Mel Watt is a discrace

U.S representative Mel Watt recently stripped HR 1207 of all of its powers.. something that is terrible for any freedom loving American. While defending his new "audit" bill, that actually limits GAO's ability to audit the fed, representative watt thrashed around on his stand making a series of bogus claims one after the other. His claims included:

"What I don't want is for us to be second guessing.... or the GAO another un-elected body, to be second guessing daily, or weekly, or monthly the decisions the FED has made. It would be counterproductive to our economic system, It would increase our cost of doing business, it would increase our interest rates, it would diminish the amount of capital in our system and I think it is a serious bad public mistake if we do that".

Lets examine the hypocrisy of his claims for a moment... so many jump out at one time it is difficult to know where to begin. Starting out with his first claim that an audit of the FED would be counterproductive to our economic system. He is so far out of line with this comment it is hard not to over empahise how out of touch with reality he is. The FED itself is counterproductive to our economic system, its very existence puts a burden on the American economy and tax payer. The FED is allowed to print money (inflation) and hand out this money to whomever it sees fit.

Lets take a look at his next claim "It would increase the cost of doing business". While it is hard to be certain how anyone could feel that an audit would do anything to alter the cost of doing business for any American citizen we can be certain that this would not happen. Again, it is the very existence of the FED that causes an increase in the cost of doing business. The FED was created and currently operates under the guise of making sure prices stay low, interest rates stay low, and inflation stays low. Well as we have already touched on the FED actually contributes to our rising inflation by printing money out of thin air. This act itself actually increases the cost of doing business for every man woman and child in this country, so representative Watt's claims that auditing this secretive organization would increase the cost of doing business folds under pressure like a lawn chair, it is a blatant fear mongering tactic.

Finally "it would increase interest rates and diminish the amount of capital in our system". While he actually does get part of this statement correct, an audit would help to diminish the amount of capital in our system, his view of this being a bad thing is wrong. We need to have less capital in our system, we Cannot continue printing money and flooding markets with our dollars, this will inevitably lead to a dollar crisis... something that regrettably has already started and is most likely imminent. Mr. Watt highlights how this audit would increase interest rates... this again is a blatant fear tactic, and again is something that most likely needs to happen regardless. It is the very notion that a room full of 10-12 bankers have the intelligence to sit down and set interest rates in the first place that has gotten our country into this mess. Why is this set up the logic consciences, to put it in perspective does it seem like a good idea to allow 10 people to sit down and decide the price of gasoline for the entire country? Could they possibly forecast demand for each individual county in the united states? Or is it smarted to let each county regulated the price it sells gas for as they have a better idea what their market needs? This almost gets back into a debate about central economic planning and which system is better the free market or communism... a debate which has long been concluded in the favor of Freedom, and the free market.

Ron Paul and Auditing the FED

So the bill to audit the federal reserve is going great right now, it currently has 276 co-sponsors in the house and 19 co-sponsors in the senate. This is amazing progress, all for a bill that only see's (and will continue to) only see bad press. The FED is launching a new PR campaign to try and stop the bill and has even hired lobbyists to fight the bill... that is right, a government organization is hiring a lobbyist! Either way, even if this particular bill is killed in committee or in some other way blocked it will only prove that the FED has to much power similar to how the second central bank of the US was ended by Andrew Jackson. Back then the tactics were to freeze up lending with the hopes that the country would see that the FED actually protects us from ourselves. This tactic backfired tremendously when it became apparent that Andrew Jackson was not going to give in and simply told people to "take it up with the president of the central bank, he is causing this". So either way the progress on this bill is great, and it is not overly optimistic to state that the Federal Reserve's existence could very well be in doubt in the coming months/years.


Interview of the month between Ben Bernanke and Alan Grayson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_VCy0lMU1g&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ronpaul.com%2F&feature=player_embedded

HR 1207

Ron Paul: I’d like to give you an update on 1207. This week we went over the number 218, which means that the majority of the members of the House of Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors. As a matter of fact, we’re up to 223 co-sponsors of the bill and this means that the momentum is picking up. It would be nice someday to see 290, which would mean that it could be passed even under suspension. We still have a long way to go, but this is really a very important event, an important number.

