The KC45 and The Cost of Corruption

Mobile and Northrupp/EADS lost the KC 45 Tanker contract for two reasons:

1. Special interests running our government.

This is unfortunately the way our government works today. It must be changed. It is the cause of immense amounts of wasteful spending at all levels of government and we cannot allow it to persist. It results in higher taxes for all Americans and has countless other detrimental effects- not to mention an injustice like the loss of a $30 billion dollar contract.

Special interests gain a position in our government in several ways, but there are two that are particularly powerful. (1) Campaign contributions and (2) Lobbying.

Often corporations or PACs (Political Action Commitees) giv compaign funds to candidates. There is nothing wrong with supporting a candidate, of course. Unfortunately when a corporation an individual or PAC goves large amounts of money to a candidate for office, they often expect, and naturally the candidate feels obliged to grant them, special treatment in return. This is when the problem comes about. Whether we are talking about a company getting favorable treatment on a contract decision or an unnecessary appropriation or grant the result is still the same inequity for the tax payer- in other words: wasted tax money or pork spending, as we sometimes call it.

The truth is, it is great to support a candidate. But it should only be because you support what the candidate proposes to stand for when elected. It should not involve any expectation of quid pro quo, but unfortunately as with any investment, people naturally expect a return. In reality, once elected, the office holder should give every person in his district the same priority regardless of age, race, gender, financial status or whether or not they gave to his campaign. This rarely happens and this is why we have pork spending and inequities in government.

That being the case, it is important to educate yourself on who is funding a candidates campaign before deciding to vote for them. There is often more to the story than meets the eye.

Lobbying is also a problem. We have lobbyists circling every governmental building in the USA waiting to catch an elected official and take him to lunch or out for a round of golf so they can bend his ear, twist his arm and try to get him to do what they want him to do. These lobbyists rarely have the best interests of ALL people in mind, but they are looking out for a small group of people (this is called a "special interest group"). We have to stop letting these special interest groups run our government. In order to do so, we must reform campaign finance policy and we must restrict lobbying of our congress. I heard somebody say one "Lobbyists are like prostitutes" I dont necessarrily disagree. His opinion was that we should treat them as such with respect to the law and make it illegal for anyone to be paid to lobby. I thin this would solve the problem greatly.


2. Apparently, our folks in Washington are not doing their jobs.

Now the tax payers will get a raw deal, the war fighters will get second rate equipment and once again South Alabama will become the victim of a political vendetta inflicted by the democrats. First, Johnson shut down Brookley, now its Obama making sure that we don't win what would be one of the most important contracts to ever be let by the federal government. Anybody with any sense will vote against those bastards from this point forward. At this point it should be painfully clear (for a number of reasons) that they are not concerned with justice, but with forcing thier liberal ideology upon us.

It is the responsibility of our leadership in Washington to make sure we are treated equitably by the federal government and to have a contract of this magnitude snatched from our hands by the Chigago based politcal mob that is hijacking our country is simply an inexcusable failure on behalf of our congressional delegation. Last time I checked our storied Senator Richard Shelby was on the Senate Armed Services Committee. One would think, he could make this happen, but apparently he is preoccupied passing pork to put up building with his name on them all over the state. Even the European leadership is crying foul (not that I put much stock in their opinions usually)! Come on! They can see, from the other side of the world that Boeing and Obama are colluding to steal this contract and force an inferior aircraft upon the American Warfighter and the the American Taxpayer. Meanwhile the rest of the America isn't even paying any attention. Jo Bonner, Artur Davis, Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions and all the rest of them should be on Fox News, MSNBC, CBS (not that anyone watches those last two) and every other network telling the country about this. This is the clearest example of corruption yet!

It simply amazes me how many people will stand by and watch corruption persist in this country. It happens from the local Government here in Baldwin County all the way to Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, those who are elected to enforce the law and prevent that sort of corruption simply stand aside and watch it go on. Hey everybody (elected law enforcement officials- AGs and DAs), do you not know how much corruption costs us taxpayers? If you don't then you should. If you do then you should be doing something about it. Even if you are not able to convict the the perpitrator, you should try your damndest! These folks should be scared to even try to pass unconstitutional legislation. They should be scared to try to collude on the award of a contract. They should be getting indited for doing so. Where are the leaders with the spine to stand up to injustice? Martin Luther King was one of those leaders. I don't know that we have had one since. We need leadership. Leadership that is unafraid to stand for what is right and what is just. Unfortunately, while I fundamentally disagree with the democrats on what I believe is right and just, I still see them as having more leadership at this point in time. Because they are committed to accomplishing what they set out to accomplish and that is the continued socialization of our country until ultimately all industry is socialized and we are a communist nation.

