What if it’s all on purpose?

The country’s biggest talkers have unabashedly taken this question into consideration in recent weeks as the state of our nation’s economy continues to worsen. Even Rush Limbaugh, the most listened-to man in America, argued that an economic collapse or a default on our national debt would be “intentional” on the part of the current administration.

Intentionally destroying the economy? Why would our elected officials intentionally bring economic hardship on their own people? Who in our representative government would do such a terrible thing? We could ponder these matters all day, but these are the wrong questions.

Two weeks ago, the Department of Agriculture announced that more Americans than ever, a whopping 45.8 million, are on food stamps (now known as SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). Of all Americans with stomachs, nearly 15 percent can’t fill them without the government, uhh, “supplementing” their “nutrition.” These 46 million recipients are only 67 percent of the number eligible to apply. That means that 22%, over one fifth of all Americans, have been determined to be in need of government-distributed money to put food on their tables. This is a tragic development for sure, as the mere thought of families unable to feed themselves is unsettling in this land of prosperity.

Via the Daily Kos

But take heart! Our beloved government has overcome hunger, so we need not despair over such an abysmal expansion of the welfare state. According to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, food stamps are just another form of “economic stimulus.” Well, that’s one way to describe it.

Normally, we would have let out a despairing sigh as we pointed to these welfare numbers as a sign of a poor economy. But as our elected leaders keep digging a deeper hole, the excuse makers are running out of alternative explanations, and the American people are beginning to wonder: Could this be more than a poor economy? Could this be an engineered trend? What could the engineers possibly stand to gain by impoverishing their own people?

Over 150 years ago, a French aristocrat named Alexis de Tocqueville wrote of the dangers of a “soft despotism.” Even a century and a half ago, after only a few years in the country, a foreigner was able to warn us of the risk of democratic oppression of the masses by their own selfishness. When people allow themselves to be nestled into the coddling arms of their own government, they forfeit their liberty, their treasure, their dignity, and the very self-reliance that makes them human.

Half of all Americans now receive some form of government aid, and the statists are happy to provide it not because they hope to solve problems, but because they hope to solidify and enslave a permanent base by holding dignified citizens ransom for votes. What more Americans are realizing every day is that we do not simply have a bad batch of politicians in Washington who are trying and failing at their jobs. We are not even governed, as many like to think, by a group of self-interested fat cats apathetic toward their own constituents’ needs. Our country is run by a crop of malevolent, power-hungry aristocrats bent on the aggregation of power at the expense of the people’s liberty.

Despite our oft-repeated national credo that “all men are created equal,” there is a ruling class in the United States, and its interests stand diametrically opposed to those of the American people.

As they sit in their smoke-filled room, this ruling class clambers for more “stimulus” (in the form of food stamps and otherwise). They toss us, the American people, onto the poker table like inherently worthless chips to be gambled away for more votes, more influence, more power, as they sip their brandy, puff on their expensive cigars, and project a chorus of belly laughs that lack even the slightest hint of restraint or remorse for their daily betrayal of the very people who empower them.

And why should they feel any lingering regret? As goes the dependence of the populace on the provision of the government, so goes the electoral security of the statist machine. Why not laugh with gusto as votes flow into the ballot box and treasure pours into the coffers? Sure, they have to face themselves in the mirror as one-fifth of their citizens hold out their hands for a “nutrition supplement,” but in return, they are assured that these government-manufactured Dickensian shells of once capable and driven individuals would never bite the hand that feeds them.

So what would you do in their position? More Americans than ever look to the government to put food on their tables every night. Would you solve the problem, or expand the base and your job security by adding more citizens to the government dole?

Our ruling class has run out of excuses for this abuse of power, and the American people have run out of patience. Our Washingtonian leaders can no longer claim to be even remotely interested in real recovery because we now see that they care only about power, gathered and hoarded on the backs of once-dignified citizens. It is clearer than ever that real recovery must come from somewhere else.

Late yesterday afternoon, the Wisconsin Supreme Court weighed in on the Budget Repair Bill (Act 10) and ruled that it did not violate the Open Meetings Law.  Judge Maryann Sumi’s injunction to Act 10 was voided because she exceeded her authority, “invaded” the Legislature’s constitutional powers and erred in stopping the publication and implementation of the collective bargaining law.

