Archive for May, 2010

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May 30, 2010

Dana Campaign Suspended!

by Steve Dana

On the occasion of the Memorial Day holiday, we reflect on the sacrifices made by Americans for Americans. We are somber in the realization that even though it was never their intent when they volunteered to serve, many gave their lives to preserve the freedom and liberty our country symbolizes for not just our own citizens, but for the world.

The battle for freedom and liberty rages on many fronts. Certainly our armed forces carry on the fight when they take up guns and march off to war, but in the modern age, the external forces aligned against freedom and liberty are matched by the insidious “evils” of liberal progressivism that attack our national values from within.

It is absolutely imperative that Americans who value our heritage step up to counter those evils by serving in any capacity, in any position that will offer a more desirable option than the left leaning drivel that steadily strips our property rights and our will and ability to defend our freedom from excessive government.

I have been a participant in that effort for more than twenty years through service to my community. I have been an elected official and a volunteer in my city. I have been a candidate for County Council and until today, I was a candidate for the House of Representatives running with Shahram Hadian against Hans Dunshee.

Circumstances in my life have changed recently and after substantial consideration, I have determined that I cannot continue with a campaign while taking care of my family obligations. To that end, I am compelled to abandon this legislative campaign.

Hopefully, by making the decision at this point in the campaign calendar, it will allow others to get into the race or for supporters to get behind Shahram. There is no doubt that replacing Hans Dunshee should be a high priority for voters in the 44th district and to the degree that I can, I will campaign to achieve that end.

It has been an honor to serve in the past and if it is meant to be, I will again. I am grateful for the support I have received and the confidence shown by so many that have offered to help in the campaign. I appreciate the efforts of Whitney Roulstone in particular who has served as my campaign manager.

I look forward to working to elect Republicans that will actually follow conservative principles. Too many talk the talk without substance. We need to demonstrate to voters that Republicans are more than cheap conversation through proactively articulating our plan. Elected officials need to be accountable for the regulatory failures that plague our country. If we insist on passing laws, we need to enforce them or repeal them.

Thank you for allowing me to be your advocate.

Posted in House of Representatives, Legislature, Partisan Politics, Political commentary, Steve Dana Issues | Leave a Comment »

May 27, 2010

Vigilance and Dedication

by Steve Dana

This election year marks the first time in recent history where mainstream Americans have actually felt the sense of urgency to change government many of us have had for many years.  Loss of homes, jobs and savings will do that. 

Federal bail-outs for fat cats at the expense of mainstream Americans highlight the corruptness of a system out of control.  The failure of either political party to demonstrate restraint in spending has eroded confidence that they are capable of doing so.  Americans have seen their government collecting and spending record levels of tax dollars with no end in sight with little consideration to the return on our investment.

“Among a people generally corrupt liberty cannot long exist.” –  Edmund Burke

Failure to follow the Constitution is even more discouraging.

The fact that citizens had faith that their elected officials shared their values lulled them into a false sense of security.  Inattention allowed the government to steadily erode our liberty and our property rights, but more importantly government has been undermined by questionable ethics and morality and certainly a lack of religious faith.

The idea that the government can solve all our problems has conned us into allowing government to take over our lives.  The “welfare state” is on the threshold of enslaving our country.

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.”  –  Alexis de Tocqueville

Bureaucracies have mushroomed at every level of government in the name of progress.  At the same time, you have to wonder what contribution those bureaucracies make to the quality of service or product delivered.  What contribution does the Department of Education make to the quality of education?  How does the Department of Health and Human Services improve your health?  How about the Departments of Energy, Interior or Agriculture?  The list goes on and on.  The bureaucracies consume billions and billions of our tax dollars without actually delivering a quantifiable service to any of us.  Certainly these federal agencies are guilty, but state versions are no less so.

“Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.”  –  Alexis de Tocqueville

The downturn in the economy has been devastating to many, but in spite of the damage done the resultant exposure of flaws in government systems, policies and laws may turn out to be a rare opportunity to redefine government priorities both at a national and state level.  We can re-establish public policy based upon Conservative values widely shared by most Americans rather than liberal progressive values that are bankrupting our country stripping away our American identity.  In this case the lesson we must learn is that without vigilance and dedication to preserving our liberty on an everyday basis, our liberty is at risk.

