ObamaCare Finances AstroTurf Union Event in San Diego

On Tuesday, June 25th at 7:30 AM ObamaCare busses will pick up, feed, deliver and pay AstroTurf all over San Diego, CA to participate in a union rally. Tax money is financing this effort because it relates to union pay increases for home care workers. It is all part of the corruption of health care via the Affordable Care Act.

The following email calls for community organizers to find poor and Spanish speaking people to participate in the rally. We redacted some information to respect privacy. Highlights, bold and underline are ours. Click to enlarge.

The group organizing the event, the UDW, included the fliers in English and Spanish.  It is an "all points bulletin" to other community organizers to help find and bus in people who have no idea what the rally is even about. In truth, it is about union pay raises from the County Supervisors. Here is the list of bus pick up points:

Pick up locations:

H Street Trolley Station
745 H Street
Chula Vista, Ca 91910

Palm Avenue Trolley Station
2340 Palm Avenue Nestor, Ca 92154

K Mart Parking Lot
5405 University Avenue San Diego, Ca 92105

K Mart Parking Lot
935 Sweetwater Road
Spring Valley, Ca 91977

24 Hour Fitness Parking Lot
College Grove Shopping Center
6348 College Grove Way San Diego, Ca 92115

**All busses will depart at 7:30 a.m.

Financed By ObamaCare

This is a common, despicable and dishonest union/far-left tactic. What is more outrageous is that we uncovered evidence that this may be financed by ObamaCare tax dollars. Nearly $200 million secretly funneled to unions and far left groups in California alone as "outreach" for ObamaCare. The process in California's one party system is so corrupt that the legislature made the funding exempt from Califonia's open-records laws.

The groups involved in the ObamaCare "outreach" program met with Governor Brown on February 1st, 2013 to strategize in a "HEALTH CARE REFORM STAKEHOLDER GROUP."  The not-so-public meeting included the following agenda items (per  DOnetworks):

*      Such an expansion of Medi-Cal eligibility could add over 1.4 million more persons to the Medi-Cal program by 2019 according to the Brown Administration and legislative budget committee staff analysis. The state's current Medi-Cal enrollment is over 8.3 million persons. Under 2 million of that number are persons with disabilities (including developmental), the blind and seniors.

*      Sometimes referred to as "Obamacare" but formally known as the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act", the landmark federal law authorized, but after last June's US Supreme Court ruling, did not require, the states to implement such an eligibility expansion of their Medicaid program.

Included in the discussion are the major recipients of ObamaCare "outreach" financing, including the organizers of the previously mentioned AstroTurf busses:

AFSCME/UDW - Dion Aroner
Community Health Councils - Lark Galloway-Gilliam
SEIU - Jon Youngdahl

To ensure the information is not scrubbed from the internet, we saved the entire announcement in a pdf here.

How The Money Is Funneled 

The money is exchanged between ObamaCare, far-left community organizers/unions and illegal immigration/amnesty by linking ObamaCare Exchanges to Voter Registration.  Health insurance exchange enrollment “assisters” are paid $58 for each enrollee they sign up. With an additional $49 million budgeted for pay in the first year. In future years, "assisters" will be paid from the premiums collected by the exchange.

You can be sure that no tea party groups will be given money for enrolling and registering people by the state of California. The following announcement to progressive community organizers explains more:

State Health Insurance Exchange To Be Voter Registration Hub
MAY 17, 2013

On Wednesday, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen (D) made California the first state to designate its health insurance exchange as a voter registration agency -- a move that some Republicans fear could benefit Democrats, the Sacramento Bee reports(Sanders, Sacramento Bee, 5/17).

...

The exchange's designation as a voter registration hub means that millions of Californians who contact Covered California will be given an opportunity to register to vote.

Velayas said, "This is about making sure that all eligible Californians are offered the chance to register to vote."

GOP Response

Senate Minority Leader Robert Huff (R-Diamond Bar) said that he supports the idea of Californians registering to vote but that targeting specific populations creates the possibility of a partisan advantage.

Powerline blog reviews an Investors Business Daily (italics) expose on corruption of the political process through ObamaCare. The article "HOW OBAMACARE IS BEING USED TO CREATE A PERMANENT DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY":

" “Outreach” is budgeted at an astonishing $190 million through 2014. So what is outreach?

