Had to make a tough call yesterday as to whether or not to have the team travel over Hatchett Mountain to attend a tea party meeting in Fall River Mills.  Seeing how I’ve never had the chance to make the drive in the past, I relied on input from other team members and friends whether or not they felt it was in the best interests of safety to make the trip Tuesday afternoon, returning later that night.  General consensus was it would not be a good idea to go given possible changes in road conditions.  My deepest regrets to those in Fall River Mills for not being able to make the tea party meeting.

Spent the afternoon close to home.  Walked most of downtown Redding for the better part of the afternoon meeting voters and handing out my campaign fliers.  Had a great meal at Danburgers off Placer Ave downtown….great burger and fries!

Am meeting a couple other veterans this morning at 6am to travel to Sacramento.  We’re attending a seminar on how to qualify for the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).  As some of you know, I am chairing a committee to erect an Air Force Memorial out at the Northern California Veterans Cemetery.  Getting qualified for CFC would be another source of funds for this project.

Latest word is former State Senator Sam Aanestad is getting into the Congressional race.  Good for him.  The more the merrier and the more choices for voters.  I love democracy in action!  :  )

That’s it for now.  More Walking Tour updates soon.

Have a great day and God bless!

Well, we’ve received our campaign flyers last week and I’m thrilled to report I’ve begun walking the 1st Congressional District.

Plans are to win this campaign the ‘old fashioned way’….I’m going to earn it by walking and meeting as many folks in the district as humanly possible.

To-date, I’ve covered the downtown areas of Cottonwood, Anderson and completed Red Bluff yesterday.

Nothing like hitting the streets and meeting the folks to learn what they’re thinking and  how they’re feeling.

Next stop on the walking tour is Redding and Shasta Lake City.

See  you on the road!

God bless.

“We need to cut spending like a Thanksgiving Day turkey. No more borrowing. No more Super Committees. No more excuses. Time to prioritize, time to cut, time to pay as we go. Not a single penny more added to our national debt.”

