Utah Politics – Meet the Candidates (Well….most of them)

 

Independence Caucus on, January 15, 2010, held an event where all candidates officially running for the U.S. Senate Seat, currently held by Bob Bennett, would have an opportunity to speak to the grassroots movement in Utah.  They had to answer 80 questions to become vetted by Independence Caucus.  Unfortunately two of the candidates did not.  One was the Democrat, Sam Granato, and the other was Republican incumbent, Bob Bennett.

 

We had a wonderful time hearing from Bob Basso, who you all know and love from the YouTube videos, as Thomas Paine.  He spoke as expected about common sense.  We are Americans first and foremost.  In addition, although there is a political Left and Right, we must recognize that the people are moving closer to the moral Right, regardless of party. 

He chastened the “non-representing representatives” who would not answer to the people with a simple 80 question vetting process.

He also gave us hope with a wonderful story of 150 senior citizens in Brooklyn, New York called TOBFCS.  That stands for Tough Old Broads for Common Sense.  They are making a difference.  They have recalled two (2) city council members in Brooklyn, just to point out one difference they have made.

There is great hope in our country.  Even if the news ignores the 1.7 million people who marched in Washington DC, and the hundreds of thousands who gathered around the nation on their state capitols, we know who we are.  We were there.  I was there.  Do not wait to have the media take notice.  They report the news (or their supposed to), they do not create it.  WE DO!

I went into the meeting with my favorites and came out with great respect for all four (4) candidates.  In no particular order, I want to share my thoughts on each of them.  Remember, these are my notes, and my take on their words.

Tim Bridgewater:  Well, out of the bunch, he is the capitalist.  You can feel and hear his business experience.  He understands that growth occurs when businesses and people are left alone and entrepreneurs can succeed.  He is definitely a free-market advocate.  He talked about auditing the Federal Reserve.  He believes in a Balanced Budget Amendment.  He wants to see our spending cut over the next 10 years.  He recognizes that Wall Street was never really the problem, but government interference especially through Fannie and Freddie created the current housing mess.  To read more about Tim visit www.timbridgewater.com

James Williams:  Of all the candidates, I felt he is like most Americans.  He is just fed up and he is willing to put himself out there to change things.  I found him to be a humble man with strong opinions.  He discussed changing the way the budget is created.  If a new item needs federal spending 105% of that amount must be cut from some other place.  This will have a two-fold effect.  One, people will not want to create new spending without thinking about the cuts, and each new program actually cuts the budget overall.  He spoke of asking himself three questions when confronted with a decision. “Is it Constitutional?  Is it moral? Will this better the people of Utah and the U.S population?”  James is also for Auditing the Federal Reserve, cutting capital gains tax and corporate taxes.  For more on James visit www.voteforjameswilliams.com

Cherilyn Eager:  You can tell Cherilyn has been in debates before.  She moved quickly to her points and was focused on getting information out there.  She referred often to the founding fathers, and it is obvious she knows the documents.  She believes in the fair tax as proposed by www.fairtax.org and promoted by Joe the Plumber.  She believes in repealing the 16^th and 17^th amendments.  She wants the Dept of Education gone from our Federal system.  She also believes in Auditing the Federal Reserve.  She does not believe in a Balanced Budget Amendment because she believes that it will be misused to create times of war or crisis in our country so the amendment could possibly be ignored.  She agrees with George Wythe University in that they called Glenn Beck the “Cicero” of our time.  For more info on Cherilyn visit www.Eagarforsenate.com

Mike Lee:  Mike was impressive with his legal knowledge on the Constitution and talked about what his job is not.  He reminded us how far the government has moved from its original purpose.  He recognizes that money needs to be spent on a local level rather than on a national level or dictated by a national government.  He believes in Auditing the Federal Reserve, and recognizes that by printing money they are violating our 5th amendment rights because they are making our property (money) worthless.  He would like to repeal the 16^th and 17^th amendment.  He knows that Congress cannot (should not) legislate beyond the ground rules of the Constitution.  The Federal government needs to stop doing what it should not be doing.  We do not need Federal tax collectors either, because that should be the job of the states.  For more info on Mike visit www.mikelee2010.com

The biggest decision for the conservative movement is choosing which candidate to support.  All four of these candidates appear to have Constitutionally based principles.  I recommend you visit their websites, ask them questions, and vote your conscience.  Remember the only way you will get to vote for them is to become a delegate in your precinct.  To get more information on delegate training you can go to www.UtahRising.com find a representative in your county, and coordinate our efforts.  Utah Rising is not associated with the Republican party.

