Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Letter to
Team 10' project is a campaign to solicit ideas from the public on the Tenth Amendment and how it can be used to restrict Federal regulations.
Here is a proposed letter to Congress,
Read it and if you find yourself in accord send it to your Senators and Representative in the House.
Dear Members of the House and Senate:
We are writing you as activists in the tea party and 912 movements, and as believers in the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, which states:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
The recent debt ceiling agreement set up an inadequate, centralized system of trying to find $1.5 trillion in savings over the next 10 years by empowering just 12 out of 535 members.
We believe every member of the Congress has an obligation to participate in cutting 3.25% from the budget, which is a little over three cents out of every dollar.
Therefore we ask that in early September, every committee and subcommittee should hold hearings on enforcing the 10th Amendment.
We are convinced that if you will take seriously the complaints from state and local officials about unnecessary red tape, unnecessary federally imposed expenses and federally mandated waste, you will find a lot of the savings you need.
We would also urge you to insist that the “Super Committee” of 12 include a significant amount of 10th Amendment enforcement in its deliberations.
After all, if the federal government did not require so much reporting by businesses, doctors, hospitals and state and local government, billions could be saved in unnecessary compliance costs.
If the federal government allowed businesses, hospitals, doctors and state and local governments to exercise common sense, a lot of federal aid could be eliminated and the money saved.
If you begin the fall session in September with a series of hearings in which the appropriate subcommittees and committees hear from the American people on these topics, you will have a huge menu of savings on your plate by mid October.
Ultimately, our goal is not a less expensive centralized bureaucracy in Washington, but government that is efficient, limited and Constitutional. The best way to do that is to enforce the 10th Amendment and return power to the states respectively, or the people.
Letter to Congress from Project 10
Team 10' project is a campaign to solicit ideas from the public on the Tenth Amendment and how it can be used to restrict Federal regulations.
Here is a proposed letter to Congress,
Read it and if you find yourself in accord send it to your Senators and Representative in the House.
Dear Members of the House and Senate:
We are writing you as activists in the tea party and 912 movements, and as believers in the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, which states:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
The recent debt ceiling agreement set up an inadequate, centralized system of trying to find $1.5 trillion in savings over the next 10 years by empowering just 12 out of 535 members.
We believe every member of the Congress has an obligation to participate in cutting 3.25% from the budget, which is a little over three cents out of every dollar.
Therefore we ask that in early September, every committee and subcommittee should hold hearings on enforcing the 10th Amendment.
We are convinced that if you will take seriously the complaints from state and local officials about unnecessary red tape, unnecessary federally imposed expenses and federally mandated waste, you will find a lot of the savings you need.
We would also urge you to insist that the “Super Committee” of 12 include a significant amount of 10th Amendment enforcement in its deliberations.
After all, if the federal government did not require so much reporting by businesses, doctors, hospitals and state and local government, billions could be saved in unnecessary compliance costs.
If the federal government allowed businesses, hospitals, doctors and state and local governments to exercise common sense, a lot of federal aid could be eliminated and the money saved.
If you begin the fall session in September with a series of hearings in which the appropriate subcommittees and committees hear from the American people on these topics, you will have a huge menu of savings on your plate by mid October.
Ultimately, our goal is not a less expensive centralized bureaucracy in Washington, but government that is efficient, limited and Constitutional. The best way to do that is to enforce the 10th Amendment and return power to the states respectively, or the people.
Monday, 15 August 2011
Taking Candy From A Baby
I have heard it said that anyone who uses the expression, "as easy as taking candy from a baby",
Has never TRIED to take candy from a baby.,
BUT, the experience would stand you in good stead for trying to explain to a politician, why government Spending should be Cut, or Taxes Lowered,
They sit in DC, in State Houses, County Seats and City Halls gazing at the Electorate with the fixation of a Toddler who has just spotted a bowl of candy within reach,
And what candy it is.
The Cash for Clunkers Program gave a $4500 tax break and cost per car $20,000.
The New Home Purchase Program gave a $8500 tax break and cost per home $50,000.
The Mortgage Recovery Program covered homes with an average value of $170,00 and cost per home $871,000.
