Town Hall Meeting with U.S. Congressman Brian Baird

This is off of You Tube and the descrition of this guy's channel

I, David William Hedrick, a member of the silent majority, decided that I was not going to be silent anymore. So, I let U.S. Congressman Brian Baird have it. I was one questioner out of 38, that was called at random from an audience that started at 3,000 earlier in the evening. Not expecting to be called on, I quickly scratched what I wanted to say on a borrowed piece of paper and with a pen that I borrowed from someone else in the audience minutes before I spoke. So much for the planned talking points of the right wing conspiracy.

Utah Believes in the Second Ammendment

Did you know that you can get a Utah concealed carry gun permit that is good in 30 other states in the Union?

I’d like you to join me in applying for a Utah concealed carry permit.

Let me explain why.

In Utah, we believe in the Second Amendment, so much so that we repeat it and expand it in our state constitution. And our laws reflect that.

For example, if you have a concealed carry permit from anywhere in the country, it’s honored in Utah. And that openness has resulted in an interesting phenomenon – Utah’s concealed carry license is itself accepted in most parts of the country.

Specifically, 30 states will honor a Utah pistol permit. If you have a Utah permit, you can carry in those states.

Now here’s the interesting thing. You don’t have to live in Utah to get a Utah permit. You don’t even have to visit Utah. You can do it all through the mail. You will have to take a class, but you can probably do that where you live, and the rest can be done long distance.

And two months later – if your background is clean – you will have the closest thing there is to a national concealed carry permit. Ironically, it may even be quicker and easier to get a Utah permit to carry in your state than if you went directly through your state government itself.

Now, here's an example of one of the states that does not understand the Second Ammendment – New York. New York doesn’t accept any other state’s permit. And, consequently, few other states accept New York’s permit – even though it is one of the most difficult and time-consuming to get.

And the odd thing is, a New York permit isn’t even good in all of New York. If you go into or through the New York City area, your permit is no good. If you cross a county line you stop being a law-abiding citizen and become a felon.

So a New York permit is good for driving back and forth to work and for around home. But if you’re taking any sort of a road trip, or going on vacation to another state, it’s useless. For holders of a New York concealed carry permit, the Second Amendment ends at the Pennsylvania state line.

Fortunately, though, they can be saved by the Utah legislature. And so can you. A Utah license will instantly create 30 more states where the Second Amendment will apply. It won’t be in all of America – we haven’t won that battle for liberty yet – but it will be 60 percent of the way there.

And while I’m grateful for that, I’m disappointed with a Congress that has failed to protect our constitutional right to keep and bear arms in all 50 states.

Here’s what I mean.

New York drivers licenses are honored in all 50 states. Ditto for marriage licenses and birth certificates. A divorce decree, or a name change, authorized by one state would be recognized by the others. Virtually all state-issued licenses and documents are honored by the other states – there’s a clause in the Constitution about that – but not pistol permits.

It is ironic that the only one of those things specifically protected by the Constitution is the only one of them not recognized.

What America needs is a national concealed carry permit. It is a keen disappointment that the Republican-controlled and NRA-backed Congress has not supplied that, and we will keep working on eventually getting one.

But until then, Utah is the next-best thing. It doesn’t cover the entire country, but it covers most of it.

Some will see this as a gun-nut loophole, that somehow Utah is opening the door to handgun ownership and carry to a slew of goofballs from all across the country. Some will see this as taking advantage of Utah. I don’t see it that way at all.

I see this as a situation in which the legislature of Utah has a keener understanding of American freedom and a greater regard for the American people than the legislatures of most other states. I see it as a service being provided the country by this freedom-loving state. I’m not taking advantage of it, I’m celebrating it.

I’m holding it up as a good example. I am applauding the politicians and government of Utah for doing what their counterparts across the country should do.

I feel the federal and several state governments have failed to honor the Constitution. Where they have failed, however, Utah has not. And I am grateful for that.

And I’m going to get a Utah concealed carry permit.

And I’m going to be grateful to my state and its leaders for helping more Americans to be free.

Cash for Clunkers Could Lead to Government Bulldozing Homes?

FORT LEE, N.J., Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Inflation Association today released the following statement to its http://inflation.us members:

"The United States government's "cash for clunkers" program, which was just expanded by $2 billion on Thursday, exemplifies the stupidity of politicians in Washington today. It's insane to think that destroying perfectly good and valuable assets, cars that people can drive, will help save our economy. This program is digging our economy into a deeper hole that we will never be able to dig out of.

We do not have an automobile crisis in the U.S., the average American household already has 2.3 cars. The automobile industry needed to collapse in order to build a new viable auto industry from the ground-floor. By artificially boosting car sales, the government is preventing the free market from cleaning out the excesses in the industry.

During the Great Depression, millions of Americans couldn't afford to buy food. With food prices falling and huge surpluses of food building, the government decided to pass the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 which forced farmers to destroy crops and livestock in an attempt to artificially drive up food prices. The plan backfired and led to millions of Americans starving, prolonging the Great Depression for another six years.

The current financial crisis in America was caused by both the U.S. government and American people getting into too much debt. Not only is the government getting deeper into debt by purchasing used cars for $4,500 and destroying them, but Americans are being forced to get deeper into debt to buy new cars. The used cars being purchased and destroyed were owned by Americans outright. The free market would've encouraged Americans to drive these cars until they stopped working, while rebuilding their savings. The government is preventing this from happening and doing greater damage to the economy.