“But what is liberty without wisdom, and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice, and madness, without tuition or restraint.”  –  Edmund Burke

We need to have elected officials who are proud to be Americans and are willing to fight for the Constitution of the United States.

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”  –  Ronald Reagan

We have the opportunity in this election cycle to change our representatives to more accurately reflect the values of most Americans; values like smaller government and lowering the federal deficit, but more importantly values of a moral and ethical government guided by our faith in God regardless of religion. 

“The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.”  –  Alexis de Tocqueville

Separation of church and state does not mean elimination of faith as a driving force of our government.

“Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.”  –  Ronald Reagan

At the end of the day, Vigilance by every citizen will be the only protection for the American way of life as visualized by the founders. 

“All that’s necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.”  –  Edmund Burke

Posted in Partisan Politics, Political commentary, Snohomish County Political Commentary, Steve Dana Issues | Leave a Comment »

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May 7, 2010

When is a Disaster a Federal Disaster?

by Steve Dana

Once again, tragedy along the gulf coast in general and Louisiana in particular captivate the news.  Whether it was an accident caused by fate or folly of man, the explosion on the floating oil drilling platform that resulted in a massive oil spill has changed that place forever.  Right wing news organizations criticize the Obama Administration for not acting more decisively at an earlier point in the time-line.

Hurricane Katrina devastated gulf coast communities from western Florida to upper Texas; Louisiana and New Orleans in particular.  Left wing news organizations sustained a prolonged attack on the Bush Administration for not acting more decisively at an earlier point in the time-line.

Citizens across our nation grieve for the losses sustained by our neighbors in that region for a second time in only a few short years.

While we grieve on the one hand, criticism has been levied against the federal government for failing to act proactively in a timely manner in both of these emergencies which begs the question “Is the federal government the agency of first resort or last resort in the case of disaster?”  What protocol should we employ to determine when federal assistance is needed as opposed to required?

Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and wild fires all are capable of wiping out a community or even a state.  We are learning that man-made disasters can be every bit as damaging.  In either case, what triggers a federal response to such a disaster?  Does the federal government do joint planning with every state to determine in advance a plan of action for all perils or does the planning fall to the states?

It has become commonplace to see elected officials flying over an area devastated by a disaster in helicopters then hear that the area had been declared a “federal disaster” which triggers financial assistance during a recover, but what has to happen before the federal government’s role changes to proactively managing a disaster on the ground?

During Katrina we learned that FEMA was waiting for Louisiana to ask for assistance.  Is a request for assistance part of the protocol?  Should FEMA and the federal government make an assessment on their own and act unilaterally or wait to be invited?

Is there any such thing as a routine “oil rig” fire?  When any oil rig explodes and burns, someone does an assessment at some level to determine the risk factors.  Was that done in this case and who did follow-up?  When did authorities decide this was an emergency of national significance?

Is there a process Americans can use to guide us when a disaster happens in knowing when the government will only watch and when they might mobilize and actually do something to help?

Flooding is a peril that we often see in the news and New Orleans got hit hard with Katrina, but I don’t recall the role the government played in helping all the other victims in all the other flood events that happened around the country that year or for that matter in any year.

Where are the left wing and right wing news organizations when the federal government chooses not to take an active part in a disaster?  When do they decide the federal government has not acted in a timely, decisive and proactive manner?

The risk associated with living in a flood plain is periodic flooding; with living along an ocean beach is the possibility of hurricanes; with living in the mid-west is the possibility of tornadoes.  Some of us live with the risk of volcanoes, earthquakes and wild fires as well.  What is the federal government’s role in protecting us from those perils and saving us from them after the fact?  What role should the government play in saving you if we all agree that choosing to live in a hazard zone might be perilous?

