Action plan

Since the election, I have been giving some thought to what I can be doing to further educate myself about our government... how it works, what are it's shortcomings, where we go from here. To that end, I have joined with a friend here who is very well-educated in politics and conservatism, and we are going to be forming a Conservative studies group after the new year, and hopefully will be joined with other like-minded folk who want to become better educated in these areas. I am also looking into sources of information, mainly about our Federal government budget... where our tax dollars are going. I am very interested in what we can do to cut spending, stop waste and corruption, and I keep coming back to the need for vigilance on the part of the voters. This requires better understanding of the government... this means doing our homework. I will be posting links, book titles, and other information here as I find it, in the hopes I can help others to become familiar with our government. I am pretty sure that the government we have today, while it resembles the one originally formed by our founding fathers, is far more complex than the original one, and with complexity comes too much room for inefficiency and corruption. Is there a way to simplify it? Are there better checks, balances, and reporting methods that can be put in place to ensure that our government is doing what it was designed to do? Can we EVER pay down the deficit and get back to living within our means? Fiscally speaking, these are disturbing times... I hope that we can return to a way of life that includes living within our means, both personally and as a nation. Life is so much easier when we are not being crushed under a mountain of debt! I think the coming year(s) will bring much change, and I'm hoping it is positive, not negative change for us all.
One item of conversation lately has been about ear-marks: whether to ban them, call a moritorium on them for a period of time, or leave them as is. The argument against banning them is that they represent a very small percent of our overall federal budget. I agree that banning them won't wipe out our deficit, but principally speaking, we need to return to a fundamental honesty that says we don't go behind each others' backs or sneak things into bills in the middle of the night. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing in the light of day, with full disclosure. Politicians will tell you that things can't get done without deal-making and 'you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours'. I think that way of doing things is what has brought us to the brink of financial ruin, and even though a lot of bills wouldn't get passed without that mind-set, I think we would be better off right now if Congress did less, not more of the same, and maybe did a little soul-searching about how they should conduct the people's business going forward. This may be a little old-fashioned, but I would really like to see this country return to the mind-set that believed that a man's word was his bond, when deals were made with a handshake, and teams of lawyers weren't needed to flood us with hyperbole and double-speak in order to protect everyone's rights! Is that naive? Maybe, but we've tried the other way, and look at the state of the world today! Not the same place our grandparents lived, or our parents! Let's do a little thinking over the next month or so, and see what we want to do about our dilemma... more of the same? Or should we get back to basics, and think about what we really value in life! Then let's remind our elected officials what we put them in office to do... clean house!

Election results

Wow! Time has just flown, and it's hard to believe that the election was over a week ago! The good news is our candidate, Paul Gosar, won the election for our Congressional district! We had a celebration on the 3rd, and here are a few photos:

Dr. Gosar, who had a dental practice here in Flagstaff for 25 years, is anxious to head to our nation's capitol to join the others in the Freshman class and start working on reducing the deficit, cutting wasteful spending, repealing Obamacare (or at the very least, blocking funding!), and getting this nation back on track! He is a strong advocate of banning earmarks, and I think he will do a great job for us!

Statewide, we succeeded in sweeping the election with conservative candidates, and I'm very encouraged by how most of the nation also voted in conservatives. However, I am convinced that we need to remain vigilant and keep a close watch on our representatives. And our congressman-elect is anxious to tap into his base to help him stay on top of things... what a refreshing change! The coming years should prove to be very interesting, and hopefully we will see a strong turnaround to bring us back on course!

Fire Pelosi Rally

Yesterday, we had a 'Fire Pelosi' Rally at our new GOP Campaign Headquarters. Over 100 people showed up for hot dogs, hamburgers, great conversation, and the highlight of the event was a visit with RNC Chairman Michael Steele! They are touring the country on a bus, stopping at as many communities as they can, and will cover over 15,000 miles during the tour. Here are a few pictures of the event:

A shot of our Campaign office

This guy's got the right idea!

