As a former journalist, I read things like this and hear of the "Journolist" and see why the public has lost faith in the main stream media and has turned to "new" media for their news: http://dailycaller.com/2010/07/20/documents-show-media-plotting-to-kill-stories-about-rev-jeremiah-wright/
I am eager to head to RightOnLine in Las Vegas this week for networkinng, training and conversations with other bloggers and new media on the Right. www.RightOnLine.com
First, headed to Waco for the "Soured on Spending" tour - Congress is bankrupting America and we our out to reveal just who is mortgaging our children's future. It's hot so we will have a lemonade stand, fans and material letting citizens know how they can get involved. www.afptx.org
-- Peggy Venable
Showing posts with label americans for prosperity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label americans for prosperity. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Policy Matters Forum Tuesday in Austin
AFP Foundation and Lone Star Foundation host policy forum
Texas has the most vibrant economy in the country today. We Texans may from time to time take for granted the relative good economy we are enjoying here in the Lone Star State. Few citizens realize the progress Texas has made to be the best economy in the nation.
AFP-Texas Foundation is launching a new effort – Lone Star Strong (www.LoneStarStrong.com) to show how limited-government policies result in economic expansion and prosperity. The first research paper for this site compares Texas' policies and economy to that of other states.
The paper written by Dr. Noel Campbell, Policy Matters: a Comparative Analysis of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and other States, looks at how policies have impacted economic growth and prosperity in the states.
At the same time, we realize that taxpayers are impacted by taxation and spending at the local level and the policy forum will feature an updated study by the Lone Star Foundation: RX for Property Tax Reform written by Will Lutz and David Hartman.
The public, media and policymakers and their staff are invited to attend the briefing.
Policy Matters Briefing
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
1-3 pm
Texas Capitol, Rm E2.012.
Texas has the most vibrant economy in the country today. We Texans may from time to time take for granted the relative good economy we are enjoying here in the Lone Star State. Few citizens realize the progress Texas has made to be the best economy in the nation.
AFP-Texas Foundation is launching a new effort – Lone Star Strong (www.LoneStarStrong.com) to show how limited-government policies result in economic expansion and prosperity. The first research paper for this site compares Texas' policies and economy to that of other states.
The paper written by Dr. Noel Campbell, Policy Matters: a Comparative Analysis of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and other States, looks at how policies have impacted economic growth and prosperity in the states.
At the same time, we realize that taxpayers are impacted by taxation and spending at the local level and the policy forum will feature an updated study by the Lone Star Foundation: RX for Property Tax Reform written by Will Lutz and David Hartman.
The public, media and policymakers and their staff are invited to attend the briefing.
Policy Matters Briefing
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
1-3 pm
Texas Capitol, Rm E2.012.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Welcome to ObamaCare
We’re only two days into ObamaCare and we’re already finding out it’s not as advertised. President Obama lauded the bill for immediately barring health insurers from taking children’s preexisting conditions into account. However, it turns out that the bill doesn’t actually do that. Insurers will still be able to refuse coverage to new child applicants, although insurers cannot refuse to pay for children already on their plans. The White House and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius quickly pledged to fix the flaw with new regulations.
This incident offers a window into our new existence under ObamaCare.
Once President Obama signed the government takeover of health care into law, medicine became a permanent fixture in our political discourse. I have no doubt that over the next ten years as the bureaucratic health care superstate emerges we will learn about countless typos, mistakes or mischaracterizations in this legislation. But never fear, we’ll be told, just a few alterations in the statute and all will be well.
Not only will ObamaCare have to be constantly rewritten as we learn what’s really in the bill and as bureaucrats actually try to implement it, but every excruciating decision will be played out in the media and through the political process. Even worse, the Department of Health and Human Services will make many of these decisions without a vote of Congress. This is what AFP and conservatives have been fighting against all along.
House Democrats passed health care because they were weary and wanted the issue to go away. It’s never going away. The rancor, the divisiveness and the politicization of medicine will never go away. This is just the beginning.
Welcome to ObamaCare. - Americans for Prosperity, www.AmericansForProsperity.org
That's right. The ink isn't wet, and not only do we have "buyers remorse" but most Americans didn't want to buy the plan in the first place. It is time we Take Back America - go to: www.NovemberIsComing.org
This incident offers a window into our new existence under ObamaCare.
