So It Begins...

The governor's special session to raise taxes begins this week. Mark this as the beginning of an era. There will be more tax hikes, folks. You could be next. Be sure to thank your Republican legislator, if they vote for it.

If they vote against it, be glad that you have a real Republican for a legislator.

Rush to Tax Increase Unprecedented

That's what you get when you have a governor who promises the moon to everyone if only they all support ganging up on a group that is contributing hugely to economic and job growth...

Question: If the natural gas industry was languishing, would there be a rush to tax them? Obviously the answer is no. So, the only thing we can assume is that being successful in Arkansas is a recipe for punishment in Arkansas.

Message: Don't succeed in Arkansas, don't provide jobs, don't contribute to economic growth. If you do, you're a glutton for punishment.

Here's the link.

Racist Planned Parenthood Returns to Roots

Those of you who have read Arkansas Times blog threads about abortion know that liberals freely suggest that crime is lower because certain people are aborted... I haven't once seen any condemnation by any liberals of comments like this.

Now, it turns out that Planned Parenthood has been caught, red handed, going back to the roots of abortion/pro-genocide movement founded by the likes of Margaret Sanger.

Here's the link to the story from the original source and here's the link to the story from the Idaho Statesman.

Get Your Recorders Ready

The governor is going to address the ledge during the special session. This should be telling. Here's the link.

RINO ALERT: There's Another Bisbee

Looks like RINO Dave Bisbee's wife, Linda, is getting in on the action. Seems she's looking forward to the largesse of lobbyists. Here's the link.

The Weak Dollar and The Trade Deficit

As the dollar weakens, a natural side effect is that American goods become more affordable in foreign markets, subsequently helping to balance the trade deficit, which I thought was a bugaboo democrats were worried about. Now that it's beginning to balance, why aren't they proclaiming the virtues of the declining dollar?

Why So Defensive, Gov?

After having to admit what I've been saying all along, that the severance tax will not pay for all the governor said, he admitted the other day that it would not. Now he's on the defense, having to try to sell and resell his supposedly locked up legislation.

For those Republicans who are unfamiliar with that smell, it's blood in the water. It's time for those of you on the fence and those of you on the wrong side to realize that this is the time to stand up and be Real Republicans. What are you waiting for? An engraved invitation? Well, here it is. Go out there and fight. That's what you were elected to do, not rubber stamp tax hikes.

The governor's now saying that 52% of Arkansas's wells will be paying the full tax by 2012. Is he taking into account the number that will probably be capped as a result of his tax? The university just released a study that shows that his tax will mean BILLIONS, with a B, less money in the economy and thousands fewer jobs because of the governor's insatiable desire for more government. I've said it before, the government grows. We recede.

Here's the link.

Young Republicans Speak Up: Severance Tax Increase...Bad For Young Professionals

Thanks to the Young Republicans for taking a stand on this crucial issue. The following is a release from the Arkansas Young Republicans. It's nice to see some more Republicans acting like Republicans. Now if only our elected officials would realize that voting for taxes is not what Republicans do.

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Little Rock, AR - Democrat Governor Mike Beebe has called a Special Session of the Arkansas State Legislature for the primary purpose of increasing the severance tax on natural gas.

Studies have indicated that the Governor's proposed tax increase may have long-lasting effects on job prospects for thousands of Arkansans. The UA Center for Business and Economic Research in Fayetteville predicted that an increase of 5% in the natural gas severance tax would lead to the loss of nearly 3,000 projected jobs and approximately $2.4 billion in revenue over the next 5 years.

"At a time when we need continued economic growth in Arkansas to attract and retain skilled young professionals, the Governor is proposing the first severance tax increase since 1957," said Jeffrey Heeter, Treasurer of the Arkansas Young Republicans, "It is unfortunate that families and small businesses may ultimately pay the price."