Now while it would not surprise most of us that there are Federal Employees sitting around doing nothing, we also doubt that someone like that would have been put to work managing these programs
If that is what you think you would probably be correct for Federal Employees, rose 10% while the rest of the country lost jobs,
Call this Job Creation You CAN Believe in.
Of course all those new Employees needed a way to get to work so it makes sense that the Federal Limosene Fleet increased by 7%
From those according to their abilities to those according to their needs
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
They're Both Wrong
These days when you turn on the TV, listen to the Radio on the way to work, or open up a Newspaper,
Everyone seem to be talking about the Deficit and the Debt Crises.
The one thing they all can agree on, is this is NOT a good thing
But they do disagree on what to do about it.
Some say, we need to raise taxes, which would give the Government more Revenue and fix the problem.
Others say no, raising taxes would dampen a weak economy and that instead we should lower taxes, stimulate the economy and that would give the Government more Revenue and fix the problem.
Now both of them can't be right,
But both of them CAN be
Dead Wrong
You see, for generations the American People with just a few exceptions HAS been sending DC more money each year than the year before.
But for generations with just a few exceptions DC has SPENT more money than we sent them.
So Raising Revenue
Has NOT been Working!
If it was, we would not have this problem.
Just to give an example of our present reality,'
Picture the Federal Government as a household making 40K a year,
The MidEast Conflict would be like them taking out a Loan for 20K and paying for 8 years on it at the rate of $50 a week.
That is like something a lot of us have done.
But this last year was like that same family spending 70K.
If that should be a member of your family, you might try to talk to them,
If you found that they did not see any problem and in fact planned on doing the same thing next year and the year after and so on.
You would probably be talking to the rest of the Family about getting them some help.,
We need to get Uncle Sam some help.
Right now and for SURE
Next November.
Thursday, 28 July 2011
There's a Farm Shortage?
I found it interesting to learn recently that one of the Flood Recovery Programs that the City Hall is lauding was a Farm in Timecheck?
CEDAR RAPIDS — A proposal to permit an urban farm in a piece of the flood-hit Time Check Neighborhood won a ringing endorsement on Monday from a City Council committee and the city’s community development director.
The council’s Community Development Committee unanimously agreed to move the idea, called the Ellis Urban Village, forward.
For generations Timecheck has supplied single unit affordable housing for lower income families.'
Such housing is always in short supply, but I was unaware that Iowa was experiencing a shortage of Farms and Vegetables.
This seems to be part of the Urban Village Plan that was part of the Preferred Plan that City Hall tried and failed get passed in Last Springs LOST Referendum.
Along with a myriad of OTHER, "Needs" that City Hall has been working on,
The City Council is expected to award a construction contract Tuesday evening to build a new off-leash dog park on city property near the city’s Gardner Golf Course and community gardens at highways 100 and 13.
The park has been in the works for more than two years.
Two contractors bid on the project, with Gee Grading & Excavating Inc. of Cedar Rapids submitting the low bid of $150,635. Dave Schmitt Construction Co. Inc. of Cedar Rapids bid $178,385.
Work is slated to start on Aug. 22 and be complete in November, the city reports.
So THAT'S what they have been working on since the Flood?
Recently I got an email from a good friend who is a Flood Victim. He knows I take an interest in these issues and had a question,
Subject: Is this true?
At the July 26, 2011 Cedar Rapids City Council Meeting the city will be approving the following:
$6.4 Million to Remodel the New City Hall (Many City halls cost less than this to build !!!!)
$41 Million to Renovate the Cedar Rapids Convention Center
(Which does not include the following:
$13 Million New Parking Ramp
$18 Million to Buy and Remodel the Crown Plaza Hotel.
6.4 + 41 + 13 + 18 = $78.4 Million
WT* - This is why we don't have FLOOD PROTECTION !!!
Who is to blamed for this: The Mayor and ALL City Councilors !!!!!
As you can see, he had not only a Question
Is this true?
But a reaction
WT* - This is why we don't have FLOOD PROTECTION !!!
Quite right friends, Sometime back I heard that during a heavy storm, some neighborhood streets were flooded because the sandbags blocking the Storm Drains have
NEVER BEEN REMOVED!
