The following video is an award winning speech presented by Josh Craddock. In it he explains ehy we should not vote for a candidate who is regarded as the “lesser of two evils”. Craddocks presents a third option to enable us to vote for an actual representative candidate.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkLFZkJVBKE?rel=0&w=420&h=315]
Some of you may be familiar with David Barton and his organization, Wallbuilders. They have been working for the past 20 years to preserve the original documents and principles on which this country was founded.
Some of you saw the video series Building on the American Heritage Series; included in the videos were David Barton and Rick Green.
The Dayton Tea Party (DTP) is bringing Rick Green to Dayton to talk about our country’s founding, God’s role in our country’s success, and the necessity for us to fulfill our obligation to VOTE.
This event will be held on Saturday, September 15, 2012 at 6:00 PM. at Crestview Baptist Church, 6600 Salem Avenue (near Union Road). The seating capacity is limited so we will be issuing tickets to ensure we have enough room. The suggested donation amount is $10.00, which you can add below in the sign-up area.
Plan now to attend. This event is an excellent primer for your children, grandchildren, yourself, your other family members, neighbors – in short, anyone who is concerned about our nation. Mark the date on your calendar and talk to your family/friends.
by Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted
Labor Day marks the official end of summer and gives us an opportunity to celebrate the enduring American work ethic. It also means the election season is in full swing. This year, I am proud of the steps we are taking in each of the state’s 88 counties to ensure busy schedules won’t keep hard-working Ohioans from participating. In fact, starting on October 2, you can vote any hour of the day and without ever leaving your homes.
Just after the Labor Day holiday, registered voters should keep an eye out for an official absentee ballot application in the mail. This election marks the first time applications will be sent to all voters across the state. You’ll know it by the official Secretary of State seal and because it will have your name and address pre-printed, just as it appears in the voter file.
By simply completing the three security fields and mailing it back to your county board of elections in the envelope provided, you’ll be slated to receive your ballot in the mail. No juggling schedules. No waiting in line. Your kitchen table can be your voting booth and you’ll have more than 750 hours to complete your ballot at the time that works best for you.
Though many surrounding states don’t offer this method of voting, voting by mail has become increasingly popular in Ohio. It’s both convenient and secure. Completed ballots can be sealed and mailed back to be included in the Election Day tally, or, if you prefer, you can drop them off at your local board of elections (no later than Election Day on November 6, 2012).
If you are a voter that prefers going to the polls, there is also plenty of opportunity for you to cast a ballot both prior to, and on Election Day.
Starting October 2nd, all boards of elections will be open for voting Monday through Friday, including extended hours on October 9 (until 9 pm) and until 7 pm during the last two weeks before the election to accommodate working schedules. This provides for a total of 230 hours of voting time prior before Election Day. You can find a complete schedule online at www.MyOhioVote.com. And let’s not forget about Election Day itself, when polls will be open between 6:30 am and 7:30 pm like always.
This Labor Day, jobs are the number one issue on the minds of Ohio voters. We have important choices to make on the individuals who will best lead us to economic prosperity. In the meantime, my job is to make the voting process for electing those leaders uniform, accessible, fair and secure for all Ohioans. Learn more at www.MyOhioVote.com.
Ohio experienced slow population growth over the past decade, with a growth rate of 1.6 percent from 2000 to 2010—far below the nationwide average of 9.7 percent. Yet this minimal growth rate concealed striking demographic changes. While Ohio’s white population has declined since 2000, Hispanic and African American populations in the state increased.
See the facts below about how Ohio’s emerging communities of color significantly impact the state’s electoral landscape, and the economic obstacles they face.
1. Latinos and African Americans propel Ohio’s population growth. From 2000 to 2010 the percent of Hispanics in the state increased by 1.2 percent to a total of 355,000 residents, and the percent of African Americans in the state grew by 0.7 percent. During these years, the percent of non-Hispanic white residents in the state declined by 2.9 percent. Hispanics accounted for an astonishing 55.9 percent of the state’s total growth from 2000 to 2009.
