Lacy vs. Russ??

Lacy Clay versus Russ Carnahan.

Think about a primary like that for a minute.  Lacy vs. Russ.  If the boundaries stay the same, we may well see this primary run off.  Political speculation says it is going to happen.  So ask yourself, which one of these two would be easier to beat.  Which one of these two would be better for MO 1st district.

This is a tough one.  Both of these two come from MO political families and both have deep contribution ties in the area.  The interesting thing is, many of the trade unions and companies that donate to Lacy also donate to Russ.  So, political donations will be split between the two.

So, let's make some assumptions here, shall we.  If the first district Democratic candidates are Lacy and Russ, the financial contributions will probably be about equal, so that is a wash.  Lacy will probably take north St. Louis City and the surrounding counties, while Russ would take south St. Louis city and areas like Bridgeton, Maryland Heights, Florissant and Hazelwood.  Looking at a rough voter turnout from the past few years and making that assumption, it could be a wash in a primary vote.

What's your point here, you may be asking.  Well, I am going to ask each of you to sit down and take a deep breath.  Now ask yourself, who would be better for first district, Russ or Lacy.  Do you go with the devil we know or the devil we don't know.  Russ may look weaker than Lacy based off of the last election, but the vote was close due to a strong showing in Jefferson County and south St. Louis County.  Russ firmly held Democratic leaning districts.  If this campaign does come to pass, it may be up to the Libertarians and Republicans to help decide this primary election.

Are you ready to vote Democrat for the next primary?  While this is no slam against Robin or Martin, getting rid of Lacy may be our best hope for removing the scum that is Lacy Clay.  This year, the odds are already against a non Democrat winning that seat.  The best way to win this seat back for the people is to play the long game and use strategy on our side.  Get rid of Lacy and get someone like a Russ who is more pliable.  Use his more moderate leanings in some areas to our advantage.  Then, when the timing is right, he can be removed from office.

If this primary campaign comes to pass, the DNC will probably favor Lacy due to his involvement with the Congressional Black Caucus and because he is the incumbent for that district.  By voting for Russ in the primary, we are helping to ensure that Lacy does not get another shot at 2 years in office.

Some of you will balk at this idea and say that we should be above that.  To that let me say this.  Sometimes you have to play dirty to win.  There is nothing illegal or wrong with what I am advocating.  All you are doing, when you go into the polling place is saying you want a Democratic ticket.  That is all.

If you agree or disagree with me, I would love to hear your thoughts and comments.

How to Defeat Lacy Clay

Let's be honest and face the truth, shall we. Lacy Clay cannot be beat using standard methods. With the new setup for the 1st district, everything leans heavily in his favor. That is, if you think inside the box. For the most part, when people think of trying to dispose Lacy as our representative, they think of an Independent or Republican going one on one in an election. Much like with his father, the results are always the same, Lacy walks away with a generous win.

If we want to change the way the 1st district is represented we must recognize a couple of things:

1. Unless Lacy does or says something illegal or incredibly stupid, no Republican or Independent is going to beat him in an election.



2. St. Louis City and parts of North County lean too heavy in favor of Democrats over a Republican.



3. Lacy has a great support structure in that a majority of the townships and the city are run and controlled by Democrats who want and to a lesser extent need to be liked by Lacy Clay if they want Federal money.

If we want to beat Lacy, we have to do so strategically and recognize that it will take more than 2 years to do so.

The first thing you have to do is cut off his supply line. This can be done in two fashions:

1. Boycott people that fund Lacy's campaign coffers. Granted a lot of his money comes from unions, but there is a decent share that comes from local corporations that want to stay in good standing with him. Begin boycotting these companies and let them know that you will not do business with a company that supports a politician like Lacy Clay



2. Remove local politicians that support Lacy Clay and do much of his campaigning for him. This is probably the biggest and hardest part of this overall plan. It is something that will take more than a couple of election cycles, but can do serious damage to his support structure.

It all starts with school boards and city councils. If you are a moderate or conservative and want to see real change, you have to start with your local area and spread out. School board and city counsel representatives are more accessible to the populace. Because of this, they can get the message out in a much more casual and personal fashion than a Congressional candidate. And, they can do it quicker. So, the first thing that has to be done is to get more Republicans or even more anti tax and spend candidates elected into positions of local authority. As these people are in office and bringing about change, they will be able to spring board up as well as inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

Let me reiterate. This is the longest step in taking back control over our local government and eventually the 1st district. It is not something that can be done in 2 or even 4 years. It could take 8 or more years depending upon elections.

The second thing you have to do is keep Lacy honest. This means that we need to hold his feet to the fire every time he does and says something. God knows the media does it to just about every Republican and non line toting Democrat out there. If you know that Lacy is going to be giving a speech, go there and take notes or take video of them. Get it to me or another blogger like Gateway Pundit or Sharp Elbows to name a few. A lot of times candidates will say things that they do not want others to hear when there are no television cameras or reporters there. It is at times like these that you can hear a politician or candidate express their true opinions and that is when you can nail them.

The third thing is probably the hardest to swallow but can help weaken or even remove Lacy Clay and the dynasty he is creating. The third thing is to back a more moderate Democrat(s) while Republicans are found and put into those lower structures. I know it will pain some of you to hear this, but sometimes you can weaken a base more by splitting it. We see it all of the time on MSNBC and such when they try and split Republicans over disagreements on policy. They do everything they can to keep a big happy family for the Democrats because they know splintering the party works and leads to in-fighting and disorganization. So, the best thing to do is to swallow the hard pill support a moderate Democrat who can remove Lacy Clay. If you were to look at the last election primaries and take all of the votes for other candidates, Lacy got nearly 60% of all the votes. Now, imagine if everyone unified together and helped to support a moderate, Blue Dog Democrat. Lacy could be defeated in the primaries. From talking to friends and neighbors who are heavily involved in the local unions, they all express a dislike for Lacy, but support him because he is a Democrat and that is what they are supposed to do. If the unions had another option that they thought could win, many of the people I have talked to think their unions would hold off support until a clear winner is determined or one of their own runs.

Now, I know there are a lot of variables to this. I know that none of this is easy. I know it sounds better to try and throw good candidates up against Lacy but I must say, I hate seeing people like Martin and Robyn put their blood, sweat and tears into taking on this man and be swatted away like a fly. We must remain vigilant and look at this like a war. In war you have to cut off supply lines, have strategic bases, ground level leadership and sometimes make your enemies enemies your friends. If we do this, we can beat Lacy.

What do you think?

New York Times Gives Hamlin & Martin No Chance

It’s funny what you can stumble across when surfing the web. While surfing through the many news websites I stumbled upon this piece of gold from the New York Times. Apparently, the grey old lady is not giving Robyn Hamlin and Ed Martin much if any chance of winning their elections. Even though their polling shows Martin and Carnahan in a tight race, they are giving Ed Martin only a 5% chance of winning. In the case of Robyn Hamlin, they are giving her no chance of winning, predicting she will only take 24% of the vote in the first district.

You can find these forecasts here and here

Now, you may be asking yourself, where does this come from? Well, the Times appears to be using a group call FiveThirtyEight. You can find out more about them by going here.

I am sure some of you will read this and immediately believe this guy, Nate Silver, to be a political hack. You know what, he may be. That said, he is a stats junkie for Baseball Prospectus and tends to be right more than he is wrong. I have read and listened to this guy on the radio and he knows his stuff. Additionally, he made some early calls on the 2008 primaries that were spot on. He tends to know his stuff given enough information.

