make that career change at 60 plus years of age, especially when you have been fired without so much as a hearing?

So let's recap the record of the "Republican," "Taxpayer Candidate,""independent of the union" Swyers.

1. He has voted with the union favorite Kim Evans in a perfect block against Robyn Harris on every major decison.

2. He successfully voted to pass a tax increase.

3. Swyers, the certified public accountant actually voted for the tax rate increase before he even knew what the budget would be. Standard procedure is to vote a budget and then set the rate to meet it.

4. Swyers, embarrassed by the backlash over the tax increase then voted to undo his tax increas while complaining publicly that the lower rate would make the budget complicated to design.

5. Swyers, again in a block with Evans voted to fire virtually the entire leadership of the Fire District and do so without even giving any of the accused the opportunity to have a public hearing.

Why were the accused not given the chance to defend themselves?

6. Finally, Swyers the CPA voted to install a new fire chief hand-picked by the union who is not even minimally qualified. I repeat, he does not even meet the qualifications to be hired as a private. He has zero experience in a multi-house department and does not even have the requisite college degree.

7. Almost worse than the offense of hiring a union shill for chief, Swyers and Evans voted to waste money hiring an outside search firm to look nationwide for a guy they knew locally. So what did the firm do? Did they come up empty?

The unfortunate reality for Swyers and Evans is that former board member Gans has decided to not quit caring. Gans went from active citizen in the early 90s, to union-endorsed candidate for the board, to union-opposed board member amassing incredible institutional knowledge and connections. He predicted almost before the search firm began, that Vinyard would be their choice. This would be laughable if not such a shameless abuse of the public trust.

The combination of these embarrassing revelations and violations of the public trust lead Director Robyn Harris to take the extraordinary step of asking his colleagues to resign. They refused. Perhaps the Republican lawmakers who endorsed the clearly union-corrupted Swyers will ad to the pressure and join the departed Chief Goodson and demand justice.

St. Louis County Tax Hike

This from Lisa Payne Naeger. St. Louis County, now that "drive by" reassessments have been curbed, is contemplating a straight out property tax increase. You have to admire the honesty on the one hand. However, centrist Democrat Steve Stenger has expressed doubt about the need.

http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-st-louis/charlie-dooley-wants-to-raise-property-taxes-st-louis-county

County Council Meeting on Tuesday, August 30. Show up and make your voices heard.

The U.S. Debt Matrix - Are you ready for the red pill?

In the famous scene, the protagonist is asked by the Judas character, whether he regrets not having taken the blue pill of blissful ignorance. Those who pay attention have to endure the frustrations that come with knowing the painful truth. What we do with that information is what defines us.

We who take up political arms and fight risk everything. Our Founding Fathers knew they risked their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Those same risks are very real today. The next four links paint one of the scariest pictures imaginable. Once you see it, take the "red pill" if you will, you may never invest in equities again. You also may choose to join the fight alongside Neo.

By the middle of the Bush years, the great investment banks like Bear and Lehman no longer made their money financing real businesses and creating jobs. Instead, Wall Street now serves, in the words of one former investment executive, as "Lucy to America's Charlie Brown," endlessly creating new products to lure the great herd of unwitting investors into whatever tawdry greed-bubble is being spun at the moment: Come kick the football again, only this time we'll call it the Internet, real estate, oil futures. Wall Street has turned the economy into a giant asset-stripping scheme, one whose purpose is to suck the last bits of meat from the carcass of the middle class.

Is the Greek debt crisis the result of a socialist country being really irresponsible? Likely. Did a loan arsonist burn down the Reichstag?

Greek Debt Crisis, A Goldman Sachs Economic Coup?

Here is the piece that lays out how "naked short selling" became a death star laser that could be pointed at any company or worse, any country.

Next we have an article in the Riverfront Times, a leftist publication in St. Louis, that describes the Obama administration's cozy ties with the Wall Street pirateers.

Neo

Finally, we have someone who is taking these menaces to court. He has extracted millions in settlements from one crooked investment bank after another. His current target is Goldman Sachs. Here is his story in his words.

