CRAIGforCONGRESS
Missouri's 7th District, U.S. House of Representatives

 

 

 

Bringing LIBERTY to Capitol Hill -- 2008
OZARKS VIRTUAL TOWN HALL
Saturday Morning, May 9th, 2009, 10:30am

A Discussion of The President's Saturday Morning Radio Address

Click here to listen to a replay of the May 9th, 2009 Ozarks Virtual Town Hall

Notes and Summary of the President's Address:
Who Gets the Credit?
Mothers or Politicians?

A Mother's Day Special

The White House Press Office: This week the President recaps a busy week, from strides on fiscal discipline, to financial stability, to cracking down on tax havens and tax breaks for shifting jobs overseas. For his next big step, he calls for a credit card reform bill: "Americans know that they have a responsibility to live within their means and pay what they owe. But they also have a right to not get ripped off by the sudden rate hikes, unfair penalties, and hidden fees that have become all-too common in our credit card industry." Watch Your Weekly Address to hear what he plans to do about it.  (continued below)

How the President Differs from the American vision of "Liberty Under God":

The Constitution created a federal government with very limited powers. The Bush-Obama Regime believes it has vast, unlimited powers to bring salvation. Credit for a peaceful and orderly civilization lies with mothers, not politicians.

  • 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.
  • The original American Dream: Everyone dwelling safely under his own Vine & Fig Tree
    • Human beings are endowed with the right to property by God, not the government.
  • The Constitution created a federal government of very limited power and few functions.
  • Most politicians who take an oath to "support the Constitution" are ignorant of its most basic assumptions.
    • The federal government only has the powers granted to it -- "enumerated" -- in the Constitution.
    • The "General Welfare" clause is no exception to this principle.
    • "States Rights" -- most government should be carried out on a local level.
  • America was founded as a "City upon a Hill," a Christian nation from which the Gospel would be promoted around the world.
  • America's Founders spoke of this as "an Experiment in Liberty" (1787-1887)
    • The "experiment" was a success: a Free Market made America the most prosperous and admired nation in history
  • In the 20th century, the experiment in liberty was replaced with another experiment: an experiment in central planning
  • The original American dream of personal, private ownership, has been replaced with private indebtedness and public control.
  • "No Taxation Without Representation" - a rallying cry of the American Revolution.
  • Taxation is a relatively unimportant federal revenue generator. The fed now creates money out of thin air
  • This money-creation system
  • America's Founding Fathers would conclude that The First Amendment had been repealed
    • There is no freedom of religion: the U.S. is officially atheistic.
    • There is no freedom of the press: the media is the lapdog of "the Establishment."
  • The Invisible Hand of the Free Market works better than the Visible Fist of Government

President Obama's
Saturday Morning Radio Address

Another Perspective:
"Liberty Under God"
Good morning. I want to briefly share some news about our economy, and talk about the work that we’re doing both to protect American consumers, and to put our economy back on a path to growth and prosperity.
The importance of mothers.
• Mother's Day: Disarmament Day
• Happy Mothers' Day
Last Year, President Bush remembered Mother's Day:
Ozarks Virtual Town Hall - Mother's Day - May 10, 2008
Who Counts the Most Important Things of All?
This week, we saw some signs that the gears of America’s economic engine are slowly beginning to turn. Consumer spending and home sales are stabilizing. Unemployment claims are dropping and job losses are beginning to slow. But these trends are far from satisfactory. The unemployment rate is at its highest point in twenty-five years. We are still in the midst of a deep recession that was years in the making, and it will take time to fully turn this economy around.  
We cannot rest until our work is done. Not when Americans continue to lose their jobs and struggle to pay their bills. Not when we are wrestling with record deficits and an over-burdened middle class. That is why every action that my Administration is taking is focused on clearing away the wreckage of this recession, and building a new foundation for job-creation and long-term growth.  
This past week, we acted on several fronts. To restart the flow of credit that businesses and individuals depend upon, we completed an unprecedented review of the condition of our nation’s largest banks to determine what additional steps are necessary to get our economy moving. To restore fiscal discipline, we identified 121 programs to eliminate from our budget. And to restore a sense of fairness to our tax code and common sense to our economy, I have asked Congress to work with me in closing the loopholes that let companies ship jobs and stash profits overseas – reforms will help save $210 billion over the next ten years. There are literally tens of thousands of government-funded programs. View the tip of the iceberg here. Obama makes the same promise Bush made (and never fulfilled) -- to abolish a tiny fraction of irrelevant or duplicative programs.

