Category Archives: General

General, Public Policy Radar, Commentary, Public Policy Principles News, Life Issues, Economics

McCain Flip-Flops On Supplement Regulation

Reprinted with Permission from the Rainrock Nutritionals website

In an article in the Over The Counter Today blog we learned that Sen. John McCain has withdrawn all support of his own bill (S. 3002), the laughably misnamed Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010.

In effect this bill would have imposed draconian penalties for dietary supplement companies who made new products with recently uncovered ingredients if they weren’t marketed in the United States prior to the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act (Oct. 15, 1994). In other words, only drug companies would have access to ingredients that became available prior to nearly 16 years ago. If a company were to use one of these ingredients, the FDA would be empowered to call it “adulterated” and to order an instant recall. It also handed the Secretary of Health and Human Services the power to ban ingredients by simply striking them from a list called “Accepted Dietary Ingredients.”

It is clear that McCain is feeling the political heat. He is in a tense primary battle to keep his Arizona US Senate seat and apparently, enough of you have contacted his office and expressed your displeasure with this new power grab to give him the idea that maybe supplements ought to be left alone. This effort of McCain’s was really just one of the many steps the federal government is taking to turn control of all dietary supplements and pharmaceuticals over to the control of international “authorities” by adopting the European “Codex Alimentarius” as law in the United States. This essentially would place all regulation of supplements under the control of European bureaucrats who are themselves under the control of German Pharmaceutical giants.

McCain was convinced by both internal and external pressure to withdraw support for this bill. Your calls helped as did this letter from Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah.

But we must be vigilant. Dietary supplements are in the cross hairs of regulators and the current administration. I was told at a meeting of Complementary and Alternative Medicine providers and patients last summer that the Obama health care bill would ensure the continuation of the easy availability of dietary supplements. This is an absurd notion. The European example tells a very different story. Dietary supplements throughout the EU are rapidly becoming an endangered species (except in the UK which doesn’t care for German control of ANYTHING).

Please take this opportunity to join and support the National Health Federation and purchase Director Scott Tips book on the Codex Alimentarius- Codex Alimentarius: Global Food Imperialism

Education, Events, The Vote, Biblical Worldview, Uncategorized, General

Changing the Culture through Winning Campaigns

Can you answer “yes” to any of the following questions:

1.  Are you frustrated with the absence of principled leadership in politics?

2. Are you fed up with elected officials who talk the talk, but refuse to walk their talk?

3. Have you grown weary of being handed candidates by political parties who are “electable” instead of principled?

4. Would you like to have elected officials who adhere to our country’s founding philosophy (ie: who adhere to the Constitution)?

5. Are you willing to stand up and run for office yourself or become someone who can effectively “hold up the arms” of someone who will?


If you answered “yes” to any of these, then the training school that is being put on by Citizens for Community Values in Cincinnati on January 14 and 15 is something you just can’t afford to miss.

This candidate training school will be held at the Courtyard Marriott hotel at the Greater Cincinnati airport on Thursday, January 14 and Friday, January 15.  Nationally recognized trainers will be putting on this intense campaign training, and it is being provided for free!

This training is not just for candidates and their campaign staff members, but as well as for potential candidates, leaders in politics and the culture, and for grassroots activists and volunteers who want to begin the process of bringing real hope and change to our country.

Check here for more information and for how to register, but be quick, registrations received before January 8th will receive a special “Campaign Jumpstart Toolkit” with materials that will help potential candidates to create a winning edge.  Some of the board of the Institute for Principled Policy will be attending, and we hope to see many of you there as well.

Uncategorized, General, Education, Events, Commentary, Fun, Biblical Worldview

Happy Thanksgiving from the Institute for Principled Policy

784px-the_first_thanksgiving_jean_louis_gerome_ferrisMay you and yours have a blessed Thanksgiving celebration, from the Board and staff of the Institute for Principled Policy!

