The Issue of Representation and Liberty. Greater Representation Equals More Liberty.

How free are Americans? While some states have more freedom than other states, no American can easily escape Federal taxation, the Federal regulatory state and its expansive and growing power grabs. But to figure out what is wrong at the Federal level, it's a darn good idea to analyze liberty at the state level and learn why some states fail and some states succeed.

One thing is certain.  For folks to be free and prosperous, power must be diffused as far and wide as possible because optimum liberty is only achieved when We the People are heavily involved in the decision making process.  With so much raw and absolute power concentrated in DC, the states are now literally at the mercy of the federal government as they beg for handouts.  In many states, especially big states, power is highly concentrated into small legislative bodies.  Such situations do not bode well for the future of freedom

The Mercatus Center of George Mason University does a state by state liberty ranking, here. The rankings include the following ratings:

 Fiscal Policy

1. State and Local Taxation as a Percentage of Personal Income, Excluding Severance and Motor Fuel Taxes
2. State and Local Debt as a Percentage of Personal Income
3. State and Local Government Spending as a Percentage of Personal Income
4. State and Local Government Employment Divided by Private Employment

 Regulatory Policies

1. State Hourly Minimum Wage (If Higher than Federal) Divided by Annual Earnings Per Capita, in Hundreds of Dollars
2. Health Insurance Mandates, Estimated Percentage Cost Added to Premiums
3. Estimated Percentage of the Workforce Covered by a State-Level Occupational License
4. Eminent Domain Index

Paternalist Policies

1. Strictness of Gun Control Index
2. Same-Sex Civil Unions or Marriages
3. Cigarette Tax Per Pack of 20, Including Maximum Local Taxes, in 2007 Dollars
4. Home School Standardized Testing or Other Evaluation Requirements

Which state is No. 1 in freedom? New Hampshire.

 Top 10 Freest States

1. New Hampshire
2. South Dakota
3. Indiana
4. Idaho
5. Missouri
6. Nevada
7. Colorado
8. Oregon
9. Virginia
10. North Dakota

Bottom States in Freedom Rankings

• 
  

40. Washington
41. Illinois
42. Ohio
43. Maryland
44. Alaska
45. Rhode Island
46. Massachusetts
47. Hawaii
48. California
49. New Jersey
50. New York

Why is New Hampshire consistently rated the freest state in America? What makes New Hampshire so unique is its legislative representation.  Not only does the state of New Hampshire have the largest state legislative body in America, it's got the 4th largest bicameral legislative body in the world, behind Britain's Parliament, the US Congress and India.

New Hampshire's bicameral legislative body (an upper house and a lower house) consists of 400 in the New Hampshire House and 24 in the New Hampshire Senate.  New Hampshire has a population of 1.3 million folks which translates to one elected House member for every 3,250 citizens.

Also, New Hampshire legislators are paid $200 per two year term and they do not get their expenses paid for by the state.  In fact, some folks in other states raised the issue of the compensation of New Hampshire legislators and it was fact checked.

Fact Check: New Hampshire legislators do get a small salary Jacksonville.com, 10/13/12

Most of us complain about our salaries and lack of raises, but New Hampshire legislators might have a legitimate gripe. They have been paid $200 for a two-year term since 1889.

The presiding officers of both houses of the legislature — called the General Court — receive a salary of $250, while all other members get $200 plus mileage for 45 legislative days, according to the state Constitution.

Members really clean up for a special session, during which all legislators receive an additional compensation of $3 per day “for a period not exceeding 15 days and the usual mileage.”

Before the Constitution was modified, Snopes.com reports, legislators were paid a whopping $3 a day.

In New Hampshire, they do not have a political professional class that is bankrupting the state with spending, debt, public pensions and costly benefits.  Compare the New Hampshire Legislature to other state legislatures.

New York: $79,500/year plus $171/per full day and $61 per half day

California: $95,291/year plus $141.86 per day for each day they are in session.

Illinois: $67,836/year plus $111/per session day

The above cited compensation packages do not include other benefits like healthcare, pensions and other perks that frequently include automobile allowances.  

Illinois and California are the two most bankrupt states in America.In fact, Illinois admits that it's a fiscal disaster.

Illinois in poorest fiscal condition of all states  Chicago Tribune 6/21/12

California is a fiscal disaster as well as a walking bankrupt.

The Golden State Gone Broke The Huffington Post

New York continues to suffer from way too much public spending and it's economic climate is hostile to taxpayers and businesses which is why New York is ranked dead last in the Mercatus state freedom rankings.

Let's look at representation in New York, California and Illinois, summarized here for all 50 states..

New York: 150 lower chamber representatives, 19 million folks, one representative for every 130,000 people.

