DeMint will force readings of START Treaty and omnibus bill

As expected, the lame-duck Congress is working to pass more pork-laden spending bills as well as an arms reduction treaty.Thankfully we have at least one great senator still left in the U.S. Senate chambers who is not willing to stand for this.

Senator DeMint realizes the seriousness of our fiscal crisis and is the only one fighting for us and our tax dollars. DeMint fill force readings of these extremely long and arduous bills that is expected to take days. Again, the democratically controlled House and Senate fell it's necessary to pass bills thousands of pages long without reading them. How many people seriously think that the democrats are actually going to read the omnibus spending bill? I know for sure the great majority of them won't even read the first fifty pages.

I would like to personally thank Senator DeMint, becuase when other Republicans appease to the democrats, DeMint still holds true to his values. We can only hope that Republicans will filibuster these two very dangerous pieces of legislation to prevent them from becoming law.

DeMint threatens to force a reading of omnibus bill - On Congress - DeMint threatens to force a reading of omnibus bill

via Politico:

The year-end legislative push appears threatened by procedural hijinks on the Senate floor.

As Democrats try to push through a nearly 2,000-page omnibus spending bill, Republican senators are threatening to bog down the floor by forcing Senate clerks to read the full text aloud, a process that could take more than one full day to complete.

“Democrats haven’t given Republicans or the American people time to read the bill, but I’ll join with other Republican colleagues to force them to read it on the Senate floor,” said Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).

Such a tactic is rarely employed, but any senator can force a full reading of legislation, which is usually skipped by unanimous consent.

During the health care debate last December, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) forced clerks to read aloud Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) 767-page amendment to establish a single-payer system. Sanders withdrew his amendment several hours into the reading, which had effectively paralyzed the Senate.

With the window closing on the 111th Congress, forcing a reading of the omnibus spending bill could further extend the lame-duck session until the end of the year, or force Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to scale back an ambitious agenda, which includes a repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, ratification of the START treaty, confirmation of stalled nominations and a vote on an immigration bill known as the Dream Act.

Senate Dems unveil $1.1T spending bill - TheHill.com

via TheHill

Senate Democrats have filed a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill that would fund the government through fiscal year 2011, according to Senate GOP sources.

The 1,924-page bill includes funding to implement the sweeping healthcare reform bill Congress passed earlier this year as well as additional funds for Internal Revenue Service agents, according to a senior GOP aide familiar with the legislation.

The package drew a swift rebuke from Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee.

"The attempt by Democrat leadership to rush through a nearly 2,000-page spending bill in the final days of the lame-duck session ignores the clear will expressed by the voters this past election," Thune said in a statement. "This bill is loaded up with pork projects and should not get a vote. Congress should listen to the American people and stop this reckless spending.”

Thune has called for a short-term funding measure free of earmarks to keep the government operating beyond Dec. 18, when the current continuing resolution expires.

Despite strong opposition from Thune and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), several Senate Republicans are considering voting for the bill.

“That’s my intention,” said retiring Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) when asked if he would support the package.

Bennett said earmarks in the bill might give some of his GOP colleagues reason to hesitate but wouldn’t affect his vote.

“It will be tough for some, but not for me,” he said.

GOP Sens. Kit Bond (Mo.), George Voinovich (Ohio) and Susan Collins (Maine) also told The Hill on Tuesday they would consider voting for the omnibus but want to review it before making a final decision.

“I hope to be able to vote for one,” Bond said of the omnibus. “We’ve got to look what’s in it.

“I’m anxious to see it,” he added.

Young Americans for Liberty

iPhone Snitch Network Launched

From Jason Douglass, Infowars.

A new iPhone App with the misleading name ‘PatriotApp’ attempts to draw on the power of the patriot movement, turning smartphone users into a gigantic snitch network.

You might think an app with such a patriotic name might have useful functions like a pocket constitution or quotes from our forefathers. But contrary to the services one might expect, this app allows users to report any ‘suspicious’ behavior directly linking them with top government agencies.

Much like the new DHS program ‘If you see something, say something’ this app is meant to turn average citizens into a network of spies feeding information back to the federal government.

Citizen Concepts, a company formed by insiders from DHS, defines the use of such an app on their homepage:

Citizen Concepts announces the launch of PatriotAppTM, the world’s first iPhone application that empowers citizens to assist government agencies in creating safer, cleaner, and more efficient communities via social networking and mobile technology. This app was founded on the belief that citizens can provide the most sophisticated and broad network of eyes and ears necessary to prevent terrorism, crime, environmental negligence, or other malicious behavior.

Simply download, report (including pictures) and submit information to relevant government agencies, employers, or publish incident data to social network tools.

Key Features:
Integrated into Federal Agencies points of contacts
FBI
EPA
GAO
CDC
Custom integration with user employers
Fully integrated with Social Media (Facebook, Twitter)
Multiple menus and data fields
View FBI Most Wanted
Simple graphical user interface
Uses:

Enable citizens to record and communicate:
National Security, Suspicious activities, Crime
Government Waste
Environmental Crime or possible violations
White collar crime
Workplace harassment, discrimination, or other violations
Public Health concerns

PatriotApp encourages active citizen participation in the War on Terror and in protecting their families and surrounding communities.

An app like this is meant to solidify the climate of fear in which our leaders want us to exist. The threat of terrorism must be palpable in order for the ‘War on Terror’ to be justified and to validate all the extreme measures instituted in its name.

