Yesterday, Ed Markey (D-MA5) requested that President Obama tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in order to quell the recent rise in gas prices. Mr. Markey’s request is not only a shortsighted political ploy, it is downright dangerous.

Prices are being driven higher by the specter of potential military conflict in Iran.There is not a supply shortage. We do not have an energy policy in America; we have energy politics. As long as this continues to be the status quo, energy prices will continue to rise.

Our government needs a comprehensive energy policy that focuses on responsibly developing domestic resources and eliminates the crony capitalistic failures of Solyndra, Evergreen Solar, and Beacon Power.

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In a move that further exemplifies why we must redirect our government in order to restore our economy, Rep. Ed Markey (D) MA-5 has decided to fight the law of supply & demand. His consistent failure to understand basic economics damages our economy--in this instance, by stifling job creation and energy independence.

In a letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Mr. Markey questioned the impact of allowing U.S. companies to export liquefied natural gas with the following statement:

'I am worried that exporting America's natural gas would raise energy costs for American consumers, reduce the global competitiveness of U.S. businesses, make us more dependent on foreign sources of energy, and slow our transition away from dirtier fuels,'

This statement is another example of how career politicians like Mr. Markey are holding our economy back. Recent advances in natural gas exploration have brought us to the point of oversupply in the U.S. market. This situation provides a unique opportunity to be a net energy exporter for LNG (liquefied natural gas). Being at a point of oversupply means that we have reached our capacity to consume LNG domestically. Mr. Markey’s proposal to artificially inhibit exports  will yield the precise outcome that he allegedly wants to avoid;  namely, reducing the global competitiveness of U.S. businesses.

Last year, in an $8 billion 20-year deal,  the Energy Department approved the first application by Cheniere Energy to export LNG to the UK.  This is a step in the right direction. Other countries will start sending their money to us instead of us sending our money overseas.

Natural gas is cleaner than oil. It is also more abundant than oil in the United States and it provides an excellent vehicle for job creation. As we speak, many LNG import sites across the U.S. largely sit idle as exporters (to the U.S.) shift their LNG supplies to emerging markets that will pay a premium for natural gas. Among the sites built on the anticipation of large LNG imports is SUEZ Energy North America located in Everett, MA.

SUEZ is a natural gas importer and large contributor to Mr. Markey’s campaign.

Now imagine if the Everett LNG import site became an export site. Imagine hundreds of workers becoming employed in the conversion process from importer to exporter. Imagine job growth in and around Boston if it became a hub for energy exports, with every tanker that passes through Boston harbor another reminder of economic growth here in America. This isn’t a far fetched concept.

Right now, Dominion Resources Inc (D.N) is considering plans to build a liquefied natural gas export plant on the site of its existing import terminal at Cove Point, Maryland, by 2015. Southern Union Co. is launching similar plans at their Lake Charles, La., LNG import terminal as well.

What is standing in the way? Rep. Ed Markey.

Career politicians like Mr. Markey (who was elected in 1976, the year I was born) are fundamentally incapable of grasping the negative effects of blocking incredible opportunities such as these.

In addition to his myopic view of energy development here in the U.S., Rep. Markey is engaged in a serious conflict of interest by sitting on both  the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Natural Resources Committee, attempting to regulate the energy industry while accepting campaign contributions from its lobbyists.

Besides SUEZ Energy, Rep Markey has accepted contributions from Chesapeake Energy, Interstate Natural Gas Assn of America, Spectra Energy and Washington Gas Light Co., all companies within the natural gas sector.

Accepting contributions from these companies is not illegal, but threatening them with adverse legislation, application delays or public scorn is tantamount to a shakedown. This is just the latest demonstration of Mr. Markey’s questionable ethics. There are numerous others, including examples relating to the solar and telecommunications industries.

For the sake of our national economy, and to help  the hard working men and women who are struggling to find a job in Massachusetts’ 5th District and across the country, it is high time that we voted Ed Markey out of office. I look forward to being the candidate to make it happen.

At the end of this past summer, I wrote an article outlining how President Obama would most likely return from his vacation on Martha's Vineyard with a jobs plan resembling the 2009 stimulus. True to form, the President did just that. Now he is going around the country campaigning under the guise of promoting his jobs plan.

