More Liberty

Trillons in Red

"Real U.S. shortfall:  $4.6 trillion in red"  WorldNetDaily.com

North American Union

"North American Union leader says merger just crisis away"  WorldNetDaily.com

More Regulations on the Way

The federal government is like the Energizer Bunny.  It keeps growing and growing and growing....

"Congress away but regulations keep on coming"  The Washington Times

Kent Snyder

C-SPAN Pressing Pelosi

Brian Lamb of C-SPAN is urging Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi to allow C-SPAN cameras to show more of what really takes place on the House floor starting next year.  Let's hope Mr. Lamb is persuasive.  More cameras would be great, but ever better would be microphones on the House floor.  Microphones would really show Americans what goes on when votes are traded and then cast on the floor.

"C-SPAN presses Pelosi on transparency"  The Hill

Kent Snyder

"The Original Foreign Policy"

"Last week I wrote about the critical need for Congress to reassert its authority over foreign policy, and for the American people to recognize that the Constitution makes no distinction between domestic and foreign matters.  Policy is policy, and it must be made by the legislature and not the executive.

"But what policy is best?  How should we deal with the rest of the world in a way that best advances proper national interests, while not threatening our freedoms at home?"

Congressman Ron Paul, 12/18/06

Libertarians for Authoritarianism?

Rudy Giuliani is atracrting support from certain libertarians who believe that his support for abortion and "gay rights" indicate some libertarian tendencies.  However, Rudy is one of the most authoritarian figures in America politics today.  He attempted to turn New York City into his own personal fiefdom complete with police brutality.  Giuliani's alleged "tolerance" consists of using the power of the state to force people to associate with homosexuals against their will.  Of course, Giuliani is a cheerleader for the neocon policy of "perpetual war for perpetual piece."  Giuliani is also a big proponent of gun control, his record shows no respect for what Jefferson called the "guardian of every other right."  Far from being a libertarian dream candidate, Rudy makes John McCain look like Ron Paul!

"Two parts hubris, one part paranoia", Cintra  Wilson, Slate

Richard Wilkins

GOP Congress: Good-bye and Good Riddance

Twelve years ago the GOP assumed control of Congress promising to reduce the size and scope of government and reform the way Congress conducted business.  On 3:06 a.m., December 8, 2006 the House of Representatives had the last roll-call vote that will be conducted under GOP control.  So did the GOP Congress fulfill its promises?  A look at the  subject of that last vote, and the circumstances under which it was held, give us some answers.

The bill itself, S. 3546, attacks consumer freedom to use dietary supplements by setting up an "adverse event reporting system" guaranteed to make supplements seem dangerous.  For example, cases where someone taken both prescription medicine and supplements has a health problem, the government will likely record this as a result of the dietary supplements not the prescription medicines!

S. 3546 was opposed  by many health freedom advocates, some of whom where assured by the GOP leadership that the bill would not come to the floor that week.  But a last-minute, backroom deal set the charge for the GOP to take one last bit of liberty away from us on their way out of town.  My sources tell me the bill was rushed to the floor as part of an agreement to facilitate the movement of legislation reauthorizing the (unconstitutional) National Institutes of Health through Congress.  Most members of the House where not informed that they would be voting on S. 3546 until 12:45 a.m. -- less than three hours before the vote!

So the Republicans failed to either reduce the size of government or reform Congress.  Instead they grew the welfare-warfare state to unprecedented proportions and set a new standard of congressional corruption, abuse of power, and arrogance.  The Democrats might not have deserved to win control of Congress, but the Republicans certainly deserved to lose control.

Richard Wilkins

Interview with Congressman Paul

Listen to Congressman Ron Paul discuss how Congress, not the president, is suppose to make foreign policy for the United States.  Congressman Paul is interviewed by Scott Horton.

Listen

Universal Health Care

The Institute for Health Freedom provides a roundup on the efforts around the country to pass so-called universal healthcare or, more accurately called, socialized sickcare.

Kent Snyder

New Hampshire Changing?

Is New Hampshire turning away from its "Live Free or Die" tradition?  According to a Christian Science Monitor article, it is.  Let's hope, however, the Free State Project can counter that change and keep New Hampshire's tradition of freedom alive and well.

Kent Snyder

"Who Makes Foreign Policy?"

"The media, Congress, and the American public all seem to have accepted something that is patently untrue:  namely, that foreign policy is the domain of the president and not Congress.  This is absolutely not the case and directly contrary to what our founding fathers wanted."

Congressman Ron Paul, 12/11/06

Please Send Money!

According to The Hill newspaper, the National Republican Congressional Committee is "begging to clear debt" of $2 million.  You see, the committee spent almost $2 million more than it had in the bank in its failed effort to keep a Republican majority in the U.S. House this last election.

The article quotes Sally Vastola the executive director of the committee:  "In the end, we were forced to spend nearly $2 million we didn’t have...."

Spending money they didn't have?!  Well, that's no surprise.  This is Washington, D.C. after all.

Kent Snyder

Big Government for all Stripes

Sabastian Mallaby concludes the era of big government is here to stay; something that will please Democrats, Republicans and even libertarians.  Libertarians for big government?  It's true for the Beltway libertarians.

Kent Snyder

Nice Work If You Can Get It

One former GOP capo who won't be dinning on egg noodles and ketchup is retiring U.S. Representative Michael Oxley, former chairman of the Financial Services Committee and co-author of the infamous Sarbanes-Oxley Act.  Sarbanes-Oxley, a congressional overreaction to the Enron and Worldcom scandals, did to the financial services industry what the PATRIOT and military tribunals acts did to all of our liberties.  Sarbanes-Oxley is a major reason why many small companies are refusing to list on the American Exchanges and why large companies are leaving Wall Street for London. 

Yet, for the past two years, Oxley turned a deaf ear to calls for reform of this bill.  Now Monday's Roll Call reports Oxley might take a high-paying job with a DC law-lobbying firm that works to roll-back...Sarbanes-Oxley! 

When the mob does it it is called extortion, when politicians do it it is called democracy.

Richard Wilkins

"Monetary Inflation is the Problem"

"Politicians often manage to fool voters and the media, but they rarely fool the financial markets over time."

Congressman Ron Paul, 12/04/06