President Obama's
Saturday Morning Radio Address
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Another Perspective:
"Liberty Under God"
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| I’ve often said that I don’t believe government has the answer to every problem or that it can do all things for all people.
We are a nation built on the strength of individual initiative.
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"Often?" Why would Obama ever say that -- unless (as here) he's planning to expand government?
Individual initiative and personal responsibility.
And choice -- liberty -- freedom.
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| But there are certain things that we can’t do on our own. There are certain things only a government can do. |
Is this true? |
| And one of those things is ensuring that the foods we eat, and the medicines we take, are safe and don’t cause us harm. That is the mission of our Food and Drug Administration and it is a mission shared by our Department of Agriculture, and a variety of other agencies and offices at just about every level of government. |
Is this true?
Is it constitutional? (No.)
Is this efficient? |
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| The men and women who inspect our foods and test the safety of our medicines are chemists and physicians, veterinarians and pharmacists. It is because of the work they do each and every day that the United States is one of the safest places in the world to buy groceries at a supermarket or pills at a drugstore. Unlike citizens of so many other countries, Americans can trust that there is a strong system in place to ensure that the medications we give our children will help them get better, not make them sick; and that a family dinner won’t end in a trip to the doctor’s office. |
But the actual testing is not done by the government. The government reviews tests paid for by private businesses, performed by private third-party laboratories, and then the government makes your decision for you, enforcing its decisions by force and threats of violence.
Citizens of other countries are often healthier -- and sometimes alive -- while the U.S. government denies citizens the right to choose safe and effective treatments available in other countries.
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| But in recent years, we’ve seen a number of problems with the food making its way to our kitchen tables. In 2006, it was contaminated spinach. In 2008, it was salmonella in peppers and possibly tomatoes. And just this year, bad peanut products led to hundreds of illnesses and cost nine people their lives – a painful reminder of how tragic the consequences can be when food producers act irresponsibly and government is unable to do its job. Worse, these incidents reflect a troubling trend that’s seen the average number of outbreaks from contaminated produce and other foods grow to nearly 350 a year – up from 100 a year in the early 1990s. |
Is Obama alleging that in recent years some force has prohibited the government from preventing sale of contaminated products? |
- Part of the reason is that many of the laws and regulations governing food safety in America have not been updated since they were written in the time of Teddy Roosevelt.
- It’s also because our system of inspection and enforcement is spread out so widely among so many people that it’s difficult for different parts of our government to share information, work together, and solve problems.
- And it’s also because the FDA has been underfunded and understaffed in recent years, leaving the agency with the resources to inspect just 7,000 of our 150,000 food processing plants and warehouses each year. That means roughly 95% of them go uninspected.
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- I doubt that there's a correlation between these un-updated laws and the alleged increase in outbreaks
- This is precisely the problem with a socialist approach to social problems vs. a capitalistic approach: Knowledge and Decisions.
- If current funding for the FDA only permits inspection of 5% of the plants, is Obama proposing to increase the budget of the FDA by 2000% ?
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| That is a hazard to public health. It is unacceptable. And it will change under the leadership of Dr. Margaret Hamburg, whom I am appointing today as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. From her research on infectious disease at the National Institutes of Health to her work on public health at the Department of Health and Human Services to her leadership on biodefense at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Dr. Hamburg brings to this vital position not only a reputation of integrity but a record of achievement in making Americans safer and more secure. Dr. Hamburg was one of the youngest people ever elected to the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine. And her two children have a unique distinction of their own. Their birth certificates feature her name twice – once as their mother, and once as
New York City Health Commissioner. In that role, Dr. Hamburg brought a new life to a demoralized agency, leading an internationally-recognized initiative that cut the tuberculosis rate by nearly half, and overseeing food safety in our nation’s largest city. |
America's Founding Fathers believed that government could not be trusted because the human beings that make up government are fallible, corruptible, and not perfectible. If a drug company produces an unsafe drug and Americans find out, they can spread the information around, and boycott the drug, which means millions of Americans will exercise personal responsibility and choice to avoid an unsafe drug. But if government makes that decision for us, and people are trained to let government make decisions for us, then the corrupt drug company only has to corrupt one drug czar, or one bureaucracy, or maybe just one member of an FDA panel, and then sell the drug to millions of victims. Decisions made by corrupt
bureaucrats are never as good as decisions made by millions of Americans. It's easier to bribe one bureaucrat than it is to bribe millions of consumers. It doesn't matter how "qualified" the bureaucrat is, the problem is that government is more easily corrupted than the Free Market
FDA: Flawed Drug Approvals?
