Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Fwd: See you at the RedState Gathering!

Friends, 

The RedState Gathering is just around the corner and we’re looking forward to connecting with you in Jacksonville, FL in less than two weeks. If you haven’t registered for this August 2-5 event-of-the-year, sign up today!

I'm excited about speaking on Friday morning during the Gathering and am pleased to partner with RedState to make this event happen. Read the email below to see the lineup of speakers and their presentations that will launch you full speed ahead.

For Liberty, 

Ned Ryun 


Begin forwarded message:

From: Erick Erickson <contact@redstate.com>
Date: July 24, 2012 08:00:00 AM EDT
Subject: See you at the RedState Gathering!




Dear fellow Conservative,

We're getting down to the wire -- less than two weeks until the RedState Gathering! Limited spots remain for our annual conference, this year in Jacksonville, Florida. Reserve your spot by this coming Wednesday, July 25, before increased "Red Zone" pricing hits.

We've got an all-star lineup of conservatives speaking at this year's Gathering. As you know, there is a lot of buzz surrounding our keynote speaker, Bobby Jindal. We look forward to his time at the RedState podium, speaking and taking questions. We'll also have:

    •  Florida Governor Rick Scott ...
    •  RNC Chairman Reince Priebus ...
    •  New York Times best-selling author David Limbaugh ...
    •  Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli ...
    •  Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson ...
    •  Former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel ...
    •  Former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz ...
    •  Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan ...
    •  Co-Chair of the RNC, Sharon Day ...
    •  And more!

What you'll also get at the Gathering...

Thursday evening: BlogBash reception, hosted by bloggers, for bloggers. We recognize and appreciate the significant contributions that conservative bloggers make. BlogBash attendees will enjoy complimentary food and beverages.
Friday afternoon: Occupy Wall St. panel discussion, featuring David Bossie, Stephen Bannon, Lee Stranahan, and Brandon Darby and including a trailer presentation of the powerful new "Occupy Unmasked" movie.
Friday evening food and beverages, hosted by Florida Governor Rick Scott, complimentary to all Gathering attendees.
Saturday evening reception and dinner, complimentary to all Gathering attendees.
Attendees do not pay for a single meal while they are at the Gathering!

Really, it's a no-brainer. Click here to learn more or register now.


Sincerely,
Erick Erickson


With many thanks to our sponsors:

      
 

      

With special thanks to our partner:

 
Human Events | One Massachusetts Ave., N.W. | Washington, D.C. 20001



Thursday, July 19, 2012

WHAT A WASTE – How Your Government is Abusing You through Incompetence and Fraud

It’s your hard-earned money and your government is addicted to spending it.
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American Majority

WHAT A WASTE – How Your Government is Abusing You through Incompetence and Fraud

It’s your hard-earned money and your government is addicted to spending it.  Unfortunately for those who think that government is the solution rather than the problem, the bureaucrats and elected officials simply lack the competency or courage to ensure your tax dollars are spent wisely.  In this edition of Majority Points, we’ll give you some examples of the legalized fraud and abuse that is perpetrated on the people of this country.  Spread the word to friends about the need for limited government and use these as ammunition to prove that government can’t be trusted to spend your money effectively.   

We all know that government is bloated and inefficient.  But just how much is not generally known.  The federal government alone is so big and so poorly managed that Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma has been trying to ascertain how many agencies and programs are funded by Washington for years and he still can’t figure it out.  The feds haven’t produced financial statements on government spending in more than a decade.  Apparently, they just don’t care that every year billions of your dollars are wasted, misdirected or fraudulently used. 

Consider that a GAO report last year identified more than 100 federal programs dealing with surface transportation issues, 82 programs that are supposed to monitor the quality of teachers, nearly 50 job training programs, 20 offices or agencies dedicated to combating homelessness and 17 different disaster preparedness programs.  There are 342 economic development programs, 130 programs serving the disabled, 130 to help at-risk youth, 90 early childhood development programs, 75 programs funding international education, cultural, and training exchange activities and 72 safe water programs.  The list goes on and on.

This kind of overlap has been a problem for decades, yet our elected officials in both parties still support the creation of new programs to fuel their own political careers. Now add on top of all these programs state and local agencies and initiatives that do the very same thing.  It’s easy to see why our government is failing its people.

The biggest program of them all, Obamacare, will add tens of thousands of IRS agents to the public payroll for a massive new tax levy despite the fact that the Congress passed the bill without reading it or knowing how it would be implemented, what it would cost and its potential impact on the economy.  The result will add millions of people to a healthcare program without adding a single doctor – all administered by a government that already bankrupted Social Security and Medicaid.  What a model of efficiency.

While the recent GSA scandal is now legendary, here are some other outrageous examples from recent years of how the growing bureaucracy is wasting your money and bankrupting the country:

- Last week it was revealed that a Treasury Dept official used office computers to set up meetings with prostitutes through Craig’s List. 

- Solyndra’s loan from the Federal government - $535 Million. Enough said.

