"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

Thomas Jefferson

"If Congress can do whatever in their discretion can be done by money, and will promote the General Welfare, the Government is no longer a limited one, possessing enumerated powers, but an indefinite one, subject to particular exceptions."

James Madison

“An unlimited power to tax involves, necessarily, a power to destroy; because there is a limit beyond which no institution and no property can bear taxation.”


John Marshall

"The foundation of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality; the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained..."


George Washington

"With respect to the words general welfare, I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators."

"If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare... they may appoint teachers in every state... The powers of Congress would subvert the very foundation, the very nature of the limited government established by the people of America."

                                James Madison

"A departure from principle becomes a precedent for a second; that second for a third; and so on, till the bulk of society is reduced to mere automatons of misery, to have no sensibilities left but for sinning and suffering… And the fore horse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression."

Thomas Jefferson

My article on the Supreme Court ruling below upholds these principles.  We now have an unlimited government with unlimited power to tax.  Thank you Supreme Court.  Thank you Progressives.  Thanks to all who have compromised or abandoned principles.  Our Constitutional Republic appears doomed unless the people change themselves, awaken, and demand principled and virtuous candidates.


Bill Cochrane

Regular visitors here may have noted my "absence" for the past couple of days.  A number of us traveled to Raleigh early Thursday morning to be at the Legislature when the Supreme Court announced its decision on Obamacare.  We all had our individual expectations of what might be announced, and mine were certainly limited in optimism.

But none of us were prepared for what we heard.  We were completely "blown away".  I came home in a deep depression, and until this morning, I simply could not bring myself to do anything except listen to the media pundits and "experts", read the articles and blogs, and listen to talk radio.... searching, hoping, yearning for some "silver lining", some "ray of hope" that I had missed.

Oh, people have tried to find such.  And for a brief moment yesterday I was tempted to accept some of those propositions.  But their propositions are all false arguments.  They are based only on political rationalizations, on speculation of ulterior strategies on the part of Justice Roberts, and on specious interpretations of Supreme Court interpretations which are, themselves, un-Constitutional.  And now I'm angry.  More angry than I've ever been in my entire life.  All of our institutions have now failed.

In short all of the arguments made to defend the decision, to defend Justice Robert's statements in the ruling, to paint silver on the seamy twisted logic -- all of it is based on a lack of principle.  And unprincipled behavior is poison to governance and to our rights and liberties.  Let me explain.

1.  A Tax?  The Court was completely unprincipled here.  To begin with, this was the first question addressed by the Court during the hearings and oral arguments.  Because the Government was arguing that the individual mandate was not a tax, the Court even hired an independent outside attorney to make the oral argument that the penalty associated with the individual mandate was, indeed, a tax permitted to Congress under the Constitution.  Why would the Court do this?  Answer:  They had to do this.  You see there is a 19th century law which applies:  The Anti-Injunction Act.  That law states that a federal tax cannot be challenged in court until it has been collected.  Since this part of ObamaCare will not be implemented until 2014, no penalty/tax has been "collected".  Therefore, if the fines associated with the individual mandate were adjudicated as a tax, the Supreme Court would have no option, under rule of law, but to throw the case out until 2014.  But everyone wanted the case adjudicated now, not in 2014; therefore, the Court accepted the Government's argument that the fines were not a tax.

So, by ultimately ruling that the fines are a tax, Justice Roberts and the Court violated federal law themselves.  How can we place any faith on a Court which will willingly and knowingly violate law?  We cannot.  This behavior was completely unprincipled.


2.  What kind of tax?  Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution grants to Congress the power "to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises....".  However, neither the Framers nor the Nation nor the Courts ever held this power to be unlimited.  Indeed, it required an amendment to the Constitution -- the Sixteenth Amenment -- to authorize Congress to levy personal income taxes for the first time back in 1913.