Imagine your husband squanders $10,000 every weekend at a casino. He promises to cut $100 in casino spending. Will you be impressed?
These important steps are just one part of a broad effort to get government, businesses and banks to act more responsibly, so that we are creating good jobs and making sound investments instead of spending recklessly and padding false profits. Because American institutions must act with the same sense of responsibility and fairness that the American people aspire to in their own lives.  
Nowhere is this more apparent than in our credit card industry. Americans know that they have a responsibility to live within their means and pay what they owe. But they also have a right to not get ripped off by the sudden rate hikes, unfair penalties, and hidden fees that have become all-too common in our credit card industry. You shouldn’t have to fear that any new credit card is going to come with strings attached, nor should you need a magnifying glass and a reference book to read a credit card application. And the abuses in our credit card industry have only multiplied in the midst of this recession, when Americans can least afford to bear an extra burden. The government exercises a right to take more than half of everything we earn, and leave us in debt. Then the government tells us we have the "right" to see the new interest rate for our perpetual debt printed in large type. We genuflect in humble gratitude.
It is past time for rules that are fair and transparent. That is why I have called for a set of new principles to reform our credit card industry. Instead of an "anything goes" approach, we need strong and reliable protections for consumers. Instead of fine print that hides the truth, we need credit card forms and statements that have plain language in plain sight, and we need to give people the tools they need to find a credit card that meets their needs. And instead of abuse that goes unpunished, we need to strengthen monitoring, enforcement, and penalties for credit card companies that take advantage of ordinary Americans. Where does the Constitution give the President power to create "principles" governing the credit card industry -- or any industry whatsoever?

 

The government creates trillions of dollars out of thin air and gives the newly-created money to lenders so that they can enslave Americans under a heavy load of debt, rather than just giving it to Americans, and then the government accuses the lenders of "taking advantage" of ordinary Americans.
The House has taken important steps toward putting these principles into law, and the Senate is poised to do the same next week. Now, I’m calling on Congress to take final action to pass a credit card reform bill that protects American consumers so that I can sign it into law by Memorial Day. There is no time for delay. We need a durable and successful flow of credit in our economy, but we can’t tolerate profits that depend upon misleading working families. Those days are over.

 

 

Why do we need a "flow of credit" in our economy? Why is it everyone must be in perpetual debt?
This economic crisis has reminded us that we are all in this together. We can’t prosper by putting off hard choices, or by protecting the profits of the few at the expense of the middle class. We are making steady progress toward recovery, but we must ensure that the legacy of this recession is an American economy that rewards work and innovation; that is guided by fairness and responsibility; and that grows steadily into the future. Washington Politicians are not losing their jobs or having to cut back in any way. They have rigged the system so that they are not "in this" with us. 
Thanks.  

Kevin Craig's Platform:

  • "Vine & Fig Tree" - the original American Dream - work, profit, save, invest, enjoy, pass on to next generation.
  • Not "easy to borrow," perpetual debt;
  • Not "invade other nations" to secure our own wealth.
  • Taxes take over half of everything we earn during our lifetime.
  • Social Security is an unethical ponzi scheme which prevents one generation from passing on a nice nest egg to the next.
  • Every American could be born with a comfortable inheritance for education, a first home, or medical care; instead, every American is born in great debt.
  • Washington D.C. plans increase debt, do not create the "Vine & Fig Tree" life.
  • No more Bailouts
  • No more inflation, no more paper money.
  • No more wasteful government spending. (Or do I repeat myself?)
  • Limit government to the size prescribed by the Constitution:

Restoring America's Greatness by
Celebrating Christmas all year long

The Message of Christmas and the Principles set forth by the Christ (the Messiah) who came that first Christmas are the real solution to America's problems. The Federal Government is at war with Christmas and "The Way of Peace" announced by the Prince of Peace.

Christmas

Bush-Clinton-Obama
John 1:1-18 - The Incarnation
The Word became flesh. The Creator of the universe becomes a human being. He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him, preferring darkness rather than light.
 "The State is God walking on Earth"

The 2 parties are cooperating rival sects in the world's most powerful religious cult.
Luke 1:1-4
Eyewitnesses of the Messiah recorded their testimony. Co-Founder of the Harvard Law School says their testimony would prove the resurrection in any court of law in America, at one time a Christian nation.
 No longer a Christian nation, American courts routinely release the guilty and condemn the innocent.
Matthew 1:1-17
Jesus was a descendant of King David.
 Obama is a distant cousin of both Dick Cheney and George Bush