Once President Obama signed the government takeover of health care into law, medicine became a permanent fixture in our political discourse. I have no doubt that over the next ten years as the bureaucratic health care superstate emerges we will learn about countless typos, mistakes or mischaracterizations in this legislation. But never fear, we’ll be told, just a few alterations in the statute and all will be well.
Not only will ObamaCare have to be constantly rewritten as we learn what’s really in the bill and as bureaucrats actually try to implement it, but every excruciating decision will be played out in the media and through the political process. Even worse, the Department of Health and Human Services will make many of these decisions without a vote of Congress. This is what AFP and conservatives have been fighting against all along.
House Democrats passed health care because they were weary and wanted the issue to go away. It’s never going away. The rancor, the divisiveness and the politicization of medicine will never go away. This is just the beginning.
Welcome to ObamaCare. - Americans for Prosperity, www.AmericansForProsperity.org
That's right. The ink isn't wet, and not only do we have "buyers remorse" but most Americans didn't want to buy the plan in the first place. It is time we Take Back America - go to: www.NovemberIsComing.org
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Top 5 Disasters in the Democrats' Reconciliation Bill
Don't be fooled. The bill before the Senate today does not clean up or complete the new health care law.
By Phil Kerpen - FOXNews.com
The Reconciliation Act of 2010 is a disastrous, anti-growth tax hike bill. If this were any other year, it would be by far the year's worst piece of legislation. This bill is once-a-decade bad, but unfortunately overshadowed by the all-time bad affront to personal freedom and fiscal sanity the president signed into law yesterday.
First and worst, the bill hikes the investment tax on capital gains and dividends. That’s the most anti-growth tax hike possible. The Reconciliation Act creates a new 3.8 percent Medicare tax on single filers over $200,000 and married filers over $250,000. The rich? Not quite. This slams business owners and makes it harder for them to raise capital for needed equipment purchases, expansion, and job creation. And there is no inflation indexing, so it will directly hit more and more taxpayers over time.
Investment taxes are especially inappropriate as a “pay-for”; that’s because every capital gains hike has actually lowered revenues due to the economic damage and behavioral changes it caused.
Second, the reconciliation bill makes the business assault of the new health care law much worse. It raises the penalty on employers from $750 per uncovered employee to $2,000.
Third, the bill takes over the private aspects of the student loan industry, putting tens of thousands out of work in the private sector while building up a big new student loan bureaucracy. And this is supposed to happen by next semester, so you can expect lots of headaches for students in the short term as well the long-term costs of bigger government.
Fourth, the "fix" to the Cadillac tax actually makes it worse. Under current law the exemption amount is indexed to CPI plus 1 percent. That’s is already not a high enough inflation bar to keep up with medical costs. The reconciliation bill delays the start of the tax by five years, from 2013 to 2018, but it cuts the inflation adjustment to plain CPI. The lower inflation adjustment means this tax will hit more people faster.
Finally, the Nebraska "fix" (the only one of the infamous and corrupt deals Obama signed into law yesterday that’s actually revisited in the reconciliation) is now a much worse deal for taxpayers. Nebraska no longer gets special treatment, but the new Medicaid funding formula puts federal taxpayers on the hook for 90 percent of the cost of expansion for all states, with special funding increases for 17 states and the District of Columbia. This is welfare reform in reverse; we should be building on the AFDC block-grant model of state control and innovation that worked so well in the 1990s, not federalizing Medicaid.
The bottom line: the bill does not clean up or complete the new health care law. It should be judged on its own extremely dubious merits and the Senate should vote no.
Mr. Kerpen is vice president for policy at Americans for Prosperity. He can be reached on Twitter, Facebook, and through www.PhilKerpen.com.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/03/24/phil-kerpen-obama-health-care-reconciliation-senate-nebraska/
By Phil Kerpen - FOXNews.com
The Reconciliation Act of 2010 is a disastrous, anti-growth tax hike bill. If this were any other year, it would be by far the year's worst piece of legislation. This bill is once-a-decade bad, but unfortunately overshadowed by the all-time bad affront to personal freedom and fiscal sanity the president signed into law yesterday.
First and worst, the bill hikes the investment tax on capital gains and dividends. That’s the most anti-growth tax hike possible. The Reconciliation Act creates a new 3.8 percent Medicare tax on single filers over $200,000 and married filers over $250,000. The rich? Not quite. This slams business owners and makes it harder for them to raise capital for needed equipment purchases, expansion, and job creation. And there is no inflation indexing, so it will directly hit more and more taxpayers over time.
Investment taxes are especially inappropriate as a “pay-for”; that’s because every capital gains hike has actually lowered revenues due to the economic damage and behavioral changes it caused.