Justice David Prosser, who was recently re-elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court following the drawn out recount that cost the state over $520,000, wrote in his concurring opinion:  “[T]he Circuit Court [Judge Sumi] exceeded its authority in prohibiting publication of the 2011 Wisconsin Act 10.  This is not a close question.”  Now Secretary of State Doug LaFollette, who initially delayed publication after the Budget Repair Bill was passed to allow unions time to pass new contracts, is saying he will wait until June 28 before finally publishing Act 10.

Whenever Act 10 does take effect, local governments will have the tools available to balance their budgets.  The many local jurisdictions that passed new union contracts across the state at the behest of the unions will have those recently passed contracts in place until the contract term expires.  At that point, Act 10 would then apply to those public employees as well.

Since the Left and the unions have successfully gotten so many local governments to pass new union contracts, the savings in many areas will not be realized for a few years.  Members of school boards, city councils, and county boards that hastily passed union contracts need to be held accountable for their actions.

We need a new generation of leadership to step forward and run for local office to challenge the elected officials that kowtow to the unions.  Conservatives and Tea Party members are the logical people to fill this void of leadership.  It is time for local governments to serve the taxpayers.  Our communities need conservatives to step forward and run for local office!

Today, the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) announced their estimate of an additional $636 million of revenue over the next three years due to an increase in the LFB’s projection of Wisconsin tax collections.  If liberals were running the show in Madison, we would likely already be hearing how the money should be spent as if the Governor had just found a treasure chest in the Governor’s Mansion basement with $636 million in it.  Unfortunately, that is not how budgets work.  This new projection is based upon stronger than previously expected income tax numbers.  But again it is an estimate that could easily change as it is very difficult to predict future revenues in an uncertain economy.

We also are seeing a debate taking place over the Voter ID bill in the Legislature at the same time the Wisconsin Supreme Court election recount is continuing in only one remaining county and concealed carry legislation is moving forward.  Politics is very fluid and conservatives must remain vigilant at all times because there is more policy to be made and more elections right around the corner.

Several counties are either increasing or decreasing the size of their County Boards.  What a good reminder that we need to have conservatives representing us at all levels of government.  If you don’t have conservatives representing you on your School Board, Village or City Council, County Board, then you should find your own candidates to run against them next spring and fall.

Is it too early to start talking about 2012 Spring and Fall Elections? No.  It’s not.  In fact, the Left has been active in preparing for 2012 already.  Conservatives and Tea Party members need to  go out and find candidates who will represent them at the local levels.  To prepare you and the candidates you identify for 2012, American Majority Wisconsin will be hosting a Candidate/Campaign Manager/Activist Training on June 11 in Oconomowoc. To register or find out more information about this training, visit here:  http://americanmajority.org/events/candidate-and-activist-training-oconomowoc-wi/ .

The Wisconsin Supreme Court Recount began today in county courthouses across the state.  With Justice David Prosser having a 7,316 vote lead over Challenger Joanne Kloppenburg, many are curious what will happen through this process.

This morning, I observed the Recount Canvass in Ozaukee County to get a feel for what the next few weeks will be like.  There were eleven paid poll workers doing various jobs to confirm the vote totals from the election were accurate.  The recount is a very mundane and painstakingly time consuming process.  For instance, the poll list reconciliation workers counted through the number of people who were given a voting number on Election Day for each city. They tallied up the numbers, which took roughly 25 minutes for the village of Fredonia that had 761 votes cast. When the number was off by 1 voter, they had to go through the poll list again in more detail so the numbers would match.

Poll List Reconciliation Process

This recount is just another example of a waste of taxpayers’ money.  Since November’s election, we have seen liberals waste our hard earned money time and time again.  After the liberal controlled Legislature and former- Governor ran up a massive $3.6 Billion Deficit, the liberals tried to ram through public sector union contracts in the December Lame Duck Session, when they even sprung an Assemblyman from jail.  When Governor Walker introduced the Budget Repair Bill, much attention focused on the waste of taxpayer money to pay for extravagant benefits for many public sector employees.   The leftists protested in the Capitol building for weeks on end, destroying government property and causing extra security costs that our tax dollars will have to pay for.  Fourteen State Senators fled the state to avoid a vote on the Budget Repair Bill, yet were paid for not doing their job.  Many liberal controlled local governments have rammed through union contracts that are favorable to the unions and rip off the Wisconsin taxpayer.  Now, we taxpayers, have to pay for a frivolous recount.  Enough already!

