Good one!

Uploaded by MrTimotheus85 on Feb 29, 2012

New from Rick Santorum. I found it very moving.

Uploaded by RickSantorum on Jan 18, 2012

CNN Covers AFP-Michigan’s Prosperity Forum [Feb. 25; Troy, MI]

Uploaded by AforP on Feb 27, 2012

via J.C. | February 28, 2012

A few days ago, we pondered the question of what will happen to the various county conventions and the state convention.  Well, here it is.  No precinct or county conventions can be held this year.  The state convention will go on as scheduled because hotel space, etc. has been under contract for over a year.

This is Outrageous and the only person to blame is Lloyd Doggett. He’s the one who lobbied to keep control of his district in Austin.

State Dems, GOP cancel grass-roots conventions

Posted: Tuesday, February 28, 2012 4:00 am | Updated: 7:28 am, Tue Feb 28, 2012.

By Glenn Evans gevans@news-journal.comLongview News-Journal |

The Democratic and Republican parties in Texas are giving up their grass-roots precinct conventions this year to ensure scheduled state meets occur on time.

“That’s just not an option this year,” Republican Party of Texas spokesman Chris Elam said Monday. “We have to have delegates to our state convention in order to have a state convention, and they are chosen at county and (senate) district conventions.”

Party members attending those open conventions, often in living rooms, choose delegates to the county or senate district conventions who, in turn, pick people for the state conventions.

The trouble is, the primary night that starts the ball rolling keeps retreating — from March to April and now May. Both parties hold their state conventions, when they pick people to go on to the national conventions and elect their presidential nominee, the first week of June.

(The party nominees in modern history have been selected through the primary process, leaving national conventions more of a rally for the ‘presumed nominee’ than a contested race to the wire).

Read more at Longview News-Journal article.

Back by Popular demand is our Guest Speaker

Penny Venable,Texas Director of Americans for Prosperity

Topic for the evening will be Economic Freedom 

“And if you really want to get scared to death, watch for and attend AFP’s Economic Freedom presentation that Peggy Venable is spearheading across the state. The PowerPoint depicts spending nationally and locally and, of the $322 billion in debt for the state of Texas, 34% of the expenditures are for – you guessed it – school finance. It is the largest line item in the state budget.”  Read more…

To learn more about Ms. Venable visit our website: northhaysgop.org

Sunday, March 11, 2012

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Church of the Springs

230 Sports Park Rd., Dripping Springs

This month also begins our annual membership drive. Dues are $25.00 per person or $40.00 per couple. All monies go directly to the group for events and meeting expenses.

—–

The Hays County 2012 Republican Candidate Forum

Sunday, March 25th, 6:00 P.M.

Wimberley Community Center

For more information on the event and the candidates please visit our website at:

WimberleyValleyRepublicanGroup.com

The food stamp program, part of the Department of Agriculture, is pleased to be distributing the greatest amount of food stamps ever.

Meanwhile, the Park Service, also part of the Department of Agriculture, asks us to “please do not feed the animals” because the animals may grow dependent and not learn to take care of themselves.

Ya think?

Hat tip Swami Bob.

Hat tip Anita in DC. Heh.

J.C.: “Ted Cruz seems to be bringing in a new endorsement every week and he’s not getting donations from the Democrats like Ducking David.”

Uploaded by TedCruzforSenate on Feb 21, 2012

Another really dumb idea brought to you by the progressives and the Obama administration.

by J.C. | February 27, 2012 | Commentary

The concept behind the  “Strategic Petroleum Reserves” is that they are held for a national emergency or catastrophic event.  It would be foolish for Obama to release the SPR’s unless that is part of his strategy to bring America to her knees.

America has about 726 bbls (Billion Barrels) of sweet and sour crud oil in our Strategic Petroleum Reserves.

If Obama orders the release of our Strategic Petroleum Reserves, the DOE would  be prepared to begin deliveries of oil into the marketplace within 13 days.  This equates to 34 days of oil at current daily US consumption levels of 21 million barrels per day.   The maximum that the DOE could pump out is 4.4 million barrels per day and after 90 days the curve will drop precipitously over the next 12 months.   America consumes more than China, India, Japan and Russia combined. (2009 rates)

Strategic Petroleum Reserve – Profile

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is the world’s largest supply of emergency crude oil. The federally-owned oil stocks are stored in huge underground salt caverns along the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico.   Decisions to withdraw crude oil from the SPR are made by the President under the authorities of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act.  In the event of an energy emergency, SPR oil would be distributed by competitive sale.

http://fossil.energy.gov/programs/reserves/spr/spr-facts.html

Obama pressed to open emergency oil stocks

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Cowboy Byte

The Obama administration is coming under growing pressure to cool petrol prices by releasing emergency stocks of oil.

