Jake Towne for US Congress PA-15 - Our Open Office (Aug 2009)

8/14/2019 Jake Towne for US Congress PA-15 - Our Open Office (Aug 2009)

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TowneForCongress.com
http://towneforcongress.com/http://towneforcongress.com/


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Jake Towne for US Congress

Pennsylvania's 15th District

If universal peace, civilization, and commerce are ever to be the happy lot of man, it cannotbe accomplished but by a revolution in the system of governments.- Thomas Paine

An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.- Victor Hugo

August 2009


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Our Open Office Agenda

Introduction

Mission Statement Principles Our Open Office


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Mission Statement

(1) Spread my message of prosperity bydefending freedom and peace.(2) Educate as well as learn from the public.

(3) Win the 15th District U.S. Congressionalseat in 2010.(4) Truly represent the citizens of the districtby voting on their behalf.

(5) Create and drivenew legislation inagreement with the platform, my principlesand citizen input.


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Principles


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Government, or the rule of law, solely exists toprotect the liberty of the individual.

Photoco

urtesyB

igMacSC9

9

What is law? It is the collective organization of the individual right to lawful defense.- Frederic Bastiat, 1848, The Law


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Government exists to protect liberty, notto redistribute wealth, nor to grant

special privileges, nor to interfere withthe lives of individuals and their actions.The government of a free country,properly speaking, rests not in its electedofficials but in its laws.

The Constitution is the supreme law ofthe land. Therefore, transfer ofAmerican sovereignty to supranationalorganizations, even if benign, is notpermissible without a constitutionalamendment.

The United States Constitution was written under the principle of"positive grant." This means the federal government is authorizedto exercise only the powers which are specifically given to it by theConstitution, and nothing more.


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Each individual is fundamentallyequal under the law with all other

individuals. The rule of law'sframework of liberty ensures thegreatest opportunity forindividuals to explore theirstrengths and surmountobstacles.

A limited and decentralizedgovernment with inherent checksand balances results in more self-rule by local communities, andhence providing local diversity

and overall greater satisfactionfor individuals. Individuals canalways vote with their feet, andmove to areas not affected bylaws they strongly disagree with.


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Individuals have the right to live their own lives how

they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interferewith the equal rights of others.

Ultimate disregard forhuman life Remains

of Nazi Germany'svictims taken by the

US Army in 1945


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The only legitimate use of force is in defense ofindividual rights life, liberty, and justly acquired

property against aggression.

The Japanese attack at

Pearl Harbor resulted in adeclaration of war againstNazi Germany andImperial Japan.

Shown here is thebeachhead assault on D-

Day in 1944.


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Rights belong to individuals, not groups.

Rights are not privileges, they are derived from the naturalstate of being human.

The Constitution merely acts to forbid the infringement of thefederal government upon these rights.

Geronimo's Apache tribe fought tomaintain their independence fromboth the United States and Mexico.

The philosophy of liberty holds thateveryone has certain natural rights.


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The monetary unit must be incorruptible, not based on fraud.

"Of all the contrivances for cheating the laboring classes of mankind, none has beenmore effective than that which deludes them with paper money."

- Daniel Webster, 19th century American statesman


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The government's monetary role is to mint money and maintain theintegrity of the monetary unit, not to commit fraud by debasementor to substitute counterfeits of paper for the constitutionally-specified forms of lawful money, coins of gold and silver.

However, individuals should be free to trade and exchange asmoney any mutually agreeable commodity or item as they wish.

A German burns banknotes for warmth sincetheir value has been reduced to just paper dueto the Weimar hyperinflation that followed WWI.

American Silver Eagle bullioncoin made by the U.S. Mint


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Property should be owned by people, not government.

Photocourt

esyNeozuki

No person shall be... deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

- The Constitution of the United States of America

Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, itwas the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to makelaws in the first place.

- Frederic Bastiat, 1848, The Law


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The free market is feared by many who do not understand it.Those who do realize the free market is the most just, most

humane economic system, and remains the greatest engineof prosperity and liberty the world has ever known.

