Post Scripts

By Steve Thompson, Chairman of the Butte County Republican Party

Ever wonder how candidates for office come by their endorsements from the political parties that support them? While visions of smoke-filled rooms may fill your head, it’s a lot more bureaucratic (and boring) than that. The subject of endorsements by the Butte Republican Party came up in the newspaper recently, specifically in local non partisan races, and as chairman I wanted to take this opportunity to explain some of our policies to the general public.

I should make clear that the party has not always endorsed in local non partisan races. I can remember several years ago I was at our republican fair booth and a former chairman of the party showed up. He saw that we had a Wahl for City Council sign up and gave me heck for it. It wasn’t how things were done in his day I guess.

Over the last decade the Republican Party, both locally and nationwide, has been going through an internal reformation. The moderate wing and the conservative wing have been in a tight contest for control, with the future of our party hanging in the balance. Many of us in the conservative wing feel that the party should be more active at the local level, and that we should do whatever we can to help identify conservative candidates at the local level and give them our support. Non partisan races were originally intended to limit partisan influence, but the partisan influence was never removed, just moved to the background. The downside is that now voters have a hard time knowing where the candidates stand on issues that matter to them.

You see, if I look at a ballot and I see the designation of “R” or “D,” I may not know for sure what that candidate stands for, but at least I have an idea of their general views. Take away the designation and now I have very little to go on. The remedy to this of course is for voters to educate themselves better, but time is limited and the local races often go overlooked. The result is that a conservative voter might end up voting for a very liberal candidate (and vice versa), which will eventually tend to frustrate and disenfranchise voters. For example, a few years ago, college students who were registered Republican received letters stating that Scott Gruendel was “the Republican Choice” for city council. Anyone who knows Gruendel knows this is false, but many students were likely fooled. Had they been able to see Gruendel’s registration on the ballot, they could have made a more educated choice. In the long run I believe partisan designations are good for the political process.
Continue reading “Republican Corner: Party Endorsements” »

Posted by Tina

What was the purpose of this trip? Was it a matter of learning about another culture and its religion or has this public school crossed the line?

A group of public school children in Wellesley, Massachusetts recently visited the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center. The following video was taken inside during the field trip. This mosque is considered a mega-mosque much like the one Imam Rauf intends to build at ground zero in New York. The video confirms that we Americans must be more vigilant than ever before about the goals and intentions of some Imams and their support organizations in America.

Released by Americans for Peace & Tolerance

Posted by Tina

A story in the New Orleans Times-Picayune contains the following statement by Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH):

Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio was one of two Republicans to help clear the way for a bill to create a $30 billion government fund to help open up lending for credit-starved small businesses.

Memo to Congress: Small business doesn’t need a thirty billion dollar government fund! Wake up you damn fools…we aren’t credit starved…we are business starved…customer starved! We are confidence challenged because of the insane policies you’ve adopted and the unfriendly attitudes that many of you have toward business.

Here’s a clue: Starting shortly after President Obama won the election my small business has received multiple weekly faxes and automated phone calls informing us that we are eligible for small business loans…and credit cards. Some days we receive 3-5 calls a day. There are plenty of opportunities to obtain loans and credit! I’m guessing the administration and a few co-conspirators in the lending world have been ignored by small businesses because they have no desire to rack up debt while sales are flagging! Most of us are hanging on by our fingernails now if we haven’t closed our doors already. You want to know why the job picture is so bleak look in the mirror!

If you really want businesses, including small businesses, to take off and fly you will MAKE THE BUSH TAX CUTS PERMANENT! All of them. This across the board move would boost the entire economy, create jobs in all sectors, and raise revenue so you turkeys could start paying off some of that horrendous debt.

Have a nice day!

Posted by Tina

Shortly after the state of Arizona passed an immigrations law that mirrored federal laws on immigration the Department of Justice took offense and chose to sue Arizona and her governor, claiming that the law was interfering with responsibilities that are under federal purview. The debate continues in this political season as the legal system works to sort through the charges and counter charges to settle the issue.

Meanwhile, another possible conflict in federal and state laws are making folks wonder, “Why hasn’t the DOJ filed suit against the State of California for passing the medical marijuana law?” It’s a fair question. Does the suit in Arizona, as well as the lack of filing in California, suggest political motivations? I think it does.

More pressure may be brought to bear on the DOJ in November if Californians support Proposition 19, the “Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010”. Passage of this proposition will make marijuana completely legal. Chris Battle of US News & World Report has the story and quotes former heads of the US Drug Enforcement Agency who find themselves scratching their heads:

“Such a state law will violate the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution and will be void,” states the former administrators. “Indeed, the [Controlled Substances Act] itself clearly states that federal law preempts state law when there is a positive conflict with the established federal law.” ** “We note that the Department of Justice acted quickly to assert the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause in the recent suit to declare null and void certain provisions of an immigration bill passed by the state of Arizona,” they noted in the letter to Holder, which was publicly released during the news conference. “We would expect the Department of Justice to act just as swiftly and for the same reason … to prevent Proposition 19 from becoming law.”

So what do you think…if it passes will prop 19 be challenged by the DOJ or will Eric Holder continue to play politics in the Justice Department?

Posted by Tina

After 40, 50 or more years of working and paying into the Medicare fund seniors are being told to kiss what was promised goodbye. Doctors, hospitals and clinics also get the shaft:
WSJ

In his analysis accompanying the recently released Annual Report of the Medicare Board of Trustees, Richard Foster, Medicare’s chief actuary, noted that Medicare payment rates for doctors and hospitals serving seniors will be cut by 30% over the next three years. Under the policies of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, by 2019 Medicare payment rates will be lower than under Medicaid. Mr. Foster notes that by the end of the 75-year projection period in the Annual Medicare Trustees Report, Medicare payment rates will be one-third of what will be paid by private insurance, and only half of what is paid by Medicaid. ** Altogether, ObamaCare cuts $818 billion from Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) from 2014-2023, the first 10 years of its full implementation, and $3.2 trillion over the first 20 years,
Continue reading “Is this the Healthcare You Wanted?” »

by Tina Grazier

How do you create an enemy where none exists? Point a big fat finger! Strongly insist that those with a differing opinion are extreme and insensitive. Label them as racist and phobic! Paint them in dark tones as the wicked fiends of intolerance and bigotry. Explain patiently with a note of piety that all “normal” people share your view and your deep concern about the harm these exremists will do if given a platform to speak. *** Label yourself as a paragon of virtue!

Continue reading “Fiendish Politics” »

by Jack Lee

Sam Insull came to America with $200 and not much else. But, he was lucky enough to land a job, although it was a low paying one. But the real luck here was his boss. He was none other than Thomas Edison. As you probably know Edison was a workaholic and put in long days, but Insull’s days were. . .
Continue reading “An American Story” »