Second, the reconciliation bill makes the business assault of the new health care law much worse. It raises the penalty on employers from $750 per uncovered employee to $2,000.
Third, the bill takes over the private aspects of the student loan industry, putting tens of thousands out of work in the private sector while building up a big new student loan bureaucracy. And this is supposed to happen by next semester, so you can expect lots of headaches for students in the short term as well the long-term costs of bigger government.
Fourth, the "fix" to the Cadillac tax actually makes it worse. Under current law the exemption amount is indexed to CPI plus 1 percent. That’s is already not a high enough inflation bar to keep up with medical costs. The reconciliation bill delays the start of the tax by five years, from 2013 to 2018, but it cuts the inflation adjustment to plain CPI. The lower inflation adjustment means this tax will hit more people faster.
Finally, the Nebraska "fix" (the only one of the infamous and corrupt deals Obama signed into law yesterday that’s actually revisited in the reconciliation) is now a much worse deal for taxpayers. Nebraska no longer gets special treatment, but the new Medicaid funding formula puts federal taxpayers on the hook for 90 percent of the cost of expansion for all states, with special funding increases for 17 states and the District of Columbia. This is welfare reform in reverse; we should be building on the AFDC block-grant model of state control and innovation that worked so well in the 1990s, not federalizing Medicaid.
The bottom line: the bill does not clean up or complete the new health care law. It should be judged on its own extremely dubious merits and the Senate should vote no.
Mr. Kerpen is vice president for policy at Americans for Prosperity. He can be reached on Twitter, Facebook, and through www.PhilKerpen.com.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/03/24/phil-kerpen-obama-health-care-reconciliation-senate-nebraska/
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Health Care Bill Will Not Stand
This weekend, Congress took action in defiance of public opposition to socialized health care. That action will fan the flames of opposition.
As Texans were among those patriots outside the Capitol waving their Texas flags, we are reminded of those who fought valiantly at the Alamo. They lost that battle, but ultimately won the war.
President Obama says it's time to end the debate. Our response must continue to be that of John Paul Jones, "I have just begun to fight!"
We are here today clinging to our religion and our guns, vowing to fight at the ballot box – go to www.NovemerIsComing.com
The health care bill WILL NOT STAND.
We will fight it in the courts, and at the ballot box.
Together, We WILL TAKE BACK AMERICA!
Peggy Venable - Texas Director of Americans for Prosperity - is speaking tonight (Monday, March 22) in Houston at the King Street Patriots tea party -
• Meeting Location: King Street Patriots Office
• Meeting Address: 9562 Hempstead Hwy., Houston, TX 77092
• Time: at 7 pm.
You are welcome to attend and be a part of taking back America!
As Texans were among those patriots outside the Capitol waving their Texas flags, we are reminded of those who fought valiantly at the Alamo. They lost that battle, but ultimately won the war.
President Obama says it's time to end the debate. Our response must continue to be that of John Paul Jones, "I have just begun to fight!"
We are here today clinging to our religion and our guns, vowing to fight at the ballot box – go to www.NovemerIsComing.com
The health care bill WILL NOT STAND.
We will fight it in the courts, and at the ballot box.
Together, We WILL TAKE BACK AMERICA!
Peggy Venable - Texas Director of Americans for Prosperity - is speaking tonight (Monday, March 22) in Houston at the King Street Patriots tea party -
• Meeting Location: King Street Patriots Office
• Meeting Address: 9562 Hempstead Hwy., Houston, TX 77092
• Time: at 7 pm.
You are welcome to attend and be a part of taking back America!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
www.NovemberIsComing.com - sign up now!
Following the House vote on socialized health care --
‘This Fight Is Not Over,’ Says Americans for Prosperity; Praises Unprecedented Grassroots Outpouring
‘Today we lost in Congress, but we won with the American people’
ARLINGTON, Va. – Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips issued the following statement after the U.S. House passed the health care takeover bill:
“Today we have seen a critical setback for freedom in our country. The fight over this health care takeover has been long and brutal. But something hopeful has risen out of its ashes: millions of active, passionate Americans who are aware of the many threats to our freedoms and who are willing to fight.
“This battle has indeed awakened the sleeping giant, and Americans for Prosperity’s members – one million strong – will continue to put the pressure on our elected officials. More than 320,000 Americans have signed our November Is Coming petition, sending a message to their members of Congress that their days in Washington are numbered. I think we will see some historic changes in our country at the hands of these hard-working people who are taking time away from their everyday lives to start tea party groups and commit themselves to preserving liberty. This fight is not over. Today we lost in Congress, but we won with the American people.”
