My not-so-hot take on the Illinois tax debacle

Government cannot spend its way out of trouble. That’s an absolute truth that has been clearly demonstrated time and again, yet we see politicians at every level from local to national continuing to push untenable budgets and asinine tax hikes on the people. The latest example is Illinois and this time it’s more than the usual suspects behind the debacle.

Republican lawmakers jumped ship and backed an override of their own party’s governor’s veto of the latest budget that calls for increased taxes. This lack of backbone has become a calling card for the modern GOP as so many today seem willing to break from the old school ideology of smaller government in order to play along with their liberal counterparts. The fear of government shutdowns, credit failures, and election day repercussions have pushed the GOP away from conservative and Federalist fundamentals.

Instead of giving into the Democratic majority’s demands for more government, these Republicans should have backed their governor’s play. He wasn’t asking for much, just term limits and a handful of other responsible actions included in the extremely liberal and oppressive budget plan. They should have forced further turmoil and continued to offer real solutions instead of backing down from fear of another budget-free fiscal year. That’s the problem with the modern Republican Party. They don’t play within their alleged ideologies. Instead, they’re constantly attempting in vain to mitigate damage both real and political.

In the vast majority of situations, the best solution is to reduce taxes, dramatically cut budgets, and put emphasis on supporting the private sector to solve problems. We the People are more capable than government entities to solve our own problems, but the Democratic-Republicans of modern day America seem bent on convincing us otherwise.

Here’s the biggest problem: it’s working. More Americans are becoming dependent on government rather than being reliant on self-governance. Fewer Americans are attempting to solve problems and are instead spending their time demanding action from politicians. This more than anything else is why the Federalist Party must rise. We’re losing the battle of independence by pushing off our responsibilities to people and entities who have no business participating in finding the right solutions. The indoctrination and propaganda machines of the left have infiltrated many politicians on the right. Today’s Republicans are looking more like mid-90s Democrats than the party that once believed in shrinking government.

Illinois, as with so many Democrat-run states, is crumbling under the weight of its own failed fiscal policies. They don’t need a bailout. They shouldn’t be raising taxes. They need to cut, cut, and cut some more. They need fewer programs, lower taxes, and an elimination of the overreach that has plagued them for decades if they hope to recover. Instead, the Democratic-Republicans are going against their fiscally responsible governor in order to push more of the same tired leftist agenda.

The only real solution is less government and Illinois is a clear example of a state that has proven this to be true by failing miserably with big government. Will they learn the lesson in time? We are actively recruiting a strong leadership team in Illinois to bring the battle to Springfield. Email us at smallgov@thefederalistparty.org if you’re interested.

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Los Angeles in general and Hollywood in particular do many, many things very badly, but one thing done exceptionally well here: Ramen.

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Little baby toes. Gets me every time.

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Happy 4th. Time to get to work.

For most Americans, Independence Day is a holiday away from work. Sure, there are those who continue their normal duties; having a child in the hospital is a reminder for me that some industries don’t have the luxury of taking a day completely off. A majority of businesses are closed. One in particular is not.

The Federalist Party, to which I am committed wholeheartedly, is not taking the 4th of July off. In fact, many of us are going to be working harder today than other days for two reasons. First, since we’re made up completely of volunteers, there are many who are taking the opportunity away from work to apply more effort to the party. Second, the spirit of the holiday itself is one that has deep ties to our own goals. Just as the Declaration of Independence was intended to let Americans and our British overlords know we were done with oppression, so too do Federalists want to break away from the two-party system that has yielded big-government-loving politicians for decades.

We expect this from the Democrats. In recent years, we’ve learned to accept it from most Republican politicians as well.

This particular Independence Day is special to me because it marks the first one for as long as I can remember when I’m not part of the GOP. Before I really understood politics, I had a fondness for the words of Ronald Reagan. Though he wasn’t the best champion for small government Federalism that he could have been, his words and intentions were definitely aligned with reining in federal overreach and returning power to both the states as well as to individual citizens. He and others convinced me at an early age that the GOP would fight to shrink government.

The reality, as I learned later in life, is that Reagan and the GOP that followed his legacy didn’t really reduce government. They simply slowed down its growth… for a while. Today’s variation of the party doesn’t even do that. They’ve become almost indistinguishable from the Democrats they allegedly oppose. We see every day as concepts get rebranded rather than eliminated. The most glaring recent example is Trumpcare versus Obamacare. While the two parties fight over the details, the reality of the situation is that both are pushing for different versions of the same big government concept. Both parties want DC to mandate health coverage. Both parties want the federal government to have way too much say about how, where, and when we get health insurance.

