Fed Up!, by Rick Perry: on Government Reform

Chris Christie: Refused to reappoint activist judge to NJ Supreme Court

State and local governments are not perfect. We all have lots of waste we can end, lots of bureaucratic red tape we need to streamline ourselves, and we have laws that could be improved to maximize freedom. But the value proposition offered by state and local governments as compared with the federal government is, in fact, incomparable. Imagine how strong we could be if the federal government didn't interfere with us and if we didn't often have to do its job.

John Roberts: 2006: TX redistricting didn't violate Voting Rights Act

In that 2006 case, the Supreme Court held that only one of the congressional districts Texas had drawn was in violation of the Voting Rights Act. That was the district held then by Henry Bonilla, a Hispanic Republican. The Court stunningly ruled that while the district was drawn to be "majority minority," it was not Hispanic ENOUGH for Hispanics to elect their "candidate of choice." It was this flawed reasoning that caused the chief justice to query during arguments of the plaintiff's attorney, "What number of minority voters just right to make a district qualify as 'Hispanic-opportunity,' rather than one masquerading as such?" She did not have a good answer.

Rick Perry: Reverse trend of federal power back to state & local level

Serving as the governor of Texas for almost ten years has given me a unique perspective on the current state of things in our country. And from my vantage point, I see a nation filled with good, hardworking people who are wondering what happened to the country they knew. It wasn't so long ago that we were expected to pay our bills, we were able to pray at the town meeting, and we believed it was important to rely on ourselves or our families rather than government.

Rick Perry: Strong union requires limited federal government

This power structure is no trivial matter. It is not a footnote to our founding or something just for the history books. It is the result of intense forethought and debate by the very men who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to give this nation to us. This structure protects the liberty of every American while honoring the cohesive whole we are as a nation.

An obvious question arises, though: how do the states protect liberty, and what is liberty in the first place? Well, before there was government, there were people. We, the people, were given life by our Creator.

Rick Perry: States are liberty's friend

• States allow us to live with people of like mind: I would no more consider living in Massachusetts than I suspect a great number of folks from Massachusetts would like to live in Texas. We just don't agree on a number of things.
• States promote mobility.
• States limit centralization of power.
• States should be laboratories of democracy.
• States encourage civic virtue, independence, and self-reliance.

Rick Perry: Earmarks corrupt the governing process

Why do we care about $29 billion in earmarks when our national deficit this year will be around $1.5 trillion? Because earmarks corrupt the process and divert attention from the real task of governing and oversight.

A modest 1-year moratorium on earmarks, proposed in 2008, was defeated 29-71. However, due to pressure from the Tea Party movement and an extremely frustrated American public, the idea of a moratorium remains alive, and at least the House GOP voted as a conference in Mar. 2010 to adopt a moratorium. What legislators should do is adopt a moratorium on pork until the budget is actually balanced, but don't hold your breath. In fact, the GOP failed to mention earmarks in its "agenda" document released in the fall of 2010

Rick Perry: Campaign contributions are political free speech

Any student of American history, or even the casual observer of the news of the day, must admit that the Court adheres to the Constitution in appearance and as a matter of necessity, finding in it or in previous case law the single nugget around which the Court can marginally justify its policy choice to keep up the pretense of actually caring one iota about the Constitution in the first place.

Tea Party: Invoke Boston Tea Party's anger against establishment

thousands of patriotic Americans have taken to the streets in protest--invoking the historic Boston Tea Party in the process. They are running for office and swarming the voting booths, sending shock waves from MA to HI. Their anger is directed against the establishment--that lumbering mass of old-guard politicians who do not understand that there is a quiet revolution taking place. And the shock waves are being felt on both sides of the political aisle.

Tea Party: Pressure Congress for moratorium on pork

Why do we care about $29 billion in earmarks when our national deficit this year will be around $1.5 trillion? Because earmarks corrupt the process and divert attention from the real task of governing and oversight.

A modest 1-year moratorium on earmarks, proposed in 2008, was defeated 29-71. However, due to pressure from the Tea Party movement and an extremely frustrated American public, the idea of a moratorium remains alive, and at least the House GOP voted as a conference in Mar. 2010 to adopt a moratorium. What legislators should do is adopt a moratorium on pork until the budget is actually balanced, but don't hold your breath. In fact, the GOP failed to mention earmarks in its "agenda" document released in the fall of 2010

Tom Coburn: Earmarks are unconstitutional perversion of Congress' duties

"In addition to being an unconstitutional perversion of our duties, earmarks also drive spending higher and distract Congress from its oversight responsibilities. Earmarks are the gateway drug to spending addiction in Congress because they encourage members of Congress to vote for bloated bills they would otherwise oppose. Earmarks also waste money outright, contrary to the views of many members. If Congress stopped earmarking we could reduce spending by the same amount. We are not helpless victims to the budget rules we set for ourselves. Plus, the effective legislator is not one who sends money back to his to her state through pork. Instead, the effective legislator is one who prevents money from leaving their state."