Friday, March 13, 2009

Ammunition

Ammunition.

Pat Buchannan summed up the latest slap in the face of Americans proffered by the Democrats or should I say the Liberal Democrats.
-----link-----
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?fc_c=1378334x2898236x50861820&id=31063
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In the article Pat points out how the Liberal Democrats stripped the E Verify part of the stimulus bill out. In the construction part of the bill that almost guarentees that 10-15% of the new hires will be illegal immigrants. This will mean 10-15% less unemployed legal Americans will not get the benefit of the stimulus.

Pat also shows that there are a group of Blue Dog Democrats not going along. He concludes that this is something we can work on.

-----quote-----
As of today, there exists a Republican-Blue Dog Democrat coalition in both houses that is serious about putting our country and countrymen first, be it on spending bills or trade measures. This is a foundation to build on.
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He didn’t say so, but it’s equally obvious; here is part of the Reagan coalition. In other words some ammunition for the Republican armory: that we can use to rebuild that coalition.

That whole idea of the Dems being the party for the working man, the union man; well we have seen some chinks in that armor. The Blue Dog Democrats know it. The average working guy is figuring it out. The Big union bosses don’t have a clue anymore about the average working stiff.

I wonder what the high paid white union construction workers think about Robert Reisch?

Big everything is located in Washington. When they meet usually it is behind closed doors. I’m talking Big Business, Big Labor and Big Government. When they get in bed together, oho what fun they have. They create a world of their own. It’s like a bad Shakespearian Play. This next clip serves as a good example.
-----link-----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opxuUj6vFa4&feature=channel_page>
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This alternative universe has its own language. Listen how the words “social return” are used. Judge for yourself what that means.

Targeted relief to these communities. Federal formulas for getting this relief to these communities. Also the part about the middle class being too busy to notice they aren’t getting any help. I take my hat off to Rangle he does have some big ones.

He also is giving the Republicans some more ammunition. Another part of the Reagan Coalition is being slandered and put in harms way to placate the Radical Left.

This kind of ammunition will play well in Penn. Ohio and the whole Midwest. Hell this will play well anywhere. The Republicans only need to know how to use this ammunition without shooting their own feet off.

Saul Anzuis in his efforts for Newt’s American Solutions should be trying to figure the best way to get a wedge into the Big Union effort to take away the rank and files right to secret ballots. This should help the “Defeat the Card Check” effort by Saul. This should show who's bed Big Labor is really trying to feather.

One of our principle beliefs is the rule of law. This is the type of ammunition custom made for highlighting that principle.

Through efforts at the grass roots level spearheaded by the efforts of private groups like American Solutions, the whole “Tea Party” thing, which is turning into a John Galt movement and many others in the marketing end; I think we will see that the glaring mistakes the Liberal Dems. are making, will get exploited by Republicans.

I sincerely hope we also come up with some workable solutions. Show that we are a party of doers not nay sayers. Show we have the common sense answers all are looking for.

Hopefully they will keep giving us the gun powder, we just have to learn how to keep it dry till it’s time to use it. We also have to use it to make America better. If we just use it for political sniping as tempting as that is, we will be no better than they. We need to use their missteps to showcase our solutions.
We need to show the Reagan Coalition (the people) that they can trust us again.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Amatuer Hour

Inside the liberal Democrat party and outside it, cracks are getting bigger. Inside this country and across the pond, the futility and harmful effects of the stimulus are being made apparent. The European leaders who have had far more experience with failed liberal programs, are saying enough is enough. Whether they are saying this out of concern for their country or concern for their jobs, public opinion has taken on a alarming shift to conservative thought in the EU. Alarming at least in Gordon Brown’s opinion.

Gordon Brown is a perfect example of the effects of this shift. He is under attack for trying to emulate the Obama, Pelosi Reid plan. He came to America looking for support and help and the “amateurish” Obama administration and its lack of leadership vs. politically correct rhetoric, then went on display for the world to see as they treated Brown to second class treatment on his State visit here lately. The people that get the work of the politicians done are the bureaucrats their opinion of the team Obama has put together can be found in the following link.

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http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/13783b6c-0db2-11de-8ea3-0000779fd2ac.html
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This following quote from the article above.

