Politicians Think Voters Are Stupid and Irresponsible

The truth is, politicians do not think very highly of voters in general, and only "listen" to them around election time. They routinely ignore the will of the voters in general and do only the bidding of special interests.

In case you happened to miss being insulted recently, perhaps you will find what you are looking for here, in this small collection of quips and comments that show us what the politicians really think of the voters.

Governor Deval Patrick
"People don't like paying taxes. Yeah, I got that. But there is a price to pay for civilization"

Governor Patrick equated ending the income tax to conditions as there are in Darfur. Here is a quote from one of Jeff Jacoby's Op-Ed pieces at the Boston Globe:

"Patrick said he has lived in places with no taxes, including the time he spent in Darfur 30 years ago," AP's Steve LeBlanc reported. "He says there were also no bridges, no good roads, and no public safety there. 'Civilization costs something,' he said."
Anyone who is paying attention can clearly see that not having an income tax creates Darfur-like conditions. Just look at Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming -- nine states without an income tax. Why you can easily see that, er, umm...wait a minute, our jobs went there!

"Just as it is the people's money it is also the people's bridges and the people's roads and the people's schools and the people's broken neighbors, in some cases."

That is right, Governor Patrick, the people have responsibilities and guess what? We work hard, every day, and do whatever it takes to provide for our family and neighbors. We support our communities, churches and charities, too. We do whatever it takes, despite having to pay endless taxes at every turn. We always have.

How dare Governor Patrick even insinuate that if the state government did not do the things only it somehow is magically able to do, that the people would not do them. That is insulting and utter nonsense.

Long before the state government started growing to try to get involved with every aspect of our lives (for a price, of course) we, the people, took care of our problems and challenges, and..of one another.

State Senator Brian Joyce
Massachusetts State Senator Brian Joyce recently compared voters with Pavlov's dog. He says voters react like the famous dog, and begin salivating at the sound of tax cuts, and having knee jerk reactions to things. So just how did Senator Joyce get elected, by waving some doggie treats in front of the voters?

Michael Widmer, President of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation
Heading up the misleadingly-named group which is solely focused on lobbying government to raise taxes and spend more money, Widmer is often quoted by the press when the taxpayers threaten to pull back the reins.

When the citizen initiative to end the Massachusetts state income tax was certified to be on the November 2008 ballot, he issued this dire warning: "If this passes, there will be six to nine months of chaos in the statehouse!"

We can only thank Mr. Widmer for reminding us where his and the politicians' priorities lie: In worrying about themselves and their interests, not the taxpayers.

The Golden opportunity for Ma.

Massachusetts has a real chance to redeem itself this coming election with Question 1, being whether to chuck the income tax or keep it. This should be a no-brainer. To the skeptic, ask yourself "Do I want a 5.3% payraise, or do I want Beacon Hill to take it to distribute amongst useless programs and other Government waste?".

In tough economic times like this, it will be a relief on a lot of companies, workers, and families. This will bring back hundreds of thousands of jobs to the private sector, which will cause businesses to flock to Massachusetts. Families will have more money from their paychecks to go to groceries, utility bills, fuel, or whatever they please, and not to mention it will lead to more saving and investing. I have no doubts that gutting our State Income Tax will only lead to an increased quality of life for all hard working Mass citizens.

If the majority of voters vote Yes on Question 1 it will certainly resonate across the nation, causing other states to look at what we're doing with intrigue. And it will send a message to the politicians and bureaucrats on Beacon Hill that the hard working citizens of Massachusetts are not playing around anymore. This is what they get when they don't listen to the voters and decide not roll back the income tax. That slap to the face to the voters may come back at Beacon Hill with a closed fist.

I believe a lot voters in Massachusetts are closet Republicans. This may be one of those reminders, and if there is any issue that the Republican party should be behind and tooting the horn of, it is certainly this one.

Our State Government has shown us how they can spend our $12 billion dollars and the people clearly are not impressed. I think we'll keep it from them from now on. Vote 'Yes' on Question 1!