I strive to be a leader who will challenge the liberal agenda on conservative principal. I will fight the tyranny that they are inflicting upon us to my dying day and I will not stand aside and quietly tolerate injustice and inequity! I will stand for Life and I will stand for Justice. I will begin at the Baldwin County Commission and we, here is Baldwin County, will show the rest of the country what it means to be conservative. In doing so, we will reap the benefits of conservatism. Our economy will be stronger than those in other areas, our businesses will succeed and our people will have opportunity. We must return our local government to Conservative principals for our economy to stand a chance of survival. There is not a recovery going on. I know it because I see what is happening. The new year always brings with it a surge of new activity. This year the surge is substantially more mild than it has been in years past. All of the new jobs are being created in government and for every government job created there are two lost in the private sector. We must get back to conservatism and get back to it fast. If we don't our businesses will continue to fail, our jobs will continue to be lost, our homes to be foreclosed and our futures to grow more bleak.

Elect me to the Baldwin County Commission. I will be a strong voice for conservative principals. I will not tolerate corruption or special interests and I will expose them every time I get an opportunity. I will be YOUR voice on the Baldwin County Commission and I will always remember that it is supposed to be: "the Government of the People, by the People and for The People!" we need leaders who remember this, understand what it takes and have the courage and fortitude to stand up for our beliefs.

I am running for you, for your wife and your children, for your Mom and your Dad and your Aunts and Uncles. That is what I mean when I say "for The People". I am running for office to stand up for what WE believe in. Please vote for me June 1. Spread the word. Contribute any amount to the campaign (so long as it is less than $1000). Every contribution makes a major difference. Please visit my website www.DanielDyas.com and make a paypal contribution to the campaign. Help me win and let me be your voice in the County Government!

Thank you for reading this post, I welcome your feedback!

God bless you and your family,
Daniel Dyas

PS Find me on Facebook and Twitter

The Real Path to Effective Health Care Reform

Daniel,

I am a conservative with a question. Can you explain to me the detriment that universal health care would present to us as a country. My question comes on the heels of the documentary "Sicko". I am willing to admit that it is just a movie from a man with an agenda. However Mr. Moore does, in my opinion, bring up some good points. Particularly with the health care/taxes that Parisians experience. I understand that this is a very complicated question. An email with extreme brevity would be understandable and appreciated.

Thanks

Travis Chandler
Plano, Texas


Travis,

Let me respond to your question with three points:

1. If you are truly a Conservative, as you have said, then you will agree most things that grow government are bad for our country. The government should definitely not be involved when people make decisions about their health and how to care for it. That is a decision to be made between a doctor and a patient. Its as simple as that.

2. We cannot afford it. Our national debt continues to balloon and if we don't reign in spending, we will in real trouble fiscally. There will be no choice but for government to raise taxes on the middle class, not to mention the buying power of our American dollar will continue to weaken.

3. A government takeover of health care will prevent the REAL reforms that we really do need!

(Once again, a list of three)

1. We need to offer a tax credit to Americans who maintain healthy lifestyles (an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure)

2. We need interstate competition in the insurance markets, this will bring down cost and make insurance affordable for even more Americans (if they choose to buy it).

3. We need tort reform. Capping damages on medical liability suits would prevent the excessive prescriptions and procedures being promoted by docs today, because they would not be constantly under the threat of multi-million dollar suits, not to mention it would reduce the amount of insurance they would have to buy, the cost of which is ultimately passed to the consumer.

Thanks for the question, Travis. Conservatives have the best solutions to the health care situation and nationalizing the whole system is definitely not the answer. It will be too expensive, it will have major costs in terms of the quality of care provided, and ultimately it will not even solve any of our problems. Conservative solutions (like the three I just gave you) will.
I hope I was able to answer your question successfully and I hope you agree.

Cheers,
Daniel Dyas

Baldwin County Commission- Candidacy Announcement

July 6, 2009

Dear Friends:

I hope you and your families are all having a great Summer and had a nice 4th of July Holiday!

Today is July 6, 2009. Open Campaigning for the 2010 election cycle began a month ago and for me, it is decision time. For over a year now, I have been involving myself heavily in our county's long-term planning process and considering running for the Baldwin County Commission in 2010. I think my candidacy for County Commission could make a major, positive difference in the future of Baldwin County and even that of our state.

This is a significant crossroads and I know I must choose wisely. I do believe the time is now. Our nation finds itself at a critical moment in history where we are thirsting for young and fresh leadership. The conservative movement is stagnating. There must be a new generation of leadership in our nation's conservative movement or our values will continue to whither on the vine and be forgotten.

