A Conservative Viewpoint - Steady March Toward Socialism

Article by Bob Steinburg
- Edenton, North Carolina: Cradle of the Colony

There’s evidence that America’s love affair with capitalism, an economic philosophy that has fostered more individual wealth, freedom and opportunity than any other in the history of the world is beginning to dwindle. America has been creeping toward socialism at least since 1933 when President Franklin Roosevelt ushered in his New Deal in hopes of helping America escape the Great Depression.

Supporters of Roosevelt’s program credit it with restoring the American economy. While it brought some immediate relief to millions of suffering souls, it did not restore economic prosperity to the masses; our entry into World War II did.

When FDR became president, unemployment was 24 percent. By 1938, five years into his “recovery program” unemployment was still 19 percent and 15 percent by 1940. In 1943, in the midst of the war, unemployment fell to less than two percent.

Critics argue that the reason the New Deal didn’t significantly reduce unemployment was because Roosevelt tripled personal and corporate income taxes. This resulted in less capital for individual spending and corporate expansion- both job creators.

In spite of lessons learned, progressive Democrats and liberals continue to deride capitalism. Many reject it in spite of its rewarding hard work, honesty, self-sufficiency and personal responsibility. Its emphasis for producing wealth is on private ownership. Capitalism provides the greatest opportunity for individuals to break out of poverty and government dependence, to find prosperity and independence.

Conversely, socialism is defined as a Marxist theory that transitions somewhere between capitalism and communism. Examples of current socialist states are Venezuela, China, Cuba, Vietnam and Sweden. Socialism emphasizes government ownership; government controls the means of production and the distribution of goods. It advocates a redistribution of wealth. Socialism de-emphasizes individualism, personal freedoms and, at its apex, property ownership.

Results from an April Rasmussen poll show support for socialism in the U. S. at 20 percent while 53 percent prefer capitalism. Perhaps of more concern to conservatives should be the 66 percent of those under 30 who are questioning the merits of a free-market system.

Democrats continue to craft a financially dependent welfare state. There’s little incentive to ever become self-supporting. Most social programs have little market accountability and oversight, and thus continue down the road toward insolvency.

Another contributing factor to individuals seeming willingness to accept mediocrity and failure comes at the hands of the very system that should be helping them to succeed-education. Minorities trapped in failing inner city schools overwhelmingly support school choice. Yet Democrats, beholden to the ultra-liberal National Education Association, support giving these parents only one school option-the very failing schools they’re trying to escape. Why? One reason may be that many of our public schools and universities are controlled by left- leaning authorities who also organize the curriculum and often foster anti-parent, anti-religion and anti-American values.

Democrats also endorse granting unconditional amnesty to more than 12 million illegal aliens. Those individuals will then become eligible for federal and state benefits, including welfare, food stamps, social security and housing assistance. The Heritage Foundation estimates that amnesty will cost U. S. taxpayers another $2.6 trillion.

Christopher Horner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute recently wrote in the Weekly Standard that the government’s proposed cap-and-trade or carbon tax legislation, would punish industry’s use of gas and oil products (which Al Gore states will warm the planet by one degree over the next 100 years) by allowing the federal government to “control every aspect of our economy.”

Dr. David Noebel, recently penned a column that appeared in the Christian Worldview, “Shared Misery: The Socialization of America.” Noebel writes that, “most Americans are totally unaware that the U. S. House of Representatives crawls with a large, well-organized assembly of socialist organizations that are dedicated to (a) bringing about the destruction of the capitalist economic system (portrayed as greedy, conservative, religious, and/or filthy rich) and (b) slowly but surely bringing production, education, food and health care under the complete control of the federal government.” According to Noebel, these groups include the Progressive Democrats of America, the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus.

In spite of government’s inability to ever run anything efficiently, they’ve decided to inject their “expertise” into the automobile and banking industries. Now the Democrats want to take a whack at “reforming” health care. They also support eliminating the secret ballot in labor union voting. And Democratic Senators Harkin, Kerry, Durbin, Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would like to stifle the voice of conservative talk radio, by reinstating the Fairness Doctrine. When the folks get to hear only one side of any argument, they will blindly become sheep to their masters.

Last week, National Public Radio’s “Talk-Track,” featured a segment, “Is America becoming a socialist nation?” Radio personality Dianne Rehm asked former President Bill Clinton’s Secretary of the Treasury Robert Reich if he felt that socialist premise was true. Reich did not deny it, while incredulously adding that the socialistic steps government has taken so far is only “temporary” to keep the banking and automobile industries from collapsing. Anybody that knows one iota about Washington understands that once government has oversight or creates a new program, it’s likely to be anything but temporary.

Since moving south 32 years ago, many I’ve met tell me they’re Democrats because their Mama and Daddy were Democrats. But the Democratic Party today is not the party it was then; not by a long shot. Their ancestors must be rolling in their graves knowing that the party they loved and supported is well on its way to becoming the new National Socialist Party of America.

The FDR myth seems immutable. The reality that no previous recession ever lasted more than three years means nothing to the deluded dreamers who insist FDR did not prolong the recession, dragging it out for more than a decade, and that he did not create a more severe depression by crushing America with huge debt. How could he be blamed? That was not what he wanted so he CANNOT be held accountable for the unintended consequences of his actions.

Even Russia is decrying the incredible speed with which we are abandoning free enterprise and adopting the most evil form of socialism (which contrary to Bob's opinion merely requires government control of a business, not ownership). With Pravda saying 'American decent into Marxism is happening with breathtaking speed'... you know that the American people should be frightened. Read the whole article here. Bob is not alone in his concerns for our country. The whole world seeks freedom and has depended on America to lead the way. Instead Obama seems intent on throwing away our freedom because his voters are too stupid to appreciate the consequences.

Inner Banks Humor - Politics

And the Angels Rejoice

by David Brooks - May 25th, 2009 - New York Times

“We meet at an exciting moment for our country, a time of unprecedented cooperation between government and private industry,” the president intones, lifting his foot from the trachea of an unconscious pharmaceutical executive. “Many of the business leaders behind me have seized an exciting opportunity to join the nonprofit sector without even switching jobs.”

