Illinois

The right has lost its way and a lot of people are starting to recognize this.  Books are being written (The Death of Conservatism, Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party, etc.)  Here are my thougths on what is wrong and what needs to be done about it.

Discredit those who are not helpful

Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, etc. have said a lot of downright crazy and dumb things (people with AIDS should be quarantined, etc.)  and are far too tied to Christianity.  They should be called out for that and pushed to the side so that true leaders on the right can rise to the top and give the right a real chance at regaining credibility and the minds of those who are undecided or in the center.  Those who espose hate, and anger should also be discredited and pushed to the side (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, etc.).  It is long past time for Conservative talk radio to become more academic, constructive, and hopeful sounding, and cater to the best in us (love, hope, unity, civics, etc.), rather than the worst (fear, anger, race, etc.).

Stop catering to the Christian right

Christianity has nothing to do with conservative ideas and theory on money, foreign policy, etc.  There is also supposed to be a strong seperation of church and state.  Our country was formed partially for freedom of religion, and if our government is run by someone who wants to impose their religion through laws and perspective, then we lose that.  In addition, America is not a Christian nation; though nearly 80% are Christian, there is still another 20% that are not.

Stop simply opposing every idea President Obama has and propose alternative solutions

The right has really been a thorn in our Presidents side instead of working with him to solve the problems in America.  The way to gain credibility and get some conservative ideas into law is to honestly work with the left to create good policy, and also proactively propose laws to solve some of our problems before the left takes up the problem.

Stop supporting causes that have nothing to do with Conservative ideology

The right should disassociate itself with such issues as abortion, and other things that are outside of the ideas of conservatism.  Abortion is an issue thats argument against it is primarily based in religion.  The same applies to marriage equality for gays; the argument against it can only be made from a religious standpoint.  Because of this, and because no party should be tied to any religion, just as our government should not be tied to any religion, the right as a whole and Republicans as a party should disassociate theirselves with abortion and start supporting equal rights for gays.  These two issues alone keep some of those in the center and on the left from ever supporting a Republican candidate.  It might cause a lot of those on the Christian right to be upset, but then they can choose the party that best conforms to what their idea of government should do on all other issues, or form a new 3rd party that is tightly tied to Christianity.

Stop being inconsistent

Right now many on the right are opposing government run health care on the idea that even though it may save a lot of lives, it isn't proper for the government or taxpayers to help others.  Yet, many of those same people are in support of the war in Iraq to give people in another country freedom and save their lives.  Why should we spend taxpayer dollars to police the world yet not spend taxpayer dollars to save those within our own borders?  Either we shouldn't spend money to help others, or we should and if we should then we should definitely want to help those within our own borders before those who are not within our borders.

Stop being hawks

The right has become a group of hawks and this is contrary to conservative ideas on foreign policy.  Conservative ideas on foreign policy are as spelled out by the Cato Institute:

Cato's foreign policy vision is guided by the idea of our national defense and security strategy being appropriate for a constitutional republic, not an empire. Cato's foreign policy scholars question the presumption that an interventionist foreign policy enhances the security of Americans in the post-Cold War world, and maintain instead that interventionism has consequences, including the formation of countervailing alliances, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and even terrorism. The use of U.S. military force should be limited to those occasions when the territorial integrity, national sovereignty, or liberty of the United States is at risk.

Conservatives need to re-embrace those ideas.  They are the ideas that our nations founders had in mind, and they are the ideas that are the most ethical and that might also allow some on the left to consider the rest of our ideas.

Have a well thought out income tax policy

There either should not be an income tax as Libertarians would like, or there should be an income tax that works to support Conservative values.  A tax that is progressive helps strengthen families at the lower incomes and therefore helps literacy rates, etc. which helps to preserve conservative values of strong families, an educated populace, etc.  Right now the government has taken on far too much responsibility and therefore spends too much and our national debt is growing because of it.  It is time to start cutting back on spending, but at the same time increasing revenue and the only realistic way to increase revenue is through a progressive income tax because those in the middle and lower class cannot support any higher tax burden.

Start supporting alternative energy and embrace that global warming is real and might be caused by us

The science is in, global warming is real and it is probably caused by our actions (and can we afford to gamble that it is not?).  Most of the oil that is easily available is in countries with citizens that do not like us.  Because of these two things, it is long past time to start looking into energy sources that do not emit CO2, and that do not require us to work with countries that are not friendly to us.

Stop catering to Israel

We give far too much money and support to Israel and it hurts our credibilty around the world and doesn't help to reduce the hatred towards us in the Muslim world.  It is time to treat Israel as we would any other country that is a friend and ally of ours.  We should work with them, and be friends with them, but we should point out when they are doing something that works against peace in the middle east and use our monetary aid as a tool to help control their actions rather than blindly supporting them at all times.