California lawmakers passed a law (Senate Bill 35) requiring that voter registration be  part of the health insurance exchange.

Last month, Covered California announced $37 million in grants to 48 organizations to build public awareness about the opening of the health exchange on Oct. 1.

Of the 48 organizations that got grants, only a handful are health-care related. The California NAACP received $600,000 to do door-to-door canvassing and presentations at community organizations.

Service Employees International Union, which says its mission is “economic justice,” received two grants totaling $2 million to make phone calls, robo-calls and go door to door.

The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO got $1 million for door-to-door, one-on-one education and social networking. It describes its role as “engaging in both organizing and political campaigns, electing pro-union and pro-worker candidates.”

Community Health Councils, a California organization with a long history of political activism against fracking, for-profit hospitals, state budget cuts and oil exploration, got $1 million to conduct presentations at community and neighborhood meetings and one-to-one sessions.

These organizations, closely allied with the Democratic Party, are being funded by your tax dollars to conduct “outreach,” meaning the kind of phone banking and door-to-door canvassing that activists do to turn out the vote. They will turn out the uninsured to enroll on the exchanges and in the Democratic Party.

So the outreach is funded by federal taxpayers, but California doesn’t have to tell you where the money went. The level of corruption we are seeing these days is breathtaking. The IBD editorial concludes:

What is known so far suggests that California politicians are exploiting health reform to enroll millions of the uninsured in the Democratic Party and fill the coffers of left-wing interest groups with taxpayer money. …

The template is repeated in every state. The Obama health law creates a permanent stream of funding for unions and community activists by outsourcing insurance enrollment to them.

Assisters will also guide the uninsured to sign up for whatever non-health social services they may be eligible for, including welfare, food stamps and housing assistance, according to the manual prepared by the Community Health Councils for California’s implementation.

Anyone who remembers the days of James Curley, Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall gets the picture. If you were poor or a newcomer to this country, you went to the local ward boss and got whatever you needed in exchange for your vote.

The difference is that back then, politics was local. Now the Obama health law is institutionalizing this corrupt style of politics across the country. Whether you live in California or New York, local community activists and unions will be recruiting people to enroll in ObamaCare and sign up to be part of the permanent, beholden Democratic voting majority.

The country is truly in dire straits. How could things possibly get worse? Well, we could import 40 to 60 million low-skilled, low wage immigrants over the next ten years–talk about a fertile field for “outreach!” Nah, we couldn’t possibly be that stupid."

We agree. This corruption links ObamaCare, open borders, illegal immigration/amnesty, union AstroTurf and tax payer money. It beyond shameful and corrupt. We need your help in exposing this to the world!

P.S.
About 25% of this article suddenly disappeared. Let's chalk this up to "technical glitches." We restored the lost section from a backup.

Post Election Thought

Since the reelection of President Barack Obama gold prices have begun to rise and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has fallen below 13,000. This reflects the prospects for the country moving forward, at least in the minds of business leaders. So how did President Obama win?

I turned over some research to my friends at GulagBound.com on the Virginia military vote. Look for this article in the days to come. However, I want to mention a more apparent trend in the election.

Conservative men did not show up to vote, at least in California.

It is my assumption that many conservatives have left California for greener pastures in Texas. Additionally Republican Mother over at Left Coast Rebel reports that Ron Paul supporters refused to vote for Mitt Romney after the Republican Convention.

All these factors led to Ron Paul supporters taking the solemn "I'll never vote for Romney" oath. There was no blood involved, it was more of an internet pinky pledge.But after being maligned as potheads for pointing out that the War on Drugs is leading to a police state that will consume us all, all of liberty voters said, ya know what? Knock yourselves out-without us! CHEATERS NEVER WIN!

Additionally, Gov. Gary Johnson received 1.1 million votes, representing the Highest Vote Total Ever for Libertarian for President.

Both libertarians and Ron Paul supporters tend to be male. This may account for some of the lower turn out from conservative men.

