Sunday, January 1, 2012


Paul Livius
The Paul Livius Report
Raytown Board of Aldermen Meeting – January 3, 2012

Invocation was given by Steve Jones of the Brooking Heights Baptist Church.

Mayor Bower proclaimed January 16, 2012 to be Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Scott Gilligan was sworn in as a Police Officer in Raytown.

Mayor Bower said 2011 and 2012 saw major infrastructure improvements in Raytown.  He thought this was because Raytown has the best Senior Public Works Staff in the metropolitan area.  He said the Board of Aldermen were also very good.  They come prepared to each meeting.

Tom Cole told the Board the end of year tax receipts continues to be strong.

  • The Board approved the minutes from the last meeting.
  • The Board passed a resolution between the City of Raytown and UMB Bank Mark Loughry to replace Jeremy Willmoth as the authorized agent for UMB banking business.
  • The Board authorized an agreement with Design Studio for City Hall Renovations.  The first project will be the renovations to the bathrooms on the first floor that will impact board chambers, conference room, public bathrooms and employee bathrooms. The proposal is from Incite Design Studio that completed the facility plan for City Hall. The total amount requested of $20,300.00 includes the base design fee, Audio/Visual Design fee and a $2,000.00 contingency fund for reimbursable expenses.
  • The Board approved the purchase of a 2012 Ford F-150 truck from Dick Smith Ford for the Public Works Department.
  • The Board Approved the purchase of five new 2011 patrol cars at a total price of
$122,495.00 which is to be paid from the Capital Sales Tax Expenditure Budget.  Alderman Van Buskirk asked about the cost of outfitting the vehicles for the Police Department.  Chief Jim Lynch said there will be the following costs: 
            Decal and unit markings                     $    1,300.00
            P-25 Compliant Radios                     $  15,094.50
            Emergency Equipment                       $  10,000.00
            Strobe Lights                                     $    2,140.00
            Total for 5 vehicles                             $151,029.50
  • The Board approved an agreement with the Ditzler Community Improvement District for the 350 Highway improvements.  This will enable the start of Phase 2 of the project, which proposes a 5,500 sq. ft. multi-tenant retail building including two national restaurants and at least one general retailer.
  • The Board heard the first reading of a Resolution authorizing MoDot to begin a preliminary project design for the 350 Highway improvements.  Alderman Aziere moved the rules be suspended.  When the motion passed, the second reading of the Resolution was performed.  The resolution was passed by the Board.
The Board adjourned and moved to closed session to discuss Legal actions, causes of action or litigation involving a public governmental body and any confidential or privileged communications between a public governmental body or its representatives and its attorneys.


Barb Schlapia
Schlapia Named to Raytown Fire Board
Former Raytown City Councilwoman Barb Schlapia has been named to finish the unexpired term of one of the members of the Raytown Fire District Board of Directors. Mr. Bruce Bruch has resigned from his position on the Board effective January 1, 2012.

Schlapia’s appointment culminates a couple of weeks of hectic behind the scenes campaigning for the vacated position. Two other candidates who are active in the Raytown political arena were interviewed for the position, Richard Tush and Michael Downing. There were other names up for consideration, but it was these three that made it to the final round of interviews.

Tush currently serves on the Raytown Water District Board of Directors, is President of the Raytown Democratic Association (RDA) and is a Democratic Committeeman on the Jackson County Democratic Committee.

Downing is also a member on the Jackson County Democratic Committee.

Tush said that he would have been glad to serve, however, he did note that his plate is “pretty full” at this time.

The Fire Board is comprised of three positions. They are the governing body of the Raytown Fire District, which encompasses the same boundaries as the City of Raytown.

Board members are elected to six year terms. They are paid $100 each time they meet in session twice a month. The President of the Board is paid $150 per meeting. Willard Ross is the current President. Board members are also included in the Fire Department’s pension plan.

The next election for the Fire District will be in April of 2013. The seat Schlapia is being appointed to will be up for election at that time.

Filing for Raytown C-2 School Board Closes January 17th

Filing for two, three year terms on the Raytown C-2 Board of Education is open until January 17th.

Candidates may file between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday at the Raytown School District Headquarters located at 6608 Raytown Road.

