Bringing LIBERTY to
Capitol Hill -- 2008
OZARKS
VIRTUAL TOWN
HALL
Saturday Morning, September 6,
2008, 10:30am
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A Discussion of The President's Saturday Morning
Radio Address
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Click here
to listen to a replay of the September 6, 2008 Ozarks Virtual
Town Hall |
Notes and Summary of the President's Address --
Hurricanes and Energy
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Throughout the past
week, Americans anxiously watched weather conditions in the Gulf Coast
region. The people of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas were
well prepared for Hurricane Gustav -- and the coordination between these
States and the Federal government was strong.. (continued
below)
How the President Differs from the American vision of
"Liberty Under God":
- America was founded on the philosophy of "Liberty
Under God."
- "Liberty" means freedom from government
suppression of ideas and confiscation of wealth
- "Under God"
means we have a personal responsibility to love
God and neighbor.
- Human beings are endowed with the right to property by
God, not the government.
- America's Founding Fathers created a nation they called "an
experiment in Liberty"
- The Experiment in Liberty made America the most prosperous and
admired nation in human history.
- During the 20th century, numerous nations experimented with
government central planning.
- The experiments in government central planning resulted in
poverty and mass death (USSR, Red China, etc.).
- The Free Market -- "capitalism" -- creates
prosperity; the government inevitably creates recession,
depression, poverty.
- The voluntary transactions entered into by hundreds of millions of
Americans at home and in their businesses, based on the combined
knowledge of millions of investors, business owners, and managers of
households, all of them accountable to the discipline of
profit-and-loss, organizes the nation's economic activity better
than a handful of politicians trying to please special interests and
get re-elected.
- The Constitution created a federal government of strictly limited,
enumerated powers. The Constitution
gives no authority to the federal government to take a single penny
from us to do anything about hurricanes or energy.
President
Bush's
Saturday Morning Radio Address
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Another
Perspective:
"Liberty Under God"
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THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Throughout the past
week, Americans anxiously watched weather conditions in the Gulf
Coast region. The people of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and
Texas were well prepared for Hurricane Gustav -- and the coordination
between these States and the Federal government was strong. |
There should be NO coordination, NO action
whatsoever by the federal government.
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The American form of government, created by
the Constitution, is a government of strictly limited, enumerated
powers. The federal government only has authority to act where
the Constitution gives it authority, and the Framers of the
Constitution did not intend to give the federal government
authority to tell local governments what to do in emergencies,
or to fund emergency relief. Bush is violating his oath of
office by involving the federal government in this emergency.
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The genius of the American system is one which
recognizes that local knowledge of emergency needs is superior
to that of distant bureaucracies. This principle also works
well in education, another area where the federal government
has no constitutional authority.
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America is based on the principles of the Free
Market. Nothing could be clearer from the 20th century than
that Free Markets are more efficient than socialism. Central
Government is the worst possible way to coordinate human
action.
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If Bush wants to help, he should use his
"bully pulpit" to inspire and encourage spontaneous,
local, voluntary efforts, bringing in spontaneous, voluntary
efforts from around the nation where needed. Keep the
government out of the area.
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Now, we're focusing on the relief effort. Gustav
caused damage to infrastructure, forced tens of thousands into
shelters, and left more than a million people without power. The
Federal government is working with State and local officials to
repair this damage, to help residents get back home, and to
return life in the region to normal as soon as possible. |
| While these relief efforts have
been in progress, we've also been preparing for the arrival of
storms like Hanna, Ike, and others that may follow. My
Administration will continue to provide assistance to those
affected by violent weather throughout this hurricane season. And
we will continue to work diligently to coordinate our emergency
response efforts with State and local governments. |
| While the Federal government
continues this vital work, there are also important
responsibilities awaiting members of Congress as they return to
Washington. In just a few weeks, members will be back out on the
campaign trail, emphasizing
the differences between the two parties. But before they
leave Washington, they should show that they can work together on
bipartisan measures to help strengthen America's economy: measures
like approving the Colombia and Korean free trade agreements,
extending relief from the Alternative Minimum Tax, and addressing
one of the American people's biggest concerns -- the high price of
gasoline. |
There are no
differences between the two parties.
- Lack of free trade is caused by government restrictions on
trade put in place by both parties.
- The need for tax relief is caused by taxes imposed by both
parties, necessitated by unconstitutional government spending
by both parties.
- The energy crisis -- the lack of abundant energy -- is
caused by the policies of both parties over the last few
decades, in response to environmentalist lobbies.
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| The
fundamental reason for high gasoline prices is that the supply of
oil is not keeping pace with demand. By increasing supply
through the use of our domestic resources, we can begin reducing
the pressure on prices. So in June, I called on Congress to open
up more of America's domestic oil resources for exploration --
including offshore exploration of the Outer Continental Shelf. The
American people overwhelmingly support this proposal. But
throughout the summer, the leaders of the Democratic Congress
refused to allow it to come to a vote. |
The fundamental
reason why supply has been restricted is because the government
has put restrictions on its production. Government regulations
have made it more difficult for new energy corporations to enter
the market with new supplies. Established energy entities have
lobbied government and received political protection from
competition, to the detriment of consumers. |
| At the very least, Congress
should take action on three common-sense energy solutions that
enjoy bipartisan support. |
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| First, Congress should open the
way for environmentally responsible offshore exploration on the
Outer Continental Shelf. Experts believe that these areas could
eventually produce nearly 10 years' worth of America's current
annual oil production. This exploration is now banned by a
provision included in the annual interior appropriations bill.
