Archive for the ‘Ballot Issues’ Category

The Primary Election is March 2, 2010. Why is it important to vote in the primary elections?

1. What is a primary election?

• A primary election is a preliminary election that is held every two years in which voters choose their nominee in each district to represent their Party on the General Election ballot in November.

2. Who can vote in the primary election?

• Everyone who is registered to vote in Bexar County by February 1 is eligible to vote in the Primary. In Texas, the Primary is semi-closed. Voters do not register by Party when they apply to vote. However, they must choose which Party’s ballot on which they want to vote in the Primary election.

3. When is the primary election?

• Election Day is Tuesday, March 2, 2010. Early voting is from Tuesday, February 16 to Friday, February 26. See www.bexar.org/elections for details.

4. Where is the primary election?

• Voters must vote at the polling location in their neighborhood on Election Day, such as Shavano Park City Hall. They may vote at any early voting location in Bexar County prior to Election Day.

5. Why is it important to vote in the Primary Election?

• This is an extraordinary opportunity for the general public to participate in the election process. In other countries, the government or the political party organizations usually have the responsibility.

6. What is a precinct convention?

• The purpose is to elect delegates and alternate delegates to attend the next level in the political process, which is the Senatorial District (SD) Convention. Participants will also propose resolutions for the SD Convention to consider. The Senatorial District Convention is an all day event scheduled for Saturday, March 20. The locations and times vary, although they are usually held in a location such as the Blossom Athletic Center. Delegates at the SD Convention then elect delegates for the State Convention.

7. Who should participate in the precinct convention?

• Anyone who voted in the Primary is eligible to attend their Party’s convention. Therefore, the convention is closed because voting is a prerequisite to participation.

8. When is the precinct convention?

• 7:30 pm or after the last voter has voted.

9. Where is the precinct convention?

• At the voter’s polling location.

10. Why is it important to participate in the precinct convention?

• Voters get a chance to be heard twice.

11. What are dates to put on the calendar?

• 02/16/10 – Early Voting Begins
• 02/26/10 – Early voting ends
• 03/02/10 – Primary Election Day

This information contributed to the SATP Website by –

Etta Fanning

Dagne Florine

In response to this column by “humorist”  Garrison Keillor, which was published in the San Antonio Express News recently, Kenneth Bennight, the new SATP President of the Board of Directors had the following response:

Garrison Keillor plays off the Tea Party name, saying most Americans prefer coffee to tea.  Though a board member of the San Antonio Tea Party, I too prefer coffee.  And though Mr. Keillor and I both understand the historical reference of the Tea Party name, he finds it rhetorically useful to ignore.

Mr. Keillor next invokes the almost incomprehensible human suffering from the Haitian earthquake, apparently trying to tar Tea Parties with responsibility for natural disasters.  Keillor’s prose is evocative.  But wrapping himself in the pathos is a polemical tool, an emotional appeal unrelated to the substance of his argument.

Keillor correctly notes that healthcare reform proposals are too murky to explain clearly, but he blames that on trying to attract Republican votes.  Obamacare did not rely on Republican votes, and the legislative contortions arose from attempts to draw in less ideologically committed among his own party, such a Ben “Sweepstakes” Nelson of Nebraska.

Keillor also correctly, albeit argumentatively, formulates the basic divide over Obamacare: whether health care should be a legally enforceable right.  He and the left wing say “yes.”  The San Antonio Tea Party believes rights remain as they were at our nation’s founding: not what the government might give you but protection from what the government might do to you.

In not one of the amendments comprising the Bill of Rights and nowhere else in the Constitution is there anything that the government must give you.  Everything is focused either on organizing and running the government or on liberties the government must respect.

The reason is simple.  Government creates nothing.  Whatever government possesses, it has taken from those subject to it.  To give a dollar to one person, government must first have taken the dollar from others.  For you to have a legally enforceable right to the dollar, you must have a legally enforceable claim on the fruit of others’ labor.  American history has a sordid episode when such claims existed: slavery.

Keillor tries to tie left-wing policy nostroms to Christian doctrine.  I am hardly a theologian, but I don’t recall anything about Christ having a economic policy or saying people have a right to look to the state for support.  If Christ demands a left-wing economic policy and left-wing economic policies are shown, as they have been, to impoverish people, where does that leave religion?  As to the implied relationship between Tea Parties and Pat Robertson, if Keillor won’t blame us for what comes out of Robertson’s mouth, we won’t blame him for what comes out of Jeneane Garofalo’s.

