Conservative View--Allow Access to Ballots

     As the Presidential election approaches, it looks like America will have the choice of Obama vs. Romney (aka  Obama lite).  Across the country, Republican and Democratic candidates will fill ballots in hopes of a "coattails" victory.  America will hear the same tired ideas again and again.  It doesn't have to be this way.

     A major way that Democrats and Republicans use to maintain power is government printed ballots.  There was a time when ballots were not printed.  Voters had to either write the names of candidates on ballots or use ballots printed by various political organizations.  At that time, as little as 58% of incumbents were re-elected according to the Ballot Access News .  In modern times, usually more than 85% are re-elected.  Incumbents use restrictions of access to government printed ballots to control competition.   This leads to the same ideas from the same candidates, over and over and over again.

     What if we didn't have ballot restrictions?  What if any person qualified to hold an office could be on the ballot for that office by following a simple procedure?  That seems to be fairer and better for America than having candidates swear loyalty to the Democratic or Republican Party before they can run for office.  Won't the ballot be confusing if there are too many candidates?  Data from other countries with less restrictive ballot laws show that there are usually only five or six people on the ballot.  I think that is far better that the United States, where Republican or Democratic candidates often run unopposed.

     Doesn't a person need the backing of a Party to win?  It is easier to win an election if you have an organization like a political party backing you.  However, there are at least three alternative parties that would be ready to go if their candidates could easily appear on government ballots.  The Libertarian Party has more than 250,000 registered members and over 300 elected officials (mostly in non-partisan office) nationwide.  The Green Party is an international movement that is good at attracting high profile (Ralph Nader) candidates.  The Constitution/American Independent Party(California) has more than 400,000 registered members.  Any of these parties could support viable candidates if they could get them on the ballot.  As a Conscious Conservative, I believe this probably will not happen soon.  Democrats and Republicans are afraid of the competition.

Paul Campaign Calls Etch a Sketch Game

     The Ron Paul campaign released a new advertisement that scolds the media and other Republican candidates for talking so much about the Etch a Sketch comment when there are serious issues to discuss.  Eric Fehrnstrom, a Romney aide, used the example of an Etch a Sketch toy when referring to the difference between a primary election campaign and a general election campaign.  The press and Romney opponents jumped on the statement, trying to make it a campaign issue.  Ron Paul's  new advertisement asks if people are "tired of the games."

  

  The Paul advertisement talks about a "$15 Trillion Debt," "12 Million Americans Unemployed," and "A Country At War," as the issues candidates should be addressing.  As you can read in an earlier post, I see the Etch a Sketch issue as a Dog and Pony Show that has come to the forefront because the press and the candidates are afraid to discuss the real issues.  Ron Paul calls for discussion of "A Serious Plan To Restore America Now."  As a Conscious Conservative, I couldn't agree with him more.

Conservative View of The Dog and Pony Show

     As I write this, an internet search for "United States 2012 Election News" brings up some interesting stories.  One is about a poll that explores how many Americans want politicians to talk about religion.  Another tells about Mitt Romney and an "Etch a Sketch" campaign.  Another reports the launching of a new Political Action Committee (PAC).  There is another about how much money Barack Obama is raising for his campaign and one about who former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is endorsing (hint: it's Mitt Romney).  Although these stories have some interest, the big question about all of these is:  Who Cares?  These articles only serve to draw the public's attention away from the real issues of this election.

     As a Conscious Conservative, I believe that here are only five questions which a presidential candidate must answer in this or just about any other election.

1.  How are you going to respect my body and property?

     

     We now have a government that spies on its own citizens, can imprison them indefinitely or kill them without trial and takes their property to give it to a private business interest.  This question is far more important than which famous person endorses a candidate.

2.  What do you believe about Taxes?

     

     By some estimates, the United States Tax code is over 15,000 pages long.  Why?  Because it is designed     less to raise revenue than it is to control behavior and grant favors to political supporters.  This is more important than an "Etch a Sketch" comment.