This is funny. When even a moderate like Brooks decides that it is time to start ridiculing the Magic Marxist Messiah, you know that Obama has lost his luster. There are more sarcastic putdowns of Obama in this one article than anyone ever packed into one article over Bush.

Al-Pam Meets In 1767 Edenton Courthouse

The Al-Pam Conservative Club monthly meeting will get underway at the Historic 1767 Court House in Edenton on East King Street at 6:30 PM, Thursday evening June 4th. Al-Pam, a multi-county, conservative discussion group that gathers monthly to be briefed on state and national policy issues, is one of the most popular groups in the Inner Banks.




The speaker this month is the former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 8th district. Congressman Robin Hayes is known by many for his unceasing efforts to help our communities, while in office and since. He will speak on Federal issues that affect local issues. Congressman Hayes was born in Concord, NC where he continues to reside. He is an alumnus of Duke University. Mr. Hayes is a textile mill owner.

A full course catered meal will be available for just $13 per plate… all you can eat.

Congressman Hayes will speak in the upper chamber at approximately 7:15 PM. This space is handicap accessible. Questions from the audience will follow with the event concluding approximately 8:30 PM.

Congressman Hayes is flying into Edenton for this event. This is an exciting event and a definite "do not miss."

To reserve your seat please contact Bob Steinburg at (252) 482-2404, email rsteinburg@aol.com or President Jack Piland at (252) 923-0036... at your earliest convenience. This is certain to be a sellout so reserve your space now.



For larger map to Edenton Courthouse click on thumbnail

A Conservative Viewpoint - No OLF: Un-American?

Article by Bob Steinburg
- Edenton, North Carolina: Cradle of the Colony

Memorial Day is a time we pause to remember those who have died in service to our nation. Cemeteries here and throughout the nation and world will be adorned with American flags or flowers placed near the markers that bear the names of American patriots.

Patriotism runs deep in northeastern North Carolina. Look no further than the many cemeteries and memorial gardens that dot the landscape from Elizabeth City to Rocky Mount to Kinston and all points in between. These hallowed grounds cradle the remains of relatives and friends who either served our nation dutifully through their military service, or contributed to our country’s survival and independence in other countless ways.

Folks, including military retirees, relocate here because it reminds them of all that is good about rural America. Here live a proud people who are aware of the historic role this region played in securing our nation’s independence. The Albemarle’s rich fertile farmland has served as a global breadbasket. People here love God and many attend church regularly. And few community gatherings begin without taking a moment to first salute our nation’s flag. This is Norman Rockwell’s America.

Last week the Raleigh News & Observer featured Rick Martinez’s column: “Telling the Navy to get lost.” I don’t know Martinez personally, but I am guessing he has never lived in the Albemarle. He argues why citizens in Gates, Camden and Currituck counties should bow down and genuflect to the Navy who want to locate an outlying landing field (OLF) in the back yards of a place Martinez apparently knows little to nothing about.

He tries to compare today to the dark days following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. America was ill-prepared for war then, certainly not a world war. Unemployment was in double digits and our industrial complex was still reeling from the Great Depression.

Japan’s military might was unquestioned. America believed they would soon be landing on our shores. Those dire circumstances required immediate and decisive action and the U. S. responded. That patriotism has not been forgotten.

Today, we’re also at war, with a military preparedness that’s different than in December 1941. We’ve ramped up our military over the last eight years, so we’re less vulnerable than we were 58 years ago. But we still must maintain our military might. To do that our soldiers and sailors must be the best trained, best equipped and most prepared fighting force in the world. To help insure that happens, Americans should be willing to sacrifice for any military “need” when called upon to do so. But locating an OLF in northeastern North Carolina is not about need but about politics and circumstance.

Eastern North Carolina is among the poorest regions in the country; also one of the prettiest. It has no significant industrial/ manufacturing base. Unemployment, in good times and bad, continually ranks among the nations highest. To survive here the folks must capitalize on what God has so abundantly blessed this area: peace and tranquility, fertile farmlands, meandering scenic waterways, beaches, quaint historic towns and villages, and “patriotic” God loving people. These gifts are what drive our region’s economy.

A few years back this section of the state began promoting itself as the “Inner Banks” of North Carolina. This on-going marketing effort is resulting in an increase in tourism and Baby Boomer retirements to the temperate climate, scenic vistas and warm hospitality of the Albemarle.

Many are military retirees who hail from Virginia Beach, home to the Naval Air Station at Oceana. Yet a lot of of them are opposed to an OLF locating here. They came here to escape the noise, pollution and cookie-cutter urban existence found in their former “port of call.” And a significant number of them believe putting an OLF here, is nothing more than politics.

I, too, feel the Navy is seeking an OLF here for two primary reasons: Poor planning at Oceana that has resulted in the Navy being landlocked and unable to expand in an area that derives significant economic benefits from their presence; a desire on the part of many in Hampton Roads who benefit from the military’s economic largesse, to export only the noise pollution to northeastern North Carolina.

Martinez writes of the Navy’s proposed addition of $4.5 million to our region’s annual payroll. An area in desperate need of good paying jobs would be expected to enthusiastically embrace such a windfall; but not this one. According to state Agriculture commissioner Steve Troxler, an OLF here would have a devastating impact on agriculture in Camden, Currituck and the surrounding region. Tourism would also suffer. And what about those seeking the “Inner Banks” as a place to retire because of the serenity currently found here? It appears we’d be losing much more than we would gain by saying yes to an OLF. The aforementioned three items represent the most significant portion of our region’s economy. To jeopardize them, is jeopardizing almost everything.

Many families have lived here for generations. They’re humble, hard-working, good people who want nothing more than to protect their farms, the environment and their way of life. They simply want to provide for their families. And the undeniable truth is this: Pilots can be trained elsewhere. If there were a real need for an OLF and no other physical options available to the Navy, the folks here would say,” Come on down!” But that’s repeatedly been proven not to be the case. To suggest otherwise, denies reams of documentation to the contrary.