By allowing the Government to now levy a tax on inactivity, the Court essentially removed all Constitutional limits on taxation.  The Government may now levy any kind of tax for any reason on anyone for any activity or inactivity.  This Court has expanded the powers of Congress to infinity, limited only by the political process.  This renders the Constitution essentially meaningless and useless as a constraint on government power.  Congress already thought they had loopholes for unlimited power through the Commerce Clause and through the tortured and twisted "interpretations" of the "welfare clause" -- now they have yet another route to infinite unlimited power fully granted and blessed by the Supreme Court.  How can such a Court claim to be "protecting and preserving the Constitution of the United States"?  It cannot.


3.  Speaking of interpretations....  There is nothing in Article 3 of the U.S. Constitution which grants the Supreme Court any powers to "interpret" or "re-interpret" the Constitution.  Nothing.  This is a Progressive Lie which has been accepted by too many ignorant, unthinking people and by too many of the sitting justices on the Court.  The Constitution is not a "living" "liquid" document which can be "re-interpreted" to "fit" "new ideas and problems".  This Progressive technique is exactly why Obama scolded George Stephanopoulos for using a dictionary during that 2009 interview where Obama insisted this was "not a tax".  Progressives and socialists do not like dictionaries.  Dictionaries state the meaning of words.  Words must mean something; meanings are important.  But meanings get in the way of Progressives.  Progressives constantly come up with new meanings of their own for words in order to hide and conceal their real intent and purpose.  So, Obama hates the dictionary and scolds George for even bringing it up.

Well, the Supreme Court and Justice Roberts engaged in the same behavior in rendering this terrible ruling.  They not only "re-interpreted" the Constitutional language having to do with taxes, but they "re-interpreted" the language of the ObamaCare act as well.  The Court twisted the words of both documents as well as the legal arguments brought before them to (by their own admission) find a way to rule the act "constitutional".

This, again, is unprincipled behavior.  It is akin to the concept of "situational ethics".  If the words of the Constitution and of acts of Congress can mean anything when convenient to "re-interpret" them, then those words actually mean nothing at all.

4.  But Justice Roberts put a new limit on the Commerce Clause....  Really?  Did he?  Where is that limit?  Firstly, the Court did not reverse Wikard vs. Filburn.  So, the Court left standing the perversion that the government can regulate inactivity under the Commerce Clause.  The Court did not roll back any of the regulatory powers that the federal government has imposed under the Commerce Clause within intra-state commerce.  All this Court basically said was that the Commerce Clause did not apply in this instance.  That did not change past precedents whatsoever, really.  To argue that it did is a vapid stretch and really nothing more than the kind of "hopeful thinking" to which so many succumbed back in 2008.

The complete and utter perversion of the Commerce Clause in Section 8 remains in effect along with the un-Constitutional concept of court "precedents" which have accomplished that perversion.  This again, is unprincipled behavior.  And to argue that Justice Roberts "sneaked one over" on the liberal justices to somehow limit the now-unlimited scope of the simple little Commerce Clause is completely a "red herring".  Besides, if he did attempt to "sneak one over" by joining with the liberals in upholding ObamaCare, simply to be able to write a majority opinion that somehow limited the perversion of the Commerce Clause, is such sneaky behavior worthy of a Supreme Court Justice?  I would say it is, again, unprincipled behavior.


5.  Justice Roberts cited former Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes:  “As between two possible interpretations of a statute, by one of which it would be unconstitutional and by the other valid, our plain duty is to adopt that which will save the act.”  Must I say anything more about duplicitous "interpretations"?  Justice Roberts went on to say:  "It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices.”

Well, is it the "job" of the Supreme Court to re-write legislation?  To uphold anything that Congress passes?  To "protect the image" of the Court.  No, no, and no!  Those on the Court were granted lifetime tenure and shielded from political and legal liabilities in order to protect them.  They need no further protection -- they certainly do not need to render convoluted rulings to assuage the ire of some in the other branches.  And their job was designed to be a check and balance on the abuse of power by the other branches --- NOT to find a way to "interpret" the act or Constitution so as to rubber-stamp the will of an out of control Congress.

