Let’s Get Some “Free Money” From The Feds
Dusty Rhodes (D), Hamilton County Auditor and voice for Hamilton County fiscal conservatism has agreed to complete a regular running “insiders” view of Hamilton County’s status. His articles will be published regularly through the CTP blog site, to illustrate his views of fiscal conservation, limited government, and free markets in government action (or inaction).
The Cincinnati Tea Party does not (and cannot) endorse any specific candidates. Dusty’s fourth installment is below, entitled, “Let’s Get Some ‘Free Money’ From The Feds”, which provides an overview of the decisions local governments make with your tax federal income tax dollars.
One of the significant problems in getting the federal deficit under control is the many ways communities can obtain “free money” from the federal government. Of course, it really is not “free”. We pay for it through our income taxes. Or, we simply add it to the deficit and let future generations worry about it.
The excuse for perpetuating these “gifts” from Uncle Sam is that they assist local governments in meeting their needs to fund development and various services. Unfortunately this federal largesse often has an unexpected impact, quite different from its intent.
Locally, we need look no further than the Northern Kentucky Airport. In the mid ‘eighties the airport’s ruling body – six of seven appointed by the Judge Executive of one small county – decided to roll the dice and expand the airport far beyond the needs of local travelers.
Their ability to obtain federal funding for as much as 90 percent of the cost of new runways allowed unnecessary expansion of the facility. Once their new runways were ready the Airport Board handed a virtual monopoly on local air travel to Delta Airlines. The “advantage” was that the airport was to be a “hub” for Delta with all the attendant “benefits”.
For close to twenty years Delta was able to charge monopoly fares for local travelers, usually the highest in the nation. The Airport Board and its defenders dismissed complaints by citing direct flights to 140 cities and the supposed benefit to attracting business. One questionable study, paid for by the airport, touted the “economic advantage” to the area.
For over two decades there were about 600 flights a day in and out of Northern Kentucky Airport. Some 200 were locally originated. Assume there were just ten people on each flight paying only $100 more for their tickets than at nearby airports. That’s $73 million a year. Over twenty years those very conservative numbers come to over $1.4 billion – that’s right, $1.4 billion – in excess fares. All that money went to Delta, right out of the pockets of local travelers.
Now, having put all their eggs in Delta’s basket, the Airport Board is coming up empty. Delta is leaving. They have reduced their flights here and competing airlines are pretty much set at nearby airports. You wonder if they will be doing a new study of the airport’s “economic advantage” to the area – minus Delta.
Maybe the Airport Board still would have handed a monopoly to one major carrier without the new runways. But it is hard not to believe the rapid, mostly federally funded new runways set the stage for the arrogance which ignored the marketplace and the needs of local travelers.
“Free money” has a way of doing that. The federal government inspires the kind of risky behavior that usually leads to very bad results. Whether it’s earmarks, grants or outright gifts the potential for waste, fraud and disaster far outweighs any short term advantage.
The Northern Kentucky Airport offers a perfect example. The area is left with an overbuilt “white elephant” airport and thousands of employees have been thrown out of work. Whether the City of Cincinnati’s streetcars or the State of Ohio’s railroad train become another sad story of federal “free money” gone bad remains to be seen.
Our Daily Bread
Among the many positive aspects of the Tax Day rally was the canned food collection for Our Daily Bread. The kitchen manager for this wonderful organization informed the Cincinnati Tea Party that attendees brought 2600 canned food items to the collection bins on April 15. Our Daily Bread asked that we thank everyone who made a contribution to help support their ongoing efforts in Over the Rhine.
Hannity Follow-Up Part 2
Please make sure you read this very carefully to understand the refund process and reasoning. As you know we promised to have a refund process available within 48 hours of the event. This is it.
First – thank you. I was humbled by the amazing outpouring of sympathy, gratitude and inspiration that came from tons of people Friday and Saturday regarding this event. Your words and e-mails were overwhelmingly positive.
My favorite e-mail, summing up most people’s sentiments, was a very short note which said – “When the buzz spread about Sean bailing…the little Peruvian lady who was selling tea shirts next to me asked me several times for a translation, she paused, smiled and said “he is not the Tea Party, we are.”
Absolutely amazing, and of course, entirely accurate.
Both the leaders and supporters of this movement are absolutely amazing! You have given so much to your families, our nation and the leaders of this incredible story called the Tea Party movement. Thank you!
A recap of where we stand:
Event had to be ticketed (due to raw costs of event – close to $60K), so we opted for a mix of seats/prices which would cover cost of event and allow people to choose seating based on preference. We were hoping for a small net positive after this event, so we could fund events and activities of the CTP in 2010. In this same way, previous events donations and ticket sales have funded everything we do. If we weren’t keeping our heads above that water line with these events, the organization may have folded long ago.