We also have to remember that we should push S 604, the Senate bill, which is the same bill and there’s not nearly as many co-sponsors over there, but eventually the Senate would have to act on this bill.

But we also have the strong support of Dennis Kucinich. As a matter of fact, he came on and symbolically became the 218th member to co-sponsor our legislation, but I also have co-sponsored his legislation, which is HR 2424. As a matter of fact, he has passed that in the committee that he’s on, the Government Oversight Committee, and that now will be acted on one way or the other.

Now, his bill is a little bit different. What it does, it provides access from Congress and the GAO to look at the papers in the Federal Reserve dealing with the lending facilities that were all devised here in this past year and that is very important and I have, like I said, been a co-sponsor of that.

But his bill now has… several things could happen and that could be brought directly to the floor or it could go to the Banking Committee. As a matter of fact, I think Chairman Frank is asking to take a look at that bill and that’s not all bad, but it does lend itself to some confusion. But if it comes to the Banking Committee, then I might then have the opportunity to take 1207 and attach it to what Mr. Kucinich has done and that would be fine. His bill doesn’t cancel my efforts out and my bill doesn’t cancel his efforts out.

But 1207 is much broader, Dennis’ bill has a sunset provision. After five years, it is sunsetted. That’s not all bad, but it’s not as good as what we’d want. What 1207 does, it’s an overall audit of everything the Fed does and there’s no sunsetting on it and calls for a full audit.

So it’s a different approach and 1207 is much thorough and, of course, we want to make sure that the bill in the Senate gets momentum as well. So we are now looking forward to some very positive things happening, but we also have to remember, there’s nothing automatic about this.

I think when push comes to shove, the authorities who will be under the gun if we ever get the Fed exposed are going to come down real hard and they’re going to be talking to the leaders of both parties on all the bad things that could happen if they ever found out what was going on.

But, you know, in a way, I don’t lie awake at night worrying about this because I think we’ve had a major victory. We’ve had a moral victory and we’ve had a political victory. We may well end up with a legislative victory, but just think, even if they close us out and they don’t allow this bill to be passed, it will prove our point. It will prove our point that there’s a lot of shenanigans going on in the Federal Reserve that deserve attention and so the fact that so many people have joined in on this effort around the country as well as the members of Congress, it is, to me, a major victory and we have to continue this momentum.

But we have to look at all the options. The legislative process is not going to end in a week or even a month. It may take a while. When it gets to the Banking Committee, Chairman Frank might decide to extract this portion of the auditing procedure and put it into a banking bill and that might become more confusing.

And there will be efforts, of course, to water the bill down and I have to watch out for that because the temptation will be to allow the bill to go through, but strike a few clauses or put a phrase in there that really guts the bill. That’s essentially what happened in 1978 when the audit bill was passed. They said, “Sure. You can audit the Federal Reserve now, except for…” and they listed all the exclusions and made the audit bill in 1978 worthless and we need to correct that.

It’s a tremendous opportunity right now for us to find out more about the Federal Reserve, rein in the Federal Reserve, and in time, we can talk about why we don’t need the Federal Reserve and why we need a constitutional system of money which, of course, is not paper money and it can’t be run and managed by a Central bank.

But overall, there’s every reason to be excited about what has happened and that we making great progress here in the Congress and around the country for monetary reform.

Ron Paul!

Statement of Congressman Ron Paul
United States House of Representatives

Statement on H Res 489 Regarding Tiananmen Square

June 3, 2009

Ron Paul: I rise to oppose this unnecessary and counter-productive resolution regarding the 20th anniversary of the incident in China’s Tiananmen Square. In addition to my concerns over the content of this legislation, I strongly object to the manner in which it was brought to the floor for a vote. While the resolution was being debated on the House floor, I instructed my staff to obtain a copy so that I could read it before the vote. My staff was told by no less than four relevant bodies within the House of Representatives that the text was not available for review and would not be available for another 24 hours. It is unacceptable for Members of the House of Representatives to be asked to vote on legislation that is not available for them to read!

As to the substance of the resolution, I find it disturbing that the House is going out of its way to meddle in China’s domestic politics, which is none of our business, while ignoring the many pressing issues in our own country that definitely are our business.