The President's jobs bill is nothing more than a rehash of failed Keynesian policies that he has tried over the course of his presidency with terrible results. Aside from the dreadful performance of our President, what is most egregious this time around is his engagement in class warfare .

At every stop on the President's tour, he reiterates that the rich must pay more of their "fair-share," promoting the concept that our economy is a "zero-sum" game. That is to say, if one person gains wealth another person must lose it. This is utter nonsense. Throughout the history of our country, each generation has made incremental steps forward compared to the previous one. Alongside this, the free market and private sector has raised the standard of living by a gigantic margin. Whether it be the mass produced automobile, cellular phones that were $4,000 that are now free if you simply sign up for a plan, or the miracle of innovation that Steve Jobs brought about with Apple.

At each and every step it has been capitalism and the free market that marked this upward surge. So why does the President and the Democratic party insist on stoking the flames of resentment towards those who have had success? The answer is simple.

They can't run on their record or results.

Fueling the fire of wealth envy is a shrewd tactic and the Democrats use it effectively. However, it can only mask reality for so long. The most common talking point from this tactic is the repeal of the "Bush Tax Cuts."

Putting aside the fact that that the treasury collected record revenue after the lower rates took effect, the question must be asked, what will raising the rates back to the Clinton era accomplish? Many Democrats want it as a part of deficit reduction claiming a "balanced approach," but President Obama says he wants to spend it on his jobs bill. So which is it? Even estimates from a liberal perspective indicate that the greatest amount of revenue we would generate by going back to the Clinton rates for the wealthy is $70 - $80 billion annually.

We have an annual deficit of $1.6 trillion.

This means an increase in taxes would solve 5% of our problem. That is, if in fact we really do collect $80 billion, which is highly unlikely with 9% unemployment, and the money ACTUALLY goes towards deficit reduction and isn't spent elsewhere.

Raising taxes on the wealthy is an intentional distraction meant to divide Americans and divert focus from failure after failure of the Democratic party. Whether government spending is for stimulus or green projects such as Solyndra, Beacon Power or Evergreen Solar, it will fail. It is inherently incapable of working.

What does work is limited government. What does work is the free market. What does work is capitalism. While it may make the left and those who are not wealthy feel better to blame the rich, it is not a solution.

The answer to our deficit and debt problem is to cut spending. We do this by reigning in massive federal bureaucracies and reforming Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The answer of how the government will collect more tax revenue is to create more tax payers, not raise tax rates. The answer to the problem of economic stagnation is to unleash the private sector, not more government spending. We do this by lowering corporate tax rates, simplifying and flattening our tax code and responsibly removing burdensome regulations.

Republicans have these answers. Democrats do not.

For more solutions please visit www.jeffin2012.com

When a bank, venture capitalist or financial institution loans money to a company, they do so under the premise of an anticipated return on their investment. Investors rarely pass up an opportunity to make money. Investors do their due diligence to make sure the opportunity is sound and, if it is, they invest.

If it is not, they don’t.

This means that when no one has confidence in a project, the project does not get off the ground. Under normal circumstances, this would be the end of the story. However, with Solyndra Solar, the story is just beginning.

Most Americans, regardless of political affiliation, agree that crony capitalism and corruption have no place within our government. Unfortunately, when we re-elect career politicians - most of whom have little or no business experience and are utterly clueless about what works “in the real world”--we are left with “representatives” who do nothing but pander to political allies and high end donors.

The government should not be investing in businesses...period. Government can be a good customer for business. Conflicts of interest may still arise because of it, but this pales by comparison to the culture of corruption bred from direct government “investment” in individual companies.

We’ve been hearing for years that “green energy is the future.” If this were true, companies would not need any help from the government. They would be developing viable green technologies and business would be flourishing. For green technology to be practical, it must be cost-effective and sustainable without government assistance. As much as we wish this was happening, it is not occurring on a wide scale.

One of the most vocal leaders of the environmental movement in recent years has been Ed Markey.
Mr. Markey has been our Congressman from Massachusetts’ 7th district since 1976, the year I was born. He sits on both the Natural Resources and Energy & Commerce committees. On the floor of the House, Rep. Markey regularly rails against oil and nuclear power while doing his utmost to promote renewable energy by parroting radical environmentalist dogma.

