2012 Christmas Testimony

Jesus is born

Two weeks ago, I was asked to share my thoughts about what Christmas means to me. My target audience is fellow Republicans. But I will direct my thoughts to everybody, for my testimony of my Savior is the same. I believe in Christ. He is my Redeemer. He is my King. I celebrate Christmas to celebrate His birth, life, death, and resurrection. If not for His exemplary life, which I try to follow, His suffering for my sins, His death and resurrection, I would have no hope. And so I celebrate!



For many Republicans and some Democrats, this year has been a bad year in politics. And, in politics, we don't have any hope for improvement. And if our President's words this week are any indication, there will be no change for the better over the next few years. But we do have hope in Him, Jesus Christ our Savior.

"He is risen"

As we put our faith in God, we can accomplish many things. As we trust in His word, we can overcome all. Not that the journey will be easy, but the burden will be lighter. Not that we won't have troubles, but we will be supported when doing right. So go out, do good, follow Jesus' example. Help the sick, the needy, the widowed and widower, the fatherless or motherless. Don't look down upon the needy and think in your hearts, "They probably voted for more free stuff, let them get their handouts from the government." I know I have and I know I have need of repentance.

Jesus helping the sick

I will commit myself, I already have, to helping those in need. We can only win the hearts and minds of the people through example, as Christ did, and show them that there is a better way. The sad, the lonely, the downtrodden have two choices, trust in government or trust in God. I would trust God. God sends His servants to help. We, His believers, are His servants and this is my testimony of Him and why I celebrate Christmas.

Jesus healing Jairus' daughter

A Realization of Proper Self Defense

My brother-in-law, Monte, related the following story. He makes a very good final point. A point that is lost on many gun control advocates.

True story--a couple of years ago Suzanne and I had a marital spat over the fact that I owned a gun for our family's protection. She was strongly opposed to guns and didn't like the fact I was taking my son to the gun range to practice shooting. A few weeks later we were sitting in church listening to a speaker read a letter from his missionary son in South America who described the aftermath of a recent earthquake--how looters and criminals targeted those with no means to protect themselves or their food and clothing supplies. Suzanne surprised me by leaning over and whispering in my ear that perhaps she was wrong and that we needed to have a way to defend ourselves and protect our loved ones and our food storage.

A few months later, she did some work for a client who taught gun classes, and she surprised me once again when she signed us both up for the classes and even traded part of her services in exchange for the gun classes. When we begin to understand that there are bad people out there who would not think twice about taking our possessions and even the lives of our loved ones and not feel bad about it, it lends clarity to the responsibility we have to defend ourselves and our families from those who would do us harm.

Emphasis added.

Brooks Wicker at the Rotary Club, 2012-10-04

A couple of weeks ago, Mr. Brooks Wicker spoke to the Rotary club as the Ky 3rd Congressional District Republican Candidate. He spent about 13 minutes introducing himself, explaining why he should be our next representative in Congress, and expounded on why John Yarmuth has failed to properly represent us.

Mr. Wicker has a command of the issues that are facing our community and this nation, and he feels he has the ability to effect the necessary change. During his speech he stated he does not feel he is a man of destiny, but that his life and work has prepared him for the task of being a Congressman. As a CPA, he has started businesses, failed at some, succeeded at others, and has assisted other businesses in growing. He and his family have been in the 3rd District for 29 years and so he knows the issues in Louisville.

Brooks Wicker understands that "America is not broken." He goes on to explain that "what is broken are the promises made by our representatives in Washington. And we must hold them accountable for their actions." Our leadership has failed us and we need to get real leaders in Washington.