Hey Boehner, Balance the Budget Yourself

One idea has nagged at me for years and Charley Reese elucidates it with this article. When our politicians come to us for help with their re-elections 94% of us say "sure we will help, you are doing a great job".

Like the willfully naive mother who welcomes her son home from school. He was a total delinquent and came home and defecated in the middle of the floor and told his mother to clean it up. She only sees her little man. "Ok Dear, we'll pretend that did not just happen." "That's right wench", "you got it".

For a generation, maybe longer, every successive Congress has allowed entitlements to grow and they have done nothing. We are the parents who have to clean up the $14.2 trillion deficit and figure out what to do with the $62 trillion (yes, that is TRILLION with a capital "T") of stinking unfunded liabilities. While Republicans rebuke Democrats for their intransigence, "The Architect" Karl Rove convinced the Bush White House and GOP Congress that adding an $8 Trillion unfunded Medicare Part D (free drugs for seniors plan) was the way to maintain Republican faith with seniors and therefore dominate the electorate for a generation. How did that work out?

Well, a two bit State Senator who abstained from nearly one half of his votes clobbered us in November. People smarter than me can give all kinds of excuse for electoral losses. I suspect the fact that when the GOP had nearly total control we maybe should have voted like Republicans and cut things. Had we cut entitlements and not added to them, maybe the independent voters would believe us now when we try to tell them there is a difference. Instead, we have a generation of Republican lawmakers who share culpability for the $62 trillion stinking pile on the floor. But we have a pivotal opportunity to capture the narrative.

As Charlie Reese points out in his famous last column entitled "545 vs. 300,000,000 People":

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

There is your road map to restoring faith in the Republican Party and, by the way, to saving the Republic. The House GOP needs to send a balanced budget to the Senate and steadfastly refuse to accept from the Senate Democrats, a conference budget that goes higher.

Now, there will be plenty of excuses as to why that is impossible. It may be tough, but nothing is impossible. Here is my list of cuts as to where to begin:

1. Cut all federal salaries by 15-25% or at least to a wage scale roughly equal to the average private sector or at least state government employee. If we lose too many highly specialized employees we can give limited latitude to executives to limit their cuts. Mail carriers, HUD workers, sorry. The gravy train is going to roll back for a while.

2. Eliminate all non-essential federal departments that should be handled by state governments, beginning with that loathsome US Department of Education. Zero it out of the budget. Before Carter created the huge new Cabinet level bureaucracy in 1980, Education was a minor "Office" founded in 1868 to distribute good teaching methodology. I think we can handle it now.

3. Eliminate the Department of Commerce. Any others?

4. Allow oil drilling and tax it.

5. Sell off a few million acres of government owned land. Enjoy the cash and enterprise while at the same time reducing the liability and maintenance costs of the land.

These ideas are just a start, but the principle remains the same. If the GOP, which Party controls the House, from which all spending bills originate, truly desires a balanced budget, they need to pass a budget that is balanced and refuse to blink when the Senate Democrats try to force a budget that is in the red. Simple.
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Thomas Jefferson's Wisdom, Required Reading

This is making the rounds on viral email. I am posting it here as the messages are critical, now perhaps more than ever.

Resume of Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was a very remarkable man who started learning very early in life and never stopped.

At 5, began studying under his cousins tutor.
At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.
At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.
At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.
At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.
At 23, started his own law practice.
At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
At 31, wrote the widely circulated "Summary View of the Rights of British America" and retired from his law practice.
At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence.
At 33, took three years to revise Virginias legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.
At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia succeeding Patrick Henry.
At 40, served in Congress for two years.
At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.
At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.
At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.
At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of Republican Party.
At 57, was elected the third president of the United States
At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation's size.
At 61, was elected to a second term as President.
At 65, retired to Monticello.
At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.
At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.
At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence along with John Adams

Thomas Jefferson knew because he himself studied the previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God, his laws and the nature of man. That happens to be way more than what most understand today. Jefferson really knew his stuff. A voice from the past to lead us in the future:

John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the white House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement: "This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe."
Thomas Jefferson

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
Thomas Jefferson

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world."
Thomas Jefferson

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
Thomas Jefferson

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."
Thomas Jefferson

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
Thomas Jefferson

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."
Thomas Jefferson

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
Thomas Jefferson

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."
Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:
"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."