Candidates are required to be registered voters living within the District. All property and personal taxes must be paid in full before filing for public office in Missouri. The Election for the Raytown School Board will be held on Tuesday, April 3, 2012.


America in Color from 1939-1943
Use the following link to view photographs taken by the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations. These images, by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations. 
To view the pictures use this link: Rural America 1939 - 1943

Greg Walters
Observations Commentary by Greg Walters
THE maneuvering for a vacant seat on the Raytown Fire Board is not really a surprise. As a friend commented, “it’s the Raytown version of transparency”.

Sad to say, the observation is spot on when describing how a lot the public’s business is conducted by governmental bodies in Raytown.

City Hall’s penchant for closed door sessions is well known.

The handling of filling the vacancy for one of the seats on the Raytown Fire Board was handled just as poorly.

Consider this, one of the candidates for the vacant position on the Raytown Fire Board, Michael Downing, regularly publishes a small blog in Raytown. Not one word was written by Downing about the vacancy.

Do we need to tell you that our old friend, Randy Battagler, did not have any news on the item his newspaper either?

And these guys claim to be reporting the news in Raytown!

SPEAKING of behind the scenes maneuvering . . . what is going on with Mayor Bower and his refusal to appoint members to three vacancies on the Raytown Park Board? Some observers have noted that Bower’s plan to coerce the Park Department out of its independent status seems to have run up against a stone wall. The Park Board has continued to defer its decision on a Memo of Understanding that would, in effect, strip the independent Board of its autonomy.

Some have suggested that Bower is just biding his time in an effort to appoint individuals “friendly” to his position on the Memorandum of Understanding.

SMILE . . . that was about all we could do when we looked up the details on the School District’s website of the upcoming School Board Election scheduled for April, 2012. The small announcement closed the message with the instruction that applicants can “apply” for the position(s) at the Raytown School District Headquarters.

And here I thought it was an election!

“Apply” infers that an application is being accepted for review by someone at the School Board offices. That is far from reality.

Here is how it should read: “Candidates may file for election at the Raytown School Board offices.” The difference is subtle but very important.

If elected, those candidates will become the decision makers that run the District. They will be giving instructions to the very people who would suggest that they can “apply” for the position(s).

In the 2010 elections for the School Board dropped the ball by not qualifying candidates for placement on the ballot. Missouri State Statutes require that all taxes be paid before a candidate can file. One of those candidates was then the President of the Raytown School Board!

It would appear that the District needs a remedial primer on its responsibilities and duties. The position of the District bureaucrats is that of the gate keeper, nothing more, nothing less.
The voters have the final word on the contests deciding who should run the School District.

BARB SCHALPIA’S appointment to the Raytown Fire District does not really come as a complete surprise given the field of candidates the Fire Board was choosing from. Not that there is anything wrong with Richard Tush or Michael Downing.

Tush is too much of an independent thinker to fit into a governing body known for its “good old boy” status in the community.

Downing has been a good soldier for the powers that be in Raytown for many years. Being passed over for the position -- ouch -- that had to hurt.

Schalpia will do a decent job of representing the people of Raytown on the Board.

DURING the interview process it became clear that the Fire Board is considering yet another tax increase. Raytown already leads Eastern Jackson County with the highest sales tax. The Raytown area property tax is also the highest in Eastern Jackson County.
 
Another tax increase in either category would be like shooting an arrow through the heart of Raytown’s fragile economy.

There are already five city/park/fire district sales taxes imposed on Raytowners*. They are:
1.000% - General Sales Tax

  .500% - Transportation Tax

  .500% - Capital Tax

  .374% - Public Safety Tax

  .125% - Park Board Tax

  .250% - Fire District Tax


When you add all other sales taxes including special tax districts (TIF, CID, etc.) the total sales tax increases to a ceiling of 9.250% in Raytown.

*SOURCE: Raytown Chamber of Commerce

INCIDENTALLY, the talk we hear is that there is already a “split” on how to raise a new tax for the Fire Department. Fire Board members Willard Ross and Bob Palmer are said to favor raising the property taxes on our homes. If a tax increase were needed, Schlapia would probably lean toward increasing the sales tax.  

In fairness to Mrs. Schlapia, she was just took office on January 1st. She will need time to sort out before taking an official position. 

