"Left Behind: How Democrats Are Losing the Political Center"

The lead paragraph of this excellent article:

If you don’t think ideological perceptions matter in American politics, you need read no further. If you do and you’re a Democrat, there’s something to worry about. Even as the terms of the political debate in Washington, in the eyes of many Democrats, have moved steadily to the right, the electorate is increasingly likely to see itself as ideologically closer to the Republican Party than to Democrats. Unless Obama and Democrats can find a solution to this riddle—and find one fast—they will be contesting the 2012 election on forbidding terrain.

 Enjoy.

Herman Cain rebutts Morgan Freeman in particular, and the Left in general.

Herman Cain is running for President on the GOP Platform. While I haven't, personally, made a final commitment, Mr. Cain does speak sensibly.  His rebuttal of Morgan Freeman's charge of racism against the TEA Party is a great read. 

A conservative blog, "The Other McCain", has a great discussion of this debate, pointing out the hypocrisy of Morgan Freeman, and comments. 

One applauds Cain’s de-escalatory approach. It seems that since the Left hasn’t got leg #1 to stand on in terms of logically consistent arguments, the Left instead defaults to trying to push the hormones off the cliff.

Wasn’t there a candidate once who was supposed to have fixed all this? United the country? Applied balm to the wounds? 

The left is starting to pull out the stops now that we are in the run up to the Presidential elections of 2012.  They want Obama re-elected (or, at least, not see a Republican victory next year), and will do anything to reach that objective.  Expect more of the same, and:

Don't let the media form the message!

The Lame Stream Media

Also known as the "Main Stream Media", who, not so oddly, are not as trusted as they would have us believe:

According to Gallup, 55% of the American people do not believe the mass media reports the news without bias. Which proves that 45% of the American people don’t read Politico.

Don't let the media form the message!

President Obama's Top Priorities.....

....clearly does not include jobs nor the budget:

The memorable Chicago Bears team that won the Super Bowl more than 25 years ago missed out on a visit to the White House when the space shuttle Challenger exploded just days after their triumph in January 1986.

But President Obama has sent a belated invitation to his hometown team for a ceremony on Oct. 7.

Thanks, Mr. President, for thinking about those who have been forgotten.

Is Tonight Your Movie Night?

Whether it is or not, here are the Top Ten Pro-Freedom movies of all time:

This isn’t some film school list for latte drinkers. We are talking about chest-thumping, flag-waving, “holy cow, I love freedom” movies here. The competition was stiff, but we finally whittled it down to ten of the most liberty promoting, patriotic, generally awesome movies ever.

Remember, there is no scientific basis for this list, so I hope readers will help us hash it out in the comments section.

 Hat tip to Jeremy!

Ships don't turn on a dime!

Sometimes it's good to see what other people have to say.   Here's an article, by an genuine conservative blog, where there's something for TEA Party members to consider.

Stay classy, President Obama.

Stay classy.

Update:  Turns out there is a Photoshop involved......just not what we expected!

Logic? Who needs Logic?

They don't teach economics at Harvard Law School. Nor logic, given how many mistakes President Zero made with his proposed tax increase. Duane Lester explains:

The president outlined a tax increase he’s calling the Buffett Rule, or something silly, which loots more from the rich, richer and richest Americans.  It’s a tax hike he says is necessary to pay for his American Jobs Act, also know as the next Keynesian failure to not convince leftists that Keynes was wrong.

President Obama is selling it by saying if we don’t take more from the rich, then grandma isn’t going to have Medicare anymore.

    It comes down to this: We have to prioritize. Both parties agree that we need to reduce the deficit by the same amount — by $4 trillion. So what choices are we going to make to reach that goal? Either we ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share in taxes, or we’re going to have to ask seniors to pay more for Medicare. We can’t afford to do both.

    Either we gut education and medical research, or we’ve got to reform the tax code so that the most profitable corporations have to give up tax loopholes that other companies don’t get. We can’t afford to do both.