I wish we could get this out to everyone!!!

I'm doing my part. Please do yours......

Beat the Education System - The Homeschool Option for Everyone

The mission of the Taxpayer Watchdog is to expose waste with a goal of keeping government limited and responsive. This principle applies to government schools. I constantly hear from parents who are frustrated by their public school experience but are intimidated considering home schooling. Those who follow me on Facebook know that I am a huge fan of the homeschooling system, Time4Learning.

Our kids absolutely love Time4learning and never hesitate when told to get on a computer and do your school. It is 100% canned, off the shelf, and so engaging that it actually has built in fun activities called "playground" that your child gets to do once the work is done. They even have pre-K curriculum, so my four year old is cranking through that and almost ready for Kindergarten.

Despite the fact that it is SO easy from a parent's perspective, it is also so amazingly comprehensive and shockingly inexpensive. Check it out. The fact that way software works in "the cloud", you can do it from any computer, anywhere in the world. Also, the more people using it, the less pressure they have to raise prices. That is why, even though I am getting a tiny little check for doing this post, and more tiny little checks for successful referrals, I should have shared this a long time ago.

Disclaimer:
Time4Learning has given me the opportunity to review their program and share my experiences. Time4Learning is an online educational program that can be used as a homeschool curriculum or for afterschool enrichment. While I was compensated, the content in this review was not written by Time4Learning. The opinion is entirely my own.

The Hidden Tax of Corporate - Environmental Bedfellows

The unsightly film on our "clean" dishes had become a source of great frustration in our household. Dish washing was the job of my daughter and she was evidently was really slacking off. We worked with her on critical strategies like pre-washing, proper loading technique and the importance of rinse aids. Still, we found that the dishes usually had to be washed at least twice and with increasing amounts of detergent. In this lousy economy and runaway food and fuel inflation, I was using 50% more Cascade detergent and running twice as many loads. This deal worked out great for the the water and electric utilities, and especially for P&G (Proctor and Gamble) but not so well for us.

As a conservative, I believe there is a right way and a wrong way to do just about anything from how to install toilet paper to what ingredients are key to a product. That makes me a consummate label reader. So one day I noticed that Cascade was "phosphate free". That struck me as really odd because I dutifully inject that naturally occurring element into the ecosystem every time I use my Miracle Grow "Bloom-booster" plant food. So how could something that is good for plants be evil for the environment?

I asked my friend Kat, who is a full time environmental activist and I challenged her. I am now using at least twice as much water and electricity, not to mention time as I spent before on clean dishes. She toed the party line, that too much phosphates in sewer systems somehow creates too much algae which disrupts ecosystems.

So I explained my situation and the fact that a huge corporation about which she should be suspicious of before me, was making out like bandits. I asked her, "Do you realize you are working for the man?" "What?" She asked. The irony was quite amusing.

It would be funny were it not so outrageous. The whole thing reminds me of the two-flush toilets the Government mandated ostensibly as a way to conserve water and the new light bulbs that GE (Government Electric) has convinced the dim bulb Congress to force us to buy.

The phosphate free detergent is so egregious because this one is too unsupportable for even the Congress to enact it. Most of the environmental phosphates come from poop! So the lobbyists turn to the states and successfully obtained phosphate bans in the 17 silliest state lawmaking bodies. Playing both sides, P&G still sells it because it is the only solution that really eliminates the white film.

As a former lawmaker, the question I have is who was paying the lobbyists in favor and who was paying the lobbyists against. Were there any against? Did P&G send in an army of lobbyists to fight this at every turn? Did they take out full page ads in the New York Times and warn America that they would be wasting twice as much detergent, water and electricity? If they did, they capitulated early because now that 17 states have banned phosphates in dish washing detergent, the folks at P&G have now embraced the ban.

My friend Kat had a suggestion. She said I could find this really great eco-friendly detergent at, of all places, Whole Foods. Sure, it costs more, but it works. There is no way I will be making any special trips to that company we tried to support with a BUYcott until they ended up forcing out their CEO for his sin of opposing Obamacare, Whole Foods, in order to pay even more for a basic product. Instead, I found a much better solution.

