If You Were to Caucus for Sarah Palin, What Would You Say?

                      "Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you,
                              so take courage and do it." - Ezra 10:4 NIV

To face-off with your politically passionate neighbors is nerve-racking enough - and if your preferred candidate is not even on the ballot, your task is even harder. But if you were to caucus for Sarah Palin, what would you say? Here are a few suggestions:

1. She is a fighter, she wins her battles and she delivers results. Sarah Palin fought the Corrupt Bastards's Club in Alaska, exposed their ethics violations and conflicts of interest. The guilty parties actually paid huge fines and served time. Sarah Palin took on Big Oil in Alaska. She took ExxonMobil to court for sitting on their leases for over two decades without developing the oil reserves and won the case for Alaskans. ExxonMobil finally honored their contract and started drilling on Point Thompson. Sarah Palin exposed the death panel provision in Obamacare. Congress begrudgingly removed it from the healthcare bill.  She will fight corruption and crony capitalism in government and she will start at Congress.

2. She is a fiscal conservative. Her FY2010 budget ($10.57B) was over a billion dollars less compared to former Gov. Murkowski's 2007 budget ($11.7B). She vetoed half a billion dollars in spending. She put $5 billion savings  in the state's rainy day fund. Sarah Palin is prudent with taxpayers' money. Send her to Washington and she will rein in spending, cut taxes and ensure our long-term fiscal stability.

3. Honesty and Integrity. You can trust her words. The media and the left have for three years manufactured lies about her. They fought to have  her e-mails released to public, hoping to find troves of scandalous materials. Instead, they revealed what she had been saying all along; that she fought corruption, stared down Big Oil, vetoed unnecessary spending, slashed the budget . What the emails revealed was a hands-on executive, who listened to her constituents' concerns, who worked on shrinking the role of government, who understood how to balance energy development and environment protection, a loving mother who puts her trust in God. It revealed a governor very much worthy of an 80% + approval rating from the people she served.

4. The GOP field is hopelessly weak and flawed. We have right now a candidate who owns Romneycare and is a serial flipflopper that makes him untrustworthy. A former speaker who's been in politics since 1978 that he is the embodiment of a permanent political class. A candidate who's foreign policy is so off-the-chart we might as well throw Israel under the bus. A candidate who thinks you are heartless if you do not believe in subsidizing college education for illegal immigrants. A candidate who constantly gets her facts wrong. Sarah Palin has the experience, the track record and the guts to fight, a conservative who shares your values, understands that energy independence is key to economic and national security, and respects the Constitution. She will make government smaller and smarter. She will energize the base. Only she can beat Barack Obama.

5. But she said "no". We do respect her decision to put family first. But the country is in rapid decline. We need a proven leader in the White House who will bring about the "sudden and relentless reform" needed in Washington. She has maintained that it isn't too late for another candidate to jump in. Perhaps, in a few weeks or months, some circumstances in her life would change and she'd then reconsider and run. By doing this write-in campaign now, we're making it easier for her to jump in without putting any stress on her family.

On the other hand, this is politics! Politicians get in and out of races all the time. Declining then reconsidering to run in the end is no different than getting in then ending  a campaign before the first vote is even cast. Tim Pawlenty, Donald Trump, Herman Cain. They all got in and now they're out.

Our nation's history is filled with reluctant leaders. True leaders are CALLED to serve. George Washington just wanted to retire in Mount Vernon but people called on him to serve. He answered the call. Dwight Eisenhower refused repeatedly to run but Americans liked Ike so much that they drafted him. He answered the call and became our 34th President. It happened in 1952. It could happen again in 2012.

(If someone raises the issue that "she quit", here are some counterpoints you could use: Sarah Palin was   barraged with frivolous ethics complaints by the Democrats and their media friends. Is it abuse of power for granting interview in her office? Pres. Obama months ago promoted a $5 raffle dinner for his reelection campaign at the White House. Where is the outrage? Troopergate? Governor or not, if a trooper brother-in-law is verbally abusing and threatening your sister and your family and tasered your nephew, what would you do? The fact is all these complaints, dismissed in the end,  were political witchhunt to bring her political career to end and had  cost Alaska taxpayers $1.9 millions to investigate them. Sarah Palin resigned to spare Alaska further expense and distraction so that Alaska could continue to progress. And progress it did. One year after she left office, Moody's upgraded Alaska's credit rating to Triple A. Proof that her sound economic and fiscal policies rolled on successfully without anymore politically-tainted interruptions.