Schlapia has a conservative side that will look hard into holding the line on spending in the Fire District. She has a good sense for the pulse of the community on tax issues. If there is a way to solve governmental money shortages without raising taxes she is one that is capable of finding it.

SPEAKING of taxes . . . a little known fact about the TIF agreement between the City of Raytown and Walmart is that it requires ALL sales tax revenue collected at Walmart be used to pay down the 23 years of debt created by the TIF agreement.
That includes NEW taxes like the 1/8 cent sales tax voters approved last November for the Kansas City Zoo. That sales tax became effective on January 1st. The new tax pushes the sales tax rate at the Raytown Walmart up to 9.250%.

Those “Occupy Kansas City” folks are protesting in the wrong place!

OCCUPY Kansas City . . . The Kansas City Star reported that the group, normally camped out at Penn Valley Park, held a parade last Friday in Downtown Kansas City. Since it was the day before the New Year Holiday the Downtown was pretty much vacated. Good thing the Star reported the event. Otherwise we never would have known that it took place!

The Under-Cheesing of America? by Erin Whitehead for Fit Bottomed Girls
First, let me acknowledge that I’m still in the Stone Age when it comes to commercials—I still watch them. But some commercials are darn funny and therefore worth checking out, whether they’re intended to be humorous like the Tide commercials I love or just happen to come out that way. One that falls into the latter category... Continue reading


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40 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does "transparent" mean secret? From the way things transpire in Raytown, that is my understanding of that word.

In my opinion, local media publishes only positive news that suits their agenda.

Greg published the sales tax rates for Raytown. As I said one must be rich to afford to live in Raytown. I sure can't afford the property taxes and utilities here.

If the parks department is somehow taken over by the city, then the parks tax should be eliminated and the cost of parks should come from city funds.

Two homes near me recently sold and were quickly occupied. I wonder if the status of the KCMO school district had something with people moving to Raytown? My house is for sale cheap if anyone knows a family who wants to be in the Raytown School District. Price has been reduced to $99,999. Walking distance to RHS. Please see:
http://www.houseforsaleinraytownmo64133.info/

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

I see what you mean about city hall being so secretive. I was looking over the city's website and found the city administrators report.

He wrote that the following meeting was to be held on December 28.

December 28 – Fire Board Meeting; Station 1, 9:00am

What a wealth of information. You think they would publish and agenda. I am curious as to who was meeting with who. What they were meeting about.

After all, this is the 21st Century. Our technology should give more answers instead of raising more questions.

Anonymous said...

As for another tax increase by the fire district or anyone else at city hall, I think it's about time to say NO. We have gone from a very affordable community to live in to one of the highest taxed in the metro area.
Ask yourself do we really need ALL of these employees? Are there too many policemen, too many firefighters? We all know there are too many employees UPSTAIRS at city hall. Personnel is the highest cost of running government, so maybe cuts should be made before asking us to approve ANY TAX INCREASE.

Anonymous said...

Here is a novel idea why doesn't the fire department consider cutting expenses. They sound like the KC and Raytown school district, spend, spend, spend and then ask the tax payers for more money. They should have thought about the future when they were spending like a drunken salior a few years ago. Now the fire district is in trouble and they want to dig deeper into the tax payers pocket. I think they could have done better than Barb Schlapia for a board member. When serving on the BOA she did several things that damaged the city.

Anonymous said...

The Fire Board has regular scheduled meetings just as any public board does. I am sure their agenda and minutes are somewhere if someone seeks it out. Actually 9AM is NOT a public meeting. It is too early for the public to attend. Obviously those who work days are prohibited from attending. They should be required to hold public meetings at a reasonable time. When I was on another fire board, our meetings were at 7PM once a month and attended by very few. If the public attended, they were usually fire fighters.

I was thinking that it may be more appropriate to apply for an election rather than file. Apply indicates that the candidate will have to be vetted as legally qualified to run for office.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

I saw on the news that the Dysfunctional School District wanted over $10,000 per year for each KCMO student coming to Raytown schools.

Does it really cost over $10K per year to "educate" or baby sit a child as the case may be. If it really cost that much, something is drastically wrong.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

My child didn't receive a ten thousand dollar education.

Pat Casady said...