In the six years that John Yarmuth has been our representative, his votes and actions have caused us to be in the situation we are in. After six years, we can no longer blame someone else. Mr. Wicker lists several points of failure that is a result of the leadership vacuum in Washington. They are:

• Real unemployement has doubled since the day Yarmuth took office.
• Our national debt has increased by 86% From Jan 20, 2007
• According to John's own words, wealth has decreased by 39% during his tenure in Congress
• Also according to his numbers, family income has decreased $7000 a year
• The annual cost to Louisville families due to Yarmuth's votes on three issues alone, health care, taxes, and the EPA come to more than $3000 a year
• Health care costs over the past two years have increased $2500

Adding up all these costs comes to more than $12,500 per year of out-of-pocket expenses for a Louisville family.

Because of Mr. Brooks Wicker's experience as a CPA, having served in various businesses both large and small, he has the ability to be a positive influence on the Hill. Let's elect Brooks Wicker for Congress on November 6th.

To watch the video, see below.

Brooks Wicker's Commentary on the Jobs Report

Today the unemployment numbers were released. If you aren't paying attention, you would think the number is great. We finally dropped below 8%!  But there is a problem to that number.  Many have pointed them out.  Mr. Brooks Wicker released a statement today, too.  I'm copying it here for you.

Friends,

This morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released a “revised” jobs report for September. Ironically, in the next-to-last report of unemployment numbers prior to the November election, unemployment fell to 7.8%.

The report states 114,000 jobs were added to the economy, but somehow the number of unemployed persons fell 456,000. In the slowest economic recovery in the last half-century, that’s the largest one-month jump in past 29 years.

The numbers just don’t add up.

How do we account for the other 342,000 people who didn’t find a job? These are people who gave up looking for a job. Disheartened, they fell from the ranks of the unemployed, not because they found a job, but because there wasn’t a job to be had.

While President Obama and John Yarmuth are bragging up these numbers, they should be ashamed they have failed the 75% of those in September who quit looking. America deserves better.

What the numbers tell us:

* 342,000 people stopped looking for work.
* After getting humiliated in the debate against Mitt Romney, President Obama needed something positive for mainstream media pundits to talk about.

* Ironically, unemployment dips below 8% for the first time in 43 months, one month before Election Day… No modern president has been re-elected with unemployment above 8%. Red flag right there!

* Bureau of Labor Statistics “revised” July and August numbers to show stronger growth (source: The Hill, October 5, 2012).

* 12 Million people are still unemployed, with more people everyday giving up hope.

I’m sick of political games. John Yarmuth and President Obama are playing politics with people’s lives and it’s not right. Since John Yarmuth went to Congress, median family incomes are down $7,000. Louisville families can’t afford John Yarmuth for another 2 years.

The math is simple and the jobs numbers just don’t add up. We deserve better than politicians “revising” numbers, solely concerned about their own re-election. We need to fix the problem of Washington politicians. I will not compromise my integrity to win an election. We need to govern for future generations, and fix this mess Yarmuth helped create.

I ask you to forward this message to 10 friends. It’s time we stand up to Washington and tell them we will not be deceived and that we’ve had enough.

Thank you,


Brooks Wicker
Republican nominee for Congress (KY-3)

James, why are you a Republican?

By James Young on Monday, October 1, 2012 at 12:21am
Every few days, I'm asked that one, never-ending question: "James, why are you a Republican?" However, lately it's been: "James, why are you voting for Mitt Romney?" And boy, do I love getting those questions.

For me, it's the simplest, most complicated answer to any question I could ever face. The typical line of "Republicans are for the rich, Democrats are for the poor" has boiled my blood for years. Just about every other person I've met in the last two years have eventually ended up asking about "my background;" assuming my parents are upper class business types from a nice neighborhood who drives a fancy car. For some reason, my response always seems to blow their mind. The truth is, both of my parents are registered Democrats, one from Louisville, the other from Eastern Kentucky. My mother has never made over $25k in a single year, and my father has worked security for the last twenty years. Before my involvement, my parents believed politics started & ended with Mayor Jerry Abramson. I spent my childhood in a gravel trailerpark in Fairdale before moving to Valley Station for my youth. Oh, and I went to Valley High School. Yes, Valley. I was raised the definition of "middle class." I have never known what that "silver spoon" looks like that the political gossipers insist us "Republicans" were born with.

