The End of Choice - December 23, 2008

One of the beautiful aspects of a free market system is choice.  In a free market economy you can choose which grocery store to buy from, which movies to see, and what car to buy.  Not only can you choose which companies to do business with, you can choose which to avoid.

Let’s not debate the merits of Unions.  I’m comfortable with agreeing to disagree that Unions are destroying the spirit of innovation that helped make America great.  This has never been a problem in the past because freedom-loving individualists have had the ability to choose a Union-made automobile or a non-Union alternative.  That choice is now gone.  We may not be forced to buy Union cars (yet), but we are forced to support the Unions with our tax dollars.  Now, even if you buy a small foreign car with great gas mileage, you can take comfort in the fact that you are also paying for a vehicle you purposely chose to avoid.

You may not agree with my positions, but do you really believe it is fair to force every American to support Unions?  This is the path we are now walking.  All Americans will be forced to support causes whether they agree or disagree.

Our tax dollars are now contributing to disastrous corporate strategies.  Are you happy about paying for CEO golden parachutes?  Nobody cares what you think, you are now supporting the cause of keeping failed CEO’s in the lifestyle they are accustomed to.  Are you a proponent of Detroit’s strategy of an SUV in every driveway?  Your representatives no longer care about your opinion, your tax dollars will be paying for that failed business mistake for years to come.

Whether your cause of choice is corrupt politicians funneling money to Unions, wooden arrows, Wallstreet, ACORN, or CEO compensation packages – congratulations, you and every other American are now contributors to the cause.  Were you smart enough to realize Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, Ford, GM, Chrysler, and countless banks were terrible investments?  Tough, you now own a piece or are financing all of them.  Plus, you have the added benefit of typical government incompetence in managing your hard earned tax dollars, they have already lost track of $300 billion of your money.  $300 billion here, $300 billion there, pretty soon this is going to get expensive.

The loss of choice just one sad consequence of allowing government to grow in power, size, and intrusiveness.  There once was a time when you could pick and choose the products you buy, the causes you support, the companies you invest in, and the charities you wish to donate to.  You are now being robbed of that ability to choose.  Now, you will be forced to give until it hurts to any cause or company politicians have deemed beneficial to their own self-interest.
Welcome to the new America:  less choice, more government.
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Why Government Should be Smaller. - November 1, 2008

http://www.sheeplepeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/obama-sheeple.jpg

If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand. — Milton Friedman

When government fails, they are rewarded.

When terrorists attacked America (representing a failure in law enforcement and intelligence) we gave more money and vastly more power to government. As long as we are the world police, we’ll have enemies. Eventually we’ll see another attack, how much more money and power can we give?

The Federal Reserve Bank was set up to smooth out the free market depressions of the 19th century. Only after the creation of the Fed did we have the GREAT depression. Even then we didn’t learn. We gave government unprecedented power to fix things. It took over 10 years when normally depressions only lasted a couple years.

Did that teach us anything? Remarkably, NO! Now with our current economic crisis we are once again giving government unprecedented power and money to manipulate the economy.

Do we really expect these monkeys pulling levers have any clue what they are doing? When the market crashed in ‘87 Reagan decided to do nothing. That recession was over in a couple years. Let’s see what happens this time. If history has told us anything, with government meddling it will likely last much longer than a couple years.Government is in charge of k-12 education in America. Despite spending more per capita than any other nation on earth, our students rank among East European and Third World nations. What is government’s answer? Give more money and more power.

Government decided to help students pay for college education. Since the early initiatives, the cost of higher education has gone up 500%. Faster than every other segment of the economy. What’s the answer? Of course, let’s give government more money and more power.

Government regulates and helps to finance health care. This segment of the economy has seen cost increases of 300% in just over 15 years, faster than all other segments except higher education. This mess is a result of lobbyists buying votes (the Prescription Drug Plan), massive regulation, and businesses working the government red tape (insurance companies). What’s the answer? Give government all the money and all the power — nationalize it!

Government now controls our banks. Government is likely to move into automaking, airlines, and who knows what else. They are sure to make a mess. But let’s all save our pennies (if we have any left), because when they fail, they’ll be demanding more money and more power to fix it.

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Ron Paul Speech on Bailout - September 29, 2008

“The most serious mistake that could be made here today is to blaim free market capitalism for this problem.  This has nothing to do with free market capitalism.”