Start rethinking drug policy

The war on drugs does not work, and will never work so long as it is punitive rather than based in medicine.  It only makes organized crime stronger, and leads to a larger role of government and often leads to violations of our constitutional rights.  The punitive war on drugs was originally based on racism, and is now based in morality that is derived from religion.  For these reasons, it is time for the federal government to take a non punitive role and start considering policy that would put organized crime out of business, make drug use safer and less damaging to society, and help those who are ready to reform their lives through cessation of drug abuse.

On June 27, 2009 I posted the following opining on the detrimental effect Mark Kirk's vote on Cap & Trade would have outside his yuppie district on Chicago's North Shore as he campaigned for the Senate.

this bill is going to appeal to the vocal but few Saab Socialists who put the environment ahead of the economy. It is going to be painfully unpopular with blue collar America. Maybe Dave Reichert's uber green district will like it; but if Mark Kirk or Mike Castle think this isn't going to backfire on them big time in Rockford and New Castle they are going to find the Democrats whacking them with their own bill next November.

I remember saying that Mark Kirk would have to do this sorta thing to win a statewide race

Specifically -- a video of Mr. Kirk's speech is posted on YouTube -- a congressman known for his pro-environmental stances said he voted the way he did on this issue because, "It was in the narrow interests of my congressional district."But," he quickly added as some in the Republican crowd booed, "as your (senator), representing the entire state of Illinois, I would vote 'no' against the bill coming up, and that's because we are manufacturing, agriculture and coal state

And now we find that this bill is not going to be considered by the Senate until 2010, perhaps because it's liable to cost every family $1761/per year

Panasonic. Again

Let me begin by pronouncing the agreements that I share with Democrats. Or rather: let me be clear. The Earth is a gift from God, and is, aside from perhaps the feminine form, the most stunning thing in existence. No man alive is so base as to devalue what we have. This vehicle, like the Hand that created it, yields beyond sustenance and gives inspiration.

Now with that caveat out of the way, I submit that the Liberals, the Greens, and the Radical Left’s feel-good ideas of castrating the industrial machine are reckless and downright dangerous for America. The Left (and by extension the Democratic Party), in what has become an international battle royale for energy, prefers to surrender our arms and engines.  They are gruelingly unable to comprehend nuclear and fossil energy as a game-changing tactical weapon like steel and gunpowder. Nor are they able to accept that environmental stewardship treaties ratified by international bodies actually hold deliberate, ulterior motives to tightly bind America in other ways. And a shrugging regard at such powers is one of the most imminent dangers of the new century.

And to temper this sentiment, I believe that America can and should reduce its negative impact on the environment; namely by shifting from coal to nuclear power as a staple like France did and John McCain suggested. It seems that Liberals only like the bad ideas from Europe, but none of the good ones. As a case in point, we would have already reached the Kyoto emissions goals through the nuclear option that Republicans have proposed for years.

If President Bush had not pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol that President Clinton signed in 1997, we would have shouldered the burden of what other nations turn and ignore. Sadly, many of the global shirkers were Kyoto's chief architects within the European Union! Aside from ignoring the pollution of China and India which clearly no longer deserve special exemption, it held America to an unreasonable standard.

Europe's Performance:       

The European Union has had mixed results since signing the Kyoto Accord. Spain failed abysmally at achieving its goals and Italy approached underdeveloped Russia to buy carbon credits. To contextualize Russia’s position, the fall of the Soviet Union led to "Perestroika" and an industrial collapse, and Kyoto’s lax standards on Russia were assessed on this collapse. Similarly, Germany claims to have decreased their overall emissions. Yet, the integration of East Germany and the other ex-Soviet states (whose outmoded production stood to be revamped anyway) has tilted this statistic grossly. The reunification of West Germany to East Germany made it much easier to restructure the rusting coal-fired production of the Cold War. This overhaul was slated to happen anyway, making such a benchmark much easier to reach. Now having lived in Spain, I saw the staggering unemployment that fluctuated between 12-18%, and that is one thing that haunts me with upcoming legislations in the pipeline. Spanish Economist Gabriel Calzada detailed the consequences of these legislations in his “Study of the effects on employment of public aid to renewable energy sources,” which demonstrates the damaging falsehoods of the “green job,” whatever that is. According to this perplexed academe, the subsidy of every 1 green job costs 2.2 regular jobs through inefficiencies, displacement, and re-allocation, and he expects the same results in the United States with President Obama’s Cap-and-Trade deal.

