How much do we borrow to buy votes fund unearned entitlements?

You might want to sit down.

Spent the New Year weekend on a road trip to west Texas and just had to stop to take a picture of this wonderful juxtaposition. I liked the idealism represented by the Peace Sign symbol at the entrance of this ranch contrasted with the common sense realism exemplified by the Vote to Stop Obama sign. Yes, the two ideas CAN live in the same world.

I also like the prominent flag display and the show of support for the local volunteer fire department.

Booyah!

Click to embiggen.

Peter Morrison is back with an admonition to conservative Texans to get busy on the next election cycle. What with the federal courts intervening in our redistricting process, it makes this election ever more important to weed out the RINO’s from state and national politics as much as possible.

I think this applies to just about every state, even those that we may think are lost such as California. After all, every move towards conservatism is a step back from communism.

The Peter Morrison Report

Summary of this week’s report:

RINOs are the curse of the GOP, but, as hard as it is to believe after two years of Tea Party activism, many key RINOs are still in office and Joe Straus is still the Texas Speaker.  Despite the current redistricting turmoil, we need to organize to give the boot to as many RINOs in Austin and DC as possible.

Full report:

In 2012, Texas conservatives need to focus our energies on removing our own RINOs from office, and keeping them off the Republican ticket, this coming election.  It’s impossible to overstate how important this task is, on both the state and the national levels.  RINOs are poison to a conservative agenda.   There is little real difference between them and Democrats, and once elected they use their power to sabotage attempts to enact good conservative legislation.  We’ve seen this take place in Austin over and over.  No matter how loudly conservatives speak at the polls, and how good prospects for conservative legislation look, the RINOs in the party often manage to water good bills down, or block them altogether.

On top of this, activist federal judges have thrown the election into complete turmoil by throwing out the new legislative district maps recently drawn up in Austin, creating their own maps, and ordering the state to follow them.  This was in response to a lawsuit claiming that the maps drawn up in Austin discriminated against non-white voters, particularly Hispanics.  The court found in their favor and drew up new maps that were much more to their liking, because they include more districts where Hispanics are a majority. (You can compare the legislature’s map and the court’s map by doing an internet search for Texas District Viewer.) Given long established voting patterns, what this boils down to is that the court has created several more solidly Democratic districts, and eliminated some solidly Republican districts.

Attorney General Greg Abbott has filed an emergency appeal with the US Supreme Court to put the enactment of this ruling on hold, partly because Monday, November 28th was the first day a person who intends to run for office could file paperwork for a place on the ballot.  When it’s not even clear what districts will exist come Election Day, it’s pretty difficult to file the proper paperwork, so everything is in flux right now. Hopefully common sense and judicial restraint will prevail at the Supreme Court, and this ruling will be put on hold, but that is by no means certain.  Furthermore, even if this ruling does wind up being eventually overturned on appeal, the voting trends driven by huge population growth among Hispanics in Texas virtually assure that the state legislature and Congressional delegation will become increasingly less Republican and more Democratic.

Given all these factors – the dim prospects of a truly conservative presidential candidate, the state elections being up in the air, and the massive demographic changes taking place in Texas, it’s imperative that we work harder than ever in 2012 to elect genuine conservatives to the state house and to Congress.  The 2010 elections demonstrated what we can do when we’re truly motivated, and we need to recapture that same level of energy and motivation for the Republican primaries of 2012, which take place in early March.

If a RINO currently represents your district in Austin or DC, or if one is currently the favorite for the GOP nomination, start organizing now to defeat him or her in the primary.  Wherever there are genuine conservative challengers, it’s time to get behind them. If there aren’t currently any, it’s time to recruit someone.  If you don’t know of anyone else that might run, consider running yourself! It’s easy to think of reasons not to run or get involved, but as Edmund Burke once said, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

Don’t underestimate the impact you may have.  All incumbents either run unopposed or run scared.  RINOs in particular know they have betrayed their base and are scared of being called on it.  Several conservatives won in 2010 in the primary against well-funded incumbents, like former RINO state representatives Tommy Merritt and Delwin Jones.  By running against someone, even if you lose, you make them spend money, money that an unopposed incumbent can use to prop up his fellow RINOs in other districts.  If you lose and do better than expected, you might still accomplish your goal.

