I Was Right! Senator Mark Warner Is A Coward!

Yes! I said it! Mark Warner (D-VA) is a coward of the first order!

On May 24, 2010, I posted the following:

Letters To Webb And Warner Concerning The Applause Offered To Felipe Calderon By The Democrats
84rules
May 24, 2010

In my letter to Warner, I made the following points and mentioned that I did not expect him to have the courage or integrity to respond to any of them:

Why do you roll over like a submissive puppy when a foreign leader who has no integrity on the issue of illegal immigration maliciously insults the United States and you simply go along with your fellow Democrats because it somehow suits you to see the United States so wrongfully and viciously maligned? Why have you not called out your fellow Democrats and demanded to know why they rendered such honors to a man who oversees one of the worst human rights abuses in the Western Hemisphere while criticizing a much more humane and lenient U.S. system? Why have you not called out Attorney General Eric Holder for offering unjustified criticism on a bill that he hadn’t even read and which only mirrors Federal law which he, as “top cop,” is obligated to uphold? Why have you not demanded that the Obama administration enforce Federal law rather than unjustly criticize a U.S. State for daring to enforce a law which the Federal government has been overtly failing to enforce?

Well, here is Warner's response:

Thank you for contacting me regarding our nation's immigration system. I appreciate the benefit of your views on this important issue. Our current immigration system is broken, which is why I believe Congress should work to pass bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform. Comprehensive immigration reform should include policies to secure our nation's borders, curb future illegal immigration, establish an effective employer verification system and find a practical solution for the millions of illegal immigrants currently residing in the U.S. I do not believe that illegal immigrants should gain an unfair advantage from their actions. Any effort to earn legal status must include paying back taxes, a fine or penalty and taking steps to learn English. Reform should also not penalize those individuals who have followed the law and are here legally. On April 23, 2010, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed into law Arizona State Bill 1070, which grants broad powers to local law enforcement officials to determine and request proof of legal status of anyone suspected of violating federal immigration laws. The enactment of this new law is yet another sign that the federal government needs to act to fix our broken immigration system rather than allowing for a state-by-state patchwork of laws and ordinances. I also believe Arizona's law raises civil rights concerns, fails to recognize the economic contributions of legal immigrant workers, and harms our nation's ability to attract entrepreneurs from around the world who create jobs here in the United States. Our nation faces many tough challenges. Immigration reform is a complicated and difficult issue but the current system is not working. We must put our differences aside to create a better system. Again, thank you for writing. As we move forward in the 111th Congress, please continue to contact me with your opinions and concerns. Sincerely, MARK R. WARNER United States Senator

He did not address one single point of my original letter. Instead, like a scared dog, he tucked his tail between his legs and simply rattled off a bunch of meaningless talking points. In his criticism of Arizona law, he completely ignored how Title 8 of the United States Code makes Arizona's law completely Constitutional, which I also pointed out to him in my original letter.

Clearly, Mark Warner is a coward who cannot be trusted to answer straightforward questions nor can he be the least bit expected to stand up to the corruption and wrong-doing of his own party, even when his own party applauds a foreign leader who is viciously and hypocritically maligning the United States.

Any supporters of Warner or members of his staff are strongly encouraged to respond to this post as a public debate on this issue will certainly go a long way to allowing a greater understanding of Warner's detachment from reality regarding this issue.

Now, it remains to be seen if Mr. Webb's cowardice will be the equal of Mr. Warner's.