The liberal admonitionary chatchprase that “the debate is over” has battered many eardrums, not just yours. In the video below is an interview with Ex Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of Spain. It’s not in English, but I can tell you that he treats the question of climate change as we do in America. His affiliates call climate change a religion, fettered with dogma, and state we have a “blue planet, not a green one.” Like many in the US, he claims not to be a “denier,” as that label presupposes something to deny. He concludes by stating that the debate is not over, because it has yet to even commence, and that there has been a marked decay in parliamentary spirit and democratic debate in Spain in years past, and that people should return to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MD_bDfFaeI

China’s Performance:    

    The People’s Republic of China had recently surpassed the United States in CO2 emission in mid-2008, debunking the notion that America is the #1 offender.  But according to the environmental lunatics on the Left, we, The United States of America, must lead by example through blind faith and hope without assurance, that a military despotism like China will get warm fuzzies and turn green long after we have sacrificed trillions in GDP, millions of jobs, and the strategic high grounds that come with robust productive capacity. Yep. After watching America sadomasochistically self-immolate for a decade, China will want to join the rip-roarin’ fun!

India’s Performance:

Recently, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited India, and India’s Environmental Minister laid out a stalwart launch pad from which to negotiate future accords with the West. In short, he was not willing to sell his nation down the postmodern drain. I wish I could say the same for our leaders. Take a look for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyfJKgIQPXQ

Hillary’s refuted olive branch in New Delhi will be a microcosm of times to come, as we become the poor little match girl, passing from door to door and selling our eco-wares at no avail to a world hurtling in the opposite direction towards Ayn Rand.

The Ghosts of Energy Present and Future:

In America, we are a nation of people, not “masses” as the planeteers tend to esteem us. Hence, Carl Sagan’s hint at microbes having rights superseding those of humans will not fly far amidst a people unable to subtract anthropocentrism from stargazing, and who care little to imagine the giant unknowable workings of space and time after humans. Politically, it would be madness for a politico to expand his constituencies to mother earth, time, and space (gerrymandering would have to be done in either 3D or parsecs). The only manner in which to mobilize the public, or massage them into becoming pliant, would be to create a false sense of crisis, fear, and to literally demonize opposition as paid off or "flat-earthers." So it comes as no surprise that both Cap-and-Trade and ObamaCare are to be rushed. Despite that, the pending Waxman-Markey Bill puts forth many of the directives of “Old Europe” that will scare away manufacturing to the hills of Asia and Latin America. And Washington DC is counting on your docility to pass it.

Now according to the CIA World Factbook, America produces 14 trillion dollars in GDP as a total of our economy while China produces over 4 trillion. We dump 5.9 billion metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere while China chugs out a full 6 billion. Now comparing the GDP in ratio to national emissions, a revelation emerges: We produce .00042 tons of CO2 per dollar of production. China produces .0015 tons of CO2 per dollar of production. So if cleanliness is the utmost goal, then the United States should already serve as an example to China, given that with a smaller population we produce more goods for the world at cleaner levels. 

Two points highlight China’s energy strategy for the 21st century: a petroleum highway and an emissions-free nuclear grid to make up for it. They already foresaw that T. Boone Pickens would abandon windfarms (which he did) and all the takeout joints in Hong Kong cannot accumulate the biodiesel grease to power fleets of buses. To put it another way: they’re not screwing around.  

According to Westinghouse Electric International, China has made it a national priority to build 100 nuclear power plants by 2020 (more resemblant of the Space Race than ObamaCare). And this national mobilization utilizes United States technology! Lord knows that the EU is already jacked into the atomic grid as well. We are not.

What’s the matter?  Did I frazzle your hippiemojo-windpower vibe and shatter your image of the avuncular T. Boone, who you learned was so hip during the hopeandchange era? Too bad, undergrad. It gets worse.

Aside from holding our debt, China is leveraging its surpluses to purchase assets around the globe, opening up trade channels to fan out their empire. Africa has become the next battlefield for resources, and China is pulling no punches in applying the same colonial takeover methodology as the powers of Europe did a century past. Nearly one third of all of China’s petroleum imports come from the African continent, and they have begun courting nations like Angola, The Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and yes…Sudan. With an economy growing at 9% for the past two decades, they are jealously vying for control of new sources of timber, coal, copper, and oil, and doing so in side by side competition with the United States. Traditionally, China has taken a hands-off approach towards meddling in the affairs of another nations (since they themselves have no desire for scrutiny), but has recently scrapped this diplomatic dogma by cozying up to local oil-friendly African nations and their government officials. A crux of their tactic has been to lay “investments” into roads, fiber optics, technology training, bridges, and other infrastructures that would otherwise bollix African nations to quickly build for themselves. This colonial paradox for a once insular power demonstrates that the searing growth of their nation has alarmingly trumped old wisdoms, and is goading them to do what it takes to win…Confucius be damned and anyone else who stands in their way.

In this quest to outbid America in global energy sources, arms have become a desired currency for petty dictators and warlords, and China is in no short supply. While Western powers have done the same for some time in supporting unsavory regimes for regional interest, the rabbit hole goes much deeper in China’s case. Dangerous regions like Sudan receive their arms shipments from China (and military trainers), while 60% of Sudanese oil output heads in the other direction. This transcontinental circulation of arms-for-oil has been used to curry favor with African members of the United Nations, allowing for more votes to disregard China’s human rights violations and it even compells African nations to rebuff the ineffectual African Union in overseeing Sino-African commerce in its own continent.