However, critics say this would be the wrong response to the wrong problem at the wrong time.

Oil prices climbed to a nine-month high of $125 a barrel on Friday, raising fears of a new oil shock that could endanger economic recovery. The immediate trigger was a report by the UN’s nuclear watchdog saying that Iran had significantly increased production of higher-grade uranium over the past six months.

Source.

You Sue Me, I Sue You

Beating the educrats with their own shtick

by Sibyl West | February 27, 2012 | Commentary

With Texas school district debt at $108 billion, the buzz is that school finance will probably be a key issue in the next Texas legislature convening in January 2013. But the fact is that only 50 cents of every dollar spent for schools actually makes it into the classroom. The other half goes to “administration” – you know, that multi-headed beast in the foggy lagoon that no one recognizes, let alone dares to confront.

This story from last September is about California but it shows where Texas is headed – and we’re almost there. Check out School Supervisors Get Super Deals.  Apparently the more they get, the more they want.

In October 2011 Mark Steyn wrote about US education funding in general:

For every three teachers we “put back in the classroom,” we need to hire two bureaucrats to put back in the bureaucracy to fill in the paperwork to access the federal funds to put teachers back in the classroom. One day it will be three educrats for every two teachers, and the system will operate even more effectively.

Well Texas is ahead of the pack, as usual. Our teacher – educrat ratio is 1:1. That’s right, you heard me. For every classroom teacher there is a person in administration. Steyn’s “three for two” model is coming right up. Demands for education funding have increased in Texas six times faster than the increase in student population.

Back in May 2011 itchy edu-fingers were ready to rip open the Rainy Day Fund. At that time the debt was only $101 billion. Nine months later it’s $7 billion more. That’s not a growing problem – it’s a metastasizing one, like cancer or something. Then in December Texas school districts filed lawsuits against the state again, this time that focus on on what they termed “equity and adequacy”. What that really amounts to is a virtual state wide property tax. Steve Ogden and others inside the education establishment would have liked to see a special session to address school finance but that was knocked down by Governor Perry.

But miracles do happen every now and then. On Friday a coalition of taxpayers finally sued back.  Both of the lawsuits are focused on maintenance and operations money and will end up on the desk of Texas AG Greg Abbott.

School district debt is local taxpayer debt (not including unfunded mandates like pensions and OPEB – other post employment benefits). The taxpayers get stuck with both the debt and the interest. What adds insult to injury is that the education bureaucracy isn’t funneling that money where the taxpayers want it to go – to the classroom and to keep good teachers in the classrooms.  “Other professional” staffers (that does not include administrators) make an average of $8,000 more than teachers make.  The system is a jobs  program for educrats  - and the kids are the last thing on their minds.

See also Charter school group wants to be part of school finance lawsuit. Americans for Prosperity is not part of the lawsuit but they are on the cheerleading team.

Keep an eye out for updates on this issue here. Go ahead and bookmark it if you’re a taxpaying Texas parent.

And if you really want to get scared to death, watch for and attend AFP’s Economic Freedom presentation that Peggy Venable is spearheading across the state. The PowerPoint depicts spending nationally and locally and, of the $322 billion in debt for the state of Texas, 34% of the expenditures are for – you guessed it – school finance. It is the largest line item in the state budget.

Are Texas schools efficient or free?

via Peggy Venable | February 24, 2012 | Americans for Prosperity

The state constitution calls for an efficient system of free public schools. We recall that Milton Friedman famously pointed out there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Taxpayers, there is no such thing as a free public school. Nor are they efficient.

AFP has created a project called the Red Apple Project (www.RedAppleProject.com). This project uses official school district data provided to the Texas Education Agency by the school districts.

Click here to read the full story. 

Fort Worth ISD offers buyout program, estimates $10.5 million net savings in first year
By: Texas Watchdog

Short $55 million to balance its budget for the coming school year, the Fort Worth Independent School District has so far agreed to pay as much as $10,000 to 209 of its teachers to retire or otherwise leave the district’s employ.