Arkansas is not alone in the discovery of new natural gas fields. Arkansans stand to lose business to states like Pennsylvania and New York that do not have a natural gas severance tax. "You don't create jobs by taxing companies out of the state," said Randell Shelton, First Vice Chair of the Arkansas Young Republicans, "Companies have a choice where they locate, and where they chose to hire. A policy of increasing taxes in a state that already has a high tax burden is not how you attract new businesses to Arkansas."

"Our state government should not forfeit the jobs that we so desperately need by increasing taxes on an industry that is generating billions of dollars for the Arkansas economy," said Heeter, "I encourage young professionals to contact their state senators and state representatives and ask them to vote against this tax increase."
Arkansas Young Republicans

Mike Beebe's Katrina

The following is from one of my favorite readers. He's so right.

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Governor Beebe has mismanaged the disaster recover effort so badly that we are having to rely on FEMA, an agency that is not exactly known for it's skill in times of disaster. Here's the link.

What was the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management's last press release? Something related to the flood recovery? No, they were reminding everyone not to drive fast on ice:"Give yourself plenty of room to stop (stopping on snow and ice without skidding requires extra time and distance)". Here's the link.

Seems he is more concerned with raising someone's taxes.

Sanders on Obama: The Liberal

It's strange that liberals don't like being called what they are. Obama's no exception. Sanders' column, as usual, is well worth reading. Here's the link.

Counting Your Chickens Before They've Hatched...GREAT NEWS!!!

As I was saying...Beebe's tax increase will not deliver what he's promised.

So where's the money going to come from?

Divide and conquer taxation is the wave of the future. Taxes are going to be raised one group at a time. It could be your industry next.

Here's the link. Here's a link about the governor promising more taxes in 2010.

GREAT NEWS!!! I found a potential revenue source. Apparently an aviation maintenance company has invested $20 million dollars in a Blytheville facility. They must have plenty of money. We have plenty of time till the special session to add them to the list of groups who we can tax!!! Here's the link.

Oh Yeah, It's Official...Beebe Calls Special Session to Raise Taxes

Here's the link.

CORRECTION: 5 Girls Die...Are We Sure We Want to Lower the Penalties for Meth Manufacturing?

The tragedy in Bentonville with five girls perishing in a fire caused by a meth lab exploding illustrates the perils of methamphetamines. With that in mind, I think we need to think long and hard before we reduce sentences for meth. We might need to reconsider the penalties we've already reduced. Here's the link.

Correction: I incorrectly reported that the fire was caused by a meth lab exploding. I was correct though that meth is expected to have contributed to the deaths. Here's the link.

The Coming Bust in the Oil and Commodities Market...and the Political Market

We've already seen sharp spikes and dips in the price of oil, as well as the price of gold and other commodities, lately. Expect the smart money to keep selling while the dumb money keeps buying. Oil, gold, and other commodities are no different from any other investment vehicle. Basic economics applies to them, as well, which is why the governor's unrealistic revenue estimates of $8 natural gas is even worse than it first appears.

People have a herd mentality when it comes to markets. When things are up they want to buy and when things are down they want to sell, which is exactly the opposite of what they should do. A few years ago it was tech stocks. Everybody wanted them, then nobody wanted them. More recently, it's been real estate. Everybody wanted it, then supply and demand caught up and it's slowed tremendously.

Right now, we're in the middle of a rush for oil and other commodities, and a consequent rush away from the dollar. I have friends who are just mad about gold. It's a hedge against a weak dollar. They're so excited about buying it because it's up so much, lately. I've cautioned them that that's exactly why they ought not buy it. Lately, it's started to wobble a bit.

An important question one might ask is, since gold is traditionally viewed as an inflation guard, why would the people selling it want to sell it for dollars? If they really think the dollar is going to continue to deteriorate as their slick marketing portends, then they shouldn't want to trade their valuable commodity for it, right? The truth is that gold is like every other investment vehicle. It rises and falls, as do paper assets, real estate, currencies, and political fortunes.