To address the idea of making a “profit” on this event. CTP is non-profit entity. That means it is illegal for us take profits on anything the CTP receives. And, to clarify even further, not a single person takes money in the form of salary or compensation from the CTP. Also, CTP is not a Political Action Committee, so no funds can be used to support or fund candidates or issues.
In short, CTP is not a profit center of any kind. Not one volunteer or leader receives salary or is reimbursed for time, mileage, etc. We do this because we believe down to our very souls that this movement is the only thing standing between the American people and a complete decline into a very left leaning and very dangerous future for the American people.
With that understood, if the primary charge from our friends at Soros funded Media Matters is that Hannity is helping the Tea Party “profit.” It is simply false.
I think Mike Wilson’s review of the Hannity cancellation at the April 15th event was pretty comprehensive in explaining the events as they unfolded. See blog post “Hannity Follow-Up Part 1” to review the newsletter sent hours after the event.
In addressing the funding of this event, and what no one knows except those present at our planning meetings is – we had a very difficult internal debate over whether to even charge for tickets at all. When it became clear that the costs seemed too much for standard fundraising to cover, we developed a mix of local business sponsorships, donations and tickets to cover the costs.
In ticketing the event, much like a concert or sporting event, we charged more ($20) for seats closest to the action. Why is this important? Because seats not close to the Hannity stage were considered premium seats as well. “Premium seats” were just seats closest to the action, including the real action – our speakers!
In this case, about 2,000 seats were sold for $20. As mentioned above – almost the entire lower level of the arena was ticketed at $20 (an additional 2,000 to the ones already listed). But we gave most of those seats to our community groups and they contributed back $5/ticket for fundraising. Some gave a little more if they could help the event. But, either way, at least half of the $20 tickets ended up selling for $5/ticket.
We felt like we should offer these premium seats at a discount to the most faithful tea party supporters – our community group members and leaders.
To review – almost every other seat of the 13,176 possible, was sold for $5 or given away for promotions, volunteers, students, etc – totaling 11,176 not sold at a $20 rate. The handful of VIP seats on the floor were part of a gift for larger donations, business sponsorships or speakers’ family/friends. Just over 100 of these seats were used.
Total attendance according to UC ticketing is just over 8,000. So, over 5,000 tickets were not sold at all. And, over 500 tickets of attendees were given away at no charge to students, volunteers, etc.
I hope this clarifies the ticketing question. We sincerely believe the ticketing mix was appropriate and balanced.
With that said, people are disappointed, and I don’t blame them. Many people bought tickets to see Hannity, get on TV, or just be closer to the guests who would be featured on the show. While this was not the primary purpose of this event, I understand many came for that reason.
We understand that, and we were as disappointed as anyone.
In order to address that concern, we are offering refunds.
Please keep in mind, as mentioned above, the balanced event budgeting relied on the ticket mix that was sold. And, I think that mix was extremely conservative. So, while I can’t correct the disappointment from Hannity not attending, I would ask you to consider that ticket cost as a donation to the Cincinnati Tea Party.
At no point would these proceeds have turned into “profit.” As mentioned above, we do this without pay of any kind because we all know how important this fight has become.
The amount of refunds will determine whether we remain in the black or go red for this event.
If you still wish to have a refund – just send an e-mail with your Name, Section, Row, Seat number and confirmation number to refund@cincinnatiteaparty.org .
If not an electronic transaction, please mail a ticket stub and refund request to:
Cincinnati Tea Party
P.O. Box # is 11357
Cincinnati, OH 45211-0535
We appreciate everything you do for this movement. Thank you for all the sacrifices you make. We look forward to your continued support and accomplishing great things for the cause of Liberty in 2010 and beyond.
Hannity Follow-Up Part 1
Taken from From Mike Wilson Newsletter: What Happened with Hannity
Dear Fellow Citizens and Taxpayers,
I hate to write this email, because this controversy detracts from the message and the purpose of our rallies. Our goal with everything we do is to spread our message of our shared values – free markets, fiscal responsibilty, and limited government. Regardless, Chris and I have been getting bombarded with questions and I want to share with you what we know.
First, a bit of history. We were already underway with planning for this event when we learned that Hannity was coming to Cincinnati for his book tour on Tax Day and was planning a separate event. We were ready to sign a contract with UC for the arena and we paused because of the risk of competing events. We were concerned with our ability to cover costs for the event if Hannity drew people away.
