Saturday May 15, 1pm.

Texting is dangerous, causes distractions while driving, and prevents drivers from paying attention to safely traveling from one place to another. However, a multitude of other distractions are also dangerous and just as likely to cause accidents. Individuals understand if they cause damage to someone else, they will be punished and serve justice for their crime. Do we not already have laws and statues on the books in Iowa where this type of negligence is punished to prevent individuals from engaging in risky behaviors? Shouldn’t the law punish those who actually cause or inflict harm on others instead of prohibiting what people might do? ”

(Read more from examiner.com)

So, let’s change that law!  For those individuals that want to associate together in a group for bargaining power with their employers to get a common goal, great!  Do it!  But, leave the rest of us to negiotiate the terms of our own jobs, if we so choose.  This would increase freedom for all parties involved.   Unions don’t want this, of course, because this would seriously deflate their power as their power is artificially given to them by law.

Iowa’s Righ-to-Work status is in grave danger by the Democrats in the Iowa Legislature.  Contact your legislators to let them know that you value worker’s right to work without being forced to support a union that may or may not be working in their best interests.  Let the individual decide what’s best for them.

It started on Sunday, when I read that the Tea Party movement has drafted not one, but three so-called small government conservatives to run against Ron Paul in his Congressional district in Texas. Keep in mind, the current popularity of liberty wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for Ron Paul in 2008, who of course was attacked even back then by the people who are now trying to posture themselves as being against big government.

Tonight I went to a College Republican meeting, and one of the candidates running in the Republican Primary for the 2nd District of Iowa was there speaking. After the meeting, we started discussing the long-term fiscal difficulties of the United States government, specifically because of structural deficits and the insolvency of Social Security. The candidate and I came to the agreement that the government will not be able to handle these burdens, but then I asked if we were to end our wars if that would decrease deficits, to which the candidate responded that this would be detrimental to our safety and the security of the region. The candidate then tried to suggest that since I wasn’t alive during the invasion of the Vietnamese boat people and the massacre of three million Vietnamese after the Vietnam War, I wasn’t aware of what kind of consequences would happen due to us leaving a warzone. I was quick to point out that over two million Vietnamese had already been killed by Americans before the end of the war, and that we were currently living in another interesting immigration crisis due to bad government policy, this time the War on Drugs and the mass exodus of Latin Americans to the USA due to failed policies that breed crime. The candidate then continued on saying they aren’t anti-immigrant, and so on, then talked with another Republican about the positives of energy subsidies.

I hope this candidate doesn’t represent the same type of change that other mainstream Tea Party candidates represent, such as trying to resurrect literacy tests as barriers to voting. Another speaker tonight was a surrogate stumping for a gubernatorial candidate who preached that Republicans should regain the majority so they can enact the policies “we” want and know that the rest of Iowa wants. This current crop of anti-incumbent candidates are wolves in sheep’s clothing, because they are trying to convince you they are anti-tax, small government conservatives. Even the supposed people’s victory in Massachusetts was nothing more than another big government liar playing the fiddle before marching the people into the sea (Keep in mind, Romneycare in Mass. was nothing less than a state version of what national Obamacare is supposed to be).

Actually, to call these people wolves in sheep’s clothing is to give them far too much credit. These people are nothing more than neo-cons in tea bags. Either way, I hope neither disguise is enough to fool you.

Did Campaign For Liberty Give $350,000 to a Neocon?
John Tate Statement on $350,000 C4L Ken Buck Media Buy Raises More Questions
Michael Maresco Responds to John Tate

Democratic and Republican caucuses will be held in counties across Iowa on Saturday January 23, 2010 at 1:00pm.

Basically three things happen at your local precinct caucus:
(1.) Election of two Party Committeemen/women to help in their precinct for the next two years;
(2.) Election of Delegates to your county convention held 6Mar10. [Delegates at the county convention, in turn, elect Delegates to Districts 2nd,3rd,5th (held 24April) and Districts 1,4 (held 1May) and the state convention held 26June10];
(3.) Draft a precinct platform which will be consolidated with the other precincts in your county and voted upon (after debate) at your county convention.

Here are links to the respective parties with the information you will need:

Republican Party of Iowa Caucus Locations: http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/VoterReg/PollingPlace/search.aspx

Edit: FIND YOUR PRECINCT # BY FOLLOWING THE LINK ABOVE, THEN LOOK UP THE LOCATION USING THIS LIST!

Republican Party Info: http://www.iowagop.org/site/c.ruIWKbMYIvF/b.5616519/k.BEFC/Home.htm

Democrat Party of Iowa Caucus Locations: http://iowademocrats.org/caucus/
Democrat Party Platform: http://iowademocrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/platform.pdf

(bumped up by Roman)

In February the NRA is hosting a series of free workshops throughout Iowa to “discuss how you can take on an even more active role in your community in our fight to advance and protect our freedoms in this very busy year! We will provide you with the materials and strategies needed to educate, empower, and engage your fellow gun owners as well.”
One of these workshops will be held in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, February 6th, from 10:30-Noon at the Clarion Hotel and Convention Center. If anyone is interested in going, please let me know at aelges@aol.com.
http://www.nraila.org/workshops/Register.aspx?ID=CedarRapids10