As you probably already know, the US House of Representatives approved the Cap and Trade bill last Friday (HR2454). I’m still reeling over that.

Although I am disappointed that so many Representatives in Congress voted for this blatent tax, I’m not surprised. I’m never surprised when the powerful in Washington find a new way to separate me from my money, regardless of the method or intermediaries.

There are those who believe that by taxing corporations or the rich, the impact on the rest of society is nil. But it never is. Although not always obvious, these taxes still get paid by you and me in the prices we pay for products and services. Corporations do not absorb millions of dollars in taxation from a mysterious pool of unspent profit. They factor those taxes into their revenue models to ensure they maintain the profit level expected by their owners (shareholders). We all end up paying those taxes.

And in the case of taxing energy consumption, there is no motivation provided to improve the consumption model or method of generating energy… the price simply goes up. The Heritage Foundation has provided an analysis of the impact of the bill on jobs and families, including estimates of gross state product losses, job losses and average family expense increases. This is not good for America.

Now is the time to contact your Senator. Updates to the bill should appear in the sidebar under “Cap And Trade Updates”.

Frustrating are [...]

Today many are wearing green to show visible support for those in Iran who are protesting the apparently stolen election. Our web site is normally white and red… we’ve put on green today to stand by those who treasure liberty.

It is interesting to note that while many in the US are advocating an overthrow of the current clerically over-ruled government system in Iran, reports seem to indicate that Iranians as a whole are perhaps not interested in an outright change in the system, just fairness in this election.

Iran’s history, especially with the United States, demands care in how our leaders address the situation. More on that later.

Political ambitions in the Islamic Kingdom aside, we here at TCR support Liberty whereever she is needed, and support the call for open and fair elections in Iran. To the Iranians leadship we say, make it right!

For those of you who are paying attention to the headlines, General Motors is officially filing for bankruptcy protection, but the kind that only you and I could dream of being provided (could be a nightmare). The US government is going to become a 60% owner of the company… yup, a controlling interest.

Goodbye capitalism. At least for GM. And anyone that still owns a Chevy, Caddy, or some other GM vehicle.

On the positive side, the government can now start cranking out as many Cadillac limos as it does $100 bills to support the government’s activities.

On the negative side, the government can now start cranking out as many Cadillac limos as it does $100 bills to support the government’s activities.

The Press, those ready to speak the Truth, have finally seen the direction the government is going for what it is.

Okay, only one member of the Press.

Okay, it’s the Russian Press.

That’s right, Pravda, the state sponsored news agency, provided an incredibly insightful assessment of [...]

I attended the event this evening and while George did not make any comments that sounded like “Hey, I want to be your next President”, this was definitely seemed like a pre-exploratory event. He had some great comments about the current state of affairs, and took questions which I also think he answered well. Some in New York (see comments on this post) have speculated about him running for other posts in that state, others have suggested he could be a possible contender for President in 2012. Even if he does not run for anything, he certainly provides a strong sense of some of the things the GOP needs to do to take back the People’s Government.

There were about 90 people at the event tonight, including a number of Republican/Conservative activists that I’ve gotten to know, former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, Joseph Heuertz (and other leaders) of the Drake College Republicans, John Bloom, Polk County Republican Chair (along with probably a dozen members of the Polk County Republican Central Committee, one of the sponsors of the event), Steve Rathje, David Van Ahn, Kim Schmett, Ed Failor Jr. (Iowans for Tax Relief), Craig Robinson (The Iowa Republican) and [...]

This is good. It’s less than 3 minutes, the winner of a contest put on by The Fairtax folks, and makes the point about the importance of the Fairtax and the distinct value of American Capitalism. Watch it.

Who is Christ? The Son of God the Everlasting Father. He is fully Man and fully God! He is unique in His Being, His Glory, His Sacrifice, His Love, His Grace, His Power, His Eternal Presence! He died so that we could have eternal life!

We know this is true because three days later, after He was crucified and buried, He rose from the grave and appeared to many witnesses! And we can look forward to rising from our own graves because He has promised it and shown He has the power to make it true!

He is ALIVE!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ not only died for us and our sins, he also [...]

You have never seen a majority party more desperate to take advantage of its position of power, knowing that their days are probably numbered. Democrats in your state have probably already tried:

• Giving in to Unions with Prevailing Wage and Fair Share
• Giving in to Populist attempts to circumvent the Constitution
• Giving in to attempts to minimize the value of the family by elevating gay unions as marriage
• Giving in to solutions lacking real problems, such as Worker’s Compensation Physician’s Choice
• Giving in to their lust for spending, a long-term need for greed that feeds a push to raise taxes… yes, your state government is probably trying right now to raise your taxes!

If you don’t believe all this, just look to Iowa. Smack dab in the middle of the country, normally expected to be a follower, Iowa politicians (that is, the Democratic majority party in the Iowa General Assembly) have been trying their darnedest to do all of these things.

Iowans are watching this year. Very closely. Republicans are taking a strong stand on these and other issues, and some of the more conservative Democrats are also helping stem the tide despite the strong-arming of party leaders. Keeping these [...]

A friend of mine at work shared an interesting story.  A few weeks back we had discussed gun ownership.  I purchased a handgun about a year ago, and he was thinking about buying one.  I told him it went pretty smoothly for me… I went to the County Sheriff’s office, filled out the forms, and [...]

Next to the Holy Bible, the US Constitution is probably the most important document you will ever come in contact with. Some may argue whether the Bible actually takes precedence, but that’s a discussion for another time.

But few would debate that that, in a world where we put aside our differences with regard to faith, the document hammered out in 1787 to replace the failing Articles of Confederation is the most important bullwork to protecting our liberties.

And yet, without the accepted social contracts that the Constitution implies we operate under, and the willingness of those who “lead” our nation to maintain the integrity of the purpose and protections the Constitution affords us, we would likely drift into chaos. But as long as we can point longingly at that document and proclaim it’s efficacy to protect our rights, we are safe.

Oh dear.

On Saturday, I spent my usual morning perusing my favorite daily periodical, the Wall Street Journal. As I began reading an interesting piece by David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey on the D.C. Voting Rights Act (an excellent treatise on the issue), my dear wife (who likes to [...]

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