3.  How are you going to handle the issue of Us vs. Them?

     Typical political strategy in Washington D.C. is to divide and conquer.  Pit women against men, rural vs. urban, young vs. old, rich vs. poor, etc...  We need a President who refuses to categorize people.  This is more important than a candidates's religion.  In fact,a candidate stating a religion is just more Us vs. Them rhetoric.

4.  How will you protect the US Dollar?

     Inflation has been the largest curse that government has inflicted on the American people in the last 50 years.  Households have to earn more than ten times what they used to in order to keep the same standard of living.  People find that their life savings are worthless.  This is more important than how many donations a candidate is receiving.

5.  How will you restore faith in the election process?

     Voter turnout for Federal Elections hovers around 50%, even during Presidential election years. The President needs to do everything in their power to assure people that their vote matters.  This would include advocating open ballots and working more to help the United States than to win re-election.  Fair elections are more important than who supports which PAC.

     You almost never hear candidates talking about these issues.  They prefer to dodge real issues for easy fluff.  The press also fails to do its job for not asking these questions.  What is left is gossip, innuendo and a Dog and Pony Show.   

Arizona Attempts to Limit Voters Choice

     A new law went into effect in Arizona that permanently entrenches the Republican and Democratic parties in that state.  The law states that voter registration forms allow people to check a box which registers them as “Republican,” “Democrat,” or “Other.”   People that check “Other” are allowed to express a party preference on a line near the boxes.  However, in practice, officials at government offices do not recognize registration with minor parties, claiming that “Other” means independent or not affiliated.  This is important, because whether political parties in Arizona are allowed to have candidates on the ballot is based on how many people register to vote as members of their party.

     Arizona already has a problem that because of historical factors, many districts of the state have a vast majority of registered Republicans and other districts have a vast majority of registered Democrats.  Because of this, there is a tacit agreement that one party will not run a candidate against the other party in many races.  That leaves the Republican or Democratic candidate unopposed unless a member of another party places someone on the ballot.  If minor parties are not allowed to run candidates, the Republicans and Democrats can divide Arizona like a pie at Thanksgiving dinner.  The Arizona Libertarian Party and the Arizona Green Party have filed a lawsuit.

     The person responsible for this legislation was Frank Atenori, a Republican State Senator from the Tucson area.  When asked about the choice of only being able to register for two parties, he responded, "They didn't want 15 million party boxes on there because there's no room,"  Frank Antenori is now running for Congress.  As a Conscious Conservative, I believe that there is no room for Frank Attenori in the United States government.  Lt’s hope that someone will be allowed on the ballot to run against him.

Contact Frank Attenori and make your feelings known: http://www.antenori.com/ 

Why Does Missouri Hate Ron Paul Supporters?

     Reports come from a Missouri Republican caucus that two Ron Paul supporters have been arrested for "trespassing."  It appears that here were concerns that the Missouri Republican Party hierarchy supported Rick Santorum.  Reports are vague, but it appears that the St Charles County caucus degraded into a shouting match after both Ron Paul and Mitt Romney supporters disputed the selection of the caucus chairperson.  At this time, it appears that no Romney supporters were arrested.  This is not the first time that Missouri Police have targeted Paul supporters.

  

     In 2009, the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC), a regional partnership of agencies set up by the Department of Homeland Security, released a report entitled "The Modern Militia Movement."  This report was sent to police departments across Missouri.  The report told police officers to view people who displayed "Political Paraphernalia" supporting Ron Paul as potential militia members.  It hinted that Paul supporters are like the Oklahoma City Bomber, the Atlanta Olympics Bomber and dozens of others involved in criminal conspiracies. 

     As a Conscious Conservative, I have to be suspicious of activities in Missouri.  How does a political candidate run a campaign when his supporters are automatically classified as terrorists?  

Is The Fix In For Romney?

     I just read an article that said Rick Santorum won the Southern States this week, but that Mitt Romney was still the victor for the week because he won the South Pacific. Really?  Hawaii is the only state in the South Pacific.  Although I have nothing but respect for my friends and fellow citizens from the Islands, the Pacific Island Nations are sovereign protectorates that do not participate in the Electoral College.