Chris made contact with Fox producers and we agreed to work together. He would cover our event for Fox and would broadcast his show from Cincinnati. It worked out for everyone. We got a media spotlight on our message, they got a great backdrop for them to do a show.
We executed our contract with UC and then Fox did the same. While we coordinated schedules for the event, they had no contract with us, nor any financial interest in what went on. At no point was money exchanged between Fox and the Cincinnati Tea Party or Hannity and the Cincinnati Tea Party.
This was the root of the controversy. Earlier today, George Soros funded Media Matters jumped on the fact that we sold tickets to cover the cost of the event as evidence that we and Fox were “profiting” on the event.
Despite knowing clearly that this was not true, Fox caved and pulled Hannity back to New York.
About 4:30 tonight, I was standing talking to people in line for the book signing when I heard people start saying that Hannity was not coming. I tried to find the source and I found out that local media was reporting that Hannity had been deverted while in route and was heading to Lunken Airport. I went downstairs to find Chris and we found that the Fox producers had locked themselves in their “green room” and that we were not allowed in.
Eventually we were allowed into the room where we spoke with two Fox producers. The senior producer explained that Hannity had gone back to New York for an emergency and that he couldn’t tell us anything more than that. He was very apologetic and strongly hinted that it was a personal emergency. He even said they had a guest host on standby for his program tonight.
Given the explanation, we believed them. We asked about getting some of his show guests to speak and Joe the Plumber was added to our lineup. Even if we were skeptical, we didn’t have time to wait – UC Police were insisting we announce information to the restless crowd in the concourse. We then made the announcement to the crowd with the information we had and moved forward with the show.
We continued to work to gain information while the show was on as we were hearing more rumors that Fox had pulled him because of the controversy above. Eventually, Chris spoke to a Fox VP who took responsibility for pulling him because we charged for tickets.
The Fox staff we worked with planning the event knew exactly how it was structured and it was no surprise to anyone that we charged for tickets. In fact, Hannity was well aware as he plugged the event and reminded people to get tickets multiple times on his shows.
I want to point out a couple of things in response.
First, Hannity promotes conservative causes/organizations/groups/events all the time – this is nothing new.
Second, I reject the accusations of “profiteering” from the event. Cincinnati Tea Party is a non-profit, political organization, and 100% volunteer. Not a single person has ever personally profited from anything we do. In fact, we each donate hundreds of hours of our time trying to build this movement and spread our message.
This event cost (numbers aren’t final – we will get billed by UC for security, cleanup and other costs) over $50,000 and took thousands of man-hours to get done.
None of us are event organizers or promoters. We are ordinary citizens with jobs and families who do this in our spare time because we love our country and passionately believe in our values.
I’ve already recevied angry emails from some who are disappointed that Hannity did not come. We will honor all refund requests. We will have a process setup within the next 48 hours to get that done. In the meantime, I need to get some sleep and prepare for my day job.
I understand the frustration – I really do. Keep in mind that this is what the left wants. This is why Media Matters attacked us and Hannity and started the chain of events that led to Fox pulling him out – it’s because they fear the power of our message.
Instead of talking about what a wonderful event it was, I’m talking about a completely manufactured controversy. And it was a great event. We had almost 10,000 people show up and listen to a great lineup of speakers and music. We sang our national anthem and ended with God Bless America.
I know I speak for the 300+ people who volunteered their time to help make this Tax Day Tea Party a success when I say that we will not be intimidated, silenced, or bullied. The fact that we were the targets of a leftist attack today or that Fox stupidly gave into pressure just adds to my resolve to fight onward.
Our message is too important and too powerful to do anything less. Our freedom and our country are worth fighting for.
Cincinnati Tea Party Responds to Allegations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cincinnati Tea Party Contact
Justin Binik-Thomas, VP National Affairs and Strategy
justin@cincinnatiteaparty.org
Media Line: (513) 258-0454
Cincinnati Tea Party Responds to Allegations
Cincinnati, OH, April 15, 2010. Freedom has rung loud and clear in southwestern Ohio at the second annual Tax Day Tea Party 2010. Nearly 10,000 conservatives and all local media outlets joined together to celebrate liberty and freedom in the United States of America.
The initial schedule included a book signing, a tea party, and a live television show. Fox News was responsible for all aspects of the book signing and the television show – staffing, funding, and producing . The Cincinnati Tea Party was responsible for all aspects of the tea party – staffing, funding, and producing. Funding and contracting for these events was separate and no funds or contracts were signed between Fox News and the Cincinnati Tea Party.
Shortly after the scheduled book signing (which was canceled) Fox News producers onsite informed the Cincinnati Tea Party senior leadership that Mr. Hannity had to rush home for a personal emergency. The Cincinnati Tea Party expressed a statement of support and concern to Hannity and family.
