Month: December 2009

NULLIFICATION OF DEMOCRAT FASCISM

Fellow Patriots:

My friend and fellow patriot Brenda suggests citizen action on the Democrat power grab, the so-called “health care” legislation that passed in the Senate and will surely make its way through the House of Representatives.

As Brenda points out, actions by the Democrat majority are unconstitutional. Our remedy is nullification by the states.

John White

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Hi John and All:

I trust everyone is as alarmed as I am at the power grab by this government.  According to Michelle Bachman, representative from Minnesota, the federal government has taken control of 30% of private business in the last seven months. With health care representing over a sixth of the U.S. economy, all we need to ring the death knell for our individual liberties is for government to take control of that too.  The “land of the free” will become a dim memory.  Obama’s health care bill will bring billions in additional costs, damage to Medicare and extreme penalties for not buying insurance.  According to the article below, Texas is not yet on board with states seeking to nullify this socialistic health care bill.  I wonder why.  We need to be!!

Please e-mail your state representative, state senator and Governor Perry to ask them to pass legislation protecting us from this strong arm take-over by the federal government.  Use these e-mail links.

Collin and Rockwall Counties State Rep. Jodie Laubenberg – http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/email.php?dist=89&rep=jodie.laubenberg

Rockwall County State Senator Bob Deuell – http://www.deuell.senate.state.tx.us/#form

Collin County State Senator Florence Shapiro – http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members/dist8/dist8.htm#Form

Texas Governor Rick Perry – http://www.governor.state.tx.us/contact/

Christmas blessings,
Brenda

Health Care Nullification Legislation

A reading of the Constitution through the original understanding of the Founders and Ratifiers makes it quite clear that any national health care plan, or national public option, is not something that was delegated by the People to the Federal Government in the Constitution.

However, the courts, politicians and many commentators have interpreted (and re-interpreted) the Commerce Clause, the general Welfare Clause and Necessary and Proper Clause in ways not intended by the Founders so as to justify such programs under the Constitution. They are most certainly wrong. A number of states are considering legislation to effectively nullify any future national health care plan.

For more click here:  http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/nullification/health-care/

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I owe special thanks to Brenda for interrupting her Christmas holiday to alert us. For you outside our Rockwall/Collin county area, please follow this link to find your State Representative and you State Senator.

Texas House of Representative

http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/welcome.php

Texas State Senate

http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/Members.htm#FYI

Merry Christmas and “God bless us, everyone”

JW

Texas State District 89 Representative
Jodie Ann Laubenberg
Texas State Senate District 2
Bob Deuell
Texas State Senate Disctrict 8
Florence Shapiro
Governor of the State of Texas
Gov. Rick Perry

HELPING HANDS NEEDS HELPING HANDS

Changing Economic Reality

Nationwide unemployment surpasses 10% and will continue to grow. Although our Texas unemployment rate trails the national rate by 2 percentage points and, statewide, we continue to add jobs, the poor are reeling from its effects. It is important to understand we have many unemployed contract laborers that are not counted by the Labor Department.

One local church assisted over 300 families last year. This year, they have served over 900 as the underbelly of our local economy deteriorates.

Helping Hands – Quality Assistance/Compassionate Care

Helping Hands provides broad-spectrum services including food distribution, emergency funds for essential utilities (lights, water), medical clinic and counseling.

Margot Nielsen related to me this week that appeals for food have soared over 600% in one year. She says Helping Hands is “doing less with less”.

Ms. Hamm discusses homelessness with Margot

I walked into Sherry Hamm’s office for a candid shot of her discussing homelessness with Margot Nielsen. “John, helping the poor is different now”, she explained. How so? “The next needy person may be your neighbor.” “Homelessness in Rockwall has new meaning, too”, she went on to say. “Homelessness now means 12 people living in the same household.”

Helping Hands – Oasis of Hope

Helping Hands Thrift Store

Thrift Store sales cover all the overhead – basic operations and paid seven-memberstaff, but Helping Hands depends on community compassion to carry out its mission.

Over the last year, over 6,000 persons sought medical care from the clinic staffed by 6 and volunteer medical professionals. 1,000 to 1 is a tough ratio for any organization to manage.

