Impressions of Three Campaign Rallys
Thomas Jefferson
“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.
If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property – until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”
Thomas Jefferson, 1802
Rick Santorum at Abacoa, Friday 1/27
Because we are grassroots, we do not have credit card capability. Please be prepared to pay the $7 in cash or by check. This minimal fee will help us pay for the continental breakfast, the hall, and other expenses. Thank you!
Date: Friday, Jan 27th
Time: 9:30am
Place:
Abacoa Golf Club
105 Barbados Drive Drive, Jupiter, FL 33456
Click Here for map.
Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990 at the age of 32, and from 1995 to 2007, served in the US Senate. In 2000, he was elected by his peers to the position of Senate Republican Conference Chairman.
Senator Santorum became one of the most successful government reformers in our history, taking on Washington’s powerful special interests from the moment he arrived in our nation’s Capitol. Along with John Boehner and Jim Nussle, Senator Santorum was a member of the famous “Gang of Seven” that exposed the Congressional Banking and Congressional Post Office scandals. It was this record of reform that prompted a Washington Post reporter to write in a recent article that “Santorum was a tea party kind of guy before there was a tea party.”
He was also an author and floor manager of the landmark Welfare Reform Act which passed in 1996 that has empowered millions of Americans to leave the welfare rolls and enter the workforce.
Senator Santorum wrote and championed legislation that outlawed the heinous procedure known as Partial Birth Abortion as well as the “Born Alive Infants Protection Act,” the “Unborn Victims of Violence Act,” and the “Combating Autism Act” because he believes each and every individual has value and the most vulnerable in our society need to be protected.
Senator Santorum fought to maintain fiscal sanity in Washington before it was in fashion, fighting for a balanced budget and a line item veto. He bravely proposed reforming entitlements, cutting spending and even developed a “spendometer” that added up the cost of Democrat amendments to spending bills. This record made him one of the most conservative senators in Pennsylvania’s history.
He served eight years on the Senate Armed Services Committee where he led the fight before the attacks of September 11th, 2001 to transform our military from a Cold War force to meet today’s threats. He was a leader on US-Israeli relations, authoring both the “Syria Accountability Act” and the “Iran Freedom and Support Act” which he successfully fought to pass in spite of initial opposition by President Bush.
Keystone XL Pipeline
I was furious today when I heard the president said “No” to the Keystone XL pipeline.
He is saying NO to shortening our transportation pathways for crude oil supplies, NO to getting supplies from a stable and reliable ally, NO to sending a positive economic message, and most of of all NO to shovel -ready jobs!! We will not get the 20,000+ jobs, which could lead up to as many as 100,000 jobs, which has been estimated by this pipeline going through.
Info on the pipeline:
This pipeline has been in the works for many years. TransCanada has most recently been working with the State of Nebraska to ensure the Sandhills would not be disturbed. (They were successfully working to go around any environmental concerns).
June 2010 TransCanada started operations on the first phase of the Pipeline. This first phase had to do with conversion of natural gas to crude oil and construction of a “bullet line” that brings the crude oil non-stop from Canada to market in the U.S. Midwest.
Keystone (Phase II) which was an extension from Steele City, Nebraska to Cushing, Oklahoma became operational February 2011. This 36-inch pipeline connects storage/distribution facilities at Cushing, a major crude oil pipeline hub.
The Keystone GulfCoast Expansion is approx.1,661 miles, pipeline which would start at Hardisty, Alberta and go southeast through Saskatchewan, Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. It would encompass a portion of Phase II through Nebraska and Kansas for markets at Cushing, Oklahoma continuing through Oklahoma and deliver to terminals in Nederland, Texas to serve the Port Arthur, Texas market.
Former Obama U.S. National Security advisor Gen. Jim Jones said “If we get to the point where we cannot bring ourselves to do what is in our national interest, then we are clearly in a period of decline, in terms of our global leadership and our ability to compete”.
We are going the wrong way people, let’s wake up and fast!!
A Better Way to Fight the Online Theft of American Ideas and Jobs
A letter from Senator Marco Rubio . . .
