Washington Voters Likely To Get Liquored Up Ballot Issue

June 22, 2010 by 2 Comments

Vintage Washington State Liquor Control Board tax stamp, ca. 1936

COSTCO has gotten behind a voter initiative that would privatize liquor sales in the state of Washington.  They had tables set out at stores, and after only 16 days, say that they have enough signatures to get it certified for the ballot this fall.  If passed, it would eliminate state-run and state-contracted liquor stores.  It would also eliminate the state-owned warehouse and distribution of liquor, allowing private businesses to exercise some free-market principles in meeting consumer demand.  The industry would, however, still be heavily regulated, with licensing and permits being required to ensure that only responsible businesses are engaged in this trade.

According to page four of the Informed Voter Guide, published by the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, state taxpayers subsidize the state with hundreds of millions of dollars for its warehousing and distribution of liquor.  Operating costs alone run $120 million each year, with liquor taxes collected on top of that.

This is not a line of business that we need government involved in.  It is a prohibition-era monopoly that has outlived its usefulness.

A resolution supporting the elimination of state and contract retail liquor stores, and allowing the sale of distilled spirits to be sold in grocery stores and other retail outlets as wine and beer is now sold; while also eliminating the state’s monopoly on the wholesale of distilled spirits and allowing private companies to wholesale liquor was approved by the Platform Committee of the Washington State Republican Party, and recommended as “Do Pass” to delegates at the Party’s recent convention.

Republicans are not the only ones that support the idea of privatizing liquor sales.  Back in January, State Representative Kelli Linville, (D-Bellingham) Chairwoman of the House Ways and Means Committee, was asking her colleagues in the legislature to consider privatizing not only liquor sales, but also technology services and other functions within the state government.  Unfortunately, the issue of liquor privatization did not make much headway in the legislature, as the entrenched interests in the current regime prevented its passage.

Thanks to the hard work of people at COSTCO and others, it looks likely that the issue will be certified for the ballot, so voters can make their wishes directly known, without the influence of lobbyists protecting special interests.

Additional Information:

The Seattle Times: Costco exec thinks liquor-store privatization measure will qualify for ballot

The Seattle Times: Wash. lawmakers, governor talk gov’t reforms

Evergreen Freedom Foundation: Informed Voter Guide

Text of Initiative 1100 concerns liquor (beer, wine and spirits)

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Filed under 2010 Election, Economy, Freedom Issues, Republican Party, Uncategorized, Yakima County Republicans Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mitt Romney’s Speech To Washington State Republicans

June 13, 2010 by 2 Comments

Yesterday, former Massachuset’s Governor and Presidential candidate Mitt Romney gave a speech to delegates gathered for the Washington State Republican Party Convention, in Vancouver.

Romney speaks to Washington State Republican Party Delegates at their 2010 convention in Vancouver.

Romney gave a motivational speech, stating that it had only been a year since Time magazine ran a cover with an elephant, questioning whether it was an endangered species.  His retort, which he gave to delegates, was that the elephant is now on the move, and will run over the donkeys in this year’s elections.

The former governor hit on themes of federal overspending, increasing taxes, the government takeover of healthcare, contrasting how Republicans will work to limit government overreach and cut the national debt and deficits.

Romney pointed out that all of Obama’s future budget projections include trillion-dollar deficits.  ”Think about how much money that is”, he said.  ”No one can afford this; are there any trillionaires in the audience today?”

He went to express his concern about Obama’s actions, and how instead of helping the economy, it was actually causing harm.  The reason is that all the increased costs, deficit spending, and proposed regulations create lots of uncertainty in the business environment, which discourages hiring and risk taking by entrepreneurs.

Reflecting on our nation’s history, Romney pointed out that our founders discussed having a king, or a strong central government, and rejected both ideas.  Instead, they chose to let people have their own dreams, and the freedom to follow those dreams as they chose to live their lives.

He also said that spending future generations’ money was morally wrong, and that Republicans will put a stop to this when they regain control in Washington D.C.

“When we get in charge again, we will get the economy going again by balancing the budget, and holding spending and taxes down” said Romney.

Obama was also criticized during his speech for not even meeting with the CEO of BP after the enormous environmental disaster occurring in the Gulf of Mexico.  ”Obama has not taken personal responsibility for his role in  crisis management.  He seeks to blame others, instead of looking for solutions.”

In concluding his speech, Romney blasted Obama for his world “apology” tour, which he said serves to make our enemies consider us as weak, and frightens our allies.

