According to FoxNews, Andrew G. Biggs, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think tank said, "Congress has to be able to tell people they are not getting everything they want." Although he was talking about Social Security at the time, it applies as readily to “free” healthcare. There is no such thing as “free”; it always costs somebody something.
Here in Oregon, we already have a form of Socialized medicine in the Oregon Health Plan. It is to my great embarrassment that Oregon’s plan is often held up as an example of what we don’t want in our country! One of the stories often quoted is The one about Barbara Wagner, who is covered through the state of Oregon's government health care plan, and was denied an important cancer drug she requested and instead was offered a drug for assisted suicide. Her doctor offered hope in the new chemotherapy drug Tarceva, but the Oregon Health Plan sent her a letter telling her the cancer treatment was not approved. Instead, the letter said, the plan would pay for comfort care, including "physician aid in dying," better known as assisted suicide.
Even Joe Lieberman calls for a stop to pushing through this nationalized health plan. He urges a more gradual movement because of economic concerns.
My healthcare platform includes the following planks:
• Bring insurance companies under the Sherman Anti-trust laws like every other business.
• Make insurance portable so that it can be purchased across state lines. When I moved from Michigan to Oregon 5 years ago, my car & health insurance premiums each decreased by exactly one half. If we could buy across state lines, the competition would force prices to drop ~ if used in conjunction with the Sherman Anti-trust law.
• Tort reform. Those who have been injured permanently and catastrophically should never be left without medical coverage, but no one should get rich on a malpractice suit including the lawyers. Tort reform has worked remarkably in Texas and doctors flocked to the Lone Star state in the first 3 years since Tort reform was enacted in 2004.
• It is also within the scope of Congress’ enumerated powers to allow providers who provide pro bono care to indigent patients a federal tax credit equal to the Medicare/Medicaid payment that would otherwise be paid.
• We also need to make sure that all recipients of non-emergency care are citizens. We cannot afford to continue to provide “free” care, which as I stated before is not free.
Whatever we decide, we must not rush into a plan that has not been well thought out regarding outcomes. It can be compared to going to the doctor for chest pain and being rushed into open heart surgery without testing. Something needs to be done, but we need to make sure that we are doing the right thing at the right time.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Social Security & Socialism
Those on Social Security have received automatic COLA adjustments in the SS payments since 1975. Next year, for the first time, there will be no COLA adjustment. Although the gross payments will not decrease, Medicare costs, which are paid for by the recipient, are due to go up resulting in a net loss.
When I fight against the Socialization of America, I often am hit with “Medicare & Social Security are socialist programs”. Well, they are! We were not given the option of keeping that money to invest it privately. I would be very comfortable in giving up those programs as long as those who paid into it ~without any choice~ were given the money that they put into it, any deceased spouses put into it, their employers’ matching funds and the interest they would have made had they been able to invest the money from the beginning. Those in the work force now, need to be phased out, with the option to invest in their own private retirement plan. This could easily have been done with the money wasted in the failed massive bailouts of the past year.
When I fight against the Socialization of America, I often am hit with “Medicare & Social Security are socialist programs”. Well, they are! We were not given the option of keeping that money to invest it privately. I would be very comfortable in giving up those programs as long as those who paid into it ~without any choice~ were given the money that they put into it, any deceased spouses put into it, their employers’ matching funds and the interest they would have made had they been able to invest the money from the beginning. Those in the work force now, need to be phased out, with the option to invest in their own private retirement plan. This could easily have been done with the money wasted in the failed massive bailouts of the past year.
War on Terrorism? Really?
Barack Obama campaigned last year on getting out of the wars and bringing our troops home. According to a WSJ article on Aug 10, The Obama administration is in the midst of an Afghan buildup that will push U.S. troop levels here to a record 68,000 by year end. Now, 8 months after taking office, the war in Afghanistan is going so poorly that America's top military commander Admiral Mike Mullen was grimly preparing a war-weary public Sunday for the possibility that many more U.S soldiers (upwards of 20,000) may soon be needed.