2. People of color now make up a substantial portion of Ohio’s population. In 2010 close to 20 percent of the state’s population was nonwhite. In that year 12.2 percent of the state’s population was African American, 3.1 percent was Hispanic or Latino, 2.1 percent was of mixed race, and 1.7 percent was Asian American.
3. One-quarter of Ohio’s children are nonwhite, meaning that these demographic shifts will become even more apparent as time goes on. In 2008, 23.2 percent of all children in the state were nonwhite. By 2010 nonwhite children were 25.7 percent of Ohio’s children.
4. In 2008 the support of Ohio’s nonwhite voters helped then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) to narrowly defeat Arizona Sen. John McCain (R). Though only 46 percent of Ohio’s white voters cast their ballots for Sen. Obama in 2008, an overwhelming 97 percent of African American voters supported the future president. Nonwhite voters brought Sen. Obama a victory in the state’s tight race, where he beat Sen. McCain by just four votes.
5. In such a competitive swing state, every vote counts. According to the Pew Research Center, there are 140,000 eligible Hispanic voters in Ohio—the 18th-largest Hispanic eligible-voter population nationally. In 2010 there were 897,000 eligible African American voters and 55,000 eligible Asian American voters in Ohio.
6. Anti-immigrant bills are emerging in the state. In 2011 Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones, State Sen. Tim Grendell, and State Rep. Courtney Combs fought to place an Arizona-style anti-immigrant law on the ballot. Though support for the law polled at 45 percent while opposition polled at 35 percent, the law failed to meet the requirements needed to be placed on the ballot.
7. On the other hand, one city in Ohio is actively recruiting Latino immigrants. Dayton, Ohio, which has been struck by decades of economic decline, started the “Welcome Dayton” campaign in 2011 that encourages immigrants to come and feel like a part of the community while they help pull the city out of its economic malaise by growing small business and building up neighborhoods that have been ignored for years.
8. Ohio’s restrictive voting law creates new hurdles for voters, threatening to reduce already low voting levels among individuals of color. The omnibus elections law passed in 2011 makes voter registration more difficult by eliminating Ohio’s weeklong period of same-day voter registration, reducing the state’s in-person early voting period by two-thirds to 11 days from 35 days, and forbidding county election boards from sending out absentee ballots or return-paid absentee ballot applications. In 2010 only 43.4 percent of adult African American citizens, 29.3 percent of adult Hispanic citizens, and 38.5 percent of adult Asian American citizens voted in the 2010 election, compared to 45.9 percent of whites.
9. Individuals of color in Ohio—particularly Hispanics and African Americans—face extreme economic hardship. In 2010 the median income levels of Hispanics and African Americans in Ohio were substantially lower than those of Asian Americans and non-Hispanic whites. The median income of African Americans in that year was $27,172, and the median income of Hispanics was $33,178. These levels are less than 70 percent of the median income in that year for non-Hispanic whites—$48,334—and slightly more than 50 percent of the median income of Asian Americans—$62,426. In 2007, a year when 11.9 percent of Ohio’s population was black, only 5.8 percent of firms in Ohio were black-owned.
10. African Americans and Hispanics in Ohio are hit hard by unemployment. While Asian Americans in Ohio had an unemployment rate of only 4.1 percent in 2010—lower even than the 6.5 percent unemployment rate of whites—the Hispanic unemployment rate in that year was 9.2 percent. Unemployment rates for African Americans and individuals of mixed race were nearly twice as high as those of non-Hispanic whites in that year, at 12.7 percent and 12.2 percent respectively.
Vanessa Cárdenas is the Director for Progress 2050 and Angela Maria Kelley is Vice President for Immigration Policy and Advocacy at the Center for American Progress.
