Virginia Congressional District 8 2010 Congressional Election Guide
If you are not worried, scared or mad. You are not paying attention!
We at the Alexandria Tea Party (ATP) are concerned. NO, we are really scared about the future for all of us, and you should be scared too, because it is also your future. Gradual changes have taken place over many decades, but the rapid pace of the changes over the last few years will drastically affect all of us and the next generation. We encourage you to learn how these changes will affect you and your family. ATP believes that the original intent of the Founding Fathers and of the Constitution has been slowly compromised resulting in a Federal Government that now has control of most of our economy and of much of our lives. Our leaders are not listening to the citizens and are intent upon increasing the control of the central Government, which history proves will never work. ATP has established three core principles:
•Limited Government under the Constitution
•Free Markets
•Fiscal Responsibility
There are many other values and worthy causes, but we have limited ourselves for the time being to focus on just these three; but we have committed ourselves to make a difference in these areas in order to appeal to the broadest possible group of concerned citizens.
We invite you to be one of those concerned citizens. You may listen to us, learn from us or join us in our efforts to return to a Federal form of Government:
•ATP is not now nor will it ever be affiliated with any political party or political organization.
•ATP supports those leaders and candidates who believe in and support our three core principles. We oppose those who do not.
•Each Tea Party is separate and independent and may not totally agree with each other.
•ATP blames both the Democrats and the Republicans for the mess we are in.
•We are independent citizens, mad, energized and no longer silent.
About this guide. This guide analyzes the recent voting record of our current Representative, Mr. Jim Moran, based on our 3 core principles. We believe we would be better served by new representation in Congress. With someone who respects our Constitution and believes the solution for our current problems lies not with a bloated federal bureaucracy, but with the American people. We are concerned about:
•The impact of the unconstitutional healthcare reform on personal choice and cost as well as the effect of the cuts on Medicare.
•Continued huge deficits and what they mean for the economic health of the country.
•The failure of the Stimulus Bill to investment in the private sector for job growth.
•Intrusion of government into free markets by its ownership stakes in GM, Chrysler and AIG.
This guide is necessarily brief and the reader is directed to our website www.alexandriateaparty.com for a more thorough discussion and a complete list of references.
CONSTITUTIONALLY LIMITED GOVERNMENT
"Representative Moran voted for Obamacare. "Never before has the federal government ordered citizens to buy a good or service on pain of financial punishment. The Constitution, properly interpreted, simply doesn't permit this kind of micromanagement of people's lives by bureaucrats in Washington." Luke Wake, Pacific Legal Fund.
•Establishment of Outcomes Research Institute which will be overseen by Dr Berwick, new head of Medicare/Medicaid who is an avowed admirer of the UK rationing system.. Diminishing of doctor/patient relationship due to standardized practices to be developed by Outcomes Research Institute (the government will discourage costly treatments and procedures regardless of benefit). Some seniors have already received termination notices.
•According to a report from the Medicare Office of the Actuary, by 2017 over 7 million lower income seniors who would have been covered by the Medicare Advantage program will have lost their coverage completely.
•Every citizen is forced, by a dangerous and expansive interpretation of the Commerce Clause, to buy an expensive first-dollar health insurance policy whether it suits their needs or not. Simple catastrophic insurance becomes illegal. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that for these policies to meet all of these new federal specifications it will cost individuals $16,000.00 annually by the year 2015.
•The legislation claimed to cover the uninsured through an expansion in Medicaid. However, Medicaid poorly reimburses doctors and puts huge financial strain on state budgets. Many doctors are refusing or reducing the number of Medicaid patients because it is not worth the reimbursement or amount of paperwork. The result will be that Medicaid patients will wait in line or worse, be unable to find a doctor.
Representative Jim Moran has supported all legislation that:
•Raises taxes and the producers which intentionally transfers wealth from higher income Americans to lower income persons. Its sole purpose is to make a level society so that no matter what you do or how hard you work, you will never get ahead. The question is who exactly is considered Higher income. There are over 500 billion dollars in new taxes, including taxes on medical devices and home sales.
•Businesses will be hit with greatly expanded 1099 reporting requirements. This, of course will raise more revenue for the Government, but the real reason is to monitor and ultimately control spending by the citizenry. If you are a small business owner, this means a lot more manpower will be focused on dealing with bureaucratic red tape and paperwork and not on growing the business or making a profit
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
Unconscionable debt!
The CBO reported a deficit of $1.4 trillion for fiscal year 2009 and projects an additional $1.5 trillion for 2010, with an additional $980 billion in 2011. All this is the result of the spending bills of the past 2 years all of which were voted for by Congressman Moran. The federal debt is currently over $13.3 trillion and rising daily. This situation is unsustainable for a number of reasons:
•This represents $43,000 for each and every citizen, not the obligation we want to pass on to our children and grandchildren.
•China has funded much of this debt with loans at low interest rates. There is a risk that a higher rate of return will be required in the future and thus crowd out our ability to fund other spending.