Messages To Senators Webb And Warner Regarding The Socialized Health Care Bill Vote Today

Here is the text I sent to them:

I am writing to ask you to please vote "Nay" on the upcoming cloiture vote regarding the socialized Health Care package that Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are trying to push through Congress. This bill is a disaster waiting to happen, just as similar measures became disasters in countries like Great Britain and Canada whose Health Care systems have suffered immeasuraby under similar legislation. Further, this bill will only serve to undermine the freedom of choice that we Americans enjoy in our current Health Care system and it may very well be a violation of the 4th Amendment. Under the 4th Amendment, Americans are guaranteed freedom from unwarranted searches and siezures, yet this bill authorizes the Internal Revenue Service to arbitrarily look into the private bank accounts of American citizens and even to take money out of those accounts without the accounts holder's knowledge or permission, all without warrant or probable cause. That alone is reason enough to vote "Nay." America does want reform for Health care, but not the currently proposed bill which will ultimately result in a government take-over. We want tort reform that will prevent ambulance chasing lawyers like John Edwards (D-NC) from becoming millionaires overnight from junk-science lawsuits which end up forcing people to pay higher incurance premiums to cover the losses. We want greater choice in health insurance by lifting the ban on inter-state insurance plans. None of this is addressed in the Reid-Pelosi versions of these bills. Further, we want to choice to "opt-out" of the government run "public option" that has been such a dismal failure in Canada and Great Britain. The current "opt-out" language is a joke as no governor of any state will ever deny benefits to his/her citizens if they still have to pay the taxes for it. The current "opt-out" language is an insult to our intelligence and again, is more than sufficient reason to vote "Nay." Other options for Health Care reform are on the table if the Democrats would simply stop negotiating in secret behind closed doors and would instead start to allow opposing views to be brought out, considered and discussed. Remember that Harry Reid crafted this bill in secret and completely broke the 2006 Democrat promise of the "most open and transparent Congress in history." Please follow the will of the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia and vote "Nay." The election results of Novemeber 3, 2009 showed clearly where we stand on the issue of more government intervention in our lives. We do not want it and you should not be promoting it in any way, shape or form. Thank you.

I'll let you know if they even respond and whether or not they address the issues of tort reform, inter-state insurance choice and transparency. My guess is they will ignore those issues and go off on some socialist tangent.

Conservative Values Win In New Jersey And Virginia Governors' Races

What a difference one year makes! Just this time last year, the Dems won Virginia by 6 points. They then proceeded to proclaim the Commonwealth of Virginia a "Blue" state and went even further to proclaim that Conservatism was dead and the GOP would soon be extinct. But yesterday, they lost Virginia by 18 points. That is a 24 point swing. Almost one-quarter of the electorate.

In New Jersey, the Democrats won by 14 points in 2008 but lost by 5 points in 2009. That's a 19 point swing. Almost one-fifth of the electorate.

Why were the Dems so wrong?

Because they misread the results of the 2008 election. That's why.

The 2008 election was not about people demanding more government in their lives, nor about people demanding that government take over the auto and banking industries. And there was no call for government to bail out failing corporations. But the Dems assumed that there were such calls and now the people of Virginia and New Jersey are the first to voice their disapproval of the leftist agenda the Democrats in Washington are trying to force down America's collective throat.

Although the Dems are saying that these two elections were not a referendum on Barack Obama (and their cronies at CNN et. al. are dutifully repeating that line) the opposite is true. Not one exit poll showed that voters were trying "send a message," but the exit polls did show that voters were very much concerned about a deteriorating economy and the intrusiveness of big government into their lives. And who is pushing policies contributing to these two concerns? Barack Obama. Thus, no matter how loudly the Dems and their leftist media allies proclaim the opposite, we all know what these elections really represent.

I'm certain that despite what Barack Obama and the DNC are saying in public, behind closed doors they are very scared. They should be. They crossed over too many lines in too short a time and now, they are beginning to pay the price for it.

For the GOP, this should also be a major lesson. Just as Bobby Jindal proved in Louisiana, Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie have proven in their respective states that traditional Conservative values are winners and the GOP should be embracing candidates with such values rather than trying to prop up "centrists" who are really just liberal Dems with the letter "R" after their name.

For Conservatives in general, we have won a major victory, just like the Battle of Midway in 1942. But now is not the time to rest. Now is the time to redouble our efforts and keep moving forward. We can go on the offensive now and take back America from the leftist Marxist socialists who have worked for the past year to destroy that which made America great.