This article was published by the Center for American Progress (online)
By Dallas Henry
Have you been asked the question yet? The questions are coming from members of the church I serve. “Pastor, who are you voting for?” Of course, by law, we are not permitted to endorse candidates from the pulpit, but when people ask us, we can legally share our opinions with them and why we have them.
There was a talk show that included a discussion of candidates for president and their faith. The host remarked, “What a person believes really shouldn’t matter because religion and politics don’t mix.”
That is a well known phrase. In any group of people there will be varying political opinions, but it incorrect to say that religion and politics do not mix. In fact, the Bible addresses many political issues. Government was an issue that Biblical writers frequently addressed. Scriptures talk about the role of government, how we should respond to government and, in besides, much of our laws are taken from the Bible. It is fair to say that Christians should be concerned about politics because God seems to be concerned about politics. I Peter 2:13 tells us that we are to submit to the governing authorities and I Timothy 2:1 urges us to pray for those who lead us. Saying that religion and politics do not mix is often an excuse for people who are not involved. It’s interesting that it is okay to sing patriotic hymns in church and politics and religion can mix on that realm, but they cannot mix when we talk about elections and the issues.
It is vital that Christians be involved in the process. We should be concerned about all elections. We should be concerned about who is leading us because they decide what freedoms we have and don’t have and what rights we have and don’t have. But, just how do Christians interact with government? What does the Bible say about issues that relate to this? In this critical time in the history of our country, it is important to be informed and to see what our Biblical responsibility is with government and not to simply withdraw and avoid it all. Remember government is; “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
All citizens have been given the freedom and the responsibility to vote. This freedom is our only chance to voice our opinion. We are all influenced to vote the way that we do for different reasons, but Christians, especially, must guard against the false notion that voting and religion do not mix. A Christian’s faith does come into play in the decision making while voting.
It is important to remember that God, His Word and His Son Jesus Christ are foundational parts of our government and that should never be forgotten. There’s a good reason that In God We Trust is on our currency and a good reason our Pledge of Allegiance contains the phrase “One nation Under God” and there is a good reason that The Declaration of Independence speaks of the “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” and of certain unalienable Rights endowed on them by their Creator. We hear a lot today about the separation of Church and state, which is not in our constitution, no matter who many claim that it is.
In a few months the primaries will be over and the various candidates for each political party will have been chosen, on the national, state and local levels. The campaign ads will be over, the commercials will stop airing, for the time being, and then it’s time for Christians to do their homework.
It is important for us to take time and look into the Scriptures and see, first of all, what the Bible has to say regarding the purpose of government, secondly our responsibility as Christians, and thirdly how the church is called to Biblically interact with government.
Romans 13:1-7
“Let every soul be subject to the higher authorities. For there is no authority but of God; the authorities that exist are ordained by God. So that the one resisting the authority resists the ordinance of God; and the ones who resist will receive judgment to themselves. For the rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the bad. And do you desire to be not afraid of the authority? Do the good, and you shall have praise from it. For it is a servant of God to you for good. For if you practice evil, be afraid, for it does not bear the sword in vain; for it is a servant of God, a revenger for wrath on him who does evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes. For they are God’s servants, always giving attention to this very thing. Therefore give to all their dues; to the one due tax, the tax; tribute to whom tribute is due, fear to whom fear is due, and honor to whom honor is due.”
Christians should not have an anti-government mindset because God has established governments that exist. God had a reason for appointing government. Continue reading
Posted in government, issues, politics, religion
Tagged biblical principles, God, principled public leadership, public morality, voting
By Cameron Smith
This Fourth of July, as we celebrate our nation’s independence with flags and sparklers, families and friends will gather together, and many will fail to reflect on the importance of this celebration.
When the Revolutionary War began, many of the colonists opposed independence from Great Britain. In a very real sense, the Founding Fathers were considered radicals by their fellow countrymen. Without changing the hearts and minds of the colonists, these revolutionaries risked losing everything and vanishing into the history books largely unnoticed.