Case in point: RINO Burt Solomons just announced he won’t be seeking re-election.  Insiders I know report that this is because he was shown to be weak in the 2010 primary when he squeaked by with 53% of the vote against an opponent who spent a tiny amount of money, and big money conservative donors were looking to run a very strong race against him this year, so he chickened out.  There’s nothing more humiliating for an incumbent than to lose in a primary (and many of them are lazy from years in office with no serious campaigns), so often fear of losing makes them quit, and you win by default.  This happened in 2010 when RINO Brian McCall decided not to run after the Tea Party started organizing against him in 2009; now that district is represented by a real conservative, Rep. Van Taylor.  Slowly but surely conservatives are removing the turncoats who betrayed their constituents and elected Joe Straus as Speaker.

The Republican primary election date of March 6th is not very far away at all.  Right now, the candidate filing deadline is December 15th.  That may change, depending on what happens in the courts.

In the next few weeks we’ll have a definitive answer one way or another on the redistricting map, so if your district is currently in flux that should change soon.  So keep an eye on the news, and get ready to do battle this March with GOP sellouts!

If you have any specific questions about your district, such as whether your incumbent deserves a challenger, feel free to email in.  I can find out if there is an existing challenger and help connect you with some folks who can help you if you decide to run.

The Peter Morrison Report

http://www.PeterMorrisonReport.com

http://www.facebook.com/morrisonreport

Sources:

 http://www.empowertexans.com/around-texas/the-very-definition-of-modern-judicial-activism/

http://www.empowertexans.com/features/judicial-gerrymandering/

Some outstanding articles and videos I ran across today. Thanks to all the bloggers for your hard work.

Exploring ‘Explaining Postmodernism’ By Stephen R. C. Hicks – 1st in a series by Smitty

Martin Luther King, Jr., on Communism – Great piece by Left Coast Rebel, found at Proof Positive

The Glamour of Knowledge and Dangers of Intellectual Servitude – WWTFT

An Inconvenient Socialist – Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei – Ladd Ehlinger of Film Ladd uses the “N” word. No, the other “N” word. – Found at The Camp of the Saints where Bob offers some additional *gasp* NAZI history.

Also, @FilmLadd produced a hilarious ad for Sean Bielat who ran in 2010 against Bawney Fwank which Michelle Malkin used in her sendoff post to the outgoing POS. Unfortunately, it’s been rumored that paragon of truth and virtue, Maxine Waters, will take his place. Sheesh! Will this be another case of out of the frying pan, into the fire?

We need a bit of humor for a break. Here’s the ad: “The Barney Shuffle:”

Did you miss the Thanksgiving White House visitor log document dump? – Malkin

Scary: Scientists make flu virus that could wipe out civilization – Bluegrass Pundit

Monthly Bulletin of Islamic Persecution of Christians – Atlas Shrugs

Islamists Expected to Win Big in Monday’s Egypt Elections – American Power

Don’t Get Sick In England On The Weekends (The Future Of Obamacare?) – Pirate’s Cove

Russian News Anchor “Salutes” Barack Obama – Eye of Polyphemus

The Fed extended $7.7 trillion in bailouts? Try $16.115 trillion! – Spellcheck

The Romney Scorecard: RINO – Furthermore H/T Three Beers Later

Romney Fiscal Plan: Hypocrisy or Idiocy? – Also from Furthermore @KLSouth who just found his rightful place in the blogroll. Sorry for the delay.