How Can WE help?

Margot named three ways we can help:

  1. Food donations
  2. Financial donations
  3. Volunteers

Food Donations

Food Moves FastWhen you go to COSTCO, Kroger or Wal-Mart to pick up your groceries, think about taking along the list to pick up a little extra for the food pantry.

Click Her for List of Pantry Items

Drop off your food donations at 950 Williams Street.

Financial Donations

Margot - "Doing less with less"

“I can’t pay light bills with cans of beans”, Margot sighed. How can we get funds to you? Ms. Nielsen described several convenient ways you can make tax-deductible donations to Helping Hands.

Make checks payable to “Helping Hands”. You can also designate your gift to be used for food, medical, utility bills, etc. If you do not designate your donation, it will be put to use where it is most needed at the moment.

Volunteers

Helping Hands needs a volunteer-to-staff ratio of 10:1 to operate efficiently . Presently, that ratio is half what is should be at 5:1.

Volunteers serve in medical positions, provide clerical services, sort donated materials, stock the food pantry and interview clients.

Helping Hands has 4 buildings on 10 acres – a neighborhood “garden club” would eliminate the cost of hiring professional landscape contractors.

Prospective volunteers can call Michelle Tauzin at (972) 771-4357 extension 221. Click here to see complete descriptions of the volunteer opportunities.

WHEN can we help?

The needs are great and urgent. You can help now. Remember – donations received prior to December 31 are deductible from your 2009 income tax.

And when did we see You a stranger and welcomed and entertained You, or naked and clothed You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and came to visit You? And the King will reply to them, Truly I tell you, in so far as you did it for one of the least [in the estimation of men] of these My brethren, you did it for Me.

Matthew 25:38-40 AMPLIFIED

Rockwall County – Your Tax Dollars Irresponsibly At Work

Fellow Patriots:

Those of you who were living here in 2004 will remember we twice voted ‘NO’ to construction of a County Courthouse on valuable commercial property alongside I-30. Why is the location an issue? Apart from minor fees and fines, the County’s only source of income is property tax. Construction of the courthouse on prime commercial real estate was folly because it deprives us of prime tax revenue in perpetuity. It has been said the Courthouse will represent the Citizens of Rockwall County. Instead, it represents the foolishness of a commissioners court that ignores the will of the voters and squanders our County treasury as though it were Monopoly money.

I post here the comments of Mr. Jerry Hogan. (Disclosure – Mr. Hogan is a candidate for Rockwall County Judge.)

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In 2004 the citizens of Rockwall County voted against a bond issue that would authorize the building of a new County Government Center to be built adjacent to I-30 in the land owned by the County next to the present library. The voters said they did not want to see the Center built on that valuable land next to I-30. When this bond failed, the Commissioners Court, seemingly not hearing the voters, put the same proposal up for a second bond election the following year. This time it was for a scaled down Justice Center. Again the voters overwhelming said no to the proposal.

On Tuesday, May 13, 2008, led by Judge Chris Florance, the Commissioners Court found a way to go totally around the voters and authorized a $30 million issuance of Tax Notes to build the new Justice Center in exactly the same place the citizens had twice voted against. Voting for the Tax Note was Judge Chris Florance, Commissioner Jerry Wimpee, and then Commissioner Bruce Beatty. Both Commissioner Dave Magnuss and Commissioner Lorrie Grinnan voted against the Tax Note scheme.

Shortly after this action, the Court hired an architecture firm to start the design of the new Justice Center. As later revealed in briefing to the Court, the guidance to the architect was to build a building costing $30 million since this is what they had authorized. For some unknown reason, they also decided to borrow the money authorized by their Tax Note action and we, the citizens of the county, have been paying interest on the money since last year, even though I can think of no logical reason to obligate the county for the funds at that early date.

Since the architect was hired, he has periodically come back to the Court for update briefing and to get decisions from the Court on how the building was to look etc. During this time, it is significant to note that no Master Plan for the land use was ever developed and consequently questions of the same nature continued to surface, e.g., where the access roads would be,  where the water pond would be located, the location of the building on the land, etc. For the past 18 months, these type discussions have been on-going.