The Big Tent Party's Party

I can easily say that attending this Republican National Convention has been one of the most incredible times of my life. I am still in disbelief that I had been through it all, let alone being elected as a delegate. It's very difficult to sum up this whole experience, as I am still taking it all in. All I can say for now is that this has been one of the most important learning experiences in my life. I met so many people from all over this wonderful country, aye and naysayers alike. Our debates and discussions will never be forgotten and only show me that bridges have been further built. The Republican Party is a very big tent party, and as a Ron Paul supporter, I am proud to be part of this diverse group of individuals. I'm honored to have been part of this years Republican National Convention to ring in our next Republican presidential and vice presidential nominees, John McCain and Sarah Palin,


and to spread the liberty message of Dr. Ron Paul and to have people be open minded and listen.
Thank you so much to everyone who helped me get this opportunity. It's been a blast!

The Revolution Continues: United We Stand

Posted by Isaac Mass September 4, 2008 11:13 AM at Boston.com
In 1976 outsiders started a Revolution that took over the Republican Party. It was called the Reagan Revolution. In 2008, Ron Paul supporters see themselves in a similar position. Instead of fighting the machine, supporters of Dr. No are trying hard to turn the machine in a direction that favors constitutional rights and traditional conservative values. In Massachusetts, the Paul supporters are having a big impact.

It is no secret at the convention that Tuesday's hottest tickets were for the Ron Paul rally. It was not just Ron Paul supporters who went from MA. Notably there was State Sen. Bob Hedlund from the Plymouth and Norfolk district who is the highest elected member of the MA delegation. By Wednesday night, the unity between the delegations was so strong that Paul some supporters were sporting Sarah Palin buttons and MA Republican Party Executive Director Rob Willington was wearing a sporty Ron Paul button.

Over three days, the Paul supporters, who are about a third of the delegation, have been talking about not only helping defeat Barrack Obama in November, but continuing to build the party from the inside after the election. They plan to run for local and state office (some already are), they plan to run for vacant seats on the Republican State Committee and rebuild there Republican Town Committees. Over the last three days Paul supporters who came to the convention as outsiders after credentials challenges and snide comments have largely been accepted as good Republicans who care about their country, their party and the Constitution of the United States. They have been embraced as much as any other wing of the party.

The MA Paul supporters proved their political prowess and mettle as well by shining light on National Convention Secretary Jean Inman, by delivering all 43 MA votes to Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin. If the Paul supporters started like the minutemen with riffles behind trees, they come home from the convention with experience lieutenants who have been able to bring new cannons to the fight.

JEFF MEETING W/ THE YOUNG KIDS

JEFF BEATTY STOPS BY AGAWAM

For a while now, there has been constant plee for us as a nation to completely get off of oil and rely on alternative sources of energy. Extreme environmentalists preach about global warming, and that we humans and our dependence on fossil fuels are the cause of it. I have read a few other reasons that don't involve us being the cause, but that is not the point of this blog entry. They think they know what is good and right for the planet, you, and everyone else. Don't get me wrong here, I have no problem with experimenting and using different types of energy, but it is necessary to deal with the problem at hand being our dependence on foreign oil that is causing our fuel prices to climb upwards. Too long we have been restricted by lobbyists and special interest groups to obtain domestic oil that would drive prices down. Too long they have put restrictions on the free market.

I believe if we had let the free market do its magic straight from the beginning, we would have cheap domestic oil and would be ahead of the game when it comes to alternative energies like solar, wind, nuclear, and geothermal. We would probably progress to a point when oil would be obsolete, but that should only be decided by the people through a free market, not a government bureaucracy, and that is what we are facing today.

We are being forced, either by law, taxation, or some other tyrannical form, to get completely off of oil and to use "green" energy instead. Try telling that to the 65 year old man who enjoys working on his Chevy on a Sunday morning, or the working parents who have to drive long distances to their jobs so they can put food on the table for their kids and pay higher prices to fill their gas tanks for the next week. These environmental lobbyists and special interest groups want higher gas prices to teach us "evil" humans a lesson about how we "harm" the planet. Do they realize that they are harming the common American by hitting our wallets? Do they realize that high gas prices leads to higher prices on delivered goods? Are they even listening to the people they represent? Families are struggling to stay afloat because of ridiculous legislation preventing off-shore drilling and drilling in Alaska.

Personally, I like and respect the environment; I recycle and conserve gas and electricity when I can, but hurting your fellow American by wanting higher fuel prices is tyranny. We should be able to drill for oil and use alternative energy at the same time as the free market would allow us to. I believe that all our economic problems can be solved by a truly free market if we allow it to do its magic.

Benjamin Dickmann

Babies and Bathwater

"I'm against ending the Income Tax. You are throwing the baby out with the bath water." - Massachusetts Public School Teacher

"Ending the state income tax would mean laying off teachers, police and fire-fighters, closing schools and shutting down road projects," claims Senate President Therese Murray.