If you think the liberals are wasting our taxpayer dollars, then you should do something about. Contact your elected officials and tell them to stop wasting your money.  Better yet, step up and run for local or state office.  We need conservatives to run against taxpayer wasting liberals and win in order to stop the wasteful spending.  American Majority’s candidate training will help prepare you for your campaign.  If you step up and communicate your views or run for office, you will be able to stop this waste of taxpayer money.

You may never hear me say this again, but I am proud to proclaim that I am more progressive than my peers here at UVA.

When a group of twenty of us were asked whether it was worth making the effort to retain objectivity in the reporting of news, nineteen said yes: reporters and news organizations should strive for objectivity, and we should highly value reportage that we determine to be without bias.

The one dissenter was, as you may have guessed, yours truly.

And really, why should we continue the pursuit of this sham we call objectivity? By objectivity, I mean reporting news in such a way as to remove any preconceived notions or opinions from the selection or documentation of facts, conveying to the reader only the relevant information and allowing him or her to form an opinion.

I’ll say it as frankly as I can: objectivity in the media is a fruitless and unfulfillable pursuit that only the naive choose to perpetuate. The more realistic and – dare I say it – forward thinking among us have exchanged objectivity for transparency, and I submit to you that transparency is what we should begin looking for in our news. Call me a cynic if you will, but this is where the world is headed.

Why not value objectivity? The idea seems logical. We would love to have the facts packaged and delivered to us, allowing us to judge for ourselves what the best course of action would be in any given situation. For example, if any of us read a news story composed simply of the current federal budget, we would love to think for ourselves and conclude that cutting spending is the best way to go. Or, if you read a short news story telling you that millions of illegal immigrants come over our southern border every year, you would probably conclude that securing the border is the best first step toward solving the problem. Objective reporting sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

The problem is that no news outlet reports just the facts. If they did, we would be bored out of our minds. Take the budget example. Do you really want to read “just the facts” about the federal budget? Of course not. It is much more interesting to hear the two sides of the debate and cheer for whichever side has the best ideas. There is nothing wrong with that. But make no mistake: fair and balanced reporting is not objective. If we were given the option of “just the facts” objectivity, most of us would find it very unappealing.

In addition to being boring, objective reporting is a figment of news editors’ imaginations. If you watch any of the major network news outlets or read any of the major newspapers, all of which claim to be “objective,” “unbiased,” or even “no spin,” you know that unbiased reporting is not practiced anywhere and is, in fact, impossible. We have all heard about the New York Times‘ decline and slow, painful, impending death. I’ve got news for the Times: readers have realized that their claims of objectivity are hollow, and their subscriptions have been steadily cut off as a result.

What I encourage you all to do instead is to embrace and perpetuate a trend of transparency in the media rather than objectivity. Accept bias and subjectivity as par for the course. Watch Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, or Neil Cavuto. Listen to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, or Mark Levin. And, in addition, watch Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, and Rachel Maddow. If you have some obscure cable package that enables you, find Keith Olbermann’s show and become one of his ten viewers. Read RedState.com, the Drudge Report, the Huffington Post, the Daily Kos, or this very blog.

All of these news sources come with bias, preconceived notions, and opinions. What’s more, they wear their subjectivity on their sleeve. They are by no means objective in the way they report, but they are transparent. If you want conservative news aimed at grassroots activists, read the American Majority blog or RedState.com. If you want a conservative take on your national news, watch FoxNews. If you want to find out what the people on the other side of the debate are thinking, turn on MSNBC and grab some antacids. Regardless of what a reporter’s perspective is, we should value his or her transparency rather than objectivity in reporting.

If we know a news source’s bias before reading, we know how much credence to give it while consuming it. For decades before our current one, Americans bought into heinous stories and philosophies because they received them from what they thought were “objective” news networks reporting the “facts.” We know better now. In this world of new media, social media, blogs, and do-it-yourself reporting, we know that objectivity is impossible and fruitless. What we need is transparency and honesty. May we pursue it, and may we become better armed as a result.

A recount is looming over yesterday’s Wisconsin Supreme Court election.  Currently, Incumbent Justice David Prosser is trailing by 206 votes to Prosecutor Joanne Kloppenburg with 100% of the precincts reporting.   With the momentum from the union protests, this election was one that many thought Kloppenburg would win.  But the Tea Party showed up to the polls again to support their candidate and that is why this election is so close.

