The Contemporary Conservative

Senator Jim DeMint - 94% of Bills Passed in the Senate are done in SECRECY with NO DEBATE

2012-01-21T16:05:00.000-05:00

Nice Video, but don't people already know this? I think we do but still refuse to change the votes we give to get rid of the bad ones and keep the good ones no matter what Party they belong to.....the people control the outcome we just need to vote our conscious and not vote for who we're "suppose" to vote for with excuses like..."I've always voted __" , "The group I belong to says I need to vote...

The Contemporary Conservative is Six years old today - a few thoughts

2012-01-21T15:52:00.001-05:00

On the sixth year anniversary of this incarnation of the TCC, I thought I republish a rant from the fourth year anniversary and state that TCC is back in full swing so look for more controversary from stating the truth about the current state of Politics in Virginia, this country and the world with no topic off limits..... although this was two years ago it seems to still apply

"I have some random thoughts on the state of politics in American, political blogging and putting your thoughts out on the web for all to read (and the consequences.) Think of it as a stream of consciousness rambling from a non-stream of consciousness guy.

The political landscape and the dissemination of information and tools that candidates must shuffle in the U.S. now-a-days is getting faster and faster and thus there is less room for errors (both past and present.) The need to “cover all bases” for even a local candidate is a two sided coin – on one side getting your message to the people faster and unfiltered (e.g. social media vs. standard newspaper, internet shows, cable, YouTube vs. network news) can only help you but on the other side the cost of campaigns has grown (even on the local level) exponentially so it is becoming that most middle to lower middle class potential candidates are finding it hard to raise the money to run for office.

People are still looking for the ‘perfect’ candidate although we all know that as humans, by nature, we are flawed beings. So, by default, every candidate we pick will let us down in the end because the expectation has become that they can never do anything that contradicts what we think they should do (even though we probably have never even talked to them on a personal level) and the grace period we allow them before making this decision has grown exponentially shorter as a result. We ask to much of politicians because we have become to dependent on government and what they can do for us….if we look to ourselves, a higher power, and our neighbors to assist us in our trials in tribulations then our dependence on the government and thus the politician lessens and we do not look for a savior, but look for a competent administrator to carry out the tasks delegated then from the masses

Political discourse has come down to a level of he said/she said with the politicians seemly not really knowing the ‘whys” of what they believe or at the very least not being able to articulate them very well. The “R” versus “D” argument is growing tired the lined gets blurred with promises and rhetoric that does not back the actions of those running for office or that the debate is more about the parties than about the candidates which in the end is who the voters should be voting for in the first place. The key to many of our best political figures, orators, teachers and preachers is that they can take complex issues, beliefs and creeds boil them down to the kernel of truth that matters and then explain them in a way that makes sense to us all…only when people feel comfortable with an idea, wrestle with it ad discern if it rings true to them can they take it to there hearts and believe in it, this is level at which we should engage the American people with conservatism and personal responsibility.

Blogging can be hazardous to you health – I blog under my own name (why wouldn’t I) because I practice what I preach and so I should be responsible for what I think or what I say but with that being said, there have been a few occasions when 1. I have felt very uncomfortable with people that oppose the TCC and the opinions of all the writers 2. I have felt very very uncomfortable with people that oppose the TCC and the opinions of all the writers and 3. there are some whackos in the immediate area that need to get a life and stop harassing bloggers they disagree with……and you all know who you are!!

The future is changing; it’s about time that this blogger start putting more actions behind his words (and criticisms) to help his community. One of the issues that I have with talk radio and most of the well known personalities is that it is very easy to criticize actions (i.e. Monday quarterbacking) that people take when there is nothing at stake but ratings and ad revenue. Putting your money where your mouth is, is the best way to live your convictions and battle through the consequences of those beliefs. It is one thing to write about what you believe, it is another thing to live if in service to others and I think that is the next step for The Contemporary Conservative. So see you all on the flip side and I’ll keep writing, if you all keep reading."

Raise MY debt Limit!!

