By Donna Volmerding
This article was published in the November 12, 2009, edition of The News-Sentinel newspaper.
Dear Terry Doran,
In your guest column, you asked Congress, “What could ACORN possibly do that is as bad as what you do?” While I certainly cannot defend this Congress — I believe it is corrupt and out-of-touch with real people who have real problems — I can’t defend ACORN (Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now!) either. It is easily as corrupt and uncaring as the most unprincipled member of Congress. Terry, you are only seeing the one foot above the water line, while the massive iceberg beneath the surface fills the state of Texas. Congress (and you and I) has given far more than mere millions to this organization. ACORN has its tentacles into literally hundreds of “front” companies and unions, illegal transactions, voter and housing fraud, degenerate activities and lots more.
ACORN is accused of playing a major role in the economic meltdown of the banks and lending companies in fall 2008. Some banks were pressured by Congress to lend mortgages, at a severely depressed interest rate, to people whom the banks knew would not be able to afford them. The Employment Policies Institute in Washington, D.C. explains that “Before ‘subprime’ became a household word, ACORN waded into the mortgage market, supporting policies that helped lay the groundwork for the catastrophic lending collapse of 2008. Working with another activist group, the Center for Responsible Lending, ACORN lobbied legislators and banks to ensure that any person, regardless of credit history, income or assets, would qualify for a mortgage. They mastered the art of pressuring banks – often through radical and controversial methods – to provide subprime loans to all comers. “It was many of these ‘toxic’ loans that defaulted and sparked the subprime mortgage crisis.”
The EPI adds, “ACORN calls itself a community group, but it is really a multimillion-dollar, multi-national conglomerate. Its political agenda is driven by a relative handful of political thugs for hire. ACORN spends millions promoting economic policies (such as raising the minimum wage), but doesn't always want to abide by them. In fact, ACORN sued the state of California to get out of paying its own employees the minimum wage, and even fought their efforts to create a union. “ACORN’s influence extends to the political sphere as well,” the EPI says. “The group is perhaps best known for its widely reported role in voter fraud across the country. During the last two election cycles, it was under investigation for election fraud and related offenses in nearly 20 states.”
ACORN has committed ballot fraud on a colossal scale. It has been indicted for falsifying voter registration cards (using names such as Mickey Mouse!), forging signatures, registering dead and nonexistent people, registering voters several times over and registering children under voting age. Under the guise of empowering “those who need it most badly — communities of color, low-income workers, people locked out of the American dream,” (in the words of Bertha Lewis, ACORN chief executive officer), ACORN has encouraged dependence among the poor and cheated the same people it professes to help. ACORN “received as much as $10 million in federal grants last year,” according to author, radio host and TV commentator Glenn Beck. The organization “operates 270 related corporations out of (a New Orleans funeral home) building that also houses Service Employees International Union’s New Orleans’ headquarters,” Beck says. He adds that SEIU donated $60.7 million to elect Barack Obama. Wade Rathke, a New Orleans resident, is founder of ACORN and founder and chief organizer of SEIU, Beck says. His brother, former ACORN chief financial officer Dale Rathke, has been accused of stealing at least a million, some say as much as five million, from Citizens Consulting Inc., an ACORN affiliate that handles its financial affairs. Other ACORN affiliates are Project Vote, Citizens Services Inc. and the American Institute for Social Justice Inc.
Terry, I am also a taxpayer. According to Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn, about 40 percent of ACORN’s funding comes from taxpayers. This organization and its hundreds of affiliates have swindled American taxpayers of, some estimate, billions of dollars. Think how far that would go to create jobs, help those in need and give back to hard-working Americans. ACORN’s involvement in the financial implosion of 2008, its extensive voter fraud that affects the free-election process, illegal political acts, corruption and deceit have put at grave risk our economic freedom, and our rights as a free people to fair and honest elections. To paraphrase you, I would say that ACORN “poses a grave threat to our safety and well-being.” Enough!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Big-government protesters descend upon Washington
By Donna Volmerding
This article was published in the September 16, 2009, edition of The News-Sentinel newspaper.