In recent weeks, we’ve heard from many Floridians about the anti-Internet piracy bills making their way through Congress. On the Senate side, I have been a co-sponsor of the PROTECT IP Act because I believe it’s important to protect American ingenuity, ideas and jobs from being stolen through Internet piracy, much of it occurring overseas through rogue websites in China. As a senator from Florida, a state with a large presence of artists, creators and businesses connected to the creation of intellectual property, I have a strong interest in stopping online piracy that costs Florida jobs.
However, we must do this while simultaneously promoting an open, dynamic Internet environment that is ripe for innovation and promotes new technologies.
Earlier this year, this bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously and without controversy. Since then, we’ve heard legitimate concerns about the impact the bill could have on access to the Internet and about a potentially unreasonable expansion of the federal government’s power to impact the Internet. Congress should listen and avoid rushing through a bill that could have many unintended consequences.
Therefore, I have decided to withdraw my support for the Protect IP Act. Furthermore, I encourage Senator Reid to abandon his plan to rush the bill to the floor. Instead, we should take more time to address the concerns raised by all sides, and come up with new legislation that addresses Internet piracy while protecting free and open access to the Internet.
Allen West Speaks to the Boca Chapter
Feb 11 Conference: Citizens Concerned for Property Rights
(The Treasure Coast, FL) – Several locally affiliated conservative action groups announce a one-day program of distinguished speakers and events focusing the spotlight on the continuing encroachment of rights in the U.S. by groups that promote the United Nations Convention to establish uniform regulations to manage “the Earth’s resources” and its population. “
These “central planners” are hostile to private property rights – the legal mainstay of our free-market system. Their denial of your right to keep the fruits of your own labor is a back-door attack on our republican form of government as well as to American sovereignty itself.” – Leigh Lamson
Featured Speakers: Dr. Michael Coffman John Casey
Dr. Tom Cuba Dr. Allison Ramsersaad
Krisanne Hall, Esq. Karen Schoen
DATE: February 11, 2012, Saturday
RESERVATION: $25 [cash at door] R.S.V.P
website – http://gulfspeaks.info/Conferences.html
R.S.V.P. will get you a seat at a table. Without reservation, general seating is available.
TIMES:
8:00 Doors open for registration and continental breakfast (included)
8:45 Program begins with Pledge of Allegiance and invocation
11:45 – 12:15 Lunch Break (included in registration)
4:00 expected adjournment
LOCATION: Genesis Community Church auditorium – MAP ( http://g.co/maps/am3ye)
rear of the Crowne Plaza shopping center
8643 U.S. Highway 1
Port St. Lucie, FL 34953 Office phone: 772-873-1075
The St. Lucie 9-12 Group and The Martin 9/12 TeaParty Committee are local grassroots public-issues groups associated with the 9-12 Project and Tea Party Patriots, a grassroots coalition with more than 3,500 locally-organized chapters and more than 15 million supporters nationwide. www.stlucie912.org http://the912-project.com/ http://www.m912tc.com
Agenda21Today – http://americanfreedomwatchradio.com/
Early Voting Ends Today at 2:00pm
You watched the debates, you took our survey (or didn’t), attended the PPP Event or looked at the Voters’ Guide. Now it’s your chance to vote for the GOP Presidential Candidate of your choice. For most of us, it’ll be a difficult choice – but don’t use that as an excuse! If you anticipate for any reason that you won’t be able to make it on Election Day, January 31st – then vote early – by either going to an Early Voting Location or voting by Absentee Ballot.* Always check with the Supervisor of Elections if you have any questions either on their website or at (561) 656-6200.
Important – if you aren’t registered as a Republican – you will not be able to vote in the Presidential Preference Primary.
EARLY VOTING STARTS THIS SATURDAY!
Presidential Preference Primary Election
DATES
Saturday, January 21, 2012 through Saturday, January 28, 2012
HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday – Friday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
VOTING LOCATIONS
Jupiter Branch Library, 705 Military Trail, Jupiter 33458
Palm Beach Gardens Library, 11303 Campus Drive, Palm Beach Gardens 33410
Supervisor of Elections Office, 240 South Military Trail, West Palm Beach 33415
Wellington Branch Library, 1951 Royal Fern Drive, Wellington 33414
Hagen Ranch Road Library, 14350 Hagen Ranch Road, Delray Beach 33446
Lantana Branch Library, 4020 Lantana Road, Lake Worth 33462
Belle Glade City Hall, 110 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd West, Belle Glade 33430
Boca Raton City Hall, 201 West Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton 33432
*ABSENTEE BALLOTS can be requested in many ways – by phone, online, requests can be faxed, a designated person can pick one up for you, you can mail in a postcard. You can also select in advance for which upcoming elections you desire an absentee ballot – so if you already know that you will be out of town for the primary in August or for the General Election in November – do it now – while you’re thinking about it. For more information on how to get your Absentee Ballot and when/how to send it in click here. Or go directly to the online form.