During the early part of 1776, Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, Common Sense, lit the spark that would ignite the push for independence and ultimately change the colonial culture. Common Sense aggressively challenged the control of the British Government and the merits of the monarchy. Paine’s plain language and direct approach were met with immediate success. About 120,000 copies were sold in the first three months and 500,000 in the first year and Paine donated the royalties to support the Continental Army. Arguably, without Paine’s “treasonous” pamphlet, American independence might well have been delayed or extinguished. John Adams claimed, “[w]ithout the pen of the author of ‘Common Sense’,” the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain.”
But is Common Sense still a relevant factor in modern American government? At the inception of independence, there was virtually no federal government. Today, with a multitrillion dollar budget, more than 14 trillion dollars in debt, and more than 160,000 thousand pages of federal regulations, the government Americans live under is radically different that that experienced 235 years ago. Fortunately, Paine’s work is more than just a pleasant vestige of America’s historical past.
Common Sense resonated with the everyday man in his language, appealed to his values and gave him the goal of having a voice in his government. As the colonists recognized their increasing interest in independence, the willingness to fight for it grew as well. The colonial elites who sought to negotiate with Britain were quickly outpaced by those quite literally saying “liberty or death.”
Thanks to the electoral structures created by Paine and his peers, Americans need not revolt. But the percentage of Americans who did not even cast their vote in the most publicized Presidential election in recent history is shocking — forty-three percent of the current American population failed to vote in the 2008 presidential election. Moreover, less than 38 percent of the voting age population voted in the 2010 midterm election. Individual liberty and freedom from government without representation seems to be taken increasingly for granted and their erosion has gone progressively unnoticed. Americans witnessing this trend should readily relate to Paine’s calls for meaningful participation in government.
Unfortunately, the freedoms secured in the Revolution are no less fragile today than they were when first achieved. Executive agencies treat the Constitution as an antiquated suggestion while the judicial branch, through a radical reading of the Commerce Clause, is on the precipice of destroying the remaining vestiges of federalism and limited federal power. All this takes place while Congress piles mounds of generational debt upon our nation through a lack of fiscal discipline and political courage. These are not mere concerns of the politically active but viable threats to individual liberty and our founding notions of restrained government.
Common sense transcends circumstance and the passage of time. As our nation again celebrates its birth, Americans must consider their ability to participate in their own governance. These rights were created and protected by the blood of patriots and the sacrifice of their families. While reasonable minds may differ about specific policies, each generation must ask whether the current practices of government comport with their notions of common sense. Where the government fails to meet the expectations of the governed, each citizen owes those who have come before and those who will come after the duty to participate in the American democracy.
In justifying the need for the Revolutionary War, Thomas Jefferson stated that “[w]e cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them if we basely entail hereditary bondage on them.” Whether that bondage comes in the form of an oppressive government, a legacy of debt or simply through a failure to teach the next generation about the price of liberty, this current generation must not ignore the real threats facing our nation. (Emphasis by the editor)
Cameron Smith is General Counsel for the Alabama Policy Institute, a non-partisan, non-profit research and education organization dedicated to the preservation of free markets, limited government and strong families, which are indispensable to a prosperous society.
Posted in history, Holidays, Independence Day, politics
Tagged Common Sense, participatory governance, Thomas Paine, voting
Xenia City officials have attempted several times to pass an ordinance allowing the water department to fluoridate the water supply. Each time voters have voted against it. If voters had passed it, would it still be a crime for city officials to medicate our drinking water with tooth decay fighting fluoride?
Yesterday, Mike Adams raised this issue in an article published in Natural News. In it, he argues dripping fluoride into public water supplies in order to reduce cavities among citizens is practicing medicine without a license. Doctors including dentists are not permitted to prescribe medications without first determining that a legitimate illness exists and requires drug treatment. Yet, this is exactly what cities and towns across the nation are doing. Adam concludes his argument with the following statement:
“Every city and town in America currently engaged in fluoridation of the water supply is committing felony crimes. Town leaders who approve of water fluoridation are criminals operating in clear violation of FDA regulations, state medical laws and federal laws.”