We have the momentum. Let's keep it going. As Franklin Delano Roosevelt said back in the early days of World War II, we are "on our way."

Response From Frank Wolf (R-VA, 10th District)

A couple of weeks ago, I called on Frank Wolf (R-VA) to resign his seat for violating the Constitution by voting "Yea" on HR 1586. For a refresher on that story, visit the following link:

Time For Frank Wolf (R-VA, 10th District) To Resign
84rules
March 20, 2009

My argument is that by voting for legislation that essentially amounts to both a Bill of Attainder and an Ex Post Facto law, Rep. Wolf violated his oath to uphold and defend the Constitution and must be held accountable for it. I sent Mr. Wolf a letter voicing my concerns and asking that he step down. I further made it known that my concerns were over the Constitutional issues, not the bonuses.

I got a response through the mail yesterday. A hard copy letter signed by Mr. Wolf. Here are two excerpts from that letter:

By a vote of 328-93 on March 19, the House passed the bill (H.R. 1586) to impose a new 90 percent tax on the bonuses paid after December 31, 2008, to employees of companies that recieved over $5 billion in taxpayer money.

Here, Mr. Wolf freely admits that HR 1586 qualifies as a Bill of Attainder, which is defined as any legislation that will pose negative effects on a narrowly defined group of people. Mr. Wolf himself defines that group. Further, Mr. Wolf noted that the date of the legislation in question was March 19, 2009 and that it would be retroactively enforced back to December 31, 2008. That qualifies this bill as an Ex Post Facto law.

So, why did he do it? Here is what he wrote:

While I had concerns about the rushed nature of the legislation and some of the legal and constitutional issues raised, I voted for the bill. I reached that decision because of the message that AIG's payment of bonuses was sending hard-working Americans whose tax money was being used to bail out the company.

That's it. Frank Wolf voted to trample on Article I, Section 9, Clause 3 of the Constitution of the United States in order to "send a message." He had no concern whatsoever that what he was doing violated the Constitution.

What's next? Will Mr. Wolf vote to repeal the 2nd Amendment in order to "send a message" to violent criminals? Maybe Mr. Wolf will vote to allow duties or taxes on exports from a certain state in order to "send a message" to the people of that state. Maybe Mr. Wolf will vote to impose taxes on a specific religious denomination in order to "send a message" to the members of that religion.

Mr. Wolf's actions regarding HR 1586 are inexcusable. His excuse for taking those actions is intolerable.

Anyone who would violate a certain part of our Constitution will be capable of violating other parts of the Constiotution. Such a person is not to be trusted.

I repeat my earlier call for Mr. Wolf's removal. I would rather deal with an honest Democrat than a disgraceful Republican. I have already decided that I will not support Frank Wolf for re-election in 2010.

Time For Frank Wolf (R-VA 10th District) To Resign. Otherwise, We Should Recall Him.

Frank Wolf (R-VA) is usually a stalwart Congressman who fights hard for the 10th District. But, his vote of "Yea" on HR 1586, the retroactive taxing of bonuses paid to AIG, shows that he is no longer worthy of our trust or respect.

Here's why he needs to go:

Article I, Section 9, Clause 3 of the Constitution of the United States may very well be on the chopping block. Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted to impose a 90% tax on the bonuses given out to AIG employees. Frank Wolf voted "Yea."

Now, the bonuses are not at issue here. Whether they are right or wrong, good or bad is immaterial to what is really going on.

The House passed a bill that is specifically forbidden by Article I, Section 9, Clause 3. “No Bill of Attainder or Ex Post Facto Law shall be passed.” You can pick either one of those and it would cover this 90% bonus tax.

First, a Bill of Attainder, in the context of the Constitution, means a bill that has a negative effect on a single person or group. A punitive tax that specifically targets a certain group (i.e. those who were to receive these bonuses) certainly falls under the definition here. That makes this tax unconstitutional.

