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May 31, 2006

Badnarik Campaign To Hold Fundraising Concert

While many candidates running for elected office will hold pancake breakfasts and spaghetti suppers as fundraisers, Michael Badnarik, who is running for Texas's 10th Congressional District, is sponsoring a rock concert.

The Badnarik campaign is sponsoring "A Concert For Liberty." The concert will be held on Saturday, June 3rd at the Red Eyed Fly, an Austin nightclub that specializes in live music.

The bands that are scheduled to perform are Loot, Trent Turner and the Moontowers, and Honky. Michael Badnarik will be present to shake hands and address the crowd.

The Badnarik campaign is planning on placing a full-page ad in the June 1st edition of the Austin Chronicle, a weekly newspaper with a monthly readership of 265,000.

Sponsoring a concert is another sign that Badnarik is waging a serious campaign. He has raised enough money to hire a full-time campaign staff and pay for three billboard ads. It is becoming more evident that Badnarik will not be satisfied anything less than a victory in November.

Posted by at 06:10 PM | Comments (8)

Veterans Affairs Official Resigns Over Data Theft

The New York Times reported on Wednesday that an official working in the Department of Veterans Affairs will resign at the end of the week over the theft of computer data that contained personal information on 26.5 million veterans.

Michael H. McLendon serves as the deputy secretary for policy and was the supervisor of the data analyst who brought the computer data home to work on a department project without authorization, according to the New York Times.

Even more amazing is, according to one official at the Veterans Affairs Department, is that sensitive computer data has been brought home by the data analyst before (via NY Times):

"'He said that he routinely took such data home to work on it, and had been doing so since 2003,' George J. Opfer, the department's inspector general, told senators, some of whom expressed amazement at how the department has handled the theft."

Loose regulations regarding data security are a problem that is not just confined to the Veterans Affairs Department:

"Christopher Wolf, a Washington lawyer with the firm Proskauer Rose who specializes in security issues, said that the veterans department was just one of many federal agencies with lax computer security, and that sabotage might not be the biggest danger. 'These things happen because of accidents,' he said."

Not having rigorous procedures for protecting personal data is one of the best arguments for not allowing the federal government the ability to collect large amounts of personal information in the first place.

Posted by at 01:52 PM | Comments (1)

More Confusion With Campaign Finance Rules

The Federal Election Commission last Thursday held a public hearing on a campaign finance case that illustrated the continued confusion associated with the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act that was co-sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin).

The case involves the Los Angeles County Democratic Party and their get-out-the-vote program. The county party is hoping to determine if it can use soft money to pay for direct mail pieces and automated calls, also known as robocalls, to registered Democrats in Long Beach, California, informing them of the party's local candidates.

Here's some insight into the confusion that BCRA causes (via Roll Call):

"Under BCRA, state and local parties cannot use soft money to finance GOTV efforts when federal candidates are on the ballot. But campaign finance experts say the definition of GOTV under the law is somewhat vague.

For the purposes of today's FEC debate, TV and radio ads would not fall under BCRA's GOTV restrictions because they are not personal communications. By contrast, driving people to the polls or going door-to-door for face-to-face contact is legally considered GOTV under BCRA.

But the rules for direct mail and robocalls are not as clear, experts say. That has sparked a heated debate about whether including the date, along with other local candidate information, in the automated calls and direct-mail pieces amounts to a GOTV drive."

If the FEC rules against the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, the ruling will have far-reaching effects on what state and local parties can do on behalf of their candidates.

According to Roll Call, the FEC general's office, in a draft ruling, stated that robocalls and direct-mail pieces constitute federal regulated activities and should be financed through hard money.

If the draft ruling is adopted, the effect could be the federalization of virtually all campaign activities, including the state and local level, according to Don McGahn, counsel to the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Posted by at 12:52 PM | Comments (2)

Tax On Long Distance Phone Calls Coming To An End

Sometimes you can get what you want.

The Treasury Department announced last Thursday that it will eliminate the 3 percent excise tax on long-distance phone calls and refund about $13 billion collected from callers, the Washington Post reported.

It appears that the federal government is getting tired of defending the tax in court (via Washington Post):

"Companies have been fighting the tax in court and winning, arguing that the 3 percent excise tax should not apply to some long-distance calls. [Treasury Secretary] Snow said the government would stop fighting those taxpayers challenging the tax."

There is even more good news:

"Individuals will be allowed to claim refunds on their 2006 tax returns, filed in 2007, for taxes paid on long-distance telephone calls since March 2003.

Taxpayers can calculate the actual taxes paid and apply for a refund, or they can claim a standard amount that will be set later by the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service."

The tax will officially come to an end July 31st.

Posted by at 11:36 AM | Comments (3)

May 25, 2006

ACLU Looking Into NSA Phone Database

When USA Today publicly disclosed in May that AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth had provided the National Security Agency with customers' phone records, BellSouth flatly denied the story. AT&T has yet to comment on the report, while Verizon has partly denied the story. There is some speculation that MCI, before it became part of Verizon, may have provided calling records to the NSA.

Rather than just trust the word of the phone companies, the American Civil Liberties Union is conducting its own inquiry into whether the nation's largest phone companies provided the National Security Agency with their customers' calling records without warrants.