Brazil, the fastest-growing economy in Latin America and by far its largest nation, has announced that China has surpassed the United States as a trade partner in an historic demand sweep for iron ore. In February of this year, Brasil’s state-run oil company accepted a $10 billion-dollar loan deal from the People’s Republic of China, and agreed to supply China’s national oil company, SINOPEC, with petroleum output. Through decades of cultural drift from North America, and socialist Brazilian President Lula da Silva at the helm, who blames American capitalism for the global meltdown, totalitarian wheels have been set in motion in our own, western hemisphere.

An Old Bear, still tired of American power, has bellowed out a roar to be heard across Eurasia. It is common knowledge that Russia has been buying up utility companies in Eastern Europe, and providing shelter in the United Nations for Iran, a country with its own untapped resources. The recent invasion of Georgia and South Ossetia impinged into their Caucasus pipeline—one of the few pipelines that flows into Europe independently of Russia. It is no small wonder that Vladimir Putin threatened to sever the pipeline into Europe to keep the west at bay. 

The Final Word:

With exploding demand, China, Russia, and other hostile powers will continue to buy, to seek, and to prod for more economic hegemony, and weave it into their mutual fatigue with America’s superpower status. And what do they all have in common? They purchase assets with government-run oil companies, treating utilities like defense commodities and branching out with the backing of infinite subsidy under the guise of corporate buyout. And to add insult to injury, they are all exempt from Waxman-Markey and Kyoto mandates. Here in the States, we own literally oceans of natural gas beneath our bedrock, and deluvian reserves offshore. We even have three times the reserves of Saudi Arabia in the Rocky Mountains. All of this is capable of being transported with modern technology that has come a long way since the Exxon-Valdez spill ages ago; yet drilling remains illegal in spite of marvelous precautionary advances and a clean record since. This vainglorious distaste for black crude serves as an object of haughty disdain for the Liberal elite, and from others it is merely a reckless childishness regarding the stern realities of this world. Tanks are not powered on corn oil, F-22 fighter jets do not run on solar power, and aircraft carriers do not use windmills. We fuel these battle weapons with fossil fuels and nuclear reactors—the twin strategic pillars of the Republican energy platform and still the beverage of choice for the grown-up world.  

Nothin’ like the real thing. 

As I exit stage right with reminiscence, I recall President Bill Clinton rejecting a Republican push in 1995 to drill in ANWR, a frozen desert, claiming that the project would not yield oil until 2005. This stance would then contort into blatant denial when in 2008, the Democratic Party would then accuse Republicans of short-sightedness for wanting to drill in Palin Country. Fittingly enough, either party has yet to accuse China, a 4,000 year-old kingdom, of being short-sighted.

America is under siege. I suggest we start guarding our aqueducts. >>

Left right or other, please consider sending something like this letter to your state affiliate ACLU chapter.    (http://www.aclu.org/affiliates/)

August 9, 2009

Colleen Connell, Executive Director

American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois

180 N Michigan Avenue, Suite 2300

Chicago, IL 60601

acluofillinois@aclu-il.org

Sent Via Email

Dear Ms. Connell:

On August 4, 2009, the Obama Administration recently asked Americans to report to the federal government the contents of private “conversations” and “emails.”

"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care.  These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation.  Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.  (http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Facts-Are-Stubborn-Things/)"

It is unclear to me how the federal government will use the information it receives.  If I post a message on Facebook critical of Obama’s Healthcare plan, could I end up on a White House watch list? Must I agree with the Administration’s version of the facts or remain silent to avoid being identified by the government based on the content of my policy viewpoints? 

The answers to the questions are vague and therefore create a chilling effect on my speech. 

Civil liberty groups, such as the ACLU, have a long history of protecting speech against government abuse.  For example, on Sunday, November 23, 2003, the NY Times reported (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/23/national/23FBI.html):

"The Federal Bureau of Investigation has collected extensive information on the tactics, training and organization of antiwar demonstrators and has advised local law enforcement officials to report any suspicious activity at protests to its counterterrorism squads, according to interviews and a confidential bureau memorandum…F.B.I. officials said in interviews that the intelligence-gathering effort was aimed at identifying anarchists and ‘extremist elements’ plotting violence, not at monitoring the political speech of law-abiding protesters."

In response, civil liberty advocates at the ACLU and American University responded as follows:

"The F.B.I. is dangerously targeting Americans who are engaged in nothing more than lawful protest and dissent," said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. ‘The line between terrorism and legitimate civil disobedience is blurred, and I have a serious concern about whether we're going back to the days of Hoover.’"

