“Tea Party” means nothing

It's a bit of a stronger take than the earlier post about the way in which the original intent of the Tea Party movement has been basically hijacked. I can't say I disagree with it, since part of my reason for not supporting the whole tea party concept was who was out there in front of it. Hence, I recommend Why “Tea Party” Means Nothing! from United Liberty. Just one small portion:

Here’s the problem: the tea parties were not entirely made up of libertarian uproar about BOTH parties, but instead have become a combination of libertarians, paleo-conservatives, and of course neo-cons. Ever since I saw Sean Hannity have a live show at a tea party and talk up the tea parties, I knew that there was a serious misinterpretation about what the tea party movement is and what the true identity is.

Laptop versus netbook

Since we now have another member in our household, my work laptop has been borrowed on a regular basis (when I'm not at work) so that he can go online for homework and entertainment needs. Even prior to that I've been thinking about the netbook versus laptop purchase scenario for several reasons.

One being for the netbook, I'd like something smaller and lighter since I take the bus to work and it's a little bit of a walk from the bus stop downtown to where I work and an even longer walk at night if I have to take the bus home. My current laptop is not one of the newer lighter models. One being against the netbook is they don't come with a CD drive and I'm not sure how it would hold up for the live blogging that I do from time to time. However, the price of the netbooks continues to drop, as well as laptops, so when I get ready to purchase one or the other? It will be much less expensive than the older laptop was when it was new...That much I know for certain.

I was thinking irons, I was wrong...

To show you how far I am out of the beauty mindset loop, when I saw the words instant wrinkle remover I thought clothing and thought it would be some type of an iron or to be used instead of an iron to get wrinkles out of clothes. They were talking about face wrinkles and wrinkle creams...

Yes, I spend more time on politics then I do beauty and I think sometimes that shows...

:-)

Tea Party as a kind of political equivalent of the 1960's countercultural movement?

First, as one who leans Libertarian, I don't embrace nor support most of what those who call themselves "Tea Party" people do. Though many connected to the Libertarian party started the concept of the Tea Parties, I do agree it's been taken over by others in many areas and has gone beyond the principles they started out with. That's been referenced in previous posts about the Right versus the Libertarian when it comes to the Tea Party topic...So, being born in 1960, I found this comparison by Right Side News, interesting:

Think of the Tea Party as a kind of political equivalent of the 1960's countercultural movement - just post Woodstock. That was when it ceased to be a kind of generational expression and became instead a vehicle that could support all sorts of commercialization. There was lots of money to be made. It could be the Tea Party is approaching that point now - a point of exploitation by the powers-that-be. The Tea Party movement is the first big populist movement of the 21st century, and populist movements, being popular, tend to sprawl across the board, meaning different things to different people. Eventually they are ripe for exploitation.

You know, we could tell this past year that something was happening. We sensed that the Tea Party movement was becoming at least partially co-opted because the high profile names suddenly seemed to change from people we'd never heard of to people we had. And we noted that pro-military establishment commentators like Sean Hannity were styling themselves as Tea Party supporters and saw how mainstream political strategists were suddenly proclaiming their fealty to the movement and we began to wonder if a schism was in the offing.

We wrote we didn't "get it." We didn't see how you could support America's military-industrial complex and be pro-freedom and smaller government at the same time. We wrote about these views several times in order to unpack what was and remain a confusing situation because we think the Tea Party now falls into at least three camps. There are those political organizers and commentators who are manipulating the Tea Party movement in order to reap benefits for the Republican party. Then there is the libertarian group that believes in what they perceive as the foundational profile of the Tea Party movement as an anti-tax, pro-freedom movement. Finally, there are likely millions of Tea Party supporters who have a "big tent" approach to the Tea Party's goal and are perhaps satisfied with its anti-government flavor (as it pertains especially to domestic programs) and "give 'em hell" mentality. Whether "conservative" or not, they may make up the biggest group of all - and are no less sincere or motivated than any others.