- A GAO audit classified nearly half of all purchases on government credit cards as improper, fraudulent, or embezzled. Examples include gambling, mortgage payments, liquor, lingerie, iPods, Xboxes, jewelry, Internet dating services, and Hawaiian vacations

-Auditors have discovered that 900,000 of the 2.5 million recipients of emergency Katrina assistance provided false names, addresses, or Social Security numbers or submitted multiple applications.

- The refusal of many federal employees to fly coach costs taxpayers $146 million annually in flight upgrades.

- Fraud related to Hurricane Katrina spending topped $2 billion. Debit cards provided to hurricane victims were used to pay for Caribbean vacations, NFL tickets, Dom Perignon champagne, "Girls Gone Wild" videos, and at least one sex change operation.

- Up until recently, Washington was spending $60,000 per hour to take photos of Air Force One flying over national landmarks.

- Audits have shown $34 billion worth of Department of Homeland Security contracts contained significant waste, fraud, and abuse.

- A Department of Agriculture report concedes that much of the $2.5 billion in "stimulus" funding to upgrade broadband Internet will be wasted

- In 2009 Washington spent $2.6 million training Chinese prostitutes to drink more responsibly on the job

And yet, last week, the Administration announced it wants more of your money to spend.  Just to give you a sense of how bad things really are, if the Bush tax cuts are scaled back in their entirety, raising taxes on virtually everyone who pays taxes, and all of the fraud, waste and abuse were cut we still probably wouldn’t be able to close the more than $1.5 trillion budget deficit. 

We need political courage in Washington to eliminate programs, reduce the number of agencies, shrink the public workforce, cut budgets and pass the responsibility for countless initiatives back to the states where they belong. Push your candidates and elected officials hard on what specifically they will do to cut waste and shrink the size of government.  If they don’t do it.  Go shopping for someone who will.

Keep America Free,

Ned Ryun

Resource Spotlight

15.4% unemployment for workers 18-24 years old

Unemployment is at 15.4% for 18-24 year old Americans. Younger Americans get hit hard by higher taxes, slower growth and government run solutions. Like us on Facebook and share this fact to show your support for our youngest workers.

Media Trackers Spotlight

Public Records Reveal Web of Connections Between Local Green Groups

A search of publicly available records reveals a web of connections between environmental groups in and out of Colorado. National and out-of-state environmental organizations have poured money into the coffers of various green organizations within the state of Colorado, money which then can be traced to lobbyists, activist efforts, get-out-the-vote (GOTV) operations, and candidates running for local, state, and federal offices.

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Thursday, July 12, 2012

The Party's Over

We’re going to discuss something rarely heard in the media – and from the leadership of either political party.  We’re going to talk about Americanism.  
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American Majority

THE PARTY’S OVER
Time to Be Americans, Not Just Party Faithful

With the announcement of President Obama’s latest massive tax increase proposal, this week has brought us another prime example of why conservative values are necessary for America to survive.  It also brings more clarity to the fight to realign our own political thinking.  In this edition of Majority Points, we’re going to discuss something rarely heard in the media – and from the leadership of either political party.  We’re going to talk about Americanism.  

The party is over.  For too long, those involved in the political process have narrowly defined their place in the game by political party.  How many times have we all started a sentence with, “As a Republican…” or heard someone refer to themselves as a Democrat.  One of the reasons the American dream and our freedom is threatened every day is because people have stopped referring to themselves as Americans.  In so doing, they have forgotten what Americanism is all about.  Facing ballooning spending, massive debt, higher taxation, government bankruptcies, and a weakened private sector, it’s time we led our efforts with American ideals rather than political affiliations. 

Progressives believe that Americanism—very loosely understood—is everything we are as a nation. Others on the Left argue that establishing a concrete definition of Americanism is to be jingoistic or insensitive to the larger world. Americanism has been polluted by these other “isms,” and by ideas brought from European nations that don’t seek to empower individuals, as we do. Everything from the welfare state to secular relativism has infiltrated America with help from progressives who stopped believing in the supremacy of Americanism.

It’s time to fight for the survival of Americanism, and to do that we must understand its tenets. Americanism isn’t all things to all people, nor is it jingoistic. You don’t have to live in America to believe in Americanism; anyone on any corner of the earth can believe in the values that have made us the greatest nation the world has ever seen.

Americanism is freedom founded on the power of the individual, and his ability to achieve without undue government interference. It’s the idea that the state exists to serve man, to protect God-given rights, and to allow the greatest amount of political freedom within the bounds of ordered liberty. It’s the idea that people truly own their property and are not merely renting it, and that they are free to use their talents, initiative, and “can do” spirit to make the lives they dream for themselves a reality.

Americans need to realize that we are up against very large platforms for driving political debate: the media, Hollywood, public employee unions, and progressive groups backed by Leftist billionaires.

What is required now is a cultural shift among conservatives. Republicanism has proved insufficient as a guidepost for American values, as is patently obvious from the lack of political courage exhibited by supposedly conservative politicians. Many to this day participate in the expansion of government at a level that threatens our future. We must view Republicanism as little more than an institutional or legal vehicle through which to participate in the political process. Our real platform must be Americanism.