She cautions,"We mustn't throw out the baby with the bathwater."

The Massachusetts Teachers Union's whisper campaign is littered with fear-inciting language and images against the income tax elimination initiative:

"devastation," "decimation," "gutting of public services," "massive layoffs of teachers, police, and firefighters," "closings of police stations, fire stations, schools, and hospitals."

'Don't You Dare Throw Out the Bathwater - or the Baby's Going to Get Hurt' - opponents warn taxpayers.

For hundreds of years, Western babies have been bathed in buckets, small barrels, or baby baths. This was safer - and it was easier to heat the water.

After the baby was bathed, the mother emptied out the dirty bathwater.

This common experience became an easily grasped figure of speech, a proverb:

Do not throw out the good with the bad, nor the desirable with the undesirable.

Do not throw out the necessary with the unnecessary, nor the essential with the waste.

Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.

If a person can't tell the difference between a baby and dirty bathwater, he should not be put in charge of either.

If she can't show you which is the baby and which is the bathwater, would you let her bathe or care for your baby?

If he doesn't know the difference, if he can't show you the difference, why would you let him advise you on your baby and your bathwater?

Now let's consider the Massachusetts government budget baby - and the government budget bathwater.

The Massachusetts state government statutory budget is $28 billion (FY 2009). The state government also spends an additional $6 billion to $14 billion OFF-BUDGET each year. (Undisclosed, undocumented, and unreported to YOU: the taxpayer.) Total state government spending for this year? $34 billion to $42 billion.

Massachusetts towns and cities will collect and spend an additional $18 billion to $20 billion this year.

Total Massachusetts’s local and state government taxes and spending for the next year? $52 billion to $62 billion.

Governor Deval Patrick, Massachusetts state legislators, Massachusetts state government officials, as well as local government officials:

Show us the baby - and show us the bathwater.

Show us each government program baby - and each government program bathwater.

Show us each government program or service's cost baby - and each government program or service's cost bathwater.

Show Massachusetts taxpayers the bad, the undesirable, the unnecessary, and the waste in the government programs, services, and spending.

Taxpayers and voters are dead sure you've covering up and protecting massive amount of government bathwater.

"41 cents out of every tax dollar is wasted," said voters in an April 2008 poll. That's a massive amount of bathwater. But you just can't seem to put your finger on budget bathwater.

You hint or suggest or brazenly claim: there isn't any budget bathwater; there never
was any bathwater; there ain't never going to be any budget bathwater. And anyone who disagrees is a baby hater.

I don't believe you. I don't trust you.

Neither do the 3,000,000 Massachusetts workers and taxpayers that earn the money that you take, who pay the bills you make.

'Don't You Dare Throw Out the Bathwater - or the Baby's Going to Get Hurt' -- you and your allies tell taxpayers.

The first time I heard that remark, I gave you the benefit of the doubt. I assumed you were counseling taxpayers to be careful.

But now I'm wondering: Is it a warning - or a threat?

Our State Representatives had their chance to roll back the income tax level, and it was voted down. What do they expect? Massachusetts taxpayers are ready to toss out the bathwater, the baby will be just fine.

Memorial Day Tribute

In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae (1872-1918)

Massachusetts Farmers Say No to N.A.I.S.

The purpose of NAIS is to provide 48-hour traceback of all animal movements. NAIS will not prevent diseases from occurring. It does not address animal management, such as feeding cow parts to other cows or the other practices of factory farms that lead to animal health problems. It does not prevent wild animals and insects from spreading diseases, nor does it protect against foreign animal diseases from being brought into this country through lax inspection of agricultural shipments. All it does is provide after-the-fact information on where a sick animal has been. So what does the government plan to do with this information?

Call it mature capitalism or call it something else, but the fact is that we have been steadily, inexorably moving to an industrialized, centralized food production system. It is a terrible plan, that could really discourage small farms while it encourages corporate factory farming methods.

There is not much time left. The animal tracking, logging, and reporting components of NAIS will come into effect nationwide in January 2009. The USDA has been authorized to engage in tough enforcement measures -- fines, inspections of properties, and confiscation or redistribution of livestock without trial or legal hearings and with no compensation to the owner of the animals. Failure to register your home or farm with a Premise ID already faces a $1,000 fine in some states.