That said, I post this as more of a wake up call to you first and third MO district residents. This information is based upon history of the area including voter turnout, etc. but is also based upon polling data. In the case of Robyn Hamlin vs. Lacy Clay, it does not appear there is any polling data to support this case, it is all based upon history. In the case of Ed Martin vs. Russ Carnahan, it is based upon history and polls from August.

What does this mean, it means the establishment is writing off the challengers for these two districts. They are saying that Robyn and Ed have no chance of winning. Do no let this get you down, though. The forecasters have been wrong and will continue to be wrong. It is up to YOU to make the difference. In the case of Robyn Hamlin, all we have is history of the district. There have been no polls that I can find to show where she is truly at. In the case of Ed Martin, even though the polls are old, the forecasts are showing a fairly close race. YOU are the ones that need to make sure you vote and get other like minded individuals out there voting. YOU are the ones who need to make sure that the uninformed are informed. Otherwise the uninformed and the like minded will get their information from the MSM and either skip voting or be an uninformed voter.

We are now less than 30 days away. Quit hitting the snooze button and do what has to be done. Let’s prove the forecasters and the New York Times wrong.

Now On To November

First off, I want to congratulate Robyn Hamlin on winning the primary to run against Lacy Clay. She and Martin D. Baker both had good primary showings. I talked to Martin earlier today and he wanted to "thank all of the wonderful people who helped through this adventure and will continue to support the conservative movement and true conservative candidates". Martin had more to say which I will discuss in an upcoming post

I also want to take a moment and congratulate Candice Britton on a well fought race. Candice had the tough challenge of taking on an incumbent within her own party. Candice was able to secure 19% of the Democrat vote during this primary. With few funds and a lot of hard work, she was able to do a lot. I think this shows the level of dissatisfaction voters have with the current Congress.

With that said, it is now on to November. Robyn Hamlin vs. Lacy Clay will be on the ballot for the November election in the first district. Not to be a wet blanket, but we need to now talk facts. Here are the numbers being reported for Tuesday's vote.

Name	Party	Votes	Vote %
Clay, Lacy (i)	Dem	36,762	59.549%
Britton, Candice	Dem	8,488	13.749%
Hamlin, Robyn	GOP	10,231	16.573%
Baker, Martin	GOP	4,509	7.304%
Works, Marshall	GOP	1,457	2.360%
Stone, Julie	Lib	149	0.241%
Cunningham, Robb	Lib	138	0.224%

As you can see, Lacy has a commanding lead in the vote totals. He took nearly 60% all votes coming in. I know he is the incumbent, but that means we are going to have to work harder and be even more diligent.

The public needs to be made more aware of how he is not working for the people, but instead for special interests and himself. There is enough out there to show his ineptitude. Simply look at:

• his convienent relationship with the rent to own and cash advance companies
• his desire to not be held accountable by the Congressional Ethics Committee
• the documented waste of money in this years census of which Lacy is the Congressional chairman of the committee in charge
• His support of the Federal Health Care
• The mysterious campaign payments to his sister
• His lake of ethics when it comes to taking corporate campaign contributions from companies he rallies agains.

My friends, now is the time to unite and bring down Lacy. We can bicker with one another about certain policies, fiscal reform, etc. I welcome those debates. I encourage those debates. But now is not the time for people to take their ball and go home. We have a candidate in Robyn who has the potential to bring Lacy down. We are all responsible adults who love our country and want to see it prosper. We want everyone to have the chance to succeed and fail. Lacy wants everyone to have guaranteed success by making those that have succeeded fail. We can't afford that. Let us all stand together to help and support Robyn.

Let me tell you a quick story. At my work, there is a small group of us that are all varying degrees of right of center, some more than others. On the day of the elections, a couple of people were talking about voting for Ed Martin. I was asked if I voted for Ed and I explained that I was in the 1st district. Both of them basically sighed and said," ooooh, that's Lacy Clay. You will never be able to get rid of him."

That statement right there is why Lacy continues to win. The perception is that he is a guaranted win for the Democrats. In Robyn, we have a politically active, small business owner, who can step up and talk about everyday scenarios. She can talk to the issues everyone is facing because she is facing them too. Lacy wants everyone to think he is unbeatable, so no one tries. Those that do are not able to get the support needed because everyone thinks it is a no win situation.

So, here is what we need to do.

1. Everyone needs to call Lacy Clay's office and ask for debates between him and Robyn.
2. Everyone needs to start talking up Robyn as the alternative to Lacy
3. Donate. Donate. Donate. We all need to donate either our time, our money or both. Pick up a yard sign, a car magnet or something.
4. Stay alert to what is going on. Lacy and his team will be out there robo calling or making statements about Robyn. If you hear these things or see them, pull out your cell phone and take a picture/video. Email me and we will get it out among the people.
5. Host a get together and invite Robyn or one of her staff. If you are having a big enough get together, call a Jamie Allman, Dana Loesch or Gina Louden and talk about it on one their shows.

These are just a few things that we all can do. This is our district, not Lacy's. Let's take it back for all of the people and not just a select few.

So, what do you think? Are you in?

One Week Till August 3rd - What Have You Done

It is one week till the August 3rd elections. If you STILL have not done your homework and do not know what is going to be on the ballot, click HERE to be directed to the StlToday article on what is being voted on.

While all of the measures, primaries, etc. are important, I believe there are two that are of most importance to anyone living in Missouri and specifically the first district. Those are Prop C and the Congressional House of Representatives primary. By now, I have bent over backwards to give you information on the candidates. That said, once again, here are my interviews with the three running against Lacy Clay

Candice Britton interview - HERE
Robyn Hamlin interview - HERE
Martin D. Baker interview - HERE

I will say it one more time. We HAVE to get rid of the Clay political dynasty. The Clay's have done nothing but run on their name and empty promises that the populace of north city and county continue to accept. Ask yourself one question, what has Lacy Clay done to make north city and county of St. Louis a better place. Sure, he coordinates a job fair, but that is it. He has done nothing to help bring more jobs, he has done nothing to promote economic stimulus. Instead, he is for taxation and unbridled spending. Tax the "rich" is what he wants to do.

Let me tell you who the "rich" are according to Lacy Clay. The rich are the small family run businesses all over the area. These are the franchises like the Shell stations, or the local dry cleaners, the mom and pop restaurants and sports bars, the shaved ice stands, the local electricians and plumbers, etc. These are the "rich" according to Lacy. Of course, Lacy has never really worked a job so he would not truly understand earning a living or working for his money. Instead, he sees himself as duke that can take money from lobbyist so he can pay his dues while at the same time blasting companies. Just check out these two videos.

With the first one, Lacy blasts WalMart for their employee practices

With the second one, he says he is going to keep their lobbying money anyway

This is the hypocrisy that we have in office right now. If this was a Republican, Lacy and the press would be all over this issue.

Do the right thing and vote this clown out. Let's have a November election that pits Candice Britton vs either Martin Baker or Robyn Hamlin.

In regards to Prop C. I simply say this. Do you want the option to participate in Federal Healthcare plan or do you think participation should be mandatory. That is it. If you think that it should be optional, then you should vote for Prop C. I could go on and on, but the fine people over at Citizens Commission on Human Rights of St. Louis have put together a very good piece on this that you can find HERE.

In closing, in the end it is up to you. It is up to you to show up at the polls and it is up to you to vote. Men and women for the last 200 years across the great country have died for your rights. Those rights include your right to vote. Please do so and do so intelligently.