California Prop 32: Popular with Voters and Tea Party

An October 19, 2012 Reason Foundation poll reported by Emily Ekins (Reason-Rupe Poll: Public Pension and Government Spending Reforms Are Popular With California Voters) shows support for California's Proposition 32. The Proposition limits automated paycheck deductions for political purposes by employers and unions.

Proposition 32 and Public Sector Worker Reforms

The poll finds 45 percent of likely voters support Proposition 32, while 48 percent oppose it. Prop. 32 would prevent unions and corporations from using automatic paycheck deductions for political purposes.  

While voters may reject telling unions how they can collect or spend their money, they are eager for elected officials to rein in public sector worker costs. In fact, 77 percent say they favor requiring government workers to pay more for their own health care and retirement benefits; 20 percent oppose doing so.

Likewise, 69 percent say future government workers—those who haven’t been promised defined-pensions—should be offered 401(k)-style retirement plans instead of the guaranteed pensions currently provided.

Nearly three quarters, 74 percent, of Californians say taxpayers should get to vote on retirement and benefit increases before they are given to government workers. Just 22 percent say taxpayers should not get to approve public sector benefit increases. The public wants its voice to be heard on the issue because 53 percent feel public sector unions have too much power over elected officials at the negotiating table and 42 percent say government unions hurt the state economy. Seventeen percent say public sector unions help the economy.

One specific example: 53 percent of Californians say the average state prison guard, who costs taxpayers over $100,000 a year in salary, overtime and benefits, is overpaid. Thirty-eight percent say guards are paid about the right amount and 6 percent say they are underpaid. 

This poll coincides with broad sentiments responsible for the tea party movement and a growing belief that public employee unions are hurting the common welfare. On September 10, 2012, Polling Shows Most Americans Think Teachers Unions Have Hurt Public Education Quality reported the following:

Since 1976, Gallup has surveyed Americans’ perception of teachers unions' efficacy. In April 1976, 38 percent of Americans believed that teachers unions hurt the quality of public education in the United States. By 2011, nearly half of Americans think teacher unionization has hurt the quality of public education in the United States.

Emily Emkins spoke on October 16th as part of a Cato Institute panel: Libertarian Roots of the Tea Party broadcast on C-SPAN. Her discussion included research that tea party and most non tea party Americans believe that retirement planning should be the responsibility of individuals and not government. This sentiment impacts the same voter motivations relied upon by unions to push for power.

A common left-wing retort to tea party sentiments has portrayed selfishness and hypocrisy within the movement on the issues of Medicare and Social Security. Emkins debunked these accusations with research on tea party sentiments on each issue. Most tea party supporters are also supportive of entitlement reforms including social security reforms.

The most famous accusation made against tea party supporters is the "keep your government hands off my Medicare" attack. Many tea party supporters have counter-attacked that the entire narrative was fabricated using union plants and Photoshop. Regardless, data shows that it is wishful thinking and marketing on the part of the left.

The polling shows 74% of tea party supporters and 49% of non tea party Americans are in favor of Medicare reform. When paid-in benefits are guaranteed, Medicare reform support strengthens with 65% of non tea party Americans willing to sacrifice personal benefits for the good of the country.

Sacrifice for the good of the country is not a virtue assigned to the targets of Proposition 32. Union bosses wield political influence on the backs of workers through required automatic paycheck withdrawals. Crony capitalist corporations also politically tilt the law in their favor.

Money is spent on political contributions and lavish lobbyist jobs to further the advantageous status quo or create an unfair competitive environment. Public employee unions use the "cycle of tax payer money" to boost their political power and increase their tax payer funded benefits. Benefits that are currently out of reach for the individual tax payer who is footing the bill.

Corporations use their political influence to gain opportunities that are excluded to the tax payers at large. Privileged access to foreclosed homes is one example. The California tax payer is currently hindered from buying low priced homes while interest rates are low due to excessive bank regulations and the Fanny/Freddie secondary market. A market that only funds loans for the most typical home in the most typical neighborhood. These typical homes are scarce in California. When found, the typical home buyers are outbid by multiple investment corporations with cash offers and face restrictive loan regulations. Regulations which will be lifted the moment that corporate investors decide to sell the properties at a massive profit.

