“Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. Enable them to see that it is their interest to preserve peace and order, and they will preserve them. And it required no very high degree of education to convince them of this. They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.” – Thomas Jefferson, 1787
After the lecture from LBCCS founder Paul Fiske who related how our founding fathers viewed education, Ryan Burgett, chairman of LBCCS and I (as a member of LBCCS) took questions and there was one question I was unable to answer without a projector, which was the breakdown of spending by the federal Department of Education, which is below or can beviewed online here.I also gave a short synopsis of the history and issues I have with this Department.
BETHLEHEM, PA – US Congressional Candidate Jake Towne related Thursday to a group of Moravian College students that the government’s stimulus plan simply isn’t working in the Lehigh Valley. He also covered the basic economic reasons behind the failure and a better alternative.
While economic planners predict the end of downturn in Q4 2010 and the creation of 3.675 million jobs, Recovery.gov demonstrates that only 0.030 million jobs have been “created/saved” since the plan began in Q1 2009. Only 495.2 jobs are reported as “created/saved” in all of Pennsylvania. including zero Lehigh Valley jobs and $0 spent. Out of the $2.05 billion allotted to Pennsylvania, only 0.15% has been allotted to the Lehigh Valley, or $3.2 million.
To date, Recovery.gov reports zero Lehigh Valley jobs “created/saved” and $0 spent. The allotted funds for the $3.2 million are:
$154,817 allotted to Advanced Environmental Solutions for soil and groundwater contamination testing
$1,129,049 to the City of Allentown for Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing
$737,917 allotted to the City of Allentown for Community Development Block Grant
$687,480 to the City of Bethlehem for Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing
$449,326 to the City of Bethlehem for Community Development Block Grant. Funds allocated to provide lighting on 4th Street and a 12-foot pedestrian and bicycle path on a former railroad line.
Ever wonder what happened to that sense of hope and change that most of the voters in the United States were swept up by last fall?
America does need“hope.” America does need “change.”
However, the mainstream Republican and Democratic party machines are both repeating like bad records – “morespending,moretaxes,morewar,more debt.”
If you flip the record, all you hear is “lessliberty,fewerjobs,lessprosperity.”
Whydoesn’tAmerica consider a sound money and slashing federal spending?
Whydoesn’tAmerica consider auditing and cutting back the powers of the ruinous FED?
Whydoesn’tAmerica consider destroying theIMMORALandUNNECESSARY federal income tax?
Whydoesn’tAmerica consider a different foreign policy – where there is third choice besides bombing or economic sanctions? Why not replace the blowback our foreign policy has resulted in with a little love and peaceful trade?
I have noticed from my correspondence with you that you do not have time to reply back, or spend time with me personally to cover the issues I have highlighted to you. I have even gone to the admittedly rather extreme effort of attending five of your town halls and handing my eight (8) open letters to you in person, as well as sending them by email and phone (in addition to many other letters).
Again, my key concern is I have no idea where you stand on monetary policy, and as this dollar crisis unwinds I am quite concerned that you are doing absolutely nothing to help the residents of our district and our country. In fact, the actions you are taking are having the exact opposite effect of helping. Ranging fromyour recent approval $50+ billion in foreign aid spending (much of it military aid to countries such as Egypt, Israel, Guatemala, Jordan, Indonesia, and many, many others) to many other votes for rampant Big Government spending (like your vote last week to spend $4.125 for government sponsored research on car technology in HR 3246), your continued silence on this issue makes me conclude that you certainly do not stand for a sound money as I do.
Here is the video from MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” of Peter Schiff officially announcing his bid for Senate in Connecticut. Everyone seems to be focused on his potential opponent Chris Dodd and overlooks the fact that he must win the GOP primary first. He’s not even the front runner in the primary…. yet.
Just minutes ahead of his announcement on MSNBC this morning Schiff sent out an email to his mailing list announcing his candidacy for U.S. Senate. So chalk Schiff up as yet another “Ron Paul Republican” running for office in 2010.
You’re the First to Know
Dear Friend,
Well, it looks like you have made a difference.
Based upon the unbelievable support that I have receieved from 10,000 supporters like you, I have decided to throw my hat into the ring to challenge Chris Dodd for the honor of representing the state of Connecticut in the United States Senate. I will announce my candidacy on MSNBC’s Morning Joe show on Thursday, September 17 at 8:15am eastern time. Sorry for the short notice, but its important to honor commitments and keep these things under raps until the day the news breaks.