But then again, that explains everything. Even I have had to turn to my roots of where I come from & how I was raised to truly understand what it is I believe in. You see, I come from a family that has felt the government pinch. My father lost his 40+ hr/wk job during the economic recession, my mother began scrapping pennies to pay for a few more ounces of gasoline to get to work. Going to church on Sunday was the only "hope" we could ever truly rely on. All I've ever known is Gods grace, the importance of love, always work harder than anyone else, and never forget where you came from.

When molding my own opinion, I turn to what makes sense: Smaller government, lower taxes, and balanced budgets. I believe in a brighter tomorrow for not only myself, but for my friends, my family, my neighbors, my community. A swelling government, higher tax rates, and a national debt that has surely reached "infinity" at this point has done nothing but shackle my dreams of ever reaching success. To me, the idea that "government can do it" is the real problem. Instead of debating how to fund these "new" programs, lets cut what's unncessary & fix what we have. I cannot help but think about those from my graduate class, those who I went to college with, the many friends I've met with entrepreneurial spirit to succeed that are being consistently held back by the burdensome problems from our nations Capitol. Let's get government out of the way, and get back to work.

So, why am I a Republican? Because I want to be free.

Knocking Doors for Candidate Brooks Wicker

Tonight my daughters wanted to go for a walk. It's not a problem because I have a stack of Brooks Wicker's fliers to hand out. It was a good experience. Everyone I've talked to have always been appreciative when I give them some information about the upcoming elections. There just isn't a lot of information or advertising going on right now.

Mr. Wicker has been on the radio with Mandy Connell's and Joe Elliot's programs. Unfortunately, there is a lot of work needed to get the message out. If you can assist either monetarily or by volunteering, please follow the links.

By the way, aren't these girls so cute? They were very excited to help and place the hanging fliers and had a lot of fun with it.

The Louisville Young Republicans to Adopt Candidates

During the last Louisville Young Republicans meeting, LYR Chair and KYR Vice-Chair James Young announced that the Kentucky Young Republicans will be adopting 11 candidates to focus its attentions to elect or re-elect to the Kentucky State House and regain control of the House for the first time in over 100 years. The announcement was followed with a post at the Louisville Young Republicans' website.

The two local candidates who will obtain attention are Mike Nemes, the incumbent for District 38, and Cory Koellner, a challenger for District 28. There are three activities planned to assist these candidates for re-election. Each are door-to-door canvassing on Oct 6th, 13th, and the 27th.

Visit the link above for more information, or see below the break (click See More below) to get more detailed information.

Town Hall Event - Sept 26, 2012

As mentioned in the previous post about knocking doors, Mr. Wicker hosted a Town Hall event that took place at "Joe's Older Than Dirt" in Lyndon on Tuesday, September 25th.  The event was lightly attended, but had several speakers.  George Tolhurst, Marilyn Parker, and Brooks Wicker all spoke to the group as Michael Wray, Mr. Wicker's campaign manager, introduced each speaker.

Mr. Tolhurst is running for Jefferson County School Board in the 2nd District.  He spoke about the need to return the education system back to educating children and away from the extravagant spending on buses and administration.  Jefferson County has the largest (or second largest) bus fleet of any school system in the United States.  That's amazing, in a bad way, for the 42nd largest city in the country.  Mr. Tolhurst wants to change the focus and direction of the board so that it focuses more on what's good for the students first, teachers second, and the administration last.

Ms. Parker is running for the Metro Council District 18. She spoke about her desire to run for office. After learning about the corruption and wasted funding that has been going on in Jefferson County, it seems we have a new article on some issue or another monthly, she wanted to make a difference.  And she has been quite successful so far with her campaign and has a very good shot at winning the seat. 