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It also emerged that Gordon Brown, UK prime minister, was struggling to organise the summit. Britain’s most senior civil servant claimed it was hard to find anyone to speak to at the US Treasury. Sir Gus O’Donnell, cabinet secretary, blamed the “absolute madness” of the US system where a new administration had to hire new officials from scratch, leaving a decision-making vacuum.
“There is nobody there. You cannot believe how difficult it is,” he told a conference of civil servants.
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I previously blogged about Greman leader Merkel and how she is fighting the idea of borrowing more money and getting into more debt to fund a larger stimulus. She is holding firm, she was the first big time Leader to draw the line in the sand over this continuously expanding stimulus thing.

Ironically the article talks about PM Brown being enthusiastic about a second stimulus as opposed to Germany’s (Merkel’s) no more debt ideas.

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Mr Brown is more enthusiastic about a possible second stimulus package, and his government is placing less emphasis than Germany on the need for a prompt return to balanced budgets once economic recovery is under way"
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Mr. Brown Is not deaf nor dumb; I’m sure he is listening to the Conservative drumbeat of no more debt, especially as it is being echoed by a growing majority of voters in England. As I blogged before; England’s George Osbourne the Shadow Minister of the Exchequer was going to give an in your face Conservative speech. He did.

-----snippet from my blog----------------------------
It was through this “shadow” system that today shadow chancellor George Osborne will make some astonishingly un politically correct remarks'
-----link-----
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090306/tuk-tories-save-hard-to-exit-recession-6323e80_1.html
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This is some good old school conservative stuff baby. While we in America are debating between how much free money it takes to screw in an economy, Osborne in England will be saying things like “People are going to have to "work hard and save hard" if Britain is to get out of the recession”
How about this quote?
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{{{"Our banking system is not separate from our economy, it is a reflection of it. Our banks hold a mirror up to the worst excesses of our society," he will say. "And the unsustainable debts in our banks are a reflection of unsustainable debts in our households, our companies and our Government."
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How’s this?
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The 'money for nothing' society has to end. The age of irresponsibility is over."
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George Osborne will give this speech later today or tomorrow because as I write this it is 9:30pm Thurs. And in England it is Friday already and this news is less than an hour old. Some one got a transcript of the speech.}}}}
-------end of snippet-------------------------------------------

Now for inside this country and its opinion of the new administration and its dealings.

Arrogance?
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http://www.salon.com/opinion/paglia/2009/03/11/mercury/
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The above article written by Camille Paglia, a liberal no less than in Salon. Though she still refuses to fault Obama but lays all the blame at the feet of staffers and others. I guess once you’re conditioned to play the “it’s not our fault” game as much as they played the “it’s all Bush’s fault” game. Any other name will do. At least when Bush made a policy he admitted to it, and didn’t go around blaming everybody else.

In Chicago Obama avoided voting (taking a stand) by voting present. Now better yet as President he doesn’t have to vote even present. He doesn’t even have a vote. He can just talk and talk and throw everybody else under the bus.

Look out taxpayers here comes da bus.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

What a difference a slant makes.

This is what I thought after reading the article below.

Another example of what happens when a party wins on a principled platform then later through compromise and the need to form alliances to stay in power can lose its focus and the voters who put them in power.
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http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4082759,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
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In other words Merkel has her hands full. Her government is about to collapse. That is what I based the next conclusions on.

In Britain the Conservatives with a strong conservative message are still gaining ground, so it begs the question of whether the difference is the lack of focus on the message or whether just the act of being in power is what is to blame for Merkel’s loss of popularity.

I think it’s probably a combination of both. I would like to think that had Merkel straight off kept to her message and put in strong reforms that the crisis in Germany would have been mitigated enough to help her out. If she makes a major move now the results will not show up in time, but the action, if she can capture the peoples imagination with some forward looking radical reforms may be enough.

I noticed upon a closer reading of the article, it looks like the poll numbers were only down 1 and 2%. That sounds like a fixable thing. An understandable thing in these troubling times. The competition is still lagging behind. Unless I see worse numbers I would say she is safe for now. My estimation is that the media in Germany is as slanted as it is here.

If those numbers are only down 1or 2% I would say she is holding up rather well under the circumstances. I think Gordon Brown the ruling Liberal party leader and Prime Minister of England would be happy with those same numbers.