How Bush's grandfather helped Hitler's rise to power
Luke 3:23-38
Jesus was a descendant of Abraham.
All those who submit to Jesus as the Messiah (the rightful king of the earth) inherit the promises made to Abraham
 Those who reject the Messiah do not inherit the promises made to Abraham, even though Bush defends their right to do so.
Luke 1:5-25
John the Baptist prepares the way for the Messiah, as prophesied of Elijah.
 As you read the Gospel accounts, ask yourself how you would react if you knew these accounts were really true. Not just true in some "religious" sense, but reported in the New York Times, proven in a court of law, or acknowledged by your personal hero.  (How do you know something is true? Do you even have any "heroes?") How should you change your life if your Creator became a human being? How should Washington D.C. react if this human being claimed to be the true Ruler?
Luke 1:26-38
The Angel Gabriel announces the conception of the Messiah, who will be given the throne of David.
Luke 1:39-45
The unborn John recognizes the mother of the Messiah.
 Bush-Obama would chop the unborn John and the unborn Jesus into stem cells for "medical research."
Luke 1:46-56 - "The Magnificat"
“He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.” Luke 1:51
 The Bush Administration is filled with the power-hungry, who commit adultery in reality or in fantasy.
Luke 1:67-80
Zacharias, John the Baptist's father, prophecies the birth of Jesus the anti-king.
 The expectations of Zacharias are 180° opposite those of the Bush-Obama Administration.
Matthew 1:18-25
Joseph told about the Incarnation.
"Jesus" means "salvation"
"Immanuel" means "God with us"
 The Bush Administration thinks it brings salvation.

Obama thinks he is Immanuel.
Luke 2:1-7
The Prophet Micah predicted that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Jesus' parents lived in Nazereth. Therefore God predestined Caesar to issue a decree (probably relating to taxes) that would bring Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem before Jesus was born.
 Bush claims the same global power of confiscation and migration as Caesar did. Thousands of Christians have been forced to move out of Iraq to make way for Bush's Islamic Theocracy.
Luke 2:8-14
An army of angels announces the birth of the Messiah, saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
      And on earth peace to those with whom He is pleased!”
 Man's chief end is to glorify God and live in peace. The Bush Administration's chief end is to erect a "wall of separation" between God and government so that the State gives no glory to God, and to wage war, thereby "stimulating the economy."
Luke 2:15-20
“Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.”
 Washington D.C. isn't listening.
Luke 2:22-24
Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem to obey Leviticus 12:8, which suggests that they were not rich.
 Washington politicians are among the richest and most financially secure people in America.
Luke 2:25-35
Simeon had been told he would not die before he saw the Lord's Messiah. He says Jesus is "The One."
 

Is Barack Obama the Messiah?
Luke 2:36-38
Anna the Prophetess is another well-known Godly person who acknowledges that Jesus is the Child promised by the prophets.
 Where is the Anna of our day who tells us we can trust Washington D.C. to bring salvation?
Matthew 2:1-8
"Wise men from the East" knew of Micah's prophecy that the King of the Jews would be born in Bethlehem.
 Are there any wise men around the world who place their confidence in George Bush, Henry Paulson, Paul Krugman, or Barack Obama?
Matthew 2:9-12
The kings from the east present the Messiah with "gold, frankincense, and myrrh."
 Rather than bestowing wealth on the King, Obama-Bush confiscates the wealth of others.
Matthew 2:13-18
When Herod got word of the birth of a rival king, he behaved in a perfectly logical way (for someone who wants to protect his power):  he massacred all male babies the age of Jesus. Herod recognized that Jesus was a threat to Herod's power.
 Every day in America 4,000 unborn babies are murdered. These babies must threaten something.

Millions of Americans who call themselves Christians, on the other hand, are no threat to tyranny. None of them are being killed. Bush has killed a thousand times more human beings than Herod did, and confiscated a billion times more wealth than Herod did.

The Republican Party Radio Address:

Response of the Republican Party
Saturday Morning Radio Address

  