This resolution “calls on the People’s Republic of China to invite full and independent investigations into the Tiananmen Square crackdown, assisted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Committee of the Red Cross…” Where do we get the authority for such a demand? I wonder how the US government would respond if China demanded that the United Nations conduct a full and independent investigation into the treatment of detainees at the US-operated Guantanamo facility?

The resolution “calls on the legal authorities of People’s Republic of China to review immediately the cases of those still imprisoned for participating in the 1989 protests for compliance with internationally recognized standards of fairness and due process in judicial proceedings.” In light of US government’s extraordinary renditions of possibly hundreds of individuals into numerous secret prisons abroad where they are held indefinitely without charge or trial, one wonders what the rest of the world makes of such US demands. It is hard to exercise credible moral authority in the world when our motto toward foreign governments seems to be “do as we say, not as we do.”

While we certainly do not condone government suppression of individual rights and liberties wherever they may occur, why are we not investigating these abuses closer to home and within our jurisdiction? It seems the House is not interested in investigating allegations that US government officials and employees approved and practiced torture against detainees. Where is the Congressional investigation of the US-operated “secret prisons” overseas? What about the administration’s assertion of the right to detain individuals indefinitely without trial? It may be easier to point out the abuses and shortcomings of governments overseas than to address government abuses here at home, but we have the constitutional obligation to exercise our oversight authority in such matters. I strongly believe that addressing these current issues would be a better use of our time than once again condemning China for an event that took place some 20 years ago.

Below is the full text of H Res 489:

Recognizing the twentieth anniversary of the suppression of protesters and citizens in and around Tiananmen Square in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, on June 3 and 4, 1989 and expressing sympathy to the families of those killed, tortured, and imprisoned in connection with the democracy protests in Tiananmen Square and other parts of China on June 3 and 4, 1989 and thereafter;

New advice from the Dr.

With a faltering economy, and skyrocketing costs, healthcare continues to be a critical issue for all Americans. Unfortunately government encroachment into the doctor/patient relationship is poised to exacerbate our problems with healthcare.

As an OB/GYN with over 30 years of experience in private practice, I understand that one of the foundations of quality healthcare is the patient’s confidence that all information shared with his or her healthcare provider will remain private. And yet, the Federal Government plans to undermine this trust with establishment of mandatory electronic medical records collections and “unique health identifier” numbers assigned to all Americans. Funding for this program was among the numerous provisions jammed into the stimulus bill rushed through Congress earlier this year.

Electronic medical records that are part of the federal system will only receive the protection granted by the federal “medical privacy rule.” This misnamed rule actually protects the ability of government officials and state-favored special interests to view private medical records without patient consent.

Aside from those concerns, the government’s ability to protect medical records is highly questionable. After all, we are all familiar with cases where third parties obtained access to electronic veteran, tax, and other records because of errors made by federal bureaucrats. We should also consider the abuse of IRS records by administrations of both parties. What would happen if unscrupulous politicians gained the power to access their political enemies’ electronic medical records?

For these reasons I have introduced the Protect Patients’ and Physicians’ Privacy Act, HR 2630, which allows patients and physicians to opt out of any federally mandated, created, or funded electronic medical records system. The bill also repeals sections of federal law establishing a “unique health identifier” and requires patient consent before any electronic medical records can be released to a 3rd party.

I have also introduced the Coercion is Not Health Care Act, HR 2629. This legislation forbids the federal government from forcing any American to purchase health insurance, or conditioning participation in any federal program on the purchase of health insurance. Forcing Americans to purchase government-approved health insurance is a back door approach to creating a government-controlled healthcare system. Congress would define what policies and coverage requirements satisfy their mandate. Does anyone then doubt that what conditions and treatments are covered would be determined by who has the most effective lobby? Or that Congress would be capable of writing a mandatory insurance policy that fits the unique needs of every individual in the United States?

With these conditions in place, I foresee the eventual imposition of price controls and limitations on what procedures and treatments that are covered. This will result in an increasing number of providers turning to “cash only” practices, making it difficult for those relying on the government-mandated insurance to find healthcare – the exact opposite of the desired result! Consider the increasing number of physicians who are already withdrawing from the Medicare program because of the low reimbursement and constant bureaucratic harassment from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Congress should put the American people back in charge of healthcare by expanding healthcare tax credits and deductions, increasing access to Health Savings Accounts, respecting privacy and the doctor/patient relationship. Further politicizing and bureaucratizing of healthcare will only increase costs and reduce quality, as demonstrated by most other countries with socialized medicine.