The civil liberties advocacy group is looking to state utility commissions for assistance (via NY Times):

"The A.C.L.U. is approaching the state commissions because they often monitor the privacy and abuse of customer data. The group said it also hoped to clarify whether local as well as long-distance calls had been monitored."

The ACLU has filed complaints with state utility commissions in 21 states, including Colorado, Virginia, Connecticut, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Texas, Nevada, and Kansas.

Posted by at 02:59 PM | Comments (5)

May 24, 2006

Illinois School Board Goes After Teens' Online Behavior

High school students in the Lake County school district in northern Illinois have to be careful about what they post on blogs and social-networking websites, because school officials may be watching.

On Monday, the Community High School District 128 board unanimously passed rule changes that will require all students that participate in extracurricular activities will have to sign a pledge indicating that they understand that evidence of illegal or inappropriate behavior posted on the web could be grounds for disciplinary action, the Chicago Tribune reported.

School district officials stated that they will not constantly monitor students' websites. They much rather create an environment where students turn each other in:

"District officials will not regularly surf students' sites for rules violations, officials said. But they will monitor them if they get some indication--specifically, a tip from another student, a parent or a community member--pointing them in that direction."

School district officials claim the rule changes are imposed to protect students. They insist the new policy is not a policing effort.

Some parents complained that the new policy is an invasion of the students' privacy. One parent correctly pointed out that monitoring what his children were doing online was his responsibility:

"Lake Bluff resident Mary Greenberg, the only person to speak during the public comment period, told officials that the district is overstepping its bounds.

As parents, 'we have to watch what they're doing,' said Greenberg, who has a son at Libertyville High. 'I don't think they need to police what students are doing online. That's my job.'"

Posted by at 06:10 PM | Comments (12)

May 23, 2006

"National security vs. freedom of the press"

When the existence of the NSA's warrantless wiretapping program and phone database was leaked to the press, some advocated that the journalists, along with the whistle blowers, should be prosecuted for publishing classified information. Others argued that journalists and whistle blowers were performing a public service that should be commended.

In a column for the Christian Science Monitor, Dante Chinni explores the debate between national security and freedom of the press:

"On Sunday, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said laws on the books seem to indicate that journalists could be prosecuted for publishing classified information.

Some undoubtedly cheer that kind of thinking. Anything to keep us safe. And the questions this scenario raises are obvious. Are these whistle-blowers heroes or traitors? And, when the media publishes and airs their allegations, are they complicit in bringing justice or aiding the enemy?"

"Pressure to be first with news has increased in recent years, but news outlets still have an extremely high standard for anything concerning the nation's safety and the lives of its people. Any information they ultimately choose to publish or air has almost always gone though rigorous vetting. And the value of making the information public has been seriously contemplated and weighed."

Chinni sides with the freedom of the press, writing that whistle blowers and media outlets serve a "vital role":

"The press was not meant only to be a megaphone for those in power - a means to keep people informed of what they were doing - it was to be a monitor of power."

Posted by at 02:50 PM | Comments (9)

Global Warming Is Not As Bad As Al Gore Says It Is

Global warming is being featured more prominently after the release of Al Gore's new film, "An Inconvenient Truth." The film's website paints a picture of biblical proportions when it talks about future climate change:

"Humanity is sitting on a ticking time bomb. If the vast majority of the world's scientists are right, we have just ten years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet into a tail-spin of epic destruction involving extreme weather, floods, droughts, epidemics and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced."

Before you start thinking the apocalypse is near, you should listen to Pete Du Pont. In a Wall Street Journal editorial, Due Pont writes that America's environmental outlook is much better than what Al Gore claims.

As he points out, this is not the first time environmentalists have preached gloom-and-doom scenarios:

"If it all sounds familiar, think back to the 1970s. After the first Earth Day, the New York Times predicted "intolerable deterioration and possible extinction" for the human race as the result of pollution. Harvard biologist George Wald predicted that unless we took immediate action "civilization will end within 15 to 30 years," and environmental doomsayer Paul Ehrlich predicted that four billion people--including 65 million American--would perish from famine in the 1980s."

In the editorial, Du Pont provides evidence that debunks many global warming myths. He quotes a new study that was released this week by the National Center for Policy Analysis, titled "Climate Science: Climate Change and Its Impacts."

The study examined many aspects of global warming, such as sea levels, arctic temperatures and solar radiation. Its conclusion was that "science does not support claims of drastic increases in global temperatures over the 21rst century, nor does it support claims of human influence on weather events and other secondary effects of climate change."

Posted by at 02:45 PM | Comments (21)

May 22, 2006

Libertarian Petitioners Harassed by Birmingham Police

Stephen Gordon of Hammer of Truth reports on a story about how Loretta Nall campaign petitioners were being intimidated by University of Alabama police. Loretta Nall is the Libertarian gubernatorial candidate in Alabama and faces the challenge of collecting 41,300 valid signatures to get on the ballot.

You can read Gordon's account here and his appearance on an Alabama radio station here.

Posted by at 05:00 PM | Comments (3)

Congressman Jefferson Caught on Tape Accepting Money From FBI Informant

Things are getting worse for Democratic Congressman William J. Jefferson of Louisiana. Jefferson was caught on videotape last year accepting $100,000 from a Virginia businessman who was wearing an FBI wire, the Washington Post reported.