2012-01-21T15:44:00.001-05:00

If you protest Obama you're a ________

2012-01-21T15:40:00.003-05:00

The Path to Prosperity: America's two futures, visualized

2012-01-21T15:39:00.000-05:00

income Tax Revenue would need to increase by 144 percent to cover the overspending

2011-04-19T11:08:00.000-04:00

In 2010, the federal government collected about $2.2 trillion in total tax revenue. Income taxes accounted for $900 billion of collections, or about 40 percent of all tax receipts. The federal government spent around $3.5 trillion, with the resulting deficit of $1.3 trillion made possible by borrowing....If Congress, rather than borrowing or cutting spending, raised income taxes by the $1.3 trillion necessary to pay for 2010 deficit spending, it would need to more than double income tax collections. In fact, income tax revenue would need to increase by 144 percent to cover the overspending.....For a family of four earning $50,000 that takes the standard deduction, its current tax bill of $766 would increase by almost $4,000. A similar family of four that earned $75,000 a year would see its tax liability of $4,500 increase by over $9,000 a year. If the same family earned $100,000, it would pay more than $15,600 above the $8,800 it actually paid in 2010....The top rate in this scenario would be 85 percent. A top rate at that level would grind economic activity to a halt. Businesses would stop investing and creating new jobs because the tax-diminished returns would not be worth the risk. Many workers would cut back the hours they spend on the job. The end result would be a poorer nation with a bleaker future....

A Brief Commentary - Jamie Radtke will win Virginia

2011-04-11T22:57:00.002-04:00

Some say it’s a David and Goliath type battle as Jamie Radtke takes on George Allen for the Senate Republican nomination (and probably Kaine in the election) and that is why Mrs. Radtke has a better chance of winning than most pundits think because we all like underdogs and are fed up with Goliaths. With a solid aim at the giants that will be in this race (two ex-governor’s on both sides of the aisle,) Radtke can pull off the upset and move Virginia politics to a genuine conservative side and change the landscape for potential new “would-be” candidates for future races with a victory by staying on message and mobilizing her Tea Party base. With solid Tea party “street cred” behind her, Mrs. Radtke will be able to both attack the Democrats and the old guard Republican machine in Virginia, at the same time, tapping into the national discontent, as well as, those within the GOP party that are tired of the same retread candidates that the established GOP seems unable or unwilling to let go. When most people say that we should throw all the bums out in D.C. and fill Congress with newbies, few actually mean we should send people to Capitol Hill that have no political experience. What we need in D.C. rather, are smart, common sense people with fresh and convicted ideas that will move the country forward in the image that they hold dear and fight with conviction and backbone to make those ideals policy. Jaime Radtke is no novice to politics having worked for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, American Management Systems consulting to the Virginia Department of Taxation, VCAP and her own campaign consulting company Sovereign Consulting but she is a new public voice in the muddy waters of RINOS versus conservatives versus liberal versus socialist etc. Having heard Jaime speak several times and briefly talking with her on others, one thing is very clear, Jamie is a person of conviction who is speaking from her briefs and not from what is politically expedient at the time to get elected. In a nutshell, Jaime is uniquely placed as a political insiders and outsider simultaneously and if played right can be swept into office as a new fresh candidate without needing to “ramp up” to be effective as a freshman Senator; which is a good thing in what will be an arduous 2012 Senator session. Jaime gained traction when she became the President of Richmond Tea Party and Chairwoman of the Federation of Virginia Tea Party Patriots. The core principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, free markets, and virtue and accountability has rung true to many Americans and Virginians and was the driving force of the Tea Party movement during the runaway spending and historic deficits over the last several years and Mrs. Radtke has been at the forefront of that movement for several years now at the grassroots level where campaigns are won and also on the national scene.
If Jaime Radtke sticks to her pledges to: Oppose raising the federal debt ceiling, ending the massive federal deficits, reforming entitlement and more fair tax structure her platform will resonate with Virginians across the board and she will have a shot to come out of this year’s elections as Virginia’s newest Senator. The key for her victory is to use her platform as a way to help all Virginians experience a better, more secure future through solid conservative ideals and following through with campaign promises and stump speech assurances (something retread candidates and career politicians never seem to do.) Mrs. Radtke cannot get mixed up in the status quo of incremental change seen as radical but radical policies that will be seen as revolutionary. It’s a simple formula but one that must be adhered too, Jaime Radtke needs to bee who she is and let the voters know that she’s not like other candidates, she’s a new, smart, common sense person with fresh and convicted ideas that will move the country forward to a more secure and prosperous future than we are experiencing now….this is a quick commentary, more to come.