Thank you Walgreens for carrying "Sun Sations" for three bucks, on sale for $1.99. Yes, my dishes really are once again "virtually spotless". Moreover, it is made in the USA, in red state Utah. Salt Lake City, no less. God bless America! Go jump in a lake, P&G!

Landmark Worker Liberty Setbacks from the NRLB and MO GOP

The Wall Street Journal reported that organized labor has a brazen new tactic to accomplish forced unionization. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Beacon reports that there is another new tactic to force unionization in Missouri. These power plays by big labor and Democrat politicians against workers and taxpayers are without precedent.

The Boeing Corporation found union demands so intolerable that they decided to build their newest plant in right to work, South Carolina. They simply followed the logical and well worn path of major manufacturers leading from forced union states to right to work states. Because organized labor devotes 90% of their political action funds to Democrats, it is no surprise that the Obama administration controlled National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) would do the bidding of big labor and launch air strikes against the freedom road out of forced labor land.

What is perhaps much more striking is what is happening in Missouri where Republican enjoy huge majorities in both Chambers. Not surprisingly, Senate leaders opened the Session with the bold announcement that they would make worker liberty a top priority. While that right to work law languishes, negotiators on a St. Louis police "local control" law announced that they have a deal between the City and the police union. The Republican Legislature will give the City local control over the police force, and give the union their dream of forcing the City into adopting a collective bargaining deal with the union. It seems, "local control" is a mere slogan to be applied selectively by whoever has the power. So the rank and file cops will be forced to join the union and taxpayers will certainly learn what other cities know about how hard it is to remove that bad unionized officers.

This is all the more stunning in light of the reality that despite the St. Louis City reputation as a solid Democrat and union stronghold, the City has managed to stave off forced collective bargaining. Also this week, right to work Oklahoma lawmakers moved to further restrict public employee collective bargaining agreement. Nevertheless, it is a Republican Legislature that is poised to be the first lawmaking body in the country to force a local government into a collective bargaining agreement. Evidently, lawmakers in the Show Me State got the wrong message from Wisconsin.

UPDATE - Critical Election and Stealth Candidates April 5th.

Like any election cycle, there were disappointments and bright spots. I have some specific thoughts moving forward.

We knew that Assessor Candidate Chip Wood faced a huge uphill battle starting with his running in solidly Democrat leaning St. Louis County and his starting the race against a man who already had over $200,000 in the bank. But still we fought. We fought because we want someone who will be professional, resist temptation to grow government, and because we like Chip. I hope he stays involved.

In Rockwood, like Chip Wood, we knew we were challenging an entrenched teacher union network. They have great lists of current and former teachers and administrators, and their message is simple and effective and wrong. At the polls all day, the teachers tell the voters, "support your teachers" as they hand them their picks. Well who opposes teachers? Mike Geller took the bold step of running and the even bolder step of running for the taxpayers and kids. His message was "vote for taxpayers and students". The truth is, we build schools and fund them, not for teachers, but for kids. We need to support our teachers as far as support for them does not harm kids. In the end, we need to vote for kids. Evidently, we fail to sink that message with the highly educated West County voters every cycle, and the degree to which we do sink it, we fail to succeed in turning out those voters. And with 17% voter turnout, the unions have their way more cycles than not.

In Monarch Fire District, we had one of the oddest splits of my political life. We have had three cycles in a row in which the taxpayers have aligned behind Fire Director Rick Gans and the union has had their candidate. The battle lines were clear.

This time, it appears the unions retained several Republican consultants who smeared our guy Gans as they touted Swyers as the "non-union" guy to "clean up the mess". The only mess most of us cared about was keeping a check on the union, which Gans was doing, so there was natural distrust of a candidate no one heard of, who was the father of a union firefighter.

I met Swyers at the polls, too. He seems like a decent man who is angry about mudslinging in his first campaign. I told him I was angry that he was obfuscating his funding. We set up electronic campaign financing to add convenience for candidates and transparency for voters. What was I to expect from a Certified PUBLIC Accountant who was taking the extra step of paper filing his financial dislosures and avoiding public transparency? The "P" in CPA means that ones duty is to the public first, even over the interest of any employer. Swyers knows this. There were at least eight or nine mailers from the Swyers camp, a tremendous amount of money spent on radio and a phone calling campaign and at least one paid staffer in Rush James.