The job of the Supreme Court IS (was) to uphold their Oath -- to preserve, protect, and uphold the Constitution.  Instead, this Court has done irreparable damage once more to the Constitution.  The Framers intended the federal government to have the 18 enumerated powers listed in Article 1, Section 8.  The Framers intended a limited government.  The Supreme Court has now granted the Congress and Administration at least three unlimited plenary ways to seize new powers.  This is the opposite of what the Constitution was designed and intended to do.  If the words of the Constitution can be so wildly "interpreted", then those words mean nothing.  If the government now has unlimited powers, then the Constitution means nothing.  The Progressive goal of making the Constitution irrelevant has finally been achieved with the help of this Court.

As Rush Limbaugh put it:  "There are now no limits anywhere on the size, scope, the growth of government."  As Colorado's Attorney General, John Suthers, says:  "Whatever limits remain on Congress's power will now be left to the political arena.  If our liberty is dependent on the voters, history has proven that little stands in the way of further encroachments on individual and state rights."   As Senator Lindsey Graham responded to an reporter's question:  "How do you hold the President accountable, Senator?" Graham responded:  "It's called an election."

The Court surrendered its role in checks and balances.  The Court abdicated its responsibility to protect the people from government overreach.  Now the self-appointed role of the Supreme Court is to find ways to uphold unconstitutional laws and regulations.  This is unprincipled behavior.


But it is not only the three branches of government who have abandoned principles and failed.  The media has failed in its role to be a check on the government and a purveyor of the truth and facts.  Our schools have abandoned principles of education in favor of bureaucracy, employee benefits, political ideology, and indoctrination.  Our culture is riddled with unprincipled and unscrupulous behaviors.

An unprincipled populace is ungovernable except by force.  This is why our institutions and our Constitution have failed.  Our populace is generally unprincipled, and their representatives and institutions merely reflect the people.  John Adams said:  "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."  So, our unprincipled behavior creates a populace which can only be governed by force -- which is why we are quickly transforming into a totalitarian state -- a dictatorship.

We are close to dictatorship.  We must now resort to the purely political arena to preserve any vestige of our once-great Constitutional Republic.  We have one more chance this November to pull back from totalitarianism.  Considering the ignorance, apathy, greed, and misguided ideologies among the electorate, that is a very slender thread upon which our nation dangles.  If the electorate get it wrong this year, or if those we elect again betray us, we will become either serfs in a poverty-struck proletariat or revolutionaries in a desperate last-ditch bid for our freedom.



Bill Cochrane

At their convention last week, the state Democratic Party endorsed numerous resolutions.The following lists a few of them.  They may be worth noting:

• The abandonment of nuclear energy in U.S. energy policy.
• Abolishment of the death penalty.
• A demand for collective bargaining rights for workers.
• A call to oppose state-level immigration reforms and to urge Congress to make the issue a priority.
• Support for the creation of a Cabinet-level Department of Peace and Non-violence.
• A call to have public campaign financing for all races, instead of private campaign contributions.

Wow.  Have all DemocRats lost their marbles?


Bill Cochrane

The Southern Pines Town Council held their June working session at the SPPD Community Room on West Pennsylvania Avenue from 3:00 P.M. until just after 5:00 P.M. on June 25.  Jim Simeon was absent from this session.  The Council heard a request for a text amendment to the highway corridor ordinance to allow a crushed granite patio at the front of the restaurant.

Next the Council heard from a developer about a request to allow an additional sign at the new mall.  Next the Southern Pines Business Association brought their plans for a welcome kiosk to be placed at the train station welcome center.

Next a hearing was conducted regarding issues pertaining to a planned multi-family development.  The design of the development would require a text amendment and exemption.

This was followed by a presentation on a summer reading program, the "Southern Pines Grows Great Readers" program.  This appears to be another program to patch around failures and flaws in the school system and public education process.  The presentors wanted the Town Council to be "aware" of this program in order to support their efforts, especially grant requests. Instead of continually pouring more and more money into patches, workarounds and experiments to correct failings in the education system, it would be great if the education system were simply reformed so that it does not fail so frequently.

The Town Council next heard from the law enforcement and fire departments about their progress and conformance with the VIPER system and new FCC regulations.

The Town Manager gave a report on the Sewage Treatment and Disposal Service Contract with Moore County, and finally the Council and Town Staff discussed a resident's complaints pertaining to an unpaved portion of Ridgeview Road.