Casualties are up 50 per cent over last year and roughly five times the levels in 2004. Casualties this year stand at 289. Last year’s 12 month total was 294. 42 Americans died in July, the highest number in a single month since the 2001 invasion. 9 U.S. Army soldiers, five Marines and one U.S. Navy sailor were killed between July 25 and August 7, 2009.
Our allies are pulling their troops out due to citizen opposition to this war and the result will be more endangerment of our troops.
Is our American public so gullible that we believe that this war is against terrorism? If we were really concerned about terrorism in our own country, wouldn’t we be shutting our borders, making it more difficult to get into America? But, no, our borders are porous.
If I am worried about someone breaking into my house, I would not leave the doors and windows open while I went down to the local doper hangout looking for someone that might someday try to break into my house. I would lock my doors and windows and perhaps put alarms up. Likewise, we should be closing our borders and putting our troops in place to protect them.
Furthermore, when our vets come home, we must take care of them. Our current troops as well as our vets from previous wars should be allowed to go to any healthcare provider of their choice at taxpayer expense. We owe them the best healthcare possible for service related injuries and illnesses.
Rather than that, though, there are those in our government that want to publish a booklet for our vets entitled “Your Life, Your Choices”. This book includes a checklist to help determine whether a veteran’s life is worth living. Two statements in the document are "I am a severe financial burden on my family," and "My situation causes severe emotional burden for my family."
Is this how we thank our vets and their families for the sacrifices they have made? I am disgusted!
Casualties are up 50 per cent over last year and roughly five times the levels in 2004. Casualties this year stand at 289. Last year’s 12 month total was 294. 42 Americans died in July, the highest number in a single month since the 2001 invasion. 9 U.S. Army soldiers, five Marines and one U.S. Navy sailor were killed between July 25 and August 7, 2009.
Our allies are pulling their troops out due to citizen opposition to this war and the result will be more endangerment of our troops.
Is our American public so gullible that we believe that this war is against terrorism? If we were really concerned about terrorism in our own country, wouldn’t we be shutting our borders, making it more difficult to get into America? But, no, our borders are porous.
If I am worried about someone breaking into my house, I would not leave the doors and windows open while I went down to the local doper hangout looking for someone that might someday try to break into my house. I would lock my doors and windows and perhaps put alarms up. Likewise, we should be closing our borders and putting our troops in place to protect them.
Furthermore, when our vets come home, we must take care of them. Our current troops as well as our vets from previous wars should be allowed to go to any healthcare provider of their choice at taxpayer expense. We owe them the best healthcare possible for service related injuries and illnesses.
Rather than that, though, there are those in our government that want to publish a booklet for our vets entitled “Your Life, Your Choices”. This book includes a checklist to help determine whether a veteran’s life is worth living. Two statements in the document are "I am a severe financial burden on my family," and "My situation causes severe emotional burden for my family."
Is this how we thank our vets and their families for the sacrifices they have made? I am disgusted!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Gun toting protesters
It is disturbing to me that the people carrying their firearms to these rallies in New Hampshire and Arizona are disturbing to some people, such as Arthur Frommer, the travel guru. Gun statistics overwhelmingly support gun rights, yet there are many that refuse to allow their brains to wrap around the facts.
These men (and women?) are showing people that gun owners are not dangerous. They aren’t a threat. Guns are simply a tool that is legal to own and carry. In fact, someone who is legally carrying a gun is much less likely to become a victim of crime than someone who isn’t. And usually, a shot doesn’t even need to be fired.
A basic knowledge of history and the Constitution would go a long way in current society. Unfortunately, both are in short demand. At the writing of the Constitution, the new republic (as opposed to a democracy) had recently come out of a bitter war with a tyrannical government. Our founding fathers wanted to ensure that the new nation would not come under control of tyranny ever again. Here are some words of our founding fathers regarding guns:
"The said Constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms." - Sam Adams, as reported in the Philadelphia Independent Gazetteer, August 20, 1879.
