From 3rd Congressional District Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler, to 17th Legislative District Senator Don Benton and to 14th Legislative District Senator Curtis King, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, critical questions are beginning to be asked and recommendations made to clear up the many discrepancies surrounding the Columbia River Crossing project.
Senator Benton has long been a critic, having seen early on in the project that it could not live up to promises or expectations and would be a massive waste of tax dollars as planned. His calls and cries for reining the project and the steady flow of tax dollars in, over $160 Million to date, have been largely ignored and cast aside as what now appears to be the biggest swindle ever to hit Southwest Washington forged ahead amidst growing public opposition.
“Obama said the [immigration] overhaul must provide a ‘pathway to citizenship’ for the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., and that if Congress does not act ‘in a timely fashion’ he will propose a bill ‘and insist that they vote on it right away’.” CNN Report, January 29, 2013
Apparently feeling he is more of a King now than a public servant, Barack Obama is not directing what Congress ‘must’ do and at his ‘insistence.’ In this case, he is demanding a repeat of the failed effort to curtail illegal immigration tried back in 1986.
Rewarding illegal activity not only does not work, it actually draws more illegal activity, evidenced by the words spoken by New York Democratic Representative Charles Schumer from a June 1989 New York Times article 1986 AMNESTY LAW IS SEEN AS FAILING TO SLOW ALIEN TIDE.
As always seems to happen after a horrific shooting, blame is placed on guns as gun grabbers and politicians line up to scheme of new ways to disarm law-abiding people, criminals ignoring current laws and any new ones passed (that is why we call them criminals)
But we also hear voices of sanity rising out of the sorrow. Suzanna Gratia-Hupp after losing both of her parents in the Luby’s restaurant shooting in Killeen, Texas in 1991. Darrell Scott after his daughter Rachel was gunned down in the Columbine massacre in 1999. And now, Mark Mattioli whose small son James was killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting in December 2012.
KATU TV recently featured a discussion with 18th Legislative District Representative Liz, Pike, Vancouver’s Bob Larimer advocating allowing the arming of teachers and Drew Persse a teacher and Erin Thomas a Brady Campaign Representative opposing the arming of teachers.
I feel Liz and Bob gave excellent logic in favor of arming teachers while the other relied more on talking points.
Thanks to KATU for hosting this 1/2 hour discussion and to Rep. Liz Pike and Bob Larimer for presenting reasonable, solid logic trying to prevent another mass school shooting.
Not even a month into his term as our newest County Commissioner and already David Madore is acting on his campaign promises, standing up for Clark County citizens and bucking the light rail swindle from Portland into our community, just as we asked him to do when we elected him.
As can be expected, that is not setting well with the ruling class elites pushing light rail in order to gain access to our revenues to bail out their deeply indebted transit folly, now sitting at about $1.6 Billion and growing every day.
We elected David Madore over keeping Marc Boldt and together with fellow conservative Tom Mielke, have a fighting chance to see some accountability where the CRC swindle is concerned.
Knowing now that our County Commissioners will stand on the side of citizens over the special interests of the CRC swindle, we can expect volleys of attacks aimed at the County Commission and they have already started.
It is no secret that much of Clark County, Washington holds a very negative view of the Columbia River Crossing project (CRC). The more the layers of this scam are pulled back, the more we appear justified in our disdain for what more and more comes across as a massive swindle to suck revenue out of our own cash-strapped community and give it to Portland, Oregon to help with the massive debt, some $1.6 Billion and growing daily, associated with their bloated light rail line.
Even though Clark County citizens rejected extending their folly into our community in 1995, the push has continued to force Clark County to accept it, even to the point of gerrymandering a sub-district in 2005 in an effort to ‘fix’ the vote to approve a C-TRAN sales tax increase perceived to be a back door funding of light rail that was rejected county-wide in the November 2004 election.
By now most everybody has heard of Hillary Clinton’s little outburst in her testimony concerning Benghazi and the death of 4 Americans in a terrorist attack that first labeled aspontaneous protest over some film critical of Islam, the film maker still in prison after the truth was revealed.
In the midst of a heated exchange between her and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) she abruptly blurted out at one point, “Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk last night who decided to kill some Americans? What difference at this point does it make?”
As the willing accomplices of our lamestream media who can’t uncover anything revealing on this administration and carry their water continually, you have to wonder how they would have reacted if other leaders in the past were to blurt out anything like “what difference does it make?”
Few people reaching the age to enlist in today’s Military will remember the TV Show, Combat. It aired from 1962 to 1967 and hasn’t seen a wide syndication. But reading some comments from a few women and supporters of opening combat positions to women tells me they have unrealistic views of just what combat is, almost as unrealistic as it is portrayed in TV Shows, Movies and Video Games.
In announcing the end of the ban on women serving in combat roles, Leon Panetta said “everyone is entitled to a chance to become a combat soldier in a military that will now adopt gender neutral standards.”
One big problem for Mr. Panetta and those who feel they have something to prove, there is no such thing as “gender neutrality.” We are born male or female with distinct differences. One being upper torso strength, on average females having much less. And yes, I acknowledge that some females might have sufficient upper torso strength to equal the average male and even some men do not.
But our Military isn’t geared to individuals, it is geared to teams, units that are no stronger than their weakest link.
But what I find disturbing is quotes from former Military members who are female that were interviewed by the media bout the ending of the ban.