Read or save the Work Session meeting packet by clicking here.



Bill Cochrane

The government is practicing plantation politics.  They promise free stuff and "government assistance" to purchase votes from the desperate, downtrodden, "disenfranchised", or just plain short-sighted greedy among the populace.  The handouts come at a terrible price.  The redistribution, as it has consistently throughout history, comes with destruction of the culture and economy, ultimately causing grievous tragedy and suffering.

So many now have no knowledge and understanding of history.  The schools hardly teach it anymore.  And the "history" they do teach is corrupted and distorted.  Full of third- and fourth-hand "interpretations" and "explanations".  The textbooks do not use the original source documents anymore; they rely on "intellectuals" and elite "historians" to present a view, a "perspective" on history.

Culture and media distort and twist to support an agenda of Big Government in the promise that smarter experts can centrally plan a brighter future, a utopian society.  Utopia has been tried so many times.  So many utter failures.  But, people don't learn their history -- I digress.

Frances Rice, a black writer, understands and speaks below on the Obama strategy.



Bill Cochrane
______________________

To his eternal shame, in order to acquire and maintain power, President Barack Obama has adopted the Democratic Party's strategy of keeping blacks poor, angry and voting for Democrats.

Using the politics of poverty and race-baiting, Obama garnered nearly 96 percent of the black vote that helped propel him to the pinnacle of power.  That power is now being used by Obama to accomplish his liberal agenda which includes wrecking our economy and weakening our national defense, leaving us vulnerable to another terrorist attack.

Obama is trying to destroy our free enterprise system and "change" America into a failed socialist nation with growth-killing tax increases, the take over of private businesses through bailouts and trillions of dollars in irresponsible deficit spending on wasteful social programs.

Millions of jobs have been lost since the passage of Obama's Stimulus Bill that includes over 8,000 wasteful pork projects.  That pork-laden bill will stimulate only the Democratic Party – not the economy, nor black communities. Incredibly, Obama turned a $450 billion deficit into a $9 trillion deficit, and he is promising to spend even more, including $1.5 trillion on a disastrous government-controlled health care scheme.  All of this uncontrolled, budget-busting deficit spending will send our nation careening over an economic cliff into oblivion.

The tens of thousands of Americans participating in Tea Parties across this country – peacefully protesting Obama's socialist actions and policies – are being mocked by President Obama and derided as "racist" by his fellow Democrats and liberal media allies, all in an effort to silence average Americans.  Complaints are not allowed about the fact that under Obama's America, all Americans will be dependent on the government for their well-being, just as are poor blacks.

While professing to care about the plight of the poor, Obama continues to take actions that keep blacks impoverished, so he can use black grievances for partisan political gain.  In his book "Dreams From My Father", Obama wrote disdainfully about blacks who complain about being poor, yet continue to vote for Democrats — like Obama — who keep them poor.  On page 147 of his book, Obama described what he and his fellow Democrats do to poor blacks as "plantation politics" when he wrote:  "A plantation.  Black people in the worst jobs.  The worst housing.  Police brutality rampant.  But when the so-called black committeemen came around election time, we'd all line up and vote the straight Democratic ticket.  Sell our soul for a Christmas turkey."

While in the Illinois Senate, Obama helped keep blacks corralled on the Democratic Party's economic plantation when he provided funding for slum projects in Chicago, as was exposed in the Boston Globe article,

That Boston Globe article shows how Obama provided millions of tax dollars to his slum lord buddies, including now convicted felon Tony Rezko who contributed hundred of thousands of dollars to Obama's political campaign and helped Obama buy a million-dollar house in a shady real estate deal.

As president, Obama put a poison pill in the Stimulus Bill that kills welfare reform, so that tax dollars can no longer be used to help the poor become self-sufficient through job training and child care assistance.  Instead welfare will, once again, become a government handout that keeps poor blacks mired in generational poverty.  Welfare has destroyed the black family, and Uncle Sam has replaced the father in black urban homes.