"The great object is that every man be armed. Everybody who is able may have a gun." - Patrick Henry
"Americans need never fear their government because of the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation." - James Madison
"When firearms go, all goes....we need them every hour." - George Washington
"I ask sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials." - George Mason
"Laws that forbid the carrying of guns...disarm only those who are neither inclined not determined to commit crimes....Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailant; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." - Thomas Jefferson
"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence...From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to ensure peace, security, and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable. The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference; they deserve a place of honor with all that's good." - George Washington
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain their right to keep and bear arms is as a last resort to protect themselves against tyranny in government." - Thomas Jefferson
Given these quotes, we see that hunting and personal self-defense are secondary to the reason the 2nd amendment was penned. Justice Thomas said it best, “Let me put it this way; there are really only two ways to interpret the Constitution -- try to discern as best we can what the framers intended or make it up.”
Hunting is an obvious use of firearms and is rarely argued by anyone except animal rights activists. Self-defense however is hotly contested.
In its original writing, the 2nd Amendment took only 27 words. (A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed)
Over decades & decades, our city, state and federal legislators have spent untold time and energy in the attempt to interpret these 27 words in a way to remove this right from the law-abiding citizen. In some places, this endeavor has succeeded but with all their effort, those legislators have not succeeded in removing guns from the criminals, and they never will!
In every country where guns were banned or tightly controlled, gun violence has risen. Ask who owns guns in Canada, Mexico, England, Australia, 1933 Germany and yes, in New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Washington D.C. and so many other places where guns are not permitted or are heavily restricted. In areas of gun rights, violent crimes decrease.
With law enforcement being hit with cuts, and the Supreme court affirming that Law Enforcement Officers have no obligation to protect individuals (Bowers v. DeVito, (1982), we have a right and a responsibility to protect ourselves and our families.
I did not open carry at any of our townhalls, but I defend these patriots’ right to do so. I also admire their gumption to do so, knowing that they would be subjected to the ridicule and condemnation of those who believe that Americans are too stupid to be trusted with guns.
These men (and women?) are showing people that gun owners are not dangerous. They aren’t a threat. Guns are simply a tool that is legal to own and carry. In fact, someone who is legally carrying a gun is much less likely to become a victim of crime than someone who isn’t. And usually, a shot doesn’t even need to be fired.
A basic knowledge of history and the Constitution would go a long way in current society. Unfortunately, both are in short demand. At the writing of the Constitution, the new republic (as opposed to a democracy) had recently come out of a bitter war with a tyrannical government. Our founding fathers wanted to ensure that the new nation would not come under control of tyranny ever again. Here are some words of our founding fathers regarding guns:
"The said Constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms." - Sam Adams, as reported in the Philadelphia Independent Gazetteer, August 20, 1879.
"The great object is that every man be armed. Everybody who is able may have a gun." - Patrick Henry
"Americans need never fear their government because of the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation." - James Madison
"When firearms go, all goes....we need them every hour." - George Washington
"I ask sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials." - George Mason
"Laws that forbid the carrying of guns...disarm only those who are neither inclined not determined to commit crimes....Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailant; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." - Thomas Jefferson
"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence...From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to ensure peace, security, and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable. The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference; they deserve a place of honor with all that's good." - George Washington
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain their right to keep and bear arms is as a last resort to protect themselves against tyranny in government." - Thomas Jefferson
Given these quotes, we see that hunting and personal self-defense are secondary to the reason the 2nd amendment was penned. Justice Thomas said it best, “Let me put it this way; there are really only two ways to interpret the Constitution -- try to discern as best we can what the framers intended or make it up.”
Hunting is an obvious use of firearms and is rarely argued by anyone except animal rights activists. Self-defense however is hotly contested.