Second, when Congress passed the stimulus package and Barack Obama put the Presidential signature on that bill, it became the law of the land. Part of that law is an amendment put in by Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) that specifically exempted these bonuses from any regulation. Now, Congress is seeking to implement a law that puts such regulation in place and they want to enforce this law retroactively. That is known as an Ex Post Facto law.

Either way you look at it, this 90% tax Congress wants to retroactively impose on bonus payments that had previously been made perfectly legal by Congress and the President, is wholly, completely and absolutely unconstitutional. It is not the bonuses that matter here. It is the fact that Mr. Wolf voted to allow Congress a power that it never had before and should absolutely never, ever have at all.

I have already written Mr. Wolf asking him to resign. I highly recommend that other residents of Virginia's 10th District do likewise.

Within the next few days, we residents of the 10th District need to get together and begin a recall campaign.

If Mr. Wolf is willing to violate this part of the Constitution, then he is willing to violate other parts of the Constitution as well. The 10th District deserves much better representation than that.

We need to come together and demand that Mr. Wolf step down before he votes to do even more damage to the Constitution's integrity.

A Letter To Virginia Senators Warner And Webb, And Representative Wolf

Another bailout? Another failure in the works? Why won't Congress learn?

If you are from Virginia, feel free to copy this letter and send it in:

Dear [Congressional Representative], I am writing this letter to ask you to vote “Nay” on the proposed bailout of the Detroit “Big Three” automakers. While it is true that the American economy has been in a recession since last December, it is also true that we cannot kick-start it by placing yet another burden on the children and grand-children of the American taxpayer, especially a burden of a program that is doomed to failure. As a case in point, I show you the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street that was supposed to fend off a market crash. Not only was that bailout a complete and total failure, but it saddled a $905 billion debt on our children and grand-children. And even beyond that, the pork that existed in that bill was nothing short of unpardonable. After all, those toy wooden arrows, wheat research grants and subsidies for Puerto Rican rum didn’t do a damn thing to shore up the markets. And now, the Federal Government wants to make the same mistake again, only this time with Detroit. There comes a time when you simply must let a business fail. Detroit has reached that time. The legacy costs they have incurred over the years are too much for them to overcome and certainly not worthy of the hard-earned dollars that the American taxpayer will be forced into paying for them. As a case in point for this, I show you the Jobs Bank program that the United Auto Workers negotiated with the Big Three. In this program, workers are literally paid not to work. How long can any business maintain such a ridiculous policy? It is true that there is talk of “suspending” this program, but that won’t help since it means the program could come back and force more legacy cost on the automakers. It needs to be killed completely along with several other concessions to the UAW that have contributed to the legacy costs that are right now killing Detroit. The best way to fix the problem is to allow the Big Three to go into Chapter 11 and re-organize. This is the most viable option as is evidenced by the other big automakers in the United States who have plants in California, Tennessee and South Carolina. None of them are in trouble nor are they asking for any kind of bailout nor are they beholden to any labor unions. If the Big Three want to survive, they should look to Toyota, Honda and BMW as models for restructuring. One last point I want to make. Small businesses all over Virginia are in danger of failing due to the bad economy. Hairdressers are losing business because people don't have the money to get their hair done as often. Garages are losing business because people are putting off auto repair for as long as possible. Painters, plumbers and carpenters are losing business because people are putting off home repairs as long as possible. But despite the fact that small businesses here in Virginia are in danger of failing, no one has been proposing a government bailout for us. Please apply that same standard to Detroit. Thank you.

Jim Webb Thinks We Virginians Are Stupid

Well, we've seen the effects of the bailout that both Senators Webb and Warner voted for to the tune of $905 billion. Stock markets are crashing. They would have crashed anyway, but now we are paying an extra $905 billion for it.

Before the Senate vote, I faxed letters to my Senators about my opposition to the bailout (as did about 80% of the rest of America). And Jim Webb responded with an email. Here is a portion of what he wrote to me:

For many years, I have said that the current Administration has failed to exercise appropriate oversight of the nation's banking and corporate sectors, and has promoted policies that reward Wall Street at the expense of Main Street. The Administration's actions are largely responsible for our current economic crisis, which resulted in President Bush's September 2008 proposal to help restore soundness to U.S. credit markets.