Individual Mandate Struck Down

Finally, after months and months of waiting for the healthcare lawsuits to find their way through the courts, we get a good result. U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson has declared the "individual mandate" portion of the 2700 page healthcare law unconstitutional. This is a great victory for anyone who has a divested interest in the freedom granted to them as a citizen of this country.

How does the government have the power to force you to buy a private product or service from a private organization? We find out today that a least one federal judge thinks the government does not have this power. Anyone who thinks the government can tell everyone to buy a private product and enforce the law with huge fines and even jail time needs to actually think about how absurd this actually is.

I commend Hudson and his conviction to stand up for the Constitution, one of the few things a federal judge should be doing. Two other federal judges have neglected to stand up for the Constitution so far on this issue, and in a few days an opinion from Florida U.S. District Court judge Roger Vinson is expected. Most legal and political scholars are almost certain that Vinson's ruling will reflect what we saw today in Virginia.

Barstool Economics

This is a very simplified way of how our tax system works and how the tax cuts would effect this simplified system.

Big Sis in Walmart?

Watch this video.

Obama Finally Gives in on Taxes

The Communist-in-Chief finally, finally gives in on taxes. Was it really that hard to give the job-creators a break during a recession? This must have been very hard for such a radical like Obama who wants to tax the rich even more.

However, this deal comes at a price. The Republicans in turn must agree to fund unemployment benefits for a longer period of time. This isn't the worst thing in the world to agree to, but it is essentially giving our taxpayer money to people who aren't working. This is not creating jobs, it's only adding to the deficit.

Will Obama's "compromise" appeal to Congressional Democrats and will actual legislation arise from this compromise? Some liberal Senators have come out against this deal and some believe even if Obama is on board the democrats won't play "follow the leader."

Are Congressional Democrats Insane?

For the past few months we have heard a lot of talk regarding the Bush tax cuts. Well, Congress finally took some action regarding this issue. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure yesterday that would work to extend tax cuts for the lower two federal tax brackets, leaving the upper tax bracket's rates to rise as of January 2011. Any individual making or $200,000 or couple making a combined $250,000 a year is going to see a big increase in their taxes. This was a horrible mistake by our lame-duck Congress.

We hear today that unemployment has risen to 9.8%. How can the democrats see these numbers then think raising taxes on job creators is a good idea? Businesses are already struggling as it is, and many of them just aren't going to make it after this tax hike. If they are able to keep going, then they may even have to sacrifice further employees to keep their doors open for business. This is in no way going to help create jobs in the country, but it is going to help destroy them.

If Congress does not act quickly to preserve current tax rates, or even drastically decrease tax rates as well as reckless spending, we are going to be heading into a financial disaster like we have never seen before.

College Republicans Sponsor December IOM

Each month the College Republicans at Roger Williams University sponsor an Issue of the Month(IOM). These IOM's differ month to month and usually cover controversial political topics. This moth the issue is the controversial topic regarding the legalization of marijuana. If you are a student here you are invited to attend.

If you are attending, bring your thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and any questions you have on the topic. We will discuss why or why not this substance should be legal. Should it be completely banned with severe punishments, banned with minor punishments. Should it be conditionally legal where you can;t operate a motor vehicle or be publicly high similar to alcohol? Should marijuana be completely legal where you can smoke it anywhere?

Is marijuana a right the government can take away? Is this really an important right? Is it protected by the Constitution? What effects does this drug have on the human body and second-hand persons? Does this drug positively contribute to society or negatively destroy it and its youth?

There are very good points on both sides of the argument. Some may be more true than others or more or less applicable in certain situations. If the drug was legalized you would have to consider taxes, lawsuits, government regulation, and anything that comes with it. Would legalization change the production process of cannabis? Would this force companies to grow this drug in pure soil. A little known fact is that much of today's marijuana is grown in soil rich in dangerous chemicals and metals such as mercury and cadmium. Take everything into consideration and judge whether or not this is a good thing for the country as a whole rather than an excuse to reward a personal addiction.

Christmas Came Early This Year

Yesterday the Federal Reserve released a large amount of previously "secret" records regarding their practices of lending. Most Americans were amazed to find out that the Federal Reserve has been printing and lending money to not only American banks and organizations, but FOREIGN banks and organizations. May I ask why the Federal Reserve lent hundreds of billions of dollars to private offshore banks? Did this really help stimulate the American economy?

Now the Federal Reserve plans to inject another $600 billion into the U.S. economy becuase they believe we are in an era of deflation. Sorry to break it to big Ben Bernanke, but this isn't going to help. Printing money and buying U.S. treasury bonds from private banks such as Goldman Sachs is not going to stimulate our economy. The Federal Reserve is one of the most secret and corrupt organizations within the United States Government. I take that back, it's not even part of the government, yet it is one of the largest factors in our economic system.

We are only learning this information because congress forced the Fed to give it up. What have they been doing with our money for the past century and can we survive without them? People like Ron Paul think we can, is he right? Should we put our faith in a private and secretive organization to play God with out economy in lieu of thier links with foreign ties? Whether or not the Fed should exist is one argument, but I'm sure a large majority of people can agree that this type of shadow government needs a large scale and full audit.

Another Take on the Link Between AIDS and Condoms

If you have been to the Upper Commons on the RWU Campus recently, then you may have noticed that there is a table distributing condoms and a solution to the AIDS epidemic. Not that there is a large population of people with AIDS on campus, but they are distributed mainly spread awareness. Many people would just take this at face value and put no real thought into it and just buy into the the alleged fact that condoms help counter the spread of AIDS. Listen to the video and judge for yourself...

A Few Timeless Words From Ronald Reagan