All of this panic is just that. That being the case, cool heads should realize that what is now will not be tomorrow.

Political prognostications are the same way. Last year, John McCain was DOA politically. Now, he's the Republican nominee. Three months ago, there was no way Mike Huckabee could lose. Now, he's fallen off the face of the Earth. A month ago, Barack Obama was about to be crowned king of the universe. Now, he's in a tailspin. I could go on, but the point is not to buy into hype, in markets or politics. Everybody thinks what's happening now is what will happen in the future.

The same goes for Governor Beebe and democrats in Arkansas. They're on top of the world because the state has been a bull market for democrats lately. But it will change. The important thing is that Republicans are ready to capitalize when the market changes. Bull markets make superstars of mediocre talent, as a friend likes to say. Right now that's true for democrats. The governor can't help but be successful because he inherited a strong economy. As we go into a possible downward cycle, we'll see how much of his success is good business acumen and how much is just dumb luck. I'm leaning heavily toward the latter since his first response in a slowing economy is to take capital out of the marketplace. To be sure, he's a first rate politician, but that doesn't mean he's a first rate manager. Getting elected and running a government are two different things entirely.

Keep this in mind, Repubs: what goes up must come down. Now is the time to prepare, to gird yourselves for battle. You don't want to be caught scrounging for crumbs at the democrat table when the market turns. Things can turn on a dime in the political marketplace. What's more important is that we can turn the market. We have to offer an obvious choice, though. We can't just be imitation democrats.

One final truth is that people who don't tie their fortunes to the whims of markets, political or financial, succeed year in and year out. Their success is based on sound practices, not betting or hedging. That's exactly what we must base our success on. Now is the time. If not now, when? If not us, who?

As I Was Saying...Democrat Pattern of Corruption Continues

Arkansas Democrat/Molester Dwayne Dobbins, Eliot Spitzer, new NY Governor David Patterson, now Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick...all democrats, all corrupt. The really interesting part is that the media (save Dobbins) finds it almost impossible to reference the fact that any of them are democrats! Remember Mark Foley? The media almost never mentioned him without mentioning that he was a Republican. Throughout the 2006 campaign, the media was eager to repeat the democrat mantra that the Republicans were part of a "culture of corruption". That's the liberal media for you.

Here's the link.

Hillary Learned Lying From the Best

Hillary is insulting the Secret Service and the U.S. military who would never let a First Lady and First Daughter into a situation like she described. Turns out she was lying. I notice that Brantley, a long-time shill for the Clintons, hasn't said a word about the biggest news of the day.

He has decided to trot out some of his first anti-war propaganda in a while, which is a few years out of date.

Hillary

Bye Bye Economic Growth

Poll: 66% of Arkansans support severance tax increase.

This just goes to show what a great job the governor has done in marketing his tax hike. Not only have Arkansans bought the lie that this tax won't increase costs to them, as if markets are vacuums, they've also been distracted successfully from the very simple truth that the reason why we have to beg companies to come to Arkansas is summed up nicely with these 3 statements:

In Arkansas, if it moves, tax it.

If it moves too fast, regulate it.

If it doesn't move at all, subsidize it.

And we wonder why we have to beg companies to come to Arkansas...

We punish businesses that come here of their own accord and spend hundreds of millions of dollars trying to bribe other businesses to come here. It goes back to what I've said over and over again. Why don't we just make it our goal to be a low tax, low regulation, business friendly state? Is that too hard to understand? Apparently so for the governor, who has emissaries travelling the country and the world trying to attract businesses to Arkansas while he's back home playing good cop bad cop to get an industry that's already here to "agree" to pay more in taxes...

Dollars For Oil, Checks For Free...

U.S. News offers an interesting glimpse into the economics of why fluctuations of the dollar and oil are linked.

Here's the link.

"Hands" Off to Speaker Petrus!

Brummett has an interesting look at our outgoing speaker.

Here's the link.

If You Wanna Call Twisting Arms and Threats Charm...