They say if you are looking for fun, think Branson

I've never been to Branson, though I have friends and relatives who have gone, as well as having seen some tempting Branson vacation packages. It's on my own personal "bucket list" of places that I'd like to travel to, and after watching a variety of the videos on YouTube about Branson, like the one I'm sharing below, even this non-country music fan thinks there are lots of things she'd like to do there.

:-)

Ponce and the Fountain of Youth...

One of the men who sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World was, Juan Ponce De Leon. He decided to stay in Hispaniola, Ponce became very popular and was named governor of Puerto Rico then called (Boriquien) in 1508. (My husband's relatives live near Ponce, now.)

Ponce kept hearing stories of a magical water source. People called it the "Fountain of Youth" and said that drinking its water kept you young. He set out to find it...

They were looking for Bimini, instead they found Florida, what was called St. Augustine.

This story shows you how many years man has been looking for the perfect anti aging product and how that quest today is still being done. Only now it's not a fountain of youth, it's a products to make you look young...

More on the Cato study on the number of Libertarians...

It's a highly recommended read, especially if you take the time to read the complete material shared and not just the summary by David Boaz. It's creating a great deal of discussion in the Libertarian online communities out there.

Something they found surprising but I didn't find surprising given my years of political debating online:

Finally, we commissioned Zogby International to ask our three ANES questions to 1,012 actual (reported) voters in the 2006 election… We asked half the sample, “Would you describe yourself as fiscally conservative and socially liberal?” We asked the other half of the respondents, “Would you describe yourself as fiscally conservative and socially liberal, also known as libertarian?”

The results surprised us. Fully 59 percent of the respondents said “yes” to the first question. That is, by 59 to 27 percent, poll respondents said they would describe themselves as “fiscally conservative and socially liberal.”

The problem is as the next part shows:

The addition of the word “libertarian” clearly made the question more challenging. What surprised us was how small the drop-off was. A healthy 44 percent of respondents answered “yes” to that question, accepting a self-description as “libertarian.”

Most people don't think of that as the definition of Libertarian, so if you were to ask them outside of that type of a polling they'd have a concept of someone who was pro-pot, pro-gun and anti-government. The media has helped to contribute to the impressions people have been given as to what a Libertarian really is, and even those who call themselves Libertarian don't always agree on the complete platform. Which is not only normal, but the same with all of the political parties out there. One of the reasons I believe a good number of people don't label themselves...

Next level? SEO...

SEO is "Search Engine Optimization" and it is the difference between your site being one of the top ranked on a search engine for particular key words or the last. Whether you are blogging politics or selling a product, you want to be placed as high as possible in search engines. It is a really complicated system to fully understand and there are times when you should consider turning to a professional SEO firm. However, for the basic blogger or starting internet entrepreneur, making use of a seo tool can be a starting point.

I've been blogging six years, I understand the basics, but even I am far from an expert beyond knowing that, tagging and keywords are critical...

Marketing terms...

One of the most common ways to get someone to visit a website is to tell them to click here without even telling them what the site is for. Natural curiosity will create a certain number people doing that. Then it is up to the website creator to keep them though, people decide if they are going to stay on a website within the first few seconds. Which means it's a two part process, getting people to visit, then keeping them there long enough to read the material or buy a product...

Young Libertarians Flaky?

The title of this post by Katherine Mangu-Ward (no relation) Young Libertarians Flaky, Increasingly Republican-Leaning caught my attention...Most of the article is based on a study that in part said:

Libertarians are about 14 percent of the electorate. Libertarian voters swung away from Bush and the GOP in 2004 and 2006, but in 2008 they swung back, voting for McCain by 71 to 27 percent.

