Disgraceful

This week, Barack Obama showed tremendous disrespect to two of our country's most faithful allies in the post World War II era.

First was Great Britain. Argentina once again wants to push a claim for the Falkland Islands. They got their hand slapped last time they tried to seize them. The Iron Lady Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher fought hard to regain them. British military power drove off Argentine forces. Now Argentina is pushing once again for the islands. Despite the fact that only British people live there, Obama sided with the Argentinians. This came a year after a calculated social snub of that country's Prime Minister.

Now Obama's behavior insulted the Prime Minister of Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu came to the White House for high level discussions. It is customary for the world leaders to eat together, then appear as the visiting leader leaves. Obama simply left Netanyahu alone to eat privately and informed him he could find his own way out.

This behavior is outrageous and unprecedented. Even enemies under previous administrations received better treatment than Obama has shown friends.

Obama is no president. He is simply a third world type thug temporarily occupying the presidency.

Devin Ebanks' Dilemma

Here's a nice dilemma. You have worked hard for fifteen years to become one of the best at what you do. You go to West Virginia University to play for one of the greatest college basketball coaches in history. It's not an easy ride, certainly Bobby Huggins expects the best from his players, no demands the best. You come to the end of your second season and you almost have college basketball figured out. Another season at WVU would polish your skills and miximize your chances of going high in the NBA draft.

But there are lots of reasons to try and go this year before you are fully ready. You might get hurt. Rookie salary rules might change. But here's the biggest issue. Taxes are about to go through the roof on every level because of what Obama and Congress have just done.

You think your hundred million dollar contract pays you that much? Think again. With socialism in place, the idea is to soak the rich. That might soon include Mr. Ebanks. All that money these guys spend on expensive cars, homes, custom clothes, for the most part goes to American workers and businessmen who help these guys craft the image they want. It looks like waste and it is not always smart spending, but it does put Americans to work.

Mr. Ebanks, like most folks, probably wants to make as much money as possible from all the hard work he has put in. And it is hard work to be the best basketball player possible. Weight lifting, endless practicing on all facets of the game, this takes more time and effort than most put into their jobs. Basketball at this level is less a kid's game and more of an entertainment job. Ebanks deserves his money just like anyone else.

Will Ebanks jump to the pros this year? He is still a raw talent, maybe too raw to be drafted high. However if he is drafted, he can at least make some big bucks before the big time taxes kick in.

How high can those taxes go? Ronald Reagan in the late 1930s paid 94% of his income in taxes. Professional athletes can probably expect the same unless we remove Obama and Pelosi from power.

On Revolutions . . .

Karl Marx always predicted that a Communist revolution would commence when corporations on their own combined and formed monopolies. This would expel businessmen and professionals from the ranks of the middle class and wealthy into those of the poor. Angry and frustrated, they would join with the poor to supposedly launch a revolution that would establish a Communist dictatorship.

We may soon see wealthy and middle class individuals thrust from comfort into the ranks of the poor, but it could be Obama's Marx and Mussolini inspired reforms that do it.

Obamacare will require a rise in all our taxes. The requirement that health care be purchased is in itself a sort of tax, as Matt Lauer actually pointed out. It was President Ronald Reagan, that evil and uncompassionate Republican, who removed the working poor from the federal tax rolls. Barack Obama just put them right back on them.

State taxes will fly through the roof because Obamacare requires that the states pick up much of the cost. Many states, including West Virginia, have a balanced budget requirement, something Congress cannot even conceive of. West Virginia and many other states will see their economies collapse as a result.

As taxation forces unemployment to rise and reduces the size of incomes, people will try to cope by joining the under the table black market workforce. This will include professionals who have debt and tuitions to pay.

Desperation could set in and create the conditions necessary for a revolution unless relief is granted by the United States Supreme Court, the states, or a Republican Congress elected next November.

It would be different if this came about with popular support. It only happened because of bribes from Obama and arm twisting by Nancy Pelosi. The country is divided as most have not seen since wither the 1960s or the 1860s. States are passing anti-federal legislation not seen since the 1830s. If they have teeth, there could be a constitutional crisis coming soon. If the economy continues to slump, if taxation grows to an unbearable point, the people and state governemnts will push back and push hard.

I'm not saying this will happen. I'm definitely not saying I want it to happen. I'd rather just see a GOP Congress come in next year and end this horrible nightmare. But the anger is real. Once people see the rewards of their labor and investments siphoned away and given to someone else, a political payment will come due. You can only push people so far.

Make Them Accountable!

Time to get out and start a revolution. Keep the pressure on. Encourage state attorneys general and legislators to work to undermine and nullify every part of this illegal legislation. Most important, support candidates for Congress who promise to repeal this violation of our Constitution and our natural rights. Democratic congressmen that switched their votes and suddenly got huge appropriations for their districts after they switched their votes to yes did not even have the decency or intelligence to put off announcing the payoffs made to them.

Yes, your taxpayer dollars now fund baby killing.

And keep your eyes open. Pelosi promised to railroad more changes through in this manner.

Our motto must now be to hold them to account. Every single congressman who voted against liberty and the Founding Fathers.

Capito Expresses Disappointment with End Product of Health Care Debate

WASHINGTON—Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., today expressed deep disappointment over the passage of the government take-over of health care in the House of Representatives, saying:

“Tonight was a missed opportunity for Congress to heed the wishes of the American people and produce a bipartisan solution to the health care challenges faced by this nation. We know that Americans want health care reform, but this bill is not what they’re asking for.

“For the last year, I have promoted common sense reforms like enacting meaningful medical liability reform, allowing Americans to buy insurance across state lines and promoting wellness and prevention. These simple solutions could have brought down skyrocketing costs and expanded access to health care for more Americans.

“Instead, Congress has once again favored backroom deals over transparency, espoused big government over small businesses and chosen tax hikes over spending cuts. These decisions only further cement the American people’s sentiments that Congress is tone deaf and disconnected from the challenges faced by everyday Americans.

“Rather than pushing this legislation through Congress in spite of the American people’s wishes, the Congress should have gone back to the drawing board. A person’s health is not a partisan issue and the solutions for health care reform should include ideas from both sides of the aisle. The people of West Virginia deserve better.”

Congresswoman Capito on the Health Care Bill

Letter From Tennessee Governor to Senator Bob Corker and Representative Bart Gordon

States need to lead a standard of legislative rebellion against a rapacious Congress. Nullify anything that violates the Constitution. As published in Washington Times:

Bob and Bart, the problem we are facing is simple: by 2013,we expect to have returned to our 2008 levels of revenue and will have already cut our programs dramatically – over a billion dollars. At that point, we have to start digging out — we will have not given raises to state employees or teachers for five years, our pension fund will need shoring up, our cash reserves (“rainy day fund”) will have been considerably depleted and in need of restoration, and we will have not made any substantial new investments for years. There will have been major cuts to areas such as Childrens Services that we really need to restore. On top of these, there are all the usual obligations to be met — Medicaid, for example, will continue to grow in excess of the economy and our tax revenues. It’s going to take at least a full decade to dig our way out and back to where we were prior to this recession.
In this environment, for Congress to also send along a mandatory bill for three-quarters of a billion dollars for the health reform they’ve designed is very difficult. These are hard dollars – we can’t borrow them – and make the management of our finances post-recession even more daunting than it already is. …
I very much want to support the President, and Lord knows we have plenty of people in Tennessee who need help with health insurance. But this is an extraordinary time for us (and we are better off than many states) and I will appreciate any way in which you can help us manage through this.

