One million dollars down, another hundred or so million to go! 

The State Power Authority is cleaning up its million-dollar-a-year pork-barrel program that used ratepayers’ money for everything from underwriting St. Patrick’s Day parades and jazz festivals to supporting youth sports teams and volunteer fire departments.

State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo has issued a legal opinion that effectively prohibits state authorities from making charitable contributions not related to their core mission. The Power Authority, which may dole out more such contributions than any other state authority, has agreed to revamp its program.

Brian Higgins is no hero.

Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, the Power Authority’s most vocal critic, described the move to overhaul the program as an “overdue reform.”

Brian Higgins, according to sources, succumbed to pressure from George Pataki and Louise Slaughter to enable the Power Authority to be granted another 50 year license.  This was done to protect the cash cow for New York State.  While his efforts to secure funding for our Waterfront may appear to be laudable, he sold out for a mere pittance of the money redirected from the Power Authority each year.

The Buffalo News: Home: Power Authority ordered to end charitable contributions

Government, Government Waste, New York State | No Comments »

Read the following list of recently enabled assaults on our freedom.  Ron Paul is the only Presidential candidate opposed to everything on this list. 

Police departments routinely conduct random bag searches on buses and subways, in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

Government bureaucrats can now write their own search warrants, called “National Security Letters.”

If you want to go to say, Disneyworld, you are required to be fingerprinted, and your prints may end up in the files of the FBI

Government now has the ability to acquire all financial information about your life, without your permission or knowledge.

Peaceful protesters have been mass arrested.

Artists have been arrested for writing such things as “Giuliani = Police State” and “God Bless America” on sidewalks (with erasable chalk).

Government schools crack down on speech the state does not like, suspending students who utter it.

Government officials can now search your home or office without notifying you.

Persons served with “National Security Letters” are prohibited from telling anyone about it.

Government is tracing email conversations through its “Carnivore” technology.

The president has been given the authority to essentially declare himself dictator after declaring “a state of emergency” as a result of the “National Continuity Policy.”

The president has been given the ability to station military troops anywhere in America to “restore public order,” reversing hundreds of years of constitutional restrictions on the use of the military on American citizens.

The president believes he is allowed to simply ignore the Geneva Conventions.

The government now has a “domestic surveillance program” that enables it to spy on Americans’ phone calls, e-mails, and all other electronic communications without a search warrant.

Government surveillance cameras are everywhere (including 142 of them in the Greenwich Village and Soho neighborhoods of New York City alone).

“Red light cameras have been placed in thousands of intersections, causing thousands of accidents as motorists speed up to avoid having the camera snap a picture of their license plates should they pass under a red light. If your license is photographed by one of these cameras, you have no right to confront your accuser since the “accuser” is a camera, and, you must prove your innocence and are not presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Airport “security” has become a Gestapo-like nightmare that does nothing to make traveling any safer.

The government can deny anyone the right to due process by declaring him an “enemy combatant.”

The Bush administration is guilty of torturing prisoners in violation of U.S. and international law.

News about the Iraq War has been vigorously censored. All reporters must be “embedded” with the military, which then takes them on Potemkin Village tours.

Some reporters who have had the courage to report on some of the items on this list have had their phones and emails wiretapped.

Government scientists can turn on your cell phone remotely and without your knowledge and track your location.

Read it all:  Required Reading for Ron Paul Revolutionaries by Thomas DiLorenzo

National, Ron Paul for President | 1 Comment »

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.  I’ve been cooking all night and will be up early to finish.  Following is my menu for dinner.  Dessert will be provided by my sister and sister-in-law.

Thanksgiving Menu

November 22, 2007

Orange/Squash Harvest Soup

Honey Brined Free-Range Roast Turkey

Giblet Gravy

Southern Cornbread Stuffing

Roasted Fennel and Green Beans

Cranberry Compote

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Buttered Corn

Rolls & Butter

Holiday Egg Nog

Georges DuBeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2007

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Canada’s Finest (Labatts)

Coffee

Food & Dining | No Comments »

Don’t wait until the December 16 big fundraiser, money is needed now for the early primary states. 

During the first few days of October, we announced our fundraising goal for the fourth quarter: $12 million raised by December 31.

But there’s more: we need to have spent it by then, too.

If we were to raise the entire $12 million in the last week of December, we would meet our fundraising goal for the quarter. But Ron Paul would stand little chance of winning the Republican nomination, because that money would have come in too late.
Time is of the essence. You see, we need to raise money well before we plan to spend it. That’s because most of the expenditures that we make need to be paid for weeks in advance. For example, we need to buy crucial airtime for the end of December right now.

The sooner we raise this money, the sooner that we can spread Dr. Paul’s message - our message - in the early primary states. Time truly is money.

Fact is, we only have about two weeks to raise money for the early primaries.

If you wait a month from now to donate, your money will only be spent after Iowa caucus-goers and New Hampshire primary voters have made up their minds.

We are rapidly running out of time. The Iowa caucus is just 44 days away. New Hampshire is in 49 days. With so much ground to make up, we can’t afford to waste a single day.