Traditionally, America's real estate market provides opportunities to frugal families and individual investors. The free real estate market has created millionaires in every previous economic recovery. This time around,  investment corporations will be the big winners due to the new loan market created by regulations, Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac.

Beset on all sides by the inequities of regulations and the tyranny of union bosses, California tax payers are deciding to take a stand with Proposition 32.

Proposition Voter Recommendations from California Tea Party Conservatives

The following voter proposition recommendations are from San Diego's North County Conservatives. A PDF file is enclosed in this post, and is available for download here.

Official NCC Ballot Positions

Prop 30 - OPPOSE
Prop 31 - OPPOSE
Prop 32 - SUPPORT
Prop 33 - (Lean) SUPPORT
Prop 34 - OPPOSE
Prop 35 - SUPPORT

Prop 36 - OPPOSE

Prop 37 - OPPOSE

Prop 38 - OPPOSE

Prop 39 - OPPOSE

Prop 40 - OPPOSE

NOTE: Props 32, 33 and 35 are the only ones that we SUPPORT with a YES vote. 

Other proposition recommendations are available from my friends at the SoCal Tax Revolt Coalition and by citizen journalists at the San Diego Local Order of Bloggers.

Additional to the voter guides, Tea Parties are organizing to do Election Integrity Project training for poll workers and observers. Here are a few dates and locations.

Friday, Sept. 28 RANCHO S.D.
Rancho SD Library
11555 Via Rancho San Diego
El Cajon, CA 92020
9:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 29 ESCONDIDO
Mike’s Barbecue
1356 West Valley Parkway
12:00-3:30 p.m.
*PLEASE come at 11:00 and enjoy a Mike’s BBQ lunch!!

Gun Bans Increase Crime in California

California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a bill that made "open carry" of handguns illegal in California. When combined with the fact that "concealed carry" is effectively banned and the fact that California has no second amendment, the people are disarmed. A reminder from wise and studied men:

"A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves...and include all men capable of bearing arms." (Richard Henry Lee, Additional Letters from the Federal Farmer (1788) at 169)

"I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for few public officials." (George Mason, 3 Elliot, Debates at 425-426)

"...to disarm the people - that was the best and most effectual way to enslave them." (George Mason, 3 Elliot, Debates at 380)

"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." (James Madison, The Federalist Papers #46 at 243-244)

"The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed." (Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers at 184-8)

"The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." -- (Thomas Jefferson)

"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence ... From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to insure peace, security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable . . . the very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that is good" (George Washington)

Earlier this year we entered the debate:

"when faced with mortal danger, it is our individual conscience, not the decision of government bureaucrats upon which we should and must rely. To be denied the ability to confront criminal force with righteous force in preservation of one's life and property is unjust." 

Since this decree upon the people, I have seen the brazenness of crime increase in both news reports and by personal witness. People devoid of prospects for jobs, entitled by society, lacking traditional parenting and miseducated by our failed and overburdened schools are now emboldened toward crime to take from the defenseless public. Crime is the only work available. Like zombie hordes they roam the streets in search of victims.

In San Diego, California during the past month:

• A family member was the victim of an attempted car-jacking on a busy street. 
• My house was broken into through a garage door during midday and I caught the man and woman in the act.
• The side gate of my house was broken and the property was trespassed upon.
• A woman stole my car keys while I was working in an office. I apprehended her as she used the alarm to determine which car to steal.

If that is not enough, here are some statistics: 

In the six-month period from October 2011 through March 2012 in Kern County, burglaries increased 20 percent and auto thefts and robberies were up 12 percent over the same period in the previous year, according to a recent probation report. Kern County was already one of the most crime-ridden counties in the state. 

In San Diego the crime rate has increased by 8 percent according to the San Diego Association of Governments.

The number of rapes increased by 26 percent, with 376 reported from January to June. 

Police do not deter crime when criminals are assured by statue that the public will not be capable of resistance.  It is understandable for police officers to want the public disarmed. Police are armed and dealing with people through superior power is simpler than dealing with equals. It is unimaginable that individual police officers may think professional and journeyman criminals fear a regulation that makes their skills easier to apply.

