Wisconsin RLC Praises Governor Scott Walker’s Budget Repair Bill
State RLC Congratulates Endorsed Legislators, Governor

Yesterday, the Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin, which has made state and national news as a result of several prominent events in their state over the past year, issued a statement supporting Governor Scott Walker’s budget repair bill.

Wisconsin RLC Chairman Michael S. Murphy of Milwaukee spoke in strong support of the repair bill. “The RLC-WI supports Governor Scott Walker and the Republican Legislation in their efforts to curtail runaway government spending. We also want to commend these brave lawmakers for standing strong against oppositional union forces, which have resulted in numerous threats to their safety already. The RLC-WI stands behind this effort 100% and we hope that not one Republican Legislator waivers in their decision to support this bill before it is made into law.”

Murphy continued, “We are especially proud of the seven RLC-WI endorsed State Representatives, who recently took office after winning their respective elections in November. They are truly upholding the RLC standard and keeping their committed promises to reduce government spending.” (Note: Wisconsin RLC Vice Chair Terri McCormick, who recently spoke at the RLC National Convention in DC, is herself a former three-term State Representative.)

The Wisconsin RLC continues to be the only voice for limited government and individual liberty in the Republican Party in Wisconsin. Governor Scott Walker has exceeded the Wisconsin RLC’s expectations and wishes the Governor well in the coming weeks.

Photo above: Wisconsin RLC members gathered in 2009 to form their state chapter.

Florida RLC Applauds Governor Rick Scott’s High Speed Rail Decision
State RLC Issues Press Release and Congratulatory Letter

Florida Governor Rick Scott’s decision not to accept a $2.4 billion federal grant for a high speed rail project was a “courageous choice”, according to a congratulatory letter sent today from the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida.

In the letter, Florida RLC Chairman Matthew Nye told the governor, “When you spoke an RLC event back in September, you promised you would be making the tough decisions to get Florida back in fiscal order. With this decision, you are doing just that — and we commend you.”

The letter cites the recent Reason Foundation study titled “The Tampa to Orlando High Speed Rail Project: A Florida Taxpayer Risk Assessment,” which suggests the ultimate cost of the project could exceed expectations by $3 billion and these overruns would be borne by Florida taxpayers.

As noted by Florida RLC Vice Chairman John Stevens, the other issue at stake is our responsibility to demand fiscal responsibility at the federal level of government. “With a $13 trillion dollar national debt and deficits as far as the eye can see, state governors and legislators must send an unequivocal message to Washington DC that spending beyond our means — even if it would benefit their state — is no longer acceptable.”

A thank you letter was also mailed to Senate President Mike Haridopolos, who announced today he would stand by the governor’s decision. The press release was sent to about 90 media outlets across the state.

To let your legislators know how you feel on this issue, go here.

Florida RLC members gathered in 2009 to protest tax-increasing High Speed Rail. They just obtained a victory when Governor Rick Scott, an ally of the Florida RLC, blocked the rail plan.

Well, Barack Obama has officially unveiled the White House’s latest budget proposal. Despite being released on Valentine’s Day, it has been met with minimal love thus far by anyone possessing even an inkling of respect for fiscal restraint. The USA Today editorial board stated that “It’s becoming hard not to conclude that Obama doesn’t much care about the debt threat or has decided to wait until after the 2012 elections. Either would be a shame, and economically risky.” They closed a scathing critique by concluding that “At some point, the shadowboxing has to stop.”

Consisting of a record $3.7 trillion dollars in federal spending, one might conclude that this statement from the centrist newspaper might be an understatement. As tough as these numbers are to swallow, it does not even begin to state the perilous condition America is being put in due to government expenditures. Most know the government reports its debt surpasses 14 trillion dollars, but what many do not know is that this does not even include the crush of unfunded liabilities represented by Medicare and Social Security. Even the illusory balanced budget of the late Clinton years was just that; a mirage fostered by a slew of accounting tricks that would land the average Joe in prison. This $14 trillion debt, as large as it is, does not even take these two costly entitlement programs into account. And why does the 14 trillion range sound so familiar? Well, the entire U.S. GDP was 14.6 trillion in 2010.