What Can You Do to Restore Liberty?

What Can You Do to Restore Liberty?  Is Freedom Part of your Life Mission?

by Christy Watterson

Do you ever look around you, look at what is happening in our country and in the world, and wish there were something you could do?  Do you ever feel hopeless or helpless as you watch liberty and moral values crumble around you?  I believe that God sent the Founding Fathers of our country at that time to fulfill a mission that would bring liberty to this land.   God sent you to earth at this time and place.  He has given you talents and abilities.   He has a plan for you and your life just as He had a plan and work for the founders to do.   It was not chance, but Providence, that brought two men, Henry Knox and Nathanael Greene, together.   The two became friends and had placed in their hearts a burning desire to read all that they could about military arts and strategy.  This was a very unlikely subject for the Quaker raised Nathanael Greene to want to study. It was also very convenient that Henry Knox owned a prosperous bookstore that allowed them access to the kinds of books they would need to study.  The two poured over books on military arts for hours.  These two men played a major part in helping George Washington to win the war.  They were inspired to learn and were ready when needed to fulfill a purpose.

If each us is put here at this time and place to fulfill a mission, what can we do to be ready?  What can we learn from history?   This series of articles will explore what it will take for liberty to win in this Fourth Turning.  It will also hopefully inspire you to find out what your personal mission is and help you to start on the path that you need to take.

 What can we learn from the past?

Cincinnatus was a consul in the ancient Roman Republic.  He was very well educated and wise.  After his term as consul, he retired to his farm.  He was so respected and loved by the Roman people, that they often came to his farm for advice.   During this time, a barbarian army gathered with an aim to take Rome.  They burned and plundered every village in their path on their march to Rome.  The Roman senate and consuls gathered their army and sent it to stop the barbarians.  Some time later, a small, rag-tag group of blood stained survivors returned telling how the Roman army had been trapped on all sides in a mountain pass and defeated by the barbarians.  The Romans now had no army and the barbarians were on their way.  Someone in the senate cried, “we need Cincinnatus!”   An envoy was sent to Cincinnatus’ farm asking him to save Rome.  They promised that if he saved them, he would be king.  Cincinnatus gathered an army mostly made up of inexperienced young men because that was all there was left.  Calling upon his education and leadership skills, Cincinnatus was able to use military strategy and lead  his army to victory.   Upon his victorius return, Cincinnatus was, as promised, given the offer to be king.  Cincinnatus replied, “I give the power back to the senate, it is their job to  make the laws”.  He then returned to his farm. 

 In a time much later in Roman history, Julius Caesar started his power play to take over the Roman Republic.  Cicero and others in the senate called for a Cincinnatus.   No Cincinnatus stepped forward.   There was none to be found.  After Julius Casar was assassinated, his nephew Octavius (later called Augustus)  took up where Julius had left off.  He formed a triumverate, that killed anyone with  power to stand in his way.  Mark Antony, part of Octavius’ triumverate, celebrated with glee when he learned that his arch enemy, the statesman and senator Cicero had been killed by the triumverate’s death squad.  Cicero was well educated and very vocal in trying to save the rupublic.  With his death, and the deaths of others like minded,  the republic failed.

 What does the story of Cincinnatus and of Cicero have to do with you today?  George Washington,  Thomas Jefferson and the other founding fathers were the Cincinnatuses of America.  They fought for liberty from Britan.  Instead of taking power for themselves, they studied government and human nature and then wrote a constitution that gave us a republic and left the power in the hands of the people.  Today, our American Republic and the Constituiton are in jeopardy.    We need to study what liberty looks like.  We need to have the education to be the Ciceroes and Cincinnatuses of our time.  “But,”  you say, “I am no Cicero or Cincinnatus or George Washington.  I am just a regular man or woman.  I am not great like them.”   Perhaps that is what those men thought of themselves.  That is probably what made them great.  The difference, is that they had the education to give them the ability to do what they did.   Again you say, “but I don’t have that kind of education.”   Many of the founding fathers and people of that time were self-educated, look at the example of Henry Knox and Nathanael Greene.  It is not too late.  Start now.  One of the best places to start is The Five Thousand Year Leap by  W. Cleon Skousen. 

Dr. Oliver DeMille states that in order for freedom to win in the United States, we need 30% of the population which is about 70 million people who have the kind of  education and  thinking and reasoning skills that we have been discussing.  Perhaps your mission is to be one of those 70 million people that ensure freedom wins.  If there are enough Ciceroes, freedom wins!