Barack Obama lied about not raising Taxes

We know it, he knows it, the press knows it. Obama NEVER meant to keep this campaign promise which he repeated over and over and over and over. Each time he knew it was a lie. It was presented as a solemn promise but it was nothing more than empty, meaningless campaign rhetoric and he knew it.

Thank you for coming to the Tea Party

James Bowman and Kevin Smith and Stacie Burke and Natasha Hampton worked long and very hard to make this event a success. Congrats to them and a big thank you to all the speakers and everyone who attended. Thanks to everyone who set up and worked the booths. Thanks to Craig and Rick for the great music and sound system.

Can sunburns have sunburn?

TNTeaParty.org

Would DHS classify TN Constitution a terrorist document?

Would the Department of Homeland Security classify the Tennessee Constitution as a terrorist document?

Article I, Section I is often cited by liberty lovers because it says "the people...have an unalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform, or abolish the government in such manner as they may think proper."

Article I, Section II goes even further, condemning anyone who does not resist arbitrary power and oppression.

The authors of the Tennessee Constitution lay a heavy trip on us folks just trying to make our way in this crazy world.

Article I
Sec. 1. All power inherent in the people — Government under their control. —

That all power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their peace, safety, and happiness; for the advancement of those ends they have at all times, an unalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform, or abolish the government in such manner as they may think proper.


Sec. 2. Doctrine of nonresistance condemned. —

That government being instituted for the common benefit, the doctrine of non-resistance against arbitrary power and oppression is absurd, slavish, and destructive of the good and happiness of mankind.

Middle Tennessee Liberty Rally, Monday June 29th Noon

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Nashville's Next Tea Party

Monday June 29th, 12Noon

Legislative Plaza

Downtown Nashville

What: Nashville's Next Tea Party, the Middle TN Liberty Rally. Click TNTeaParty.org for the event website.

When: Monday, June 29th, 12Noon-2PM

Where: Legislative Plaza, Downtown Nashville across from the Capital, Click HERE for a Google Map

Speakers: Phil Valentine, Steve Gill, Ralph Bristol, Drew Johnson, Ken Marerro, Eric Odom (National TeaParty Leader), Bernadette Ash (mom, volunteer, citizen), Ben Cunningham, (more to be announced)

Action Items: Please tell your friends and neighbors and church members about this Tea Party event and make arrangements to join us. Your presence is absolutely necessary to turn back the tide of big government and higher taxes. A public show of support for Limited Government and Personal Liberty is needed now more than ever, PLEASE join us and listen to inspiring speakers and help us stop the slide towards ever bigger government.

We will Sign Petitions opposing Government Healthcare, and Cap and Trade. These petitions will then be delivered to our Congresspersons and Senators.

Many organizations will have informational booths on site so you can get involved anyway you feel comfortable

For more info email: info@tnteaparty.org

Congressional Corruption: The Hits just keep coming

Stimulus Funds go to Appropriation Members

WASHINGTON — Most of the $2.2 billion in economic stimulus money for Army Corps of Engineers construction projects will be spent in the home districts of members of Congress who oversee the corps' funding, a USA TODAY analysis found.

$250k Earmark for a private dinner club

A $250,000 request to fund a "window repair and limestone sill replacement" at The Rainier Club — one of Seattle's premier private clubs, whose members include some of the city's most well-heeled and politically connected residents.

McDermott's request on behalf of The Rainier Club would match the $250,000 raised by club members to cover renovations at the club's 105-year-old brick building on Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle.

Legistalker.org, staying on top of legislator news

For example, HERE is the link for "stalking" Marsha Blackburn.

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Every day, Congress relies more and more on the Internet to communicate with the world. Legistalker makes it easy for you to stay on top of what your elected officials say and how they vote.

2008 Database of most Federal Employee Salaries

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Enter a name, or select an agency, job title or location to begin your search. Not all fields need to be filled out. The results will show the adjusted base salary and any merit award from federal fiscal year 2008. On the results page, you may click on a column heading to sort the results.

Employees involved in security work, the FBI, CIA, Defense Department, nuclear materials, IRS, and jobs essential to national security are excluded. The list contains about 70 percent of executive branch employees, but not all departments report to the Office of Personnel Management. This list does not cover the White House, Congress, the Postal Service, and independent agencies and commissions.

Tax Hikes GOOD: Tortured Logic from AFSCME

AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, ever focused on their own self interest, says California State Govt can raise taxes until the cows come home and California Businesses will be as happy as bugs in a rug...right!!!

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The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is touting the findings of a new study as proof that California can raise taxes to balance its budget.

AFSCME notes that the study by Public Policy Institute of California indicates that the state's enterprise zone program, which gives tax incentives to businesses to spur job creation in certain economically distressed areas, "has no effect on job or business creation."