All who appreciate Americanism have to celebrate and defend it in their daily lives without regard to political affiliation. America needs everyday citizens to engage continuously on local, state, and national issues not as Republicans or Democrats but as soldiers for American ideals. It can be as simple as talking to your children, colleagues, friends, and neighbors around your dining room table about America, its greatness and its challenges, or as easy as joining existing political or civic organizations and being unafraid to let people know where you stand on protecting America.

Then Americans must reengage in the political process by getting involved in their local committees and campaigns. That’s when real people take back control from the establishment forces and elites that have blurred the lines between the parties and brought Americanism to the brink of the abyss.


Keep America Free,


Ned Ryun

Resource Spotlight

Mapping the Politics of the Social Web
"Over the past few months, we’ve crunched countless “Likes” from thousands of users of Trendsetter[....] We’ve used it to map the politics of the social web, analyzing the political partisanship of the user bases of various social properties."

Media Trackers Spotlight

Clinton-era Environmental Rules Increased Wildfire Risks in Colorado

The so-called “roadless rule,” which was first implemented in 2001 by President Clinton shortly before he left office, restricts and in many cases prohibits local and federal officials from building and maintaining roads that allow firefighters to clear out growth that could instantly become tinder for a new fire.

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Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Neither a Democracy Nor Republic

The difference between Democracy and Republic is important to understand the motivations, goals and necessity of conservatism in America.
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American Majority

Dear Friend,

As we prepare for Independence Day we not only celebrate our nation and its history but examine the challenges we face to keep America free.  Sometimes I wish the answers to those pressing problems faced by our great nation were found inside that magical D.C. beltway.  Then we would only have to deal with reining in one government. But that’s not the system our Founders created.  In this edition of Majority Points, we’ll examine why conservative activity at the local level and the fight for more local control is critical to saving America.  You see, our Founders created a Republic – not a Democracy. 

The difference between Democracy and Republic is important to understand the motivations, goals and necessity of conservatism in America.  A Democracy only suggests majority rule.  That majority elects a legislative body that then, because it is perpetuated by the majority, has practically absolute control of the affairs of state.  When he was Minister to France, Thomas Jefferson wrote James Madison about how democracy was playing out after the French Revolution stating,  "The tyranny of the legislatures is the most formidable dread at present, and will be for long years…”

In creating the Constitution, the Founders hoped to avoid such a concentration of power.  They believed then as we do now that no matter who is elected – no matter what the majority says – people’s God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness free from unjust government intrusion must be protected.  They had crafted the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution with the idea firmly in mind that the people would rule and permit government limited power to protect all citizens – including the rights of the minority.  Notice I said rights – not wants or desires for expensive, excessive government programs.

Because they believed in individual responsibility, limited government and devolving power away from an all-powerful legislature, they created a Republic.  Our Republic devolves power away from the Federal government and ensures that government – even though popularly elected – is limited.  The American, Republican philosophy is aimed at preventing both elites and a tyrannical majority from infringing on our rights as citizens.

How far we’ve come from that ideal.  Today, Washington and consequently our Federal government has been overpowered by small minorities representing interest groups who fight to protect themselves at the expense of the rest of us.  The result has been an infringement of our rights as individuals to grow and achieve the American dream. The Federal government is no longer limited in its power.  It has taken on far larger roles than the Framers envisioned and all but destroyed the concept of states' rights. 

Today, for every state government power and responsibility, there is a duplicative power and authority competing with it on the Federal level.  Today, there are nearly 90,000 governmental units in the United States.  We’ve not only permitted the empowerment of the Federal government beyond its boundaries, but we’ve created tens of thousands of other governments all of which grows in size, scope and power seemingly unchecked by the citizens to which they are supposedly responsible. 

Yes, it’s time to bust the beltway and begin devolving power away from Washington.  But to do that we need to get our local communities in order by engaging in the political process.  We need to learn how to mobilize our friends and neighbors to ensure that government is limited, more efficient, and less intrusive at the local and state level.  Only then can we expect to send reformers to Washington to scale back the encroachment of government.  Remember, more than 70% of the officials we send to Washington start out at the local level. 

If we don’t mobilize Americans who understand and believe in the promise of America, we will be neither a Democracy nor a Republic and the very fabric of our nation will tear asunder.    

Keep America Free,

Ned Ryun

Resource Spotlight

Identifying Candidates & Leaders

Many new activists and groups are unsure of how exactly to go about finding the next crop of conservative leaders. Where and how should you begin looking for the right people to run for office? Here are a few pointers to help you get started.

Media Trackers Spotlight

Medicaid Expansion Unlikely In Ohio After Supreme Court Ruling

Ohio officials may opt out of a costly Medicaid expansion in the wake of the June 28 U.S. Supreme Court decision blocking the federal government from making existing Medicaid funds contingent on broader eligibility rules.

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