Monday, October 31, 2011

John Puzder on Job Creation

Tuesday, October 18, 2011, The Show-Me Institute partnered with the John Cook School of Business to present a lecture on the topic of job creation with featured speaker Andrew F Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants.
Puzder argued before an engaged crowd that the current regulatory burden and financial uncertainty brought about by recent federal healthcare legislation are precisely the things standing between entrepreneurs across the country and the creation of jobs. Puzder put it quite clearly: Reduce regulations, and watch unemployment fall.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Understanding Europe's TARP: EFSF is an Empty Box

Zerohedge: An Empty Box Filled With Promises Of Money:

Some amusing weekend observations from TTMYGH's Grant Williams: "The EFSF is basically an empty box filled with promises of money - many of them from the very people who are most likely to need to borrow that same money. Should they need to borrow the money, they won’t be able to make good on their promises so there will be less money for them to borrow. Now the brain trust running Europe have decided, in their collectivewisdom, to applyleverageto thenon-existent money in the empty box that they have yet to actually borrow, so it can backstop even more of the hundreds of billions of Euros of sovereign debt issued by countries whose finances are in such dire straits that they either require the kind of robust growth that is hardly likely to materialize any time soon or the forgiveness by the holders of that debt of a large part of it....

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Interview with Star Parker


This past Tuesday I interviewed Star Parker. This telephone interview is in the two part YouTube playlist above.

In part 1 we discuss Martin Baker's candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives and the politics of race. I asked Parker about the racial epithets thrown at Baker during a recent Tea Party rally in St. Louis. I also asked Parker what Baker needs to do to press on with his candidacy.

In part 2 we discuss the politics of race in America. I asked Parker what steps we can take to mitigate racial tensions and move us toward a more unified nation.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Richard Epstein Explains Why Income Inequality is Good


PBS NewsHour: Does U.S. Economic Inequality Have a Good Side?
A new Congressional Budget Office analysis supports the idea that income inequality has grown considerably over the past few decades. As part of his Making Sen$e series on economic inequality, Paul Solman talks to libertarian law professor Richard Epstein, who argues that wealth inequality acts as a driving force for innovation.
If you like this brief interview, I recommend Russ Roberts interviews with Richard Epstein on EconTalk. They're all very good.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Dave Spence for Missouri Governor?

David Catanese of the POLITICO reports on possible Missouri gubernatorial candidate Dave Spence: If Kinder's out, I'm in:
St. Louis packaging executive Dave Spence told POLITICO Monday he will run for Missouri governor in 2012 if Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder passes on a campaign. 
“I know Peter Kinder, I consider him to be a friend. But if there's an opportunity, I'd like to be part of the solution," he said in an interview. "If he decides not to run, I'd do it with two feet." 
Spence, a 53-year-old executive at Alpha Packaging, met with the Republican Governors Association last week after his name circulated in GOP circles as a possible replacement candidate.
It's interesting that Spence is priming his campaign with the old-guard GOP. It's also interesting that Spence gave $1000 to far-left NY Senator Chuck Schumer (D) in 2004.

This is not how you jump start a Republican campaign. Spence leaked his political ambitions not to a media outlet with a right tilt like National Review or the Wall Street Journal, but to the left-leaning Catanese at Politico. He's donated to notorious liberal Senator Chuck Schumer. And he's seeking the help of establishment Republicans.

Dave--Mr. Spence, if you prefer--you've obviously had some difficulty getting the helium into your trial balloon, so let me offer a suggestion. Elections are won and lost at the ballot box. That means that you have to appeal to the average, grassroots voter. There are basically two hordes of average, grassroots voters: Tea Partiers or Occupants (as in Occupy Wall Street). You need a strategy to reach out to one of those groups. I suspect that you're not in what the Occupants call the 99%, so you've got to target your message for Tea Partiers.

Now, I've noticed that you've got a nice home in a good neighborhood with great yard (h/t: MOScout). That 7,700 sq. ft. golf green is pretty sweet. You should have the St. Louis Tea Party over! You'd get to know the conservative grassroots, maybe recruit some campaign volunteers, and we'd learn more about your policy preferences. We could have a cookout. That sand trap is big enough... we could spit three or four pigs and bar-b-que them in that.