After Obama worked to end the school choice opportunity scholarship program in the District of Columbia that helps poor blacks get a better education, he produced a budget that, astonishingly, eliminates the $85 million designated for the HBCU's (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).  In typical hypocritical liberal fashion, Obama is sending his own two children to a private school, while kicking poor blacks out of that same private school and effectively sending the poor blacks back to the failing DC public school system.

Waking up to the danger Obama poses to the poor and our economy, the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) issued an alarming report showing that Obama's "cap-and-trade" mandates – designed by radical environmentalists – would make American consumers poorer and the products they buy more expensive.

The NBCC study found specifically that the cap-and-trade law, known as the Waxman-Markey legislation, will cost 2.5 million U.S. jobs by the year 2030 and reduce GDP by $350 billion. Further, it will reduce earnings for the average U.S. worker by $390 per year and reduce the average household's annual purchasing power by $830 per year.  That report can be found here.

Another study reported by the Heritage foundation demonstrates that Obama's cap-and-trade, or "cap-and tax", law could be an even bigger economic disaster, raising electricity rates by 90 percent and the price of gasoline by 74 percent.  Only a hard-core liberal would be so wedded to his liberal agenda that he would deliberately put that agenda above the well-being of the people in this country.  That report may be found here.

Just as some black Republicans, including the NBRA, are fighting to help save black communities from continued destruction by the Democratic Party's socialist policies, average Americans are in a battle to save our country from being turned into a failed socialist nation by Obama and his Democrat minions.  With the liberal media refusing to hold Obama accountable and Democrats in control of Congress, there is no check on Obama's power, except we, the people. Our only real weapon is our vote.

Three cheers to the sensible people in California who, by an incredible 65-35 margin, said "no" to five initiatives for higher taxes for irresponsible spending on "feel good" social programs that are wrecking California's economy.  "Tighten your belt", Californians shouted at their government, each citizen wielding just one vote, but, oh, the impact of that vote.  Remember also that no Republican in the House of Representatives voted for that economy-wrecking Stimulus Bill.

Edmund Burke wrote:  "Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little."

Those who wish to stop Obama and the liberal Democrats from destroying our traditional values and plunging our nation into economic oblivion should stand up and be counted.   Participate in Tea Parties.  Stop funding the liberal media by cancelling your subscriptions and turning off liberal radio and TV programs.  Protect your family – don't buy those tin can hybrid cars produced by the union-run auto companies that were taken over by Obama with our tax dollars and awarded to the unions.

So, in 2012 – in order to save America – do not vote for any Democrat.  Just say "no" to Obama's socialism.  Believe me, our government will hear us, loudly and clearly, when we run the tax and spend Democrats out of Congress.


Frances Rice

Fox News Latino posted my Op-Ed piece concerning the statement made by President Obama this past Friday, June 15, 2012 about providing employment authorization to illegal aliens he disingenuously referred to as being “young”, claiming that some 800,000 such “talented, driven and patriotic young people” (his words- not mine) could ultimately benefit from this wrong-headed initiative that would provide them with employment authorization.

I noted that what the President referred to as a matter of “Prosecutorial Discretion” should be more accurately referred to as being “Prosecutorial Deception.”
In my commentary I pointed out the more glaring false or misleading statements including the fact that because illegal aliens who had not yet celebrated their 30th birthday could participate it was clear that this was not about "young people” as the President claimed.  I also noted that the vast majority of illegal aliens who are present in the United States are under the age of 35; therefore, I predicted that many more than 800,000 illegal aliens would likely seek to benefit from this program that, in my view, constitutes an illegal end-run around the Constitution and the system of “Checks and Balances".

I was just sent an article that was posted by the Pew Hispanic Center on Friday, June 15th in which it was estimated that some 1.4 million illegal aliens (unauthorized immigrants) in the jargon favored by that organization) would likely be eligible to participate in the program!