In its original writing, the 2nd Amendment took only 27 words. (A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed)
Over decades & decades, our city, state and federal legislators have spent untold time and energy in the attempt to interpret these 27 words in a way to remove this right from the law-abiding citizen. In some places, this endeavor has succeeded but with all their effort, those legislators have not succeeded in removing guns from the criminals, and they never will!
In every country where guns were banned or tightly controlled, gun violence has risen. Ask who owns guns in Canada, Mexico, England, Australia, 1933 Germany and yes, in New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Washington D.C. and so many other places where guns are not permitted or are heavily restricted. In areas of gun rights, violent crimes decrease.
With law enforcement being hit with cuts, and the Supreme court affirming that Law Enforcement Officers have no obligation to protect individuals (Bowers v. DeVito, (1982), we have a right and a responsibility to protect ourselves and our families.
I did not open carry at any of our townhalls, but I defend these patriots’ right to do so. I also admire their gumption to do so, knowing that they would be subjected to the ridicule and condemnation of those who believe that Americans are too stupid to be trusted with guns.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Wake up America; It's time to fight for Liberty!
Today I am going to post an article by my future colleague and fellow Congressional candidate RJ Harris, OK4.
Wake up America; It's time to fight for Liberty!
By RJ Harris
Unprecedented in our nation’s recent history, the silent liberty loving majority has begun to wake up to the "long train of abuses" being perpetrated against them by the current ruling classes. Unfortunately, many in the leadership of the many grass-roots organizations attempting to marshal the awaking body politic have asserted that they should not be politically active nor partisan- motivated. God love the Birchers, but for the last 50+ years they have attempted that exact same non-political, educational effort to no avail…for here we are watching as the Congress and the White House rip our Constitution to shreds, destroying our Republic in the process, while we stand by being non-political and non-partisan. Not to be out-done by the neutrality of the 501c3s, the Republican and Democrat Party Establishments refuse to support primary challengers to their own incumbent bailout voters. What have these current incumbent bailout voters, and the parties that support them, have to fear so long as we remain enthralled to party incumbents or committed to non-political educational movements? They can simply wait out this current gale of anger from us and then go back to their nefarious ways when we go back to sleep. The only thing they understand, like so many tyrants before them, is political force. When we start replacing them with Constitutional Conservatives, in large numbers, THEN we will certainly have their attention.
So how do we keep these new patriots awake and in the fight? I guarantee you it’s not through being non-political and merely an educational movement. People do not stay up all night making signs to hang from freeway overpasses nor post blogs all over the net for "educational" efforts. They do not give money in record amounts, like they did for Ron Paul, for efforts that will not result in real change. They do not get back involved in their parties to rid them of the socialists (Democrats) and corporatists (Republicans) that have taken them over by staying neutral. And they do not march in the streets with the same fire and righteous anger as they did on April 15th 2009 when they are repeatedly told that their fight is going to be non-political, neutral and therefore irrelevant. However, we will do and have done all of those things for Constitutional Conservative Candidates that we KNOW will stand up and fight for US!
My fellow Americans and Oklahomans, there are Constitutional Conservative Candidates stepping forward to fight for us all over this country and they have the establishments in both major parties running scared. As a result, you can bet that these candidates will not get any financial aid or volunteer support from their respective party establishments. Furthermore, real Constitutional Conservative Candidates will refuse to solicit money from lobbyists or party officials known to be supporting bailout voters. Thus, as much as the Constitutional Conservatives are riding to our aid, we must ride to theirs and support them with donations and volunteerism.
Socialism and Corporatism are taking over our government, our Republic is failing, the Constitution is being ignored and the American birthright of freedom is being sold out by the very people sworn to protect it. The time for neutrality and sunshine patriotism is over. It’s time to fight with your activism and your money and your votes; or watch your country die. It’s time to hold the representatives we elected accountable by replacing them with Constitutional Conservative Candidates from within our ranks. It is time to WAKE UP, and fight for liberty!
