National Debt – Sentinel2Sentinel

Part 1: Bill Posey’s 2017 Constituent Survey

Today I visited my Congressman’s home page and saw he has a 2017 Constituent Survey up. Here is my response to Bill Posey’s first eight survey statements:

Dear Bill Posey:

To answer your 2017 Constituent Survey:

1) Yes it is important to always temporarily restrict travel from nations that we know pose a serious national security threat to the United States of America.

2) Social Security is a nightmare. It has grown larger and more out of control than it was ever meant to be. It was originally designed to help people in their last years when they could not work, not the disaster it is now is become. It is a ponzi scheme therefore, your poll statement is horrible and is absolutely the wrong discussion to press forward. Read this Social Security Primer.

3) Yes. Put a five year-ban on White House and Congressional officials from becoming lobbyists after they leave government service.

4) Yes. Cancel all federal funding to Sanctuary Cities and begin removing criminal and illegal immigrants.

5) Secure the border and ENFORCE CURRENT IMMIGRATION first before you start a web of new laws to reform what is probably not broken.

6) Yes. A border wall/barrier is reasonable and an effective part of keeping illegals out.

7) YES to Fully Repeal ObamaCare and Get Government OUT of Health Care. RESTORE THE FREE MARKET.

And by the way, Speaker Ryan’s AHCA stinks so NO to the #Ryanocare bill, just to be clear:
- The House Republican ObamaCare Alternative Just Moved to the Left

8) NAFTA needs improvement so be sure to break open transparent discussions on the subject as you move forward on what should happen next.

Part 2, with 9-15 tomorrow. #MakeDCListen

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Smells like Totalitarianism

Take a look at the Democratic Party Platform and ask yourself these questions as you copiously go through their extensive plan for change that, allegedly, matters.

How much taxpayer money will it take to sustain everything they have outlined and what does that add to the current National Debt?
What level of dependency upon government controlled programs do these Democrat solutions leave recipients in?
What level of forcible constraint on individual freedom does the Democratic plan have built into it?

Looking at the Democrats and their foundational platform I am reminded of a quote from Multiculturalism and Marxism by Frank Ellis as posted on DiscoverTheNetworks.org:

“Some have argued that it is unfair to describe Stalin’s regime as “totalitarian,” pointing out that one man, no matter how ruthlessly he exercised power, could not control all the functions of the state. But, in fact, he didn’t have to. Totalitarianism was much more than state terror, censorship, and concentration camps; it was a state of mind in which the very idea of a private opinion or point of view had been destroyed. The totalitarian propagandist forces people to believe that slavery is freedom, squalor is bounty, ignorance is knowledge, and that a rigidly closed society is the most open in the world. And once enough people are made to think this way, it is functionally totalitarian even if a single dictator does not personally control everything.”

David Horowitz’s tagline for Front Page Magazine is one I am co-opting to tag the Democrat plan.

INSIDE EVERY PROGRESSIVE IS A TOTALITARIAN SCREAMING TO GET OUT.

So you say you are a Democrat?

What are you trying to dictate and who are you trying to control? Or do you just want to live on the dole and have taxpayers take care of you?

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Living on the Dole is not Welfare

The word welfare, properly defined means faring well as in going or getting along well, succeeding well, doing well.

Dole, properly defined, means an allotted share, a grant, a handout, a portioned amount therefore living on the dole is not the same as faring well.

Notice I specifically stated Living on the Dole. Again, the keyword being l-i-v-i-n-g on the alloted share-grant-handout-proportioned amount. Yeah, I do not count that as thriving or succeeding or doing well as in self-sufficiency.

Case in Point: “Fable of the Gullible Gull,” Reader’s Digest, Oct. 1950, p. 32.

“In our friendly neighbor city of St. Augustine great flocks of sea gulls are starving amid plenty. Fishing is still good, but the gulls don’t know how to fish. For generations they have depended on the shrimp fleet to toss them scraps from the nets. Now the fleet has moved. …

“The shrimpers had created a Welfare State for the … sea gulls. The big birds never bothered to learn how to fish for themselves and they never taught their children to fish. Instead they led their little ones to the shrimp nets.