The above quote is a great example of the False Dilemma, “also called false dichotomy, the either-or fallacy, fallacy of false choice, black-and-white thinking or the fallacy of exhaustive hypotheses.”

 There's more at the link.  Enjoy!

But that's THEIR job.....

Do you ever wonder just who’s in charge here?
Do you ever wish you could do something, but don’t know where to start?

~ WE INVITE YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY WORKSHOP ~
When: Saturday October 8th and Saturday October 15th at 3pm
Where: Milton-Freewater Community Building

“Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.” Thomas Jefferson

What will you learn?

• The U.S. Constitution – What’s in it and why? Who were the founders and why is it still important today?
• Why are we a Constitutional Republic? What does that even mean?
• How can I become involved in my party of choice? Precinct politics – the smallest level of government.
• Robert’s Rules of Order – make the most of your meetings and get the most done.
• Who runs this town? The who, what, when, where, and why of city government.

In the United States we enjoy the freedom offered by a constitutional republic. This means we are all meant to be involved in the process – no matter your social status, education level, or political philosophy. We invite you to come learn about the U.S. Constitution and about government at the smallest and most important level: YOUR VERY OWN CITY.

For questions contact Krysta Walker: (509) 520-0831 w.krysta@hotmail.com

Update:  Click here for a flyer!

Recommended Reading on the Constitution for Elementary Students

 These are books recommended for elementary students, and are being used by teachers here in Walla Walla:

• We the People, The Story of Our Constitution by Lynne Cheney (beautifully illustrated with water color pictures)
  The Founders, The 39 Stories Behind the US Constitution by Dennis Brindell Fradin
  The 5000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen (28 great ideas that changed the world)

The sources are included for your reference only; this is not an endorsement of a particular vendor.  I also found some of these books at other sites including:

• AbeBooks
• Alibris
• Barnes & Noble

Or you can order them through Walla Walla Book and Game; they can special order titles if you ask them.

Maryland County Abolishes Sustainable Development Office

From The American Thinker:

Carroll County, Maryland elected five new County Commissioners in November. These brave souls voted unanimously to get rid of all traces of the "Sustainability" agenda in the county. They abolished their "Sustainability" office and dropped out of ICLEI (the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives), the first county to do so.

This may not sound like much but is in fact, huge.

Walla Walla County is faced with a similar issue.  Perhaps not quite as far along as Carroll County, but far enough.  "Sustainable Development" is in fact an attack on property rights.  We see it every day in this country, from overbearing zoning laws to land use restrictions due to environmental reasons.  An earlier post here discussed the background on this topic, also known as Agenda 21. 

We need to work towards abolishing "Sustainable Development" in the County.  Given the State Growth Management Act, that will be difficult, but it is in support of our basic values of smaller government. 

Stay informed on this topic. Go to Sovereignty International, Inc.,

Found in the City of Walla Walla "Doing Business"

Walla Walla Zone Code RFP

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Request for Proposals For Updating The City of Walla Walla Zone Code and Related Regulations

The City of Walla Walla seeks the services of qualified professional planning consultant(s) with experience in public participation, planning and design of sustainable communities to assist in updating of the Walla Walla Zone Code and Subdivision Code. 

It is expected the selected consultant(s) will have an understanding of public participation processes in order to obtain public input and comment, land use planning and legislation/law in Washington State, code development, an understanding of the political environment related to working with other units of government and the public, proven project organization and management skills, and the ability to meet project timelines and budgetary constraints.  It is further expected the updates will comply with the requirements of the Washington State Growth Management Act.

Necessary skills of a planning consulting firm/team include the ability to preside at public meetings and hearings, engage the public, commissions, agencies and entities and obtain public/agency input, communicate technical scientific information in a manner suitable for the general public and to work collaboratively with several City departments and other groups of consultants.

A complete copy of the Request for Proposals is available below in Microsoft Word (.docx) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format below. Questions regarding the RFP should be directed in writing to Brian Walker at bwalker@ci.walla-walla.wa.us or 15 North 3rd Avenue, Walla Walla, WA  99362.