The headline on Keillor’s column says Tea Parties “should wake up and smell the coffee.”  After last Tuesday’s special election in Massachusetts, perhaps Keillor himself has some smelling to do.  That a little-known Republican is replacing Ted Kennedy in the United States Senate testifies to overreaching by the left wing.  The people of Massachusetts did not like where they were being taken and screamed halt.  In Massachusetts.  The only state carried by George McGovern.  What does Keillor think will happen in states with more conservative leanings?  To quote another columnist, Charles Krauthammer of the Washington Post: “You would think lefties could discern a proletarian vanguard when they see one.”

Back to the tea or coffee issue, Keillor may not be aware of the historical connection between the Boston Tea Party and the American preference for coffee.  Both stem from the British tax on tea.  Tea was initially preferred in America as it was in Britain, but Americans despised the British tax.  Switching to coffee became a way to express solidarity against unfair taxation.  No wonder so many Tea Partiers drink coffee.  If Mr. Keillor comes to town, I’ll buy him a cup.

Tenth Amendment Talking Points

1.  The People created the federal government to be their agent for certain enumerated purposes only.  The Constitutional ratifying structure was created so it would be clear that it was the People, and not the States, that were doing the ratifying.

2.  The Tenth Amendment defines the total scope of federal power as being that which has been delegated by the people to the federal government, and also that which is absolutely necessary to advancing those powers specifically enumerated in the Constitution of the United States.  The rest is to be handled by the state governments, or locally, by the people themselves.

3.  The Constitution does not include a congressional power to override state laws.  It does not give the judicial branch unlimited jurisdiction over all matters.  It does not provide Congress with the power to legislate over everything. This is verified by the simple fact that attempts to make these principles part of the Constitution were soundly rejected by its signers.

4.  If the Congress had been intended to carry out anything they claim would promote the “general welfare,” what would be the point of listing its specific powers in Article I, Section 8, since these would’ve already been covered?

5.  James Madison, during the Constitutional ratification process, drafted the “Virginia Plan” to give Congress general legislative authority and to empower the national judiciary to hear any case that might cause friction among the states, to give the congress a veto over state laws, to empower the national government to use the military against the states, and to eliminate the states’ accustomed role in selecting members of Congress.  Each one of these proposals was soundly defeated.  In fact, Madison made many more attempts to authorize a national veto over state laws, and these were repeatedly defeated as well.

6.  The Tenth Amendment was adopted after the Constitutional ratification process to emphasize the fact that the states remained individual and unique sovereignties; that they were empowered in areas that the Constitution did not delegate to the federal government.  With this in mind, any federal attempt to legislate beyond the Constitutional limits of Congress’ authority is a usurpation of state sovereignty – and unconstitutional.

7.  Tragically, the Tenth Amendment has become almost a nullity at this point in our history, but there are a great many reasons to bring it to the forefront.  Most importantly, though, we must keep in mind that the Founders envisioned a loose confederation of states – not a one-size-fits-all solution for everything that could arise.  Why?  The simple answer lies in the fact that they had just escaped the tyranny of a king who thought he knew best how to govern everything – including local colonies from across an ocean.

10th Amendment Resolution

The following is a sample 10th Amendment House Concurrent Resolution approved by the Tenth Amendment Center. Activists, we encourage you to send this to your state senators and representatives – and ask them to introduce this resolution in your state.

A RESOLUTION affirming the sovereignty of the People of the State of _________.

WHEREAS, in the American system, sovereignty is defined as final authority, and the People, not government, are sovereign; and

WHEREAS, the people of the State of __________ are not united with the People of the other forty-nine states that comprise the United States of America on a principle of unlimited submission to their federal government; and

WHEREAS, all power not delegated by the people to government is retained; and

WHEREAS, the People of the several States comprising the United States of America created the federal government to be their agent for certain enumerated purposes only; and

WHEREAS, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads as follows: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people”; and

WHEREAS, the Tenth Amendment defines the total scope of federal power as being that which has been delegated by the people to the federal government in the Constitution of the United States, and also that which is necessary and proper to advancing those enumerated powers; with the rest being left to state governments or the people themselves; and