Rally in Washington DC on Saturday With Jon Voigt and Michele Bachman

Conservatives and Libertarians once again have decided to abandon their weekend plans for a trek to Washington DC this Saturday. Several congressmen and women have scheduled a last minute rally to demonstrate to Congress how upset Americans are over their latest insanity. Yesterday the House of Representatives voted to create a rule that allows that institution to pass a bill without actually having to vote upon it. This somehow keeps individual House members from having to claim a vote on the toxic health bill and prevents recourse to the highly unpopular reconciliation technique in the Senate.

Here's the question. If this bill makes you so afraid of your constituents that you create a rule to keep you from having to vote on it, then maybe the bill is bad. Every congressmen and woman should be able to defend every vote they make with pride. If they cannot do that, they need to either vote differently or get out of the way and allow a different face to take their place.

In the past few years I have seen Republicans go from "we don't protest" to organizing carpools. I have seen state governments actively pass legislation to nullify acts of Congress, something that I do not believe has been directly done since the 1830s. I have seen our country return to the days when one group looks at the other and cannot believe that we are countrymen. For all this I blame the Left. They want to impose something upon us that is burdensome and destructive to our economy and our future. They want to create a plan that destroys wealth. Why? They want power. They want to steal the wealth of this country from people who earned it. Look at how their plans have worked so far? Unemployment well beyond their predictions and no end in sight.

Why are Democrats trying to commit political suicide while taking the rest of us with them?

Below is the statement from Jon Voigt:

by Jon Voight
I am calling to all of you freedom-loving Americans to come once again to Washington D.C. to gather at upper Senate Park, across from the Capitol on Saturday, at 12 o’clock noon.
We must come by the thousands.
Speaker Pelosi will stop at nothing to fulfill her corrupt conquests. She will bring all of the corrupt ACORN liars to try to bully all the Democrats that may be having pangs of guilt knowing quite surely what their votes can and will do. If they’re bullied into saying “yes,” it will destroy America.
Join me and Rep. Michele Bachmann in Washington DC at 12 noon EST so we can give all the Democrats who know what the end result will be the courage to say: “No, do not pass this destructive bill.”
I’ll see you there.

Manchin's Mission on Education

Governor Joe Manchin has decided to launch a full scale assault against the status quo in the West Virginia school system. West Virginia ranks 16th in the nation in spending per pupil, $1,000 more than the national average. It also ranks high in other spending indicators as well.

Okay we get it. West Virginia spends a lot of money. We and Governor Manchin ask, where are the results?

We could blame the teachers, but we will not. We could blame the parents, but that makes less sense. The fact is that, and I am speaking as a person who was an education major as an undergraduate, spent a few years as a substitute teacher, and has seen two children grow up in West Virginia schools, the entire system is, as the military men call it, FUBAR. You can ask a vet to translate that for you.

Our biggest mistake lay in moving away from community based schools. You can still see the buildings from that era on roadsides everywhere. Some were one room schools, others a little larger. They are usually square, whitewashed wooden buildings that do not look expensive to build or maintain. I asked someone once why we stopped building those schools, at least for elementary and junior high students. I was told that they represented a fire hazard. This is interesting because I have never heard of a rash of fires buring down schools in the old days. Additionally, the fact that so many of those buildings still exist is a testament to their original design and construction. Some remain standing even when vacant for decades. Certainly such structures required much less investment in resources, resulting in a larger percentage of money actually used for teachers and students.

At some point the state embraced the concept of giant consolidated schools as the wave of the future. We uprooted students from their towns and made them ride buses sometimes for an hour and a half to get to school. Fewer teachers had direct community connections with the students they taught. You have more incentive to put a little more into time with a student if you see the parent in church on Sunday or at little league pratice. We need deconsolidation. Smaller community based shcools with less travel burdens on children will give them more time to study and more time to do the things they want to do, as opposed to communting up to three hours per day. Smaller classrooms in those schools allow for more instructional attention. We don't need schools with all the latest technological bells and whistles. We need smaller schools with less students. If this means less computers, less televisions, and less gizmos, so be it. Too many of them cannot write a paragraph, but they are very Facebook literate. Which is the more important skill?

Get rid of block scheduling and go back to Carnegie units. Block scheduling requires students to spend two hours on each subject at a time. I can tell you as an adult college student, two hours was more than I could stand for subjects that I loved. You force a student to endure two hours of a subject they hate and you will get worse results. I remember the arguments made for it, more time for creative teachers, teachers will just have to work harder to make it more interesting, etc. The fact is that you make policy to incorporate the less optimistic scenarios. You account for the fact that some kids hate math and some kids hate history and they can only force themselves to pay attention for an hour at the most.

Eliminate the Department of Eduation and any federal legislation concerning schools. States and localities ought to make education policy, not the federal government. Obama's administration made federal education policy a scandal by appointing a guy to run safe schools who included anecdotes in his book about encouraging underage boys to go to bus stations to have sex with older men. No Child Left Behind has destroyed the confidence of many teachers because it tries to force communities into a set of standards determined by numbers. Standardized tests have never taught anyone to read and actually discourage teaching that results in thinking.

Eliminate educational psychology courses in favor of more content classes for teaching students. I took three ed psych classes and they essentially all taught me the same thing. Teachers need to know a lot more about the subjects they teach. Twenty years ago the content education required of teachers was not enough to create a full understanding of their subject and they are required to know even less now. Of course this creates more reliance on materials provided by others, which may be the idea.

Most importantly we need competition for the school system. It is a classic example of why socialism does not work. In Belgium school funds follow a student to their choice of accredited school or pays for homseschooling materials. If Catholic, Protestant, and home based schooling had the same chance at education funds, this would create competition and force schools to perform better. Already parents opt out of traditional schools at higher levels than we have seen in a long time even with the added financial burden. They sense that things are not right at some level.

Finally, I would encourage our school system to create the position of "master teacher." This would be a certified teacher who went on to earn a masters and/or a doctoral degree in their subject. They would naturally receive more pay. I would also include in teacher education a mandatory semester of substitute teaching. This is where one learns the classroom management skills that educational psychology classes leave out. How do you deal with the 7th grade shop class where the school dumped all the problem kids and the teacher left ten minutes of busy work? You have to really develop some skills to handle a day like that. You find out really fast whether or not you want to be a public school teacher. You also watch the regular teachers at work and hear their complaints. I changed my major in my junior year of college after a year of substitute teaching on the side. I had little trouble managing classes, but I saw right away that I did not want the headaches of dealing with educational bureaucracy or the increasing numbers of problem children forced into regular classes. Weeding out people who just are not right for the job by tossing them into the deep end of the pool is a good idea.

