Our July meeting was held at the Del Web Library and we had a full house.
Congressman Ralph Norman ( https://norman.house.gov )
Congressman Norman, just back from Washington D.C., was our featured guest and he provided us with reminders and updates on various topics.
First, he showed a video of how the media reported the Republican vote on making Congressman McCarthy Speaker of the House. The media gave the impression that the Republicans and the Freedom Caucus were in disarray. They were not. The Freedom Caucus – of which Congressman Norman is a founding member – had informed Congressman McCarthy that they wanted some guarantees for some changes before voting for him.
These included:
1. Members receiving bills 72 hours prior to voting.
2. Bills must be “single subject” with amendments deemed “germane.”
3. Commit to a 10-year balanced budget.
4. Any bill with spending of tax dollars cannot be “voice voted.” Must require votes that allow taxpayers can see how their representatives voted.
5. Agree to allow a vote on Term Limits.
6. Agree to appointment Conservative (Freedom of Caucus) members to all important committees.
Second, he explained that the Freedom Caucus is not a club any member of Congress can join. Members must be invited to join and are vetted by existing members. They must have shown strong conservative values and be willing to speak out and vote appropriately. They don’t have to agree on all issues but must believe in our country’s founding documents and how the country should be run according to those documents.
Third, Congressman Norman reviewed and discussed some recent Supreme Court rulings regarding student loans forgiveness, religious liberty (where a web designer can’t be forced to create a website that goes against her religious beliefs) and affirmative action in college admissions. He also discussed the President’s desire to go after various items, such as gas stoves and water heaters, and eliminating gasoline powered vehicles and forcing the purchase of electric vehicles.
Finally, he discussed international concerns. He mentioned how China is building a spy base in Cuba (90 miles from the U.S. coast) and China purchasing property near U.S. military bases in the United States. He also addressed the concern about the spy balloon flying over our country earlier this year and the concerns around the Ukraine war.
Congressman Norman took many questions from those in attendance and reminded everyone that we are in critical times and now is the time to get involved. Involvement includes attending various meetings such as school board, county council, planning meetings, etc. It also means keeping updated on local, state and federal issues and writing letters and emails to elected officials about those issues.
Being aware that the media today is biased and not as it was decades ago, we should make sure that we follow the news but use more than one source. Be aware of media not telling both sides or even the whole truth about what is being reported. Congressman Norman mentioned that he is selective of which news organizations he will speak with due to their filtering of reports and/or bias. Recently Congressman Norman read into the Congressional Record the history of EPOCH Times and why it is a beacon of information from those who have lived under repressive governments and are trying to alert the rest of us. A link to their website can be found on our website.
The meeting was over at 8pm and those in attendance were reminded to please use our new website www.IndianLandRepublicans.com for updates and other resources.
VARIOUS CONGRESSIONAL RATING SITES
Below are three organizations that rate members of Congress on their votes. We are hoping to expand the list and encourage everyone to research how your elected officials vote.
NEXT MEETING IS AUGUST 17, 2023
Main topic is cyber security for our phones, I-pads and computers, followed by an open forum on things we would all like to discuss, including the primaries in February. Our meeting will be held at the Del Webb Library in Indian Land at 6:30PM.
