Missouri's 7th District, U.S. House of
Representatives
Bringing LIBERTY to
Capitol Hill -- 2008 OZARKS
VIRTUAL TOWN
HALL
Saturday Morning, February 21st,
2009, 10:30am
A Discussion of The President's Saturday Morning
Radio Address
Click here
to listen to a replay of the February 21st, 2009 Ozarks
Virtual Town Hall
Notes and Summary of the President's Address: "A
Major Milestone"
THE
PRESIDENT: Earlier this week, I signed into law the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- the most sweeping economic recovery
plan in history. Because of this plan, 3.5 million Americans will
now go to work doing the work that America needs done. (continued
below)
How the President Differs from the American vision of
"Liberty Under God":
THE
PRESIDENT: Earlier this week, I signed into law the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- the most sweeping economic
recovery plan in history. Because of this plan, 3.5
million Americans will now go to work doing the work that
America needs done.
If ever we needed "truth in
advertising," it's now. Obama often couches his claims in
more modesty, saying his plan will create "or save" 3
million jobs. Meaning jobs will not be lost (we hope), even if no
new jobs are created. That's not what this morning's soundbite
sounds like.
Obama thinks Americans "need" certain jobs to be
done. But Americans don't think so, otherwise they would have
opened up their wallets and hired people to do these jobs.
I'm
grateful to Congress, governors and mayors across the country, and
to all of you whose support made this critical step possible.
Because
of what we did together, there will now be shovels in the ground,
cranes in the air, and workers rebuilding our crumbling roads and
bridges, and repairing our faulty
levees and dams.
Who is responsible for these
"faults?" Why is that same entity now going to be
faultless?
Because
of what we did, companies -- large and small -- that produce
renewable energy can now apply for loan guarantees and tax credits
and find ways to grow, instead of laying people off; and families
can lower their energy bills by weatherizing their homes.
Americans want plentiful, clean,
cheap nuclear power, not sporadic, expensive and primitive wind
and solar power.
Because
of what we did, our children can now graduate from 21st century
schools and millions more can do what was unaffordable just last
week -- and get their college degree.
Does a college degree really
matter? Should government make the call? Should the federal
government make this call? If the federal government is going to
print up money to lend to students, why not just give it to
them? Why make them pay more in interest?
Because
of what we did, lives will be saved and health care costs will be
cut with new computerized medical records.
Lives
will be lost. How can costs be cut when money is being
appropriate to pay?
Because
of what we did, there will now be police on the beat, firefighters
on the job, and teachers preparing lesson plans who thought they
would not be able to continue pursuing their critical
missions. And ensure that all of this is done with an
unprecedented level of transparency and accountability, I have
assigned a team of managers to make sure that precious tax dollars
are invested wisely and well.
Because
of what we did, 95 percent of all working families will get a tax
cut -- in keeping with a promise I made on the campaign. And
I'm pleased to announce that this morning, the Treasury Department
began directing employers to reduce the amount of taxes withheld
from paychecks -- meaning that by April 1st, a typical family will
begin taking home at least $65 more every month. Never
before in our history has a tax cut taken effect faster or gone to
so many hardworking Americans.
How can taxes be cut and
"the most sweeping" levels of government spending in
history be increased? This is a fundamental economic question
which most American can't answer (and never even ask).
But as
important as it was that I was able to sign this plan into law, it
is only a first step on the road to economic recovery. And
we can't fail to complete the journey. That will require
stemming the spread of foreclosures and falling
home values, and doing all we can to help responsible
homeowners stay in their homes, which is exactly what the housing
plan I announced last week will help us do.
Why should the government act
to keep prices from falling?
It will
require stabilizing and repairing our banking system, and getting
credit flowing again to families and businesses. It
will require reforming the broken
regulatory system that made this crisis possible, and
recognizing that it's only by setting and enforcing 21st century rules
of the road that we can build a thriving economy.
The housing bubble was caused by the Federal Reserve and
Congressional policies encouraging debt, not "broken"
regulations.
More government rules are not the answer.
