Yes, Ron Paul won the CPAC straw poll and delivered a good speech. Glenn Beck delivered a great speech too, but for my money it was a Judge Andrew Napolitano speech that was the best of CPAC 2010.
As I sat in the audience following Judge Andrew Napolitano’s speech during the Liberty Forum at CPAC 2010 I couldn’t help but wish he was delivering it in the main ballroom on the final afternoon leading in to Glenn Beck’s keynote. Then again, he may have been booed, but that wouldn’t have stopped him.
While Glenn Beck’s speech was very good and included arguments the GOP needed to hear, the Judge’s speech was an uncompromising and no-holds-barred session of truth-telling.
Ron Paul used his five minutes during yesterday’s markup of a bill to recognize the Armenian Genocide of 1915 to showcase his foreign policy philosophy of neutrality and non-intervention.
Paul shines when he has more than a couple minutes to represent his position, especially on foreign policy. He makes a point to emphasize his philosophy is not one of isolation from the world, but one where we don’t stick our nose where it doesn’t belong.
The polls are clear. Most Americans hate the Democrats’ healthcare plan. But Obama and Pelosi don’t care what you think. They want to use an obscure process called reconciliation to bypass the need for a super-majority in the Senate.
This foolish move may cost the Democrats their majority control of Congress, but it will also be hazardous to your health, if they get away with it. Here’s the key to stopping them . . .
Obama and Pelosi lack the votes they need in the House for their reconciliation scheme to work. Very few House Democrats are as suicidal as the President and the Speaker. We must keep it that way by maintaining the pressure.
by John Browne – Senior Market Strategist, Euro Pacific Capital
The bad news for Greece is that despite some help from abroad, and some attempts at internal reform, investors are still leery of the troubled state. The good news, if you can call it that, is that they will soon have company in the penalty box.
Now that investors have come face-to-face with the reality of sovereign default in the developed world, greater scrutiny will befall those countries with fiscal conditions similar to Greece. The United Kingdom is a cause of great concern, with a debt ratio rapidly approaching Greek levels. The economic challenges facing Britain are aggravated by a Labour government that is pushing the country further toward socialism. As a result, in from mid-2008 to today the pound sterling has lost some 25 percent of its value even against the US dollar. Debt and socialism are a toxic mix for investors.
Here’s what Steny Hoyer said at the Brookings Institution on Monday, March 1: “No one likes raising revenue (increasing taxes), and understandably so, but if you’re going to buy, you need to pay.”
The wave of “Tea Party” activism and renewed interest in the Constitution in the wake of the 2008 elections has mostly been fueled by a rightfully-deserved fear of the tyranny and reckless disregard for the rule of law that the current administration has displayed. Attend a local Tea Party event and you’ll likely encounter healthy, much-needed discussions on the 10th Amendment rights of the state, the protection of the inherent rights of the individual via the 1st and 2nd Amendments, the unconstitutionality of wasteful federal programs, and even once-fringe talking points such as repealing the 17th Amendment.
Quite often, however, the Constitution is lost on many when the topic of discussion turns to foreign policy and the so-called “War on Terror.” At a recent GOP primary debate that I attended (sponsored by the local Tea Party), several candidates were asked about national security, the role of America’s foreign policy, and what to do about the rising threat of Iran. Despite drooling over their love of the Constitution for the rest of the evening, the candidates didn’t mention the founding document once in their responses to these issues. One of the candidates, in fact, could be quoted as saying “If Israel bombed Iran, I’d slap them on the back and buy them a drink.” Several other candidates pledged their allegiance to defending Israel at all costs. Another candidate responded that the goal of American foreign policy should be to “help nations” and to “pressure nations that do not comply.” All of these statements drew more cheers than boos from the crowd.
From whence springs this disconnect between so-called “constitutionalists” and their eagerness to abandon all mention of the Constitution as it relates to our world empire? Since the GOP establishment takeover of the national Tea Party – seems funny that the rugged individualism that the Tea Party movement represents would even have a national organization, doesn’t it? – it seems that most of the Tea Parties have devolved into throngs of Republican dissenters who only take issue when “the other guy” is the one shredding the Constitution, while using the Amendments, clauses, and Founders’ quotes that support their agenda.
Ron Paul handily won his primary in his district (14) in Texas yesterday. For the nit-pickers, I’m sorry for emphasizing that it is his primary and his district as if he owns it. However, when someone wins with more than 80% of the vote against 3 other candidates, it should rightly be called “his” district and “his” primary.
The results can be found here, but if you’d rather not click over there…
So the neo-conservatives that were angered at Ron Paul’s performance in the CPAC straw poll now have another election to whine about. Ben Bernanke was probably hoping for a Paul loss as well.
There’s still hope for the anti-Ron Paul contingent though. They can campaign for the Democrat to unseat Paul in the general election. To that I say, good luck!
But if you do that you’ll think we’ve sent you to the wrong link. You’ll see that the title on the bill is “Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act.”
You see, H.R. 3961 originally started with that title and subject, and it passed the House in November. Then, this past Wednesday, Majority Leader Harry Reid ripped the guts out of the bill and replaced it with the Patriot extensions. The Senate then passed that version of the bill and sent it back to the House, where it was approved Thursday night.
Now, you may be asking, where’s the link to the Senate roll call vote?
Well, there isn’t one. The bill passed by Unanimous Consent, which means a voice vote.
Everything about this process and bill is offensive to DownsizeDC.org . . .
* changing the subject of the bill by amendment violates our One Subject At A Time Act
* there was no 7-day waiting period before votes in either chamber, violating our requirements in the Read the Bills Act
* Congress neither let the provisions expire (our preference), nor reformed the Patriot Act for greater accountability and civil liberties protections
Liberty Maven
by John Browne – Senior Market Strategist, Euro Pacific Capital
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