ledeagenda.com

From Foxnews:

The Obama administration is warning Congress that if it doesn’t move to regulate greenhouse gases, the Environmental Protection Agency will take a “command-and-control” role over the process in a way that could hurt business.

The warning, from a top White House economic official who spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity, came on the eve of EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson’s address to the international conference on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Jackson, however, tried to strike a tone of cooperation in her address Wednesday, explaining that the EPA’s new powers to regulate greenhouse gases will be used to complement legislation pending in Congress, not replace it.

“This is not an ‘either-or’ moment. It’s a ‘both-and’ moment,” she said.

But while administration officials have long said they prefer Congress take action on climate change, the economic official who spoke with reporters Tuesday night made clear that the EPA will not wait and is prepared to act on its own.

And it won’t be pretty.

“If you don’t pass this legislation, then … the EPA is going to have to regulate in this area,” the official said. “And it is not going to be able to regulate on a market-based way, so it’s going to have to regulate in a command-and-control way, which will probably generate even more uncertainty.”

The growth of government isn’t always in the form of new laws and regulations. In fact, more often than not it is through the growth of already existing government programs.

Case in point: Traffic safety

Can you imagine another area of government were it could grow at 21.2% and be unnoticed by the ire of the taxpayer? Yet that is exactly what is happening.

From KTVB:

Ada County’s population continues to grow.

For proof — just count the number of traffic lights handling the heavier traffic.

The Ada County Highway District activated its 400th traffic signal this morning.

It’s located at the intersection of Parkcenter Boulevard and Law Avenue in southeast Boise.

By the way, in 2000 — there were only 313 traffic lights in Ada County.

That is a 21.2% growth in less than ten years. Granted, the massive population expansion in the area has put an increased traffic load on Idaho’s roads and highways. But do we really need 400 traffic lights?

Stop lights to private subdivisions.

Stop lights to dead end lanes.

2-3 stop lights for the same business park.

Major arterial roads at a complete gridlock due to the generous use of traffic control lights.

It’s unnecessary, onerous and burdensome. It also slows traffic and delays your commute. And then there is this little kicker: traffic lights cause accidents. The CATO Institute has an old policy brief out but it would be much advised to review here.

CATO notes in its report ‘Traffic Control: An Exercise In Self-Defeat’ (Briefly Noted, Fall 2004)  that intersections, through traffic control and right-of-way laws actually create congestion and accidents.

Whenever traffic signals break down, we are told to treat the intersection as an all-way stop. The day the signals went out in a Washington, D.C., suburb, a commuter reported that he got to his job 25 minutes earlier than usual. Incredible as it may sound, an FHWA study found all-way stops cause less delay than those synchronized signal systems the public keeps clamoring for. Such systems function only with moderate traffic volumes and usually in one direction only. Those drivers who travel in the opposite direction and on the side streets pay for it with longer delays. As traffic gets heavier, signal synchronization gets us faster to the next bottleneck, where we have to wait that much longer.

Official reports have attributed 40 percent of the vehicle delays in urban areas to traffic signal inefficiencies. If that figure is correct, the annual nationwide loss comes to 5.7 billion vehicle-hours, or $95 billion, plus $28 billion for wasted fuel and other vehicle operating costs. It does not include the delay to pedestrians, the harm to business, the air pollution and the increased cost of living and accidents.

ACHD’s recent announcement celebrating its 400th stoplight begs the question: What exactly are their plans for efficient and safe traffic in the Treasure Valley? Certainly there still is no northern-corridor thorough fare. And despite the fact that State St. is in part a State Highway, they continue to erect stoplights at a staggering pace for those commuters coming from Caldwell, Middleton, Emmett and Star.

One needs to look no further than the wasted six lane parking lot found on Eagle between Overland and State St. to see that the CATO study rings true for Boise’s traffic patterns. Another good example would be Fairview, once a thriving business street that has all become a shady section of town that drivers go to great lengths to avoid. I would submit that the stoplights on Fairview have a large factor in the Fairview business district’s gradual rundown.

I will end with this thought: Where is the press releases from the ACHD celebrating the removal of inefficient traffic lights? Your guess is as good as mine.

Keep an eye on stories like this one where people are abandoning MSM for the internet in search of real news. Could we possibly be seeing the pre-text for the imposition of government-run-and-controlled Internet 2?

Ok, so Barack Obama is now our President-Elect. That very thought cringes me to the core. And yes, he is America’s president, or will be as soon as the Constitutional electors meet. I didn’t vote for him, but he does assume the mantle of the American President. The constitutional process was followed.

But, I still wonder how many will be willing to put up with the Senator’s tax hikes?