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING

PROCLAMATION

JUNE 20, 1676

“The Holy God having by a long and Continual Series of his Afflictive dispensations in and by the present Warr with the Heathen Natives of this land, written and brought to pass bitter things against his own Covenant people in this wilderness, yet so that we evidently discern that in the midst of his judgements he hath remembered mercy, having remembered his Footstool in the day of his sore displeasure against us for our sins, with many singular Intimations of his Fatherly Compassion, and regard; reserving many of our Towns from Desolation Threatened, and attempted by the Enemy, and giving us especially of late with many of our Confederates many signal Advantages against them, without such Disadvantage to ourselves as formerly we have been sensible of, if it be the Lord’s mercy that we are not consumed,

It certainly bespeaks our positive Thankfulness, when our Enemies are in any measure disappointed or destroyed; and fearing the Lord should take notice under so many Intimations of his returning mercy, we should be found an Insensible people, as not standing before Him with Thanksgiving, as well as lading him with our Complaints in the time of pressing Afflictions:

The Council has thought meet to appoint and set apart the 29th day of this instant June, as a day of Solemn Thanksgiving and praise to God for such his Goodness and Favour, many Particulars of which mercy might be Instanced, but we doubt not those who are sensible of God’s Afflictions, have been as diligent to espy him returning to us; and that the Lord may behold us as a People offering Praise and thereby glorifying Him; the Council doth commend it to the Respective Ministers, Elders and people of this Jurisdiction; Solemnly and seriously to keep the same Beseeching that being perswaded by the mercies of God we may all, even this whole people offer up our bodies and soulds as a living and acceptable Service unto God by Jesus Christ.”

The First Thanksgiving Proclamation (June 20, 1676)

On June 20, 1676, the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established. By unamimous vote they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29 as a day of thanksgiving, our first. That proclamation is reproduced here in the same language and spelling as the original.

Prepared by Gerald Murphy (The Cleveland Free-Net – aa300) Distributed by the Cybercasting Services Division of the National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN).

Biblical Worldview, General, Crime and Punishment, Gambling, Commentary, Public Policy Principles News, The Vote, Economics

The Biggest Winners and Losers from Ohio’s Election

1 Comment
This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series 2009 Election Issues

Voting MachineWith this now completed election it is time to reflect on who the biggest winners and biggest losers in Ohio were.  By this we do not want you to rant and rave but to put forth a reasoned perspective on who you believe gained the most and who lost the most on November 3.  Try to remain focused on Ohio issues and politicians, including your own local issues, and away from national politics in this discussion.  Don’t just regurgitate the talking heads who are proclaiming the Republicans won and Obama lost.  For example, let me proceed first with my opinions.

I believe the biggest winner in Ohio was Dan Gilbert and his associates.  Gilbert, who amassed a fortune through his quick loans operation and who owns the Cleveland Cavaliers professional basketball team, fronted the Ohio Casino initiative which narrowly won.  Gilbert and his associates will now have a legally constituted monopoly on casino gambling in Ohio.  The fact that the citizens of Ohio endorsed this idea of granting a few people control over this industry boggles my mind.  My reaction has nothing to do with the morality or immorality with gaming but with the control, opportunity, and money granted by Ohioans to a select few through a constitutional amendment.  This is outrageous and deplorable.  Quite obviously the biggest winner in Ohio was Dan Gilbert, the billionaire who will now along with his associates be able to reap additional billions each year from the willing naïve sacrificial citizens of Ohio.

But who lost the most?  There were many losers:  the public school systems, the governor of Ohio, those opposing state issues 2 or 3, but who lost the most?  Many lost opportunities; many lost money; and some even lost their seats of power.  But did anyone lose more than any of these?  Let me put forward my opinion and we want to hear yours.

I have always been a supporter of law enforcement.  I address police officers as “sir” and taught my children to do so as well.  When law enforcement supporters have called or written for donations or were selling tickets for fund-raisers, I willingly forked forth the bucks realizing I could never do enough or support them enough.  To me law enforcement officials have been the least appreciated and the most under-respected servants in society.  But no more!  From my vantage point the biggest loser in Ohio was the FOP (Fraternal Order of Police).  They lost their integrity and my respect.  Time after time I was bombarded on the TV by Tipton’s endorsement of the state amendment for legalized casinos.  How much money did the FOP pay for this plethora of commercials?  What are they receiving in return?  The law enforcement agencies are receiving a great deal of money from the profits of the gaming industry and this appears like a pay-off to me.

More disappointing to me than the passage of issue 3 and the amending of the Ohio Constitution to permit a legal monopoly on casinos is the support of this monopoly by a law enforcement agency that should understand the value of the Constitution, the seriousness of a Constitutional Amendment, and the essential philosophical danger of endorsing a monopoly.  The one virtue that those in law must possess is impartiality.  The support of this amendment by the FOP demonstrates partiality to me. Formal support of this amendment by the FOP seemingly places the gambling industry and the law enforcement agencies into the same bed together.  Does this disturb any of you?

As close as the vote was on Issue 3, it is quite possible that the endorsement by the FOP and the extent of the publicity generated by the FOP was just enough to get this amendment passed.  This will make it difficult for me to ever address an officer of the law as “sir” and to teach my grandchildren that they should respect these officers since I now know the truth…they can be bought off like anyone else.  The FOP won, but from my vantage point they lost their soul and their integrity and what loss could be greater?

IPP invites you to enter into this discussion on Ohio’s biggest winners and biggest losers.  If you are not registered, then please do so by registering and commenting in our Forum.

General

O’Brien v. Brunner–Finis

blind-justiceOn Wednesday, August 26th, Ohio’s elections laws became a bit more Constitutional.  US District Court Judge Edmund Sargus issued a permanent injunction against Ohio’s “personal funds” provisions of the campaign finance laws, ORC section 3517.103, specifically negating subsections C, D, E, and F of that statute.  For more on the background of the case, see our earlier posting.

Citing the US Supreme Court’s 2008 decision in the case Davis v. FEC, Judge Sargus determined that Ohio’s law was nearly identical to the federal scheme which was overturned as unconstitutional.   This ruling applies to any present or future candidate for statewide office in Ohio.

The Institute for Principled Policy’s take on this decision is that a candidate should not have imposed what the Supreme Court declared as an “unprecedented penalty” and a “substantial burden” because they choose to invest in themselves and their message to the voters.

This law created a scheme of discriminatory contribution limits, keeping a candidate or their immediate families from being able to support their relative to a full extent, while allowing the opponent in the race unlimited access to special interest contributions as a “solution” to a dubious “problem”.  I would note that any relative is still subject to the generally existing campaign donation maximum per cycle.  The problem with the “personal funds” provision is that if, hypothetically, a candidate, their spouse, their adult children (say three or more), and their parents and/or grandparents were to want to contribute the maximum allowed amount to the candidate, the aggregate of those contributions would trigger the (now enjoined) section of the law and allow the opponent to collect unlimited donations from anyone (and I would ask, if the opponent, filing the “Declaration of No Limits” document, were then to get contributions from family members exceeding the “personal funds” threshhold, would they have then been exempt from the law?)  As Judge Sargus saw, it is inherently discriminatory to the candidate, and is weighed heavily toward the opponent.

This sort of scheme is antithetical to our First Amendment freedoms.  Why should someone who wants to invest in themselves be forced, and their relatives be forced, to keep from investing in someone they believe in because the state decides to interfere?  Additionally, the state’s scheme creates a winfall for the opponent to the candidate, thus tipping the playing field heavily in that direction and punitively punishing the candidate who is willing to stake their own substance on an effort to represent the people of the state.

Our kudos to Judge Edmund Sargus on a wise decision which will begin to bring Ohio’s elections and campaign financing laws toward a more balanced and Constitutionally-sound basis.