There is no rest for the weary.  In addition to the likely recount, we are looking at a summer full of special elections in the State Senate due to the many recalls taking place.  One recall committee had already filed its signatures to the Government Accountability Board (GAB) on Friday.  Another recall committee announced it had enough signatures on Monday.  With many recall committees having volunteers outside of polling locations yesterday, it is likely that a handful or more will file their signatures in the next week.

All of this means that the Tea Party and conservatives need to be prepared and organized for these special elections.  Recall committees will have an advantage of organization due to their use of so many recall volunteers that can easily be turned into campaign volunteers.  In addition, the Left is known for their organizational superiority to the Right.

American Majority is partnering with local Tea Party groups to hold 6 April Activist Trainings around the state of Wisconsin.  Our training blitz begins this Saturday, April 9 when we will hold Activist trainings in St. Croix County and La Crosse, WI and continues on Tuesday, April 12 in Eagle River, WI.

American Majority’s April Training Blitz will equip the Tea Party and conservatives to be organized and effective.   These activist trainings will provide the tools and resources to enable activists to accomplish their political goals.

To learn more about and to register for American Majority’s Activist Trainings in Wisconsin, please visit:  http://americanmajority.org/wisconsin/events/.

With the presidential election only about 20 months away, the list of GOP nominees is slowly starting to come into focus as “exploratory committees” and PACs are forming almost on a daily basis.

The names are well known: Gingrich, Palin, Romney, Bachmann, Pawlenty, Daniels, etc.

And while some of these names might not excite all of us (or any of us for that matter), I do have some alternative suggestions for some dark horse GOP candidates that we may want to consider…

Or maybe not.

Regardless, here are the Top 10 Dark Horse Republican Presidential Candidates:

10. Arnold Schwarzenegger…Take our word for it that he was in fact “born in Hawaii”.  And no, you cannot see the birth certificate.

9. Unnamed Crazy Lady in Arizona…I just want her to run for president so that she will stop sending me all of her whacked out, conspiratorial mass e-mails even though I have begged and pleaded to be taken off her list for two years!

8. Rand Paul / Les Paul / Chris Paul / RuPaul…The assorted candidates with the last name of Paul break down like this:

The first is probably still a few years away from becoming a serious candidate though he is rightly beloved by the Tea Party. The second Paul on the list is an entrepreneur who created some of the most well known guitars on the planet…but he is also dead. Next comes a well known NBA basketball player who has no chance because he just so happens to be a massive Obama fan.  The last Paul on the list is best known for being  ABSOLUTELY FAB-U-LOUS…

7. Chuck Norris…His campaign will focus on threatening roundhouse kicks to the face to those who refuse to vote for him.

6. Seabiscuit…If we are making a Top Ten up of dark horses, we have to include Seabiscuit, right?  I mean that movie that came out about this horse a few years ago with the dude from Spiderman was awesome. I think I even cried at the end.

(And including him on this list just shows you how damn hard it was to come up with names for it.)

5. Colin Powell…No, really, just hear me out: He is still a Republican. And he is a brilliant military mind. He is also a former Secretary of State. Plus, he has great name ID.  And…

Okay, screw it.

He is nothing but a RINO liberal who still publically supports the man he would have to run against for the presidency. He knows it and we know it, too, Colin!

4. Steve King…He would have to take time off from writing his new novel which revolves a small town in Iowa where Muslim teenagers turn into bloodthirsty devil-clowns every night at sundown.

Wait, is that the wrong guy?

Oh yeah, that is Stephen King.  My bad.

3. Tom Selleck…Sure, he is a registered Independent, but he fancies himself a Libertarian. Plus, he is big on gun rights and plays a character with the last name of Reagan on his current CBS show Blue Bloods.

And I’ll be honest with you: I would work my butt off to see that mustache behind the desk in the Oval Office.

2. Ron Paul…Love him or hate him, let’s be honest in the fact that his chances are not very good. Sort of like the chances that I will not receive hate mail for the next one on this list…

1. Glenn Beck…If nothing else he would usher in a new era in politics by brining on Gold Line and Food Insurance as his official campaign sponsors, he could help finance the campaign by charging even more exorbitant fees for people to become “The Insiders of Insiders Extreme”, and he could eventually make piles upon piles of money by writing and selling a book about his campaign experiences!  Makes me wonder if Glenn is all about the money, money, money!?!?

