Happy Birthday Garrett!

My little man is 3 years old today (well Saturday that is)! Garrett is 100% boy, as you can tell from the brief slideshow, and he's always been our little athlete. I usually tell my wife that 2 is my favorite age, but I think all of the kids are great at various ages. Garrett is inquisitive, tough, and a ton of fun, and he's a good big brother to his baby sister, as well as a good little brother to his other two sisters and his big brother! He gives tons of hugs and kisses, but he's also nearly broken my nose (accidentally of course).

Happy Birthday buddy!

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Unemployment, inflation, trillions of dollars in debt and going deeper, N.Korea Launcing a Missile, China balking at the Dollar, and the BCS

Based on the items in the title, what would you focus on if you were a member of Congress or the President? We have a group of 'leaders' that don't even bother to read the legislation that they cram down the nation's throat, but they sure as heck can debate the validity of the Bowl Championship Series! Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the type of thing you look at when you have settled the debt, are in the green, and have achieved military victory everywhere in peacetime. We're not there yet, so why is Congress wasting everyone's time with this? I agree that the BCS is a farce, and that we could stand for a national playoff system in College Football...I'd love to see that. However, I'm not sure what the federal government has to do with it. The simple fact is, and you should REALLY pay attention here, is that the federal government has to do with whatever it feels like. That should concern you just a bit.

Read the story here. Sphere: Related Content

Republicans Who Vote Like Liberals

In Political Science we often hear about the disparity between the philosophies of elected leaders. They are known as the trustees and the delegates, and such categorizing has nothing to do with party affiliation. The trustee will come to office and vote according to his or her convictions. The delegate, however, will only vote for what is popular, and try to do nothing to lose votes for the next election cycle.

While it's difficult to blame one party's ideology for being full of delegates v. trustees, I've found that the "big tent" of the Democratic party, coupled with their love of government interventionism and lack of logic, contributes to a philosophy and a platform that is nothing more than a house of cards, big on style, little on substance. Pres. Clinton was notorious for juxtaposing his ideology based on the latest public opinion polls, and we saw an extremely different Bill Clinton in 1995 than we saw in 1993, based on the citizen's revolt against government oppression into every caveat of our lives.

Today citizens are outraged, and not the phony outrage of hypocritical Congressmen who vote for a bill that they don't even read and then don't like the bad press they get as a result, but true blood-boiling outrage. Bags of tea are pouring into our harbors, rivers, and oceans, and the handles are being mailed to Washington as a symbol of our defiance. This is a Conservative movement, but it is only part 1 of the peaceful revolution that is taking place.

Part 2 begins now.

We need to purge the party of the followers, and the ones who vote based on opinion polls, rather than their convictions, and a respect for our Constitution. The following Republicans voted to tax a handful of private individuals in H.R. 1586 (Is your Representative Here?):