“If you destroy the dollar you’re going to destroy a worldwide economy.”

Go get ‘um Ron Paul! Here is the complete Ron Paul Speech:

The bailout failed, but I am sure Ron Paul will get another chance to speak when the house pushes another ill conceived package.

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House of Representatives Bailout Vote - Who Voted Yea & Nay -

House of Representatives Bailout Vote - Who Voted Yea & Nay

Is your Rep fighting for you or against you?  See exactly who voted Yea or Nay for the Bailout.

Yea House Representative Votes

Ackerman

Allen

Andrews

Arcuri

Bachus

Baird

Baldwin

Bean

Berman

Berry

Bishop (GA)

Bishop (NY)

Blunt

Boehner

Bonner

Bono Mack

Boozman

Boren

Boswell

Boucher

Boyd (FL)

Brady (PA)

Brady (TX)

Brown (SC)

Brown, Corrine

Calvert

Camp (MI)

Campbell (CA)

Cannon

Cantor

Capps

Capuano

Cardoza

Carnahan

Castle

Clarke

Clyburn

Cohen

Cole (OK)

Cooper

Costa

Cramer

Crenshaw

Crowley

Cubin

Davis (AL)

Davis (CA)

Davis (IL)

Davis, Tom

DeGette

DeLauro

Dicks

Dingell

Donnelly

Doyle

Dreier

Edwards (TX)

Ehlers

Ellison

Ellsworth

Emanuel

Emerson

Engel

Eshoo

Etheridge

Everett

Farr

Fattah

Ferguson

Fossella

Foster

Frank (MA)

Gilchrest

Gonzalez

Gordon

Granger

Gutierrez

Hall (NY)

Hare

Harman

Hastings (FL)

Herger

Higgins

Hinojosa

Hobson

Holt

Honda

Hooley

Hoyer

Inglis (SC)

Israel

Johnson, E. B.

Kanjorski

Kennedy

Kildee

Kind

King (NY)

Kirk

Klein (FL)

Kline (MN)

LaHood

Langevin

Larsen (WA)

Larson (CT)

Levin

Lewis (CA)

Lewis (KY)

Loebsack

Lofgren, Zoe

Lowey

Lungren, Daniel E.

Mahoney (FL)

Maloney (NY)

Markey

Marshall

Matsui

McCarthy (NY)

McCollum (MN)

McCrery

McDermott

McGovern

McHugh

McKeon

McNerney

McNulty

Meek (FL)

Meeks (NY)

Melancon

Miller (NC)

Miller, Gary

Miller, George

Mollohan

Moore (KS)

Moore (WI)

Moran (VA)

Murphy (CT)

Murphy, Patrick

Murtha Nadler

Neal (MA)

Oberstar

Obey

Olver

Pallone

Pelosi

Perlmutter

Peterson (PA)

Pickering

Pomeroy

Porter

Price (NC)

Pryce (OH)

Putnam

Radanovich

Rahall

Rangel

Regula

Reyes

Reynolds

Richardson

Rogers (AL)

Rogers (KY)

Ross

Ruppersberger

Ryan (OH)

Ryan (WI)

Sarbanes

Saxton

Schakowsky

Schwartz

Sessions

Sestak

Shays

Simpson

Sires

Skelton

Slaughter

Smith (TX)

Smith (WA)

Snyder

Souder

Space

Speier

Spratt

Tancredo

Tanner

Tauscher

Towns

Tsongas

Upton

Van Hollen

Velázquez

Walden (OR)

Walsh (NY)

Wasserman Schultz

Waters

Watt

Waxman

Weiner

Weldon (FL)

Wexler

Wilson (NM)

Wilson (OH)

Wilson (SC)

Wolf

Nay House Representative Votes

Abercrombie

Aderholt

Akin

Alexander

Altmire

Baca

Bachmann

Barrett (SC)

Barrow

Bartlett (MD)

Barton (TX)

Becerra

Berkley

Biggert

Bilbray

Bilirakis

Bishop (UT)

Blackburn

Blumenauer

Boustan

Boyda (KS)

Braley (IA)

Broun (GA)

Brown-Waite, Ginn

Buchanan

Burgess

Burton (IN)

Butterfield

Buyer

Capito

Carney

Carson

Carter

Castor

Cazayoux

Chabot

Chandler

Childers

Clay

Cleave

Coble

Conaway

Conyers

Costello

Courtney

Cuellar

Culberson

Cummings

Davis (KY)

Davis, David

Davis, Lincoln

Deal (GA)

DeFazio

Delahunt

Dent

Diaz-Balart, L.