At this time last year I could not have imagined that that I would be making such an announcement today. I had never intended to become a candidate for public office. But these are extraordinary times. Our economy is falling apart in front of our eyes and Washington seems intent on making the wheels come off even faster. At a time when we desperately need adult supervison, the economically illiterate are running the show. As I love my country, it now seems clear that I must try to do something to help. The emotional and material support I have received from across the country has made the decision much easier.
So today it begins. As I’m sure you are aware, the rules in politics bear only scant resemblance to those which govern polite society. As a result, I am wading into strange waters, and I’m sure strange things will happen. But I promise to maintain my composure and give it my best shot. Based on the support that I have received thus far, I fully expect to be facing down Chris Dodd in the general election just 14 months from now.
As my campaign takes flight, I appreciate the patience and trust that you have shown. To commit time and money to a long shot candidate for high office is a hard choice. I hope to repay that trust with a first class campaign.
I look forward to your feedback and your continued support.
Rand Paul appeared for a 30 minute call-in segment on CSPAN’s Washington Journal this morning. Many topics were discussed. Check it out below in the 3 part playlist.
Peter Schiff has raised more than $1 million for a U.S. Senate bid he has yet to formally announce. But that could come on Thursday, when Schiff said he will state his decision on MSNBC’s Morning Joe show.
Schiff has an uphill battle, but he hasn’t really done much campaigning or fund raising yet is very close in the few polls that have been released. The GOP primary field is crowded and while many are focused on Dodd the primary must be won first.
I was lucky enough to acquire an advanced copy of the movie. It went straight from the mailbox into my DVD player. You are going to adore this movie. In fact, you are going to EVOL this movie.
Without revealing too many details (I don’t want this to be a spoiler) it covers all of the major grassroots events, efforts, and activists that were the essence of the Ron Paul Revolution. It begins right around the time Ron Paul announced his candidacy and culminates with the Rally for the Republic.
The creators utilize the “Walk4Freedom” (perfectly I might add) as an avenue to tie the “story” together. The story is told by the grassroots activists themselves, individuals such as Michael Maresco (Walk4Freedom, Ron Paul Rider, Ride For Honesty), Lawrence Lepard (Full Page Ron Paul Ad purchaser and organizer), Trevor Lyman (Money bomb promotion, Ron Paul Blimp), and many others.
We long time Ron Paul supporters got used to the typical underhanded attacks “our” candidate received during his Presidential bid. They became predictable and passé. Now that Rand Paul has proven he is a viable candidate in the 2010 Senatorial race in Kentucky similar attacks have begun.
With Ron Paul many of the attacks were leveled by the media itself. We even published a rather popular satire piece during the campaign called “The Official Media Guide To Attacking Ron Paul“.
Thus far with Rand Paul, most of the attacks are coming from the Left and the neo-conservative establishment friends of his Republican primary opponent Trey Grayson. The attacks themselves are quite typical.
The Left enjoys pointing out that white supremacist organizations have noticed Rand Paul’s campaign and support him. They like to point out that such extreme groups and individuals supporting Paul means that Paul himself somehow condones such beliefs. This is ludicrous. Guilt by association attacks are for the feeble-minded. No one, not even the Left’s Messiah Obama can control who chooses to support him.
Extremists like Jeremiah Wright and Louis Farrakhan both support Obama, but I don’t attack Obama because of it. Even though a much stronger case could be made for doing so due to the fact that Wright was Obama’s pastor and mentor for 20 years or so.
Believing in individual liberty and white supremacy are impossible bedfellows. Attacking Rand Paul this way tells us more about the attacker than the attacked.
The attacks from his own party are right out of the political attack playbook. What makes it humorous this time is that the charges against Rand Paul suggesting he isn’t a “real Republican” could be more easily made against his opponent. Trey Grayson used to be a Democrat and campaigned for Bill Clinton in the 90’s. At that time Rand Paul was busy founding an anti-tax group in Kentucky.
Liberty Maven
Last night with the Liberty Bell Center of Constitutional Studies, I was part of a panel answering questions on public education with the Concerned Citizens of Bethlehem Area School District. The BASD has been plagued with financial troubles stemming from OTC derivatives purchases, and previously I gave an educational presentation to this group on financial derivatives.
Ever wonder what happened to that sense of hope and change that most of the voters in the United States were swept up by last fall?
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