Dick Cheney = very bad for our country

So today Dick Cheney is going to continue his rounds of public speeches about torture, Guantanamo bay, and how he loves them both. It is seriously reminiscent of a bad joke, how this man think that torturing people and holding them illegally, forgoing every principal that this nation was founded upon while at the same time violating basic human rights makes us safer. He could not be more wrong on this subject, and it is very sanding to hear that his opnion polls have been on a slight rise since he started talking all this nonsence. This man is a truely corupt politition, who has stolen billions of dollars from the american public, the lives of countless service men and women of this country, and he deserves to be behind bars himself (allbeit not being waterboarded because that is still inhumane.... even for a man of his caliber) The truth of this situation was actually articulated very well by president Obama (something he seems to do very well but then often fail to follow that up with meaningful action) however it is at least refreshing to hear logical, and reason winning out over fear mongoring and tourture.

Presidents quote:
The record is clear: rather than keep us safer, the prison at Guantanamo has weakened American national security," he said during an address on national security at the National Archives in Washington.

"It is a rallying cry for our enemies. It sets back the willingness of our allies to work with us in fighting an enemy that operates in scores of countries. By any measure, the costs of keeping it open far exceed the complications involved in closing it."

He said that the facility resulted in the creation of more terrorists than it detained, and he said that over the last seven years, the system of military commissions at Guantanamo succeeded in convicting "a grand total of three suspected terrorists."

Audit then end the FED

Audit the Fed, Then End It!

by Ron Paul

I have been very pleased with the progress of my legislation, HR 1207, which calls for a complete audit of the Federal Reserve and removes many significant barriers towards transparency of our monetary system. This bill now has nearly 170 cosponsors, with support from both Republicans and Democrats. Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced a companion bill in the Senate S 604, which will hopefully begin to gain momentum as well. I am very encouraged to see so many of my colleagues in Congress stand with me for greater transparency in government.

Some have begun to push back against this bill, and I am very happy to address their concerns.

The main argument seems to be that Congressional oversight over the Fed is government interference in the free market. This argument shows a misunderstanding of what a free market really is. Fundamentally, you cannot defend the Federal Reserve and the free market at the same time. The Fed negates the very foundation of a free market by artificially manipulating the price and supply of money – the lifeblood of the economy. In a free market, interest rates, like the price of any other consumer good, are decentralized and set by the market. The only legitimate, Constitutional role of government in monetary policy is to protect the integrity of the monetary unit and defend against counterfeiters.

Instead, Congress has abdicated this responsibility to a cabal of elite, quasi-governmental banks who, instead of stabilizing the economy, have destabilized it. It took less than two decades for the Federal Reserve to bring on the Great Depression of the 1930s. It has also inflated away the value of our currency by over 96 percent since its inception. It has invisibly stolen from the poor and given to the rich through this controlled inflation, and now openly stolen through recent bank bailouts. It has predictably exacerbated the very problems it was meant to solve.

Detractors have also argued that the Fed must remain immune from the political process, and that that more congressional oversight would distort their very important decisions. On the contrary, the Federal Reserve is already heavily entrenched in the political process, as the Fed chairman is a political appointee. High level officials routinely make the rounds between positions at the Fed, member banks, Treasury and back again, taking care of friends and each other along the way.

As far as the foolishness of placing complex monetary policy decisions in the hands of politicians – I couldn’t agree more. No politician or central banker, no matter how brilliant, is smart enough to know more than the market itself. The failure of central economic planning has been witnessed over and over. It is frankly beyond me why we ever agreed to try it again.

To understand how unwise it is to have the Federal Reserve, one must first understand the magnitude of the privileges they have. They have been given the power to create money, by the trillions, and to give it to their friends, under any terms they wish, with little or no meaningful oversight or accountability. Thus the loudest arguments against greater transparency are likely to come from those friends, and understandably so.

However, it is the responsibility of every member of Congress to represent the interests of the people that sent them to Washington and find out what has been happening with our money. As the branch of government with the power of the purse, we really have no other reasonable choice when the economy is in the shape it is in.

