The NSA has been around a long time, as has goverment-decided spending. How the government decided to spend its money wouldn't be as touchy a subject if they first addressed how the government gets its money. Because they are, in essence, stealing from the people under the guise of caring for us. If they were to, instead, work hard to keep the money in the hands of those who earned it, as was intended, we'd see the desired growth in medical and scientific fields again. Also, the 3% they'd like to put toward science would be their judgment if it were to fit in budget. The cause of the problem must be cured (debt, over-taxing, power-grabbing people, disregard for the constitution), not just treating its symptoms (bailouts, over-spending, etc)

Don't pay attention to the misdirection again! Has anyone noticed that in all of Obama's initial zeal to overturn the "old bush policies", he hasn't turned from the North American Union? He pretended it didn't exist before it was widely known and has not addressed it. Rather than strengthening our borders or distancing himself from that Bush policy, he is working on the next step of globalization. Does anyone remember Aaron Russo saying that Rockefeller told him they wanted Afghanistan, Iraq, and then Venezuela (shortly after 9/11)? Well guess what the latest headlines are, Obama talking with Chavez. THEY got only so far with Bush and the warring "republican" approach and THEY are following it up with the softened "democrat" approach of diplomacy.

The new boss looks a lot like the old boss. They'll drum up some sleight of hand with controversy over gun laws and pork in the bills while we continue to pay no attention to the assimilation of America into the new global government, ignoring the federal reserve, and the real power that changes hand in the form of money.

I wasn't talking about contacting your local rep, I was talking about _becoming_ your local rep. A local campaign similar to a "vote them all out" to get the right people in place in local governments. The local government breeds people to follow party pressures and make decisions based on personal or political gain. These type of people move up the ranks and fill the seats in Congress and the Judiciary. That is what is killing us.

We definitely need to increase pressure on the people currently in office with assembling and even lobbying if need be. They will listen to the People, just not many of the People have said much over the past few years. As Jefferson asked us, 'What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?' So the continuation of Tea Parties, End The Fed protests, marches on washington, etc are all good things too. My point was mainly to make sure that people continue to focus on replacing local decision makers with people who think the way we do so that the effort is coming from both fronts (one being more immediate pressure and the other setting the stage for longer term readjustment)

I think you are looking too globally for a "leader" to our group. The erosion of Liberty and of America in general has happened over decades, centuries even. To set a goal of restoring it all in one fell swoop will leave most people disenchanted, and the leaders of such an effort will be burnt out at best and discredited at worst.

This effort must make use of our current system and must consist of enough play makers to start making a difference from the bottom up. Local government is the first place to start, as they are the first step to the endorsements and votes that send many to washington. The next presidential election isn't for almost 4 years, so educating the public is the second key. There is already a large awaking underway, large enough that we have plenty of hope that this current slide can be halted. However, it won't happen all this year or by next year even. We have to chip away at the structures that are currently in place blocking our Liberties, and we must have enough active people with this as their mission. Get involved locally, get involved with educating the voters, get involved with teaching the youth the true history of our great country. Then, as we start shifting back to our roots, we can hope to have enough people in place in State and Federal government to make larger changes to the system as a whole.

Don't give up hope! But don't set your sights to broadly. Focus your missions and get people around you involved in the plan you lay out for your local government, community, and schools. That's how the vision of our framers have been eroded by outsiders, and we must also take the same course of action to get it back.

Jefferson warned us about this so many years ago, yet it has passed everyone by. Read the following quote thoroughly and see how eerily close a picture he painted of where we are today:

If we run into such debts as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our callings and our creeds, as the people of England are, our people, like them, must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, and give the earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses; And the sixteen being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live, as they do now, on oatmeal and potatoes, have no time to think, no means of calling the mismanagers to account; But be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains around the necks of our fellow sufferers; And this is the tendency of all human governments. A departure from principle in one instance becomes a precedent for a second, that second for a third, and so on 'til the bulk of society is reduced to mere automatons of misery, to have no sensibilities left but for sinning and suffering...and the forehorse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression.

The Constitution prohibits the States from printing their own currency, but this is more akin to getting tokens at an arcade or subway. You are essentially purchasing a token or coupon that some local stores have decided to accept. The main downside of this would be the cost of the effort maintaining the system and also the introduction of fraud (we've spent so much money already trying to prevent fraud of federal reserve notes). By the way, Congress has long since given away their power to coin money and regulate the value thereof with the passage of the Federal Reserve Act.

Just so it's clear, I personally don't support the budget and will be contacting my rep to let them know. I am on the mailing list so that I can be equally aware of as many sides of an issue as possible.

NOTICE: CALL your representatives about your stance on Obama's budget!

I am on the mailing list for barackobama.com and received a notice today about Congress going to vote on the budget in 24 hours. The mail encourages everyone to contact their representatives to let them know where the people stand on the issue. Their hope, of course, is that a majority of their listeners will do so in favor of the budget.

PLEASE make sure you contact your representative and let them know, even if you do support it. It is important that we make sure our representatives are, in fact, representing us and they can only do so if we get involved.

IF YOU DON'T SUPPORT THE BUDGET then be doubly sure you contact your representative as their is a call out to the other side to do the same.

There is even a helpful tool for locating your rep and what to say (although make sure you tell them what you feel on the budget and not just what the script says)

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/callcongre...

First issue, Glenn not wanting to attend the Tea Party is not even close to censuring or stifling free expression. In fact, he is simply expressing the fact that he chooses not to attend such events. You can go ahead and continue without him, he is not controlling your Tea Party.

Second, if you listen to Glenn often you'll know he expresses his opinion about difference between the American Revolution (which was successful) and the French Revolution (which was a massacre) and that he believes the latter was due to upper classes' response to what they perceived as an angry lower-class uprising.

Third, Glenn has frequently advised against "doing something stupid" in such rallies so that they are not handled differently by the current administration. Whether or not you agree with this stance, Glenn is sticking to his convictions by making sure he is not associated with that type of movement.

I tend to agree with Glenn, though I would probably attend a Tea Party either way. However, signs like "impeach Obama" or notions that he is not a citizen is NOT what the Tea Party movements are about. Tea Parties are an effort to raise awareness of government's encroachment on civil liberties and to motivate people to get involved with Congress and their representation.

Neither the 912 project nor the Tea Party movement are efforts to remove Obama from office. Rather, they exist to encourage the People to enact the power that is given to them by the Framers to be the government's master.

Absolutely! I'm not sure I would normally consider a Ford vehicle but after the current series of events I will definitely be hitting the Ford lot should I need to replace a vehicle. I think Americans should show their support to Ford in their decision to distance themselves from the bailout and prove that the free market really does work (pay attention, Tim Geithner!)