Teaming Up With Heartland

By Grant Davies

Yesterday I received a request from Jim Lakely, who is the Director of Communications for the Heartland Institute. Many of you know about Heartland because they have been featured here on numerous occasions. Many more of you knew about them long before this blog even appeared on the net.

It's a terrific organization, right here in Chicago, that has advanced the cause of rational analysis of important issues and a common sense approach to regaining our liberties. They have been doing so for decades. It takes guts and cunning to battle big government nonsense and corruption right in the backyard of the city that made those two things synonymous with its name.

The career bureaucrats at this initially well-meaning government agency (EPA) are truly out of control and it's our responsibility as citizens to make our concerns known to the US Congress.

Having made that intro, I decided to post the email right here as it arrived in my mailbox. Whatever I might say won't convince you to sign the petition more convincingly than Jim's sincere entreaty for our help.

Grant,
I want to share with you (see below) a new push by The Heartland Institute to get Congress to do its duty and cut the out-of-control, economy-crushing EPA down to size. I hope you can help us spread the word about this petition on your site, as well as through social media, and to more than 10,000 signatures – after which we’ll take the petitions to Washington and put the pressure on Congress. We’re half way there already.

Here’s the petition page, which lays out why we’re doing this – and why the public needs to put the EPA back in its place. Let me know if you have any questions, and how Heartland can help promote what you’re working on from its own blog and social sites.

Best, 
Jim Lakely
Director of Communications
The Heartland Institute

One South Wacker Drive #2740
Chicago, IL 60606
office:             312.377.4000      
Twitter: @jlakely

Thousands Sign Heartland Institute Petition
to Rein in the EPA

More than 5,000 people have signed a petition crafted by The Heartland Institute demanding that Congress “rein in the Environmental Protection Agency” through deep cuts in the size, power, and cost of the agency.

According to the Citizen’s Petition to Rein in the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA has “lost its war to scare America into giving [it] legislation that would allow [it] to seize control of virtually all energy production and use, [and is] perverting the Clean Air law to give [itself] unprecedented powers to regulate American society.”

Heartland says it will publicly present the petitions to Congress once the drive hits 10,000 signatures.

Joseph Bast, president of The Heartland Institute, says that in the name of fighting global warming, EPA has become a “rogue agency,” spending $9 billion in 2012 alone to shackle individuals and businesses with expensive and wasteful compliance orders and mandates without the consent of Congress. According to Bast:

“The toll EPA is now taking on our country is staggering, putting hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work at a time when millions of people are out of work and our reliance on foreign sources of energy threatens to compromise the nation’s security. The solution is to rein in EPA through deep cuts in the size, power, and cost of the agency. This can be done by Congress, through its control over the government’s purse, or by a president willing to put sound science and a strong economy ahead of the demands of environmental extremists.”

Read the petition and background essay by The Heartland Institute here.

 For more comments or to book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Tammy Nash at tnash@heartland.org and 312/377-4000. After regular business hours, contact Jim Lakely at jlakely@heartland.org and  312/731-9364.

The Heartland Institute is a 28-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call  312/377-4000.

Real Climate Change Information, Instead of Alarmist Propaganda

This week, 5-21 through 5-23, The Heartland Institute will hold it's 7th annual Conference on Climate Change.

Here is the event description.

The Heartland Institute’s Seventh International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC-7) will take place in Chicago, Illinois from Monday, May 21 to Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at the Hilton Chicago Hotel, 720 South Michigan Avenue. The event will follow the NATO Summit taking place in Chicago on May 19–21.  We hope you can attend.


The previous ICCC to take place in Chicago, ICCC-5 in 2010, attracted nearly 800 scientists, policy experts, elected officials, journalists, and other guests. We expect another large turn-out due to recent developments in the international debate over climate change, a line-up of outstanding speakers, and the global focus on Chicago due to the NATO Summit.

Unfortunately, despite being offered press credentials, I am unable to attend. I'm sad to have missed being able to personally report to you on what is being discovered there by people who want to cut through the nonsense and hype and find out the real facts and science behind this "hot" topic.