Go to: www.NovemberIsComing.com
‘This Fight Is Not Over,’ Says Americans for Prosperity; Praises Unprecedented Grassroots Outpouring
‘Today we lost in Congress, but we won with the American people’
ARLINGTON, Va. – Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips issued the following statement after the U.S. House passed the health care takeover bill:
“Today we have seen a critical setback for freedom in our country. The fight over this health care takeover has been long and brutal. But something hopeful has risen out of its ashes: millions of active, passionate Americans who are aware of the many threats to our freedoms and who are willing to fight.
“This battle has indeed awakened the sleeping giant, and Americans for Prosperity’s members – one million strong – will continue to put the pressure on our elected officials. More than 320,000 Americans have signed our November Is Coming petition, sending a message to their members of Congress that their days in Washington are numbered. I think we will see some historic changes in our country at the hands of these hard-working people who are taking time away from their everyday lives to start tea party groups and commit themselves to preserving liberty. This fight is not over. Today we lost in Congress, but we won with the American people.”
Go to: www.NovemberIsComing.com
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
ObamaCare: a hoax that won't fly
ObamaCare is as much a hoax as the little boy in the helium balloon in Colorado. Amreicans have been punked.
The health care bill, pushed by President Obama and the Democrats, would require everyone to buy health insurance or pay a fine for failing to do so.
People could keep their current insurance if their employer provided it and agreed to continue it. Insurance companies would be required to insure all applicants regardless of pre-existing conditions. People would be offered subsidies to buy insurance if their household incomes were below $70,000 a year and if their insurance cost more than 8% of their incomes ($5600 for a $70,000 a year family). The program will cost one trillion over ten years.
Those are the facts. But the Washington Post did a survey asking: "Would you support or oppose having the government create a new health insurance plan to compete with private health insurance plans?" (poll data here; this is Q. 8: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_101909.html)
Framing the question that way is ridiculous! In reality, the so-called “public option” would not be good “competition” for existing insurance, as we have been saying all along, and would reduce – not increase – Americans’ options for health care. Poll after poll has shown that a strong majority of Americans oppose government-forced health care because they understand that a so-called “public option” is truly a government monopoly that will restrict choice and limit access to quality affordable care.
- Famed pollster Frank Luntz criticized the poll, noting that a majority of Americans and their elected leaders are opposed to a public option: “If 57% of Americans truly support it, why can’t 60% of the Democratic-controlled Senate agree to keep it in their bill? Make no mistake: if this poll were accurate, the public option would probably already be law. Instead, Congressional Democrats have run away from the public option because they know that the American people have rejected it—and will reject them at the polls for supporting it.”
- Another fun fact: The poll over samples Democrats by a 35% to 25% margin over Republicans, a 29% skew in favor of Democrats.
- Two recent polls have shown the majority of Americans against the
Washington takeover plans coming out of Congress. A Fox News poll showed 54% of Americans opposed (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,567908,00.html). A Rasmussen poll released yesterday (http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/healthcare/september_2009/health_care_reform) also showed 54% opposed.
Make sure Congress doesn't think Americans have fallen for this hoax: sign here to tell Congress we don't want a national take-over of our health care system: http://www.joinpatientsfirst.com/?page_id=29
The health care bill, pushed by President Obama and the Democrats, would require everyone to buy health insurance or pay a fine for failing to do so.
People could keep their current insurance if their employer provided it and agreed to continue it. Insurance companies would be required to insure all applicants regardless of pre-existing conditions. People would be offered subsidies to buy insurance if their household incomes were below $70,000 a year and if their insurance cost more than 8% of their incomes ($5600 for a $70,000 a year family). The program will cost one trillion over ten years.
Those are the facts. But the Washington Post did a survey asking: "Would you support or oppose having the government create a new health insurance plan to compete with private health insurance plans?" (poll data here; this is Q. 8: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_101909.html)
Framing the question that way is ridiculous! In reality, the so-called “public option” would not be good “competition” for existing insurance, as we have been saying all along, and would reduce – not increase – Americans’ options for health care. Poll after poll has shown that a strong majority of Americans oppose government-forced health care because they understand that a so-called “public option” is truly a government monopoly that will restrict choice and limit access to quality affordable care.