Can ordinary Americans make a difference? For several years, many of them have witnessed an already bloated government spend their hard-earned tax dollars on more big-government programs. Compelled by growing alarm that their government is out of control, common people took to the streets, literally, on Sept. 12 in Washington, D.C. With some media estimates as high as 2 million, the country witnessed the American spirit of grass-roots activism that had its beginnings in Philadelphia 1776. The sea of individuals, comprised of a mixture of local groups, the physically challenged, black, white, old and young, representing all 50 states, gathered peacefully waving signs or wearing buttons, tags or ribbons. Signs ranged from the profound (“235 years ago, an ocean separated us from an oppressive government. Now it is just a river” and “If not us, who? If not now, when?”) to the humorous — (“Think of your posterity above your posteriors” and “Put your porker on a grass-roots diet”). As in every demonstration for any cause, some were over the top, but they were the exception. Chanting “USA!” and “Can you hear us now?”, the multitude filled the streets for more than a mile between the Washington Monument and the Capitol building.
“The politicians who do not hear … the voice of the people do so at their own political peril,” said Dan Harman, 54, New Haven. “For these reasons, the march on Washington was unbelievably successful.”
Most at the march were unfamiliar with such commitment to activism. They are typical Americans, taxpayers who lead busy lives that include jobs, volunteer work, church and family. Yet at their own expense, they cleared their schedules to participate in what they believe to be a higher cause — the future of their country.
“We must expose this tangled web of covert manipulations by government, media, education and other groups to deceive ordinary Americans,” said Karen Quinlivan, 52, Fort Wayne.
Joan Bromelmeier, 74, from Fort Wayne, said, “I came to the march in hopes that huge numbers of people would ignite a concern in other Americans that … our country is being transformed in ways we had not anticipated when we voted.”
“I am the first-born of European immigrants (who came) in 1950,” said Margaret Rumpel DeMeritt, 59, of Fort Wayne. “I am committed to uphold the U.S. Constitution and the freedom my parents sought and found in America.”
Norma Jean Wiley, 62, Hillsdale, Mich., said, “I went to protest the ultimate greatest threat to personal liberty of my lifetime. For me to do less would not have been enough.”
For many, their first priority was their families. “I have 33 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and I am concerned that their constitutional rights and liberties will be gone because of big-government control over their lives,” said Bonnie Corn, 65, from Wabash.
“I went to the rally for my kids, my grandkids and for all those in my family who served in the military to preserve our freedom,” said Louella Krom, 71, Roann. “Our government is totally out of control with spending, taking away our freedoms and intruding into our personal lives.”
Bruce and Beth Lamb, both 55, from Milford, Mich., said, “We made the trip to D.C. out of a sense of duty and responsibility to our children, grandchildren and our country. Our concerns are the negative, destructive direction of our government, taking power away from the people. … We had to take a stand.”
The atmosphere was electric with people who were passionate, focused and determined. “This was not a crowd of fractious, angry people,” said Sharon Kuhn, 48, Fort Wayne, “but a people with loyalty to their Constitution. What I experienced was a unified, peaceable multitude flooding into Washington bringing their love for America … to preserve her Constitution from excessive governmental control ….”
Shortly before the bus rolled in to its Fort Wayne stop, the group offered a prayer of thanksgiving and sang “God Bless America.” “I cannot think of a more personally gratifying trip,” Harman said.
Ordinary Americans went to Washington to have their voices be heard and, perhaps, change the course of an intrusive government that has grown obese and arrogant with taxpayer money. Will they succeed on their mission to bring their country back to its constitutional roots, or are those in power too well-funded by special interests, too dug in to change, too corrupt to be fixed? No one can be certain, but the group was undeterred.
Ben Haiflich, 34, Ossian, came “to make a difference,” he said. “I would do it a thousand more times if that is what it would take. I love my country.”
“I went to the march on Washington hoping to get a firsthand sense of the positive passion, enthusiasm and commitment of mainstream Americans to change the direction of my beloved country,” said David S. Ridderheim, 73, Fort Wayne. “I returned invigorated with an improved outlook and optimism.”
“We must all work together if we want our children to live in the wonderful free country we had,” said Rod Berger, 82, Fort Wayne.
Love for country was evident, as well as love of liberty, heritage and family. Connie Kovas Moreno, 60, Fort Wayne, a member of Hoosier Patriots and the local coordinator for D.C. accommodations and buses, summed up her feelings by adding, “What better way to honor my American heritage and preserve it for my granddaughters than to march at this historic event.”
This article was published in the September 16, 2009, edition of The News-Sentinel newspaper.