Rep. Robert Aderholt [R, AL-4]
Rep. Rodney Alexander [R, LA-5]
Rep. Joe Barton [R, TX-6]
Rep. Judy Biggert [R, IL-13]
Rep. Brian Bilbray [R, CA-50]
Rep. Gus Bilirakis [R, FL-9]
Rep. Roy Blunt [R, MO-7]
Rep. Mary Bono Mack [R, CA-45]
Rep. John Boozman [R, AR-3]
Rep. Henry Brown [R, SC-1]
Rep. Virginia Brown-Waite [R, FL-5]
Rep. Vern Buchanan [R, FL-13]
Rep. Ken Calvert [R, CA-44]
Rep. David Camp [R, MI-4]
Rep. Eric Cantor [R, VA-7]
Rep. Anh Cao [R, LA-2]
Rep. Shelley Capito [R, WV-2]
Rep. Bill Cassidy [R, LA-6]
Rep. Michael Castle [R, DE-0]
Rep. Ander Crenshaw [R, FL-4]
Rep. Geoff Davis [R, KY-4]
Rep. Charles Dent [R, PA-15]
Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart [R, FL-21]
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart [R, FL-25]
Rep. John Duncan [R, TN-2]
Rep. Vernon Ehlers [R, MI-3]
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson [R, MO-8]
Rep. John Fleming [R, LA-4]
Rep. James Forbes [R, VA-4]
Rep. Jeffrey Fortenberry [R, NE-1]
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen [R, NJ-11]
Rep. Elton Gallegly [R, CA-24]
Rep. Jim Gerlach [R, PA-6]
Rep. Robert Goodlatte [R, VA-6]
Rep. Brett Guthrie [R, KY-2]
Rep. Dean Heller [R, NV-2]
Rep. Walter Herger [R, CA-2]
Rep. Peter Hoekstra [R, MI-2]
Rep. Timothy Johnson [R, IL-15]
Rep. Walter Jones [R, NC-3]
Rep. Mark Kirk [R, IL-10]
Rep. Leonard Lance [R, NJ-7]
Rep. Thomas Latham [R, IA-4]
Rep. Christopher Lee [R, NY-26]
Rep. Jerry Lewis [R, CA-41]
Rep. Frank LoBiondo [R, NJ-2]
Rep. Donald Manzullo [R, IL-16]
Rep. Michael McCaul [R, TX-10]
Rep. Tom McClintock [R, CA-4]
Rep. John McHugh [R, NY-23]
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers [R, WA-5]
Rep. John Mica [R, FL-7]
Rep. Candice Miller [R, MI-10]
Rep. Jerry Moran [R, KS-1]
Rep. Thomas Petri [R, WI-6]
Rep. Todd Platts [R, PA-19]
Rep. Adam Putnam [R, FL-12]
Rep. Dennis Rehberg [R, MT-0]
Rep. Dave Reichert [R, WA-8]
Rep. David Roe [R, TN-1]
Rep. Michael Rogers [R, AL-3]
Rep. Harold Rogers [R, KY-5]
Rep. Michael Rogers [R, MI-8]
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher [R, CA-46]
Rep. Thomas Rooney [R, FL-16]
Rep. Peter Roskam [R, IL-6]
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen [R, FL-18]
Rep. Edward Royce [R, CA-40]
Rep. Paul Ryan [R, WI-1]
Rep. Jean Schmidt [R, OH-2]
Rep. Aaron Schock [R, IL-18]
Rep. John Shimkus [R, IL-19]
Rep. Christopher Smith [R, NJ-4]
Rep. Lamar Smith [R, TX-21]
Rep. Clifford Stearns [R, FL-6]
Rep. Patrick Tiberi [R, OH-12]
Rep. Michael Turner [R, OH-3]
Rep. Frederick Upton [R, MI-6]
Rep. Greg Walden [R, OR-2]
Rep. Zach Wamp [R, TN-3]
Rep. Edward Whitfield [R, KY-1]
Rep. Rob Wittman [R, VA-1]
Rep. Frank Wolf [R, VA-10]
Rep. Donald Young [R, AK-0]
Rep. C. W. Young [R, FL-10]

Congress should have allowed AIG to enter into bankruptcy...that's what would happen to those of us private citizens who earn a living if we were to fail to live up to our financial obligations! H.R. 1586 demonstrates the ignorance of our elected leaders, and I seriously doubt that the Supreme Court would fail to take a case like this and uphold such an asinine law. While the Supreme Court does not generally infringe upon Congress's legislative prerogative to set tax policy (specifically the House of Representatives), this is nothing more than a Legislative hit job, set up to deflect attention from their own mistake of passing these types of bailout bills in the first place.

2010 Approaches...and an elephant never forgets...at least this Conservative blog never will.

Here's a quote from the great Thomas Paine, a revolutionary American (perhaps that a term we should open up for contemporary dissenters, as well), in his work Common Sense.

"When my country, into which I had just set my foot, was set on fire about my ears, it was time to stir. It was time for every man to stir." Sphere: Related Content

Foxnews and Legal Scholars Just Now Catching Up to Offering Common Sense

Congress is looking to pass a tax bill on the AIG bonuses that were paid out, due to it's own ignorance in passing legislation that gave the failing company billions of taxpayer dollars:

"Two of those difficulties, lawyers say, lie in Article I of the U.S. Constitution -- a section stating Congress cannot pass any "Bill of Attainder" or "ex post facto" law."

