Caffeinated Thoughts

Michele Bachmann: $53 Billion in Rail Spending Keeps Us on an Unsustainable Track
CPAC Review: Rick Perry–Gives a Wake Up Call to Candidates
Thomas Jefferson Argued for Local and Parental Control of Education
CPAC Review: John Thune – Leads Pack in Laying Out Vision
Mitt Romney at CPAC: No Mention of RomneyCare?
CPAC Review: Rick Santorum–Remarks Grounded In Our Founding
The Economics of Stalling
CPAC Review: Michelle Bachmann – I Need To Hear More
Expose Planned Parenthood: Vigil for Victims of Underage Sex Trafficking on February 14

Michele Bachmann: $53 Billion in Rail Spending Keeps Us on an Unsustainable Track

Posted: 12 Feb 2011 10:00 PM PST

By Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

In the midst of the economic recession, Vice President Joe Biden announced this week President Obama's $53 billion plan for high-speed rail projects.

Didn't Congress already fulfill Obama's stimulus request to the tune of more than $787 billion in February 2009, with little to show for it? Unemployment has been at or above 9 percent for 21 straight months. Writing countless checks with taxpayer money didn't create the jobs Obama predicted.

Thankfully, Congress – not the White House – has the final say on the federal budget. I will stand for fiscal conservatism during the debate and I expect my colleagues to do the same, especially considering our dire financial state. We cannot dig ourselves out of our $14.1 trillion debt by spending another $53 billion we don't have on rail projects.

I'm pleased states are getting the message. Two governors were already offered high-speed rail dollars but they essentially said, "Thanks, but no thanks".

USAToday reported, "Newly elected Republican Govs. John Kasich of Ohio and Scott Walker of Wisconsin turned down the money, calling it wasteful and vowing not to use state funds for costly maintenance and upkeep."

Furthermore, numerous governors across the union are taking action on their state budgets. According to the Wall Street Journal, "A theme of cuts and consolidation has emerged in budgets released so far by governors of both parties, such as those in California and New York (Democrats) as well as Arizona and South Dakota (Republicans)."

The Journal also includes some of the areas on the cutting block: "Fewer state agencies; fewer employees; and generally a smaller safety net for social services. State-funded universities would cost more. And local governments would play a bigger role in delivering services as well as paying for them."

Kasich and Scott, along with the other governors, are aware of our unsustainable fiscal future and are putting a stop to the endless funding. I commend them for standing up for fiscal responsibility in their respective states. Now it's Washington's turn to follow suit.

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CPAC Review: Rick Perry–Gives a Wake Up Call to Candidates

Posted: 12 Feb 2011 05:30 PM PST

The race to define a vision for a new administration is on. Texas Governor Rick Perry at CPAC staked his vision in the Constitution and the people. His speech serves as a challenge to other potential candidates to stake out their positions with more specificity.

Governor Perry boldly quoted the 10th Amendment that "the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." He returned to that theme again and again.

The Governor said that the federal government has willfully neglected its responsibilities. The Founders, he said, knew that government has "an overwhelming urge to grow and overtake" – one that leads to "more taxation, more borrowing, more spending, and more central control." Through the 2010 elections, he said that the voters sent a bold, simple message to our elected officials: Americans want government that is leaner, less intrusive in our lives and that are fed up with the progressive movement that expanded government and increased taxes. He criticized the bureaucratic involvement in healthcare and unelected judges telling the people "when and
where they can pray."

The Governor praised the "new, very legitimate force…the Tea Party" and the new House of Representatives that read the Constitution aloud on its first day. He said that "America has been the shining example that free people work harder and achieve greater things than those who labor under an oppressive government," but he warned that, unfortunately, "we've allowed that liberty to be at risk because we have allowed government to expand."

In particular, Governor Perry criticized Obamacare. And he stood out from other speakers by criticizing the federal role (through President Obama's Race to the Top program) in the propagation of the national Common Core Standards initiative. In that respect, he evinced an appreciation for the full scope of the federal intrusion –not just the healthcare expansion that has grabbed the headlines. You get the sense that he truly understands the duties of the federal government, the duties of the state governments, and the primacy of the people.

We want to hear more from this speaker over the coming months. What are his views on life and marriage, and what is his view on monetary policy?

Governor Perry's speech is a wake-up call to candidates. If you want to lead the country, tell us your positions on the issues. Show us that you understand what the problems are and that you know what needs to be done.

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Thomas Jefferson Argued for Local and Parental Control of Education

Posted: 12 Feb 2011 04:00 PM PST

The call for local control of education and for parental control is not a new argument. President Thomas Jefferson cautioned against a state, not just a federal role in education in a letter written to Joseph Cabell on February 2, 1816.

