Monday, May 16, 2011

Change We Can Believe In?

With the advent of Rahm Emanuel’s swearing in as the new Mayor of Chicago, IL, I must ask this question; “Why are there no protests when Democrats speak the truth, but massive media attention and protests when Republicans, or conservatives deliver the same message?”

Please do not misunderstand me.  I believe that in order to save “America” and the “U.S. Constitution”, there must be dramatic change in the size and scope of “all” government.  Services that have been taken over by public entities and paid for with tax dollars must be turned back over to the private sector.  Of those services, the ones that survive will do so because there is a market need for them.  Those services mandated by federal and state constitutions, city and county charters, through their original intent, must be maintained at sustainable levels by the people.

The overt regulation of services and mandates for health insurance, LEED certified building, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Pension plans and all of the moral, yet unauthorized and unsustainable parts of human life that government has interjected itself into, have created an untenable instability to our nation.  I believe this debt and instability can only be cured by strict adherence to the principles that created this great Nation.  I am not saying that in a perfect world those ideals aren’t admirable.  What I am saying is that by allowing a government to have the power to pick and choose standards, and to tax or regulate humans to live by their standards (standards that only individuals can freely choose by free will), “never” will such a moral and humane society exist.  Governments’ using power to force the standards of their choosing, and the manner in which those standards are delivered, to those that government deems deserving, has stepped the United States ever closer to the tyranny that our Founding Fathers gave their lives to free us from.

All of that said, please read about the inauguration of Rahm Emmanuel as the Mayor of Chicago, IL and let me know what you think.

 

Yours In Truth  Winking smile  Shelly

Rahm Emanuel sworn in as mayor

BY FRAN SPIELMAN AND ABDON M. PALLASCH Staff Reporters May 16, 2011 10:09PM

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Newly-inaugurated Mayor Rahm Emanuel is congratulated at a City Hall open house by citizens who waited in line to shake his hand. His daughter Leah joined him. | Rich Hein~Sun-Times

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Mayor Rahm Emanuel took the oath of office Monday amid sunshine, children’s choirs and a billion-dollar deficit he says he must tame.

“Our city’s financial situation is difficult and profound. We cannot ignore these problems a day longer,” Emanuel told thousands of people gathered in the Frank Gehry-designed Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park — which Mayor Daley spent $475 million to build.

Vice-President Joe Biden, cabinet members, celebrities and clergy looked on as Emanuel delivered the bitter tonic with a spoonful of optimism:

“I have been clear about the hard truths and tough choices we face: We simply can’t afford the size of city government that we had in the past,” Emanuel said. “It’s not just a matter of doing more with less. We must look at every aspect of city government and ask some basic questions: Can we afford it? Is it worth it? Do we need it?”

Chicago is facing an annual structural deficit of $1.2 billion including unfunded pension liabilities.

In a multicultural, ecumenical inaugural pageant that featured performances by Chicago’s children, Emanuel pledged to better educate them and keep them safer.

“I fully understand there will be those who oppose our efforts to reform our schools, to cut costs and to make government more effective,” Emanuel said. “Some are sure to say, ‘This is the way we do things — we can’t try something new. Those are the rules — we can’t change them.’ ... So when I ask for new policies, I guarantee, the one answer I will not tolerate is: ‘We’ve never done it that way before.’ Chicago is the city of ‘yes we can’ not ‘No we can’t.’ ”

Read the full story here.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

East Coast Fisherman being Regulated out of the Fishing Industry

The Drudge Report had a story which is all too common to this Country; government regulation is destroying the livelihood of the those within the industry.  Examples of this can be found throughout the past 40 years.

  • Fishing on the West Coast destroyed by the “Boldt” decision and the regulation that followed the judges decision.
  • Timber industry gutted due to the infamous “Spotted Owl” habitat scare and regulated out of existence.
  • American car manufacturing destroyed through government meddling of labor, unions, standards and quotas.
  • Banking threatened due to the removal of “Glass-Speigel”, Fannie and Freddie mandates to lend to unsecure borrowers, and federal approval of mergers creating institutions which they (the government) deemed too big to fail.
  • Farming industry currently in danger due to government subsidies, regulations of fertilizers, setbacks and mandates of farming plans where farmers are fined if they are found out of compliance with their government “approved” plan.

One could go on-and-on with once thriving industries that have been regulated and micro-managed out of existence, but you decide as you read these ‘2’ stories.  The first story is from the website of the “Environmental Defense Fund” as they glowingly report on their program called “Catch-Share” (LAPPs).  The second story are the East Coast Fisherman who are barely maintaining their livelihood with what’s allowed them through the “Catch-Share” program. It is reported that many of the fisherman have committed suicide due to devastation from the loss of their “fishing” rights.

Yours In Truth  Winking smile  Shelly


Catch Shares (LAPPs): A Promising Solution

A new way to revive fisheries and fishing communities

Catch shares (LAPPs) reward innovation and help fisheries to maximize efficiency.

Catch shares (LAPPs) reward innovation and help fisheries to maximize efficiency.

More In-Depth Information

In the 1970s, starting in Australia, New Zealand and Iceland, a new approach to managing fisheries began to take hold.