Does that sound familiar? Again, we have a Congress that puts public opinion polls over the Constitution, and they think the rest of us are too stupid to know better. Sphere: Related Content

Bigger than Bailouts: A Nation at Risk

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today you will see a farcical mockery in the US Congress when the pot calls the kettle black in front of a national audience. Our liberal elitist government has taken it upon itself to interfere and intervene on behalf of bureaucracy (not on behalf of the American taxpayers), and it has bitten them in the rear. AIG should have gone bankrupt, and the organization still may with a few hundred billion dollars of taxpayer money going down with the ship. Today we have a weak Congress, that lacks any clear leadership or principles. They rule by public opinions polls, and now they have the audacity to come before the American people and ridicule the AIG CEO for wasting millions on bonuses with money that THEY VOTED TO GIVE AIG!

If AIG had gone bankrupt, then those bonuses would not be paid. The government has effectively purchased a lemon, and there's nothing they can do about it at this point. Contracts are legally binding, but some Congressmen are proposing some pretty asinine legislation. One proposal calls for taxing bonuses to AIG executives at 100%. Unfortunately for the morons in Congress who propose such legislation there's a little document called the Constitution (I wonder how many of them really even know anything about the Constitution other than to say that things they agree with are 'Contitutional' and things they disagree with aren't?). Article 1 Section 9 -- No ex post facto laws. Simply put, you can't make a new law and hold past actions accountable to the new standard. Article 1 Section 10, no laws against contracts (among other things). Congress does not have the authority to alter the AIG contracts with legislation, nor can it simply decide to tax 100% of any private compensation, whether or not it was earned. Congress and the President got itself into this mess, and they are now willing to further tear the Constitution to save face.

If you don't like AIG, then don't do business with the coporation or any of its partners. That's a simple solution, and a free-market one at that. Bankruptcy is a legal procedure, and it's one that happens all the times for individuals and corporations. "I told you so" is a weak response to any situation, because it requires looking back rather than forward. Still, we have to have a good short-term and long-term memory as Americans when looking at this situation. Reagan had it right; FDR had it wrong. The current administration has chosen to take the path that demonstrated no ability to actually solve an economic crisis, preferring to get a bureaucratic chokehold on our personal and economic freedoms through government programs, incessant omnibus bills, and bailouts.

After careful consideration, I can come to no other logical conclusion: Congress thinks you're stupid. If you are more concerned about the next American Idol than upholding our Constitution, they can sneak things in, little by little, until you are dependent...co-dependent might be a little more accurate.

Pay attention, and remember the arrogant way in which Congressmen like Barney Frank snub their noses at free markets, and then deny any responsibility for the failings of government interventionism. Their tune will change next year, as the mid-terms approach, so just remember this false indignity we see from Congress next November. Sphere: Related Content

Happy Birthday Juli!

Happy 29th Birthday Juli!

This is probably the last year I can announce her age. For those of you who do not know, Juli is a homeschooling mother of 5, a USAF veteran, a college graduate with a B.S. in Psychology, and most important, my wife. I've compiled a short slideshow to celebrate her birthday which happens to be March 17!

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Obama Administration to Vets: "Pay your own healthcare."

I honestly thought this story was another one of those publicity seeking tactics from some Conservative alarmists (we have them in our party just as the Liberals have them, although not to the same extent), but it seems that the VA Secretary Eric Shinseki has admitted that the Obama Administration was looking to charge military servicemembers for their own healthcare. While such a proposal would never pass even a Democratically-controlled Congress, the hypocrisy is so astounding that I think we have to create a new hypocrisy-meter.

We can start with a simple definition of the term:

hypocrisy - saying one thing and doing another, claiming you are against earmarks and signing a bill with thousands of earmarks totalling billions of dollars, calling for an era of responsibility while bailing out failing corporations, criticizing the previous administration for secret closed door meetings with energy companies while having secret closed door meetings with union leaders, saying that you will reduce taxes for American families while increasing taxes for those who dare to attempt to stimulate the economy and actually create jobs.... Sphere: Related Content

Republicans Voting for Cloture in the Senate

These are our Republican Senators who voted for cloture, in an effort to pass the $410 Omnibus government spending bill 2k9.

Sen. Lamar Alexander [R, TN]
Sen. Christopher Bond [R, MO]
Sen. Thad Cochran [R, MS]
Sen. Lisa Murkowski [R, AK]
Sen. Richard Shelby [R, AL]
Sen. Olympia Snowe [R, ME]
Sen. Arlen Specter [R, PA]
Sen. Roger Wicker [R, MS]

Thanks a million guys...or 410-thousand million. Sphere: Related Content

Rush Exposes Liberal Media Cover-up

It seems the liberal media's hypocrisy knows no bounds (yes, that did come from the movie Tombstone). Foxnews is reporting that none other than James Carville, the Clinton front man for the decade of the 90's, stated explicitly that he wanted President Bush to fail. Unfortunately for Mr. Carville, his words were uttered on the morning of September 11, 2001 just before reports of terrorist attacks on our nation began trickling out of New York.