Give this some thought -- the first application has yet to be received -- let alone processed, and already the estimates  of the actual number of anticipated beneficiaries of this program have nearly doubled!   I am convinced that the potential exists for this program to ultimately provide several million illegal aliens with employment authorization- possibly under assumed identities that would, as my Op-Ed notes, create a true national security nightmare for the United States as well as undermine the economic future of huge numbers of struggling American workers and their families!   Consider the fact that these are illegal aliens who will be given employment authorization even though, under the auspices of existing immigration law, nothing has happened to justify their being granted official authority to work.  Furthermore, once granted employment authorization, they would be able to immediately apply for and receive Social Security Cards and driver’s licenses -- and also to compete on an equal standing with United States citizens and lawful immigrants!

Meanwhile American workers of every race, religion and ethnicity are losing their homes to foreclosure and more Americans than ever before are living below the poverty level!

If the President’s outrageous initiative to provide millions of illegal aliens with employment authorization and if our government’scontinuing failures to truly secure our nation's borders and effectively enforce our immigration laws concerns you -- or especially if it angers you, I ask you to call your Senators and Congressional “Representative” and let them know about your concerns in no uncertain terms!  This is not only your right -- it is your obligation!

All I ask is that you make it clear to our politicians that we are not as dumb as they hope we are!  We live in a perilous world and in a perilous era.  The survival of our nation and the lives of our citizens hang in the balance.  This is neither a Conservative issue, nor is it a Liberal issue -- simply stated, this is most certainly an AMERICAN issue! You are either part of the solution or you are a part of the problem!  Democracy is not a spectator sport!  Lead, follow or get out of the way!


Michael Cutler

White House propagandist Jay Carney made an “angry phone call” to a Fox News executive after the network aired a scathing video review last month of President Barack Obama’s first three years in office, the New York Times reported.

Oh, Boo Hoo!  Seems the hoopster has consistently missed his shots!  And the regime can't stand that anyone would dare tell the truth.


Bill Cochrane

The Southern Pines Planning Board held its June meeting at the Douglass Community Center beginning at 7:00 PM and ending at 7:32 PM.  The sole item on the agenda was the consideration of revision of the highway corridor sign ordinance triggered by the Lone Star Restaurant application.  The Lone Star Restaurant petititioned for an allowance of a sign over their main entrance from their parking lot -- which would also allow greater visibility to southbound traffic on US 15-501 -- of the same or comparable size to the sign allowed on their street-front side.

This was the main topic of discussion at the May Planning Board meeting as well.   The Staff brought two proposals for a modified sign ordinance for the highway corridor -- one authored by the Southern Pines Staff and the other written by the Town's lawyer.   After much discussion, the Planning Board arrived at a "medium" between the two proposals and the desires of the Lone Star Restaurant representative.

In my opinion the Planning Board did arrive at a reasonable and logical compromise solution which makes rational sense for all businesses in the area.  For a while, I had my doubts that the Board would come to such a reasonable conclusion, but they did, and for that they deserve commendation.  Thank you, Planning Board!



Bill Cochrane

Today, I was utterly disgusted to have to call the offices of both my senators -- John McCain and Jon Kyl -- to urge them to vote against the Law of the Sea Treaty.  This is an international treaty which would create an international body in Jamaica to monitor traffic, mining and other uses of the seas, including emissions from shipping and etc.  The real purpose of it, however, is similar to Cap & Trade:  wealth redistribution, with the people of the United States as the main distributors. The staffers in each office told me that the senators had "no stated opinion".

No stated opinion?  How is that possible?  Why don’t the Republican National Committee and every elected Republican official have a written statement on it?  Are we to believe that they have no opinion or that it’s all brand new to them?  Yet, here I am in the ridiculous position of having to call two Republican US Senators to urge them, through the filter of their twenty-something staffers, to please not sign away our sovereignty!  When is it ever, under any circumstances other than total military defeat, okay to sign away American sovereignty?

It's Time To Get The Agenda Done

We need a Tea Party Agenda and we need one soon.  For one thing, having the agenda would solidify and somewhat formalize our millions of voters who call themselves “Tea Party”.  Secondly, it would give us clout with Republicans.  We could demand that they sign our agenda, pledging to carry out the items on it.  Failing to do so would result in an elected official’s name being sent out to all Tea Party memberships, advising of this failure to take the pledge.  Thirdly, if establishing our agenda and having Republican elected officials sign that pledge fails to result in winning the policy items pledged, due to half-hearted efforts or total neglect to introduce or pass the items, we would have the basis to form a new party and leave the old, ineffective, unresponsive leadership in the dust.