The Cincinnati Tea Party received information from local media attributing concerns regarding ticketing to a executive vice president at the Fox News Network. The Cincinnati Tea Party has not been able to confirm the authenticity of this message via a source this statement to any @foxnews.com email or http://www.FoxNews.com website. Emails and phone calls to network went unanswered until 7:48 p.m. – more than four hours after the scheduled appearance; this source has not yet put it in writing despite our request.
The Cincinnati Tea Party will honor requests for refunds. A special email address will be setup within 48 hours for this purpose and posted to the blog for supporter access.
Despite the fact “we cannot verify the source we do feel the allegations deserve a response” says Chris Littleton of the Cincinnati Tea Party:
Allegations
Cincinnati Tea Party will profit from broadcasting Hannity Show
The Fox News Network was unaware of paid tickets
Response
No member of the Cincinnati Tea Party has personally profited from any event.
All members are volunteers – we have no paid employees.
The cost of tickets was designed to offset the cost of the event – we did not make a profit.
Direct Expense – Estimate
$50,000 (Facility/Security, Refreshments, Ticketing)
$10,000 advertising and promotions
$9,000 for three speakers (Jonah Goldberg, Bob Murphy, Sonja Schmidt)
$700 rental of tables
$500 security tags and press materials
Decreased Revenue
$2,000 worth of tickets given to sponsors
$2,000 worth of tickets set aside from students and volunteer
Volunteer Hours
3,000+ people hours of planning (includes senior leadership, media, and training)
1,250+ people hours for event staffing (250 volunteers x 5 hours)
About the Cincinnati Tea Party
http://www.cincinnatiteaparty.org
The Cincinnati Tea Party is a grassroots, nonpartisan organization promoting its core values of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and free markets, while strongly opposing wasteful government spending at all levels. We encourage our members to actively participate in government by supporting candidates who share our core values or by running for office. Our goaals include influencing elections to protect the freedom of current and future American citizens, promoting state sovereignty (Federalism), and compelling our elected officials to comply with the Constitution of the United States of America as written. To accomplish our goals, the Cincinnati Tea Party:
• Encourages Americans who value liberty to Voice their opinions through rallies, forums, and town halls
• Supports the Education of Americans for a better understanding of our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and the authority granted to our government by the People
• Impacts Elections throughout America by encouraging freedom-loving American citizens to run for office at the local, county, and state levels
The Cincinnati Tea Party was founded in February 2009 by a conservative group of Cincinnatians who love America and want to pass its gift of freedom to future generations. In April 2009, Community Tea Parties were launched to allow local leaders to spread the core values at the neighborhood level.
View Our Founding Documents
United States of America
Declaration of Independence | http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
Constitution | http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html
Bill of Rights | http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html
State of Ohio
Constitution | http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/constitution.cfm
######
Updated by Mike (1:00am to correct math on volunteer hours)
Mandatory Health Care and Interstate Commerce
The following commentary is provided by Dr. Earl Taylor, Jr. of the National Center for Constitutional Studies.
During the recent discussions on Health Care, one former Congressman held up a copy of the Constitution and asked the TV host, “Tell me any place in the Constitution where the federal government has the power to pass this health care bill.” The host replied that it is the Interstate Commerce clause of the Constitution that contains that power. The argument then ensued, which like most arguments on current topics, never come to a proper conclusion because most people have no idea of the origin of Constitutional principles.
Background of the Power of Congress to Regulate Interstate Commerce
One of the challenges facing the states after the Revolutionary War was raising money to pay their expenses and debts. Most states knew taxing the people would be futile because the people had no money and they had just fought a war over the subject of oppressive taxation. So some states decided to set up taxes on commerce, that is, goods coming into or leaving the state, either at the ports or the inland borders. This tactic, however, tended to set states up as individual nations rather than as a common market. It would pit state against state and would lead to discriminatory taxation on certain industries.
Virginia was one of the principal offenders in this respect. While the Constitution was up before the convention of the various states for ratification, Washington wrote to Lafayette that his own state had recently tried to pass “some of the most extravagant and preposterous edicts on the subject of trade” that had ever been written.
But the other states were also gouging their neighbors with discriminatory regulations of commerce. Rhode Island , for example, met all of her expenses out of duties levied at one port where commerce had to enter from other states. New York also demanded oppressive duties on all imports coming through her major shipping channels. It was apparent that if the regulation of commerce were left to the states they would soon degenerate into isolated economic fiefs with each one using discriminatory and retaliatory regulations against surrounding states.