Younger libertarians voted 59 percent for Obama versus 36 percent for McCain. But their enthusiasm for his policies may be short-lived. Younger Americans are an optimistic generation, but easily shaken when things go badly. If unemployment continues to remain weak, an economic issue that disproportionately affects young people, this generation of voters could quickly become disillusioned with Obama’s policies.

A view point in support of the Supreme Court ruling...

Colin Bannon shares his thoughts on why Supreme Court Ruling is good news for Libertarian Candidates . He makes some thought provoking points, a few of which:

Yet third parties - the Libertarian Party in particular - have the most reason to celebrate. For years the Libertarian party has been appealing the case to the high court arguing that provisions of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, part of which was overturned in this morning’s ruling, limited free speech, offered unfair protection to incumbents, and financially crippled any outside opposition. Following this decision, which takes effect immediately, Libertarian candidates will finally be able enlist the financial support of small and large businesses across nation.

The effects of this decision are both timely and decisive for the Libertarian Party. As the growing anti-government sentiment extends further and further across the country, Libertarian ideology has begun to win the hearts and minds of many Americans on both sides of the political spectrum. Up until now, the biggest road block for the party has been the inability to come up with the kind of funding of the two major parties. Now that corporations are free to spend their capital on candidates who they support, that road block may very well have been passed.

The best things in life are free...

Yes, the best things in life are free, which typically suggests freedom, liberty, happiness and all of that. This can be something as easy as a free directory submission or something more complex, being free to love the person you want to. Not feeling as if you have to fear that being known. The freedom of taking a walk in a quiet park, with just the sounds of nature. Yes, the best things in life can be free...

The pain of beauty...

At times I wonder about the amount of pain some women go through under the belief that it's required for beauty. Plucking, waxing, bleaching, all to change how you were meant to appear. I can understand the focus on blackhead removal though one "tool" my daughter has for that looks as if it's some type of a mini torture device, but as to the plucking and waxing, I'll never forget the one time my daughter asked me to assist in her under arm hair removal. In theory you place this hot wax on the area you want to remove the hair, press cloth or clothlike strips into the wax then pull. Considering the look on her face just from that process, one wonders why that's felt to be worth it...

Debra Medina does not rule out Texas leaving the union or does she?

As I started reading, Medina adds fire, uncertainty in Texas governor's race in the Dallas news, I came across this, emphasis mine:

AUSTIN, Texas — The Republican race for governor has mostly been a heavyweight showdown, with the senior U.S. senator from Texas trying to knock out the state's longest serving governor.

But Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Gov. Rick Perry aren't the only Republicans in the race. Fiery GOP activist and gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina, who has strong libertarian views and does not rule out seceding from the union, could affect the contest, even if she loses, as experts anticipate.

In doing some further research, that's created some controversy:



That said, she's also being questioned for accepting the support of Larry Kilgore and if you read the comments in the Dallas news article, some believe that makes her "a contemptible, traitorous coward" as well as it being stated on that same link that:

I originally did not intend or re-commenting on this article, but I must do so to correct some very untrue statements made by the previous commentors 'Patrick' and 'MedinasAWingnut' - Debra Medina does NOT and has NEVER endorsed the succession of Texas from the Union.

Listen to any interview of hers - or even just visit her website - and you will find the truth about this.

What she DOES support is Nullification and Interposition - the right of a state's legislature to 'nullify' unconstitutional Federal law and the right of the executive branch (the Governor) to 'interpose' on the enforcement of said Federal laws, respectively.

This is NOT succession! And any so called 'conservatives' who disagree with such Jeffersonian endorsed rights - in my opinion - are hardly conservative.

I hope I've cleared this up. I also hope that people would either stop lying about a candidate's positions, or at the very least, do some research before they spout such ridiculous nonsense. Thank you!

Liberty in Texas,
Anthony J. Reed

The history of the question of nullification versus succession is one that has happened before, during the Civil War...Medina's website makes it clear what she is advocating for, so it's interesting that the media continues to link her with the term succession...