A stacked microchip package used in mobile phones and computers products of thefree market


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Freedom is an indivisible whole and includes

both economic and personal liberty.

Ben Franklin's 1754 political cartoon signifiedthe need for the colonies to unite to preserve theliberty of all. Likewise, economic and personalliberty together is a powerful force and freedomis lost when either is compromised.

The complementary elements ofeconomic and personal liberty areinseparable from their greaterwhole, freedom.


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Government Accountability &

Transparency

As your Representative, I will work inside of an Open Office that is clear as glass.- Jake Towne, 2010 Candidate for Pennsylvania's 15th District


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Our Open Office

1) Online Public Feedback & DebateForum2) Monthly Reports3) Online Bill Submission Service4) On-Demand Town Hall Discussions

If citizens demand it, I would even install a Webcam in my office. But they shouldknow I will never support the government watching them. I want to get thegovernment off our backs, and full Accountability and Transparency is the path.

- Jake Towne, 2010 Candidate for Pennsylvania's 15th District

Besides our existing website and system, I will offer:


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Our Open Office: Online Public

Feedback & Debate Forum (1/4)

Login moniker account forall residents

Registered voters to havea priority flag symbol next totheir comments and votes

This revolutionary idea is based on the Town Halls and Roman Forums of old.Together, let's remodel and restore our Republic for the 21st Century using NEWideas and tools.


FaneuilHall,Boston,MAPhotocourtesyDaderot


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Submit votes and comments on the house billscoming up on the House calendar

Users can create forum topics & foster citizendebates

Phone calls and separate emails/letters will be talliedonto the forum pages by my office

The Forum will email news and personalized

notifications to receive based on your personalpreferences and interests

I'm trying to free our minds. Here is one of the doors, but I can only show it toyou. You have to decide whether to walk through it.



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Feedback & Debate Forum (3/4)Those who do not have computer access may:

Use the terminals at our district office

Dictate comments in manually by phoneRequest their mailed letters to be publicized, and

our office will scan and post into the Forum

Freedom of speech must be protected at all costs. Dissent must not only be

tolerated but welcomed in a free and open society.- Jake Towne, 2010 Candidate for Pennsylvania's 15th District

If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, likesheep to the slaughter.

- George Washington, President of the United States, 1789-1797


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With your help and votes, we will together redefine the 'res publica', our Republic,or our 'public affairs.' We will revolutionize politics, and move it from its currentdarker age into a new era of real hope, real change, and openness.


ForumRomanumPhotocourte

syStefanBauer


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Our Open Office: Monthly Reports

Summary of how and why I voted for each andevery House floor vote

My co-sponsoring activity and whyNew bills introduced and whyRefer to Forum consensus and feedback in my

reportsOffice budget updates will be transparent

My monthly reports are aimed at delivering maximum transparency and maximumaccountability. What if my votes, actions and views do not agree with the public's?I expect they won't at all times, but if I fail to provide adequate explanations and donot obey the wishes of the people, then I will not be in office very long, now will I?


This written monthly report will offer:


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Our Open Office: Online Bill

Submission Service (1/2)Any resident can submit draft proposals for new legislation

Each publicly-published proposal must either:

Cite the power granted to Congress for its validity Or, if revoking a current act or law, provide detailedjustification or cite the Constitution if it is unconstitutional

A public reply must be given to each draft by myself, and Ihope to contact and discuss with Drafters themselves

Look, there are around 650,000 citizens in our district. I am no more intelligentthan anyone else, but I do know that many of us are experts in certain fields orhave special interests of one kind or the other. This idea will bring the best ideasout of our community, and give citizens a real voice in which to be heard.



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Our Open Office: Online Bill

Submission Service (2/2)If the draft idea is accepted, I will work with the

Drafter to refine it, and submit it to the Forum forreview by the community before submitting it on the

House floorEspecially if this idea is popular, Drafters should

be aware that they will be partly responsible forhelping promote their bill.