Unfortunately Ed’s words on Capitol Hill don’t exactly match his actions in the real world. Since 2004 he has accepted campaign contributions totaling over $370,000 from the energy and natural resources sector (including nuclear and fossil fuels). Most of that money was raised during the last election cycle.

In addition to the energy sector, Rep. Markey also repeatedly attempts to regulate the telecommunications industry. Since 2008 Ed Markey has accepted $698,000 from the Communications/Electronics sector.

Accepting over $1 million in campaign contributions from the very companies he is actively attempting to regulate is emblematic of why Washington is broken. There is a significant conflict of interest taking place with this practice.

We cannot become so desensitized to such low political standards that this behavior is tolerable.
Recently, Rep. Markey embraced the culture of corruption by trying to block a subpoena accessing records in the Solyndra scandal. Political alliances or ideological rhetoric notwithstanding, no elected official should ever thwart efforts to bring information on a scandal like this to light.

Markey’s reasoning behind this action was a claim that the Obama Administration has been extremely forthcoming in providing information to the public and Congress. That assertion is simply untrue.

Our elected representatives should be held to a higher standard. Whether it is Anthony Weiner lying to the American public and refusing to step down after a Twitter sex scandal or, in this case, Ed Markey accepting campaign contributions from industries he is actively trying to regulate and attempting to impede an investigation into Solyndra Solar.

This issue transcends party affiliation. All Americans can agree that our ethical and moral standards should not be compromised to such an extent that this type of behavior is even remotely acceptable. While as Republicans and Democrats, Conservatives and Liberals, we often disagree on the issues of the day, every one of us should expect our politicians to strive for high ethical standards...even if sometimes they fall woefully short.

“America is a nation of laws, not men.” We often hear this phrase from politicians and pundits alike when they discuss the issue of illegal immigration.

In 1993, Rudy Giuliani was elected Mayor of New York City. His administration was faced with rampant crime, a racially charged political climate and the legacy of almost three decades of failed liberal policies. One of the initiatives that helped clean up New York was Giuliani’s “quality of life” policy that targeted minor crimes such as noise or traffic violations. What the NYPD soon began to discover was that the people they stopped for minor offenses often turned out to be wanted for far more serious crimes. The resulting arrests and convictions took dangerous criminals off the streets.

The same parallels can be drawn to the current debate we are having over illegal immigration. The lead law enforcement officer in Massachusetts – Attorney General Martha Coakley – has stated that “It's not illegal to be illegal in Massachusetts.” Well, no, in fact it IS illegal for someone to enter the United States illegally. The fact that Massachusetts’ top law enforcement official just doesn’t see it that way shows how little regard she and her Democratic colleagues have for the rule of law.

With this permissive attitude, we should not be surprised when people who have entered the U.S. illegally commit other illegal acts.

Throughout our recent history, we have seen many examples of how returning to common sense conservative principles reversed negative trends caused and perpetuated by ill-conceived liberal policies. Reagan after Carter, Weld after Dukakis, Giuliani after Dinkins and Koch. Today we need such a return.

Governor Patrick’s decision not to participate in the Secure Communities program is emblematic of the pandering that takes place at local, state and national levels. Clearly he is more concerned about politics than protecting Massachusetts citizens with common sense laws that have been proven to reduce crime and improve quality of life.

We are at a point where the “look the other way” immigration policy of the Democrats in Massachusetts and DC is a life or death proposition. This cannot continue!

Locally, not only have the Governor and his Democratic supporters in the state legislature neglected to protect the citizens of Massachusetts, they have created an environment where illegal immigration is encouraged and incentivized. Just a few weeks ago Governor Patrick and my own state rep., Jay Kaufman , were vocal in their support of legislation that grants in-state tuition to illegal aliens at state colleges and universities. This law not only defies logic, but actually provides a disincentive for immigrants to come here legally.

We must ask ourselves a very serious question: At what point do hard working, taxpaying citizens from across the political spectrum recognize that being “a nation of men, not laws” jeopardizes not only quality of life, but life itself?

