How to avoid sacrificing liberty for security

When I worked in investigations for the highway patrol, one of my jobs was that of internal investigations. It was not one I enjoyed, but it was necessary to respond to allegations of misconduct by our law enforcement officers. It is easy for the people to believe the police will not be sufficient to "police" themselves- the natural inclination for many people is that they will protect their own.

I saw this take place in the Legislature first hand yesterday.  In the Senate Budget Committee hearing, I was waiting to speak on SB 1122, a bill that contains some RFID- enabling language. One of the prior bills had an amendment by Sen. Joe Negron dealing with legislators and health insurance. From the testimony, I learned as it stands, legislators pay about $8/month for single coverage and about $15/month for family coverage. Sen. Negron's amendment would have removed the 160 legislators from the same class as senior management (more on this in a bit) and placed them in the same class as career service employees. Sen. Negron used the examples of custodians and correction officers among others. The monthly cost would increase to about $50 for individuals, and about $130 for families. I'll comment that anyone that pays their own insurance knows that is a bargain.

Having been a state employee, I need to explain a couple of things here. Career service is a class of workers that continue to work when a new administration takes over. Generally, they must be removed for cause (regular readers here will know I'm a fan of doing things when there is cause). On the highway patrol when I worked there, this was the rank of sergeant and below. After that was the "excluded" class, which on the highway patrol was the rank of lieutenant through major. Not too long before I left the upper ranks (and other state workers in similar positions) were moved to something called "Select Exempt Service" or SES. They had no job protection when a new administration took over, so to compensate for this, their benefits were improved, to include health insurance. From what I heard, the legislators are in the SES classification.

One of the things I hear and agree with as a Tea Party person is that Congress or legislative bodies should live by their own rules. Here we have an example of that at  the state level. What didn't surprise me was the bipartisan opposition to this amendment. It was branded a "political statement" by one senator. It was brought out that the Legislature has taken pay cuts in the past several years. The fact is legislators are paid less than a state trooper, under $30,000 per year. But it is a part-time job. The session lasts for 60 days. There are meetings and other duties throughout the year, but most of the legislators I have researched hold other jobs. I almost forgot to add, like other state employees, out-of-town legislators are paid a per diem, or daily expense when they travel from their home territory. A senator commented that if this went through, only the wealthy, the retired, and those supported by a spouse could afford to run. I had to wonder, what does this change? In our District 9 House race in 2008, the candidates raised around $400,000 each for a job that pays less than $30,000/year and lasts two years. Both were wealthy people. Poor people, or as one senator said, "the little guy", usually do not win elections. Folks, they are not there for the money, it is usually the power, or the rare few that take the job to heart and are trying to support and defend the Constitution- the oath all have taken. See a prior post of mine re: Reps. Albritton (R) and Jenne (D).

Now for the protection part. In a committee meeting, the normal process is to have the amendment explained, questions asked, public comments, debate, and a roll call vote where a record is made of who voted for or against the amendment. The Budget Committee Chair, Sen. J.D. Alexander, decided to have a voice vote. I was on the front row and it was too close to call, but he was able to determine the Nays had it, so the amendment failed. Sen. Alexander protected his own by removing any chance for accountability via a roll call vote. We'll never know who voted for or against the amendment. It's tactics like this that give people a bad impression of legislators, and for good cause.

Reps. Ben Albritton (R) and Evan Jenne (D)

Does that letter after their name really mean much when it comes to Liberty?

Here are two Florida State Legislators that can truly be called Representatives. Webster defines a representative as:

The second one fits the bill for these two.

First up, Rep. Ben Albritton: He had the huge task of sponsoring the Dept. of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles bill. It's unusual a freshman legislator gets this task, as it often goes to a committee chair. It was placed into capable hands, though. Bills such as these are called Omnibus bills since they try to cover everything related to the agency in one bill. The initial version of this one was over 60 sections in length, and around 92 pages. While this is a drop in the bucket to 2,500 page bills out of Congress, it's still a lot of reading- more on that later with Rep. Jenne.