“Now the sea gulls, the fine free birds that almost symbolize liberty itself, are starving to death because they gave in to the ‘something for nothing’ lure! They sacrificed their independence for a handout.

“A lot of people are like that, too. They see nothing wrong in picking delectable scraps from the tax nets of the U.S. Government’s ‘shrimp fleet.’ But what will happen when the Government runs out of goods? What about our children of generations to come?

“Let’s not be gullible gulls. We … must preserve our talents of self-sufficiency, our genius for creating things for ourselves, our sense of thrift and our true love of independence.”

Thus we see why #FullRepeal and so getting rid of many other addictive government programs is of paramount concern to those who work for what they have.

Today, and every day, Congress has the Power to stop a nation from living on the dole. Basta. Congress simply needs to stop stalling, stop fretting over low-info voters, and trust the voters who put them into office to #ReclaimAmerica.

Additional Reading:

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Stop Stalling: Congress has the Power

Remember the FIRST TIME the Senate voted to #RepealObamacare?

And in case you were wondering about “the short history ” of the Republican votes to #RepealObamacare here is the January 30, 2014 version from Politico. Specifically note the dates of repeal.

In Dean Clancy’s Yes, We Can Repeal Every Word of Obamacare he points out two things that we need to remind the House and Senate about regarding #FullRepeal:

The first offers unmistakable evidence that the Obamacare exchanges are collapsing, contrary to the Left’s “everything is working fine” narrative.

The second proves the Senate can repeal the law’s onerous insurance mandates with only a simple majority, rather than a bipartisan supermajority—something that, up till now, Republican leaders have (conveniently) denied.

So what is Congress now stalling for? Remember this:

Let me take a moment to refresh your memory on the deceptive statements that are still circulating. Read the article and with information to help you counter false claims then go forward in telling your members of Congress that #GovernmentShouldNotRunOurLives. Let them know you are there to support #ObamacareREPEAL. Let them know it is high time to #StopStalling and simply #FullRepeal. #RepealNow.

Additional Reading:

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Another Layer of Freakspeak: Task Forces

One of my favorites to follow on Twitter is Dean Clancy. When I saw his post and clicked the Paul Ryan link I thought my head would pop off as I shouted, “What is this task force nonsense?”

Seriously Speaker Ryan? Task Forces? Are you the Big Giant head sending a message of delay, destroy, and deter the Conservative agenda?

Dude, You are so Boehnered. Seriously, after that pathetic opening at the Conservative Policy Summit 2016 where you preached capitulation so we can all sit down together and move forward with the Progressive agenda, do you think anyone is fooled by your Dilbert-Boss approach to making it happen?

Task Forces? Seriously? Another layer on the dung heap?

1) CUT, CAP, AND BALANCE THE BUDGET. Basta!

How do you do that?

CLEAN THE BARN DUDE! Haul out the dung heap of a mess that you, Speaker Ryan, and Boehner created in 2015 with the Bipartisan Budget Act. Go back to the 2011 Budget Control Act, at least, and put your House in order from that point of reference.

2) STOP RAMMING LEGISLATION THROUGH CONGRESS IN A DUNG HEAP.

How do you do that?

STOP BEING A PELOSIVICH-BOEHNERITE. Stop making everything a crisis like a Progressive. Stop. Just take one issue, one reform, at a time. Clean your stall first and then one stall at a time thereafter. Clean it. Clean it well. You can start with Defunding Obamacare so it makes it easier to get rid of it in 2017.

Take back the #PowerOfThePurse line item at a time. You don’t need no stinkin’ task force to tell you that.

3) OPEN DEBATES AND DISCUSSIONS OF IDEAS ON THE FLOOR.

How do you do that?

STOP WASTING TIME AND MONEY ON TASK FORCES. It used to be the GOP had a platform. They hammered it out during election cycles and WE, The People, voted on who we send to make the changes in Washington DC.

WE, not YOU, want things hammered out with Public Oversight and that is why we keep electing more Conservatives to Congress so you listen to WE, the People not task forces.

Finally – It is all about #ReclaimAmerica and Article 1. It would appear you skipped that #A1P event the other day so I am posting it here for your convenience. You can watch and learn on your own time to save people from wallowing through another stinkin’ task force meeting.