We must also step back from the idea that education is a right. It is not. It is a privilege to be educated. Calling education a "right" creates a culture of entitlement. Children who create problems on a consistent basis should not be in classrooms with children who are there to better themselves. No one is entitled to sit in a classroom and wreck havoc and remain in regular school. No one is entitled to remain in a regular school and mercilessly bully other children. No one is entitled to assault a teacher who dared to discipline them (as has happened in Mineral and probably nearly every county) and remain in regular school. Calling education a "right" hamstrings teacher and school efforts to maintain an environment conducive to learning. Trying to make seventeen the dropout year is backwards thinking. If they want out of school and are only causing problems while there, by all means let them go and allow students who want to learn to gain the advantage of the absence of troublesome peers.

Fact is that these are deeply based systemic problems that demoralize students, teachers, and parents. They feel trapped in a system that believes in numbers, not individuals. I can definitely understand why a public school teacher would have their confidence crushed by the things they must deal with and would never encourage my children to go into that field.

If Only We Could Get More People to Follow This Example and Stand Up to Government

The Department of Education thinks almost none of us are fit. We need to stand up and remind them that we set the standards for our community schools, not them. When the president hires an encourager of child molestors to be head of safe schools programs, it's time to get rid of federal education policy entirely.

Surely you remember this tune:

I wanna tell you all the story bout the Harper Valley widow wife
Who had a teenage daughter who attended Harper Valley Junior High
Well her daughter came home one afternoon and didn't even stop to play
And she said mom I got a note here from the Harper Valley PTA
Well the note said Mrs Johnson you're wearin' your dresses way too high
It's reported you've been drinkin' and a runnin' round with men and goin' wild
And we don't believe you oughta be a bringin' up your little girl this way
And it was signed by the secretary Harper Valley PTA
Well it happened that the PTA was gonna meet that very afternoon
And they were sure surprised when Mrs Johnson wore her miniskirt into the room
And as she walked up to the blackboard I can still recall the words she had to say
She said I'd like to address this meeting of the Harper Valley PTA
Well there's Bobby Taylor sittin' there and seven times he asked me for a date
And Mrs Taylor sure seems to use a lotta ice whenever he's away
And Mr Baker can you tell us why your secretary had to leave this town
And shouldn't widow Jones be told to keepHer window shades all pulled completely down
Well Mr Harper couldn't be here cause he stayed too long at Kelly's Bar again
And if you smell Shirley Thompson's breath you'll find she's had a little nip of gin
And THEN you have the nerve to tell me you think that as a mother I'm not fit
Well this is just a little Peyton Place and you're all Harper Valley hypocrites
No I wouldn't put you on because it really did it happened just this way
The day my mama socket it to the Harper Valley PTA
The day my mama socket it to the Harper Valley PTA

Remember the Federalists

In the 1790s the Federalist Party had a secure grip on power. People associated them with the Constitution, George Washington, security, and prosperity. As late as 1796 they dominated elections to the presidency and Congress. How did they lose power by 1800?

Much of the reason lies in the passage of the Sedition Act. Sedition is the criminalization of attacks on the government. If the government decides that the origin is either satirical or untrue (in the 1798 version anyway) it can move towards prosecuting the writer, cartoonist, or speaker. Many Federalists enthusiastically backed this act despite its blatant violation of the Constitution. John Marshall, a Virginia Federalist, argued against it and it shocked, scared, and angered the opposition Democratic-Republican Party.

Thomas Jefferson and James Madison from Virginia feared that the anger stirred up by this act could cause a civil war. Perhaps many Federalists, publicly or privately, supported this as a way to finally get a virulent press off their backs. However the people saw it as an attack on liberty and the natural right to speak freely, even in dissent, about government. Jefferson and Madison tried to assuage the people by penning the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions that asserted the right of state courts to declare federal laws unconstitutional.

Voters punished the Federalists by expelling them from power in 1800. They found themselves loathed as aspiring tyrants and their party disintegrated by 1815. Its most promising leaders, such as John Quincy Adams, left to join the Democratic-Republicans to escape the tarnish.

Democrats need to look very hard at history before they vote for unpopular expenditures and expansion of federal power. It might not mean simply their loss of power, but perhaps the destruction of a venerable institution that has contributed much to the national discussion over the centuries. Kowtowing to an authoritarian left wing element just because it currently has authority will not help moderate Democrats in the long run. Tyrants never last. Remember the motto of Madison and Jefferson's home commonwealth: Sic Semper Tyrannis

March Madness

Capito Works to Shore Up Housing While Preventing More Waste of Taxpayer Dollars

Capito Introduces Legislation to Reform Federal Housing Administration, Prevent Taxpayer Bailout
Reps. Bachus, Neugebauer, Garrett, Biggert Co-Sponsor Bill
WASHINGTON-Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, today introduced legislation to prevent risky lending and borrowing practices at the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Capito's bill, "FHA Safety and Soundness and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2010" is co-sponsored by Financial Services Ranking Member Spencer Bachus (R-AL), Deputy Ranking Member Randy Neugebauer (R-TX), Capital Markets Subcommittee Ranking Member Scott Garrett (R-NJ) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Judy Biggert (R-IL).
The FHA reform bill seeks to shore up revenue for the FHA, which is nearing insolvency, and prevent an impending taxpayer bailout by increasing examination of borrowers and lenders, giving the FHA the ability to increase premiums, implementing a risk-based pilot program and using outside credit risk experts.
"While the FHA's economic state is troubling, I am confident that our legislation will provide the necessary reforms to ensure the viability of the program," said Capito. "A taxpayer bailout of the FHA is simply not acceptable. With swift implementation of our proposed risk management safeguards and revenue enhancements, we can restore the FHA's proper role in the market."
"Thanks to Rep. Capito's leadership, Republicans have a strong plan to address the FHA's deteriorating financial position and avoid the potential for another taxpayer bailout of a government mortgage financing agency," said Bachus. "Her legislation mandates much-needed improvements in FHA's risk management practices, shores up its dwindling capital reserves, and prevents unscrupulous lenders from dumping risky loans into the FHA portfolio."
"We need to put the taxpayers first and make needed reforms to FHA," said Neugebauer. "I appreciate Representative Capito's leadership on a comprehensive bill that will help rebuild FHA's stability and protect the taxpayers. This can be a bipartisan bill, and I hope our colleagues on the Financial Services Committee will join us in this effort to improve the soundness of FHA."
"The government's involvement in the housing market and its negative ramifications for taxpayers has been a great concern to me ever since I came to Congress. Rep. Capito's legislation is an important first step into the broader conversation on risk management and the FHA. I look forward to exploring additional steps we can take to reduce risk to the taxpayer, including increasing the down payment requirement for FHA loans," said Garrett.
"Private lenders have learned a lesson from the real estate bubble, and they are moving to properly account for risk and protect their own investments," said Biggert. "It's past time for the FHA to learn that same lesson, and ensure that taxpayers will not be unfairly left on the hook for risky loans. These reforms will put FHA on a sustainable path, help homeowners into loans they can actually afford, and spare taxpayers from yet another bailout."
# # #

White House Wrong to Slam Israel

Last week Israel announced that 1,600 new housing units would be constructed for Jewish residents in Arab dominated East Jerusalem. Obama and Biden claimed that this derailed the fragile peace process.

What peace process? When has there been one, apart from Obama apologizing on behalf of Western Civilization for all the wrongs it has ever committed, some real, mostly imagined.