Lastly, as an Iowan and an American, if you are a farmer, who do you want working in the fields with you? If you are a fisherman, who do you want casting the nets with you? If you are a gun owner, who do you want protecting your rights? If you are a small business owner, who do you want managing the finances for you? If you have to take care of someone with special needs, at home or at work, who do you want advocating for them? If you have a military family member whose life was touched by war, who do you want praying with you?  Romney? Gingrich? Paul? Perry? Bachmann? Santorum?

I believe you'd pick Sarah Palin because SARAH PALIN IS YOU.

An Open Letter to Christian Voters

Dear Christian Voter,

        

        "Test all things; hold fast that which is good."

                                               - 1 Thessalonians 5:21 

Americans, in general, respect the line that separates the state and church. But the state of our nation's affairs are in such dire disarray that in 2012 we all have to act together and put in the White House someone who will bring about a "sudden and relentless reform" in our government.

Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, warned us of false prophets who are wolves in sheep's clothings (Matthew 7:15). "As a tree is known by its fruits, so is a man known by his acts. And the false teachers will unmask themselves by their deeds." *

Indeed, we have a president who promised us Hope and Change but instead brought us division and uncertainty, whose political manueverings contribute to lost jobs, lost homes and financial hardships to average Americans, who is quietly circumventing our Constitution and his responsibilities to pander to his political base and reward his political donors.

It is election season again when politicians say everything that the voters want to hear and give us promises that, they either have no way of delivering or will deliver half-heartedly, or just have no intention of fulfilling.

We have a frustratingly weak and deeply flawed field of GOP presidential candidates to challenge President Obama and none of them is breaking out decisively ahead of the pack nor earning the complete trust of the voters. It is understandable why most Republicans struggle to commit  to one particular candidate. There is the greatest possibility that the eventual winner of the primary elections would not be able to garner 50% of the delegates , which could lead to a brokered convention, paving the way for a drafted candidate whose name is not even on the ballot - Sarah Palin.

Last October, Sarah Palin announced that she would not be seeking the GOP nomination in 2012 for the Presidency but vowed to keep fighting the fight to restore a government that is truly representative of We the People. Indeed, great leaders do not seek power nor a title to make a difference. They are CALLED to serve. General Dwight Eisenhower  repeatedly said no to demands for him run for President but the "I like Ike" draft movement marched on. In 1952, he went on to become our 34th President.

Please write in Sarah Palin.

It is time for Americans to elect a President who will not give false hope and empty promises but puts in front of voters  a whole slate of her actual accomplishments as a councilwoman, a mayor and governor:

• prudent budgets that eliminated waste and unnecessary earmarks by using her veto power
• a tax system that is fair both to private sector and the taxpayers
• forward-funded education and increased funding for education of special needs students
• reformed the public employees pension system to make it solvent
• first-hand experience in balancing the need to development energy resources to secure energy independence and protecting the environment
• exposed and fought corruption in her state that actually landed the offenders jail times
• smart and prudent  economic and fiscal policies that led to a Triple A Moody's credit rating upgrade because of Alaska's $14billion in reserves - enough to cover almost three years of operating expenses. (In contrast, the current Democratic Senate has not produced a budget since April 29, 2009 – and not a single reprimand from President Obama.)

If elected president , she has the track record that assures us that she will serve all Americans with a “servant’s heart.”

Equally important, she will protect the unborn, not with empty slogans but with clarity in her mind. When faced with the reality that she will bear a child with Down's syndrome (who will be challenged in most aspects of his life as he grows up), she accepted her fate in sincere faith that "God only wants the best for us."

We are the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. We either go down together or we lift each other up.