As reported yesterday by Texas Watchdog, the state’s largest school districts have been leaning heavily on attrition to reduce spending and have so far been mostly able to avoid laying off teachers.

Please see detailed staffing and budget data for Fort Worth and eight of the other largest districts by clicking here.

Fort Worth estimates that it could pay out as much as $4.5 million in bonuses but could save $15 million in salaries for positions that would remain unfilled.

Click here to read the full story on TexasWatchdog.com

From October 2011: Mark Steyn, writing on waste and inefficiency in public education had this to say about the US economy in general:

Don’t worry, it’s a book with a happy ending! U.S.-government spending is sustainable as long as by 2020 the rest of the planet is willing to sink 19 percent of its GDP into U.S. Treasury debt. And why wouldn’t they? After all, if you’re a Chinese politburo member or a Saudi prince or a Russian kleptocrat or a Somali pirate and you switched on CNN International and chanced to catch Joe Biden’s Fourth Grade Economics class, why wouldn’t you cheerily dump a fifth of your GDP into a business model with such a bright future?

Ridicule at its best – visually superb, factually accurate, entirely warranted. Enjoy!

Uploaded by RaisingRedActionFund on Feb 26, 2012

By Grassroots Team on February 25, 2012

As part of our Take America Back 2012 campaign, FreedomWorks for America began an extensive West Texas Tour today with a grassroots training workshop at the Prime Time Family Center in Abilene.

The event began at 2 p.m. with Campaigns Coordinator David Spielman greeting the 25 activists in attendance and leading a discussion of our long term grassroots strategy: “Build to win, win to build.”

“Our philosophy is simple,” Spielman explained. “We come here to support your work and supply you with the tools to become better activists for the issues and candidates you care about. That’s our FreedomWorks service-center model.”

Spielman stressed the importance of building coalitions in grassroots battles so that—win or lose—we emerge with stronger, larger, and more committed networks of freedom-loving activists.

Read it all at FreedomWorksforAmerica.org 

“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.”
– Frederic Bastiat (1801 – 1850)

Plunder, ladies and gentlemen, is the name of this game. February 22, 2012 show.

Uploaded by JudicialWatch on Feb 23, 2012

via Matt Beynon | February 26, 2012 | Team Santorum

Verona, PA – The Rick Santorum for President campaign is proud to sponsor Front Row Motorsports’ No. 26 Ford Fusion in today’s Daytona 500.  Veteran driver Tony Raines will be behind the wheel of the No. 26 entry after qualifying on speed for the starting field last Sunday in the feel-good, underdog story of the day.

Rick Santorum said: “NASCAR and the Daytona 500 are about as American as you can get – and it’s great to have my campaign represented by one of these incredible machines. The race weekend is a wonderful tradition that we’re excited to be a part of as we spread our message. I like how Tony Raines turned some heads last weekend with his qualifying run and we’d like to keep turning heads too. I think we’re both looking for a win in the end.”

Team Owner Bob Jenkins said: “We’re glad to partner with the Santorum campaign. We know there will be millions of eyes on these cars on Sunday and we know we can help get their message out.  It’s a pretty tight battle for the Republican nomination right now, and the former Senator is right in the thick of it.  We hope we’re in the thick of it come Sunday out on the racetrack, too.”

The Rick Santorum for President’s campaign messaging will be on the hood and quarter panels of Raines’ Ford Fusion for Sunday’s season-opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at the 2.5-mile superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Sunday’s Daytona 500 will air nationwide today on FOX, with coverage beginning at noon (ET).

To learn more about former Senator Rick Santorum, please visit www.RickSantorum.com.

###

by Lou Ann Anderson | February 25, 2012 | Bell County Legal News Examiner

May 12 will provide Killeen voters an important opportunity regarding leadership in their city.  In electing five new city council members and a new mayor, will outrage that fueled last spring’s recall of all seven council members continue and encourage a new era of municipal governance?  Or, will voices calling for new blood, new ideas and new perspective be silenced as the “old guard” – perhaps sporting new faces – works to re-establish its long-maintained dominance?  And what’s ahead for those advocating a city government responsive to taxpayers and public interests over a perceived good ol’ boy network rife with self-interest and cronyism?  Will their efforts find success or be silenced, marginalized and discredited as a “don’t try this at home” warning to others?