...then the governor's got loads of it. Here's the link.

Brummett on Barack's Tailspin

He doesn't quite put it that way. Here's the link.

Beebe Burning Political Capital

As a good friend has said several times, Mike Beebe seems like a rock star right now because the state was in such a strong position when he took office, mostly due to the strong economy. The real question is what's he going to do when times get tight, especially since he's going to help cause a further contraction with his liberal policies? He's smart to spend his political capital right now, because his cachet will be significantly diminished if things don't stay as good as they are now.

Here's the link.

Sanders on the Insanity of the Severance Tax

"Last week, the University of Arkansas' Center for Business and Economic Research released its report projecting the economic impact of the Fayetteville Shale play. The report estimated that "$1.8 billion of direct expenditures led to total economic output of $2.6 billion and employment of 9,533 people."

According to officials from the Beebe administration, the state isn't getting "anything" from them. They're just exploiting our state.

There's more still. Read Sanders' column to see the lies and insanity being promulgated by the Governor's office about this.

Here's the link.

Republican Rep. Pace Holding Fundraiser for Democrat

In case you're wondering about RINOs, Rep. Daryl Pace, RINO-Siloam Springs, is holding a fundraiser for Rep. Scott Sullivan, D-DeQueen. Pace is the same guy who made $50,000 in mileage reimbursments last year. He's also going to vote for the severance tax, so not only is he on the dole from our money, he wants to raise our taxes too. Some Republican.

IBD on Obama's Speech

This is well worth your time. It offers some very incisive perspective on Obama's pitiful apology and apologetics about his anti-American, racist pastor. Here's the link.

As I Was Saying...From the U.S. Dept. of Energy: Natural Gas Has Never Averaged $8 in a Single Year

The governor's pie in the sky estimates of revenue from the severance tax is based on the unrealistic estimate of $8 natural gas, a price that natural gas has never averaged. I've said this before and a reader was kind enough to send me these links.

For all of you legislators who are on the fence or who have decided to vote for this tax increase, I want you to let this burn in real good. The governor is promising everything to everybody and he's not going to be able to deliver.

These good times aren't going to last, especially if the governor's continues to view the economy only as a source of revenue for the government. There are other states with the same view (Michigan, California, etc...) whose economies are languishing. Do we really want to be like them, states that have to bribe businesses to come? We're already going down that road, but we can stop it. It's not too late, but there will be a point of no return.

Here are the links to average Arkansas prices and to nationwide prices.

Mullings

Private businesses are responsible to their shareholders to produce a profit and succeed. In government, the more unsuccessful a bureaucracy is the more money they get, which is why government doesn't understand the private sector.

What Could've Been

"Tyranny of Oil"

Barack Hussein Obama, who wants us to retreat from the battlefield in the War on Terror would love what Mike Beebe is doing in Arkansas...raising taxes on natural gas.

Obama has declared war on the "tyranny of oil". Is it just me or doesn't oil allow us to live a modern life? Why would we want to fight something that does so much for us?

Counties "Hit Hard" By Natural Gas Industry

The following is from a letter to legislators from the Association of Arkansas Counties, encouraging them to vote for the severance tax.

"The county judges attending this meeting represent many of those counties whose roads have been hardest hit by gas exloration and drilling."

"Hardest hit"? You'd think the natural gas industry was causing an outbreak of tuberculosis or a tornado, not incredible economic expansion.

This is the kind of mentality that is letting states like Mississippi and Oklahoma blow past us in economic growth. We do stupid things like this and wonder why we always lose bids to other states when trying to attract business to the state.

Universities and the Severance Tax

I've been pondering reports I've been receiving that various university presidents have been calling legislators asking them to vote for the severance tax. I also understand that a number of lobbyists for seemingly unrelated industries have also been calling legislators to persuade them.

The question is why.

It strikes me that there must be a quid pro quo to get these unrelated interests to put their neck out for this. The answer of course is that the governor desperately wants to raise taxes, so he's promising the moon to them, too.