Read it for yourself.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks, we had bigger fish to fry. News stories about Gary Condit's affair, and the murder of the Washington intern, or the series of shark attacks on the east coast fizzled. Carville's political statements seemingly disappeared, until now. Get over yourself, liberals. You've proven to be preppy elitists at every step of the way, so far, and hypocritical doesn't even begin to describe the liberal ideology. Sphere: Related Content

Liberty, Security, and the Wildcard

Oftentimes people like to reduce complex issues to the most overly simplistic, simple representations of their own biased beliefs. I pretend to do no different most times, while I still strive for an objective approach to most things. It's easy enough to offer up an example of pork-laden legislation on this site, but having anyone truly care about it enough to act is a little more complicated. I've found that people often establish some sort of pendulum with two diametrically opposed sides with almost everything in their lives. Individuals do this. Groups of people do this. Entire nations live and die by the swinging the pendulums that affect us.

We hear about "balance" and the need to play both sides of every issue to be truly objective. Reagan, like no other, spoke about the idiocy and weakness inherent in those (namely European nations) that removed themselves from the arguments between the free United States and the enslaved Soviet Union. Those equivocators among us do nothing to help the argument for goodness, justice, and our cause. Evil plus inaction equals more evil, and the sooner that everyone realizes this applies to the political arena, the better off our children will be, if not us. The spending, the over-reaching by our federal government into every aspect of our lives, the calls for purely socialist ideas (even if they don't have the courage to call them by the name) are all more than warning shots across the bow of freedom. They've landed direct hits, and the country (and the DOW) is reeling from the blows.

The armchair warriors, pretenders, and fake leaders need to now step aside, as you have been nothing but ineffective. We, the freedom loving Americans, have grown weary of your ineptitude, and you're beginning to see a true change. Tea parties across the country are happening, and we're really, for the first time in a while, seeing the citizens demand the freedoms mentioned in the Constitution be protected.

You can't solve the problems of over-regulation in a free-market with more regulation. You can't solve the problems of violent gun crimes by limiting gun ownership for citizens. You can't preach about accountability and responsibility while doing everything in your power to ensure that those who don't want to be accountable are able to murder babies in the womb, or shirk their responsibilities to pay their debts, or run a sound business.

We have some things in this country that are uniquely American. Our strong belief in the rights to free speech, and in the fact that government works for us, rather than the other way around, usually bring us together. Yet, we've seen a shift in the debate, the general discourse of politics, that suggests otherwise. This nation has allowed the pendulum of liberty to shift to "security," while proclaiming that this is for our own good. The absence of opposition to evil, breeds evil. Without a dissenting voice, the "social norm" becomes tainted, biased, and overpowering.

Maybe it's time to acknowledge that the time for civility is over. It's time to speak up for the values that we hold dear: self-reliance, freedom, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I fear that we may now be embarking into a dark new territory in this country, as my generation is among the first in our young nation's history to inherit less opportunity than the ones before us. To buy our loyalty, the ones in power (who are older than I am by decades) have asked us to simply pass the costs on to our children and grandchildren. "No" is my simple answer to their complicated reasoning for such preposterous ideas. Our answer is the wildcard...the thing they weren't considering in Congress.

What say you?

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270 Decide for 300,000,000

Have you ever really pondered how much power so few people have over so many? It's by design, and our Constitution was set up by the founding fathers to give us a Republic, rather than a mob-ruled Democracy, for good reason. The objective was to make sure that intelligent, reasonable people would make laws in the legislative branch because our nation gives great deference to the lawmakers. As such, we settled upon a compromise of a House of Representatives to be elected by the people, and a Senate to be elected by the state legislatures. That, of course, changed with the 17th Amendment, but there are still 2 Senators per state. Therefore, we have a nation of over 300,000,000 people where a whopping 270 can basically control every aspect of your life.