I guess the main conclusions I draw from this is that the Conservative movement is alive and well worldwide and ready to make its comeback here in the good old USA.

Upon further research, I just found this about the same poll.
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http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/03/04/europe/EU-Germany-Politics.php
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This article I tend to put more faith in as it gives us more facts from which we can judge the credibility of the story. Merkel’s numbers are still far and away better than her nearest opponent. The problem is who she will have to make a coalition with in order to push through her agenda. She needs a coalition in order to govern at all. To do that is the rub. The ones in the cat seat as far as making or breaking her coalition is the Center Left party. I wonder how close they would be with our “Country Club” Republicans?

I don’t have the knowledge to make that call. I just hope she can keep to her agenda. All parts of the country are in her favor. I wish her luck on leveraging her popularity and political skills to force her agenda through. Conservatives worldwide could use an example of how in times of financial crisis a conservative can handle things.

The press has already castigated her for not following Obama’s lead with massive stimulus packages. Though she did a multibillion dollar one. Seems it wasn’t big enough for the liberal press over there.

With some further digging I found the next link which shows that the conservative ideas are the only ones that gained in the polls. That is the FDU which is a conservative party of pro business people. The German people it looks like to me, are starting to think that business people may know something the others don’t about economic matters.
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http://www.france24.com/en/20090209-merkel-political-crisis-economy-minister-resigns
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Check this quote out from the article above.
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The big winners from the crisis are likely to be the FDP, which saw its popularity soar during a recent state election in Hessen and whose poll numbers are ever improving -- the party gained three percentage points in the ARD poll.
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The article explains the complicated way the coalitions are formed. With my limited knowledge she sounds like she is being forced to join the FDP. It also sounds like the article said it was her “preferred choice.
I’ve learned a lot In the last year about Euro politics but I see I have just started learning. Any way the next quote I liked.
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The latest opinion polls show Merkel is still likely to win September's election and form a coalition with her preferred partner, the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP).
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Why didn't they just say that to start with?

The poll margin in her favor is relatively huge for her to win but the governing ability is what seems to be in question, that is if I have a handle on their politics.

Perhaps, the confusion stems from a distorted and sometimes not too bright media over there.

Well, even if their media is screwed up: it’s nice to see it is at least consistent on each side of the Atlantic. Then again if the confusion’s mine at least I’ll admit it.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

The Job. Facing Reality

Yuval Levin in Newsweek wrote the article “The Republican’s Road Back” linked below.

-----link-----
http://www.newsweek.com/id/188149/output/print
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Hat tip to Richard Viguerie’s Conservative HQ.com. for a heads up on this Newsweek article dated March 16th 2009.

This is the type of thing I believe in and have been blogging about ever since David Cameron (the shadow Prime Minister of England’s resurging Conservative Party) helped clarify my ideas. He talked about Conservatives needing to use and work with the system in place in order to change that system.

The trick was not to be corrupted from it. ( With that said I cannot help but think of our last stint in power.) He thought that just continually crying about how bad the system was had gotten the British Conservative Party nowhere. He suggested coming up with Conservative based solutions to the problems they faced.

He would keep the basic Conservative principles, then work to implement programs based on those principles. Concrete Conservative ideas people could relate to. His idea of “facilitating” meant that the government should be more responsive to the actual needs of its citizens in a more economically efficient way. With more of an emphasis on the individual. Simply offering common sense solutions that worked.

Mr. Levin says.
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“But more than anything they point to the need to apply these general principles in a constructive and engaging way to the problems of the moment—understanding that the moment and its problems are always changing in this never-resting country. They suggest that standing up for principle and proposing incremental policy reforms are not mutually exclusive”
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I agree. I understand the joy of blogging ad nasuem as I am prone to do about my intellectual aspirations for the party. I also on the other hand want to see America become a better place by offering practical solutions. To mix the two is the trick.
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Their work involved an intense intellectual engagement both with conservative ideas and traditions and with the problems of the moment
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That quote talked about how hard the practical and theoretical had to work to come together to come up with workable social solutions to current problems of the time. It had to do with compromise on the solutions not the principles. Levin is saying that our Conservative success under Reagan and later Gingrich et all had to do with this type of necessary compromise.

