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The General Assembly today overrode Governor Cooper's veto of Senate Bill 486. This means the "sore loser" provision in that bill is now enacted. That prevents those who do not prevail in a primary for one party to run in another party's primary.
This provision was advanced because the Constitution Party was gaining ballot access in North Carolina for the first time; and Republicans feared its candidates might be threatened.
On Saturday, the Constitution Party of North Carolina nominated its candidates; and on Monday, the party presented these nominations-- in person-- to the state Board of Elections in Raleigh. It must be noted that, at the time we made these nominations and submitted them, the law was not yet effective because Cooper had vetoed the legislation on Friday night.
If the state Board of Elections attempts to apply this new law to any of the Constitution Party's candidates, it would be an "ex post facto" law. That is unequivocally illegal under Article I, Section 10 of the United States Constitution. The states are specifically prohibited by the Constitution from enacting "ex post facto" laws-- i.e., laws that attempt to make illegal things that occurred before passage.
It will be interesting to see how the state Board of Elections handles this situation. But it is quite clear what the U.S. Constitution requires.
Posted at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Recently, the Republican Congress passed "right to try" legislation that enables American citizens to try experimental drugs not approved by the FDA under certain circumstances.
But we don't have a "right to try" alternative health insurance products that don't follow Obamacare rules. Various forces vehemently oppose this including the media/left complex and much of organized medicine. Trump and the Republicans in Raleigh have tossed around alternatives, although Trump characteristically exhibits more courage.
Absent from AMA publicity and from the inaugural address of incoming president Barbara L. McAneny, M.D., was support for patients’ “right to try”—or right to use their own money to defend their own lives by obtaining medical care independent of the ObamaCare-compliant system.
This system is increasingly constrained by big hospital/ managed care monopolies with extremely narrow networks, accountable care organizations (ACOs) that pit patients’ needs against the bottom line, and regulatory demands that are linked to “burnout” in about half the nations’ physicians. Independent physicians are being driven from practice, Dr. Orient stated.
Americans need freedom to buy reasonably priced insurance, which the Trump Administration is trying to permit through association health plans and expanded short-term plans that offer relief from unaffordable ObamaCare mandates, she suggested. The AMA opposes “skimpier” plans that compete with ObamaCare.
Dr. McAneny stated that “as healers, we will always put the needs of our patients first. We are medicine’s moral compass.”
“How ironic,” states Dr. Orient, “that organized medicine treats the Oath of Hippocrates as outmoded. Its unequivocal prohibition of physician-assisted suicide is based on the belief that physicians are healers, not killers. Moreover, the Hippocratic physician’s concern is the good of the individual patient, not population health or ObamaCare marketplaces.”
A couple of weeks ago, I received my renewal notice for the group health insurance I provide for my office staff. It included a 20 percent increase in premiums. Obamacare continues to be a fraud with annual exorbitant premium increases. It continues to fail the American people from the standpoint of containing costs-- which it arguably never really intended to do.
And the American people continue to be victimized with exploding costs and stifling health care regulation because of the idiocies of the aforementioned media/left complex; and the venality and cowardice exhibited by Republican elected officials and much of organized medicine.
Posted at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
The Constitution Party of North Carolina had its first nominating convention earlier today. Ten candidates for public office were nominated to run.
These include the following:
It should be noted that the party had a very narrow time window to identify and nominate candidates. We were only approved as a state party a couple of weeks ago by the State Board of Elections; and our candidates apparently must file to run by the end of the month in order to run in the fall elections. We hope to be able to build and grow the party as each year passes.
Posted at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Candidates need money to build name recognition...
(C)onservatives are losing primaries because the Republican Party is not conservative. Republican voters are not conservative...
Conservative principles are not a metric Republican voters are evaluating candidates by in 2018. There is no tea-party, pro-liberty movement in GOP primaries this year. The polls that matter — elections — have repeatedly demonstrated this.
There are some relative bright spots in the congressional primaries thus far this year. However, Pandolfo is correct from the standpoint that limited government, constitutional conservatism and social/cultural conservatism are being abandoned wholesale by Republicans-- both in Washington and in Raleigh. Spending discipline is not even being discussed in a significant way.
Locally, after much effort was expended changing the playing field so that Republicans could be elected to the Guilford County school board, having at least four of them in office has made no discernible difference.
Posted at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Posted at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
A Gallup poll this week had some sobering findings regarding how Americans now define morality.
Here are the results in a nutshell:
The first question must necessarily be what the basis might be of people holding these particular beliefs. From where do they learn their lessons regarding morality?
The obvious response is the mainstream media... which is uniquely unqualified to guide people on such questions. But other institutions share culpability.
One common thread, of course, is that folks who harbor such beliefs do not care one iota regarding the best interests of children. They are ethically confused; and fail to see and understand the problems associated with these positions.
Children are the main casualties of sexual liberationism; but men and women also suffer in various ways.
Several major groups have deleterious influence over folks' perceptions on such matters. Liberal mainline Protestantism has largely undergone a moral collapse during recent decades; and has had exceedingly poor leadership. Contemporary Judaism is essentially a made-up religion-- a cult-- based upon the meandering interpretations of the rabbinical fraternity over many centuries. The atheistic/agnostic crowd also has some degree of influence, especially within the education establishment.