I was fortunate to find the same electronic authentication language here as had been amended into last year's Senate bill 1150 late in the session. This is bad stuff for liberty and privacy, as it opens the door for Radio Frequency ID (RFID) chips on licenses. RFID has a history of being hacked or cloned without the holder's knowledge, with negative results for the card holder. A second section would have assured RFID by offering an "enhanced" driver license for border crossings by land or sea.

My friend Catherine and I met with Rep. Albritton and gave him a crash course on RFID and how easy it is to be hacked or cloned. He is very personable. It turns out he knows someone I went through the FHP Academy with, so we got along very well. He pledged to us he would meet with us before the bill made a final committee stop. We were able to effectively communicate, and before the final committee stop for the bill, I learned Rep. Albritton had pulled ALL of the RFID enabling language out of the bill. We were expecting a compromise in the language, so it was a very pleasant surprise. Bills like this one are targets for everything legislators want to get passed, since they are "moving" and will likely pass. It would have been easy for Rep. Albritton to blow us off, but he did not and instead evaluated our information, what could happen, and then applied what he had learned.

Rep. Jenne is another exceptional legislator. I first met him when I was meeting with legislators about REAL ID. Like Rep. Albritton, he is personable and his concern and interest in what I was saying were genuine. I've had the chance to speak to him a few times since then, but his true caliber as a Representative came out at the prior committee stop for the above bill. He came loaded for bear- he said he had read the bill, all 90+ pages, and he had a bunch of questions. His questions included RFID chips. He publicly told Rep. Albritton that he trusted him when Rep. Albritton said he would find common ground on these issues.

Today at the final hearing, I watched as Rep. Jenne repeated this process on another bill. It's my understanding most legislators rely on staff summaries. Realistically, not every bill, even the few that come to a committee, can be read. That does not appear to be the case with Rep. Jenne. He asked so many questions this morning the Committee Chair was ready to cut him off.

I've used this site and my other one to make public the hypocrisy of certain other legislators, be it in their operation of motor vehicles with State Legislator tags at excessive speeds, or campaigning on one thing and then doing the opposite. It's great to write about two that are actually representing the citizens of Florida.

While listening to a recent teaching by my Pastor, he spoke about how we are never stagnant in this life. The forces arrayed against us that result in Sin are like gravity. If we do nothing, we fall. This got me to thinking of a parallel: Liberty.

For many years, the colonists lived in America and did little to protect or guard liberty. As a result, the King of England imposed greater and greater tyranny until we fought a revolution. I see another instance of this in our modern lives. We as a whole sit back and do little to nothing while greater and greater tyranny is imposed upon us. For the record, Webster defies tyranny as:

Definition of TYRANNY

It's pretty cool how Thomas Jefferson was quoted in the first definition. Anyhow, we'll focus on #2, a government in which absolute power is vested in a single ruler. As the kids in the backseat on a road trip are prone to ask, "Are we there yet?". The answer is no, we're not. But we are on the way. Consider my area of focus: The federal REAL ID Act of 2005, which gave the Secretary of Homeland Security (a single ruler) the authority as to when a "federal identification" can be required (Title II, Section 201(3)). In a recent State legislative committee hearing, a representative of the State DMV kept using the term "federal standards" for State driver licenses. Under our Constitution, there can be no such thing for a State-issued driver license.

Next, here is the definition of Liberty:

Definition of LIBERTY

We don't need to go past the first one.

I've written about a very well-known period of tyranny in our world: Nazi Germany. As I've noted, Mr. Hitler did not assume power and the following week start mass executions of people he didn't like. It was a gradual process, which was made possible by the people of Germany not doing anything. Within about 10 years, the mass executions were taking place. During that time, another Pastor, Martin Niemöller, wrote something that falls right in line:

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

It's been said actions have consequences, but it's also just as true that inactions have consequences. I've recently updated this site to include a quote from a friend of mine, Andrew Nappi, who is with the Florida 10th Amendment Center. It's on the upper right hand side of this page, and is certainly worth repeating here:

"One opposes tyranny, or one enables it. There is no middle ground and time is not an ally. Wrapping tyranny in the flag and calling it security makes it no less evil."

