Jim Holbert for Congress 2010

Cascading Effects of Our Economic Mistakes

2010-02-23T01:58:00.000-08:00

A sharp uptick in Social Security filings was reported in 2009. Over and above the fact that many of the Baby Boom generation are becoming eligible, analysts attribute the uptick to job losses from the recession.

This is just one more lesson--as if we needed another lesson, and apparently, many still do--that the disastrous and deliberate de-industrialization of America is a major threat to the survival of our Country.

So-called "free trade," and economic and financial deregulation have bled out millions of jobs from America, and the hemorrhage will continue so long as America continues to embrace these failed and insane policy mistakes. The recessions we continually experience as the result of lack of sensible and necessary government oversight of business always result in job losses--and most of these jobs never return.

The terrible effects of unemployment strike at all age groups. Older people know that when they lose their jobs, it's highly unlikely they will find another. So they file for Social Security as soon as they are eligible, and cease to become contributors to the system when they could otherwise be productive for several more years. This puts the Social Security and Medicare system into a severe downward spiral.

Young people can't find jobs because there aren't any in recessionary times. As a result, this puts an economic burden on families supported by mid-life working people, and a social burden on our Country as a whole as the crime rate related to unemployment rises.

We must reverse the disastrous policy mistakes of the last thirty years and move America back to a full employment economy. In Congress, I will do all in my power to make this happen.

Already a supporter?

2010-02-20T13:42:00.000-08:00

We need your help in all 29 counties of Kentucky's 5th District. Why not help out the cause?

1. Volunteer: We need people to go door-to-door, make phone calls, distribute yard signs, etc. Click the link to sign up to volunteer in your community.

2. Get a Bumper Sticker: Want to show your support? Request a free bumper sticker (or a few to give to friends and family). Get the word out!

3. Contribute: Campaigns cost money. Please help to support the campaign by contributing just a few dollars, so that we may be able to stay competitive and spread our message in November.

Thank you for your support!

Time for Energy Independence

2010-02-20T08:54:00.000-08:00

Why should we consider building and buying electric-powered vehicles which will be charged with electricity by coal-fired power plants? Doesn't this mean more air pollution? Surprisingly, the answer is "no."

Per BTU of energy contained in the fuel, yes, gasoline is "cleaner" than coal in terms of air pollution and CO2 emissions than is gasoline. But that is not the whole story.

A car burning gasoline, diesel, or even renewable biofuels in an internal combustion engine employs only a fraction--somewhere around 25% or even less--of the energy in that fuel to move the vehicle down the road. The rest is lost in idling and waste heat and friction of the internal combustion engine.

But an electric vehicle charged from the output of a coal-fired power plant is much more efficient in terms of energy used to actually move the vehicle. There are no idling losses in an electric motor, and waste heat and friction are extremely low compared to a fuel-burning vehicle engine.

The net result is that, per mile of vehicle travel, the amount of air pollution (and CO2 emitted) is actually less for an electric vehicle than for a gasoline-, diesel-, or alternative fuel-powered vehicle--even when that electricity comes from a coal-fired power plant.

Of course your electric bill would be higher if you owned and charged a plug-in hybrid or full electric vehicle, but you wouldn't be paying for other fuels to run that car.

Let's look at the savings versus the additional electric costs:

Consider a family paying $300 per month in Kentucky for electricity. If this family runs two cars 1,500 miles per month each (about 50 miles of driving per day per vehicle), and averaged 20 miles per gallon of gas costing $2.50 a gallon, this would amount to a monthly auto fuel bill of $375, or $187.50 per month per vehicle.

Suppose one of these vehicles was replaced with an electric car. To charge the electric car for a day's driving would consume about 30 kwh of electricity, at a current cost of about 9 cents per kwh.

That means a cost of electricity "fuel" for this vehicle would amount to about $81.00 per month added to your electric bill--resulting in a net "fuel" savings of over $100 just for this one vehicle--and with the added benefit of reducing pollution.

This "fuel" savings might be offset to some degree by the higher cost of acquisition and (possibly, but not certainly) long-term maintenance of an electric vehicle.

However, in the future, gasoline prices will continue to rise. And when--not if--gas gets to $5 and even $10 per gallon, your net savings on "fuel" will be even greater from an electric vehicle.

Also, most in-home charging of electric vehicles would be done at night, during "off-peak" demand times for electric power, when costs per kwh is lower.

And when--not if--renewable electric power plants and nuclear power plants come on line, the pollution from use of electric vehicles will drop dramatically.