P.S - If you have already made up your mind, please consider donating your time and or money to a candidate. $5 can make a difference. Buying a yard sign or bumper magnet can help get the word out. If you have an available day and cannot afford to donate money, donate your time by handing out leaflets or working a phone bank. Please help out however you can. I can say I have. Can you?

What Happened to Transparency, Lacy?

If you were not paying attention, you may not have heard about this. Apparently, a new resolution has been submitted by half of the Congressional Black Caucus that would change the rules of the Ethics Committee.

On May 28th, Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, and 19 fellow Congressional Black Caucus members quietly introduced House Resoltion 1416, right before the Memorial Day weekend, that would limit the powers of the new independent Office of Congressional Ethics.

The Office of Congressional Ethics was formed by Congress in 2008 and is run by a panel of private citizens. The office, which doesn't have the power to sanction lawmakers, essentially serves as an advisory board to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. The House Standards Committee is run by lawmakers who are charged with policing their peers.

The citizen-run Office of Congressional Ethics is far more open than the notoriously secretive Congressional Standards Committee. The Ethics Committee publicizes its referrals to the Standards Committee even when the Standards Committee finds no violations.

Fudge's proposal would remove that power, and allow lawmakers on the Standards Committee to seal from public view the ethics office's findings on matters deemed meritless. Also, the resolution would make it harder for the Ethics Committee to initiate investigations, requiring a sworn complaint from a citizen claiming personal knowledge of an alleged violation. This change could prevent complaints from watchdog groups as well as investigative bloggers.

Another interesting tidbit is, it would prevent the Standards Committee from taking a referral from the Ethics Committee within 60 days before an election in which the subject of the case is a candidate. It does not specify if Primary Elections count or if it only a general election. If primary elections count, this means that a Congressman or Congresswoman would be void of jurisdiction for 120 days out of the 730 days of their elected cycle or roughly 1/6th of their term.

So what does any of this have to do with Lacy Clay? He appears to be one of the members that signed on to this resolution. A copy of this bill can be found HERE.

Why would Lacy Clay support a bill like this? Is he fearful that people are on to him and his shenanigans? Is he afraid of a Congressional body investigating his cozy relationship with the Rent-to-Own and Payday Loan groups? Or is he concerned about the large campaign payments he has made to his sister's law group? Is he fearful that something may come out during his divorce proceedings? Is he fearful that one of his competitors has something on him that could be used to muddy the waters of his re-election campaign? You have to wonder.

Stay tuned. With everything else going on in Lacy's world, this could get interesting.

Lacy Clay's Campaign "Payments" - UPDATED

Hi all. I cannot say that I am back with avengance, but I am back. Without going into it, I have some ongoing things with my family and work that have been preventing me from being able to blog as much as I have wanted. I have still been keeping active in the community, attending some of the Tea Party events and such. I have not reported on them since Adam Sharp from Sharp Elbows, Jim Hoft from Gateway Pundit and Darren from Reboot Congress, to name a few, have done such a good job in covering those events, I did not want to inundate everyone with repeat coverage.

That said, I have been doing what I normally do and digging through the various muck that is out there. Specifically, I have been looking over the Federal Elections Committee reports. Specifically, I checked the first quarter reports for 2010 and I found something rather interesting. For those of you not familiar with it, campaign law requires that along with major contributions, all major spending be documented. Looking over Lacy Clay's report for the first quarter of 2010 found that he has spent $17,650 on fundraising fees to the Law Office Of Michelle C. Clay, LLC. This just happens to be Lacy's sister. According to this article, this appears to be an ongoing practice.

Rep. William Lacy Clay’s (D-Mo.) campaign has paid his sister, a former lobbyist, more than $40,000 in fundraising and legal fees so far this cycle, roughly 20 percent of his campaign’s overall receipts, according to CQ MoneyLine.

In this year’s third fundraising quarter alone, Clay’s campaign paid $12,527 to the Law Office of Michelle C Clay LLC, whose Silver Spring, Md., address is listed as her house, according to public records. During the past six years, campaign finance records indicate that Clay’s campaign has paid his sister $231,000 in legal and fundraising expenses overall.

According to lobbying disclosures filed with the Secretary of the Senate, Michelle Clay once represented the municipal government of her family’s hometown, St. Louis. Both Clay’s campaign and Michelle Clay declined to comment.

Wow, that is very interesting. Lacy is using about 20% of his campaign contributions to pay his sister for "fundraising" fees. I wonder what all of those people who have contributed to Lacy think of him paying his sister for fundraising fees. What is she doing to earn those fees and why won't Lacy or his sister comment on it? Where is all of the money going?

I am sure Lacy does not understand this, but this is the type of thing that people do NOT want. This type of backroom deal. If the payments are legit, explain their purpose. Is his sister the best person to help his campaign. Is Lacy really being fiscally responsible with his contributions?
I guess the voters will decide this in November.

UPDATE - Based off of numbers from OpenSecrets.org, Lacy Clay has disclosed 12 payments to his sister totaling $78,142 for this current election cycle. That is more than two times the amount of money than he has paid to Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. It took the top 13 contributor groups (combining individuals and PAC's together) to pay Lacy's sister for her fundraising services. What is it that Lacy's sister is able to do that he is willing to spend that much money on her?

The Dangerous Next Steps of This Administration

Health care passed without one Republican vote. Hundreds of thousands of voters, Republican, Democrat and Independent shout and plead their opposition. Obama, Pelosi and Reid shrug. Why do they shrug? Because they do not understand or care what we think. People, we need to wake up. The leaders within our government think they know better than us. They went to ivy league schools and many of them lived a privileged life or lived a life of politics and academia. Since they do not understand the real world, they are saying, "Let them eat cake."

Barack Obama and his various minions have long said that once health care legislation passed Congress and it was signed into law, the people would rally around it. This is dangerous thinking my friends. These highly educated politicians think the know better than the populace. History has seen this before and it was called an Aristocracy. Aristocracy is close relative to Socialism or a Communist state. These elitist think they know what is best for us and are forcing it down our throats and they are doing so with well though out and funded marketing packages.

Health care is the first step in a well thought out plan to change the way this country functions on a day to day basis. Had the economy not been tanking, there would have been no way for the government to take ownership stake in private industries. With the US in major recession, it was easy to sell the concept of the government owning stock in major corporations, or in the case of GM, a complete takeover of a publicly traded company. Had the recession not been in full effect and GM on the verge of bankruptcy, the first thing he would have gone after would have been health care. Why is that, because it is easy to paint anyone who is against health care for all as uncaring. It is also easy to make comparisons between universal health care and things like civil rights or medicare.

Now that health care has passed, it legitimizes government intervention into other areas. Just look at the student loan process. Even though it had nothing to do with health care, Congress and the Senate saw fit to add having the government run this program. This was done supposedly to save millions of dollars. That is until you find out that the payback program.

The bill will lower the monthly cap on loan repayments from 15 percent to 10 percent. Beginning in 2014 students will not be required to spend more than 10 percent of their income on loan payments. In addition, loans issued after 2014 will be eligible for loan forgiveness after 20 years rather than 25 years. As long as students make their payments in a timely manner for 20 years they can be forgiven of the remaining balance. This has the potential to cost even more money and cause continued job loss in the financial sector. In addition, it is another piece of the pie that the government is now controlling.

Next the Obama administration wants to tackle the financial sector. Of course this is done all in the name of protecting the populace. Consider the comments of VP Joe Biden in an interview with Aaron Task

"It's a simple proposition to us: Everyone is entitled to adequate medical
health care," Biden says. "If you call that a 'redistribution of income' --
well, so be it. I don't call it that. I call it just being fair -- giving the
middle class taxpayers an even break that the wealthy have been getting."