Mr. Wicker spoke about the need to replace Mr. Yarmuth and the overall need to bring fiscal responsibility back to Congress.  It got a good start in 2010, but we need to keep the momentum in 2012.  Brooks Wicker spoke about the need to repeal ObamaCare, balance the budget and reduce or eliminate spending on unnecessary programs. 

All three fielded questions from the assembled crowd. It was an informative night.

Knocking Doors for Brooks Wicker

This year I have been more politically active than I ever have.  In 2010, I watched as John Yarmuth handily beat a very promising Republican candidate for Congress. The general feeling was that he could very well beat Yarmuth, especially with the wave of the TEA Party and other conservative leaning folks being highly motivated.  Unfortunately, the Republican candidate was beaten, badly.

So, this year, I've taken to doing something about it. I have been vocal, using my social media accounts, attending events for our candidate, Brooks Wicker, and even knocking doors.  And it is this article that I wanted to use to give you an idea of what it is like. Perhaps you will want to join Mr. Wicker's volunteer team to get the word out and get people to vote for him.

I was able to assist in passing out a town hall event flier last Wed and Thu. I knocked on about 40-60 doors and left a flier at each one except one. The people who were home were very kind, even if they weren't Republican, even if they were voting for the Democrat. Most people, however, were very interested in learning about Mr. Wicker and wanted to vote Mr. Yarmuth out.

The one house I did not leave a flier at was a curmudgeonly, drunk fellow who was anti-Republican anything. But even he told me I can "go next door" and not bother him about it.  So, it wasn't all that bad.

On Saturday, I took to my own neighborhood and passed out more fliers.  I tried to get as many out as I could, so I didn't bother knocking.  I did talk with a few people. Fortunately, there was one in my neighborhood who agreed to having a yard sign placed in their yard.

So, if you are worried at all about knocking doors, don't be! It is a really great way to get Mr. Wicker's name out there. And it will also uplift you as you hear people's stories and meet those who agree with your political positions.

A Political Allegory of the Farmer

While pondering a discussion I had recently concerning the world troubles, I came up with what I thought was an interesting allegory. Here it is.

Suppose you are a very successful, wealthy farmer. Your farm consists of pigs, cows, chickens, corn, wheat, etc., etc. You have hired hands and a sweet family. Being a successful and very generous farmer, you don't mind that you have some people who come in and take some ears of corn, or some wheat for bread. Despite giving of your farm's products very generously to various charities that service those in need, you instruct your hired hands to do nothing about them. Let the intruders take what they will. After all, you are very successful and very wealthy. It doesn't hurt. After some time the intruders start taking pigs and cows. You think, "That's not so bad, they deserve a little meat once in awhile."

However, you notice a disturbing trend. While taking your fruits into the stores in town, you notice some vandalism to the property. Broken fences, spray painted barns and rocks. Not a problem, just an annoyance. But farther into town you see posters, fliers, and other propaganda all slandering your good, and very generous, name. Some of the handbills even threaten violence against you. This does not seem right. After all, you share your wealth with those in need and with anyone who asks.

You try to appease the people, talk with those responsible. However, violence does erupt. Many of your hired hands are bullied or beaten.  Even your family is starting to get roughed up.  The next week, your foreman is found dead, having been killed while looking for potential employees to hire. What is your course of action?

If you are Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, you go to the town and post an apology at the town hall and send a truck with speakers to blast that apology to the people.

Neither Healthy nor Hunger-Free

FoxNews has an article about the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 – legislation promoted by Michelle Obama, which is neither keeping some kids Healthy nor Hunger Free. The Federal law is a one-size fits all solution for school lunches. Therefore, you get the 6'3" high school linebacker, who burns through 3000 calories during afternoon practice, being forced to eat (if he buys the school lunch) a 780 calorie lunch, the same as that skinny kid who just grows tall, but never gains a pound... even though he can burn through the calories just as fast, the same as the 5'4" 240 pound kid who really does need to lose wait, but doing it this extremely may be dangerous to his/her health.