     It appears that the Republican Party and the Press have been pulling strings for Romney from the very beginning.  First, Romney won Iowa, then he didn't.  He was projected to win South Carolina, even though he didn't.  The Ron Paul campaign disputes the Nevada results.  Romney was declared the winner of Maine on February 11th, even though the voting wasn't supposed to be over until March 3rd.  About this time, some outlets started declaring him the "winner" of the nomination, even though Romney only had 10% of the delegates needed and not all of them were definitely pledged to his campaign.  Romney then won his home state of Michigan, or maybe he didn't, but the Michigan Republican hierarchy voted to give it to him anyway.

     As a Conscious Conservative, I realize that the caucus/primary system is very complex and that some elections are hard to call from early returns.  However, it appears that every benefit of the doubt from the Press and the various Republican Committees goes to Mitt Romney.  It sure makes it look like the fix is in.    

No Longer Your Father's Libertarian Party

   Today the Libertarian Party (LP) sent a broadcast e-mail to its members which announced the creation of the Libertarian National Campaign Committee (LNCC).  The creation of this organization marks a turning point in Libertarian history.  Up until this point, the Party has tended to run "educational" campaigns, whose goal was as much to spread small-government philosophy as it was to win elections.  Wayne Allen Root,a former Libertarian Vice-Presidential Candidate is acting as the committee's chairman.

   Root stated in an attached video that this is "No Longer Your Father's LP."  He calls himself a "Capitalist Evangelist" and promises to lead libertarian candidates to victory.  The LNCC  is planning to act like similar branches of the Republican and Democratic Parties and become a fundraising machine for LP candidates.  As a Conscious Conservative who has followed Libertarian politics for a long time, i will be interesting to see how this project works.

Conservative Movie Review -- Game Change

     I watched the HBO film Game Change last night.  It had the top production values and dramatic qualities one would expect from an HBO film.  However, it required too much suspension of belief to be taken seriously.

     Based on the book of the same name by Mark Halperin, the movie puts its focus on the campaign of John McCain and even more narrowly, examines the choice of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate.  I have been around many campaigns and politicians.  I'll admit that politicians in general are by nature self-centered.  I've also known some that weren't very bright.  Like professional fighters, candidates also have to have some bi-polar psychological characteristics,whipping themselves into a manic frenzy of positive energy and activity up until Election Day, only to crash the day after.  

   Still, the movie Game Change portrayed Palin as a cartoon character.  Nobody could be as self-centered, ignorant and unstable as the Palin character and become the Governor of a state.  As a Conscious Conservative, I was no fan of the McCain/Palin ticket.  In many ways, Obama is more conservative than either of them.  However, I also do not believe that John McCain and Sarah Palin are as simple as this movie shows.     

Ron Paul, Conservative Values

  I rated Ron Paul on the Conscious Conservative Scale (see earlier posts).  It appears that Dr. Paul scores:

90 points -- Conservative

Ron appears to favor a free labor force and ending the Estate Tax.  He seems to favor abolishing the Income Tax and the Federal Reserve.  Paul has spoken against the Inheritance Tax.  However, Ron Paul favors government meddling in personal issues, if done at the local level.  Ron Paul is much more conservative than Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich.  He can really be called A Conscious Conservative.

Is Rick Santorum As Conservative As He Seems?

  I rated Rick Santorum on the Conscious Conservative Scale (see earlier posts).  It appears that Mr. Santorum scores:

55 points -- Moderate

Rick appears to favor a free labor force and ending the Estate Tax.  He seems to favor a Progressive Income Tax and the Federal Reserve.  Santorum has spoken against the infamous Kelo decision.  However, Rick Santorum favors the Patriot Act, waffles on the issue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and supports all sorts of  government meddling in personal issues.  Rick Santorum is more conservative than Mitt Romney and slightly more conservative than Newt Gingrich, but he can't really be called A Conscious Conservative.

Conservative Rating System Part II

     In an earlier post, I outlined ten conservative principles that I turned into a 100 point scale.  By using this scale, I believe that Politicians, Pundits and Public Figures can be scored to determine their level of conservatism.