No matter how hard I work with my staff and Congress, I am only one person. Iestimate this idea could allow us to multiply my output as your Representative inCongress by at least five-fold. We may even need to organize ourselves to sellour ideas to citizens in other districts and organizations to get these bills passed,instead of relying on often corrupt back-door DC deals.



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Our Open Office: On-Demand

Town Hall DiscussionsOffer ability to sign up for Town Halls at the ForumTown Halls are teleconferences at a preset day and

time that you receive at your phone number

Bi-Weekly Town Halls in 2 Formats Pure Q&A Topic Discussion followed by Q&AResidents at the Forum can summon me to an On-

Demand topic discussion after voting reaches atarget for hot topics that I am not addressing fast

enoughWhen citizens speak, their Representative must listen completely. Across ourland, the so-called Representatives have not troubled to listen to We the People,and this is a key reason our country is in such dire straits today.



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Thank You!!My sincere thanks to the team of campaign volunteers who took the time

to peer review this presentation and offer many improvements. This teamincludes Erik Gumbrecht, Gene DeNardo, Aaron Emery, Dann McCreary,and Brian Theiss, who agreed to be recognized. Many thanks to DerekWyatt for creating the Towne 2010 - As Good As Gold graphic!! Ofcourse, thanks to my family and friends for supporting me in thisendeavor to dedicating the next 18 months of my life to this mission.

Veritas numquam perit. Veritas odit moras. Veritas vincit."Truth never perishes. Truth hates delay. Truth conquers.

(My personal motto)

Graphics AcknowledgementsUnless listed below, all photos are either mine or public domain.

The Towne 2010 As Good As Gold logo was created by DerekWyattStatue of Liberty photo is courtesy BigMacSC99 LINKLICENSE USSR flag photo courtesy Neozuki LINKLICENSE Faneuil Hall photo courtesy Daderot LINKLICENSE The Roman forum photo is courtesy Stefan BauerLINKLICENSE
http://towneforcongress.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Majestic_Liberty_Large.jpghttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:GNU_Free_Documentation_Licensehttp://neozuki.deviantart.com/art/U-S-S-R-Flag-Wallpaper-84861555http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Faneuil_Hall_Boston_Massachusetts.JPGhttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:GNU_Free_Documentation_Licensehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Forum_Romanum_Rom.jpghttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Forum_Romanum_Rom.jpghttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:GNU_Free_Documentation_Licensehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Faneuil_Hall_Boston_Massachusetts.JPGhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/http://neozuki.deviantart.com/art/U-S-S-R-Flag-Wallpaper-84861555http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:GNU_Free_Documentation_Licensehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Majestic_Liberty_Large.jpghttp://towneforcongress.com/


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Document CopyrightCopyright Jake Towne, 2009. Any portion of this presentation that could be

copyrighted is owned by myself and I hereby released it to the public domain. Igrant full permission to use any of the ideas or material within. You may republishthis work. Attribution to myself is appreciated but not required.

Closing Remarks* I am running as a citizen, not with either major party - What I offer to the citizens

of the 15th district, and many do belong to the two main parties, is a truly

independent voice and ear.* I am not a career politician. If elected, I would plan to run again in 2012, but

following this I would most likely not run again. My aim is to serve as a temporarystatesman and representative and then leave government. I am more mindful thanmost of the sad truth behind "Power corrupts and absolute power corruptsabsolutely." As collateral for this assurance, if elected, I will not enlist in theCongressional pension plan, which guarantees members up to 80% of their salary in

annual pension. I believe this is fiscally irresponsible and too lucrative. The currentsalary for a seat in the U.S. Congress is $174,000. I view this as too lucrative giventhe current purchasing power of the dollar, so obviously I would act to reduceCongress's salary and mine - how can the people believe Congress will tighten thepurse-strings on government if Congress fails to start with itself? I support tying thesalaries of our Congress in some manner to household median incomes.

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Jake Towne for US Congress PA-15 - Our Open Office (Aug 2009)