There are two other points which are important:
First, transforming the majority of our personal transportation fleet to electric vehicles would just about eliminate that fraction of oil we import from Middle Eastern countries, enabling us to achieve independence from Middle Eastern oil, and disentangle ourselves from the Middle East political and military troubles which go with that dependence.
Second, production of electric vehicles would allow the U.S. automakers to re-establish dominance in auto manufacturing, and help create millions of good-paying, stable jobs for Americans.

In Congress I will introduce legislation to bring about these types of changes in American energy production and personal transportation.

Please ask your family, friends, and neighbors to support and vote for me in the May 18th Democratic Primary.

--Jim Holbert www.holbertforcongress.com

"The McCreary County Record" Survey Response

2010-02-19T06:32:00.000-08:00

I was recently pleased to be asked to respond to a candidate survey sent out by "The McCreary County Record" newspaper. Due to space limitations by the paper, my responses were summarized, but I've elaborated on some of them here:

Background:

My wife's name is Cindy, we have 3 children and live in Laurel County. My degree was in Education, with High School Teacher certification. I served as a military officer for a total of 21 years in the Army and Coast Guard, and have also worked in civilian jobs throughout the U.S. and overseas. I now work as an EMS Helicopter Pilot in southeast Kentucky.

What are your priorities for the 5th Congressional District? For McCreary County?

Throughout our region, we need to secure the type of industrial development which creates secure, stable, long-term employment. In Congress I will work to bring coal gasification plants with CO2 sequestration to Kentucky. I will introduce legislation to develop and implement alternative energy sources and biofuels. I will work to develop agricultural, forestry, and game and fish resources in southeast Kentucky and bring new products to market, creating jobs. And I will stand strong to protect the environment and secure funds for remediation of environmental damage.

What are your views on the health care debate?

I support single payer health care because the American people need better and more secure access to health care.
Single payer health care will make American-produced goods and services more competitive in world markets.
Single payer health care is a system which works well for the people in many other democratic countries around the world.
There is no shortage of people who want you to believe that for some strange reason single payer health care won't or can't work in America as it works in many other countries.
Don't be fooled: The only reason to keep private insurers as middlemen in American health care is to ensure that corporations continue to make record profits at the expense of the American people, aided and abetted by the politicians in Washington who've sold out the interests of our people in exchange for "campaign "contributions" from health care insurers, big pharmaceutical companies, and medical equipment manufacturers.

What are your views on education? Our national economy? The War on Terror?

America needs education reform to produce skilled workers and professional people in less time, at far less cost.

Our #1 domestic priority must be to bring jobs back to America. Secure, well-paying jobs mean prosperity for all, not just a few.

Endless, politically mismanaged wars destroy our military and bankrupt us. We should immediately bring our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan, take proper care of veterans, and remove America from Middle East involvement by ending dependence on Middle East oil.

Please see more about where I stand on the issues at: http://holbertforcongress.com/issues.html

My Response to Freedom's Heritage Forum Candidate Survey

2010-02-14T13:40:00.000-08:00

I recently received a candidate survey from Freedom's Heritage Forum of Louisville, KY.

Like so many "surveys" from issues groups, the FHF survey was composed entirely of one-dimensional leading questions stemming from inflammatory wedge issues, used to cynically manipulate "values voters" into supporting the kind of right-wing agenda that works against their own economic interests and endangers the future of our Country.

I declined to complete and return the FHF survey, and because I think it's highly unlikely that my views will be shared in any unbiased way with those on the FHF mailing list, I'm blogging my reply to Mr. David Logsdon of FHF. Here is my response to FHF:

Attn: Mr. David Logsdon, Freedom's Heritage Forum February 14, 2010

Hello Mr. Logsdon,

Thank you for your interest in my campaign to bring better representation to Congress for Kentucky's 5th District, and for America.

I will not be participating your organization's candidate survey for the reasons stated below. However for the record I would like to make a few statements to you about where I stand, what I believe, and why I believe it.

My background is that of a teacher by education and training, a career military officer in two of the armed services, and a working person. I am acquainted first-hand with the military and economic issues we face today, and I stand for common-sense action to solve these real and pressing problems, not manipulation of the voters with wedge issues.

For the last thirty years, we have seen partisan political battles and distraction of the voters and cynical manipulation of issues pass for leadership in our region and our Nation. The results, I think, speak for themselves, but for anyone who hasn't noticed, our Nation is at its lowest ebb since the Great Depression and we are mired in two politically mismanaged and apparently endless wars that are grinding down our military, bankrupting our Country, and strengthening our enemies. And the economic well-being of our once-strong middle class and once-prosperous working people has been sacrificed for political power and enrichment of elites who care nothing for America.