What do you think about the list?  And do you have any other better ideas?

Every elected official, from school board member to state legislator to the President of the United States plays a vital role in shaping the policies and direction of our communities, states, and nation. These offices deserve men and women who are grounded in the principles of liberty and individual freedom. American Majority’s political training is designed to enhance your campaign effort through targeted education and resources.

American Majority is hosting a Candidate/Campaign Manager Training on Saturday, May 21 at the Miami University Voice of America Learning Center located at 7725 Voice of America Centre Dr., in West Chester, OH (located off of I-75 between Dayton and Cincinnati). The training will run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Please report to Room 116.

The cost for Activists and Campaign Managers is $35 per person if registered online and $45 at the door. The cost for Candidates is $50 per person if registered online and $60 at the door. These costs include a boxed lunch and all training materials.

The Candiate Training program is designed specifically to educate candidates on every level how to run effective and victorious campaigns and prepare them to become successful elected officials. The Campaign Manager and Activist lectures provide extensive knowledge on the role campaign managers and volunteers play during an election, as well as how citizens can be engaged and effective in their community.

The Candidate/Campaign Manager Training Program includes the following topics*:

• Creating your Campaign Plan and Campaign Structure
• Campaign Fundraising
• History of the Progressives
• Public Speaking and Messaging
• The Role of a Campaign Manager
• Get-Out-The-Vote
• Campaigning Online
• Winning your Precinct

Upon completion of this political training seminar, candidates will receive continuing education materials, access to podcasts and other presentations, communications curriculum, and suggestions to help them utilize think-tank resources.

If you have any questions, please contact Allison James at Allison@AmericanMajority.org or call 571-420-2300.

American Majority is a non-profit and non-partisan organization whose mission is to train and equip a national network of leaders committed to individual freedom through limited government and the free market.

*Lectures are subject to change.

What we are seeing in Wisconsin underscores why local government matters and why we need a new generation of local government leaders.

The Left, particularly the Labor Movement is readjusting its focus to the local level.  Labor already has control of many school boards and other local government bodies across the nation. That’s why there are so many collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) being rushed through and passed at the local level here in Wisconsin.

The Budget Repair Bill, which was signed into law last week, provides local governments with the tools they need to cut spending.  The Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) just released estimates of the savings available to local governments through utilizing the employee contribution component of the bill.  The LFB found the City of Sheboygan, for instance, would save $987,600 just from having the public employees contribute 5.8% to their pensions.  The Milwaukee Public Schools would save over $24 million dollars.

Yet locality after locality, from Chippewa Falls to Madison, are rushing through agreements that preempt the application of the Budget Repair Bill (which is helped by Democratic Secretary of State Doug La Follette’s delay in publishing the law until March 25 to allow local governments more time to pass these measures).  The result of these contracts being rushed through is that local governments will have significant gaps between their expenses and revenues, as state aid will be decreased under the Budget Bill.  Then these governments will be forced to lay off workers or raise property taxes (Gov. Walker’s Budget Bill could limit this option).

The Left even had a bill passed in December 2009 to train teachers how to brain wash children about collective bargaining.  Here is a video discussing how this law will help the Labor Movement in the future:

In places where CBAs are not being rushed through, the unions are going to find candidates of their own to run for local office.  The Left understands that they can control the process if they have ”their” candidates on your local school board, city council, county board, etc.

Conservatives can make a difference if we engage at the local level.  In Wauwautosa, hundreds of taxpayers attended the Common Council meeting and voiced their opinions that new union contracts should not be rushed through.  Their voices were heard and the Common Council voted against a new collective bargaining agreement.  It is amazing what an organized group of taxpayers can accomplish if they coordinate their efforts.

But reforming local government goes beyond attending meetings when a big issue comes up, which I should add is absolutely necessary.  We need a new generation of liberty-minded leaders to run for local office.  We need to replace the elected officials who simply do what the unions tell them to do. We need leaders who will stand up for fiscal responsibility, less government spending, and lower taxes!

I am just going to come out say it: I loathe MSNBC.  I really do.  I cannot stand that network.  At all.

And because of this, I LOVE the fact that they consistently get beat down in the ratings by Fox News.  Seriously, I delight in their misery.

So it is that I came up with some ideas for MSNBC in order to try in an attempt to raise their normal viewership (somewhere in the neighborhood of 87-92 folks nightly) to at least the lower triple digits.

