Seeing as I posted one of these for Senator Bob Smith today, seems only right to do the same for Jim Rubens…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2014
Contact: Brian Tilton, Communications Director
603-504-2753
brian@jimrubens.com

Rubens Campaign Announces Policy Initiatives

Energy independence, reducing gun violence among issues highlighted on newly designed website

This week, the Jim Rubens for U.S. Senate campaign unveiled the new JimRubens.com  featuring additional policies and bold ideas.  Two major initiatives unveiled involve steps toward American energy independence and ways to reduce unlawful gun violence.

Rubens’ plan to restore American Energy Leadership includes three steps: reduce government red tape, phase out all energy subsidies and use the budget savings from terminated energy subsidies to boost pre-commercial energy research and development. 

Last month, Jim Rubens unveiled the “2^nd Amendment Protection Pledge”.  Today, JimRubens.com adds six things that can work to reduce gun violence:

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Guest Post by Mark Acciard

Let’s get the labels out of the way FIRST; It is a FLAT TAX!

Now on to the Details;

A Flat 18% income tax. No loopholes, deductions, carve outs, No ways for crooked politicians to craft new tax policy specifically for their donors. Only a generous personal exemption of $10,000 per taxpayer, and $5,000 per dependent. THAT’S IT! OH, and if you end up with zero tax liability, or less than $500.00, you MUST pay the MINIMUM tax of $500.00. EVERYONE must have skin in the game. Everyone benefits from society, therefore everyone must contribute.

For Businesses it is ALSO simple. a Flat 18% tax on net operating profits.

Now to the numbers.

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From a longer piece at The Federalist (go read the whole thing, emphasis here is mine):

…Americans, Madison argues, are natural republicans–republicans in their heads and in their hearts, determined to show the world that “self-government” is possible. The republican principle, as Madison defines it later in the essay, requires “a government which derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people, and is administered by persons holding their offices during pleasure, for a limited period, or during good behavior.” That is to say, republican government is responsible to the people, from whom it ultimately “derives all its power” and to whom it must directly or indirectly give an account of its stewardship of those powers.

On this point, at least, there is no daylight between the positions of the 1960s-style liberal Robert Kennedy and the 1780s-style liberal James Madison. In both accounts, the people are primary; the government is secondary–a necessary help supporting self-governing citizens, in both the political and moral senses of the term.

Today, the Progressives leap from responsible government to

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When we see the armed might of the US Government arrayed against a single American rancher and not against illegal alien “invaders, why is it that those in Government wonder why “the consent of the governed” is being withdrawn from them?

We see multiple episodes of those wishing to cede from their own States to form new one because they are ignored and denigrated – the Rights of the suburban or rural “minority” populations trampled by the larger urban liberal ones.  We see Progressive legislators not trusting their constituents and take decisions away from them – and not seeing the anger building from being treated like children at best and cretins at worst.  We see “solutions” to the littlest problems put in place while avoiding the big ones we actually want them to fix (and those generally result from previous government tries to fix something that should have just been left alone).

Which IS the higher priority –

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Jerry Delemus called from NV yesterday (hmm, never got the return call…) and Sue sent this update in a bit ago (a few edits by me):

I finally got to talk to my wonderful husband around lunch time today. It’s hard to say what is best to do at this point. He doesn’t want to worry the movement. Others who are still there are asking for help from those closer to NV. The protesters have dispersed but the militias are still sticking around. The number of people there is staying pretty static. Some are coming to replace those leaving. There are a few Patriot camps that exist.  Each camp is autonomous and they are cooperating between themselves well, with security as a high priority. For example, while I was on the phone with him, a large furniture truck turned up the road he was on and headed toward the Bundy’s house. I can’t imagine that the Bundys have gone furniture shopping recently so everyone went into high alert and checked the truck for hidden personnel. As far as I know the truck moved on without incident. The Patriots there are staying vigilant and wary of everything. Helicopters and drones continue to be seen. Chuck Baldwin , Stewart Rhodes the founder of Oath Keepers and Sheriff Richard Mack arrived yesterday and are there right now standing with the Patriots who are still holding the line.

I asked Jerry what is needed there. He said

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Imagine my surprise when I went to put Mieka outside this morning:

Yeah, snow.  Middle of April.  Temperature was 17 degrees when I got up and when I went to pick up the Youngest after work, the temp by the car’s thermometer was 30. Normal temps this time of year are supposed to be in the upper 50s. 

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Andrew Breitbart said that politics is downstream from culture – in other words, the culture changes the mores of the population which changes political leanings.  We on the Right oft bemoan the capture of the educational system, the Hollywood movie / TV industry, the music industry, and the media in general, by the Left.  One cannot help see the changes by people who are voting that seemingly vote contrary to our founding philosophies – and then find out that they have no idea of what those founding documents actually are.  And we sit and think “well, that 250 years down the drain” and that the country is in decline.

Well, buckos, sometimes we are just too pessimistic a bunch at times.  John Nolte at Big Government has 11 points for you to consider if you believe that “all is lost!” in this culture war (emphasis mine):

1. While judges are legalizing gay marriage, Christianity is making a major comeback in the free market of entertainment.

2. While pot is being legalized in a few states, the pro-abortion movement is on its heels in a majority of states and in opinion polls.

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“Respecting the dignity of a human being is giving that person the freedom to choose”

If God loved us enough to give us free will, then why do Progressives

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John Hayward over at Hot Air has a piece that ties a bunch of things together – go read the entire thing (it’s not all that long).  Here’s a few bon mots (emphasis mine):

…The Left doesn’t just craft political strategies to attract single female voters. Liberal policies create them. One of the most significant effects of left-wing social policy has been the decline of marriage. It takes a lot of statistical yoga to argue that the War on Poverty has done anything to “fix” poverty, but viewed as a trillion-dollar effort to dissolve traditional family structure, it’s a roaring success. Virtually everything the Left has done for decades is part of the war on wives.

Want to transform Society?  Just have the Republican Party do what the Nevada Republicans have done – eliminate all references to “social issues“.  Hey buds!  This mean that you are going to cede the entirety of Society to the Dems?  Are you that freaking stupid?  Look back over the last 5 decades and keep in mind Andrew Breitbart’s fundamental understanding of Politics: “Politics is downstream of culture”.  That is to say, society of that culture.  Which the Dems have used their “social issues” policies to change the culture to change the politics.  And you Republican Smartest People in the Room keep saying to knock off the icky Right to Life, marriage, and the like?  Fundamental transformation right out from beneath your feet.  Wave that white flag.  Give up on the only path in which you can even hope to stay even?  We’re already seeing the fruits of that already.

Note to the clueless – no “social issues“?  Really?  Has the Establishment Republican Party done all that magnificently on the FISCAL ISSUES so as to be able to ditch half the battlefield?  If they had, would there have even been a need for the TEA Party uprising??? Sadly, no – why else do you think the phrases “Least Lackeys of the Welfare State” and “Jr. Partners of the Democrats” are floating around more and more?  So, yer just gonna abandon the “abject failure to succeed on” issues to concentrate on the “merely stinking bad performance” ones? 

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