Free Republic

Actually, if we are overly distracted, and spend too much energy fighting them, we still lose.

We have to prevent them from misrepresenting us while still staying on-message.

This cannot become a debate about groups of people. It needs to stay a debate about principles.

My FIRST suspicion is that the vendor is an infiltrator trying to make us look like bigots...

Did it work?

If it did, who’s fault is it?

“Spending more for less makes you poorer. In this case it applies to the country.

It is simple as that.

If PV was economical, it wouldn’t need massive subsidies to get people to purchase them. When your neighbor puts in solar panels, you’re paying for it whether you want to or not. “

If he is getting subsidies to pay for them, then yes. I f pays for them himself, then no.

I am in agreement with you regarding the economical problem with PV. However, it is getting better over time (Less money per watt, etc.)

My point is still valid that in hot areas of the country, PV supplies extra electricity when buildings use it most, and so it does reduce the required amount of 24/7 capacity of the utilities.

With all that said, I am looking forward to improvements in PV technology... Same as I look forward to improved battery technology.

“You are misinformed. PV is a highly inefficient way to generate electricity. “

It’s not super efficient, but it is getting better over time. Also, efficiency is not quite as important if the energy input is free (sunshine).

“PV provides no baseload power.”

I live in a region where it gets Very Hot during the summer. Every summer, we break 110’ F. Most summers, we hit 114’... Sometimes, we’ll go a few weeks in July with all days hitting 100+, and nighttime temps never dropping below 70’ F.

Now, Grid-connected home Solar electric in these regions makes A Lot of Sense.

During the hottest part of the day, the solar panels get the most intense light, and offset the amount of utility power required to run the A/C.

In these regions, solar electric may not add to baseload power, but it does reduce the amount of baseload power required on the grid.

Still, agree with others that it should never be forced... I still can’t afford it, even with the tax credit.

“Why do we need a leader? This is America, a free country. All politics is local; that’s where I live.”

Your are right.

When folks ask about the Tea Party Movement needing a leader... I wonder if the ever actually read threads on FR. If they like Sarah Palin or Glenn Beck... They should know by now that neither of these people advocate a leader for the movement, and do not wish to be a leader themselves.

Now, we can lead by example, and that is a different thing. Glenn Beck is leading by example. I’d argue that Jim DeMint is leading by example. He’s not trying to make himself a self-appointed leader.

I ask you, stop looking for a “head” for the movement. Instead, lead yourself, lead by example, pay attention to and learn form others who are doing the same.

I think the Tea Party Movement is more of a fellowship than a hierarchy, and it should remain so.

I’ve been a registered Libertarian for years, and I am about to register as a Republican. Along with millions of others, I am going to help the GOP back to its Constitutional principles.

Trust yourself enough to lead yourself. I suggest you lead yourself in to your Local GOP. I think You’ll find other people leading themselves there, also.

“so I really don’t (IMO) put too much weight behind the message.”

If G.B. says “2 + 2 = 4” it is not suddenly false because of... well... anything.

I don’t agree with him on everything... Hey, did you watch the speech?

I figure, if someone else is paying your way... You have nothing to say, except perhaps if they are deliberately doing things to make it hard for you to become independent.

To paraphrase Franklin, it is not wise to make people comfortable in their poverty.

“...My son asked me the other day if there were any rap artists who sang about caring for their children or something uplifting..”

Will Smith has a re-worded song, “Just the Two of Us.” That is about his love for his son. It’s a very good song with an uplifting message. Will Smith does his conventional rapping... he does a great job... This is the same man who sang “Parents Just Don’t Understand” and was the star of “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”

It’s the only one I know of... But I’m no expert.

A better poll question would be “Do you know what the Tea Party Agenda is?”

Or “With which sub-group of the Tea Party Movement do you most agree? (Or disagree)”

LOL

Be prepared, but don’t be afraid.

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Living in fear stinks.

Plus, you can be a rescuer instead of a rescuee, because you were prepared, and were not petrified with fear.

Post # 93 IMO is the best response on this thread.

Well said, Monoprise.

“...lest they want to face recall by the legislature. “

This begins to address the real beauty in the pre-17th Senate.

Regardless of party, a politician needs/wants power. The State also “wants” power.

Think about it. What states would deliberately send a senator to D.C. that would vote away the authority of their home state? And, if they tried to vote away the authority of their home state, what state legislatures would keep them there?

It is an extremely effective check/balance that has been removed.

The congress represented the people, and the senate represented the state. This helped prevent laws from getting passed that was unfair to the people, or strengthened the central government at the expense of the state.

I need to study history and see who was pushing for the 17th...

The first thing I thought when I saw the title was, “2012”

I sincerely hope he runs... He is working hard for conservative principles and is one of the VERY few incumbents I wouldn’t mind staying in office... In his case, a higher office would be better still.