On January 3rd, 2012, you have the power to bring back Morning in America. Please urge your membership to vote for Sarah Palin whose words match her deeds and has the record to prove it.

PLEASE WRITE IN SARAH PALIN.

God Bless America,
Your Fellow American

Author: Nancy Labonete

* The Greatest Story Ever Told, by Fulton Oursler, 1975 ed., p. 174

 

(Note: This post is a slight variation of "An Open Letter to GOP Voters".

Merry Christmas to All!

                     "Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace,
                        and good will toward men."  - Luke 2:14 KJV


Over two thousand years ago,  a baby was born in a humble stable, in the company of animals, his manger warmed by straws of hay. Angels heralded his birth but announced it to lowly shepherds. Three wise kings came and put gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh at his feet, the same feet which, as a grown man, will be nailed to the cross to take away all of our sins.

As a grown man, he taught us to have an understanding and forgiving heart; to do unto others what we would want them to do unto us; to be tolerant of each other because all human beings are lovable not "because of the absence of defects but because of the presence of merits"; to exercise our moral freedoms wisely; to be responsible for own words, thoughts and deeds; to seek strength through prayer; to lead a purposeful life; and do things in glory of His Name because our true rewards will not be found here on earth but in His Kingdom in Heaven.

I once read somewhere, "Whenever I look at a newborn baby's eyes, I am charmed by its innocence and I feel respect for what it might become." Truly, every time a baby is born, it brings with it a symbol of  a new beginning, a new chapter for renewal and rebirth of dreams and all that is possible , of real change and hope, a chance to live LIFE as God meant it to be lived. Let us welcome LIFE. Let us protect LIFE.

As we celebrate this season, may we find or rediscover in ourselves the true meaning of His birth - love. That we may love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all and may the New Year bring all of us peace and prosperity and new hope and a new beginning!

An Open Letter to GOP Voters

Dear  GOP Voter,

                             "Test all things; hold fast that which is good."
                                                                - 1 Thessalonians 5:21 

In a few weeks or months, you will be heading to your state caucus or primary. By then you probably have picked a candidate to vote for - or not. 2012  is probably the most consequential election of our time and  in your hand rests the direction our country will be going in the next four years and beyond.

President Obama in 2008 promised to usher in an era of hope and change. He vowed to fundamentally transform  America so we could be a more perfect union.

Transform America he did but not for the better.  Obamacare.  $15 trillion in debt ($4T of which was added by his administration).  A  98%  debt-to-GDP ratio. High unemployment  rate. Unresolved housing crisis. Solyndra. Fast and Furious. These are his legacies. President Obama proved himself to be a master at class warfare, dividing Americans and pitting them against each other, oblivious to his own inconsistencies and clueless in addressing the problems our country is facing.

We see in Washington right now a broken system, with lawmakers unabashedly pandering to special interests, squandering opportunities and the taxpayers' money without accountability, where only the connected wins. The problem is not just the policies coming out of the nation's capital but also the pervasive and deep-seated culture of political deals and paybacks that are ruining all that America stands for.

We need a new leadership, beginning at the White House and "the challenge is not simply to replace Obama in 2012 but the real challenge is who and what we will replace him with."

Among the GOP presidential candidates, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich displays an authoritative grasp of the issues and policies. But it is also his commanding  knowledge of the ins-and-outs of D.C. politics that he used to enrich himself. A politician since 1978, he is the very embodiment of crony capitalism and permanent political class. The pundits are now scrutinizing his Freddie Mac connection . We can soon expect Team Obama and the media to join in in picking apart the activities surrounding the  American Solutions for Winning the Future  and  other companies he founded since he left the Congress. 

The other frontrunner, former Governor Mitt Romney, whose shifting convictions and positions on issues so repulse some voters that the conservatives in Iowa secretly met up to blunt his campaign and his ” inevitable” status.  A famous flip-flopper, he’s run as a moderate, a liberal and  a conservative depending on who his opponent was.  He may be the establishment’s  favorite  but the rich, stiff, uncharismatic Mr. Romney simply cannot connect with average Joe-six-pack. Polling at low- to mid-20’s  in spite of  five years of campaigning for the Presidency, voters simply aren’t lining up behind his candidacy.