In fact, I would be so proud of them if they hit 100 viewers.  I am getting choked up just thinking about it.

Thus, here are the “Top 10 Ideas for MSNBC to Try In Order to Increase their Ratings”

10. Integrate a multi-colored “Chris Matthews Tingle Meter” (with suggestive musical soundtrack) into the telecasts of Hardball for those moments when President Obama really gets Chris going.

Bow chick a bow wow.

9. You know what?  Forget it.  From now on have Chris Matthews host the show in. the. nude.

8. Bring “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” back as a 3-D show.

Because there is nothing like watching an overbearing, condescending, snarky, and maniacal liar in 3-D.  Nothing.

7. Quietly change the name of the network to MSNB-FOX.

6. Introduce yet another primetime show with a screaming, white, balding, middle aged, liberal male as the host…

What’s that?

They did that already?

Well, hello Lawrence O’Donnell and Ed Schultz.  Nice to see you both.  Thanks for coming.  Good to have you on board.

5. Six Words to Ratings Gold: Air Lockup 24 hours a day.

4. Highlight the fact that Maddow is a lesbian…If you know what I am saying.

3. All MSNBC shows will have one conservative guest each night.  However, said conservative guest MUST BE personally attacked and berated to the point of the show’s host utterly and awkwardly embarrassing themselves and the network.

Because you know, that has been such a ratings bonanza in the past.

2. Present a week-long expose on the Koch Brothers in which each MSNBC host magically connects them to the conspiracy to cover up the following stories:

A. The overwhelming evidence of the Loch Ness Monster (JUST REPLACE THE L IN “LOCH” WITH A K!).

B. How William Howard Taft’s failed economic policies massively benefited Koch Industries during the year 1912 even though Koch Industries wasn’t actually founded until 1940.  Whatever.

C. The role the Koch Brothers played in the slow and agonizing death of the Hollywood career of the dude who played Screech on Saved by the Bell.

D. How the Kochs knew about and failed to stop the framing of my cousin Jerry who got fired from McDonald’s after he allegedly got caught smoking doobies in the walk-in freezer at the back of the kitchen during the summer of 1989.

1. Say goodbye to the MSNBC slogan of Lean Forward…

Say hello to the new MSNBC slogan:  Bend Over.

—

So, what do you think of the list?  You got any other ideas?

It’s hard to believe that protests have now been going on in Madison for 16 days and 14 State Senators have been AWOL for 13 days now.   Here is some of the latest news.  A private citizen is suing one of these Senators to compel the Senator to return to the state Capitol.  The Senate has voted on a resolution to impose a fine for Senators missing two or more days.   Taxpayers continue to pay the salaries of these 14 AWOL Senators and are wondering when this all will end.

Yesterday, Governor Scott Walker continued to show resolve in confronting liberal policies through introducing his Budget Bill.  Governor Walker’s Budget Bill contains bold reforms to address Wisconsin’s $3.6 Billion Deficit.  Wisconsin has been crippled by liberal policies, but that is changing.  While the Budget Bill reduces state aid by roughly $1.25 Billion, the almost $1.5 Billion in savings from the budget repair bill creates a net increase in revenue.

Despite the opportunity for savings, many local governments are backing themselves into a corner where they may have no other option but to lay off many teachers and other local government employees.   School districts across the state are rushing through collective bargaining agreements that continue largess government spending.  When the reduced state aid comes, those local governments will be stuck with significant gaps between expenses and revenue.

Thankfully, some local government leaders, such as Wausau Mayor Jim Tipple, have decided to halt union negotiations until the dust settles with the Budget Repair Bill.  The fact is that the Budget Repair Bill gives local governments tools to be able to reduce their spending.

Conservatives must continue to have their voices heard!  Contact your elected officials about Gov. Walker’s Budget and your local government officials about union negotiations.  The voice of the Wisconsin taxpayers has to be heard.

As a child of the 1980’s, I protested vehemently when my wife recently went and rented the updated, Will Smith-ified version of The Karate Kid. The film stars his son, Jaden, and is a remake of sorts from the CLASSIC film of the same name that came out when I was six.

And yes, I absolutely adore the original.  I love it for a number of reasons: Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi, a 37 year old Ralph Macchio playing a teenage Daniel, and Elisabeth Shue simply being Elisabeth Shue.