The question had to be resolved as to how to keep states from setting up these tariffs and regulations on goods flowing into or out of a state. To leave this to the states to solve might lead to civil war. It would certainly lead to dissolution of the union. There was no other way to keep a state from setting up these restrictions than by giving the authority to do so to a neutral entity, and that was the federal government.
James Monroe of Virginia (while serving in Congress from 1783 to 1786) had unsuccessfully tried to include the federal regulation of commerce in the Articles of Confederation. He is also credited with suggesting it for the Constitution. Madison felt it was “necessary to preserve the Union,” for “without it, it (the Union ) will infallibly crumble to pieces.”
So by the time the Constitutional Convention was held in 1787 it was clear to many of the delegates that unless the regulation of interstate commerce was placed in the hands of the national government, the states would wreck the union with their petty regulations designed to promote local prosperity at the expense of the general welfare.
Emphasis was on Maintaining a Free Flow of Commerce Among the States
Giving the national government the power to regulate interstate commerce, as a constitutionally delegated power proved to be the answer to maintaining a common market among the states. The commerce clause has consistently served as a barrier to the suppressive efforts of individual states to favor their own industry or economy. In more than 2,500 cases which have been brought before the state and federal courts, tax laws, license laws, and regulations of an infinite variety enacted by state legislatures have been held invalid as interfering with the free flow of interstate commerce.
As Economics Professor Gary Galles of Pepperdine University recently wrote: “The Commerce Clause was designed to take that abusive power from the states by giving Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce; ‘regulate’ meant ‘to make regular or normal’ or ‘to remove impediments….” ( Washington Times , March 27, 2010)
As with most constitutional provisions, the United States was the pioneer in discovering the advantages which the free flow of commerce among its several states contributed to national economic prosperity. Australia followed the opposite policy until 1900, when she conceded that provincial or state barriers to commerce were repressive. Brazil , Canada , and other nations with modern constitutions have generally followed the American Constitution in this respect.
It is crucial to note that, in the Founders’ formula, the whole power to regulate interstate commerce dealt only with matters to ensure the free flow of goods, or in other words, transportation of interstate commerce, not with any control over the production, manufacturing, or sale of goods going interstate. As W. Cleon Skousen explained:
Doctrines relating to the protection of the states’ sphere of power were set forth by the Supreme Court in the Sugar Trust Case. The court’s decision stated:
1. Production is always local, and under the exclusive domain of the states.
2. Commerce among the states (interstate commerce) does not begin until goods commence their final movement from their state of origin to that of their destination.
3. The sale of any product is merely an incident of its production and is therefore under the domain of the state because its effect on interstate commerce is merely incidental
4. Combinations or associations organized for the sale and distribution of goods are under the regulatory power of the state since the effect on interstate commerce is indirect, not direct.
As Justice George Sutherland pointed out in Carter v. Carter Coal Co.:
“Much stress is put upon the evils which come from the struggle between employers and employees over matters of wages, working conditions, the right of collective bargaining, etc., and the resulting strikes, curtailment and irregularity of production, and the effect on prices; and it is insisted that interstate commerce is greatly affected thereby. But … the conclusive answer is that the evils are all local evils over which the Federal Government has no legislative control. The relation of employer and employee is a local relation. As a common law it is one of the domestic relations. The wages are paid for the doing of local work. Working conditions are obviously local conditions. The employees are not engaged in or about commerce, but exclusively in producing a commodity…. Such effect as they may have upon commerce, however extensive it may be, is secondary and indirect.” ( The Ma king of America, p. 406)
Changing Emphasis from Commerce to Regulate
In the decades following the passage of The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 and usually under the pressure of war and depression, the Supreme Court twisted or reversed traditional cases on interstate commerce and introduced the unconstitutional doctrine that the federal government may regulate anything that affects interstate commerce directly or indirectly. (For a list of cases, see The Making of America , pp. 403-408) One must ask: “What doesn’t affect interstate commerce indirectly?” This has resulted in usurpation of power in the form of sweeping federal regulations over nearly every aspect of American life. These doctrines include:
1. Anything affecting the “current of commerce” from manufacturing to distribution is under federal authority.
2. Commerce includes all aspects of selling, trading, and trafficking, as well as interstate transportation. Therefore, the federal authority extends to every aspect of commercial activity connected with interstate commerce.
3. The federal government can regulate any activity which affects interstate commerce either directly or indirectly. It can therefore fix prices, wages, working conditions, health conditions, and the retirement of employees.
4. All interstate industries automatically come under federal authority for the purpose of intervening in strikes and labor relations. As the Supreme Court said: “When industries organize themselves on a national scale, making their relation to interstate commerce the dominant factor in their activities, how can it be maintained that their industrial labor relations constitute a forbidden field into which Congress may not enter when it is necessary to protect interstate commerce from the paralyzing consequences of industrial war?” This now includes all major industries in the country.