Regarding DeMint’s press choice,

Billy Graham has a policy of never being alone with women (except his wife). It’s a smart example to follow. Yes, it helps one behave, but also, it eliminates the appearance of impropriety... All your opponent needs, sometimes, is circumstantial evidence to ruin your reputation.

11 of 12 here.

I’d like to see independents split between conserv/prog/libert or something.

I was not surprised to see that Republicans were paying more attention... Which, to some degree, is what this quiz is measuring.

Unfortunately, though, it shows that there are still a great many folks who are oblivious to the world around them.

I wonder how this test (or one of similar difficulty) would have fared 3 years ago... (would show a trend of increasing political awareness, perhaps)

Though I agree some people are born with it...

If you can remember a note, and recognize it, then you could develop perfect pitch with practice.

For instance, if you can remember, and “playback” in your head, the first notes of “Darth Vader’s Theme/Imperial March” or whatever it is called... That’s an “A” ...

...A A A F C A F C A

If you can now sing that pitch, and compare it with the one in your head, and match it, than I posit that you could, with practice, develop something that would pass for perfect pitch.

However, you do not have to be perfect pitch to recognize when someone is off pitch. In my experience, though, there are folks with virtually no sense of pitch at all. We get to see them sometimes audition for AI.

Regarding Ayla... She’s good but needs more practice. She may also have been nervous. And, it was still good. The range on that song is pretty big, over an octave-and-a-half without embellishments.

Loving the USA goes a long way with me. I thought it was great, and God Bless her.

“...might be coming around to a rightward turn in his thinking due to the Tea Party movement.”

This is my best hope for the current endorsement.

If McCain is moving right, Sarah’s move might make sense, particularly when combined with other reasons of gratitude she has for McCain’s contribution for her political power.

As far as I can tell, all but the most progressive politicians are moving right... Because the electorate has demanded it. Still, for moderates of all stripes, seeing firsthand the devastation left by progressive policies can precipitate more than an apparent move to the right. Some of our politicians, I dare to hope, have actually learned something practical Let’s hope they remember it.

I’ll be watching her other endorsements.

“So, IOW, if you’re against gay marriage, you have a problem with the Constitution?”

Respectfully,

First, I am fervent in my belief that marriage IS between a man and a woman.

But, expanding the power of the central government to enforce personal views on other citizens is most certainly not constitutional.

Again, this needs to be with the states, if at all.

So to attempt to answer your question, if you are FOR giving the federal government the authority to regulate marriage, then you have taken a stand that is not constitutional. You could, possibly, take that up with your state, and it would not be inherently unconstitutional.

“...That would save hundreds of thousands of lives a year, right there - the federalism way. ...”

If we want to return to true conservative principles, then we we must stop insisting that the federal govt solve these problems and let the states deal with them.

We cannot both strive for a small government while giving it more authority.

Trying to pass any type of federal law that -restricts- any rights of any citizen is misguided and wrong-headed. If those laws ought to be, they need to be with the states.

I am not alone in this view.

Also, the more “constitutional” republican/conservatives become, the less of a threat we are to the personal liberties of other citizens, and it takes the fire out of the opposition, because we would no longer be setting the fed on them whenever they do something we don’t like.

That makes federalists more electable, and I think this was a factor with Scott Brown. But I am still learning who he is.

Scott’s deference to the several states regarding marriage is very appropriate and spot-on. This is the best CONSTITUTIONAL approach. The Federal govt should keep its hands off of this issue.

It appears then, that in some regards, that Scott is more of a libertarian. There is NOTHING RINO about libertarians, in my opinion.

And, whatever issues you may have with the pure Libertarian Platform, they tend to be strict constitutionalists (because our Constitution describes a government with very limited power, and maximal personal liberty), which is a big plus when the goal is small-govt... That’s my 2 cents.

Keyes does have a bit of a point here. I think Scott is more conservative than your average RINO. He is not as conservative as I’d like. Nonetheless, for a man as conservative as he to get elected in MA is really amazing.

The electorate is now heavily involved in the primary process. I’d like to think that citizens, both Democrats and Republicans, will be successful in selecting quality candidates.

For conservatives, that means nominees who are actually conservative and are honest about their views, and who have demonstrated integrity necessary to stand their ground on the Hill.

For Democrats, I’d hope that at least they’d nominate honest people who genuinely believe in an open and transparent process. They are tired of being lied to, also.

We should not lose hope because Scott is not a hyper-conservative.

However, we should also not stop looking for the best genuine conservatives in every district. We should avoid running RINOs whenever possible.

I was once leaning in the direction of third-party. However, I can see now, and believe that the GOP can be restored to its conservative, constitutional principles by the conservative electorate... And that it’s far better than third party.