And it
will require doing all we can to get exploding deficits under
control as our economy begins to recover. That work begins
on Monday, when I will convene a fiscal summit of independent
experts and unions, advocacy groups and members of Congress, to
discuss how we can cut the trillion-dollar deficit that we've
inherited. On Tuesday, I will speak to the nation
about our urgent national priorities. And on Thursday, I'll
release a budget that's sober in its assessments, honest in its
accounting, and lays out in detail my strategy for investing in
what we need, cutting what we don't, and restoring fiscal
discipline.
He signs "the most
sweeping economic recovery plan in history" and then blames
the previous administration for the debt.
No
single piece of this broad economic recovery can, by itself, meet
the demands that have been placed on us. We can't help
people find work or pay their bills unless we unlock
credit for families and businesses. We can't solve
our housing crisis unless we help people find work so that they
can make payments on their homes. We can't produce shared
prosperity without firm rules
of the road, and we can't generate sustained growth without
getting our deficits under control. In short, we cannot
successfully address any of our problems without addressing them
all. And that is exactly what the strategy we are pursuing
is designed to do.
None of
this will be easy. The road ahead will be long and full of
hazards. But I am confident that we, as a people, have the
strength and wisdom to carry out this strategy and overcome this
crisis. And if we do, our economy -- and our country -- will
be better and stronger for it.
Thank
you.
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 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.
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.
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?
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.
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."
“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.”
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.
Response of the Republican Party
Saturday Morning Radio Address
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Transcript:
"Hello, I am Congressman Dave Camp from Michigan, and I
serve as the lead Republican on the House Ways and Means
Committee.
"American families and
small businesses are hurting, and Republicans
know that we must act to help get our economy back on
track, but we also know that we can't borrow and spend our way
back to prosperity.
"We" here
means "the government." In other words, the
Republicans are in fundamental agreement with the Democrats on
the question of Socialism vs. Capitalism.
"Last week, Democratic
leaders in Congress railroaded through a $1.1 trillion spending
bill. As soon as next week, they may bring up a bill that spends
another half trillion dollars. And that is on top of the $700
billion in TARP money - and perhaps untold billions more - we're
spending to help banks and
homeowners.
. . . well, banks.
Help homeowners give their money to banks.
"Congressional Democratic
Leaders' track record on spending taxpayers' money wisely this
year is already lousy. House Republicans offered a plan to help
our economy using fast-acting tax relief that would have created
6.2 million jobs - twice the jobs at half the cost of the
Democrats' trillion-dollar government spending bill. Instead,
the Democrats' bill included money for electric golf carts,
billions that could go to scandal-plagued groups like ACORN, and
millions more just to renovate government office buildings.
Despite promises of openness and transparency, it was written in
a backroom and rushed through Congress so quickly that few - if
any - Members of Congress read it.
How does this
secrecy differ from Bush's bailout?
"Next week, we have an
opportunity to hit 'reset' and try again to work in a
transparent and bipartisan way to address our nations' problems.
On Monday, Members of Congress from both parties will join
President Obama at the White House for a 'Fiscal Responsibility
Summit.'
"Republicans and Democrats
agree that the American people deserve a secure retirement,
including affordable health care they can count on. But we all
know that vital programs like Medicare and Social Security face
serious financial challenges as Baby Boomers get older, people
live longer lives and families have fewer children.
"Republicans genuinely
want to work with the President to solve these problems - in a
responsible way that does not burden our children and
grandchildren with a mountain of debt. The summit next week is
an important step, as is the budget outline the President will
release at the end of the week. If he is serious about dealing
with the tough issues and getting spending under control, his
budget will show it.
"If
we do not act, we doom the next generation to fewer
and worse government services, drastic tax increases, and
unprecedented debt. We must not leave that legacy to our
children and our grandchildren.
The best thing the
government can do is stop acting. Government action
(socialism) is the cause of the problems we are now
experiencing. Action by ordinary Americans (capitalism) is
responsible for whatever prosperity we still enjoy.
"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."
GeorgeWashingtonCoaching.com
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.
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
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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" 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 »
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 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 herefor a replay of this edition of the Ozarks Virtual
Town Hall