The consequences of continued non-political efforts and neutrality are too heinous to consider. Nevertheless, consider them we must. When the Roman Republic fell to imperialism from within itself, the western world did not know freedom again until 1776. For 1700+ years’ freedom and individual liberties were ignored by the great western powers of the world. If we let freedom and liberty fail on our watch, how long will it be, how many generations will pass, before the next George Washington or Thomas Jefferson are born?
We must fight now or freedom will fail and our children will wake up slaves in the land our fathers founded. FOR LIBERTY!
RJ Harris
Constitutional Conservative Republican
US Congressional Candidate
Oklahoma 4th District
www.rjharris2010.com
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)
Wake up America; It's time to fight for Liberty!
By RJ Harris
Unprecedented in our nation’s recent history, the silent liberty loving majority has begun to wake up to the "long train of abuses" being perpetrated against them by the current ruling classes. Unfortunately, many in the leadership of the many grass-roots organizations attempting to marshal the awaking body politic have asserted that they should not be politically active nor partisan- motivated. God love the Birchers, but for the last 50+ years they have attempted that exact same non-political, educational effort to no avail…for here we are watching as the Congress and the White House rip our Constitution to shreds, destroying our Republic in the process, while we stand by being non-political and non-partisan. Not to be out-done by the neutrality of the 501c3s, the Republican and Democrat Party Establishments refuse to support primary challengers to their own incumbent bailout voters. What have these current incumbent bailout voters, and the parties that support them, have to fear so long as we remain enthralled to party incumbents or committed to non-political educational movements? They can simply wait out this current gale of anger from us and then go back to their nefarious ways when we go back to sleep. The only thing they understand, like so many tyrants before them, is political force. When we start replacing them with Constitutional Conservatives, in large numbers, THEN we will certainly have their attention.
So how do we keep these new patriots awake and in the fight? I guarantee you it’s not through being non-political and merely an educational movement. People do not stay up all night making signs to hang from freeway overpasses nor post blogs all over the net for "educational" efforts. They do not give money in record amounts, like they did for Ron Paul, for efforts that will not result in real change. They do not get back involved in their parties to rid them of the socialists (Democrats) and corporatists (Republicans) that have taken them over by staying neutral. And they do not march in the streets with the same fire and righteous anger as they did on April 15th 2009 when they are repeatedly told that their fight is going to be non-political, neutral and therefore irrelevant. However, we will do and have done all of those things for Constitutional Conservative Candidates that we KNOW will stand up and fight for US!
My fellow Americans and Oklahomans, there are Constitutional Conservative Candidates stepping forward to fight for us all over this country and they have the establishments in both major parties running scared. As a result, you can bet that these candidates will not get any financial aid or volunteer support from their respective party establishments. Furthermore, real Constitutional Conservative Candidates will refuse to solicit money from lobbyists or party officials known to be supporting bailout voters. Thus, as much as the Constitutional Conservatives are riding to our aid, we must ride to theirs and support them with donations and volunteerism.
Socialism and Corporatism are taking over our government, our Republic is failing, the Constitution is being ignored and the American birthright of freedom is being sold out by the very people sworn to protect it. The time for neutrality and sunshine patriotism is over. It’s time to fight with your activism and your money and your votes; or watch your country die. It’s time to hold the representatives we elected accountable by replacing them with Constitutional Conservative Candidates from within our ranks. It is time to WAKE UP, and fight for liberty!
The consequences of continued non-political efforts and neutrality are too heinous to consider. Nevertheless, consider them we must. When the Roman Republic fell to imperialism from within itself, the western world did not know freedom again until 1776. For 1700+ years’ freedom and individual liberties were ignored by the great western powers of the world. If we let freedom and liberty fail on our watch, how long will it be, how many generations will pass, before the next George Washington or Thomas Jefferson are born?