- Famed pollster Frank Luntz criticized the poll, noting that a majority of Americans and their elected leaders are opposed to a public option: “If 57% of Americans truly support it, why can’t 60% of the Democratic-controlled Senate agree to keep it in their bill? Make no mistake: if this poll were accurate, the public option would probably already be law. Instead, Congressional Democrats have run away from the public option because they know that the American people have rejected it—and will reject them at the polls for supporting it.”
- Another fun fact: The poll over samples Democrats by a 35% to 25% margin over Republicans, a 29% skew in favor of Democrats.
- Two recent polls have shown the majority of Americans against the
Washington takeover plans coming out of Congress. A Fox News poll showed 54% of Americans opposed (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,567908,00.html). A Rasmussen poll released yesterday (http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/healthcare/september_2009/health_care_reform) also showed 54% opposed.
Make sure Congress doesn't think Americans have fallen for this hoax: sign here to tell Congress we don't want a national take-over of our health care system: http://www.joinpatientsfirst.com/?page_id=29
Friday, July 3, 2009
Gov. Perry joins Austin July 4th Tea Party
Gov. Rick Perry joins list of speakers for
July 4 “Take Back America” Tea Party
AUSTIN – Americans for Prosperity-Texas announced today that Gov. Rick Perry will join the lineup of conservative leaders speaking at the “Take Back America” Tea Party on July 4 at the state capitol in Austin.
It is the second time Gov. Perry will speak at an Austin Tea Party. The first one, held April 15 at Austin City Hall, drew roughly 2,500 people. A line in the governor’s speech that day became the central message for the July 4 Tea Party: “Cut spending, cut taxes, shrink the size of government and re-read the Constitution!”
The theme of the rally is “Take Back America,” and will encourage the “silent” majority to voice that message to elected officials in Washington, D.C.
“Washington D.C., should look to Texas as a model,” said Peggy Venable, AFP-Texas director. “Under the conservative leadership in this state, Texas has become the top state in the country for job creation, we have the most Fortune 500 companies, more government transparency, are the largest exporting state, and still were able to balance our budget and leave $9 billion in the rainy day fund.”
Texas is the only large state in the country to have a balanced budget.
“The leaders in Washington, D.C. appear to be following the California plan,” said Venable, “and that is a recipe for disaster. Texas is the beacon of fiscal sanity and national leaders could learn from the Texas model.”
The Tea Party is a family event and – along with inspiring speeches – will provide information for citizens who want to learn how to help Take Back America. The Tea Party is part of a nationwide grassroots movement made up of individuals who are fed up with the unprecedented spending and expansion of the federal government.
For more information, including a full list of speakers, visit www.austinreteaparty.com.
What: “Take Back America” Tea Party
When: July 4th 2009, 2-4 p.m.
Where: South Steps of Texas State Capitol
July 4 “Take Back America” Tea Party
AUSTIN – Americans for Prosperity-Texas announced today that Gov. Rick Perry will join the lineup of conservative leaders speaking at the “Take Back America” Tea Party on July 4 at the state capitol in Austin.
It is the second time Gov. Perry will speak at an Austin Tea Party. The first one, held April 15 at Austin City Hall, drew roughly 2,500 people. A line in the governor’s speech that day became the central message for the July 4 Tea Party: “Cut spending, cut taxes, shrink the size of government and re-read the Constitution!”
The theme of the rally is “Take Back America,” and will encourage the “silent” majority to voice that message to elected officials in Washington, D.C.
“Washington D.C., should look to Texas as a model,” said Peggy Venable, AFP-Texas director. “Under the conservative leadership in this state, Texas has become the top state in the country for job creation, we have the most Fortune 500 companies, more government transparency, are the largest exporting state, and still were able to balance our budget and leave $9 billion in the rainy day fund.”
Texas is the only large state in the country to have a balanced budget.
“The leaders in Washington, D.C. appear to be following the California plan,” said Venable, “and that is a recipe for disaster. Texas is the beacon of fiscal sanity and national leaders could learn from the Texas model.”
The Tea Party is a family event and – along with inspiring speeches – will provide information for citizens who want to learn how to help Take Back America. The Tea Party is part of a nationwide grassroots movement made up of individuals who are fed up with the unprecedented spending and expansion of the federal government.
For more information, including a full list of speakers, visit www.austinreteaparty.com.
What: “Take Back America” Tea Party
When: July 4th 2009, 2-4 p.m.