I refuse to get bogged down in frankly useless wrangling over wedge issues that have been used to distract the voters, without any action to address the concerns that were used to inflame, divide, and polarize.

It's well worth pointing out--in case you hadn't noticed--that the so-called "conservatives" supported by your organization, and other organizations like yours, have bloated the size of government, run up huge national debt and budget deficits, involved us in endless wars, and brought us to the brink of another Depression, all the while refusing to take any real action on the issues you're so concerned with. And this inaction has occurred, most recently, when these so-called "conservatives" not only held power in both the White House and Congress, but were able to appoint a number of Federal Judges at all levels who openly held to their viewpoint.

Let me speak plainly: I stand for an immediate end to foreign wars and a drawdown of the military establishment, in order to provide the funds we need to help our our people and our own Nation. I stand for reversing the policies that have sent American jobs overseas. And I stand for establishing energy and economic policies that will serve our Nation's future, create jobs, and remove us from entanglement in Middle Eastern political conflicts.

I feel sure that FHF will not endorse a candidate with my frankly stated viewpoint in the Democratic Congressional Primary, and that you will again endorse Hal Rogers in the November General election. And that you will do this despite the fact that after 29 years of Hal Rogers in Congress, southeast Kentucky remains at rock bottom economically and in terms of the education, health, and well-being of its citizens.

You will endorse Hal Rogers because he has given lip-service to the wedge issues that concern you (though he and others like him have failed to bring about any of the changes you claim to desire), while I prefer to focus on the real problems that are destroying America.

It's really too bad that the voters who will receive your sample ballots and your voting guides won't hear what I have to say. I think your organization does a great disservice to our democracy and our electoral process by your process of filtering information and precluding an open, honest, and direct debate of the real and serious issues that are holding southeast Kentucky back and bankrupting our Country.

Sincerely,

Jim Holbert
Democratic Primary Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives
Kentucky 5th Congressional District
189 Clay Lucas Drive, London, KY 40744
Telephone: 606-682-9337
Website: www.holbertforcongress.com
Paid for and authorized by Jim Holbert for Congress Committee

Why Should Southeast Kentuckians Vote for Jim Holbert?

2010-02-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

Why should southeast Kentuckians vote for a non-career politician who wants an end to pointless politics, who believes in common sense solutions to real problems, who talks straight, and who is a genuine alternative to the "business-as-usual" (monkey business, that is) that has gotten us into a world class mess at home and abroad?

A better question seems to be, why shouldn't they?

Of course many, many folks in Kentucky's 5th District--and quite a few Washington lobbyists and their clients--just love Hal Rogers' pork-barreling, piecemealing, earmarking ways. After all, these are the tactics by which our democracy has been warped in order to enrich a few, at the expense of the rest of us.

Still others--including lots of folks who have never been, and never will be, on the receiving end of the pork-barrel largesse--are for Hal because of the excellent propaganda machine and network he's built up over the years. But as I often have occasion to advise, "Don't be fooled."

Hal Rogers is the standard bearer for the policies that have failed us and the "ideas" which have been tried in the balance, and found wanting.

Hal Rogers has been a reliable water-carrier for the "new economy," "free trade," "supply-side," "American exceptionalism," "free enterprise," "limited government," and "tax-cuts-for-what-ails-ya" ideas that were supposed to provide Americans with jobs, peace, and prosperity--but which have instead bogged us down in (so far) two endless, politically mismanaged wars half a world away, and put us on the brink of another Great Depression here at home.

If we want something different, we must do something different.

We've got to turn our back on the misbegotten mindset of empire and return to the roots of our Republic. In plain English, this means beginning to get our own house in order and stop attempting to mind the business of other nations--bringing our troops home, taking care of our veterans, and doing the many other things that need to be done here at home, for our own Country and our own people.

We've got to move toward an energy economy which not only liberates our Country from Mideast oil dependence and the Mideast involvement that goes with it, but liberates our region from the stranglehold of the extractive industries that have taken so much and left so little--which have done so much damage while leaving our people to bear the scars and the costs.

And we've got to reverse the policies that have deliberately de-industrialized America, left us up to the eyeballs in debt and trade deficits, and cost us millions of jobs.

We can do these things. Don't let anyone tell you we can't. And if doing these things sounds good to you, then you should vote for Jim Holbert in the May 18th Democratic Primary for U. S. Congress in Kentucky's 5th District.