The VP of the United States is legitimizing the redistribution of wealth under the guise of fairness to the middle class. You have to wonder, though, what this administration considers middle class.

This is why it is not too far of a stretch to imagine the government trying to dictate who we can purchase vehicles from. Can't you see the government demand that all new cars be a Chevy Volt as part of some new climate change or green technology government package. What

Representative Michael Burgess had to say this week is not that far off.

The point is, the leaders in Washington are not looking out for us. They believe they know more than each of us and can tell us how to live our lives. The Republicans were just as responsible for maleficence as the Democrats are now. The difference is the Democrats are quickly making up for lost time.

There are many incumbents who are good Congressmen and Senators, both at the state and federal level. We need to support these people as candidates. In this upcoming election, each one of us needs to take a long hard look at the candidates and determine whether or not they are politicians looking to live off of the public teat or are they public servants who want to perform the act of representing the constituency. I do not know about you, but I would rather have a Congressman or Senator that I disagree with, who at least listens to and acts upon the needs and desires of his constituents versus a politician who caters to special interests, their own self interests or what they think is the best.

And since I know that you and or your staff read this website Lacy Clay and Russ Carnahan. Yes I am talking about you two and I look forward to you two being private citizens come January of next year.

My Interview with Martin D. Baker - Republican for MO 1st District

Wow! Lacy has got himself some competition this year. Once again I fell out of my chair when I found out that there is another candidate running against Lacy Clay. That candidate is one Martin D. Baker. After I picked myself off of the floor, I took at look at his campaign website. After reviewing it, I shot Martin an email and he agreed to an interview.

The following is an interview I did with Martin over the course of a couple of days. This is strictly an interview. I am not giving my opinion or am I commenting on anything that Martin has to say. I think it is only fair to let Martin speak his points without comment by me or anyone else. While some questions may have been rearranged for better reading, these are all his answers.

Q. Why are you running for the seat currently occupied by Lacy Clay for the 1st District of Missouri?
A. To give real representation back to the people of this district who are longing for a representative that does care.

Q. Lacy Clay claims that he represents the people of the first district. You obviously feel that is not the case. How would you go about ensuring you represent the district?
A. True Representative Access. I remember reading how a few months ago a constituent of Cong. Clay approached him at the airport and the manner in which the person was brushed off was not something that would ever happen with me. The seat does not belong to any one man or party it belongs to the people and the person who is holding that seat is accountable to the people it belongs to. I'd gladly meet with my constituents in and out of the district, id answer concerns personally as often as occasions would permit and Id have town hall forums whether congress is in session or in recess.

Q. I have heard a lot of people say that Lacy Clay does not make himself available to his constituents. This is not the first election cycle I have heard this. Why do you think he continues to get re-elected with this type of attitude and how can you change people's minds?
A. He gets re-elected because its like the Eddie Murphy movie the Distinguished Gentleman- Its the Name they know- without any serious threat to his re-election he goes through the motions shows up at the right events and coasts to another two year term. He's the old shoes you keep in your closet, they need to be replaced, but they are so familiar you keep them anyway. What I plan to do to change people's mind is to show them is now a better option.

Q. What differentiates you from Lacy Clay in your beliefs and stances?
A. I believe that my website shows where Congressman Clay and I are different but I feel the greatest disparity in belief is what we feel the role of government is....I advocate less governmental intrusion and my opponent does not.

Q. You have run for Congress before in 2008 against Emanuel Cleaver. What did you learn in that contest that applies to your running today?
A. I learned even in a Primary loss that you don't deviate from your beliefs and values and no matter the outcome hold your head high.

Q. In an election where being a political insider could be considered a detriment, are you afraid that your past political endeavors will work against you?
A. I feel my experience as a consultant does not jade me like the "insiders" are because it helps me understand the process to better serve my constituents.

Q. I have interviewed 2 other candidates for Lacy Clay's current seat. One is a Democrat and one is a Republican. There are also 2 Libertarians running. Why do you think so many people are trying to unseat Congressman Clay?
A. It is apparent on all angles of the political spectrum that Congressman Clay has lost the confidence of his constituency.

Q. What do you offer that your competition does not?
A. Fresh ideas, enthusiasm and commitment to the District and my home state.

Q. What are you going to do, specifically, to benefit the First District?
A. Serve the district through actually finding the true needs of the district, coordinating with our local leaders and our state leaders and implementing policies and ideas that will help the district as a whole and not just in certain more privileged areas. I will visit with constituents every recess and hear their needs personally not through staffers. we will have frequent town hall meetings for them to air their grievances.

Q. Are there any committees that you would especially want to participate in, should you be elected?
A. Small Business, Homeland Security, Budget, Appropriations, and Armed Services

Q. Why those committees?
A. Each of those committees affect our district in ways for example, the backbone of this district is the small businesses such as the mom and pop stores on Page, Homeland Security is affected by the crimes committed by the numerous undocumented (illegal) residents we have here, Budget and Appropriations go without saying and obviously with our close proximity to Boeing who supplies our Armed Services.

Q. It is interesting that you bring up Boeing. They have contributed a lot of money to Clay over the years through their PAC. In addition, their workers are union workers and publicly, then tend to back Democrats. How will you win over their support?
A. Its always tough when you have that obstacle but you venture anyway. Reality is that the unions support Democrats in droves, but the true matter is that most workers don't have a say in where their union money goes but on a personal level they are conservative people who are strong on national security so we wont focus heavily on the unions themselves but on its individual members. When we focus on its members instead of its figurehead leaders we once again give the focus back to the people.

Q. Illegal aliens are just as big a problem here in St. Louis as they are in other areas. Some groups call for amnesty, others call for deportation and still others call for some variation of the two. In your opinion, how do we handle this problem?
A. Illegal immigration is a national security issue, no two ways about it. There are people who practically on a daily basis go through the proper channels to gain entry and citizenship to our country at great personal and emotional strain, while others just get lucky when there is a hole in a fence or a guard looking the other way. That is unacceptable to me. Its a sad state of affairs to know we have more people investigating tax fraud then we do defending our borders from illegal incursions. We need simply put to lock down our borders. If a person wants to go the process follow the rules and regulations to gain citizenship then they would have no problem returning to their country of origin and going through those proper channels. If they don't we need to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law and return them. Not only that, we need to prosecute those who continue to employ them because its a cheaper alternative than hiring a citizen. I was told a story of a woman who had ancestors take the proverbial "slow boat" to get to our shores but had all necessary documentation ready upon entry. That is a person who wants to be here to take part in the American Dream and work for it. We cannot and should not under any circumstances reward anyone who came here under illegal or false pretenses such as overstaying a Visa.

Q. Reading your website, one of your issues struck me. You believe in removing earnings tax and replacing it with a national sales tax. Missouri is attempting to do this now. Mike Huckabee ran as president on this issue too. Do you think it will gain any attraction?
A. I certainly hope so. When Americans look at their paychecks and see more money they are inclined to utilize it to actually stimulate the economy. The time has come to give the people that option.

Q. What did you learn working with Sherman Thompson Parker?
A. I could write a book on the lessons i learned from Sherman. He is one of my political heroes who taught me that you don't give up no matter how daunting the task might look. His greatest phrase to me was a simple one...principles over politics.

Q. The president gave himself a solid B+ when asked to give himself a grade. How would you grade him and why?
A. Does the President grade on a curve? I would have to give the president an F on the premise that he has forced legislation down the throats of America without truly asking them through their Senators and Representatives. He has not acquitted himself well on the international stage with his Apology Tour, which erodes international confidence in America, and he has spent away the future of America, without a plan for repaying it.