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| Joining her as Principal Deputy Commissioner will be Dr. Joshua Sharfstein. As Baltimore’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Sharfstein has been recognized as a national leader for his efforts to protect children from unsafe over-the-counter cough and cold medications. And he’s designed an award-winning program to ensure that Americans with disabilities had access to prescription drugs. |
The federal government was never given authority over food and drugs. The FDA likes to accumulate power for itself by denying consumers the right to pursue genuine claims against drug companies in state courts.
A warning to the FDA | SCOTUSblog
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| Their critical work – and the critical work of the FDA they lead – will be part of a larger effort taken up by a new Food Safety Working Group I am creating. This Working Group will bring together cabinet secretaries and senior officials to advise me on how we can upgrade our food safety laws for the 21st century; foster coordination throughout government; and ensure that we are not just designing laws that will keep the American people safe, but enforcing them. And I expect this group to report back to me with recommendations as soon as possible. |
- Most of the drugs, foods, herbs, and dietary supplements that Americans consume have been neither assessed nor approved by the FDA.
- Problems, sometimes serious, can arise even after FDA approval. Baycol (cerivastatin), Seldane (terfenadine), Vioxx (rofecoxib), and “Fen Phen” (fenfluramine and phentermine) are well-known examples of FDA-approved drugs that their manufacturers voluntarily withdrew after the drugs were found to be dangerous to some patients.
- One group of researchers estimated that 106,000 people died in 1994 alone from adverse reactions to drugs the FDA deemed “safe.”
- One problem with the 1962 Kefauver-Harris Amendments was the additional decade of regulatory delay they created for new drugs. For example, one researcher estimated that ten thousand people died unnecessarily each year while beta blockers languished at the FDA, even though they had already been approved in Europe. The FDA has taken a “guilty until proven innocent” approach rather than weighing the costs and benefits of such delays.'
Pharmaceuticals: Economics and Regulation: The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics
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| As part of our commitment to public health, our Agriculture Department is closing a loophole in the system to ensure that diseased cows don’t find their way into the food supply. And we are also strengthening our food safety system and modernizing our labs with a billion dollar investment, a portion of which will go toward significantly increasing the number of food inspectors, helping ensure that the FDA has the staff and support they need to protect the food we eat. |
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| In the end, food safety is something I take seriously, not just as your President, but as a parent. When I heard peanut products were being contaminated earlier this year, I immediately thought of my 7-year old daughter, Sasha, who has peanut butter sandwiches for lunch probably three times a week. No parent should have to worry that their child is going to get sick from their lunch. Just as no family should have to worry that the medicines they buy will cause them harm. Protecting the safety of our food and drugs is one of the most fundamental responsibilities government has, and, with the outstanding team I am announcing today, it is a responsibility that I intend to uphold in the months and years to come. |
Socialized medicine in the U.S. means political power trumps the free market, and the result is
that the neediest Americans, frequently those without insurance , pay the highest prices, while the most powerful health plans and government agencies pay the lowest.
Pharmaceutical companies would like to help poor people in the United States, but the federal government and, to a much lesser extent, health plans have tied their hands.
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| Thank you. |
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Kevin Craig's Platform:
- "Vine & Fig Tree" - the original American Dream - work, profit, save, invest, enjoy - not "easy to borrow," perpetual debt; not "invade other nations" to secure our own wealth.
- No more Bailouts
- No more inflation
- No more wasteful government spending. (Or do I repeat myself?)
Making the New Year Extraordinary 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
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Bush-Clinton-Obama
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- 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.
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"The State is God walking on Earth"
The 2 parties are cooperating rival sects in the world's most powerful religious cult.