The 'Fire Pelosi' bus arrives

Chairman Steele addressing the crowd

We had a great time, with more events in store this week! Today is a Meet and Greet with Dr. Paul Gosar, our Congressional candidate for District 1, and on Friday there is a Meet and Greet with Governor Jan Brewer, a very gutsy lady who has taken on some really gnarly issues with the state budget shortfall, the unsecure border, etc. I will post more pictures of these events soon!

More evidence we are on a parallel course...

with the Great Depression! Read this article from the Wall Street Journal. Another indication that business will not be expanding any time soon, unless Washington backs off and lets the free market do what it does naturally!

Recommended Reading

This has been a year of study for me... considering I wasn't that thrilled with learning about history while I was in school many eons ago, I have become a real student of history of late! Among the books I have read so far are two worth mentioning:
"America The Last Best Hope, Volume 1" by Willima J Bennett - covers our history from the Age of Discovery to World War 1.
"The Forgotten Man - A new History of the Great Depression" by Amity Shlaes - a real eye-opener about what the New Deal did and did not accomplish.
What's that saying? "Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it"? Or something along those lines... I am a real believer of that now! Observing what has gone on in Washington since the current administration took over, and comparing to especially FDR's methods of trying to deal with the Great Depression, there are some eerie similarities, and I am convinced that the 'Progressive Movement' is no different now than it was 80 years ago. They say these days that the GOP just wants to go back to doing the same thing they were doing under 'W', but they are trying the same tactics that were in vogue in the 30's! Didn't work then, won't work now. However, I think 'No' can make a positive difference if it is used and backed with action often enough! Back to my book...

Another Letter to the Editor

My latest rant got published in today's paper... after reading it, you will probably be able to guess what I was ranting about:

To the editor: I continue to be amazed at how few people in our county are willing to do their civic duty and vote in elections. People, look around and ask yourself if you are satisfied with the state of our nation today. Whether your answer is yes or no, the only way to have a representative government is to participate in the election of our representatives!

In this primary, less than one quarter of us decided who would be running in the November election. Considering how easy it is these days to request an early ballot so you don't even have to go to a polling place, I find it very distressing that so few of you took the time to cast your ballots!

Wake up, Coconino County, or keep your mouth shut if you don't like the way things are being run. The only way to make things better is to let your voices be heard and vote. Let's see if we can't have a little better turnout this November, OK?

I was responding to an article that talked about the low voter turnout at our primary election, and it really frustrated me! We have been through two very stressful years with an administration that is trying to steer us in a direction I really don't think we want to go, and yet people can't be bothered with taking a few moments to cast their vote! Then yesterday, I was working at our local GOP booth at the county fair, and kept hearing all these people complain about the encumbent and how they didn't want him to win re-election... wonder if they remembered to vote? So... forgive the rant, but I'm at the stage of my life where it makes no sense to keep my mouth shut, even if it ticks people off!

Catchin' up...

I've been a real slacker! Can't believe it's been almost two months since my last post here! Well, during that time, we had a severe forest fire in the San Francisco peaks about a mile from us (aka, Shultz Fire), followed by flash flooding, roads washing out... I have to give kudos to a host of agencies who really put themselves out to deal with all of this! Our firefighters, forest service, county agencies, law enforcement, search and rescue, were right on top of things working to help evacuate us and get control of the fire. Then when the floods hit from some severe monsoon storms, the utilities and public works folks were there, as well as neighbors with equipment to dig trenches to divert flood waters, and countless volunteers from the community who filled sand bags, and again the county, particularly our County Supervisors Liz Archuleta, and Mandy Metzger and their staffs, who kept us informed daily on conditions and what services were available; and most recently, the Coconino County Public Works folks who came out and repaired severe erosion on our roads, even though we live on roads not normally maintained by the county. This is local government at its best, responding to the needs of the community, and I want to again thank them all for the incredible jobs they did, working long and hard to help folks whose homes and property were in jeopardy.
I think all of us who live in this area know that we have several more years to get through before the forest growth takes hold and flooding will subside, but I for one am encouraged by the efforts that have been made on our behalf so far, and I have hope that we will get through this a lot better than I originally anticipated. Thanks to all who pitched in for us!