Q. What is your background? Tell my readers more about you?
A. I was born and raised in the Southeast Missouri city of Sikeston. I attended BYU-Idaho and the University of Missouri-Columbia. At Mizzou I served as a student senator for my residence hall floor. I left school to venture into the world of politics as a volunteer consultant and in the process became a parent for the first time. I'm a proud father of three daughters and one son. I am proud of the background that I got being raised by my grandmother who taught me the basic values and my father and stepmother who taught me the principles of hard work and I believe I can use all that serve the District with Honor and Pride.

Q. The St. Louis Post Dispatch appears to do what it can to protect St. Louis Democrats like Lacy Clay and Russ Carnahan. How are you going to get your name and positions out there?
A. I would hope that in seeing the groundswell of angst that has been built up against our incumbents that the PD would look to see who the people are supporting but if they don't, that's fine, they can make themselves seem they are the hired shill of the establishment and we will take out message and name out to the "streets" the old fashioned way, by being out there. I will soon be in neighborhoods in the District knocking on doors introducing myself and answering questions and concerns.

Q. Have you approached or are there any plans for you to debate Lacy Clay? If so, when?
A. I haven't approached Congressman Clay however I plan on doing so even before the primary and also inviting my opponents both from my party and our libertarian and democrat sides.

Q. In one sentence or less, what is your platform?
A. My platform is all about the people of our District-Missouri First.

As you can see, Martin has some very interesting points. Please check out his web page and reach out to him via his website, on Facebook at Martin D Baker for US Congress or twitter at @Baker4Congress.

I hope you found this as informative as I did. Please comment your thoughts on here and let Martin know what you think.

My Interview with Robyn Hamlin - Republican for MO 1st District

Thanks to Darin over at Reboot Congress, I was made aware of the candidacy of Robyn Hamlin. After I picked myself off of the floor, realizing that Lacy Clay now has more competition, I took at look at her campaign website. After reviewing it, I shot Robyn an email and she quickly agreed to an interview.

The following is an interview I did with Robyn over the phone yesterday. This is strictly an interview. I am not giving my opinion or am I commenting on anything that Robyn has to say. I think it is only fair to let Robyn speak her points without comment by me or anyone else. While some questions may have been rearranged for better reading, these are all her answers.

Q. Why are you running for the seat currently occupied by Lacy Clay for the 1st District of Missouri?
A. To get Lacy clay out of office because he does not do that much for our area. We need real representation here and I do not think we are getting it.

Think of it this way. The country is like a business. When there is a big business and it effects big parts of the country you have to have people look out for those parts. We do not have a representative looking out for us

Q. Lacy Clay claims that he represents the people of the first district. You obviously feel that is not the case. How would you go about ensuring you represent the district?
A. I would be accessible to the constituents. For instance this summer, when on break, did he have any town halls. No, he made a statement in the St. Louis Post Dispatch that he was going to forgo town-hall meetings and see the work on highway 40. That is what overlords do. We do not want an overlord we want a representative.

Q. What differentiates you from Lacy Clay in your beliefs and stances?
A. Well, there are a lot of things. I have got a list of them I've published on a meetup group website. I have posted everything that Lacy Clay has voted on where I believe he voted incorrectly or I would have voted differently( LINK HERE).

We just need to replace Lacy Clay. Lacy Clay even voted to not allow churches to provide welfare services to his constituents. It seems he does not even want churches to help people locally. If a church wants to help people, why should they not be allowed to.

Q. While you have been politically active, you are not a Washington or even a St. Louis political insider. What makes you qualified for this position?
A. No, Lacy Clay is not even a St. Louisian. He was raised and schooled in DC. He moved here later on and he has it (his house seat) because his father had it and because of name recognition.

Q. So you think your being an outsider is a good thing?
A. Yes, I don't owe any political favors.

Q. You mentioned Clay's father. In Missouri we have seen political dynasties on both the right and the left with the Clays, Carnahans and Blunts. What do you think of political dynasties?
A. I do not believe in any political dynasties and they don't serve to represent the people ver well. This is not England with a monarchy. We are supposed to have representatives not hierarchies.

Q. What are you going to do, specifically, to benefit the First District?
A. I am going to work with our state reps and senators to represent Missouri. Missouri is a sovereign state. How can anyone go to DC and report they represent the district when they do not talk to Missouri legislatures to see what the state needs or doesn't want from the federal government. That is the job of a representative.

Q. So you are going to be the lobbyist on behalf of the state?
A. Exactly

Q. Are there any committees that you would especially want to participate in, should you be elected?
A. I would love to be on the ethics committee, the education committee. The water committee is another one.

Q. Why those?
A. There are a lot of things that need to be taken care of. We have a lot of things going on in our water rights. This committee is working on a lot of things that are farmed out. We have agencies like the EPA who creates rules that are not laws

We do not have any representation anymore. Slowly our representatives do not represent us anymore.

Q. Reading your website, it reads like some of your positions are things we have heard from the St. Louis Tea Party; is that what you are running under or as a part of?
A. No, I think a lot of people don't realize that these are people that have the same values getting together to express their frustration. This is not a political party. This is more of a movement to put our county back on track to following the rules.

Q. The president gave him self a solid B+, what do you give him.
A. Maybe, if he was looking at another constitution.

It is really difficult to have someone who has never run a business or anything trying to tell people how to run something. It is like people who have never raised kids trying to tell you how to raise children. Much like children, being the president does not come with instructions, but the president should know how to run something.

Q. The president was a community organizer, isn't community organizing like running a business.
A. You can organize anything you want but it is not the same as running a business. There is a lot to running a business like obtaining permits, documentation and finances. A business owner knows and understands how things like owning stock can effect your finances and the way you claim your taxes. A community organizer does not do any of that. A community organize gets people together.

Q. You work in the insurance industry and have been a single mother raising a child. In your opinion, how do we fix healthcare.
A. The government needs to quit mandating benefits and getting in the way of people who contract with businesses. I can contract with someone or a business to provide certain services to me. The government then comes along and mandates the contract that I made with someone but now be changed and they must provide more services. Now I have to pay for services that I did not contract for and that effect the costs. Their heart may be in the right place, but I do not think they look at the long term repercussions when they do something.

If they really wanted to do something to promote the general welfare of the country the insurance companies would be allowed to sell a basic plan that would cover routine accidents and illnesses in addition to the comprehensive plans they sell now. On the basic plans if they were offered with no pre-existing conditions but a requirement that people must keep the plan at least a year and offer a $250 to $500 deductibe, then have 80% co-insurance, a maxium out of pocket of $1000, and a maximum calendar year benefit of $25,000 to $50,000 many people who currently don't have coverage would jump at a chance to buy a contract like that, but can't because the government gets involved and mandates so many benefits.

The average person does not go to the hospital every year. Congress should allow companies to sell something that promotes the general welfare (not put the county on welfare) and can handle day to day issues. A common sense policy like this would cover appendectomies, bronchitis, broken bones, colds, maternity, and thinks like that. There are many people who would still buy the more comprehensive plans as an individual or have more comprehensive employment based benefits.

Q. Are they kowtowing to special interest groups?
A. Yes

Q. What is the one thing you want to accomplish should you be elected?
A. Boy, there are a couple things I would like to accomplish in my first term. One is to raise awareness on why we need to audit the Federal Reserve and to make the definition of undocumented what it really means, illegal. Congress does not seem to understand the definition of illegal and undocumented. Many of the undocumented workers are not undocumented, they are illegal aliens and it needs to be discussed in those terms. If the are illegal and we know it, why do we allow them to stay?