We must fight now or freedom will fail and our children will wake up slaves in the land our fathers founded. FOR LIBERTY!
RJ Harris
Constitutional Conservative Republican
US Congressional Candidate
Oklahoma 4th District
www.rjharris2010.com
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)
Monday, August 10, 2009
Healthcare Townhalls
This summer's townhall meetings are all over the news. It seems that telling our employees what we expect them to do is threatening to them.
Do you enter your boss' office, tell him what you are doing whether or not s/he likes it, that s/he can do nothing about it and that s/he can not tell you otherwise or you will have her thrown out? That is what is happening! We are the employer; they work for us! Yet, across the country, our elected officials, our hired hands are calling in security and police to silence us!
We must not let them silence us, however! Plan to attend at least 1 townhall this summer. Take signs, take a list of questions and make yourself heard. Be prepared and be informed. If possible, offer an alternative. Do not threaten and do not call names. Keep your questions/remarks factual. Try to have someone with you to video with a camera or a cell phone.
Above all, be respectful, but firm. We pay them, we have a right to demand that they follow their job descriptions. Do not give the opposition reason to be in physical fear. Keep it clean, respectful and assertive. We do not want to emulate the extreme left behavior. No violence or littering.
If you need a copy of a pocket Constitution, you can request one free here. Better yet, buy 100 copies for a low price of $30 (s/h included) and distribute them to everybody including politicians!
Townhalls this week
Defazio has 7 townhalls on Wednesday and Thursday this week and 6 next week. You can find his schedule on page 4 of his August newsletter.
Merkley's office stated that he will hold one townhall per year and we already had ours. He has no currently scheduled townhall meetings per his website. Call all of his offices and demand an audience with your employee.
Wyden's website has links for each county with a list of townhalls for each~ all of them in the past. Call his offices and request townhalls, too!
If you are looking for phone numbers to call these rogue employees or having a problem finding Defazio's townhall list, drop me an email and I will send them to you.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
A letter to the GOP
I have always appreciated your support and your advice, There seems to be some real miscommunication in the party, however.
I did not realize that this OPR meeting this weekend was a speaking engagement, nor did I receive any invitation. While my opponent had an opportunity to address the people of this state, I was out gathering petitions for the tax initiative. Kerry Ferguson emphasized that the weekend training session series was only for non-declared candidates. Since I filed my FEC paperwork, I figured I was a 'declared' candidate.
As a PCP, a Pachy, a donor, an county volunteer coordinator, and a candidate, I would have expected to receive an invitation to this event. And in the event that I was not there, I would expect that my candidacy would have been announced to the attendees and that my campaign materials would be made available. As it was, those attending this event saw only the endorsement of the party of Sid Leiken.
This does not appear to be the impartiality that I was told would be presented by the party in a contested primary race. I would like to hope that the next time there is an event I will be told about it far enough in advance that I can make arrangements to attend. Since I am speaking around the state now, I need to know at least 2 weeks in advance so that I can coordinate the schedules with my manager.
Thank-you for your usual support and impartiality!
Jaynee
I did not realize that this OPR meeting this weekend was a speaking engagement, nor did I receive any invitation. While my opponent had an opportunity to address the people of this state, I was out gathering petitions for the tax initiative. Kerry Ferguson emphasized that the weekend training session series was only for non-declared candidates. Since I filed my FEC paperwork, I figured I was a 'declared' candidate.
As a PCP, a Pachy, a donor, an county volunteer coordinator, and a candidate, I would have expected to receive an invitation to this event. And in the event that I was not there, I would expect that my candidacy would have been announced to the attendees and that my campaign materials would be made available. As it was, those attending this event saw only the endorsement of the party of Sid Leiken.
This does not appear to be the impartiality that I was told would be presented by the party in a contested primary race. I would like to hope that the next time there is an event I will be told about it far enough in advance that I can make arrangements to attend. Since I am speaking around the state now, I need to know at least 2 weeks in advance so that I can coordinate the schedules with my manager.