You can bet that the universities will be rewarded generously for their assistance. Of course, this means that not only will this tax increase not be revenue neutral, but the concomitant spending increases won't be either. In fact, there will be more than an increase in spending on roads. Look for universities and other otherwise unrelated groups to receive more funding in the next regular session.

Brummett Covers Molester/Democrat Story

You're on a roll, John.

Here's the link.

Governor Calls Special Session for 31st...

...which means that he has succeeded in peeling of enough Republican votes. What was the promised price? What was worth sacrificing such a basic principle? Obviously, these Republicans think it's more important to please the Democrats than to stand on principle. Obviously, they're more interested in the continuation of a democrat controlled state than they are in the opportunity to change this state for the better.

We won't forget this. Those of you who are voting for this will be remembered. To those who are standing strong, thank you. Keep going.

Here's the link.

Tax Hiking Governor Beebe to Announce Decision on Special Session, Today

I've been getting calls from legislators telling me that they're getting calls from some of the oddest places, such as various university presidents asking them to support the severance tax. They've been pulling out all the stops on this one. I'm really not quite sure what universities have to do with any of this. The governor doing a full court press like this is interesting. It could mean that he's desperate for votes.

I will say this much. There is absolutely no good reason for any real Republican to vote for this, or any other, tax increase. I'm talking to each and every Republican legislator. You have nothing to gain from this that you will not lose much more in exchange. We will not forget this.

Here's the link.

Republican/RINO Scorecard...And A Call to Reason

State Senators

Denny Altes: Against
Gilbert Baker: Undecided
Dave Bisbee: For
Kim Hendren: For (Leaning)
Bill Pritchard: ?
Sharon Trusty: For
Ruth Whitaker: For
Shawn Womack: ?

State Reps

Keven Anderson: Against
Stan Berry: For (signed Robbie Wills letter)
Aaron Burkes: Against
Ed Garner: ?
Frank Glidewell: For
Rick Green: ?
Dan Greenberg: ?
Horace Hardwick: For
Eric Harris: ?
Donna Hutchinson: ?
Mike Kenney: ?
Johnny Key: Against
Bryan King: ?
Michael Lamoureux: ?
Mark Martin: ?
Jim Medley: Against
James Norton: ?
Daryl Pace: ?
Beverly Pyle: Against
Roy Ragland: ?
Sid Rosenbaum: ?
Bill Sample: For
Susan Schulte: ?
Shirley Walters: ?
Jon Woods: Against

If we can't count on REPUBLICANS to be against taxes, what can we count on them for? If we give up now, we'll always give up and we'll always be the minority party, begging for scraps from the democrats. I spoke with a friend earlier about being at the Capitol on the opening day of filing. He said that he was struck that the democrats acted like it was their house and he was just a guest. That just about sums it up, folks. The democrats own the state. If we don't unify for our principles, the principles our party is supposed to uphold, the principles of small government and freedom, we will always be the minority party.

I speak confidently that I represent the sentiments of rank and file Republicans, we will be taking note of who is and is not going to oppose this shameless tax hike. If we do not hold the line, government will continue to grow. It will continue to expand its means at our expense, at the expense of freedom and the free market.

Now is the time to draw the line in the sand. The Republican party is the party of small government, of freedom, free people and free markets, not perpetually increasing government. Leave that to the democrats. We are watching. What you do now will be remembered.

P.S. If any of these legislators would like to help me with this list or to correct or announce their position, please feel free to email me.

It's Official: RINO Dave Bisbee Has Endorsed the Severance Tax

He's already savaged fellow Republicans for, gasp, opposing the tax increase. Now, he's officially endorsed it. Here's the link.

Molester Dobbins (Democrat) Update: You're Not Going to Believe This

Apparently, his wife just never got around to filing and didn't know her husband was going to file for her seat... Right.

So, is he going to drop out, or what?