Meanwhile, things appear to be snowballing. A look at the raw numbers is staggering, revealing just how quickly the Keynesian idea of using government funds to top off private spending has run amok. The last budget submitted by former President Clinton for fiscal year 2001 was a paltry 1.9 trillion; yes that is correct, the federal budget has seen a 100% increase in just the last decade. By comparison, the last budget signed into law by that fiscal hawk George W. Bush for FY 2009 was 3.1 trillion, a stunning number at the time. But that was so 2009. If this current budget goes through as written, federal expenditures will have shot up 18% during Obama’s first two years in office.

Even if tax revenues were sufficient enough to cover this spending (if the government were taking in 3.7 trillion from taxpayers annually) it would still be inexcusable. The fact that the government is doing many things not constitutionally authorized and which could be better done by private actors in the economy is reason enough to shudder at it. The wealth destruction that occurs from their inefficiencies should produce the incentive to avoid such a massive blitz of outlays.

But even a balanced budget cannot pare down the debt.

It would only succeed in keeping us in a 14 trillion plus dollar hole. Unfortunately, government receipts are nowhere near enough to cover this. Depending on the economy’s strength, it collects between 2 and 2.5 trillion in a given year, the end result of this being annual trillion plus dollar deficits. This has resulted in a near tripling of our debt over the last ten years.

Okay, so most of us do have a general idea that public debt is out of control and has been for quite some time. But the appearance of normalcy has been maintained for the time being, so the majority of our citizens take this outward veneer as evidence that things are fine. Not ideal, but manageable.

Considering most Americans are buried in student loan and credit card debt, this kind of behavior might actually appear marginally acceptable. A country that used to pride itself as a worldwide creditor while cringing at the concept of debt has become tacitly accepting of these two concepts being turned upside down by Washington. The temptation of succumbing to easy, short term pleasure at the expense of a mortgaged future has proven too much for our government to resist. This terrible virus has now spread to the everyday lifestyles of many of our citizens, infecting the way we live and interact. The rapid inflation caused by our monetary policy in 1970s started this mind set, as dangerous borrowing became the only way for many to keep pace.

Until enough Americans are determined to put up with the short term pain required to reverse this governmental trend, things will continue unabated. Cutting a program or two does not turn the clock back on the concept of the federal government acting as a paternal figure. As French free market economist Frederic Bastiat said: “The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else.” Thus far this fiction has manifested itself in only numbers and academic debates. But what happens when the reality hits, and the U.S. is overtaken by massive price inflation and an inability to meet its obligations? Would it not be better to take some pain for now in order to get things right in the long term?

Apparently Barack Obama and the geniuses crafting his budget do not think so.

Many of the egocentric economists who missed seeing the entire 2008 crisis coming are now trying to say things are not so bad, that there could be a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps all this government spending might work after all, they say. But as author and historian Thomas Woods recently noted, this light at the end of the tunnel is nothing but the headlights of an oncoming train.

With no advocate for government restraint and constitutional limitations in the White House, all we can do is hope that this prediction is wrong. Come to think of it, we were all asked to vote for Hope and Change in 2008, were we not? Since we did not get any fundamental Change, all we have left now is baseless Hope.

Join fellow Florida liberty advocates at the Capitol to lobby for liberty on March 14th & 15th!

The first meetings will be at 1pm or thereabouts on Monday, March 14th, until about 5 pm. Then we’ll have a dinner or social event with local RLCers and friends at a local watering hole. The next day we’ll have meetings from about 8am to 2pm.

We have arranged special hotel rates for RLCers at the Baymont Inn & Suites (3210 N. Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL 32303; phone 850.562.4300; online link). The rates are: Single King- $54.00 plus tax; Single Queen- $49.99 plus tax; or Double Bed- $59.00 plus tax.

Please call Richard at the Baymont Inn, Monday through Friday until 2:00pm, and tell him you are with the “Republican Liberty Caucus” to reserve your room and the discounted rate. Rooms are going fast, so please call ASAP.

When: March 14th, 2011 1:00 PM through March 15th, 2011 2:00 PM
Location400 S Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100
Event Contact: 800-735-0795, chair@rlcfl.org
» Register Now!