• There’s no denying it. Spending by our federal government is completely out of control. It has been for many, many years, through both republican and democrat administrations.
• Career politicians, on both sides of the aisle, purposely chose to take a pass on dealing with America’s growing debt problem 20-30 years ago when it was still a manageable problem. Instead, they’ve added (except for the years 1996 to 2000) to the problem, in a very significant way.
• Now, because of their ineptitude and incompetence, our nation faces financial ruin.
• Incredibly, the very politicians who got us into this mess are asking us to return them to elected office. They assure us they’ve seen the light and are ready to fix the problem. Now really, how stupid do they think we are?
• In 2011, Congress wrapped up the highest level of spending in years….over $3.8T in FY2011 with a $1.6T budget deficit . . . borrowing an astounding 43% of our budget.
• Today’s national debt clock shows the U.S. as a debtor nation, owing over $15T to such countries as China and Russia. For the first time ever in our history, America’s total debt exceeds her total annual Gross Domestic Product.
• Interest on the U.S. national debt clocked in at an astounding $413B in 2010, and is expected to reach $1.1T by 2021. By comparison, California’s total budget expenditure for 2010-2011 was $117.4B (from general and special funds). That’s $413B of hard earned taxpayer dollars flushed down the proverbial rat hole, with absolutely nothing to show for it.
• No more bail-outs. No more stimulus plans. No more Cash for Clunkers. No more deficit spending. Not a single penny more added to our national debt. Time for action.
• First, let’s defund all budget items clearly not constitutionally valid. On the chopping block, in whole or in part, would be the Department of Energy, Obamacare, National Public Radio, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (including Fannie and Freddie), the National Endowment of the Arts, all corporate welfare, all subsidies, Amtrak, and a whole lot more. If not expressly called for in the U.S. Constitution, it needs to go.
• Some areas to consider cutting include: Corporation for PBS subsidy ($445M annual savings); Save America’s Treasures Program ($25M annual savings); International Fund for Ireland ($17M annual savings); Legal Services Corporation ($420M annual savings); National Endowment for the Arts ($167.5M annual savings); National Endowment for the Humanities ($167.5M annual savings); Hope VI Program ($250M annual savings); Amtrack Subsidies (1.565B annual savings); Eliminate 68 duplicative education programs ($1.3B annual savings); U.S. Trade Development Agency ($55M annual savings); Woodrow Wilson Center subsidy ($20M annual savings); Cut in half funding for congressional printing and binding ($47M annual savings); John C. Stennis Center subsidy ($430,000 annual savings); Community Development Fund ($4.5B annual savings); Heritage Area Grants and Statutory Aid ($24M annual savings); Cut federal travel budget in half ($7.5B annual savings); Trim federal vehicle budget by 20% ($600M annual savings); Essential Air Service ($150M annual savings); Technology Innovation Program ($70M annual savings); Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program ($125M annual savings); Department of Energy grants to states for weatherization ($530M annual savings); Beach replenish ($95M annual savings); New Starts Transit ($2B annual savings); Exchange Programs for Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and their Historical Trading Partners in Massachusetts ($9M annual savings); Intercity and High Speed Rail grants ($2.5B annual savings); Title X Family Planning ($318M annual savings); Appalachian Regional Commission ($76M annual savings); Economic Development Administration ($293M annual savings); Programs under the National and Community Services Act ($1.15B annual savings); Applied Research at Department of Energy ($1.27B annual savings); Freedom CAR and Fuel Partnership ($200M annual savings); Energy Star Program ($52M annual savings); Economic Assistance to Egypt ($250M annual savings); U.S. Agency for International Development ($1.39B annual savings); General Assistance to District of Columbia ($210M annual savings); Subsidy for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ($150M annual savings); Presidential Campaign Fund ($775M savings over ten years); No funding for federal office space acquisition ($864M annual savings); End prohibitions on competitive sourcing of government services; Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act (more than $1B annual savings); IRS Direct Deposit: Require the IRS to deposit fees for some services it offers (such as processing payment plans for taxpayers) to the Treasury, instead of allowing it to remain as part of its budget ($1.8B savings over 10 years); Require collection of unpaid taxes by federal employees ($1B total savings); Prohibit taxpayer funded union activities by federal employees ($1.2B savings over 10 years); Sell excess federal properties not being used ($15B total savings); Eliminate death gratuity for members of Congress; Eliminate Mohair subsidies ($1M annual savings); Eliminate taxpayer subsidies to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ($12.5M annual savings); Eliminate Market Access Program ($200M annual savings); USDA Sugar Program ($14M annual savings); Subsidy to Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development ($93M annual savings); Eliminate the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program ($56.2M annual savings); Eliminate fund for Obamacare administrative costs ($900M savings); Ready to Learn TV Program ($27M savings); HUD PhD Program; Deficit Reduction Check-Off Act; Total Savings: $2.5T over 10 years; consolidate 69 separate programs, administered by 10 different agencies, to provide education or care to children under the age of 5; cancel grant to study why monkeys throw their feces ($800,000 savings); consolidate 23 separate programs, each with its own overhead, to provide housing assistance to the elderly; and defund sponsorship of Hawaii’s Chocolate Festival ($48,700 savings).
• While we’re at it, foreign aid needs to be cut at least in half, going only to countries clearly demonstrating an alliance with the U.S. Completely pulling out of the United Nations, saving billions of dollars each year, also makes sense.
• Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are not sustainable under current laws. These programs will soon consume all federal revenue if nothing is done. In order to make them financially viable, they need to be modified to include raising the retirement age, indexing benefits to inflation, means testing, privatization and other fixes. We either make these programs sustainable now or sit back and watch as they collapse and die.
• All budget items deemed constitutionally valid must be prioritized, receiving an allocation of funding. When the money runs out, we go without. The importance of prioritizing cannot be over-emphasized. America’s families must prioritize how they spend their limited dollars. The federal government must do the same.
• Eliminate all duplicative and unnecessary programs. Let’s stop the billions of dollars of fraud and waste we’ve been hearing about for years with no action.
• Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment, ensuring our elected leaders can never again drive our Nation into such outrageous, uncontrolled debt.
• Everything’s on the table as we work together to bring out national budget into balance and eliminate our accrued debt. Special interests must be kept out of the room as thoughtful leaders work to put our financial house in order.

“If we allow our Second Amendment right to be infringed, one can’t help but wonder what might be next. The right to freely assemble? The right to free speech? The right to religious freedom? I’m not prepared to give up any of my constitutional rights without a good fight. Are you?”

• Place a moratorium on any new gun regulations.
• Accomplish a complete, objective review of all federal gun laws to see if they are effective and necessary. If not, repeal them.
• Pass the ‘Castle Doctrine’ which, among other things, presumes that a person who forcibly enters or intrudes into your home, place of business or occupied vehicle is there to cause death or great bodily harm and you have the right to use any manner of force, including deadly force, against that individual. It also provides that you cannot be prosecuted or sued for using such force.
• Reciprocity of gun permits makes sense, permitting Americans who hold permits to carry firearms in their home states to carry their weapons across state lines. However, I am deferential and respectful to individual state’s rights to make this decision.

“Putting America First”

Wow, what a great evening!

Had the wonderful opportunity to speak with members of the Bostonian Tea Party last night.  They had a really great crowd over at T&B…and boy were they asking all the tough questions.  I loved it.  Sure has a way of keep a public servant on his toes.  Did my best to answer all their questions as directly and fully as I could.

With the announcement that Wally Herger is supporting his handpicked successor, Doug LaMalfa, this should prove to be an exciting campaign for congress.  I know I’ve got the passion and committment to see it to the finish line!

Thanks to all the Bostonian Tea Party folks and their illustrious leader, Gregg Mann, for having me over last night.  Very much appreciated.

Pete