More Liberal Hypocrisy

I don't think it's possible to ever run out of examples.


Last night I was watching the Bill O'Reilly segment on Niki Diaz, the illegal alien who obviously entered the country illegally, obtained a phony social security card and lied to Meg Whitman about her status.


Of course, bleeding hearts don't want her deported, despite the federal crimes she's committed. It would be soooo unfair.


So, I guess the only one who can be punished is Meg Whitman. The illegal alien is still here and flaunting herself all over the place. Meg Whitman gets hits with a $5,000 fine.

Suppose Meg Whitman did find out she was here illegally and because she felt that she was "part of the family" didn't fire her or report her to the authorities. Would the left have painted her with the brush of "compassion"? No - they would have painted her with the brush of "look how she takes advantage of the illegals for her own gain."

Of course, the Nurse's Union used Niki Diaz for their gain. The ends justify the means when it's to their benefit.

Meg Whitman gets punished. Nike Diaz breaks all the laws and gets to stay here and show off her illegal alien status without a peep from anyone in charge.

Where We Have Some Real Power

At our Tea Party meetings, we all hear about the frustration over what's happening on the federal level of our government. We are constantly being baraged by policy we don't want and feel we have no recourse to stop. This ultimately brings about a feeling of hopelessness.

But the situation isn't hopeless. We forget that our real hand of power is our affect on the local level of government. Once we can start to turn around our local governments, we then have the power to turn around the state and eventually the federal government.

Of course, this is not an overnight process, but once you see the real changes you can have on your town's budget and policy, it starts to effect the upper levels. And you get the added power of confidence in affecting government.

Our local taxes continue to be raised, but who's attending those town council meetings? Policy is being enforced in your town, but are you attending the meetings when the decisions are being made?

If you want to be a real thorn in a politicians side, just show up at your town council meeting - see what's going on and question what's going on.

You'll really start to tick them off then - and honestly, what could be more fun?

Letter: Response to Tea Party letter

Back in October the following letter was published in NorthJersey.com. After that, our response.

Letter: Response to Tea Party letter

Thursday, October 21, 2010
Last updated: Thursday October 21, 2010, 1:25 AM

Bloomfield Life

Response to Tea Party letter

To the editor:

We are nearly at mid-term elections and media pundits are in a frenzy pushing their opinions on events past and future. We may differ on most issues, but one thing many Americans do agree on is that this country is floundering and in deep moral and financial crisis, whatever government officials and most news outlets say to reassure us.

Our people are more polarized than ever, and the income gap between the rich (the two to five percent of the population that has seen their income soar) and the rest of us is larger than ever, leaving millions of adults and children hungry, without homes and without jobs. Many in the middle class have lost their safety net, retirement and health benefits. No wonder people are angry!

We want to explore how we have gone from the land of opportunity to a land of many desperate and impoverished people. We ask if the democratic process can survive under such circumstances, especially when our constitutional rights are being increasingly violated. We need to listen more to one another and work toward reconciling differences. How did we get here and how do we extricate ourselves from this downward spiral? We ask readers to think outside the media babble before they vote.

Tea Party priorities are increasingly in the news. In an Oct. 7 letter to the editor, three members of the Essex County branch expressed their views about the state of affairs in our country. This letter will respond to some of the issues they raise.

One of the priorities the writers believe our country needs is adherence to the U.S. Constitution. We couldn’t agree with you more. The U.S. Constitution has established the limits of federal power for almost 220 years. We know you are concerned about the power of the Legislative Branch when it comes to health care, but what about the power it has ceded to the Executive Branch since Sept. 11, 2001? Hasn’t our system of checks and balances been compromised?

Are you concerned about the warrantless wiretapping program implemented by the National Security Agency? The NSA’s ability to wiretap without obtaining a warrant violates the fourth amendment to our Constitution, which guarantees our right to privacy; it also violates our first amendment rights in abridging our freedom of speech.

How about the U.S. Patriot Act? Are you upset about the increased ability of federal enforcement agencies to monitor your Internet use or tap your phones, more sanctioned violation of your first and fourth amendment rights?

And what about the U.S. use of torture to gain information from prisoners and detainees, a violation of the eighth amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment, as well as a violation of international law?

Much of the power acquired by the Executive Branch under the George W. Bush administration remains in effect today, as President Obama has been reluctant to give back that power to the Legislative Branch. Why not speak out about how both presidents have been pushing the limits of the U.S. Constitution, if not outright violating it?

Lastly, why not speak out against the U.S. Supreme Court ruling of January 2010, in the matter of the FEC (Federal Election Commission) vs. Citizens United? In this case, the U.S. Supreme Court equated corporate spending on electoral campaigns with free speech, effectively allowing corporations to spend without limit to influence the outcome of elections. Companies like Exxon, Bank of America and Prudential can now throw millions of dollars into supporting a candidate that will help them make more profits while other legitimate candidates’ voices with less money will be drowned out.

Let’s make sure the federal government adheres to the U.S. Constitution, but let’s be consistent and speak out against all such violations.