And scholar Herman Schwartz said:

"As a matter of principle, it has a very serious chilling effect on peaceful demonstration. If you go around telling people, `We're going to ferret out information on demonstrations,' that deters people. People don't want their names and pictures in F.B.I. files."

The current Administration policy is “monitoring the speech of law-abiding protestors.”  I am sure that the ACLU agrees that what was not ok in 2003 is not ok today.  I request the ACLU’s assistance to protect the speech of Americans against the Administration’s chilling program.

Respectfully,

Philippe Melin

Chicago, IL 

Mealer Companies LLC also known as Mealer American Motors Corporation will succeed by manufacturing a variety of top-quality, extremely rugged products with a significant number of money-saving features and options to fulfill the needs of current and future clients. Whether it's the MEALER Automobile or the MEALER USA made laptop, Mealer Companies means more than just great products.

MealerAMC is the up and coming solution for theeconomic change the world needs.

By allowing the MEALER Bridge Vehicle to enter the market first, these automobiles will not only make a reputation of quality automobiles that are versatile, useful, performance oriented and innovative, but also economical and environmentally friendly. In addition to America's demand for a superior MPG internal combustion engine powered auto and the ability to begin building the “BV” immediately, they also appeal to a global market from the start.

Anticipation for our Flagship or Future Vehicle (FV) which provides the ecological solution decried by National governments, California (many times over) as well as the United Nations, will be immense. The solution for what many call disastrous, man-made-Global-Warming hasn't come about just yet, but the greenhouse emissions from fossil fueled cars, trucks and power plants will be resolved. What automaker can make that claim and prove it, besides MealerAMC?

The MEALER FV is designed to provide 3-phase power to a home or office or tent city for that matter when it is parked.

We are talking a fully programmable automobile with all the bells and whistles and safety requirements to race around a NASCAR track.

JL Mealer believes in the safety factor of his products to such an extent that he will demonstrate the safety features of the MEALER Automobile as a televised and living crash test dummy... He expects to play the dummy, so you don't have to.

The MEALER will fully demonstrate quality, reliability and retail potential of what American Ingenuity can produce and manufacture without the UAW, UAC and AFL-CIO restraints.

“Big deal!” Many readers say... “A new US automaker, it was bound to happen... I'm not excited in the least”.

Here's a big difference with Mealer Companies LLC. Employees with MealerAMC and any affiliate with Mealer Companies will be trained not only to build our great automobiles and power sources, but to eventually begin their own USA Manufacturing business where we will not let them fail.

They will become the new backbone for the US economy and will create countless jobs and opportunities for other Americans. Mealer Companies will have the connections for private funding to make these new businesses succeed with the proper training as upper management and CEO positions for their own LLC and Corporations.

Okay, MealerAMC will give us the beautiful and wide variety of MEALER automobiles we need and to top it off, we get a dependable power source for our homes. No Carbon Taxes! No Carbon Cap and trade! We are now free. If you happen to be lucky enough to work for Mealer Companies you will be trained in the clean Green manufacturing industry as well as the dirty much needed manufacturing industry, so that you can leave Mealer Companies and go out on your own with support and the backing of a wide variety of funding sources and experts in the field of making a fortune while re-building this great nation of ours.

Mealer Companies expects other institutions to do the same plan as and rally this nation back into the global leadership role the USA was meant to serve.

We as Americans are the builders and fabricators of the world.

As America, we lead the way when we fail and whenever we win.

So, stop crying and blaming Barney Frank, (even if it his fault)...

Let's grow a pair and fix this problem from the private sector because the spending and taxing gluttons in the US government are simply incapable of doing it.

A Pandering, Union suck-up that wants to soak the rich. Is this guy any different than the last guy?

Did you know that unless we pass Replacement Governor Pat Quinn's union appeasing, pension stuffing budget, Illinois prison doors will be opened for a flood of dangerous criminals to walk free? Did you know that the old and infirm will be left to die in the streets? Did you know that all our teachers will be sent home never to teach again? The busses will stop, health care will end, local governments will lose state aid, locusts will descend from the skies, we will find our skin erupting in boils and disease will plague the state? Did you know it's doomsday?

Well if you didn't, Replacement Governor Quinn has been so kind as to have informed us all of the pending doom to the state of Illinois unless he gets his way. Quinn issued his "doomsday budget" warning at an address made yesterday at Chicago's City Club, a downtown civic organization popular as a platform for city and state politicians to issue political pronouncements. Sadly, the Replacement Governor's doomsaying is no different than the previous criminal governor we had that did the same thing. It is little else but scare tactics designed to force the legislature to bend to his will.

Quinn warns the state that if we don't pass his budget, the end is nigh. Granted, the Replacement Governor is right when he says that the days of barreling forward with no mind to the mess being made is no longer tenable -- not that it ever was -- but he is misleading to say that his budget cuts spending. In fact, it increases over all state spending 6.5 percent! If we need to tighten belts, Quinn's budget is no solution.

