Paleolithic demands for greater gas taxes from the Big Lug.

Today, Governor Culver bravely endorsed higher gas taxes. Apparently the steady escalation of gasoline and diesel prices have finally produced what we free market advocates always knew it would, reduced consumption of gasoline and diesel. That’s what conservatives call conservation-less consumption without any government action at all, how existential to be sure.

It seems that three bucks a gallon triggered Iowans collective gag reflex and we are actually driving fewer miles. One consequence of conservation is a reduction of fuel tax revenue. It, of course, makes sense; as we purchase fewer gallons of gas the State’s per gallon based tax revenue diminishes in a linear relationship to the decline in gallons purchased.

Gagging is, however, not the only human reflex. When confronted with any social question the Democrat response is to simply raise taxes. Since the Governor is responsible for safe roads and bridges, and since maintaining roads and bridges requires a large union labor force that can actually return a share of the money spent on roads and bridge repair and maintenance directly and immediately to his very own political needs, Gov. Culver naturally wants to maintain the safety of Iowa’s roads and bridges through repair, reconstruction and maintenance. A diminishing road fund naturally imperils the Governors laudable goal of repairing, reconstructing and maintaining Iowa’s roads.

Gov. Culver’s response is as reflexive as that of primordial life crawling from the water towards the benevolent and invigorating Sun, although elevation of tax revenue, rather than the miracle of life, is the gubernatorial impulse.

Perhaps some thought should be given to eliminating tasks from the State’s list that are not as important as maintaining safe roads before we afflict the body politic with a most regressive sales tax on a necessary commodity like gasoline? Believe me, TRS could find that money faster than Murray Blum did for Dave Kovic back in ’93 if I could sit with Dave Vaudt, a red pen and a case of Mountain Dew.

In all fairness, there is certain courage in the Governor’s lack of ingenuity. Asking people who have already suffered the diminished lifestyle that is reflected by less driving to offset their savings by paying higher gas taxes seems rather odius ab populus on its face.

Will we Republicans recognize the public’s animosity to gas taxes to create a viable evolutionary alternative to our Governor’s paleo-liberal demand for more taxes?

Real Penal Reform

Charlton Heston 1924-2008

This morning, as America awoke, we learned that Charlton Heston passed away. At 83 and a long time Alzheimer’s victim the news was not surprising. But, expected as it was, the news of Mr. Heston’s passing was none the less most saddening.

No Baby Boomer will ever forget Heston’s most famous film roles. The ABC affiliates in Iowa (maybe nationally) played Ten Commandments on Easter every year. No commercials, just an intermission about two hours in. Of course, reality TV has made the broadcast of such classics. our culture would be far improved with more Charlton Heston movies on network air and far less reality, pornographic night time soaps and sitcoms.

“55 days in Peking” was my favorite Heston role, even more so than his portrayal of a human who speaks words in “Planet of the Apes”. Tough, understated and courageous, with a heart of gold, Heston’s Marine Corps. Major Matt Lewis represented the very best in America (back in the days when film was considered that portrayed the United States beauty rather than the depressing obsession with our occasional, random and rare faults).

Although hardly as heralded, "Chuck's" role as himself in the Bud Light commercials empowered a whole new generation to take their Bud right out of the bottle, even when in black tie. Now that is an achievment.

Heston’s political activism also mirrored America itself. In the 60s and early 70s Heston was a loud advocate for racial civil rights and reasonable gun control. When the civil rights movement centered on the disingenuous pandering of affirmative action and gun control became a screeching cry that for the prohibition and confiscation of all the evil guns, Heston changed with times and became a leading conservative activist.

Heston’s role as a spokesman for the civil rights of gun owners had more impact on the real world than did the dozens of movies in which he performed. Without Heston, Bill Spiers would have, perhaps, not had that lawful handgun with which to defend himself and Des Moines would be mourning the senseless murder of another pizza driver.

Charlton Heston-they just don’t make ‘em like him anymore.

Hero of the Week-Senator Brad Zaun

We here at TRS talked about Pizza Hut’s truly absurd punishment of their driver for having the bad manners to lawfully defend his life by resisting an armed robber. The suspension proves that Pizza Hut’s risk/benefit analysis has concluded that it is riskier for the company to be sued because a driver used a weapon than if the driver is robbed or killed, as a few pizza drivers are every year.

Merely reducing the risk of adverse litigation is of course, not the only principle at play. The inherent right to life includes the right to protect oneself, up to and including the use of deadly force (e.g. the Second Amendment). This week we had one of our own Polk County Republicans display some real leadership on this aspect of the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Sen. Brad Zaun, of Urbandale, adopted the issue last week. Brad’s point is pretty clear; Pizza Hut’s attempts to impair and chill the fundamental right of self-defense are offensive to American culture and tradition, as well as to fundamental principles of well established American law.

A large part of leadership is telling people what you beli ofeve, why you believe it and why the audience should agree with you. Brad Zaun’s seizure of this important civil rights issue demonstrates the kind of leadership of which we Republicans are in need.

For that, Sen. Brad Zaun gets a Real Sporer “Hero of the Week”award.

On IPTV tomorrow, Slaughterhouse Mike Gronstal will…………

…………… describe the Democrats’ incremental journey into the total state with absolute clarity. We here at TRS arose this morning and read a preview of Slaughterhouse Mike Gronstal’s appearance on tomorrow’s IPTV edition of “Iowa Press”. Gronstal recites an agenda that is all government, all the time and in every orifice of Iowa’s body politic.

Read the list and be shocked. A smoking ban this year, with the possibility of a stricter ban next year, appears to be the top of the line up. Complete control of the restaurant and bar environment. However, lest one think that the serious impairment of property rights and personal freedom that are the cost of the smoking ban arise from some serious commitment to improved public health, the Democrat plan is to exempt casinos.