Congressman Ron Paul, whether you agree with his positions or not, is a principled man but his base is a tiny sliver of the general voting population. He' ll never be able to compete with the billion-dollar war chest of President Obama. The other candidates, whose place in polls have fallen like a rock or as static as a boulder, simply have no plausible path to the nomination.

Given the high disapproval ratings of  Pres. Obama, unseating him is supposed to be a walk in the park. We have a frustratingly lame field of GOP candidates and none of them is breaking out decisively ahead of the pack. It  is understandable why most Republican voters still have not committed  to one particular candidate. There is the greatest possibility that the eventual winner of the primary elections would not be able to garner 50%   of the delegates , which could pave the way for a drafted candidate.

At this point in the primary season when the filing dates for candidacy for 2012 have all but passed, is it a useless endeavor to talk about or even consider a write-in/draft candidate? The short answer is NO and the short explanation is: BROKERED CONVENTION.

By definition, a brokered convention  is a " situation in the presidential primary and caucus process where there are not enough delegates obtained for a single candidate to obtain a majority for the presidential nominating convention. Since no candidates receive enough votes on the first ballot to win the nomination, the convention is brokered through political horse-trading and multiple ballots. "

Two articles have explored this topic, "A Rogue Convention: How GOP Convention May Surprise in 2012"  and  " The GOP Needs a Brokered Convention" .  For a fair and balance reading,   here is another article that suggested a brokered convention is not likely to happen. Then you can decide for yourself , given the weak and flawed GOP field and the gravity of our  challenges, if these times call for an uncoventional Convention, an unconventional election and, yes,  an unconventional candidate whose name is not even on the ballot: SARAH PALIN.

Last October, Sarah Palin announced that she would not be seeking the GOP nomination in 2012 for the Presidency yet also vowed to keep fighting the fight to restore a government that is truly representative of the people. Indeed, great leaders do not seek power nor a title to make a difference. They are CALLED to serve. General Dwight Eisenhower  repeatedly said no to demands for him run for President but the "I like Ike" draft movement marched on. In 1952, he went on to become our 34th President.

As things stand right now, it does not matter much whether Romney, Gingrich or Obama wins the election. Candidates will say whatever the voters would like to hear but once in the Oval Office, it'll be Party/Politics over People on Day One. It is better to take a once-in-a-lifetime chance for "sudden and relentless reform" than settle for the status quo.

PLEASE WRITE-IN SARAH PALIN.

• Writing-in Sarah Palin sends the message how dissatisfied we are at the current weak and flawed GOP presidential candidates .
• Writing-in Sarah Palin now takes votes away from the GOP candidates which ensures that in the end not one of them goes to the Convention in Tampa with the majority of delegates.
• Writing-in Sarah Palin sends a message to the Republican National Committee and the GOP establishment that they cannot “anoint” a nominee for us.
• Writing-in Sarah Palin sends the message that we will not settle for a nominee who is an entrenched fixture in good ol’ boys’ network, swam in the same Washington swamp and willingly participated and profited from his political connections.
• Writing-in Sarah Palin does not conflict with her decision to not seek the GOP nomination because we are the ones seeking it for her without exposing her family to more malicious attacks.
• Writing-in Sarah Palin gives us a one-shot chance  to send to the White House a true commonsense conservative who shares our values and vision for America, a proven reformer with  solid record of serving the interest of the people, who respects and abides by the Constitution instead of circumventing it to fit what is politically popular.  

HER WORDS MATCH HER ACTIONS and she has the record to prove it. That cannot be said of the GOP candidates and President Obama , and indeed most, if not all, politicians of our time.