Harry Potter fans will want to visit Disney World in 2010

I admit it, I'm a fan of the books and the movies so it has been with great interest that I've been following the Harry Potter “Theme Park within a Theme Park” planned to open at Disney World in 2010. It's been stated that the opening of this 20 acre part of the park is timed to the release of the last saga of the Harry Potter movies. It's had me even checking out prices at some of the downtown disney hotels as well as possible flight deals...

When you check out what is planned? It looks pretty amazing...

Judge orders GOP, Libertarians to repay state $70K

Recommended article from the Seattle Times on the lawsuit from several years ago where all three parties sued on the basis that Initiative 872 was unconstitutional. At first the three parties won and as a part of that case they were awarded legal fees.

Then, as the points out the Supreme Court ruled that Initiative 872 was constitutional. This meant the earlier settlement/payout was voided. It's being reported that the Democratic Party in Washington already paid back the money they were awarded but that the GOP and the Libertarian Party had not. While I recommend reading the full article, two parts of it:

Initially, the parties prevailed in trial and at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the state was ordered to pay their lawyers' costs: $55,097 to the GOP, $37,673 to the Democrats and $16,301 to the Libertarians.

Although the judge granted the motion, he did not set a deadline. Coughenour noted in a ruling Tuesday that the Democrats had paid back their share but the GOP and Libertarians had not. At the state's request, Coughenour issued a formal judgment against those two parties, which means interest will begin to accrue on the owed amounts until they are paid off.

Libertarians want smaller goverment, Religious right wants larger government that discriminates

The title of this post is the basic summary of this piece I recommend from Washington Monthly shared on Alternet; Tea Party Split Between Libertarian Faction and Religious Right? by Steve Benen. For those of you who lean libertarian (like me) but have not been able to buy into the whole Tea Party concept? You are going to want to read this in full. One part, I found especially thought provoking:

This is not a group of mainstream Americans. Farah's conspiracy-driven website has taken the lead in peddling Birther nonsense; Bachmann is mad as a hatter; Moore is a theocrat who doesn't believe the Bill of Rights applies to the states and was removed from office for ignoring federal court orders he didn't like; and Scarborough is a radical preacher best known for being a Jerry Falwell acolyte, writing a book called Liberalism Kills Kids, and trying to establish his own mini-theocracy in Texas several years ago.

With that in mind, the speakers' list offers some hints about the direction of this "movement." There have been fissures between the libertarian-minded factions and religious-right-style theocrats whose agenda expands well beyond taxes and "socialized medicine."

Indeed, the tension between the factions matters a great deal -- the former wants smaller government in all instances; the latter wants bigger government to prevent abortions and discriminate against minority groups right-wing activists don't like.

Think of your mail carrier when it snows...

We had a rather spirited debate on one of my other blogs related to people not shoveling their sidewalks and how that created unsafe conditions for children walking to school. It also creates problems for our mail carriers, many of whom have walking routes delivering on foot to Residential Mailboxes and in some parts of the city to Commercial Mailboxes.

This conversation also led me to think about the different styles of mail boxes when a friend told me her's was frozen shut. If yours is in a location where water can drip down and then freeze, perhaps considering buying one with a bit more of a protective overhang should be something you consider. If it's frozen shut, it's more of a struggle for mail to not only be received but delivered. Considering the over 2,500 different types Mailboxixchange has, you should be not only able to find a design you love, but also one that works for all seasons...

The LP Texas reports that 193 candidates filed.

Interesting article, 193 Libertarian candidates file in Texas. What's even more interesting is in several of the races no Democratic candidate filed, which means it will be a libertarian facing a republican. From the linked release:

"We are pleased to have so many candidates for office," said Libertarian Party of Texas Chair Patrick Dixon. "We have a record number of contested races this year, so it should be a very exciting convention season. Of course we wanted a Libertarian candidate for every single spot on the ballot, especially certain target races, but we are pleased that we continue to attract more candidates every election."