On Dec 16, 2009, the architect presented the final cost numbers to the Court. It became quickly evident they had a serious problem. Rather than the building coming in at a price of $30 million, it was nearer $31.3million. Many “other” costs were not included in this number. Some of these items included furniture at $1.5 million, impact fees, extra space needed but not included in the original $30 million direction etc. Total cost when all of these other items were included came to $37.2 million. Many of these items, e.g., furniture, simply was never thought of when guidance was being given to the architect. Rather than saying “Design us a building with a TOTAL cost of construction and fit-out, including everything needed, not to exceed $30 million,” they must have said “Design us a $30 million building.” Big difference.

When presented with this cost number, the Court started focusing on small items in the design, e.g.,” would the arches be brick or prepared concrete,” “would accent stripes on columns be natural stone or concrete,” etc, rather than the three big issues they had: 1. Do they start all over to get a design that could be built and put in service for no more than $30 million, 2. Do they start removing and changing the current design to get the price down to $30 million, or 3. Do they simply authorize more money to build the facility?

Commissioner Grinnan pointed out the decline in forecasted income for the County based upon conservations with Mr. Ray Helms, head of the Centralized Appraisal District. According to Mr. Helms, there will be a decrease of at least 1% next year for forecasted revenue in the County. This decrease is likely to last at least two years. Ms. Grinnan also pointed out that if monies are pulled from the existing reserve fund, the amount needed will drop the level of the fund below that needed for the County to maintain its high bond rating.

Commissioner Magness made a motion that $37.2 million be the number authorized for the building. This was seconded by Commissioner Wimpee. Judge Florance and Commissioner Bailey voted for the motion; Commissioner Grinnan voted no..

Fiscal conservatism, adhering to the wishes and direction of the voters, and the use of good common sense have all been absent since May 13, 2008 when the Commissioners Court, led by Judge Chris Florance, started this activity to build a new Justice Center on the land adjacent to I-30; exactly where the voters said twice, “Don’t do it.”

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Runaway spending and an apparent disregard of the changing economic reality will position our County taxpayers for a dramatic property tax increases. Precinct 2 Commissioner Lorie Grinnan is apparently the only champion for fiscal responsibility on the Court.

Shall we use the “How much money do we have?” method to manage County affairs? Or do you prefer common-sense fiscal responsibility? Financial uncertainty on the part of TxDOT and our 2008 Road Bond further underscore the absolute necessity for wise stewardship of taxpayer money.

I encourage you to contact your Rockwall County Commissioners Court to express your will. They may not WANT to hear from you, but they NEED to hear from you.

Chris Florance County Judge

Jerry Wimpee Precinct 1 Commissioner

Lorie Grinnan Precinct 2 Commissioner

Dennis Bailey Precinct 3 Commissioner

David Magness Precinct 4 Commissioner

Main Telephone Number           (972) 204-6000

Email through County website  http://www.rockwallcountytexas.com/emailpage.aspx

(TEXAS) TAXES HIGHWAYS: PAYING MORE FOR LESS

Texas Transportation Commission – Taxing by the Mile

Michael W. Shpiro, staff writer for the Waco Tribune-Herald, reports that the Texas Transportation Commission tasked the Highway User Fee Exploratory Committee to evaluate the idea to charge drivers by the miles they drive and not by the gallons of fuel they buy.

Desperate Times Require Desperate Measures

Fact: TxDOT has not enough funding to build and repair our highways. For this reason, TxDOT requires local financial commitment before launching new road projects.

All major Rockwall County roads are in fact State highways and, although the smallest county of 254, we desperately need higher-capacity roadways to relieve burgeoning traffic that threatens to harm local commerce and our quality of life.

In2008 Rockwall County citizens voted to approve a 100 million-dollar bond package to widen and improve State Highways 740, 549, 276 and 66. As a member of the 2008 Road Bond Committee, I fully supported it. Our needs are obvious as is TxDOT’s lack of funding.

Show Me the Money!

Back in the sixties gasoline cost roughly 25 cents per gallon and fuel tax was 9 cents per gallon. Here these many years later, practically all prices have inflated ten times: gasoline is $2.50 per gallon, modest homes are $100,000 vs. $10,000 back then.