To impugn an entire regions patriotism, as Martinez has done, while ignoring facts and history, is not only insensitive, but ignorant. This isn’t about, “not in my backyard,” as some have suggested. It’s not about the folks here being un-American either. This is about fighting to preserve the economy of northeastern North Carolina.

I have posted a number of articles against the OLF, so it is clear that in general Bob and I are on the same side in this discussion. With an Honorable discharge from the USMC, a pretty good track record of supporting our troops and a love of fighter jets that causes me to run out and watch them when they buzz us here on the Chowan (my neighbors are puzzled and annoyed that I don’t hate the noise the way they do), I think I can confidently say that my opposition is not anti-military or anti-jet noise. My opposition is that there are so many cheaper and more intelligent options that are being ignored for political reasons. There is a perfectly good base up near Blackstone VA, a 15 minute flight by the jets that will use it, called Fort Pickett. I wrote the article here almost 2 years ago. Nothing significant has changed. Opposing the OLF is not only not unpatriotic, supporting it is unpatriotic as far as I am concerned.

A Conservative Viewpoint - Just Say “No”

Article by Bob Steinburg
- Edenton, North Carolina: Cradle of the Colony

When First Lady Nancy Reagan visited an elementary school in Oakland, Calif. in 1982, she was asked by a child what she should do if she were offered drugs. The first lady answered, “Just say no.” Those three words were the impetus for the launching of the highly successful White House drug awareness program, “Just say no.”

Parents understand the word “no” is often difficult to use, especially when it pertains to disciplining their child. The kids often believe their folks are just being mean. It’s later in life when the children are grown and begin raising their own families that they begin to understand the power, significance and teaching importance of that one simple two letter word- “no!”

Democrats recently have been trying to label the Republican Party as the “Party of No.” They see this as an opportunity to ridicule the GOP for resisting many of their legislative initiatives. Even some Democrats have failed to escape the invectives from their party’s left- leaning majority.

In the U. S. House of Representatives there are approximately 50 Blue Dog Democrats who often stand with Republicans attempting to rein in out-of-control spending. They unite on other issues that won’t resonate back home, such as blanket amnesty for illegal aliens.

In Washington, anyone opposed to the often overly ambitious, far reaching and irresponsibly expensive agenda of the “progressive” Democrats are banished from meaningful discourse. There is no compromise. They view those who disagree as pesky gnats, a minor annoyance that can be dispensed with the swish of the hand. To be fair, Republicans in the past have been guilty of similar displays of partisanship and exclusion when in the majority.

There are more registered Democrats than Republicans. To win elections, Republicans must offer discernible contrast between themselves and the opposition. They should show willingness to work with Democrats, but without compromising their core principles: low taxes, fiscal restraint on spending, conservative stands on social issues, as well as sustaining the strength of our military. When Republicans deviate from that political matrix, they lose. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., lost the presidency, not because he was too conservative, but because he was the most liberal Republican candidate to ever run for president.

Republicans in Congress justifiably lost the confidence of voters over the last eight years. Their spending proclivities mimicked those of their liberal brethren. When that happened, voters opted for the real deal, not the Republican version of “Democrat-Lite.”

To win elections the GOP needs to show voters they’re standing firm to their core values- compromising where possible, but not caving in on initiatives that jeopardize the fiscal, moral and national security underpinnings that have held this great Republic together for 233 years. Saying “no” isn’t always popular, but as parents will tell you, it’s often necessary to protect the health, welfare and future of those you love.

For those who think the “Party of No” is finished, consider this polling data released by Rasmussen last week. In terms of voter trust on the economy - Republicans and Democrats are now in a virtual tie, an upward trend for the GOP. Republican candidates lead Democrats by a single point for the third week in a row in the Generic Congressional Ballot.

A generic ballot is one pollsters use with no specific candidate names, asking only this: if the election were held today, would you vote for a Republican or a Democrat? This is only the fourth time in five years of Rasmussen polling that the GOP has held such a lead. While President Barack Obama maintains his personal popularity, Republicans appear to be gaining momentum as we move toward the 2010 mid-term elections.

There is a time to say “yes” and a time to say “no.” Republicans and many Blue Dog Democrats fought in vain to restrict the financial outlays including earmarks and pork in the outrageous stimulus and omnibus spending bills; a good first step. Now where do they go from here?

Many Republicans under Bush supported the Troubled Asset and Relief Program (TARP) established to bailout banks and other financial institutions that were bleeding red ink, many seemingly on the verge of collapse. The infusion of tax dollars was mismanaged, with significant money either misused or misappropriated by the benefactors. Republicans should say “no” to any efforts for a TARP II.

Obama said he will close Cuba’s Gitmo by the end of the year. Clearly there is no country that wants the detainees. Most Americans are opposed to relocating them here. Republicans and conservative Democrats should continue saying “no” to closing Gitmo.

Republicans need to push for strengthening border security. Any attempts to weaken it should be met with a resounding “no.”

Republicans should also just say “no” to future corporate buyouts or takeovers and “no” to having the government run more banks.

Legislation to provide blanket amnesty for our estimated 12 million illegal aliens is already under consideration. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N. Y. is leading the charge. Republicans should say “no” to any amnesty bill until there is absolute assurance from the White House that they are committed to fully enforcing our current immigration laws while assuring Americans our borders will be secure.

Republicans and the Blue Dogs should just say “no” to the pending cap-and-trade bill. With no conclusive proof of global warming, why embrace legislation that will drive the price of energy skyward, bringing what’s left of our sputtering economy to a screeching halt.

While the Democrats have become the party of “yes,” with little thought or concern for what their unbridled spending initiatives are going to cost us and our children and grandchildren, someone has got to be there to say “no.” Republicans should compromise when prudent; but in Washington today, prudence is in short supply.

