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Archive for March 18th, 2009

Non-Partisanship, Tea Parties, and Independence

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

With the increasing attacks from reputable new sources like the New York Times and ThinkProgress.org, challenging the non-partisan and grassroots nature of the various Tea Parties, ReTeaParty.com and Free and Equal would like to both stress our commitment to non-partisanship and our independence from organizations under question.  The following is a post written last month, following TaxDayTeaParties.com official partnership with Newt Gingriche’s organization:

In 1994, Newt Gingrich, along with several other prominent Republicans introduced their “Contract with America” after taking a majority control of Congress for the first time in 40 years. The Contract called for a renewed faith in Washington D.C., namely in the Republican Party, asking for Americans across the country to put their faith in partisan politicians.

Since 1994, America has witnessed an unprecedented increase in the size, scope, and power of the federal government. By 2000, 95 government programs that the Republicans contracted with America to reduce or eliminate were actually increased in size by 13%.

By 2008, following 8 years of a Republican administration, Americans had lost habeas corpus, deficits had ballooned, representatives continued to hand over authority to bureaucratic bodies not accountable to the American people, and messages from our political leadership had been reduced to partisan talking points.

With a new Democratic administration now at the wheel, Americans hoped for real change, and got it. Instead of a leadership that preaches about limited government, lower taxes, and balanced budgets, we have leaders that are more direct. The new administration openly calls for an expansion of government, increases in taxes, and deficit spending. In other words, the message changed. But the direction remains the same.
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National debt hits $11 trillion

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

According to a CBS News blog, this equates to about $36,000 of debt for every man, woman, and child. Here are some even more chilling statistics:

It just took a little over five and a half months to go another trillion dollars into debt. To put this in perspective, it took our government 191 years to run up its first trillion dollars of debt.

Since President Obama’s first 57 days in office, national debt has increased by over $400 billion. Even using his administration’s own budget deficit projections, which many feel are substantially underestimated, the Obama administration will run up almost as much debt in four years as Bush did in eight years.

According to the Obama federal budget, the national debt will hit $12.7 trillion by September 30. By the end of fiscal year 2012, the national debt could soar to $16.2 trillion, which would represent 100% of projected GDP.

These are alarming numbers, and it is up to us to fight the economic destruction of our great nation. As Thomas Jefferson once said, “I, however,…place public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared.”

Read the blog here.

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Climate plan may cost $2 trillion, Healthcare plan $1.5 trillion

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

According to a Washington Times article, President Obama’s climate plan may cost three times as much as the initial estimate of “cap and trade” legislation over an eight year period. And on the healthcare front, Obama’s plan for universal coverage could end up costing more than double the original estimate over the next decade. This comes on the heels of a New York Times article which states Massachusetts may not be able to sustain the current rate of health care spending over the next five to ten years under its statewide, universal plan.

Once again, we see that the cost of massive, government-run programs has a way of significantly rising over time. The problem is, America is suffering from unprecedented national debt and record breaking budget deficits.

President Obama, would you please stop proposing these gargantuan government programs? Would you please just balance the budget and start paying down our enormous debt? And would you please just allow the brightest minds in the private sector to find more efficient, more cost effective, and more innovative solutions to these tough issues?

Read the articles here, here, and here.

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Citigroup’s chief economist to advise US Treasury Secretary

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

No, it’s not a typo. Lewis Alexander, Citigroup’s chief economist, is being tapped to counsel US Secretary Treasury Timothy Geithner. According to the article, he was quoted as saying in December 2007 that while he believed the housing market would remain weak well into 2008, it was more likely that the economy would keep growing than head into a recession, adding that the housing bubble was “correcting on its own”.

With Alexander as its chief economist, Citigroup has virtually collapsed. And contrary to Alexander’s predictions, the economy is in the midst of a severe recession, and the housing market continues to deteriorate.

It seems pretty obvious. Political ideology and corporate cronyism have trumped legitimate economic expertise. As a result, this nation is paying a dear price.

The time has come to put a stop to this gross dereliction of duty. The time for a second, constitutional revolution is at hand.

Read the article here.

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