Archive for April, 2008
Welcome to the Fast Lane
The U.S. Secretary of Transportation has a new blog set up called “Welcome to the Fast Lane”. Check it out.
H/T: Josh Shultz
Make sure you watch Hillary The Movie.

As Allen Fuller rightfully points points out, FOX News, CNN, NBC, ABC and the rest of the old school gang no longer hold the news reigns. In fact, they’re getting beat down at virtually every corner.
The Fix has an interesting piece on the new realm of political news delivery.
Forget the ongoing primary fight between Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.). The primary that really matters is the one between Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert for the hearts, minds and, yes, even the eyeballs of America.
Stewart, the progenitor of political news coverage with a comedic twist, and Colbert, the new kid on the block who starred so famously (or infamously) as the keynote speaker at the 2006 White House Correspondence Dinner, have become major players in the daily hustle and bustle of the 2008 campaign. Candidates clamor to appear on their shows and political junkies tune in night after night.
As much as I hate to admit this, it’s 100% true. We have now become so entrenched in the shock value and entertainment level of news delivery that our society, especially the younger generations, is simply not interested in straightforward news delivery. We need it sexed up, made funny, and jam packed with political incorrectness. You may or may not like Colbert and Stewart, but you have to admit they are providing all three with a pretty powerful punch.
Or at least, that was the case with Officer Chad Stensgaard of Portland. Stensgaard parked in a no parking zone and Attorney Eric Bryant witnessed the event unfold. But, instead of doing nothing, Bryant began filing citizen-initiated citations.
(AP) An attorney who watched a police officer park illegally in front of a restaurant, then wait around while his meal was prepared, issued the officer a series of citizen-initiated violations.
Eric Bryant said he was sitting at the restaurant March 7 when Officer Chad Stensgaard parked his patrol car next to a no-parking sign and walked inside to wait for his food, the Portland Mercury reported Thursday.
Bryant told the weekly paper that when he asked Stensgaard about his car, the officer asked Bryant, “If someone broke into your house, would you rather have the police be able to park in front of your house or have to park three blocks away and walk there?”
Bryant filed a complaint as a private citizen alleging several violations, including illegal parking and illegal operation of an emergency vehicle.
Stensgaard was issued a summons to appear in traffic court in May. The fines could total $540.
“Citizens should be concerned that he used his status as an officer of the law as justification for breaking the law,” Bryant said.
Cathe Kent, a spokeswoman for the Portland Police Bureau, said Stensgaard would fight the complaint in court, “as he rightfully should.”
Parking is limited on city streets, especially with many construction projects downtown, she said, and officers remain on duty even when they are picking up food.
“We are emergency responders and need to be ready to take an emergency call,” Kent said Saturday.
H/T: Jayme Siemer (Great find!!!)
I’ve been meaning to write another freedom movement blog plug post, but because I’ve been traveling for a week I haven’t had time to get around to it. I do, however, have a few minutes while sitting here at the airport in Las Vegas and I figured I would plug Liberty Live, the official blog of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation.
Liberty Live has a very clean, very lively look and feel, and represents what a freedom movement blog should run like. The blog covers local issues revolving around labor, education, election reform, economic policy, public records and constitutional law.
I highly recommend you keep an eye on the Evergreen Freedom Foundation. They’re doing a great job online and I for one applaud their efforts.
For those of you covering or attending Samsphere Denver, Slapstick Politics has a good amount of footage on the event. He’s also got a live blogging interface up so that you can watch the discussion as the session unfolds.
I’ll post the first video here. You can watch the rest here.
[youtube]BdNhb3MWv_I[/youtube]
I’m currently sitting in a room packed full of free-market bloggers here at Samsphere Denver. The day will be getting started here in about ten minutes, and I for one can’t wait for the day to unfold.
Because of the busy day, and the fact that I’ll be traveling to the West coast through Thursday, I probably won’t be able to do a lot of blogging over the next five days. That being said I’ll do what I can.
Finally, I leave you with a list of confirmed bloggers for Samsphere Denver.
CONFIRMED BLOGGERS
Anthony Surace at Rocky Mountain Right
Denise Mund at Colorado Charter Schools
Brian Schwartz at Wakalix
John Martin at The Drunkablog
Ray Thomas at The Thoma$ Report
Randy Ketner at Night Twister
Ben DeGrow at Mount Virtus
Michael Sandoval at Slapstick Politics
Ross Kaminsky at Rossputin
Jon Caldara at The Cauldron
Brad Jones at Face the State
David Harsanyi at David Harsanyi
Jeff Goldstein at Protein Wisdom
Patrick Sperry at Conservative Libertarian Outpost
Bob Ball at The Daily Blogster
Marty Neilson at Colorado Taxpayer
Bob Agard at Bob’s Blog
Richard Combs at Combs Spouts Off
David Petteys at Backbone America
Chuck Muth spells out what I think is the best compromise possible. Now if only the Government goons would agree to such a pitch.
This is specifically tailored for Nevada, but relevant in any state.
• Any future tax increases which appear on a ballot must be approved by a 2/3 super-majority vote of the people.
• Any future budget increases which exceed the combined rate of population growth plus inflation would have to be approved by a 2/3 super-majority vote of the Legislature.
• Any new spending programs must be offset by reductions or eliminations in “old” spending.
• Zero-based budgeting is hereby imposed. Department heads start with nothing each biennium rather than starting with the last biennium’s budget and adding to it. Every dime must be justified every two years.
• The governor is granted line-item veto power.
• A public website showing each and every expenditure by the state government must be created and maintained by the office of the State Controller.
• The minimum wage law is hereby repealed.
• The prevailing wage law is hereby repealed.
• All collective bargaining agreements for government workers which result in a net increase in the cost to taxpayers must be approved by a vote of the people.
• The government will no longer collect union dues via payroll deductions. Labor unions must collect dues from their members themselves, just like the Rotary Club and Boy Scouts.
• No union dues money may be used for political purposes without the worker’s expressed, written consent.
• All public sector unions must publicly file an annual financial report showing where all its money came from and where it all went.
• All collective bargaining sessions involving public sector unions must be done in public.
• All collective bargaining contracts must be posted on a public website at the union’s expense.
• Public employees are banned from serving in the Legislature.
• Teacher unions are banned permanently. True professional educator organizations with no political agenda or hostility to school choice would still be allowed.
• All parents will be offered school vouchers to send their kids to the private school of their choice.
• Children who are chronic disciplinary problems in the classroom are to be kicked out of school and enlisted in the Marines…but not until they turn at least nine.
• The Nevada Board of Education moratorium on new charter schools is hereby lifted.
• Nevada charter schools will be given their own separate school district.
• The State Board of Education is to be disbanded and all current members released into the Nevada wilderness with nothing more than a hunting knife, a pack of Chicklets and one canteen of water.
• The Department of Education will be transferred over to the Executive branch of government and the Superintendent will be appointed by the Governor.
• Nevada immediately withdraws from participation in the No Child Left Behind program.
• Illegal aliens in our prisons are to be deported immediately, and subject to summary execution if they’re caught returning illegally. (OK, I might be a little flexible on that last part)
• All taxpayer-funded government documents, especially ballots, will be printed in English only.
• No taxpayer-funded welfare benefits for illegal aliens.
• An individual’s property will not be reassessed for tax purposes until sold or ownership is otherwise transferred.
• Any entity enjoying a no-bid contract from the government is banned from making political contributions.