Being a nation of men rather than laws enables the illegal immigrant uncle of our President to call the White House when he gets arrested for drunk driving. Being a nation of men, rather than laws props up politicians who choose to not do their jobs. Being a nation of men, rather than laws results in the deaths of David Hartley in Texas, Brian Terry in Arizona and Matthew Denice here in Massachusetts, just to name a few.

Despite all the crises we face as a nation, I believe that “The American Dream” remains attainable both for citizens and legal immigrants. But in order to make this possible, no one can be above the law and political pandering must take a back seat to common sense solutions.

It would be nice if our elected officials felt the same way.

As summer comes to a close, we start to think about our children returning to school and our vacations ending, we also start to think about getting back to work. Unfortunately, for millions of Americans, there are no jobs to return to.

During President Obama’s time in office, the unemployment rate has been unacceptably high, falling below 9% only once since 2008 (8.9% in April/May of this year).  Of course, the official unemployment rate does not include those who have stopped looking for work or are under-employed. For three years, we have endured the Obama depression. This President’s ineptitude is a primary cause of our economic doldrums--and any plan that he delivers will be filled with the same tired Keynesian gimmicks that failed just months ago.

We need government to get out of the way. Conversely, our own Congressman, Ed Markey, is leading the charge to heap MORE regulation upon the private sector, further inhibiting America’s ability to create jobs. President Obama and the Democrats in Congress are either unwilling to recognize their policy failures, incapable of understanding why their policies failed or intentionally implementing policies that will CAUSE America to fail.

We have seen how attempts to integrate government with business have resulted in outrageous corporate welfare. Nationally, corporate subsidies and bailouts (e.g. General Electric and GM/Chrysler) must never be repeated. Locally, the Mass Biotech Initiative and Evergreen Solar provide further evidence of government picking winners and losers--both unwisely and unsuccessfully.  Pitfalls like these will only be avoided when strong business experience is a benchmark for our representation in Washington.

Right now, the best thing for the government to do is to provide an environment of stability: Creating corporate tax rates that encourage domestic investment rather than pushing it overseas; establishing regulations that protect citizens without stifling business growth; focusing on core government spending that doesn’t pile on to our already outrageous deficit and debt.

Unless Barack Obama comes back from his Martha’s Vineyard vacation with a new conservative economic philosophy, we can expect the President and his Democratic colleagues to claim that higher taxes and more government spending are the answers. Politically, he realizes that Republicans – rightfully, I might add – will oppose these types of initiatives. This gives the President the opportunity to claim that Republicans are just being obstructionists who won’t allow him to “help” the economy.

The GOP needs to hold firm and not allow “progressive” Democrats to pass another round of ill-advised and ill-conceived economic measures. Additional “stimulus”, especially the type that’s allocated directly to the President’s political supporters, will simply not work. Taxing job creators will only limit economic activity and decrease investment, not “save or create” jobs.

Our nation has weathered many storms, but the constant barrage of progressive / liberal ideology permeating our government will ultimately destroy our economy and threaten our children’s future. Our best, (and our only option at this point), is for every citizen to get involved, support common sense conservatism and VOTE REPUBLICAN.    

Today Senator John Kerry (D-MA) said on MSNBC that “the media has a responsibility to not give the Tea Party equal time”. The fact that a sitting United States Senator would ignore the 1st Amendment and advocate for blatant media censorship is absolutely abhorrent. What’s even worse is that Senator Kerry is a Democratic standard bearer whose views are shared by the majority of his progressive colleagues, both in DC and throughout the Massachusetts Congressional delegation. It is absolutely terrifying to think that this man once came very close to duping the nation into electing him President.

The Tea Party’s core issues of spending cuts, limited government and a balanced budget (spending what we take in, which would be far more plausible if we did not raise the debt ceiling) are now considered “extreme” by the Democratic Party. Our leaders decided to irresponsibly add over $2 Trillion to our debt in the short term--and the only voices protesting this were those of Tea Party activists and common sense conservatives in Congress. Senator Kerry believes that breaking the cycle of Washington spending that has led to unprecedented levels of deficit and debt is an "absurd notion”. Now he wants to silence the voices of reason. This is beyond his usual arrogance. It is downright dangerous!