Can ordinary Americans make a difference? For several years, many of them have witnessed an already bloated government spend their hard-earned tax dollars on more big-government programs. Compelled by growing alarm that their government is out of control, common people took to the streets, literally, on Sept. 12 in Washington, D.C. With some media estimates as high as 2 million, the country witnessed the American spirit of grass-roots activism that had its beginnings in Philadelphia 1776. The sea of individuals, comprised of a mixture of local groups, the physically challenged, black, white, old and young, representing all 50 states, gathered peacefully waving signs or wearing buttons, tags or ribbons. Signs ranged from the profound (“235 years ago, an ocean separated us from an oppressive government. Now it is just a river” and “If not us, who? If not now, when?”) to the humorous — (“Think of your posterity above your posteriors” and “Put your porker on a grass-roots diet”). As in every demonstration for any cause, some were over the top, but they were the exception. Chanting “USA!” and “Can you hear us now?”, the multitude filled the streets for more than a mile between the Washington Monument and the Capitol building.
“The politicians who do not hear … the voice of the people do so at their own political peril,” said Dan Harman, 54, New Haven. “For these reasons, the march on Washington was unbelievably successful.”
Most at the march were unfamiliar with such commitment to activism. They are typical Americans, taxpayers who lead busy lives that include jobs, volunteer work, church and family. Yet at their own expense, they cleared their schedules to participate in what they believe to be a higher cause — the future of their country.
“We must expose this tangled web of covert manipulations by government, media, education and other groups to deceive ordinary Americans,” said Karen Quinlivan, 52, Fort Wayne.
Joan Bromelmeier, 74, from Fort Wayne, said, “I came to the march in hopes that huge numbers of people would ignite a concern in other Americans that … our country is being transformed in ways we had not anticipated when we voted.”
“I am the first-born of European immigrants (who came) in 1950,” said Margaret Rumpel DeMeritt, 59, of Fort Wayne. “I am committed to uphold the U.S. Constitution and the freedom my parents sought and found in America.”
Norma Jean Wiley, 62, Hillsdale, Mich., said, “I went to protest the ultimate greatest threat to personal liberty of my lifetime. For me to do less would not have been enough.”
For many, their first priority was their families. “I have 33 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and I am concerned that their constitutional rights and liberties will be gone because of big-government control over their lives,” said Bonnie Corn, 65, from Wabash.
“I went to the rally for my kids, my grandkids and for all those in my family who served in the military to preserve our freedom,” said Louella Krom, 71, Roann. “Our government is totally out of control with spending, taking away our freedoms and intruding into our personal lives.”
Bruce and Beth Lamb, both 55, from Milford, Mich., said, “We made the trip to D.C. out of a sense of duty and responsibility to our children, grandchildren and our country. Our concerns are the negative, destructive direction of our government, taking power away from the people. … We had to take a stand.”
The atmosphere was electric with people who were passionate, focused and determined. “This was not a crowd of fractious, angry people,” said Sharon Kuhn, 48, Fort Wayne, “but a people with loyalty to their Constitution. What I experienced was a unified, peaceable multitude flooding into Washington bringing their love for America … to preserve her Constitution from excessive governmental control ….”
Shortly before the bus rolled in to its Fort Wayne stop, the group offered a prayer of thanksgiving and sang “God Bless America.” “I cannot think of a more personally gratifying trip,” Harman said.
Ordinary Americans went to Washington to have their voices be heard and, perhaps, change the course of an intrusive government that has grown obese and arrogant with taxpayer money. Will they succeed on their mission to bring their country back to its constitutional roots, or are those in power too well-funded by special interests, too dug in to change, too corrupt to be fixed? No one can be certain, but the group was undeterred.
Ben Haiflich, 34, Ossian, came “to make a difference,” he said. “I would do it a thousand more times if that is what it would take. I love my country.”
“I went to the march on Washington hoping to get a firsthand sense of the positive passion, enthusiasm and commitment of mainstream Americans to change the direction of my beloved country,” said David S. Ridderheim, 73, Fort Wayne. “I returned invigorated with an improved outlook and optimism.”
“We must all work together if we want our children to live in the wonderful free country we had,” said Rod Berger, 82, Fort Wayne.