There you go Mr. Speaker. Task Force fait accompli.

When will Bill Posey Frame the Debate to Reclaim America?

The phrase “the system is broken” when it comes to Congress makes me irate. The problem is too many Politicians are Corrupt and Abusing Power for Personal Gain. It appears they, miscreant politicians, are the ones employing sophistry in by trying break honorable men and women who are working to reclaim America.

I keep looking to my representatives, especially Bill Posey (R), to stand out as a leaders in framing the debate regarding the Washington Cartel holding the system hostage with the phraseology “broken budget process.” After all, Republicans are in charge, not the Democrats. And my representative, Bill Posey, should expose any Republican working to pass bills favoring the Progressive agenda. Bill Posey should name the names of those behind close doors, negotiating with Democrats, far from public oversight and transparent, open debate.

The huge Omnibus bill was not critical. An Omnibus bill is never essential or necessary to getting things done on the hill. The Omnibus Bill is and continues to be perpetuated by those who are THE BROKEN SYSTEM and by those who do not frame the debate to stop it.

The Shutdown, to stop totalitarianism, is never a bad thing. It should have been used to protect taxpayers from 1.1 Trillion in spending that burdens taxpayers. The Shutdown should be used EVERY time to press forward with a Conservative Agenda. Bill Posey needs to learn how to frame that debate if he is serious about his Libertarian-leaning Republican claims as a financially conservative guy.

Shutting down the government to push for smaller, more responsible spending in government is not a bad thing. Therefore Posey must lead from the front, not behind, in teaching his constituents that fact.

Shutting down the government is the responsibility of Congress, of which Bill Posey is member. The onus is on Congress to effectively use the Power of the Purse to stop any Totalitarian from living out of taxpayer pockets while bankrupting America. Congress can and must have the will to shut down the government, just as it must have the will to force Obama to veto bill after bill to reclaim America thus allowing Obama to solidify his Anti-American agenda with the swish of his pen.

Please understand that I, with many others in Florida, really want to support Bill Posey in any well-stated conservative position that he adequately frames for debate. But he must articulate what he will do, as a l-e-a-d-e-r, to reclaim America from Progressive Totalitarians.

What are you doing or What will you do as a LEADER to limit the size and scope of the federal government and return authority to states and to the American people?

What are you doing or What will you do as a LEADER to cut taxes and spending and rein in the debt?

What are you doing or What will you do as a LEADER to get rid of Obamacare and promote healthcare solutions based on free enterprise, not government controls?

What are you doing or What will you do as a LEADER to protect America from foreign threats, secure the border, and develop a robust, principled foreign policy that puts America first?

What are you doing or What will you do as a LEADER to ensure that our judges and lawmakers uphold the Constitution of the United States, starting by halting executive overreach?

Reclaim America: Rise Up, then Go and Do.

On Friday, November 6th, I attended the Heritage Foundation RECLAIM AMERICA event in West Palm. To meet Jim DeMint and Mike Needham, to listen to them teach and discuss that which matters most to me regarding our nation was absolutely inspiring. And then to meet so many delightful people who love America as much as I do was encouraging for they believe, like I believe, in Opportunity for All and Favoritism to None.

As I listened and learned from many women and men concerned with the progressive track Congress is taking, two questions are firmly planted in my mind:

How can I help vet candidates, especially in this current political season, to know what kind of representation he/she will consistently give constituents once he/she lives in Washington D.C.?
What will I do to invite and inspire others to actively take part in holding our representatives accountable?

Jim DeMint with

Well, thinking through the second question first, I have my blog and I am a firm believer in All Politics Is Local so am working to modify my blog to a neighborhood newsletter in the hopes I can have some influence within my immediate sphere. But I need to be better about inviting people to join me in supporting Heritage Foundation and to become a Heritage Action Sentinel or at least donate to Heritage Action. Therefore I can and will do better to invite others to help change the current culture of corruption in Washington, D.C. (Consider those links your invitation to rise up and go and donate!)

Mike Needham with Bob Trento and Carol Manning

The first question is the one I feel a sense of urgency about, especially here in the Florida Senate Primary. The newcomer, Todd Wilcox, has no real background in politics but he is billing himself as an outsider to challenge a known record of Ron DeSantis. (See DeSantis scorecard listings near the middle of this post.)