Bakeer for Matoaca Supervisor

2011-04-11T19:13:00.000-04:00

Al-Mateen, 52, is a pediatrician and neonatologist. He currently works at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, but that will end next month. He also owns Swift Creek Pediatrics on the St. Francis Medical Center campus. In 2000 he moved from Brandermill to Woodlake....

Radtke calls for Allen to state budget position

2011-04-11T19:09:00.000-04:00

‘A one-word answer will suffice’...U.S. Senate candidate Jamie Radtke is calling on her opponent in the Republican primary George Allen to make his position clear on the current compromise budget position

Mitt Romney forms presidential exploratory committee

2011-04-11T19:03:00.001-04:00

CHESTERFIELD GOP CALLS FOR SENATE TO RECONSIDER

2011-04-03T21:02:00.001-04:00

Chesterfield County Republican Committee · 12107 Gordon School Road · Richmond, VA 23236 ·
info@chesterfieldgop.com http://www.chesterfieldgop.com
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Media Contact: Jerry L. Baldwin
Saturday, April 2, 2011 (804) 640-7838
CHESTERFIELD GOP CALLS FOR SENATE TO RECONSIDER
HOWELL’S PLAN TO REDISTRICT STATE
CHESTERFIELD, VA—The Chesterfield County Republican Committee’s (CCRC) announced
today that they are joining the debate over the Senate Democrats’ Redistricting Plan, also
referred to as “The Howell Plan”. The CCRC’s Executive Committee believes that the proposed
bill, sponsored by Senator Janet Howell (D-Fairfax), redraws Virginia’s legislative and
congressional boundaries in a method that severely diminishes the ability of Chesterfield’s
Senators to represent the interests and needs of the County in the Virginia State Senate.
As currently proposed, the Howell Plan severely reduces the Chesterfield portion of the 11th
Senatorial District, while spreading the District across seven localities in rural Southside
Virginia. Likewise, the 10th District will now reach into rural areas far north and west of
Chesterfield. A third district – the 8th District – is being established with portions of Chesterfield,
Richmond and Henrico County, while also removing citizens from their current Senate Districts.
Finally, the urban-based 16th District would grow into to more areas of Chesterfield.
On April 2, 2011, the CCRC’s Executive Committee adopted a resolution requesting the Senate
of Virginia to reconsider the “Howell Plan” and realign the Senate Districts in Chesterfield to
primarily serve the interests of the 316,000 citizens of the County.
“It does not serve our citizens, our families and our business owners to be placed in ruraldominated
Districts with communities that have so little in common with Chesterfield,” noted
Chairman Donald C. Williams. He continued, “Our 316,00 citizens deserve to be represented by
Senators who are primarily dedicated to Chesterfield’s interests.”
Additionally, in the event that the Senate does not redistrict Chesterfield in a manner that will
best represent the citizens of the county, the Executive Committee requested that Governor
McDonnell exercise his Gubernatorial authority and Veto any bill that includes the currently
proposed Senate District realignment.
####
Chesterfield County Republican Committee
12107 Gordon School Road
Richmond, VA 23236
Donald Williams, Chairman

Planned Parenthood Aids Pimp's Underage Sex Ring

2011-02-08T09:49:00.001-05:00

Does Virginia have the staff to ensure that uranium is mined safely in the state?