As a result, we are spending faster than the rate at which we are raising money. In October alone, we raised $2.8 million, but our campaign spent over $3.1 million.

Read it all:  Ron Paul Dec 16 Donation Site Heads Over 20,000 - Free Market News Network

National, Ron Paul for President | No Comments »

Every year around this time, schoolchildren are taught about that wonderful day when Pilgrims and Native Americans shared the fruits of the harvest. “Isn’t sharing wonderful?” say the teachers.

They miss the point.

Because of sharing, the first Thanksgiving in 1623 almost didn’t happen.

The failure of Soviet communism is only the latest demonstration that freedom and property rights, not sharing, are essential to prosperity. The earliest European settlers in America had a dramatic demonstration of that lesson, but few people today know it.

When the Pilgrims first settled the Plymouth Colony, they organized their farm economy along communal lines. The goal was to share everything equally, work and produce.

They nearly all starved.

Why? When people can get the same return with a small amount of effort as with a large amount, most people will make little effort. Plymouth settlers faked illness rather than working the common property. Some even stole, despite their Puritan convictions. Total production was too meager to support the population, and famine resulted. Some ate rats, dogs, horses and cats. This went on for two years.

Read it all:  Townhall.com::The Tragedy of the Commons::By John Stossel

Musings | No Comments »

Remember that the British government permitted its soldiers to execute self-written search warrants. They called them “writs of assistance,” and they were one of the last straws that caused American colonist to rebel. It’s bitterly ironic that 230 years later a popularly elected government would authorize its own agents to do the same thing that when a monarchy did it, we fought a war of rebellion in reaction—which we won!

— Andrew P. Napolitano, “Americans: Sheep to the
Constitutional Slaughter?” [November 15, 2007]

National, Quote of the Day | No Comments »

Great news just arrived via email:

November 16, 2007
We are pleased to announce that just minutes ago, our attorney received a letter from the New York State Board of Elections informing us that Ron Paul will be on the ballot in New York!
If you’ve been braving the cold to get signatures to place Dr. Paul’s name on the ballot in New York, you can stop. No more signatures are necessary.
Thank you for being a part of our back-up plan for ballot access in your state.  Your hard work and dedication makes this campaign possible.
You never cease to amaze us!
For Freedom,
Ron Paul 2008 Presidential Campaign Committee

 

National, New York State | 1 Comment »

Leonard Roberto, of Primary Challenge, and Jim Ostrowski highlight one of the many reasons to support Ron Paul for President. The Estate Tax will provide a compelling reason for the estate of Ralph Wilson to sell the team. It is another unfair tax that places a heavy burden on families by taxing money that has already been taxed several times.

Ron Paul is in favor of abolishing this onerous burden.

The estate tax raises very little money. In fact, even at its height the estate tax accounted for only a little more than 1% of federal revenues. A congressional Joint Economic committee report estimates that Americans spend as much avoiding estate taxes – paying attorneys and accountants – as they do paying estate taxes. A study by a Stanford professor concluded that “True revenues associated with estate taxation may well have been near zero, or even negative.”

It’s no longer a matter of tax policy or economics – the arguments in favor of the estate tax have all been demolished. Instead, the estate tax survives purely because of politics.

The real motivation behind the estate tax is a deep-seated hostility to property rights, and a misguided fear of family dynasties. But people don’t keep money in mattresses anymore. Money inherited from an estate is either spent, saved, or invested – all of which are better for the economy than sending it to Washington, where bureaucratic overhead consumes at least 50 cents of every dollar.

If you truly own your property, you have the right to dispose of it any way you wish. You can sell it, give it away, or direct who will receive it when you die. This control is the essence of property rights. If you can’t control what happens to your property, you don’t really own it.  Click photos for large versions.

Technorati tags: Ron Paul, president, republican, libertarian, Buffalo Bills, Buffalo, football, taxes, estate tax, property rights, freedom

Erie County, National, New York State, Ron Paul for President | 2 Comments »

The FCC maintains the cable industry needs more regulation because prices have risen sharply over the past decade.  The flip side is that cable service has expanded greatly over the past decade and the choices for consumers are much greater. 

The Federal Communications Commission is likely to impose a new regulation on the largely unregulated cable television industry, the first of what may be more to come.

Under a proposed rule circulating at the FCC, cable companies such as Comcast and Time Warner Cable would have to slash the price they charge smaller television programmers to lease access on spare cable channels, a move the FCC says would open up cable viewers to a wider diversity of shows.

If the government is truly concerned about cable rates, the franchise agreements should be eliminated with local governments.  Open up the industry to real competition by allowing any provider, whether it is cable, satellite or fios, into the marketplace.

FCC Moves to Place Restrictions on Cable TV - washingtonpost.com

Government Waste, Rants | No Comments »

Today, Veteran’s Day, there is a way to reflect on where we’ve been, plan where we are going, remember our veterans and honor our Constitution.  That way is supporting Ron Paul for President.