Once fully implemented, the NAIS program would require every person who owns even one livestock or poultry animal (a single chicken or a pet pony) to register their property with the state and federal government, to tag each animal, and to report “events” to a database within 24 hours. Reportable events would include such things as a private sale, a state fair, or a horse show.

There was some doubt that this was a state issue, as the mandates are coming down from the federal level. Here in Massachusetts, N.O.F.A. has been active in helping friendly state legislators draft and propose legislation to stop state compliance with this program.

N.A.I.S. is currently voluntary at the federal level, which means that state agricultural Departments will be charged with implementing the NAIS, and the USDA has already allocated over $60 million to them to do it.

Clearly, the ball is in our park, at least for now. Other states such as VT have managed to pass legislation stopping state participation in the program, at least temporarily.

What can you do as a consumer? Patronize farmers who raise meat, milk and eggs in a way you support.

If you are interested in learning more, go to:

MA legislation regarding N.A.I.S.

List of Massachusetts Legislators who sponsored and co-sponsored legislation to stop N.A.I.S.

Here is N.A.I.S. First Step PDF and N.A.I.S. Fact Sheet

"It is difficult to imagine any acceptable basis for the (USDA) to subject the owner of a chicken to more intrusive surveillance than the owner of a gun." -Mary Zanoni

Thoughts of a President

Thoughts of a President

'Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.'- Ronald Reagan

"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." - Ronald Reagan'

The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so. - Ronald Reagan

'Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.'- Ronald Reagan'

I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress.' - Ronald Reagan


'The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.' - Ronald Reagan

'Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.' - Ronald Reagan

'The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program.' - Ronald Reagan'

It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.' - Ronald Reagan


'Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.' - Ronald Reagan

'Politics is not a bad profession. If yo u succeed, there are many rewards; if you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book.' - Ronald Reagan'

No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.'- Ronald Reagan

Political Implications Of The Cognitive Surplus

Do we really have a cognitive surplus? This is pretty convincing.



Maybe, just maybe, we have just enough cognitive surplus to create a community driven Next Right. Not only would it would be interesting to find out, we could conceivably create activist envy.

Locavore

What is a locavore? It’s a part of the concept of local purchasing and local economies and a preference to buy locally produced goods and services. Those who prefer to eat locally grown/produced food.

There are twenty-six farms in Hampden County alone and there are 34 Buying Clubs or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA’s) in Massachusetts, http://www.organicconsumers.org/which generally use environmentally sustainable, biodynamic growing techniques using no pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers of any kind. They see their farms as a living system, where its elements work together to build and maintain soil fertility. Through a balanced crop rotation and a strict composting and cover cropping system, they leave the land better than they found it.

Personally, I buy all of my spring, summer and fall produce locally and I’m considering sponsoring a Locavore Challenge to area residents, (see the 100-Mile Diet below).

A locavore is someone who eats food grown or produced locally or within a certain radius such as 50, 100, or 150 miles. The locavore movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or even to produce their own food, with the argument that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better. Local grown food is an environmentally friendly means of obtaining food, since supermarkets that import their food use more fossil fuels and non-renewable resources.

“Locavore” was coined by Jessica Prentice from San Francisco Bay Area on the occasion of World Environment Day, 2005 to describe and promote the practice of eating a diet consisting of food harvested from within an area most commonly bound by a 100 mile radius. The word "Localvore" is sometimes also used. The New Oxford American Dictionary chose locavore, a person who seeks out locally produced food, as its word of the year 2007. The local foods movement is gaining momentum as people discover that the best-tasting and most sustainable choices are foods that are fresh, seasonal, and grown close to home. Some locavores draw inspiration from the 100-Mile Diet or from advocates of local eating like Barbara Kingsolver. Others just follow their taste buds to farmers' markets, community supported agriculture programs, and community gardens.

Another effect is the increase in food quality and taste. Locally grown fresh food is consumed almost immediately after harvest, so it is sold fresher and usually riper, as it would be from a home garden. Also, the need for chemical preservatives and irradiation to artificially extend shelf life is reduced or eliminated.

So, why am I writing about this on a Republican Blog? Because I believe we should encourage our Massachusetts lawmakers to actively oppose legislation, which burdens family farms with an estate tax, which in some cases will prevent that farm from remaining in a family and may be forced to close. 2010 will see the tax completely repealed, while in 2011, the tax will be reinstated at a federal exemption level of $1 million per person. The reason for this flip-flopping is that Congress didn't have the votes to permanently push through such a tax cut, so it settled for a temporary fix that passes the buck of settling the matter to the future lawmakers.