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- 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.
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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.
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Obama is a distant cousin of both Dick Cheney and George Bush
How Bush's grandfather helped Hitler's rise to power
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- 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
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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.
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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.
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- Luke 1:39-45
- The unborn John recognizes the mother of the Messiah.
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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
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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.
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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"
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The Bush Administration thinks it brings salvation.
Obama thinks he is Immanuel.
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- 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.
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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!”
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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.”
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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.
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Washington politicians are among the richest and most financially secure people in America. |
- Luke 2:36-38
- Anna the Prophetess is another well-known Godly person who acknowledges that Jesus is the Child promised by the prophets.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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The Republican Party Radio Address:
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Response of the Republican Party
Saturday Morning Radio Address |
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Saturday, March 7, 2009 |
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| Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) Delivers Weekly Republican Address |
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| "I'm Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa. I serve as the senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, which handles all tax legislation. |
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| "The President of the United States has the pleasure of leading the country in the best of times, but the responsibility for digging us out of the worst. |
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| "He has to govern in the present and build confidence for the future. |
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| "Right now, Americans need jobs. They want Washington to fix only what it can, without destroying opportunities for the next generation. |
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| "The President's programs don't connect all the dots. |
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| "His plans fail to recognize that Americans are not an endless source of tax dollars to pay for government spending. |
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| "The President's proposed budget raises taxes. For the vast majority of people who earn less than $200,000, raising taxes on higher earners might not sound so bad. |
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| "Yet a lot of small businesses are in that category. The landscaper or the general contractor with a dozen employees could land in the bull's eye. |
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| "Tell these business owners their taxes will go up. Odds are, they'll cut spending. They'll cancel orders for new equipment, cut health insurance for their employees, stop hiring, and [even] lay people off. |
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| "These small businesses happen to create 74 percent of all new private sector jobs in [this country] the United States |
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| "Meanwhile, the President's budget includes a tax increase on more than half of small businesses with [employees of] 20 or more employees. Businesses of that size account for two-thirds of the small business workforce. The tax increase is equal to 20 percent of the marginal tax rate paid by those small businesses. |
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| "Ask people what number of jobs [that] they're willing to sacrifice right now. To a person, they'll tell you zero. |
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| "The Administration also wants to cut the tax deduction for giving to charity. Even the Tax Policy Center, a left-leaning think tank, says this would mean $9 billion less for philanthropy. |
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| "The Administration's proposal to reduce the carbon production could amount to an average hidden tax increase of around $3,000 per household a year. In effect it's a national sales tax on energy. |
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| "All of these tax increases would be the biggest tax increase in history. |
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| "[And] That's not all: Even if every one of these tax increases goes on the books, this budget still nearly triples the national debt by 2019. |
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| "The President and his allies in Congress want to spend too much, tax too much, and borrow too much |
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| "Somebody has to pay -- if not the middle class now, eventually [then later.] Eventually the middle class gets hit. |
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| "Meanwhile, if taxes get too high, people drop out of the workforce and pay less taxes. |
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| "So higher taxes don't bring in more money. |
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| "Government spending is a pretty inefficient way to create jobs anyway. Economists say the new stimulus bill will cost $787 billion to create or save 2.5 million jobs -- one million fewer than promoted by the Administration [and congressional supporters]. It amounts to $315,000 for each job created or saved. |
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| "[So] It's very simple. The government doesn't create wealth. It expends wealth. |
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| "No wonder then the public is skeptical about Washington trying to fix the economy with one massive spending bill after another. It's hard to convince taxpayers that more deficit spending is the answer. |
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| "There's evidence that the President and his people understand this, even if their budget doesn't show it. They say they don't want to raise taxes until 2011 because the economy is too weak. |
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| "Well, if the President admits that tax increases hurt the economy, that will be true in two years as it is true today. Americans need leadership, and they need confidence now. They need their President and their elected representatives to connect all the dots. Jobs are hard-won. The government should first, do no harm. Thank you for listening." |
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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."
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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,"
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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Click here for a replay of this edition of the Ozarks Virtual Town Hall
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