To unsubscribe please visit: http://www.chuckmuth.com/remove X-ListMember: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
**************************************** Government by Inferiors "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." - Plato ***************************************** Send In the Clown "Conservative activists are pushing the presidential campaign of... left-wing activist Al Sharpton. 'I'm hoping the Democratic primary turns into the ultimate campaign fiasco,' the organization Republicans for Sharpton writes to Insider Report. . . . 'This country is about due for some laughter. And Al Sharpton is the perfect liberal clown to deliver.'" - NewsMax.com, 6/7/03 *************************************** Campaign Hot Tips New to campaigns and grassroots activism? Seasoned veteran who recognizes there's always something new to learn? Then sign up for Mark Montini's FREE "Campaign Hot Tips" e-newsletter at: http://www.campaignsecrets.com/hot_tips.asp ***************************************** Burning Issue "As a retired US Navy Vietnam veteran, I applaud the sentiment that has resulted in this flag desecration legislation, however, I will fight it with every amount of voice I can muster. "It was my honor to serve my country, but part of the reason I placed my own life in jeopardy was to make certain that if you desire to protest something that government officials do (or not do), you should have every right to do so. I fear that those who wish to see this new Constitutional Amendment ratified have not thought it through. "Upon ratification by 38 states, the law of unintended consequences will immediately take hold: Will the wearing of the flag on a bikini bottom be 'desecration'? Will printing it on a handkerchief? How about on a roll of toilet paper? Most importantly, who will decide WHAT desecration is? Do you trust Congress to do that? "My personal feeling is that while I will defend your right to do almost anything to this symbol of our nation, I caution you to do it outside the range of my fist: I reserve the right to express my disapproval of your action. "I strongly urge everyone to think seriously for a long moment before they rush to approve what I believe is an unnecessary over-reaction to misplaced patriotism. Honoring the Flag of the United States of America, in my opinion, should always be PERSONAL, not governmentally required." - News & Views reader Alan R. Huber of Sioux Falls, SD ***************************************** Competing Against the Gummint "National Public Radio (NPR)...has a well-known and documented left-wing political bias with views almost identical to that of the New York Times. NPR has a strong advantage over its private sector competitors because it receives the government subsidy and tax-deductible, private contributions to its operations. "Advocates for NPR often claim conservatives have more talk radio hosts with bigger audiences so, even if NPR has a leftist bias, it is not a danger. However, there is a fundamental difference. If you do not like Rush Limbaugh, you can boycott his sponsors by not buying their products. If you do not like NPR and try to boycott its sponsor (the federal government) by withholding your taxes, you can be sent to jail. "...As long as it is a government-owned entity, NPR will never be fair and balanced. Because it depends on government, it will always support government spending over the rights and needs of taxpayers. It attracts a staff that is hostile to the private sector, and that loves government and the party of government - the Democratic Party." - Richard Rahn of the Cato Institute ************************************ 4.75 cents-per-minute Long Distance * All state-to-state calls in the continental U.S. * Residential or commercial * 6-second billing increments * 24 hours/day * 7 days/week * No access codes * No minimums * No activation fees * Calling Card Rate is 10 cents per minute * No monthly service charge unless your bill is less than $20.00 a month (then a $1.99 service charge will apply) * No need to change your local phone company * No hassles * Easy sign-up. * And a small portion of each bill goes to help continue publishing our FREE Chuck Muth's News & Views e-newsletter. Just go to: <http://www.GOPLongDistance.com> today. ***************************************** Goin' Postal "The United States Postal Service is soooo screwed up. It's overly centralized, the board of governors (or whatever they're called) meets monthly to fine tune things they know nothing about (whereas typical private industry boards meet quarterly), and they are out-of-touch, implementing bizarre rules regarding debit card usage, credit card payment, and so on. Local managers have little control and the control they do have, they exercise poorly, because they don't think in real world terms of customer service, efficiency, increased revenue, employee relations. "Many post offices have long (many-month long) waiting lists for PO boxes, which generate fees and are less costly to service than home delivery. I asked the Postmaster of one such Post Office, Los Angeles' VA station (near UCLA) why they didn't install more boxes, since they already had lots of accessible and empty space for more. He said, as a reason, that they'd be immediately occupied. "In other words, if they give the people what they want, we'll actually pay more for it, and they'll spend less time and energy to service it...and that's bad. I won't go on, but I could write a book about this." - News & Views reader Jeff Foxmore of La Jolla, California ***************************************** Hitting the Lawsuit Jackpottery "Cedrick Makara, 55, went to the restroom at the building where he works in New York City. The door to his loo didn't have a knob, just a hole where the knob should have been. He stuck his hand through the hole to open it just as someone else came in, hitting the door. Makara, a city employee, jammed his hand. It was no laughing matter: he had to have surgery to fix tendons in his thumb. "But six months off work (remember, he's a government employee) and medical care wasn't anywhere near enough: he sued the building's private owner and manager for failing to fix the door -- and has been awarded $2 million for past and future pain and suffering, $200,000 for future medical needs, and $750,000 for his wife." - Randy Cassingham, StellaAwards.com, 6/4/03 ***************************************** Battle Royale Brewing in PA GOP Primary "Thirty-three right-of-center members of the U.S. House of Representatives have written to David Keene, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, questioning the integrity of the organization. Something like that has never happened in all the years since the late U.S. Rep. John Ashbrook (R-OH) and others founded the ACU following the defeat of Senator Barry Goldwater's presidential bid. "What gives here? Well, it seems that Keene wrote an opinion piece, not in his official capacity as ACU chairman but as a political observer, commenting on the upcoming primary race in Pennsylvania between incumbent Senator Arlen Specter and Rep. Pat Toomey. Keene is keen on Specter. "ACU annually tracks key votes in the House and Senate and uses them to rate Members of Congress. Senator Specter has a lifetime ACU rating of 42%. Toomey has a lifetime rating of 97%. "...Still and all, what Keene has managed to accomplish is to get that Pennsylvania race on the radar screens of conservatives everywhere. For 2004, that will be the Senate race to watch." - Paul Weyrich, Free Congress Foundation ****************************************** Affordable Campaign Websites! Now you can get professional-looking campaign web sites for as little as $10 a month. That's right...just ten smackeroos a month. Here's what's included in this fantastic new program from Campaign Secrets, Inc. (available ONLY to Republican candidates): * Free Hosting * Unique Domain Name * Personal Email Accounts * Credit Card Processing * Unlimited Edits * Event Calendar * Volunteer Sign-up Page * Built-in Bulk Emailer Campaign Site Builder can be used for political organizations and non-profits, as well. For more information, just go to: http://www.campaignsecrets.com/websites.asp *********************************** How to Subscribe If you know someone who might like to receive News & Views, you can sign 'em up at: http://www.chuckmuth.com. Also, occasionally, the automatic listserve we use will "bump" subscribers off the list if your mailbox is full or experiences some other technical glitch. If you suddenly stop receiving News & Views, the first thing you should do is try to re-subscribe using the link above. Published by Citizen Outreach Chuck Muth Editor/Publisher 611 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, #439 Washington, DC 20003-4303 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Citizen Outreach is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public policy organization and does not endorse candidates or lobby for specific legislation. The opinions and views expressed in Chuck Muth's News & Views reflect those of the writers, editors and columnists therein and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Citizen Outreach, its officers, directors or employees. To be REMOVED, go to: http://www.chuckmuth.com/remove/default.cfm and complete the removal request instructions you'll find there. Or send your request to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # #
