Introducing Liberty Line

July 12, 2010 by 7 Comments

Ladies and gentleman, I would like to introduce you to Iowa’s newest political blog by sharing with you the very first post published on the site. This post will go far in describing and detailing what it is the contributors hope to accomplish.Liberty Line.

Liberty Has Some New Champions

There is a battle raging in America today. On one side we have those that would spend more and more money that the United States does not have. They would regulate more and more of our freedoms so as to fit their own personal view of the world. They would steal more and more of our hard earned money in an effort to fund their state sanctioned bribery programs. They are more than willing to sacrifice the livelihood of average hard working Americans in a misguided effort to “reform” our government. They have a tendency to willingly cede U.S. Sovereignty to a foreign world organization. This side of the battle is more about individual personalities than it is about hard and fast principles. With this side of the battle it is pretty much anything goes.

On the other hand we have the true patriots. These are the individuals that fight for the constitutional rights of every single American. They work hard against the forces of globalization. They fight against the other side’s desire to create a larger more ponderous and inefficient state and federal government. They fight in an effort to restrain the growth of government. They fight to restrain bloated government budgets. They fight through all the criticism leveled at them. With this side the battle is more about ideas and principles than it is about the individual. When any one personality begins to stand out they tend to shift to the other side of the battle because ego then takes over. The saying that really fits this side comes from Harvey Dent in The Dark Night,  “you die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

Unfortunately we have some of our so called leaders that are trying to straddle the fence. They want the best of both worlds. What they do not realize is that it does not work that way. Either you defend freedom and liberty wholeheartedly or you aid and abet those that want to restrict freedoms. You can rest assured that those of us at the Liberty Line will always come down on the side of Liberty and Freedom.

And now I would like to formally welcome you to the Liberty Line, a conglomeration of freedom loving Iowan’s no longer content to sit on the sidelines as our liberties are compromised in the name of political pragmatism. For the last several months we have watched as some of our most respected and principled leaders have compromised on our freedoms and liberty’s all for the sake of power. We have watched as supposed news sources turned to more tabloid like policies by publishing unsubstantiated rumors as proven fact. We watched as supposedly neutral observers launched a spin campaign that would have made Bill Clinton proud. We have surveyed the range of media options available to Iowan’s online and we have found them wanting.

The Liberty Line will be one of the most unique blogs in the state of Iowa. It is our desire to be completely open and honest. Our commentators will not hide behind a veil of anonymity. Instead they will comment about the current state of politics in the state under their real name. Furthermore we will apply this same high standard to our comment section. We believe that anyone commenting from behind a wall of anonymity is a detriment to civil and reasonable discussion. To facilitate this requirement we will require each commenter to register on the site and use their real name. Any comment that fails to fulfill this requirement will be deleted immediately and the individual responsible for the comment will be given a warning. For more information on our Rules for Participation please visit this page.

The Liberty Line will be leading the charge in defending our liberties and freedoms. We will be in the thick of the fight. The question yet to be answered is what side will you take in the battle? Will you side with the tyranny and oppression or will you stand with the new patriots in defense or liberty? The choice is yours.

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McKinley’s Memos for July 9, 2010

July 9, 2010 by 5 Comments

Before we can run, we must learn how to walk. Before we can walk, we must learn how to crawl.

Governor Culver, late last week, issued a declaration claiming the actions utilized last winter to re-organize state government through an executive order, legislative action and an early retirement program would save $298.8 million over two years instead of his original estimation of $270 million.

Unfortunately, there was little evidence to substantiate his claims since he did not utilize numbers produced by the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency. Instead, he chose to use figures produced internally by his own office. Given the serious financial mess the state is in – we can only hope his new estimates are accurate and not heightened for political purposes.

Make no mistake, the efforts taken this year to re-organize state government are only just a small first step – you might say we have begun to crawl. Unfortunately there is a long road yet to travel. Because of too much spending during the last four years by Governor Culver and legislative Democrats, Iowa still faces a $1 billion dollar deficit next year.

A recent report by State Auditor Dave Vaudt shows why we are in the alarming predicament that we find ourselves. Prior to Governor Culver and legislative Democrats coming into power, the state was spending approximately $1.01 per $1.00 that was coming into the state. Since Governor Culver and his fellow party members have taken over, the state has been spending approximately $1.13 for every dollar coming in.

Clearly Iowa does not have a revenue problem – we have a spending problem. During the last four years, we have seen the four largest spending budgets in state history. We have seen hundreds of millions of dollars in property tax increases and a quintupling of state debt. Without fundamental and systemic reforms, Iowa could become like California with serious structural deficits.

So where do we go from here?