Audit the Federal Reserve

by Ron Paul

The Federal Reserve’s recent and unprecedented actions in the realm of monetary policy have provoked a backlash among the American people. Trillions of dollars worth of loans and guarantees have been provided to Wall Street firms, while Main Street Americans suffocate under harsh taxation, the prospect of higher debt levels and increasing inflation. These events have awakened many Americans to problems with the Fed’s loose monetary policy, the bubbles it has created in the past and the potential hyperinflation it might cause in the future.

One of the fallacies of modern economics is the idea that a central bank is required in order to keep inflation low and promote economic growth. In reality, it is the central bank’s monetary policy that causes inflation and depresses economic growth. Inflation is an increase in the supply of money, which in our day and age is directly caused or initiated by central banks. All other things being equal, inflation results in a rise in prices. A so-called “mild” rate of inflation of 3% per year leads to a 56% rise in prices over a 15-year period. Even a “low” rate of inflation of 2% per year leads to a 35% rise over that same period. How is that conducive to long-term growth?

Less tax more prosperity

Fewer Taxes for Real Economic Stimulus

by Ron Paul

Taxes are the issue this week as Americans struggle to make the April 15th deadline to file their returns. It is a good time to contemplate the effects of big government and what it does to our country. The income tax is one of the most egregious encroachments on our liberties today. It is a form of involuntary servitude, which was supposed to have been outlawed by the 13th Amendment.

Tax Freedom Day is defined as the day when the nation as a whole has theoretically earned enough income to fund its annual federal tax burden. For all of the days of the year before this day, you are a slave to government. For 2009, Tax Freedom Day will come on April 13th. Almost a century ago in 1910, before the mistakes of 1913-namely the inception of the Federal Reserve and our current income tax, Tax Freedom Day was January 19th, signifying a mere 5% tax burden. Somehow, our country functioned just fine.

If calculated to include government spending and the deficit, rather than just collections, Tax Freedom Day would actually fall on May 29. The annual deficit adds to the growing debt of future generations and adds insult to injury to those that struggle to make this economy work. It is a slap in the face that this is not enough to prevent this crushing governmental burden from falling on the next generation.

For months now, Washington has been desperately throwing taxpayers’ money at various programs to stimulate us out of the recession, to no avail. Seeing hard-earned money confiscated from the people and spent in such wasteful ways, such as the recent bailouts, is almost too much to bear. Getting rid of the income tax altogether, while very beneficial, may be a while in coming. In the meantime, I am fighting for every tax cut or tax credit possible.

I can think of no better economic stimulus than letting people keep their money and spend it how they see fit. For this reason, I am an original cosponsor on a bill that would give Americans a two month employment and income tax holiday, while taking unused TARP money back from the Secretary of the Treasury and putting it in the Social Security trust fund instead.

In addition, I have recently introduced the Child Health Care Affordability Act. If passed this legislation would provide parents with a tax credit of up to $500 for health care expenses of dependent children. I have also re-introduced the Tax Free Tips Act, which would make tips exempt from federal income and payroll taxes. I am also an original cosponsor of a bill that would make permanent the deduction of state and local sales taxes. My bill HR 162 exempts Social Security benefits from income tax.

These are just a few of the many tax related bills I am fighting for in Congress, but without a corresponding cut in the size of government, which I am also fighting for, we are simply adding to the future tax burden of our children.

SSL

So found out that we are going to need to use an SSL certificate in order to collect sensitive customer data for Show-Me-Lakes as well as other Missouri lake resorts. That is kind of a bummer because that is more work than we anticipated doing, however it is something that will pay off in the long run as we are going to be using the form to collect most if not all of our payments so I will let you know how setting everything up for it goes!

The government shouldnt be cutting spending...?

Quote "families are cutting back, so the worst thing we could do as government is cut back ourselves" Does that make any sence to you?