Thank-you for your usual support and impartiality!
Jaynee
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
An open letter to the timber industry
My name is Jaynee Germond and I am running for US Congress, OR-4 for 2010. I want to take this opportunity to re-introduce myself. Last year, I ran this race against Peter Defazio, but was on a 3rd party ticket. As a fiscal conservative, I spent 1% of the campaign funds that Mr. Defazio claimed to have spent to win the election. With less than $5,000, I took a district-wide 13% of the vote with a county variance of 10-23%. This year running on a Republican ticket with American’s dissatisfaction with our federal government, the time is right for me to win this election.
My primary opponent, like my general election opponent, opines that “Our timber industry is gone. It is time to look forward to other options, like tourism”. He prides himself on the new hospital in Springfield and is boastful of the 3500 jobs it has created. While that is an accomplishment, it does not put our loggers back to work. I will not accept the demise of Oregon’s timber industry.
When meeting a woman a few months ago, I asked her what she did for a living. “We farm” she replied. When I asked her what her crop was she grinned, “Trees”. As I talk to people and travel across the country, I meet people who call me a tree-hugger from Oregon. I re-educate them that real Oregonians don’t hug trees; they harvest them, replant them, mill them and sell them. In other words, they are farmers. To demand that Oregon not grow trees is akin to demanding that Iowa not grow corn, Idaho not grow potatoes and Michigan not build cars. Growing, harvesting and taking trees to market is what Oregon does; and it does it well.
As your elected representative in Congress, I will work to bring our timber industry back. Article 1, Section 8, Paragraph 17 of the US Constitution states that the Federal government has no jurisdiction over any land except that which is designated as the seat of government (District of Columbia). The 10th amendment states that the US government is constrained to the powers listed in Article 1, section 8. Of course the national parks act and others has usurped some of our authority, but I believe that together with other Constitution-believing representatives, we can regain our timberlands…. but you need a representative willing to fight for it.
I am willing, no, eager to fight for our timberland, but I need your help to do so. To run a race of this magnitude against ‘experienced’ politicians who are beholden to special interest groups, I need your generous contribution to my campaign. I ask that you consider your most generous contribution today. Your industry, our state depends on it. Thank-you in advance for your donation.
My primary opponent, like my general election opponent, opines that “Our timber industry is gone. It is time to look forward to other options, like tourism”. He prides himself on the new hospital in Springfield and is boastful of the 3500 jobs it has created. While that is an accomplishment, it does not put our loggers back to work. I will not accept the demise of Oregon’s timber industry.
When meeting a woman a few months ago, I asked her what she did for a living. “We farm” she replied. When I asked her what her crop was she grinned, “Trees”. As I talk to people and travel across the country, I meet people who call me a tree-hugger from Oregon. I re-educate them that real Oregonians don’t hug trees; they harvest them, replant them, mill them and sell them. In other words, they are farmers. To demand that Oregon not grow trees is akin to demanding that Iowa not grow corn, Idaho not grow potatoes and Michigan not build cars. Growing, harvesting and taking trees to market is what Oregon does; and it does it well.
As your elected representative in Congress, I will work to bring our timber industry back. Article 1, Section 8, Paragraph 17 of the US Constitution states that the Federal government has no jurisdiction over any land except that which is designated as the seat of government (District of Columbia). The 10th amendment states that the US government is constrained to the powers listed in Article 1, section 8. Of course the national parks act and others has usurped some of our authority, but I believe that together with other Constitution-believing representatives, we can regain our timberlands…. but you need a representative willing to fight for it.
I am willing, no, eager to fight for our timberland, but I need your help to do so. To run a race of this magnitude against ‘experienced’ politicians who are beholden to special interest groups, I need your generous contribution to my campaign. I ask that you consider your most generous contribution today. Your industry, our state depends on it. Thank-you in advance for your donation.
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