Key there is that time is not an ally. As each day/week/month passes, we must be vigilant as to efforts to reduce our Liberty. We can never remain stagnant- the forces against us are not so. Will the next attack on our Liberty be as plain as a torpedo dropped from a Japanese plane or an airplane flying into a building? No. It will be in legislation that is hundreds of pages long and only has a few sections that make "minor" adjustments to how we live our lives, and usually justified by the plane flying into the building. This of course sets the stage for the next "minor" adjustment once we have gotten used to the first one. I see all of the people that complained yet complied with REAL ID since they needed to drive for work or to get groceries, etc. Now they are set to receive a mandatory "electronic authentication" for their license by 2013. Keep reading for good news on that front.

Right about now you're thinking, I'm one person, what can I do? The answer is everything possible- but only if Liberty matters to you. Tyranny can be fought using two resources: Time and money. You may have one but not the other. That's perfectly understandable. If you have time, you can alert others as to key issues, and then make a concerted effort to pass your concerns to elected officials. The ball is in their court at that point, and we must never forget actions taken in support of tyranny or against Liberty. We must expose their actions and convince them to either vote in support of Liberty or be removed from office- or perhaps to decide not to run for re-election.

This is a great time to mention a new effort underway in Florida for Liberty candidates and workers, regardless of party: Liberty Takeover 2012. Worried about getting involved? You should worry more about not getting involved. As many know, 3 years ago this spring I was ignorant as to political goings on and was happily spending quality time with my collection of vehicles and not much of a speaker or writer. I was decidedly anti-social. In the intervening years, God has blessed me with the ability to do both in an effective manner. All you need to do is have faith and take the first step.

If you do not have the time, again, it's 2012 and we live in a short-attention span society, so it's understandable. Do you have just $2 or $3 (or more) each month you could contribute (click to donate) to those that have the time but not the money to stand up for Liberty? If you do, here is what you will receive:

• Bills to combat tyranny. The legislative process is a time-consuming one, and usually little changes each session. Think of it as a pendulum, it takes a while to stop the swing in one direction and then reverse it in the direction you want. The fact the Florida Campaign for Liberty was able to get two bills filed in our first year of doing so speaks volumes for our ability.
• Vigilance. As I've noted, new bills come along and you can't figure out what is in them based on just the title. As an example, the recent Highway Safety bill (HB 1223) contained two sections out of over 60 sections that dealt with tracking chips ("electronic authentication") on licenses. This was not an easy thing to find, but once we did, we met with the House bill's sponsor to inform him and get acceptable common ground. We also got an amendment removing this language on the Senate side. If the Florida Campaign for Liberty had not been involved in this, neither would have happened and by now both bills would be well on the way to becoming law. I'll note we were not around and doing this in 2008 when we got REAL ID. If we had been, maybe things would have been different.
• Bang for the buck and a bargain. All money donated in Florida is used in Florida. Lots of people are asking for your money- some, like the IRS are in fact demanding it. Lobbying is a $50 million a year industry in Florida. Liberty has but two lobbyists, and we need help. Compare the salaries: The DMV pays their lobbyist (with our tax dollars) over $80K/year. My county just spent $20K for two lobbyists for a month's worth of work. The Florida Campaign for Liberty could employ several lobbyists for what the average lobbyist in Tallahassee makes. But we can't employ them without your donation.

Are our bills a slam-dunk? In no way. One has been blocked, and the other gutted. But we got them to the table in their first year. Normally it takes several years to do so. As an example, the red light camera law took 7 years to be passed. Next year will be our second one opposing the cameras. We can restore Liberty on that issue in less than seven years. We'll be back next year with more refined versions based on the feedback from legislators we received this year. We are not standing still or stagnant. Will you join us in this effort by volunteering or donating?

Since I've asked for a donation, here is the Florida Campaign for Liberty disclaimer:

 Because of Florida Campaign for Liberty's tax-exempt status under IRS Sec. 501 (C) (4) and its state and federal legislative activities, contributions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions (IRC sect 170) or as a business deduction (IRS sect 162(e)(1)). Florida Campaign for Liberty is a 501(c)4 lobbying organization which neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office and claims no responsibility for the actions of individuals or groups of individuals who use the Florida Campaign for Liberty logo or name or who may claim to act as representatives of the Florida Campaign for Liberty without prior written consent of the Florida Campaign for Liberty..