Bob pointed out my main irritation but not directly. Republicans are being blamed for the liberal policies of George W. Bush and for Obama’s rush to spend the same way. The reality is that George W. Bush worked with the 2006 elected Democrat Congress to create the largest deficit in history, $500 billion last year. This would never have happened if there had been a congress that cared about fiscal discipline. It did not happen under 6 years of Republican control of congress when deficits were half this amount. Not that the Republicans exercised the fiscal discipline they should have. However Democrats who championed the increased spending of the last two years are now blaming Republicans for what they and George W. Bush spent. They only blame Bush though and ingnore their own collaboration. The real hypocrisy started when Obama came into office and in the first 100 days Obama and the Democrats quadrupled the deficit over the outrageous amount Bush and the Democrats had spent. Our national deficit is now approaching nearly two trillion dollars. Democrats, totally in control, are still blaming Bush and still claiming that Bush is a conservative. Neither is a sane argument.

George W. Bush is a LIBERAL on domestic issues. Much of the disappointment in Republicans is caused by the public blaming conservatives for what the liberal Bush did. Just because Bush embraces social conservative issues does not mean he is a conservative. His domestic policies, what I sarcastically call “compassionate communism”, are liberal in the extreme. Bush was totally out of touch with Republican fiscal principles and yet Republicans are the ones being punished by the voters for Bush doing things that most Republicans oppose.

Inner Banks Humor - Politics

A Conservative Viewpoint - Butterfield Out Of Touch

Article by Bob Steinburg
- Edenton, North Carolina: Cradle of the Colony

North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District is represented by Democrat G. K. Butterfield. He replaced Democrat Frank Balance, who resigned in June `04, for conspiracy, money laundering and mail fraud.

This Congressional district has a population of 603,000. Towns such as Roanoke Rapids, Rocky Mount, Goldsboro, New Bern, Wilson and Elizabeth City dot the landscape. While the topography, vistas and people of this region are among the nations finest, much of the area is an economic wasteland.

According to the Congressional District Analysis and Insight Report from January `09, the 1st district is the fourth poorest district in the nation. Since 2000 the population in Butterfield’s district has declined by three percent while at the same time poverty is on the rise. Many counties have experienced negative growth including Vance, Bertie, Northampton, Edgecombe, Halifax, Martin, Warren and Jones.

This report further reveals that the economic numbers are stark. Almost 25 percent of this district is in poverty. Average household income is $30,040. In a state with the fourth highest unemployment in the nation, the numbers here are worse.

Democrats have controlled this seat for over 100 years. While other parts of North Carolina and the nation have seen periods of boom and bust, economic opportunity here remains elusive.

There are success stories, but too few to keep its young residents from leaving, or to enable the poor to escape the scourge of poverty. In spite of this continuing economic nightmare, Congressman Butterfield has embraced an energy concept that many speculate will only further raise the misery index for his constituents.

In a recent story in Elizabeth City’s Daily Advance, Congressman Butterfield said he advocates for a cap-and-trade energy policy. Cap-and-trade is a scheme for managing pollution by reducing emission pollutants, most notably carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that some view as environmentally destructive. Butterfield is vice-chairman of the Sub-committee on Energy and Environment that will be writing this energy bill.

It’s called the Waxman-Markey “cap-and-trade” bill. If passed the federal government will begin imposing limits on emissions of carbon dioxide for American business and industry. Permits will be required from the federal government to allow permission to emit carbon dioxide beyond government pre-determined levels. If your business or industry needs to release more CO2 than its mandated allotment, you can acquire or trade with other industries that use less than theirs. A MIT study estimated this madcap legislation will cost the average household $3,100 in higher prices.

Advocates of cap-and-trade acknowledge the plan is to raise the cost of energy for everyone. Companies will be forced to invest in new technology to reduce carbon emissions. “They’re going to have to pay a penalty for emitting carbon into the air,” Butterfield acknowledged.

“The debate is about climate change and global warming,” he said. “There’s near unanimous agreement that the planet is warming and that the climate is changing and that we need to take federal action to correct that.”

Not so fast, congressman. The debate on the causes of global warming is not conclusive. S. Fred Singer, professor emeritus of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia, is one of many notable scientists who believe that there is “no proof that the current warming is caused by the rise of greenhouse gasses from human activity.”

Ivar Giaever, a Nobel Prize winner for Physics is also skeptical, and says that “global warming has become a new religion.”

In fact, 650 of the scientists who took part in the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, publicly dispute the panel’s conclusions that human activity is causing the world to become dangerously warm.

U. K. Telegraph writer Gerald Warner in his piece, “Global Warming: Al Gore’s convenient untruth freezes over,” concludes that this hysteria is all about money. “The cash from U. N. grants, wind farms, carbon trading and all the billions squandered on politically useful (to totalitarians) superstition is very clear indeed: this is big bucks. Man-made global warming is the new sub-prime commerce of the planet.”

House Democrats are meeting behind closed doors to hammer out the details of their new energy policy. How’s that for renewed transparency in government? Never-the less we know the Democratic plan will raise energy costs, decrease energy sources of supply, and reduce the amount of energy available to the American people.

House Republicans were meeting too. They sponsored an event called the American Energy Solutions Group Summit. This meeting was open and televised. Experts and business leaders were invited and asked for ideas on how to best meet our nations growing energy needs; focusing on the resources we have available, while at the same time working to better protect the environment.

Former Michigan Republican Gov. John Engler, representing the National Association of Manufacturers called the proposed cap-and-trade bill a “prescription for permanent recession.” Millions of manufacturing and other jobs would be lost to China and India, which will be under no such environmental constraints.

Most Americans desire cleaner air, water and a healthier environment. But they also want to keep the jobs they have, create new ones and lower the cost of energy. The Democratic plan will achieve the opposite- a job wrecker if there ever was one.

Increasing efforts in conservation, continuing to explore and harvest renewables through incentives, expanding the use of nuclear power, using and developing clean coal technology and further developing wind and solar power; this is a plan America can live with without sacrificing our national economy or the environment.

While Congressman Butterfield meets secretly with fellow Democrats on cap-and-trade, many here remain confused. How can he support any legislation that propels his district further toward an economic abyss?

What Butterfield’s district really needs is more jobs not fewer; more opportunity, not increased poverty and less government intervention in our lives, not more. Those in his district should not have to continue going backwards.

The argument over Anthropogenic Global Warming continues to be a contentious debate, and rarely ever gets down to an explanation of how the experts arrive at their conclusions - except in those scientific journals that talk about concepts the average person cannot follow. Bob has provided a long list of the highly qualified scientific experts who dispute man caused global warming.

Those on the left have a number of experts they quote who say the opposite. The one thing that is different between the two camps is that the proponents of global warming have consistently denigrated those who dispute their premise and have worked to have them prohibited from expressing their opinions. If you really thought that you were correct, why would you be afraid to allow your opponents to even express an opinion?

One thing that has changed some minds is the admission by Barack Obama that cap-and-trade will likely increase electric bills for the average consumer by 50% to 100%. That means if you pay $200 a month for electricity now, it will be $300 or more very shortly after cap-and-trade is passed. Many who cannot follow the scientific argument make up their minds very quickly after that is explained. When facing a $100 plus minimum increase a month many don't care who is right. They don't care if it will kill jobs. They don't care if 100 years from now we are experiencing an ice age or another warm period like we had in the middle ages. They care a lot about not increasing an electric bill they are struggling to pay right now.

Especially the poor in our impoverished area. Those are the ones that Butterfield does not seem to care about.

Getting Real About “Race”

A response to Patrick Buchanan

Article by Dr. Ada Fisher
- North Carolina National Committee Woman

Yesterday while sitting in the corner barbershop, six police cars flew down the street. The chasers brought back the report that last night one young sixteen year old black man was shot on a lot next to a house I previously bought, fixed up and sold in an attempt to stabilize my neighborhood. Today a robbery happened at the Black Credit Union in my community. And so it goes, . . .increasingly worsening with the economy for there are no Enterprise Zones here like Jack Kemp championed and often it seems that I am the only Republican who is out and among my people even when they won’t vote for me.

I get so tired of people who don’t live in the black or Hispanic neighborhoods having so much lip, which they ought to keep zipped, about black Americans. It is insulting when fellow Republicans spew forth rhetoric which is as tired and pathetic as that from the black panderers such as Jesse Jackson who seemingly want to keep us perpetual victims acting as our new black overseers—those with too much education and too little memory.

I agree with one thing that Patrick J. Buchanan said in reference to Barack Obama’s call for a conversation about race in America. It should be a 2-way conversation as Buchanan notes but this time, listen to voices being suppressed by “the chosen” whether democrat or conservative Republicans.

Put your facts in an accurate perspective Mr. Buchanan and then we may speak. The first recorded blacks came to America as navigator assistants with Columbus and early explorers, followed by indentured servants [black as well as white] and then the enslaved multitudes to which you refer. Meanwhile Columbus was given credit for discovering America, as if the Native Americans weren’t already here. These two groups were significant in my ancestry and that of many African Americans. These groups had their own religious beliefs reflected in spirituals and songs about their motherland which refers to praying to a rising sun, separations and death (Negro Slave Songs in the United States, the sentinel work on these songs, by my father, a Republican, Miles Mark Fisher).

It was the Republican Party which instigated civil rights and measures to free slaves of the south; however, as with the Native American's treaties, promises made such as 40 acres and a mule, were broken by undermining democrats and much farmland lost and sometimes stolen. Nonetheless some decent folks many of whom were Republicans through the Freedman’s Bureau helped to establish many of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Undue credit is taken by others for much of the progress of African Americans with little appreciation of what we have done for ourselves. As Obama and King are given too much play, many others who helped us make great strides such as Frederick Douglas, Marcus Garvey, Booker T. Washington, Touisant L’Overture, Edward Brooks (the first Black Senator, a Republican), Malcolm X, etc. are increasingly relegated into oblivion.

Most kids in this country of all colors don’t know that post reconstruction all of the black representatives in Congress were Republicans from the south. How many know of the black Frenchman Alexander Dumas who wrote “the Three Musketeers” featured in the marvelous Oscar winning movie, “Slum Dog Millionaire?” For Condoleezza Rice’s brilliance and comfort with the Russian language, many of either ethnicity know not that Puskin, one of that nation’s most famous writers was also black.

During the era of the fifties when Civil Rights is most remembered, it was Adam Clayton Powell who fought behind the scenes to legislatively ensure integration of the schools while others marched garnering the publicity. Diggs, Dellums, Hawkins, Chisholm lone black Senator Brook (a Republican) and so many others fought for the legislation of inclusion, not the crumbs of appeasement for so many wrongs committed as those Buchanan cites. And "Ike" in integrating the Army more than allowed black Americans to give with their last measure of devotion their lives on the battlefields defending a nation which had too often denied us at home the very freedoms we fought for abroad.

Affirmative Action a program started in Equal Opportunity efforts by a black man, Republican Assistant Secretary of Labor, Arthur Fletcher of the Nixon Administration is often decried as something special for blacks. In reality, white females (who are not a minority, but a majority neglected) accumulated a large portion of the benefits accrued from welfare, food stamps, Pell grants (signed under Nixon), Medicaid (covers more white females in nursing homes than the often portrayed black welfare mothers), and poverty programs from which those with degrees of either race benefited as much as those whom the programs were designed to help.

My parents told us and many parents tell their kids to prepare themselves academically and their opportunities will come. On the block where too many of our children hang they rationalize why when I can make more in a day selling dope than those with all that education will in a month. And on the flip side, in the last two years I have recommended eight students of color who prepared themselves with more than a 3.7 grade point average, 1300 on the SAT, etc. and none was offered a full scholarship into the Consolidated University of North Carolina System. Had these students of tax paying parents been illegal immigrants, many legislators who are democrats want to give them free or in-state tuition consideration. Oh how quickly that tide is turning against equal opportunities for blacks as our numbers are overwhelmed by a rising tide of illegal immigrants.