Here's the link.

(Some) Legislators in Fayetteville Shale Play Call For Tax Increase

I emphasize SOME because it is nowhere near all of the representatives who represent areas in the play, as you would assume from the headline of this story. Included among them is Stan Berry, R-Dover.

This whole debate has boiled down to the notion that it's better to accept this tax hike than the other. It's shaping up to be the wave of the future. Any time the democrats want to do something we as Republicans should oppose, they just need to give us a much worse alternative. The reality is that we could very easily defeat this and Sheffield Nelson's ballot initiative will have a very hard time passing. The voters are savvy enough to know what kind of damage such an onerous tax would do.

Here's the link.

A Voice of Reason from a CONSERVATIVE Republican

If you haven't read Aaron Burkes' plea for reason, then do so immediately. I greatly regret his retirement. He's one of a handful of Republican legislators with unshakeable convictions. Here's the link.

Bill Gates: Stop Outsourcing By Importing More People...

If you have to import workers to stop outsourcing, then what difference does it make?

Here's the link.

Red Light Cameras Succeed/Fail...Not Generating Enough Revenue...Severance Tax Implications

In the span of two years the city of Dallas has demonstrated that the real purpose of red light traffic cameras is revenue, not safety. How is that?

Well, it turns out that they are very effective at deterring people from running red lights. The city placed them into service in early 2006. Now, two years late, they have announced that they are going to be switched off. Apparently, if nobody runs red lights, they can't generate the money projected. This is typical of government revenue projections. They rarely estimate in real world terms, understanding that the economy isn't static. Government actions affect behavior.

It's exactly like estimating revenue from the severance tax assuming that it won't have the natural effect that all taxes have. It assumes that the industry will continue to grow at its current clip. It's as if the government buys its own lies. Based on their flawed economic view, not only will the severance tax not cost consumers more, it also won't slow economic growth. Why do we trust people to run the government who have such a pitiful understanding of very basic economics?

Here's the link to the 2006 story and here's the story about suspension of the traffic light cameras. Both are from the Dallas Morning News.

What's the Severance Tax Going to Be on Oil Pipes?...Indian Company to Locate HQ in Arkansas

I don't get it. We're giving an Indian company $3.5 million to come to Arkansas? They're only going to pay $12/hour to approximately 250 people? And we're going to raise taxes on companies that are already here that employ THOUSANDS of people at MUCH higher pay?

OH, I get it! We're tricking the Indian company to locate here so we can lower the boom on them later, right? Wink wink! NOW, I get it. Brilliant. How stupid of me. And here I thought the governor was just punishing the natural gas industry.

But seriously, does this make any sense at all? We are punishing a MUCH more productive industry while paying a MUCH less productive industry. I'm glad Mike Beebe isn't my personal financial planner. It's too bad he's taking over as the state's, though? With an investing philosophy like this, we can rest assured that Arkansas will continue to lag behind our neighbors.

Here's the link.

This Explains A Lot

Knowing that Barack Obama has 20 years in an anti-American, racist church makes a lot of things make sense, such as his refusal to wear an American flag pin, his wife's statement that now is the first time in her life that she's proud of her country...

Let me recap a few of the lowlights being taught at his church: the goverment invented HIV to kill black people, we deserved September 11, the government gave black people stds at Tuskegee, black men shouldn't be fighting each other because white people are the enemy... The list goes on and on.

Why would Obama want to associate himself for twenty years not only with a preacher who preaches this, but with a congregation that cheers for it?

Also, John Brummett's column is instructive. I partially disagree with his conclusion, but it's not too far off. He suggests that, in general, we should leave religious views as personal matters. In Obama's case, especially in light of the glowing terms he's used to describe his pastor, his pastor's influence, and their relationship, I'd say it's highly pertinent. This is especially true given his and his wife's many statements and actions which mirror their racist, anti-American pastor's teachings.

