Hennessy's View

Ed Martin Jr. of St. Louis has redirected his fire to the Attorney General race, and this is great news for everyone except Chris Koster.

Back when Ed Martin was talking about running for the Republican nod to take on Claire McCaskill, I had another thought.  Well, a bunch of people had another thought: Ed would make an outstanding Attorney General.

*********UPDATE*********

HUGE list of endorsements on Ed’s official press release. 

******************************

I guess I was right.

I wasn’t disappointed that Ed chose to run for Todd Akin’s US House seat. Ed would make a great conservative legislator.  And as I said before, so will Ann Wagner, who can now focus on  . . . whichever Democrat decides to give a concession speech at 7:01 pm on November 6.

But, at this pivotal moment in history, as Attorney General, Ed Martin will be Missouri’s general in the war on Washington abuse.  Here’s why.

First, Ed has used his law license for the good of society, to protect life, to defend the wrongly accused, and to advance his—our—conservative principles.  He’s not a lawyer who’s in it for the money.  I’ve met some of the people he’s helped, and I’ve heard their stories.

In these battles, including a nationally covered battle against Illinois’s criminal Governor Rod Blagojevich, Ed Martin was tenacious, principled, and victorious.

Missouri needs an AG who will fight for the right things. 

Second, Ed understands that the battle for liberty over the next 12 years will be fought between the states and Washington. The states—and only the states—have the Constitutional power and the economic leverage fight Washington and win. 

The Several States vs. US Government will be ugly,long, and painful. [Insert your analogy here.]  Most people will lose their stomach before it’s over. People—even good conservatives—will want to throw in the towel and heel to the Washington monster.

Ed won’t.  He understands that Congress, with its entrenched establishment and elitist snobbery, is as close to a lost cause as you’ll find.  He wants to be one of 50 state attorneys general who, with their governors and secretaries of state, beat Congress into submission.(I said “ugly.”) 

Ed Martin has a clear path to take on turncoat Democrat Koster in November.  That fight begins today. When Ed prevails in November, Missouri will have an Attorney General who actually has read and understands the 10th Amendment of the United States Constitution—and a man who’s smart to know it matters.

Previously on Hennessy’s View about Ed Martin:

Give Me 5 Minutes, And I’ll Give You a New Friend

Name the One Tea Partier in the Race

11 Minutes of Exactly What We’re Talking About

Popularity: 2% [?]

Think about what’s at stake:

• The Supreme Court is one liberal away from imposing a radical, unwritten constitution on the United States
• The President has shredded the Constitution by seizing the power to declare when the Senate is or is not in session
• The United States has fallen many notches in world prestige
• We can no longer fight wars on two fronts
• The White House and Democrats in the Senate block every attempt at increasing domestic energy production
• Our debt is approaching Greece’s catastrophic levels
• The economy, after nearly four years, is flat on its back
• America is losing ground on every front
• And Obama made it worse

Only you can prevent the collapse of the United States.

And I’m proud that St. Louis Tea Party Coalition is there to help us get started.

In commemoration of the third anniversary of the Tea Party movement, St. Louis is joining dozens of Tea Party organizations around the country in kicking off a year of getting out the vote and getting better people in office.

In St. Louis, February 24 and 25 kick off our year of winning.

Friday, February 24

Dr. Larry Schweikart will discuss 7 Events That Made America America.  Dr. Schweikart is the New York Times Bestselling author of Glenn Beck’s favorite history book, A Patriot’s History of the United States. 

He’s also a documentarian who documented rock and roll’s role in bringing down the Berlin Wall and breaking up the Evil Empire. 

For the price of a good book, you’ll get to meet Dr. Schweikart, hear his fabulous and entertaining message, and enjoy a free drink (plus cash bar) and heavy hors d’oeuvres.  We’ll hang around and party as late as you want to go after Dr. Schweikart.