  1. First, we must stop spending beyond our means. This has become a serious problem during the last four years and it is simply unsustainable. Much of this year’s spending was one-time dollars used for ongoing expenses and now Iowa’s savings accounts are dangerously low. Unless President Obama and Congressional Democrats opt to pass another bailout for the overspending states, Iowa will not be able to continue spending at the rate we have been.
  2. Secondly, we must continue to take steps to trim the size and scope of state government and continue to remove the waste and duplication that exists. We should start by adopting the over $300 million in additional savings offered by Senate and House Republicans during the last two years. Legislative Democrats either ignored the ideas or simply voted them down during debate.
  3. Next, we must stop pushing more of the burden on to the taxpayers. Iowans all over the state will see hefty property tax increases courtesy of Governor Culver this fall. Even if you only rent your property, the person or business that owns it will likely pass that extra expense on to you. Iowa already has some of the highest property taxes in the nation. We cannot afford not to be competitive if we are to grow our economy.
  4. Perhaps most importantly, we must focus on job creation and growing our economy. Right now, we have far more government than our economy can support. Creating an environment where small businesses and employers can thrive, succeed, grow and therefore hire more people is absolutely essential. Unbalanced budgets leading to higher taxes and the constant onslaught of anti-jobs legislation promoted by Governor Culver and legislative Democrats have not moved Iowa’s economy forward and instead have held it back.

The good news is that the debate in Iowa is slowly beginning to change. For the past few years, the liberals in charge of state government have only focused on spending more money, raising more taxes and fees, adding record levels of debt and promoting job killing legislation.

Finally, the discussion is slowly beginning to change. At last, we are starting to see some dialogue about actually reducing and reorganizing government – even if it is only just a small first step.

It’s time to speed up the process but that will take new leadership.

As soon as we begin to act on the Senate Republican priorities like job creation, reducing property taxes, really limiting the size and growth of state government and eliminating wasteful spending, it will be exciting to see the success our state and our citizens can attain.

We have 99 counties worth of potential and with the right priorities, the right leadership in the governor’s office and in the Legislature, it won’t be long until we can turn our current crawl into a walk and then a run.

As always, I welcome hearing from you and can be reached by phone at 515-281-3560 or by e-mail at paul.mckinley@legis.state.ia.us

Paul McKinley

Senate Republican Leader

www.mckinleyforiowa.com

www.facebook.com/paulmckinley

www.twitter.com/mckinleyforiowa

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Non-Negotiable

July 5, 2010 by 3 Comments

For several months now, we here at The Iowa Defense Alliance have been taking some heat for leaving US Senator Charles Grassley on our Wall of Shame. Our critics make the claim that we need to put party unity above petty internal squabbling. They claim that we need to put our personal values on hold to help the “team” win.

What these critics fail to understand about us is that we are a part of the new breed of voters inhabiting this state. We don’t put blind faith into candidates simply because they have an R beside their name. Instead candidates must work to demonstrate to us a reason for supporting them. Since it seems that this is a concept that is a tad bit hard to understand I will spell it out for the candidates.

  1. We want smaller government. That is we don’t just want to stop the growth of government, we want to contract it. We want the candidates that we support to pledge a desire to shrink the federal state or federal workforce. We want the candidates that we support to pledge to eliminate and reduce the size and scope of the federal and state bureaucracy.
  2. We want lower taxes. We understand that this would end up being a result of the implementation of number 1. However it would be foolish to not articulate this idea. We want any candidate that we support to pledge to work to lower the tax rates for citizens across the board without regard to their income or wealth. We believe in treating all citizen’s equally.
  3. We want increased governmental transparency. With the ridiculous program enacted by Iowa Governor Chet Culver we have come to understand that transparency is more than just allowing the citizen’s of Iowa to have access to copies of government documents. It also means not enacting policies that would only serve to hinder the flow of information from the government and the population. Instead we should be working on policies that actually free up the passage of information.
  4. We want a government that spends less. The only source of revenue for any government is to take it from its citizens. And we do understand that a small measure of taxation is necessary for a government to defend and protect its citizens. However we firmly believe that in the United States the tax rate is much too high, not to mention the fact that it is an unfair and regressive tax system. We want any candidate that we support to pledge to completely reform the US tax code in order to make it much more simple and fair.
  5. We want a government that gets out of the business of picking winners and losers. This means that we oppose the usage of any and all subsidies. In our humble opinion a subsidy is nothing more than a form of bribery. In the case of a subsidy the government gives taxpayer money to another individual or entity to entice them to undertake a venture or project that they would not normally embark upon because it is not economically feasible. We want any candidate that we support to pledge to end the usage of subsidies at all levels of the government.