Severance Tax Won't Be Revenue Neutral

Note that whenever tax cuts are proposed the first response of government is that they should be revenue neutral. That's a watchword of government budgeting, except when it's time to raise taxes.

A balloon was floated asking the governor to negotiate on his tax increase by making the tax increase revenue neutral. I'm not surprised that he didn't respond favorably because he's trying to grow government, not hold the line.

Here's the link.

Support For Our Successful War in Iraq Soars, Democrats/ArkTimes Mum

We know Max reads the Politico because he posted the story about Obama's racist pastor with links to the Politico. So it's fair to say that he's ignoring their story that public support for our overwhelming success in Iraq is soaring.

His readers still quote as fact that only 20 something percent of the American people support the war, when they get the chance to talk about it, that is. You see, Max doesn't like talking about it because he apparently believes that if you don't have anything bad to say, you shouldn't say anything at all. I can't remember the last time he had a story about the war. When things were rough he was so happy to root for his country's defeat.

It's not just Max, though. Hillary and Obama never bring it up, either. I guess it shows what commited, principled leaders they are, huh? It appears that the democrat commitment to defeat is flagging in the face of political reality. It's just too bad that it didn't flag in the face of their country in need and patriotism. But then again, they've redefined patriotism, haven't they? It now means wanting your country to lose a war and be humiliated.

Here's the link.

Sowell on "Personal Matters"

Barack Obama and Eliot Spitzer are caught up in what some non-judgmental types call "personal matters". According to these open minded folks, their latest scandals aren't statements on their character that has a bearing on their qualifacations to hold office, just personal foibles. As usual, Sowell cuts through clutter of all this nonsense. Here's the link.

RINO WATCH: More Analysis of RINO Bisbee: Only 3 of 8 Republican Senators Supported His Bid for Senate President Pro Tem, Including Himself

Thanks to a reader for pointing out that Sen. Dave Bisbee, RINO-Rogers, only received 3 Republican votes out of 8 when he ran for president pro tem in the state senate. Bisbee was one of those 3 votes.

I've answered this question before, but you have to ask, why would the majority of Republican senators not vote for Bisbee?

This leads me back to the Democrat-Gazette's silly editorial I covered earlier. In it the editors tore into Gilbert Baker for not supporting Bisbee as if Baker was in the minority and not the other way around. A lot of their rhetoric was based on this flimsy reasoning.

In light of the fact that Bisbee couldn't get a majority of Republican votes, the Dem-Gaz should be asking why. Their reasoning that the GOP should follow liberals like Bisbee is exactly the opposite of what we should do. The pitiful position our party is in is precisely because of the degree to which we have put up with them.

Mike Huckabee was the king of all of these RINOs. His fastidious pursuit of tax and spend policies dispirited conservatives and the Republican base in general. Dave Bisbee was a reliable ally of Huck's tax and spend liberal policies.

Getting back to the Dem-Gaz editorial, they complain that the GOP is supposed to be the small government party. That being said why would Republican legislators then support Dave Bisbee as they go on to suggest?

Again, Severance Tax is Just the First...Your Industry Could Be Next

Here's another report, this time from the AP, that severance tax will not pay for all that it's promising to pay for.

As I've noted earlier, it won't even bring in the amount promised, because it's based on $8 natural gas, which has never been averaged over a year's period in history. Even at that, though, it is being promised to fund a much bigger road program, meaning that even at the unrealistic estimates provided by the governor, it still won't do a fraction of what it's supposed to do.

Meaning? Meaning it could be your industry next.

Sowell on Buckley

One of the great minds of conservatism on one of the great minds of conservatism. I was remiss in not publishing this sooner. Enough can't be said about the father of conservatism.

Here's the link.

Sanders Lets the Governor Have It

Wow! That's about all I can say about this one. You have to read it. Here's the link.

And you need to read Brummett's column while you're at it. It's amazing that he can make such strong arguments against his own weak arguments and still be for the severance tax. Here's the link.