It is fascinating how so many from both political parties treat our massive public debt as an organically occurring predicament. Their rhetoric suggests that we could pare our 14 trillion dollar hole if we cut a little here and there from the federal budget, all while maintaining services that are “more efficient and responsive.” In the minds of Congress and the president, the debt is treated like just another issue to be addressed, an inconvenience that just cropped up with no discernible cause. Apparently, we are told, it is something that can be fixed with a little budgetary tweaking without a painful correction being endured along the way.

This is no surprise, as anyone who actually pushed the forceful action needed to get it under control would be doomed in their re-election bid (if they were not recalled from elective office before that date.) But our current debt and deficits, though serious cancers to our vitality and undeniably a major problem, are not the main problem. Instead, these staggeringly hard to fathom numbers are a symptom of the entire mind set present in America. We can point our fingers at sacred cows all day long: Medicare, Medicaid, Iraq, foreign aid, ag subsidies. The list would be extensive.

All these things, like the debt itself, are merely symptoms of a much vaster problem. The core problem is that we have lost sight of why government is there in the first place, which is to provide a mechanism whereby coercion can only be met with a greater coercion. Our Founders understood the imperfections present in human nature, and instituted some form of decentralized power to provide disincentives for actions by one individual that harmed another. Swift punishment for actions like murder and theft were, under their line of reasoning, a proper role of the State. One could say the philosophy of our Founders was minarchism, though entire books could be devoted to assigning esoteric ideological labels.

Owing to America’s evolution away from the Revolution, her citizens’ have allowed the role of curtailing violence to become just one of many accepted governmental functions. It became justifiable in the minds of many for the government to ban substances they disapproved of, first resulting in the disastrous Prohibition Era and presently manifesting itself in the form of a costly federal Drug War. Soothing angst over inflationary policies and massaging the guilt of the wealthy led to citizens being okay with constitutionally unauthorized government handouts. Being responsible for plugging post-World War Two power vacuums became acceptable as a goal, leading to a vast apparatus of military bases and expansion of Pentagon budgets.

As noble as these attempts might have seemed in the abstract, the vast taxation and government spending they required and our subsequent unwillingness to pay for them up front have contributed to huge deficits and debt. The number of societal ills Washington has expanded their mandate to solving runs the gambit from social conservative’s checklist to social liberal’s engineering ideas. This trend is now self sustaining. Such a centralization of power leads everyone from the perilously poor to prudently productive to feel as if they are falling behind if their cut from D.C is not getting received. These perverse incentives have led to massive budgetary short falls; the massive new taxes required to fund these sort of things is too politically toxic to even touch.

So assigning blame for our current fiscal state is too complex for short evening news sound bites and partisan shouting matches. The debt is a byproduct of our citizen’s shifting views on the federal government; what we once thought of as a referee is now considered to be something capable of changing the game’s entire outcome. French free market economist Frederic Bastiat was all over this several centuries back when he observed: “Here I encounter the most popular fallacy of our times. It is not considered sufficient that the law should be just; it must be philanthropic. Nor is it sufficient that the law should guarantee to every citizen the free and inoffensive use of his faculties for physical, intellectual, and moral self-improvement. Instead, it is demanded that the law should directly extend welfare, education, and morality throughout the nation.”

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida has traditionally been one of the largest and most active state affiliates of the RLC. The chapter held its biennial Convention over the weekend, which featured State Senate President Mike Haridopolos (pictured below), who also spoke to RLC members at the 2006 National Convention in Orlando. Haridopolos recently announced his intent to run against Senator Bill Nelson for US Senate in 2012.

Some members were skeptical about Haridopolos, who has pledged his efforts to pass a Taxpayer Bill of Rights in Florida in 2011. Ultimately it was an honor to have Senator Haridopolos speak with our members and we appreciate his time and consideration.

The Florida RLC pledged to make passing a TABOR bill its number one priority in the coming two years. The Convention also elected the following Officers to lead the chapter forward:

Matt Nye, Chair
John Stevens, Vice Chair
Chevon Baccus, Secretary
Larry Roberts, Treasurer

Thanks to Philip Blumel and Matt Nye for their efforts in putting the Convention together — and to all those who attended.