Considering how much his definition of the ultra-wealthy keeps changing, I can’t help but think that pretty soon all small business owners will be within Senator Barack Obama’s “spread the wealth” philosophy.

For example, take your average small business, the economic engine of America. Let’s assign the business owner a modest $50k salary. Add in three employees to help him run shop, at a modest $25,000 a year salary, and you are already at $125,000 in payroll alone. Then we would need to talk overhead expenses, inventory, insurance and taxes. In short, this small business would easily run well past even the higher of Obama’s numerous tax thresholds of $250,000 a year.

So, how many small businesses, seeing massive tax hikes coming their way, won’t take preventative steps to meet the bottom line?

Consider this: the unemployment rate in this country is spiking.

I can’t help but think that the combined crippling effect of the economic downturn combined with Obama’s tax plans will mean more businesses will need to trim costs to stay afloat. Suddenly one or two of those workers in our example, for instance, are cut to part-time hours. Or maybe the costs in the shop are raised, inventory reduced, or business re-investment curtailed.

There is another drastic proposal as well. Business owners could suddenly go John Galt and decide that cooperating with insane taxes and regulations are no longer worth the incentive to produce.

In our example the business owner, seeing his taxes double and wage requirements drastically increase by mandate of the government, closes his shop and moves on to a new industry where he does not have to hire any help. Three people are automatically out of work to start. Then the manufacturers of the goods he sells in his store would take note. While his shop alone isn’t enough to notice, if enough small business owners participate in a economic protest the result could be a big chill on the economy. Add in the business owner’s accountant, insurance agent, janitorial service- you get the idea- no industry would be spared.

I believe that the economy is floundering because people have lost the incentive to produce. If failure is rewarded with bailouts and profit labeled as greed, the quickest way to prop up the bottom line is to run and inefficient business model. This, of course, requires taking even more from those running successful operations to give those who don’t operate with a sound business plan in mind.

This, ultimately, is why socialism leads to marxism. Eventually the producers will be forced to produce for the betterment of “society”. How short it is from “too big to fail” to “must not fail”. We should all be very concerned, the free market’s very survival is in our hands.

From the CATO Institute:

To legitimately invoke the commerce power, Congress must show not only that a federal program is necessary but also that it is proper- that is, the program does not violate other foundational principles, such as federalism, separation of powers, and limited government. Congress has not made that showing.

Indeed, the bailout quite clearly violates the Constitution’s separation-of-powers principle- in particular, what has become known as the nondelegation doctrine, which states that Congress may not delegate its legislative power to any other entity, including Cabinet departments of the executive branch. Article 1 of the Constitution states, “All legislative Powers … shall be vested in Congress.” A plain reading of the text shows that lawmaking is for the legislative branch, which does not include the Treasury Department. Yet when Congress authorized the bailout package, it gave Secretary Henry Paulson unprecedented power to act as a super-legislature.

It seems so impending, so imminent, so oppressive that we accept the tenants of socialism in this election. Our economy is in shambles, our personal finances are a mess, our nation’s roads, bridges and infrastructure crumbling. The war in Iraq fueling flames of absolutism, and the anxious eyes keep close tabs on the price of oil.

It is as if, it seems, Barack Obama truly is our savior.

The audacity of John McCain, how dare he reject socialism’s siren call! How dare he deny hope and change! Hope and change!

In case you haven’t heard this morning: The Atlantic Ocean has endorsed Barack Obama. No word yet from the Pacific Ocean.

Never in my life did I imagine that we would face such a vote, a referendum on socialism in this country. This election is no longer about fixing our markets, keeping our homes or increasing domestic oil production. This election is about the very heart and soul of America. This election has eclipsed the ordinary and the mundane.

When Barack Hussein Obama came right out and said, “I want to spread the wealth around”, this election ceased being about the issues of today. It ceased being about President Bush, the war in Iraq or Republican politics. It has now become an election of establishing a new order of American political rule and rejecting our Founding principals.

This election is bigger than the Presidential race. Glenn Beck warned us the other day that the French Prime Minister met with President Bush and quote, “laid it all out. He said there could be not rejection of world currency after this financial crises is over”. Things are moving so quick, situations that previously would have taken years of planning and discussion are now being accelerated and acted upon immediately.

Of course, this does not bode well for conservatives who now have less than two weeks to make their case that capitalism should rule and within the free markets lies the solution to our economic woes.

Constitutionalists, at times, seem to act like everybody knows the same basic assumptions of the proper role of government that they do. I am afraid that I longer trust the general public to matters of our heritage or our basic, fundamental principals. I am afraid that the American public will not understand the arguments against world economic and political integration. I think that most people see it, unfortunately, as simply the next thing that must happen.