The Massachusetts estate tax is “decoupled” from the federal estate tax system. So that any tax demanded from the IRS is viewed as a credit by Massachusetts. While the Massachusetts credit for tax paid in another jurisdiction appears to prevent multiple state death taxes from being imposed on the property of a Massachusetts resident decedent, it does not prevent Massachusetts from effectively taxing a resident decedent’s property located outside of Massachusetts.

Under the current Massachusetts estate tax, the amount of the tax payable by the estate of a resident decedent is equal to the amount of the credit for state death taxes that would have been allowable by the resident decedent’s estate computed under Internal Revenue Code. For example, a Massachusetts resident decedent who owned Massachusetts real estate valued at $5,000,000 and Florida real estate valued at $5,000,000, calculates his estate tax starting with a gross estate of $10,000,000.
Assuming no deductions, the Massachusetts estate tax is calculated as follows:

Taxable Estate $ 10,000,000
Less: $60,000 per IRC § 2011(b)(3) (60,000)
Adjusted Taxable Estate $ 9,940,000
Times: Effective Tax Rate 10.74%
Total Massachusetts Estate Tax $ 1,067,600

There appears to be evidence that this is unconstitutional.

Let’s do all we can to preserve our family owned farms in Massachusetts, first by trading with them and then by giving our lawmakers a little home-grown direction.

Opinions expressed on this site are those of the relevant contributors. Not all committee members necessarily share those opinions.

Discrimination to smokers in Mass

For years and years, politicians have always been trying to stomp out smoking in this state. We've heard all the rhetoric. I've taken my D.A.R.E. classes. We've seen the endless amount anti-smoking advertisements on television and magazines, and, now, we're seeing a $1 tax increase on our packs of cigarettes in this state. Force through taxation. How disgusting. It's probably as disgusting as the act of smoking itself.

Now, this either will motivate a person to either quit smoking all together or smoke even more because he/she is outraged by such a ridiculous increase. Whether you feel that smoking is terrible or relaxing is simply one's own opinion, but people should make their own choices and face the consequences of them. If you decide to smoke, you face the higher risk of getting lung cancer and other diseases. If you decide not to smoke... well... you still face the risk of lung cancer and other diseases. Don't ask me. Nature works in strange ways.

Anyways, I don't believe this new tax increase on cigarettes will solve anything or bring much more revenue to the state. People will find ways to avoid paying such wacko prices to enjoy a smoke. You can order cartons from out of state for much cheaper online, or one can simply take a road trip to New Hampshire once a month and stock up on their favorite brands. Some people will actually grow tobacco themselves! I can only sense backfire in this new step.

However, smokers should never be punished for wanting to enjoy tobacco in the comfort of their own homes. Gas and grocery prices are climbing oh so rapidly and now politicians want to make problems worse by making the very thing that gives (temporary) relief from such burdens more expensive. This is nothing more than abuse to the consumer.

I am a smoker, but do not recommend it in any way shape or form. It is a person's choice to smoke or not. One can beat the anti-smoking message to people, one can tax the living daylights out of cigarettes, and one can even outright ban cigarettes from the state but you will always have smokers, because like children, once you say, "You can't have that." to someone, it will only make that person more curious and want to try it even more. It's time we step aside and let people take personal responsibility for their actions and stop punishing individuals through taxation.

Now that I've got myself worked up, I'm going out for a smoke!

Benjamin Dickmann

Opinions expressed on this site are those of the relevant contributors. Not all committee members necessarily share those opinions.

Lt Gov Murray with Agawam RTC members at Volunteer Dinner.

Lt Gov Murray with Agawam RTC members at Volunteer Dinner.

Republican Caucus at OSV with Agawam RTC

Republican Caucus

McCain Delagate Reed Hillman and Robert McGovern

No National ID Card

The much-hailed 9/11 Commission report released in July of 2004 recommends a federal identification card and, worse, a "larger network of screening points" inside the United States. Does this mean we are to have "screening points" inside our country where American citizens will be required to "show their papers" to government officials? It certainly sounds that way!