California: 80 lower chamber representatives, 37 million folks, one representative for every 460,000 people.

Illinois: 99 lower chamber representatives, 13 million folks, one representative for every 109,000 people.

Only 8 states have one state representative for 100,000 or more citizens but California representation is so far out of whack compared with other states that it's becoming an issue.  There are movements brewing in California to increase representation, here.  However, increased representation will not necessarily solve the huge problems facing California because of the huge cost associated with its legislature.

Increased representation does not always translate into more fiscally responsible state government simply because many states tend to lean big spending Democrat.  Rhode Island, a tiny state with 1 million folks, is a fiscal basket case and several of its cities are already bankrupt or nearly bankrupt despite ranking 8th in representation with 75 legislatures for every 14,000 citizens.  States controlled by Democrats tend to have powerful public sector unions that literally bleed states and taxpayers dry.

Moving along, let's do representation at the federal level. When our founding fathers created the Constitution they literally envisioned one congressional representative for every 30,000 citizens or representation to never exceed 50-60,000 according to thirtythousand.org.

The framers of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights intended that the total population of Congressional districts never exceed 50 to 60 thousand. Currently, the average population size of the districts is nearly 700,000 and, consequently, the principle of proportionally equitable representation has been abandoned.

What went wrong? Congressional representation has been fixed at 435 for a century, since at least 1911 when Congress just stopped increasing representation despite increases in the census population and 1929 when Congress passed a law permanently fixing the House of Representatives at 435, here and here.  The Constitution doesn't mandate how many representatives there should be and only states that "the Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative.".

Members of Congress are paid $174,000 a year and they collect extraordinary benefits.   Turnover is low for members of Congress and most have been there a very long time and have accrued very costly lifetime pension and health benefits.  The notion of sacrificing for a few years to perform a civic duty is no longer a component of our political process and we have spawned a permanent class of  very expensive to maintain lifetime politicians with an insatiable quest for power and money.  Many have grown rich while in office because of political connections; some leave office and/or retire but hire themselves out as lobbyists to earn millions.

Our founders envisioned federal and state legislative bodies consisting of citizen legislator and certainly not a permanent class of professional politicians. Politics has definitely grown into a serious high risk, high stakes expensive business.  In many way, politics has grown beyond the grasp of the average citizen simply because so much power and wealth have been concentrated into damn few hands (banksters, military industrial complex, prison industrial complex, fascist rent seeking crony capitalists).

Therefore, it's extremely difficult to get folks interested in the issue of representation because folks literally freak out and immediately think that more representation at the state and federal level automatically translates to even bigger more costly government.

The issue of representation needs to be brought out of the closet and put on the table for a real debate because when the concentration of power combines with high paid professional politicians, the entire concept of citizen legislator is shattered as is liberty, accountability and sane fiscal policies.

Governance is no longer a We the People initiative but a corrupt and insidious racketeering game where politicians are bought and paid for by special interests.  

In California, a state with extremely poor representation, a corrupt 'very expensive to maintain' legislature and monstrous fiscal problems,  there is a grassroots movement to address the issue of the need for increased representation.

Project: Represent Me

Project: Represent Me aspires to ignite a movement to restore representation so that government acts on behalf of the people as originally intended by our founding fathers. Our mission will be accomplished through in-depth research & analysis, eduction, and advocacy. Our goal is to instill meaningful change in the way government operates at all levels, and to create a framework that empowers people to make their voice heard.

It's a good start on an issue that that been ignored for way too long.

Why Boehner Needs to GO! He's a Drunk, Corrupt and His Voting Record Sucks.

Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner is symbolic of everything that is wrong the the Republican Party. He's corrupt to the core, lobbyist owned, an advocate for big spending and debt, plus a staunch defender of the militarized police state and endless wars of empire.

That Boehner is atrocious is only mildly relevant and what is significantly more relevant is that Republicans overwhelmingly supported Boehner as Speaker. Boehner was elected Speaker and not selected. That alone speaks volumes about the integrity and character of Republicans in the House of Representatives.

Boehner is suddenly in the news because the House Republican Leadership under Boehner removed several conservative representatives from key committees for refusing to toe the party line on spending and debt which, of course, translates to genuflecting before and licking the boots of Boehner and the GOP/RNC machine. But the arrogant, corrupt and autocratic Boehner is taking his threats to new heights.

Boehner Says Members Will Be Punished for Their Votes

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) warned his conference that GOP leaders are "watching" how the rank-and-file vote to determine committee assignments, The Hill reports.