A Graphic Example – the American Hamburger!
In 1980, U. S. News and World Report published a Pictogram entitled, “Your Hamburger: 41,000 Regulations.” It reads:
“The hamburger, staple of the quick, inexpensive meal, is the subject of 41,000 federal and state regulations, many of those stemming from 200 laws and 110,000 precedent-setting court cases.
“These rules, cited in a three-volume study by Colorado State University, touch on everything involved in meat production—grazing practices of cattle, conditions in slaughterhouses and methods used to process meat for sale to supermarkets, restaurants and fast-food outlets. Together they add 8 to 11 cents per pound to the cost of hamburger.” And that was 30 years ago!
In a cut-away graphic, the report gave several examples, two of which are: “Ketchup—to be considered Grade A fancy, it must flow no more than 9 centimeters in 30 seconds at 69 degrees Fahrenheit” and, “Pickles—Slices must be between 1/8 and 3/8 inches thick.” ( U. S. News and World Report , February 11, 1980, p. 64) (This Pictogram can be viewed at www.nccs.net/seminars . Scroll down the right side to Webinar Archives – Part 3, let it load, then slide over to 1 hour and 20 minutes into the presentation.)
Mandatory Health Care Invents even more
Authority in the Interstate Commerce Clause
As stated earlier, the proponents of the Health Care legislation recently passed by Congress and signed by the President cite the Commerce Clause as authority for doing such a thing. As we have just shown, any honest student who reads the Founders’ must admit there is no authority in the Constitution for such legislation, but, of course, the proponents like to cite Supreme Court cases to show how the authority has been added to the “living constitution” by the federal judiciary.
However, in citing court cases, no one can cite a single case in the history of the United States where it has been held constitutional for the federal government to require every person in this country to purchase a product or a service. This is exactly what this new legislation requires. Furthermore, it provides for a penalty to be paid if such health insurance is not purchased. This provision is so far beyond any authority in the history of this country, that it is difficult to envision even the Supreme Court of today approving such laws. The lawsuits are being filed. People are challenging. States are challenging. It seems that if by some irrational means the majority of the court does go along with this edict, which is far beyond even a liberal interpretation of the Commerce Clause to this point, there may be wholesale numbers ready to invoke the following paraphrased idea in the Declaration of Independence:
“…and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind [Americans] are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing [changing] the forms to which they are accustomed [that is, the form by which the people give Congress its power]. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government [or abusive power], and to provide new guards for their future security.”
Surely, this will push modern Americans to the point we reached in 1776.
Sincerely,
Earl Taylor, Jr.
Destruction of Our Freedom–We Can and Must Stop It Now!
by Nick Noel
About five hundred people holding candles surrounded an entire block of downtown Cincinnati on Saturday evening, March 20. They lined the sidewalks along Fifth, Vine, Fourth, and Race Streets to completely surround the Carew Tower office of Congressman Steve Driehaus.
The people, mostly associated with the Cincinnati Tea Party and the 9/12 Project, were there to protest the federal takeover of our health care system, and to petition for an Ohio constitutional amendment that would block the takeover in our state. A few hours later, our congressman found an excuse to vote against the people and against the freedom of all American citizens that the US Constitution was written to protect.
Freedom has been under attack in the United States for a long time, but large numbers of Americans have just recently begun to recognize the devastating consequences. Even among this newly awakened group, though, many do not fully understand how close we are to the end of “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
Across the street on Fountain Square, a few dozen people demonstrated their support for putting even more power over their lives into the hands of “government of the people, by the whim of bureaucrats, and for the benefit of elected officials.” Their answer to every real or imagined problem in life is the same: put more power into the hands of the federal government, and then beg elected officials and bureaucrats for favors.
The crisis we now face is not just about the federal takeover of our health care system and control over our personal medical decisions. It’s not just about using the power of the federal government to confiscate even more of our personal property through taxes. It’s not just about the destruction of free enterprise. It’s about the destruction of our freedom.
The crisis we face is whether our country will continue to be the “land of the free.” Will we become the next Venezuela, where freedom is gasping for its last dying breath, or will we become Cuba, where freedom hasn’t existed for more than fifty years? We’re closer to both than most Americans realize.
But still we have the power to halt our country’s demise. This year, we can replace many senators and all of the representatives in Congress who stand against our freedom. In two more years, we can replace many more senators and elect a new president. The current regime will do much more damage by then, but we can replace them.