A few days after catching Jefferson on videotape, the FBI raided the congressman's home in Washington, DC and found $90,000 cash in the freezer, according to a search warrant affidavit released on Sunday.

From the Washington Post:

"The 83-page affidavit, used to raid Jefferson's Capitol Hill office on Saturday night, portrays him as a money-hungry man who freely solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, discussed payoffs to African officials, had a history of involvement in numerous bribery schemes and used his family to hide his interest in high-tech business ventures he promoted in Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria."

"Earlier this year, Jefferson's lawyers explored the possibility of a plea agreement, according to those familiar with the talks. Jefferson changed lawyers recently and has issued vehement denials of wrongdoing as federal investigators move closer to deciding whether to seek his indictment."

Posted by at 04:22 PM | Comments (1)

Republicans Have More "Great Ideas" For Solving High Gas Prices

Here's another "great idea" from Republicans for solving high gas prices (via The Hill):

"A Republican senator wants to raise taxes on oil companies to subsidize gas costs for low- and middle-income drivers...Coleman likened the bill to an extension of federal low-income heating assistance."

In typical bureaucratic fashion, Senator Coleman came up with a convoluted scheme to fund his new program:

"The bill would raise $4.3 billion through a retroactive revaluation of oil companies' inventory under an accounting method known as last in, first out (LIFO), which allows companies to assume that the last inventory they bought is the first inventory sold. The money would then be disbursed to the states through a block-grant program that would defray prices at the pump for low- and middle-income drivers."

Democrats don't think Coleman's bill goes far enough. Senator Byron Dorgan (D - North Dakota) says Coleman's bill is a "small step in the right direction."

Dorgan supports a more direct route:

"Dorgan stated he would rather see Congress take "windfall" profits from oil companies and redistribute the money to consumers.'I favor a bolder, more aggressive approach,' Dorgan said."

It's gotten to the point where Republicans do not exhibit fiscal restraint or attempt to differentiate themselves from the Democrats.

Posted by at 04:18 PM | Comments (4)

Judge Dismissed Lawsuit by German Who Was Mistaken For a Terror Suspect

On Thursday, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by a German man who claims he was a victim of the U.S.'s clandestine rendition program that transported terror suspects to undisclosed locations in foreign countries for detention and interrogation.

Khaled el-Masri was arrested on December 31, 2003 while vacationing in Macedonia. He was then flown to a prison in Kabul, Afghanistan. He claimed he was imprisoned for five months, where he was shackled, beaten, and injected with drugs.

The government doesn't deny Masri's story (via NY Times):

"United States officials have acknowledged the principal elements of Mr. Masri's account, saying intelligence authorities may have confused him with an operative of Al Qaeda with a similar name. The officials also said he was released in May 2004 on the direct orders of Condoleezza Rice, then the national security adviser, after she learned he had been mistakenly identified as a terrorism suspect."

The government doesn't want to admit it made a mistake. It argued in court that, "Any admission or denial of these allegations by defendants in this case would reveal the means and methods employed pursuant to this clandestine program and such a revelation would present a grave risk of injury to national security."

Masri's lawyers say that the government's claim is baseless because the program's existence has been acknowledged by federal officials and Masri's story has been widely reported.

The judge was not convinced by their argument:

"Judge Ellis said Mr. Masri's interests in having his rights vindicated in court must yield to "the national interest in preserving state secrets." But he noted that if Mr. Masri's account were true, he "suffered injuries as a result of our country's mistake and deserves a remedy." He said only the legislative or executive branches could provide such a remedy, presumably in the form of compensation or apology."

Let's see if Congress or the White House will be forthcoming with an apology.

Posted by at 04:13 PM | Comments (1)

May 18, 2006

Republicans Want to Bring "Indecency" Legislation to Senate Floor

On his second attempt this month, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) is attempting to bring broadcast "indecency" legislation to the Senate floor.

The bill is sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), a staunch social conservative. The bill, if enacted, will increase the fines on broadcasters for airing indecent material from $32,500 to $325,000.

Some Republicans don't think the "indecency" legislation goes far enough. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) of Bridge to Nowhere fame, is considering whether to introduce similar penalties for cable television.

Social conservative groups like the Family Research Council are pushing for increased broadcast indecency fines. Support from social conservative groups has become increasingly important to Republican candidates.

Here's an excerpt from CongressDaily:

"Both Brownback and Frist are considering presidential runs in 2008, and they both have courted conservative religious groups that would be key in Republican primaries."

Attempting to pass tougher broadcast "indecency" legislation is another way for Republicans to distract the voters from the important issues affecting America.

Posted by at 04:53 PM | Comments (14)

Defending Yourself Against Alligators

Here's an excerpt from a Washington Post story that will make you think twice about moving to Florida:

"Yesterday...an alligator walked through the doggy door of a woman's house in Bradenton and went for her golden retriever. The woman grabbed a shotgun and blazed away. The alligator escaped with a flesh wound. The neighbors heard shots and called police, who promptly cited the woman for hunting without a license."

How can the police cite the woman for hunting without a license? Who ever heard of hunting in your own house? Unbelievable.

