Quick Hits For April 30, 2009

Just a couple of quick thoughts:

It's my understanding that as of this week, every dollar the Federal Government spends for the rest of the year will be borrowed.

Congress passed a $3.5 trillion budget yesterday.

Total local, state and federal government spending nationwide is now in the neighborhood of $5.5 trillion out of our (supposedly) $14 trillion Gross Domestic Product. What this means is that government spending is now equal to about 65% of the private sector. Somehow it seems we'd better off with our number one industry being making things and selling them not maintaining government bureaucracies.

Joe Biden continues to be the mouth that doesn't know when to shut up.

Funny of the day courtesy of California resident Rick Moore's Facebook Status, "Arlen Specter leaves GOP (for Democrats), raises average IQ of both."

Have a great Thursday!

My favorite charity: Bright Star School

THE FIRST CLASS ROOM IN 2002

ONE OF THE CLASSROOMS TODAY

Ms. Hinkle was my middle school gym teacher in Kokomo. Her sister was my high school french teacher. They were both among my very favorites.

In 2002, God called Ms. Hinkle to start the Bright Star School in Nairobi Kenya. The humble beginnings of this school was a building framed with sticks on a dirt floor with lean-to type metal walls and were a far cry from the classroom you see in the picture here.

Seven years later there are several proper buildings. The compound has running water, electricity, bathrooms, dormitories, nutritious meals, and most importantly an education which is most coveted among the children of Nairobi's slums.

Aside from the fact that my former teacher founded and runs the project from Kokomo Indiana, it is my favorite charity because 100% of the donated funds go directly to the school and the children. There is zero cost in administrative fees. And recently they became a not-for-profit so your gift is tax deductible.

Our government should be run so efficiently.

Anyway, I mention Bright Star School on the blog today because Ms. Hinkle is taking a group in May to look after the school. I know they could use extra donations for all kinds of incidentals. They also plan to give medical check ups to all the children and will be buying medical supplies.

If you feel called, please give. These children don't waste the opportunity given to them and Ms. Hinkle doesn't waste a dime of the money we send. Again if you feel called, here's the donation link to paypal and remember it is tax deductible.

Indianapolis City Councilor Ed Coleman Speaks To California Libertarian Party

The first account of Indianapolis City County Councilor Ed Coleman's talk to the California Libertarian Party is very briefly summarized at The Independent Political Report:

Keynote speaker Ed Coleman is an Indianapolis city councilman who recently switched to the LP, making him the elected Libertarian with the most constituents in the country. He recounted the inappropriate pressures that local Republican party officials put on him. He said that his unwillingness to sell favors hasn’t necessarily hurt his fundraising, and has even brought him promises of future campaign contributions. Coleman said he sees the purpose of government as just to protect people from aggression and to ensure access to water, electricity, and streets. He said he wanted the government out of his church, his bedroom, and his wallet.

Further down in the summary of their first day's activities was another little jewel that is of the type to serve as a warning or reminder to elected officials anywhere who desire economic growth and prosperity in their country, state, city or town:

Treasurer Cowles ... announced that they would not be running for re-election, as Cowles is moving to Nevada to escape California’s taxes

As I've repeated a few times recently, "Taxes may redistribute wealth [or economic activity] in the short run but they redistribute people [and industry] in the long."

Build It And They Will Come, Eh?

(Crawfordsville, IN)- One of the current 'stimulus' spending targets is high-speed passenger rail service, and as a railfan, it caught my attention that one corridor singled out for attention is Cincinnati to Chicago, through Indianapolis. From an Indy Star report:

The administration identified the corridor linking Chicago, Indianapolis and Cincinnati as one of 10 where the president wants to see efficient train service zipping along at 79 mph to 150 mph.

Dennis Hodges of the Indiana High Speed Rail Association said passenger routes from Indianapolis to Cincinnati and Chicago now run at about 45 mph; upgraded tracks and trains would raise that speed to 110 mph.