Dave Spence Mansion

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Ed Martin's Path to the Missouri Governor's Race

Ed Martin
Ed Martin
The Washington Post: GOP struggles to land top-tier talent in top-targeted Missouri:
Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder has been battered by a number of bad headlines, including for his past flirtations with a stripper whom he happened to be photographed with recently. (Ah, politics. 
Kinder has also seen his fundraising drop off significantly, from $1 million in the second quarter to $400,000 in the third, and Gov. Jay Nixon (D) is looking stronger every day.
Republicans familiar with the race note that Kinder hasn’t officially announced his bid — he’s getting some pressure not to run — and they expect an alternative candidate to emerge soon.
The question is just how good that candidate will be. Failed 2010 House candidate Ed Martin, who has been severely outraised by Wagner in the 2nd district race, is the subject of a draft effort by some conservatives.
Patrick Tuohey of the Missouri Record has gone so far as to write that Kinder Must Go. I will not go as far Tuohey. Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder has heard the conservative call of the Tea Party and, unlike so many establishment candidates, he has heeded that call.

However, things have changed for Kinder. He's taken a beating in the press as the Washington Post illustrates incompletely above. I've found myself unable to defend him the past few months while talking with friends. I find that I just don't jump to his defense as I did six months ago. I think that bodes ill for Kinder's gubernatorial aspirations because, if he's not getting positive press in the political banter between friends, then I think he's going to have a long hard slog ahead of him.

Those conversations between friends inevitably turn to alternative GOP candidates for governor. Ed Martin is frequently mentioned as he was in the Washington Post article above, but I don't see Martin jumping into the Governor's race unless he's pushed. If there's a cry from the masses that pushes Ed in, he will jump in with both feet and fists flying at Gov. Jay Nixon. That's just who Ed is.

But Ed Martin hasn't ever been elected to office which is almost a prerequisite for a state-wide run, especially for Governor. He does have experience working as former Governor Matt Blunt's Chief-of-Staff, but that experience will draw the obvious attacks from the left about the emails Blunt's administration was slow to release. The real question is whether Martin or Kinder has a better temperament for leading the conservative fight at the top of the ticket. That's for others--like the masses crying for Ed Martin--to decided.

Let's be clear about who those masses are. Yes, Ed Martin has grassroots support, but it's his ties to the Republican Party that must provide momentum for the push. The grassroots are not going to raise the million plus dollars required to put force behind that push. Furthermore, Martin will not elbow Peter Kinder out of the way even if the grassroots want him to. In short, the only realistic path I see for Ed Martin to enter the Governor's race is for the heir apparent, Peter Kinder, to pass the baton to Martin. That would involve stepping aside and endorsing Martin as well as providing an infusion of cash to a Martin for Governor campaign committee.

Peter Kinder has been waiting his entire life for a shot at the Governor's mansion. You don't often get a second shot, so the decision before him is a difficult and very personal one.

I will agree with Patrick Tuohey of the Missouri Record on one point: that stepping aside from his run for Governor allows Kinder to write his own epilogue. It's rare for an executive like Kinder to step aside from the enticing thrall of political power, but not unheard of. In fact, George Washington did so twice. The first time was when he resigned as commander-in-chief of the armies at the close of the American Revolution. The second was when he retired after his second term as president setting a two-term precedent for presidential service.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Gov. Jay Nixon Changes His Tune on Trade with China

Midwest Democracy Project: Nixon not so bullish on China trade when running for governor:

In his 2008 campaign for governor against Republican Kenny Hulshof, Nixon said Hulshof’s support for improved trade relations resulted in thousands of Missourians losing their jobs when companies shifted production to Asia.

Nixon said that was the result of unfair trade deals.

“When Missouri jobs get shipped overseas, it hurts Missouri families. It hurts Missouri’s small businesses. It hurts Missouri’s communities,” Nixon said in a speech in Springfield that year.

Of course, Gov. Nixon called a special session to implement his central plans for an air cargo hub at Lambert-St. Louis Airport. The goal of the China Hub or "Aerotropolis" legislation is to facilitate trade with China. So in 2008 Nixon's view was that trade with China hurt Missouri families, small businesses, and communities. Today, he advocates for the China Hub legislation claiming that it will create jobs.

What will his position be tomorrow?

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Richard Mourdock Endorsed by Eagle Forum



There's a simple question Indiana's GOP primary voters need to contemplate: Will Dick Lugar (R-IN) accomplish in the next six years what he's failed to accomplish in the past 36? Obama's favorite Republican Senator, Dick Lugar (R-IN), is serving his sixth term in DC and is being challenged by a Tea Party favorite: Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock (R-IN).