Yea me neither, this is a time when much necessary cutting back on spending needs be be taking place by everyone, INCLUDING THE GOVERNMENT. We have spent to much, and too recklessly, so why will spending even more help us get out of the hole we have gotten ourselves in??? It is an easy game, we need to cut spending (especially overseas) and we need to lower taxes. We also need to audit the federal reserve which is currently printing money out of thin air to pay for our spending. It is really a pretty bad scenario because the federal reserve basically punishes people who want to save because they inflate the dollar so badly that it looses its value. In doing this they try to encourage spending because in our system holding onto your dollars (ie. saving your income) actully hurts you because it is worth less later on down the road. Our way of doing thinngs will come to an end one way or another. Either the dollar is going to collaspe, or we will come to our sences and realize we are doing many things wrong in regards to regulating our economy as well as regulating production of the dollar.

Income Tax is no good

Taxes are the issue this week as Americans struggle to make the April 15th deadline to file their returns. It is a good time to contemplate the effects of big government and what it does to our country. The income tax is one of the most egregious encroachments on our liberties today. It is a form of involuntary servitude, which was supposed to have been outlawed by the 13th Amendment.

Tax Freedom Day is defined as the day when the nation as a whole has theoretically earned enough income to fund its annual federal tax burden. For all of the days of the year before this day, you are a slave to government. For 2009, Tax Freedom Day will come on April 13th. Almost a century ago in 1910, before the mistakes of 1913-namely the inception of the Federal Reserve and our current income tax, Tax Freedom Day was January 19th, signifying a mere 5% tax burden. Somehow, our country functioned just fine.

If calculated to include government spending and the deficit, rather than just collections, Tax Freedom Day would actually fall on May 29. The annual deficit adds to the growing debt of future generations and adds insult to injury to those that struggle to make this economy work. It is a slap in the face that this is not enough to prevent this crushing governmental burden from falling on the next generation.

For months now, Washington has been desperately throwing taxpayers’ money at various programs to stimulate us out of the recession, to no avail. Seeing hard-earned money confiscated from the people and spent in such wasteful ways, such as the recent bailouts, is almost too much to bear. Getting rid of the income tax altogether, while very beneficial, may be a while in coming. In the meantime, I am fighting for every tax cut or tax credit possible.

I can think of no better economic stimulus than letting people keep their money and spend it how they see fit. For this reason, I am an original cosponsor on a bill that would give Americans a two month employment and income tax holiday, while taking unused TARP money back from the Secretary of the Treasury and putting it in the Social Security trust fund instead.

In addition, I have recently introduced the Child Health Care Affordability Act. If passed this legislation would provide parents with a tax credit of up to $500 for health care expenses of dependent children. I have also re-introduced the Tax Free Tips Act, which would make tips exempt from federal income and payroll taxes. I am also an original cosponsor of a bill that would make permanent the deduction of state and local sales taxes. My bill HR 162 exempts Social Security benefits from income tax.

These are just a few of the many tax related bills I am fighting for in Congress, but without a corresponding cut in the size of government, which I am also fighting for, we are simply adding to the future tax burden of our children.

Classes... falling behind again

well it is almost inevitable but I am starting to get behind in classes again... It seems like every few weeks I get behind in classes and then have to work frantically to catch up. Oh well, part of me enjoys it, and I am going to be really happy/a little proud once I finally graduate (getting close now only 5 weeks left) so it is worth it in the end. Thats all for now have a nice night and go visit our site that lists resorts on Clearwater Lake in Missouri

Blues pic up 2 HUGE points

So the Blues picked up 2 needed points tonight in phonex vs the coyotes. Bull Shoals Lake, Adding to this good win was the fact that Nashville lost their game to chicago so the Blues mooved into sole possesion of the last playoff spot in the west! Their are only two more games to go and the Blues next game is at home vs columbus. Columbus is also fighting for their playoff lives (althought their are slightly better off than the Blues and would need an near epic meltdown to fall out of contention for a playoff spot). The game is Friday April 10th at Scott-Trade... GO BLUES!!!

Huge Blues game tonight

There is a huge blues game tonight, only 3 games left including this one. The blues really need to win out and have Nashville loose a game in order to make it into the playoffs. I think that is what has to happen anyway.... the Blues might have a game in hand on nashville in which case they would simply need to win out in order to make the playoffs. Either way you can see the importance of this game and how important it is going to be for the blues to win out on the rest of their schedule.

Certified EMT!!!