Crawfordsville in on that current route. Amtrak currently serves this run, so I thought it might be meaningful to look at its' current standing. From Amtrak's website:

One can currently commute from Crawfordsville on Amtrak's Cardinal #51 train. It departs Crawfordsville at 7:28am, and arrives in Chicago at 10:35am, all times local. The cost is $19 for a regular coach seat. Coming home, Hoosier State #850 departs Chicago at 5:45pm and returns to Crawfordsville at 10:35pm. The return trip is another $19.

Pretty workable, if you have a late starting work day. It's a long day, but what else would you expect, commuting from 150 or so miles away? These are the only trains that pass through all day, in either direction, so do make sure to be on time!

How many people ride? Hard to say definitively, but here's the evidence I could collect in the late morning:

Amtrak's current station is the thing that looks like a bus shelter, standing here in front of the old Monon RR station, that is now the home to a massage therapist and other businesses. There is no staff here: No ticket agent, no porter. There isn't even a rest room.

Amtrak's dedicated portion of this parking lot in Crawfordsville has 12 spaces. 5 are occupied by commuters. One is my car.

Who knows? Maybe there is a lot of walk-up ridership. Maybe each vehicle had seven people carpooling. Maybe, though, people choose not to ride.

The National Association of Railroad Passengers has statistics on Amtrak's various routes. According to NARP, 31,099 fares rode the Hoosier State in 2008. See pg 37 of NARP's factsheet. For comparison? According to the most recent (2002) INDOT count, the least travelled part of I-65 north of Indianapolis saw 26,330 vehicles PER DAY.

I know how it goes with these programs: If they had a lot of riders, it would stand as proof of the public's support and therefore the worthiness of public funding. As it shows few riders, it's proof that if only the service were upgraded- made to run faster, in this case- surely more people would ride. No matter what, though, shovel more money at it.

There is no comparing Europe's high-speed rail to American passenger service. I've ridden Spain's AVE train from Madrid to Sevilla, and it's a hoot. It runs at about 180mph. Total trip time is about 2 hours. What makes it different is that the rails are dedicated solely to the AVE train. No slow passenger trains to clog the rails with, and no freight trains.

In the US, and on the former Monon at Crawfordsville, the rails are owned by the freight companies, here, by CSX. Passenger service is second fiddle. The railroads had been trying to rid themselves of passenger service from the 1950s until finally in 1971 Amtrak was formed. Until then, the federal government forbade American railroads from eliminating passenger service, forcing those companies to operate these trains at a loss for years or even decades.

The Administration's plan is to upgrade the rails on existing routes. Well, that's nice. I'm sure the freight railroad will appreciate that gift. But it doesn't change the fact that the freight trains still take priority over passenger trains. Do this math for me: A passenger train capable of 200mph is going to go how fast if trailing a freight train going 35mph?

So, what are we going to do? Kick the freight trains off their own tracks? Build new dedicated corridors? Anybody think that land acquisition through Chicago will be easy or cheap?

Notice, I haven't even begun to talk about the operational subsidies that allow Amtrak to survive. A quick look at Amtrak's balance sheet shows that passenger fares barely cover salaries and benefits to Amtrak employees, and don't even cover bothersome things like train operation (you know, the core of the enterprise), or fuel.

In 2007, Amtrak lost more than a billion dollars. Who ate that? We did. Those of us who don't even ride.

(Originally posted on Kole Hard Facts)

Found on Indianapolis Craigs List

Reply to: sale-mbjgr-1132984729@craigslist.org
Date: 2009-04-21, 12:27PM EDT

Original Link
We the People of Indiana would like to trade or get rid of our Indiana politicians, especially the career politicians, and replace them with grassroots people such as SMALL Business Owners, farmers, truck drivers, Home-makers, Waitresses, Mothers, Fathers, just about any regular Joe out there who cares about preserving the rights of the People and will protect the Constitution for how it's written.

Will pay extra for those willing to do away with the Federal Reserve, BATFE, DHS, and repeal the spending bills currently in place.