Schlafly expressed Eagle Forum’s reasoning for endorsing Richard Mourdock by stating, “Now more than ever, we must take back our country by electing a veto-proof Congress full of rock solid conservatives, not politicians who will ‘go along to get along’ at Washington, D.C. dinner parties. We need candidates like Richard Mourdock. I urge all conservatives to vote for Mourdock in the Republican Primary.”
Those Indiana primary voters have a clear choice between Tea Party candidate Richard Mourdock or Obama's favorite Republican Senator, Dick Lugar.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Three Days in August by Bob McCarty

Fellow St. Louis Tea Party blogger Bob McCarty has a book coming out October 19th. Three Days in August examines the unjust court-martial of Sgt. 1st Class Kelly A. Stewart. The book is available in both Kindle and print editions. McCarty provides this summary:
U.S. Army Special Forces Sergeant First Class Kelly A. Stewart admitted to having a one-night stand with a 28-year-old German woman the night of August 22, 2008. She did, too. Both knew sex was part of the plan when they left the discotheque near Stuttgart. Two months later, however, her story changed and the highly-decorated combat veteran found himself facing rape and kidnapping charges. 
During court-martial proceedings one year later, Stewart faced an Army courtmartial panel comprised of soldiers who had recently returned from a 16-month deployment with the Army attorney serving as Stewart's lead prosecutor. 
Despite a lack of both physical evidence and eyewitnesses to the alleged crimes, it took only three days for the panel to find Stewart guilty of numerous offenses -- including aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, forcible sodomy and assault and battery -- and sentence him to eight years behind bars. 
Incredibly, the conviction was based almost entirely on the testimony of Stewart's accuser, a one-time mental patient who, with the backing of the German government, refused to allow her medical records to be entered as evidence. 
When several witnesses came forward during a post-trial hearing to reveal startling proof that the accuser had lied several times during the trial, their words were largely ignored by the court and Stewart remained behind bars. 
Today, Stewart's fighting for a new trial so he can shed the "sexual offender" label that will stay with him the rest of his life if justice remains out of reach. 
Based on extensive interviews and never-before-published details taken from the actual Record of Trial, "Three Days In August: A U.S. Army Special Forces Soldier's Fight for Military Justice" by Bob McCarty paints a portrait of military justice gone awry that’s certain to make your blood boil.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Presidential Candidates at the Values Voter Summit


Many of the Republican candidates for president took to the stage at the Values Voter Summit. They spoke of their policies and how those policy have been influenced by their religious convictions. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of Rick Santorum. The Republican presidential candidates in the slideshow above include: Rick Perry, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, and Michele Bachmann.

Photos from Day 1 on the Values Voter Summit


Some of the people, press, exhibitors, and speakers from the first day of the Values Voter Summit. I'll be blogging the presidential candidates separately, so they're not in this set. This set includes US Reps Mike Pompeo (R-KS), Ann Marie Buerkle (R-NY), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), John Boehner (R-OH), and Steve King (R-IA). It also includes several folks from media: Laura Ingraham, Robert Stacy McCain, and Ed Morrissey.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Missouri State Sen. John Lamping and the Show Me Institute's Audrey Spalding on Aerotroplis

Yesterday I posted photos from the Show Me's Institute's Aerotropolis Forum. Here's the complete video produced by the Show Me Institute:

On Tuesday, October 4, the Show-Me Institute hosted a panel discussion to detail the history and future of the Aerotropolis tax credit bill moving through the Missouri Legislature. On hand to answer questions and explain their viewpoint were Missouri Senator John Lamping and Show-Me Institute Policy Analyst Audrey Spalding.

Photos: Missouri Precinct Project Training


The Missouri Precinct Project (MOPrecinctProject.org) and American Majority (AmericanMajority.org) worked together to bring conservative grassroots leaders from around the Show Me State to Jefferson City on October 1st to learn about organizing in their regions. The thirty attendees learned about the importance of the Committeemen position and organizing at the precinct-level. Speakers included Ruth Carlson, John Putnam, Katrina Pierson, Ken Emanuelson, and Drew Ryun.

They held a straw poll during the event which Herman Cain won in a blowout. Michelle Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, and Sarah Palin also received votes. Neither Jon Huntsman nor Gary Johnson received any votes, but to everyone's surprise both Romney and Perry also drew goose eggs.

I'll post video soon.

Presidential Visit to St. Louis Draws Tea Partiers, Obama Supporters, and Ugly Words


The video above was shot and produced by POedPatriot. Here's an excerpt from his post about it:
During the President's recent visit to St. Louis, Martin Baker, GOP Congressional Candidate for Missouri District One, was confronted by Obama Supporters, one of whom called him an "Uncle Tom Ni**er".
SharpElbows also got some footage at the Tea Party protest across from President Obama's fundraiser with stimulus beneficiary Tom Carnahan:


