SaddleBrooke Republican Club

Chart of the Week: Obama’s Abuse of FEMA Declarations

Rob Bluey — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:40:15 +0000

President Obama has used his executive power in many ways to expand the role of government. But there’s one area that stands out: Obama’s frequent and repeated use of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to issue emergency and disaster declarations. Heritage’s Matt Mayer reports that Obama “eviscerated the record books by issuing 243 declarations in 2011,” continuing an alarming pattern that begin under President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush. Mayer says FEMA has become a “political pork-barrel spending agency.” The trend is illustrated in this week’s chart, which … More

Scribecast: Spirit Airlines CEO Fights New Federal Regulations

Rob Bluey — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:39:08 +0000

The U.S. Department of Transportation imposed new regulations on airlines Jan. 24 that were supposed to benefit consumers. The rules require all government taxes and fees to be included in advertised fares and allow passengers to withhold payment for 24 hours after making a reservation, if it’s one week before the flight’s departure. Some consumers might be jumping for joy that the nanny state is imposing new rules on airlines. But for low-cost carries like Spirit Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Allegiant Air, it’s grounds for a lawsuit against the federal … More

For Now, Government Still Lets You Pick Your Own Roommate

David S. Addington — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:28:09 +0000

The people of the United States ordained a Constitution of limited government. As time passes, the people have more of the “government” and less of the “limited.” Americans must work at maintaining their freedoms. Defense of the constitutional freedom of association involved in choosing roommates to share housing illustrates the effort required. Government has attempted to regulate our ability to choose a roommate, but efforts to resist that intrusion pay off in preserved liberty. Tricia Rowe, a 31-year-old single woman who owned a three bedroom, single-family house, wanted a roommate. … More

The Case for Gold — Again

David Boaz — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:10:49 +0000

By David Boaz

In the New York Times, Floyd Norris reminds us: The 1980 presidential election was fought by a Democratic incumbent weakened by a poor economy amid worries that the United States had lost its ability to compete in the world. Gold prices had risen to unprecedented levels as the election approached, and the Republican nominee hinted [...]

The Case for Gold — Again is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog

Government Unions Support California Tax Hike

Alison Meyer — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:58:26 +0000

Two well-connected government unions in California are teaming with Gov. Jerry Brown to support a multibillion-dollar tax increase. The California Teachers Association and Service Employees International Union were the top two spenders for lobbying in 2011 with combined efforts totaling more than $10 million, according to Sacramento Bee. Now they’re using their muscle to champion Brown’s tax hike. Brown’s plan “would raise tens of billions of dollars by temporarily increasing the sales tax and the income tax on wealthy Californians, generating about $35 billion over five years,” according to the … More

Obama’s Neocon Moment

Christopher Preble — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:33:08 +0000

By Christopher Preble

In his State of the Union address, President Obama emphatically declared, “Anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn’t know what they’re talking about.” Obama sought to put to rest the notion that he is embracing American decline, as GOP candidates Romney, Gingrich and Santorum have accused [...]

Obama’s Neocon Moment is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog

Has Congress Cut Any Spending Yet?

Chris Edwards — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:27:23 +0000

By Chris Edwards

It’s been a year since Republicans assumed control in the House in the wake of the 2010 elections, which were powered by Tea Party concerns about massive federal spending and deficits. With the more conservative House, has Congress made any progress on spending cuts yet? Let’s compare the new CBO budget projections to CBO’s January [...]

Has Congress Cut Any Spending Yet? is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog

This Week at Libertarianism.org

Aaron Ross Powell — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:15:21 +0000

By Aaron Ross Powell

It’s been a busy week over at Libertarianism.org. We began with a new Excursions essay from George H. Smith. Provocatively titled “Fingering the King on the Road to Independence,” Smith’s piece examines how the pre-Revolution Coercive Acts led Americans to blame the king for the conspiracy to strip them of their rights and liberties. We posted two [...]

This Week at Libertarianism.org is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog

One Group’s Strategy to Derail Oil Pipelines, Raise Energy Prices

Lachlan Markay — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:56:29 +0000

Details of a large non-profit’s plans to combat the Keystone XL pipeline have surfaced, and offer some insight into the strategies and tactics of groups looking to combat the use of fossil fuels. Canadian news channel Sun News uncovered of a PowerPoint presentation from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund detailing its work with other groups to derail the Keystone XL pipeline and other similar projects it deemed parts of “a globally significant threat.” The presentation, written in 2008, describes the allocation of $7 million to environmental non-profits for tactics that include … More

The First Step Toward Creating the Administrative State

Joe Postell — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:16:47 +0000

Saturday marks the anniversary of the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act, which in 1887 created the first federal regulatory agency, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). Although those who created the ICC had no intention of establishing the modern administrative state we now have, the creation of the ICC was an inadvertent first step toward the federal leviathan that governs us today. The ICC was originally created to address growing problems created by the expansion of railroads in America. It was the outgrowth of the “Granger” movement, which took hold … More