It would appear two things are in action,
One they want us to be reminded of Flooding
Two they are rapidly spending all of our money on pipe dreams so that next spring we will HAVE to give them an extension on the Local Option Sales Tax,
CEDAR RAPIDS — The petition drive has begun to again put an extension of the local-option sales tax to a vote, this time for a scaled-down plan extending the tax just 10 years and putting all the funds toward flood recovery.
Supporters have dubbed the drive CREST — Cedar Rapids Extended Sales Tax — with a goal of collecting at least 4,032 signatures to require the Linn County Board of Supervisors to call a new election, likely on March 6
BOHICA (Bend Over Here It Comes Again)
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Big Blue Taxi
I came up with a catchy little jingle to put the spotlight on our Local government wanting to do things like: build bike trails instead of fixing the streets.
It's based on a Folk Song made famous by Judy Collins, Big Yellow Taxi, so I dedided to name this one Big Blue Taxi of course 'Don't it always seem to go" is used in the original and this version,
Am I not truly Evil to use one of the ultimate Eco-activist songs for this? New agers will be making ths Sign of the Pentacle when they see me and getting
their children to behave by saying Dan Kauffman will come and get bad little boys and girls who do not recycle and eat all their vegan dinners.
Or should that be "unsocially educated vertically challenged genderfree persons" ??
They paved paradise and put up a parkin' lot
They built a Bike Trail but left all the Streets Full of Ruts
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot
Made a Green Zone,with an Organic Cafe and a Fung Shui Meditaton Spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got till it's gone
Their Tax Increase never Ends
They paved paradise and put up a parkin' lot
They built a Bike Trail but left all the Streets Full of Ruts
They took all the trees, and put em in a tree museum
They planted the blocks all with Trees
And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them
Raised the Sales Tax one percent for Urban Farms for the Bees
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
Their Tax Increase never Ends
They paved paradise, and put up a parkin' lot
They built a Bike Trail but left all the Streets Full of Ruts
Hey farmer, farmer, put away your DDT
Hey City Hall leave our Wallets Alone
I don't care about spots on my apples,
You keep Raising Taxes
Leave me the birds and the bees - please
We'll have nothing left of Our Own
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got till it's gone
Their Tax Increase never Ends
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
They built a Bike Trail but left all the Streets Full of Ruts
Hey now, they've paved paradise to put up a parking lot
They'll build Bike Trails but leave the Streets Full of Ruts
Here is the orginal
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Stuck In the Gears of the Government
These days, every time you turn on the TV, or listen to the radio while driving, or open a newspaper, someone is talking about the Deficit.
One thing everyone agrees on, is that it is NOT a Good Thing,
What they don't agree on, is what to do about it.
Some say we need to Raise Taxes so the Government wil have more Revenue
Others say, No if we Raise Taxes the Economy will slow down even more than it has, that to increase Revenue we need to Lower Taxes and grow the Economy,
Now they BOTH can't be Right, but they BOTH are
DEAD WRONG
If increasing Tax Revenue would fix this problem there would be NO Problem
For generations the American People with very few exceptions have been sending more money each year to Washington than the year before
And for generations with very few exceptions Washington has spent more money than we sent them
So sending Washington more Money is
NOT WORKING
There is only one solution,
Washington must STOP spending more money than we send them
But they find that distasteful
So here we are STUCK
In the Gears of the Government.
Just like Charlie of the MTA
The Man Who Never Returned
Yes on the Natiional Level
On the State Level
On the Local Level
The Same Song can be sung.
To Paraphrase
Citizens of Linn County
Don't You Think It's A Scandal
That the People Have to
Pay and Pay
If we Pass the LOST Extention
Will Our Money Be Returned
Or Will It's Fate Always Be Unlearned
No It May Never Return
It Will Never Return
And It's Fate Will Be Unlearned
It Will Set Forever
In The Hands of the City
And Our Money Will Never Return
Friday, 20 May 2011
The New Sudetanland
At 1:30am on 30 September 1938 Europe sold out Czechoslovakia to Adolph Hitler
Munich Agreement
A deal was reached on 29 September, and at about 1:30am on 30 September 1938,[1] Adolf Hitler, Neville Chamberlain, Benito Mussolini and Édouard Daladier signed the Munich Agreement. The agreement was officially introduced by Mussolini although in fact the so-called Italian plan had been prepared in the German Foreign Office. It was nearly identical to the Godesberg proposal: the German army was to complete the occupation of the Sudetenland by 10 October, and an international commission would decide the future of other disputed areas.