218 Representatives are all that's needed for a majority out of the 435 elected.

51 Senators can pass a bill (1 VP if there is a 50/50 tie, but it's still 51 people).

1 President signs the bill into law.


I suppose if there is some Constitutional debate over the law, you could add 5 Supreme Court Justices to the mix, but that brings the total to 275, and only as a caveat.


Just think about that for a minute! You KNOW more than 270 people, more than likely. You pass 270 people in a matter of seconds on your way to work if you drive along the highway. That isn't a whole lot of people, but still it is more than enough to dictate almost everything that happens to us! Those 270 (275 with a challenge) can say that the tax rate is 100%. They can outlaw guns (although I disagree with their authority to do so, it wouldn't change the fact that they could do it). They can implement a policy that requires all children attend public schools and that the curriculum be favorable to abortion policies, communism, socialism, or whatever they dream up.


I'm not suggesting that this is necessarily a bad system, but we've morphed this into something else. The learned people that Franklin, Adams, and Washington may have envisioned running things are the exception, not the rule in Washington today. Today we have morons calling for public witchhunts of political rivals, and votes for pork projects that have the Treasury's printing presses humming! We have elected leaders who don't even read the bills that they vote on, and a President who play the media's adoration of him to his full advantage in the name of political expediency.


We are a Republic, and we are a great one. Yet we need to seriously consider the fact that we allow 270 people to run it all. Those 270 had better be good, and they better have some the conviction, courage, and intelligence to make this nation a better place for generations to come.


My father once caught me daydreaming out in right field, when I was a 5-year-old T-ball player down in a suburban Georgia town (Riverdale). After our long talk about paying attention on the ballfield, he wrote in permanent marker five letters: T-H-I-N-K. Everytime I would daydream and undoubtedly put my glove over my face, those words would remind me of my father's words.


Perhaps America could learn from that lesson, as well. As we put the metaphorical glove over our face, as we always do in a mid-term election (just look at voter turnouts when a President isn't on the ballot) perhaps we need a reminder that says to T-H-I-N-K. Maybe we could write under that five more letters: F-O-C-U-S. This is important, people. The mid-term may make or break us for the remainder of many of our lives. We can turn this thing around, eliminate tax burdens, speak out for values, and bring business back to what was once a business friendly nation.


270...that's all it takes. Vote and make it count!



What's it going to be? Sphere: Related Content

Constitutional Amendment Proposed! H.J.Res.21

Rep. Dreier (R-CA) has proposed House Joint Resolution 21 calling for a Constitutional Amendment on how Senators are elected. This short resolution only addresses the Sen. Burris situation where a Governor can appoint a Senator, despite obvious objections in the mainstream. This amendment would simply say that a special election would need to be held if a seat becomes vacant. See the full text of the bill here (and my added section 3 below it):


111th CONGRESS
1st SessionH. J. RES. 21
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to the election of Senators.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESFebruary 11, 2009Mr. DREIER (for himself, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, and Mr. PIERLUISI) introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the JudiciaryJOINT RESOLUTIONProposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to the election of Senators.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:
‘Article--
‘Section 1. No person shall be a Senator from a State unless such person has been elected by the people thereof. When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies.
‘Section 2. This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as a part of the Constitution.’

--------------

Proposed Section 3. No person shall be a Senator for more than one term of six years.

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Are you freakin' kidding me?

As you are aware, the Omnibus Appropriations Bill (H.R. 1105) cleared the House with a partisan vote (except for a few of those who are mentioned in a previous post), and it rests with the Senate. We do have a Democrat (Sen. Feingold) calling for a veto of the current version of the bill, but you'd think the legislative action would mirror the words and rhetoric...they don't.

Senate Amendments proposed yesterday:

• 596 (Tom Coburn - OK) -- requiring competitive contract procedures
• 599 (Lisa Murkowski - AK) -- modification of rule promulgation
• 607 (Roger Wicker - MS) -- preventing use of funds for "coercive abortions"
• 608 (Tom Coburn - OK) -- providings funds for "Emmett Till Civil Rights Crime Act"
• 610 (Tom Coburn - OK) -- preventing "earmarks"
• 623 (Tom Coburn - OK) -- no earmarks for 14 lobbying firms under investigation
• 635 (John Thune - SD) -- funding for Emergency Fund for Indian Safety and Health

Nothing in these amendments actually reduces the pork or the spending. Coburn's 610 amendment seemingly addresses this, but the only way to do anything is to squash this bill where it stands...in the Senate. This is absolutely ridiculous, people. What is surprising is that we have Republican Senators, supposedly Conservatives, looking for their piece of the Appropriations pie.