Saturday, May 9, 2009

  
Video - Missouri Senator Kit Bond Delivers Weekly Republican Radio Address (OVTH transcript)  
This is Missouri Senator Kit Bond.  
As a senior Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, I understand that protecting the American people is the government's highest priority and most important responsibility.  
And keeping our nation safe should not be a political issue -- it's an American. I hope my colleagues in congress keep that in mind over the next couple of weeks as we debate that troop funding bill.  
Guantanamo Bay -- known as Gitmo -- doesn't house middle-of-the-road white collar criminals. Instead, this detainee facility houses deadly terrorists -- including 9/11 mastermind Khaled Sheikh Mohammed. While President Obama has no plan for what to do with these killers, he has pledged to close the terrorist detention facility in January, to fulfill a campaign promise.  
This is a dangerous case of putting symbolism over security. Or as I like to say this is a classic example of a "ready, fire, aim" strategy.  
When it comes to national security decisions, I prefer aiming before shooting. Which is why keep calling on President Obama did tell us, the American people, how his plan to close Guantanamo will make our nation safer.  
The president needs to honor his pledge of transparency, and provide the American people with answers. I think the American people have a right to know exactly what the White House plans to do with these terrorists. Americans also have a right to know if President Obama plans to send any of these terrorists to their community. Any plan must answer these questions. Where all these men go and will that make America safer.  
Now just last week the administration admitted that some of that terrorists could be coming soon to a neighborhood near you. Defense Secretary Gates testified before congress that as many as 100 Guantanamo detainees could be transferred to the United States. Whether these terrorists are coming to a prison in Kansas or a halfway house in Missouri or any other state, I can tell you this: Americans don't want these terrorists in their neighborhoods.  
That's why when we put it to a vote, the Senate voted 94 to 3 against importing detainees to American soil -- even if that meant to a maximum security prison. Americans also don't want to send these terrorists back to the battlefield to kill our troops. And we know that terrorists detained at Guantanamo at least have gone back to the fight. The Pentagon has confirmed that at least eighteen detainees who were released have gone back to the fight. And 43 more suspected of doing the same.  
There are no easy solutions here. But having no solutions and moving forward with the closing the prison at Guantanamo is it dangerous gamble with our security here at home and our troops abroad. I for one am not willing to gamble with our national security. Closing our terrorist detention facility with no back up plan is one campaign promise they can't hold up the national security reality. While the president has made closing Guantanamo Bay a priority, the highest priority must be keeping America safe.  
Thank you for listening.  

What Would America's Founding Fathers Do?

The men who threw tea into the Boston Harbor over a tax of 3 pence per pound would not be happy with a tax ten times greater on every gallon of gas. Those who took up muskets over a total tax burden of less than 3% would not be happy with the fact that the federal government now takes more than half of everything you earn.

Today it is illegal for public school teachers to teach their students that the Declaration of Independence is really true (and not just an outdated historical document). The federal government is clearly at war with everything the Founding Fathers stood for.

America's greatest Americans would abolish today's federal government.

Muskets are Not an Option

There are two reasons why we should not take up arms to pull off the violent overthrow of the federal government, even if America's Founders would surely do so. First, the feds have nukes. Second, violent revolution is unChristian and unBiblical. We must beat our swords into plowshares and use persuasion to abolish tyranny. This is time for a revolution of ideas.

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."

Every great athlete has a coach.
If you want to be a great American you need a coach.
If you want to achieve great things for your country, you need a coach.
Imagine what you could do if George Washington, "the Father of his Country,"
could travel through time and be your personal coach.
The results could be extraordinary.

Find out why you need a personal coach, and why GeorgeWashingtonCoaching.com is the foundation for an extraordinary life.

www.GeorgeWashingtonCoaching.com

The Internet Can Speed up the Revolution

Here are ways you can help.

Support This Campaign

Send emails. Find out how this free tool can change everything.

Revenge:

Vote Against Every Politician Who Voted for the Bailout, No Matter What

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.
Help End the Mexican Civil War
Black-market profits caused by drug prohibition fund a civil war in Mexico that's threatening to spill over our borders. Drug profits also fuel the terrorists who are killing U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. It's time to dry up the black-market profits. It's time to end drug prohibition. 		Help End the Mexican Civil War

Make Congress Read Their Bills Before Voting

Make Congress Read Their Bills Before Voting
Make Congress read every word of every bill they create before they vote on it.
Urge your Representative and your Senators to sponsor DownsizeDC.org's “Read the Bills Act” (RTBA).
End the FED
The Federal Reserve System constantly inflates and deflates the supply of money and credit, causing booms and busts. It's time to get off this roller-coaster. It's time to end the Fed. 		End the FED

No Bailouts!

No Bailouts!
No government money, whether borrowed or taxed, should ever be used to bailout private financial interests. If you agree, please send Congress a message telling them so.
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. 		TWIC - A Backdoor Real ID Card
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. 		End Asset Forfeiture

Iraqis Vote

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 »

Make Congress read the laws it passes!

The 'No Legislation Without Representation' Conference

Make Congress read every word of every bill they create before they vote on it.
Urge your Representative and your Senators to sponsor DownsizeDC.org's “Read the Bills Act” (RTBA).

Unelected bureaucrats create tens-of-thousands of new dictates each year. Making rules is the job of Congress, not bureaucrats.
DownsizeDC.org has drafted the “Write the Laws Act” to end bureaucratic “legislation without representation.” Click here . . .
Cap and Trade

"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 »

Support Ron Paul's “American Freedom Agenda Act”
The politicians have done great harm to this country in response to the 9-11 attack. A bill has been introduced that will undo much of that harm.
Learn More »

 Strike at the Root

Iraq Waste

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 »
Stop The War FOR Terror

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.

Click here for a replay of this edition of the Ozarks Virtual Town Hall