It's nice to write a post not about politics (well not 100%) or all of the hatred that seems to be so pervasive in our world these days. This one goes out to my best valentine of all time, Mrs. Henry.

It's easy to take the things we have for granted. I've written about our Liberty on a regular basis here (there's the political content of this post). It's likewise easy to do with the important people in our lives. In my case, it is my wife of several decades. I was thinking recently of all she put up with in almost 20 years of police work, the odd hours, and sometimes 21 out of 24 hours worked. Now she puts up with all of the political irons I have in the fire. We never imagined being so involved in things after retiring to peaceful North Florida, a place where English is spoken and people wave with all 5 fingers. When someone asks how you are doing, they actually care. Rush hour traffic is usually a dozen vehicles or less. Driving on main highways in the evening is akin to an episode of The Twilight Zone where all the other people have disappeared. I brought Mrs. Henry to this land of milk and honey several years ago from the place where we had both lived for most of our lives in SW Florida.

Over the years she has been there for me in so many ways. She not only gets but tolerates my weird sense of humor and constant thinking, to include a regular comment to the TV, especially if it is a cop show. She got us involved in a great church down south where we still visit when in town. She puts up with a large second family in "my" house (my shop) comprised of numerous cars and motorcycles, most of which need a few things. I suffer from the same affliction as former Chevy High Performance editor Jeff Smith- every now and then a "stray" vehicle will follow me home, and then once they are here, there's the "Tim the Toolman"  quest for more power. She's a great sounding board for when I have a great idea or when something is troubling me. Granted, she knows as much about engine wiring as I do about Pottery Barn, but God has blessed her with common sense and as a gentle reminder of how He provides for us. Needless to say, she's my best friend. She's adapted to living here and we've found a great church and made wonderful friends there. No matter how bad things get during the week or what setbacks come, the highlight of my week is Sunday service with her and then a lunch afterwards. I enjoy the quality time with my old Suzuki bike on Sundays as well, but it doesn't put up with me as well as my wonderful wife does.

Happy Valentines day to my favorite Valentine ever.

Watch this almost 3 minute video and see what you think.

Consider:

Newt Gingrich "talks like I want to live". How about how he has ACTED (politically, not personally) in his support of global warming and mandated health insurance? Of course now, he "talks" that they are bad. If elected, will he change his mind again? Would it not be better to have someone in office that has been consistent in this area?

She likes Santorum, but he can't win. Way to put party above principle. Were Adolph Hitler polling well, would she have voted for him as well?

The icing on the cake: I disagree with Harry Reid, but she then lists some of the "stuff" he has brought to their town:

Streetlights, sewers, paved roads.

How about the other "stuff" like federal gasoline and communication taxes? Income taxes? Increased federal regulations? Does she have any idea what Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution and the 10th Amendment say? The items she mentioned are a local, not federal, responsibility.

America has a clear choice in 2012, and it's clear to me which way we are headed courtesy of voters such as this woman.

A couple of days ago, I participated in a Tallahassee area forum for undecided voters. My friend Catherine, who works tirelessly and without any compensation on many constitutional and liberty issues, set up the event. The idea was to have campaign representatives of the four Republican presidential contenders speak for 5 minutes FOR their candidate, then someone would speak for 5 minutes AGAINST their candidate. Each would then be given 2 minutes for rebuttal, and then the remaining time would be for questions from the audience.

Two things stood out to me, and one leads to the other- the first one was a gentleman in the audience during the question and answer portion stated that the anti- Ron Paul person (whom I know and he does not support Dr. Paul) had convinced him to consider Ron Paul based on Dr. Paul's record as articulated. The second was the polling- a poll was done by secret ballot before and after the event. Mr. Gingrich (whose representative could not answer a question with a yes or no or even stay on point) and Mr. Romney stayed the same. Mr. Santorum picked up 10 percent. Ron Paul picked up 100 percent, and ended up in second place- behind Mr. Gingrich! Mr. Santorum took third, and Mr. Romney was a very distant last.