My choice for Congressman of CD1

Hey, viewers. Even if you don't live in my district, I invite you to watch my candidate, Bradley Beauchamp. He talks in one of his clips about how even if you aren't in his district, he will be looking out for you when he gets elected to office in November. I have a great deal of confidence that he will fight for the Constitution and will do everything he can to rein in our ever-growing deficit, block any legislation that is unconstitutional, and will continue to listen to the people! Check him out here.

Total frustration!

I don't know why I do this to myself... try to communicate with those of the "Progressive" persuasion! Must be a bit of the masochist in me... or the overwhelming desire to break thru their insane thinking and get them to see things in a clear, logical light. Whatever! It doesn't work, and I need to just let go of the illusion that there is common ground we can work from!
Case in point: I am a member of a google group that consists of several members of my high school graduating class... I didn't know too many fellow students in H.S., and years have passed since we graduated. Last year some time, I was contacted about joining a group, and this one spun off of the main group. It's main function was to give us a forum to 'vent' our feelings about various issues, and avoid bringing too much controversy to the main group. Ordinarily, I would avoid 'venting' forums, because I am a peaceful person by nature. But after hearing from the group moderator that there wasn't much discussion going on there since it began, I was sucked into starting a thread about illegal immigration. I know better, but I thought... gee... maybe we could have an intelligent discussion about the subject... WRONG! Here are some samples of comments that ensued:
"...the fact that we've had a border we don't enforce for decades, is also the reason I favor amnesty for illegal immigrants already here. The truth is, we've been winking and nodding for years, telling Mexican immigrants they're illegal but doing virtually nothing to dissuade them from coming here. So naturally they came and created lives and families and homes -- and now suddenly we're going to get all self-righteous and indignant on them? Because we screwed up, said "come on in, we'll look the other way," and they did? Now we're going to break up families and tell them to kiss their kids goodbye and go spend years at the back of the line? It's our own damn fault, and amnesty is the punishment we deserve, if you want to look at it that way. It's also the right thing to do."
"...I can't help but wonder why the public hates these people? Do they want to take their jobs at McDonals or picking lettuce in Yuma? Are people afraid they are going to marry their daughters? Do you resent paying for public schools to educate them?"
I'm not going to fill this post with quotes... just these samples to demonstrate the mindset I'm dealing with. Oh, and then there was the discussion on whether illegals are getting benefits they aren't paying for... the person who was holding forth the most was saying how they pay income tax, social security tax, etc. And of course, they are doing this (when employers actually deduct for these things) using illegally obtained social security numbers and cards!!1 But that's okay, right? And how can we possibly object to their children attending public schools? And we're really beasts if we object to them seeking medical treatment paid for by the taxpayer when they go to the emergency room. I just don't get it. Am I totally out to lunch? Or just surrounded by people with a totally whacked mindset? Sigh...

Boycotting Arizona

I got an e-mail this morning with the following:

Hey everyone out there!

We, in Arizona, know you're boycotting us -- but you really should come out here and see our beautiful Sonoran Desert.

It's just gorgeous right now! We know you'd love it and maybe you can share what you saw with the rest of the country so they can love it too!

This is on an 'illegal super - highway' from Mexico to the USA (Tucson) used by human smugglers.

This area is located in a wash, approximately 1.5 miles long, just south of Tucson, Arizona. If a flood came, all this would be washed to the river and then onto the sea!

It is estimated over 5,000 discarded backpacks are in this wash. Countless water containers, food wrappers, clothing, feces, including thousands of soiled baby diapers.
And as you can see in this picture, fresh footprints leading right into it.

As we kept walking down the wash, we thought for sure it was going to end, but around every corner was more and more trash!

And of course the trail leading out of the wash in our city, heads directly NORTH to Tucson, then leads to your town tomorrow.