2011-02-07T16:45:00.000-05:00

From The Times Dispatch:

Does Virginia have the staff to ensure that uranium is mined safely in the state?....The question arose today during a downtown Richmond meeting of a panel studying the safety of the mining of uranium, a radioactive material that fuels nuclear power plants....State officials requested the study because a company called Virginia Uranium Inc. wants to mine uranium in Pittsylvania County in south-central Virginia....Robert Burnley, a former director of the state Department of Environmental Quality, said Virginia doesn't have the staff or money to properly oversee the mining...."Our concern is that the regulation of this won't be as strong as it should be because of budgetary restraints," Burnley said outside the meeting room....Burnley is working as a consultant for the Southern Environmental Law Center, an environmental group. ...To properly oversee the mining, the state would probably have to spend millions on staff, training and equipment, Burnley said....The uranium mine would be subject to state and federal regulations....Speaking to the study panel, current DEQ Director David Paylor said, "No agency head worth his salt would tell you he has enough people... But I can tell you we do our job, and we set priorities."

Obama: Corporate Profits "Have To Be Shared By American Workers"

2011-02-07T16:40:00.000-05:00

Obama: Corporate Profits "Have To Be Shared By American Workers"

Rep. Cantor on 'Special Report'

2011-01-06T12:37:00.000-05:00

Read Here:

Sanitation workers selfishly slowed down the cleanup - NYPOST.com

2010-12-30T09:12:00.000-05:00

From NYPOST:

Selfish Sanitation Department bosses from the snow-slammed outer boroughs ordered their drivers to snarl the blizzard cleanup to protest budget cuts -- a disastrous move that turned streets into a minefield for emergency-services vehicles, The Post has learned.

Year in Review: Top 12 Political Surprises of 2010

2010-12-28T09:40:00.000-05:00

From Politics Daily:

Massachusetts miracle: Republican state Sen. Scott Brown wins the U.S. Senate seat held for 47 years by liberal lion Ted Kennedy. State Attorney General Martha Coakley, Brown's lackluster Democratic opponent, is not the only victim of the year's first "shellacking." President Barack Obama and his party are stunned by the loss of their 60-vote super majority, and their ambitious health care agenda is thrown into doubt. Democrats eventually summon the will and parliamentary tactics to pass their health bill anyway, and Brown, his eye on a 2012 race in a liberal state, forges a path as a Senate moderate....Tectonic plate shift: In a preview of the tea party movement's clout and what's in store for the GOP establishment, Sen. Bob Bennett of Utah, a three-term incumbent Republican, places third at a state party nominating convention. It is an abrupt and shocking end to his career. The first- and second-place finishers go on to a primary that is won by a tea party-driven candidate, Mike Lee. Bennett later describes conservative votes he took "looking down the barrel of the convention," and says his work on the Troubled Asset Relief Program was instrumental to his defeat.....Above and beyond foot-in-mouth: Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, calls Afghanistan a war of Obama's "choosing" and says there's no way to win a land war there. Republicans are astonished not just by Steele's factual inaccuracy (George W. Bush started the war in 2001 after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks), but also by the way he casually undercuts his party's core position in support of the war. Coming after a series of other gaffes and missteps, it prompts (yet another round of) calls for his resignation. Steele does not heed them, but will likely lose his job in a party election in January....Tea party capstone: Christine O'Donnell defeats nine-term Rep. Mike Castle in Delaware's Republican Senate primary, capping a string of improbable tea party victories from Florida to Alaska. GOP voters overlook O'Donnell's history of financial problems, odd statements and lost elections in their zeal to oust the moderate Castle.

Biggest conservative names bidding goodbye to CPAC

2010-12-28T09:35:00.000-05:00

From World Net Daily:

Two of the nation's premier moral issues organizations, the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America, are refusing to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference in February because a homosexual activist group, GOProud, has been invited..."We've been very involved in CPAC for over a decade and have managed a couple of popular sessions. However, we will no longer be involved with CPAC because of the organization's financial mismanagement and movement away from conservative principles," said Tom McClusky, senior vice president for FRC Action...."CWA has decided not to participate in part because of GOProud," CWA President Penny Nance told WND....FRC and CWA join the American Principles Project, American Values, Capital Research Center, the Center for Military Readiness, Liberty Counsel, and the National Organization for Marriage in withdrawing from CPAC. In November, APP organized a boycott of CPAC over the participation of GOProud.