We cannot expect the federal government to swoop in to save our butts from all perils.  If we live where it floods we do so at our own risk.  If we opt to invest in protection from floods we need to do so at our own expense.  The federal government is not responsible for paying for our own poor judgment.

We need to have federal government policies that clarify the role the federal government will play in the case of major disasters. 

Press coverage should not dictate whether the government steps in or not.

Posted in Environmental, Partisan Politics, Political commentary | Leave a Comment »

May 6, 2010

Rick Larsen “Leading us to Ruin”

by Steve Dana

I received an electronic newsletter today from Congressman Rick Larsen telling me how he was looking out for my interests by voting on various bills before the congress. It occurred to me that what we really need is elected officials that look out for our interests before the crisis rather than after the crisis.

My number one priority is creating jobs and restoring fiscal responsibility so we can create an economic environment that will grow and support good jobs well into the future.

But if we want to build a foundation for future economic growth, it is critical that we change the underlying rules that helped to create the recession in the first place. A failure to act will merely set us up for another economic disaster.

That is why Congress must pass legislation to end the Era of Big Bank Bailouts.

Two years after the economy collapsed, we continue to uncover shocking new details about the risky practices and reckless behavior of Big Banks that cost Americans trillions of dollars in retirement, college savings and financial security.

Congressman Larsen should tell us specifically what he recommends we do proactively to change our government so us regular folks are better protected from perils like this one. The proposal before the congress has many regulatory changes; which ones in particular does he think change things for the better? If creating jobs and restoring fiscal responsibility are his number one priority, how would passing the Dodd Bill make that happen?

The “underlying rules that helped create the recession” have been in place for a long time. What effort did Congressman Larsen make to safeguard us during his ten years in office?

What exactly is Mr. Larsen or for that matter any of our elected officials doing to solve the significant problems that are spiraling out of control already but are not at crisis proportions yet?

Many of us regular folks have known for a long time that the banking regulations were not protecting us consumers, but Congressman Larsen wasn’t fighting for banking regulations until after the collapse. What kind of leadership is that? We need leaders who are out in front the issues, preventing a crisis, not responding after the fact.

Mr. Larsen would have us believe that big banks are the problem. So what legislation did he propose that would change banking regulations to protect us?

There is a current outcry about the Arizona governor’s decision to sign legislation from the Arizona Legislature requiring that Arizona law enforcement agencies enforce state and federal immigration laws in Arizona. As elected officials in that state, they were bound by their oath of office to enforce the laws, to protect and defend the people of their state. How could that be a bad thing?

So Congressman Larsen tell us what you think Immigration Policy should be! If you think law enforcement agencies will have to do illegal profiling, how do you propose they identify illegal aliens without it? Tell us specifically what you think about this issue? Should we be securing the border? How should we secure the border? Are Mexicans the biggest threat we face from an unsecured border? How should we deal with the millions of Mexicans (and others) living in the U.S. who have come across the border illegally? Do you support deportation or amnesty?

So Congressman Larsen tell us what you think about the explosion on the drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico that is currently creating an environmental crisis in that region? What should government’s responsibility be in the aftermath? Should we suspend all off-shore drilling? Have we learned anything from this experience so far? Do we need more or different regulations?

Every elected official in the land should be advocating we enforce the laws on the books today. If there are laws that jeopardize our well-being and you are doing nothing to change them, we should assume you are in agreement with them. Not serving on a particular committee is not an acceptable answer to inaction!

During his ten years in congress, what exactly did he do personally to prevent the housing crisis, the banking crisis, the energy crisis and the debt crisis? Or whatever other crisis that has not already come to light? And maybe just as important, what is he working on today to avert another crisis from damaging our country?

How has his service in the congress made a positive difference to his constituents? Where has his leadership been demonstrated best during his ten years in office? Has Congressman Rick Larsen demonstrated leadership qualities at all during his five terms in office?

We need leaders elected who will work proactively for the betterment of our citizens, not special interests and after the fact.

Posted in Partisan Politics, Political commentary, Steve Dana Issues, Washington, Washington Jobs | Leave a Comment »

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