If all costs followed the same linear increase, fuel taxes would now be 90 cents per gallon. Present fuel tax includes 18 cents Federal tax and 20 cents State tax. Out of the 20 cents, 15 cents goes to TxDOT. A fraction of the 18-cent Federal tax returns to the State of Texas.

So where does all our fuel tax money go? The Feds get their big share, bureaucratic inefficiency gets its pound of flesh, but here is the big one: 25% is siphoned off for school funding. (see diagram below)

Socialistic “re-distribution” of State funds began with the 1993 “Robin Hood” Senate Bill 7.

Texas Fuel Tax Distribution Chart

Roads Scholarship

As gasoline fuel price increases we see a corresponding decline in its purchase, due in part to simple family economics and due in large part to more fuel-efficient vehicles. Therefore, the things we do to reduce our day to day cost of living dramatically affect highway funding.

In light of our current (2009) economic outlook, dampened by multi-trillion dollar national debt, inflation and rising unemployment, TxDOT is quickly running out of money. If so, who will pay for Rockwall County State highways? I suggest we, the citizens of Rockwall County will be stuck with the entire bill. If that happens, our property tax will go sky-high.

Back on Track – Mileage Charge

My simple mind reasons that we already pay by the mile. Where does all that gasoline and diesel go? It powers our vehicles – there is a direct correlation between the miles we drive and the amount of fuels we buy. Does the mileage charge penalize fuel-efficient vehicles? I don’t like it.

Sen. John Carona proposes increasing fuel tax that has not changed since 1991. However, will increasing fuel tax become the object of plunder by our State Legislature?

What Will YOU Do?

Your State Representative and Senator need to hear from you. Do you favor a mileage tax? Do you believe we have a critical need for roads? Is it reasonable to increase the fuel tax while assuring the increase goes 100% to TxDOT?

GOP: NATURAL HOME FOR CONSERVATIVES

OUR HERITAGE

What does it mean to be truly republican? History reminds us it was our party that demanded equality and liberty for Democrats’ slaves. One dictionary says republican as an adjective, is “having the supreme power lying in the body of citizens entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them…” To be republican is to believe in the rule of law – in our case, respect for the Constitution.

Following the Civil War, African-Americans voted straight Republican ticket in 1866 and 1868 for two simple reasons: (1) they understood they were emancipated by Republicans and (2) Democrats would not allow them to vote Democrat.

Leading cinematic performers like Bob Hope, Ronald Reagan, John Wayne and Charlton Heston were proud Republicans. Ronald Reagan’s conversion from Democrat to Republican in the 1950’s is noteworthy. I became a Republican in 1980, moved to become a Reagan conservative by the follies of the Carter presidency.

Along the way, scandal has visited Republican and Democrat office holders alike. I believe the weakness of democracy is we easily elect scoundrels; its strength is its ability to rid us of them.

Since Reagan left office, distinctions between the two major parties blurred by broken promises and pork-barrel spending on both sides of the aisle.

HISTORICAL REVISIONISM

Somewhere along the way, Democrat successfully and fraudulently came to be party of choice for racial minorities.

Joseph Phillips, writing for Townhall.com, says, “It was of course the Democrat Party that was late recognizing the wrongs of slavery; it was Democrats that wrote the Jim Crow laws and enforced them with fire hoses and attack dogs; it was the progressive hero Woodrow Wilson who segregated the federal government and locked Blacks out of jobs; it was the democrat party that filibustered passage of the civil rights acts of 1964 and ’65 and in fact has opposed every piece of civil rights legislation written since the end of the civil war.”

TEMPEST IN A T.E.A. PARTY

On the heels of the 2008 elections, conservatives like me, alarmed by the election of President Barak Obama and all he represents, coalesced into Taxed Enough Already (T.E.A.) parties held nationwide on April 15th and July 4th.

Locally, here in Rockwall County, Texas, our parties were events, a genuine grassroots movement with no treasury, no elected leaders, just patriotic Americans who love their country coming together to oppose fascism and socialism.