Criticizing Israel's decision to construct the units reflects something basic and wrongheaded about Obama's approach. He seems to see East Jerusalem as negotiable. Israel made a strong and necessary concession to peace when they agreed in principle to allow the Palestinians to control Gaza and the West Bank. Those people have the basis to create not just a state, but a prosperous territory based upon the Christian tourist trade, if they would ever just act right and abandon their claims to the rest of Israel. Palestinian leaders refuse to give up the concept of "right of return." This is the idea that they should be allowed to migrate back to homes in Israel, homes they were forced out of three generations ago. If allowed to return, they would soon outnumber Jews and be able to vote the state out of existence.

Obama is unrealistic to think that East Jerusalem will ever return to Arab rule. Jewish people see Jerusalem as their historic capital, as the City of David. Despite that king's personal foibles, he is seen as their greatest king and an important symbol. Israel will never give up any part of Jerusalem unless you pry it from their cold, dead hands.

Again the world sees Obama out of his element. Foreign policy matters overwhelm this administration because they fail to understand what makes diplomacy work. Also, most other countries do not believe that their policies are the root of international violence. It's tough to convince them to take a submissive and apologetic stance as Obama has done for the United States.

He needs to stop trying to organize the world's community and deal with realities.

Seat Belts and Personal Freedom

Senator Corey Palumbo (D) Kanawha, is frustrated. The Senate recently passed a bill making seat belt non usage a primary offense. This means that if the bill passes the House, police can pull you over if they see you drive by and suspect that you do not have your seat belt on.

On first thought, this might sound benign. Who doesn't support the idea of wearing seat belts? It prevents a lot of automobile deaths. Wearing them while driving is a no brainer.

Buy why is it the government's business to force me to be safer? Why should they care if I survive an accident or fly through my front window at 60 MPH after hitting a tree? My death ultimately directly harms no one but myself? Why on earth is it anyone's business but mine how safe I choose to be if I crash my car?

Even worse, making seat belt usage a primary offense will give police cause enough to pull over anyone, anytime. If they see you whipping by at 50 MPH, how can they tell if you are wearing your seat belt. They cannot. All the cause they need is to believe that the seat belt is disengaged. Worst case scenario, they use it as an excuse to pull over people that they believe look suspicious. Most police are not like this, but there are a few bad apples out there.

If they thought about it, the black community would probably fight this on those grounds. They have a fear that they get targeted unfairly. Some who have displayed the "Don't Tread On Me" sticker have made the same complaints.

Seat belt use ought to be an individual choice, not a nanny state policy. Making their non use a primary offense simply opens the door to abuse by introducing more subjectivity into traffic stops. The House should dump this bill.

Northern Plains Indians Are Sitting On A Gold Mine

Nothing gets the hate America crowd more warm and fuzzy than a discussion on how the "white man" mistreated the Indians. They love to compare the federal government of the late 1800s to Nazis, despite the fact that no president authorized or supported massacres. President Grant (a Republican of course) alienated many voters by embracing a peace policy.

Well, now is the time for liberals to put their money where their mouth is. Indian reservations in the northern plains sit on top of some of the largest oil pools in the world, just discovered in the past few years. It's time for them to reap the rewards of being large scale landowners in a time of energy scarcity.

The Secretary of the Interior wants to halt drilling in the United States. Of course Obama follows the now discredited global warming belief that inexpensive energy will destroy the earth and kill us all. Most people understand that tapping energy sources here drives down power costs and helps to rebuild our old competitive advantage for industrial jobs.

Indians should step up and start drilling. They have sovereign control over their lands by treaty. If the federal government tries to stop them, it will be breaking yet another treaty with Indian nations. Furthermore, any EPA or Department of the Interior attempt to deny Indians the right to drill would be tantamount to the state of Georgia stealing gold laden land from the Cherokees in the 1830s.

Indian reservations today have some of the highest poverty levels and lowest levels of education in the United States. That can be alleviated, at least on some reservations, by drilling for oil and even refining it on the same reservation. If Obama tried to stop them, that would be a real injustice.

Dear Ryan and Laura Kennedy . . .

This is an open letter to Ryan and Laura Kennedy, candidates for the State Republican Executive Committee.

I noticed that you are running for West Virginia Republican State Executive Committee. I also see that you are young, energetic looking folks who have good, solid principles. Being part of the Tea Party movement means that you are on the ground floor of something that is transforming our country. For all the work you and those like you have done, I sincerely applaud you!

The only thing that I have a question about is the accusation that Republicans in West Virginia have ignored the hard working people of this state. I'm not writing this to slam you guys, far from it. Can you clarify what you mean? In what ways do West Virginia Republicans ignore working people?

I only ask this because I have worked multiple campaigns, talked to legions of candidates, state and county executive committee members, and have almost always been struck by how much most of them care. Your candidacy is a good sign that young people still care and want to fight for what they believe in. However, those who have worked with the Republican Party probably take issue with what you are saying.

I'll be the first to admit that every party has their operatives, people who put their emphasis on victories first, ideology second. But most Republicans that I have run into have very strong principles and fight for them whenever possible. Take for instance the Craig Blair/Clark Barnes debate over drug tests for welfare recipients. Both make arguments based on GOP principles and both feel passionately about this issue. It's not grandstanding or attention getting. Both men are trying to protect the people, they simply disagree on how to do it. Shelley Moore Capito has spent the past year battling for all West Virginians against the Obama Administration and congressional Democrats. Betty Ireland has spent a lot of time recently trying to help facilitate the donation of the Dow Technical Park in Charleston because she believes it will create jobs. I noticed Tommy Phillips signed up to support you. Few Republicans have put in more volunteer hours than Tommy.

West Virginia Republicans by and large care about the future of the state and our elected officials work hard to try and improve conditions for all businesses and working people. Very often they disagree as to how to go about reaching goals or who should lead the struggle, but it is rare to find someone who spends a lot of time with the party who lacks principles. In the Democratic Party, political workers get rewarded with state jobs because they have dominated the executive branch and expect to keep doing so. We don't work in expectation of political favors; there are almost none to give. We work because we care about the candidates and the issues.

Fact is, that most of us who are deeply involved are the working people. We have a candidate for the Legislature from Huntington who is an ironworker. We have a lot of small businessmen and women who put in more hours than most and frequently pay their own salaries last. We have current legislators who are school bus drivers and schoolteachers. We are not rich people by and large. That's why we share the concerns of working people, because we are, for the most part, the working people.

As I said, this is not to slam the two of you. I am really interested to see what you mean when you say Republicans ignore working people. I hope I can get you guys to respond because dialogue is good. We need to link the Tea Party movement and the GOP together, to harness the energy and ideas of the former to invigorate the latter. We need to stay true to principles also. The more we meet and talk, the more we can plan how to get our country back. I hope that even if you guys do not win the seats you are runnign for, that you will stay involved and keep bringing your ideas to the forefront.

Anyway, good luck and I hope to hear from you.

Put Down Your Pole Opie! Obama Might Ban Fishing.

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/saltwater/news/story?id=4975762

Yes it sounds like an extreme right wing piece, but this comes from ESPN, not known for its conservative leanings. Read the story for complete details.

Obama, for reasons known only to him, has decided to work with several agencies to implement a policy on fishing. The main groups advising him are extremist environmental organizations such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund (last seen suing the World Wrestling Federation for the right to use "WWF.")