We must take effective measures to protect ourselves from a terrorist attack. We might start with buttoning up our borders. That does not mean rushing to embrace legislation that in the long run will do little to stop terrorism, but will do a great deal to undermine the very way of life we should be protecting. Just as we must not allow terrorists to threaten our lives, we must not allow government to threaten our liberties. We should reject the notion of a national identification card.

A national identification card, in whatever form it may take, will allow the federal government to inappropriately monitor the movements and transactions of every American. History shows that governments inevitably use the power to monitor the actions of people in harmful ways. Claims that the government will protect the privacy of Americans when implementing a national identification card ring hollow. We would do well to remember what happened with the Social Security number. It was introduced with solemn restrictions on how it could be used, but it has become a de facto national identifier.

I am strongly opposed to the use of a National ID Card. Those who are willing to allow the government to establish a Soviet-style internal passport system because they think it will make us safer are terribly mistaken. Subjecting every citizen to surveillance and "screening points" will actually make us less safe, not in the least because it will divert resources away from tracking and apprehending terrorists and deploy them against innocent Americans!

This refers to all of us, everyone, being suspected of being terrorists, being searched without cause, being forced into lines and pens, forced to take our shoes off, to identify ourselves, to drink our own breast milk, to submit to indignities. Everyone is a suspected terrorist in today's America, including all the innocent people, and that's wrong. The terrorists have won if we turn our country into an authoritarian theocracy "to defeat terrorism".

I don't want to be a Global Citizen, I want to be a Free American!

Meet Benjamin Dickmann

Here is Ben's Delegate speech in it's entirety:

Hello, my fellow Republicans! It’s really great to be here. My name is Benjamin Dickmann, I live in Agawam, and I have been a resident of Massachusetts my whole life, so it is a relief to be in a room filled with Republicans, seeing as that is a rarity in this State. I was raised in a Conservative family, was taught to work hard and what it means to earn the things that you want in life, and would like to carry these cherished principles of mine to the Republican National Convention.
Growing up, I was constantly reminded by my father to never take for granted the freedoms that this wonderful country has to offer. As a child I never understood why he always put these ideas into my head. But as I got older I started realizing that he didn’t have the freedoms and luxuries that I was born with when he was growing up in Indonesia. He is a proud citizen of this country, but, unfortunately, him and I and many other hard working Americans have been noticing a decline in this country’s direction. Here are some issues I’d like to address:
The Second Amendment: I believe that any law-abiding American citizen deserves the right to keep and bear arms, and to protect their homes, family, and themselves. It does not make sense to me that people in inner cities are restricted a gun licence for all lawful purposes when it is those people who are exposed to most violent crime. This amendment should never be tampered with, as it is the protector of all of our other rights, as well. As a gun owner, I do not stand for any legislation that prohibits any responsible American from exercising this important right.
National borders: If we are going to fight a war on terrorism, then why are our borders left wide open? Borders should have been up immediately after 911. We cannot defend this country properly from our enemies when our doors are left unlocked. It’s time we lock our doors and place our soldiers there to guard this house. Not to mention to keep people from outside of this country from entering it illegally. With that being said, this brings me to the next issue:
Illegal immigration. We must enforce visa rules and deport anyone who overstays their visit. I do not stand for giving amnesty, welfare, or birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants. Government should never reward people for breaking our laws. Enforcing these rules will give illegals the incentive to come to this country legally and go through the same waiting periods as other countries. It is just not fair to people like my father who immigrated to this country, played by the rules, and worked hard to achieve what he has today.
Healthcare: Being a Republican, I know better than to support a socialized healthcare system. Emergency rooms are usually packed as it is, and instilling a socialized health system will only pack them even more. No one should have to wait an outrageous amount of time for treatment to a real emergency. We must give people more choices by encouraging a free market healthcare system and to allow doctors to negotiate with insurance companies to drive down prices of medicine and treatment. We must also remove federal regulations that restricts smaller businesses from offering health insurance.
Lower taxes: If there is one thing that makes any Republican a Republican, it’s lower taxes. Americans should keep more of their own money because individuals should decide how to spend the money themselves and not have a government dictate how they should spend it. Lower taxes encourages more spending, saving and investing which benefits the economy. Tax cuts do not hurt the economy. What hurts the economy is a government that takes money from the private individual’s paycheck and spends it on something that not everyone wants or needs. Private investing, saving and spending is what drives this economy and keeps it strong. Because of the liberal spending this government has been experimenting with, our economy is weakening and the value of our dollar is dropping day by day.
I would like to go to the National Republican Convention to share and spread these philosophies so our country can improve. This is a great country and we can make it even greater if we can embrace these ideas of freedom and economic prosperity. Thank you!