Plus, the crane kick at the end still gets me.  And the scene where Daniel dresses up like a shower for the dance and then gets chased by the Cobra Kai in their skeleton costumes is awe-some.  But I digress.

In regards to the updated version, it was not as bad as I thought it would be.  Jackie Chan does a decent job as the maintenance man turned martial arts teacher and I grew to love little bitty Jaden Smith as the Daniel character.  Plus, using China as the setting was a brave move that paid off.

And while there is no crane kick at the end of the film, they really did do a nice job with the sappy and victorious ending.  (I don’t want to completely ruin it for anyone who has not seen the film.)

Now why do I bring all this up?  Because while the idea of re-making a classic film that came out only 27 years ago makes me nervous, the folks who produced it changed the movie up just enough to not be a total rip-off of the original.

And thankfully, they also inserted enough subtle references to the original to pay honor and homage to it.

Basically, those involved did their best not to totally re-make The Karate Kid but rather make a film that followed the same story but in a new and fresh way while also giving the original its proper respect.

Which brings me to Ronald Reagan.

Anybody else notice how seemingly each week some potential GOP presidential nominee distastefully communicates that they are the new and updated version of the Gipper?  Does this make anybody else sick to their stomach?

This hit a fever pitch a few weeks ago during the celebration of what would have been Reagan’s 100^th birthday.  From what I saw and read it very much seemed that some of the potential nominees wanted to exhume the guy’s body and use it as their future running mate.

But guess what? Just as there will never be another Ralph Macchio/Elisabeth Shue version of The Karate Kid, there is not another Ronald Reagan waiting in the wings to run for president.  Seriously, that person does not exist.

The simple fact is that Ronald Reagan will justifiably forever be the torch bearer of the conservative movement.

But lest we forget that he was a once-in-a-lifetime president, politician, and leader.  He was as transformative, charismatic, and strong as any public figure in the last 150 years.

So while we should learn a lesson from Will Smith (wait for it) and emulate Reagan’s legacy and philosophies (such as striving for a more limited government, lower taxes, and a firm hand to spread freedom around the world), we should also be encouraging our up and coming leaders to TRY NOT TO BE THAT MAN ALL OVER AGAIN!

Seriously, can’t there be a presidential hopeful who pays homage to the man without implying they could be our generation’s version of him?

Furthermore, the need for a new type of Reaganesque leader on the right dovetails nicely with this article about just how great the need is to groom and raise up a new “Great Communicator” on the conservative side of the aisle.

And no, Ronald Reagan cannot be that person for us.

Thus, the application to these truths is that as a conservative movement we must identify, encourage, and support someone who is like Reagan without trying to be Reagan all over again.

And, yes, that does sound a lot like how Will Smith handled remaking what is perhaps the greatest movie of my generation.

On Friday, Governor Scott Walker announced his Budget Repair Bill aimed at covering Wisconsin’s deficit of $137 Million for the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2011 and addressing the $3.7 Billion deficit for the two year budget.   Unions and other liberal organizations sounded shocked at the possibility of spending cuts.

The fact remains that cutting government spending isn’t easy.  Almost regardless of what elected officials would try to cut from their government’s budget, there would be strong opposition from those currently benefiting from that government spending.  When I worked on Capitol Hill, a budget was introduced that proposed cutting funding for public television and public radio.  As soon as the hosts on public television and public radio announced the proposed budget cut, our Congressional office received a deluge of calls, e-mails, and letters against the proposed cut in spending.  Ultimately, Congress voted against the spending cut because of the political pressure from constituents to continue to fund public television and radio.

Once a person benefits from government spending, they rely upon it and will be extremely motivated to contact their elected officials if there is even a rumor of cutting that spending.  Almost without fail, there will be stronger political pressure to not cut spending than the political pressure to reduce the spending.  Moreover, government agencies always think their budgets should grow, regardless of the effectiveness or necessity of their programs.  It takes a tremendous amount of courageous and commitment to see a proposed spending cut through to be enacted into law.

Looking around the country, even Democratic Governors in other states are proposing budgets with significant spending cuts.  In New York State, for example, Governor Cuomo, a Democrat, announced a budget with cuts to many government programs.   While some states, such as Illinois, have raised taxes to address their dire fiscal situations, most states see that their bloated budgets must be cut.  The private sector has had to make cuts to employees’ benefits, salaries, etc.  The public sector finally has to face the music.

