Bill Beardsley: I Believe | As Maine Goes.

Excerpt:

Conservatives do not pick and choose which right in the Bill of Rights to honor. They are all of equal importance. We start with the premise that freedom begins with the individual and should only be limited by government reluctantly and with the greatest care. To be conservative in my book means that you start by protecting that which you have which is good, such as traditional marriage and life, and build everything else around the protection of those good things.

Another:

Conservatives rightly focus on the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, the right to bear arms and our core American values because we believe in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, our faith, family and community. Furthermore, we need not cede the higher ground on the conservation of our natural resources, an issue that recently has been owned by liberals.

A friend forwarded this idea in a widely circulating email that can be found in many forums and blogs on the internet.  Is this good proposal?  Can it be improved?

Congressional Reform Act of 2010

The reason given to support each of these changes is, “Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.”

1. Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below.
[A. Two Six-year Senate terms
B. Six Two-year House terms
C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms]

2. No Tenure / No Pension.
[A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office. ]

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
[All funds in the Congressional retirement fund moves to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, Congress participates with the American people. ]

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just as all Americans.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide in all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present congressmen are void effective 1/1/10.
[The American people did not make this contract with congressmen, congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.]

American Thinker Blog: November 2010: Too little, too late.

An excerpt:

If conservatives wait until November 2010 we will be: Too little, too late.This is why: The nominations and primary races are shaping up right now. We must nominate conservatives for the November 2010 vote, right now. Deadlines approach soon. GOP county and state organizations are working right now to get their ducks in a row for the 2010 election – and beyond.

Another choice morsel:

As a conservative, you’ll face prejudice. Stay calm, stay cool. You’ll have to be sharper and better than anyone else… Get a copy of Robert’s Rules of Order. Know your local organization procedures. Read American Thinker. Read biographies of George Washington, John Adams, and other great patriots.

Carry a copy of The United States Constitution in your hip pocket. Read it, know it. That is the best civic guidance.

God is Just, God Cannot Be Manipulated. “The LORD our God is just in everything He does.” Daniel 9:14. Today, since our legal system can often be manipulated, many people mistakenly believe they can manipulate God’s justice. But oh, how wrong they are! You can always count on God to act according to His perfectly just character.

Read the entire devotional at the link above.

The Discover God website has a strong emphasis on recognizing that God Is the Issue at the center of all creation, and that ignoring Him and His word is the cause of all personal and societal problems.

Christian citizens will do well to know God and make Him central to our citizenship endeavors.  Author Brad Bright has written a small book titled God Is the Issue and the ebook version may be downloaded for free.

I am reading the book now and hope to comment more as I get into it, because the basic premise is sound.

Sarah Palin was the featured speaker at Washington D.C.’s annual Gridiron Club dinner.  She mixed truth and funny lines in generous portions, poking fun at both herself and at the assembled DC journalists, and reportedly had the audience in stitches.  As usual, no video is allowed at this event.  A transcript has emerged however, so we can enjoy Palin’s presentation in print at this link:

To The Point News – SARAH AT THE GRIDIRON.

One good excerpt [bolding added by me]:

That Democrat speaker [who would follow Palin at the Gridiron podium] I referred to is, of course, the one-and-only Barney Frank.

And I’m the controversial one?

Barney, the nation owes you and the government a debt. A huge, historic, unbelievable debt.

But, it’s good to be here with you, Mr. Chairman.

Because by Chairman, I don’t just mean the House Financial Services Committee. As far as I can tell, Barney’s also the Chair of AIG, CITI, and the Bank of America.

Too true, too true, and very sad!