Elsewhere conservatives have gone beyond T.E.A. party events to actually forming a third party. Driven by fear and anger at a Democrat-controlled government that threatens to deprive us of our liberties and bankrupt our nation, this new party is fielding candidates and building organization.

Who are the T.E.A. Party patriots? We are Republicans and Independents who traditionally vote for Republican candidates, but we have become deeply dissatisfied with RINO (Republican In Name Only) candidates at every level of government: municipal, county, school district, state and federal.

If T.E.A. Party and Republican candidates compete separately, what can we expect? “Over my shoulder a backward glance”, as Paul Harvey would say, we know third parties split tickets. The 1992 presidential campaign is an excellent model for the “perfect storm” – a weak Republican candidate, George H. W.
Bush, and a fired-up United We Stand Party led by Ross Perot led to a minority president: Bill Clinton. Ross Perot satisfied his blood lust by keeping Mr. Bush from winning while fed-up conservatives “taught the Republicans a lesson”. I hope my fellow conservatives learn from history and choose not to repeat it.

GOP: Natural Home for Conservatives

While it is our natural home, we have unwanted squatters within: tax-and-spend liberals, RINO’s and narcissists who somehow think themselves equal to God. Regarding the latter, I know the Living God, the one mentioned in our Declaration of Independence and emblazoned on our currency – the narcissists and liberals are no substitute.

My fellow T.E.A. party patriots: are you fed up with runaway government, destruction of our economy and loss of liberty? Does history favor a third party? If you answer yes to the first, no to the second, what are you willing to do? I invite you to join me in revitalizing the Republican Party.

A dear friend recently wrote to me, asking me to talk with GOP leadership about the upcoming NPR gubernatorial debates. He wants Debra Medina to participate – I do not disagree. I asked him what he is willing to do. Is he going to contact GOP headquarters? Is he going to participate in local Republican leadership functions?

Influence cannot be delegated. If you wish to influence the party, you must participate in the party.

Locally, three Republican meetings are open to you.

Rockwall County Republican Men’s Club – meets every 2nd Saturday, Harry Myers, 8 AM.

Rockwall County Republican Women’s Club – next meeting January 21, 2010, click here for details

Rockwall County Republican Party headquarters is conveniently located at 105 S. San Jacinto, Rockwall, 75087

Rockwall County Young Republicans encourages young adults to become involved in community leadership.

OUR FINEST HOUR

Some of us older folk see the 2010 elections as “now or never”, a possible “point of no return”.  What is your plan? Will you passively forfeit your liberties? Are you going to join a third party to “teach the Republicans a lesson”?

I suggest you teach yourself a lesson from history – make time for grassroots involvement and create your own future.

The following video of Ronald Reagan’s 1980 acceptance speech 0.

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON: POLITICS IN BLACK AND WHITE

Mrs. Johnson,

Reading your words “It’s hurting the spirit of this country what outsiders might think of large portions of the country behaving as if the president of the United States were illegitimate”, I genuinely agree that having an illegitimate president is indeed harmful to our country.

Perhaps the better question to ask is, “is he the legitimate president?” Barak Obama conceals his academic records, his tuition, as reported by Percy Sutton, was funded by a Saudi Prince, he surrounds himself with avowed anarchists, communists and sexual perverts, has expended over one million dollars fighting lawsuits that demand he produce an original birth certificate. Why do you marvel that our people suspect him to be illegitimate?

You went on to say, “As far as African-Americans are concerned, we think most of it is [racism].” Gary S. Paxton wrote a song that had this simple idea: what we loathe, we typify. Now, the idea behind that phrase is this: when we typify a group of citizens classified by race, national origin and the like, we loathe them. Mrs. Johnson, fellow Texan, you walk a thin line here. Whom do you loathe? All white people? All black people? Apostle Claver Kamau-Imani told me he believes 75% of all black Americans are actually conservative. I wrote about black American conservatives, Black Conservatives – Red-Blooded Americans, did you read it? I hope you will. I think your name should be on there as well.