The Tea Party Movement helped to elect a new wave of conservative leaders throughout our country.   Many taxpayers across the state and nation voted for conservatives due to the liberals wasteful spending and bloated budgets that have created these deficits.

What will the Tea Party do now? Will the Tea Party use their political power to contact their elected officials to support spending cuts? Or will the Tea Party let liberal groups drown out their calls for less spending and limited government?  On Tuesday (Election Day- Don’t forget to vote!), the Joint Finance Committee will hold a hearing regarding the Budget Repair Bill at 10am in Room 412 East of the WI State Capitol.  The left will certainly be organized and will show up with strong numbers in opposition to the spending cuts.  Will conservatives speak up?

So, the elections are over and the legislative sessions have begun. Everyone is waiting with bated breath to see what those freshmen legislators are going to do, and tea partiers are hanging on every quote and vote to hold them accountable. If you don’t think times are changing, think again. The Pulaski County Quorum Court now has their budget available online here http://www.co.pulaski.ar.us/comptroller.shtml and Arkansas legislators from the last session are having their reimbursements scrutinized with a fine tooth comb here http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2011/jan/30/expense-tabs-8-10-top-50000-20110130/ It’s never good news for a lawmaker when their expense reimbursements are listed in the state’s largest newspaper. And of course, the newspaper is blamed for doing “a very detrimental thing to the people of Arkansas in the way that you constantly hound elected officials and make them look bad,” Laverty said. “You all do it more than anyone else.”

Transparency….shining the light on the good, bad and ugly. It is one thing that all activists – conservatives, liberals, and just about everybody in between can agree upon.

Or is he onto something?

It’s only been three weeks, and Marco Rubio, the newest Senator from Florida, may be in some hot water with his base already.

As reported Monday evening by Ricochet.com (one of my favorite blogs these days), Fox News, The Daily Caller, and others, Rubio has refused to commit to joining the Senate Tea Party Caucus. Though he was elected with undeniable and substantial Tea Party support only two months ago, Rubio recently told a Florida political blog that joining the caucus could potentially lead to the co-option and adulteration of the so-far relatively pure Tea Party movement.

Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Rubio enthusiastically voiced his support for and participation in the Conservative Steering Committee, a similar group of senators headed by South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, whose conservative credentials are beyond dispute. Consequently, Rubio frankly asked, “Why do we need something in addition to the steering committee?” (Watch the video interview here).

His point: the Tea Party Caucus is redundant and unnecessary. What’s more, by allowing a group of senators to label themselves active representatives of the Tea Party while on Capitol Hill, the grassroots nature of the Tea Party would be almost certainly jeopardized. Such senators would inevitably proceed to dictate policy to the Tea Party, completely reversing the bottom-up structure that made the movement such a force to begin with.

This brings up a bigger question, though. The implication of Rubio’s reasoning here is that conservatives can make their voices heard in the Senate via previously established conservative channels. The Tea Party label does not necessarily have to be on a caucus to make it effective. Similarly, I have heard it said by a few doubting friends (whose conservative credentials, like Jim DeMint’s, are also beyond dispute) that the Tea Party itself is not truly necessary. Their line of thought goes as follows: “If people would take the energy and enthusiasm that they devote to their local Tea Party and instead show up to their local Republican Party demanding conservative candidates and principles, our problems would be solved and the Tea Party would be redundant.” A provocative statement, to be sure, but I remain unconvinced.

So here are the two big questions:

• Is Marco Rubio right in saying that the Senate Tea Party Caucus is unnecessary and redundant?
• If so, does this redundancy stretch into the grassroots, and could we make just as much of a difference through previously established channels such as primary elections and party conventions?

This may be more of an academic question (we obviously will not see the end of the Tea Party anytime soon), but I am interested to hear what you think. The Tea Party has obviously had a massive impact on elections these past few years, but some skeptics would contend that these same results could have been achieved without establishing an entirely new para-party movement.

Either way, all of us at American Majority are strong supporters of Tea Party groups and grassroots efforts of all kinds. We strongly encourage principled, everyday Americans to participate in the political process, most of all by running in primaries for local- and state-level office. Regardless of your affinity or skepticism toward the Tea Party, we encourage all caring citizens to get involved, bringing principled leadership to your local and state governments, and ultimately to Washington. At the end of the day, a politician’s choice to accept or decline an invitation to a Tea Party Caucus or some such group makes little difference; his or her principles count for everything.