Doesn't anybody realize the fact that our
little ten square mile town is one of the
highest taxed towns in Missouri? It wouldn't
be so bad if in fact the taxpayers were getting
their monies worth. People better wake up and
do it fast. Our leaders have given away over a
million eight hundred thousand taxpayer dollars
maybe even more, just on the Wal-Mart deal and
we still have twenty years to go.
You'd think that at least
one of our so called leaders would be looking
into getting out of that income sucking deal.
I know Raytown has been blessed with a few new
small businesses but can anyone tell us what City Hall
has done to bring in more? More businesses without
giving away more income?
Maybe the next time City Hall wants to blow a few million
they will buy the two shopping centers that's owners
think are made of gold and nobody can afford to rent.
Maybe this city could threaten the owners with condemnation
if they don't fill the spaces.
The taxpayers are paying a lot of money for department
heads that are supposed to be making Raytown a thriving
town. They are supposed to be smart in their fields. Yet,
we have gone through countless department heads and we have
seen nothing but more money going up in smoke.
We should demand NO MORE NEW TAXES until this town shows
some improvement.

Anonymous said...

It seems that if it cost $10,000 per student to educate our kids in the Raytown School District that we have a spending problem.

Wait this is Raytown and not one of the government bodies over spends.

Okay, at least in their minds!

Again it is clear it is time to get back to basics, which should reduce this waste and improve those test scores that are anything, but impressive.

We also need to understand where our district stands on allowing the kids from the Kansas City School District into our schools.

On the news today, I saw that North Kansas City and Independence are standing by their position not to allow the kids from the KCMO District into their schools if the KCMO District is not going to pay the actual cost to educate the kids.

Good for them for standing up and saying “NO!”

Being I didn’t hear that Raytown was taking this same stance I am sure we will all now be paying to educate the kids of KCMO district.

When are we going to see the elected officials in Raytown grow up and standup for the people they represent and stop jumping for everyone else that asks to be treated special.

Anonymous said...

6:17AM, Obviously the taxpayers and students are being ripped off! Your child was left behind.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

It seems tax increases always pass in this area. I think too many people believe if they give the government a little more money, they will get back more in handouts. I will vote for no tax increases for any reason. I already pay approximately 50% of my paycheck in taxes from local to state to federal to sales and property taxes. Enough is enough.

Do not increase my taxes.

Anonymous said...

Alderman Aziere,

One thing you have done for Raytown is made sure you never take a position.

You talk a lot about how you are going to get this or that done, but in the end you do not follow through.

The most recent example is all of those people around Wild Wood Lake that bought into you hype that once you were re-elected last April you would get the lake cleaned up.

Not only is the lake still a mess, but you now have the rest of Raytown wonder why you promised those home owners that the city would clean up their private lake with our tax dollars.

Anonymous said...

I too remember some of the things that Barb Sclapia did as an alderman. That's probably why she choose not to run again for alderman, because she knew she would have to answer some of these actions she took as an alderman. Seems like the quality of our elected officials just keep getting poorer and poorer in Raytown.

Anonymous said...

3:03PM, In my opinion, the quality of voters in Raytown is getting lower and lower. What really hurts is those who don't bother to vote at all allowing the low quality voters to put in low quality officials.

Raytown officials are elected by slightly over 20% of the registered voters. This is pathetic.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

I seem to remember that the Memorandom of Understand With the NAACP was a result of something Schaplia did while she was on the BOA and almost got the city sued. Why is it the Fire Board wants that kind of person on their board.

Anonymous said...

Greg,

I was just browsing your page again and saw America in Color from 1939-1943. Really enjoyed the photos. Color was unusual back then...obviously too expensive.

Somehow I recognized the store as being in Washington, DC before I read the caption. I may have been by there in the past. I don't know.

Pie Town, NM is a place most people probably never heard of. I had to learn how to sort mail to Pie Town and a letter to Pie Town was a real rarity compared to all the other mail I handled.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Gotta' hand it to the Republicans. They sure know how to make a caucus interesting!

I think the talking heads on t.v. got it all wrong. The more attention to the primary process makes for a stronger candidate.

Look what it did for Obama four years ago.

Anonymous said...

I have seen low life stuff in political campaigns but the attack by Allan Colmes of FOX News on Rick Santorum and his wife is the most disgusting, heartless, mean spirited garbage I have ever seen come out of a man's mouth.

