So today hearings are going on about the $700 billion bailout. Eesh. I really, really hope it doesn't go through.
I thought this was some good commentary from Ron Paul. I was starting to think he was going crazy when he endorsed all the third party candidates (how can you endorse 4 different candidates with such different views?), but this article is good. Stop government intervention and let the free markets work! That's the gist of it, if you don't want to read.
Showing posts with label Paul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paul. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
party up! republican party that is...
So I decided to check out the Launch of Young Professionals for John McCain this week...
Here is everyone congregating at the entrance of JCT Kitchen bar. Ryan accompanied me & we were among the first arrivals. We met some people and I forgot their names not 5 minutes after meeting them. Yeah...I'm not good with names. As people started arriving, I was impressed with the range of ages. I was one of the younger people there, but certainly not the youngest. And there were plenty of older people...even close to my parents' ages. (Hey, they are young at heart!) And, there were LOTS of people there. We packed out the inside bar & the outside patio, and people even made makeshift seating on the stairs.
But what was not diverse was the type of person there. I felt like I was back in Greek land in college. Not that this is a bad thing, I loved being Greek. But I thought...I mean, aren't there lots of different professions? Do only good ol' Southern boys & girls who work at tax or law firms support McCain? Or are they the only social supporters of McCain? I just remember back to Mitt Romney & Ron Paul's rallies - all kinds of different people were there (especially at Ron Paul's). This really was not the case. I was so glad I wore a summery, cute dress that day...because every girl was wearing one.
Side note on the food - the recpetion food was popcorn & fries:
What does that say about Republicans? And what about hungry Republicans? I came straight from a long day at work...and I had popcorn & fries for dinner. They were pretty good though.
Ok so after an hour or so of mingling, the speaker was announced. Hunter Hill is running for Georgia State Senate. I have to say, first impressions, nice guy who's not a great speaker. He slipped up and said "we should be helping Obama...oh I meant McCain, sorry." What kind of Republican makes that kind of error? He made it a couple times too. We all laughed it off, but it still kinda bothered me. The other thing that bothered me is that a train came through with horn blasting. Yeah, JCT Kitchen is right by a train track. Whose brilliant decision was it to have a speaker on an active train track?
Back to Mr. Hill...my favorite parts:
"If you're not a conservative, maybe you should look into being one."
many laughs from the crowd on this one
"less taxes, more freedom"
on the war in Iraq (Hill was deployed to Iraq)
"we want to come home winners...Obama thinks nothing is worth fighting for."
It was an upbeat speech, supporting McCain etc etc. Nothing I didn't already know. Then at the end, to wrap up, we were encouraged to tell our friends about McCain and also to give money if we could. Speaking of, I should probably do the money thing soon. But I was a little disappointed in the lack of urgency. It was cool to hear Mr. Hill speak, but I was hoping to hear more about more tangible ways we could contribute. I remember back in 04 spending many hours at Bush's re-election center, making phone calls to get out the vote. When are we gonna do that? What can I do personally? That's what I really wanted to know and I didn't get those answers. Apparently there are more events in the future though, so maybe there will be more involvement then?
Here is everyone congregating at the entrance of JCT Kitchen bar. Ryan accompanied me & we were among the first arrivals. We met some people and I forgot their names not 5 minutes after meeting them. Yeah...I'm not good with names. As people started arriving, I was impressed with the range of ages. I was one of the younger people there, but certainly not the youngest. And there were plenty of older people...even close to my parents' ages. (Hey, they are young at heart!) And, there were LOTS of people there. We packed out the inside bar & the outside patio, and people even made makeshift seating on the stairs.
But what was not diverse was the type of person there. I felt like I was back in Greek land in college. Not that this is a bad thing, I loved being Greek. But I thought...I mean, aren't there lots of different professions? Do only good ol' Southern boys & girls who work at tax or law firms support McCain? Or are they the only social supporters of McCain? I just remember back to Mitt Romney & Ron Paul's rallies - all kinds of different people were there (especially at Ron Paul's). This really was not the case. I was so glad I wore a summery, cute dress that day...because every girl was wearing one.