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Russian "Scholar" Needs to Shut the Hell Up

Professor Panarin is being reported in the news as saying he feels that the United States will soon break up. You may recall my earlier post, Dream on Professor Panarin, where I criticized the Russian's obvious misunderstanding of our national fabric. Apparently my reasonable argument didn't work, so here's my next response (below):

*I changed the title from "heck" to "hell." Heck was just too hokey.

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Citizens' Self-Defense Act of 2009 (H.R. 17) Update

I've posted previously about H.R. 17, and I just wanted to give the Offering "Common" Sense readers an update on the progress that the House Judiciary committee has made since this bill was introduced and referred to them:

NSTR - Nothing Significant to Report

Seriously, folks, that's it. There is no significant action on a bill that seeks to help protect our 2nd Amendment rights, and our right to self-reliance. This basic, fundamental freedom is essential to a free society, but we can't continue to sit and watch Congress fumble over how to spend more of our children's [not even yet] hard earned money while they ignore voting on our fundamental rights.

First and foremost, want to commend the sponsor and co-sponsors of the bill:

Sponsor:

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett [R, MD-6]

Co-Sponsors:
Rep. John Boozman [R, AR-3]
Rep. Ken Calvert [R, CA-44]
Rep. Jeffrey Fortenberry [R, NE-1]
Rep. Robert Latta [R, OH-5]
Rep. Tom McClintock [R, CA-4]
Rep. John Mica [R, FL-7]
Rep. Michael Rogers [R, AL-3]
Rep. John Shadegg [R, AZ-3]

Now, for some real action. Here's the house judiciary site, complete with contact information for Chairman John Conyers (D-MI). Perhaps it time for Americans to tell Rep. John Conyers that he should stop wasting his time issuing politically-motivated subpoenas to Karl Rove and others, and push this bill out to the full House for a vote. Ladies and gentlemen, contact Chairman Conyers and ask him why he favors petty politics over true policy, and insist that the House Judiciary move this bill out of committee today!

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H.R. 1238 meet H.R. 794

Rep. Shadegg (R-AZ) has introduced legislation this week in H.R. 1238, which seeks:

"To prohibit the presence in the United States of any alien formerly detained at the Department of Defense detention facility at Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."

If you'll recall, Rep. Lamborn (R-CO) introduced H.R. 794 earlier this session that only protects the State of Colorado, and it seems that these two Republicans should sit down and have a talk. Both bills seek to basically do the same thing, but we have fracture within the Republican party when we see dual bills for the same topic. As a minority party, we have limited opportunities to protect the American taxpayer, and protect our country from harm. We cannot afford to split up our forces and lose vote after vote. To be effective, and to have any sort of impact, we have to move as a party, and come together in the defense of Conservative ideals.

It's been said many times, and it is worth repeating: Pres. Obama, in only one month, has projected more spending for our taxpayers than Presidents Washington through Bush (43). With the government now owning 77% of AIG, and billions more in bailouts to corporations in exchange for "preferred stock," calls for the "Fair"ness Doctrine, and socialized medicine coming on the scene, this nation has just moved ever closer to socialism.

When our children look back at these moments in our national history, some will wonder when the following words were spoken:

One small step for government interventionism, one giant leap for socialism.

Rep. Boehner, you have to bring this party together, and make sure that our efforts are not wasted with numerous bills that do the same thing. Republican Representatives and Senators, you have to come together and be a force of defiance against the liberal move towards big government. This is not mere politics, this is our lives.

As Conservatives we cannot stop big government for the next 2 years...we can only hope to contain it. While we cannot stop votes on stimulus bill after stimulus bill, we can slow the spending of the money until such time as we retake the majority in Congress, and pass bills removing this burden on the taxpayers.

I commend Rep. Lamborn for trying to protect Colorado from harboring these terrorists, as well as Rep. Shadegg for proposing this new legislation in H.R. 1238, but we have to have one bill that says simply:

No terrorists will be harbored in the United States. They can be executed or sent to nations that will accept them. Sphere: Related Content