On top of that Colmes is a coward. He delivers his insult on national television and then apologizes privately.

What a jerk!

Anonymous said...

To see Santorum's reaction to Colmes comments copy this link to view.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/02/teary-eyed-santorum-responds-to-controversial-remarks-about-sons-death/

Anonymous said...

I am so tired of reading in the liberal press about how weak the Republican field of candidates for President is.

Hogwash!

The simple fact is that the field is strong. That is why no single candidate has been able to dominate the show.

No doubt the field will narrow as the primaries tick by.

In my opinion any one of them is better than what we have in the White House now.

Anonymous said...

Boy, that group of Republican candidates are a sorry field !! Ron Paul is really a Libertarian, Santorum is a looser, that couldn't even get re-elected in his own state because he was so radical, Roomney is more liberal than any Democrat that has occupied the White House is recent years, and Rick Perry can't even remember what he is going to say, let alone do it if he were elected. The more the American people see of these guys the better Obama is going to look. So keep it up guys, this will be great entertainment for the next few months.

Anonymous said...

Alderman Aziere,

What a mess that private lake is.

Have you even take the time to look at the mess all of those birds have left?

I wounder if it is safe for anyone in that general area.

Seems you could at least have those property owners do something about all of those birds and the nasty they leave for all to smell.

Anonymous said...

I can't remember what I am going to say either. That is why I have a prepared speech at BOA meetings. Maybe Rick Perry needs a teleprompter.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Anonymous January 5, 2012 8:08 AM;
The Democrat sewage seeps out between every word in your pathetic comments, surely you can come up with better garbage than that!

Anonymous said...

Hide and watch!

President Obama will be gone in four.

Anonymous said...

6:51 PM, I am surprised the private lake HOA doesn't put up a NO TRESPASSING sign to keep people who complain about bird droppings out.

Hopefully the Dictator will be gone in January 2012! Hope and change. But the way he just signed legislation taking away our Constitutional rights, I am afraid that he and the Royal Family are entrenched.

I find it hard to believe Republicans voted for it.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

So Mayor Bower proclaims Martin Luther King Day a holiday.

Not just the holiday?

The Mayor should remember first and foremost that the Rev. King was a preacher proclaiming the good word of Christ's teachings.

Bower's weird interpretations of political correctness is enough to give a person a headache!

Anonymous said...

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.-Martin Luther King Jr.

Now when you judge someone by the content of their character, you are called a racist. I think Dr. King would be very disappointed.

Anonymous said...

Looking at my taxes last month I was reminded the fire department did not raise my taxes 24% without a vote two years ago like the city and schools did, at least they want to ask first

Anonymous said...

Andy,

I have not been able to find the Rev Jim Jones kool aid, so could you please explain what Constitutional rights that you believe the President has taken away.

You see it has been many a years since I wondered the halls of school as a young scalar, but I recall something about the only way to change the Constitution is by an Amendment to it, which has to be voted and approved by two-thirds of the states.

Anonymous said...

Andy,

I can help you out with an answer to the snarky post before this one.

In 2008 candidate Sen. Barack Obama famously said:

“This is part of the whole theory of George Bush that he can make laws as he is going along. I disagree with that. I taught the Constitution for 10 years. I believe in the Constitution and I will obey the Constitution of the United States. We are not going to use signing statements as a way of doing and end run around Congress.”

Last week Obama appointed Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to serve as the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

He did this even though the Constitution requires the Senate to approve his appointments.

By his action Obama shredded the Constitution by ignoring it.

In his remarks he used is his peculiar form of class warfare to justify his actions by claiming that he was acting on behalf of all Americans while the evil Republicans are trying to stop him.

Anonymous said...

8:11AM, Thanks for your input. Also the Dictator is responsible for the Socialized Health Care Act requiring Americans to buy health care whether they want it or not.

The Dictator recently signed a little publicized law allowing detention and execution of Americans without civil rights and trial. This action is mentioned on very few talk shows making me wonder if the talk hosts are afraid of the Dictator. I honestly wonder in there will be a fair election in November. Michelle Bachman said that 2012 may be our last chance. The Dictator and Royal family live in luxury while we serfs (or slaves) support their lavish life style. I fear the Dictator is close to officially establishing his control and ruination of our country.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

In regard to the recess appointment. If you do your research, of the past four presidents, Obama has significantly fewer recess appointments than any other president by nearly half. The recess appointment is constitutional, and has been widely used particularly in times of partisan gridlock.