Copyright © Benjamin Dickmann, 4 April 2008
"used with permission by the author."

Minnesota, here I come!

First and foremost, I would like to thank those from the Agawam RTC that attended the Massachusetts District 2 Republican caucuses that came and supported me. Thank you Michael Daley for seconding me after I had nominated myself. I am truly honored to be a delegate and I cannot wait to get to St. Paul Minnesota and represent our party. This has been a huge learning experience for me and it will only continue. This is a very big opportunity for me and I cannot thank you all enough for your support!

Jeff Beatty and His Tank were a huge hit @ parade

Jeff Beatty and his tank were a huge hit at the St. Patricks parade.

Bright Parade Day for RTC

Pictured, Ceccilia Calabrese Agawam Town counsel member Vice President, Michael Daley RTC Treasurer, Jeff Beatty, Brain Lees and Peter McNair Committee member.

ST. PATRICKS PARADE A BIG HIT w/ Agawam RTC

Pictured Michael Daley RTC Treasurer, Cecilia P Calabrese, Esq, Agawam Town Committee Vice President, Peter McNair Committee member.

WHO IS Dr. RON PAUL?

He is a Republican Congressman from Texas who is running for President in 2008. He represents the 14th congressional district of Texas. He presently serves on the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He continues to advocate a dramatic reduction in the size of the federal government and a return to constitutional principles.

I’m still amazed at the number of people who have never heard of him. The Main Stream Media has very effectively disengaged the public by hand-feeding information about every other Republican candidate. Fox News flat out refused to include him in their last debate, and the rest of the MSM has followed suit. In fact they’ve made a concerted effort to shut him out.

Why?

Paul was the first member of Congress to propose term limits legislation in the House

He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.
He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.

In 1976, he was one of only four Republican congressmen to endorse Ronald Reagan for president.

Paul's commission minority report was published by the Cato Institute in The Case for Gold; it is now available from the Mises Institute, to which Paul is a distinguished counselor.

Congressman Paul introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress.

He set a one-day GOP fundraising record on Nov. 6, 2007 of more than $4.2 million dollars in a 24-hour period from 37,000 donors. Without Paul's $20 million raised from individuals, Republicans would have totaled $45 million for the period from October through December, compared with Democrats' $58 million.

Paul also set the standard among candidates in both parties last year for tapping into average Americans. He raised 61 percent of his funds from small-dollar donors, defined as those who gave $200 or less, compared to just 14 percent of Hillary Rodham Clinton's funds, 12 percent of Mitt Romney's funds and 8 percent of Rudy Giuliani's 2007 campaign funds.

Paul is the only Republican candidate to oppose the Iraq war.

He has received more monetary donations from active military than all of the other presidential candidates combined!

He is an outspoken critic of the Federal Reserve’s inflationary measures.

His fiscal policies evoke the idealistic Republican revolutionaries who seized control of Congress in 1994.

His ob/gyn practice refused Medicare and Medicaid payments; he worked pro-bono and arranged discounted or custom-payment plans for needy patients.

But even if Paul's ideological purity is never going to get him to the White House, it does help illuminate the impurities — and sometimes the hypocrisies — of today's Republicans. The candidates all talked about shrinking big government, but Paul was the only one who included the Pentagon and NSA wiretaps and petroleum subsidies in his definition.

The question for Republicans is what happens to Paul's voters and donors?

Though he has not yet won any state contests, he has garnered support from hundreds of thousands of voters, many of whom are nontraditional Republicans. There were even some pundits who said an increase in polling on Republican affiliation resulted from Paul's outreach.

Many of his 800,000 presidential nomination votes were from newcomers to the Republican Party — the kind of dedicated small-donor volunteers the party needs.

Ron Paul says the legions of newcomers his presidential campaign brought to the Republican Party are getting the cold shoulder from John McCain and from the party.

The Texas congressman says neither he nor his supporters have heard from Mr. McCain or Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan since March 4, when the Arizona senator accumulated enough delegates to clinch the party's presidential nomination.

Why?

Bob McGovern

GET WELL BOB

The BEATTY BRIGADE Takes on the Holyoke Parade…

JEFF BEATTY is looking for a few good men and woman to march in the Holyoke Saint Patrick’s Parade!