Posted by at 12:41 PM | Comments (10)

May 17, 2006

Republican Approval Ratings Reach New Low

The record low approval ratings of the Bush administration have are now spreading to the Republican Party as a whole. On Monday, a Washington Post-ABC News poll found 69 percent of respondents said the country is going in the wrong direction. Only a third of those polled want the Republicans to retain control of Congress.

The poll found 56 percent of the public would rather have Democrats in control of Congress after November's elections, the Washington Post reported.

But Democrats shouldn't get overconfident:

The poll offers two cautions for the Democrats, however. One is a growing disaffection with incumbents generally. When asked whether they were inclined to reelect their current representative to Congress or look around for someone new, 55 percent said they were open to someone else, the highest since just before Republicans captured control of Congress in 1994. That suggests that some Democratic incumbents could feel the voters' wrath, although as the party in power Republicans have more at risk.

The second warning for Democrats is that their improved prospects for November appear driven primarily by dissatisfaction with Republicans rather than by positive impressions of their own party. Congressional Democrats are rating only slightly more favorably than congressional Republicans, and 52 percent of those surveyed said the Democrats have not offered a sharp contrast to Bush and the Republicans.

Judging from the poll results, this year's election is shaping up to be a great opportunity for third party candidates.

Posted by at 03:35 PM | Comments (15)

May 16, 2006

FCC Commissioner Calls For Investigation Into Phone Companies Providing Calling Records to the NSA

It appears that a federal government agency is concerned about phone companies providing calling records to the National Security Agency's secret phone database.

On Monday, FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps said that they should investigate whether phone companies are violating federal communications law by giving calling records to the NSA, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.

This is not the first time that a government agency attempted to look into the NSA within the last year:

"An FCC investigation, if undertaken, would be the second attempt this year by the government to explore an aspect of an NSA program. The Justice Department sought to investigate the role of its lawyers in the warrantless eavesdropping program, but it ended the inquiry last week because its lawyers were denied security clearances."

Copps stated that while security should be a high priority for the government, however, it should also be kept in mind that "in a digital age where collecting, distributing, and manipulating consumers' personal information is as easy as a click of a buttion, the privacy of our citizens must still matter."

Posted by at 06:03 PM | Comments (4)

Northrop Grumman Having Trouble Getting Its Share of Pork

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak wrote on RealClearPolitics that corporate welfare is coming under scrutiny on Capitol Hill.

Northrop Grumman aggressively lobbied Congress to reimburse the company for cost overruns on U.S. Navy shipbuilding contracts caused by Hurricane Katrina damage at shipyards located along Mississippi's Gulf Coast.

An earmark was inserted by Senate Appropriations Committee chairman Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi) to reimburse Northrop Grumman for the cost overruns.

Novak wrote that having the Appropriations Committee chairman insert an earmark in the past would have guaranteed passage. This time something different happened:

"But pork-busting freshman Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma now scrutinizes money bills, and he caught the Northrop Grumman earmark. The company, whose revenue last year totaled $40.7 billion, has received $500 million from its insurer and is in litigation seeking another $500 million. The Defense Contract Management Agency has declared "it would be inappropriate to allow Northrop Grumman to bill for costs potentially recoverable by insurance because payment by the government may otherwise relieve the carrier from their policy obligation." Factory Mutual Insurance Co., with 2004 revenue of $2.7 billion, then would be receiving indirect corporate welfare.

Coburn told the Senate on May 2 that the Northrop Grumman payment "sets a terrible precedent for the future." He called it "a step too far. I believe we need to back up and let the private sector take care of its obligations." He mentioned unspecified federal "largesse" for the company, pointing to the questionable DDX destroyer."

The House Appropriations Committee refused to reimburse Northrop Grumman, stating that federal money should not "substitute for private insurance benefits."

Novak noted that Philip A. Teel, a Northrop Grumman shipyard official, threatened Congress that if the earmark wasn't passed then Gulf Coast shipbuilding would be radically reduced.

Novak encourages Congress to stand up to Northrop Grumman's threats:

"If Congress can resist Northrop Grumman's blandishments and threats, it may soon take a small step toward confronting the massive problem of corporate welfare."

Posted by at 06:01 PM | Comments (2)

May 15, 2006

Verizon Sued For Providing Phone Records to Federal Government

One American has decided to fight the NSA phone database through the courts.

New Jersey public interest lawyer Bruce Afran has filed a lawsuit against Verizon last week based on the claim that the company violated privacy laws by turning over calling records to the National Security Agency.

The purpose of the lawsuit is to stop Verizon from providing any more phone records to the federal government without a warrant or customer's consent.

A group of AT&T customers filed a lawsuit in federal district court in January that accused the company of violating privacy laws by providing private information to the NSA.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation filed the lawsuit in San Francisco on behalf of AT&T customers when it was reported that the NSA was intercepting phone and email communications between individuals in the U.S. and suspected terrorists living overseas.

The federal government filed a motion on Monday to dismiss the suit, citing national security concerns.

When the federal government stated its reason to dismiss the lawsuit, it showed a trust-me attitude:

"Only the United States is in a position to protect against the disclosure of information over which it has asserted the state secrets privilege, and the United States is the only entity properly positioned to explain why continued litigation of the matter threatens the national security."