Q. Why audit Federal Reserve?
A. To find out how many generations have been pledged to pay interest on loans. To find out who and how we are indebted to, whatever countries and private banks. The federal reserve is a private bank that our country basically hired to keep the value of our money stable. Have they done this or has the value of our money been devalued?

Q. Reviewing your website, I see a lot of mentions regarding rights and taxes. In addition, I see you mention the founding fathers a lot. A lot of people do not believe the founding fathers are relevant any more. In your opinion, what do the founding fathers have to do with our government today?
A. Our constitution was setup for the sole purpose of keeping the people free and protecting our liberties. It has passed the test of time. There are many other papers that are older than our constitution. Those papers, like the Bible, are not considered outdated. The constitution and the Bill of Rights are not outdated.

The founding fathers listed some things that the federal government should not encroach on. Being taxed without representation is a major item. How many times are there taxes and fees in the name of the Federal Government that we or our representatives have never voted on. We have gotten so far away from what the founders came up with that it is going to take major work to get it back. It is kind of like trust, it is easy to lose trust, but you have to work hard to get it back.

Q. You work in the Insurance industry, are you afraid that your opponent or opponents will make this an issue, especially considering the healthcare issues now?
A. If they did, it wouldn’t hurt because I am the one on the front line explaining to customers and small businesses why their premiums went up because a new mandate was passed.

I have this example on my website. Let’s say you just bought new tires for your car and it cost you over $800. You decide to purchase tire insurance that would replace all your tires if you have a flat. The premium is $5 per month. A group of people then discover that it does not cover hub caps and they become very angry. They complain to their congressmen who then decide to issue a mandate stating that all companies that offer tire insurance must now cover hub caps. You get your next bill in the mail and your premium has gone from $5 to $7.00. You never wanted hub cap coverage but now have no choice and are forced to pay for it.

Q. As readers of my blog know, Lacy has a cozy relationship with the Rent To Own industry. I see you are a member of the Rental Property Owners Association. Is that the same thing?
A. No it is not. It is an organization for landlords and renters to know when legislation is passed. It is important to know if there is a new regulation that effects the way you rent property. The EPA has came out with a new regulation that can keep you from fixing something like a broken window, it is important to know this. If a tenant were to break a window, I could get in trouble for replacing it without being certified by the EPA. This organization keeps us informed of those types of situations.

Q. You are also a member of Get Out Of Our House. They want to "evict" all of the current career House members. Are there any members of the House that you think are doing a good job and if so why?
A. I have been a watcher of that group. There are a few members that are doing a good job. Most of them though, do not represent their states. You see, a majority of them go to DC and forget the reason they go there. Normally, when you get a new job, you get a rule book that tells you what you can and can't do. You follow those rules and get to keep your job. When they go to DC they get this rule book too, it is called the Constitution. The problem is, over time, they just quit following it.

I feel bad for states that have made bad budget decisions, but should the federal government bail out those states? Should Missouri taxpayers bail out those states that make bad decisions? No! The federal government is supposed to proved common currency, protect our borders and keep states from fighting with one another.

Q. What is your background? Tell my readers more about you?
A. I was born in North St. Louis City and lived in several parts of the St. Louis area. I attended Lutheran grade schools in St. Louis City and Florissant and public schools for middle and high school. I attended high school in Alton Illinois where I was active in sports (lettered in varsity volleyball), student council, and graduated in the top 10% of my class. I Was a member of FBLA club (Future Business Leaders of America), Junior Achievement, and Girl Scouts.

Over the course of several years I worked for three different insurance agencies and learned the good and the bad of the industry. While holding down two separate jobs, I started a commercial cleaning business with money I had saved. This business was quite successful.

Eventually, I started my own insurance agency and gave up the profitable cleaning business because I felt more people could be helped by putting all my efforts into the insurance business. When there is a claim or enrollment problem, I put in countless hours fighting for my clients’ rights and I don't get paid extra for this. I am persistent and get the job done.

I love animals, enjoy gardening and home improvement projects. Using money I had saved, not borrowed, that evolved into investing in a few small houses and fixing them up so I could rent them out to people who needed a home.

I raised my son as a unwed mother. My son's father and I get along, we just are not a couple. I am devoted to my family, my district, my country and my God. This is why I involved myself in politics. I got involved with politics in my early twenty’s as a precinct coordinator. I want my country back as it should be and I want career politicians out of Congress.

Q. The St. Louis Post Dispatch appears to do what it can to protect St. Louis Democrats like Lacy Clay and Russ Carnahan. How are you going to get your name and positions out there?
A. Well, I have a pretty good strategy to do that. I am going to try my best to get coverage with them. That is all I can do. If they cover all of the candidates in a non partisan fashion that would be excellent. If not, there is nothing I can do about that. I will continue to move forward.

Q. Have you approached or are there any plans for you to debate Lacy Clay? If so, when?
A. I would love to, but I doubt he will. We will see if the opportunity will present itself.

Q. In one sentence or less, what is your platform?
A. Protect our liberties and speak for the state of Missouri

As you can see, Robyn has some very interesting points. Please check out her web page and reach out to her via her website or twitter at @Hamlin4Congress.

I hope you found this as informative as I did. Please comment your thoughts on here and let Robyn know what you think.

2/23 - Candidate Filing Day In MO

I just thought I would just share this. As of this evening, here is what the primary election cycle looks like for St. Louis. This information comes from the Missouri Secretary of State website.

It looks like the two St. Louis Democrats in the House are both up against some competition from both Republicans and Democrats.

I know that it does not mean anything as they have until March 30th, but I thought it was interesting that Lacy Clay has yet to file his candidacy.

This is going to be a very interesting election cycle. I wonder if the Democratic National Committee will give up on ole Russ to keep Clay in office.

As a side note, I want to welcome Robyn Hamlin, Robb Cunningham and Julie Stone to this years election for the first district. Let it be known that I would welcome and they have an open invitation to, an interview with me on this website. The same goes for Congressman Clay, although I think he will stay in the friendly confines of people like Charles Jaco and such.

UPDATED - Union Healthcare Support = Card Check?

The unions are not happy with the Democrats right now. After helping them get elected and specifically after some unions (SIUE) helped intimidate health care opposition at town hall meetings, the administration and Senate Democrats are now calling for a tax on luxury or “Cadillac” health care plans (click here for more info on what is a luxury plan).

Why would this upset the unions, well many of the unions, in the past, have negotiated these plans for their members. This would mean that in most cases a tax would be levied on union members, not the employers. While the House has no such plan in their bill, Obama and the Senate have both recommended this plan and all indications show that the House will probably relent should the two bills be reconciled. The unions are not at the point where they are publicly coming out against healthcare, but have begun making veiled threats. According to an article in the Lipman Times,

“AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka warned the Obama administration that even
though unions will not oppose the final bill, it could impact upcoming mid-term
elections. “People could stay home. It could suppress votes,” he said”

With the 2010 elections already looking grim for the Democrats they cannot afford to have the unions not participate in the upcoming elections. Reading Trumka’s comments made me wonder what the administration is going to give to the unions so that they will endorse this plan should it be reconciled. Obama really needs this to pass considering the amount of time and effort he has put into this and if he wants to continue to roll out his agenda, he needs a Democrat controlled House and Senate. To pull that off, he needs the unions. So, what can Obama offer to the unions that would make them endorse this health care plan? Card check. If you are not familiar with card check, read this.