Romney pointed out that the British press reports that never has an American President been this apologetic for his own country, while on foreign soil.

He said that this is a great land because Americans have the freedom to choose their own path.  That America is synonymous with freedom around the world, and that there has never been a reason to apologize for America.

Filed under 2010 Election, Freedom Issues, President Obama, Republican Party, Traditional Values, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Political Humor-Opinions: Objections From A Former Sailor

April 24, 2010 by 2 Comments

This letter is being circulated around the Internet, and made me laugh.  I hope you enjoy it also.

Filed under Economy, political humor, President Obama, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Political Humor Department: Today’s Lesson-”I Can”

March 12, 2010 by Leave a comment

After posting some Obama jokes earlier this week, I have been receiving an increasing amount of political humor in my inbox.  From time to time, I may share some of them here.  Below, is a representative example of what comes my way with ever increasing frequency:

TODAY’S LESSON-”I CAN”

  • THE LAST FOUR LETTERS IN AMERICAN…… ICAN
  • THE LAST FOUR LETTERS IN REPUBLICAN…… ICAN
  • THE LAST FOUR LETTERS IN DEMOCRATS…… RATS

THAT CONCLUDES TODAY’S LESSON.

A country is a terrible thing to waste!

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.” Alexis de Tocqueville

Filed under political humor, Uncategorized Tagged with , ,

Scott Brown Betrayed Us?

February 26, 2010 by 1 Comment

There is much talk about Scott Brown and  the “Jobs Bill”.  Lets be clear that the  Jobs Bill is another Stimulus Package;  just with a different name. Doesn’t “jobs” sound better than “stimulus” ?

Many are furious and disappointed at the vote Scott Brown took.  The label traitor, among others, has been thrown at him.  I do not think he betrayed “us”,  because he isn’t one of “us”.

By “us”, I mean conservatives.  During his campaign, people tried to portray him as a conservative, something he never was.  I believe he is a moderate that will continue siding with the Democrats on various votes to come.

Isn’t Scott Brown a better deal than Martha Coakley would have been?  I strongly believe so!  With this vote he just showed his true colors, certainly not conservative.

We are better off with Brown than we would have been with Coakley.  Coakley was pushing a government control of healthcare,  the repeal of DOMA, gun control and much more.

I was never a fan of Scott Brown, nor was I parading in the streets when he won.  I just  felt somewhat content that we kept a radical liberal out of office.  Let us get used to the fact that Scott Brown is not a conservative, and never was.  We betrayed ourselves thinking he was and found out during his first month of office.

Filed under 2010 Election, President Obama, Republican Party, Uncategorized, US Senate Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Scott Brown’s Big Win

January 20, 2010 by 1 Comment

What Can Brown Do For You?

Republican Victory In Massachusetts Is Change We Can Believe In

Yesterday, voters in one of the “bluest” states, elected a Republican to the seat vacated by the death of Senator Ted Kennedy.  One of the biggest issues of the campaign was the proposed health care “reform” that Obama and the Democrats are trying to ram down our throats.

Massachusetts voters overwhelming voted for Obama, but are not pleased with his arrogant one party ruling attitude.  Recently, it has become apparent that Obama is breaking his promise to have open, transparent, negotiations televised on C-SPAN regarding healthcare.

Mr. Brown campaigned on the promise of being the 41st vote against healthcare, which the majority of Massachusett’s voters endorsed.  They have a state-run healthcare system in that state, and do not want Federal intrusion to further interfere with what they have.  They do not want cuts to Medicare, or increased taxes and mandates for “reform” being proposed in D.C.

Increased taxes on “Cadillac” insurance plans would only apply to those with private insurance under proposals in Congress right now.  Unions, and government employees under collective bargaining agreements would not pay these additional taxes for health insurance.

The blatant favoritism of certain people over others on something as important as health care, is not being received well by the voters.

Change is in the air.  Scott Brown promised to represent the people, not a party, or special interests in Washington D.C.  If the Democrats are smart, they will take the people’s vote seriously, and not try and shove this bill upon us before Senator Brown takes his seat.

Filed under 2010 Election, Constitutional Issues, Economy, Freedom Issues, President Obama, Republican Party, Uncategorized, US Senate Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

The 2010 Washington Legislative Session Is On!

January 19, 2010 by 4 Comments

The Washington State Capitol

The 2010 legislative session started on January 11.  This year’s session is short, consisting of 60 days.  Below are some interesting bills that have been introduced (or reintroduced).