Four out of the top five models of new cars being purchased as part of "cash for clunkers" are foreign cars. Therefore, very little of this newly printed money is going to the bailed out U.S. automobile manufacturers. We are increasing our trade deficit with Japan and other foreign countries at a time when we should be manufacturing cars that we export to the rest of the world, so that we can shrink our trade deficit.

With all of the new government employees being hired to administrate "cash for clunkers", the true cost is over $6,000 per car. Most modern day economists featured by the mainstream media say "cash for clunkers" will be a huge boost to the economy, because it will help lower unemployment and increase our GDP. It's amazing how they can phrase the program as a success, when it is only leading our country further down the path of hyperinflation. The misguided and irresponsible phrase in the mainstream media will encourage politicians to come up with more stupid programs for other so-called crises.

Real Estate prices in America still haven't fallen to below year 2000 levels because the banks that are foreclosing on properties are sitting on these properties and not selling them. After banks get the required infrastructure and manpower in place and begin selling them, Real Estate prices will fall to unimaginably low levels. Will the government repeat their mistakes with the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 and "cash for clunkers" and begin purchasing these houses from banks only to bulldoze them?

There have already been isolated cases in places such as Victorville, California, where banks have destroyed nearly complete new homes instead of completing and selling them. In Flint, Michigan, local government officials are promoting "the concept of shrinking Flint in order to make it stronger", by bulldozing 40% of the community. What is to stop the federal government from destroying already built existing homes, to prevent them from becoming listed on the market? It sounds like insanity, and it is, but if the government destroyed food and is now destroying cars, houses are likely next."

Please spread the word about NIA and have your friends subscribe for free at http://inflation.us

About us:

The National Inflation Association is an organization that is dedicated to preparing Americans for hyperinflation. The NIA offers free membership at http://www.inflation.us and provides its members with articles about the economy and inflation, news stories, important charts not shown by the mainstream media; YouTube videos featuring Jim Rogers, Marc Faber, Ron Paul, Peter Schiff, and others; and profiles of gold, silver, and agriculture companies that we believe could prosper in an inflationary environment.
Press Release
Source: National Inflation Association
On Friday August 7, 2009, 2:24 pm EDT

There's Something I Want To Share With You

There's something I want to share. Something personal and private, something close to my heart.

I had thought to keep it private, to let my family face this alone and unknown, but I couldn't. My wife and I decided that perhaps our experience can help others, that maybe the road we are called to walk down can be of use to someone else. I'm not one of these people to wear ribbons or host telethons or get a colonoscopy just because Katie Couric said to, but sometimes these things just hit so gosh darn close to home that you can't keep quiet. You have to speak out.

So I am speaking out. If my family's experience can shine the light of public awareness on my daughter's affliction, if we can help just one other child, or make the way easier for a single family, then our pain and loss of privacy will be worthwhile.

So here goes. I have something to announce. My daughter has dysrationalia. We have been suspicious for a while, and it was confirmed last week.

We are a family with dysrationalia because when one member of a family has dysrationalia, it impacts everyone. Since the diagnosis, our house has been turned upside down. Every part of our life has been impacted.

Further, dysrationalia is genetic, and when one member of a family has it, there is a very strong likelihood that others in the family will have it as well. And though I don't want to go into too much detail, when our daughter started showing the signs of dysrationalia, I was quick to recognize the familiar tell-tale traits such as the fits and emotional break-downs.

For children in the early stages of dysrationalia there are many signs of what appear to be emotional and psychological disorders. The crying uncontrollably for no apparent reason. Flareups of anger over nothing. Sometimes she will lash out at us. It's hard.

When they get older, when the dysrationalia is more advanced, it can lead to more severe bouts of anger and frustration, as well as poor judgment and decision making. With dysrationalia parents sometimes feel helpless and out of control. Often, they are as frustrated as their affected children. It is a devistating condition.

And this is what our daughter has. Our little girl has dysrationalia.

I'm not saying this to get sympathy, or to collect money. Heaven knows there will be plenty of time for those things later. Right now, I'm just about awareness. It's like when that one TV guy's wife got irritable-bowel syndrome and she told about it on "Oprah," there are times when you show your pain and your vulnerability if it will help other people face the challenges of their lives. We're all human here, and we all face our trials and challenges, and when it's family it's family, and family helps family, and I hope my family can help yours.

Sure, I live a pretty decent life. I'm an IT Professional, I have a network of computers, and I've found I have a talent for cooking (which my wife thoroughly appreciates). I've kind of got it made in the shade. But this sort of stuff happens even to people like me. At the end of the day, we all put our pants on one leg at a time.

And I want my daughter's story to be heard. I want people to know. I want to raise public awareness.

I'm tired of people having to suffer in silence, and if my daughter's story gives one family the courage to stand up and say, "We have dysrationalia, too!" then I will be happy.

It's time for those of us touched by dysrationalia to stand up on our own two feet and make our voices heard. It is time for the government to pay attention to our children, too. It's time for an uncaring society to feel our pain. It's time that we stopped looking the other way when someone with dysrationalia passes. It's time that dysrationalia stopped being the invisible diagnosis.

We waited and wondered for a year, watching for signs. Countless silent families have done the same. Countless silent families have met the same fate.

But we're not going to be silent anymore.

My daughter has dysrationalia.

And I will not hang my head in shame any longer.