Public Policy Principles News, The Vote, Uncategorized, General, Education, Commentary

American Majority–On the Candidate trail, part 3

This entry is part 4 of 7 in the series American Majority Training

constitutionThis session is on political communication, more specifically on paid and earned media options for a campaign.  Faulkner discussed the elements of a communication strategy from establishing or increasing name id, developing image and issue, creating contrast, to defending yourself against attacks.

Most people think of political communication of being mainly centered around television advertising, but Faulkner brought a great perspective on the fact that our new technological milieu, while still maintaining the importance of running TV, has exposed some of the things that TV can’t do for a campaign, including targeting voters effectively, reaching as many voters as it did 10 years ago (too many channel choices now), and giving detailed information/messaging for your campaign.

Much of the discussion on paid media explored the ability to use direct mail effectively and to use radio as a “rapid response” vehicle for staying abreast of issues and getting out early on attack response/damage control.  However, because of the constraints of the day’s schedule, Faulkner had to skip over a number of points of discussion, which participants in the training can access via a membership gateway at American Majority’s website.

A discussion of earned media and its effectiveness (both in terms of costs and in terms of name/issue identification for voters) was the second half of the session, but much of it was passed over due to time constraints.  It might be a better plan for future trainings for the earned media portion of the training to be a separate session.

And yes, even though many don’t want to hear it, Faulkner reiterated that negative ads (attack ads) do work and work effectively.  He did warn that candidates should try to create contrast, but to stay away from the clearly personal attacks on the opponent:  attack issues and track records, not personalities and families.  Faulkner did utilize some time for a fairly lively and informative question and answer session at the end of the session.

Uncategorized, General, Education, Commentary, Public Policy Principles News, The Vote

American Majority–On the Candidate track, part 2

This entry is part 3 of 7 in the series American Majority Training

constitutionThis session in the Candidate track is one that most candidates hate talking about, but is absolutely necessary to achieve the goals of the campaign:  fundraising.  The “mother’s milk of politics” is also the bane of most candidates, who struggle to spend the requisite time and personal investment to have a successful fundraising program.  Relying on direct mail and generic requests won’t equate to enough resources to cross the finish line strong.

Faulkner spent the bulk of the time in this session discussing the various means of fundraising, from direct mail solicitations to online fundraising.  Faulkner walked participants through the personal solicitation, direct mail and fundraising event portions of the finance plan in general terms, as a general overview of the basics of these traditional fundraising activities.

The discussion on online fundraising was engaging, showing the power of smaller voices coming together to create a political roar (ala Ron Paul more than Howard Dean), and bringing people into the campaign by directly engaging them with your campaign message in a format with which they are comfortable .

Online fundraising has other advantages as well, such as creating “fans” (strong supporters), being able to grow your email lists (remember the Obama campaign’s millions of emails?), asking for smaller amounts but in greater numbers of people, and creating community around your campaign.

However, as Faulkner brought home, a candidate still has to spend 35-50% (or more) of their time on doing personal, face to face solicitation of potential big donors in order to create the financial foundation to build the rest of the campaign on.  Sorry, candidates, there is no magic wand in the Internet to keep you from having to do the hard, humbling work of asking other people to give you and your ideas the money to make them work.

The Vote, Uncategorized, General, Education, Commentary, Public Policy Principles News

American Majority–On the Candidate track, part 1

This entry is part 1 of 7 in the series American Majority Training

constitutionChris Faulkner of Faulkner Strategies out of Indianapolis led the Candidate track for the American Majority training.  I am impressed to see that there are about 30 people who are taking this track our of the 50+ who are in attendance.  Some of these people are support or campaign staff/volunteers, but the numbers are encouraging, nevertheless.

The opening session of this track is on the development of the campaign plan to ensure success.   Faulkner opened with what I found to be refreshing:  Create your entire campaign plan in PowerPoint utilizing a maximum of 10 slides!  He is now breaking down the overall plan with five major areas that must be focused upon, with questions the candidate must be asking themselves and their campaign in order to make sure they are on the right track.