HB2413- Introduced by Rep. Norm Johnson

This bill aims to equip law enforcement with the authority to confiscate property used to facilitate a criminal street gang-related offense.  This bill has gathered support from both sides of the aisle.

HJR4213- Introduced by Rep. Mike Hope

The intention of this bill is to add the Lakewood Law Enforcement Memorial Act to the State Constitution.  Under this act, it will prevent certain people charged with a serious crime from being eligible for bail  if proven that the person poses a threat to others.  As you may recall, Maurice Clemmons was released on a $15,000 bail even though he was convicted of rape and clearly posed a threat to the well-being of others.  If this resolution passes, it will be place in November’s ballot for the people to decide.

HB2034- Introduced by Rep. Brad Klippert

This bill aims to classify residential burglary as a crime against persons.  Assault, rape, vehicular homicide and 1st and 2nd degree identity theft are some of which are currently in the “crimes against persons” category.

HB2401- Introduced by Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson

This bills intends to void all existing penalties for adults 21 years of age or older who cultivate, possess, transport, sell, or use marijuana.  This will implement a sales tax on legally sold marijuana.  I found it funny that the tax funds will go for drug education and awareness.  This bill also seeks to set rules and laws related to marijuana similiar to those that exist on alcohol.  I don’t think there is enough support, from the majority party, to get this through.  I read an article about someone who has filed an initiative to the people aimed to legalize marijuana.

SB5674- Introduced by Sen. Ed Murray

This bill will in effect legalize same-sex marriage.  No longer will marriage be considered between a man and a woman, but between two consenting adults.  I’m not so sure  that this bill has enough votes to make it through.  SB5688 (domestic partnership benefits expansion), which became law, was even opposed by some Democrats.  A same-sex marriage bill will result in some more Democrats joining Republicans against the bill.  If put on public vote, it will likely fail.

Filed under 2010 Election, Constitutional Issues, Freedom Issues, Republican Party, Traditional Values, Uncategorized, Yakima County Republicans Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sen. Harry Reid’s Racial Remarks

January 11, 2010 by 1 Comment

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

“The country was ready for a light-skinned African-American President with no Negro dialect.”  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Barack Obama

This quote from a senior leader in the Democrat Party makes me sad.  Statements like these should not make any us proud.  Harry Reid has managed to stick his foot in his mouth, but incredibly, is getting a free pass from members of his party.

A few years ago, Senator Trent Lott made some equally stupid remarks, and was forced to resign from his Senate leadership position.  This is a key difference between how Republicans are held accountable, while Democrats get a free pass.  There is no significant difference between what these guys said, just how they are being treated in the aftermath.

While Republicans speak out for Democrats to hold themselves to some sort of standard when it comes to these things, we should recall that this double standard is nothing new when it comes to Barack Obama.  For example consider this quote from the last election cycle:

“I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” Senator Joe Biden said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

At the time that Biden made these remarks, he was a candidate for President.  It basically doomed his prospects as a Presidential candidate, but then Obama ended up making him Vice President!

Let’s compare that to what Barack Obama said following the remarks made by Trent Lott:

The Republican Party itself has to drive out Trent Lott.  If they have to stand for something, they have to stand up and say this is not the person we want representing our party.

Republian National Committee Chair Michael Steele is now publicly calling for Senator Harry Reid to step aside as Senate Majority Leader.  If the Democrats are really as offended by racial remarks as they claim to be, he should.  However, we all know that they only care about advancing their agenda, and this is not a matter of principle for them.

NPR personality Juan Williams said as much this morning on Fox News when he said that getting health care legislation passed was so important that he would not consider having someone else be Senate Majority Leader at this time.  My guess is that most Democrats are thinking the same way, since none of them are criticizing Reid for his comments.

For me, I long for the day that Martin Luther King dreamed of, when people are judged for the content of their character, and not the color of their skin.  We obviously have a long way to go before that day comes.

Reference:

Wall Street Journal: Steele: Reid Should Quit Leadership Post

Filed under President Obama, Republican Party, Uncategorized, US Senate Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Carbon Is Natural And Necessary

June 30, 2009 by 3 Comments

Carbon is both natural and necessary for our survival.  We are carbon based life forms.  Plants breathe carbon dioxide and depend on it for their survival.  There is a carbon cycle necessary for life on our planet to continue.

The new cap and trade carbon tax scheme recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives is an insidious tax plan, and a huge government power grab.  The statists, primarily Democrats with a handful of Republicans, want to insert more government control over your lives.

