LP Alabama News

News Tidbitz 7/27/2011

1+1=11

Speaker Bohner's plan to cut the budget ran into a few accounting errors and math problems in review. Actual projected savings: a meager $1 billion in 2012.

The Party's Over?

Tea Party activists held a "cut the budget" rally on Captiol Hill today, with special speakers including Presidential candidate Herman Cain, conservative Sens. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah. The rally drew 50 supporters.

Lead Zepplin

The Army test of a high altitude reconnaissance blimp, powered by solar panels and expected to stay aloft weeks at a time in the stratosphere was tested today. In a flight outside Akron, the blimp made it 50 miles and to 32,000 feet before crashing in the woods outside New Freeport, PA. 

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Update 7/24/11

The Budget

The president and congress are fighting over the budget, desperately trying to make cuts to keep the United States solvent. Speaker Boehner's plan would trim the budget by $4 trillion over 10 years, while the president has proposed a $2 trillion cut over the same time period but his proposal includes tax increases. Let's look at the numbers: cuts that are the difference between $200B and $400B yearly is a drop in the bucket when the deficit is $1.6 trillion this year alone! Coupled with the immediate tax increases and a promise that the out years will give us the majority of the savings is hollow since a future Congress is not bound by what happens in the next month. It is obvious that the Republicans are not living up to their promise of smaller government. Both sides are increasing borrowing and the amount of spending.

The Debt Ceiling

It won't take you long to figure out that increasing the debt ceiling (again) from $14 trillion to $16 or $18 trillion won't solve the problem. We always seem to spend more than we take in, a receipe for financial ruin. Imagine a family that to combat running out of credit simply raises their credit limit on their own (with a vote, of course!) Congress has done this, increasing the ceiling 100+ times from 1917, yet it still isn't enough. The fed's revenue has increased 20 fold since the 1960s while spending has increased 43 times during the same period.

Government Waste

Recently, it came to people's attention that the feds had given nearly $1 million dollars to a group that was studying gay males, seeing if there was a correlation between penis size and sexual health. That's the equvalent of 90 families that had their income taken (in the form tax dollars) and spent on this study. Families that have to do without, foregoing eating out, a new coat of paint for their house (or making their mortgage payments) or a few clothes for their kids. The first half of the year, they worked to pay for this. Things have changed little in the decades since the Grace Commission report, we just don't spend it on $600 hammers anymore.

If not us, who? If not now, when? It comes back to what you can do to support the LPA. Even $5 can make a difference.

News tidbit 7/22/11

China has four Apple stores but they only look like Apple stores: even some of the employees thought they were working for Apple. The store is stocked with real, although grey market, Apple products. Apple has no rights in China to the name "Apple Store".

Update 7/17/2011

Caleb Moore, son of former Chief Justice Roy Moore, has been arrested and charged with posession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia. He is a not a minor, but applying for youthful offender status, hoping his record will be sealed.

Update 3/9/11

Alabama Senate passed 6-0 a ballot access reduction bill (SB17) out of the Constitutions and Election Subcommittee. We have a good chance this year of passing this bill. Tomorrow ACC is having their frist hearing on a MMJ bill, I'll let you know how it goes.

Bill Armistead won the Republican Chairmanship this term. Not a good thing, he wants to pass full party registration as well as a Drug Offenders Notification Database. His take on the subject is that drug users have as high a recidivism rate as child molesters. The sheriff would notify all persons in a 1 mile radius of a drug offender moving into your neighborhood, making it that much harder to fit back in society if you are caught.

I was the guest speaker at the Young Libertarians at UAB last night. Despite poor weather, the audience was excited by progress we have made in the last few months. It is good to see that many motivated libertarians!

Till next time.

1/29/2011 UPDATE

I read with disturbing feelngs a blog  on Loretta's site:

http://nallforgovernor.blogspot.com/2011/01/shelby-co-drug-court-testing-parents-of.html

It seems that parents of minors enrolled in drug court are subject to drug testing regardless of the crime, austensibly to see if the parents are good role models. It also bans alcohol from the house and makes the parents subject to suprise inspections. Apparently Judge Kramer feels that "rights" apply only to the accused, not their parents. The forms that you sign apparently give your rights away as well:

"Parents, Guardians, or Custodians is/are made party to herein shall submit to and pass drug and alcohol screens at the request of the drug court team."

We will see if a Rolling Stone reporter makes it to the state to cover the story.

Also, Fairfield's new no smoking ordinance seems to be taking hold...the Chief of Police has been spotted at the VFW, American Legion, Elk's Lodge and other private bars putting up signs with the new strictest-in-the-state smoking ban. Several owners of these establishments will meet in secret next week to discuss what to do about revenue loss and how to fight city hall. Several of the establishments have seen multi-hundred dollar declines in weekly sales, some as high as $700, and the new law threatens their very existence.

See you soon.