Known as "catch shares" or Limited Access Privilege Programs (LAPPs), this type of system dedicates a secure share of fish to an individual fisherman, community or fishery association. Each year before the season begins, fishermen know how much fish they are allowed to take of the fishery's Total Allowable Catch (TAC).

Fishermen are usually allowed to buy and sell shares in order to maximize their profit. This helps drive the fishery to an efficient level and rewards innovative fishermen who can lower costs and deliver a quality product that will fetch a good price on the market.  Click here for the full report.


Fishermen Say Regulations Destroying Industry

Federal Team Reviews Effects Of Regulations

POSTED: 5:39 pm EDT May 10, 2011
UPDATED: 6:11 pm EDT May 10, 2011

SEABROOK, N.H. -- Fishermen on New Hampshire's Seacoast are warning that new fishing regulations could destroy their industry and have already caused them severe emotional stress.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has sent a team to Seabrook to look at the effects of the new regulations.

"If they don't do something to modify the fishing regulations, we won't have a fishing industry on the Seacoast, is what it boils down to," said Hampton Town Manager Fred Welch.

Many in the fishing industry said they want the federal team to do more than its stated task of creating an economic development assessment report. The team is spending three days in Seabrook and visiting five other New England fishing towns.

The new regulations are known as "catch-share." The team said they are not there to look at possible changes to the rules but rather to see what effects they are having.

"What the economic challenges are and, maybe in the future, what the economic opportunities are for the community, and we're putting together a report some time in the summer based on what we hear, as far as the challenges and opportunities for economic development in the community," said Bryan Borlik of the Department of Commerce.

While the report won't produce short-term changes, local fishermen said they were glad to share their pain on the record.

"One of the fishermen from Rye had said that there had been three suicide attempts and a half dozen divorces during this first year of catch-shares," said Bob Campbell of the Yankee Fisherman's Cooperative. "Commercial fishermen are usually pretty tight-lipped, and for something this serious to come out, I mean, you know that the whole situation is grave."

Campbell said the cooperative has lost about $750,000 in business since the new regulations went into effect.

"We're off 1.1 million pounds of fish from last year, and over a million and a half pounds from the year before," he said.

Local fishermen said they were told by the federal team not to discuss the new regulations, just their effects.

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Read more: http://www.wmur.com/money/27844592/detail.html#ixzz1M0sDEbOR

Monday, May 9, 2011

Agenda 21 – planning a new world order

Many of you know a little bit about Agenda 21 and it’s progeny ICLEI.  The City of Bellingham and Whatcom County are proud members of this individual property rights abuser.  Please take a moment to read this well written article about what I believe to be the #1 concern for all local communities.  They can only exist with our permission and our tax dollars.  This upcoming election being of a critical local nature for County Executive, City Mayor and many Council positions, please take the time to ask each of the candidates if they support Agenda 21 and ICLEI?  Will they be willing to withdraw our membership support of these international agendas which usurp our individual property rights and probably a whole lot more that we are not aware of as of yet.

I have provided a lead in to the April 18, 2011 article from the Evergreen Freedom Foundation (aka Freedom Foundation) with a link to the full article for your perusal.

Yours in Truth  Winking smile  Shelly

Agenda 21 – planning a new world order

Agenda 21 – planning a new world order

Americans that read Agenda 21 are outraged—and rightfully so. Even a quick glimpse of Agenda 21 and the most casual observer will recognize it as socialist engineering. Its strongest critics call it planned genocide.

Agenda 21 was unveiled at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, in Rio de Janeiro on June 13, 1992. The Rio conference was known as the Earth Summit. Since then the United Nations convened in Johannesburg at the 2002 Earth Summit. And they plan to gather again in Rio for the 2012 Earth Summit.

The purpose of Agenda 21 is to create policy that protects the global environment.

It’s stunning, however, how broad Agenda 21 is—and how it aims to control all aspects of society—using the excuse of protecting the environment. If Karl Marx was asked to author a global planning document, it very may well have looked like Agenda 21.

To read the full story click here.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Freedom Works Reaches Out for 2012

This video solicitation encapsulates what happened in the elections of 2010 and what’s needed for the elections in 2012.  Although “all” local Tea Parties are separate groups with their own mission statement, there are some national organizations that reach out nationally to remind us what it will take to put the US Constitution back on to a solid foundation.

Enjoy the video.

Yours In Truth  Winking smile  Shelly

Now WE Must Govern! from FreedomWorks on Vimeo.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Washington Senators Make End Run Around I-1053–“No New Taxes w/o Super Majority Vote in WA State”

A bill up for consideration is SB 5944 which would allow State Legislators to remove tax incentives and credits by simple majority.  On its face this sounds appropriate enough if you do not consider the removal of incentives and credits as a tax increase.

Look over the bills and tell your representatives your thoughts on this end run to increase taxes in the State of Washington.

Yours in Truth  Winking smile  Shelly

SB 5944

EFF Olympia Weekly: “The Great Budget Debate”

The Evergreen Freedom Foundation discusses the last session of the Washington State Legislature, giving their opinion of the State House and Senate’s approach for the budget and outlook for the economy of the State of Washington.

Enjoy this edition of EFF’s “Olympia Weekly”.

Yours in Truth  Winking smile  Shelly