Love for country was evident, as well as love of liberty, heritage and family. Connie Kovas Moreno, 60, Fort Wayne, a member of Hoosier Patriots and the local coordinator for D.C. accommodations and buses, summed up her feelings by adding, “What better way to honor my American heritage and preserve it for my granddaughters than to march at this historic event.”
Monday, April 20, 2009
Obama policies veiled socialism
This article was published in the March 17, 2009, issue of The Journal Gazette
When I read Tracy Warner’s article in the Sunday, March 8, issue of The Journal Gazette, headlined “Obama’s policies are not socialist,” I felt compelled to respond. He begins with a quote about socialism that sounds quite benign.
Let me add another one:
Norman Mattoon Thomas (1884-1968) was a leading American socialist, pacifist and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.
As a candidate for president, Thomas said, in a 1944 speech: “The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of ‘liberalism,’ they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.” He added that “I no longer need to run as a presidential candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democratic Party has adopted our platform.”
With lightning speed, Obama’s policies have lurched so far to the left that even Democrats are concerned. The statement that Obama is merely continuing the bailouts Bush made is non-productive and childish. (Bush started it!)
But Warner’s statement that many weren’t critical of Bush’s massive government bailouts is untrue. Last fall, “zillions” of calls lit up congressional phone lines, begging Congress not to bail out the banking and loan industries. Because Obama voted FOR the bailouts, he most certainly would have supported them if he were president.
“No conservative critics called it ‘socialism,’” Warner says, “when Congress decided money made on investments should be worth more than money workers earn through the sweat of their brows, slashing tax rates for capital gains below the rates on wages — and redistributing wealth through tax policy that favored the rich.’”
More than half of all American households are involved, one way or another, in the stock market. The money put in the stock market was earned by regular folks “through the sweat of their brows.” This money has already been taxed and even the “gains” made shouldn’t be taxed at exorbitant rates again. Most importantly, this money is the ONLY retirement savings for those working stiffs who have NO pension plans.
This is NOT a tax policy that favors only the rich; it favors all Americans who simply want a fund for their future retirement without the government raping it on a regular basis as the government does the Social Security fund.
Warner says Republican capitalists at Citibank, AIG, etc., did not decry the bailouts as “socialism.” When we look at who gave what to political campaigns, these are Democrats in control of these banks and institutions. Many of them are good friends of Obama.
Franklin Raines walked away with millions of dollars when he left Fannie Mae while rank-and-file Americans lost jobs and wages. Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) took a sweetheart loan from Countrywide while the rank-and-file lost their homes. And General Electric’s chief Jeffrey Immelt, a Democrat on Obama’s economic advisory team, has lost more money for GE than any other corporation in history, while the rank-and-file are out on the streets.
“This is most definitely not socialism,” Warner says, but it most definitely is. This is the treachery of socialism, in which, as Warner says, “workers would see benefits equal to those of owners.” The truth is, socialism sets up two tiers — those in power who get by with anything and the rest of us poor schmucks.
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner HEADS the IRS and cheated on his tax returns. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) WRITES the tax codes and hasn’t paid taxes on offshore properties for years. Several in the Obama administration were either caught not paying taxes or pulled out because of tax problems. Does anyone really believe these folks abide by the same rules that they impose on the rest of us?
If a person works hard, saves money and plays by the rules, should he or she be forced to pay a large portion of their money to those who didn’t? Obama’s stimulus bill dismantles President Clinton’s workfare program. This new plan rewards higher welfare enrollment, not those who want to work.
In 2006, John Stossel had a program on ABC, in which he stated that conservative Christians are the most generous contributors to charity. I am appalled at the low charitable-giving rate of many liberals, in and out of Congress. Evidently, it is okay to confiscate my money, but they feel no need to share their wealth from the heart.
Among the rights listed in the Declaration of Independence are the pursuit of happiness and the liberty to strive for our goals, not cradle-to-grave nanny care. It is entrepreneurs and small-business owners who keep the engine of a free market humming. After years of hard work “by the sweat of their brow,” they sometimes earn more than $250,000, a sum on which Obama wants to impose higher taxes to give to those who pay NO taxes. (About 35-40 percent of Americans DO NOT pay taxes.)
I do agree with Warner when he says that government ownership of companies is “debatable” and “heavy deficit spending” is “questionable and does have potential to cause even more long-term damage.”