This isn’t the only example, but I’m not going to start off my (or your) Independence Day by talking about policies. This is about a celebration of something special and a hope that we return to the fundamentals that made this nation special. We’re not here to discuss “making America great again” because we’re not interested in slogans with no teeth. Instead, let’s talk about why we declared independence from England in the first place. The founders realized that they were being oppressed by a distant government and that the oppression was growing. They felt they had no representation yet the taxes kept growing. Prosperity was fading. Freedoms were minimal.

Today, we’re faced with a similar trend. DC doesn’t rule over us like the British did, but their overreach is clear and growing. We have more freedoms than our forefathers had, but those freedoms are under attack. There’s a potential that taxes could be reduced if the GOP is able to keep its agenda intact before being forced out of office, but the cuts they’re proposing are minuscule compared to where they should be. With all this, there’s very little talk about cutting budgets or tackling the national debt.

The battle we fight today is different from what they had to fight in the 18th century, but the parallels are striking. We aren’t fighting with guns or cannons but with words and passion. We’re not fighting for freedoms we don’t have. We’re fighting for freedoms that are being taken away. We’re not faced with an oppressive government across the sea, but we’re faced with an expanding government that in many ways is more ideologically divergent from the American people than what our forefathers had to face with England. The founders had to declare their independence. Today, we have to remind the people of the independence so many seem willing to forego.

It’s a day off for many. It’s not a day off for me. I encourage anyone who’s sick of what’s happening in America to take a close look at the Federalist Party. We need all the help we can get.

Image credit: Etsy

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Had a baby, sold a company, committed to a party: My busy two weeks

When people ask me on radio interviews, “Who is JD Rucker?” my standard reply is the honest truth. I’m nobody. I’m a Christian, husband, and father.

They ask this question because I’m heavily embedded in the formation of the Federalist Party, which means they want to know what political chops I bring to the table. It’s important for me as well as the party that I never allow delusions of grandeur to creep into my psyche. I truly am nobody, or more accurately, I’m just like hundreds of millions of Americans who are disenfranchised with the way government intrudes on our lives. I’m among those who realize small government, the type that can fit within the boundaries of the Constitution, is the only way to go. The only difference between me and so many is that I’m no longer willing to wait. I tried the GOP, then tried to help fix the GOP through the Tea Party. I’ve looked at third parties, and while some have great ideas they lack in strategy; they simply don’t know how to win.

I needed to do something about it and found that there are a ton more people like me. Every day, people are raising their hands and declaring they’re Federalists. It’s been wonderful.

The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. As I write this, I’m watching over my son who was born less than two weeks ago. He was born with a long list of challenges with his heart. His aorta and pulmonary artery were switched. There was a hole in the wall between his ventricles. His aortic arch was off. The poor little guy had problems. By the grace of God, we were led to a wonderful doctor and hospital and the prognosis is great. Lord willing, he’ll be in great shape and ready to go home in the next few weeks.

While all of this was happening, I sold my half of my company to my partner. He knew my situation and the fact that I’d need to dedicate a ton of time to family and politics so he made me a fair offer and released me. It happened at the exact right moment as medical bills were on the verge of breaking us.

Meanwhile, The New Americana, my other project in conjunction with the Federalist Party, has accepted new editorial leadership. Again, the timing couldn’t have been better. Steve Berman came on board and has been running the day-to-day since Jacob was born. Amazing how the timing has worked so perfectly thus far. Praise God!

Now that everything seems to be heading in the right direction, I’m working my way back into the mix with the party. Things are moving so quickly on all fronts in the political world that every moment counts. The team has been very supportive and all have filled the gap from my absence nicely. Now, it’s time to hit the ground running once again.

My requests: pray for Jacob, help support the party, and help support The New Americana. Steve’s going to be doing this full-time as soon as I’m able to pay him.

Thank you all for your patience. I can’t wait to get even more involved in everything as time goes on.

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Surgery today. We appreciate all prayers for baby Jacob.

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What does 27 hours of labor look like? Absolute beauty.

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When it comes to terrorism, yes, jump to conclusions

Whenever a vehicle/gun/bomb/knife attack hits a western nation, the left and their media cohorts are quick to drag out their broken record, better known as “the narrative.”

“Wait for the facts.”

“Don’t assume it’s terrorism.”

“Stop jumping to conclusions.”

