Dear Tea Party Patriots,
Welcome to the third installment of our monthly newsletter in which we update you on the upcoming events and initiatives of the South Bay Tea Party. You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up with us or an affiliated Tea Party. If you wish to be removed from this list, please click the unsubscribe button below.
ATTN: Late breaking action item. Call U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe · United States Senate · Washington, DC 20510, Phone: (202) 224-5344. Tell her to vote against the Democrat written Baucus Bill. Tell her as a Tea Party Member you plan to give a contribution to whomever, opposes her next election if she votes as a Democrat.
Contents
Upcoming Events
The second general meeting of the South Bay Tea Party will take place later this month! Stay tuned for more information on the date, time, and speakers.
Location: El Segundo Library, Friends of the Library Room
CAN YOU HEAR US YET!!! The countdown begins to the 2010 elections! We want our politicians to remain aware that we are still here, are more vigilant than ever, and are watching their every move.
Time: 4:30 – 5:30
Location: In front of Jane Harman’s office.
2321 E. Rosecrans Avenue, El Segundo, CA 90245
September Highlights
September 4th Jane Harman Protest
Thank you to all who participated in this successful event! We had around 100 people show up and line the streets of Rosecrans in protest to Jane Harman’s stance on H.R. 3200 and her refusal to hold a townhall meeting during the August recess. Needless to say we definitely brought the townhall right to her own front door! For some photos of the event, click here.
September 12th – 9/12
With estimates ranging from 60,000 to 1 million people who attended the 9/12 March on
September 12th – 9/12 West
For those fellow Patriots who were unable to attend the D.C. event, the west coast decided to throw their own 9/12 event at the
September 30th – South Bay Tea Party First General Meeting
The South Bay Tea Party would like to express our tremendous gratitude to everyone who came to our very first South Bay Tea Party general meeting at the El Segundo library. We would also like to extend a warm thank you to Dr. Tom Lagrelius for speaking to the group on health care reform. If you want to get more involved remember to sign-up for a committee! These include the Membership, Outreach, Communications, Planning, and Speaker’s Bureau. If you are interested please send an email with your name, contact information, and committe(s) you are interested in the subject line to [email protected]. Also, don’t forget to read a book or two from our recommended reading list!
Legislation
LOCAL
Measure UU -
Text of the measure: To maintain essential City services including police, fire, improving stormwater quality and other general governmental services, shall an ordinance be adopted amending the City's utility users' tax to remove an exclusion that currently allows an electrical plant owned by a subsidiary of a large corporation to pay no utility users' tax on natural gas, with annual audits, public review of all expenditures and without raising individual taxpayers' taxes.
Arguments in favor of Measure UU can be found here, and arguments against Measure UU can be found here. Measure UU will be on the November 3, 2009 ballot.
Our position: Against. Measure UU is a hidden double tax that punishes the residents of
STATE
The California Legislature has adjourned as of September 12th, but what they left behind was a pile of 700 bills for Governor Schwarzenegger to either sign or veto. So far he has done nothing. The reason for such a delay is that the Governor supposedly wants a water deal reached before deciding on the bills. But time is running short. If by October 12th the Governor has not signed or vetoed the legislation before him it automatically becomes law.
FEDERAL
HR 554 – The “Read the Bills” Bill
Originally introduced by Reps. John Culberson (R-Texas) and Brian Baird (D-Wash.) back in June, the “Read the Bills” bill would require all non-emergency legislation to be posted online for 72 hours before it is voted on. The legislation has since been stuck in committee but a discharge petition has been filed by the sponsors. If signed by at least 218 members of the House this would force Speaker Pelosi to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.
Our position: In favor. The American People should be allowed to read any and all legislation that is put to a vote in Congress. We have the right to know what our elected officials are doing since we are a government of the People, by the People, and for the People.
Initiatives
Membership
We rely on dedicated members like you to help us get the word out to others who are dissatisfied with our public officials and the governments in
Policy White Papers
We’re working on several white papers dealing with healthcare, energy, and education policy. We’d like to present these ideas to you and to policy experts. We want to be proactive and provide solutions to the problems that face all Americans. You can read our Health Care white paper here.
Patriot Voices
Why We Should Sunset the First Time Homebuyer's Tax Credit
By Nathan Mintz,
The First Time Home Buyer's Tax Credit is one of the numerous half baked provisions written into the Stimulus that was Rahm-rodded through Congress earlier in the year. It's basic premise is to provide an 8000 dollar tax credit for first time home buyer's (defined as anyone who hasn't owned a house in 3 years or more) in order to stimulate demand for housing.
Sounds good on paper right? Unfortunately, it follows the same twisted logic as "Cash for Clunkers" - using modest government tax incentives to try to "front-load" future consumption into the present. As we recently saw with "cash for clunkers",this increase in immediate demand generally results in a terrible hangover after the incentive is removed.
Further, since the incentive is to buy big ticket items like cars which are purchased on credit, this only further serves to lever up American families that should be paying off debt rather than going further into it.
Letter from the President
Here is one of my first talking points that I find that works with people who rent.
You: Hi what do you think about the Trillions of Dollars of spending that is going on in
Them: Ya it is really unbelievable or whatever…
You: Did you know that borrow so much and printing money causes inflation?
You: Did you know that inflation steals from the rich and gives to the poor?
Them: No, how does that happen?
Them: Wow, no I did not know that.
You: That pretty much makes her one of the “elite”, definitely not a regular bear.