The Essex County Tea Party calls for lower taxes. The real question to us is lower taxes on whom? An incredible fact is that the income tax rate on the middle class and poor has steadily climbed in recent decades while the taxes on the richest one percent have gone down. Shouldn’t the rich pay more than the rest of us?

And what about corporations? An Internet search revealed that most large companies pay no income taxes, according to a Government Accountability Office report in August 2008! Ordinary citizens could not get away with such an outrage.

We are surprised that the Essex County Teac Party does not talk about the huge drain on our country of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including our pilotless drone planes that are bombing Pakistan. These wars have already cost American taxpayers over a trillion dollars! Tens of thousands of veterans have come home with physical and mental injuries, tragic in and of itself, not to mention the huge cost to the American taxpayer for their medical care.

Our bombs and weapons have killed and injured hundreds of thousands of men, women and children abroad. This has resulted in great anger against us in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is not making us safer at home or overseas.

The Tea Party writers state that they "want to make sure that our elected officials are doing their jobs lawfully and spending our money wisely." We agree. However, we are wondering why you do not talk about how these wars, supported by a majority of politicians, may bankrupt our country, while causing agony at home and abroad?

And why not speak out against the billions of our tax dollars spent to bail out the banks and insurance companies that fooled millions of families into buying unfair mortgages? These corporations lied to these people, many of whom are now living under crowded conditions with relatives, in cars, shelters or in tent cities across our country. Wouldn’t it be wise to call for a bailout of unfortunate families made homeless due to such deceit?

We invite the Essex County Tea Party to address the questions we raise, and we look forward to a continuing dialogue on how to move our country in a positive, more peaceful direction.

Trish Comstock, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom

Madelyn Hoffman, Director of NJ Peace Action

Jane Califf, Essex/Passaic Green Party, Bloomfield Recycling Committee Secretary

 

Our Response:

 

We would like to take this opportunity to respond the very thoughtful letter from Trish Comstock, Madelyn Hoffman and Jane Califf, published on October 21^st.

We want to preface this article with a disclaimer. The “Tea Party Movement” is a broad, grass-roots coalition with people of many political persuasions. Some are traditional conservatives, some libertarian and many fall in-between . This article should not be taken as representative of all or even a majority of people affiliated with a particular Tea Party organization. In fact there are many in Tea Party people who would vehemently disagree with parts of this article. That said, we will try to respond point by point.

“Our people are more polarized than ever…” Really? Even more polarized than during the civil war? Quite the contrary, our country has always been politically divided. Hamilton (Federalist 6) knew there would be divisions among the American people and designed the Constitution to withstand what they called “factions.” But more to the point, we reject the idea that people are angry based on class warfare. They are angry because of what they see as government out of control.

“Hasn’t our system of checks and balances been compromised?” We don’t think so. The balance of power between the branches ebbs and flows from administration to administration. Certainly this last election will push the balance back toward the congress and away from the White House.

Let’s look at it from a Constitutional perspective. It is the constitutional responsibility of the executive branch, first and foremost, to defend the country “from all threats, foreign and domestic.” Generally speaking we are more willing to give the government the benefit of the doubt on issues of national defense and security, since this is one of the primary purposes of the federal government. Not all Tea Party members would agree with this. Some might be more inclined to agree with you. However, in the absence of any evidence of systemic abuse, we believe the federal government is exercising its powers lawfully.

“Are you concerned about the warrantless wiretapping program implemented by the National Security Agency?” We do not believe that the so-called “warrantless wire-taps” violate the fourth amendment for several reasons. These intercepts happen only when at least one participant is outside the US. People outside the US are not entitled to constitutional protections. Also, these intercepts are overseen by the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Security Act) courts to insure due-process. Thirdly, it has been argued that the office of the president has inherent national security powers that come from his constitutional responsibility as commander-in-chief. Remember also that the fourth amendment protects the “right of the people to be secure… against unreasonable searches and seizures…” and not all searches and seizures. It does not guarantee a right to absolute privacy in every circumstance. .

We do not see any merit to the argument that authorized national security wiretaps violate our first amendment right to free speech. Surly you are not arguing that conspiracy to commit terrorist acts is protected speech, are you?

“And what about the U.S. use of torture…” The US does not use torture as it is against US law to do so. We would fully expect that anyone torturing a detainee would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. On the other side of the coin, foreign detainees (illegal combatants) captured during war are not entitled to US constitutional protections. They should not be tried in civilian courts but in military courts where intelligence sources and methods can be protected.

“Much of the power acquired by the Executive Branch under the George W. Bush administration remains in effect today…” In matters of national defense the executive has wide constitutional authority as commander-in-chief. The executive has nowhere near as much power in domestic matters. This is how it should be. We note that many presidential historians recognized the substantial weakening of the executive under the Clinton administration. The Bush administration just showed a historical trend toward a more powerful executive in time of war.