Get Tickets Today

Saturday, February 25

It’s all learning and training.  By 5:00 Saturday night, you’ll be armed, eager, and enabled to carry out the fight for the United States’ future.  You’ll be an elite warrior for liberty.

We’ll have speakers discussing social media campaigning, canvassing, the psychology of voting (you’d be surprised how powerful one person can be), how dominate in the upcoming Missouri Presidential Caucus, and more.

Saturday’s events include breakfast and lunch. We’re asking for a $50 donation for Saturday to help pay for some of the training, transportation for out-of-town speakers, and meals. Bill Federer, one of St. Louis’s finest conservative speakers and political experts, will entertain and inform at lunch.  And Dr. Schweikart will be available, too. If you don’t know Bill, check out his American Minute radio show.

And, if she’s willing, we’ve invited Debbie Wasserman-Schultz to debate the US Constitution on Saturday.  I’d personally love to see what Bill Federer and Dr. Schweikart would make of her . .  . “intellect.” 

Your best bet is to get the whole weekend—Friday and Saturday—for $65. 

The location is the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Clayton—where we kicked off The After Party on September 15.

This Is Why We Started This Thing

When we first gathered at the Arch on February 27, 2009, we didn’t know where it go. We faithfully followed the path that emerged before us.  We took on healthcare, we took on cap and trade, we took on the SEIU and universities and media. 

We made some mistakes, and we shined like the sun at times.

In 2010, we made a difference.  Not enough of a difference, but a difference.

Now we’ve reached the crossroads of our civilization’s existence.  Down one path lies the hard work for restoring sound government, fiscal responsibility, and free markets. 

Down the other path lies the harder work of living in a jungle of tyrannical lords amidst a broader social chaos.

Either way, there’s hard work to be done.  If you join the 300 on February 24 and 25, you’ll choose the hard work of restoring a better society.  The other choice will seem easier . . . until the barbarians knock.

Space is limited.  Get your tickets early.

Popularity: 1% [?]

I’m proud to know David Rose.  Dr. Rose is chairman of UMSL’s economics department. He’s also the President of the Discussion Club, one of St. Louis’s most valuable intellectual assets.

In this interview with Russ Roberts, Dr. Rose discusses his new book Moral Foundations of Economic Behavior.

This is great stuff for everyone, especially economic liberty fiends like me.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Truth is, not all companies, not all business ideas, can make it on their own. 

It’s easy to say that a good idea will automatically lead to a successful business. But it’s a lie.

Apple did not become Apple without investors.  Sure, there are some examples of businesses that flourished without financial help.  But not many. We’ll never know the wonderful ideas that died in their owner’s garage for lack of financing. 

Markkula offered to guarantee a line of credit of up to $250,000 in return for being made a one-third equity participant. Apple would incorporate, and he along with Jobs and Wozniak would each own 26% of the stock. The rest would be reserved to attract future investors. The three met in the cabana by Markkula’s swimming pool and sealed the deal. “I thought it was unlikely that Mike would ever see that $250,000 again, and I was impressed that he was willing to risk it,” Jobs recalled.

Isaacson, Walter (2011-10-24). Steve Jobs (p. 77). Simon & Schuster, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

A lot of people with ideas turn to government for investments. Why a business person with an idea would go to government for funding is obvious: poor scrutiny, below market interest rates, and (seemingly) unlimited funds. Ideas requiring big investments and heavy risks tend to seek out government help.  (See Aerotropolis.)

But the private sector has its own method of bringing great, but risky, ideas to market: venture capitalists and private equity. 

Venture capital and private equity firms pool their money together and invest in start-ups or small businesses seeking to grow, or salvage existing companies that suffer from bad management.  These firms employ experts and risk-takers who help push ideas over the top. 

Most importantly, private equity firms are like Bailey’s Building & Loan—they give us an alternative to the Mr. Potter of government.