The next agenda item is the “Collective Bargaining Bill”, the legislative payoff Democrats are offering the union leadership whose support paid off so well for the ’06 legislative Democrats. Government of the unions, by the unions and for the unions is precisely the affect this bill will have on Iowa. Even municipal governments and school boards will be effectively precluded from countering even the most extortionate of labor demands. Didn’t the Soviets and the Cambodians briefly try proletarian control of the means of production? It is comforting that that so much of the modern Democrat agenda is homage to V.I. Lenin and Pol Pot. Put another way, this legislation rejects your right, as business owner or taxpayer, and in either capacity ultimately responsible for payment of the bills, doesn’t mean you should be the final authority and what, when and how bills get paid. Labor unions, especially AFSCME will now determine how your money can best benefit them.

Then, Gronstal will slide into some crazy talk of tax and spending. A new prison-that Gronstal admits we cannot afford and universal tax payer provided health insurance for all “children” in Iowa is about as specific as Slaughterhouse Mike will get.

No such ambiguities exist when Gronstal starts talking about taxes. The legislative Democrats want higher sales taxes, higher fuel taxes and higher bottle fees.

Every single proposal that Gronstal discusses either radically serves to concentrate governmental power, limit personal freedom and confiscates your money for the sole purpose of placing government in ever greater control of every aspect of your life.

So, can we as Iowa Republicans illustrate this road to Perdition in a way that is meaningful and persuasive or do we think repeating tired old tag lines will suddenly work in ’08 where it failed in 98, 2000, ’02, ’04 and ’06?

Great New Electoral College Website

We have added a couple of new links this week.

270toWin.com features a very interesting package of analytic tools by which to evaluate the state of the 2008 General Electoral College.

We have also added Battleground Iowa to our Blog Roll.

Happy reading.

Chris Sanger HD 62

We have an outstanding Republican candidate challenging Bruce Hunter in HD 62 this year – Chris Sanger. Chris is already demonstrating himself to be a hard working candidate.

Chris has a comprehensive website, so please check it out. As Chris demonstrates, useage of the internet is another skill at which our younger candidates are catching up with their Democrat adversaries.

Chris’ Southside district is presently held by Bruce Hunter. Bruce isn’t an evil man, but he is a died in the wool ultra-liberal who is most atypical of the district he represents. As shown by Project Vote Smart:

Although most of HD 62 is comprised of small business owners or the employees of small businesses Hunter is a “0” on small business issues while rating “100” on union issues.

Although most of Hunter’s constituents are opposed to homosexual marriage rights Hunter gets a “0” on the issue from the Iowa Family Policy Council and an average of around “80” from the ICLU and a solid “100” from Planned Parenthood.

………. and so on.

Chris’ challenge is to hit every Republican, independent and soft Democrat door and to make Bruce’s disconnection from his district manifestly obvious in every home that is attached to every door on which Chris knocks.

Please visit Chris Sanger’s website (also linked left) and do what you can do to contribute to Chris’ victory in HD 62 come November next.

Then the liberals puke up hatred on demand…………

……… and quite on point. Apparently the socialists in Sweden think that they should encourage Mexicans to revisit the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

So, libs, please explain how encouraging Hispanic immigrants to refrain from learning English will help the process of political and cultural assimilation in opposition to a popular Hispanic culture that rejects even the geographic boundries of the Estados Unidos de America.

Don't be a Whig, think like King!

Judge Staskal’s order of March 31 invalidating the Democrats’ issuance of voter registration forms in languages other than English is yet another enormous victory for Congressman Steve King.

Less than a week after Congressman King’s rather easier win, both in public opinion and before the Commission itself, over Ralph Rosenberg and the PC police of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission. The reader will recall that Commissioner Rosenberg opined that King’s commentary regarding the Islamic world “dancing in the streets” over an Obama Presidential win was hate speech that should be sanctioned by the ICRC.

Needless to say, the ICRC chose to avoid the humiliation of a court reversal in the event they had actually employed the power of government to silence or “chill” the First Amendment rights of a United States Congressman to speak on issues of interest to the body politic.

The ruling had, however, two much more far reaching affects on our larger American culture. First, it reaffirms the concept that English is the political language of the United States of America. A culture need not be self destructive to be welcoming. Federal law requires, and has so for generations, that one must be a citizen of the United States to vote and that one must read and speak English to become a citizen. No one who cannot read English is supposed to be able to vote in American elections. Pretty simple, huh?

The Democrat race to social disintegration depends on collapsing every institution of American culture, including a common language. After all, is it not easier to divide society and exploit those divisions if the populace fails to speak a common language?

The ruling also reaffirms the concept of electoral integrity. What assures that only citizens vote if voter registration forms are printed in languages other than English? The absence of election laws simply mean best cheater wins, a simple syllogism that explains much of the Democrat desire to dilute most electoral regulation.

Most importantly, the Court decision represents a rejection of the feeble legal justification offered for the plainly illegal regulation. AG Miller actually uttered the following words:

"Our view is that although the Iowa English Language Reaffirmation Act requires all official forms to be in English, it does not prohibit government officials from providing materials in other languages as well," Miller said. "We argued that position to the District Court. This principle can be particularly important in the area of voting rights of citizens."

AG Miller’s argument is jabberwocky, at best. Of course voter registration forms are an official document. The Attorney General’s argument makes Bill Clinton’s “meaning of is” postulate seem as true as the Actonian axiom that underlies and explains almost every principle of modern liberalism.

Without Cong. Steve King and current State Senator Paul McKinley who would have fought this battle? A party that purports to stand for something also must fight for the things for which it stands. Whenever we retreat in the face of the Democrats PC attacks we place ourselves closer, not farther, from the fate that befell our Whig ancestors.