One of the plaintiffs in the AT&T lawsuit explains their concern with the NSA warrantless surveillance:

"The government is trying to shove the NSA and AT&T illegal spying operation under an impenetrable cloak of secrecy," said Kevin Bankston of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group representing AT&T customers in the lawsuit. "They are essentially arguing that no one can ever go to court to stop illegal surveillance, so long as they claim it was done in the name of national security."

Posted by at 04:54 PM | Comments (7)

Support for NSA Phone Database May Be Petering Out

A USA Today poll conducted on Friday and Saturday showed that support for the NSA's secret phone database may not be as strong as initially thought.

An ABC News-Washington Post poll conducted on Thursday showed that 63 percent of respondents thought the program was an acceptable way to investigate terrorism.

However, the USA Today poll taken over the weekend showed that 51 percent of those polled did not approve of the NSA phone database, while 43 percent approve of the program.

It is worth noting that the USA Today poll used a larger respondent pool compared to the ABC News-Washington Post poll and had a smaller margin of error.

Some say this could be a turning point in the American public's attitude towards balancing civil liberties and terrorism:

"The combating-terrorism issue still has resonance with the American public," says political scientist Richard Eichenberg of Tufts University in Massachusetts. "But the public's tolerance for this sort of invasion of privacy may be topping out. It may be people are starting to say: 'When is the other shoe going to drop? What else are they doing?' "

An encouraging sign from the poll: 62 percent of respondents support immediate congressional hearings to investigate the NSA phone database program.

Posted by at 02:10 PM | Comments (5)

May 12, 2006

More on the NSA Phone Database

The USA Today reported this week that the National Security Agency has been compiling a secret database of phone records of millions of Americans.

The Washington Post reported that a poll jointly conducted with ABC News found 63 percent of Americans believed this to be an acceptable way to investigate terrorism, which included 44 percent who strongly endorsed the effort.

On the other hand, 35 percent of respondents said the program was unacceptable, which included 24 percent who strongly objected to it.

Even though the average American may not be concerned about the NSA phone database, there is plenty of outrage in the blogosphere.

Daily Kos talks about the illusion of privacy and security:

"When the domestic spying program first broke, some Americans brushed it off, since it purportedly listened only to those suspected of terrorism. But what Americans need to understand is that this most recent disclosure means that every American is a potential terror suspect. Every. Single. One.

So the government monitors your calls. Every. Single. One. Day after day, month after month, year after year. Legal issues aside, the government's actions mark a disturbing change (regression?) in the relationship between a citizen and its government. Where government is inherently established to protect its citizens, it is now operating to protect itself from them."

"Compiling a data-base of the phone calls of millions of Americans is not likely to find actual terrorists, but is a dangerous threat to the privacy and associational rights of Americans."

Even Captain's Quarters, which supports the NSA's collection of phone records, admits that there is a possibility that the program could be abused:

"This kind of data could be used for purposes other than finding terrorists. For instance, it could be used against whistleblowers to discover their contacts. It could get deployed against opposition parties to determine their scope and the location and number of their supporters. People could get blackmailed for their phone calls in ways that have nothing to do with national security."

Posted by at 04:52 PM | Comments (17)

Congress Handing Out Prizes for Hydrogen Fuel Research

The House passed legislation on Wednesday that awards prizes for advances in hydrogen fuel research. Another instance of the government looking to solve a problem in an area where there is none.

CNN explains the award system:

"The measure would award four prizes of up to $1 million every other year for technological advances in hydrogen production, storage, distribution and utilization. One prize of up to $4 million would be awarded every second year for the creation of a working hydrogen vehicle prototype.

There is a $10 million grand prize, to be awarded within the next 10 years, would go for breakthrough technology.

The legislation creates, the "H-Prize", modeled after the Ansari X Prize, which spawed the first privately developed spacecraft that reached space twice within two weeks. The X Prize was completely funding by private investors who wanted to encourage the space industry in the private sector.

The X Prize was so successful because it was not hindered by bureaucratic red tape. Entrants were barred from receiving government funding.

If there is a need to increase the level of research on hydrogen fuel technology, the private sector will move to meet the demand.

Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Illinois) argues that the ability to corner a vast new market should be enough of an incentive to develop a commercially-viable, hydrogen-powered vehicle.

"Isn't a billion or trillion dollar market prize enough? Isn't this enough of an incentive to encourage scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and energy companies large and small to invest in the development of fuel cells and new and innovative ways to produce and store hydrogen?"

Posted by at 02:49 PM | Comments (16)

May 11, 2006

House to Study Overseas Troop Deployment

During a debate on the fiscal 2007 defense authorization bill on Wednesday, an amendment was adopted that instructed the Army to determine if it should reduce overseas troop deployment times by 50 percent.

The amendment, sponsored by Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), overwhelmingly passed by a voice vote.

The easy passage of the amendment is a sign that Democrats and Republicans are finally concerned that the adverse impact of extended tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan have had on active-duty and reserve troops and their respective families.

Instead of paying lip service to our brave men and women stationed overseas, the House should devise a plan to bring all American troops home that are deployed overseas.

It has become obvious for some time now that having troops stationed across the globe is stretching our military dangerously thin and is hurting national security. It's time to end our interventionist foreign policy and bring our troops home.