Black on black crime is inexcusable but so is the fact that schools in predominantly minority communities are most likely to get less funding, more inexperienced teachers, go without books and fail to hold high standards for their students. You worry about what black folks do to whites and I live with what we do to each other; yet when I want to discuss help we can use a different perspective, you don’t want to talk about it if it doesn’t fit your ideas of what might work or if it doesn't directly impact your life.

I am in this for solutions and know that as a biologist by training, there is no such thing as race in birds, horses or other animal kingdom residences. This is something used in humans to divide and conquer by those picking up the spoils. Let’s have a conversation about solutions which don’t rob tax payers dry, which puts citizens first, which recognizes there is beauty in diversity, which appreciates that we must speak a common language English, and which never denies the rights of people to vote. We must be standard bearers for freedom, democracy, and the US Constitution or else this nation will perish and no one will much care what you look like.

Good Job Ada! Ada is a great spokesman for our Republican Party and I am amused by Ada's refusal to ever capitalize "democrat". Subtle but revealing.

Mom Says Patriot Act Stripped Son Of Due Process

by Amanda Lamb - April 29th, 2009 - WRAL TV

Sixteen-year-old Ashton Lundeby's bedroom in his mother's Granville County home is nothing, if not patriotic. Images of American flags are everywhere – on the bed, on the floor, on the wall.

But according to the United States government, the tenth-grade home-schooler is being held on a criminal complaint that he made a bomb threat from his home on the night of Feb. 15.

The family was at a church function that night, his mother, Annette Lundeby, said.

"Undoubtedly, they were given false information, or they would not have had 12 agents in my house with a widow and two children and three cats," Lundeby said.

Around 10 p.m. on March 5, Lundeby said, armed FBI agents along with three local law enforcement officers stormed her home looking for her son. They handcuffed him and presented her with a search warrant.

"I was terrified," Lundeby's mother said. "There were guns, and I don't allow guns around my children. I don't believe in guns."

George W. Bush is the author of the Patriot Act. When used by a President who is trying to protect America from foreign threats, the Patriot Act is a good thing. When used by an administration that hates America and sees any conservative as a potential enemy of the Obama regime, numerous miscarriages of justice will ensue. The Patriot Act is just one of numerous screw ups by the inarticulate retard when he was President. TARP was the last and it was a truly horrible screw up.

If you think abuse of the Patriot Act is not going to get worse, just remember - Obama had only been in power three weeks when this 16 year old was arrested. He was arrested on the basis of a verbal threat made using IP telephony, an easily hackable technology. The only value to his arrest and detention is to intimidate conservatives. This is not about criminal or unpatriotic behavior. This is about hard ball politics by the hate America crowd in the Democrat Party.

Inner Banks Humor - Politics

"I would never invade the United States. There would be a gun behind every blade of grass." - Isoruko Yamamoto

That will cease to be true if Barack Obama and the Democrats have their way. Gun control is on the way no matter that the Supreme Court has finally weighed in and found it a Constitutional right. What Barack Obama said during the campaign was all lies. He has taken repeated actions to set up gun control in the short time he has been President. Anyone who believed his lies is an idiot.

A Better Budget For A Safer America

Article by Dr. Ada Fisher
- North Carolina National Committee Woman

There are over 8,000 earmarks in the Obama Administration’s first proposed budget. If the Republicans are committed to less taxes, less government (which doesn’t do for people what they can do for themselves) and individual responsibility, we should be willing to unilaterally remove the 40% of those earmarks in the budget which we [Republicans] have placed there unless they have an impact on federal operations for all of the states.

Republicans need to be the first to get our house in order and throw down the gauntlet of “Country First” by showing, not just talking about, our lack of support for a budget laden with earmarks. If we act decisively with solutions which get this country moving forward without further burdening this and future generations with taxes we, as well as this nation, will have a leg up for 2010 and beyond.

The budget and stimulus package should have been dripping with projects which not only are shovel ready but also protect the safety of citizens on our aging transportation routes. For North Carolina to continue to not receive monies to repair the federal I-85 Yadkin River Bridge which is the main North to South connector through the state as well as East to West lifeline is criminal. This says we really aren’t interested in securing the safety of our people. Surely each state can come up with one or two large projects in priority order which will shore up our infrastructure as well as put folks to work using private contractors who also need work.

An economic crisis is a time to rebuild for a stronger nation. This is the time when we should look beneath the rocks, across the streams and over the hills ever forward to a promising future. Such cannot be had re-treading the same worn tires of increasing taxation with a loss of personal liberty. My father use to state in church that “Charity begins at home” and so should rebuilding this nation’s stability. We cannot rebuild other nations if we fail to be the beacon of light at home.

Wake up America! Let’s get our house in order and show our commitment to transparency with decreased wasteful government spending. Economic crisis demands austerity where we insure that we have provided the essential needs of citizens not the whimsical wants.

Keynesian spending does not work effectively unless it is spent specifically on infrastructure that makes a nation stronger and more competitive. Otherwise it is simply waste. The constant mantra of Democrats that they want to "invest" in something is nothing but code speak for waste and pork under the guise of improving our nation. When we already spend more money on education than it needs, claiming that we are going to "invest" in education is simply a scam to fatten the paychecks of education administrators who are already overpaid and who don't teach.

A perfect example of the waste in road building is the million dollars that was being spent to pave a one mile dead end road here in Bertie County that 40 years ago had a school bus stop on it. No one had lived on that road since a couple of years after it was added to the list of dirt roads with bus stops. The school bus no longer went down the road and had not for nearly 40 years. No one used the road except a local farmer who drove his tractor to his fields. Government bureaucrats of course did not care. It was on a list of roads to be paved that not been intelligently updated in 40 years. Bureaucrats did not care if it was needed or not. All over this state there are roads being paved where one family lives in poverty on the road and they each get millions of dollars in road paving for that single family's benefit. In many cases the parents don't work or pay taxes which is why they live in a small trailer on a dirt road. There are more rational ways to spend our tax money and care for those children than to pave that road in some mindless exercise.