Perhaps the “socialist” label could be dispensed with, as Warner suggests, but maybe we could agree that the president’s financial policies will cause greater harm than good, and are unwise, unworkable and destructive.
When I read Tracy Warner’s article in the Sunday, March 8, issue of The Journal Gazette, headlined “Obama’s policies are not socialist,” I felt compelled to respond. He begins with a quote about socialism that sounds quite benign.
Let me add another one:
Norman Mattoon Thomas (1884-1968) was a leading American socialist, pacifist and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.As a candidate for president, Thomas said, in a 1944 speech: “The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of ‘liberalism,’ they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.” He added that “I no longer need to run as a presidential candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democratic Party has adopted our platform.”
With lightning speed, Obama’s policies have lurched so far to the left that even Democrats are concerned. The statement that Obama is merely continuing the bailouts Bush made is non-productive and childish. (Bush started it!)
But Warner’s statement that many weren’t critical of Bush’s massive government bailouts is untrue. Last fall, “zillions” of calls lit up congressional phone lines, begging Congress not to bail out the banking and loan industries. Because Obama voted FOR the bailouts, he most certainly would have supported them if he were president.
“No conservative critics called it ‘socialism,’” Warner says, “when Congress decided money made on investments should be worth more than money workers earn through the sweat of their brows, slashing tax rates for capital gains below the rates on wages — and redistributing wealth through tax policy that favored the rich.’”
More than half of all American households are involved, one way or another, in the stock market. The money put in the stock market was earned by regular folks “through the sweat of their brows.” This money has already been taxed and even the “gains” made shouldn’t be taxed at exorbitant rates again. Most importantly, this money is the ONLY retirement savings for those working stiffs who have NO pension plans.
This is NOT a tax policy that favors only the rich; it favors all Americans who simply want a fund for their future retirement without the government raping it on a regular basis as the government does the Social Security fund.
Warner says Republican capitalists at Citibank, AIG, etc., did not decry the bailouts as “socialism.” When we look at who gave what to political campaigns, these are Democrats in control of these banks and institutions. Many of them are good friends of Obama.
Franklin Raines walked away with millions of dollars when he left Fannie Mae while rank-and-file Americans lost jobs and wages. Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) took a sweetheart loan from Countrywide while the rank-and-file lost their homes. And General Electric’s chief Jeffrey Immelt, a Democrat on Obama’s economic advisory team, has lost more money for GE than any other corporation in history, while the rank-and-file are out on the streets.
“This is most definitely not socialism,” Warner says, but it most definitely is. This is the treachery of socialism, in which, as Warner says, “workers would see benefits equal to those of owners.” The truth is, socialism sets up two tiers — those in power who get by with anything and the rest of us poor schmucks.
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner HEADS the IRS and cheated on his tax returns. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) WRITES the tax codes and hasn’t paid taxes on offshore properties for years. Several in the Obama administration were either caught not paying taxes or pulled out because of tax problems. Does anyone really believe these folks abide by the same rules that they impose on the rest of us?
If a person works hard, saves money and plays by the rules, should he or she be forced to pay a large portion of their money to those who didn’t? Obama’s stimulus bill dismantles President Clinton’s workfare program. This new plan rewards higher welfare enrollment, not those who want to work.
In 2006, John Stossel had a program on ABC, in which he stated that conservative Christians are the most generous contributors to charity. I am appalled at the low charitable-giving rate of many liberals, in and out of Congress. Evidently, it is okay to confiscate my money, but they feel no need to share their wealth from the heart.
Among the rights listed in the Declaration of Independence are the pursuit of happiness and the liberty to strive for our goals, not cradle-to-grave nanny care. It is entrepreneurs and small-business owners who keep the engine of a free market humming. After years of hard work “by the sweat of their brow,” they sometimes earn more than $250,000, a sum on which Obama wants to impose higher taxes to give to those who pay NO taxes. (About 35-40 percent of Americans DO NOT pay taxes.)
I do agree with Warner when he says that government ownership of companies is “debatable” and “heavy deficit spending” is “questionable and does have potential to cause even more long-term damage.”
Perhaps the “socialist” label could be dispensed with, as Warner suggests, but maybe we could agree that the president’s financial policies will cause greater harm than good, and are unwise, unworkable and destructive.
By Donna Volmerding
Published in The Journal Gazette, March 17, 2009
Published in The Journal Gazette, March 17, 2009
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