Let’s put aside the fact that the vast majority of these incidents turn out to be terrorist attacks. Let’s also ignore (for now) the fact that the vast majority of terrorist attacks are perpetrated by radical Islamic terrorists. Even if we take away these facts, there’s still a very valid reason to jump to conclusions first and fix the record later.

It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Tonight’s attacks in London were the latest in a rash of “Ramadan incidents.” It’s not a coincidence that the Islamic State and other organizations have been calling for attacks on western targets during their holy month. It’s also not bigoted to point that out. The terrorists don’t play the politically correct game. They aren’t worried about how the world will view them if they’re associated with Islam. They’re proud that they’re representing what they believe to be the true fulfillment of their religious beliefs.

That’s not to say that Islam is to blame or Muslims are bad, but we have to address the issue with our eyes open.

The media and everyone playing the politically correct game are quick to crank up the rhetoric. They either willfully ignore the facts or are too blind to see that it’s no coincidence the vast majority of terrorist attacks are perpetrated by people claiming the mantle of Islam. If one out of every 10,000 Muslims are potential terrorists, that’s still nearly 200,000 people worldwide. This can’t be brushed away as politically inconvenient to the left’s narrative.

We need to handle every situation like this as if it’s a terrorist attack. There’s a difference between a drunk driver swerving into a group of people and what took place on London Bridge. When it appears that an attack is willful, we need to put our guard up. There’s no harm that comes from doing so if we’re wrong. On the other hand, if we “wait for the facts” before taking on a defensive posture, the results can be deadly.

The left is so worried about hate speech. Such speech should not be condoned whether there’s a terrorist attack or not. However, we cannot let fear of hate speech prevent us from being aware and diligent. The terrorists want to kill or subjugate all of us. Their greatest ally is a weakness propped up by fear. We cannot give them that.

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Daughter texted me that she had a disaster on her way to school. It's finals week so I feared the worst. I wasn't prepared. It was even worse than I imagined.

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We must defund Planned Parenthood, but let’s see the reality of the situation first

I am pro-life. There are two very clear cases that can be made. Politically, our understanding of modern science combined with the tenets of both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence make it easy to see for anyone not indoctrinated to believe that it’s just a clump of “potential” life in the womb. Culturally, our Judeo-Christian values based upon the teachings of the Bible leave no doubt. Defunding Planned Parenthood has nothing to do with either of these arguments.

This will be hard for many to read, but it’s important to be clear about something. Defunding Planned Parenthood will most likely NOT save lives. In fact, it will strengthen the organization. To understand this, we have to look at the situation with clarity.

When we’re able to defund Planned Parenthood, they will not see a single penny less. They will see more money. Why? Because they will use their defunding to build the most powerful liberal fundraising apparatus the nation has ever seen. They will raise more liberal dollars than anyone other than the Democratic nominee for President. Defunding them will give them more money and power than they have today.

This is indisputable by anyone who knows how these things work.

If this is the case, why must we defund them? Wouldn’t it make more sense to not empower them through defunding? No. We must look at the two important elements from a moral perspective and one important element from a strategic perspective.

Morally, it is wrong for the nation to allow abortion to be funded by taxpayers. Some would argue that it is therefore wrong to fund the military for similar moral reasons; killing is killing, right? No. The national government has within its enumerated powers the necessity for national defense. It does not have the power over health care (despite what we’ve seen with Obamacare and Trumpcare). Since it’s the left’s argument that abortion is a health care issue, it doesn’t make sense for the federal government to participate at all in the matter.

The second moral reason comes down to choice. As Americans, we are forced to pay taxes. We can get into a discussion about whether or not that should be acceptable, but for today’s argument let’s assume that we all have to pay. When those tax dollars go to pay for something that could easily be paid for through choice (donations to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers) it is wrong for tax dollars to be redirected when the private sector could fund it better. If people choose to fund it, so be it. Those of us who would choose not to fund it deserve to keep our tax dollars from going in their direction.

From a strategic perspective, any dollar given by the left to Planned Parenthood is a dollar that may have gone to fund other projects or candidates. By defunding and pushing them to fully fund themselves through donations and other means, we’re preventing those dollars from going elsewhere.

My point isn’t to bring up some moral debate or ethical quandary about whether it makes sense to continue to fund Planned Parenthood. It’s important that we recognize the stakes of the fight. In the end, the political and cultural battles against abortion have very little to do with Planned Parenthood. When we recognize this, we can discern how to focus our efforts in the real battle.

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