Posted by at 04:59 PM | Comments (17)

Congress Expected to Pass Bush's Tax Cuts

The House on Wednesday passed a $70 billion tax cut package that primarily targets investors and small businesses. The Senate is expected to vote on the tax cuts on Thursday.

Two main aims of the tax cut legislation are to extend the 15 percent tax rate on capital gains for two years and prevent middle-income taxpayers from being hit hard by the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT).

These so-called tax cuts passed by the House are really a temporary way to prevent tax increases. The AMT relief middle-income taxpayers will receive will only be effect for one year. If Congress does not act, middle-income taxpayers will face the same situation when they pay their taxes for 2007.

The 15 percent rate on capital gains will only last two years. If Congress does not act, the capital gains tax rate will climb to 20 percent on January 1, 2009. This is a haphazard way to conduct tax policy.

Good tax policy would be to stop taxing capital gains and dividends permanently. Taxing capital gains and dividends is a form of double-taxation. For example, individuals who invest get hit with the capital gains tax on income that has already been taxed. A corporation that reinvests its profits gets hit with the capital gains tax on income that has already been taxed 35 percent.

Rather provide relief to middle-income taxpayers from the AMT for just one year, Congress can solve the problem by doing away with the Alternative Minimum Tax permanently. Because the AMT is not indexed to inflation, more taxpayers every year will be threatened by the tax.

Posted by at 12:27 PM | Comments (9)

May 10, 2006

Corruption Becoming a Bipartisan Problem

Since the Abramoff scandal broke, Democrats have been stating that there is a "culture of corruption" within the Republican Party. It now looks like corruption is becoming a bipartisan problem.

Democratic Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana is currently under investigation for bribery.

The Associated Press has more of the story:

"Court documents...indicate that Jefferson lobbied high-level government officials in Nigeria, including the president and vice president, on behalf of a Kentucky technology firm that paid bribes to the congressman."

Former Jefferson aide Brent Pfeffer and businessman Vernon Jackson have pleaded guilty to bribery charges. Jackson admits that as chief executive of iGate Inc, he gave hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to Jefferson in exchange for the congressman's assistance in expanding the telecommunication company's presence in Nigeria."

USA Today reported that the FBI conducted a raid on Jefferson's New Orleans and D.C. residences last August and found $90,000 in cash in the freezer.

Meanwhile, Republicans are having difficulty staying out of trouble. A former chief of staff to House Republican Bob Ney pleaded guilty on Monday to committing mail and wire fraud.

From the Wall Street Journal:

"According to court filings in the case, Mr. Ney, as the co-chairman of a House-Senate conference committee, agreed in March 2002 to introduce and seek passage of legislation that would help a client of Mr. Abramoff open a gambling casino."

In an eight-page court filing, Mr. Volz, who worked for Mr. Ney from January 1995 through February 2002 in a variety of positions, admitted to illegally accepting things of value while working for the congressman and offering similar perks and incentives after he left Capitol Hill to become a lobbyist for Mr. Abramoff."

Posted by at 04:19 PM | Comments (11)

Democrats' Version of Fiscal Responsibility

During a May 8th appearance on Meet the Press, confident House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said that if her party assumes control of the House in November they will institute a policy of "no deficit spending."

Democrats are trying to portray themselves as the party of fiscal responsibility. However, what transpired at the Tuesday meeting of the House Appropriations Committee shows Democrats haven't quite learned about being fiscally responsible.

At the meeting, committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) set a discretionary spending cap of $872 billion for the 2007 fiscal year.

The spending cap was not high enough for Democrat committee member, Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin. He proposed increasing the spending cap by $13 billion. Obey argued that the extra $13 billion was needed to fund social programs and research initiatives.

To show his fiscally responsible prowess, Obey proposed offsetting the additional expenditures by reducing tax cuts for individuals earning more than $1 million a year - a savings of $26 billion. $13 billion would go towards reducing the federal budget deficit, which now stands at over $300 billion.

Obey doesn't seem to realize that you can't be fiscally responsible if you are requesting additional funding for federal programs.

Practicing real fiscal responsibility requires working towards eliminating federal programs and reducing federal spending. Democrats still have a lot to learn.

Posted by at 04:17 PM | Comments (4)

May 09, 2006

Some Clear Thinking on Gas Prices

Libertarian commentator Thomas Sowell has an excellent column about high gas prices posted on RealClearPolitics.

Sowell points out that politicians complain about oil company profits and their executives' compensation, implying that these things have an effect on what consumers pay at the pump.

Sowell argues that it is in fact politicians who have a greater effect on gas prices:

"Politicians are...hypocritical. The government collects far more in taxes on every gallon of gasoline than the oil companies collect in profits. If oil company profits are 'obscene', as some politicians claim, are the government's taxes PG-13?"

He explains further why politicians are so hypocritical:

"The very politicians who have piled tax after tax on gasoline over the years, and voted to prohibit oil drilling offshore or in Alaska, and who have made it impossible to build a single oil refinery in decades, are all over the television screens denouncing the oil companies. In other words, those who supply oil are being denounced and demonized by those who have been blocking the supply of oil."