Operation Gratitude, November 26, 2011 – Three Beers Later

Mexico Attorney General Calls For US Gunwalkers’ Extradition – American Perspective

Tales From the Redneck Resistance. – Redneck Reflections H/T Adrienne

#VRWC

All Your Children Are Belong To The Nanny State – Wyblog

Alinsky’s Rules Explained Part II: Rules Five Through Eight – Conservative Hideout

Adam Smith vs. Obama: Profits and Government Regulations – Motor City Times

Should we be trading our principles for electability? – Sentry Journal

‘Conservative’ Newt’s New Deal – Classic Liberal

So, David Frum might be so upset if Romney or Huntsman is NOT the nominee……….. GatorDoug

Lastly, I wish to express my solidarity and admiration to a Friend-I’ve-Never-Met and fellow blogger, Teresamerica, who has been holding the torch of truth high in her exposure of Islam as the religion of hate that it truly is. That bright light has attracted some vermin from the ether who has threatened her life!

Death threats should be taken seriously and reported immediately. This is no game and we must all stand together against the individuals and organizations who would have us give up our First Amendment right to free speech.

God bless and protect you, Teresa.

An Islamofascist Threatened Me – I Continue To Support Pamela Geller in the Face of Threats – Teresamerica H/T Adrienne

Don’t bet the farm on it.

This video from 2009 tells us all we need to know about Newt’s brand of conservatism.

.

Thanks to The John Birch Society for exposing  The Real Newt Gingrich.

This is what you get with an America-hating community organizer in the White House.

Thanks Barack.

Found at GlennBeck.com where they’ve also posted a must-see reading list.

Found at American Digest a while back. Made by John E., who says of his work:

“In this infographic, I took a look at various statements and promises made by Barack Obama (and a few others) during both the 2008 campaign and early on in his Presidency. These statements were then set against current statistics and those from inauguration day or 2008 for annual stats.”

Click to embiggen.

And the root of Western thought.

Here’s the latest Afterburner:

Texas Constitutional Elections do not get much publicity. No one is on the ballot. We are not voting for President or a Congressman. Who cares,  right?

Constitutional Amendment Elections are actually VERY important. We are CHANGING the Texas Constitution!

This year’s Constitutional Amendment Election is on Tuesday November 8^th, 2011.

There are 10 propositions on the ballot this year.

Below is a list and explanation (from the Texas Secretary of State website) of the propositions that you will see on the ballot when you go to your polling location to vote.

Also, below you will find an awesome graph from Parker County Blog.

This graph shows the Voting Recommendations from Conservative Organizations in Texas

As you can see from the graph, the conservative organizations in Texas are AGAINST most of the propositions on the ballot. Proposition 1 is the only proposition that most conservative organizations are in favor of. Proposition 10 has a pretty neutral recommendation so that one is a tossup. The rest of the propositions are generally seen as bad propositions by the majority of the conservative organizations.

Everyone of course should investigate the propositions and make their own determinations of how they should vote. This is just a guide

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:EMPOWER TEXANS’ ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONSTEXAS EAGLE FORUM ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

LIBERTY INSTITUTE VOTERS GUIDE

VOTERS GUIDE FROM TEXAS LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS

Explanatory Statements for the November 8, 2011 Texas Constitutional Amendment Election

---

Proposition Number 1 (SJR 14)

SJR 14 would amend the constitution to authorize the legislature to provide the surviving spouse of a 100 percent or totally disabled veteran with an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the surviving spouse’s residence homestead as long as the surviving spouse has not remarried, the property was the residence homestead of the surviving spouse when the qualifying veteran died, and the property remains the residence homestead of the surviving spouse.

The proposed amendment would appear on the ballot as follows:  “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a 100 percent or totally disabled veteran.”

Proposition Number 2 (SJR 4)

SJR 4 would amend the constitution to authorize the Texas Water Development Board to issue additional general obligation bonds on a continuing basis for one or more accounts of the Texas Water Development Fund II, with the restriction that the total amount of bonds outstanding at any time does not exceed $6 billion.

