Steve Buyer learns about The Apollo Alliance

Who writes the bills? Who is the Apollo Alliance? A high school student asks Congressman Steve Buyer – if HR 3200 passes, and salaries for physicians are capped, what motivation does he have to enter med school?

 

Danville, IN, Town Hall with Rep. Steve Buyer (R), cont.

More questions:

Part 5:

Part 6 (SCHIP):

 

Danville, IN, Town Hall with Rep. Steve Buyer (R)

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

 

He tells it like it is

I, David William Hedrick, a member of the silent majority, decided that I was not going to be silent anymore. So, I let U.S. Congressman Brian Baird have it. I was one questioner out of 38, that was called at random from an audience that started at 3,000 earlier in the evening. Not expecting to be called on, I quickly scratched what I wanted to say on a borrowed piece of paper and with a pen that I borrowed from someone else in the audience minutes before I spoke. So much for the planned talking points of the right wing conspiracy.

 

Why Higher Taxes isn’t the Answer

This is something that many people don’t understand. In one way, it should work this way — the higher the tax rate, the more revenue you take in — but it doesn’t. The Laffer Curve is the visual reason why; but the explanation is also quite simple: the more you tax, the more people hide their money; the more you tax, the more they move themselves and/or their money; the more you tax, the less incentive people have to earn money; the more you tax, the less there is to spend; the less there is to spend, the slower the economy goes; the slower the economy goes, the less revenue comes in.

One of the series of books I read through and greatly enjoyed was the Nero Wolfe mystery series, written by Rex Stout (and a few years ago, also made into a series of A&E TV shows). The books were set contemporary to when they were written, with the first one being published in the 30s, I think, and going all the way through the 70s. A recurring motif in several of the earlier ones (probably those written in the 40s and 50s), was the oppressive income tax, and how it squelched the brilliant detective’s desire to take on a case. When the novels were set in late November or early December, it was frequently noted that Wolfe would turn down cases because he was at or near a certain income, and if he earned any more, he would be taxed at a rate of 90% for it, so he figured that 10% of whatever fee simply wasn’t worth it. And that’s true — would you want to do the same amount of work and actually get to keep only 10% of your gross? It’s ridiculous! It’s time to trim the federal budget, so that we can keep more of our money. We are

Taxed

Enough

Already!

 

Ask not what your country can do for you…

Remember that famous quote from John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address? That famous line, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country,” has been repeated by many different people over the past 48 years in a variety of contexts and for a variety of purposes. But it seems that we have forgotten it, and are only asking what our country or our government can do for us.

During this past election cycle, I got in a conversation with someone who was planning on voting for Obama and basically an entire Democrat and/or liberal ticket. She asked me why I was going to vote Republican, because “what have the Republicans ever given you?” I’ve thought about that question a lot in the past several months, and found it to give insight into the reason why government is so big, why they take so much from us in taxes, and why they are elected into office again and again, despite their massive failures. [Massive failures? Yes! Pres. Johnson declared “War on Poverty” in the 60s, and it’s only gotten worse. Yet we continue to throw good money after bad, in the apparent insane hopes that maybe this time history won’t repeat itself. And that’s just one example.]

This woman didn’t realize it, but she was selling her vote to the highest bidder — to whomever was able to convince her that s/he was going to give her the most. In one way, that’s not too different from what everyone does — everyone votes for the person that s/he thinks is the best. The difference comes in the way someone determines who will be the best candidate for the job. It’s an easy thing to vote for someone who promises you to “give” you what you want (even if, like so many campaign promises, the promise is forgotten the day after the election). It’s much harder — requires more discipline, more maturity, more circumspection, more thought — to vote for someone who does not promise you the moon.

But it is important to remember, that “the government” cannot give unless it first takes. They take our money in the form of taxes, then they take a percentage of our money off the top for bureaucracy, then they give us back a smaller portion of our money in the form of “benefits” and services. Some taxation is necessary, and some benefits and services are needful; but it’s time to say enough already!!!