Must be a Natural Born Citizen of Indiana, never been a CEO of a large company, no violent felons or pedophiles, and must not be considered an Upper Class citizen.

Duties will include, but not limited to, following the wishes of their constituents, upholding the Constitution of the United States of America and of the State of Indiana, Standing up for the people they represent when bad laws are introduced, being fiscally responsible with money that doesn't belong to them, upholding their oath of office, and making sure that America remains safe from evil without taking away the rights of our citizens.

Military Experience a Plus but not required. Gun ownership and NRA/GOA/SAP is another plus.

Party Affiliation is of no concern as long as they stand for what America stands for.

"Interpretation" of the law or Constitution is STRICTLY PROHIBITIED! Please submit your resume to the People of Indiana. Addresses can be found via the internet or the phone books.

Hat tip: Sean Sheperd

Introducing Mike Kole

Many thanks to Melyssa for her invitation to me to contribute to Hoosiers For Fair Taxation while she takes a breather.

HFFT is one of the blogs I have long linked to on my own blog, Kole Hard Facts of Life, because I value the perspective that so long as we have to have taxation as a necessary evil, for the funding of government (another necessary evil), it should at least be fair, and above all, taxation should be prioritized such that the proper functions of government are funded first, and everything else last and least, or in a better world, not at all.

Not a single day goes by that I see a news account of government funding something that, in a better world, would be funded exclusively by private funds. Today's example come from an Indy Star report:

Hundreds of Hoosiers braved patchy rain and cool winds swirling around Monument Circle at noon Monday to rally in support of the arts.

Known as "Indy Culture Matters," the rally was organized by the Indianapolis Consortium of Arts Administrators to raise the public profile of cultural institutions and their value, particularly amid the economic crisis.

John Pickett, executive director of the Indianapolis Opera and vice president of the consortium, acknowledged last week that in addition to simply raising awareness, the rally stemmed from frustration at the level of financial support given to the arts in Indianapolis.

This year, for instance, the Arts Council of Indianapolis received $1,870,000 from the city budget and the Capital Improvement Board in public funding for the arts -- a decrease of $673,500 from 2008.

Pickett is frustrated? Nearly $1.9 million received for something that is nothing like a proper function of government? And, at a time of economic downturn? I believe the phrase you're looking for is 'Thank You".

The more I learn about the Capital Improvement Board, the more I have come to believe it should be eliminated entirely. What about art is a 'capital improvement'? I think the time has come not merely for the CIB to explain itself on selected spending misadventures, but to justify and explain its' very existence.

Art is a wonderful thing. It's also a personal thing, a personal expression of the individual artists, whether painters, sculptors, stage performers or musicians. It is absolutely wrong to take the money from the community as a whole to fund the personal expressions of select artists of political favor. You see, a great deal of art is supported very fabulously commercially. But the various arts that line up at the public trough tend to be the favorites of yesteryear, lacking the ability to attract enough willing support, i.e.: customers, so they turn to political favor instead, where they need not be popular to support themselves, just popular enough to sway a weak-kneed politican or two.

Mr. Pickett, you have raised my awareness. Now I wish you less public money for 2010 than 2009, and in a better world, none. Please consider approaching those who claim to value the various arts, and ask them for their personal expression of support, in the form of a donation, leaving the pockets of those who don't unpicked.

CITY VOLUNTEERISM: Join April 24th Great Indy Clean UP!

HFFT encourages volunteerism and self-reliance. One way to help keep taxes low, is to take ownership of your neighborhoods. Notices are going out now in neighborhoods. I received my notice from MKNA over the weekend. I hope you will take a few hours on Saturday and help do a little spring cleaning in your neck of Indianapolis.
--Melyssa for HFFT

MAYOR BALLARD TO KICKOFF 33RD ANNUAL GREAT INDY CLEANUP, SATURDAY, APRIL 25TH THE CITY GETS A "SPRING CLEANING" AS THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS FROM 70 NEIGHBORHOODS RID THEIR STREETS AND ALLEYS OF LITTER

INDIANAPOLIS - On Saturday, April 25, 2009, Mayor Greg Ballard will be the
first among thousands of volunteers from 70 different neighborhood
organizations to flood the streets of Indianapolis in an effort to give
Indianapolis a spring cleaning. Volunteers will pick up litter, clean
alleys, and plant trees during the kickoff of the "Great Indy Cleanup,"
a litter abatement program which runs annually from April through October.