The proposed amendment would appear on the ballot as follows:  “The constitutional amendment providing for the issuance of additional general obligation bonds by the Texas Water Development Board in an amount not to exceed $6 billion at any time outstanding.”

Proposition Number 3 (SJR 50)

SJR 50 would amend the constitution to authorize the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board or its successors to issue and sell general obligation bonds on a continuing basis for the purpose of financing educational loans for students, subject to certain constitutional restrictions, including a restriction as to the maximum principal amount of bonds outstanding at any one time.

The proposed amendment would appear on the ballot as follows:  “The constitutional amendment providing for the issuance of general obligation bonds of the State of Texas to finance educational loans to students.”

Proposition Number 4 (HJR 63)

HJR 63 would amend the constitution to authorize the legislature to permit a county to issue bonds or notes to finance the development or redevelopment of an unproductive, underdeveloped, or blighted area within the county, and to pledge increases in ad valorem tax revenues imposed on property in the area by the county for repayment of such bonds or notes.  The amendment does not provide independent authority for increasing ad valorem tax rates.

The proposed amendment would appear on the ballot as follows:  “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to permit a county to issue bonds or notes to finance the development or redevelopment of an unproductive, underdeveloped, or blighted area and to pledge for repayment of the bonds or notes increases in ad valorem taxes imposed by the county on property in the area.  The amendment does not provide authority for increasing ad valorem tax rates.”

Proposition Number 5 (SJR 26)

SJR 26 would amend the constitution to authorize the legislature to allow cities and counties to enter into interlocal contracts with other cities and counties without having to assess an ad valorem tax and set aside a specified amount of funds for the payment of costs under the interlocal contract.

The proposed amendment would appear on the ballot as follows: “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to allow cities or counties to enter into interlocal contracts with other cities or counties without the imposition of a tax or the provision of a sinking fund.”

Proposition Number 6 (HJR 109)

HJR 109 would amend the constitution to increase the amount of principal that is available for withdrawal from the permanent school fund each year and would also clarify certain references to that fund in the constitution.  Increased access to the principal of the state public education trust fund would be based upon HJR 109 granting the authority to consider alternative market calculations when determining the amount of principal that is available for distribution to the available school fund.  HJR 109 would also provide authority to distribute to the available school fund annual revenue from school fund land or other properties up to $300 million per year.

The proposed amendment would appear on the ballot as follows:  “The constitutional amendment clarifying references to the permanent school fund, allowing the General Land Office to distribute revenue from permanent school fund land or other properties to the available school fund to provide additional funding for public education, and providing for an increase in the market value of the permanent school fund for the purpose of allowing increased distributions from the available school fund.”

Proposition Number 7 (SJR 28)

SJR 28 would amend the constitution by adding El Paso County to the list of counties authorized to create conservation and reclamation districts to develop parks and recreational facilities financed by taxes.

The proposed amendment would appear on the ballot as follows: “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to permit conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County to issue bonds supported by ad valorem taxes to fund the development and maintenance of parks and recreational facilities.”

Proposition Number 8 (SJR 16)

SJR 16 would amend the constitution by requiring the legislature to provide for taxation of open space land devoted to water stewardship purposes on the basis of its productive capacity.

The proposed amendment would appear on the ballot as follows:  “The constitutional amendment providing for the appraisal for ad valorem tax purposes of open-space land devoted to water-stewardship purposes on the basis of its productive capacity.”

Proposition Number 9 (SJR 9)

SJR 9 would amend the constitution to authorize the governor, on the written recommendation and advice of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, to grant a pardon, reprieve, or commutation of punishment to a person who successfully completes a term of deferred adjudication community supervision.

The proposed amendment would appear on the ballot as follows:  “The constitutional amendment authorizing the governor to grant a pardon to a person who successfully completes a term of deferred adjudication community supervision.”