Opportunity to see Speaker Gingrich
Palm Beach County Tea Party wants to educate and inform voters, so we encourage all of our members to see the GOP Primary Candidates as they come to our area in the next two weeks. Here is an opportunity to hear Newt. Note that RSVP is Required.
RJC Florida Region presents
An Exclusive Event with
Speaker Newt Gingrich
Friday, January 27, 2012
The RJC Florida Region
is Proud to Present:
An exclusive opportunity to meet with
Presidential Candidate
Speaker
Newt Gingrich
Friday, January 27, 2012
Registration is at 2:30pm
Program is at 3:30pm
South County Civic Center
16700 Jog Road
Delray Beach, FL
Click here for map and directions.
RSVP Required / Seating is Limited
We are sorry, but we cannot accommodate those who do not RSVP in advance
RSVP to Leah Sabin at (561) 995-9445 or by
e-mail: florida@rjchq.org.
The Republican Jewish Coalition does not endorse any single candidate in the Republican Primary for President. We offer the opportunity for any major candidate or their designated surrogate to address our membership.
EPA and Administration Again Out of Control
The administration and the EPA are in the process of promulgating two job killing bills that will result in much higher electricity costs in our nation, drive existing manufacturing jobs overseas, and create disincentives for foreign entities to invest in manufacturing in this country.
The first is the Mercury & Air Toxics Standards (known also as the Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology or MACT rule), and the Cross State Air Pollution Rule, CSAPR. Both stem from the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments.
Legislatures in Washington, including the democratic controlled house and Senate previously tried to issue similar rules, however, these were thrown out by the courts during the Bush administration. This left both rewrites to the Obama administration and his EPA and they are pushing these onerous regulations forward.
The rules of the CSAPR ratchets down the permitted sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions in 27 upwind states, to limit harm to air in downwind states. Some 45 plaintiffs—mainly upwind state governments and power companies—allege irreparable harm if the rule takes effect when proposed January 1, 2012. A recent court ordered a stay which in fact will delay this implementation date. If in fact these rules are promulgated and compliance will be required in 2012, utilities have gone on record saying they will have to shut down existing coal facilities (coal generates 50% of the energy in the US), and inevitable power shortages will result with rotating brown outs and black outs.
The utility MACT rule responds to a court decision that mercury emissions cannot be traded like pollutants covered by CSAPR. So the Utility MACT rule sets standards that every generating site must meet, in effect ending, the “grandfathering” of old coal and oil plants enable by pollutant trading systems.
The Utility MACT rule was due to be final in November but the court gave EPA a one-month extension to consider final comments. It is now under Office of management & Budget review, and is due out shortly. If promulgated, it will take effect in 2015, giving utilities three years to ready their facilities.
There’s no debate that the MACT rules would mean shutdown of many smaller, older coal plants that can’t be upgraded economically, and expensive upgrades to many other coal facilities. Shutdown predictions run somewhere between 30 and 70 gigawatts (this represents approximately 300 plants or more). EPA estimates this rule will cost $10.9 billion annually in the next decade, for retrofits and replacements. As is always the case, when a governmental entitity estimates cost, you can pretty much expect that in the end, these costs will be between 5 times and 10 times their estimates. These costs therefore can be expect to be $100 billion or more. These costs incurred by the utilities will flow directly to ratepayers as the utility industry is a regulated industry—that’s you and me. Putting these controls into place with these associated costs does not produce one single kwh of electricity. If fact, the systems to be installed actually consume large amounts of power, so in effect, we are paying huge dollars for less power.
The costs, like those for CSAPR, are unevenly distributed, affecting coal-dependent utilities and regions more heavily. Most of the heavy manufacturing in this country are in fact in states where there is a higher concentration of coal plants. The reason of course for this is that coal power other than nuclear is the cheapest power—cheap power—results in competitive products. Competitive products result in companies growing and increasing jobs. These higher costs will result in these businesses being less competitive in world markets. Result—shutdowns—less jobs.