Moreover, police will eventually be disarmed in a society that vilifies lawful gun ownership. It may seem that people would be forced to depend upon police protection, but the public will grow to resent it. Police are not capable of protecting people from criminals because they are not present when crimes are committed. This will cause fear and insecurity toward both criminals and law enforcement. Inevitable calls to disarm police will begin and the legal grounds exist. We live in a county where citizens grant "God given" rights to the government. If we are relieved of a right, so is the government.

Consider how the public views the following story from Los Angeles on 9/11/2012:

Chase Suspect Shot by Police

A possible murder suspect was wounded in a gunbattle with police near downtown Los Angeles tonight after leading them on a chase in a stolen car for more than one hour.

The chase ended at Bixel and Seventh streets about 7:15 p.m., with the suspect apparently being shot after a collision.

The station (KCAL9) reported he pulled out an AK-47 and was shot several times. KCAL9 reported that the man was wanted for a carjacking this morning and a murder in July.

He was texting a friend saying he was not going to to come out of this alive.

The car was initially spotted at Sunset Boulevard and Rosemont Avenue in Echo Park about 6 p.m. by officers who recognized the white car as having been stolen earlier in the day in North Hollywood, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Rosario Herrera.

The suspect nearly hit several pedestrians, hit at least one car, ran red lights and occasionally drove on the wrong side of the street.

UPI.com adds:

He fired several shots at police before he was taken down by gunfire and subdued by the K-9.

This story debunks several anti-gun talking points. First, the "semi-automatic assault rifle" AK-47 was used by a criminal who also is accused of grand theft auto and murder. Not only did the handgun ban fail to dissuade the criminal, he used an "assault rifle" against police officers. The criminal was ready to die. Members of the public were not protected from this man through fear of lawful punishment. The only protection available is exactly what police relied upon: "a gunbattle," oh, and a big dog that is trained to attack people.

The public was endangered by a car chase that lasted for more than an hour. The "gunbattle with police" adds to a recent story within another disarmed public that NYPD Gunfire Wounded All 9 People Injured In Empire State Building Shootout. Hopefully, my friends in law enforcement will start to see my point. Public sentiment will turn on you when it cannot relate to, fails to understand and becomes more fearful of guns. Look at the United Kingdom where guns are only issued to special units sometimes compared to SWAT teams.

Lastly, police have a more dangerous job than economists or computer programmers. However, the world we live in is the same. The same threats and dangerous situations surround us. Police seek out these dangerous situations and work to be prepared for the encounters. A disarmed public is increasingly the target of these dangerous situations that now seek us out because we are legally required to be unprepared for the encounter.

Maybe increasing the sanctimonious title "victim" is the goal of these idiotic laws. Advertising that citizens are no longer allowed to carry firearms is an invitation to increased criminal activity. It works with food stamps.

Bad News for Democrats

Last night was spent downtown San Diego with all the political activists watching election results. It was a night filled with major tea party inspired victories but with a few loses due to dirty establishment tricks. Overall, it was a very bad night for the national Democrat Party as their union power base was flushed in Wisconsin.

Gov. Scott Walker walked away with 53% of the vote. The mainstream media portrayed this as "survival" despite the fact that it is the same percentage of the vote Barack Obama "historically" received in 2008. The Wisconsin victory was a massive blow against the government labor monopoly power organized against the tax paying public. With 35% of the vote reporting in Wisconsin, Gov. Walker was leading 60% to 38%. The margin narrowed, but the election was easy to call from that point.

In San Diego, during a conversation with a young establishment Republican, we commented, "we are tea partiers here to make sure the good guys win." The look of alarm on his face was disarmed by my friendly smile.

The election results were terrific with one major exception. First, the good news:

1. Carl DeMaio, a San Diego mayoral Republican candidate and fiscal reformer won, but will be in a clearly defined run off against establishment Democrat Bob Filner.
2. State Proposition 29. Increased cigarette taxes failed with 51% voting against.
3. San Diego Proposition A. Bars the city from requiring Project Labor Agreements on municipal construction contracts passed decisively (58%)
4. San Diego Proposition B. Reformation of  San Diego City Employee Retirement Benefits passed overwhelmingly (66%).
5. El Cajon Proposition D. Proposed Charter City passed (57%). Grants the city of El Cajon increased flexibility in it's budget.