BY: Aaron
I’m a former Marine and I will support Ron Paul with my vote and donation! Also remember the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party coming up in December too!
BY: Mark Albertini
I’m a Marine Vet in Chattanooga TN and am thrilled Mr. Paul is a Vet. We need a Vet in the White House to end the mess we are in in America and around the world. I’m not certain we should just march right out of Iraq but I really like what Mr. Paul stands for.
BY: J.P.
I am a career Naval officer who has always been politically neutral, but voting for Ron Paul is about voting for America and our Constitution–which I took an oath to preserve. I am now supporting Dr. Paul with my wallet–and my heart.
BY: Dave
One more Marine Corps vet supporting Dr. Paul and the concept of Liberty! Yours in it,
BY: Jeremiah
I work for the DOJ and I also swore to defend my country and defend the constitution. My heart and wallet are behing the only candidate who will ensure he lives up to it as well. Go Ron Paul. I wish health to the vets still with us and rememberance for those who are not.
BY: Gary
I’m a veteran of the U.S. Air Force active duty (4yrs) and I currently serve as a traditional guardsman in the Air National Guard. All military personnel upon enlistment take the oath: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…” A vote for Rep. Paul does just that. Ron Paul has my support.
BY: by JBM
Just remember, it’s not just a question of whose right, but what’s right that counts! We need to get back to our roots as Americans and I believe that Ron Paul has his sights on the right target! I’m with you, Ron. ‘Our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor.’
BY: Gary
I’m a veteran of the U.S. Air Force active duty (4yrs) and I currently serve as a traditional guardsman in the Air National Guard. All military personnel upon enlistment take the oath: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…” A vote for Rep. Paul does just that. Ron Paul has my support.

Ron Paul Head Toward $8 Million Via Patriotic Donations on Veterans Day - Free Market News Network

National, Ron Paul for President | 6 Comments »

The description of Ron Paul’s supporters, “iconoclastic white men,” is rather superficial.  Yes, his supporters want change while rejecting traditional solutions to the problems we face.  What isn’t addressed is that Ron Paul’s solutions are not designed to be your typical “quick fix” solutions with unintended consequences that are often far worse than the original problem.

If his campaign had taken place in the pre-Internet era, it might have gone the way of his 1988 Libertarian campaign for president, as a footnote to history. But because of the Internet’s low-cost ability to connect grass-roots supporters with one another — in this case, largely iconoclastic white men — Mr. Paul’s once-solo quest has taken on a life of its own.

Dr. Paul’s supporters reject traditional solutions because careful analysis, combined with empirical evidence and critical thinking, has shown that solutions that address the root causes of our economic trouble, foreign policy blunders, health care shortcomings, etc., are needed to restore America’s greatness.

We can be the nation that other countries want to emulate, but it will take some hard work and major changes in foreign and domestic policy.  The results will be well worth the effort and reestablish the principles of liberty, property and personal responsibility our country was founded upon.

We can, once again, become the LAND OF OPPORTUNITY!

Read it all:  Ron Paul - Internet - Presidential Campaign - New York Times

National, Ron Paul for President | 6 Comments »

By and large, the people of Erie County are happy with the state of affairs.  I can only hope that the local economy takes a major turn for the worse.  Maybe then we can get some fresh blood in the Erie County Legislature instead of the same old crowd headed by Marinelli.

Chris Collins overwhelming victory is only a token cry for change from the voters.  If they really wanted change, it would have occurred in the legislature as well.

Len Lenihan’s suggestion that Collins won because of a Republican conspiracy to keep the city vote down is ludicrous.  If anything, it shows that the people who didn’t vote don’t believe Collins will affect them detrimentally.  Keane lost because he is Keane.  Enough said.

A bit of sanity prevailed in Amherst with the defeat of all three propositions on the ballot.

Buffalo, Erie County, Musings | 1 Comment »

After reading this article, one thought comes to mind - Res Ipsa Loquitur. 

Public schools were marketed to the electorate of the several states as a way to provide a superior education, yet the promise hasn’t been met. The literacy rate has plummeted, private property has essentially been abolished and what we’ve really been given is warehouses for our children. Children do not learn much at government schools but at least somebody is taking care of them while we go to work to pay our property taxes, income taxes and sales taxes.

Read it all:  Warehousing Humans by Rick Fisk

Government Waste, Rants | No Comments »

Real freedom is lack of coercion — and this lack of coercion brings prosperity. Together, “safety” is endowed and expanded. The road to freedom is the simple minute-by-minute pursuit of life, liberty and happiness by millions of people — in America, in the Middle East and elsewhere — unbothered, undirected, uncontrolled, unmanaged, unconstrained and unterrorized by central forces of government.

Karen Kwiatkowski, “What the Neocons Need” [November 2, 2007]

Government, Musings, Quote of the Day | No Comments »

The law strikes again, as it does with most government actions. The unintended adverse affect is frequently much worse than the intended affect of the government.

I heard this little tidbit on WBEN this morning. Pedestrians walking during the early evening are three times more likely to be killed by a car when daylight savings time is in effect.

Tonight, or technically tomorrow morning, at 2 am is the time for setting your clocks back an hour.

Government, Musings | No Comments »