Read Here: Biggest conservative names bidding goodbye to CPAC

Just 21% Want FCC to Regulate Internet, Most Fear Regulation Would Promote Political Agenda

2010-12-28T09:02:00.001-05:00

Rassmussen:

American voters believe free market competition will protect Internet users more than government regulation and fear that regulation will be used to push a political agenda. ...The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 21% of Likely U.S. Voters want the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to regulate the Internet as it does radio and television. Fifty-four percent (54%) are opposed to such regulation, and 25% are not sure.

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Top Chinese blogger shuts down country's first pvt magazine

2010-12-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

From the Economic Times:

China's first private magazine, which was launched by famous blogger Han Han in a bid to break monopoly of the tightly-controlled official media, has shut down apparently after its printing was blocked by authorities...."Han Han magazine dies", read the front page headline of the state-run 'Global Times' daily....It said that the magazine named 'Party' was shut after it was bogged down by a host of procedural problems, leading it to seek clearance for each of its page by officials. ...."The magazine bore an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) instead of an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN), meaning it was regarded as technically being a book, and therefore needed to undergo government inspection before every new issue was published," the report said....China's General Administration of Press and Publication did not respond to a Global Times inquiry on the issue

A Contemporary Conservative Editorial: What Tuesday Taught Us - We, the Constituents Matter in this Country and not the Politicians?

2010-11-03T09:56:00.002-04:00

With a day to look back on Tuesday’s election, what does a net gain in the House of 60 seats and a net gain of 6 seats in the Senate (four short of the sweep I unsuccessfully predicted) tell us about the message the American voter/Constituent was sending Washington? We’re suffering due to the economy and you are not doing enough to help us? This wasn’t the change we voted for in 2008? This is a referendum on the last two years of the Obama administration and the last four years of a Democrat controlled Congress?
The American electorate tired of being ignored by the emerging “ruling class” in D.C. who has a recent history and predisposition to look down on all of the electorate, regardless of the viewpoint, and think they know best for us all, like a nanny to another child who think to know better than the parents on how to raise their child. We have also learned that spending your way out of a deficit is both foolish, ineffective and can lead to lasting effects on those that create jobs for those suffering. Finally, that the apathy of American more concerned with their daily struggles, will revolt and be spurned to action if they : 1.) Feel ignored, 2). Are waking up the fact that we need a government that has sound conservative fiscal policies that help guide them to be great stewards of our tax dollars and 3.) That the government trying to control the U.S. economy never works as well as getting out of the way and letting the market course correct itself for the betterment of us all.
Well?....
All those things listed above (and many more) played a part in this historic mid-term election but the biggest contributor to this shift is that people were tired of being (or feeling) ignored by those they had put into office and that those elected officials enacted policies that the voters neither wanted nor thought a priority. When President Obama, said during his campaign that he would create a more transparent government, put bills on the internet for everyone to read and voice their opinion on (to their representative before a vote) and bring a change to Washington of inclusion for the disenfranchised, the populace believed him and voted accordingly. These voters ignored the more radical parts of his agenda, forgot that the House and Senate was also controlled by his party and basically thought him above partisan politics which he had no history of ever doing in the past. When it became apparent that his administration would not or could not fulfill on those promises and that the legislature that Congress was enacting, and the Obama administration was endorsing, was not what the majority of the Americans wanted and that they were going to do it anyway a shift finally happened that was the beginning of the avalanche that culminated in Tuesday monumental House of Representatives shift in power.
The mistake that was made that will haunt this administration up and through the 2012; when given a mandate by the voters make sure you 1.) Understand what that mandate is and 2.) Stick to it and don’t wonder of the path, 3.) Make sure you have pulse checks to make sure those disenfranchised voters that supported you are not becoming disenfranchised with you and 4.) Do not propose laws and bills that back it appear that YOU, personally, know better than the American population, since we’re a fiery bunch in this country and we take our freedoms as birthrights no matter what our word-view.
What’s ahead? Once again the American people voted for change and the change will be a move to the center for the President, a gridlocked Senate, a powerful House as a potential foible to the President and people sticking to what they said they’d do once put in office?
Everyone that won on Tuesday, Democrat or Republican, should have one thing on their minds as they fly into Dulles or Reagan Airports or drive into the District across the bridge for their first session in the next Congress and that is that the American public only gave the Obama’s change two years before they had have enough so this new Congress will have 8months at the most to show the American people that they are listening to them, doing something substantial about it and are working for their constituent’s interest and not their own. Because in the end, as Tuesday’s election proves, it is the constituents that matter in this country and not the politician since they represent us and we can vote them out at anytime we please.