I think Mr. Levin would agree with the idea that it is harder to do the work of melding the theory with the practice, and that to complain is less work than beating out a compromise that works and will win the hearts not just the minds of people.

I do not want the epitaph on my headstone to read here rests the perfect conservative. He always found a way to make sure his values weren’t compromised. He did nothing.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Better Tasting Republican Stew

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http://blog.beliefnet.com/freshliving/2009/03/stephen-colbert-on-the-power-of-yes.html
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Steve Cobert is quoted by Valerie Reiss on Beliefnet below about cynicism.
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Young people who pretend to be wise to the ways of the world are mostly just cynics. Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don't learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or disappoint us. Cynics always say no. But saying "yes" begins things. Saying "yes" is how things grow. Saying "yes" leads to knowledge. "Yes" is for young people. So for as long as you have the strength to, say "yes."

The opposite of Yes is No. No - it worked for the Dems. Cynicism is the sidekick for No. To paraphrase Colbert, cynicism is just another way to say no while sounding wise - yet offering nothing constructive. Worse than that the use of cynicism will detract us from the discussion at hand. It derails our focus on working the solution. Cynicism will keep us from getting things done.

The lure of the trap of cynicism is that it is easy to be cynical or negative, to say no. As Colbert points out in his analogy with Improv; saying yes involves work. It involves finding a way to do what you said yes to. When you say no, if you listen to the conversation you will hear the silent SNAP of the jaws of the trap you’ve sprung on the conversation, and yourself if you actually thought you were offering help. If you weren't trying to offer help; I hope no one paid you any mind. We as a party out to revive an old Amish custom. Shunning. Ignoring the Left and the media will drive them crazy. As a recovering cynic watching them go nuts is enough enjoyment for me as I do the work of making solutions.

Republicans lately are falling into that trap of cynicism. For all our hopes and talk of 2010 we should listen for the SNAP of our own trap. We should beware of the jaws closing out the innovation and good ideas we need to win in 2010. We talk of being the party of solutions; then let us listen to those who have solutions and say yes to them. As Colbert says “Yes-and”. The “and” should be “and what can I do to help”.

Also I've heard enough already with the yes buts.

So often we are tempted to fall back into cynicism and say no to a fellow Republicans plan. We say no and tell them why it won’t work. If we are truly the party with solutions, then we need to become the party of cooperation and coordination. We have to focus on coming up with solutions in a collaborative way that will make America stronger.

We need to understand that our party (as Thomas Sowell in his book “Conflict of Visions” so aptly points out)is the party that accepts imperfection and deals with that reality. Our solutions too are imperfect along with the people involved in them. We are the party that revels in the doing not the talking. Yes we may strive for perfection, but we enjoy the progress we make in the doing.

We need to get back to the doing. We must get away from trying to wrest the mantle of “Cynicism” from the Democrat. Its theirs by birthright. Let them have it. Let’s focus on solving problems. Remember we are not after perfection that is where religion comes in. We are after progress.

Can we solve world hunger today? No. But we can damn well be behind anything that let’s farmers grow whatever they see that people want to eat in the best way they can come up with. Do we think we know how to grow things better than farmers? No. Can we offer them help if they ask? Yes.

Can we solve all our education problems? No. But we can damn well get behind anything that focuses on quality vs quantity. Forget the squables, let's not turn into the party of interest groups. Again let the Dems. keep that mantle. Let's stay behind anything that teaches kids how to learn not just memorizing what’s politically correct.

Jackie Cushman Gingrich wrote an article about Star Wars the movie and the idea of the importance of focus in accomplishing anything from saving “the Empire” to saving the Republican Party. Mrs. Cushman says that the point of focusing on the target is “…… nothing is invincible; stay on target while ignoring diversions; teamwork can outmaneuver defense”
-----Jackie’s Link-----
http://townhall.com/columnists/JackieGingrichCushman/2009/03/08/stay_on_target
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Mel Gibson’s often repeated refrain in the Patriot, “Stay the Course” is also fitting in that keeping focused on what you are fighting for, makes up for a lack of men and equipment. By staying focused in the Revolutionary war we were able to “outmaneuver the defense”. We still can.

Make no mistake; the administration and Obama are on the defense. On the last Omnibus bill 20 House Dems voted against their party. Harry Reid failed to get Cloture on it in the Senate. Cracks are starting to form in their coalition.