If we don’t act quickly to restore our freedom, we may lose our ability to do so. If you don’t believe that, just watch the destruction of freedom that’s taking place in Venezuela. Then turn to Cuba to see how we could be living after our freedom is gone. We must act now. We have everything to lose and much to gain for ourselves and our children.
Common Sense for the Present Part 1
I wrote this in 2008 and have decided it should rear its ugly little head again, probably because I feel the battle for our nation is still happening on the wrong field.
This is an altered version of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. Content has been edited and added. But, for the most part, the most significant changes were changing England to the” left.”
Take very special notice that I completed this before Obama was in office – before the close of the Bush administration.
It is important to note that millions of Americans lost faith in government before the current administration had proposed a single policy. We just didn’t know each other at that time. GW Bush, in terms of taking over the economy, inhibiting liberty, expanding government and exercising a complete lack of fiscal restraint was as much a part of the left as Obama or Pelosi.
The single largest infringement into a free market – direct ownership of individual companies was passed under a Republican congress and President in the name of an emergency.
This administration was hallmarked by Medicare Part D, the Patriot Act, No Child Left Behind, 1st Stimulus bill, TARP, foreign aid and military funding run amuck, etc, etc. These are not things done by a defender of Liberty.
In 2008, I saw no potential for change in this scenario because not a single “mainstream” Presidential candidate (except Ron Paul) was showing any possibility of a return to Liberty minded principles. At that point, I knew the paradigm must shift and conversation must change.
We needed an ideological revolution.
It seemed appropriate to remind everyone that both history and common sense light the path of that which should not be traveled, but we must yield to the wisdom of that light.
So, in Part 1, we must first:
Define the Problem
Perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages, are not yet sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favour; a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of “nuanced thought.”
As the good people of this country will be grievously oppressed by a pending false security as proposed by the Left, they have an undoubted privilege to inquire into the pretensions, and equally to reject the summations of this falsehood.
The cause of these United States is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. Many circumstances have, and will arise, which are not local, but universal, and through which the principles of all Lovers of Mankind are affected. The laying a Country desolate with entitlement and oppression, declaring War against the natural rights of each citizen is the concern of every Man to whom Nature hath given the Power of feeling.
The Left of the political spectrum have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them. The truth is – they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants and government by our wickedness. The former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher.
Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one. Were the impulses of societies conscience clear, uniform and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other lawgiver. But, that not being the case, it is necessary to surrender up a part of property to furnish means for the protection of the rest; and this, simply because it is the lesser of two evils.
So, protection of liberty being the true design and end of government, it unanswerably follows that whatever form appears most likely to ensure it to us, with the least expense and greatest benefit, is preferable to all others. We choose government only because we must, not because we should. It is the lesser of two evils. Better to live with government contributing to a stable society, than live without in a state of anarchy.
Government is namely, a mode rendered necessary by the inability of moral virtue to govern the world; here too is the design and end of government – protection of liberties. Nothing more and nothing less. And however our eyes may be dazzled with show from the Left, or our ears deceived by sound; or selfish interests darken our understanding, the simple voice of nature and reason will say, it’s right. Government’s role is simply to protect the people who formed it, and allow for their freedom.
I draw my idea of the form of government from a principle in nature which no rhetoric can overturn – the more simple any thing is, the less likely to be disordered, and the easier repaired when disordered. With this truth in view, I offer a few remarks on the much boasted policies and proposals of the Left.
The proposed change to come from the current Left is exceedingly destructive. The nation will suffer for years without being able to discover in which part the fault lies; some will say in one and some in another, and every political physician will advise a different medicine.
I know it is difficult to get over long standing thoughts on taxation, and government assistance, yet if we allow ourselves to examine the component parts of the Lefts proposals, we shall find them to be the base remains of tyranny and oppression.
Social Security Acts of 1935, 1965, and 2010?
Many things have been said this week about America moving into a Socialist or Totalitarian society as a result of the HealthCare bill passing. The largest sweeping reform, in my lifetime, which creates thousands of new entitlements to each of us – is this the first step toward socialism? No, I would like to propose that this vote is another event reinforcing the fact that the people of America will choose entitlement over free markets, no matter how mad they are about the Healthcare bill right now.
In 1935 Social Security was passed by President Roosevelt. This program was setup to provide entitlements to the sick, the orphans and the widows. Today the program represents over 12% of the total tax burden of the productive taxpayers of the US, while our greatest generation and the baby boomers collect benefits for the remainder of their life(of which they only paid 6.5% tax). By 2017, Social Security will pay more than it collects, and the Social Security fund could be bankrupt by this year, based on some estimates.
Social Security is socialism, but when it’s your entitlement program, it isn’t.