This little tantrum occurred earlier this week, Jan. 15 at an Oak Harbor City Council meeting.
Kudo’s to the majority of this City Council that stood up for a trained citizens & Disabled Veterans right to legally carry a concealed weapon.
Raspberries to Councilman Rick Almberg for insulting a Disabled Veteran, showing his immaturity and spitting on his oath of office to uphold the constitution.
That the Columbian Newspaper has long been in the bag for the Columbia River Crossing, to include Portland, Oregon’s financially failing light rail is a given well known in our community. Regardless of what shortcoming, irregularity, questionable practice or failing of design is revealed, you can bank on them spinning it to continue support and trying to build citizen support.
We have seen this over the several years since Clark County first rejected extending Portland’s folly across the Columbia River into Clark County in 1995 by a wide 2 to 1 margin.
They have editorialized against just about every single candidate for public office who doesn’t support CRC with light rail as well as endorsed some very marginal, inexperienced ones who do support it, as we saw last year in the campaign between incumbent now former County Commissioner Marc Boldt and successful businessman, David Madore.
Madore won in a landslide, Clark County citizens knowing his staunch opposition to light rail and desire to see the CRC brought under control.
For any who can’t understand why many of us advocate arming qualified volunteer teachers in schools, I give you the facebook outburst of one unhinged frustrated parent here in Clark County
This parent, who according to KATU News remains unidentified, was “frustrated” after a basketball game Tuesday evening between the Camas and Skyview boys teams. Police have been notified and are investigating this parent.
But in the meantime, how does a parent get so worked up over a basketball game that he publicly hopes the school gets “shot up?”
The above was put up by Jim Moeller, D 49th Legislative District on his facebook page. Perhaps he forgot all of the times he has complained and whined about Clark County being under the yolk of a Republican majority, even though the state legislature is a Democrat majority.
Or does he believe he is so wonderful that his district alone accomplished this feat?
Without the audio it can’t be said with certainty what triggered the eye roll, but not what we expect to see from a First ‘Lady’ during an official function.
Regardless though, we do expect a certain degree of decorum and civility towards each other, especially while dining at any official function our government holds.
Our nation was founded on the republican ideal of guarantees of individual liberty and of constraining the power of government through a system of separation of powers, best expressed by Thomas Jefferson as “the unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Republicanism emphasizes that “people are sovereign and not hereditary kings, demanded civic duty, feared corruption, and rejected any aristocracy.”
Since that founding, primarily in the last half of the 20th century we have seen a very gradual erosion of those ideals we were founded on and that served us well over the decades as politicians leaning left gained office with tactics of class envy, demonization of the opposition, ever raising of taxes to fund special projects likely funneling our money into either their pockets or the pockets of some of the very people they demonize with their class envy.
While this is readily seen across the spectrum, two areas will be my focus here, areas of concern for us locally that threaten our way of life and ability to secure our right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” the Columbia River Crossing project and our second amendment right to bear arms.
The Constitution of the United States of America is one of the most remarkable documents ever written. It clearly and in plain language lays out the foundation of our nation, the makeup of our government and establishes the rights of our citizens along with the limitations of government.
It has served our nation well in our short history and guided us into becoming the super power we have been known as, along with being the freest nation on the planet a long as we have abided by it and followed the basic tenets of it.
But government wishes to grow and assume powers our country was founded to get away from, putting the limits on citizens and granting more powers to government denied it when we adhere to our Constitution.
“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Benjamin Franklin 1759
Over the years we have all heard the above quote or a disambiguation of it, usually from the anti-war crowd, twisting it to mean if we submit to any measure for security, we are not deserving of liberty.
What they and many others did not do, though, was to research the quote and its context. Had any done just a little research they would have discovered Ben Franklin was addressing those who would not accept one of the guns he purchased to help protect what was then the frontier from marauders and murderers.
Sadly we are once again facing the claim of if we just give up a little bit of our liberty, that being our rights under the second amendment to bear arms freely, we can be safer and our children less likely to be slaughtered in schools or even on the streets in drive-by gang shootings.
It is now being reported that Barack Obama will surround himself with children when he announces his proposals to curb gun violence. While the proposals are expected to be controversial, using children as props seems to be a common theme with certain leaders of the past.
UPDATE: Leavitt is not expected to be at the city council meeting this evening, due to being sick. Regardless, the rest of the council will be there and also need to hear your views.
If you are upset over being denied a clear vote on accepting Portland’s financially ailing light rail and the appearance of underhanded tricks to deny you a vote, as recently mentioned in the post The Petition That Refuses To Die, Mayor Tim ‘the liar’ Leavitt and Vancouver City Council needs to hear from you, now.
The city council next meets Monday January 14 at 6:30 PM at city hall and is a night for citizens comments. You don’t need a long eloquent speech to fill the 3-minute limit, just a quick, “I want a vote on light rail.” Quick, simple and easy.
Just fill out a yellow comment card with the same words. The more of you willing to say those words in front of city council, the more they see we are serious and getting fed up being denied a promised vote while be forced to pay for a project most of us do not want. But we need a show of force in numbers of people telling them that we demand a vote. We were promised a vote and haven’t been given one.
From 3rd Congressional District Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler, to 17th Legislative District Senator Don Benton and to 14th Legislative District Senator Curtis King, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, critical questions are beginning to be asked and recommendations made to clear up the many discrepancies surrounding the Columbia River Crossing project.