On the other hand, if you're happy with an economic mess at home and endless mismanaged and widening warfare that's bankrupting our Country and strengthening our enemies--well, a vote for Hal in November will be a vote for more of all that.

If we've become convinced that a law degree and career politician ambitions are prerequisites for Congress, then God help our region and our Republic. And if we confuse statesmanship with a candidate's willingness to align himself with a corporate anti-people, anti-America agenda--thereby filling his campaign coffers to overflowing--then our democracy is sunk.

I'm not a career politician. I'm a family man, veteran career military officer, and working person. I was certified as a secondary school teacher. I understand first hand the military and international and trade and employment and educational problems we face.

I hate partisanship and I despise the pointless posturing that passes for political leadership. Hal and most others in Congress--on both sides of the aisle--have not only been fiddling while Rome burns, but have poured gas on the fire.

I'm not controlled by any special interest and I won't be a mouthpiece for any Party or any establishment that seeks to perpetuate its own power or influence at the expense of our Country, our people, and our future. I offer common sense, straight talk, and an alternative to the corrupted, "business-as-usual" career politicians that have failed us.

And I ask you to remember that I was the only one with the courage and the conviction to oppose Hal Rogers and run for Congress in Kentucky's Fifth District in 2008.

Doing more of the same things we've been doing for the last three decades (and even longer) is not going to get us out of the hole they've put us into.

And this is why you should vote for Jim Holbert in the May 18th 2010 Democratic Primary for U. S. Representative for Kentucky's 5th District.

The Madness of Illegal Immigration

2010-02-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

Our economy is mired in severe recession and in fact is teetering on the brink of another Great Depression.

Millions of Americans are out of work, and the hemorrhage of American jobs continues.

In the best of times, scofflawing illegal immigration does great harm to our Country and destroys respect for the rule of law. But in our current situation, it is absolute madness to continue our current course--and much more madness to consider exacerbating the problem through any form of amnesty program.

Illegal immigration displaces 12 to 20 million Americans from employment, drives down wages, skirts taxation and increases our national debt, and drains billions of our currency to foreign countries annually.

I stand for vigorous enforcement of existing laws against illegal immigration. We must begin to aggressively and comprehensively prosecute those who employ illegals. When these criminal employers begin to face a real prospect of severe fines and prison terms, the "jobs" for illegals will quickly evaporate--and the illegals will deport themselves.

Don't be fooled by the vacuous and self-serving arguments of the political establishment on both ends of the political spectrum.

The dirty low-down fact is that the right wing ignores the problem because illegal immigrants weaken the American labor movement and keeps wages down, and the left ignores the problem because it is kowtowing to a voting bloc.

America, American jobs, and the American future are more important than these self-serving motivations of the political establishment.

We can and must stop scofflawing illegal immigration, and in Congress I will work to make this happen.

Coming to Terms With Helplessness?

2009-08-20T03:46:00.000-07:00

When I was running for Congress in Kentucky's Fifth District in 2008, I made the mistake of attending a luncheon for the political and business movers and shakers in my local area. I say it was a "mistake" because I hadn't yet learned that anyone whose livelihood and prestige is tied to supporting the status-quo "business as usual" political machine regards a candidate like me, who's outside the establishment, who isn't bought and paid for, and who wants to work for the common good instead of corporate interests, is about as welcome as dog leavings in the punchbowl.

At this meeting, I heard a state representative complain how tired he was from the session just ended, where his major accomplishment was getting through a bill to give servicemen and women free nights at state parks. And this at a time when Kentucky faced (and is still facing) major budget shortfalls, with a crisis in education and public works funding, and widely spreading joblessness.

And just yesterday I read that, after a multi-million dollar campaign and an ensuring 7-month election dispute enabled Al Franken to finally be seated in the Senate, his first legislative initiative is a bill for grants to provide service dogs to wounded veterans. Apparently this is such a great idea and such a pressing matter that it's reported Ed Whitfield has followed suit in the House of Representatives.

Let's talk straight and try to bring some common sense into this picture. As aretired military officer with 20 years of active duty, I have nothing but respect for our wounded service people and our veterans. They have done their duty and have suffered and made sacrifices for our Nation, and they must have the best possible care.

That being said, however, the fact that "legislators" on the state and federal level spend time and energy on matters such as these while two foreign wars reel on out of control after 7 years of fighting, and we have no sensible energy policy, and hundreds of thousands of Americans lose jobs each month (in the midst of the deepest recession since 1929) is proof that the folks in our government have lost any sense of priorities.