She knows how to take on the corrupt system and signed the most sweeping ethics reform in Alaska.She went line-by-line to veto half a billion dollars of unnecessary spending, the largest in the state's history. Her strong and sound economic and fiscal policies resulted in a Triple A credit rating upgrade. She exposed and fought the collusion of the mainstream media, the Democrats and the GOP establishment. She protects the unborn. She ran a prudent, ethical and truly transparent government. She knows how to revive the economy and secure our national security through energy independence. She  understands the complexities of the oil industries . In Alaska she brought together all the elements that created private sector jobs, maximized the benefits of these natural resources to her constituents without choking the oil companies with unreasonable regulations and tax system yet protects the God-given pristine beauty of the environment.  Only she possesses that expertise.

A government of the people, by the people and for the people. She did that in Alaska. She will do that for all of United States.

Your vote has the power to lift this cloud of malaise and pessimism brought  about by Pres. Obama . America is the original Comeback Kid. We can bring back Morning in America. We get one chance in 2012.  Make your vote count.

 PLEASE WRITE-IN SARAH PALIN.

God Bless America,
Your Fellow American

Author: Nancy Labonete

(Note: If you agree with this letter, please share this link , or copy and paste the whole piece then share with your family and friends via e-mail or Facebook, post it in your blog, share it on Twitter or with radio show hosts or whatever means available to help spread the word. Thank you very much.)

UPDATE: Here is a compelling article from Larry Sabato, a political analyst, suggesting that the Republican presidential field may not at all be settled yet.

Who's Killing Social Security?

                     "Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly
                       your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness."
                                                                                   - Matthew 23:28


President Obama, in the swing state of Pennsylvania, again pitched his proposal to extend the payroll tax holiday. The Republicans have steadfastly refused to give in to the president who wanted to offset the cost of the payroll tax suspension with additional taxes on those earning $1 million.

By proposing a short-term relief to the working class, Pres. Obama gives all the appearances that he is fighting for the little guy. What he is not saying a word of to his audience is that the Payroll Taxes  pay for the Social Security and Medicare taxes (otherwise known as Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA). Most American workers are not aware of this fact. Payroll taxes also cover the federal and state unemployment insurance  taxes. Employers are required by law to withhold/pay for these state and federal taxes in behalf of their employees.

Last year, President Obama created the Simpson/Bowles Commission, more formally known as the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, to identify and propose policies "to improve the fiscal situation in the medium term and to achieve fiscal sustainability over the long run." When the Commission released its report, it proposed to cut government services, defense and entitlement - including Social Security (which eats up 20% of our 2010 budget) , Medicare and Medicaid (which combined with CHIP take up 21% of our 2010 budget) and raise revenues by eliminating tax loopholes that depress the nation's tax collection. The Congress voted it down and the president hardly lifted a finger to implement a single proposal from the Commission's report, which was released in December 1, 2010. The president simply did not have the appetite anymore to address the ballooning budget deficit. After all, the mid-term elections were over. The Commisssion was just a ruse for him to avoid talking about our fiscal problems and making the hard choices. There was no way that he would touch the entitlement programs, especially with his own reelection coming up in 2012.

This year, a six-member Super Committee was created by Congress to identify spending cuts and put together a deficit-reduction package. Bipartisan in membership but hyperpartisan in their positions, the committee was a super failure. The Republican offered to increase revenues by closing the tax loopholes but the Democrats would not budged on their demand that entitlements be left alone.  Even in the face of  94.3% debt-to-GDP ratio, the two parties could not come together to put our financial house in order. Politics always rules in Washington.

The Democrats are also proposing to extend the unemployment insurance benefits which are set to expire this year. The Congress has already pushed it to an unprecented length of time of 99 weeks. The unemployment insurance is also funded by the payroll tax, which an employer pays for.

Things just do not make sense in this White House. On the one hand, we have this Payroll Tax that keeps Social Security, Medicare and the Unemployment Insurance afloat. Social Security alone is projected to go bankrupt in 2036. On the other hand, we have President Obama on a campaign trail pushing for the suspension of the very source that funds these costly, unsustainable programs yet he is stubbornly unwilling to do anything to reform or fix them. At the same time, he continues to demonize the "millionaires" (the employers and job-creators, in reality) for not doing their "fair share".

Talk about killing the goose that lays the golden egg.