I could go on, but you should get the picture here. The Iowa Defense Alliance is not a rubber stamp. We will hold all candidates accountable to the same standard; Democrat or Republican; left or right. And because of this you will know where we stand. Our core beliefs and values are not negotiable. So I suppose that the message that I would like to convey to our critics is don’t blame us, we didn’t change, Grassley did.

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The Tea Party: a wake up call!

July 4, 2010 by 1 Comment

I started my 4th of July by reading the Des Moines Sunday Register, specifically the ‘Your 2 Cents’ Worth’ comments. In case you missed this part of the Metro and Iowa section here are the words that caught my attention.

“We just had our first sweet corn and hate to have the cobs go to the landfill. How about if we all donate them to the tea-partiers for use in their outhouses? If they want the 18th century back, they can have it.”

Signed: “Ames guy”.

Ames guy is rude and crude and probably not worth the attention I am giving him with my post. Rather I wish to high light an awesome writing by Karen Miner Hurd entitled “What the Tea Party Stands For”. I will share a portion of her great article below and you may read the remainder of it here.

The absolutely amazing thing about the entire Tea Party Movement, which has grown exponentially, is the unity and deep conviction of those involved. The Tea Party movement is drawing people from all political stripes, social causes, and income brackets. It is drawing people who have never participated in any kind of political or grassroots movement before. What we have in common, and what holds us together, is a very deep love for the uniqueness of the United States of America, a desire for the limited government that our Founding Fathers created, a fairly “strict” interpretation of the Constitution, a belief in capitalism and free enterprise and a strong sense of personal responsibility. Tea Party Movement people are feeling an urgency. They are sensing that we must take action NOW, not next year.

As the article states: “The Tea Party is a wake up call to all Americans.” Some of us seem to be waking up faster than others, especially one guy in Ames, Iowa!

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Bob Vander Plaats and Independence

July 3, 2010 by 1 Comment

It has been a week since the 2010 Iowa GOP State Convention.

A week where the winners (Terry Branstad and Kim Reynolds) and their devoted supporters continue their verbal and written assaults on the loser (Bob Vander Plaats) and his also devoted supporters.

Like clock work more stories are posted on the Terry Branstad blog site that pretends to be the place where Republicans can get their news. Many of these stories and the comments that follow are really character assassinations. It is evident that when some my fellow Iowans do not like what someone says or believes they take their precious time to sit hour after hour to post in order to out do each other with vile comments. Iowans like Danny Carroll, Bill Salier, and Steve Deace all get copious amounts of typing time as their names are repeatedly dredged in the gutter of unkind and unflattering words and opinions.

There must be a great amount of pleasure that is obtained in winners that still focus so much time to harangue on the losers. I had mistakenly thought that winners celebrate and savor the victory. Obviously this is not the game plan for Terry Branstad and his supporters. Winning was not enough. There is more skin to scalp and more hearts to hurt or turn to stone.

I was an early and happy supporter of Bob Vander Plaats. The events I attended were times of learning about his vision for Iowa and I liked what I heard. I noted kindness, respect, appreciation, and a host of other great qualities that I believed would be a welcome change for the leadership that is so needed in Iowa.

When I read that I am a part of a cult and that Iowans that I admire and respect are treated in such horrid ways I know it is time to declare Independence.

As pointed out in this comment posted on the Terry Branstad blog site Iowa citizens like me can’t think for ourselves. We have been “brainwashed”.

Just took a look at Deace’s blog. This man is Jim Jones without the Kool Aid. His followers have been brainwashed exactly like the followers of Jim Jones.

As July 4, 2010 approaches and Americans celebrate our Independence I urge Iowans to seek freedom from the influence or control of others.

Say no to being brainwashed or influenced by Iowans who have nothing better to do than trash the good names of fellow patriots.

Say no to being pulled under a big tent where you will once again be under the influence of the elite and power hungry members of the Republican Party.

Say no to professional bloggers who assist in trashing and bashing and give free reign so that many others can trash and bash, as well.

I am too old to be naïve that any words I would write would change the hearts and minds of people who make extreme comments like the one I have shared about Jim Jones. Yet, I pledge to not kill myself because I read the awesome words on Steve Deace’s blog. I have too much heart and effort to give to local candidates and too little time to read words of hate.

Independence!

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Can a 3rd Party Candidate Win the Governor’s Race?

July 2, 2010 by 7 Comments

Can a third party or independent candidate for statewide office actually win an election? This is a question I have been mulling over since the end of the primary almost one month ago. For most election cycles I would answer no, that the two major political parties have too strong of a stranglehold on the electoral system. That is they are too entrenched to effectively oust their dominance at the ballot box. Usually the best that a third party candidate can hope for is to influence the debate during the campaign by siphoning enough votes for the major party candidates to be threatened. However this year there seems to be some factors in play that may benefit the independent candidates over the established parties.