Today I clicked a link that gave an unbiased look at how the four men stood on immigration. Consider the following:

Mandate E-Verify: Only Ron Paul is "bad" on this issue. President Obama is good for "first steps".

All Republicans want to secure the border, so this is moot.

End birthright citizenship- i.e. "anchor babies" that are born here to illegal immigrants? Dr. Paul received a "good", while the other three Republicans were "unhelpful".

This one is most telling as to who supports an expanded federal government: Punish business violators- Dr. Paul goes beyond "bad" to "abysmal".

By their scoring, Dr. Paul gets a D-, so he is between Mr. Gingrich with a D and Mr. Obama with an F-.

I have to wonder how they would score our Constitution on these matters? I'm sure Dr. Paul's opposition to E-Verify sunk him for this group, as they look to the federal government for an "easy button" for illegal immigration regardless of the consequences for the rights of the citizens and businesses of the USA- numbers any politician should have as a primary concern. Government mandated health insurance? Terrible idea, unconstitutional! Government approved employment in the private sector? It's the only way to fix illegal immigration!

It's a beauty, isn't it? It was owned by a little old lady that never drove it…

One experience you get when you sit in a subcommittee room waiting for the bill you are going to speak about is the ability to listen to other bills being presented. Recently, I had the experience of hearing HB 1207 presented. It's called autonomous vehicle technology. What's an autonomous vehicle? Well first of all, don't tell the Secretary of Homeland Security- autonomy is frowned upon there. An autonomous vehicle is one that can drive itself. I've written elsewhere on this site about "smart" cars for dumb drivers with things such as automatic braking and lane control. I'm old school to the point that if I want to get a sandwich, I'll pull into a restaurant to do so- I won't (as the cruise control urban legend goes) get up from behind the wheel and go make one. Apparently the day is not too far away where this could take place, but I'm still not sure where the benefit lies.

If you want one point of view on these, read this 2010 article on the Discovery News site. The title is "Driverless Cars Could Save Lives". So we have yet another "safety" issue- if you'd like to read about another "safety" issue, look at some of my thoughts about red light cameras here.

As a "car guy" and an American, the following statement flat out bothers me:

"In the future it will be forbidden for safety reasons for people to drive cars," predicted Raul Rojas, professor at Berlin's Free University (FU). "The cars of today are the horses of yesterday."

I suppose it is even worse that this particular article came from the same place as the Nazi Party. Military aviation enthusiasts will likewise note the acronym for the car- Made In Germany or MIG, which was the main type of Communist fighter used from Korea onwards.

At the subcommittee hearing, a local lawyer for Google, who is the main force behind this idea, testified about the car and concept. I happened to see him while I was in another legislator's office later in the day, and had to ask about the idea of a driverless car. I told him of my law enforcement background, and asked if the car was doing 6 MPH over the speed limit, who would get the ticket? He said it would not be possible for the car to exceed the speed limit.

Being a thinker, I wondered what about if one of the lights were out in the car, also a violation? What if the speed limit had changed due to construction? Anyone that has a modern GPS will realize the speed limits displayed on them are not always up to date. Then there is inclement weather, such as fog.There are any number of statutory issues when you take the human driver out of the equation yet still have a motor vehicle moving on a roadway.

How about this: The "Spirit of Berlin," another self-driving car developed by researchers at Berlin Free University, can be controlled using an iPhone app.

I'll paraphrase the usual "app for that" line by saying There's a hack for that. Or the venerable blue screen of death. My phone gets contrary from time to time and won't reliably connect via Bluetooth. I think when these types of cars hit the road, hackers will invariably try to take over a few just to see if they can.

Fortunately, all the Florida bill will do is allow for testing.

This as with most of what the government seems to be doing these days is a liberty issue. If we lose the ability to travel as we please, which our vehicles allow, then we've lost essential liberty. Please read the Ben Franklin-derived quote at the top of this page about liberty and security. I'll close by making an English-German hybrid of the university acronym: FU- how about Freedom Über alles? Freedom above all!