…if it is believed that these elementary schools will be better managed by the governor and council, the commissioners of the literary fund, or any other general authority of the government, than by the parents within each ward, it is a belief against all experience. Try the principle one step further, and amend the bill so as to commit to the governor and council the management of all our farms, our mills, and merchants’ stores. No, my friend, the way to have good and safe government, is not to trust it all to one, but to divide it among the many, distributing to every one exactly the functions he is competent to. Let the national government be entrusted with the defence of the nation, and its foreign and federal relations; the State governments with the civil rights, laws, police, and administration of what concerns the State generally; the counties with the local concerns of the counties, and each ward direct the interests within itself. (emphasis mine)

Local… local… local… Jefferson would be appalled by the concept of a Federal Department of Education, let alone, national core standards. Those who argue that educational bureaucrats know better than parents regarding the education of their child still hold onto that belief against all experience.

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CPAC Review: John Thune – Leads Pack in Laying Out Vision

Posted: 12 Feb 2011 02:30 PM PST

Senator John Thune (R-SD) gave a good speech at CPAC, and he distinguished himself by providing more specificity than we have witnessed so far.

The Senator spoke of the sanctity of the Constitution. He said that America does not need a new foundation because "the old foundation works just fine." He invoked President Reagan's leadership and his statement that there are no easy answers, just simple answers.

Senator Thune said that he would reform the way Washington, DC does business and end the back-room deals because "Congress is the people's house, and the people have a right to know what goes on there." He criticized the "big government programs of today." And like the previous speakers, he called for the repeal of Obamacare.

Of particular note, the Senator realizes that we have allowed an undemocratic transformation of the federal system –a transformation that eliminates due consideration by the people's representatives. On that score, he pointed to the "executive power grabs" on cap and trade and card check. [And to that list, this writer would add the Race to the Top education policy machinations and its infliction of the Common Core Standards on the people.]

The Senator advocated turning back spending to 2008 levels. He called for a new congressional committee with the mission of reducing spending and called for a balanced budget amendment. He championed allowing for the development of our domestic energy resources. On foreign policy and national security matters, he pledged to "stand up for our allies, like Israel…." And his view is that, after interrogation, terrorists should be tried by military tribunals.…"

We want to hear more from this speaker over the coming months. What are his views on life, marriage, judicial appointments, and monetary policy?

In terms of laying out a vision, Senator Thune leads the pack. This is not 1988. The people know that we need to return to our founding principles –the principles that made America a force for good and an economic marvel. They know that this requires –pardon the term– change. And they want these speakers to set forth their views as to what those changes should be.

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Mitt Romney at CPAC: No Mention of RomneyCare?

Posted: 12 Feb 2011 01:00 PM PST

Since Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was introduced by his wife Ann at CPAC with an endorsement for President I think we can now safely assume he's definitely running in 2012.

In his remarks he said CPAC's has always been fabulous (perhaps because David Keene has shilled for him?). He said his wife Ann emailed him during President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech and said sounded a lot like his speech last year at CPAC.

Ok…. So he sounded like a big government "centrist" squish last year at CPAC? Oh, no it was just a façade… kind of like Romney's 2008 campaign? I digress.

His speech was full of swipes humorous and otherwise at President Obama. He rightly criticized President Obama's weak and confused foreign policy hoping that he would "get a foreign policy, any foreign policy." He pointed out President Obama's flimsy response to the "worst job loss in history" saying "it could be worse." Truly not inspiring.

He said that President Obama should have understood that when taking over the presidency in the midst of a raging recession he should have understood the economy was his number one priority. He said he should have "fought for every American job." Romney stated that, "President Obama has stood watch over the greatest job loss in modern American history, and that my friends in an inconvenient truth that will haunt this President throughout history."

Yes and yes, President Obama has done these things. Romney said it was take more than "new rhetoric" to turn things around, it will take a new President.

Mitt Romney should know a thing or two about rhetoric. He mentioned "liberal social policies that have failed to protect the unborn." What in his record has he done that has demonstrated a commitment to life? All I have seen is a flip-flop. At least lately he hasn't positioned himself as a staunch social conservative, he discovered that Iowans saw through that.

Romney talked about the "hollow promises of liberal economic policies" and "limited government." Why not tout his record on RomneyCare? Seriously, he bashed Obama on the economy, but didn't even touch on the disaster of Obamacare with the exception of a fleeting mention of the "government takeover of healthcare."

Governor Romney needs to understand that the "record and not rhetoric" complaint applies to him as well.

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CPAC Review: Rick Santorum–Remarks Grounded In Our Founding

Posted: 12 Feb 2011 11:00 AM PST

Former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) grounded his remarks in our founding. He quoted the Declaration's central truths that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." He believes that we have strayed from that foundation. "Government is doing too much" and has intruded too much in our lives. It has, he said, "too much control" of our lives.

The Senator's remarks got right to the heart of the matter. He said that the "people believe in themselves." They have, in his view, an inherent freedom (or, in other words, the substance, the capacity, and the wherewithal) to make the important decisions in their lives. To be faithful to our founding he said that we must now "limit government's scale and reach in our lives." For those reasons he criticized Obamacare and TARP.

The Senator firmly identified himself as a social conservative. He said that the "social issues are the issues that matter." He said that the judiciary cannot create life, it did not create marriage, and it has no right to re-define either one of them.