Side note on the food - the recpetion food was popcorn & fries:
What does that say about Republicans? And what about hungry Republicans? I came straight from a long day at work...and I had popcorn & fries for dinner. They were pretty good though.
Ok so after an hour or so of mingling, the speaker was announced. Hunter Hill is running for Georgia State Senate. I have to say, first impressions, nice guy who's not a great speaker. He slipped up and said "we should be helping Obama...oh I meant McCain, sorry." What kind of Republican makes that kind of error? He made it a couple times too. We all laughed it off, but it still kinda bothered me. The other thing that bothered me is that a train came through with horn blasting. Yeah, JCT Kitchen is right by a train track. Whose brilliant decision was it to have a speaker on an active train track?
Back to Mr. Hill...my favorite parts:
"If you're not a conservative, maybe you should look into being one."
many laughs from the crowd on this one
"less taxes, more freedom"
on the war in Iraq (Hill was deployed to Iraq)
"we want to come home winners...Obama thinks nothing is worth fighting for."
It was an upbeat speech, supporting McCain etc etc. Nothing I didn't already know. Then at the end, to wrap up, we were encouraged to tell our friends about McCain and also to give money if we could. Speaking of, I should probably do the money thing soon. But I was a little disappointed in the lack of urgency. It was cool to hear Mr. Hill speak, but I was hoping to hear more about more tangible ways we could contribute. I remember back in 04 spending many hours at Bush's re-election center, making phone calls to get out the vote. When are we gonna do that? What can I do personally? That's what I really wanted to know and I didn't get those answers. Apparently there are more events in the future though, so maybe there will be more involvement then?
Thursday, May 1, 2008
ron paul - back & better than ever
So yesterday I bought a couple more books: Power to the People (Laura Ingraham), Confessions of St. Augustine (St. Augustine), and Our Sacred Honor (Bill Bennett). I've actually been reading Our Sacred Honor, checked it out from the church library. It is so good though - excerpts from the Founding Fathers that give their thoughts on topics ranging from courage to education to courtship. Maybe I will start sharing a daily quote from it.
Anyway, today I see that Ron Paul has a book that has skyrocketed to #1 on Amazon. Intrigued, I had to check it out. Here's what I read in the "Surprise Me" excerpt off Amazon:
In a country with a political debate as restricted as ours, it is revolutionary to ask whether we need troops in 130 countries and whether the noninterventionist foreign policy recommended by our Founding Fathers might not be better. It is revolutionary to ask whether the accumulation of more and more power in Washington has been good for us. It is revolutionary to ask fundamental questions about privacy, police-state measures, taxation, social policy, and countless other matters.
This revolution, though, is not altogether new. It is a peaceful continuation of the American Revolution and the principles of our Founding Fathers: liberty: self-government, the Consitituion, and a noninterventionist foreign policy. That is what they taught us, and that is what we now defend.
It's called The Revolution: A Manifesto. I wish I had known about this book earlier, then I would have lumped it in to my book order from Amazon yesterday. But I am so intrigued and so excited about what I've read so far, that I think I will just have to buy it today. I hope Barnes & Noble has it!
I find Ron Paul so refreshing. I may not agree with his views on Iraq, but maybe he will change my mind.
Anyway, today I see that Ron Paul has a book that has skyrocketed to #1 on Amazon. Intrigued, I had to check it out. Here's what I read in the "Surprise Me" excerpt off Amazon:
In a country with a political debate as restricted as ours, it is revolutionary to ask whether we need troops in 130 countries and whether the noninterventionist foreign policy recommended by our Founding Fathers might not be better. It is revolutionary to ask whether the accumulation of more and more power in Washington has been good for us. It is revolutionary to ask fundamental questions about privacy, police-state measures, taxation, social policy, and countless other matters.