In doing so he will use presidential Executive Orders, statements that have the force of law, to bypass Tenth Amendment protections on state sovereign rights over streams.

Few things are more traditionally American than a boy going down to the creek or lake to fish without bureaucrats looking over his shoulder. If he can do this to fishing, he will do the same to hunting.

Once again, West Virginia's way of life is under attack from Obama and his Communist, environmental nutjob friends.

Sure, you thought Obamunism couldn't get much worse.

Huey Long Style Politics Brings Down a Democratic Congressman

Eric Massa (D) New York announced his resignation from the House of Representatives and he refuses to go quietly into that good night.

It is reminiscent of the politics of Huey Long, the dictatorial governor of Louisiana in the 1930s. He tried to build a power base on corruption and thuggery. Intimidation and threats brought votes into line. Obama's Administration has used Long style tactics against American political figures. Finally one spoke up against the socialization of America and he got punished.

Accusations against Massa stem from an incident at a wedding this year. Massa attended with his wife, drank, danced with the bride and bridesmaid (who was evidently attractive.) Massa then sat at a table filled with his staffers, all male. Bawdy conversation insued, the end of which featured Massa grasping the male staffer nearest him, tussling his hair, and saying that he (Massa) ought to be having intercourse with him (the staffer.) Massa claims that he then figured out that he was inappropriate and left the wedding.

House investigators jumped on the case immediately. Then Democrats broke precedent by discussing details of an investigation before its conclusion. Massa believes that he was set up because he was a barrier preventing the passage of Obamacare.

Raunchy? Yup. Does it rise to Ted Kennedy levels of indecent behavior? Hardly. There could be more to this story of sexual inappropriateness, but let's assume for a second that this incident is all Massa has "committed."

Massa's resignation did not come with the sheepish claim of wanting to spend more time with his family. The Navy veteran launched broadsides at an administration and congressional leadership who indulged in repeated and blatant attempts to bully and intimidate the fiscal conservative Democrat. This included pointed snubs by Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives and an expletive filled shouting match between Massa and Emmanuel after Massa voted against cap and trade.

Democratic leaders have lost their minds. They focused almost singlehandedly on the health care issue to the exclusion of a poor economy and bad unemployment, foreign affairs, and a wide variety of other issues. Sure they sent Joe Biden to the Middle East, but he is the least respected member of this administration.

Massa is leaving, meaning that Republicans may regain the seat in fall. The noise he makes going out the door is the story of the day. It comes at the worst possible time for the "party of compassion" as they try to meet their own deadline to pass the bill.

The Obama Psalm, courtesy of Rob Klein

Thank you, Rob Klein

Obama is the shepherd I did not want.
He leadeth me beside the still factories.
He restoreth my faith in the Republican party.
He guideth me in the path of unemployment for his party's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the bread line, I shall fear no hunger, for his bailouts are with me.
He has anointed my income with taxes,
My expenses runneth over.
Surely, poverty and hard living will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will live in a mortgaged home forever.
I am glad I am American,
I am glad that I am free.
But I wish I was a dog ..... And Obama was a tree.

Breaking News: Republicans Think Obama Is a Socialist!

You may be amazed to hear this, but according to the liberal media, the Republican Party believes that Barack Obama is a socialist.

Even more shocking, Republicans plan to discuss Obama and Pelosi's socialist agenda to try and raise money for the midterm elections!

At fundrasisers' retreat in Florida recently, one Republican attendee carelessly left behind a packet of papers that outlined the top secret, confidential strategy that will describe Obama's Marxist, I mean, Leninist, er I mean Communist, no socialist policies. I know that almost no one out there believes that Republicans might consider Obama a president that leans towards socialism so this information must come at a huge shock.

Even more hair raising were cariciatures of Harry Reid as Scooby Doo and Nancy Pelosi as Cruella De Vil. Oh the humanity!!!!! How low will Republicans descend in their efforts to describe massive wealth redistribution and government takeovers of major industries as socialist?

Donna Gosney, attendee from the West Virginia Republican Party, explained in a quote in an National Public Radio story, "I'm tired of all this politically correct crap. If it's socialism, let's call it that. If not, let's call it something else."

Finally, the liberal media is reveling in the fact that the GOP hands out trinkets to major donors and other activists that are worth far less than the amount donated. I am sure that the Democrats hand out Mazzeratis to their top donors, but the GOP is a little more cash conscious. It probably does come as a shock to rich donors that the lapel pin or signed picture of President Bush they got for their donations may not have a high monetary value.

So let's recap. Republicans think that left wingers like Obama and Pelosi are dangerous socialists. They are willing to poke fun at their images to raise money and sway voters. The liberal media sees this as dredging the bottom of the political barrel.

Sure, it's not the same as calling Bush a Nazi, a moron, a monkey, an evil genius bent on destroying the world, or the idiotic puppet of Karl Rove or Dick Cheney, but hey, that's politics for ya.

The Myth of Unequal Distribution of Wealth

One of the myths perpetuated by the great socialist educators of our time is the idea that an unqual distribution of wealth is a bad thing. Educators pound it into student heads as if it is a geometry postulate. Like almost everything else they say, the socialists have it wrong here as well.

G. M. Trevelyan in his History of England is not trying to make an economic or ideological point when he describes how an unequal division of wealth helped to build a prosperous England. Medieval aristocrats had wealth, much of the rest of the country did not. When those aristocrats started developing tastes for items made outside their regions, a merchant class had to emerge to bring those items to the wealthy. later a manufacturing class emerged to produce those items closer to home. In other words an unequal distribution of wealth created a market condition that spread the wealth to those who were most productive and innovative, therefore encouraging more efficiency and innovation. The wealthy did distribute wealth, but got a fair market value of goods or services in exchange. Also they are unlikely to spend all their money at once, so they will continue rewarding good businessmen for a long time to come.

Meanwhile the formerly less wealthy individuals who work hard and make sound decisions rise to the classes of the wealthy.

An unequal distribution of wealth in a society where government interferes little will produce more real upward social mobility. We used to call that "the American Dream."

Obama wants to redistribute wealth as well. He does not propose to offer goods and services to the wealthy; he wants to seize from them the wealth that they earned legitimately. Obama does not propose to reward the industrious, efficient, or innovative, he proposes to prop up failed businesses that support him politically, give away favors to political allies, and toss out crumbs to the poor to purchase their votes. Meanwhile the productive and industrious get burdened with more taxes so that they can finance "change." Where is the incentive to be a producer? You can stick to principles and get your wealth stripped from you or get in line with the looters and beg from the benevolent fist of socialized government. Or head for the hills and go on strike like John Galt.

Which example is more likely to produce a powerful and prosperous economy?

Congressmen Targeting Paper Mills

Last night I attended the wind energy meeting at, appropriately enough, the Wind Lea Conference Center. US Windforce representatives broke down for us the pre construction steps that needed to be taken before the turbines can go up, along with reviewing what they had done in the last six months to get this far. I came away thinking that if I had money to invest to actually build a new industrial concern, I would probably do it in China. Why would anyone want to jump through all of these regulatory hoops to build in the United States? The process is so difficult, expensive, and time consuming that it is not worthwhile to manufacture here. Since we have chosen to make new manufacturing as difficult as possible by electing leaders that pass these laws, if we want good jobs, we must keep what we have.