Wilcox has posted on his site Todd Wilcox for U.S. Senate a Politico caption that concerns me. Wilcox is great at giving his briefing about himself and he speaks well on this radio interview. Yet knowing Politco’s history toward Conservatives makes me go “Hmmmm…”. The radio interview sorely lacks policy specifics on what he will do let alone why he is better than DeSantis, who is a Veteran too, again, with a known voting record.

So what I have done and will continue to do and invite others to join me in doing is to ASK THE HARD QUESTIONS. If we all ask the SAME FIVE QUESTIONS over and over again until ANY candidate, including Incumbents, answer then we control the agenda to Reclaim America:

What are you doing or What will you do as a LEADER to cut taxes and spending and rein in the debt?
What are you doing or What will you do as a LEADER to limit the size and scope of the federal government and return authority to states and to the American people?
What are you doing or What will you do as a LEADER to get rid of Obamacare and promote healthcare solutions based on free enterprise, not government controls?
What are you doing or What will you do as a LEADER to protect America from foreign threats, secure the border, and develop a robust, principled foreign policy that puts America first?
What are you doing or What will you do as a LEADER to ensure that our judges and lawmakers uphold the Constitution of the United States, starting by halting executive overreach?

Nikki White and Alexa Legas

Consider this your invitation to Reclaim America. Ask your candidates to Reclaim America and answer those Five Sincere, Tough, and Pointed Questions.

Rise Up.

Go and Do.

Education For All Team Education Session

Congressman Bill Posey: Impromptu Telephone Town Meetings

Dear Bill Posey,

It is nice that I happened to be home when your autodialer chose me to be part of tonight’s Telephone Town Meeting. It would be nice to be on the line before you speak so I could hear what you have to say about whatever you feel like putting out there. Still, thank you for including me as a constituent.

Here are some suggestions and questions:

Will you please, please, please in your Telephone Town Meetings tell us WHAT BILLS YOU ARE STANDING FOR?

Then people, like me, will know how to help you be more effective with your colleagues in moving forward to get things done.

HOW ARE THINGS BETTER FOR THE BILLS YOU SAY YOU and your colleagues ARE PASSING IN CONGRESS?

The volume of bills you and your colleagues pass matter only IF YOU KEEP GOVERNMENT OUT OF THE TAXPAYER POCKETS AND REDUCE THE SIZE OF AN INTRUSIVE GOVERNMENT.

Therefore will you please, PLEASE, please answer these FIVE QUESTIONS?

What are you doing as a LEADER to cut taxes and spending and rein in the debt?
What are you doing as a LEADER to limit the size and scope of the federal government and return authority to states and to the American people?
What are you doing as a LEADER to get rid of Obamacare and promote healthcare solutions based on free enterprise, not government controls?
What are you doing as a LEADER to protect America from foreign threats, secure the border, and develop a robust, principled foreign policy that puts America first?
What are you doing as a LEADER to ensure that our judges and lawmakers uphold the Constitution of the United States, starting by halting executive overreach?

If you answer these questions then I, with others, will know how we can help you stop Progressives in Congress from creating and negotiating BAD BILLS that tax and spend without significantly reducing the size and scope of bad government.

Please help me and many other of your constituents Reclaim America by allowing us to help you on issues where we have common interest and goals.

Sincerely.

Consumption Tax, Fair Tax or FLAT Tax?

There are good ideas regarding the Consumption and the Fair Tax plans out there. Dean Clancy is a favorite read of mine on the tax subject. Of course as a member of Heritage Foundation I follow Heritage’s research on tax issues, and totally loved this government data sheet recently shared by The Daily Signal on Taxpayers Leaving Democrat-Run States. CATO has their take on taxes and plans too.

So my bias is toward a Flat Tax. Yes, it is based upon the principle of Tithing. Yes I believe it is a principle with a promise as founded upon the teachings of Malachi 3:8-12 in the Old Testament. Yes, it is based upon how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints operates by way of faithful saints paying an honest and generous tithe coupled with additional free-will donations to feed the poor, sustain a perpetual education fund plus a variety of calls to action to relieve suffering through humanitarian aid around the world. Tithing is the foundation of what Welfare really means: Faring Well.