They've already come through here. Isn't Arizona just beautiful, America?
Why would you boycott us???

Our desert has basically been turned into a landfill.


The trash left behind by people illegally crossing our border is another Environmental Disaster to hit the USA.

If these actions had been done in one of our Northwest Forests or Seashore National Parks areas, there would be an uprising of the American people.....but this is the Arizona-Mexican border.

You won't see these pictures on CNN, ABC, NBC or the Arizona Republic Repugnant newspaper. Nor will they mention the disease that comes from the uncovered human waste left in our desert.

However, with respect to CNN, ABC & NBC, they do offer us "Special Reports" on cheating celebrity spouses....

This information needs to be seen by the rest of the country. Please pass it on or link to this site so everyone you know can get a chance to see what illegal immigration is doing to our country.

Check this out!

Have you seen Eric Cantor's new 'You Cut' webpage? Fantastic! Check it out here or on my sidebar. Next time you hear anyone say the GOP doesn't have a plan, refer them to this page! Shrinking government, one budget item at a time... Yeah!

Time to clear the air!

I have something I need to get off my chest, and I think this blog is the best place to do it.
With all the upheaval going on in our country these days, most of us are going through some emotional ups and downs… fear, anxiety, anger… these and other emotions are running high among us. Many of us feel that our government – Federal, State and Local, past and present, are way off base with the way they are running things, and we are becoming very outspoken in our reactions. Understandable, but I believe we need to do more than rant and rave about situations… we, as citizens of a free nation, need to speak out on issues, but in an INFORMED way, not an emotional one! I will cite the example of the recent legislation signed into law by Arizona’s Governor Jan Brewer, SB1070. No, I haven’t read the bill yet, nor do I agree that this is the best solution to securing our borders from ILLEGAL aliens who are crossing over the border in huge numbers. The ideal situation would be for the Federal Government to defend our borders, as outlined in the Constitution. But because of political polarization, Washington deems it an inopportune time to create and pass legislation to reform our immigration policy, and would rather leave the borders open to all who would cross them rather than to tackle an issue that might make them politically unpopular in an election year.
As a reaction to the long inactivity on the part of the Federal Government, Governor Brewer signed SB1070, probably knowing full well it would be attacked by the opposition and will no doubt be held up by litigation to repeal it.
What I find to be most disturbing about the reaction of much of the general public is that they cannot see past the rhetoric about racial profiling to understand that we have a totally dysfunctional Federal Government that will only act when it is in their best interests politically. And believe me, dear readers, I do not think this behavior began on January 20, 2009. It has been a way of life for Congress and our other elected officials for probably the entire existence of our country, but it is very noticeable right now, because we as a nation are floundering.
So to get back to what I need to get off my chest: it’s a total copout when we rant and rave and use name-calling and sweeping generalities to strike out at those with whom we disagree. Oh, it feels good for the moment, but unless we are looking to get into shouting matches, it really isn’t very productive. Now, more than ever, I think we need to do our homework, study situations, look for facts and not accusations, and try… really TRY, to form opinions based on truth. And it helps to listen to each other without bias, try to hear where we each are coming from. Don’t worry about trying to win an argument! Let’s focus on what the problems are, and see if we can figure out solutions. For instance, if we can’t get the Federal Government to do more to secure our borders, what are our other viable options? Should we just shrug our shoulders and decide it’s not our problem? Should we write our Congressmen and ask them to communicate their ideas? Or do we try to support our state or the states who share their borders with foreign countries, when the states do what they can to solve the problem absent a solution from the Federal Government? If SB1070 isn’t the answer, what do you think is?
Let’s try to remember that we are the citizens of a free nation, and as such, have the privilege of free speech… use that privilege to communicate with your government and let them know how you feel about our current state of affairs. Learn about the issues. Get to know your representatives, and the candidates that are running for office. Then you will have the information necessary to conduct intelligent conversations about what is going on today in our nation. But try to resist the temptation to just rant and repeat what you have heard without knowing the full story… it really doesn’t speak well of you, and only serves to turn people off to you. There… I’ve said my piece!

