America Rising--Says It All!

[montanadave]

Truly apropos:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ariann..._b_412999.html

Interesting that you posted this link as, after reading several of the comments, this book immediately came to mind. I haven't read the book yet but I'm curious as to what steps can be taken to mitigate the power and influence of these "elites" who shuttle between the public and private sector, influencing policy across the board, but are unelected?

[BackBlast]

In a state like TX if you run against an incumbent you simply won't win.

In Utah we managed to boot one. We replaced an R with an R cause he wasn't good enough. So far, the new R has been much better - but it's easy to be an R when the Ds are in power. Anyway, in the current climate, it's getting easier to boot them. People are catching on to some of the games.

This is why American politicians are out of touch, the electorate will vote in incumbents until the end of time because the only election they pay attention to is the presidential one.

I've walked neighborhoods. Apathy is very wide spread. Very few people care beyond their own little personal world where they seek fulfillment. But that seems par for the course, I believe from history class, only 5% of Americans were very active in resisting the British. Though they were much better at electing quality leadership... Something we're very bad at.

In many ways, your federal congressmen and senators and even your state congressmen and senators have a much more direct impact on your life... it'd be nice if anyone besides a handful of Americans could be bothered to actually research THOSE elections...

Don't forget the city council and county seats. In some respects, it's much easier to compete in those elections. If you're getting involved, I recommend looking at these lower races first and foremost. A good person at the state and even county level is perhaps much more important than in DC at present.

You can blame Obama all you want for the deficit spending, but hundreds of senators and congressmen approved it...

I blame Obama, I blame Bush, and I blame EVERY YES VOTE on all the reckless spending bills. I blame every state taking federal dollars in these days. I blame both parties for not even discussing fiscal restraint and deficits while in power, it's been relegated to a minor party issue, which means nothing comes of it.

I'm not sure if many yet realize how poison laced the federal "stimulus" money is.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...460370644.html

Remember how $200 billion in federal stimulus cash was supposed to save the states from fiscal calamity? Well, hold on to your paychecks, because a big story of 2010 will be how all that free money has set the states up for an even bigger mess this year and into the future.

...

First, in most state capitals the stimulus enticed state lawmakers to spend on new programs rather than adjusting to lean times...

Second, stimulus dollars came with strings attached that are now causing enormous budget headaches. Many environmental grants have matching requirements, so to get a federal dollar, states and cities had to spend a dollar even when they were facing huge deficits. The new construction projects built with federal funds also have federal Davis-Bacon wage requirements that raise state building costs to pay inflated union salaries.

Worst of all, at the behest of the public employee unions, Congress imposed "maintenance of effort" spending requirements on states. These federal laws prohibit state legislatures from cutting spending on 15 programs, from road building to welfare, if the state took even a dollar of stimulus cash for these purposes.

Every dollar you took, was a poison pill that either locks you budget down or makes you spend more money. Not a good idea heading into the economic abyss...

Anyway, goodluck gentlemen. I would put most of your efforts into local governments where you can have a bigger impact. DC is pretty much a lost cause short of a miracle, but maybe we can install a spine in a state or 5.

[dmancornell]

DC is pretty much a lost cause short of a miracle, but maybe we can install a spine in a state or 5.

The DC statists base all their power on federal funny money. The miracle will come in the form of total fiscal collapse. It's more of an inevitability really. But I shudder to think what those bastards will do to try to hold on to power.

[Dienekes]

FWIW--If my posting that link left the impression that I thought that was an exceptionally meritorious action--so I could kick back and pat myself on the back...

Not really. I liked it, thought it needed a push out there and that it would provoke some discussion and activity; and it did.

What we are dealing with now has ample precedent in history; it's not rocket science. I worked on a case back in the 1980s that most people wouldn't believe even now. One of the things that helped me keep going was a pungent quote from Tom Paine's 'The Crisis'. The good guys won, but at a cost; and the few of us that were there learned the lessons in spades. Lots of other people have similar 'educations' and feel just as strongly. Having taken the oath to 'protect and defend' really does matter...to me anyway.