Is anyone under the impression that Republicans in Congress are presently working 24/7 to win the legislative policies we wish to see implemented?  I think not -- but then, where would I go to find out?  They make a show of protesting Democrat initiatives, but we end up with basically what the Democrats want as public policy.  How can there be any question as to how two Republican senators will vote on Law of the Sea?  It’ mind-boggling to think that it’s in question!  Suppose, however, that both senators are against this treaty and will actually vote against it.  Why shouldn’t that position have been previously stated and posted for all to see?  We should be able to go to any congressional delegate’s website and see (1) I will vote for the following (list of items) (2) I will vote against the following (list of items) (3) I will introduce bills to achieve the following, in accordance with my pledge (list of items) (4) Here are some things we may wish to consider as a party (list of items).  What's difficult about that?  Want to know where your representative and your senators stand on Obamacare?  Go to their website.  It’s not there?  Why not?

Decision-making in this Republican Party seems to be far too sequestered and made by far too few people while the rest of us are totally in the dark and out of the conversation.  The majority of policy outcomes in terms of voting and positions should be known prior to an individual’s election.  They must then be held accountable for those positions.

Obama recently claimed “executive privilege” in order to stonewall information about “Fast & Furious”.  Why isn’t there an explicit, detailed agenda, with a list of action items, distributed to the party membership by the Republican Party leadership?  I believe that it’s for the same reason as Obama’s executive privilege:  they don’t want us to know.

Let’s get a Tea Party Agenda written and let’s start to exert some control over these runaway politicians!

Just for fun, here’s a start.  Only a true conservative would introduce this bill:

Local Preservation And Citizen Empowerment Act

“Any program or function of the United States government which sends funds to the states in the form of grants, matching funds or aid is terminated.  The government of the United States is hereby prohibited from dispensing funds, collected from the various states and their citizens, to another state and its citizens, for projects or other purposes unrelated to the direct operation of the federal government and/or unrelated to the general welfare and benefit of all citizens of the United States.  Neither may the government of the United States take money from any state and then give the money back to that state for purposes unrelated to the direct operation of the federal government and/or unrelated to the general welfare of all citizens of the United States.  The United States government is hereby prohibited from funding or contributing to funding public schools.  Exceptions to these prohibitions are ad hoc aid to a region following a natural disaster or damage from warfare.”

The purposes and intent of this legislation follow:

1. To permit local decisions as to how local funds should be used.  To place decision-making back in local hands,
     taking the approval of federal government employees out of the equation.

2. To keep citizen money of the various states in those states for local consideration.

3. To reduce the federal tax burden on the people of the United States while shrinking the size of government and the
     influence of government employees over our lives.

4. To reduce the influence of the federal government employees in the determination of public spending among the
     various states.

5. To prevent the federal government employees from wasting taxpayer dollars on local projects which would never
     have been approved if locally funded (meaning they were unnecessary to begin with).

6. To place into local hands more decisions over who receives financial funding from public sources (city, county,
     state).

7. Place education funding and decision-making once again securely into the hands of the localities.



Jeff Dover

The Moore County Land Use Plan Steering Committee held its June meeting at the Senior Enrichment Center on US Hwy. 15-501 from 6:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M.  Chairman Hayter opened the meeting by welcoming the expanded audience of representatives from various community organizations.

The Committee decided not to get bogged down in the meeting trying to wordsmith changes or debate fine points but rather to decide whether the goals and objectives in the 1999 Moore County Land Use Plan remain important and relevant today.  As several goals and objectives were reviewed and discussed, the County Staff took notes.  Chairman Hayter gave the Staff an action item to prepare new proposed revisions to the Plan based on the Committee discussions.

You can read or save the 1999 Moore County Land Use Plan with included Planning Staff progress reports here.  I urge all county residents to pay attention to this important effort.


Bill Cochrane