Jeff Beatty is sponsoring a U.S. ARMY TANK!!!
This will be a great time, so please volunteer; we want to have 100 marchers as a show of grass roots support…

The Victory Van will be staged and be serving refreshments!!
The Holyoke Parade requires all marchers to be in uniform, we are asking for blue jeans/slacks, and TEAM BEATTY will be supplying the SWEAT SHIRTS and BEATTY BALL CAPS.

Please confirm your attendance as we have to expend approximately $50.00 per person to outfit our participants…(Of course a campaign donation to off set this expense would be sincerely appreciated.. Smile)

We hope to see you all in Holyoke on March 30th 2008, more details will be provided to those marchers as we receive your names

Kathryn Cantwell
Jeff Beatty US SENATE 2008
kate@jeffbeatty.com
617-519-4342
www.jeffbeatty.com

Cecelia P. Calabrese, Esq.

Iraq: Five years of war

Tomorrow, March 19th, 2008 is the Fifth Anniversary of the beginning of the war on Iraq.

Five years into that war, Congress continues to avoid its constitutional responsibility to exercise policy oversight, particularly considering the fact that the original authorization no longer reflects the reality on the ground in Iraq.

According to the original authorization (Public Law 107-243) passed in late 2002, the president was authorized to use military force against Iraq to achieve the following two specific objectives only:

“(1) Defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and

(2) Enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq”

I don’t think the United States should ever go to war to enforce United Nations resolutions. I was also skeptical of the claim that Iraq posed a “continuing threat” to the United States.

As it turned out, Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, no al-Qaeda activity, and no ability to attack the United States. Regardless of this, however, when we look at the original authorization for the use of force it is clearly obvious that our military has met both objectives. Our military very quickly removed the regime of Saddam Hussein, against whom the United Nations resolutions were targeted. A government approved by the United States has been elected in post-Saddam Iraq, fulfilling the objectives of the authorization.

With both objectives of the original authorization completely satisfied, what is the legal ground for our continued involvement in Iraq? Why has Congress not stepped up to the plate and revisited the original authorization?

Congress has a moral obligation to our troops to provide relevant and coherent policy objectives in Iraq.

My prediction for 2008: an utter crushing defeat for Republicans because Republicans are failing on two fronts: not living up to the promises of limited government and balanced budgets and failing to understand how unpopular the Iraq War has become.

Opinions expressed on this site are those of the relevant contributors. Not all committee members necessarily share those opinions.

McCain’s leadership will keep U.S. safe

Printed in the Springfield Republican February 26, 2008

President Bush’s continued mission of staying on the offensive has resulted in zero attacks on this country. His steadfast mission of finding these terrorist murderers has brought a level of sanity to the backward feelings of some Americans.

Electing John McCain will continue the freedom battle that was inflicted on us on 9/11. Americans must galvanize to support our troops and their mission. McCain’s past and his shown leadership through strength will lead our country to some sanity and sanctuary for the next four years.

The party of Lincoln continues to put the faith in the person – that each person can rise to their full potential and succeed. We need not subject and/or re-enforce “entitlement” programs as long-term answers to problems. – Peter McNair

Opinions expressed on this site are those of the relevant contributors. Not all committee members necessarily share those opinions. LJ

Tribute to Ronald Reagan

Schedule of Meetings for 2008

The Agawam RTC, has scheduled it's meetings for the rest of the year:

Tuesday- April 29, 2008 at 7:00PM
Tuesday- June 24, 2008 at 7:00PM
Tuesday- September 23, 2008 at 7:00PM
Tuesday- November 18, 2008 at 7:00PM

No meetings during July and August due to summer vacation schedules.

All meetings will be held at the Agawam Public Library, Pierce Room.

Don't worry if you've never been to one before, we want to hear from you.

Pictured with Jeff Beatty are some of the Agawam Republican Town Committee members, (from left to right, Ron Lariviere, Committee Chair, Ceccilia Calabrese Agawam Town counsel member Vice President, Peter McNair Committee member, Priscilla Perterson Committee member, Jeff Beatty, and Robert Magovern State Committee Man.

Jeff Beatty candidate for US Senate showed up at the last Agawam Republican Town Meeting.

(from left to right, Michael Daley Committee Treasurer, Ceccilia Calabrese Agawam Town counsel member Vice President, Jeff Beatty, Robert Magovern State Committee Man and Timothy McGrew Committee Recording Secretary.