I don't agree with much of what my state Representative, Michelle Vasilinda, does. It's been said politics makes strange bedfellows, and that's certainly the case for her death penalty repeal bill, which is one of a few areas where I disagree with my favorite presidential candidate, Ron Paul, who also opposes the death penalty. Having looked at the records of both, I suspect this is about the only common ground they have.

This posting will look at another of the bills she has filed for 2012, the "Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement". What this boils down to is taxing Internet (or mail order) purchases. While this measure has the support of many in the business community, I want to shed some light on why it is actually double taxation, and how this bill will adversely affect some people like me.

My hobby for most of my adult life has been collecting automobiles, and of late, motorcycles. My oldest car is now nearly 50 years old, and the model went out of production on 1969. My favorite motorcycle is now 31 years old. Add to this many of the vehicle projects I build are an E Pluribus Unum type of thing- out of many, one. Before Cash for Clunkers drove auto parts prices much higher, I used to take junkyard late-model engines out of wrecked Chevy or GMC trucks and put them into foreign cars. If you've ever shopped at a local auto parts store such as Advance Auto, you'll know the first thing they ask is what is the year & model of the car you're working on. If I tell them my Toyota has a 2003 Chevy truck motor in it, they can't find the part I need. For that reason, many years ago I started using mail order and later the Internet to buy my parts. This holds true to this day. As another example, I can't go to a local store and buy a speedometer drive for a 32 year old bike. I can easily find it online, though. In some circumstances, I may buy from a Florida vendor, so I'm paying sales tax on top of the online tax.

Enough about the details of why the Internet is a valuable resource. On to the taxes. Internet access is already taxed in Florida depending on how you go online, as it is usually packaged with another service. What this means is you pay a tax to go online. You may see this in your monthly bill, or the service provider may not break it down separately. It's usually considered a telecommunication tax, and can be found here. If you use cable or a cellular modem to go online (this includes smart phones), the tax rate is 9.17 percent plus local taxes. If you go online via satellite, it is 13.17 percent, over double the base rate for Florida's 6 percent sales tax- which is usually 7 percent or more in most counties due to local options. Still on dial-up? Florida didn't forget about you. That phone line is taxed at anywhere from 2.37 to 9.17 percent depending on the location. Oh, and plus local taxes- and in this case, plus the federal universal service fee. Cha-ching.

Some great reading on the subject is here from the James Madison Institute circa 2005. On of the best points there is that this type of tax is indeed taxation without representation- the out-of-state business collects and remits the money, but they have no say in the governing authority to which it is remitted.

In Mark 12:17, Jesus said "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." In my opinion, Caesar, or Mrs. Vasilinda in this case, is asking for too much.

One of my favorite people* spoke using analogies a couple thousand years ago, and it was an effective means of communication that I've tried to use on occasion. This topic is dear to me since most people I know are aware I'm a gearhead with a garage full of vehicle projects. Those that know me a little better know I'm a Chevy fan, so this is a troubling analogy for me to use.

In the upcoming presidential election, we are faced with one of four candidates. This posting will focus on two of them, mainly due to several recent people that espouse limited government stating their support for Newt Gingrich. The other candidate will be Ron Paul.

For the vehicle end of this, both cars will get you where you're going, and serve the same function in that respect.

First, there is the red Camaro. It sure looks good, and it takes you back to great memories of the Camaro you had in high school or maybe as a young adult. Once you start "looking under the hood" though, you'll find out it came to be due to a taxpayer bailout of GM.

Then there is the blue Mustang. Even Chevy guys like me have to admit Ford did a great styling job on it. Is it perfect? No. The engine bay is too small, the engine is smaller than the Camaro, and it doesn't offer the 6-speed manual transmission the Camaro does unless you step up to a really expensive model. But it was made via a free market with no taxpayer bailout.