Lyndon Johnson passed the Social Security Act of 1965, which ushered in Medicare and Medicaid, which was the Healthcare Reform act of the time. This massive expansion of government represented a huge change in the medical industry, and was the impetus for the massive expansion created by the Healthcare Bill that just passed this week. Currently Medicare will be bankrupt by 2017, and most states are facing massive budget deficits because of the Medicaid program.
Medicare is 1.45% of every dollar earned by productive members of society, and employers pay another 1.45% to match that value paid by the individual employee. If you are self-employed, you are responsible for the total 2.90%.
Medicare is socialism, but when it’s your entitlement program, it isn’t.
Let’s face it socialism has many forms, but when you stand on the receiving end, it isn’t. So the unfortunate fact is that while the next group of Congressman could potentially repeal the Healthcare Act of 2010, they would never touch the Social Security acts of 1935 and 1965. Consider the fact that in the next voting cycle after each of major acts passed, the people asked for it to be repealed by voting out the Democrats who passed it, but Republicans never did. Even your fiscal conservative all-star Reagan talked about repealing Medicare as socialist program in his campaign for governor, but it never happened in the 1980’s since the will of the people was to keep their entitlement program.
A realistic response to the Healthcare bill is that, this is really what all Americans want. If you readily accept Socialism through one entitlement act or another, what would prevent you from taking it in another form? Complain and complain all you want, but at the end of the day, it’s what YOU wanted. Entitlement plans are a social reality in America. The unfortunate reality is you are only against this new entitlement right now, because you have yet to receive the first benefit.
Bigger Government on the Way?
Dusty Rhodes (D), Hamilton County Auditor and voice for Hamilton County fiscal conservatism has agreed to complete a regular running “insiders” view of Hamilton County’s status. His articles will be published regularly through the CTP blog site, to illustrate his views of fiscal conservation, limited government, and free markets in government action (or inaction).
The Cincinnati Tea Party does not (and cannot) endorse any specific candidates. Dusty’s third installment is below, entitled, “Bigger Government on the Way?”, which provides an overview of the “government reform study committee” launching in Hamilton County, which could potentially take action to change the way the county government currently operates.
When was the last time you heard someone say “What we really need is bigger government and more of it”? That is the objective of a “government reform study committee” recently initiated by County Commissioner Todd Portune.
County government is a limited form of government. It is unable to pass ordinances or laws. County government is meant to do only what state law specifically says it can do. Counties are simply administrative units of the state.
County government also has a built-in system of checks and balances. Independently elected officials such as the Prosecutor, Treasurer and County Auditor are accountable directly to the voters. This differs from city governments where such duties are the province of appointed personnel.
Commissioner Portune seems to prefer an enlarged County Council rather than the present three-member County Commission, the elimination of some or all of the independent elected offices and a grand, all-powerful County Executive. He has expressed his apparent unhappiness with the current county government structure calling it “archaic and agrarian”.
Of course, county government has been continuously updated over the years by the State Legislature. Its functions and authority are not static as a “reform” proponent would have you believe.
The hidden goal is to make the County much more like the City of Cincinnati in its powers and organization. What more could they do with more power and a bigger County “Council”? I hope we never find out.
Why do we need to change the current structure of county government to give more power to the County Commission?
Is it because of the Jobs and Family Services accounting debacle that still hinders the county’s ability to do business?
No.
Is it because of the expensive struggle to complete “The Banks” which has gone on for over a decade?
No.
Is it because of the expenditure of over $20 million on outside attorneys over the past decade?
No.
Is it due to the lease deal the county negotiated with the Bengals?
No.
All of these failures originated from county operations overseen by the same County Commission that now wants even more power and authority. Now the fox wants to watch the henhouse!
The act of “reforming” county government is nothing more than a dramatic expansion of government. It would create a second and unnecessary level of local government with all its attendant costs.
It would start us down the road to “metropolitan government” eliminating local communities, moving control further away from the people and replacing local officials with high-paid appointees – chosen by the County Commissioners.
Thomas Jefferson said it best. In a letter to Joseph Cabbel dated February 2, 1816 he wrote:
“…the way to have good and safe government, is not to trust it all to one, but to divide it among the many, distributing to every one exactly the functions he is competent to.
“What has destroyed liberty and the rights of man in every government which has ever existed under the sun? The generalizing and concentrating all cares and power into one body, no matter whether of the autocrats of Russia or France, or of the aristocrats of a Venetian senate”.
Be ready if the latest “study committee” comes up with some kind of “County Charter” proposal. If one other Commissioner joins with Portune to place such an idea on the fall ballot we must work together to defeat it.
County government needs to be limited – not expanded.