Indications that this is on the table have already come out. Late on January 11th in an article in the Wall Street Journal, it was written,

“Trumka predicted that legislation allowing workers to organize labor unions
more easily, dubbed "card check," would be passed in the first quarter of 2010.”

Obama is an advocate of this program, but with the economy in the tank and many business leaders against it, the Democrats have been weary to push this agenda. The US Chamber of Commerce has come out against as has Obama supporter Warren Buffett.

Card check is not something that Obama can really afford to invest a lot of political capital into. That said, he really cannot afford to have the unions fighting him on health care and take a back seat in the 2010 elections. He is going to have a very difficult fight on his hands if this comes up. The best thing for Barry may be if the House and Senate cannot reconcile the bill. He can blame it on the Republicans and moderate Democrats while at the same time not having to fight the Card Check fight. I guess we will see.

UPDATE 1/17/10
It seems that the Unions have been able to wiggle themselves out of the luxury tax without requiring Card Check. Last estimates were that this would decrease the tax from 149 billion down to about 90 billion. The question is now, will Congress ask the CBO to look over this bill and will it now maintain its "tax neutral" status as the President and Congress promised.

Another thing to watch will be the results of the Brown vs. Coakley election. If Brown wins or even comes close to winning, this will undoubtly scare a lot of blue dog Democrats and Democrats in vulnerable areas. This monstrosity may still not pass. We can only hope.

The Importance of the 2010 Census

A few weeks ago I wrote an entry on the 2010 Census and the importance of this census. As you are probably aware, Lacy Clay and most of the Democrats are pushing to allow illegal immigrants to be counted towards the census and how it defines representation in the United States. Senator David Vitter attempted to add an amendment which would require all respondents announce their citizenship status.

I then saw that Lacy Clay was adamant that this amendment not pass and wondered why. As I always do, I began investigating this and what I found floored me. What I am going to talk about here is a lot of educated speculation and leans on multiple sources here, so come along with me if you will.

Based upon current population models, it looks like Missouri will lose a representative. Now, this is where the state politics of this get interesting. If Missouri loses a representative in the house, the state legislature and governor will redistrict the state. If you look at the state government, you have a GOP controlled House and Senate and a Dem Governor. Historically speaking, this type of split tends to lead to favoring incumbents and keeping historical strongholds. For more information on this, I suggest you Google redistricting as there are some very interesting sites out there (As a side note, I found that there are some people whose hobby is to create formulas and create redistricting maps. This is where I was able to get a lot of my information).

Based upon some of these models, if Missouri were to lose a representative in the House, all things seem to indicate that the one to be removed would be the current 3rd district. Based upon the models that some people are coming up with, Lacy Clay and the 1st district would expand out into more of the county and south city eating up part of the 2nd and 3rd district and the 2nd district would take over the remainder of the 3rd district and possibly some of the northern areas of the 1st district near northern St. Charles county. Now, if this were to occur, these changes would not go into effect until the 2012 election, but it could potentially pit Russ Carnahan, should he retain his district against Todd Aiken. While Jefferson County and south city tend to vote Democrat, Aiken would probably win as he would retain West County, St. Charles and possibly gain part of North County. That said it would probably mean a tough fight for anyone wanting to run for the 2nd District. To get a good idea of what I am talking about, go to Swingstate.com and do a search within the site for some MO projections. This is just one of many sites that have projections like this. The lines may change but the outcome seems to be universally the same, MO loses a seat. That is....

If Missouri is able to somehow prove population growth or at least no decline, Missouri may be able to keep the 9th seat. Lines will still be adjusted for population, but for the most part things would stay the same. So how does one work to keep MO population in check and help retain a Democratic seat within the House. To that I quote Lacy Clay's biography page on his website.

Congressman Clay is the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and National Archives, which regulates the federal government’s information and privacy standards and also oversees the operations of the Census Bureau. One of Congressman Clay’s primary goals as chairman is to work with the Census Bureau to eliminate the undercount of African Americans, Hispanics and other minorities from the upcoming national census in 2010.

Nowhere does he say legal immigrants or citizens. What Lacy Clay wants to do is to count illegals in the city and outlying areas so that it can help save a House seat. Lacy Clay is not the only one that needs illegals to save seats. You see, population is decreasing in the North, Northeast and Midwest. Even though some of the major cities of the United States are in the North and Northeast (Boston, New York, Detroit, etc.) people are moving south. Based upon some projections by groups like POLIDATA, areas that tend to Republican will pick up many of the seats that Democrat states will lose. Here is a graphic that will better explain it.

Based upon this map, the GOP would have substantial gains in the House, helping to lower the current Democratic majority. The Democrats know about it and are very worried about this. Quietly they have already been talking about it as witnessed by this article written in December of last year. So how do you keep this from happening? How can the current Democratic majority keep a new wave of potential Republicans from coming into power. They count illegals. By counting illegals as citizens in the 2010 Census, the Democrats may be able to save some seats in California, Massachusetts and New York. This may work against them in Texas and Florida, but it seems it is a risk they are willing to take. Plus counting illegals in Texas and Florida, even if redistricted to give Republicans most if not all of the new districts, will give Democrats a chance at some of these new districts since it may thin out the Republican domination in areas. Why else would the Democrats want to work with a corrupt organization like ACORN to help with the census.

Now, as I said, this is all speculation, but it is an educated guess as to what is to come. 2012 is very important to both parties. It could be a change in the balance of power in the House, which could carry over into the White House. It's something to start thinking about. What do you think?

Quick Hits and Random Thoughts

While I am looking into something that could be BIG or nothing at all, I just thought I would post some random thoughts and quick hits.

• What happened to waiting 72 hours before voting on bills. Wasn't it Nancy Pelosi who complained about rushing bills to a vote? I do not care what side of the aisle you are on, all bills should wait 72 hours before a vote. This was not a national security or wartime issue.


• So, if, and that is a big IF, healthcare gets to Obama's desk and he signs it, how long will it be before it goes before a Federal Court on the basis that it is unconstitutional? To see my opinions on this, click here.


• Do you know how your Congressman and Senator will vote if the UN Rights of the Child treaty comes up for ratification? If you are not familiar with this, you should be. Read more here. The President has already stated he is for it.


• Is Fox News and the Murdoch news empire becoming the new leader in making and leading news? Just something to think about.
  
• This is old news, but was recently brought up to me, why is it OK for the US to aide Brazil in offshore drilling in Brazil, but not assisting US companies in drilling offshore of the US?


• Will easing the creation of nuclear power plants be enough to get some Republicans to vote for Cap and Trade regulation. Just a thought, just because it gets easier does not mean environmental fascists will not file junk lawsuits to try and block the building of them.


• Have you ever noticed that the government, which is made up of a lot of lawyers and trial lawyers, does a damn good job of protecting trial lawyers? Just a thought.


• And finally, this is a sign I saw this weekend at a car wash in Hazelwood, MO off of Howdershell Rd. I am contacting the owner to see if I can do a quick interview to get his thoughts, as a small business owner, on Cap and Trade, Healthcare and Lacy Clay. If you are in Hazelwood, stop by and get your car washed and support this small business.

Democrats and the 2010 Census

Lacy Clay has chimed in again, this time regarding the upcoming 2010 census. In what is a move that many believe will bolster their ranks, the Democrats are blocking an amendment by Louisiana Sen. David Vitter to only count US citizens in the upcoming census. Clay believes that this is a stalling tactic and one Vitter is using to keep Louisiana from losing representation since many people have left the area since Katrina and have not returned. Vitter, instead states that he is truly concerned that areas with high immigrant, legal and otherwise, populations will wrongfully take away representation from Louisiana.