From WaPo: Five myths about Sarah Palin

2010-10-21T16:33:00.000-04:00

Not a huge Palin fan, but this is a great article:

1. Palin cost McCain the 2008 election.

She didn't. CNN's 2008 national exit poll, for example, asked voters whether Palin was a factor when they stepped into the voting booth. Those who said yes broke for McCain 56 percent to 43 percent.

Before Palin's selection, remember, McCain suffered from an enthusiasm gap. Republicans were reluctant to vote for the senator from Arizona because of his reputation as a maverick who'd countered his party on taxes, immigration, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and "cap and trade" climate legislation. But Palin's conservative record in Alaska and antiabortion advocacy changed the Republican mood. With her by his side, McCain's fundraising and support from conservatives improved. It wasn't enough to beat Barack Obama -- but McCain probably would have lost the presidency by a greater margin if he had, say, selected independent Sen. Joe Lieberman as his running mate, further alienating the GOP base.

Yes, it's possible that Palin's conservatism and uneven performance on the campaign trail shifted some voters to Obama's column. But even if Obama picked up some anti-Palin votes, he surely didn't need them: The economy was in recession, Wall Street was in meltdown, and the incumbent Republican president was incredibly unpopular. In the end, it's impossible to know how McCain would have performed if he hadn't selected Palin -- politics does not allow for control experiments.

Facebook: Criticizing gays no longer allowed, but hoping for Limbaugh’s slow death OK | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

2010-10-19T12:53:00.003-04:00

As most of you know I'm not really a big fan of talk radio in general(both right and left for the record) since, like pop psychology radio and T.V. shows, it tends to simplify issue down to one-liners and sound bites for the purpose of expediency instead of tackling the issue with the detail and thought it requires..... but hypocrisy is hypocrisy. If there is a thing called hate speech (or hate crimes) then hateful speech (as in a crime defined by the PC police, not as in mean)of all kinds should be included not just those we agree (or disagree) with…

At the end of last week Facebook announced that it had allied with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) to remove what it considers anti-gay references from the social networking site....language is created equal, apparently. Among Facebook’s many online communities are groups such as, “I Hate Rush Limbaugh,” “I Can’t Wait For Rush Limbaugh to Die,” and “Rush Limbaugh Should Die Slowly.” Hateful? Yes. Threatening? Sure. So why are these groups still on Facebook?...Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes did his best to explain why language criticizing homosexuality is hateful and will be censored, while calls for Rush Limbaugh’s slow death are legitimate and allowed. “Direct statements of hate against particular communities violate our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and are removed when reported to us,” Noyes wrote. “However, groups that express an opinion on a state, institution, or set of beliefs — even if that opinion is outrageous or offensive to some — do not by themselves violate our policies. When a group created to express an opinion devolves into hate speech, we will remove the hateful comments and may even remove the group itself.”

Rival blasts Barney Frank’s swanky free jet ride

2010-10-13T13:30:00.000-04:00

Not a good decision on Frank's part..especially given the public's view of politicians in general as well as the economy...

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, immersed in one of the toughest political fights of his career, took a free private jet to the Virgin Islands courtesy of a Maine congresswoman’s billionaire fiance — whose ...company received a $200 million federal bailout, the Herald has learned.Frank, who’s facing feisty Republican challenger Sean Bielat, flew to the tropical paradise for a vacation in 2009 on a $25 million jet owned by Paloma Partners honcho S. Donald Sussman, the fiance of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine). Paloma Securities — a subsidiary of Sussman’s Greenwich, Conn.-based hedge fund — received $200 million in 2009 as part of the $180 billion federal bailout of troubled insurance giant AIG, records show

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Read Here:Rival blasts Barney Frank’s swanky free jet ride

Campaign Ads

2010-10-12T12:49:00.000-04:00

Campaign Ads that make me smile...