Now, either Webb is completely ignorant of recent history or he is deliberately lying to me hoping that I am too stupid to see through the lie.

The truth is that several times since 1999, the Republicans have tried to enact reform of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. You can read my earlier blog posts about how people like Senator Chris Dodd and Representative Barney Frank have stonewalled those efforts by saying that they saw no problem at all.

Democrats Will Not Talk About Freddie Or Fannnie
84rules
October 7, 2008

Pelosi Declares Hearngs On Housing Crisis: Barney Frank To Co-Chair
84rules
October 3, 2008

Crony Capitalism Is The Root Cause Of Freddie And Fannie Troubles: Democrats At The Center Of It All
84rules
September 27, 2008

And a more in depth look at Barney Frank's statements about Freddie and Fannie over the past several years:

Barney Frank: Lies And Damned Lies About Freddie And Fannie
84rules
September 24, 2008

And he also wrote this little tidbit:

I opposed the original hastily-written and woefully inadequate financial sector bailout bill proposed by President Bush. In the nearly two weeks after the President's proposal, the U.S. Congress radically changed the original bill to better protect taxpayers and to ensure greater Congressional oversight. I am pleased that the bipartisan compromise legislation to stabilize our nation's economic system (H.R.1424), which the Senate passed on October 1, 2008 by a bipartisan vote of 74-25, bore no resemblance to the original Bush proposal.

Now, the only real difference between the original bill and the one Webb voted for was over $150 billion in earmarks and pork. Thus, if we follow Webb's own words, the only reason he voted for the second version was because it contained so much irresponsible spending! Look at all the wooden arrows Webb voted for! Look at all the Rum from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Webb voted for! Webb voted to give Hollywood a $500 million tax break for making movies! Those are among the the differences between the original bill and the bill that the Senate passed!

So, Senator Webb either has the most incompetent research staff in the Senate, or he is deliberately lying to us Virginians about the true causes of the current financial crisis and the true reasons he voted for it. Or another theory is that he is simply toting the Democrat Party line because that is what he was told to do by his political masters even if it means going against the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Anyway you cut it, he must really think that we Virginians are stupid.

We need to make sure that he is a one-term Senator and then elect someone who will actually represent Virginia rather than the interests of the Democrats.

Mark Warner's Macaca Moment: Calls Christians, NRA Members And Home-Schoolers A 'Threat To America'

You know, I believe in the right to keep and bears arms just as the Supreme Court ruled the Second Amendment says. I believe the Judeo-Christian Faith is what allowed America to grow into the nation it is today. I believe people should have the right to educate their own children when public schools fail due to teachers indoctrinating rather than educating students.

And Mark Warner has the unmitigated gall to call me a "threat to America?"

Does he not see his own presidential candidate, the one he has pictures of in his own ads, palling around with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers and not see that as a threat? Does he not see Obama's thugs trying to silence criticism through the use prosecutors and law-enforcement officials and not see that as a threat?

No, he sees people like me, people who believe in the rights guaranteed under the first ten amendments, as a threat to America.

He might as well have just called me and millions like me a "macaca."

You can access the audio of him saying these things here:



Or you can access it on-line here:

Warner Attacks The NRA And Other Groups
YouTube.com
July 22, 2008

Obama Supporters Attacking McCain's War Record And Senator Jim Webb Embarrasses Virginia Again

Back in 2000 and 2004, the libs were all about the fact that their candidates had war records while President Bush had National Guard service only. Now, the libs have a candidate who doesn't even have National Guard service while the Republicans have war hero John McCain. You think the libs would respect that? Not in the least bit.

From The Politico:

The highest voltage third rail of this presidential campaign may not be race, sex, or age, but Senator John McCain's military service. McCain's campaign Sunday issued a pair of outraged statements after retired general and Barack Obama supporter Wesley Clark said he didn't think that McCain’s service as a fighter pilot and prisoner of war was relevant to running the country.