If the Republicans can focus on victory in 2010 and not be distracted by our divisions we can start winning some battles, then the war in 2010. We need to pay no attention to distractions. We need to capture the momentum and keep the Dems on the defense.

Who’s in Charge of their party? Obama, Reid, Pelosi or Hoyer? How come they won’t listen to the Southern Democrats of their party? What is wrong with a balanced budget, with being fiscally responsible?

SNAP goes the steel trap of My Cynicism. Sorry for falling into it. It’s too easy not to on occasion. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if for example Limbaugh and Steele got together and formed a team, an offensive team that said to the media; thanks for reminding us that we have so much more in common than not, and it is for that reason we are today forming an alliance for the greater good. We will try to coordinate our efforts through the common ground we share trying to help Americans make America strong again. And as to not totally by pass cynicism they could ask the media if they had any other helpful ideas we could use to help the party.

Perhaps a little sarcasm on rare occasion flavors the stew.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Uppity Republicans at it again.

Yup some just don't know their place.
Dan Burton
-----youtube-----
http://www.danburtonblog.com/2009/02/dan-burton-youtube-superstar.html
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John Boehner’s interview calling for the President to veto the Omnibus Bill.
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http://republicanleader.house.gov/LatestVideo/
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These guys just have no respect for the administration.

Anyway.
Please note the reference to China in both videos. China is cutting taxes to stimulate their economy and create jobs. They seemed to have learned some things from Reagan’s success and Europe’s failure. Not to mention Russia's failure. We have over charged our credit card with them to the tune of 800 billion dollars. They now have the leverage. They will enhance that by buying more bonds, but they will if I’m not mistaken start to raise the interest on our loans from them. The vig will soon come due.

They also are afraid of how we are throwing our money and in effect their money, away. Dan Burton’s graph speaks volumes. We have run out of credit cards to borrow from to pay the previous credit cards. Luckily the administration has the key to the printing office. What Dan Burton is saying is that the government will have to print more money because there is no place left to get it.

We’ve robbed all the money Peter has to pay Paul now we have to rob ourselves.

Last year Dan Burton was instrumental in getting the whole Oil Drilling debate made public. He did this with guerilla tactics. He Westmorland and Price stood the lonely vigil on the House Floor after hours talking to an empty House, but the cameras were rolling. From that guerilla type activity, from the Bottom Up came an outpouring of support. Newt and Boehner jumped on board and the train started rolling. That was an election year and politicians listened to voters. The ban on drilling was allowed to lapse. Victory was had.

Dan Burton is again at it in instigating debate, real debate on the economic course the administration is driving us toward. The video above is only one of many that he has done on the same subject. He along with John Boehner and the RSC are getting their voices heard.

Getting back to the idea that the President should veto this bill. Here is a quote.

“The Senate should reject this bill. If we do not, President Barack Obama should veto it.”

Well John Boehner said something almost like it but this was a direct quote from Evan Bayh a Democrat Senator writing in the WSJ.
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123612545277023901.html
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That was before Harry Reid failed by one vote to obtain cloture in the Senate for the bill. Cloture means the closing of all debate and the chance to filibuster the bill. As John Boehner in the video above points out the Congress hadn’t even had time to read the bill let along study then debate the bill. In other words he said the Congress was left no time to do what they were elected to do. He refused to vote for it. He threw it on the House floor. He called for the President to veto it. A long standing Democrat Senator echoed his sentiments. By Reid’s failure to find enough votes for cloture there obviously was more than one Democrat trying to be fiscally responsible.

Burton and Bayh are both from Indiana both from different parties. They both seem to share some common sense. Boehner is from Ohio. I guess common sense is alive and well in the Heartland.

What can we do about this? What can we do to help this "guerilla" effort. Put on your thinking caps then your boots. The "Chicago Tea Party" idea is a good one. We need to bring attention to our lawmakers of the number of voters who think this is a bad bill. There are other ways to exploit any chinks in the armour of big government. Saul Anzuis former Party Chair of Michigan is working with Newt now at Americansolution.com and heading up a petition drive in regards to the Card check bill in congress. Start to write letters to your Congressmen and Senators. Let people know.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.