•There massive Government borrowing leaves little money for the private sector.
•This out of control debt limits the Government's ability to respond to emergencies and to pay for existing obiligations.
Where are the jobs? The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Bill) added $787 billion to the federal deficit. It was funded with borrowed money. The bill, which provided a canopy of spending, had as its main objective to maintain the unemployment rate at 8%: it didn't work. Despite the fact it has not been fully spent, it was supplemented by the Omnibus Spending bill for 2010, also voted for by Congressman Moran, which increased spending by Government operations and borrowing by $446 billion.
GM and Chrysler Bailouts: Congressman Moran voted for the TARP bill to bail out the country's financial system. He voted to divert this TARP money to provide loans to auto makers, effectively providing for a government takeover of two of the country's major auto makers. FORD, the third company, maintained its private ownership and survived on its own in the free market.
Lights are on, but nobody's home? The "Light Bulb Bill" was co-sponsored by Representative Moran, and bans incandescent light bulbs. It further requires the use of compact florescent bulbs (CFL's) based on "junk science". If you break a CFL bulb, you must follow precise instructions on waste removal to avoid exposure to mercury, and transport the breakage to a specific governmental regulated and approved disposal sites. We think that buying light bulbs is a choice best left to individuals, not dictated by government. This exemplifies the attitude of "the government knows better" that marks Jim Moran's so-called service to his constituents. It is also noted that 80% of the new CFL bulbs will be made in China, with the loss of hundred of jobs here in Virginia and several other states.
Hot off the press! So much for the government cleaning up corrupt CEO's - it is reported that the new chief of the revamped and government owned General Motors will receive an annual compensation package worth $9 million dollars. It has also been reported that General Motors, a company now controlled by the American taxpayers, has already started the gift that keeps on giving, in the form of donations to political campaigns.
Ethical concerns - in 2009, Congressman Moran was one of 7 congressman investigated by the Congressional Ethics Committee relative to the PMA Lobbying Group investigation. Although the founder of PMA has just been indicted by a Grand Jury for making illegal campaign contributions and related disclosure violations, the 7 congressman were cleared by the Ethics Committee. However, Congressman Moran has continued his earmarking proclivity in 2010 ranking 4th in congressional earmarks with 83 earmarks totaling $107 million. Coincidentally, $43 million went to private companies, mostly defense contractors- from whom he received $66,000 in campaign contributions. Mr. Moran was also one of only 15 Congressman to vote for his own pay raise in April 2010, with 402 voting against it. This is at a time of both record unemployment and government spending.
FREE MARKETS
"Global Climate Destruction" is most the most accurate description of the energy bill, as it will be the grim reaper of job loss. - Congressman Moran supported and voted for the Cap and Trade bill which was passed by the House last year and is currently stalled in the Senate. This complex, highly bureaucratic bill will impose huge costs on the US economy and on individuals. The Heritage Foundation has estimated that the average family of 4 will see higher direct energy cost of over $1,000 plus imbedded increases in goods and services of $3,000 per year.
Energy related job losses are estimated at 2.5 million while their planned replacement with renewable energy jobs will take years to happen - be careful of the experience of Spain which has spent over $750,000 for each new energy job created but in the process destroying 2.2 existing jobs. The macro effect for America is an estimated reduction in gross domestic product of $9.9 trillion over the next 20 years. What do we get for absorbing these draconian costs as we struggle with an economic slowdown? - an estimated maximum .01 degree reduction in global temperature. Why then did Jim Moran vote for this disaster? Take over of Student Loan Industry: another 30,000 jobs lost earlier this year, Mr. Moran voted to terminate the ability of private banks to originate government-backed student loans. Instead all such loans must come from the federal Department of Education. Financial Reform Bill. to big to succeed? Another comprehensive bill supported by Congressman Moran.
•One of its main objectives was to prevent "too big to fail" rescues from ever again costing taxpayers billions of dollars. But rather than doing that, the bill just creates a more complex set of bureaucratic rules for the large banks to work around- and everyone knows how creative they can be in doing so.
•This bill means more red tape for everyday transactions thereby increasing banks' fees, also causing a reduction of available products.
•The bill fails to deal with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac who have now effectively nationalized the mortgage industry.
This is your tax money they're sweeping under the rug.
Why the Constitution Matters
-- in the words of our founders.
•On the basic meaning and intent of our Constitution. "The constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people; it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government." Patrick Henry
•On inalienable rights. "You have rights antecedent to all earthly governments; rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by the human laws; rights derived from the Great Legislator of the Universe." Thomas Jefferson
•On our right to bear arms. "The constitution shall never be construed to prevent the people" who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms." George Mason
•On financial solvency and debt. "We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty or profusion and servitude. If we run into such debt, that we must be taxed in our meats and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors - the bulk of society is reduced to be mere automatons of misery - wretchedness and oppression." Thomas Jefferson
•On protection of freedom of speech. "If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter." George Washington
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