Proposition Number 10 (SJR 37)

SJR 37 would amend the constitution by extending the length of the unexpired term that causes the automatic resignation of certain local elected officeholders if they announce candidacy or become candidates for another office from one year to one year and 30 days.

The proposed amendment would appear on the ballot as follows: “The constitutional amendment to change the length of the unexpired term that causes the automatic resignation of certain elected county or district officeholders if they become candidates for another office.

Senator-Blutarsky says:

October 26, 2011 at 5:51 pm

If I voted today, I would vote NO on every one.

In a rare moment of honesty and candor from LBJ, this holds very true-

“You do not examine legislation in the light of the
benefits it will convey if properly administered, but
in the light of the wrongs it would do and the harms
it would cause if improperly administered.”

~~ Lyndon B. Johnson ~~

Bill Whittle dismantles the Progressives’ (Marxist/Socialist/Statist’s) convoluted interpretation of a “living constitution.”

H/T Phineas @ Sister Toldjah

From Jared Law at The 9.12 Project:

The so-called ‘National Popular Vote’ movement is, indeed, a threat to the electoral college, a wise, inspired system our Founding Fathers set up to help provide yet another firewall to a dictator taking control of America before we had a chance to react. California has already completed the process to flip the bird at the Founding Fathers and the Constitution.

Phyllis Schlafly:

A plot is afoot to change our constitutional form of government by ditching the Electoral College. John Anderson, Birch Bayh and John Buchanan, three losers who were defeated in the 1980 Reagan landslide, are scheming to change our Constitution without complying with the amendment process.

Our Constitution requires that a president be elected by a majority of votes in the Electoral College, with each state’s vote weighted based on its population. But some who took an oath to defend our Constitution are plotting to undermine its essential structure by a compact among as few as eleven of the most populous states.

The plan of this Campaign for the National Popular Vote (NPV) is to get states with at least 270 votes in the Electoral College to enact identical bills requiring their own electors to ignore the winner of their state’s election and cast all their state’s ballots for the candidate who the state believes received more popular votes than the other candidates nationwide, even if he fails to win a majority of the popular vote.

Read the whole thing. Then, contact your state and national senators and representatives. If they sneak this through, we will lose the republic.

UPDATE:

Just saw this from Professor Jacobson at Legal Insurrection:

National Popular Vote debacle looming

Trog has a great idea about who to include on that list before he’ll agree to submit to such a test.

But let’s think about this for a moment.

The libertarian in me says we need less intrusion, not more, but I understand the premise: people on the government dole should be held to the same standard as their benefactors.

We tax payers  are the 53% so by default we are their (the people on welfare and or food stamps) employers. It’s a shame their job description is so undemanding, really. It’s actually non-existent if you think about it, aside from a set-up appointment and a few phone calls the monetary benefits far out-way the miniscule effort/reward ratio. And really, who can resist government cheese? Certainly not the entire class of people the left has trained to suckle the government teat over the last 50 years. So, I’m in agreement, in principle.

But as long as we’re tossing around ideas…

Let’s require drug tests for Congress and all public employees

by randomly chosen, non-union labs,

or no tests at all.

For anyone

except by the requirements of their employer and even then they should be performance driven.

The point is, Congress should be subject to every condition and requirement for employment they legislate upon the people they supposedly serve. That goes for public employees as well.

That’s not asking too much, is it?

H/T Breitbart.tv

Lest you think I’m being too harsh with the “moron” description, behold the products of a Marxist/Socialist education system as they deny civil rights hero Rep John Lewis the opportunity to speak in Atlanta.

These people give mind-numbed robots a bad name.

H/T KTRH Houston’s Michael Berry

More from Big Government:

The Email Archive of the #OccupyWallStreet Movement: Anarchists, Socialists, Unions, Democrats and Their Plans

UPDATE:

Occupy Wall Street Hatred, Violence, and Antisemitism Compilation

Nazis and Communists Throw Their Support Behind Occupy Wall Street Movements

Frances Fox Piven Leads Bizzare Chant at Occupy DC Rally (Video)

F*CK The USA: Is This What 99% of Americans Support?