Anonymous said...

The big difference here is that the Senate is not in recess. The other really BIG difference is that Obama campaigned specifically against this type of action.

Here are his words.

Here is the Hypocrite in Chief's quotation from the 2008 campaign.


“This is part of the whole theory of George Bush that he can make laws as he is going along. I disagree with that. I taught the Constitution for 10 years. I believe in the Constitution and I will obey the Constitution of the United States. We are not going to use signing statements as a way of doing and end run around Congress.”

Your interesting choice of words (significantly fewer) is kind of like being half pregnant.

A hypocrite's action always speaks louder than his words.

Anonymous said...

Andy,

Based on your complaints you forget congress blessed (voted) on and approved the health care plan.

I simple English, this means the President did not act just by himself!

The question I think that needs to be asked is do you and the rest of the Obama haters really disagree with National Health Care or is it because it is Obama in the White House.

You see I know many who agreed with Clinton on Nation Health Care, but not Obama. However, these are also those good Christian Americans who keep telling me and others that Obama is not an America and not a Christian. It is the new way of saying a non-white man should have never been elected President.

I think the real issue with health care is the cost have been allowed to grow out of control and because of that many cannot afford the insurance cost, which in the end those of us who work for a living end up paying. You also have to keep in mind that companies are no longer employee friendly with benefits like insurance slowing becoming a thing of the past as they have done with pension plans. On top of these two messes that have only helped to create this problem you have those that do not want to go to the expense of having the insurance and take the gamble they will not get sick. If they do they go to the emergency rooms and those who work for a living end up paying more in insurance cost.

If we do not have true National Health Care we at least need a plan like the one you call Obama’s plan that requires individuals to have insurance which in the end will save all of us money.

I guess the true question on the health care plan we do have in America that you do not like is what would you do with those that burden the health care system down because they do not have insurance. Please keep in mind this needs to be at least a two part answer as you have those that cannot afford insurance and those that choice not to have insurance. Yes, there are other sub groups, but I sure would like to get you take on what you plan to do with them.

Anonymous said...

In response to those who believe that President Obama didn’t live up to his words in regards to how he made those resent appointments.

I hope you are the first ones are out walking door to door supporting Senator Claire McCaskill. You see our Senator is very much against earmarks to the point she wouldn’t work to bring funding back to our state while working to end earmarks.

This had a negative impact on our state as those funds or should I say the tax dollars we pay into the IRS back to our state. It is nice to see stood behind her principle and word, but often that negative impacts those our elected officials represent. So what do you want to see politicians who stand up and always keep their word or those who still fight for what they have said, but never at a negative impact to those they represent if the playing ground is not level, which allows our tax dollars to go to other states.

Anonymous said...

4:45 PM, Congress did vote for health care, but it was a Democrat Congress following orders of a Democrat Dictator. I know one Democrat Congressman, Harry Teague (southern NM), who voted against Health Care.

I opposed Hilary's health care proposal. It is the plan, that I oppose.

But after O'Bummer was elected by illegal voters, forces through health care, apologizes to other countries, bows to dictators, has hog wild spending forcing us into debt for generations, takes over control of corporations, spends $$$$$ on lavish vacations for the Royal Family, among other things, I don't want this fool elected again. He is a fool who is smart enough to be dangerous.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

After watching the six Republican candidates debate last night, I am even more convinced that NONE of them are qualified to be president. They don't LOOK presidential or ACT presidential. What has happened to the Republican party? It used to stand for something, now all it has are a bunch of KOOKS running around with no clear direction just dying to get into the White House. This is SAD, SAD, SAD.

Anonymous said...

I was really impressed by what I saw. Especially when they were pointing out Obama's dirty little secrets.

His love affair with socialism over the free marketplace.

His active removing of funding from good agencies that serve the poor because they do not cowtow to his politicial positions.

His ugly attempts at class warfare to divide our nation.

Any one of those candidates at the debate last night will do a better job as President.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Ron Paul for making it clear that it is the corporations that are killing this country with their own going usage of entitlements.

I wonder if the rest of the Republicans are ever going to wake up and see who is really taking advantage of the working people of America.