Wesley Clark, if you will recall, was a political appointee (by Bill Clinton) at NATO and damn near started a war with Russia because of his antics in Kosovo. The Brits stopped him from going over the edge.

More:

Obama and the Democratic establishment haven't challenged McCain's record. Indeed, even Clark's words came in response to a direct question from CBS's Bob Schieffer on the specific relevance of McCain's service to the presidency. West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller in April cut a bit closer, suggesting that McCain's days as a fighter pilot were themselves a critique of his character. "What happened when they [the missiles] get to the ground?" he asked. "He doesn't know. You have to care about the lives of people. McCain never gets into those issues." Rockefeller promptly, abjectly apologized, praising McCain's "honorable and noble service to our country" and deploring his own "inaccurate and wrong analogy." His apology reflected a conventional political wisdom that McCain's heroism is too well established, and a climate of respect for soldiers too strong, for attacks on his service to do anything but backfire.

But that hasn't been stopping Obama's surrogates.

David Fenton, a prominent progressive public relations executive who works for MoveOn.org and other groups, also inquired to old anti-Vietnam War circles about details of McCain's Navy sorties, a source familiar with the inquiries told Politico. Fenton declined to comment on the inquiries, and a person familiar with them said they were unconnected to his work for MoveOn. Some anti-war activists link McCain's current position on Iraq to his time in Vietnam. "I wouldn't characterize anybody who fought in Vietnam as a war hero," said Medea Benjamin, a co-founder of the theatrical anti-war group Code Pink. "In 23 bombing sorties, there must have been civilians that were killed and there's no heroism to that." "Anyone who can't look back and admit how wrong it was to be in Vietnam and be killing civilians deserves to be challenged," she said, though she stressed that her group is more focused on McCain's present support for the war in Iraq than on his past. ... A search of Obama’s community website, my.BarackObama.com, finds two posts calling McCain a “war criminal.”

If Obama truly wants to keep his promise about not criticizing John McCain's war service, he should also tells his supporters to refrain from criticizing as well.

You can access the complete column on-line here:

Some On Left Target McCin's War Record
Ben Smith
The Politico
June 30, 2008

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And Senator Jim Webb is still providing no end of embarrassment to the Commonwealth of Virginia. This time, he is using his Senatorial power for personal gain. When Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House, she insisted that she be given an entire Boeing 757 to transport herself, family and staff back and forth from San Francisco, despite the fact that the former Speaker only had a Gulf Stream jet to transport himself back home.

From Human Events Online:

According to Senate sources, Senator Jim Webb is now staging a similar struggle for family travel. Sen. Webb has “holds” on four Department of Defense nominees. The nominees are Hon. Nelson M. Ford to be Under Secretary of the Army; Mr. Joseph A. Benkert to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Security Affairs; Mr. Sean J. Stackley to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition; and Mr. Frederick S. Celec to be Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Chemical and Biological Defense Programs. Their nominations can’t be voted on while the “holds” remain. Behind the scenes, Sen. Webb has told colleagues the holds are punishment for the Pentagon failing to provide him answers relating to Blackwater Worldwide, the security firm routinely used by the Pentagon. However, multiple Senate sources report the real reason for the hold is far different and very personal. Sen. Webb is expected to travel on a tax-payer funded junket to Southeast Asia. He wants both his wife and his 18 month old child to accompany him without having to pay reimbursement to the government. Unfortunately, according to a March 9, 2007, letter from Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), while spouses are permitted to go with the Senator, “relatives of Senators (other than spouses) will not be permitted to travel with Senate delegations.” While none of this controversy has been made public, a senior Republican aide provided a me with a copy of Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s letter of June 26, 2008 to Senator Webb. The letter “follow[ed] up on [their] recent phone conversation and respond[ed] to [Senator Webb’s] letter regarding a training facility proposed by Blackwater Worldwide in Otay Mesa, CA.” Senator Webb’s letter asked a number of questions about Blackwater Worldwide. Gates’ response curiously goes on to the real reason for Webb’s feud with the Pentagon, “You asked me about the differences between the Department’s policy on military air travel for DoD dependents and for family of members of Congress.” Senate sources say Senator Webb most likely made it clear on the phone, and not in writing to the Secretary of Defense, that his hold was as much related to personal travel as it was to Blackwater. Curiously, and relevant to the speculation, Secretary Gates felt the need to add a paragraph to his letter about travel of “relatives other than spouses” of members of Congress. A Senate Republican aide said, “Webb is suggesting that he is holding nominations as punishment for not getting answers back from questions relating to Blackwater, but in reality, it is leverage to get the Secretary to let his wife and eighteen month old both accompany him on this trip.” With the Secretary of Defense’s admonition to Senator Webb that “Senate travel is governed by a memo signed by the Senate leadership dated March 9, 2007, specifically stating that relatives other than spouses are not permitted to travel with Senate delegations” and “DoD Directive 4515.12 prescribes policy for DoD travel support for members of Congress” in a manner reflecting the Senate policy, Senator Webb has run out of legitimate reasons for his holds.