Posted by at 12:28 PM | Comments (13)

Hawaii's Price Control Experiment Bites the Dust

Hawaii's eight-month experiment with gas price controls has come to an end.

The state learned (the hard way) that price controls don't work. There is evidence that the imposed restrictions made prices increase more than they would normally.

The Hawaii legislature only put a cap on wholesale gas prices, which were determined by the average of prices in Los Angeles, New York and the Gulf Coast. It did not put a cap on the markup added by gas stations.

As a result, the gas price controls didn't have an effect at all. Regular gasoline prices were over $3.38 per gallon in the last few weeks. The negligible effect of the price control legislation was painfully obvious, even to Hawaiian politicians.

Here what one state senator told the Associated Press:

"'In a lot of people's minds, they thought the gas cap wasn't working,' said Republican state Sen. Paul Whalen, a strong supporter of the price controls. 'It was hard to generate lots of support for it because we're paying more than we ever were before.'"

The Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism estimated that state motorists paid $54.9 million more than they otherwise would have in the first five months under the price cap.

Despite the gas price cap's failure, the Democratic-dominated state legislature had a difficult time letting go. The state legislature suspended the cap but gave the governor the power to reinstate it if gas prices become too expensive.

Posted by at 12:24 PM | Comments (5)

May 08, 2006

Republicans Looking For a Fight Over Judicial Nominations to Distract Voters

It's a tough time for Republican politicians. They have been thoroughly discredited in fashioning themselves as the party of limited government by increasing the federal budget deficit to record levels and allowing the executive branch to encroach on our civil liberties.

As they face the prospect of many of their disillusioned supporters staying home this election, Republicans need an issue to distract voters from the party's corruption and reckless spending.

It appears they are going to go with an old standby - judicial nominations. Apparently, Republicans now believe that attacking gays wouldn't be sufficient in energizing their base this election cycle.

The New York Times has more on the Republican rationale:

"A good fight on judges does nothing but energize our base," said Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, who made judicial nominations a theme of his 2004 campaign against Tom Daschle, the former Democratic leader. "Right now our folks are feeling a little flat. They need a reason to get engaged, and fights over judges will do that."

A fight over judicial nominations distracts voters away from the more important issues, such as reducing federal spending and balancing the budget. Don't fall for this Republican trap.

Posted by at 04:38 PM | Comments (11)

May 05, 2006

Did Rep. Patrick Kennedy Get Preferential Treatment?

Here's a story of another Democratic member of Congress having a run-in with Capitol Hill police (via the May 5th edition of the Boston Globe):

"Representative Patrick J. Kennedy was involved in a car accident near the US Capitol at about 3 a.m. yesterday, reportedly nearly colliding head-on with a Capitol Police car before hitting a security barrier near the US Capitol."

Police officers on the scene said that when Rep. Kennedy got out of his vehicle, they observed him staggering. Kennedy told the officers he was a Congressman and that he was late to a vote. The House had its last vote of the day six hours earlier.

Officer Greg Baird, one of the Capitol Police Patrol Division officers who was at the scene, stated that the officers were not allowed to perform basic field sobriety tests on the Representative. When two sergeants arrived on the scene, they "ordered all of the Patrol Division Units to leave the scene and that they were taking over," according to Baird.

Roll Call reported that Capitol Hill police officers drove Kennedy home afterwards.

Rep. Kennedy's explanation for the car accident was that he was disoriented from the effects of prescription medication he took earlier that evening. The Congressman stated publicly that he had consumed "no alcohol" before he slammed his Mustang convertible into a security barrier in front of the Longworth House office building, the Boston Herald reported.

A hostess at a popular Capitol Hill bar, the Hawk & Dove, told the Boston Herald that she saw Kennedy drinking in the hours before the crash.

Did Rep. Patrick Kennedy get preferential treatment?

If you or I crashed into a security barrier in front of a House office building, I seriously doubt we would get the same treatment, complete with a free ride home.

Posted by at 03:59 PM | Comments (7)

Registration Now Required on the LP Blog!

Thanks to an overzealous poster or two along with thousands of spammers hawking their products and services, we have now enabled registration on the LP Blog.

Commenting on the blog is still free, still easy and should make for better comments and discussion.

The service we will be using, TypeKey, is really simple to use and secure. Just go to their registration page, and follow the steps to register. Once you're done and you have verified your account, you can click the link at the bottom of our blog pages, login and post immediately.

Please be sure to "share" your e-mail address when you log in as our software requires it (your address will only be seen by the administrators of this site, not the public).

I appreciate your patience and am looking forward to seeing the results of this improvement.

P.S. Just a heads up, expect a completely new design of LP.org in the coming weeks with a strong focus on our candidates and various campaigns.

P.P.S. Consider this an open thread for the weekend!

Posted by Shane Cory at 03:44 PM | Comments (27)

The Lighter Side of the War on Terror

At a news conference on Thursday, the American military showed the outtakes of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's video that was originally released last week.

The video shows the supposedly fearless Islamic terrorist leader having difficulty firing a machine gun (an American-made one at that) in fully automatic mode. The video then shows a fellow terrorist walking over to Zarqawi and tinkering with the gun so that it can be fired in bursts.