AUSTIN, TX: The Republican Liberty Caucus is circulating a letter to grassroots activists, Tea Party groups and organizations within the Republican Party to express support for the appointment of Congresman Ron Paul as Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee, where he has served for many years and is the senior Republican member.

In less than 24 hours the letter has been signed by representatives of over 30 organizations and many additional individuals. Although calls and emails supporting the letter are still coming in, we are releasing an initial list and an updated draft of the letter as some committee chairmanships are being announced today and newly appointed chairmen are considering subcommittee appointments now.

The text of the letter follows:

Dear Speaker-elect Boehner and Chairman-elect Bachus:

When word went out last week that there may be an effort to block Congressman Ron Paul’s appointment as Chair of the Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology Subcommittee, grassroots Republicans, Tea Party members and advocates of constitutionally limited government were alarmed. The implied message of such an action is one of indifference towards the concerns of those who helped put the Republican Party back in the majority, winning you new positions of leadership. We urge you to remember the voters who remembered you in November and give your support to Congressman Paul.

The resounding message of November 2nd was not just a referendum on big-spending Democrats. It was also a signal to Republicans who have forgotten the principles of limited government and fiscal restraint on which the party was built. As a matter of ethics and integrity, we see no justification for preventing Congressman Paul from taking a position that he has earned, and for which he is uniquely qualified.

Congressman Ron Paul has been an unyielding advocate of transparency, accountability, and fiscally conservative principles. He has strongly opposed policies that have brought us to the brink of disaster. As Congressman Bill Posey (R-FL) aptly pointed out, “The depth of [Ron Paul's] knowledge on monetary policy, his understanding of it all, is second to none.” His message resonates with the grassroots who will continue to play a large role in the success of the Republican Party as they did in the recent election.

We are united in our belief that no one would be better qualified than Congressman Paul to head the Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology Subcommittee and we hope to see him in that position in January. It is a position where he will be able to make important contributions to our nation’s economic policies and move us toward the limited, accountable government voters are demanding. We strongly urge you to give him that opportunity.

Dave Nalle
National Chairman, Republican Liberty Caucus

Gov. Gary Johnson
Former Governor of New Mexico

John Whitehead
Director, The Rutherford Institute

Jane M. Orient, MD
Executive Director, Association of American Physicians and Surgeons

William Greene, Ph.D.
President, RightMarch

Stephen P. Gordon
Chairman, Republican Liberty Caucus of Alabama

Joey P. Dauben
Chairman, Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas

Dean Wright
Director, New Revolution Now
Austin Tea Party
Texas 25th CD Conservatives

Mark Edge
Host, Free Talk Live Radio Show

Mike House
Founder, West Virginia Patriots

Nicole Chartrand
Chairman, Republican Liberty Caucus of Central Florida

Mike Barre
Chairman, Travis County Republican Liberty Caucus

John Berlau
Director, Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs
Competitive Enterprise Institute

Lori Barnett
Vice Chair, Minnesotans for Limited Government

John Grigsby
Founder, Northern Virginia Tea Party

Ryan Magnon
Riverside County Republican Central Committee
South Regional Director, Republican Liberty Caucus of California
Riverside County Coordinator, Campaign for Liberty
Treasurer, Riverside County Young Republicans

Will Beazley
Houston Area Liberty Campaign

Nasir Muhammad
Republican Liberty Caucus of New York

Karen Green
Bloomington, IL

Ronald J. Cappuccio, J.D., LL.M.(Tax)
Cherry Hill, NJ

Stephanie E. Butcher
Metro Valley Tea Party Patriots
West Virginia Liberty Club

John Bubb
Fenton, MO

Josiah Schmidt
rightosphere.com

Rodolfo Milani
Managing Director, Wall Street Financial Services Firm
32 Years in Financial Services Industry

Jeff Larson
Board Member, Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas

John Conway
Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas

John Munsey
Republican Liberty Caucus of Houston

Michael S. Murphy
Chairman, Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin

Matt Rovinson
www.TheRonPaulTeaParty.com

Robert Vaughn
Director, Republican Liberty Caucus of Los Angeles County

Krystle D. Weeks
crystalclearconservative.com

Jeff Austin
North Carolina Republican Executive Committee (at large)

