November is just the beginning ...

This weekend marks the start of the Republican National Convention in Tampa. The delegates are coming into town, bloggers and news media are setting up to broadcast the speeches and events, and the coronation of Mitt Romney as the GOP nominee will soon commence. Notably absent from speaking roles at the GOP convention are Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and several other stalwart conservative warriors, much to the dismay of the tea party faithful. The absence of these voices is a lesson to all of us ... November is just the beginning.

The primary battle for the GOP presidential nomination was brutal. It does appear that the fight was never particularly fair as conservative media outlets and party elites jumped into the Romney corner early on, which was just what the party bosses ordered. But, no matter, that is water under the bridge at this point. As much as many of the Newt Nation faithful and Ron Paul Revolutionaries are still holding out hope for some sort of miracle in Tampa, it's become pretty clear that the stage is already set for November. We're going to be seeing a battle between establishment candidates for the presidency. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, has been blacklisted by conservative media and ignored by the liberal mainstream media, so it is looking less likely that he will emerge as any real game-changer in November. But, I am still in Gary's corner at this point, and will remain there. My mission goes well beyond this election season, and that is because my mission is to shine light on the two-party system that is controlled by elites and has distanced our government from the voice and will of the people. I will continue to educate and sound the alarm. Casting my vote for either major party-establishment-player, in this case, is just contributing to the status-quo.. so, for the first time in my life, I'm going rogue.

As grassroots conservatives, we have a huge battle ahead of us, and it isn't just happening at the top of the ballot on November 6th. Regardless of who occupies the White House, we will have to work like never before to demand that our elected officials listen to us and not to their political advisers and party bosses. As our debt clock is now approaching $16 trillion for the first time in history, we are seriously looking at what could be the beginning of the end of life as we know it here in this country. A credit downgrade from one or more credit rating agencies is not only possible, unless something very substantial and dramatic changes in the way that our government spends our money within the next few years, it is inevitable that a downgrade will occur. We have sequestration, the end of the Bush-era tax cuts, the insolvency of Medicaid/Medicare/Social Security, sustained high unemployment, and we have a growing number of states facing financial collapse (California being an obvious example). We don't have time to ignore the failings of those who are 'in our party'.. we have to call out big-government progressives in both parties from day one of the new congress. 

The number of Americans who have become dependent on government is at an all-time-high. According to the 2010 Census data, 48.6% of Americans lived in a household receiving some sort of government benefit. Logically, when that number exceeds half the population of this country, we could begin to see people revolt against the government. Clearly those receiving these benefits are increasingly likely to vote for candidates who promise to keep those benefits in place. As the takers outnumber the makers, deficits will spiral, debt will grow, and the entire system will break down as the dollars needed to foot-the-bill for these ever-increasing government outlays are stretched thinner and thinner. Civil unrest will increase, people will begin to hide/hoard their money. Our already weak economy will grind to a halt. Simply put, the status-quo is unsustainable.

The Tea Party is the last best hope for this nation. There is much that conservative warriors can do to stem the tide of fiscal disaster in this country. We must wrestle control of our government away from the party elites and put it back into the hands of common-sense, patriotic, educated, grassroots conservatives. Here are some things we can do:

• Seek out and support candidates down ballot in November who support fiscally conservative policies, and who are not puppets of the party establishment

• Vote in November. But, first be sure to educate yourself on every single race on the ballot and choose candidates who support Constitutionally conservative principles, are laser focused on our fiscal situation, and are least likely to be controlled by the party elites. 

• Contact your elected officials routinely with calls, emails, letters and even personal visits to their offices in Washington, D.C. Demand a hearing, and make your voice heard.

• Stay connected to the army of grassroots conservatives who are fighting day and night to stop our out-of-control government. Join in the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social networking sites. Read the conservative blogs, and even start your own.

• Learn all that you can about our situation, and educate everyone you know about what is going on inside our government. 

• Above all, never, ever, give up. This country is far too precious to give up without a fight.

Chick-Fil-A is not a 'distraction from real issues'

This week I had an interesting exchange with a follower on Google+ about the recent Chick-Fil-A news story. I am sure you've heard about the Chick-Fil-A saga ad nauseum, so I'll not repeat it all here. What this Google+ follower intimated was that the Chick-Fil-A story was a distraction from the 'real issues' we should be talking about. That got me to thinking .. is it really? Aren't the core issues surrounding this Chick-Fil-A story some of the most fundamental principles of our Republic?

America has undergone a rather dramatic shift in thinking about religious liberty since the time of our founding. A good friend I follow on Twitter, Terry Sigmon shared this video with me yesterday. What an eye-opener...