Lose-Lose

An article from Matthew Daly of the Associated Press published today talks about how the Senate will be delaying the unveiling of a Climate bill scheduled for Monday because Harry Reid has decided to push "...Legislation to overhaul immigration laws and grant legal status to millions of long term immigrants unlawfully in the country". So we get to look forward to either Cap and Trade or Amnesty for Illegals next... what a choice! It's like 'would you rather be stabbed to death or hung?'!!!
How much more can they do to run this country into the ground before we oust them in November? Unfortunately, plenty!

New web links

I just added two new links to important websites on my sidebar: Downsizing the Federal Government, a Cato Institute site, and A Roadmap for America's Future, a very informative site hosted by Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. He presents plans for dealing with the trainwreck waiting to happen - the downfall of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and a plan to deal with our Health Care system crisis. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm spending a lot of time these days reading, researching and becoming more informed about the state of our nation. There is a lot that needs to be done, but some hopeful signs that we have at least a few good folk trying to address the problems that seem to be cropping up wherever we look. I think the watchword for me going forward is 'pay attention'! I have spent far too much time thinking that everything was being taken care of, and not enough time looking over shoulders... those days are gone for the forseeable future, but I do not think I am alone in this conclusion. I do believe I have a lot of company, and we just need to roll up our sleeves and start digging in!
Happy Tax Day, America... let's be sure they spend our hard-earned dollars wisely, and that they know we are watching!

Overcoming Dependency

All the freedoms and rights Americans hold dear can only be preserved by citizens who have the capabilities to be responsible for themselves. There are no "rights" without "responsibilities". Jim DeMint, "Saving Freedom", page 209.

Here we go again...

The following letter was published in today's "Your View" column of the Arizona Daily Sun:

To the editor: I couldn't have described the Tea Party movement any better than Joe Richards did when he railed against progressives who have taken over the federal government (progressives meaning people moving forward, somebody who believes in the progress of human society -- actually quite a compliment, though unintended, for the Obama administration).

If the Republican Tea Party is anti-progression, then it must be pro-regression (meaning moving backwards, regressing), which would describe them to a T. Nothing portrays the regressive mentality of Republicans better than their constant opposition to any proposals put forth by a president who is trying to move this country forward and improve the living standards of all Americans.
Instead of progressing into the 21st century, they focus their entire energy on turning back the clock on women's rights, medical research, science in schools, gun control and so forth. Could that be the reason why all these hate groups and religious extremists tend to gravitate towards the Republican Party?
Thank God for a progressive administration that will move us forward, not an easy task with the Republicans' gear stuck in reverse.

I could not let the opportunity pass to respond. Here is my reply:

It’s obvious that the author has never been to a Tea Party function or she might understand that we are fighting to retain the values this country was founded on: hard work, faith, honesty, accountability, personal responsibility, charity, freedom. We will not stand by and watch ‘Progressives’ take us down the slippery slope to Socialized government. There are other countries in the world that have tried Socialism and found it wanting. We do not wish to be the next casualty to an ideology that advocates redistribution of wealth, government take-over of private industry, laws banning private ownership of property, exorbitant taxation coupled with runaway spending resulting in deficits that will never be paid off. Our values are the ones that have stood this nation in good stead for over 200 years, and we will continue to fight for them! If that makes us ‘Regressive’ in the eyes of the 'Progressives', so be it.
*************************************************************************************
I'm grateful to this woman and other like her... their words allow others to see exactly what they feel and think, and they give us the opportunity to clarify what we stand for... go "Progressives"!

Freedom

From "Saving Freedom" by Jim DeMint:
" There can be no freedom unless individuals have the capabilities, including skills and values, to live independently and succeed in a free society. There can also be no freedom unless a society recognizes the rights of individuals to make choices and take actions based on their own values. A third requirement for a free society is that individuals must be constrained from taking actions that violate the freedom of others."