"The Great Indy Cleanup is a great opportunity for everyone to do their part
to make our community cleaner and safer," said Mayor Greg Ballard.
"I encourage all residents to not only get involved today, but to commit to
keeping our neighborhoods clean throughout the summer and all year round."

The "Great Indy Cleanup," a program of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.
(KIB) in partnership with the City of Indianapolis, South Side Landfill,
Covanta Energy and Republic Services, aims to relieve streets, walkways and
alleys of the obtrusive eyesores left behind by litter and illegal dumping.
Neighborhoods receive help from DPW crews with trash trucks and dumpsters.
KIB coordinates the event and provides gloves, garbage bags, banners and
donated Coca-Cola products to help make the cleanup a success. Disposal of
the trash is generously donated by South Side Landfill and Covanta Energy.

Last year, volunteers removed more than 2 million pounds of litter through
277 neighborhood cleanups as a part of this program. The "Great Indy
Cleanup" is part of the "Great American Cleanup," the nation's largest
community improvement program, sponsored by Keep America Beautiful, Inc.

The kickoff ceremony will be held at 8:00 a.m. at Charles A. Tindley School,
3960 Meadows Dr. and will include a call to action from Mayor Ballard for
all residents to pick up litter throughout the month of April. Mayor
Ballard's "Pledge to Pitch In" program encourages all residents to do their
part throughout the month of April by cleaning up yards, streets and alleys
to help keep their communities free of litter and debris. Residents can
register to "Pledge to Pitch In" by calling 317.327.5300 or visiting
http://www.indy.gov/eGov/Mayor/Pages/home.aspx.


TIMELINE FOR APRIL 25:

8 a.m.
Opening Ceremony Speakers: Greg Ballard, Mayor of Indianapolis; Olgen
Williams, Deputy Mayor of Indianapolis; David Forsell, President of Keep
Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.; Marcus Robinson, Principal and CEO of Charles
A. Tindley Accelerated School and Dr. Charlie Schlegel, School Director of
Challenge Foundation Academy. Great Indy Butt Out high school winners
announced. Top two high schools that picked up the most cigarette butts in
the month of April will be acknowledged by Mayor Ballard.

8:45 a.m.
Volunteers and residents start cleaning the city. Mayor Ballard and staff
will be joining neighbors and volunteers to clean up litter throughout
Indianapolis.

1 p.m.
Mayor Ballard will join Warren Pride for the Wrap-up Celebration at Creston
Middle School, 10975 East Prospect.

"Every Litter Bit Helps"
Beginning April 6th, residents have been able to register for the Every
Litter Bit Helps campaign. Sign up at any YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, any
Marion County Public Library, or any Marion County Papa John's Restaurant.
Volunteers will receive a trash bag and gloves, and can place their
collected litter out for their standard weekly trash pickup.

The Great Indy Cleanup program kicks off on Saturday, April 25 and runs
through October. Neighborhoods can organize their own litter cleanups and
receive resources through KIB. KIB provides gloves and trash bags as long
as supplies last. Limited dumpsters are available. To sign-up, visit
www.kibi.org or contact Tammy Stevens at tstevens@kibi.org or 264-7555, x116
for information.

While KIB encourages private beautification projects around the home and
personal property, the resources allocated to this neighborhood development
initiative are reserved for cleaning public spaces only-not for
personal/household use.

For more information about other beautification programs and resources that
can help your neighborhood, visit www.kibi.org.

My Formal Introduction

As of today, I City-County Councilman Ed Coleman am taking over as editor of the HFFT blog for a few months while Melyssa completes an important project. I have been given full authorization to give HFFT a new feel while I am the editor.