Jonathan Okray fought city hall and won.  Many Killeen residents view the recall petition organizer as a key voice articulating voters’ desire for increased government transparency and accountability, as a voice reminding that our government should work for – not against us!

Continue reading on Examiner.com .

-Signs Defending the American Dream Pledge-

AUSTIN—The Texas chapter of the free market grassroots group Americans for Prosperity (AFP-TX) today applauded U.S. Senate Candidate Ted Cruz for signing the group’s Defending the American Dream Pledge.  Cruz joins more than 60 elected officials and candidates across Texas on the federal, state and local levels who are pledging to “support limiting spending growth to population growth plus inflation; creating Emergency and Budget Stabilization funds with excess tax revenue, and returning any tax dollars above the necessary amount back to the taxpayers through tax cuts; and requiring voter or legislative supermajority approval for tax and spending increases.”

“Government should be fiscally disciplined and not pose an unnecessary burden on the taxpayers, especially in this economic environment,” said AFP-TX State Director Peggy Venable.  “We encourage all of Texas’ elected officials and candidates for elected office to sign.”

To see the full list of signers, please click here.

“Thanks to the leadership of these individuals who have pledged to protect the taxpayer’s interests, Texas has become the beacon of fiscal sanity in the United States,” said Venable. “Good policies promote prosperity, as we have seen in our state. Our initiative, www.LoneStarStrong.com, highlights the policies and elected officials who have followed the guidelines of this pledge, and this has led to great prosperity in Texas.”

The pledge is available online by clicking here. AFP does not endorse candidates.  All elected officials and candidates are encouraged to sign the pledge and go on the record in support of these three taxpayer protections.

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen-leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and intrusiveness of government is the best way to promote individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens to support restraining state and federal government growth and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP is more than 1.8 million activists strong, with activists in all 50 states.  AFP has 34 state chapters and affiliates. More than 90,000 Americans in all 50 states have made a financial contribution to AFP or AFP Foundation. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

Americans for Prosperity does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

###

AFP-Texas Applauds U.S. Senate Candidate Craig James

-Signs No Climate Tax Pledge & Defending the American Dream Pledge-

AUSTIN— Americans for Prosperity-Texas, the premier advocate of economic freedom with more than 110,000 members in the Lone Star State, today applauds U.S. Senate Candidate Craig James for signing AFP’s No Climate Tax Pledge and Defending the American Dream Pledge.

“Now more than ever, it is critical Texans demand fiscal accountability from elected officials and those seeking elected office,” said Peggy Venable, AFP-Texas State Director. “Taxpayers deserve a candidate who is going to fight for them to rein in the explosive growth of government that is destroying prosperity in our nation. I encourage all of Texas’ elected officials and candidates for elected office to sign these two critical pledges.”

“I am honored to join with Peggy Venable and Americans for Prosperity in fighting for common sense fiscal policies,” Craig James, U.S. Senate Candidate. “Signing these pledges signifies my commitment to ending out-of-control spending, reining in the burdensome regulations that weigh down our economy, and being more frugal with taxpayer dollars. Peggy and Americans for Prosperity are advocates for taxpayers and I share their passion for demanding greater accountability in government.”

James’ No Climate Tax Pledge is a promise to oppose any legislation relating to climate change that includes a net increase in government revenue. James joins more than 594 bipartisan lawmakers and candidates on the federal, state, and local levels who have taken the pledge.

The U.S. Senate Candidate from Celina has also pledged to support responsible government, fiscal discipline, and share the belief that the most important decisions about our state’s future should be decided by the citizens themselves.

The No Climate Tax Pledge is available here and the Defending the American Dream Pledge is available here.  In signing the Defending the American Dream Pledge, he also indicated his commitment to pay off government debt.

Americans for Prosperity does not support or oppose candidates for public office.  All elected officials and candidates are encouraged to sign the pledge and go on the record in support of these taxpayer protections. 

 ###

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen-leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and intrusiveness of government is the best way to promote individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens to support restraining state and federal government growth and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP is more than 1.8 million activists strong, with activists in all 50 states.  AFP has 34 state chapters and affiliates. More than 90,000 Americans in all 50 states have made a financial contribution to AFP or AFP Foundation. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

Americans for Prosperity does not support or oppose candidates for public office.