As a poor substitute I will be running as many of the videos from the Heartland website as I can. The video directly below is an introduction by Joe Bast, President of the Heartland Institute and the one below it features John Coleman. As many Chicago area natives such as myself remember, John was a local weatherman here for many years. He went on to found the Weather Channel.

Those interested in following the presentations can do so via live streaming to your internet device. Simply follow the link.

Putting a Match to the Leaves We Raked in 2011

As the final leaves fall off the 2011 tree, it's time to jump into the pile and make a few observations about what we raked up here at WhatWeThinkandWhy this past year.

I'm fairly certain that almost everyone who reads this blog was irritated (at a minimum) with something I wrote or something I posted in the sidebar this year. It's not surprising since I picked on Democrats and Republicans with almost equal relish.

Okay, I picked on Democrats more, but only because they are the ones who have made the most progress in the war on freedom lately. Republicans, who regularly fail at whatever they try to do, haven't been able to accomplish that part of their agenda recently. In that regard, gridlock in 2011 was a wonderful thing.

The so called "progressives" (most of whom decided they don't want to be called "liberals" anymore after their stepchildren Fannie and Freddie were shown to be the biggest cause of the housing bust and the ensuing financial chaos) took as much of an intellectual beating on this site as my old brain could muster. But so called "conservatives" who, like their hero GWB, are not really conservatives at all, also got pounded whenever I got the chance. People like Mitt Obama were my most aimed at targets, but since there were so many of them, the accuracy wasn't as good as I would have liked.

So let's look back at some topics that were addressed:

In January we took a look at education and Obama-care.

In February it was taxes and hypocritical politicians from the Republican side.  It also was the month that I made the second most popular post this blog has ever published. It was titled I Was Not Trying to Find Paradise, I was Trying to Escape Hell.

In March I beat on Obama a few times (mostly in a lighthearted way) and praised Ike while concentrating on politicians again.

April was a pretty big month during which some of the most viewed posts were made. We poked more fun at Obama, introduced Gary Johnson and the beginning of the Ron Paul candidacy, and then got serious about budget and monetary blunders before ripping Republicans again. The most important post of the month concerned the imbecilic notion that the country can tax its way out of the debt crisis and featured a terrific video (still appearing on the sidebar) which shows graphically, even to the mathematically and philosophically challenged, exactly why that is so.

May addressed health care lunacy and the issues of social security, medicare and why socialism in general is adolescent. It also was the month when I wrote what I think was my best effort of the year. It was a piece about the childish notions the electorate has come to embrace and why grow-up time is here for sure. It was also the most widely read piece and people from all over the world continue to hit the page almost daily after finding it in a Google search.

June revisited entitlements again and a post about Gary Johnson garnered a ton of interest again as well.

July, August and September are my busiest golf months and most of the posts concerned different politicians and their ideas, good and bad.

October was a month for exposing media incompetence, exploring the goofy OWS movement, and a well read piece about an important issue concerning our rights, capital punishment and the frightening developments in unconstitutional governance. 

November featured a series of interviews with Thomas Sowell, which many of you enjoyed if  private email remarks are an accurate judge. For some reason most of the readers of this blog won't help me out by "voting" in the small polls on the sidebar concerning their enjoyment, or lack thereof, of content in the main section where the posts are found. Oh well, I guess I'll never figure that out. The month also had one of the best received posts of the year. It was titled History, Music and Redemption and people loved the story of the old hymn Amazing Grace. Perhaps it was well received because it lacked any political content.

December wrapped it all up with some videos concerning the Paul candidacy and one important post about how we just lost some of our most important rights. The right of Habeas Corpus was legislatively eliminated. I hope you were alarmed by that piece, but I suspect most people who read it have already relegated the issue to the recesses of their memories. It's hard enough to believe what happened and even harder to keep focusing on it. As a memorable line from a movie went, "Sometimes I think the shit comes down so heavy I need to wear a hat." So we just put on our hats and try to forget news like the post delivered. That's human nature I guess.

In another recent development, I was asked to write for another website on a formal basis and I agreed to do so. The site is The Left Coast Rebel and I have already written a few things for them. That makes three sites (including this one) where my "stuff" is "published."  The Humble Libertarian is the other. So for better or for worse, more people are exposed to my opinions, which are hardly unique, and my writing, which has improved but still remains dreadful on occasion.