Czechoslovakia was informed by Britain and France that it could either resist Nazi Germany alone or submit to the prescribed annexations. The Czechoslovak government, realizing the hopelessness of fighting the Nazis alone, reluctantly capitulated (30 September) and agreed to abide by the agreement. The settlement gave Germany the Sudetenland starting 10 October, and de facto control over the rest of Czechoslovakia as long as Hitler promised to go no further. On September 30 after some rest, Chamberlain went to Hitler and asked him to sign a peace treaty between the United Kingdom and Germany. After Hitler's interpreter translated it for him, he happily agreed.
On 30 September, upon his return to Britain, Chamberlain delivered his famous "peace for our time" speech to delighted crowds in London.
In 1937, the Wehrmacht had formulated a plan called Operation Green (Fall Grün) for the invasion of Czechoslovakia[16] which was implemented as Operation Southeast on 15 March 1939.
On 14 March Slovakia seceded from Czechoslovakia and became a separate pro-Nazi state. On the following day, Carpathian Ruthenia proclaimed independence as well, but after three days was completely occupied by Hungary. Czechoslovak president Emil Hácha traveled to Berlin and was forced to sign his acceptance of German occupation of the remainder of Bohemia and Moravia. Churchill's prediction was fulfilled as German armies entered Prague and proceeded to occupy the rest of the country, which was transformed into a protectorate of the Reich.
Those who have studied history are doomed to watch those who have not repeat it.
On March 2, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. President Barack Obama gave a speech which in effect places Israel in far more vulnerable state than the deeding of the Sudetenland to the Nazis did Czechoslovakia if it is implemented.
Congressman Ted Deutch analyzes President Barack Obama's speech on Israel
"Yesterday, the President also spoke of the 1967 lines and land swaps. Should Israel find a partner for peace who is willing to join Prime Minister Netanyahu at the negotiating table, Israel cannot be expected to make any territorial concessions that do not acknowledge the reality on the ground. The 1967 borders are indefensible. References to 'land swaps' must mean that major Israeli population areas in the post-Six Day War territory, including the Jewish suburbs of Jerusalem, will forever continue to be a part of the Jewish state of Israel.
At the end of World War Two the civilized world vowed
NEVER AGAIN
Today that vow has morphed into
NEVILLE AGAIN
Thursday, 19 May 2011
End of an Era
This is the screen play for a video I dreamed up
The scene is: A family is gathered around a large kitchen table the men and women are dressed plainly but in clean working clothes
The men look grim, the women are teary eyed and wringing their hands
Words scroll across the screen
If America was a family making 40K/yr the 1.1 Trillon dollar Iraq War would be like them making $50/week payments for 8 years
Man's voice. "The last 8 years have not been easy for the family, but we made our payments"
Words scroll across the screen
This years Federal spending and deficit are like that same family spending 70k, every penny they are going to make, and 30K they don't have
Man's voice "But what he is doing now we just can't afford"
Woman ducks her head.
Man's voice "He not only plans to spend every penny we are going to make this year, but 30K we don't have, and he plans on doing the same thing NEXT Year and the Year after and has NO intention of changing!"
Woman puts hands to face and gasps Men straighten up and their faces tighten
Man's voice "If this goes on, the Family Business is GONE, there will be nothing left for our Children!"
Men look Grimmer Woman Sobs
Man's voice "We don't have a CHOICE we have to get him some HELP, we have to,. to save what we have left"
Women are weeping softly, Men are blinking their eyes and trying to maintain
Man's Voice "We CAN'T ignore this ANY LONGER!
We HAVE to do SOMETHING about UNCLE SAM!"
Man's voice softly speaking "while there is still something left to save"
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
What Is Razor Grass
What Grassroots movements turn into when they get ticked off.
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