Hence, I endeavor to seek the Republican nomination for the Baldwin County Commission District #2 seat, and ultimately the seat itself, in 2010. If elected, I will commence to enacting a Transferable Development Rights policy in each district of our county that has chosen, or chooses in the future, to come under the authority of The Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Department. By enacting this "TDR" policy, we will protect our farmers and our county's citizens from continued loss of valuable farmlands and greenspace, thus ensuring the continued quality of life and scenic beauty, which we enjoy today in Baldwin County.

One of the beauties of a TDR program is its optional nature. No one is forced to participate, farmer or developer. It is a market driven system that allows farmers and rural land owners to sell the development rights (TDR Credits) from their rural land and transfer them to a more urban or appropriate site for development. After selling the TDR Credits the rural landowner does not sacrifice anything but the ability to develop his land in the future. He continues to enjoy the benefit of using, selling or bequeathing his land to his heirs. By using this system, we will foster "Smart Growth" and discourage inappropriate suburban sprawl.

Over the past two years, I have involved myself in our county's planning process. I contributed to the development of "Horizon 2025", Baldwin County's Comprehensive Plan which will guide our growth in the coming fifteen years. During the initial public input sessions hosted by the planing department and the Genesis Group, I suggested to the group that TDRs be used as a growth management tool, giving rural landowners another option (besides selling their property outright or leveraging their land with a bank) when making decisions relating to cashing in equity in their assets. I continued to be involved the process of developing the Comprehensive Plan and ultimately was successful in getting the TDRs included in it.

If I am elected to the Baldwin County Commission:

- I will see to the completion of this effort and enact a TDR program in Baldwin County that will ensure out county's continued scenic beauty, and the sustainability of the rural lifestyle, which many of our residents enjoy.

- Many of our rural landowners will enjoy having the option of selling their TDRs.

- The development community will have a new tool to use, which will encourage continued sustainable economic growth.

- We will all continue to enjoy the fresh local produce grown on Baldwin County farms over the coming century and beyond.

- We will enjoy improved water quality in out rivers and bays as a result of consolidated growth into villages and hamlets.

- We will experience reduced need for transportation infrastructure and reduced traffic, as new residential populations begin to consolidate into the "Receiving Area" of villages and rural hamlets, increasing walkability and pedestrian lifestyles.

- We will enjoy cleaner air as the need for vehicular travel becomes less prevalent and pedestrian living more so.

- We will continue to enjoy the diversity of species, (flora and fauna) which we still do today

There are other issues facing our county in the coming years, but I think that growth management is the most prevalent in terms of long term effect on the quality of life for Baldwin County's citizens today and that of its future generations. If growth is not managed well, and I contend that here to for it has not been, our county could suffer irreparable damage. If this is allowed to happen, the Baldwin County in which our children and grandchildren will live, will not share the same beautiful and scenic characteristics of the Baldwin County in which we live today.

Thank you for taking some time to read this email. I hope you will contact me to discuss my candidacy and ultimately, help me with the campaign and winning the election!

For the Future of Baldwin County!

Your Friend,

J. Daniel Dyas
DYAS Construction Management, LLC
23210 US Hwy 98
Fairhope, AL 36532

Steele- Limbaugh Drama at RNC Could Have a Positive Ending

Right now, the Republican Party and the Conservative Movement is running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off, worrying about how they can do to draw back the support of the common American man and ultimately regain control over the direction of our nation.

There is a power vacuum in the party right now, so much so that we have allowed the Obama machine to create a soap opera of this so called Rush Limbaugh/ Michael Steele drama. It is so bogus. But the TV networks have gotten a hold of it and now it is portraying the Conservative Movement in America as a ship without a rudder or even worse a ship with two captains. Every one knows a ship can only have one captain, and Michael Steele is the Captain at the RNC. Its as simple as that.

Thats not to say that Michael Steele is a natural born leader. He is a leader by virtue of the fact that the RNC bestowed on him the title of "Chairman", in essence asking him to lead the party. It seems to me that the RNc was so damn eager to try to match the DNC's black man on the ticket- they put Michael Steele in charge of the party. And whatever- Thats great that there is an African American at the helm of the RNC. I think it is wonderful that we have reached that level of racial equality in our nation, but it just seems that the RNC was trying to keep up with the Democrats by making that move. Don't get me wrong: Micheal Steele is as intelligent as the day is long and as conservative as one ought to be. The problem is this: he is not a natural born leader- the charismatic type- the obama type- the Rush Limbaugh type. The type of man that when he speak people have a natural tendency to stop and listen to what he has to say. This is why as long as he is the "voice" of the party, the party will not recover.