The good news is that just a few days ago, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit temporarily blocked the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) just two days before it was set to go into effect. The federal court ordered the EPA to continue administering the previously promulgated Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) until a final decision can be made on the merits of the rule, likely this summer or fall. Pundits believe that this is only a delay and later this year, the courts will rule in EPA’s favor.
House Republicans have made repeated attempts this year to stop EPA, but none of those efforts are even getting to a vote in Harry Reid’s obstructionist Senate.
It is a well known and proven fact that low cost electricity directly correlates with GDP growth and prosperity of citizens within one’s country. We have been blessed as many other countries have not, with plentiful natural resources, coal ,natural gas, rivers and streams for hydro, and geothermal. Yet, this administration consistently places barriers in our ability to utilize these God given resources. It simply makes no sense.
Look at the average cost of electricity among many OECD nations. The reason why their costs of electricity are higher is real simple. They simply do not have the natural resources in their country to use in power plants. They must import—therefore, the costs are significantly higher. But we all know, the Obama administration wants to level the playing field—that’s right—they clearly do not want the US to have a competitive advantage. Look at the costs measured in cents per kwh.
Australia 19.7 cents/kwh
Denmark 39.3 cents/kwh
France 18.6 cents/kwh (they are 50% nuclear and why they are less than their fellow Europeans)
Germany 35.6 cents/kwh
Ireland 27.3 cents/kwh
Italy 27.2 cents/kwh
Spain 26.3 cents/kwh
Sweden 26.2 cents/kwh
USA 11.6 cents/kwh
China 5.1 cents
India ` Unknown but heavily subsidized by the government—estimated to be less than 5 cents/kwh
kwh
In China, 77% of current power generation is coal—China is rich in indigenous coal resources, and China is in fact the largest energy producer in the world. They are building coal plants at a significant rate per year. The last time I checked, their added generation per year is more than 20 times that of the US-almost all of which is fossil fuel production—coal. China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of coal. Their own supply and purchases 2010 rose 25 percent from a year earlier. This is why their cost per kwh is so low—coal produces cheap power!
In India, thermal plants account for over 65% of generation—that is almost all coal- AND 14.1 GW of new thermal mostly coal is under construction and expected to be put into use by December of 2012—2.1GW of hydro, and 1 GW of nuclear. Just to give you a feel, in the US—we have about 6 GW under construction, much of which is gas fired combined cycles to replace retired coal plants. It is literally impossible to permit a new coal plant in the US today.
We also know that the Europeans previously implemented very onerous emissions limits requiring huge investments in back end equipment—thus also contributing to their high costs of electricity. Once again, this administration is exercising a policy of “let’s follow the European model”.
One thing for sure, the court’s stay decision will contribute to regulatory uncertainty for power companies and power markets in a time of significant EPC rulemaking activity. The order suggests that litigation will remain a wild card for compliance and market planning.
This regulatory uncertainty along with this administration’s onerous rule making and over regulation continues to dampen any recovery in our country. They simply don’t understand the concept that the private sector can deal with bad news, but they cannot deal with uncertainty—so when companies are faced with huge uncertainty, they don’t expand, they don’t invest, and they don’t create jobs. I guess we shouldn’t expect anything else from a President who has never held a real job, who surrounds himself with advisors, 80% or more of which also never had a job in the private sector. They simply are incapable of understand the capitalist business model since they have never done it!
America’s air is markedly cleaner than it was 40 years ago when the Clean Air Act was passed. Just a few stats, between 1980 and 2010, carbon monoxide has been reduced 82%; Lead by 90%; nitrogen oxide by 52%, and sulfur dioxide by 76% without any significant change in the fuel mix of our generation assets in the US. That means the industry has heavily invested in cleaning up coal and gas plants so that today they are extremely clean. The mission, however, of the EPA is to incrementalize and tighten down any pollutants without regard to cost impact and will not be satisfied until these fossil assets are shut down completely. The economic costs due to the rule of diminishing returns, simply is not practical. Costs to the EPA of implementation mean nothing—they are out of balance with reality and until we get an administration that can “balance” them, we will continue to threaten our nation, our way of living, and our economic prosperity and most importantly, our national security.