People of nominal faith, who are born into certain religious traditions but who do not actively practice their faith, are particularly vulnerable to the influence of various snake oil peddlers.
Of course, there is probably some overlap among these various groups described above.
But the media has especially done considerable damage with respect to influencing perceptions in a negative manner. The media has essentially exploited our predisposition toward sinfulness, and pushed us in this direction. It is now outright trash.
Let's recall that former Vice President Joe Biden correctly described the outsized influence of the Jewish community in media. Given the fact that one of the chief core values of contemporary Judaism is sexual liberationism, it only makes sense that the product of media is precisely what it is. The progressive march through the institutions-- i.e., the Gramscian approach-- and the Frankfurt School are all reflected in the media content we had been force-fed over many decades. The worldview propagaged by the media is essentially a contemporary Jewish worldview.
I believe that the percentages quoted above in the Gallup poll explain, at least in part, why the Republican Party has run away from matters regarding family and the LGBT agenda. The Republicans know how intensely the media views these issues; and accordingly do not think they merit taking any political risks. Some Republicans are likely also influenced heavily (and negatively) by the forces described above. Paradoxically, they have supported the various welfare state programs that contributed to the breakdown of the family, even while they claim to advocate limited government, fiscal responsibility and family values.
This all comes down to worldview; and the American people have unfortunately been indoctrinated by precisely the wrong influences. This will be very difficult to reverse. Godly leadership is very important; but it is regrettably in very short supply.
We can only hope there will be a great awakening on the part of the American people. Otherwise, our kids and grandkids face a very tragic future... and the country does also.
Posted at 09:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
The Family Research Council blog today had an article written by Dr. Martha Shuping, a psychiatrist from Winston-Salem.
Some research had been published recently suggesting that women undergoing abortion do not have an increased risk of suicide. This finding was inconsistent with other high quality studies published during recent years that had reached the opposite conclusion. Dr. Shuping maintains this new study had some significant flaws, and in fact was politically biased.
Once again, the chief beneficiary of legal abortion on demand is not women. Instead, the beneficiaries are men... and other parties that have much vested culturally and economically in the easy availability of abortion for women.
Posted at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
This past weekend, I toured briefly the David Caldwell Historic Park which is run by the City of Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department. I reside within a healthy walking distance of this facility, but had never visited previously.
The exhibits gave an impressive account of this man's contributions during the Revolutionary War era. He was involved in the state's constitutional deliberations that ultimately insisted on our current Bill of Rights. While I was aware of some of his achievements and contributions, several aspects of his legacy merit some commentary.
First, he was a minister who used his pulpit to preach the importance of American independence, and to call area men to arms against the British crown. This would have made him part of the famous Black Robe Regiment. He breached the imaginary wall that we are told must separate church and state.
Second, he was an anti-Federalist. This group of early American citizens stood with Thomas Jefferson against increased centralized power in the federal government.
Third, he was an orthodox Christian; and in fact, was the first pastor of Greensboro's Buffalo Presbyterian Church. Even to this day, this is an orthodox Christian church that left the corrupt PCUSA denomination a couple of years ago.
What does this all mean?
In almost every single respect, David Caldwell's principles stand in complete juxtaposition to the political culture that currently prevails in the city of Greensboro.
He believed in the original American conception of liberty, and opposed governmental tyranny.
He believed in a very limited federal government; and more power at the state and local levels.
He was a biblical Christian who used the pulpit to comment on matters of civic concern with spiritual dimensions. He would never have supported socialism or abortion or the LGBT agenda or the breakdown of the family or sexual liberationism or cultural relativism or radical feminism. These all would have been anathema to him.
In all of these respects, he would tend to oppose nearly everything that our local political culture embraces. And our local political culture, of course, tends to despise utterly those who share his beliefs... even though the city itself memorializes him appropriately as an important historical figure.
I hope they don't tear the place down.
Posted at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Today, the North Carolina State Board of Elections voted to allow the Constitution Party of North Carolina to field candidates on the ballot starting this year. This is the culmination of a years-long effort to achieve ballot access.
The Constitution Party has essential core values and/or principles which include sanctity of life; religious freedom; traditional family; private property rights; pro-second amendment; anti-socialism; national sovereignty; states' rights; liberty; the Bill of Rights and the Constitution itself.
It is now possible to change your voter registration; attend our nominating convention; and run for office as a Constitution Party nominee.
To change your voter registration, you can print out a voter registration form, complete it, and mail it to your county board of elections. Alternatively, you can call your county board of elections. Contact information for all the county boards is found here. The online voter registration form linked above does not yet list the Constitution Party, so you would need to write it in the space marked "Other".
If you agree with our core values and principles and would like to check us out, a great opportunity is to attend our nominating convention in Charlotte on Saturday, June 16. Please RSVP. Information is found here.
Finally, if you might be interested in running for office, please contact our chairman or vice-chairman. A vetting process is required, and all of your supporting documents are due by June 12. A description of our mandatory vetting process is found here.
We have had discussions with candidates who are interested in running for Congress, the North Carolina General Assembly, county commissioner and county sheriff. We hope to have a number of candidates on the ballot this year.
Posted at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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