The really sad part is that Webb makes enough royalties from his pedophile themed books to cover this trip from his own pocket and doesn't need us hard-working taxpayers to fund it for him.

The Commonwealth of Virginia is looking forward to getting rid of this worthless waste of flesh in the next four years.

You can access the complete article on-line here:

Jim Webb Pulls A Pelosi
Erick Erickson
Human Events Online
June 30, 2008

The Numbers Don't Lie. We Need To Get Rid Of The IRS!

As tax time approaches, let's look at some of the data that has been compiled about the most intrusive, abusive and outright wasteful agency in the U.S. Government: the Internal Revenue Service.

This opening paragraph from the National Retail Sales Tax Alliance webpage of Tax Facts summarizes it very nicely:

The IRS is not only the most feared of government agencies, it also is one of the biggest and most expensive. The agency has more employees than the Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Drug Enforcement Agency combined, and its budget makes it a bigger consumer of tax dollars than the Departments of Commerce, State, or the Interior.

But, let's look at some of the numbers, shall we?

New Evidence 12,000 = The number of additional IRS employees needed to answer phone inquiries from confused taxpayers during tax filing season. Because taxpayers will have nothing to file under a national retail sales tax, additional personnel will not be needed. $1,000 = The hourly collection quota placed on IRS agents auditing individual taxpayers in the San Francisco office. Although collection quotas violate the law, the current system is so complex that the IRS assumes mistakes will be found on every return. There will be no errors with a national retail sales tax because there will be no returns to examine. 62,000,000 = The number of lines of computer code required by the IRS to manage the current tax code. A national retail sales tax will ease the IRS's ongoing computer problems dramatically. 1,420 = The number of appraisals of works of art that an IRS panel performed in order to tax the assets of dead people. Because double taxation under a national retail sales tax does not exist, the absurdity of having the IRS value art would disappear with the death (estate) tax. 3,200 = The number of threats and assaults IRS agents experienced over a five-year period. A fair and simple tax system will reduce taxpayers' frustrations dramatically. What We Already Knew 136,000 = The number of employees at the IRS and elsewhere in the government who are responsible for administering the tax laws. Because the number needed is dictated by the complexity of the tax code, fewer personnel will be needed under a national retail sales tax, and the elimination of the IRS will save taxpayers a significant amount of money. $13,700,000,000 = The amount of tax money spent by the IRS and other government agencies to enforce and oversee the tax code. Both taxpayers and the economy will benefit from the spending reductions made possible by a national retail sales tax. 17,000 = The number of pages of IRS laws and regulations, not including tax court decisions and IRS letter rulings. This page count would be reduced significantly by a national retail sales tax. 5,557,000 = The number of words in the income tax laws and regulations. With a national retail sales tax, there will be no need for a tax code that is nearly seven times longer than the Bible.