Do you use electricity in your home?  You will pay more for it.  Do you use gasoline or diesel in your vehicles or farm equipment?  You will pay more for it.  Do you buy food and other products at a retail store?  You will pay more for the lights to be on at the store, and more for the freight to get products there.

Has your home been inspected and rated by government environmental regulators?  Under the new cap and trade plan, you will not be able to sell your home unless your drafty windows and doors have received a seal of approval from a political appointee.

I believe in the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  After securing the fundamental right to exist, the next thing I want is for government to simply leave me alone.  I don’t want your inspectors telling me what I need to do in order to sell my home.  Let me work out a deal with a prospective buyer.  If there are any deficiencies, I am sure the buyer will ask for a discounted price.  That is how negotiations are done, deals are made, and contracts written.  Between the buyer and the seller.  It does not require a political appointee to insert himself in the middle.

The proposed cap and trade system of government carbon credits will benefit the politcally well connected.  Wall Street will make money on transaction fees from the “trading”.  Companies that are given credits (in a political process, not a market process) will do well.  Those that can buy enough credits to continue doing business may survive.  The rest will cease to exist.  Despite this, the politicians that passed this are saying it will actually create jobs!

The author, Thomas Woods, recently said that cap and trade will create jobs in the same sense that burning down every other house in the neighborhood will: claiming that the reconstruction will spur growth in the economy while ignoring the cost.

Hopefully the Senate will kill this bad bill.  Cap and trade has not produced the promised results when it was implemented in Spain, and it won’t here either.

Watch the new Heritage Foundation video about Cap and Trade:

Filed under Constitutional Issues, Economy, Freedom Issues, President Obama, Republican Party, Uncategorized, US Senate Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

The Debate On Torture

May 14, 2009 by 2 Comments

To be quite frank about this, I am not sure why Americans are debating whether or not we should be torturing our prisoners.  Throughout history, atrocities have been committed during times of war and conflict, but as Americans we have always held ourselves to a higher standard.  Or at least that is what I would like to believe.

The impulse to exact revenge is certainly understandable, but civilized societies do not rely on this principle to administer justice.  In ancient times, the “eye for eye” code resulted in one tribe or clan taking out revenge on another.  They in turn would attack their tormentors in kind.  The never ending cycle of violence that results from this destroys order and civilization for all parties concerned.

We should always be vigilant in defending our country, but mistreatment of individual prisoners should never be condoned.  As a nation, we have signed on to Geneva Convention treaties that layout standards for how we should treat prisoners of war.  Attempting to circumvent these standards by calling prisoners “detainees” is detestable.  It is a bad policy, and should be changed.

To argue about the fine points of what qualifies as torture is equally as bad.  The previous administration said that water boarding is not torture.  The current administration seems to want to change the policy and not have water boarding of prisoners any longer.  I agree with the suggested change.  We should change our policy to be more humane, and move on.

Unfortunately, Democrats in Congress want to use this as an opportunity for grandstanding.  For some unknown reason, some Republicans are obliging.  If it is not bad enough that some Republicans are actually defending acts of torture, Democrats are being caught in lies saying they did not know it was taking place! (Google Nancy Pelosi and water boarding for news stories on this).

The politicians are trying to turn this into a left-wing vs. right-wing issue.  For most Americans, it is an issue of right and wrong.  It is not a partisan issue.  Trying to bash Bush does not help us move forward.  Those that engaged in these policies in the past were misguided.  Hearings and possible prosecutions will not be the answer.

We need to RESPECT all people.  Even the brown-skinned people who practice a different religion.  If we accept torture of anyone, it won’t be long before the government practices it on everyone.

The U.S. military has certain schools and training that service men and women go through where they might experience “water boarding”.  One justification for doing it to prisoners has been that we do it to our own military members.  This is wrong-headed.  The conditions of training do not mirror those of the real-world application of the practice.  Recently disclosed documents show water boarding being done 80 times and more to the same prisoners.  It is my personal belief that there is a different motivation going on than just the simple extraction of “actionable intelligence”.  When you keep doing it that many times, it is about something else.  Our military service members are not routinely subjected to this technique that many times, and over an indefinite period.

Recently, I have been engaged in some debate on another blog about this issue.  While I disagree with some of the comments from others, I respect their patriotism and determination to see our country protected.  Our debate is about the techniques used, and in a larger context, what our  overall values system should be.

The following video gives just a little incite into what water boarding is.  If you think it is alright for us to do this in government prisons outside of the U.S.; then why not at the police station in your local town?  Just something to think about.

Filed under Constitutional Issues, Freedom Issues, President Obama, Republican Party, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

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