Bill Boone
Missouri Campaign for Liberty

Eric Rowe
South Bend, IN

Nadya Hakkinen
Waukesha, WI

David Borrink
Grand Rapids, MI

David Qualls
Tyrone, GA

Adam Shahid
Richland, MI

Ernest Theurer
Centralia, PA

Jimmy Bynum
Austin, TX

Gary Keorkunian
Horsham, PA

Jeff Jones
Republican Liberty Caucus of North Carolina

Tammy and Stephen Alger
Miller, MO

Alexandre Kral
Laguna Niguel, CA

Nick Egoroff
Orlando, FL

Mark Anthony Jones
Kansas City, MO

Hector Medina
San Antonio, TX

Ray Higdon
Franklin, TN

Elliot Simon
Harpers Ferry, WV

Alexander Massa
South Hadley, MA

Erik Setzer
Jacksonville, FL

Dr. Darrel Drumright

Alissia Haggard

Yuan Tang

Nick Hankoff

Sue DaBaco

On Saturday afternoon, Governor Gary Johnson was in Austin for a barbecue at Bartholomew Park sponsored by the Republican Liberty Caucus of Central Texas. RLC Chairman Dave Nalle captured the Governor’s remarks on video (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4). He touched upon his background in business, his run for governor, and his positions on various political issues. You can watch and listen below:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Outspoken Tennessee RLC Vice-Chairman Matt Collins attended Senator Bob Corker’s town hall meeting on the debt crisis in Nashville. Senator Corker is the junior Republican Senator from Tennessee.

Collins said, “Senator Corker, it’s highly hypocritical of you to vote for more debt one year and then rail against the debt the next year. But, regardless, would you support a bill that would allow an unrestricted audit all of the gold held by the federal government and the federal reserve? Don’t you think the people have a right to know how much gold the government is holding?”

According to Collins (listen to the audio here), “He fumbled a bit, obviously not expecting this question and then came back with something to the effect of, ‘Well, I’ve never thought about that — but I’ll take a look and get back with you in writing’.” Collins responded, “Well sir, I have seen your voting record and it’s obvious you haven’t read the Constitution and I would like to present you with a copy now.” Collins walked to the stage and attempted to hand it to him.

Senator Corker then said it was “offensive” Collins had made that accusation and offered him a copy of the Constitution. Several other questioners inquired about the Fed and constitutional authority. And when asked if his vote for the TARP bailout was constitutional, he said that the courts haven’t said it wasn’t and that it’s up to the courts to interpret the Constitution. That didn’t go over very well with the crowd.

Collins received press in The Tennessean and The Nashville Post for his effort to hold Senator Corker to account. In addition to being involved in the RLC, Mr. Collins is also the former Vice-Chairman of the Davidson County Republican Party, which is based in Nashville. He was voted out of his position in 2009 for his outspoken pro-liberty views.

I attended the 9/12 rally that overtook Washington, DC on September 12, 2009.  I attended to take a few photos and (mostly) pass out literature about the Republican Liberty Caucus to targeted attendees.  To distinguish myself, I wore a Ron Paul hat that said “Real conservatives are against the War” and a t-shirt reading, “The community is worthless without the individual.”

As I handed out literature, I heard people talking about Ron Paul.  One young man from Georgia told his girlfriend, “I’m starting to like him. He makes the most sense.”  I handed out the literature to moms who had “Term Limits” signs and explained that we need to vote selectively for only small government Republican candidates.  Overall, the reception was great, the crowd was very committed, and I was surprised at its size and scope.

I have attended many rallies in DC over the years and this was by far the largest. The media can continue to say 75,000 people attended the rally.  I would estimate the number to be between 750,000 and 1 million.   It was overwhelming — it over took the city.  Even as I walked back to my car — from from the Capitol — I saw the 9/12 rally attendees … soccer moms, working dads, government employees, common folks … uniting for limited government.

What a sight!

Less government? Sounds enticing …

First Amendment and marchers!

This guy had a “Got Beck?” sticker on his driver’s side window.

Rally attendees. Notice all the Gadsen flags!

More attendees.