Well, after running an aggressive, very expensive campaign with only $10,000 of reported spending, and swearing he was not union-supported, taxpayers are left wondering who really backed and funded the Swyers campaign, and will Swyers really stand for taxpayers or the union? Will Swyers follow through and cut the firefighter pay to say, the level of the police pay? Time will tell.

We did have several bright spots. My other four candidates won. Derek Grier will be a great new voice at Chesterfield City Hall. He will join Bob Nation who easily won re-election. In Ballwin, Mark Harder defeated long-time incumbent Pat McDermott. This was a tremendous feat as Pat is a popular local figure known for years of dedication to the community including the operation of the Ballwin Days Fair. Mark just outworked him. He will be great for Ballwin. Down in Jefferson County, my friend Dan Shaul won a seat on the Windsor school district board of education. He will do a great job looking out for kids.

When I sum this up, I end up back in the same place I always do; Civic Education. I spoke to an elementary school just last week as a "former Senator" because this is a hallmark of what I see as the real solution. The message is simple, this is your government-own it.

Politicians can only do so much. We eliminated the June (school) election date because limited ballots favor special interests. We merged school elections with the April (municipal) elections in hopes that broader interest would improve accountability. Still only 17% of people bothered voting. In America, we should not have to put all issues on in August and November in order to get people to care, but maybe that is what it will take. If 300 more "taxpayers" had shown up, Geller would have one.

We need to demand accountability and transparency from candidates. It still disturbs me that the Swyers campaign was so secretive. Union firefighters were staffing the polls for him while Lieutenant Governor Kinder recorded robo calls for him. Is he the union candidate or the GOP accountability candidate? We have no idea who paid for any of it, because he filed his reports on paper. In an ideal world, voters would have the mental foundation to find that as objectionable as I do and vote accordingly.

Who is going to take up the cause of cajoling "general interest" or "taxpayer candidates" into voting in April? Who will take up the cause of educating voters that the school board candidate who "supports the teachers" first, probably supports the taxpayers last? Why do we put firefighters over taxpayers? Is $126,000 in compensation and benefits not enough? Who will watch Monarch Fire District or any of the other Districts and begin the process of educating people about the insidious nature of public unions? Maybe you.

Critical Election and Stealth Candidates April 5th.

This election has two of the most critical opportunities I have seen in a long time; we must hold Monarch Fire District and Pick up a champion in Rockwood. I am getting a number of inquiries about what is on the ballot tomorrow. Here are my favorites below, but check out Gina's picks in her TV ad here:

This is not an exhaustive list, but I am also posting this on the Taxpayer Watchdog Blog, so if you have a favorite candidate, put them up there and direct your friends to the list.

Monarch Fire: Rick Gans - despite a massively deceptive smear campaign orchestrated by three paid republican consultants who secured the endorsements of Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder and a few other notable people who do not even live here, ALL of the local republican lawmakers who have fought the fire fighter union attempts to hijack the coffers, including current State Senator Jane Cunningham, myself, former Senators Klarich and Flotron, ALL BACK GANS and urge you to tell all of your friends to reject the UNION-FUNDED SWYERS who never even voted in a Fire District election and is the father of a union fire fighter. Who is more to be trusted to look out for Taxpayers? Currently, taxpayers hold the board versus unions 2:1. A vote for Gans holds the union in check.

Rockwood School Board: Mike Geller - Vote for MIKE ONLY (even though you get to vote for three - more below) Mike is a good friend who helped me back in my first race in 1994. He is concerned enough that he is making his own foray into running a race because no other conservative would. MIKE IS RUNNING FOR YOUR SAKE.

Mike has made the incredibly bold step of campaigning for taxpayers and students. Unlike every one of his opponents (Doelle is calling himself a conservative while being endorsed by several unions), Mike was too honest to say one thing to the unions and another to you.
Mike is all about high standards and choices for parents. Yes, he has three children in Rockwood, but one at Rossman, his alma mater.
The three top vote getters win. If 2000 union voters vote for their three, that is 600+ votes each. If 2000 taxpayers vote only for Mike, he wins easy. VOTE ONLY FOR GELLER.