This is no veiled threat.  In fact, it's explicit, overt and even reeks of Nazi styled authoritarianism.   That such despicable tactics are now routine in the Republican Party is deeply disturbing on many levels.  Meanwhile, the conservative base has been extremely irate with the Republican Party and its leadership for years.  In fact, they were sufficiently irate to NOT vote Republican in the general election.

What do we know about Boehner?  Former Representative Joe Scarborough let loose with his thoughts on Boehner.

Scarborough: House minority leader John Boehner a lazy drunk? (Video)

According to Joe Scarborough, House minority leader John Boehner is a lazy bar fly, and maybe worse. On Wednesday's "Morning Joe" Scarborough went off on Boehner, a fellow Republican, leaving many viewers wondering if the Republican congressman suffers from alcoholism.

On MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Scarborough said:

"I hear it on the Hill, I'm sure you hear it on the Hill all the time, it's not reported. But so many Republicans tell me that this is a guy that is not the hardest worker in the world."

"After five o'clock, six o'clock at night he's disengaged -- at best," Scarborough continued. "You can see him around town. He does not have, let's say, the work hours of Newt Gingrich. ... Every Republican I talk to says that John Boehner, by five or six at night, you can see him at bars."

Scarborough is not the first to notice Boehner's taste for the sauce. Boehner is well known to Washington insiders for his drinking.

The Raw Story reports:

When he was chosen House minority leader in 2006, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, "Boehner is famous for the lavish parties he throws, including an annual 'Boehner Beach Party' fundraiser. At the GOP's 2004 convention in New York, Boehner hosted a party that raged all four nights of the convention at Tunnel, a West Side nightclub."

In 2007, Politico took a more pointed dig, in an item headlined "Boehner cries again, getting a rep as a 'weeper,'" which pointed out, "This is getting to be something of a habit for the Ohio Republican. One of his GOP colleagues noted that Boehner cries more often later in the day. Go figure, eh."

Perhaps it is time Republican colleagues staged an intervention for House minority leader John Boehner. Watch the video. What do you think - is Boehner a lazy drunk - or just another good time Charlie?

Boehner being a lazy, partying drunk is only part of the Boehner story. That Boehner is wired into lobbyists and serves their exclusive interest is well known in the DC District of Crime.

Boehner Rents Apartment Owned by Lobbyist in D.C.  2006

Boehner's primary residence is in West Chester, Ohio, but for $1,600 a month, he rents a two-bedroom basement apartment near the House office buildings on Capitol Hill owned by Milne, Boehner spokesman Don Seymour said yesterday.... In the weeks preceding last week's GOP leadership elections, Boehner acknowledged his close ties to the lobbying community...

Boehner isn't just a lazy drunk with close ties to the lobbying industry, it's been reported that this married Republican Congress Critter even sleeps with lobbyists.

Yes, John Boehner Sleeps With Lobbyists-- And Not Just Figuratively

"Everyone" (but the voters) knew Mark Foley (R-FL) was molesting underage boys and "everyone" (but the voters) knew Larry Craig (R-ID) was trolling the Washington, DC public toilets looking for love and "everyone" (but the voters) knew John Boehner was an inveterate skirt-chaser who's had numerous affairs. His poor wife, Debbie, never leaves the gated community of McMansions he has her stashed away in. But what makes the Boehner sex scandal more compelling is that he's doing it with a lobbyist-- and everyone, even the voters know he's one politician infamous for his shady relations with lobbyists-- and that he had warned Republican caucus members back in July that they weren't allowed to screw the whores attractive young female "lobbyists" that the big K Street firms hire specifically to get on the good side of legislators-- at least not until after the elections.

How about John Boehner's congressional voting record? Boehner's voting record would rival that of any big spending Democrat.

How Republican House Speaker Boehner Helped Grow the National Debt

On 5/1/2008 Republican Congressman John Boehner voted for the Student Loan Provision Changes. HR 5715 was a Democrat introduced Bill that significantly increased government loan guarantees for student debt, yet Boehner and most of the Republicans voted for this anti-free market big Government bill.....

On 2/7/2008 Congressman John Boehner voted with the majority of Congress (380-34) for HR 5140, the Economic Stimulus Plan. No fiscal conservative pro-free market politician would vote for this bill as it not only provides a certain demographic with a welfare check but in addition this bill increased the FHA loan limits. By increasing the FHA loan limits for certain real estate to $633,500 and the GSE loan limit to $729,750 the Federal Government guarantees more debt and therefore puts itself at even greater financial risk of loan defaults. Not only is this fiscally irresponsible but it is also anti-free market as the government guarantees non-sense loans that the private market would not even make without such guarantees in place. This type of market interference greatly contributed to the Real Estate Bubble.

Congressman and Presidential Candidate Ron Paul who warned about the Housing Bubble in 2002 was one of only 34 Congressman voting against the Economic Stimulus Plan.