52% want Barack to Reduce Deficit

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CBS News/New York Times Poll. June 12-16, 2009. N=895 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.
"So far, do you think Barack Obama's policies have made the economy better, made the economy worse, or haven't his policies had any effect on the economy yet?"
		Better	Worse	No Effect	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/12-16/09	32	15	48	5
"As you may know, the budget deficit is the shortfall when the amount of money the government spends is more than the amount of money it takes in. How much have you heard or read about the federal government's current budget deficit: a lot, some, not much, or nothing at all?"
		A Lot	Some	Not Much	Nothing
		%	%	%	%
	6/12-16/09	38	36	20	6
"Which comes closer to your own view? The federal government should spend money to stimulate the national economy, even if it means increasing the budget deficit, OR the federal government should NOT spend money to stimulate the national economy and should instead focus on reducing the budget deficit."
		Stimulate Economy	Reduce Deficit	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/12-16/09	41	52	7
"So far, do you think the Obama Administration has developed a clear plan for dealing with the current budget deficit, or hasn't it developed one yet?"
		Has a Plan	Doesn't Have a Plan Yet	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/12-16/09	30	60	10

Hugo Chavez tries to finish off the Venezuelan Economy

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These controls have backfired with a vengeance -- businessmen, companies and private citizens transferred some $72.7 billion out of Venezuela over the last six years -- nearly double the outflow of the previous six years, according to the Central Bank -- distorting the economy, fueling inflation and discouraging private investment.

Spain decides more Govt may not be the answer

WHAT!!!! More government meddling may make the economy worse?? Alert the press, stroke your chin in wonderment!!

Link HT: Danny Newton

Spain's central bank told the government on Tuesday (16 June) there is no room for further spending measures above those already announced, and warned that the country's rising budget deficit could hamper growth when a global upturn arrives.

"We have to stop public sector debt becoming an obstacle when the Spanish economy is in a better condition to grow," said central bank governor Miguel Angel Fernandez Ordonez in a speech accompanying the Bank of Spain's annual report.

Healthcare "reform" = Huge Tax hikes

A few facts about our current Government run healthcare sector:

The unfunded liability of Medicare is estimated to be $85 trillion, with a "T."

Estimates of the number of Doctors who refuse to treat Medicaid patients is between 40%-50%.

Medicare Fraud is epidemic.

Now, the geniuses in Congress want more trillions and more government involvement. This is insanity on steroids.

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The tax options include:

- Increasing the price of soda and other sugary drinks by 10 cents a can.

- Applying a potential 2 percent income tax increase to single taxpayers earning more than $200,000 a year and households earning more than $250,000.

- A new employer payroll tax could target 3 percent of employers' health care expenditures.

- Taxing employer-provided health insurance benefits above certain levels - a less likely option but one that still is in the running.

Middle Tennessee Liberty Rally, Monday June 29th Noon

Please Join us on Monday, June 29, Noon at Legislative Plaza in Downtown Nashville for Tennessee's next Teaparty, Middle Tennessee Liberty Rally. It is time for the citizens of Tennessee to take a stand against growing federal tax and debt burdens that threaten to bankrupt our family budgets. For more info, go to TnTeaPrty.org

If you would like to help PLEASE email info@TNTeaParty.org

Earmarks are about Buying Votes, plain and simple

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It's a perfect Trifecta for an insecure politician trying to buy all the votes and good will he can - pretty transparent, too. These earmarks cost taxpayers about $400,000 just to neutralize his opponent's resume. Holden's re-election war chest grew by $400,000 taxpayer dollars he never reported to the Federal Election Commission.

This is how small-time Congressional back-benchers like Tim Holden spend our taxpayer money for their own benefit. District concerns are secondary to Holden's need for job security.

District voters would do well to stop this technically legal but ethically-questionable behavior by replacing Holden in 2010.

Stimulus Money Paves a road...before tearing it up

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Trucks laden with a century’s worth of hazardous waste and debris would use 96, among other routes, to haul the material away. The newly resurfaced road could suffer.

“I am sure you can see the irony,” Roberts said in the letter. “Using stimulus funding to pave this road twice is clearly not in the best interest of American taxpayers, and it does not pass the Kansas common sense test.”

Federal, state and local officials have discussed the issue and are moving ahead anyway, despite possible problems down the road.

EPA spokesman Chris Whitley conceded that the timing of the projects “looks less than graceful.”

“Some might refer to this as the left hand and right hand not knowing what each other is doing,” he said. “In fact, both hands know what the other is doing. If there are repairs that will need to be made because of excessive use of the road, it will get done.”

Search Sites that Mine Twitter for Information

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Sites for Twitter Analytics (Analytwits).

• #hashtags, provides real-time analytics and visualization on Twitter hashtags.
• Backtweets, search links on Twitter.
• ReTweetability Index measures and ranks Twitter users based on the infectious power of their tweets.
• Search twitter
• TweetEffect, find out which of your Twitter updates made people follow or leave you.
• TweetScan, search Twitter keywords.
• TweetStats, graphs your Twitter Stats, and see global Twitter trends.
• tweetVOLUME, tracks keyword and phrase volume on Twitter.
• TweetWheel, shows a wheel of followers.
• Twinfluence, lets you calculate the indirect influence of you and your followers on Twitter.
• Twist, see trends in twitter.
• twitalyzer, evaluates the activity of a Twitter user and report on relative influence, signal-to-noise ratio, generosity, velocity, clout, and other useful measures of success in social media.
• TwitterSheep, generate word cloud from bios of your followers.
• TwitterFriends, compares key conversation and information measures of a Twitter user to average.
• Twitstat, provides top 10 lists of various types of user activity on Twitter.
• Twitturly, tracks popular URLs tracker on Twitter.

GPS System warns of Red-light Cams and speed traps

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The so-called technical corrections bill is a grab bag

of corporate welfare for new companies locating in TN. Meanwhile, exisiting business which have been investing and paying taxes for years in Tennessee are asked to pay higher taxes.

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Sections 16 – 17 Increases the amount of relocation expense credit available to a headquarters facility that has invested at least $1 billion in the state. The credit is increased from $50,000 to $100,000 per job.

Sections 18 – 23 Includes funds spent on computer software in determining whether a company has made the required capital investment for purposes of the data center, headquarters facility, emerging industry, and industrial machinery incentives and includes computer software when calculating the credit. Also extends the $1 billion dollar investment period for purposes of the

industrial machinery credit from a maximum of 5 years to a maximum of 7 years.

Section 24 Extends the investment period for a data center from a maximum of 5 years to a maximum of 7 years.

Section 25 Amends the definition of an emerging industry for purposes of the emerging industry credit by removing the specific exclusion of manufacturing and makes housekeeping changes by

removing references to industries, such as call centers, that cannot qualify for the credit.

Sections 26 – 27 Amends the green energy tax credit by allowing the credit to the green energy manufacturer itself as well as separate companies that are integrated into the green energy manufacturer’s operations at its project site.

Middle Tennessee Liberty Rally, Monday June 29th Noon

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The new Detroit is NOT in Detroit...collaborative cars

Link HT: Danny Newton

Last week, I met the man who is really reinventing the car industry, Jay Rogers, founder of Local Motors. He is creating the platform and API for new cars that are designed collaboratively by communities and built in microfactories across the country by staffs of only 41 using almost entirely off-the-shelf parts. He says he will be profitable selling only 500 cars. He plans to build 3-5,000 of each model and he’s months away from delivering his first.

When I first looked at Local-Motors, I didn’t think it was for me. Its first model is a muscle car being built in and for the Arizona market. In a video, Rogers talks about being able to come into the microfactory to help build your own car. I try everything I can to avoid ever opening a hood or picking up a wrench. That’s why I buy Toyota (TM).

But over lunch, Rogers made clear that he is building a company and cars in harmony with the vision for a new car company I suggested in What Would Google Do?.

Is Obama serious about "leaner" government?

Of course not. A suggestion box that no one can find?

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Perhaps the folks at the "Open Government Initiative" assumed all 2.7 million or so federal employees (including the Postal Service) knew about their blog site and check on it everyday to find out what the important people who work there are thinking and writing.

Whatever the thought process, the White House did a great job of letting everyone know about the project and taking credit for being innovative, experimental, and edgy in their approach to using the internet and creating a 21st century government.
But, if they really wanted suggestions and not just a chance to issue press releases, the public relations folks forgot to let the millions of federal employees know how to submit their ideas. Perhaps they just wanted credit for setting up the program. Perhaps they thought their program was so important everyone in government knew how to find their blog site and was very familiar with the important work they were doing. Or, perhaps, in publicizing the program and how it would change the way government works, they just overlooked a couple of minor details.

A New Sherlock Holmes (for mature audiences)

The Best Obama Cameos in Comics

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Hey Craig, how about reducing spending? Like taxpayers

Phil Bredesen has taken great pains to point out how he has grown the rainy day funds to unprecedented levels.

This is NO time for Craig Fitzhugh to tell us that spending can't be cut. Spending can always be cut, ask any Tennessee Taxpayer!!!

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After Goetz and other state budget officials briefed lawmakers this morning, House Finance Committee Chairman Craig Fitzhugh told us that another $100 million will be needed from the rainy day reserve to close this year’s budget.

The deficit has been created by low tax receipts in May, and it cannot be filled in any other way, Fitzhugh said. He added that it’s likely means revenues projections for next year will have to be lowered again, which are estimated based on receipts this year.