Polls and topics for contemplation

I just posted 2 polls on the sidebar... I am interested in what my fellow Conservatives think about the future of our country, post Obamacare. Also, I would love comments and feedback about what you, as individuals, are doing to try and change the direction our country is headed under the current regime. For example, I am active in my local county's Republican party, and my husband and I are Precinct Committee members. I maintain our website, he attends events and tapes candidate speeches that we post on the website and blogs. I just wrote to the Congressperson for our district to register my objection to her 'yea' vote on the Health Care bill. I write letters to the editor of our local paper regarding local, state and national issues. I am supporting candidates who are running for office. We try to stay current on issues and pay attention to what is going on in the world. We are also involved in our local Tea Party organization, attending meetings and rallys.
So drop me a line and let me know what you are doing! Maybe we can exchange ideas on what more we can do to make our voices heard both locally and in DC. Let's 'fundamentally change' the way Washington is currently being run before it's run into the ground!

Letter to my Congresswoman

With the vote coming up very soon on the Health Care bill, I felt compelled to write to my Congresswoman, Anne Kirkpatrick of CD1 in Arizona:

Dear Congresswoman Kirkpatrick, While I am sure that nothing I or anyone else can say or do will discourage you from voting for the Health Insurance bill, I still feel compelled to convey my strong disapproval if you do vote in favor of the bill. I do not feel that our current system works well, and do believe we need to take steps to improve upon it. However, the results that the proposed bill I believe will do far more damage to our nation than it will help improve the health care system. And the damage will be far reaching, severe and will last long after we are gone, in my opinion. My reason for believing this is that it is fiscally disastrous. Let's bring this down to a simple analogy: If I am deeply in debt, I do not arrange to have my home completely remodelled, therefore plunging myself even further into debt, which I will not be able to repay. Instead, I do what is necessary to pay off my debt, save money, and put off the remodelling job until such time as I am in a position, financially, to pay for the job. This doesn't mean that I don't arrange to have repairs done that are needed to keep my home safe to live in, but I also take a hard look at what other ways I can cut back on unneeded expenses in order to make those repairs. My strong suggestion would be for Congress to step away from all these overly ambitious projects and take a long hard look at their fiscal irresponsible behavior. Stop appropriating funds you don't have! Strip away all earmarks and set asides from bills you do vote on! Wean this nation off goverment assistance and help our people to stand on their own as individuals, so they no longer need all these taxpayer funded programs! Close our borders from illegal immigrants, restore the value of our dollar, do all you can to make it possible for businesses to flourish in this country instead of having to locate abroad to survive. Be accountable, and hold your fellow Congressmen accountable to the standards of our founding fathers. Then, maybe then, we as a nation will survive and rebuild. But if bills like the health care bill are allowed to be passed, America as I have known it for my lifetime will become a faded memory, rewritten in the history books to prevent future generations from knowing freedom. Think long and hard before answering 'yea' to the health care bill... the lives of generations are in your hands.

Take the quiz!

Have you taken the quiz yet? Find out who you really are, politically speaking! You might be surprised... Click here. If you don't get through right away, try back... it's very busy, and you might not get in on your first try.

Economists against the Stimulus

I am delighted to see that one of my former high school classmates is among those who are against the stimulus in the ad posted below. This ad was published in the New York Times by the Cato Institute... I thought it was worth adding here!

Flagstaff TEA party video blog

Update 3/3/10 - We are in the process of reorganizing the videos mentioned below... after the dust has settled, I will correct any links that have been broken. Stay tuned!

I just added a link on my sidebar for Flagstaff Tea Party videos... my hubby records the speakers at our local meetings. So far they are doing a good job of booking candidates for state, local and national races, and tonight they will be hosting a debate about whether to authorize the local school district to exceed the Maintenance and Operation Budget limit by 15% of the revenue control limit to be in effect for a period of seven years. If the override is passed, local property taxes will be increased to cover the additional costs. Debaters will be receiving questions from the audience during the town hall- style meeting. Grass-roots politics at its best!