June 4, 2024

Permission to republish original opeds and cartoons granted.

If Trump is to be sentenced and jailed on July 11, Republicans should move up July 15-18 nominating convention earlier

With a guilty verdict in hand, sentencing against former President Donald Trump for his conviction of federal election laws by a New York City jury has been scheduled for July 11, just four days before the Republican National Convention that begins July 15 in Milwaukee, Wis. The goal is to force Republicans to nominate Trump potentially from jail, or else replace him as the nominee with a dark horse candidate nobody wants. Why else prosecute federal election law to masquerade as a felony under New York State law — in clear violation of the Article VI constitutional supremacy clause — and schedule sentencing ahead of the convention if not to imprison Trump and force the question on the Republican Party? Best not to find out. Instead, the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee and Convention should simply switch the circumstances around: Nominate Trump in late June or earlier in July and force New York to openly imprison the Republican presidential nominee if that’s what they really want to do. If the goal is to destroy the delicate constitutional framework that keeps the civil society together, the city and state of New York should not be allowed to rely on half measures. Make New York openly imprison the opposition party’s leader in an election year. If we’re going to establish a dictatorship, make Trump’s opponents formally go through the motions. Force New York to do it in the open: Lock up the Republican nominee for president.

Senator Cruz leads way in winning one for the little guy in FAA Reauthorization

Aviation is one area where the federal government rightfully has primacy and Senator Ted Cruz proved that he has become a legislator adept at getting bills passed while protecting Americans’ freedoms with the FAA Reauthorization Act. Hidden deep in the text of the final legislation is a small business protection which will go unnoticed and matters a great deal to those of us who believe that government should not use its coercive power to shutter lawful businesses. The original legislation that passed through the House of Representatives which would have ended the businesses of a few entrepreneurs who risked their capital to build a computer system to accommodate the resale of airplane tail numbers. Without Senator Cruz’ firm hand for limited government, these entrepreneur’s businesses would have been destroyed, even though they are making more money for the U.S. Treasury by adding their tax payments on top of the $10 FAA fee that would have been paid either way. Senator Cruz proved once again, that he will stand up for the little guy even when no one is really looking, and was consistent to the view that conservatives don’t come to Congress to find ways to use the power of big government to shut down honest businesses, just because they can.

Urge State Attorneys General To Sue New York At U.S. Supreme Court To Stop Election Interference And Overturn Trump Conviction!

State Attorneys General have a duty to sue the city and state of New York, which rewrote federal election and state business records law to interfere with the 2024 election, throw former President Donald Trump in jail and disenfranchise tens of millions of Americans' right to vote for their choice for President, all in violation of the Supremacy Clause under Article VI. Under the doctrine of preemption, states have no power, zero, to rewrite federal election laws, let alone to enforce them. States have original jurisdiction under Article III, Sec. 2 to all "controversies between two or more states," and Attorneys General have an obligation under the federal and state constitutions to ensure that one state cannot determine the outcome of any presidential election in this manner. This is a constitutional crisis, and one that can only be cured by the states and the Supreme Court in a timely manner.

If Trump is to be sentenced and jailed on July 11, Republicans should move up July 15-18 nominating convention earlier

By Robert Romano

The goal is to force Republicans to nominate Trump potentially from jail, or else replace him as the nominee with a dark horse candidate nobody wants.

Why else prosecute federal election law to masquerade as a felony under New York State law — in clear violation of the Article VI constitutional supremacy clause — and schedule sentencing ahead of the convention if not to imprison Trump and force the question on the Republican Party?

Best not to find out.

Instead, the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee and Convention should simply switch the circumstances around: Nominate Trump in late June or earlier in July and force New York to openly imprison the Republican presidential nominee if that’s what they really want to do.

If the goal is to destroy the delicate constitutional framework that keeps the civil society together, the city and state of New York should not be allowed to rely on half measures.

Make New York openly imprison the opposition party’s leader in an election year. If we’re going to establish a dictatorship, make Trump’s opponents formally go through the motions. Force New York to do it in the open: Lock up the Republican nominee for president.

Instead of the headline, “Republicans nominate jailed felon” the headline will be “New York Democrats imprison Republican nominee”. This is all about narratives, right?

After all, the GOP primary was never really in question anyway.

After the June 4 primaries in Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota, Trump will have won 49 out of 50 states in the Republican primaries and caucuses that have taken place — with approximately 76 percent of the vote — an historic landslide in a competitive primary only topped by Al Gore’s 50-state sweep in 2000 against Bill Bradley system the modern primary system began in 1972, with 75.8 percent of the vote.