Unlike Republicans and Democrats, the Libertarian Party of Texas holds county, district, and state conventions to nominate their candidates for public office. County conventions will be held on March 13th. District conventions will be held on March 20th. Libertarians will nominate their candidate for Governor and other statewide officials at the June 12th State Convention in Austin at the Radisson North Hotel. Libertarians accept no tax dollars for their conventions, also unlike Republicans and Democrats. According to state law, no one may vote in the Libertarian conventions if they have already voted in the March 2010 primaries.

"It especially bothers me that there will still be many races in 2010 without a Libertarian candidate in Texas. Some of the candidates that sent in forms at the last minute will not make it on the ballot, as our fax machine was getting clobbered with all the last minute filings. We will continue in the future to encourage our candidates to get their applications in earlier and not wait until the last minute," said Dixon.

The Dutch Masters....

The painting many recognize as one that adorns the box of
Dutch Masters was painted by Rembrandt van Rijn in 1662. The cigar company began in 1911, and has become one of the most popular cigars sold in the US. The men in the portrait were patrons of Rembrandt, hence the title of the painting, "The Syndics of the Drapers' Guild" -- Some have confused the title of "Dutch Masters" in this painting to the actual art titling of the Dutch Masters, who were those artists from the time period in Dutch history around the 17th century.

Go online to look for cheap seats...

When you are looking for tickets for a sporting event or a concert, at times that event may be listed as "sold out" but it's still possible to get tickets online. From a variety of different BRADLEY CENTER TICKETS to RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM TICKETS or many places in between you can not only order tickets but view seating charts to see which ticket price is not only the price but the seating location you are seeking.

Recently this happened with a friend of mine who was looking for Taylor Swift tickets for his girlfriend. He did not buy them when they first went on sale and then found the local site stated the tickets were sold out. Thankfully, he called me, so I directed him where to search for online tickets and he found the perfect seats to surprise her with, and unless she reads this? She'll have no idea that he thought he waited too long.

:-)

The left thinks they are on the side of the angels and the right thinks God is on their side.

I'm an interesting mix of political philosophies, leaning libertarian when it comes to federal politics towards a more constitutionist standpoint believing less federal government equals better federal government but I am more left when it comes to state issues and social services provided by the state. This division in mindsets is what created this blog as the alter-ego of Liberal Common Sense. That shared, there was a great deal of truth in Neither Left Nor Right on "Before it's News" - that is well worth reading. One part in particular that struck me:

For many progressives it all seems to be about how they feel about themselves and the sense of self-righteousness that their "generosity" affords them. Of course, self-righteousness is hardly the domain of the left. Having lived through the reign of terror of the "religious right" and their devotion to their belief that they are Gods true representatives on earth, well, it was scary stuff. The left thinks they are on the side of the angels and the right thinks God is on their side. Libertarians dont presume that they can divine the intentions of the almighty beyond the fundamental belief that we are all created equal and are endowed by our creator (whatever "creator" means to you) with certain inalienable rights.

Here in Ohio, more than D or R as choices...

A recommended piece from the Columbus Dispatch, Brunner OKs 4 minor parties. It's where we learn:

Candidates from as many as six political parties could be on the ballot for governor or other offices in Ohio this year.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner issued a directive last week continuing ballot access for the Libertarian, Green, Socialist and Constitution parties in addition to the Democratic and Republican parties.

I also think it's important to read the actual directive since it gives you the background information on this story...

That elusive perfect smile...

While we as a society do place more attention on appearance, the seeking of a perfect smile has been one that has existed through the ages. Even before comestic dentistry became so specialized, people have quested for white teeth and a variety of different implants or forms of dentures/plates.

Technology has had a huge impact on dentistry, what was once thought as something only for the rich and famous, dental veneers, have become something that the regular every day person can access and afford as a way to improve their smile. Our smile is something that many obsess about, some people do not smile strictly because of how they feel their teeth look. This can actually impact a person's self esteem more than weight...