A few companies have actually sent me money after reading some of my posts and deciding that having a few links to their sites on old posts that have related content would benefit their clients. That is the reason  for the "Tip Jar" on the sidebar that some of you might have noticed recently.

They paid me via that "Tip Jar" and it wouldn't hurt my feelings if you felt led to drop a few bucks in there as well. I'm sure most of you tip bartenders and waitresses far more for far less effort. (I know I do.) Writing and editing this content is a lot more work that it looks like. But since I do this for the love of liberty, the future of my offspring, and the enjoyment it brings to me personally, a few bucks is just an extra kiss anyway. But who doesn't like kisses? The money is just the lipstick on my editorial collar.

The year end is also another opportunity to thank all of the people who helped the site be better than it otherwise would be. Some sent the articles and pictures that ended up as ideas for some of the subject matter and others like Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute and Wes Messamore of the Humble Libertarian  graciously allowed us to re-publish some of their work because of their love of liberty and country.

Special thanks to Jim Lakely of the Heartland Institute for giving us the heads-up on published research articles before they become old news. Cato and Heartland are two of the most important and successful organizations ever to dedicate themselves to returning this country to its original intent, partly by exposing the nonsense that passes for contemporary wisdom nowadays. I treasure whatever help I get from them. It is my hope that in some small way I have helped them too.

Lastly, I'd be remiss if I didn't thank my unpaid proofreader for keeping the secret that I can't spell worth a damn and that I make the same punctuation errors endlessly. If my stuff is even partly readable it because of her patience. It's only a part time job for her. Her real job is to be my wife, a much tougher job and one that requires even more patience.

So that's the heap of  "leaves" we raked up here last year. I hope you found value in the content. I hope it made you laugh sometimes and pissed you off sometimes. But mostly I hope you didn't get so pissed off at me that you won't feel led to keep supporting this site. I'm even crazy enough to hope you recommend it to your friends when we rake up something important.

Here's wishing you all the best for the year 2012. It's sure to be one of the most important one in our lives.

The Government Has an Erection For You

As I wrote recently in an article for The Left Coast Rebel titled A Liberal Dose of Viagra , Chris Matthews may have lost that tingle up his leg for Barack Obama. But many other people on both sides of the political spectrum have not lost their "excitement" for big government even in this era of pretend austerity. For those that love the government gift-machine, the times have been very good indeed.

As to the title of this piece, you read it right. It seems the decision makers in the Medicare division of the cradle to grave government bureaucracy decided to ask our older male citizens if they were still able to "firm up" the deal. And if their medical records indicated they needed a little help, they could be provided with “Male Vacuum Erection Systems".  An "erector set" of sorts for the white hair crowd, also known as a penis pump. And just in time for Christmas!

Actually, it's been going on for many years, not just during the holiday season, but I couldn't resist. However, I did resist putting a picture of an actual penis pump on this post instead of the family friendly one you see.

It seems that over the last ten years the price of this equipment has been rising with the anatomy. (Artificial demand will do that to things.) In 2001 it only cost the taxpayers 11 million to help the geezers get it up to snuff but by 2010 the cost had risen (no pun intended) to 47 million.

And as Everett Dirkson once said, a few million here and a few million there and pretty soon you are talking about real money! The cost to taxpayers by the end of this year will surpass a whopping Quarter-Billion dollars. 

All this information came to me from our friends over at the Heartland Institute when Jim Lakely, the Director of Communications at that fine think tank gave me a heads up via email that the article by Benjamin Domenech on this subject was being published in The Heartlander today.

Unfortunately, before I could "get to press" on this piece, Matt Drudge broke the story with a link to the article this morning. It really ticks me off when a tiny site like the Drudge Report gets the drop on my huge blog, even when I have a head start.

But it got me to thinking; If the government wants one old guy to get excited, they could just talk Drudge into putting a link on his website to WhatWeThinkAndWhy and the country could save plenty on Male Vacuum Erection Systems. At least for one old blogger. And just in time for Christmas!