Too many elected Republicans are not committed to our Republican principles of spending taxpayer money frugally and intelligently. If nothing else, the current political situation is bringing home the reality that if we are to be believed by the voters, we must stop tolerating corrupt politicians hiding under the Republican label.

A Conservative Viewpoint - Playing Politics With National Security

Article by Bob Steinburg
- Edenton, North Carolina: Cradle of the Colony

There are those abroad who hate or resent America. The reasons are varied but generally it revolves around the disparity of national wealth, prosperity and influence we have with the rest of the world.

America continues to be a magnanimous nation. We’ve shed blood to guarantee the freedom of other nations. We’ve helped rebuild countries that were our enemies. We should be proud of our benevolent legacy, in spite of the occasional ingratitude.

But America is not perfect. We’ve made mistakes and sometimes stick our nose where it doesn’t belong. No matter how well intentioned our motives, we have been prone at times to act, either because of bad intelligence, as some would argue in the case of our entry into the Iraq War, or out of our innate fundamental instinct to help those in distress. America’s overall goodness however, will continue to be scorned by those who view individual freedoms, liberties and opportunity differently.

While resentment and anger come primarily from elsewhere, it’s also being bred from within. Liberals frequently resort to demonizing the opposition, even to the point of putting our national security at risk.

Liberals are aided by elements of the mainstream media. Instead of objective and unbiased news gathering and reporting, their message often reflects an orchestrated echo chamber of liberal bias. Media outlets like MSNBC, CNN and the New York Times are losing viewers and subscribers in droves. Apparently folks aren’t buying the liberal message they’re peddling. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations and Nielsen Media Research, the only two major news sources continuing to grow are the Wall Street Journal and Fox News.

Last week the Times displayed an editorial cartoon depicting the Statue of Liberty holding in her raised hand a whip, replacing the torch she has held as a beacon to freedom seeking people since 1884. The snapping whip seems to suggest that America is an angry and vengeful nation; a vision often reflected in liberal ideology.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. recently said on MSNBC, “The world has changed. The old Reagan philosophy that served conservatives well politically from 1980 to about 2004 and 2006 is over. But the hard right, which still believes in traditional values kind of arguments and strong foreign policy, all that is over.”

While the Times, Schumer and others on the left were busy beating up on America, another event was taking place in Pakistan. The Taliban, in the name of radical Islam, riddled a man and woman accused of adultery with more than thirty bullets; firing at them round after round, long after their bodies had fallen limp. This is the stark contrast between the ideals and justice system of a free nation built on conservative Judeo-Christian values and those radical Islamic terrorists who seek to submit us to their ruthless ideology.

President Barack Obama was advised by four previous CIA Directors, including current Director Leon Panetta, to oppose the release of photos and tapes revealing enhanced interrogation techniques used on known and suspected terrorists. But apparently Obama is considering doing so anyway. The far left wing of his party is so contemptuous toward George W. Bush and his former administration that they will stop at nothing to further demonize them.

Our enemies will use this national security information as a recruiting tool to further fuel the hatred of America. Our soldiers, diplomats and tourists will now be placed at additional risk because of vengeful politics. The left's ulterior motive is to permanently marginalize the GOP, destroy the two- party system of government and pave the way toward a liberal oligarchy.

Many Americans unfortunately don’t understand the kind of enemy we’re facing. Terrorists will do whatever necessary to achieve radical world-wide Islamic dominance. Any tactic, no matter how heinous, is acceptable. Yet our military and intelligence agencies are now restricted to the Army Field Manual, which allows us to secure from terrorist captives only their names and country of origin since they have no rank or serial number. Our intelligence gathering capabilities have been diminished, putting all American lives at risk.

Enhanced interrogation techniques have been used since the dark days following 9-11. They include water boarding, sleep deprivation, loud music and other non- life threatening techniques. These tactics have yielded information that has saved American lives. In a perfect world these interrogation methods would be unacceptable. But we are facing an enemy that wants nothing less than to kill us.

Michael Scheuer, an author and a 22- year veteran of the CIA and former head of the Osama bin-Laden desk, was a witness to the enhanced interrogation techniques used against terrorist captives. Scheuer was an Iraq War / Bush critic. Yet he states unequivocally that the information garnered as a result of these procedures saved American lives, not once, but on many occasions.

The Washington Post reported in 2007 that Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Ca. and three other members of a bi-partisan Congressional group met in secret with the CIA in 2002. They viewed the harsh techniques that were being used to extract vital information from terrorist detainees. For Pelosi and others on the left to now sanctimoniously feign outrage by disavowing any prior knowledge, while at the same time considering retribution against the previous administration who used these methods to save American lives, is the height of arrogance, hypocrisy and stupidity.

Playing politics with national security is a dangerous game. But apparently that’s exactly what some on the left have decided to do. Yet one wonders how far a liberal would go to save the life of a loved one threatened by a terrorist. Would he or she act beyond the restrictions imposed by the Army Field Manual? I think so. And that’s what makes this entire episode nothing more than a sordid partisan witch hunt.

Barack Obama has a nice smile and comes across as a moderate easy going guy. This is totally misleading. Read his biographies (he has already written two at his very young age, a key sign of his narcissistic self absorption) and you find a different person though. He blandly acknowledges that he always liked to hang out with the people who hated and despised America. He found them to be his kind of people. Too many have already forgotten the Jeremiah Wright episode when he was caught ranting "God damn America!"

No matter what he says, this is the real Barack Obama. He hates our troops, the CIA, anyone who believes that abortion is wrong, anyone who thinks that the money they earn is theirs by right, anyone who dares disagree with him on anything.