This revolution, though, is not altogether new. It is a peaceful continuation of the American Revolution and the principles of our Founding Fathers: liberty: self-government, the Consitituion, and a noninterventionist foreign policy. That is what they taught us, and that is what we now defend.
It's called The Revolution: A Manifesto. I wish I had known about this book earlier, then I would have lumped it in to my book order from Amazon yesterday. But I am so intrigued and so excited about what I've read so far, that I think I will just have to buy it today. I hope Barnes & Noble has it!
I find Ron Paul so refreshing. I may not agree with his views on Iraq, but maybe he will change my mind.
Friday, March 7, 2008
another one bites the dust
Ron Paul has withdrawn, following Mike Huckabee's withdrawal Wednesday.
My favorite quote of his:
We must remember, elections are short-term efforts. Revolutions are long-term projects.
My favorite quote of his:
We must remember, elections are short-term efforts. Revolutions are long-term projects.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
tale of 2 rallies
My observations on 2 Republican rallies held prior to Super Tuesday here in Atlanta.
Saturday 2/2 - 12:30 pm - GA Capitol
Ron Paul
Ron Paul was not actually in attendance, but his son Rand was. Unfortunately, I completely missed Rand's speech. So this report is incomplete. We arrived at the rally, the stairs were packed on the West side. We were greeted by several sign holders, a pair holding up a huge joint, a man holding up a Ron Paul blimp, and a patriotic RV that was driven by the Granny Warriors. Fox News covered the rally, no local stations.
What portions we did hear of the rally that stuck out to us:
1 - Libertarian presence - a prominent GA Libertarian (sorry, didn't catch the name) gave his support to Ron Paul. LOTS of Libertarian supporters there.
2 - Ways the secure your vote - what do you think happens when you vote in the electronic booths? We heard from one speaker that your vote may not really be counted! Not sure how I felt about this, but considered it a valid question. The speaker recommended voting absentee, so at least there is a physical record of your vote. He also recommended going in a big group of other similar voters, voting at a certain time of day at the same machine, and going back at the end of the day to check the counts on the machine you all used. Apparently this is legal (never knew that!) Conspiracy theory or valid point? You decide.
3 - Song time - the rally ended with a singer/songwriter from Fayetteville who played a bell, harmonica, and guitar all at the same time. He sang about why we should vote for Ron Paul. I have never seen/heard anything like this before. If I had been alive during the Vietnam War, I might say that it reminded me of those protest songs. The song was original and heartfelt, and probably the most appropriate ending to this rally.
After the rally was over, we heard some Ron Paul supporters planning on meeting up at John McCain's rally later that night with their signs. Awesome.
Monday 2/4 - 12:00 pm - Ga Tech Hotel
What immediately stuck out to us at this one was the amount of press. There were several remote trucks for various local & national stations. There were rows upon rows inside the salon reserved for the press. There was also a table outside with info on phone banks, results party, stickers, etc. We arrived on time for this rally and squeezed up to the front, where incidentally, we ran into one of my best friends from college. We got pumped through a couple pre-speakers telling us why they're endorsing Mitt. There was a large group of supporters on stage with signs etc. Then the music plays and in comes Mitt! Everyone goes crazy. The room is so hot with all the people and lights.
What we heard that stuck out to us:
1 - amounts/types of cheering - lots of spontaneous "let's go Mitt" cheers and then speaker led cheers i.e. "are we gonna vote for someone who voted against tax cuts?" "NOOOO!!!"
2 - Mitt's calm & collected demeanor the whole time. You would never guess that he was behind McCain in delegates right now. Every word, part was crafted to drive the point home that he is THE conservative candidate.
3 - Lots of interesting thoughts presented. Governor of a Blue state, able to work with Democrats and effectively get things done. Will stay in Iraq and wants to build up the army - compares himself to Reagan here. Mentioned his success in business several times, and that McCain admitted the economy was not his strong suit. Wants to secure our borders, no amnesty to illegal immigrants, "wait in line" he says.
So two very different rallies, two very different candidates. One Republican nomination up for grabs. Who will it be?!
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