     I eventually plan to rate various people and use statistical analysis to determine a rating system that accurately identifies Conservatives, Moderates and Liberals.  Until that time, I suggest the following scale:

0-30 points         Liberal

35-65 points       Moderate

70-100 points     Conservative

    Rate yourself.  Look at the ten principles in the earlier post.  For each principle you agree with completely, give yourself 10 points.  For each one you agree with partially or are undecided about, give yourself 5 points. For each principle you disagree with, add zero points.  Compare your score to the scale above.  Go ahead, ask yourself, how conservative am I?

Is Senator Patrick Toomey a Closet Liberal?

I have been examining if the new "Tea Party" supported candidates will make a Conscious Conservative difference once they enter office.  So far, I have examined Senators Ron Johnson,  Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Jim DeMint. 

But what about Patrick Toomey, the Senator from Pennsylvania?

Unlike many of the other Senators I have examined, Senator Toomey has served in the House of Representatives, which gives him a record to examine.  According to http://www.govtrack.us/, Senator Toomey is a "centrist Republican" who actually appears to lean slightly to the left compared to other Senators.  In this world of Spin Doctors and right is left, I looked at his record to see if there is a basis for this ranking.  A check of many of his votes on http://www.ontheissues.org/ reveals that he voted along standard Republican lines, leaning Conscious Conservative on economic issues like voting to support Free Trade and leaning Liberal/Socialist on social issues such as voting to ban same-sex marriage and supporting endless overseas wars.

   It appears that Pat Toomey will do little to lean the Senate in a Conscious Conservative direction on his own.  There may be some hope if he is influenced by others with a more Conscious Conservative bent.

How Conscious Conservative Is Senator Jim DeMint?

        





           After deviating from my review of  "Tea Party" legislators because of the holidays and because of the tragedy in Tucson, Arizona, I believe it is now time to return to this issue by looking at Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina.  Senator DeMint is the only incumbent member of this group, so he will be expected to be a mentor to the Junior Senators.  It is more important that he champions Conscious Conservative issues than anyone else.  Let' see where he stands.


                                   Stance

Build a Border Fence                                                        Unconscious Conservative

Repeal the Sarbanes-Oxley Act                                         Conscience Conservative

Re-Structure Corporate Taxes                                           Unconscious Conservative

Eliminate Federal Education Mandates                               Conscious Conservative

Voted for Marriage Protection Act                                      Liberal/Socialist

Free Market Health Care Solutions                                    Conscious Conservative

   It is easier to see where Senator DeMint actually stands, because as an incumbent member of the Senate, he has actually introduced legislation or voted on some of these issues.  Senator DeMint appears to have some Conscious Conservative leanings, while being slightly unconscious when it comes to issues like immigration and national defense.  He follows the Republican party line of being liberal/socialist on social issues by advocating government control over personal lives.  It will be interesting to see what ideas are championed at the Senate Tea Party Caucus. 

Is Senator-elect Marco Rubio a Conscious Conservative?

 I have been examining if the new "Tea Party" supported candidates will make a Conscience Conservative difference once they enter office.  I looked first at Nikki Haley, Governor-elect of South Carolina, and determined that she appears as much a Unconscious Conservative or Liberal as she does a Conscious Conservative.  Then I examined Wisconsin's Senator-elect, Ron Johnson and found that he appears to be a Conscious Conservative with some unconscious conservative leanings

I now look at Florida's Senator-elect, Marco Rubio to see how he stacks up as a Conscious Conservative.



Stance:

Reducing Federal Government/Cutting Spending                Conscious Conservative

Balanced Budget Amendment                                           Unconscious Conservative

Repeal Government Health Care                                       Conscious Conservative

Strong Foreign Intervention/Support Israel                          Unconscious Conservative

Modify Federal Education Mandates                                 Unconscious Conservative

Marco Rubio appears to be an Unconscious Conservative with some Conscious Conservative leanings.  Depending on which alliances he has in the Senate, he may help make a Conscious Conservative difference.