Here is the doomsday scenario Quinn laid out at the City Club:

• 14,300 public school teachers would be laid off, a $1.5-billion cut.
• 400,000 college students would lose scholarship aid in a $554-million reduction.
• 650,000 people would lose health care benefits in cuts totaling $1.2 billion.
• 271,000 seniors would not be taken care of in the wake of $368 million worth of reductions, cutting things like the state Department on Aging’s Circuit Breaker program, and services to help seniors remain in their homes and fight elderly abuse.
• 6,000 prisoners would be let out of jail early.
• $769 million in human services cuts would mean 5,000 disabled people would lose home care services and 45,000 people would no longer get addiction treatment and prevention.
• Mass transit cuts of $549 million would eliminate all public funding for public transit and Amtrak.
• Local aid to state government would be cut $1 billion.
• Another $1 billion in cuts have yet to be determined.

Does the Replacement Governor really think anyone believes this nonsense?

And why is it that these politicians always go straight to warnings of cuts in services but never offer any cuts in the layers upon layers of administrative and management jobs? Of course, we know why that is, don't we? All these faux management jobs are filled by family members and other foot soldiers of the machine that gear up to get politicians elected each election cycle. Sure they have make-work, unnecessary jobs, but the only reason they are there is to reelect the politicians. So their cushy jobs with bloated pensions are the last ones anyone ever imagines will see cuts.

Another measure, one that could easily save billions, never seems to be offered by these politicians. It is a measure that occurs in the real world of business all the time. That would be across the board wage cuts. How much would be saved if every state worker from the highest offices to the lowest was forced to take a five percent pay cut?

Of course, undeserved, lavish pensions is the biggest problem. We can thank the cozy relationship between politicians and employees unions for this situation. It is the politicians that approve these lavish packages written by employees unions in order to get automatic union support during election time. Unions offer in return more political foot soldiers, automatic fealty, and many millions of dollars for these politician's election campaigns. It's a very handy arrangement. Unions steal ever more benefits from We The People as politicians act as rubber stamps to get campaign funds, lucrative jobs for friends and family members, and money in the pocket upon retirement. Yes, it is a very lucrative relationship that benefits everyone... everyone except the taxpayers.

Unions are antithetical to good government all the way 'round. A union's business is to "get stuff" for its members, of course. But when that union is representing government workers and it is they doing the getting, who is being "gotten"? That would be the taxpayers who are forced to foot the bill. Unions are not concerned with the final product of their jobs in any given field, only in taking from the employer for the benefit of the workers. And this being true not only are We The People finding more and more of our employees (those we pay for with our taxes) being unconcerned about their actual job, but we find them heaping costs in lavish benefits upon us that are not reflected in similar jobs in the private sector. Earlier retirement, better health care and other benefits are the order of the day for government workers but not for those of us that work in real jobs to pay the state's bills.

So what does Quinn want to do? He insists we raise the state income tax 50% in a state that already has some of the highest taxes in the land. Quinn is also, however, proposing more deductions and tax credits for the middle class, an idea that would pretty much eliminate the supposed added income that the tax increase will bring in.

Not only is Quinn prophesying doomsday, he is pandering to the middle classes AND soaking "the rich" with a wholly unrealistic budget proposal.

And... what is the difference between the Replacement Governor and our past criminal in chief again?

Be sure and Visit my Home blog Publius' Forum. It's what's happening NOW!

Republican Cook County (IL) Commissioner Tony Peraica is a reformer in a jurisdiction that doesn't appreciate reform.

But he fights on anyway.  

Tony is committed to using technology in a big way to reach voters, circumvent the mainstream media and push for reform.

He's scored major media hits on the local Fox affiliate and in the Chicago Sun-Times for his "live tweets" of County Board meetings.

Local reporters follow his tweets -- and he's building an online grassroots following that helped him do the impossible last week:  pass a full repeal of a massive sales tax hike enacted by the county board last year.

Bottom line:  this is the biggest Republican victory in at least a decade in the state of Illinois.

Unfortunately, Tony's aggressive reform efforts may have put him in danger.

On the same night the tax increase passed, armed gunmen fired seven bullets in Tony's neighbor's home.  The local police and county sheriff strongly believe those bullets were actually meant for Tony.

Does this type of fear tactic intimidate Tony?  Not a chance.  In fact, he's fighting back -- and using his online networks to do so.

I urge you all to learn more about Tony's (dangerous) fight for reform by watching the brief video below:

Arlen Specter's departure has triggered the predictable media outcry attacking the Republican Party as an increasingly insular conservative rump, a regional party at best with no foothold in the Northeast.

That is one narrative. But there's a different story being told by the likely Republican lineup of Senate candidates in 2010. It's a story of our best pickup opportunities coming in blue states from more moderate Republicans, not from easy layups in red states represented by Democrats (of which there are many). And by and large, these candidacies are being embraced by conservatives, chief among them Mike Castle (DE), Mark Kirk (IL), and Rob Simmons (CT) (disclosure, I work on the last race).