Out of touch progressive demagogues, many of whom are also career politicians like John Kerry, Barney Frank and Ed Markey, continue to bury their heads in the sand and fail to realize that we will have to balance our budget. The only question is whether this occurs on our terms or those of our creditors. This willful ignorance to reality, coupled with the incessant class warfare assertion that we can make the “evil rich” pay more of their “fair share” to solve our deficit and debt, is actually quite ridiculous. (Do the math…the numbers don’t add up.)  We simply MUST cut spending-- and the more John Kerry and his friends try to silence the majority of American citizens, the more vocal those who disagree with this Administration and the Democratic Party must become.  

I call on all citizens of the Commonwealth, regardless of Party affiliation, to denounce their senior Senator’s irresponsible comments. As a tax payer and voter, I also demand that our Congressional delegation take a position on this issue. Ed Markey, Barney Frank: Will you denounce Senator Kerry’s assault on the US Constitution or will you join him on the fast track toward the unemployment line? I thank you in advance for your prompt response.

As conservatives, we believe the Constitution is a divinely inspired document that sets the foundation of the greatest nation in history. Our unique Constitution created three separate branches of government as well as a system of checks and balances in order to prevent abuses of power. When the structure is working correctly, the process of making law can be slow, detailed and arduous.

That is why progressives / liberals have been trying to erode our Constitution for over a hundred years. They want immediate change at their discretion while condescendingly believing they know what is  “best for us.”

We know they are wrong, but in order to build a better country, we must do more than just recognize the fallacies of progressive / liberal policies. Redirecting our government toward its original fundamentals laid out in the Constitution will be the key to our success.

Why do I mention this? Right now, Republicans only control the House of Representatives, giving us limited power to impart the kind of fiscal responsibility (significant cuts in spending) we desperately need as a country.

In spite of this factor, we still have the power to influence the structure of the recent debt ceiling deal. On its face, the deal seems to raise the ceiling by a little over $2 Trillion with an equal amount of spending cuts. $900 Billion over 10 years and $1.5 Trillion determined by a commission at a later date. Unfortunately, the increase in our ceiling is not over 10 years and the commission allows Congress to not do its job.

Anyone who looks at this deal knows that it just delays the inevitable. The breakdown of spending cuts works out to approximately $200 Billion (around 5% of what we currently expend) each year. I emphasize currently because it doesn’t actually cut spending. It slightly reduces the extraordinary levels of spending Obama and the Democrats have engaged in. It merely acts as a small speed bump on the road to ruin. Forty two cents of every dollar we spend is borrowed and we are throwing a nickel at it.    

Too many times in our past, we have seen deals like this one where taxes (in this case the debt ceiling) go up and the spending cuts melt away. I certainly hope that this situation does not happen again, but I am not holding my breath. The truth is we are in serious trouble as long as the Democrats remain in power. That is why 2012 is so important.

People with common sense, an understanding of fiscal responsibility, and a desire to see our country prosper recognize that we must cut spending. There is simply no other alternative that does not lead to financial collapse. The kind of spending cuts we need will not happen as long as Barack Obama is President, unless we possess a veto proof majority in Congress or have representatives who are willing to hold firm to the debt ceiling and spend only what we take in (i.e. a balanced budget).

We clearly do not have the kind of elected leadership capable of fixing this crisis.

The debt ceiling battle is just one of many we will fight with this President and the Democrats. We need to reform Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. We need to cut Federal bureaucracies on our terms. We need to get government out of the way so American businesses can create jobs. None of these goals will take place unless more Republicans win in 2012. President Obama is determined to keep spending and spending as if there is literally no tomorrow. And there will not be one if he gets his way.

Until then, however, we must respect our Constitution and acknowledge that the bigger battle will be fought next year at the polls. A few weeks ago, I wrote an article stating that an acceptable compromise would be no tax increases and dollar for dollar cuts. Given the cuts in this deal are not immediate, but the raising of the ceiling is, this does not qualify as a good deal. It is a compromise and with compromise, both sides must sacrifice.

Republicans are accepting a rise in the debt ceiling and Democrats are supposedly accepting spending cuts.

