Liberty & Prosperity Blog

Contained in this collection of some of Ronald Reagan's greatest quotes is one that I'd never heard before. President Reagan said that, starting when he was California's governor, he gave his staff specific instructions. Then-Gov. Reagan, followed by then-President Reagan instructed his staff "I believe that any issue that comes before me to both Cabinet members and staff they are not to bring up any of the political ramifications that might surround the issue. I don't want to hear them. I only want to hear arguments about whether it is good or bad for the people. Is it morally right? And on that basis, and on that basis alone, we'd make a decision on that issue." That's a firm foundation from which to make decisions. That isn’t the only thing that factored into President Reagan’s decision-making but it was obviously the heart of President Reagan’s decision-making. The underlying principles behind President Reagan’s policies were straightforward, too....

It's past time Republicans learned how to highlight and fight voter fraud. Jake Judd's article for KNSI Radio should be memorized by every GOP activist in Minnesota. We should officially title it 'The Blueprint.' It's laid out that perfectly. Things started off innocently enough according to Judd's article when he wrote "According to the Sherburne County investigative report filed October 21st, 2024, on October 4th, 2024, staff at the Sherburne County Auditor/Treasurer’s Office in Elk River discovered that two absentee ballot envelopes had been submitted, both in the same name, Hani Farah Gure , a 26-year-old woman from St. Cloud. Sherburne County Auditor/Treasurer Loraine Rupp made the discovery and immediately contacted the Sherburne County Attorney’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office was then asked to investigate. Sergeant Austin Turner was assigned to the case on October 7th, 2024." After that, things got interesting. In fact, things kept getting more ...

The Truth in Funding Minnesota Schools/Learners, Plus a Proposal for $7K for Parents to Invest...at NO Cost to Taxpayers, Part Two by Ramblin’ Rose Minnesotans are understandably concerned about the potential for fraud, especially with adding another level of bureaucracy to the behemoth in St. Paul that has allowed yet-to-be-determined billions of taxpayer dollars in yet-to-be-determined number of fraud cases. Each state (of the 26 listed in Part One) determines its own protocols and policies. Catrin Wigfall, former educator and current Policy Fellow at Center of the American Experiment, addressed those concerns and Minnesota’s proposal to eradicate them. The key SAFEGAURDS that Minnesota is initiating to secure the program are: Program overseen by the Department of Revenue (not the Department of Education) Eligible students receive ESA debit card, pre-approved for educational expenses Commissioner required to use merchant category classification (MCC) codes or a similar system to iden...

The Truth in Funding Minnesota Schools/Learners, Plus a Proposal for $7K for Parents to Invest...at NO Cost to Taxpayers, Part I by Ramblin’ Rose This post is about Minnesota’s ESA (Education Savings Plan), not the federal program of ECCA (Educational Choice for Children Act). While both advocate for education and fund special ways for parents and children to make better choices for learning, they are very different. This article focuses on an approximate $7,000 savings account for students who are NOT enrolled in traditionally funded public schools. ESAs are NOT vouchers, even if some politicians misuse the term. Educated citizens were vital for our fledgling nation. Consequently, education was a priority as the USA began. The first public school opened in 1635 in Boston. Support for education and an educated citizenry continues. For decades, Minnesota was championed as a leader in education, but now half of our students cannot read nor do math at grade level, dropping Minnesota to ...

Unfortunately, Donald Trump is no President Reagan or Lady Thatcher. While I agree with his economic and homeland security policies, I've never been a fan of his national security policies. For instance, Russia's war with Ukraine continues with no end in sight. Our was with Iran continues with no end in sight. In both instances, all I see are endless negotiations. I get it that we don't want endless wars. Still, what's the upside of endless negotiations? High gas prices for longer times isn't an upside. No certainty in the world's most volatile region isn't an upside, either. When asked by a reporter what his strategy was towards the Soviets, President Reagan replied "Simple. We win. They lose." President Reagan understood that there'd be a time for negotiations. President Reagan also understood that he wouldn't negotiate with Gorbachev until he'd scared the daylights out of Gorbachev. You can't scare the daylights out of the IRGC. ...

Abou Amara is a frequent panelist on TPT Almanac's Political Roundtable, serving as one of the DFL's spinmeisters. Friday night, the topic came up about the gun bill that the House didn't vote on and the activist sit-in at the Capitol. Amara mentioned the parents of the students affected by the Annunciation Church shooting in Minneapolis last August. Specifically, Amara mentioned how much the parents protested for the assault weapons ban. My first thought was 'I won't advocate for anything that's unconstitutional.' Banning assault weapons is a ban of a weapon 'in common use' that's used for self-defense. The most relevant U.S. Supreme Court ruling is New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Brouen . According to Brouen, "It is undisputed that petitioners Koch and Nash—two ordinary, law-abiding, adult citizens—are part of 'the people' whom the Second Amendment protects. See Heller, 554 U. S., at 580. And no party disputes that...