Would Dan Cathy have received public ridicule if he had made those 'controversial' statements about traditional marriage during the founding of this country?  Of course not. Only a few years ago, our own president indicated his religious faith was the foundation of his own position on traditional marriage:

Mayors in several cities are threatening Mr. Cathy.. insinuating his business is not welcome in their communities and that building permits would be denied. The blasting of Christians and conservatives in our mainstream media is relentless. Christians are being called haters, intolerant, and worse. Liberals who disagree with the Christian stance on traditional marriage are boycotting any business that does not openly embrace the same-sex marriage ideology.  So what happened over the past few years to cause large numbers of our citizens to rise up to criticize long-held believes on traditional marriage and religious liberty? Could it be that we are relinquishing our religious liberties in America to try to 'fit in' with popular political culture? Isn't that the very purpose behind our first amendment, to protect the freedom to worship as we choose and express our faith openly?

Another peculiar twist to this story is how the same people who are blasting Christians for their stance on traditional marriage have openly supported building a mosque at a site that is only a few blocks from the site of the World Trade Center disaster. Their argument? .. that we should be tolerant of different religious faiths. I don't suppose they realize the hypocrisy in this position, considering that Muslims reject same-same marriage, too. Muslims not only condemn the practice of homosexuality, the punishment for this 'crime' is death. Why the double-standard? Is Christianity the only faith that is no longer accepted in our political culture?

The Chick-Fil-A saga should be a warning signal to every American. We are entering unprecedented waters in our battle to retain our liberties. Our founders were wise in giving us the First Amendment to our Constitution to protect individuals who hold different views from the majority. If our political leaders ignore the Constitution and allow business owners to be targeted by the government simply because they openly express their religious beliefs, we are headed down the path to religious intolerance and tyranny.  Freedom of speech is not just the freedom to agree with the majority.

Grow the economy .. by soaking the rich?

This attack on the rich and business by President Obama and other liberals is the cause of this economic malaise we find ourselves in. There is zero data to support the types of policies that Obama espouses, and plenty of data that show raising taxes on the top earners in America results in reduced hiring, reduced tax revenue for the government, and a reduction in overall economic activity.

Here are four case studies you can research:

John F. Kennedy


John F. Kennedy dropped the tax rate on top earners 15% and reduced corporate taxes 5%.  The result was an increase in the amount of money flowing into the federal treasury. Economic activity boomed after the tax cuts went into effect.

– John F. Kennedy, Nov. 20, 1962, president’s news conference
“Lower rates of taxation will stimulate economic activity and so raise the levels of personal and corporate income as to yield within a few years an increased – not a reduced – flow of revenues to the federal government.”

The State of California

California was facing a budget deficit in the early 90s and Gov. Pete Wilson raised taxes in 1991 to cover it. But, this increase in taxes did not result in a corresponding increase in revenue to the state treasury; the result was a decrease in revenue in 1992-93 (down 2.1%) and again in 1993-94 (down 2.1%). Only after the tax hikes expired in 1994-95 did the state see an increase in revenue to the state treasury. California provides a rich history of bad tax policy that has resulted in years of budget deficits. Ironically, in spite of this history, Governor Jerry Brown is once again proposing a tax hike on the rich to cover his states deficit woes. We now see some of the fallout in California for decades of punitive tax policies. California is swimming in red ink, and the wealthy (along with their businesses) are moving out of that state in record number.

President Jimmy Carter


Our economy during the Carter administration was a mess. Marginal income tax rates on the wealthy were at 70%. Although Carter had campaigned for office on a platform of cleaning up our tax system, he never suggested that the tax rate of 70% on the wealthy was one source of our economic woes. Carter also increased the capital gains tax rate 10%. This along with an energy policy that rationed the sale of gasoline and other ill conceived policies led us into a deep recession.

President Ronald Reagan


Ronald Reagan dropped the tax rates on the wealthy from 70% to 28%. Not only did Reagan lower taxes on the wealthy, he simplified the tax code in general and reduced taxes on businesses. During Reagan's presidency the unemployment rate dropped from 10% to 4%. The dramatic changes in tax policy under Reagan ushered in the second longest peacetime economic expansion in U.S. history. Interestingly, revenue into the U.S. treasury increased; the revenue continued to increased until George H.W. Bush increased tax rates in 1990.

It may make liberals feel good to soak the rich, but all the data we have and the historic precedent indicate that tax hikes on anyone, particularly the wealthy and business, only hurt Americans of all income levels by slowing down our economy, increasing unemployment and making it more expensive to live and do business here.

This video shows that soaking the rich to bail us out of our economic problems and our budget woes is more than not effective, it isn't even possible...