We have to step up and let our voice be heard. A reader named Craig sent the link to this news story about various Representatives and Senators going apoplectic about proposed budget cuts, because the cuts were going to affect their districts. One of the items was a Presidential helicopter that Obama says is not necessary. Although $800,000,000 is a drop in the bucket, compared to the monstrosity of the “stimulus” package, it is still eight hundred million dollars of your money and my money that will be spent unnecessarily unless it is ultimately cut. And it will be spent because people voted, not for what they could do for their country, but what their country could do for them. Unfortunately, that comes at a very steep price, because as I said before, the government cannot give anything that it does not first take away.

 

Another TEA Party letter from Knoxville, TN

Term limits urged for all politicians

I am a great-grandmother who attended the inspiring patriotic Knoxville Tea Party.

I am an angry American who is witnessing our country being destroyed in less than 100 days of the Barack Obama administration.

As a nation, we must return to the God-given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness as provided in the Declaration of Independence.

The grassroots movement by ordinary people must save our freedom in America. We must have limited government–of the people, for the people and by the people.

Term limits for all politicians.

Mary Sanders
Harriman

published in the Knoxville News Sentinel, May 2009

 

Ripley, MS, TEA Party

Earlier, Chuck gave his perspective on the TEA Party he helped organize [in seven days] in Ripley, Mississippi. Here is the video of the rally, with speaker Les Riley.

 

You don’t “pay” for tax cuts

When a budget debate is underway, and some politicians try to cut taxes so that you and I can keep more of our money, the refrain from some in the media as well as certain politicians (who tend to be liberal — they liberally take our money in the form of taxes and liberally spend our money in the form of pork programs) is, “How are we going to pay for these tax cuts??” That’s the wrong question.

Nobody “pays” for tax cuts — it’s actually an absurdity.

If you spend everything you earn, and then lose some of your income, nobody would ask you, “How are you going to pay for your pay cut?” because it is recognized as not making any sense. Rather, someone might ask how you are going to pay your expenses due to your pay cut. It might seem like a minor quibble, but it really isn’t. Words are powerful! In skipping the step, and saying “pay for tax cuts,” it gives a powerful force to those who want to keep taking more of your money.

When you and I are faced with a reduction in income, what do we do? We economize. We reduce our expenses to match our income. Luxuries and non-necessary items are the first to go. You and I have to do this sometimes — why should our government (which is supposedly “we the people”) be so different? Why should the government continue to pay for luxuries and non-necessary items when revenue goes down, while you and I have to tighten our belts in order to make it?

In asking, “How are we going to pay for tax cuts?” it makes it sound as if the expenses are fixed and unalterable! How ridiculous! In any budget, there are only two sides to the equation: income and expenses. If my income goes down and I can’t get it back up, I have to cut my expenses. If the government’s income actually goes down due to cuts in tax rates (which is arguable), why do they act as if they cannot reduce their expenses? That’s just arrogance, pure and simple. It also smacks of immaturity — like the guy who is living on the edge (or even over the edge), but won’t give up his meals out or his unlimited cell phone usage or cable TV even if he can’t meet his bills. Or someone who buys a brand-new car that he can’t afford just because he likes it. Reminds me of a toddler — “But I want it!”

It’s time for some grown-ups to stand up and put the arrogant teenagers and toddlers that are currently in charge of our government back in their places, so that those who are mature (not necessarily old; just mature — able to say “no” and mean it) can run the government and get us back on the right path.

 

Letter to the Editor, Knoxville

Entitled Tea partier is not would-be terrorist

I have been described as the whining rich, arrogant, redneck, astro-roots, would-be, could-be terrorist by the media.

In reality, I am a 78 year-old grandmother who participated in the Knoxville Tea Party.

I worked 33 years for AT&T and earned a pension and am considered in the poverty category.

Everything I buy is taxed. Food is a necessity–a big tax burden out of my budget.

I fear for my grandchildren and their load of our government debt.

My sign said, “Stop Bankrupting America.”

I want the best for my country and pray that we are not headed on the road to socialism and international law.

Ruth Yetsko
Harriman

published in the Knoxville News Sentinel on May 9, 2009