Illinois Internet Tax is Set To Begin Driving More Business Out of State

The following is a continuation of the recent practice of this site to highlight the work of the Heartland Institute, particularly on issues of interest to citizens of Illinois.

Seeking to plug a $15 billion budget deficit, Illinois legislators are contemplating the implementation of taxes on online purchases, which they estimate could raise up to $150 million. Companies impacted by the tax, however, say it will result in out-of-state companies severing their affiliation with Illinois-based partners.

The Internet tax is an amendment to Illinois House Bill 3659, and calls for a 6.25 percent use tax on online purchases. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is expected to sign the bill, which would allow the use tax to begin July 1 of this year.

Illinois companies affiliated with Internet merchandisers outside the state, however, predict these suppliers will terminate their business partnerships rather than pay the tax. For example, online merchandisers Overstock.com and veterinary products distributor Drs. Foster & Smith terminated business dealings with affiliates in New York when that state passed a similar law.

Brent Shelton, spokesperson for Rockton, Illinois, online merchandiser FatWallet, stated the new taxes will not only force Amazon to sever its relationship with his company, but may force FatWallet to relocate in another state. “We are affiliated with many retail partners outside of Illinois,” he said. “And if these retailers are required to collect taxes from affiliate partners in Illinois, they’ll respond, ‘If that’s the law, we’re not going to have a partnership with FatWallet.'"

Read the rest of Bruce Edward Walker's essay

at Heartland.org

Bruce Edward Walker is managing editor of InfoTech & Telecom News.

Filed by Grant Davies

The FCC’s Net Neutrality Power-Grab

The Federal Communications Commission today moved in to regulate the Internet, which is the wonder of the modern age exactly because the FCC hasn’t been able to get its hands around its throat.

Don’t just take it from me and others at The Heartland Institute. Some guy named Steve Wozniak wrote in The Atlantic that the little tech company he helped found named Apple would have never had a chance to fundamentally transform our economy and our everyday lives if the rules the FCC just imposed were in place years ago.


I believe this is the end of the Internet as we know it....

Read the Rest of Jim Lakely's article

at Somewhat Reasonable.com

Jim Lakely is the director of communications at The Heartland Institute.

Filed By Grant Davies

EPA Delivers Holiday ‘Sucker Punch’ to U.S. Economy

While you were getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday, the Environmental Protection Agency was cooking up a turkey of its own — a new “permitting guidance for greenhouse gases” that is unconstitutional and would extend the reach of Obama’s EPA into how nearly every American business may operate.

 It’s nothing less than a sucker punch to the U.S. economy, and an end-run around failed “cap-and-trade” bills that would deliver cap without the trade.

Read the rest of Jim Lakely's article

at Somewhat Reasonable.com 
 
 
Jim Lakely is the the director of communications at The Heartland Institute.
 
 
Filed By Grant Davies

I Left My Foreskin in San Francisco

This is the first in a series of posts featuring the excellent posts of other bloggers from some of the top freedom blogs on the net. The idea originated on the terrific site The Humble Libertarian where I am charged with the responsibility to highlight great posts from the Cato Institute. Those posts will be linked to on the sidebar so they can be enjoyed on that site. The posts found here will be from sites not covered by THL.

 After this first email notification to introduce this new series, people on my personal email list will not receive the heads-up directly from me. That will be reserved for articles I author myself.
The following is from the great new blog Somewhat Reasonable, which is part of the Heartland Institute.

The lead singer of Jefferson Airplane once said, or sang, “San Francisco is 49 square miles surrounded by reality.” That has never been more true.

From the legislature that has brought to us innovative, freedom-loving ideas like (and I wish this didn’t require a bulleted list):

The Happy Meal ban, and
Cell phone radiation warnings on packaging (attempted), and
Soda-free summers, and
Incredibly overbearing smoking ban (no smoking at ATM, movie theater lines, your apartment vents or windows, etc), and
Free needle exchanges for drug addicts, and
Meatless Mondays,

… comes the most nutty idea yet. San Francisco legislators have begun work on a comprehensive ban on circumcision.

Read the rest of Marc Oestreich's article

at Somewhat Reasonable.com 

Marc Oestrich is Heartland’s legislative specialist on education and telecommunications.

Posted by Grant Davies