Don't get me wrong, we've got some fat kids. But school lunches are not the problem. It's the lack of exercise, too much air conditioning (why go outside and play when it's cool inside), and too much tv/games.




Now we've also got a free-market problem on our hands. They've reduced the food, reduced the calories, and reduced the price. Wait, no! Haha! The government does not reduce prices! No, they raised the price of lunch 10 cents. Nothing like a government agency to waste millions of dollars on overages and waste. (See also Amtrak's $10 burger)

Brooks Wicker Makes a Statement About the EPA

Recently, the EPA has enforced onerous rules that directly affect all the citizens of Jefferson County. These rules cause the utilities to raise their rates on everyone. A Federal Appeals court ruled for the defendants coal companies and against the EPA. Unfortunately, this does not get residents of Jefferson County out of having to pay the bill - the Clean Air Act has already been passed.

Brooks Wicker informs us that John Yarmuth is in full support of the EPA's "war on coal" by backing the moves of the EPA. Don't forget, it was Barack Obama that stated a coal power company can start a new plant, but he was going to make it so expensive that it would not make any money. And John Yarmuth is nothing more than a rubber stamp for Obama's initiatives.

See Mr. Wicker's statement here: http://www.brookswicker.com/epa-blocked-but-rates-still-rise/

I support a balanced approach to energy policy, one that includes all our available domestic resources, including Kentucky coal. Supporting Kentucky’s coal industry means supporting cheaper electricity, lower property taxes and more money for the things that matter most.

John Yarmuth's Voting Record

Just a quick post while I'm thinking of it. I remember listening to John Yarmuth taking an interview with Terry Meiners back in 2008 on the issue of TARP. As you may remember, this was George Bush's initiative to save the banking industry. A lot of Republicans took a lot of flack for this move. TARP was essentially trying to save the dollar from collapse.

John Yarmuth initially voted NO (obviously because it was Bush's idea). During the interview with Mr. Meiners, Mr. Yarmuth stated that he was against it. I thought, "Wow! I agree with him for once." But then Mr. Yarmuth said he got a phone call from then Senator Barack Obama asking him to change his vote, and he did.

Looking at John Yarmuth's voting record, he votes party line 95% of the time. 

Do we want a representative that will bring Chicago, California and Las Vegas principles to Kentucky? Or do we want a representative that will vote the way the People of Louisville and Kentucky want?  I'm choosing Brooks Wicker as my representative. He knows what the People of Kentucky wants and needs.

A Response for Those Who Think Republicans Prevented Unity

In response to a facebook commenter who hadn't yet made up their mind whether or not they would be voting for Obama again, I made the following arguments. I felt they were good enough to post here. I am also willing to take some criticism on the argument. I would like for this argument to be a rock solid response for anyone who claims that the President hasn't gotten any support from the Republicans. Many times, Republicans have come to the table to hash out disagreements. What were the results?

Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day

Like hundreds of thousands of other people today, I went to a Chick-Fil-A to support the owner's freedom to say what he wants to say, whether or not I agree with him. It just so happens that I fully support the definition of marriage as being between a man and woman. (The days of polygamy are over, so that's a non-issue anymore.)

So as I drove to the store, I knew that there would be a large parking lot next to the Chick-Fil-A on Westport Rd for the Cheddar's restaurant, and I figured I would park there. I ended up parking across the street at The Home Depot. The Cheddar's and Chick-Fil-A's parking lot were full, no vacancy. The line of cars were 4 lanes wide, with a traffic cop directing which cars would be next in the line. Later, I remembered there was a fifth lane into the lot. That line, when I left the store, went down the road quite a way.

It didn't take me long to get inside the store, about 5 minutes. I got near the front of the line and then stopped. The store had to catch up with the rush of orders they had. Unfortunately, some orders were lost and had to be remade. Those customers had been there for an hour.