So I got my EMT results today and I passed!!! I am really excited, when I move back to STL after college I can now apply for jobs at an ambulance service which I am very excited about. I was pretty nervous for taking the test because I wasn't able to study as much as I wanted since I had several other tests and school assignments but I was able to study for 3 or 4 hrs. on Thursday and then study for 5 hours or so on Friday night which helped alot. I am really excited/glad to have passed and finally be finished with the class. I started the Class last November ish... I think, so it took quite some time to comlete but it was an amazing class/exsperience and I am so glad that I was able to pass! Oh and other news that is noteworthy is that I got an 86 on my written/take home section of my history test so that is totally money.

Read HR1207 in Full

Unlike many other bills (such as the stimulus package) this bill will take less than 5 minutes to read.

This is the bill itself, H.R. 1207:

111th Congress - 1st Session

H.R. 1207

A BILL

To amend title 31, United States Code, to reform the manner in which the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is audited by the Comptroller General of the United States and the manner in which such audits are reported, and for other purposes.

1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009″.

SEC. 2. AUDIT REFORM AND TRANSPARENCY FOR THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM.

(a) IN GENERAL. - Subsection (b) of section 714 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by striking all after “shall audit an agency” and inserting a period.

(b) AUDIT. - Section 714 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

“(e) AUDIT AND REPORT OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM. -

“(1) IN GENERAL. - The audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal reserve banks under subsection (b) shall be completed before the end of 2010.

“(2) REPORT -

“(A) REQUIRED. - A report on the audit referred to in paragraph (1) shall be submitted by the Comptroller General to the Congress before the end of the 90-day period beginning on the date on which such audit is completed and made available to the Speaker of the House, the majority and minority leaders of the House of Representatives, the majority and minority leaders of the Senate, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the committee and each sub-committee of jurisdiction in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and any other Member of Congress who requests it.

“(B) CONTENTS. - The report under subparagraph (A) shall include a detailed description of the findings and conclusion of the Comptroller General with respect to the audit that is the subject of the report, together with such recommendations for legislative or administrative action as the Comptroller General may determine to be appropriate.”.

Ron Paul’s Bill To Audit The Federal Reserve Now Has 58 Co-Sponsors!

Keep up the great work everyone!

If you haven’t done so already, tell everyone you know to call and write their representative and ask that they support the “Federal Reserve Transparency Act H.R. 1207″.

If you called before and if your representative is not listed below, follow up and ask them to take a position either way so we know where they stand on the issue of bringing transparency to the Federal Reserve.

Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

Here’s a sample letter you can use.

HR 1207 Co-Sponsors (as of 4/3/2009)

Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] - 2/26/2009
Rep Akin, W. Todd [MO-2] - 3/19/2009
Rep Alexander, Rodney [LA-5] - 3/10/2009
Rep Bachmann, Michele [MN-6] - 2/26/2009
Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. [MD-6] - 2/26/2009
Rep Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7] - 3/16/2009
Rep Blunt, Roy [MO-7] - 3/24/2009
Rep Broun, Paul C. [GA-10] - 2/26/2009
Rep Buchanan, Vern [FL-13] - 3/17/2009
Rep Burgess, Michael C. [TX-26] - 3/19/2009
Rep Burton, Dan [IN-5] - 2/26/2009
Rep Capito, Shelley Moore [WV-2] - 4/1/2009
Rep Carter, John R. [TX-31] - 3/31/2009
Rep Castle, Michael N. [DE] - 3/17/2009
Rep Chaffetz, Jason [UT-3] - 3/6/2009
Rep Culberson, John Abney [TX-7] - 3/26/2009
Rep Deal, Nathan [GA-9] - 3/23/2009
Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [OR-4] - 3/9/2009
Rep Duncan, John J., Jr. [TN-2] - 3/6/2009
Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5] - 4/1/2009
Rep Fallin, Mary [OK-5] - 4/2/2009
Rep Fleming, John [LA-4] - 3/18/2009
Rep Foxx, Virginia [NC-5] - 3/10/2009
Rep Franks, Trent [AZ-2] - 3/23/2009
Rep Garrett, Scott [NJ-5] - 3/5/2009
Rep Gingrey, Phil [GA-11] - 3/30/2009
Rep Grayson, Alan [FL-8] - 3/11/2009
Rep Heller, Dean [NV-2] - 3/6/2009
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] - 2/26/2009
Rep Kagen, Steve [WI-8] - 2/26/2009
Rep Kingston, Jack [GA-1] - 3/6/2009
Rep Lummis, Cynthia M. [WY] - 3/19/2009
Rep Marchant, Kenny [TX-24] - 3/11/2009
Rep McClintock, Tom [CA-4] - 3/6/2009
Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11] - 3/19/2009
Rep Miller, Jeff [FL-1] - 3/24/2009
Rep Paulsen, Erik [MN-3] - 3/30/2009
Rep Peterson, Collin C. [MN-7] - 3/19/2009
Rep Petri, Thomas E. [WI-6] - 3/10/2009
Rep Platts, Todd Russell [PA-19] - 3/19/2009
Rep Poe, Ted [TX-2] - 2/26/2009
Rep Posey, Bill [FL-15] - 2/26/2009
Rep Price, Tom [GA-6] - 3/10/2009
Rep Rehberg, Denny [MT] - 2/26/2009
Rep Rohrabacher, Dana [CA-46] - 3/6/2009
Rep Sessions, Pete [TX-32] - 3/23/2009
Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [NY-28] - 4/1/2009
Rep Smith, Lamar [TX-21] - 4/2/2009
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - 3/26/2009
Rep Stearns, Cliff [FL-6] - 3/6/2009
Rep Taylor, Gene [MS-4] - 3/6/2009
Rep Terry, Lee [NE-2] - 3/30/2009
Rep Wamp, Zach [TN-3] - 3/16/2009
Rep Waxman, Henry A. [CA-30] - 4/1/2009
Rep Westmoreland, Lynn A. [GA-3] - 4/2/2009
Rep Wittman, Robert J. [VA-1] - 4/1/2009
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] - 2/26/2009
Rep Young, Don [AK] - 3/6/2009

Demand better of your government

Statement of Congressman Ron Paul
United States House of Representatives

Egypt/Israel Peace Treaty Should NOT Be a Model for Future Agreements

March 31, 2009

Mr. Speaker: I rise in reluctant opposition to H Res 282. I do so not because I oppose our recognizing peace as preferable to, and more productive than, war. On the contrary, too seldom do we celebrate and encourage the end of violence and warfare on this Floor so I welcome any such endorsement of peace in international relations. However, I cannot agree with the final “resolved” clause of this resolution, which states that:

“… the House of Representatives calls for recognition of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel as a model mechanism upon which partner nations may build to overcome longstanding barriers to peace and effective mutual cooperation.”

What the resolution fails to mention, and the reason we should not endorse the treaty as a model, is that at the time the peace was being negotiated at Camp David the United States committed itself to an enormous financial aid package to both Egypt and Israel in exchange for their accession to the treaty. Over the past thirty years, the United States taxpayer has transferred to – some might say “bribed” – Israel and Egypt well over 100 billion dollars as a payoff for their leaders’ signature on the treaty. Particularly in this time of economic hardship, where so many Americans are out of work and facing great financial challenges, I hardly believe we should be celebrating that which increases the strain on taxpayers. I believe we should cease all foreign aid to all countries, as it is a counterproductive and unconstitutional transfer of wealth from US taxpayers to governments overseas.

I do believe we should, where possible and without meddling, encourage nations and regions at war or in conflict to work toward peace. But I also believe we should lead by example: that we should demonstrate by our actions the benefits of friendly relations and trade with all nations which seek the same. I strongly oppose the idea that we should bribe the rest of the world to do what we demand. Therefore, while I celebrate the achievement of peace between Egypt and Israel, I do not believe this “model” to be productive or in the best interests of the United States. I urge my colleagues to reject this resolution.

Progress

Keep up the great work everyone!

If you haven’t done so already, tell everyone you know to call and write their representative and ask that they support the “Federal Reserve Transparency Act H.R. 1207″.

If you called before and if your representative is not listed below, follow up and ask them to take a position either way so we know where they stand on the issue of bringing transparency to the Federal Reserve.

Also if you havent done so already go and check out Show-Me-Lakes. They list many resorts on Bull Shoals Lake

Audit the Federal Reserve!!!

http://www.ronpaul.com/on-the-issues/audit-the-federal-reserve-hr-1207/