He is discussing the necessity of fleshing out the administration and committee aspects of the campaign, the message you are delivering and how to deliver it, how to position both yourself and your opponent for maximum benefit for your campaign, how to structure the campaign budget to meet your goals and prepare for unexpected expenses, create your finance committee and asks for contributions, how to set vote goals and know how to sift the information to create accurate benchmarks and targets, how to effectively get out the vote in an era of early voting (in Ohio, voters can cast ballots 35 days prior to the election) and setting GOTV timelines for the greatest impact.

A former Marine machine gunner trainer, Faulkner’s presentation is engaging, lively and filled with significant pieces of information that are very helpful for those seeking to be effective candidates.


Uncategorized, General, Education, Commentary, Public Policy Principles News, The Vote

American Majority–Building Coalitions

This entry is part 2 of 7 in the series American Majority Training

constitutionThe AM staff began the session by describing what a coalition is (individuals or organizations coming together to address a common issue, who have common interests and values) and why they form (for solving a problem, naturally!)

Discussion centered around purposeful coalition building–creating a roadmap for success, with clear planning for identifying the issue, growing the group intelligently, creating the vision for the solution, establishing clear targets for success, planning the specific strategies, and implementing.  One thing that wasn’t discussed was having a post-issue analysis to certify that the goals were actually met.

Credibility and authority of the group and leaders was noted as being critical to the foundation for success of any coalition.  In order to be effective, the coalition leadership have to be visible and accessible, and be able to accurately assess the depth of the network,  broaden and deepen the network (including direct methods and social networking options),  and mobilize and motivate your volunteers and core membership.

Examples of effective tools for reaching the community you are wanting to impact was discussed, from the traditional word of mouth to getting earned media, from petitioning to fundraising events to educate and connect more people to your cause, from networking to building and deepening relationships.  All of these tools and options are going to be explained in more detail during the activist training break out sessions (of which I will bring you information after the event).

A thought struck me during this presentation, especially during the part on networking:  No time was allowed for participants at this event to introduce themselves and to let others know who is in attendance.  Maybe this will happen before the lunchtime “networking”.  We’ll see.

Uncategorized, General, Education, Commentary, Public Policy Principles News, The Vote

American Majority–Training for Solutions

This entry is part 1 of 7 in the series American Majority Training

constitutionI am going to be blogging live today from the American Majority Candidate and Activist training class, being held on the campus of Otterbein College.  The morning has started well, as the staff of AM provided coffee and pastries for such an early starting event!  They also are providing professional-quality training materials, and I was impressed to see that the training booklets are specific to the state of Ohio’s elections laws, not just a generic template booklet.

About 25 people are already here, with an anticipated attendance of 40+.  I already recognize a number of people, including former legislators and community activists, along with folks who may never have before been engaged in the civic arena except for dutifully marching to the polls in general (and maybe primary) elections.  The current political and policy climate, along with the energizing effects of tea parties, 912 movements and the like, have indeed “brought people out of the woodwork.”

Their brochure outlines the “Problem”:  “In recent months, how often have you asked yourself, ‘What happened to the conservative movement?  Why isn’t America reflecting the basic principles on which she was founded?’  Government is too big, too bureaucratic, spends too much money, and doesn’t spend it wisely.  Few of our elected officials, regardless of party, are doing anything to change it.  In fact, through earmarks and increased regulation, they are only making the problem worse.  We need citizens engaged and candidates worth voting for…”

The training being offered today is to bring one solution to the above-stated problem.  I will be sitting in on the “candidate” track, as the activist track is well documented in the training manual for that track, and I will be discussing that track later.  The opening session, for both tracks, is “Building Effective Coalitions.”   As the opening session starts, there are about 50 people now present.  Looks like a great turnout and a hopeful glimpse of the future.