The NRSTA website has many more data references like the ones above. But what can we do about it? The answer is simple: Abolish the IRS. If we could replace the Income Tax system with a National Sales Tax System, here are the numbers we can look forward to:

0 = The number of taxpayers under a national retail sales tax who will have to calculate depreciation schedules. 0 = The number of taxpayers under a national retail sales tax who will have to keep track of itemized deductions. 0 = The number of taxpayers under a national retail sales tax who will need to reveal their assets to the government. 0 = The number of taxpayers under a national retail sales tax who will lose their farms or businesses because of the death (estate) tax. 0 = The number of taxpayers under a national retail sales tax who will have to pay a double tax on their capital gains. 0 = The number of taxpayers under a national retail sales tax who will have to compute a phase-out of their personal exemption because their incomes are too high. 0 = The number of taxpayers under a national retail sales tax who will be subject to the alternative minimum tax--those forced to calculate their tax bill two different ways and then to pay the government the greater of the two amounts. 0 = The number of taxpayers under a national retail sales tax who will have to pay taxes on overseas income that already was taxed by the government of the country in which the income was earned. 0 = The number of taxpayers under a national retail sales tax who will have to pay taxes on dividend income that already was taxed at the business level. 0 = The number of taxpayers under a national retail sales tax who will be taxed on interest income that already was taxed at the financial institution level.

You can access the complete article on-line here:

Interesting Tax Facts
NTRSA
Virginia Chapter










Petition For The FairTax

Virginia Supporters, Veterans, And Generals And Admirals For John McCain

These are some serious lists here. Check them out:

Virginia Leaders Stand With John McCain!

Veterans For John McCain

McCain Endorsed by Over 100 Admirals and Generals

These are honorable, well-educated and worldly-wise people who have seen more of life than just from sitting in front of some camera reading words that someone else wrote or from sitting in some lecture hall and regurgitating everything they read out of a textbook.

There is a great deal of invaluable experience in those names at the above links.

Virginia Supreme Court Rules Against Northern Virginia Tax Authority

Yay! This case was born out of a ridiculous piece of legislation here in the Commonwealth of Virginia stating that that General Assembly would be allowed to grant the power of taxation to a non-elected body. Needless to say, the law was quickly challenged and the Virginia Supreme Court did the right thing by striking it down.

From Yahoo News:

Virginia taxpayers scored a huge victory today when the Commonwealths highest court ruled that the General Assembly may not delegate its taxing power to non-elected bodies such as the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. Kristina Rasmussen, a plaintiff in Robert G. Marshall, et al. v. Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, et al. and Director of Government Affairs for the 362,000-member National Taxpayers Union (NTU) provided the following reaction: Today's Virginia Supreme Court decision marks a well-deserved victory for the Commonwealths taxpayers. America is founded on the principle of no taxation without representation, and Virginias Constitution allows the allocation of taxing powers only to directly elected legislative bodies and units of government. The law we challenged in this case (HB 3202) bestowed the ability to tax upon two bureaucratically structured regional authorities in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. Simply put, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) was not an elected entity. "This ruling puts a halt to the insidious practice of subjecting the electorate to higher taxes at the hands of people they never had a chance to vote for (or against) at the polls. The decision also sends a strong message to the Virginia General Assembly that it cant wantonly disregard the rights of taxpayers in attempts to find politically expedient revenue sources. This case wasnt decided on a technicality, and the Courts unanimous decision stands as a serious rebuke to lawmakers. This need not have happened if elected officials had actually read the Constitution they swore to uphold before passing HB 3202. Equally important, the decision provides a clear warning to over-reaching legislatures in other states.

You can access the complete article on-line here:

Plaintiff Hails Court’s Ruling Against N. Va. Tax Authority; Predicts 'Major Benefit' For Other States’ Taxpayers
Pete Sepp and Natasha Altamirano
National Taxpayer's Union via Yahoo News
February 29, 2008