The bad: State Proposition 28. The deceptively worded expansion of term limits was passed.

This increases maximum terms for California state politicians from 14 to 24 years. This proposition was intentionally worded to mislead the public into believing that they were voting for term limits when in actuality they were voting to weaken term limits. The political game worked by yielding 61% of the vote. It appears that about 39% (plus those who knew they were voting to weaken term limits) of Californians are paying close attention to the tricks and tactics used against them.

Proposition 28 expands the influence of unions in California. The union bosses will keep their payroll of pawns in office significantly longer. This reduces the off-chance that a person of character will be elected and stand up to the bribery and manipulation of the public employee unions.

Please take a moment and congratulate all the brave men and women who ran for office.

Dianne Feinstein Senate Opponent Launches Onion Video

Conservative candidate Dan Hughes is opposing "evil doer" Dianne Feinstein for Senator from California. His campaign devised a The Onion or Colbert Report style to gain attention. It is unclear if the campaign literature will feature "Oh Yeah!" or screaming eagles.





Dan Hughes Donations

Cash for Clunkers Continues with CARB's VAVR Program

Bloomberg/Businessweek is reporting a surge in new car sales:

Light-vehicle sales in December, set for release tomorrow, may have run at a 13.4 million seasonally adjusted annual rate, the average estimate of 14 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg, up from the 12.5 million pace a year earlier. While the rate may trail the 13.6 million seasonally adjusted pace in November, typically a slow sales month, the number of units sold increased in December, according to the average of five estimates.

They have failed to report the fact that many low income consumers are now without transportation. Cash for Clunkers is still alive and well in California as Voluntary Accelerated Vehicle Retirement (VAVR). The misconceived program makes vehicles unattainable for young and low income people. VAVR also pushes middle income people into debt for new cars with the cost of adherence to environmental regulations combined with large cash incentives.

The State’s recently enhanced Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) was developed by the ARB in consultation with BAR and provides $1,000 per vehicle and $1,500 for low-income consumers for unwanted vehicles that have either FAILED or PASSED their last Smog Check Test. (CA.gov Car Scrappage webpage)

Maybe I need a second pair of eyes on that sentence; does it read $2500 for a clunker? (UPDATE) Thank you for helping resolve this conundrum, it is $1000 or $1500 per this application.

The VAVR program uses tax money to remove fully functional and smog compliant vehicles from the road. The California market is gentile on used cars due to the favorable weather. Southern California has the best climate in the country and many of the region's cars and light trucks gain a greater operational life than vehicles from colder, saltier and more humid climates. Regardless, our environmental overlords have decided that the back of a bus is better suited to low income citizens.

...monetary or other incentives to vehicle owners to voluntarily retire their older, more polluting vehicle. (CA.gov VAVR webpage)

This is a program that trickles down to every used car consumer in America because the "retired" vehicles are dismantled.  (A list of "auto dismantlers" can be found on this FAQ sheet.)  Here is a quick list of the immediately foreseeable negative consequences of this policy:

• Hinders employment for those who cannot find cheap reliable transportation. 
• Spawns a new breed of exploitative scams against the old and low income. 
• Wastes scarce tax money.
• Calls for higher taxes to pay for "firemen, police and teachers" when the real problem is wasted money.
• Falsifies economic indicators as the choices to purchase used cars are reduced.
• More union money stolen from consumers and "redistributed" into politician's back pockets.
• Class warfare exacerbated as poor and old are left even more dependent.
• More pollution as smog compliant vehicles are "dismantled" leaving low income people with bad alternatives.
• Increased pollution as a few more coal powered, toxic-battery powered electric vehicles are pushed into service.
• Increased human misery as more people are forced into illegal, immoral and undignified behavior.
• Price gouging for new and slightly used cars due to lack of alternatives
• That's enough for now...but more in-depth analysis is available from Beers with Demo.

This is more fascism attributed to the blind environmentalist cult known commonly as progressives. Maybe we should redefine this as Mayan Economics, in honor of 2012.