The New York Times has another funny outtake of al-Zarqawi:

"Another sequence shows Mr. Zarqawi handing the weapon off to other aides and striding away, revealing white jogging shoes beneath his black guerrilla attire. One insurgent later appears to grab the machine gun absent-mindedly by its scalding-hot barrel and drop it."

Who would have thought there would be a lighter side to the War on Terror?

The Washington Post has the outtakes video here, along with an article about the story. No word yet if Zarqawi's outtakes video will be released to DVD.

Posted by at 11:37 AM | Comments (14)

May 04, 2006

"Unique" Campaign by Libertarian Candidate Draws Media Attention

Loretta Nall is hoping to be the next governor of Alabama. Being a Libertarian candidate with a head on her shoulders, she knows it won't be an easy task. She knows that taking the top spot in Alabama's state government will nearly be an impossible feat for her.

Loretta is also greatly aware that she's going to have a hard enough time getting on the ballot . . . especially in Alabama. She'll need to turn in more than 65,000 signatures with the intent of certifying at least 42,000 of them to make the ballot.

Given the challenges that she faces, Loretta has turned to "flashing" for cash. . . I'm not kidding, but she may be.

Nall and her team have created a series of flash animations with the help of the animators at Flashbooty.com (an appropriate name for this particular job). When a donation is made, the contributor receives one of the flash animations as a "thank you" for the donation.

Since the announcement of this fundraising campaign, the Nall campaign has already received some valuable media hits including the nationally syndicated Alan Colmes show (She'll be on Friday at 10:15 p.m. Eastern. Your best bet to listen is online at www.alan.com).

It's an interesting tactic, but is it over the top? You be the judge.

Note that due to restrictions with the FEC, we cannot even link to a state or local candidate that solicits funds, so we can't link to Lorretta Nall's campaign site, however HammerofTruth.com has more on the matter.

Posted by Shane Cory at 05:03 PM | Comments (30)

May 03, 2006

Peirce Campaign Meets Signature Goal

Libertarian Bill Peirce, who is running for the Ohio governorship, filed a nominating petition with 13,394 signatures on May 1, according to his campaign website. Ohio law requires 5,000 valid signatures for an independent candidate for governor.

The Ohio gubernatorial race is an open race. The Republican incumbent, Gov. Bob Taft, will not seek reelection due to his involvement in a corruption scandal. The statewide primary was held on May 2nd, Republican Kenneth Blackwell and Democrat Ted Strickland won their respective party nominations.

The Ohio Republican Party has taken a hit from the low approval ratings of Republicans on both the state and national level. In a recent poll conducted by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Democrat Strickland is ahead of Republican Blackwell by 10 points, 47 percent to 37 percent.

A Libertarian candidate could offer an alternative to voters who are dissatisfied with the Republican Party, but can not bring themselves to vote Democratic.

Correction: Ohio Governor Bob Taft is not seeking reelection because he is limited to two terms in office.

Posted by at 03:58 PM | Comments (15)

May 02, 2006

GOP's Focus on Limiting Spending - Too Little, Too Late

After years of reckless spending, Republicans are looking to reclaim their fiscal discipline mantel just in time for the fall elections.

Roll Call reported that the Republican leadership plans to make federal spending a major priority in its 2006 campaign.

In the coming months, Republican Senators are planning on several press events on federal spending, the budget, and earmarks. Holding press events will not convince the American public that Republicans are serious about reining in federal spending.

Last week, Senate Republicans were successful in eliminating a $15 million earmark for a seafood-promotion program for Gulf Coast fishing interests during a vote for a supplemental appropriations bill for Iraq and Hurricane Katrina. Republicans will need to cut more than just a $15 million pork barrel program, in order to have any chance of putting a dent in the rising federal budget deficit of $760 billion.

Republicans will learn the hard way in the fall elections that fiscal responsibility should be practiced every year, not just election year.

Posted by at 05:39 PM | Comments (36)

May 01, 2006

Democrats Pushing Minimum Wage Ballot Initiatives In Several States

Taking a page out of the Republican playbook, Democrats are using state ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage in order to increase Democratic voter turnout in this year's midterm elections.

Six states are planning to have a minimum wage increase on their ballots this fall, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In Arizona, Democratic Senatorial candidate Jim Pederson will use his state's minimum wage ballot initiative as a way to appeal to moderate Republicans and independents against Republican incumbent, Sen. Jon Kyl.

Democrats are copying a tactic used successfully by Republicans in the 2004 presidential election. During that election, Republicans used ballot initiatives banning same-sex marriages as a wedge issue and to drive turnout among their social conservative base.

The minimum wage ballot initiative that was passed in 1998 in Washington state was found to boost turnout among Democrats by at least four percentage points.

In an apparent effort to sound more like Republicans, Democrats are adding a moral dimension in their promotion of minimum wage ballot initiatives this year.

Ballot initiative organizers encourage Democratic candidates to use Bible passages promoting rewards for honest work. Kristina Wilfore, head of a Democratic ballot initiative group, said the effort to increase the minimum wage is, "part of our values agenda."

Rather than fight Democratic efforts to increase the minimum wage, Republicans in the Michigan and Arizona state legislatures passed wage increases to keep the ballot initiatives off of this year's campaign agenda.

Posted by at 05:33 PM | Comments (31)