Around here, that means The Mill. In an economic downturn, our paper mill's employees are always worried about layoffs or even a shut down. They have to worry because it is their family's livelihood. Even more importantly is the ripple effect from employees. They can afford to surface their driveways, put in pools, and do other things that employ local small businesses. I know of one small business whose entire customer base last summer was mill employees.

That is why the new efforts to slip cap and trade back into relevance are so menacing. Joe Lieberman (I) CT, Lindsay Graham (allegedly R) SC and John Kerry (D) MA are trying to refashion the cap and trade bill to go after specific industries. Going after everything at once was too controversial. Going after industries piecemeal might not get as much negative attention.

They want to go after electric utilities first. That, of course, means coal fired plants. We are familiar with the War on Coal. However, among the next list of targets are paper mills. In both cases they want to introduce costly regulations that will have the effect of driving away jobs and perhaps entire establishments.

Clearly if this new assault on mining and manufacturing is allowed to pass, Mineral, Garrett, and Allegheny Counties will be economically devastated. Each relies so heavily on the mill at Luke for jobs.

Lindsay Graham has broken from an otherwise solid GOP stance against this further assault on manufacturing. Otherwise, Republicans by and large support the businesses and workers in mills, mines, and other traditional blue collar fields.

Mill workers and miners in this area need to get their unions active on this issue. Tell them to blast Congress with demands that they stop attacking the American worker in the name of a global warming theory based on the fraud of lying scientists. In the past, unions protected labor against company policies that sometimes neglected workers' interests. Now it is clear that labor unions and business have the common interest of keeping jobs here. They need to work together to fight legislation that kills jobs.

If the mill goes away, what will replace it? Who will employ these people? Where will they go? What will they do? John Kerry, Lindsay Graham, and Joe Liebermann should come to Luke and answer those questions personally.

Mission Accomplished: Thank You President Bush

An article this week in the very liberal Newsweek magazine described something that very same magazine once deemed either impossible, or too costly to succeed. It claims that the war in Iraq has been won by the forces of democracy.

Our military played a larger role than any other to make this happen and our servicemen deserve the most credit. However one must also understand that democracy does not happen without the resilience of the people of Iraq. Their desire for freedom and their demands that political violence cease were heard loud and clear. They did not just talk. They volunteered for the police and the army, braving bombs and snipers. They voted and proudly waved their purple fingers at cameras. Now they have run through their second cycle of elections. One party is peacefully about to give way to another.

Why did democracy work? President Bush deserves a lot of credit. He could have micromanaged Iraq, as Kennedy did South Vietnam. Domestic political pressures were placed on him every time they made a move that we disliked or misunderstood. Bush encouraged Iraq to find its own path without American controls. They did just fine.

Now young Iraqi women wear miniskirts and listen to rock and roll. Iraqis are free to speak and worship freely. Their neighboring countries do not fear stockpiled WMDs and their people are not terrified of random kidnapping and torture by the government. Rule of law and republican government prevail. And the Iraqi people love it.

Mission finally accomplished.

Please, Mr. Governor, Stay Out of Football Scheduling

When times are bad, one of the worst things an elected leader can indulge in is frivolity. It opens him or her up to charges that their eye is not on the ball. Governor Manchin's name in a Mitch Vingle article once again surfaced. The Charleston Gazette sports reporter claimed that Manchin remained "on standby" in case negotiations failed between West Virginia and Marshall to schedule a football series.

In pure football terms, this is a series neither school really wants. Marshall is tired of getting pounded every season and needs to alter its schedule to assure its participation in the post season. West Virginia is tired of playing a team that has littl epositive impact on its strength of schedule.

In pure political terms, Manchin's association at this point is silly. He wants to project himself as a firm hand on the economic wheel as economic storms batter the state. We have done well thus far, but attacks by the federal government on our economy have proven disastrous. How do we counter the EPA? How do we keep our pension funds solvent? How do we reduce unemployment? Manchin has so many questions to address; he hardly needs to waste his time forcing a football game on two reluctant schools.

Advocates of the game say "it's good for the state." How so? If West Virginia and Marshall both host teams from outside the state that weekend, we get an influx of outside money spent in both Huntington and Morgantown. Regardless, Marshall's move from the Mid American Conference to Conference USA deprived it of thousands of fans per game (since most schools are within driving distance.) This reduced the amount of money spent by outsiders in the state. If we have been looking at football as an economic development opportunity (desperate days indeed!) then Manchin should have nixed this conference jump in the first place.

Finally, the national media has poked fun at the governor's penchant for interfering in college football a couple of times in the past. If he wants to be seen around the country as a serious political leader, maybe a contender for the vice presidency at some point, he needs to stop fooling around in trivial affairs like football games.

What Is Coming Down the Pike If We Do Not Win In November

Our nation's birth was conceived in a union of bizarre British ideas about representation and a tax protest. With anti-tax fervor so prominent in our past, it's always interesting to note how faithful Americans are about the idea of paying taxes. Certainly we all fear the IRS, but it is almost on the level of a moral imperative. Americans believe in paying taxes much like they obey the speed limit. Most will fudge as much as they dare, but not break the spirit of the law. Americans believe paying taxes is an important part of the social order.

This social consensus comes with the implied agreement that the government will not take too much from productive Americans. During an emergency, we might be OK with high rates of taxation so long as we understood that the measure was temporary. However when you raise taxes too high for too long, you are encroaching on the goodwill of the people.

The government does not want to transform our idea of tax paying from moral imperative to something that good Americans will skirt as a statement of liberty. Too much taxation combined with the use of those taxes to redistribute wealth will change the attitude of people in this country. Redistribution of wealth on a large scale is out and out theft. It is stealing from the productive to give to the non productive. Hard work should reward the individual who transfers his wealth to other hard working people, not the government and its beneficiaries.

So what will come if this redistribution program of Obama's is brought into law? First you will see Americans hiding their wealth as never before. Capital will fly offshore to safe banks who will protect their depositors. As taxes and government theft rise, public opinion of offshore options will move from negative to positive. For those of us with lower incomes, the earning of under the table wealth will increase. Businesses will be more apt to sneak trusted individuals onto the off the books payroll to give themselves a competitive advantage in a business unfriendly environment. Individuals will do more off the books work, such as landscaping, farm labor, minor contracting, tutoring and other forms of work to make ends meet as the federal governemnt confiscates more and more of their taxable income. Money that many people would declare in earlier times will be hidden now. The government will become more zealous in their attempt to capture this wealth; already some want the state to register yard and garage sales to get taxes from these operations. Of course governemnt zeal translates to a loss of liberty in cases such as these.

At the end, barring an actual civil revolt, one will see a functioning black market that the shrinking legitimate economy will depend upon. Government will tax more of the latter to try and keep up its revenues. Overall, America will lose the rest of its prosperity, sinking into an Eastern Europe circa 1970s condition of subsistence without prosperity.

This isn't a prophecy of the future, but a vision of what could happen if our taxes and spending keep rising while our voters do nothing to stop it.

The Unpresident and the Scandal of Champagne, Cigars, and Canadian Women

Republicans are their own worst critics. Some may spin losses into victories and bad showings into acceptable, but by and large when the GOP performs badly, its rank and file have much less problems than Democrats in letting their party know.