San Diego Tea Party Helps Stop The Dream Act (AB 131)

On the evening of December 14th, members of The Southern California Tax Revolt Coalition and other Tea Party groups gathered around San Diego to collect petition signatures to stop the "Dream Act." AB-131 is the official designation of the measure that will divert additional tax payer dollars to support illegal immigration. To add the ballot measure that will stop AB-131 requires 500,000 signatures by January 5.

The California Dream Act allocates tax payer funds to financial aid for undocumented students. Illegal immigration currently costs California $22 billion a year and AB-131 adds to an unsustainable debt burden. Scarce funds should be prioritized to children of military families and other responsible tax payer groups.

The California Dream Act is cloaked in the facade of compassion. Such compassion falls between fiscal irresponsibility and extortion. Compassion does not exist where the threat of force is used to secure other peoples scarce resources in self-serving pursuits.

Dawn Wildman, and a dozen other volunteers, including your humble correspondent, met in front of Walmart on Murphy Canyon Rd to collect signatures. Similar events are being held all around California. Radio coverage from KFI AM 640's John and Ken, 760 KFMB's Rick Roberts and others helped get the word out. Supporters who signed my petitions had traveled to Mission Valley from as far away as Chula Vista and Encinitas.

In addition to the usual Tea Party voices, another volunteer stepped up to talk to the media. Fox 5 San Diego interviewed volunteer Michelle Fitzgerald. Her enthusiasm was apparent and she inspired several drivers and passersby to stop and sign petitions.

One California patriot who stopped to sign the petition made an interesting observation. Some registered voters may not remember how their names were added to the Registrar of Voters. If signatures contain mistakes, missing middle names or maiden names, they may be discounted.  In the future, we could bring an IPad or other internet ready device to review and display this information upon request.

UPDATE: 12/15/11 If you want to help the cause, we need additional volunteers today at 5950 Balboa Avenue at the Albertsons to continue the petition collection.

California Quake Coming?

Being a Southern California resident has motivated me to keep an eye on earthquakes. One key to understanding earthquakes is tectonic pressure. Tectonic pressure builds up between plates and is released when the plates slip over, under or sideways relative to each other. Another curiosity is how little gravitational influences are discussed in relation to earthquakes, so I began forming a hypothesis.

Some moons in the solar system are heated by the gravitational push and pull exerted upon them by their planets. Our moon pulls on Earth enough to cause tides upon trillions of tons of water. After large solar flares eject billions of tons of charged particles near Earth, it is logical to assume that this gravitational influence would cause additional tectonic pressure.

The recent Honshu earthquake moved Japan east. This would seem to infer that on the opposite side of the associated tectonic plates there would be a pressure change. Either an increase or decrease in pressure could start a chain reaction of earthquakes as the pressure equalizes between connected tectonic plates. If we add a few billion tons of gravity to the cycle, should we see an increase in large quake frequency?

Here is a list of my USGS global earthquake ( >= 6.0 magnitude) email alerts since the last significant Honshu aftershock:

• 7.7 7/6/2011 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
• 7.4 6/23/2011 Aleutian Islands
• 6.1 6/20/2011 Santa Cruz
• 6.5 6/20/2011 AntofAgasta, Chile
• 6.6 15 Jun 2011 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
• 6.0 12 Jun 2011 SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND
• 6.0 7 Jun 2011  SOUTHERN PERU
• 6.1 21 May 2011 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
• 6.5 15 May 2011 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G
• 6.0 13 May 2011 COSTA RICA
• 7.1 10 May 2011 LOYALTY ISLANDS
• 6.3 9 May 2011 WEST OF MACQUARIE ISLAND
• 6.2 24 Apr 2011 SULAWESI, INDONESIA
• * 2011 Significant Earthquake and News Headlines Archive
• * there was an additional earthquake in Turkey that did not seem to be informational.

 If you map these quakes, they look like darts hitting a board but missing California. The more recent the quake, the closer to California they appear to become.  Additionally, Solar Flare 47 is expected to arrive at Earth today (June 24th, 2011) and an asteroid is going to pass very close to the us on June 27th.

Could all these factors add up to a big quake in California? No one can say for certain, but the dartboard is full everywhere else!