Congress should remove this restriction immediately. |
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| Second, Congress should expand
access to oil shale -- a domestic resource that could produce the
equivalent of more than a century's worth of imports at current
levels. Last year, however, Democratic leaders slipped a provision
blocking oil shale leasing on Federal lands into an omnibus
spending bill. They should lift that ban immediately. |
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| Third,
Congress should extend renewable power tax credits to spur the
development of alternative sources of energy like wind and solar.
They should make these credits long term and expand them to cover
all forms of low-emission power generation -- including nuclear
power. In the long run, increasing production of low-carbon
electricity can help us reduce our addiction to oil by allowing us
to power a new generation of plug-in hybrid and hydrogen-powered
vehicles. |
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| This Congress has earned a
reputation as one of the least productive in history. Throughout
this year, Democratic leaders have ignored the public's demand for
relief from high energy prices. This is their final chance to take
action before the November elections. If members of Congress do
not support the American people at the gas pump, then they should
not expect the American people to support them at the ballot box. |
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| Thank you for listening. |
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Kevin Craig's Platform:
Additional "Liberty Under God" Resources
On Energy:
Revolution Won't Come in a Day
John Adams once wrote that the American
Revolution began in 1761, when Massachusetts attorney James Otis
began legal challenges to the Writs
of Assistance. He lost the case, but "American
independence," Adams wrote, "was
then and there born." Now do the math. That means it took 15
years to convince the rest of America to declare Independence
(1776). Then another seven years of war was required before a
Peace Treaty was signed (1783), and then six years before the
Constitution was finally ratified (1789). That's almost 30 years. (And
Jefferson said we shouldn't go 20
years without another rebellion!) How can we hope to convince
Americans to fight for principles they were never taught in government
schools? We need to be in this battle for the long term. "Eternal
Vigilance is the Price of Liberty."
The Internet Can Speed up the Revolution
Here are ways you can help.
Communicating with Government and Media
- Contact Congress -- this
is from the JBS website, powered by "CapWiz," from Capitol
Advantage. Lots of organizations use capwiz. If you don't want to go
through the JBS, search for capwiz
on Google and find another organization that uses it.
Notice that you can also contact media through this webpage.
- Action E-List
Sign up for the JBS Action E-List and be notified when you can
make a critical difference on important issues.
TWIC
- A Backdoor Real ID Card
Real ID is dying. But the Department of Homeland Security has a
new plan to subject every American to a national ID card anyway.
They plan to pick off one occupational field at a time, starting
with the maritime industry. One man is fighting back. Meet him,
and help stop this backdoor Real ID plan.
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Stop
the Killer Horse Hormones
The FDA "outlawed" the use of Estriol, an estrogen
medication that's bio-identical to human estrogen. Doctors must
now prescribe animal-derived estrogen instead. Are bio-identical
hormones dangerous, while animal-derived hormones are safe? No.
The practice of medicine is moving to chemically identical to
human hormones and away from animal hormones. Learn why the FDA
decided to endanger women's health in this way, and take action. |
End
Asset Forfeiture
If the government suspects you used your house or car in a crime,
they can take it and sell it at auction. They don't even have to
prove your guilt. They call this practice civil asset forfeiture,
but it's really theft. It violates the 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th and
14th Amendments. It also encourages law enforcement to put profits
before justice. Tell Congress to end civil asset forfeiture.
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Support
an Iraq Referendum
Americans keep debating when, how, or if to leave Iraq. Maybe we
should ask the Iraqi people what they want. After all, it's
their country. Tell Congress to request that the Iraqi
government hold a public referendum on the U.S. occupation. Learn
more »
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"Cap
and Trade" is not the way
The politicians seem to be unifying around "cap and
trade" as a way to cut CO2 emissions. If they take this
step it may be the largest increase in the size, scope, and
intrusiveness of government since the creation of Medicare.
Worse still, it may not even achieve its purpose. Please tell
Congress to oppose "cap and trade." Learn
more »
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Iraq
Waste
Big government prospers through failure. Each new failure is used
to justify more spending and new powers. Wasteful spending in Iraq
is the latest example. One way to change this is to hold
government accountable. A new bill in Congress seeks to provide
some of the needed accountability. Please support it. Learn
more »
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Stop
the War for Terror
U.S. policy has inflamed the Middle East. It has made
terrorism more likely rather than less. We seem to be fighting a
war for terror, rather than on
terror. This policy must stop. The place to start stopping is
with Iran. We must not attack Iran. War with Iran would
devastate our economy, disrupt world oil supplies, and recruit
more terrorists. Click
here to stop this war before it starts.
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The Democrat Party Radio Address:
The The
Democratic Radio Address was a Barack Obama commercial delivered
by Connecticut Congressman John
Larson, as well as hype for "The New Direction Congress"
-- the most ineffective do-nothing, lowest-rated Congress in history.
He told the stories of three people who have to pay high energy
prices, due primarily to the policies of both parties in the federal
government over the last few decades. The Democrats propose more
government action on top of past government action.
Click here
for a replay of this edition of the Ozarks Virtual
Town Hall
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