The City of Walla Walla reserves the right to reject any and all submittals and to waive irregularities and informalities in the evaluation process. This RFP does not obligate the City to pay any costs incurred by respondents in the preparation and submission of qualifications. The successful vendor must comply with the City of Walla Walla equal opportunity requirements. The City of Walla Walla is committed to a program of equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, sex, age, nationality or disability.

Proposals shall be submitted in writing not later than 5:00 p.m., October 14, 2011

We bring this to your attention because the City and County zoning laws are closely related, and property rights are directly controlled by zoning laws.  This "RFP" (or "Request For Proposal") is an effort to hire an outside company to manage the updates and revisions of the current laws, codes, and regulations. 

While completely legal,  we discussed this at the September meeting, because bringing in an firm from outside the city is entirely possible.  Which leads to a disturbing question:  How do we know that this firm will have the interests of our community at heart?  Granted, city employees will be managing the contractor, but the proposal is being floated presumably because those employees are busy, and don't have the time to fully engage on this project. 

If you are concerned about this, please contact the Walla Walla City Council with your questions. 

September Meeting highlights

Here is a quick summary of what was discussed at the monthly meeting on 13 September 2011; my apologies for the delay, but I've been on the road for work:

• National:  Go to www.TeaPartyPatriots.org for great information on national activities.  This month is Constitution Week, 17-23 September, including "Adopt A School", an all year program.  
• State:  The caucuses for the 2012 National Conventions are scheduled for 3 March 2012 in every county across the state.  Our national delegates are selected primarily by popular vote at each session.  Only those present can vote.  If we want TEA Party delegates to go, we need to attend the meeting.  Set this date on your calendar, and stand by for updates.
• Local: Agenda 21 was discussed; that will be discussed in a separate post.  An effort to insure that the Constitution in the schools was reported, especially the favorable reception from the school administration.
• Speakers:  We had two: Chris Plucker, who is running for Position #6 on the Walla Walla City Council, and Sheriff John Turner.  Mr. Plucker presented his campaign platform to the group.  Sheriff Turner, who was not scheduled to speak, did attend, and was asked to discuss the recent articles concerning the budget for his department.

 The next meeting is 11 October 2011 (all meetings are now on the 2nd Tuesday of each month), starting with the business meeting at 6:30 PM, and the main event at 7:00 PM.  The Finance Manager for the City of Walla Walla will be discussing the budget with us.

Don't let the media form the message!

Complete e-mail addresses for members of Congress

And other people.  Courtesy of Mark.

Enjoy!

And now in the side bar!

Get The Facts. Fight The Smears.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States presents....AttackWatch!!!

Yes, "Obama For America" wants your help to get the facts and fight the smears!  Report attacks on President Obama through his very own snitch site!

Which, not so coincidentally, asks for a donation every you snitch.  I know, I reported Dana Milbank, who is as liberal as one can get.  Hey, he attacked Obama!  So I reported him.

Know a leftie disappointed with Obama?  Give them the facts to fight the smears!

You'll get spam from the Obama campaign, but that's a small price to pay for freedom.

Apologies

I've been posting lightly of late, due to other commitments.  I plan to post more frequently for now.

In the meantime, some oldies but goodies from the sidebar:

• Walla Walla City County contact page
• Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers
• Senator Patti Murray
• Senator Maria Cantwell
• Tea Party Patriots

And others as well!

EPA’s rules may force power failures

The US EPA is moving the country closer to unnecessary (rolling) blackouts.

“To what extent have these voters come to the conclusion that the president is in over his head?”

Good question.  Tina Korbe at Hot Air discusses this question, and comes up with an unsurprising answer.

The "New Civility", Part 1,215

Welcome to the next level of "civil" discourse, as practiced by the left...by categorizing the TEA Party as a bunch of mindless, flesh eating zombies. I shan't provide a link to the game, but it's real.

Here's a review.