The first change will be that I will not be blogging daily. With the acceptance of two new writers you will be hearing from Sean Shepard and Mike Kole. The two of them will be bringing to you the issue of the day to keep you well informed on the issues that matter most to fellow Hoosiers. Hopefully you will enjoy their fresh views and comment regularly.

I personally plan to post once or twice a week. I will be posting on the big issues that pertain specifically to Indianapolis. I plan to keep you all informed on the goings on in the city council and provide my own take on each issue. I hope to get great feedback as I will be using your opinions and advice to help in my decision making process to help make Indy the great city that it can be.

For those of you that will miss Melyssa's somewhat interesting reporting from time to time, don't fret. Melyssa will pop in from time to time to give us great input as well. Don't think that I am trying to change this blog. This is the blog that Melyssa created and will stay that way.

Hopefully you will all enjoy the temporary change and continue your loyal readership.

Is Barnes & Thornburg Cashing in on Simon Pacers Bailout?

With the recent claim from the Pacers that they did not ask for the $15 million bailout from the Capital Improvement Board, it makes us ponder why the CIB put forward a dire request for $15 million, while allowing the Simons (team owners) to be vilified.

One possible reason is that CIB President Bob Grand, also managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg law firm who represents the Pacers, wants a cut from the bailout of your money. Assuming Grand's firm got 30%, that's a cool $5 million.

"The Spangle" calls out CIB billionaire bailout at Tea Party

We need to fix the problems in our local cities and counties across Indiana, before we should take on the federal government. We can get face to face with local leaders, conversely we don't have access to Washington.

Realistically if we are not good parents of local government, how can we change anything in Washington? Tea parties need to make the focus local, not national. Only then will be see progress.

Chris Spangle (former producer of Abdul in The Morning Show) gets it.

Indiana Sovereignty update

Indiana's Senate Resolved State Sovereignty on April 9th, 2009 at 2:27 pm. This resolution stands on it's own. No need for the House to vote (they had their chance and blew it), no need for the Governor to sign it. Read the resolution please.

We have begun our fight for our tenth amendment with Senator Greg Walker leading the way along with 19 co-sponsors. Sen. Walker won't be out promoting himself but I know he is out spreading the word and we need to be backing him up and promoting this act of our Senate.

Many have said this is not binding - I disagree. Indiana Senate has not only brought it to the Senate floor, they voted 44-3 for it and we have it on record. Are we not to take them at their word?? I for one intend to take them at their word and intend to hold them to their word.

Please help by going to http://www.incrc.com - read the details of who voted and how, thank those who stated sovereignty and continue the accountability process with many Hoosiers across the state. The time is ripe for moving forward in the fight for true freedom and education.

Update submitted by Joyce Morrell

Indianapolis City Councilors have a great opportunity before them

Lemonade requires lemons.

Anyone who was at Wednesday's council meeting which invited the public, business owners, the CIB and the Colts and Pacers, could easily tell just how terrified the city council is right now by the fact that truck loads of lemons were dumped at their feet. Our city potentially is going to hemorrhage a sour mess.

No one will take the blame and no viable solutions are apparent yet.

I was impressed by how many councilors that did not have to attend that meeting made the effort to be there. That tells me that they genuinely want to solve this problem. Keep in mind, our city councilors don't get huge salaries and most of them are just regular people who also have other jobs.

We all know by now where the fault lies. If you don't, may I suggest reading the vast archives of Advance Indiana? It is there that you can learn the history of the reckless, greedy deals made by self-serving politicians from both parties with their billionaire campaign contributors. It is not hard to figure out.

We cannot change the cards we were dealt. However, we can be thankful the place we are, for it is an opportunity for city councilors to earn political clout by steering us out this mess.

Our councilors have help available unlike ever before. At Wednesday's meeting we heard from small business organizations representing breweries, wineries, restaurants, hotels, car rental agencies, and well informed members of the public. Each offered assistance by calculating the realistic outcomes of the tax and spend solutions offered by the same political leadership that created the crisis. Some offered possible parts of the answer.