Brooks Wicker Hosts a Tea Dumping Party

Editor's Note:
This story was originally posted at www.rightspeak.net, here, on 2012 July 4.
---

Today I had the opportunity to go to a mock tea party on the Ohio River. The event was put on by the Brooks Wicker for Congress campaign. We had a large barrel with the word "TAX" on it. As the barrel was rolled down the ramp to the Ohio River, Mr. Wicker spoke to us about the need for repealing ObamaCare and voting out President Obama and John Yarmuth (the incumbent for KY-CD3). Mr. Yarmuth is one of President Obama's most faithful Congressmen. I am doing what I can to help Brooks Wicker defeat him this November.

When Mr. Wicker finished his speech, the barrel was unplugged and we dumped the "tea" into the river.

"It's
more important now than ever that we get rid of President Obama, we get
rid of John Yarmuth, and we get control of the Senate." -Brooks Wicker

It is more important than any time in the history of our country that
we make those changes. Because there is a definite threat to our
freedom and our liberty and our way of life with the administration we
have in place." -Brooks Wicker

A Liberal Wakes Up

Editor's note:
This article was originally posted at www.rightspeak.net, here, on 2012 July 7.
---

In my district, we have a Congressman, John Yarmuth, who stated he has not heard from a single person who does not like ObamaCare. Nevermind that I know my wife and I have called and written letters to his office various times about our dissent. I'm sure others of you in various communities around the nation have similar experiences with your liberal or Democrat representatives.

Nevertheless, when a liberal truly researches the situation, their eyes are truly opened. Cue Max, a true-blue union member, with a Cadillac health plan, Obama can do no wrong and ObamaCare is the greatest government program since women suffrage. He's a fellow who is a regular caller to our local radio political talk show on 84 WHAS. Mandy Connell has a lot of fun with him and his awakening.


Listen to the call and the reaction. Fortunately, the call is at the beginning of this clip, lasts about 5 minutes, and the reaction fills out the last 25 minutes.

Does John Yarmuth understand the PPACA?

From an interview of John Yarmuth by an elementary school child, we find out what the Congressman likes about the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare).  Note the number of things he gets wrong:

Interviewer: What do you like about the Affordable Health Care Act and, if anything, what don't you like?

John Yarmuth: Well, I like the fact that it enables everybody to have coverage. It protects everybody from going bankrupt or losing their home and all of their money from an illness or an accident.  It is ... it helps to bring down costs to healthcare over a long period of time and saves the country money. So all those things are good and many of the provisions are good.  I think the thing that I don't like is that it is a very complicated plan and it is very hard for many people to understand how it will affect them and their families.

My response: The plan does not enable everybody to have coverage. http://www.businessinsider.com/obamacare-wont-cover-everyone-2012-6

The plan may not prevent as many bankruptcies due to illness: http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/fewer-us-bankruptcies-after-the-affordable-care-act-probably-not-6088538.html

It absolutely does not bring down health care costs.  http://www.forbes.com/sites/aroy/2012/03/22/how-obamacare-dramatically-increases-the-cost-of-insurance-for-young-workers/ In fact, it is meant to drive up costs so that we will finally enact a single payer plan, the socialists dream. From personal experience, my health insurance (privately purchased) has increased more in the past two years, as both a percentage and in raw dollar amounts, than in the previous 10 years.

It does not save the country money. http://www.forbes.com/sites/aroy/2012/07/27/cbo-obamacare-will-spend-more-tax-more-and-reduce-the-deficit-less-than-we-previously-thought/

Mr. Yarmuth is correct, the PPACA is a complicated plan. Even after we passed it (so we could know what is in it), we still don't know what is in it.

By contrast, Mr. Brooks Wicker is running as the Republican candidate against the incumbent John Yarmuth. Mr. Wicker understands that the PPACA is major hindrance to economic growth in the country and our city. Remember to vote for Mr. Wicker on Nov. 6th.