As with Representative Bachmann, I want to hear more from this speaker over the coming months. Other than Obamacare and TARP, what are the ways in which government has over-reached? And what are your plans for scaling that back?

Among other things, we would like to know the Senator's views on the federal role in education. This is more important than ever before. The Obama administration has used the carrot-and-stick Race to the Top program to foist a national core standards scheme upon the states. Standards guide curricula. Publishers will align textbooks with standards. And teacher training will follow. That's a scheme that puts faith in elitists in government and academia –not in the people. It is a scheme that cuts the people out of the decision-making process.

So please tell us, Senator. Is that an area in which we need to scale back the federal government?

Originally posted at Get Conservative.

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The Economics of Stalling

Posted: 12 Feb 2011 10:30 AM PST

By State Senator Kent Sorenson

Year after year, Iowa ranks as one of the least friendly states in the nation to conduct business in, according to the Small Business Survival Index. While Iowa's business climate seemed to improve in 2010, Iowa still ranked at the very low end of the list. Only nine other states and the District of Columbia were found to have a worse business climate.

And while Iowa scores some points for having a low number of health insurance mandates (6th lowest), low crime rate (10th), low electric utility costs (11th), and low gas tax rate (18th), Iowa doesn't fare so well when it comes to corporate income tax rates, corporate capital gains tax rates, and adjusted unemployment tax rates.

Iowa ranks 49th for corporate income tax rates and 49th for corporate capital gains tax rates. Only the District of Columbia and the state of Pennsylvania have higher rates!

In figuring adjusted unemployment taxes, the index takes the maximum state tax rate and applies it to the state wage base and then takes that as a share of state average pay. In this category, Iowa ranks 48^th, beating out only Minnesota, Utah, and North Dakota.

The reason I bring up all this dismal data is to tell you again what I told you in my campaign – I won't vote for new taxes, and I know that improving Iowa's business climate is crucial to attracting and growing businesses in this state and putting Iowans back to work.

But one man in the senate won't let us do that.

You see, Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal has the power of controlling the committees that new legislation must go through. As such, he can either have a committee kill that legislation or bring it to the floor for a vote. There are a lot of good bills that have been introduced this session that are aimed directly at getting Iowa back on track.

But Gronstal stalls.

And he can do it, too. You know why? Because he decided right after the start of the legislative session that he'd change the 40 year old senate rules to remove the language that allows a senator like me to force legislation to the floor.

I bet you can imagine how I feel about that.

I call it tyranny, plain and simple.

Improving Iowa's business climate is crucial to attracting and growing businesses in the state and putting Iowans back to work. I remain dedicated to helping reform our tax structure and identifying and removing unnecessary government rules and regulations to improve Iowa's business climate and begin putting Iowans back to work.

If Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal doesn't like what you have to say, he can stop it dead in its tracks.

State Senator Kent Sorenson (R-Indianola) represents Iowa Senate District 37 which encompasses Madison, Warren, and Southern Dallas Counties.

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CPAC Review: Michelle Bachmann – I Need To Hear More

Posted: 12 Feb 2011 09:15 AM PST

I'll get right to the point. I want to hear more from Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN).

She began and ended her speech by affirming her commitment to the three-legged policy stool –national security, fiscal discipline and social conservatism. She did not specifically address the big social issues of life and marriage.

The bulk of Rep. Bachmann's speech centered on cheer-leading conservative Republican political gains in the last election, the need for fiscal discipline, and rolling back Obamacare. That's all very important. But those are also checkbox issues. When we're considering national Republican figures and, for instance, who should be the next Republican presidential nominee, those are issues on which there is going to agreement from figure to figure, from candidate to candidate.

Rep. Bachmann rightly discussed the travesty of the Obamacare takeover. But she did not touch another big Obama takeover –President Obama's Race to the Top program. We have seen an unprecedented expansion of the federal intrusion into education policy-making. That expansion has been a central issue in the last two presidential elections. President Obama made it a key part of his recent State of the Union speech, so we can expect to see more of it.

If you consider the 10th Amendment's "powers reserved to the people," education is bell- weather. It's naturally a matter for parents and local control. If we cannot be faithful to our founding in this area, is there any hope for a return to fidelity in other areas?

If our elected office-holders fail to respect the rights and abilities of the people to govern in that area, we cannot expect that they will respect those rights and abilities in other areas.

I suspect that Rep. Bachmann has populist views on that issue, views flowing from our founding principles. But we'd like to hear them.

Originally posted at Get Conservative.

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Expose Planned Parenthood: Vigil for Victims of Underage Sex Trafficking on February 14

Posted: 12 Feb 2011 08:30 AM PST

Send a message that you won't tolerate Planned Parenthood covering up sex trafficking and sexual abuse, and send a message to Congress that they must be stripped of the $363 Million they receive in taxpayer funds. This Monday, February 14th at 12pm gather outside Planned Parenthood offices nationwide for a Vigil for Victims of Underage Sex Trafficking.