On 06/28/2002 Congressman John Bohener voted to massively increase government spending with his Yes vote on the Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act which authorized $350 billion in spending for the Medicare program....

On 5/23/2001 Boehner sponsored the No Child Left Behind bill. This bill was passed 384-45 with the support of most of Congress. “Limited Government” Republican Boehner sponsored this bill that increased not only the size of the Federal Government but with that increased the cost of it by hundreds of billions of dollars.

Throughout his political career in Washington D.C., John Boehner also voted for hundreds of billions in foreign aid. Being the “limited Government conservative” that he is, Congressman John Boehner also voted for billions of dollars for socialist programs. In 1997 Boehner voted for $54.42 billion in mostly socialist spending, with $25 billion going to the Food Stamp Program, $7.77 billion for Child Nutrition Programs, $3.92 billion for Nutrition programs for women and children. In 2002, with his Yes vote on HR 4743 John Boehner voted for an additional $16.6 billion in socialist spending through Temporary Aid for Needy Families and hundreds of millions of dollars to promote marriages. These are hardly votes that are fiscally conservative and in the interest of limited Government… 

Not surprisingly, limited Government Hypocrite Boehner joined the GOP and many Democrats with their bailout for Wall Street with a Yes vote for HR 1424, the Financial Asset Purchase Authority and Tax Law Amendments which authorized $700 billion in bailout spending.

The fraud known as the Republican Party is downright laughable as well as pathetic and immoral.   The GOP has become a grotesque caricature of the remnants of the conservative movement that was hijacked by neocons, theocrats, commies, statists, oligarchs and Nazis.

That a man like John Boehner was elected Speaker of the House attests to the moral bankruptcy of the Republican Party, its leadership and its insidious corruption.

Really!  The Party of Family Values elects as Speaker a man who is a well known drunken partying cad about town, a man with notorious deep ties to the DC lobbyist establishment, a man who cheats on his wife and sleeps around, a man who spends taxpayer dough like a drunken sailor (sorry, didn't mean to insult sailors) and man whose personal and professional morals are lower than whale dung.

Hollywood and the realm of fiction couldn't concoct a more bizarre plot.

Tow the party line?

Yeah baby, hook, line sinker.

This GOP and its arrogant elites must be sunk if conservatism stands any chance whatsoever of surviving.

Audit the Fed - What Next? Here's What You Need to Know.

With Audit the Fed (HR 459) passing in the House on July 25, 2012 with 326 Yeas to 98 Neas, it's on to the Senate where the challenges will be formidable. For starters, the Senate cloture rules requires 60 votes. Presently, the Senate version of Rand Paul's Audit the Fed (S. 202) has 23 co-sponsors (all Republicans) and 3 of those co-sponsors only signed on after it was clear that HR 459 would indeed pass in the House and by a very wide margin. 

Activists are screaming that we should bombard Harry Reid with phone calls. That's a HUGE error in strategy and tactics at this juncture because it will fail. Forget Dingy Harry. We need to first focus on Republican Senators and then Democrat Senators. There are 47 Republican Senators listed below - their names and term expiration. Senators highlighted in yellow are co-sponsors.

AL Sessions      2014
     Shelby          2016
AK Murkowski   2016
AZ Kyl                2012 (retiring)
     McCain         2016
AR Boozman     2016
GA Chambliss   2014
     Isakson         2016
FL Rubio           2016
ID Risch            2014
     Crapo           2016
IL Kirk                2016
IN Lugar            2012 (lost primary)
    Coats            2016
IA Grassley       2016
KS Roberts       2014
     Moran          2016
KY Paul            2016 wrote the bill
     McConnell    2014
LA Vitter            2016
ME Snowe        2012 retiring
      Collins        2014
MA Brown        2012
MS Cochran     2014
      Wicker        2012
MO Blunt          2016
NE Johanns      2014
NV Heller          2012
NH Ayotte         2016
NC Burr            2016
ND Hoeven       2016
OH Portman     2016
OK Coburn        2016
      Inhofe          2014
PA Toomey       2016
SC DeMint        2016
     Graham        2014
SD Thune          2016
TN Corker         2012
      Alexander    2014
TX Cornyn        2014
      Hutchison    2012 retiring
UT Hatch           2012
     Lee               2016
WI Johnson       2016
WY Barrasso     2012
      Enzi             2014

AL, IN, KS and TN all have two Republicans Senators that are not on board.  They need to be pounded into submission, as do all the other Republican Senators who have not yet co-sponsored Audit the Fed.

Only 5 states have both Republican Senators on board:  ID, MS, OK, SC and UT.

 We've got a ton of work to do to get this in the Senate: