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Joe Miller: This is The Best Anti-Poverty Program

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610px-Signing_of_the_EOAAs we mark the 50th Anniversary of the Great Society, the greatest lesson that we can draw from it is that the best anti-poverty program is a job. The question then becomes what is the best manner to create jobs and grow the economy. 

The lesson of the 1920s, the 1960s, the 1980s and the 1990s, is that if you create an atmosphere in which businesses can thrive and hire new workers, who turn around and buy goods and services, the rising tide of economic prosperity raises all boats. Both John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan knew this to be true and acted on it.

Unemployment during all four of those decades following pro-growth tax reform and reduction in regulations was 5 percent or less, which resulted in a significant decrease in the poverty rate. 

Using the government as the instrument to raise people out of poverty and put them back to work failed in the 1930s, the 1970s (as the full weight of the Great Society programs came into play), and the late 2000s/early 2010s. Under FDR, the federal government undertook all manner of programs and regulations in an attempt to control the economy and put Americans back to work, but it failed miserably. 

Roosevelt’s own Treasury Secretary testified before a Senate committee in 1939, in terms of creating jobs, that the New Deal had been a failure and doubled the National Debt. Does any of this sound familiar?

Today, true unemployment in the United States remains at over 13 percent, and we are on course to double the national debt within the decade. 

Big Government Begich holsters a rubber stamp with a big fat “YES” on it: ObamaCare, Yes; trillion dollar stimulus bill, Yes; for the nuclear option to end the filibuster and push radical nominees through the senate, Yes; for nearly $8 trillion in new debt since taking office a mere 5 years ago, Yes; Voting 91 percent of the time with Harry Reid and the Democrats, YES! So much for being an independent voice for Alaska in the Senate.

He and the Democrats must be stopped and replaced. As Alaska’s next senator, I will link arms with reformers like Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and Rand Paul and work to restore economic prosperity and our constitutional freedoms.

Thank you for your support!

In the fight,

Joe Miller, Candidate
United States Senate

America Cannot Heed This Sirens’ Song And Hope to Remain Free

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800px-Declaration_independenceIncome inequality is once again the rallying cry for Barack Obama, Harry Reid, Mark Begich and the Democrats for this election cycle.

None of us should be surprised. Candidate Barack Obama in 2008 revealed the central tenet of his governing philosophy to a famous plumber with a good first name, “I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.”
 
Though Barack Obama lied to the American people about keeping their healthcare and their doctors, in this instance he told truth. He and the Democrats have spread the wealth around and when there was not enough in the Treasury to meet our current obligations, they borrowed and printed trillions more and spread it too.
 
Here in Alaska Mark Begich runs ads about being “as independent as Alaska.” What he must mean is his actions in Washington are independent of his rhetoric at home.
 
Big Government Begich holsters a rubber stamp with a big fat “YES” on it: ObamaCare, Yes; trillion dollar stimulus bill, Yes; for the nuclear option to end the filibuster and push radical nominees through the senate, Yes; for nearly $8 trillion in new debt since taking office a mere 5 years ago, Yes; Voting 91 percent of the time with Harry Reid and the Democrats, YES! So much for being an independent voice for Alaska.
 
Margaret Thatcher wisely observed, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” And Ronald Reagan said that it always leads to “shared scarcity.”
 
You and I both know a diminishing future is not the calling or destiny of America. We didn’t declare our independence from Great Britain only to become dependent on the federal government to run our lives. We declared independence from Great Britain precisely because it was trying to undermine our economic and political freedom. We believed, and still must believe, that all are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” 
 
Any success or prosperity we are experiencing as a nation now is because of the foundation laid at the beginning. We are still riding on the momentum of what our Founding Fathers set in motion. The promise of America is equality of opportunity for the people to exercise their God-given talents, not equality of outcome.
 
We cannot allow our nation to be lured by the sirens’ song that you can have liberty and big government socialism too. The two are mutually exclusive. 
 
If you use the force of government to guarantee a certain outcome for everyone, you discourage the people from whom you take the money from working harder and taking risks and you encourage the people to whom you give the money to work less. The lesson of history is unmistakable. You end up with a far poorer society, and one in which power shifts primarily from the people to make choices to the government.
 
That is why I decided to run for the U.S. Senate. I cannot stand by and watch the American experiment in liberty die.

As Ronald Reagan once exhorted, it is time to begin the hard work of getting government back within its means and exercising less control over our daily lives. On these two principles, let there be no compromise.
 
Thank you for your friendship and support, 

Joe Miller, Candidate
United States Senate

Begich Spokeswoman Takes Blame For Misstating His Whereabouts During Key Vote to Extend Unemployment Benefits; Murkowski Votes with Dems

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

A spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Mark Begich said Thursday that she misspoke when she said he missed a vote in Washington because he was traveling to the capital when, in fact, he was in Hawaii.

The Associated Press asked spokeswoman Heather Handyside by email Tuesday why the Alaska Democrat hadn’t voted on whether to proceed to debate on a renewal of benefits for the long-term unemployed. Handyside responded by email that he “wasn’t there. Is on his way back to D.C.”

The vote was close, with six Republicans, including Alaska’s senior senator, Lisa Murkowski, voting with Democrats to advance to debate. Begich was one of three members, and the only Democrat, shown as not voting.

The Hill reported Thursday that Begich missed the vote to deliver a speech Wednesday at a conference in Hawaii hosted by the American Association of Airport Executives.

Read more from this story HERE.

Unconscionable: Billions Spent on Climate Change While Veterans’ Pay Gets Cut

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Photo by Gandydancer

Photo by Gandydancer

As Congress prepares to open session this year, Washington is abuzz about the Obama Administration’s intentions to finally take action on global warming, a.k.a. “climate change.”

Ironically, record snowfall is slamming the northeast, while the Midwest has passed into the deep-freeze with unprecedented temperatures as low as -40 degrees, and windchills registering in at -70.

In the mean time, China and Russia are petitioning the United States Coast Guard to assist with the rescue of two stranded ships off Antarctica that were trapped in the summer sea ice while ostensibly studying the effects of “climate change.”

Nevertheless, it was reported this past weekend that, between 2010-2012, the federal government had dished out more than $7.4 billion in foreign aid to mitigate the effects of “climate change.”

Why do I bring this up? Because it is indicative of the kind of big government nonsense that has preoccupied Washington for the last twenty years. And it is “Exhibit A” for why we are $17.4 trillion in debt, and counting . . .

Yet Barack Obama’s favorite Alaskan lapdog, Senator Mark Begich, had no problem voting for a Ryan-Murray budget that slashed military retirement pay for our veterans, and all for the purpose of reportedly saving $6 billion over the course of the next several years.

It’s time to tell Congress to get real! When Washington can blow more money on foreign aid on fairy-tale solutions to a questionable phenomenon, than to keep their commitments to our nation’s veterans, there’s something desperately wrong.

When I’m elected to the United States Senate, you won’t have to wonder whether I’m going to scam your money to fund this internationalist racket. I won’t. But you can be assured that I will fight every day to make sure our military veterans are taken care of, and you can take that to the bank.

In fact, if Congress doesn’t address this outrageous betrayal of our military before I’m sworn in as your next United States Senator, I’ll personally introduce legislation to strip so-called “climate change” funding from the foreign aid budget, and fund our military veterans with the savings.

Mark Begich and both of my GOP primary opponents are all subscribers to the international climate change racket. If that’s your thing, you’ll have lots of options in 2014. But if you want someone who will stand up to this massive federal intrusion, I ask for your support.

Thank you for your faith and friendship!

In the Fight,

Joe Miller, Candidate
United States Senate

Joe Miller: We Must Send This Unmistakeable Message

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Photo by Zach Rudisin

Photo by Zach Rudisin

Dear Friend of Liberty,

We are heading into a tough primary to determine who will represent the Republican ticket in November against one of Barack Obama and Harry Reid’s most dependable allies – Alaska junior senator Mark Begich. 

It is imperative that we send an unmistakable message to Washington that we will no longer tolerate big government’s intrusion into our private affairs, nor will we accept its crushing economic consequences for our children and grandchildren.

Obamacare must be repealed; the tax code must be overhauled; onerous federal regulations have to go; and the outrageous violation of our Constitutional liberties must be ended once and for all.

Don’t be deceived. It will take bold new leadership to make that happen. Simply replacing Mark Begich is not enough. We must replace him with a fighter, not someone who likes to play the Washington game. 

The status quo is unacceptable, even if it masquerades in a Republican costume! There must be a clear choice. Ronald Reagan was right, “Bold colors, not pale pastels.”

If you agree, I need your help today! With just two days left in this reporting period, I’m asking that you consider a generous donation to help us finish the quarter strong. It is imperative that we show increasing momentum as we move quarter-to-quarter towards election day.

My opponents can count on big outside interests to come to their aid; I’m depending on you to have my back. 

If you want to send a message to the big government politicians and their corporate cronies, now is a good time to show a reform candidate will have what it takes to go the distance against the establishment candidates and win the race!

I understand that many of you are experiencing difficult economic times, but some could afford to do more. I’m asking that those of you who can, please seriously consider it. A change in policy in Washington is the only hope to restore strong economic opportunity and liberty that should be the birthright of all Americans.

I must admit, I’m not excited about what it will cost to make this happen. And I’m not just talking dollars and cents. 

When I swore to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, I meant it. And I still do. America is worth fighting for!

Will you join me in ensuring that we replace Mark Begich with a real reformer?  

Please help us end the quarter on an upswing by clicking here today!

Many thanks . . . and may God bless you in the year to come.

In the Fight,

Joe Miller

ABC News Interview – Senate candidate Joe Miller: Reagan’s Message of Freedom Beats Obama’s Big Government Every Day in Alaska (+video)

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Screen shot 2013-12-19 at 12.20.40 AMU.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller was a recent guest on ABC News Topline. He is interviewed by reporters Rick Klein and Michael Falcone. Below are excerpts from the interview:

Do you expect Sarah Palin’s support again?

Of course, we would love to have her support. She is a bastion of freedom. She is out there working the same sort of message we are. That is, we have to get back to free enterprise, get government out of the way, so we can build up the middle class again.

Are you Democratic Senator Mark Begich’s dream or worst nightmare?

Mark Begich was the 60th and deciding vote for ObamaCare, so that’s the political noose that’s around his neck. I tell you he’s at a real low approval rating right now. We think it is a very doable race. Keep in mind that when we beat the sitting incumbent senator in 2010 in the primary, she was at a 70 point approval rating. He’s at about 39 right now.

But here’s their concern, in 2010 your victory over the Lisa Murkowski upset the establishment. She held on to the seat in the three way race. If the Democrat is very strong, and you don’t get traction, you may end up losing that senate seat.

Hey, we are happy at what we see in a head-to-head contest. This is about Reagan principles against Big Government, Obama principles. The message of freedom, the message of Reagan is going to win every day in Alaska.

The 2010 elections ended up being a pretty big year for the tea party. We’ve seen some of the freshman from that class and some of the newer members become very, very prominent. Mike Lee from Utah, Ted Cruz from Texas, Rand Paul from that 2010 class. How do you envision your role? If you end up in the Senate, will you be linking arms with those guys?

I will absolutely be hand-in-hand with Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and Rand Paul in the work that they are doing. And I think we are going to have greater numbers than just Joe Miller added to that liberty caucus, if you will.

This is a crucial year 2014 for Republicans nationwide. Do you think this is the year the Republicans take back the Senate?

Absolutely, I think this is the year we do take it back, in fact, I think we have to take it back, because we’ve got a lot on the line.

Watch interview here:

Screen shot 2013-12-19 at 1.31.20 AM

Read more from this story HERE.

Miller Calls on Begich and Murkowski to Reject Murray-Ryan Budget, Support Military

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Joe Miller speakingAnchorage, Alaska. December 16, 2013 – Joe Miller today called on Senators Begich and Murkowski to reject the unsustainable Murray-Ryan budget, describing it as just another Washington gimmick.

“The latest budget gimmick is yet another sign that Washington is fundamentally unserious about the debt crisis facing the nation,” Miller said. “It’s simply unacceptable to continue down the road to fiscal insolvency and economic disaster with a ‘tax and spend’ deal that does absolutely nothing to address Congress’ spending addiction.” 

Not only does the budget deal result in a net spending increase of $63 billion over the next two years, it will also raise taxes and cut crucial retirement benefits for military veterans.

The deal cuts pension cost of living adjustments (“COLA”) by one percentage point per year for military retirees who aren’t disabled and not yet 62 years old. The vast majority of military personnel retire after twenty to thirty years of service at half their active duty pay level. Most under the Murray-Ryan plan will see a 20 percent or more pay cut in their COLA’s, which are linked to the inflation rate, so the salary maintains the same buying power. 

CNN Money reports, “The average cut in pension payouts, including compounding interest, for a retiring Army Sergeant first class, would be about $3,700 each year, according to the Military Officers Association of America. Over 20 years, the total losses could balloon to more than $80,000.”

Joe Miller concluded, “It’s just more political double-speak, and I’m sickened that Congress has so little regard for the sacrifice of our career military men and women, much less for the commitments that they’ve made. It’s classic bait-and-switch, a raw deal that should be roundly rejected by Senators Begich and Murkowski. I urge Alaskans to contact our senate delegation and tell them to reject the Murray-Ryan plan.”

Joe Miller is a husband, father, war veteran, businessman, and Constitutional conservative who believes in limited government, the Right to life, individual liberty, private property, and free markets.

Thanks to Nuclear Option, Begich and Rest Of Senate Dems Confirm Radical Judge

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RTRN4F91-e1386873210394She’s the kind of nominee the Democrats went nuclear for. Cornelia “Nina” Pillard was confirmed by a 51-44 vote in the U.S. Senate in the middle of the night last night, as a judge on the powerful D.C. Circuit court. Prior to the nuclear option, she would have been (justifiably) filibustered and blocked.

Her views on a myriad of subjects are clearly outside the mainstream. Consider, for example, Pillard’s thoughts on abortion. This is from 2007: ”Casting reproductive rights in terms of equality holds promise to recenter the debate…away from the deceptive images of fetus-as-autonomous-being that the anti-choice movement has popularized…” (Bold mine.) (page 990)

This suggests a sort of anti-science view that is especially worrisome when found in someone who is supposed to put facts (and the law) ahead of political ideology. It’s a position that’s meant to serve her political theory, but flies in the face of science. Sonograms, of course, have changed the game. People put these pictures on their Facebook wall precisely because it’s very obviously their child. Nothing else quite captures her doctrinaire rigidity better than this statement.)

She went on to argue that limiting abortion “reinforces broader patterns of discrimination against women as a class of presumptive breeders…” (p.975) and that abortion rights “play a central role in freeing women from historically routine conscription into maternity.”…

The only good news for conservative? Vulnerable Democratic Senators like Mark Begich and Mary Landrieu are now on the record as supporting Pillard’s radical agenda. (And I guess the question over whether Bob Casey, Jr. was ever really pro-Life has been settled.)

Read more from this story HERE.

The Solution to This Present Crisis

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Dear Friend of Liberty,479px-Official_Portrait_of_President_Reagan_1981

With the latest round of budget talks in Washington, it appears some Republicans on the Hill are in the spirit of giving once again. This time it’s the sequester cuts, more taxes, and some are even suggesting we adjust to the “new normal” of ObamaCare. 

And what will ordinary Americans get in return? An uptick in the federal deficit, more debt on their children’s backs, fewer jobs, healthcare with higher costs and less access, and perhaps another downgrade to America’s credit rating. When will the madness end?

Ronald Reagan hit the nail on the head over 30 years ago, when he announced in his first inaugural address, “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem.”

He then led the charge to get the federal government off the backs of the American people, and the people responded to the renewal of freedom and opportunity by making the United States once again the envy of the world. 

The answer in our present crisis will only come when ordinary citizens like you and me stand up and be counted. 

The goal and the object of this great fight is nothing less than a renewal of the American Dream and the restoration of our constitutional principles. That’s why I’ve filed to run for US Senate in 2014. Will you join with me in the fight?

Conventional politicians – Republicans and Democrats alike – have shown time and time again that they won’t join this fight. That’s why I need your help, so I can stand alongside other patriots in the fight like Senators Cruz and Lee!

Every day we see the crisis of leadership in our country deepening. Whether it’s the rampant corruption in our nation’s capital, the cultural decay resulting from incessant attacks upon religion and morality, or the erosion of our individual liberties –  the time for action is now.

I cannot stand idly by and watch while “the last best hope of man on earth” is dismantled by Barack Obama’s “fundamental transformation” of America. And neither can I allow the “me too” Republicans to go unchallenged while they aid and abet him through passive resistance, or even cooperation.

This is the time to face our challenges squarely and soberly. We must get our spending problem under control. We must repeal or defund ObamaCare. And we must confront this lawless administration. 

Mark Begich isn’t going to do it. The “me too” Republicans aren’t going to do it. But I will work tirelessly to do exactly that.

If we fail to take action now, we are responsible for depriving our children and grandchildren of hope. They will be paying for our mistakes for generations to come.

It’s time to rebuild the foundations, return to Constitutional government, and restore freedom and economic prosperity. And if we all do our part, the future will be ours again.

Together, we can make the fundamental restoration of the America we love a reality. Can I count on your support to offer Alaska an alternative to politics as usual?

Thank you for standing with me!

In Liberty,

Joe

This is the Price that Must Be Paid to Preserve Our Freedom

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Dear Friend of Liberty,

Thomas Jefferson once exhorted that, “The price we pay for liberty is eternal vigilance.”

Never in recent history has there been a greater need to remember this truth as we observe the actions of this Administration and its allies in Congress. 

A core understanding of these ideals formerly knew no party lines. It defined us as a nation.

Both John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan could agree that securing the God-given rights of Americans was the central purpose of government, and resisting the central top-down tyranny manifested in the communist/socialist worldview was a virtue. 

In our day, it is abundantly clear that Barack Obama and the Democrats think the primary purpose of the federal government is a “fundamentally transformed” America that our Founders would not recognize, where socialism reigns. It is our duty to ensure future generations experience the same promise and opportunity that we were given.
 
For the last five years, Mark Begich has been a virtual rubber stamp for Barack Obama’s left-wing agenda. Now he and Harry Reid have broken with long-standing Senate tradition to shove the president’s radical activist judges down our throats.
 
The minority party’s right to filibuster Presidential nominees who lack the qualifications, temperament or respect for the liberties of all Americans, which dates back to the mid-19th century, is no more with regards to most judicial and executives appointments. 
 
While Mark Begich talks a good game when he’s back in Alaska, we know he does the bidding of his party bosses when he’s in Washington. 
 
The truth is, according to The Washington Post, he votes with Barack Obama and Harry Reid 91% of the time. So much for independence!
 
Just like the junior senator was the 60th and decisive vote to pass an Obamcare law that Alaskans didn’t want, couldn’t afford and clearly doesn’t work, he continues to drag us down the road towards the President’s socialist utopian dream, which history clearly teaches leads to shared scarcity, rather than the shared opportunity to live the American dream.
 
When I’m elected to the United States Senate, you won’t have to worry about whether I’ll represent Alaska’s interests or stand up for the constitutional principles that made our nation great. I’ll lead the charge to confront this lawless administration and its liberty stealing agenda.
 
But I can’t do it alone. Together, we can roll back Barack Obama’s radical agenda and restore America. Thanks for your friendship and support!
 
In the Fight,

Joe