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, I ask you to reshape your worldview from the perspective filtered and dominated by race to a perspective of patriot. You and I live in the greatest nation in all the history of mankind. Until recent years, this nation honored God, family and the rule of law. We are the only nation to which peoples from every tribe and tongue try to break into. For all our faults and imperfections, we Americans, without respect to our race or national origin, enjoy the more liberty than that found in any other nation.

I respectfully ask you to be a lawmaker who will uphold her oath to protect, defend and preserve the Constitution of the United States of America.

Quite frankly, many of my fellow Americans, people of all races and skin colors, are alarmed at the destruction of our beloved America. There is no doubt in my mind you do not share the president’s values, while you and I share common values. I hope you will join us to save our country from fiscal and moral bankruptcy.

The Rockwall Conservative

CARBON DIOXIDE: VITAL TO ALL LIFE

WHAT IS CO2?

  1. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is a colorless, odorless gas Read More from Vaisala Corporation …

    CO2 Molecule - Essential To All Life
  2. Tropospheric concentration runs between 384 to 420 ppm
  3. Protects by delaying advance of next ice age Read more about When greenhouse gas meets ice age…
  4. CO2 is heavier than air with specific gravity of 1.56 (air at 1.0 and methane (CH4) at .5537) Read more about the specific gravity of gasses…

WHAT ARE THE SOURCES OF ATMOSPHERIC CO2?

  1. According to Columbia University, the primary source of carbon/CO2 is out gassing from the Earth’s interior at mid-ocean ridges. Hotspot volcanoes and subduction-related volcanic arcs. Read more about the carbon cycle…
  2. The Himalayas: a powerful CO2 pump Read more from the National Center for Scientific Research…
    Himalayas Seen From Space
  3. Chinese industry – melting the Himalaya ice cap Read more from the
    Guardian…
  4. About 3% from human activity Read more … (maybe – skepticism on my part)

WHAT ROLE DOES CO2 PLAY IN HUMAN LIFE?

  1. Every living thing is made up of carbon Read more about why carbon is important to life …
  2. Carbon dioxide is the gas that animals (including humans) exhale. It is a food for plants and without it no plant can grow. Read more about Carbon Dioxide and Man…
  3. Our food sources depend on essential carbon dioxide Read more about photosynthesis…
  4. Protects life from a global ice cover, if proponents of anthropogenic global warming are right.
  5. CO2 Essential to production of O2
    1. Ozone (O3) is a form of Oxygen (O2) that creates a thin layer in the stratosphere where it blocks harmful ultraviolet rays. Read more about The Earth’s Atmosphere …
    2. A mature leafy tree produces as much oxygen in a season as 10 people breathe. Read Top 10 Reasons Why Trees Are Valuable and Important…
    3. Russian forests are “oxygen bag” for Europe. Vast Russian forests produce approximately 15%, or more, of
      Sprawling Russian Forests

      the world’s O2. Read more Climate Ark…

IS CO2 CONCENTRATION A CAUSE OR EFFECT?

  1. According to geologic record, ever since the Pre-Cambrian, ice ages have occurred at widely spaced intervals of geologic time – approximately 200 million years – lasting for millions. During the present ice age, glaciers have advanced and retreated over 20 times, often blanketing North America with ice. Our climate today is actually a warm interval between these many periods of glaciations.  Read more from NPR report The Big Chill…
  2. Research said to prove that greenhouse gasses cause climate change has been condemned as a sham by scientists. Read more from MailOnline Greenhouse effect is a myth, say scientists…
  3. The oldest geologic sediments suggest that (before mankind existed) atmospheric concentration may have been one-hundred times that of the present Read more about The Carbon Cycle from NASA…

    CO2 Subduction Plume CO2

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?

  • Global warming and global cooling cycles have predictable recurrence. What caused global warming the other 19 times when human and domesticated animal population was almost non-existent?
  • A growing global population certainly requires a growing supply of oxygen. Trees and plants produce oxygen; carbon-dioxide is food for the trees and plants. Does it make sense that we need CO2 to sustain life on Earth?
  • What do you think about anthropogenic (man-caused) global warming?
  • If, as many scientists say, we are moving into another ice age when glaciers will again cover the North American continent (20th time), should we produce more “greenhouse gasses” to preserve mankind?