We also have at least two activist attorneys, Gary Welsh and Paul Ogden, who have shown they will lend their expertise to the massive problem facing us.

The only question is which councilors will rise up and work on behalf of the people by putting our interests ahead of party? I hope each councilor sees the opportunity to make lemonade from this massive crop of lemons dropped at their door step.

We are all in the same boat. These are the moments that present opportunity for true leaders to emerge. I have no doubt that lemonade will be made.

Councilor Ed Coleman first public official to suggest resignation of CIB president, Bob Grand

CIB Head Under Fire Councillor Suggests Resignation

By Stan Lehr, WIBC
4/16/2009

It's not just the bloggers pushing it now. A member of the City County Council is suggesting resignation to the head of the embattled Capital Improvement Board. It had gone unsaid in polite company until Libertarian Ed Coleman brought it up at a meeting of a Council Committee.

The bloggers have repeatedly attacked CIB President Bob Grand, who is also managing partner of the Indianapolis office of the law firm Barnes and Thornburgh. The firm represents the Indiana Pacers, one of the key players in the CIB budget crisis.



Coleman told Grand he was stating a suggestion as much as a question when he asked, "Have you recognized there is a possible conflict of interest and considered resigning so we can get someone on this board who represents the citizens and not the Simons?"



That's a reference to the Simon brothers, owners of the Pacers. Grand says he has acknowleged his position and has sometimes abstained from votes to avoid any conflict. And to the suggestion that he step aside, he said, "I strongly disagree." He referred to "aspersions" cast on blogs that "not many people read." That brought jeers from some in the meeting room. Grand was there, at least.



The Pacers and the Colts declined the committee's invitation to attend the meeting.



Councilor Ed Coleman, the only city councilor with the stones to suggest Grand resign, has also agreed to become temporary editor of the HFFT blog, while I pursue a personal project. To my knowledge, Councilor Coleman will also be the first public official in Indianapolis to be a political blogger.

Attorney blogger Paul Ogden and CIB's Pat Early on Indiana Lawmakers tonight

Paul Ogden and Pat Early will discuss the CIB's inability to pay its bills for the city's stadiums.

Paul Ogden, who publishes Ogden On Politics , is an outspoken critic of the both the CIB and the Mayor's lack of leadership and transparency at a time when the city most needs it.

If you want to get up to speed on the CIB billionaire bailout issue, from the perspective of the taxpayer, read both Ogden On Politics and Advance Indiana. The lawyers behind the blogs are dedicated to keeping you informed and keeping pressure on the politicians that are wrangling to force the taxpayer to fund their billionaire campaign contributors whose millionaire employees play ball in Conseco and Lucas Oil Stadium.

The show will air three times this weekend on local PBS Channel 20's WFYI
Friday at 9:30 pm
Sundays at 1 pm
Sundays at 6:30pm on WFYI+ (plus)

Had Enough Indy? A brand spankin' new blog !

HadEnoughIndy.com is doing a great job of covering the nuts and bolts of the CIB crisis. You should add it to your daily read. I like it there.

Also, a pretty funny wise guy named Unigov bought the domain LukeKenley.com and is building a hilarious site reminiscent of the old BartPeterson.com site, which disappeared shortly after Peterson lost the election due to grass roots activism.

Unigov got on our radar when he (or she?) made the infamous You Tube, "Indianapolis Is Broke" which describes the terrible state that Indy's politicians have made of our taxpayers' capital investments.

Keep in mind that a politician cannot possibly be the sharpest knife in the drawer when he does not have the brains to buy his own name.com

Courageous Words at Tonight's CIB City Council Meeting: Gary Welsh and Councilman Ed Coleman

Last night's meeting was one of the top two dramatic episodes of city government I have ever witnessed at Indianapolis City Hall.