That is why the chorus of support for the Republicans in the health care summit yesterday was so gratifying. You could follow comments on Facebook, normally the home of the more anti-party conservatives and there was general agreement on two things. First, the Republicans conducted themselves much better than could be expected, since their role was ritual slaughter. They remained feisty, got ideas on the table, and neither lost their cool, nor capitulated.

Second, they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams in making Obama look like an ass. Check that. They allowed the president to do that all on his own.

He was blatantly rude to John McCain. McCain tried to perform his usual role of trying to explain to Obama where the Republicans were coming from in the spirit of genuine bipartisanship that rankles more conservative and libertarian folks. Obama cut him off to remind him that the presidential campaign was over. A shocked McCain responded that he was reminded of that fact daily.

Then the rudeness took a bizarre turn when Obama cut off his own vice president, then seemed to snub Biden's approach at the end of one of the meetings. In the very next session, Biden gave a monologue that struck many as incomprehensible. Remember what Obama once said "Nobody messes with Joe."

This was supposed to be, as Biden predicted, "pure theatre" but Obama was supposed to be the director, producer, and star of the stage. Republicans were supposed to perform their roles as teh black hat villains of the piece, perhaps even shouting "you lie!" again. But it was Obama who blatantly accused the Senate Minority Leader of lying, not disagreement over interpretation, but of lying.

Obama seemed to be looking for that gotcha moment, such as when Lloyd Bentsen attacked Dan Quayle over a mention of John F. Kennedy, or Reagan announced that he was paying for the microphone and he would set the rules. Obama even announced at one point that he could be late because he's the president and does not need to count time. In a campaign, taking risks to sound feisty scores points. At this point, Obama looks more like that arrogant ass of a professor that most undregrads try to avoid because he revels in making anyone around him look stupid while showing off his intellect.

Right now, almost all of Obama's political polls have fallen below 50%. The only one that remained high was likeability. Being likeable helped get George W. Bush re-elected despite a lot of misgivings over his policies and especially the war. Did you ever see Bush publicly insult an elected official in either party, or speak about anyone disrespectfully? Certainly in private he could show his temper and did, but he never spoke down to people.

Obama constantly speaks down to people, both Republicans and Democrats. He showed unnecessary disrespect to Bill Clinton in front of a congressman from Arkansas who was what they used to call an FOB (friend of Bill.) The only people he deems worthy of respect are the guys on his staff who are even more disrespectful and rude. Even during his campaign, reporters complained of the rudeness of Obama and his staff, compared to the unfailing politeness and access of McCain and his people. At this stage, a conflict between Obama and McCain in the media might not go Obama's way.

The problem Obama faces on the heels of this so-called summit was his utter lack of presidential decorum. If the goal was to play hardball, put a hardball player in charge of the meeting. Try to rise above the fray. At least act like a president instead of a cranky professor or an irritated sewer committee chairman.

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One more thing. The IOC needs to back off of the Canadian women's hockey team. They won a gold medal in the Olympics. Before this year that was considered a cause for celebration. Last week an American athlete was dispatched home after a picture turned up of a girl kissing the gold medal hung around his waist. This week the hockey team celebrated with champagne and cigars in the locker room (provided by whom? Probably some Olympic committee somewhere!) They were asked to return to the ice for pictures and they complied, some bringing their champagne and cigars with them.

The swig of champagne to celebrate a victory is traditional, at least in North American team sports. These women may never get the chance again to be world champions. What harm does it do to relax for five seconds and let these girls enjoy the moment? What harm would it do for the IOC, for once, to just keep its mouth shut when someone wins and enjoys it?

Now the IOC is investigating the drinking and smoking in public, especially since one of the women was 18 and under the British Columbia drinking age of 19. Yes, this is the big scandal. Not the death of an athlete on a dangerous track. Not the questionable judging of a number of events. Not the weird snub of an American skater for whatever reason. This is the big scandal.

The IOC is considering banning the Canadian team, today the pride of the host nation, from the closing events. If they do this, every Canadian holding a ticket should refuse to show as well, but not give the ticket away or sell it. Let the mass of empty seats be a protest.

Not Sure What To Make Of This, But It's Definitely Peculiar

The link below is to a Washington Times story about a strange event tucked deep within the American military establishment. The US Missile Defense Agency, for some darned reason, decided that it needed a new logo. It paid some company somewhere a lot of money (because our government has lots just lying around extra) to come up with something that looks like a cross between Obama's campaign logo and the Iranian Space Agency's emblem.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/watercooler/2010/feb/23/missile-defense-agency-logo-takes-cue-obama-campai/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_must-read-stories-today

Why don't you all just pay some more money and add something that looks like a hammer and sickle? Our government HAS to stop wasting money on stupid crap. I'm not even all that irritated about the logo. I just don't understand the continual waste of money on crap that we do not need.

Without So Much As a Bayh Your Leave . . .

Recently Evan Bayh, the U. S. Senator who has worked most closely with Republicans over the years, announced in anger that he did not intend to seek another term. He described the growing acrimony within Congress as one reason, but also made veiled references to the overbearing nature of Obama. He was one of several Democrats who declined to run in 2010. One included a Democratic Senator from Arkansas still fuming over derogatory remarks made by Obama about President Clinton.

The "huff" from Senator Bayh was well documented and leading press outlets gave it a great deal of coverage. Much more coverage than any other Democratic congressman who announced his intention to not run. In politics things like this often happen for a reason.

Could that reason be that Senator Evan Bayh intends to run for President of the United States?

In 2012, the only way for the Democrats to hang onto the White House is to dump Obama. His arrogance, unpopularity, and failures do not recommend him for another try at the office. Democrats are abandoning him in droves. Now Bayh's nomination is not a sure thing. Many liberal Democrats see him in the same way that conservative Republicans see John McCain. There is respect, but also a sense that he is not committed to their principles.

He, however, represents one of their best chances of keeping the presidency. The midterm elections should be a guide. If, as is expected, Republicans make huge gains and even capture one house (in the process deposing Harry Reid) then all bets are off on an Obama renomination. He will probably have a primary fight once again. I would not doubt to see Hillary Clinton resign shortly after the midterm elections and woo Terry McCauliffe back into activity.

In any event, Obama is toast if these midterms go as most expect.

Senators Oppose Passing Legislation with the Nuclear Option in the Senate

The Nuclear Option is passing legislation in the Senate with only 51 votes. Senators oppose it as a power grab. Listen to them in their own words.

Got to Get This Off My Chest. I am Damned Proud to Be a Republican

I have to get this rant off my chest. I am tired of Republicans running around being attacked by Democrats for being too extreme and libertarians for being moderate. I'm tired of seeing good Republicans get bashed when they stray outside what some people say is the party line. And I think I know what the problem is.

It is about what we are looking for as a group to move us forward. We are looking for that once in a lifetime individual to capture the attention of all factions and lead the troops against the ramparts of Democratic socialists. We have the energy, the desire, and the fear of worse things in the future driving us, but we have lost our sense of what defines us. Part of that comes from people shying away from the word "Republican." We should remember what our party has stood for over the years and allow our history to help unify and define who we are.

Friends, let me say this. I am damned proud to be a registered member of the Republican Parties of West Virginia and the United States of America. I am always proud of that. I have identified myself as a Republican my entire life and I do not see that changing.