Arlen Specter's erratic behavior in the last week is proof he needed to go. But this doesn't change the fact that there needs to be a functional relationship between the conservative and moderate wings of the party, and that any situation where a blue state Republican is ipso facto disparaged as a RINO is a dysfunctional one not conducive to building a majority led by the right.

I wasn't happy with Collins and Snowe's votes on the stimulus, but it is useful to make this distinction between the Maine Senators and Specter. For them, one gets the sense that it's not about ego or entitlement. They are genuinely moderate-to-liberal Republicans (moreso Snowe) representing a deep blue state that just legalized gay marriage through the legislative process.

If it's a choice between Lindsey Graham, a headline-grabbing conservative-hating conservative, or an honest, workmanlike moderate like Collins who will not go out of their way to rip the party to pieces in the press, sign me up for the moderate. Both parties will have their moderates. And if we keep ours in line and grab some of theirs, that's the surest sign we're winning (see: card check). If we ever find ourselves in the position where moderates can't vouch for a center-right governing agenda, we are in trouble.

There is a categorical difference between egomaniacs or iconoclasts like Specter, Chafee, and frankly Lieberman who fancy themselves Senators-for-life and think of themselves as entirely above party, and those who understand that parties and ideological blocs are vital to shifting the political center of gravity. Yes, they won't be with us on stuff like earmarks, and yes, we'll razz them about that. But you know what? No intellectually honest person could ever call them a Specter. We need to take back seats in places like North Dakota and Arkansas to allow the natural Republican small state majority in the Senate to reassert itself. But I wouldn't mind planting a flag in the blue states either. And that is going to take a certain type of candidate.

I hope I have this story all wrong, I really do. But it seems that Representative Mark Kirk has signed onto an effort that could criminalize the free political speech of bloggers or anyone else that uses the Internet to communicate. Kirk, a Republican who has been making noises about running for governor of Illinois, has his name attached as a sponsor to the Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act (HR 1966 IH), a bill in the House proposed by Rep. Linda T. Sanchez (D, CA), that would make it a federal felony to use the Internet to cause "emotional distress" through "severe, repeated, and hostile" speech.

Why is Representative Kirk signing onto a bill constructed with such overbroad language that it could criminalize bloggers?

Perhaps he doesn't realize he's doing so? The bill is supposed to stop "cyberbullying" and does not seem to be intentionally aimed at political blogs. The title refers to Megan Meier, the 13-year-old Missouri girl that committed suicide in 2006 over scurrilous messages that she found about herself posted on the Internet by Lori Drew, the mother of one of her classmates.

However, the language is overbroad and unclear. Because of the unclear language in the bill, this thing could easily be applied in all sorts of areas for which it is not intended, as lawyers and activists judges are prone to do.

The bill describes electronic communication as:

(1) the term `communication' means the electronic transmission, between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user's choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and received; and

(2) the term `electronic means' means any equipment dependent on electrical power to access an information service, including email, instant messaging, blogs, websites, telephones, and text messages.'.

This describes everything that we use to communicate from phones to the Internet. Everything.

Then we get to the behavior that is supposedly covered by the bill:

(a) Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person, using electronic means to support severe, repeated, and hostile behavior, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.

I want to key in on these words from the above language: "with the intent to coerce, intimidate."

Wouldn't this cover just about ANY kind of political activism on the Internet, including blogs? Isn't this phrase a bit overbroad? After all, if I were to write repeated editorials about any particular politician (as I have done in the past) couldn't that politician charge me in violation of the Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act? Could I be assumed to be engaging in "cyberbullying" by attacking the record of a local judge or school board member if I blog about them in an unflattering manner?

And what about complaining about customer service or product safety? Should consumer safety maven Ralph Nadeer have made his splash on the Internet instead of TV, newspapers and books, could his efforts to highlight the abuse of the public's trust by various corporations be deemed "cyberbullying"?

What about unions? They use the Internet to organize their forces for boycotts, walk-outs and issues, too. Are they engaging in "cyberbullying"?

Well, the examples that could easily be shoehorned into this act could go on forever. And what of the First Amendment? How far does this act go to stop speech? How far can it go? One blogger, Eugene Volokh of The Volokh Conspiracy, feels that this bill cannot possibly survive a Supreme Court challenge because it is "facially overbroad and probably unconstitutionally vague."

Volokh expressed shock that Rep. Sanchez even attempted this absurd bill.

What are Rep. Linda Sanchez and the others thinking here? Are they just taking the view that "criminalize it all, let the prosecutors sort it out"? Even if that's so, won't their work amount to nothing, if the law is struck down [by the Supreme Court] as facially overbroad -- as I'm pretty certain it would be? Or are they just trying to score political points here with their constituents, with little regard to whether the law will actually do any good?