Where: South Steps of Texas State Capitol
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Obama taxes every aspect of our lives
Obama’s cap and trade will be the largest tax bill in history. And everyone will be hit. It won’t just hit us at the gas pump. We’ll pay more for everything from electricity to food.
Read about it here: http://www.americansforprosperity.org/022709-obamas-energy-tax
Read about it here: http://www.americansforprosperity.org/022709-obamas-energy-tax
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Our Rights Go Up In Smoke
AFP - Texas organized a grassroots rally at the Capitol on Thursday to counter smoking ban activists led by none other than neo-politician and champion cancer survivor Lance Armstrong.
While we all admire Armstrong's tremendous accomplishments in life, his support of a statewide smoking ban in Texas is a tremendous mistake. Smoking bans infringe on personal freedom and choice, and they violate private property rights.
So the AFP members showed up with their signs and spirit to let the Legislature - and the gathered media - know there's more than one side to this debate.
Thursday gave us a taste of how contentious this fight will be in the Legislature; about 10 minutes after the AFP folks showed up at the Capitol to protest peacefully, they were cordoned off by an even-larger number of Texas State Troopers.
First, the troopers tried to move the AFP activists far away from the Capitol steps, saying they had no permit - therefore, no right - to protest the ant-smoking rally. When the activists challenged that claim, the troopers simply stood in front of the group. When challenged even further about the Constitutional rights that were apparently being violated, the troopers did this:
Caution tape? Really?!!
Who were they trying to protect the crowd from? Opposing views?
AFP's intern James took the free speech violations in stride:
In the end, AFP got a lot more attention for their cause, thanks to the troopers' attempt to keep their opposing voices at bay. Their views got a lot of media play, which they might not have received otherwise. So maybe AFP owes a big "Thank You" to the Texas DPS for sending out the troopers and helping their cause.
Click the links below to see AFP and the smoking ban protest in the news:
(Be sure to read through all of the comments, then post your own!)
Lance Armstrong lends support to statewide smoking ban
Some breathe deeply, others fume as Armstrong lends support
Watch the video here
Armstrong rides back into Texas to help ban smoking
Armstrong urges smoking ban in Texas
It's important to make your voice heard in the debate. Luckily, you don't have to worry about Texas State Troopers censoring your voice on Internet forums, so post away!
While we all admire Armstrong's tremendous accomplishments in life, his support of a statewide smoking ban in Texas is a tremendous mistake. Smoking bans infringe on personal freedom and choice, and they violate private property rights.
So the AFP members showed up with their signs and spirit to let the Legislature - and the gathered media - know there's more than one side to this debate.
Thursday gave us a taste of how contentious this fight will be in the Legislature; about 10 minutes after the AFP folks showed up at the Capitol to protest peacefully, they were cordoned off by an even-larger number of Texas State Troopers.
First, the troopers tried to move the AFP activists far away from the Capitol steps, saying they had no permit - therefore, no right - to protest the ant-smoking rally. When the activists challenged that claim, the troopers simply stood in front of the group. When challenged even further about the Constitutional rights that were apparently being violated, the troopers did this:
Caution tape? Really?!!
Who were they trying to protect the crowd from? Opposing views?
AFP's intern James took the free speech violations in stride:
In the end, AFP got a lot more attention for their cause, thanks to the troopers' attempt to keep their opposing voices at bay. Their views got a lot of media play, which they might not have received otherwise. So maybe AFP owes a big "Thank You" to the Texas DPS for sending out the troopers and helping their cause.Click the links below to see AFP and the smoking ban protest in the news:
(Be sure to read through all of the comments, then post your own!)
Lance Armstrong lends support to statewide smoking ban
Some breathe deeply, others fume as Armstrong lends support
Watch the video here
Armstrong rides back into Texas to help ban smoking
Armstrong urges smoking ban in Texas
It's important to make your voice heard in the debate. Luckily, you don't have to worry about Texas State Troopers censoring your voice on Internet forums, so post away!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Venable and Captain Ed
Peggy Venable, director of Americans for Prosperity - Texas and a blogger here at Voice of the Taxpayer, is speaking at CPAC in Washington, DC today. This morning she was interviewed by Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters, a great conservative blog.
You can check out what Ed had to say, and a podcast of the interview, here at Captain's Quarters. Peggy and Ed discussed taxpayer-funded lobbying, and a very exciting event happening this July in Austin!
You can check out what Ed had to say, and a podcast of the interview, here at Captain's Quarters. Peggy and Ed discussed taxpayer-funded lobbying, and a very exciting event happening this July in Austin!
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