It’s absurd to criticize Bain Capital for its practice of salvaging failing businesses.  It’s absurd and silly to criticize Mitt Romney for laying off people from dying companies. Even some Democrats get this:

Should bad, poorly-managed companies be allowed to destroy value?  Should fast-growing, innovative businesses receive capital and support to accelerate their growth?  And should hard-working pensioners and retirees be allowed to invest their savings in an asset class that outperforms nearly every other one available?  Private equity has an important role and should be lauded, not lambasted.  The WSJ does a nice job of making this case here. 

I am a strong proponent of business considering all stakeholders, not just shareholders, as vital corporate interests.  I’ve written about Creating Shared Value in the past. I believe that mass layoffs shouldn’t happen simply to boost quarterly or annual numbers. 

When Bain Capital bought a business, the damage had already been done.  Bain didn’t buy thriving companies and gut them; it bought failing businesses and saved them.

Sometimes layoffs are necessary to avoid outright closure.  That’s why business leaders get paid big dollars—because we rely on them to save as many jobs as possible by making brilliant strategic decisions. 

While I have a lot of difference with Mitt Romney and with business executives who treat employees like pawns in their personal empowerment games, I believe that Romney’s actions at Bain were necessary and compassionate, not callous and self-serving.

Were it not for private equity firms like Bain and venture capitalists in general, ideas like the Apple II would die in Steve Jobs’s garage.  Entrepreneurs, inventors, and troubled companies would have nowhere to turn except government.

Newt Gingrich made a big mistake attacking Romney’s role in saving failing companies. In fact, his error was so big it might have sealed the nomination for Romney.

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Most Americans know more about forensic evidence in the Casey Anthony case than they do about the Constitution.  That ignorance gave Barack Obama the hubris to end constitutional government in the United States. He did it, and you probably didn’t even notice.

Over the course of a week, Barack Obama made a series of so-called recess appointments. In the process, he and his henchmen in Eric Holder’s Justice Department effectively nullified the US Constitution.

The Constitution separates the federal government into three co-equal branches: executive (president), legislative (Congress), and judicial (courts).

Article I of the Constitution gives each House of Congress the power to make the rules under which it operates.

Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two thirds, expel a member.

One of the the rules each House sets for itself involves recess.  The Senate has rules governing its recesses; the House of Representatives governs its own.

But Obama Administration, through  the Justice Department, overruled the Senate’s rules on recesses.

Even the liberal New York Times found this dictatorial move troubling, recognizing that the White House has overturned a Senate rule:

On Wednesday, Mr. Obama went where Mr. Bush had declined to go. He invoked his constitutional right to recess appointments to install four nominees — the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Richard Cordray, and three members of the National Labor Relations Board — effectively calling the pro forma Senate session illegitimate.

Its experts agree that Obama has nullified the Constitutional power of the Senate to advise on and consent to certain presidential appointments:

Republicans, lawyers and parliamentary experts say the move, if it survives potential legal challenges, could herald an end to the Senate’s constitutionally guaranteed right to advice and consent.

It’s easy for the left to shout “hyperbole” when confronted with terrifying evidence of Obama’s aims. This naked power grab exposes the sorry state of Constitutional government in the United States.  It demands drastic action by the courts and Congress and the people.

I see no reason why Congress, business, government employees, and citizens would obey any ruling, regulation, or requirement issued from the illegitimate offices filled without the Senate’s advice and consent. No one is required to obey an illegally appointed official, just as no one is required to obey an illegal order in the military. (In fact, a member of the military is required to disobeyillegal orders.)

The most significant of these appointments is the frighteningly powerful office Consumer Financial Protection Bureau—an office with the power to fine private businesses up to $1 million per day.

I also call on all Missouri and Illinois candidates to the US House or Senate to publicly state their position on these anti-Constitutional appointments.

Here’s what Constitutional scholar Mark Levin says:

The President of the United States is trashing the Constitution now day in and day out.

What do you think?

Read More on Heritage Foundation.

Image source: http://brian-therightperspective.blogspot.com/2012/01/levin-president-trashing-constitution.html

Popularity: 2% [?]