Dana Loesch noted the hateful tone in her report at BigJournalism:
The St. Louis Tea Party was among various conservative groups and activists who showed up to protest at Forest Park, barricaded across the street from Tom Carnahan’s stately home. The event was organized by Gateway Pundit Jim Hoft, and began peaceful–so peaceful, in fact, that many families took advantage of the warm evening and showed up with their children as well. I brought my own with me to collect media, because I think it’s important for everyone, kids included, to participate in civics if they want and see their Constitutional rights in action.
The Gateway Pundit has several posts about the evening:
Van at Blogodidact gets to the underlying problem:
...vile name calling and threats are what we've come to expect from the hope and change set. Seems as if it's beyond the capacity of the proregressive leftist Obamabots to grasp that some people have different IDEAS, ideas which are not based upon the color of their skin, but that are determined by the content of their character... and their brains. 
Keyboard Militia has a nice slide show up:


And JD Wilson sent in this great set of photos:


Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Photos: The Show Me Institute's Aerotropolis Forum


The Show Me Institute, a free market think-tank based in St. Louis, MO, held a review of the special legislative session currently underway in Jefferson City. The special session was called this past summer by Governor Jay Nixon. Nixon hopes that Missouri's General Assembly will pass his Economic Development bills. That legislation includes funding for the aerotropolis/china hub at Lambert airport, MOSIRA (already passed), and "compete Missouri" the cornerstone of Gov. Nixon's centrally planned vision for the state.

Audrey Spalding and Patrick Ishmail have led the Show Me Institute's research, blogging, and social media push against some aspects of the aerotropolis portion of the legislation. They uncovered the fact that there are already 18 million square feet of available warehouse space near Lambert-St. Louis airport and have been critical of the $300 million earmarked for additional warehouse space.

Spalding and State Senator John Lamping spoke to the forum before taking questions. Lamping's comments about the negotiation with China were interesting. I asked him why we needed legislation when a cargo flight from China has already landed here. He noted that all business in China is sanctioned by the state and often also subsidized. I inferred from that the warehouse tax credits as well as the aerotropolis legislation are a sort of diplomatic and cultural gesture towards the crony capitalism of mainland China. In other words, we can trade with China now without new legislation or tax credits.

Steven Tilley's $25k Donation Raises Eyebrows

Missouri's General Assembly passed the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act (MOSIRA) on September 23rd. A week later on September 30th the Life Science Fund of Greater KC made a $25k donation to MO State House Speaker Steven Tilley. Was that a quid pro quo? Was the Life Science Fund just trying to help Tilley's quarterly fund raising by getting a check to him on the last day of the quarter? Is Tilley's fundraising prowess an embarrassment to his campaign image? It wouldn't be the only image problem his campaign has to deal with:


Pro-life advocates should note that Tilley is on the record supporting embryonic stem cell research:
[Tilley] said he was a "moderate Republican" who supported a constitutional amendment prohibiting the state from restricting any kind of stem cell research allowed by federal law.
"I don't mind that," Tilley said. "I think ethical research is good. I came to the conclusion that I support stem cell because I have two daughters. And I'll be honest with you. If one of them was sick and I think stem cells provided an opportunity - just a chance - to save them, I'd do it in a heartbeat. And beyond that, I think if you had a stem cell cure for cancer, I guarantee that people who are against stem cells would be happy to take the cure."
The Missouri Roundtable for Life issued a statement shortly after the Missouri Senate passed the MOSIRA legislation condemning it:
Fred Sauer of the St. Louis-based Missouri Roundtable for Life, issued a news release after Wednesday’s vote, complaining “Late (Tuesday) night while Missourians were sleeping, the state Senate refused to add language to MOSIRA that would protect Missouri tax dollars from going to abortion, human cloning, and embryo-destructive experimentation.
“And now (Wednesday), the Senate passed this same bill that threatens to force our state’s citizens to pay for the destruction of human life.”

Monday, October 3, 2011

Dana Loesch Interviews J. Christian Adams about Injustice


Earlier today, Dana Loesch interviewed J. Christian Adams about his new book, Injustice. Adams exposes the the connections between the Obama justice department and the New Black Panther Party in his new book. Those connections appear to have subverted justice in the case of a couple of Philadelphia NBPP members who intimidated voters at a polling place in 2008.

Adams also writes in his new book about a 2007 event in Selma, AL, where Obama shared the stage with members of the New Black Panther Party. Andrew Breitbart has posted photos from that event.
The New Black Panther Party has been identified by the leftist Southern Poverty Law Center as a black separatist hate group.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Ed Martin - Ann Wagner Debate Photos


The first debate between Ed Martin and Ann Wagner was held Saturday, 10/1/11. They are vying for the right to represent the Republican party in the 2012 election for the U.S. House of Representatives for Missouri's 2nd Congressional District. That district is currently held by Todd Akin (R-MO).

Thanks to Wes Bradley for photos!