There are even some members of Congress, such as Ed Markey, who are unwilling to even recognize that we need to cut our budget deficit, let alone our national debt. For the rest of us who live in the real world, we need to do one simple thing: support every Republican running against a Democrat nationwide through social media, talking with your friends and neighbors, and most importantly, financial support. There are nine congressional races here in Massachusetts alone, plus Scott Brown’s re-election.

There will be challengers to Debbie Wasserman-Shultz, Maxine Waters and God-willing, Nancy Pelosi.  Each and every one of us should be helping to turn the tide. It is going to take more than staying informed. We must stay involved.

Right now, the Democrats can sit and not worry about our debt, but as soon as interest rates go up – which they will – our options are considerably more limited. A greater percentage of our revenue will have to service just the interest on the debt, not including the principal!

Republicans who voted no on this deal deserve our admiration. Democrats, such as Ed Markey and Barney Frank who voted no on this deal, because it cuts too much spending, are part of the problem. There is only one way to guarantee a future for ourselves, our children and the free world as we know it. Two words: VOTE REPUBLICAN.     

No matter what the outcome of the debt negotiations prior to the August 2nd deadline, one thing will be certain:  the media will paint President Obama as the victor. Unfortunately, his victory is the American public’s loss. The President has continually said that he wants to get a deal done, but at every step of these negotiations, he has been unwilling to compromise. All the while, he has portrayed his opponents as heartless, stubborn and uncaring.  In reality, it is President Obama and the Democrats in Congress who are further damaging America as a whole.

President Obama wants to raise taxes. He says he will raise taxes on “millionaires and billionaires” and yet, somehow, these millionaires make $250 thousand per year, the equivalent of a married mid-career police officer and nurse in Boston or New York City. Raising taxes in a recession pulls even more money out of the private sector, inhibiting growth and increasing unemployment.  When the government raises taxes, it enables members of Congress (from a psychological standpoint) to continue spending needlessly.

If President Obama seriously wanted to reduce the deficit and national debt- both  enhanced greatly by his unprecedented spending- he would have to raise taxes on everyone. Currently, 47% of all Americans pay no federal income tax.  Even accounting for this lost revenue, he would still fall woefully short of impacting the massive hole he has dug. Raising taxes on those who pay at higher rates means they will have less money to invest in job creating endeavors. There is simply no way to tax or grow our way out of the debt debacle we face. We must cut spending.

It is like a spoiled teenager who has run up the credit card on useless junk. After getting the bill, the tax- paying parents say to the teenager, “you’re not allowed to spend or borrow any more until you show some responsibility.” The teenager rants and raves how this is “un-fair” and tells the parents that they should “compromise” and pay the bill. Or the parents should pay half the bill and call the bank to raise the credit limit.

If they are good parents, they hold firm and the teenager learns a valuable lesson. If they are not, they end up having the same discussion all over again months down the road.

Why the media is unwilling to recognize this awful pattern is quite perplexing. After all, it is their country as well and their tax dollars are just as green. As President Obama skillfully plays the media and Republicans in Congress, he misses the bigger picture. Namely, he is letting government stand in the way of the free market, preventing it from fixing the economy itself.

The government does not create jobs, but it can help sustain an open market. This is not happening. You can see the frustration this administration has for this economy, one that has not responded to their “efforts.” “Shovel ready, wasn’t as shovel ready as we thought,” scoffed the President. The economy needs stability. Outrageous debt, unprecedented deficit spending, threats of regulation that change with the political climate and an uncertain tax laws are the foundation of the Obama depression.

We are rapidly approaching a point where the national debt will eclipse our GDP. As we get closer to the brink, it has become riskier for investors to lend to the United States. Borrowing has become more expensive. The economic and national security of our country has been jeopardized and our future looks bleaker than ever.

The truth of this negotiation and of every one to come in this Administration’s term is that Obama is committed to a far left agenda. Any Republican concession gives the media a chance to claim victory for Obama. It may appear as success to him, but it means that we will continue to deal with frivolous spending, a rising national debt and a lack of job growth. While I believe the American people will see through this propaganda, there can be no doubt that we as a nation will not be on the true path to prosperity until a new President is inaugurated in 2013.