This has caught me, and most people, off guard. Could you have imagined a year ago that gas prices would have risen as much as they have and that our financial system would be strained so much? It is as if the very course of history is pressing us to surrender to a system greater than our own or hunker down and solve our own problems.

Where are the Patriots of today? Where is our Ronald Reagan? Our Thomas Jefferson? Where is our Ayn Rand? Can we, dare we, reject the inevitable? Hope and Change? What about Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit Of Happiness? Oh, the choices before us.

Dare we man up and say, “Hell No!!”? We shall see come Nov. 4th, we will not be unable to undo this one.

Rep. Bill Sali is correct to point out that the coming Mexican Consulate in Boise presents serious concerns about the ability of local law enforcement to properly identify and issue deportation holds for those whom are here illegally.

Quite simply, an acceptance of a consulate is one step toward establishing Boise as a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants.

Don’t believe me? Check out the battle that is occurring with the San Diego Police Department and the S.D. City Council. This battle will soon be coming to Boise now that Condi Rice has approved a Mexican Consulate for Idaho.

The San Diego City Council wants to establish themselves as a “Sanctuary City”. While they seek the declarations to make it official, outsiders looking in wonder why the time and expense of declaring it official is really necessary.

At issue is the matricula consular I.D. card issued by the Mexican Government. In communities with a disproportionate number of illegal immigrants, local law enforcement often finds itself handicapped into accepting the matricula consular as a valid identification in place of say a drivers license or birth certificate. This is the case in San Diego. The city council is trying to pass regulations such as the above, the local Sheriff is sticking to federal law requirements, which say these documents are not valid operator permits.

Matricula consular cards are issued at consulate’s. They are neither secure or widely accepted as identification cards, and there is no real time verification of the identity of the person for whom the matricula consular is being issued. Check out this site for more information on the matricula consular .

Opening a consulate in Idaho is a direct route for illegal immigrants to establish themselves as “legitimate” citizens of the United States. Even banks want to get in the act, accepting foreign identification for opening a bank account.

Quite simply, Idaho law is not ready for the presence of the Mexican consulate in the area. Strong laws are needed to prevent local communities from declaring themselves ’sanctuary cities’ and accepting the easily issued matricula consular cards as valid for driving, employment, insurance purposes and and law enforcement matters.

The standards for issuance of the cards are too lose: there is no active verification of the applicants identity. Terrorists, criminals and ill-intended individuals can and will use this loophole to gain entry into America.

Furthermore, Idaho should not demean those already living here who have taken steps to establish a legitimate and legal identity. Americans should not be forced to accept a foreign identification card as a valid United States presence. Additionally, the matricula consular is not a drivers license in Mexico, why would we allow illegal immigrants to pass it off as such to local law enforcement?

We don’t, and shouldn’t. The plans for the consulate are already moving forward, we need to pressure lawmakers now to stop the acceptance of foreign ID, outside of where Federal Law requires, as a valid legal document. Otherwise, that beat up old jalopy behind you with 20 people in it? They will be unlicensed and uninsured and law enforcement will be powerless to do anything about it when they rear end you. Or take your job. Or use tax-payer funded services.

As least Idaho Law says that the matricula consular is not valid for obtaining a Idaho Drivers license. Will the Idaho Legislature strengthen this statute to prevent local government from accepting the matricula consular AS A drivers license?

And this is for certain: when that consulate opens up it will attract more illegals. The question is now, will we be prepared to handle the results?

More proof that we have hit the economic rock bottom of the recession: food rationing. Our housing market is in shambles, gas prices rising to $4 a gallon, massive inflation in nearly every public and private sector and now food rationing. All work of the New World Order, all designed to compel you to give more control to the government. Will you follow their lead? Or blare the warning siren?

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UPDATE 4-23-8:

Apparently Idaho law STRICTLY FORBIDS quantity limits on sales:

 TITLE 48
CHAPTER 4
48-405A. LIMITATION OF QUANTITY OF ITEMS OFFERED FOR SALE AT RETAIL PROHIBITED.
No person conducting a retail business, which involves the resale
to consumers of commodities purchased or acquired for that purpose, may limitthe quantity of any article or product sold or offered for sale to any one
customer to a quantity less than the entire supply thereof owned or possessed
by the seller or which he otherwise is authorized to sell. Any person as
principal, agent, officer or director, by himself, or another person, who
shall violate this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor for each single
violation and upon conviction thereof shall be punishable pursuant to the
provisions of section 48-405, Idaho Code … and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine or not more than $500 or by imprisonment not to exceed six (6) months or by both said fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court.

I dare Sam’s Club to try it here….