Mark Bodenhausen

 

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1/26/2011 UPDATE

Unfortunately this column will be short, too many irons in the fire for a full report.

A short update on the Shelby County property tax: It looks like forces in favor of the hike have spent close to $10,000 in advertising, not including using school personell and equipment as in-kind "contributions". Parents are reporting that emails and report cards have VOTE YES fliers tucked inside. Forces are shaping up in the Feb. 8th tax battle, and although we are always underfunded, we will put every resource to work. Visit www.VoteSmartNow.com and call you local radio talk show about how taxpayers will spend $6 BILLION over the next 30 years at present rates. Increases in valuation and inflation will likely double this amount.

Mayor Bell has begun the boondoggle that has become the dome by having a groundbreaking ceremony for the new taxpayer-funded $150 million Westin Hotel earlier this week. This would be the first step in creating a fancy entertainment district and the doomed stadium. Add this to a NEW proposal, a light rail system that would cost $250 million to complete. The city would  contribute a proposed $20 million a year with construction and operating costs paid for by citizens in a new tax hike. Why are we focused on "entertainment" when we can't even keep the buses running? How we will pay for all these projects? Get off our backs, Mr. Mayor, we are shouldering our fair share already.

Mark Bodenhausen

State Chair

 

 

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LPA remains vigilant          by Mark Bodenhausen - Chair

Some political “movements” make a lot of noise, and speak in general terms; we at LPA are keeping our eyes on what is happening in our area. And there’s plenty.

The Good:

                Our Libertarian affiliate group, Students for Liberty, at UAB is currently fighting a Dining Dollars fee, requiring students to purchase food vouchers of $225 per semester whether they eat on campus or not! It seems that the university has signed an exclusive contract with their vendor that actually PROHIBITS outside food from being brought on campus. Judge Vance has thrown out a lawsuit challenging this rule, claiming that UAB has the authority to improve on-campus living, including dining fees. No more pizzas? The horror... To become involved, contact Students for Liberty’s Evan Comeaux via email at evan.comeaux@gmail.com

This group is also gearing up to address another issue: involuntary medication through our water supply – yes, it’s happening. The Feds have recently reduced their fluoride recommendations making the old minimum the new maximum. The Birmingham Water Works Board is ready to follow, but the question remains, who wants fluoridated water? Studies have shown NO benefit in reducing cavities, not to mention other health risks. The risks and the expense of adding the fluoride makes it unnecessary at best, not to mention a violation of our right to choose what we consume. Our agreement with the Birmingham Water Works is to supply …WATER, just water.

The Bad:

The city of Birmingham seems to have a strange fascination with becoming a travel destination -how are Orlando and Las Vegas doing? And is running with a plan that would build a hotel near the Doomed Stadium. Bonds would be used to finance the project, costing Birmingham taxpayers $150 million. Mayor William Bell then would GIVE it to Starwood Capital Group, owners of the Westin, Sheraton, and Four Points brands. Never mind that Starwood is the 9th largest company in the world, having assets valued at over $26 billion, and we as poor taxpayers would take all the risk if it fails and get zero in return if it is a success. Sounds like a bad idea, Mr. Mayor.

The MAX bus system is about to collapse since no money can be found in Birmingham's general fund to pay for it. And this week, the Mayor wanted to give city employees a raise? Expect March to be the month the sirens start to go off. We've gotten 10 new buses in 10 years, and since the expected lifespan of a bus is 10 years, well, you do the math. ClassTran is offering us new service and routes at $10 per mile, but how that would fit in with the current system is a mystery. There's no money for police, and even a fireman has to pay for his own boots. Yet we seem to be able to pour yet another $5 million into a warming pool at the Fair Park Aquatic Center, making our outlay just over $51 million! Although we have the ability to have competitions with the current design, the second pool would give us the opportunity to sponsor "elite events" at this facility. Another bad investment, Mr. Mayor?

The Ugly:

Meanwhile, our neighbors in Shelby County are embroiled in a Republican tax grab. It appears that the Shelby county Commissioners, all Republicans, have jumped the gun by 6 years and are having a vote on February 8th on whether to extend the current 30 mill property tax another 30 years, costing the average homeowner $17,000. I suspect that the commission is having its vote SIX YEARS EARLY is because they know it won't pass if they wait for Hoover, Alabaster, and other municipalities in the county to hike theirs... All nine commissioners were swept in in November with the voters expectation they would be responsible with our money. They ought to be ashamed to call themselves Republicans. If you would like to fight this, contact Marcelo Munoz at marcelo_munoz@bellsouth.ne t or visit the Campaign for Liberty website at :

 http://www.campaignforliberty.com/usa/AL/Shelby/ 

Also joining this effort, are Shelby Moms Against Raising Taxes, you can contact them through their website at http://votesmartnow.com/

Let’s remember Tom Jefferson's much quoted wisdom: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM IS ETERNAL VIGILANCE.

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