Rush IS a natural born leader (not to mention the fact that he is a nationally syndicated radio personality-that helps too...and he got there because he is a leader), so the constituency of the party and those who may be interested in what the party has to say naturally want to listen to Rush. The best thing Micheal Steele could do is ask Rush to accept a role as the official "Voice" of the party- They could make him the RNC Spokesman. He could be kind of like the Ted Nugent of the RNC- only a little more civilized and a lot more widely accepted.

Steele has the wits to know what the party needs, Rush has the following and the leadership to bring the party back together. Steele is the Chairman- Rush would be the Spokesman- now that is a winning solution.

God Bless America,
Daniel Dyas

Alabama Wind Energy Terminal

July 30, 2008

Dear Fellow Alabamians:

I have been hearing a lot lately about a Texas oil man, T. Boone Pickens, who apparently has a plan to help our nation achieve energy independence in the coming years. It is great that Mr. Pickens is doing this and shows him to be a true leader of the sort for which our country has been in great need.

I would like to suggest a local addition to Mr. Pickens’ plan that we Alabamians could enact very soon and insure a healthy energy economy for ourselves and our children in the coming years. Just as Mr. Pickens suggests the construction of alternative energy facilities in the Great Plains region, I suggest the State of Alabama, as a condition to the renewal of any additional oil or gas leases in our state waters, insist that the companies to whom we are selling our non-renewable mineral interests build for us Alabamians a wind energy terminal off the coast of Alabama. Congress has put a halt to additional drilling off of our coast lines, but to my knowledge there is no reason we could not force these oil companies, who have recorded record profits over the past year to build a wind energy terminal in the Gulf of Mexico for the future well being of our state and to replace for our state the non renewable resources which they have been removing from our submerged lands for the last thirty years.

In all fairness, these oil companies are paying significant royalties to the state and contributing significantly to the state coffers. However, judging by the record profits in the past year, they can afford to do a lot more for our state if we are going to continue to sell them our oil and natural gas. A wind energy terminal would be the best thing for our state’s future well being. It could eventually grow to be big enough to provide energy for all of Alabama’s electricity needs, as well as the needs of some of our less prepared neighbor states. In other words, when Alabama’s wind energy terminal is pumping out more energy than Alabama is consuming, we can sell the additional energy to other power companies on the grid, which are not as fortunate as the State of Alabama to have power to spare. This income, or a portion thereof, could be returned to the State of Alabama’s General Fund, Education Trust Fund or a new Fund established for expansion and maintenance of the Alabama Wind Energy Terminal (AWET).

This concept occurred to me four years ago, but now it is time for us to take action. The market conditions and public sentiment are in the right place to make this happen now. I am glad that Mr. T. Boone Pickens is making the construction of wind farms into something realistic and mainstream here in the United States of America. I truly believe that here in Alabama, we are fortunate to have the leverage to force these oil and gas companies to do this for our state because we know that they are generating billions of dollars in revenue from their Alabama leases alone. They will not walk away from that revenue. When any Alabama offshore oil or gas lease expires or comes up for renewal from this point forth, we should insist as a state that our Alabama Oil and Gas Board and our State government as a whole establish a new trust fund dedicated to the construction of a new Alabama Wind Energy Terminal and require substantial contributions to the AWET Trust fund for every cubic foot of gas that is removed from our state’s submerged lands. If we do not take such action now, in a very few years we will find ourselves with a critically depleted reserve of natural gas and not much to show for the resources we did have prior to selling them to the oil and gas companies. If we do make this happen, our future will hold the promise of energy independence, economic health and continued improvement of our quality of life in the coming century. Without abundant energy resources, we could very easily begin losing ground in our constant effort to improve the quality and enjoyablity of modern living. Let us not continue to sell some of our most valuable assets to the oil companies without insisting that they return the favor by replacing them with a wind energy terminal that can sustain our energy needs when our gas is gone.

Please contact you state senator, local legislator, our governor or the members of the Alabama Oil and Gas Board about this issue and tell them how important it is that we insist that the Oil and Gas Companies build this terminal for our state as a condition of renewal for any leases on our state’s gas fields.

God Bless Alabama,

J. Daniel Dyas

CC: Governor Bob Riley

Alabama State Capitol
600 Dexter Avenue
Montgomery, Alabama 36130

Mr. Jim Griggs, Alabama Oil and Gas Board

Mr. Charles “Ward” Pearson, Alabama Oil and Gas Board

Ms. Rebecca Wright Pritchett, Alabama Oil and Gas Board

Mr. Berry H. “Nick” Tew, Jr., State Geologist for Alabama Oil and Gas Board

The Alabama Oil and Gas Board

420 Hackberry Lane
P.O. Box 869999
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35486-6999
205.349.2852