Adams does not take into account the fact that many cities and towns received voter approval to madicate their water supplies. Citizens must have believed it would a health benefit. They probably were not made aware of the considered harm fluoridating has caused to many persons.
With the above in mind, my original question maybe restated this way: Does voter approval make it legal for city officials to prescribe the medication “fluoride” to fight the presumed epidemic of tooth decay without medical license?
Here is a reference for the next time city officials attempt to get Xenia citizens to accept mass medicating in order to save a few bucks. Reading the article by Adams would also prove helpful seeing he suggests ways to fight against it. You can read “Why the fluoridation of public water supplies is illegal” by clicking on the highlighted text.
Posted in health, politics, Xenia
Tagged city officials, crime, mass medication, medical license, voting, water fluoridation
The following is a YouTube presentation on the importance of this election. It was produced by the APRoundtable (a.k.a. Ohio Roundtable).
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz4vNybKSfc&hl=en&fs=1]
According to a report by the Washington Post, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati ruled late Tuesday to deny the Ohio Republican Party’s emergency motion for an injunction limiting same-day early voter registration and voting. Under the direction of Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, county boards of election are allowing voters to register and vote on the same day, during a one-week window from Sept. 30 through Oct. 6.
Republicans argue that because state law requires voters to be registered for 30 days before casting a ballot, the procedure should be banned. Brunner said the process should continue because the votes will not be counted until Election Day. The Supreme Court of Ohio and a federal district court in Cleveland on Monday agreed with Brunner.
Politicians making it easier to register and vote is good policy. Shredding current law with the blessing of the Courts is another, which what SS Brunner and her blacked robed supporters sitting on high did.
Is it really to reduce long lines or to enfranchise more voters? Not really. Violating current law can never be justified by great political schemes. Scheming democrats know leftist activists are in the hoods convincing people to register and vote. The hint is that if they do their brotha’ will help them become more middle class through better community welfare programs. This is standard policy of get-out of poverty by voting for their Democrat (read it quick and cough a few times) benefactors.
This practice has been going for a long time and the poor are still poor. They still have the same issues with blighted neighborhoods, poor city services, low-income, crime on every street corner, little good health care, poor diets, and on and on. Unless they are true believing dependents on sugar daddy uncle Sam, they still have the same problems they have had for decades.
Some of advocates like ACORN, and others are seeking to help the poor. Sometimes they do. They helped them get loans and mortgages that they cannot not pay. They often have had to pay 3-4 times more to get payday loans for quick cash. Some inner-city poor actually work hard but still have little hope to achieve the American Dream. Many are single parenting moms, who should vote.
The problems is–and I have worked for ACORN while living in another state–multimillion dollar activist organizations like ACORN do not help people move beyond poverty they maintain. It’s true they make being poor a little better. With the cooperation of Washington politicians and rich elites, many poor are enabled to enjoy much of the good life, meaning having a decent place to live, cars, cell phones, computers, nice clothes, good food, and other stuff. It must be wonderful to have all that stuff only for the price of human dignity, much dependency, and little freedom.
Leading Ohio Dems desire to continue their paternal role over their poor benefactors. They also want the blessing of the superiors in party and on Capitol Hill. I’m sure Obama and company will shower may blessing on them and their grateful children.
I think the poor would show less prejudice by voting for McCain and Palin. They would be better off if while doing so they speak with one voice their demand for serious investment in their community, more justice economic policies to assist all willing to work to move out of poverty in order pay their own way. And just think, real prosperity and productivity would increase the local tax revenues and circulation of earned money, more consumerism, more employer-employee purchased health care insurance, paid more genuinely qualified loans, and the economic and political elites would still see the wealth trickle up into their coffers.
Wouldn’t that make a better world in which to live?