County Assessor: Chip Wood - Chip is a great guy whom I have gotten to know recently. He is the professional real estate expert who the Republican Party put up against the Democrat's lawyer/politician. When it comes to your property assessments, would you rather trust a Democrat politician loyal to County Executive Dooley or Republican businessman Chip Wood? http://www.votederekgrier.com/

Chesterfield City Council, Ward 2: Derek Grier - Derek is a gem. I do not know how else to describe him, but he is a great guy with all the right values who just wants to serve, and everyone who meets him wants to help him. This is his second run at the office and no one works harder. Please support Derek if you live in Ward 2.

Chesterfield City Council, Ward 4: Bob Nation - Bob is my Councilman. I have been impressed by his dedication to the job, especially when we asked hm for his support on a Wilson Rd. bike trail and I "caught him in the act" of walking the area on his own time in order to get a full perspective on our request.

Ballwin City Council, Ward 2: Mark Harder - I have known Mark for almost as long as I have known Mike. Even though this is a non-partisan office, Mark is a very dedicated Republican activist who will take sound GOP values to the Ballwin Board of Aldermen.

Windsor School District: Dan Shaul - I have known Dan for a number of years. He is great guy who stands for all the right things. If you are in Jefferson County but not in Windsor, consider helping Dan at the polls or calling your friends.

About 10 years ago, two candidates for a seat in North County got the identical number of votes, over 1500 each. How many people were self-flagellating in penance for not bothering to vote? Please take 5-10 minutes to hold the Fire District and put your best advocate in Rockwood.

An Embezzler For Your Banker

A left-leaning high school classmate asked about my being "far right" in my political views and why anyone would think it is a good idea to strip workers of their collective bargaining "rights". As a former lawmaker, I had some experience and, as it happens, opinions on the subject.

Julia, The term far right is really a misnomer. It depends on what you mean by it. I am really passionate about making the most sensible laws. By sensible I mean liberal, or free. I measured every vote by whether it added freedom or removes it. I called it my "freedom litmus test".

So if you were proposing more taxes or a new program that was expensive, I would see that as creating more of a burden on taxpayers, so it was "anti-liberal".
If you proposed an anti-smoking law, even though I do not smoke, I would resist that. Who am I to tell someone he cannot smoke, or tell a restaurant OWNER what he could do inside his four walls with consenting adults?
So we find that people who consider themselves "liberal" are actually leading the charge to limit a lot of freedoms while people labeled "far right" are actually the ones typically most vocal about retaining liberty.

As for collective bargaining "rights", FDR, the most famous progressive actually said that public employee collective bargaining was unconscionable.
A public employee union is funded by taxpayers in order to extract more pay, more benefits, and less work from those same taxpayers. Voting for any union-backed candidate is like putting an embezzler in charge of your bank. He may look nice, but his goal and yours for your money are completely different. Does that make sense?

Look at California. The unions managed to put in a majority Democrats in that once solidly western Republican state. The Democrats then raise union workers' pay, slash private contracting, and do everything they can to make more union members. Those union bosses then spend even more money electing more Democrats. California is bankrupt and yet has over 4000 retirees earning over $100,000 per year in retirement.
In my fire district, Monarch, the union spends $100,000 to $200,000 on each race for a single seat. They never lose. Today, the firefighters average over six figures in pay, overtime and benefits and work just eight 24 hour shifts per month. Those hundreds of thousands of dollars they have to spend are literally my tax dollars which now are being used to pull more tax dollars from my pocket-literally. They want to raise our tax rates and even start charging extra for ambulance rides that are already paid for.

You have heard the term military industrial complex. Military people retire early and run for office or go to work for military contractors and push for more military spending. It is the same with Democrats and unions and State and Federal government. Missouri has resisted this as Republicans have held enough power and joined with conservative Dems to moderate those moves.

So in Missouri we did things like ban teacher strikes. Union-heavy Illinois allows them. My aunt lives near Chicago. Her co-worker will retire at $90,000 per year in retirement at 60 and will be up over $120,000 by 75.

As for Wisconsin, like Illinois and California, they are bankrupt after years of the public union - Democrat complex. They cannot maintain the status quo and balance the budget. Reducing the nonsensical public employee collective bargaining rights is a move to break up the complex that created the problem.

Wisconsin voters knew that their liberal Dems had bankrupted the state and so they took a chance on Repubs who would restore fiscal sanity. The people really asked for this.

Anyone wishing to learn more about the issue of Right To Work laws is welcome to attend a presentation by Mark Mix, President, National Right To Work Legal Foundation

Friday, March 11th, 2011
10:30 A.M. – VIP Reception
11:00A.M. - Program
The Columns Banquet Center
711 Veterans Memorial Parkway
St. Charles, MO 63303

Pre-registration required: elizabeth@abcksmo.org

If You Like Gov. Christie, Meet Governor LePage

From a friend on mine in Maine, Dr. Tom Shields, also a former lawmaker there:

TO ALL OF MY OUT OF STATE FRIENDS - OUR NEW GOVERNOR HAS NOT BEEN IN OFFICE ONE FULL MONTH, THE LIBERAL PRESS IS AFTER HIM, AND HE COULD CARE LESS. REPUBLICANS HAVE NOT BEEN IN FULL CONTROL OF STATE GOVERNMENT FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS, SO THERE IS A BIG MESS TO CLEAN UP. GOVERNOR LEPAGE WILL DO IT.

Subject: God bless Maine's new governor - Let's get some facts straight!

The new Maine Governor, Paul LePage, is making New Jersey's Chris Christie look like an enabler. He isn't afraid to say what he thinks, and judging by the comments heard at the cigar shop and other non-political gathering places, every time Gov. LePage opens his mouth, his popularity goes up.

He brought down the house at his inauguration when he shook his fist toward the media box and said, "You're on notice! I've inherited a financially-troubled state to run. Observe...cover...but don't whine if I don't waste time responding to your every whim for your amusement."

During his campaign for governor he was talking to commercial fishermen who are struggling because of federal fisheries rules. They complained that President Obama brought his family to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park for a long Labor Day holiday and found time to meet with union leaders, but wouldn't talk to them. LePage replied, "I'd tell him to go to hell and get out of my state." Media crucified LePage, but he jumped 6 points in the pre-election poll.

The Martin Luther King incident was a political sandbag which brought him national exposure. The 'lame stream' media crucified him, but word on the street is very positive. The NAACP specifically asked him to spend MLK Day visiting black inmates at the Maine State Prison. He told them that he would meet with ALL inmates regardless of race if he were to visit the prison. The NAACP balked and then put out a news release claiming falsely that he refused to participate in any MLK events.

He read it in the paper for the first time the next morning while being driven to an event and he went ballistic because none of the reporters had called him for comment before running the NAACP release. He arrived at that event and said on TV camera, "if they want to play the race card on me, they can kiss my butt" and he reminded them that he has an adopted black son from Jamaica and that he attended the local MLK Breakfast every year that he was mayor of Waterville. (He started his morning there on MLK Day.)

He then stated that there's a right way and a wrong way to meet with the governor and he put all special interests on notice that press releases, media leaks and all demonstrations would prove to be the wrong way. He said any other group which acted like the NAACP could expect to be at the bottom of the governor's priority list!

He then did the following, and judging from local radio talk show callers, his popularity increased even more: The state employees union complained because he waited until 3 p.m. before closing state offices and facilities and sending non-emergency personnel home during the last blizzard. The prior governor would often close offices for the day with just a forecast before the first flakes. (Each time the state closes for snow, it costs the taxpayers about $1-million in wages for no work in return.)

LePage was CEO of the Marden's chain of discount family bargain retail stores before election as governor. He noted that state employees getting off work early could still find lots of retail stores open to shop. So, he put the state employees on notice by announcing: "If Marden's is open, Maine is open!"

He told state employees: "We live in Maine in the winter, for heaven's sake, and should know how to drive in it. Otherwise, apply for a state job in Florida!"

Governor LePage symbolizes what America needs...refreshing politicians who aren't self-serving and who exhibit common sense!

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.