Diaz-Balart, M.

Doggett

Doolittle

Drake

Duncan

Edwards (MD)

English (PA)

Fallin

Feeney

Filner

Flake

Forbes

Fortenberry

Foxx

Franks (AZ)

Frelinghuysen

Gallegly

Garrett (NJ)

Gerlach

Giffords

Gillibrand

Gingrey

Gohmert

Goode

Goodlatte

Graves

Green, Al

Green, Gene

Grijalva

Hall (TX)

Hastings (WA)

Hayes

Heller

Hensarling

Herseth Sandlin

Hill

Hinchey

Hirono

Hodes

Hoekstra

Holden

Hulshof

Hunter

Inslee

Issa

Jackson (IL)

Jackson-Lee (TX)

Jefferson

Johnson (GA)

Johnson (IL)

.Johnson, Sam

Jones (NC)

Jordan

Kagen

Kaptur

Keller

Kilpatrick

King (IA)

Kingston

Knollenberg

Kucinich

Kuhl (NY)

Lamborn

Lampson

Latham

LaTourette

Latta

Lee

Lewis (GA)

Linder

Lipinski

LoBiondo

Lucas

Lynch

Mack

Manzullo

Marchant

Matheson

McCarthy (CA)

McCaul (TX)

McCotter

McHenry

McIntyre

McMorris Rodgers

Mica

Michaud

Miller (FL)

Miller (MI)

Mitchell

Moran (KS)

Murphy, Tim

Musgrave

Myrick

Napolitano

Neugebauer

Nunes

Ortiz

Pascrell

Pastor

Paul

Payne

Pearce

Pence

Peterson (MN)

Petri

Pitts

Platts

Poe

Price (GA)

Ramstad

Rehberg

Reichert

Renzi

Rodriguez

Rogers (MI)

Rohrabacher

Ros-Lehtinen

Roskam

Rothman

Roybal-Allard

Royce

Rush

Salazar

Sali

Sánchez, Linda T.

Sanchez, Loretta

Scalise

Schiff

Schmidt

Scott (GA)

Scott (VA)

Sensenbrenner

Serrano

Shadegg

Shea-Porter

Sherman

Shimkus

Shuler

Shuster

Smith (NE)

Smith (NJ)

Solis

Stark

Stearns

Stupak

Sullivan

Sutton

Taylor

Terry

Thompson (CA)

Thompson (MS)

Thornberry

Tiahrt

Tiberi

Tierney

Turner

Udall (CO)

Udall (NM)

Visclosky

Walberg

Walz (MN)

Wamp

Watson

Welch (VT)

Westmoreland

Whitfield (KY)

Wittman (VA)

Woolsey

Wu

Yarmuth

Young (AK)

Young (FL)

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Pelosi Speech Blaimed for Bailout Failure -

Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi spoke before the House vote on HR 3997.  Republicans are claiming the partisan nature of this speech resulted in the bailout failure.

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House Bailout Bill Fails -

House of Representatives Bailout VoteThe House of Representatives vote NAY on the Bailout Bill. Lawmakers can change their vote. The roll call can remain open for another 20 minutes so that some reps could be strong armed to change their vote. The margin of victory for the nay votes is at 23% and it would be extremely difficult to change the minds of enough representatives.

Did your House of Representatives delegate vote the right way? House of Representatives Bailout Vote

Republicans are blaiming the Pelosi Speech for the bailout failing.  For a sound argument against the bailout you can’t beat Ron Paul: Ron Paul speech before the bailout vote.

The DOW is in constant fluctuaion,

  • now down 513 points
  • down 504 points. It’s going up and down.
  • down 507 points.
  • down 450 points.

The vote is still open until the chair “President of the House” closes it. It will take 13 more members to move over to the Yea side for the Bailout bill to pass.

While writing this one vote has now changed, 227 Nay and 205 Yeah votes. Someone has gotten the strong arm beat down.

Holy Sheep! The vote has changed again! Now it’s 226 Nay and the DOW is down 392.

How many more votes will change I don’t know, but you can bet your Trillion of dollars shady stuff is going on at the voting floor.

UPDATE 3:03pm EST: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi Speech declares “Martial Law”?

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