“Lastly, why not speak out against the U.S. Supreme Court ruling of January 2010, in the matter of the FEC (Federal Election Commission) vs. Citizens United?” We believe in free speech for everyone. We want to point out that the Citizens United case also allows for campaign spending by incorporated groups like the Sierra Club and labor unions. The free exchange of ideas is critical to a thriving democratic republic such as ours. We also stand for transparency. Groups should at a minimum brand their ads so that people know who is funding them.

“The Essex County Tea Party calls for lower taxes. The real question to us is lower taxes on whom?” The real answer is lower taxes on everyone. Under current US tax policy, to top 5% of earners pay about 40% of tax revenue. The bottom 40% of earners pays no income tax at all. We find that objectionable. Every American citizen should have some “skin in the game.” But we can’t afford lower taxes without major spending cuts and not just at the margins. Congress will have to bite the bullet and implement cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Why should we be paying for Social Security and Medicare to the likes of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett? And why should taxpayers not have same say over where at least a portion of their Social Security tax money is invested?

“And what about corporations?” Ask any economist and (Caution: non-PC pronoun in use) he will tell you that no company actually pays corporate income tax insofar as it doesn’t affect their bottom line. You and I pay those taxes as higher prices to the goods and services we buy. Companies simply raise the prices of their goods and services to make up for the taxes they pay. So let’s not kid ourselves about who is paying the corporate income tax. In fact, for publically held companies, the corporate income tax constitutes double taxation. Once at the corporate level and then again when the stockholder’s dividends get taxed. We do not begrudge any company to use the law to its best advantage, as long as they are within the law. If our politicians were as smart as they seem to think they are, they would make it easier for companies to do business in the US, not harder.

“We are surprised that the Essex County Tea Party does not talk about the huge drain on our country of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan…” You’re not really surprised, are you? One thing Tea Party people can agree upon is that the power to wage war rightfully belongs to the federal government. We may disagree on whether a given military action is right or wrong but that power is specifically enumerated in the constitution. The power to establish giant healthcare bureaucracies is clearly not.

“And why not speak out against the billions of our tax dollars spent to bail out the banks and insurance companies…?” On this issue you may find common cause with many Tea Partiers. We believe that no bank should be “too big to fail.” If it is, it should be broken up, not bailed out. But given the crisis as it existed in the waning days of 2008, we believe the choice was to intervene or watch the US economic system collapse. Conversely we do believe the government should have allowed General Motors to enter into bankruptcy. We do not believe the federal government has any valid reason for being in the automobile business. We certainly believe that economic “stimulus” bill (as distinct from the TARP bill) was a complete waste of the taxpayer’s money. Congress should make it a priority to repeal the stimulus bill and salvage as must of the unspent money as possible.

We want to thank the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, NJ Peace Action, the Essex/Passaic Green Party, Bloomfield Recycling Committee Secretary and of course NorthJersey.com for the opportunity to respond.

What We Believe, Part 5: Gun Rights

What We Believe, Part 4: Natural Law

What makes some laws worth obeying, while others demand to be overturned? In Part 4, Bill examines the difference between Natural Law and Political Law.

TSA - Unfriendly, Anti-American Skies

The point I want to make is that law-abiding American CITIZENS are forced to choose between being seen naked or being "sexually assualted", all while illegal aliens breeze over our border with not so much as glance.

Once again, the illegals have more rights and freedoms than American Citizens.

Have you had enough yet?

The Liberal Mindset. What a Hypocritical Joke!

As we've always known, the huge difference between liberals and conservatives is that liberals want everyone else to pay for their ideas and causes. Conservative believe that the individual pays their way.

Case in point. There is a very left leaning woman where I work. She is very much into the environment. Hates when we use paper towels to wash dishes or lay them on the counter to place the washed dishes. We should have a drying rack and sponges. So, she goes and purchases these items so that we don't waste paper towels.

But here's the rub. She expensed those charges on her expense account! So, for an issue that is so near and dear to her heart, she couldn't find it in herself to make that small purchase. Our company had to subsidize her cause - just like they want the government to subsidize all their causes - using our money!

The Tea Party is a very dear cause to me. To organize this group costs money. Money for a website, business cards, tables at street fairs, banner, etc.. Guess who subsidizes these efforts? Me - that's who. Yes, we take collections at our meetings, but it's never enough to cover these costs.

The point is that this is my cause and what I believe in. I haven't looked to others who have no interest to pay for it.

Liberal hypocrisy runs rampant.

Of course, she's a high level employee. I'd probably risk my job by confronting her. You know how libs hate facts and to be proven wrong. It's part of the mental disease!

What We Believe, Part 3: Wealth Creation

In Part 3 of the series, Bill shows how wealth can be created from thin air.

What We Believe, Part 2: The Problem with Elitism

In Part 2 of his series on what Tea Party Conservatives believe, Bill looks at the problems and dangers associated with elitism and elitist philosophy.

What We Believe

Bill Whittle chalks out the basics of Tea Party Conservatism. In this segment, Bill talks about the advantages of small government and free enterprise.