Okay, so with all of the pros and cons for why people do not believe a Flat Tax will work, I simply say there is longstanding proof that tithing works, more so than a consumption tax or a fair tax plan. The suggestions that faith based individuals give more is abundantly clear by looking to Mercury One to see what Glenn Beck is doing with no-overhead donations. The truly greater good people do effectively sans government “help” seems to lend credence to the fact a Flat Tax with free-will offerings on a National and Local level will work.

Imagine what would happen in our States and Cities if power was returned to We, The People at the local level and the IRS was abolished based upon Malachi 3:8-12? Just what will the outcome be?

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.

Bill Posey’s Big Three Votes and 5 Questions, Still.

On September 1, 2015 the Conservative Review announced the indomitable Mark Levin as their new Editor-In-Chief! That is absolutely fabulous news as Levin is a hard core #NOTProgressive. Not a drop of #RINO in him. You can learn more about him at the Mark Levin Show and you can read Chapter 7 of his latest book Plunder & Deceit.

Turning from that note to my Florida Congressman, Bill Posey, I say as I always say, I hear Bill Posey is a nice guy. I have spoken to him once. He seems to come across as a polite, slow talking Southern man. He has repeated, often enough, that he is there for his constituents and even offers us a poll on issues from time to time, which is also nice. At a recent Brevard Republican event I heard he claims that he “loves RINOs.” That is nice. After all, a nice guy loves everyone, right?

Therefore in light of the well established Nice Guy, it seems that the right question to ask Bill Posey this election cycle is: Where does he, as a nice guy, place enmity between those he loves and RINO, or PROGRESSIVE, tax and spend policies?

Perhaps it is possible to gauge where Posey stands in a Republican-Libertarian Window by referring to HertitageAction.com’s Scorecard where Posey has a LIFETIME score of 78% (which is a C grade in case you were wondering). To know what that means take a look at how the scores are calculated (my emphasis added):

How scores are calculated

Scores are calculated using both votes and bills. Voting with the Heritage Action position earns percentage points, voting against our position earns nothing, and missing a vote doesn’t affect the score. Co-sponsoring bills earns percentage points, while not co-sponsoring bills earns nothing.

Our formula sets each bill to equal one percent of the total, with the remaining percent comprised of votes. For example, if there are eight bills to co-sponsor, the score would be 8% co-sponsorships and 92% votes.

Okay. So looking at his current score of 83% (noting a B grade), which is significantly improved from where he started out earlier in the year, now look at three votes that raise the following three questions:

If Bill Posey believes in the U.S. Constitution, then why did Bill Posey vote YES to RE-Authorize Discriminatory Practices in Hawaii?
If Bill Posey believes that Washington DC is broken and ought to reduce non-defense discretionary spending, reestablish national defense spending to support the military, repeal and replace Obamacare, reform Medicare and Medicaid, safeguard Social Security, and enact pro-growth tax reform, then why did Bill Posey vote NO on the RSC Blueprint for a Balanced Budget?
And why, oh why, oh why did Bill Posey, as a self-proclaimed fiscal conservative, vote YES on the $500,000,000,000.00 Doc Fix Bill?

How does Bill feel about his big three votes now? How does he feel about voting against the RSC BALANCED BUDGET that would have already been implemented versus this insane National Debt problem he tacitly supported with his NO vote?

Finally, to reference an earlier post and an early earlier post, I again ask Bill Posey Five Questions:

What are you doing as a LEADER to cut taxes and spending and rein in the debt?
What are you doing as a LEADER to limit the size and scope of the federal government and return authority to states and to the American people?
What are you doing as a LEADER to get rid of Obamacare and promote health care solutions based on free enterprise, not government controls?
What are you doing as a LEADER to protect America from foreign threats, secure the border, and develop a robust, principled foreign policy that puts America first?
What are you doing as a LEADER to ensure that our judges and lawmakers uphold the Constitution of the United States, starting by halting executive overreach?

Mr. Posey has many constituents who are extremely frustrated with the #DCCartel. He hears from them in the private meetings attends. I hear it in his Telephone-Townhalls. And I think if he will focus on answering these five questions he will find many of us actively supporting him to affect change.