His vitriolic denunciation of the creditors of Chrysler for daring to complain about getting 5% value for their secured debts while the union was given 76% value for their unsecured debt, is the rant of an evil and vindictive human being. Our contract law is clear that secured debts get preference over unsecured debts. However Barack Obama does not care. If a union gave him campaign contributions, Barack Obama will ignore law and pay back his supporters. This is the Chicago way. Law be damned.

Bob has noted a similar problem with his desire to demonize all Republicans. Barack Obama does not care the cost to our nation. National Security means nothing to Barack Obama. His personal whims are far more important to the narcissist we have elected to the most powerful position in the world.

Entitlement At The Top

The following is an email shared with me by Dr. Ada Fisher, one of the smartest, most decent and most popular members of the North Carolina Republican Party. Dr. Fisher was elected as NC Committee Woman in a grass roots rebellion against the NC Republican Party leadership. She really is someone who represents "we the people".

The email was a reply by her to a CNN email requesting her opinion on Newt Gingirch's comments.



Dr. Ada Fisher


From: Dr. Ada Fisher (fisheram@msn.com)
To: peter.hamby@turner.com (CNN)
Subject: RE: CNN question re: Newt Gingrich
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:50:11 -0400

Thank you for your inquiry.

I do not believe that members of the RNC are as ego driven as some professional politicians and pundits would like to believe. Most of us are not receiving large sums from being on television, serving as commentators, giving speeches or writing books nor do we devote our waking hours to playing politics; rather, we are getting on with the realities of life which impact us, our neighbors, friends and other equally engaged citizens. We still live, walk and talk among the people who need to be better served. Most of us believe in transparency and accountability through the organizations to which we were elected.

It is unfortunate then when those of us on either side of the aisle who try to do what is right find those who want to defend the status quo or deny the democratic process to the electorate raise issues or impune motives to such actions which aren't there and reflect a hunger for power ... whether from the Obama Administration challenges painting conservatives as out of touch ... or those elected to serve on conservative principles who forgot who brung them to the dance. We are in the midst of an emerging entitled political class which is cloaked by the media and doesn't in my opinion want to be accountable to We the people. (I am enclosing a column on this that I have written but not released.)

I like many others take seriously what we thought our role was on the RNC which is to help set the agenda for the party as well as raise the funds necessary to get Republican candidates elected, particularly on the state and national levels. In so doing, many of us are concerned that our actions and activities be above reproach so that when we speak as standard bearers on behalf of freedom, democracy and the US Constitution, we are credible and reflect the beliefs of those who are truly at our grass roots.

Ada M. Fisher, MD
NC Republican National Committeewoman

***** Start of Article *****
by Dr. Ada Fisher
May 11, 2009
The Growing Entitlement Class -- Politicians

Many complain about the burgeoning expansion of entitlements fostered under programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, child protection services-CHIP insurance and other safety nets which increasingly become intertwined and entangled. In hard times, everyone wants to slice and dice these programs around the edges but fundamental changes are avoided in the supposed cause of preserving safety nets.

Meanwhile the numbers of citizens with jobs who will have to bear the burden of taxation for these programs continues to decrease without safeguards for their money. I believe President Obama views it as his right to redistribute our individual wealth; however, when the ratio of workers to recipients gets below 3:1 as is happening with Social Security, we have a different kind of crisis. My parents told me you can’t spend your way out of debt. Call it what you will, if there are no folk bringing home the bacon your house is built on sinking sand - not standing on a rock.

The converse is grouped as politicians and think tanks who do indeed feel changes are needed. These are they in “the New Entitlement Class”—a closed segment of the population which believes it has the right to rule without yet being elected to anything. These might be titled the blessed divine of self importance who are self selected and believe they have a right to dictate how we are to think and act no matter the US constitutional guarantees for “We the people. . .”

Those in the emerging self inflated political class ranks start early. They can be seen in discussions with college students who are interested in running for office so they major in political science to go to law school, then off to work on a campaign or in a think tank, possibly next to the legislature as an assistant and then using inside connections run for office in carefully chosen seats. These specially annoited are those who too often keep political seats when they are out of touch and deny the diversity of opinion and people needed in rotations of seats to keep a democracy vibrant. And these are those with the gift of gab who have captured the media’s ear and can pontificate with the best of them.

This sounds innocuous except this emerging “Entitled Political Class” has been too long removed from the laboring fields of life, many have never had a real hands on job and have no idea how such is created, show no evidence of serving people in a direct way such as volunteerism which is not related to their party or ambition, and are often hawkish or anti-government yet won’t serve in the military or volunteer agencies.

These are they of many stripes who are seemingly disregarding citizen input in their decision making; after all they were elected on a platform of ideas from which they willingly quickly disassociate themselves if elected. Ask yourself of those who say they want to lead, do they live among those who they claim are our problem; has their contact with people been motivated by the people’s interest or their ambition; and when they lose will they stay with those they say they represent or move to remain among their newly entitled class?

The increasing rise of populism might make us take a hard look at considering putting incumbents out and giving new folks a chance. Let’s think on this over a cup of steaming hot brewed tea.

Dr. Ada M. Fisher is a Physician, licensed secondary education school teacher in mathematics and science, previous county school board member and the NC Republican national Committee Woman. Contact her at P. O. Box 777; Salisbury, NC 28145; telephone (704) 223-2321; DrFisher@Fishernchousedistrict77.com.

***** End of Article *****

Subject: CNN question re: Newt
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:32:35 -0400
From: Peter.Hamby@turner.com
To: fisheram@msn.com

Hi Ada,

Peter Hamby from CNN here. Hope you're well. I wanted to see if you had any reaction to Newt Gingrich's comments on CSPAN today?

Asked about the Ralph Hallow story, Newt said RNC members "all think they're precious, and they all think they should be taken care of, and they all think the job of the chairman, first of all, is to make the RNC members happy."

And Gingrich also speculated that chairman Steele "probably has not yet learned the art of massaging the egos of RNC members."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/30/gingrich-members-of-the-rnc-think-theyre-precious/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvw4rlEy19M

Thanks
-Peter
202 997 0432