Why am I proud? My party freed the slaves and preserved the Union. It fought for civil rights for blacks. When recessions hit and Republicans held power, they generally (except for Herbert Hoover) stepped back and allowed for self-corrections that took less time than Democratic interventionism. My party supported the fight for freedom in Iraq and deposed one of history's most evil dictators. My party saved this nation from the malaise of Carter and when it seizes power from Obama it will be morning in America yet again. My party understood the evil and brutality of Communism and is fully responsible for setting in motion the events that led to hundreds of millions getting a chance at freedom. When an Iraqi, a Pole, an eastern German, or others in countless countries vote, they can thank in part the Republican Party. When a Democratic president called for America to respond to the Soviet threat and also provide aid to war torn Europe, the Republican Party responded.

For all this and more I am proud to be a Republican. This is what we are missing. Some concentrate on the hairs breadth differences that separate us, or the few who vote and act in ways that we do not like (but often do it for political rather than ideological reasons.) I want us to concentrate on our long history. There are times when we have not always lived up to our ideals. But they guide us nevertheless. Our forefathers of the Founding generation laid down principles that life, liberty, and property were to be protected by the government, not threatened by its lawless policies. We stand by those ideals even as others declare them anachronistic.

Today I am prouder than ever to be a Republican. They declared us dead in 2009, but we defied the pronouncements of the Left. Why? Because we want what the people want. We want an America where hard working people keep the rewards of work and risk. We want an America where anyone can dream of being rich, then work hard and make it happen, a place where wealth is a goal, not a dirty word.

We are Republicans. We are back. We should be proud of who we are, where we have come from, and where we are going.

Thank You Keyser Police Department!

Thank you very much, Keyser Police Department. Last week a six month investigation came to fruition. Officers rammed their way into a home on lower D Street and found large amounts of cash and different kinds of drugs. They arrested individuals from Keyser, New York City, and elsewhere.

One reason for concern here is that the lower end of D Street is one that it's usually pretty difficult to drive through. It's one of those Meccas in town where young kids congregate and play. Of course these are kids whose parents keep an eagle eye on them regardless of what they are doing. However it has to be disconcerting to all the parents of children in the neighborhood that this was found in their midst.

I cannot fathom the foolishness of the drug dealers, though. Let's say you have drug money to rent or otherwise obtain a home. Why on earth do you put your crackhouse in a place that is within a quarter mile of the residences of several police officers, including the chief herself? Do you think that these people driving home from work or chatting with their neighbors are not going to see or hear something about you?

I'm not going to be overwhelmingly worried. My kid is one of the ones that is down that way every so often. I realize that parents are always keeping an ear to the street, that the kids are good and well behaved, and that the dealers want to keep a very low profile. However I am thankful that Keyser has a police department that is on the ball. Hopefully this bust sends a message that this sort of enterprise will not be tolerated in this town.

Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

Colin Powell recently made an appeal to both major political parties to try and return to a spirit of bipartisanship and work together. I think this man has good intentions, but he has grown out of touch with the current political environment.

The fact is that at this point, the left has embarked on such an extreme path, Republicans have to fight tooth and nail because all of their ideas are bad. Left wingers embarked on an ideological blitz in Obama's first year, thinking they could shove at least some socialization into the American system. American voters wised up and started strongly opposing the whole program. The Republican Party, with a tradition of bipartisanship on most issues, followed suit.

There are three problems with working with Obama, Pelosi, and Reid.

First, the left is not operating from a philosophical foundation that has any basis in the traditions of our Founding Fathers. They honestly believe that they have the right to determine how much money you should keep. The rest they want to disperse in any way they see fit, in many cases to individuals and groups that they know will respond by voting for them in the next election. Asking the conservatives and libertarians in America to cooperate with the Left is like asking the police to work hand in hand and sing Kum Bayh Yah with criminal gangs who intend to break into people's homes to steal their valuables. The Left is all about theft. They want your money. How can we, in good conscience, work with these people?

Second, cooperation with the Left would destroy the Republican Party as we know it. Republicans lost credibility by forgetting their small government pledges while they ran Congress. The Left has helped the GOP regain momentum again because it has alienated the majority of the people in the Unietd States. Americans do not want socialized health care, cap and trade, 401k confiscation, or any other left wing big government program. What if the GOP did what it has historically done in most cases when fighting with liberals, bending over, receiving a smack with a paddle, and exclaiming "thank you sir, may I have another?" The party loses every shred of credibility because the people are demanding that someone stand up for them. They want someone, somewhere to stand up to the thieves stealing and wasting our money and exclaim STOP! If that someone is not the Republican Party, they will find someone who will.

Third, we are winning!!!! Time is on our side, yes it is! Democratic incumbents who have followed Obama in lockstep find themselves with primary opponents. Many have dropped out either in fear of losing to Republicans or out of disgust with their own party. What seemed impossible three weeks ago is now very possible, maybe even likely. Republicans could control the Senate, perhaps both houses after November.

With the people behind us, demanding that we keep moving aggressively against the left, why stop now? Colin Powell belongs to an older generation of Republicans with more gentility than aggressive spirit. He is a historical figure to be admired, not a political expert to be followed.

Miss Me Yet?

The billboards are going up all over and related merchandise cannot stay on the shelves in some parts of the country. What is so popular? An image of a cheerful, smiling George W. Bush beside the slogan "Miss me yet?

It seems like so long ago that Democrats basked in the glow of poor poll numbers. They loved to hate Bush. They ignored the successes in homeland security, diplomacy, and a strong economy for much of his presidency and focused on what they didn't like, his down home Middle American personality. They hated that, and by extension hated us for liking him.

The smile in that picture is poignant. It reminds us of a time when our home values were rising, our stocks were in good shape, and we had confidence that the government had no intention of taking too much of our hard earned money. We all felt that way five years ago, at least about our prospects as individuals and as a prosperous economy.

The economic slump has been upon us now for years. The Fed tells us it is recovering, but jobless numbers either remain the same or get worse depending on who you are. Meanwhile Obama has destroyed the hard earned respect Bush created in the world while spending way too much of our money, demanding more in taxes from almost all of us, and making us subservient through debt to our ideological enemies. What has Obama done that inspires hope or confidence? Jack squat.

The unthinkable only a year ago is now being openly debated at CPAC. Discussions are taking place in the serious media about a presidential run by Dick Cheney. I cannot imagine a more difficult candidate to sell. He is opinionated, abrasive, and has a perpetually cocky look on his face. His speeches are blunt, honest, and have zero finesse by design. In other words Cheney is the kind of person that we claim we want as president, but never elect.

Why are people talking like this? Because we do miss the Bush years. We want the confident and strong America that he always talked about. We would like to have that without the tendency towards government solutions that Bush all too often embraced. We have also seen the alternative, a country led by incompetent and arrogant left wingers hell bent on driving us over a cliff despite public outrage. People are also remembering that times started going tough when the Democrats took Congress. Cheney is the most visible of the former administration.

Dick Cheney as president? He is not my first choice personally, despite the fact that I have mentioned him twice in the past week. Then again, I am not sure who my first choice is. That may be the other opening Cheney needs if he intends to run.

CPAC Closing Speech