With the way the veneers are attached, it makes it even possible for those who have a fear of dentistry to have this done. While not all dental insurance plans cover cosmetic dentistry procedures, some do, so make sure you check what your level of coverage is...

Evidence the health insurance mandate won't work...

If you take a few moments and read Health care overhaul: Critics on left, right unite against mandate, you may discover the same conclusion I have after reading the reasons shared from the left, the right and the libertarian as to why they are against the mandate.

Despite their various reasoning, the mandate without a public option won't work. Why? It's fairly clear as stated in the Chicago Tribune:

Once insurance companies must sell policies to almost all comers, "the incentive is to pay the penalty until you need the insurance -- and then buy it," said Robert Book, a health economist with the conservative Heritage Foundation. "You are likely to have more people go uninsured because now it's less risky to be uninsured."

Critics such as Book warn that if young, healthy people opt out of the individual market in large numbers, it will tilt risk pools toward the sick, causing premiums to increase, which, in turn, will cause more young people to choose to pay the penalty and forgo insurance.

"It's a realistic concern," said Rick Weissenstein, a health care analyst with Concept Capital in Washington, especially because the age-rating restrictions in the bill, which allow insurers to charge older people only two or three times more than younger consumers, likely will drive up prices for the young.

Granted there are those who are playing down this aspect, but that is reality, if it costs more to have health insurance than it would be to face the tax penalty? There are going to be those who opt for the penalty. Many of which would be the younger, healthier set needed to drive the costs down from a risk pool scenario...

Does thinking Spring help?

When it's really cold outside, a snowy and blustery day, does it help to think about Spring? For me at times it does take my mind off the weather conditions outside, especially when I start looking at some of the different types of flowers and vegetables I could plant once winter is on it's way out. Unfortunately I have not had very much luck with Indoor Planters. In part because of the cats though I have tried several times to use a Garden Planter mini type greenhouse system to start my plants.

I've learned by trial and error that it has to be sturdy enough to be able to take a cat deciding to sit on it, one year all of my seedlings were crushed by one of the household felines deciding it looked like a promising place to sleep. I've had much more success with Outdoor Planters despite the occasional nibbling from one of the many wildlife in our neighborhood, at least none of them have decided to sleep on the plants. Not yet anyway...

:-)

Free our inner Yankee

I came across this blog post while surfing for Libertarian news, The Inner Yankee. I recommend heading over and reading the work of Phil Maymin. One part I particularly enjoyed:

In the world of academia, it is a cliché to observe that the more educated the faculty the more likely they are to be socialists, but that might be a combination of effects, including the ivory tower feeling that we can and should control the masses, if only we had the right people in charge.

You probably knew all there really is to know about right and wrong when you were a toddler: Don't take other people's stuff; don't hit. Since then, you've grown a lot smarter. Now, it is okay to take other people's stuff if someone else wants or needs it more; that's called "redistribution." It's okay to hit someone your government considers an enemy; that's part of "spreading democracy."

There's much more, you'll enjoy it, trust me :-)

Rasmussen Pretends Joe Kennedy Does Not Exist

I've blogged about the race of Joe Kennedy, a Libertarian versus Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Scott Brown. With the way third party candidates are treated all over the country, this headline from Independent Political Reports, Rasmussen Pretends Joe Kennedy Does Not Exist is not a shocker...

Despite Rasmussen's tag line of "if it's in the news it's in our polls" -- This telephone survey of 500 Likely Voters in Massachusetts was conducted by Rasmussen Reports January 4, 2010. Which means the additional story related to this poll, is not many were polled, which is also typical. The polling data also does not share the breakdown of political parties, if as an example, the majority of those polled were Republicans or Democrats instead of those who are non-affiliated voters (which the majority of Americans are not either party) it gives you a skewed poll.