WHEREAS, powers, too numerous to list for the purposes of this resolution, have been exercised, past and present, by federal administrations, under the leadership of both Democrats and Republicans, which infringe on the sovereignty of the people of this state, and may further violate the Constitution of the United States; and

WHEREAS, when powers are assumed by the federal government which have not been delegated to it by the People, a nullification of the act is the rightful remedy; that without this remedy, the People of this State would be under the dominion, absolute and unlimited, of whoever might exercise this right of judgment for them.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE  _____ OF THE _______ GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ______, WITH THE SENATE

CONCURRING, that we hereby affirm the sovereignty of the People of the State of _______ under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise delegated to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that this Resolution shall serve as a Notice and Demand to the federal government to cease and desist any and all activities outside the scope of their constitutionally-delegated powers; and, it be further

RESOLVED, that a committee of conference be appointed by this legislature, which shall have as its charge to recommend and propose legislation which would have the effect of nullifying specific federal laws and regulations which are outside the scope of the powers delegated by the People to the federal government in the Constitution; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that a committee of correspondence be appointed, which shall have as its charge to communicate the preceding resolutions to the Legislatures of the several States; to assure them that this State continues in the same esteem of their friendship as currently exists;  that it considers union, for specified national purposes, and particularly those enumerated in the Constitution of the United States, to be friendly to the peace, happiness and prosperity of all the States; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that a certified copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker and the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, and to each member of this State’s Congressional delegation with the request that this resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.

“Somebody ought to do something!”

“I’m tired of shouting at my TV but what am I to do? Write a letter? Send an email? A fax? What for?  “They” don’t care about us and they’re not listening!”

“What are we supposed to do?”

Sound familiar? Well, Patriots, there’s not one thing you can do—there are actually three options to choose from—as a 21^st century Patriot we can exercise one, two or all three at the same time!

Imagine if you will a trident—a long three pronged spear commonly associated with the classical god of the sea—Neptune (or Poseidon). The first prong is “educate,” the middle—“advocate,” the third—“participate.” The trident is the Patriots’ best weapon in the fight to save our republic from those hell bent on shredding the Constitution and replacing it with a “living” document. Here’s how.

Educate—First, start with educating yourself. Have you read the Declaration of Independence? The Constitution? How about the Bill of Rights? Remember them from civics class? Oh, that’s right; civics class has long since vanished from the majority of our schools. Only old guys like me remember learning about local, state and federal government and how they are supposed to work together; laws—and how they are to be created, argued and passed and how those laws are supposed to be interpreted, enforced and by whom.

Feeling comfortable with your knowledge of basic civics? What about political ideology? Is a democracy the same as a republic? What does “left” mean? What about “right?” What’s the difference between “Progressives” and “Populists?” Are they diametrically opposed or kissing cousins? Is the FED (Federal Reserve Bank) the “fourth branch” of our government as they think they are, or are they a collusion of key banks whose primary mission is dictating financial policy to financial institutions throughout the country? What is a republican form of government? (No, it does not refer to George W. Bush and the previous administration.) Who and what are Progressives? (No, they are not interested in “progress” unless you subscribe to their definition and are willing to fund “progress” in the form of increased taxes.) Are Populists the most popular people in politics?

Yes, these questions are silly but do you know the correct answers? Furthermore, can you explain them to your spouse, your children, your neighbors and friends and, if so, what are you going to do with this knowledge?

Advocate—So you think you understand the differences and similarities between republicans and democrats, Marx and Jefferson, Machiavelli and Locke? Great! Now, go forth and argue your cause! Don’t cry out alone in the darkness. Mobilize your independent spirit and energize your first amendment right of free speech. How?

Participate—It’s time to get off your fanny, get on your feet and get involved! Become politically active. Join a tea party, 9-12 group, Tenth Amendment team, Oath Keepers or one of dozens of politically active groups growing in strength and stature throughout the republic. Don’t stand down waiting for someone else to do something. Set the leadership pace, take the point and others will follow. Be the one others emulate (don’t be another silent couch potato content to accept the scraps of injustice thrown by “our” political representatives and leaders in local, state and federal legislatures and power centers).

Now, Patriots, right now—stand up, peacefully wield your “trident” and move out! The survival of the republic depends upon YOU!

Steve Baysinger

San Antonio, Texas

baysinger_steve@yahoo.com