The two most principled dramatic performers were Councilman-At-Large, Ed Coleman and attorney blogger extraordinaire, Gary Welsh who publishes Advance Indiana.

As usual, Advance Indiana offers an enlightening detailed summary of the meeting, so I don't have to do the heavy lifting.

And while Advance Indiana carried the nuts and bolts of the reporting load, Paul Ogden offers additional insight to the meeting and gives kudos once more to our GOP defector turned Libertarian, Ed Coleman.

And here's a surprise for the readers of HFFT...City Councilman Ed Coleman agreed this week to take over as temporary publisher of the HFFT blog for me while I work on a major personal project. I am so honored to have a representative with real passion for service to The People to cover the real inside of city politics for our readers. He will round out the reporting with a few guest writers and sometimes I'll pop in if the pot needs a little stirring or some extra herbs and spices.

We'll make the blog transition soon.

--Melyssa for HFFT

FOX NEWS Highlights the Tea Parties they produced

Yep, fair and balanced. They not only report the news, they now create the news!

New Website Launched To Highlight Astroturfing Behind So-called “Tax Day Tea Parties” brought to you by Fox News and Conservative Millionaires

Washington, DC— A new website was launched today to highlight the truth behind the so-called “Tax Day Tea Parties.” The new site, $aveTheRich[ www.savetherich.com ], will document efforts by Fox News Network, prominent Republican Officials and conservative millionaires who are attempting to create the false impression of a grassroots movement through a political tactic known as “astroturfing.”

Astroturfing is a coordinated public relations campaign, usually spearheaded by large organizations and consultants. The goal of an astroturf campaign is to disguise the efforts of the political or commercial entity by orchestrating public activity through outreach, marketing and disinformation. These actions are often heavily funded by corporate or political entities that rely on computer databases, phone-banking and hired organizers.

And so far, the tell-tale signs of astroturfing are everywhere in the so-called “Tax Day Tea Party” events:

Large lobbying organizations and their consultants are quietly organizing behind the scenes. The principle organizers of the local events are actually lobbyist-run think tanks Americans for Prosperity, Freedom Works and American Solutions for Winning the Futures (ASWF) an organization run by former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich. http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/09/lobbyists-planning-teaparties/

Fox News is listed as a sponsor of the events and has aggressively promoted the so-called “Tax Day Tea Parties” and encouraged viewers to get involved. According to reports, Fox News provided attendance and organizing information for future protests, such as protest dates, locations and website URLs. Fox News websites have also posted information and publicity material for protests. Fox News hosts have repeatedly encouraged viewers to join them at several April 15 protests that they are attending and covering. Tea-party organizers have used the planned attendance of the Fox News hosts to promote their protests. http://mediamatters.org/items/200904080025?f=h_top

At the events which have been held in advance of April 15th , protesters appear to be confused about why they are protesting. Despite claims from Fox News and other organizers that the protests are against high taxes and wasteful government spending, many of the participants are calling for the impeachment of President Obama and raising questions about his place of birth. Other protesters appear to be from myriad far-right causes such as gun rights, secessionists, immigration and neo-Nazi groups

Elected officials are driving turn out and, as in the case of Sen. David Vitter even sponsoring a bill to honor the protests. At least 12 Republican members of Congress, and a handful of Governors, will be featured prominently at the so-called “Tax Day Tea Parties.” In one particular instance, Congressman Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas) is actually seen on video holding a conference call instructing Tea Party participants on talking points and messaging. http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/08/gopestablishment-joins-teaparties/

$aveTheRich is dedicated to documenting efforts by Fox News Network, their media personalities and a handful of conservative millionaires to deceive the press and the American public with these so-called "Tax Day Tea Parties."

Rules for posting comments

All are welcome to write anything you wish here on this board without fear of censorship. If your speech is hate filled and you attack or flame people anonymously, your comments will be deleted.

So in other words, you can flame and attack all you want in this forum. Just let us know exactly who you are first.

Gov. Perry Backs Resolution Affirming Texas Sovereignty Under 10th Amendment - Part 2

WOnderful!