Video: OWS meltdown star a Columbia grad student … with a trust fund

Unions back Occupy Wall Street movement

Occupy Wall Street Protests Go Global, Turn Violent in Rome

Capitalist Confronts #OccupyLA

$3.6 Million from Soros Backs ‘Occupy Wall Street’, Media Ignore or Downplay Connection

Occupy Wall Street protesters have amassed $230,000 and supplies

Seduced by the Dark Side of the Force

Police Hospitalized After Obama OWS Riots Turn Violent

Shameful: Uniformed Coast Guard Member Spat On By #OccupyBoston Protesters

OWS vs. Tea Parties, as seen through the media prism

Now they want to #OccupyJudaism

List of the richest Hollywood moonbats who are supporting the Occupy Wall Street movement

#NewTone: Occupy Wall Street Flea-baggers Now Issuing Public Death Threats

Occupy LA Attendee Calls for Violent Revolution, Philadelphia Protesters Deny Deaths Caused by Communism

Frances Fox Piven Indoctrinating College Students To Be Ready For Violent Street Battles

Rush: Obama Setting Up Country For Riots

Conservatives Support Boston Needy Who Were Harmed By #OccupyBoston

An illustrated guide: The homes Kamp Alinsky Kids won’t protest

Obama political adviser linked to Occupy Wall Street protests

Shocker: Drugs And Criminals Join #OWS

#OccupyWallStreet Weenies Get No Love From Schlichter

Occupy Denver Protester: Hang and shoot Bush and the thirteen families that own the world

Lisa Fithian: #Occupy Organizer, Union Educator–And Israel-Hater

Obama Tears Down His Own Wall Street

Obama Uses MLK Dedication To Sell #OccupyWallStreet And Vow He’s Not Done Transforming America Into A Marxist State

More updates to come.

At least that’s my take on Vanderleun’s excellent piece titled The People of the Mud, which explores the psychology of those useful idiots populating the Occupy Wall Street crowd. Or would the proper description be pathology?

A small sample:

“Yearning for the mud” in America is a compulsion that comes over people when they have, for complex reasons, a need to immerse themselves in self-degradation. It’s usually a mix of drink, drugs, and weird sex until the soul is obliterated by the abused flesh. Why? Hard to say but it is often the case that, when they look at themselves, they can’t stand what they see.

This obliteration of the soul and the abuse of the flesh is one of the central tenets in many of our post-modern, secular lifestyle religions. For them the “signo” of “In hoc signo vinces” is the full body tattoo project, an earlobe plug, and the multiple facial piercings with a coke nail as an accessory.

Most people try some of these things for a time in their youth, but soon grow out of it when age and experience get the upper hand. Others grow out of it via deep psychoanalysis and a few trips to the rehab clinic. Still others are simply killed by it, their lives bracketed by dates that are far too close together.

Many, however, never kick this yearning for the mud and were, in the past, thought of as “perverts” but are now more kindly seen as “differently minded.” Seeking the safety of number they now live in those urban sinkholes of the soul they laud as “enclaves of Alternative Lifestyles.”

Please do take the time to read the whole thing.

And pray for those afflicted souls who wallow in such an amoral state.

Having experienced what Vanderleun describes while pursuing the rock and roll lifestyle, his words hold a truthful resonance to me. The youths in OWS simply want to be part of a larger movement, to feel like they contributed to “something.” Unfortunately, their professors have sold them snake oil in the form of a wrongful cause. Heck, most of them have no idea why they are there except for the party and the debauchery, utterly clueless as to how they are being co-opted and used by the very government they should be protesting in the first place.

Note to OWS: If you want to have a TEA Party, you can still join ours. But please, be sure to bathe and clean up after yourself. We don’t leave our protests in a state of disarray, in case you haven’t noticed.

The People of the Mud will now be added to the Prime page.