Currently, Vitter's amendment has stalled an appropriations bill to fund the census, but barely. Of the 60 votes needed to push the bill through without the amendment, it only received 56. The problem with that 56 is that 3 Democrats were out absent from the vote and Harry Reid voted against ramming the bill through.

So what does this all mean? Well, it means that Harry Reid could be really concerned about his election chances next year. He is in what is appearing to be a tight race for his Senate seat. He is from Nevada which has a large illegal immigration issue and could be fearing repercussions of constituents who may not approve of him giving legal representation to illegal aliens.

Now, why would Clay be so gung ho to back this measure? It could be because north St. Louis city and county have a decent size immigration problem of our own. Unless you are in union circles you may not hear about the problems arising from Cuban/Latino and Bosnian immigrants, both legal and illegal, coming into St. Louis. These immigrants are working for cash and are being employed in construction, day laborers and flooring to name a few. In fact, the St. Louis business journal did an article which highlighted the hiring of Bosnians in hotels. The unions are not happy with this as a whole as many of these workers are non union and work for much less money and are willing to work more hours and even weekends (this is not a union debate just a statement of fact).

Clay knows that since he is the only guy in town as far as the north St. Louis city and county, he can afford to disgruntle the unions as they have no where else to turn. In addition, if illegal immigrants are counted in the upcoming census, it can help to concentrate his north city and outlining area base. In addition, Clay knows that by allow illegal immigrants to be counted in the upcoming census, it will help the Democrats retain control of the house.

Once again, this is a purely partisan move that has nothing to do with counting those who live in the US. Vitter's amendment will still count everyone living in the US, but will also allow those who are here illegally to be filtered out of the population numbers used to determine representation. His amendment makes total sense, which could be why Lacy and the other Democrats are against it. They claim that this amendment is discriminatory which is a completely bogus argument. They also claim that this will delay the Census’ start and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. This may be true since several million of the questionnaires have already been printed and addendums would have to be added.

The fundamental question really comes down to this. Do illegal immigrants, non US citizens, deserve representation in government. This all goes back to the question "how do we handle illegal immigration?" This just reinforces the concept that the Dems would rather do nothing.

More on Lacy Clay and Payday Loans

As I previously stated, I have been digging in to Lacy Clay's financial contributors. After reporting his ties to the Rent to Own industry I continued my research and found that Lacy has been receiving a lot of money from the owners and officials of many in and out of state "payday loan" companies.

These contributions intrigued me since Lacy Clay is a co-sponsor of H.R. 1214, The Payday Loan Reform Act of 2009. This bill aims to "establish additional payday loan disclosure requirements and other protections for consumers, and for other purposes". You would think that these companies would do anything they could to keep restrictions from coming into place. That is, until I did more research.

If you go back several years, it appears that Illinois Rep Luis Gutierrez was working on severely crippling if not killing the payday loan industry. The belief was that this industry was/is operating on a predatory lending premise and creating a viscous cycle of lending allowing these companies to make exorbitant amounts of money by repeatedly extending the lending cycle beyond the original terms of the agreement while continuing to charge the already high fees and interest rates. Customers who could not pay the entire loan amount back with their next paycheck, usually within two weeks of the loan, are extended another two or more weeks at the same interest rates and sometimes additional fees.

It is easy to see why a Democrat like Rep Gutierrez would be working to severally limit and/or regulate this industry considering the demographic he serves. Well, then comes Lacy Clay who sends a letter to Rep Gutierrez requesting he withdraw a proposed amendment back in 2005.

Afterwards, Lacy began working with Gutierrez to create a new bill. This new bill is much weaker than the original with many loopholes. Gutierrez himself admits that this new bill is not as strong as desired but was made weaker due to the influence of the payday loan industry and their campaign donations.

Why would Lacy Clay, a man who has attempted to identify himself as a progressive intent on protecting the welfare of the people, block a 2005 amendment that would cripple this industry. Could it be because the Community Financial Services Association (CFSA), the group that represents payday loan companies, donated between $15,000 - $29,999 to the Congressional Black Caucus in 2004.

After further research, I found out that the Rent to Own community is part of the payday loan community. Hmmm, now things are starting to come together. Apparently several of the rent to own facilities have started offering payday loans. It has gotten to the point where one of the board of directors for the CFSA is a senior executive with Rent-a-Center. To get an idea of how into this industry the Rent to Own companies are, just do a google search of "Rent to Own" "Payday Loans". You will find several rent to own facilities throughout the US that offer these services.

So once again, we find that Lacy Clay is doing whatever he can to support himself and his friends and not the community. Hey, I am a free market guy and think that these businesses have a right to exist, but they should not do so at the expense of those that do not know better or truly cannot afford these loans. In Lacy's case, he is purposefully reducing the restrictions that others have created to protect those that donate thousands of dollars to his campaign coffers. Of course, this is Lacy Clay, should we expect much more from him?

Why McCain Not Winning Is A Good Thing

In an interview with Katie Couric Glenn Beck said he was glad that John McCain did not win the presidency. I know that I am a little behind on this but what can I say, we have Cardinals' baseball, apple picking with the kids, the daily grind, and trying to keep up with the healthcare debate and some research on my favorite target, Lacy Clay, so yeah, I am a little behind.

Anyway, I watched this interview online and I have to say that before Glenn even gave any type of explanation I agreed with him. The best thing that could have happened not just for the Republican party, but for America, was the election of Barack Obama. Why is that you may say, well let me tell you.

1. No longer will Pelosi and Reid be able to blame everything on Bush and the Republicans. Anytime something went wrong it was the Republicans fault. Never mind the facts that Bush and many Conservatives tried to end the sub-prime mortgage practices and were blocked by filibustering Dems like Obama. They are being exposed for their hypocrisy and their failed policies. A failure of this magnitude will really make people think when they vote again in 2010 and 2012.
2. This was a splash of cold water to the Republicans. Let's face it, the Republicans got lazy and were really shifting away from the core beliefs. Many in the RNC became to worried about appeasing the left, instead of taking care of the issues and doing what's right. They also became drunk with power and started participating in some massive pork spending. Losing in 2006 and 2008 has made the RNC have to refocus and find their identity. The question really becomes, will that identity be centrist right, conservative or somewhere in the middle.
3. In one 2 - 4 year period, this could create some drastic changes in the House and Senate that would not have happened. Pelosi and Reid are both going to have to run against serious challenges in their home state. Both could wind up losing their seats along with a slew of others including St. Louis' own Russ Carnahan. Add to that the people that work for and with Pelosi, Reid and Obama, people like Van Jones, are being brought to light.
4. The Democrats have overplayed their hand and showing their real far left agenda. People are seeing this and are not feeling comfortable with what they are seeing. Barack Obama has an approval rate between 48-52% and the Congress as a whole has an approval rating of 21%.
5. More people are standing up and becoming active in politics. This is potentially one of the most dangerous aspects to the Democrats. Their refusal to listen and in some cases brazen disregard for their constituents has led many people to stand up and become politically active. Do you think there would be a strong Tea Party movement if McCain were elected. I do not. The activist agenda that is in play right now would not have happened and many people would still be sitting at home, quietly simmering in anger at the government.

So yes my friends, it is a good thing McCain was not elected. Are we hurting, yes. That said, in the end we will be better for this pain. Sometimes you have to walk through the desert to get to the promised land. Now, if we could just bring back Ronald Reagan.