As for me, I am not surprised. It has been a long time since any congressman has worried over much whether a proposed bill is Constitutionally justified or not. Few in Washington (including most judges) care much about what the Constitution says on any given subject. They want feels-goodism, not legitimate law.

Increasingly, we cannot count on the courts to see the error of the legislature's ways, either. All too often judges are ruling on their personal feelings rather than case law and/or the Constitution. Unconstitutional laws like this are being churned out every day all across the land and going unexamined as well as unchallenged. Unfortunately President Obama is not looking to reverse this downward trend as he has announced that he wants his Supreme Court candidate to have "empathy" for people and not to focus on the letter of the law. This would tend to further destroy the Constitution bit by emotionally driven bit.

Look, no one wants to excuse the mean-spirited actions that might cause 13-year-old girls to commit suicide. But this badly written bill will surely prove to invoke the law of unintended consequences and prove once again that, far from "fixing" things, government makes things worse.

Finally, it is also sad that a man that claims to be a serious student of the Constitution like Mark Kirk would sign on to this garbage legislation. It is telling that Kirk is the only Republican sponsor. It smacks of him positioning himself for a gubernatorial run in Illinois instead of a principled stance against the amorphous realm of "cyberbullying."

Sponsors of HR 1966 IH:

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D, OH)  
Rep. Linda T. Sanchez (D, CA)  
Rep. John Yarmuth (D, KY)  
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D, CA)  
Rep. Lois Capps (D, CA)  
Rep. Timothy Bishop (D, NY)  
Rep. Bruce Braley (D, IA)  
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D, AZ)  
Rep. Phil Hare (D, IL)  
Rep. Brian Higgins (D, NY)  
Rep. William Clay (D, MO)  
Rep. John Sarbanes (D, MD)  
Rep. Joe Courtney (D, CT)  
Rep. Mark Kirk (R, IL)

Be sure and Visit my Home blog Publius' Forum. It's what's happening NOW!

A wrap up...

We conservatives have two major problems. I've said it dozens of times before but one of those problems is that we don't do "join" well. The left, on the other hand, does "join" exceedingly well. They gather together, share resources, and help each other very, very well. The other problem we have is cash.

Again, the left funds as well as it joins. The left supports its side very handsomely with generous and constant donations. The left also has a bevy of deep pocketed supporters that target the new media with their money. Media Matters, George Soros, DailyKos, MoveOn.org, these people and entities flood the left-O-sphere with much need cash to further their message. Their tendrils reach far and wide and they control the message well with their cash.

Unfortunately, on the right we neither "join" well in coordinated efforts, nor do we have very many people or entities that help fund us directly. Nor do we even see organizations on the right that try to engage in efforts to help train and organize the conservative new media to disseminate the conservative, free market message via the New Media.

But the Sam Adams Alliance has stepped up to the plate to do just that and this is why the Second Annual Sammies, has come about. The Second Annual Award ceremony was held on April 18, 2009 in Northbrook, Illinois, just north of Chicago, at the Renaissance Chicago North Shore Hotel. So, with the cash prizes awarded to worthy bloggers at the Sammies, we find the Sam Adams Alliance fulfilling at least in some ways the effort to encourage conservative voices in the New Media as well as vote fraud watchdogs and good government activists. Money is always in short supply on the right, for sure, so this is a help. But even more importantly are the things that Sam Adams does behind the scenes to help coordinate bloggers, train them, and offer resources to further the message.

So, along with the big names -- Michelle Malkin, Joe the Plumber, John Fund, et al -- are the hard working bloggers and those new media worker bees that are bringing the conservative message to a country so inundated with leftist trope and propaganda.

Three cheers for Sam Adams Alliance. May more conservatives groups like this realize what the New Media can do for the conservative cause. And here's wishing Sam Adams many years of continued support of the conservative New Media community.

Congratulations to the following award winners:

Melissa Coulthier - Microblogger of the Year
Ruth Bendl - Voter Watchdog Award
Seth Cooper, Fred Baldwin, and John Wynne - Wikiteer Award
James Bell - Tea Party Award
Elizabeth Crum - Blogivist of the Year
Chad Everson - Blogger of the Year
Austin Bragg and Caleb Brown of the CATO Institute- Best Video
William Carlin Walker - Sunshine Award
Ari Armstrong - Modern-Day Sam Adams Award
Paul Jacob - Lifetime Achievement Award

Visit Sam Adam’s Alliance

Photo Highlights

The Dining Room

The Lovely Mary Katherine Ham of the Weekly Standard

Me and Joe Wurzelebacher (Joe the Plumber)

Me and Michelle Malkin

Winning Video: The ABC's of Virginia Alcohol Law

Be sure and Visit my Home blog Publius' Forum. It's what's happening NOW!