See the USA in your Chevrolet- Now in a Big Government Way

Applying this analogy to the two candidates, many people have fond memories of the conservative vs. liberal battle of the mid 90's when President Clinton was in office and Mr. Gingrich was Speaker of the House (1995-1999). Some good things happened back then so far as limited government such as welfare reform (entitlements that comprise a great deal of tax dollars) and the first balanced budget in a number of years. In the time since then, though, consider the following:

• He was not voted out of office in 1999. He resigned under pressure from other Republicans.
• In 2003, he was a big supporter of President Bush's prescription drug plan, which added over $17 trillion to Medicare's unfunded liability.
• In 2008 he wrote a book called "Real Change". In it, he endorsed the concept of the government compelling people to buy health insurance. This actually dates back to 1993 for him, when on Meet the Press he said: "I am for people, individuals — exactly like automobile insurance — individuals having health insurance and being required to have health insurance.” In 2005 in a NPR interview, he said "“Our goal has to be for 100 percent of the country to be in the insurance system,” he said. “So that means finding ways through tax credits and through vouchers so that every American can buy insurance, including, I think, a requirement that if you’re above a certain level of income, you have to either have insurance or post a bond.” In my experience as a lawman, the only people that posted bonds were those accused of committing crimes.
• In 2008, he appeared with Nancy Pelosi in this ad in support of taking action to address "climate change"

Back to vehicles for a moment, it is because of things such as this that we must run a corrosive substance called Ethanol in our vehicles. The federal government has dictated it thanks to politicians like Mr. Gingrich. Incidentally, in 2009 his lobbying firm was paid over $300,000 to support Ethanol subsidies.

Even before his term as Speaker, his vote to create the Department of Education in 1979 was one of only a handful needed to do so. Prior to that, he served as a regional director for the Nelson Rockefeller presidential campaign. Mr. Rockefeller was a supporter of an expanded federal government. When Mr. Gingrich initially ran for Congress initially in 1974 and 1976, he did so on a far-left environmental platform. He "reinvented" himself for 1978 as an anti-tax fiscal conservative, and finally won election.

Ford- A Better Idea

As noted, Ron Paul is not a perfect candidate- there never has been one since the person I mentioned in the first paragraph, and He was not a politician. The main concern is his positions as to foreign policy. One thing that is consistently overlooked here is the amount of money (foreign aid) we give to unfriendly nations, notably those unfriendly to Israel. If you'd like a dollar amount courtesy of the federal government, simply go here:

ForeignAssistance.gov

You may be surprised to see we gave North Korea $25 million in 2007- do you remember who was President then? How about a foreign policy that gives no money until our own fiscal house is in order? We can rethink giving money to foreign nations at that point. I've said repeatedly that if we go under due to the albatross of national debt, our foreign policy is of zero significance. I have no problem with securing the USA and maintaining a very strong defense, while not sacrificing the body parts of our young people in constant wars or having bases "defending" wealthy nations.

Logical thought process?

In closing, my logical brain suffers a short circuit when I try to reconcile someone that stands for limited constitutional government, fiscal responsibility, and free markets (these are the main Tea Party principles for many groups) supporting Newt Gingrich. The people that I have seen supporting Mr. Gingrich to a person oppose President Obama's mandated health insurance plan. How can they blindly support someone that wants the exact same thing? To use a final automotive analogy, the clutch is slipping somewhere here. Ron Paul is the only candidate that consistently has stood for these values- even when they were not in the mainstream.

* For those that do not realize it, I'm speaking about Jesus Christ, and encourage those that do not know him to check him out as you would any candidate. You'll find he has no "baggage" other than dying on a cross to save us. Finding a good bible-teaching church has helped me greatly in my life, and it would be selfish not to share this information.

Recently I received the Southern New Hampshire 9.12 group's detailed positions (click for latest version) of the several Republican presidential candidates. It was a great piece of information, and they put a lot of work into it.

Here is a copy of the file I downloaded on January 15, 2012. I understand they are updating it to remove Mr. Huntsman and to add information on the National Defense Authorization Act and SOPA/PIPA (Internet censorship).

Presidential Candidate Positions

I'm on the road at a church conference this week, but last night I performed a scoring analysis of these positions as best I could. I compared the top 4 candidates as indicated by recent polls and voting results. This has been reduced to a PDF format document:

Scoring: Undecided 01 17 12 All

Please review this information and feel free to pass it along. The co-founder of the 9.12 group has asked we distribute his document as widely as possible to illustrate where the candidates actually stand on issues. Please take some time to read this, as we vote here in Florida very soon. Please also pray for our nation.