One of the biggest themes that we have seen so far this year is the overwhelming anti-incumbent sentiment sweeping the country. With our countries debt climbing at an astronomical rate, many people are associating it with the politicians that are currently in office. And while this sentiment has yet to make a major appearance in Iowa, it is simmering on the burner waiting for the right moment to boil over and take Chet Culver with it.

This should make it a cakewalk for Branstad to win the election. And under normal circumstances I would agree with that statement. However this year’s Republican primary race was particularly brutal. It was so brutal that the wounds, which would normally be healed by the time of the State Convention, have yet to heal. The sad truth is that when it comes to the gubernatorial race the Republican Party is deeply divided. Many supporters of Branstad’s opponent have openly stated that they can no longer sacrifice their principles for the sake of the party. They have vowed to either sit home on election night or they plan on voting for a third party candidate. To top it off former Governor Branstad has failed to meaningfully reach out to his opponents supporters to entice them to work toward his victory.

This year has also rewarded voters with a stellar field of independent candidates. A few months ago Libertarian candidate Eric Cooper wowed an assembled crowd at the Iowan’s for Tax Relief candidate forum in Des Moines with his bold stance on the fiscal issues that they hold dear. While he doesn’t have the name recognition of the other candidates in the race I believe that if he were to be included in any televised debates would increase is standing tremendously due to his spectacular oratorical skills.

The other wild card in this race is former Des Moines Public School Board member Jonathon Narcisse. Narcisse’s claim to fame is his trademark release of records illustrating just how bad the Des Moines School District was failing its students. Narcisse also spoke to the assembled mass at the ITR forum where he wowed the crowd with his knowledge of a wide variety of economic issues. Perhaps coupling his name recognition with his frank and outspoken nature Narcisse could garner enough votes in the general election to go home the victor.

While a victory from a third party candidate can still be considered a long shot, the pieces are in place that could result in a massive upset. All it will take is for Branstad and Culver to pound on each other while ignoring Narcisse and Cooper. However you look at it the potential exists for a third party victory in the general election.

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Culver’s Incompetence Continues

July 1, 2010 by 4 Comments

In 2006 the people of Iowa elected Chet Culver with the expectation that he would faithfully and competently execute the duties and responsibilities of the office. Unfortunately he has failed miserably. Governor Culver has haphazardly blundered his way through his first, and quite possibly only, term as Governor of Iowa. He, along with his administration, has squandered away countless opportunities to be the leader the State of Iowa needs. His administration has found itself mired in one scandal after another as he has provided the state with a perfect illustration of executive incompetence. And as his campaign for reelection picks up steam he has shown that he can manage it no better than he can manage the state. Culver desperately needs a miracle if he intends to win reelection to his second term.

The latest miscalculation from Governor Culver’s campaign involves an outlandish attack on his opponent, Terry Branstad. Yesterday afternoon the Culver campaign released documentation that would seem to indicate that former Governor Branstad may have taken part in unethical use of state resources during his four terms as Governor during the 80’s and 90’s. According to documents unearthed by Culver’s campaign staff, former Governor Branstad used state resources to correspond with campaign donors as well as to research his opponents. While these allegations may be true, it doesn’t make sense for Culver to attack Branstad on these indiscretions.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a firm believe that our politicians need to be completely open and honest with the citizens of the state. It is my opinion that if former Governor Branstad really wants to be the next Governor of Iowa he needs to answer the questions raised by these documents. In short did former Governor Branstad use state resources in order to campaign and correspond with campaign donors? Now that these documents have been release former Governor Branstad needs to be fully open and honest about them. With that being said, I think that any ethical or legal questions raised by these documents pale in comparison to the sheer number of scandals that the Culver administration has found itself in.

It is difficult to fathom just what motivated Governor Culver to use this line of attack. Did he believe that criticizing Branstad for possible ethical and legal issues would make his go away? If this was his motivation I think it will ultimately fall upon deaf ears. After all it is Governor Culver’s administration that has stumbled from one scandal to the next with little to no end in sight. Even if Governor Culver himself had no part in any of the scandals, it is his decisions that put these people into positions that they in the end abused. In fact it is my humble opinion that if Culver was using this issue to deflect from his own ethical and legal anomalies I believe that it will backfire. I think that rather than deflecting attention to Terry Branstad’s history, it will cause the Culver administration to come under even more scrutiny. And that is something that Governor Culver does not need right now.

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