Is Senator-elect Ron Johnson a Conscious Conservative?

 I have been examining if the new "Tea Party" supported candidates will make a Conscience Conservative difference once they enter office.  I looked first at Nikki Haley, Governor-elect of South Carolina, and determined that she appears as much a Unconscious Conservative or Liberal as she does a Conscious Conservative.

I now look at Wisconsin's Senator-elect, Ron Johnson to see how he stacks up as a Conscious Conservative.

Stance:

Reducing Taxes/Cutting Spending                                       Conscious Conservative

Repeal Government Health Care                                        Conscious Conservative

Increase Domestic Energy Production                                Unconscious Conservative

Reduce Federal Education Mandates                                 Unconscious Conservative

Supporting Free Trade in Agriculture                                  Conscious Conservative

Ron Johnson appears to be a Conscious Conservative with some unconscious conservative leanings.  If he can make alliances in the Senate, he may make a Conscious Conservative difference.

Vote Like a Conscious Conservative

The 2010 election is less than a month away.  This is the perfect time to exercise your Conscious Conservative brain power and vote for candidates that will promote true conservatism in public office.  Be careful, there are many Unconscious Conservatives out there.  They will try to fool you with labels like Republican, family values candidate, Tea Party, Patriot.  A label is not an ideology.  I propose that we vote for only Conscious Conservatives and offer this quick guide to help.

1.  A Conscious Conservative can be of any party.  Republicans want you to believe that they have a monopoly on conservatism.  Many Republican Party candidates are Unconscious Conservatives,or not conservative at all.  Often you will find the Conscious Conservative is running under the label of the Libertarian Party, the Conservative Party or the Constitution Party.  Sometimes even the Democratic Party candidate will be the Conscious Conservative of the bunch.

2.  Look at the candidate's stand on the issues.  If you cannot determine the candidate's opinions, they are not a Conscious Conservative.  Often however, they will try to deceive you with Unconscious Conservative issues.  

                     Unconscious Conservative-  There should be prayer in public school.
                     Conscious Conservative-     There should be private schools.

                     Unconscious Conservative-  There should be a flat tax or fair tax.
                     Conscious Conservative-      There should be no direct tax on people's labor.

3.  Look at what a candidate has actually done.  Too often, talk is cheap.

4.  Don't be afraid to write in a vote or not vote at all.  The politicians count on the fact that we want to do our part as good Americans and vote.  They have manipulated that desire by creating a system where we are offered substandard candidates and are encouraged to vote for them.  You don't have to, it's okay.

I hope that you will follow this guide and go to the polls this November with an eye towards only voting for Conscious Conservative candidates.

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Conscious Pledge to America

When I began to write this post, I originally planned to analyze the Republican Pledge to America to see how it compared to Conscious Conservative principles.  When I downloaded a copy of the Pledge, I was immediately struck by one realisation.  The Republicans are insane!  The Pledge is 21 pages long in its original format and written in governmental jargon and doublespeak.  This Pledge is a prime example of what is wrong with today's legislative process.  Instead of being to the point with easy to understand goals and principles, it is long and full of unclear passages and side agendas, much like the bills that come out of Congress.  Oh, and there are plenty of graphs and quotations that look swell.  How do you solemnly swear to uphold a graph?

Look at other pledges to compare.  Both the Pledge of Allegiance and the Hippocratic Oath are far shorter, but seem to get their point across.  The Declaration of Independence is much shorter also.  Although I didn't do an exact word count, it appears that the Magna Carta wasn't very ambitious at all when compared with the Republican Pledge to America.

The Conscious Conservative Pledge

I, as a Conscious Conservative, pledge to work to return to the fiscally sound US dollar, to balance the federal budget, to bring all United States troops home to protect the United States border, to abolish the income tax, to return all rights and responsibilities of child rearing to parents, and to leave all decisions on moral issues to individuals who are free to follow their own religious preference.   

That sure seems shorter, easier to understand and more effective.  I'm open to suggestions.  Feel free to add any in the comments below.  Just don't make any that are doublespeak, unclear or just plain insane.