Republicans still want Trump — and New York should not be allowed to influence that question.

Trump’s 2024 win in the GOP primary is juxtaposed with far more competitive contests in the past: In 2016, Trump only garnered 44.9 percent of the vote in the primaries to Ted Cruz’ 25.1 percent, winning 37 states. In 2012, Mitt Romney got 52.1 percent, winning 38 states. In 2008, John McCain got 46.7 percent, winning 31 states. In 2000, George W. Bush got 62 percent, winning 43 states. In 1996, Bob Dole got 58.8 percent, winning 44 states. In 1988, George H.W. Bush got 67.9 percent, winning 42 states. And in 1980, Ronald Reagan got 59.8 percent, winning 44 states.

Clearly the incumbency advantage as a former president assisted Trump’s decisive win against former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who have all since dropped out and endorsed Trump.

Nobody is contesting the Republican nomination, but upon sentencing and imprisonment on July 11, there will be a last-minute push to overturn the results of the primary at the convention itself as Trump is denied the opportunity to accept the nomination in person.

“Trump can’t run from jail!” “If convicted felons can’t vote, how can they run for president?” are already the cat calls.

The answer is: As a matter of self-preservation, Republicans have to find a way to navigate those questions.

Right now, Trump is the presumptive nominee, and so the “lock him up” caucus will rely on that to attempt to influence the Milwaukee convention until the bitter end. Instead, the Republican National Committee can change the conditions: Move the nomination ahead of the convention and force New York Democrats to openly imprison the opposition party leader ahead of the election — if they dare.

Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government Foundation.

To view online: https://dailytorch.com/2024/06/if-trump-is-to-be-sentenced-and-jailed-on-july-11-republicans-should-move-up-july-15-18-nominating-convention-earlier/

Senator Cruz leads way in winning one for the little guy in FAA Reauthorization

By Rick Manning

Hidden deep in the text of the final legislation is a small business protection which will go unnoticed and matters a great deal to those of us who believe that government should not use its coercive power to shutter lawful businesses.

As Americans for Limited Government has written about in the past, the original legislation that passed through the House of Representatives which would have ended the businesses of a few entrepreneurs who risked their capital to build a computer system to accommodate the resale of airplane tail numbers.

Under the existing and surviving law, anyone can buy airplane tail numbers (also known as N-numbers) for $10 a piece. Entrepreneurs figured out that shorter N-numbers were more valuable than longer ones due to scarcity, and proceeded to pay the $10 fee for these more desirable numbers offering them on the open market for a higher price. And airplane owners proved themselves willing to pay more for a shorter number rather than purchasing one of the hundreds of thousands of longer numbers readily available for $10.

So what was the problem? Someone decided that this practice must be stopped even as the federal government benefitted from it.

Without Senator Cruz’ firm hand for limited government, these entrepreneur’s businesses would have been destroyed, even though they are making more money for the U.S. Treasury by adding their tax payments on top of the $10 FAA fee that would have been paid either way.

Senator Cruz proved once again, that he will stand up for the little guy even when no one is really looking, and was consistent to the view that conservatives don’t come to Congress to find ways to use the power of big government to shut down honest businesses, just because they can. Using his skill, expertise and power, Cruz negotiated a change to the language that leaves the system alone as it is studied for future consideration, a reasonable compromise.

At Americans for Limited Government we regularly are fighting for or against dozens of pieces of legislation and regulations that either limit or expand government power. Winning a change in legislation that impacts only a few people might seem insignificant. But, winning this victory sends a clear signal to the Biden FAA that they are limited in their power.

And every American can thank Senator Ted Cruz along with Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Rick Scott (R-FL), as well as Representative Scott Perry (R-PA) for fighting for the little guy. After all it is often said that you measure character by what people do when no one is looking, not by what they say, and these four legislators met this test with flying colors.

Senator Cruz played an instrumental role in shepherding through the bi-partisan reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, legislation which helped make our skies more secure investing billions in major safety, technological upgrades of airports in Texas and protecting small businesses and around the nation.

And every once in a while It is nice to be able to say, with leaders like Cruz, Blackburn, Scott and Perry, we can fight city hall or even Capitol Hill and the Biden bureaucracy and win.

The author is president of Americans for Limited Government.

To view online: https://dailytorch.com/2024/06/senator-cruz-leads-way-in-winning-one-for-the-little-guy-in-faa-reauthorization/

Urge State Attorneys General To Sue New York At U.S. Supreme Court To Stop Election Interference And Overturn Trump Conviction!

To view online: https://limitgov.salsalabs.org/free-donald-trump/index.html