Let's talk straight: The best way to support our troops is to end the politically mismanaged wars that are now playing into our enemies' hands by killing our service people, degrading our military's capabilities, and further bankrupting America. And bring those troops back home, to a Country with an economy looking toward the future, with plenty of available, good-paying, middle-class-supporting jobs.

Yet, while elephants are falling through the ceiling on our heads, our politicians are looking on the floor for ants to stomp.

Both Congress and the White House search for busy work and don't attend to the big problems which continue to tear America apart. This is to distract the voters from realizing that the big-money corporations are running the show, and the people and the Country be damned.

We have the best government money can buy, and it's doing exactly what it's been hired to do: ensuring that the status quo goes on and on and on, so that profits to the defense contractors, health insurers and big pharmaceuticals, and the oil companies roll in strong and steady.

Maybe we don't know about all this, and we don't understand it. Or maybe, we just don't care. If so, then God have mercy on us.

But I don't think lack of knowledge or indifference are our problems. I think that we stand by and watch Congress and the President get embroiled in "issues" that (frankly speaking) are two or three pages down on the priority list without outrage or even complaint, because we are rationalizing.

We are attempting to come to terms with the apparent loss of our ability to influence events in this Republic. We're coming to terms with our own helplessness.

Despite the fact that American voters decisively rejected the policies that have failed us in the elections of 2006 and 2006, put a Democrat in the White House and elected solid Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress, we cannot seem to get what America needs: an end to the wars, sensible plans for our energy and economic future, and effective, common sense action to restore and protect jobs for working Americans.

So we get busily involved in little causes that make us feel good, and we don't raise Hell when our elected officials do likewise. Little things in the big picture, little things that take our minds off the fact that America is in free fall domestically and internationally and we can't seem to get any change for the benefit of our people, no matter what.

Well, I don't think this way and if you do, you should stop.

The simple fact is that things do not have to be the way they are. Things have been set up the way they are by a few, for the benefit of the few, at the expense of the many. And things can be changed to protect the common good instead of serving the interests of a few.

I believe it is long past time to vote for the common good of America and elect progressives to Congress who aren't sold out to special interests. Let's elect folks who will vote for the tough choices that need to be made to benefit our Country, our People, and our Future.

When this happens we'll get real change, and until it happens, we won't.

That's what I believe, and that's why I'm running for Congress. And that's why I need your support, and why I'm asking for it.

www.holbertforcongress.com

A Different Campaign, to Make a Difference

2009-08-07T10:54:00.000-07:00

My name is Jim Holbert, and I'm running for Congress because better representation for southeast Kentucky in the U.S. House of Representatives is long overdue.

Everyone running for office talks about "making a difference," but talk is cheap. We need action on things that matter.

Let me introduce myself to you briefly, and then tell you why I believe that, working together, we can truly make a difference not only for southeast Kentucky, but for our Country, our People, and our Future.

My wife Cindy and I live in Laurel County, and we've been married for 34 years. We have three grown children and one granddaughter.

After graduating from the University of Tennessee in 1975 with certifications as a high school science and math teacher, I entered the military and served honorably for 21 years as an officer in the Army and Coast Guard. Since leaving active duty in 1996, I've worked as a professional pilot in many locations throughout the U.S. and overseas. For the last four years, I've served the people of southeast Kentucky as an Emergency Medical Service helicopter pilot.

I'm a working person with training and experience in education, military service, and business--not a professional politician. I understand first-hand the challenges facing working people today.

It's a fact that for over a generation now, things have been rigged in America to benefit the big-money corporations--what President Eisenhower called "the Military-Industrial Complex." For far too long, the interests of working people and the common good of our Nation have been ignored.

Our political leaders bought into a crazy notion that business doesn't need to be watched, and as a result greedy and crooked interests drove our economy off a cliff. We're all paying the price for this foolishness as our Nation suffers through the worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Internationally, we've enslaved ourselves to imported oil and become enmeshed in Middle Eastern political struggles as a result. This needless involvement planted seeds of trouble which, over the years, promised a bitter crop. And the harvest came in on 9/11.

As a People and as a Nation, we have got to do better. I believe we can.

I ran as an Independent for Congress in 2008. I'm running now for Congress as a Democrat. But what I believe hasn't changed. I'm not a slave to the platform of any political party, nor am I "sold out" to any special interest.

My campaign for Congress has always been about common sense, plain talk, and a real alternative to the "business-as-usual," corrupt, money-driven political game that has run our Country into the ditch.

I stand strong for what I believe in, and I'll state it plainly.

First, we must move to defend American wisely and well. And the way to do this now is to immediately end the no-win, no-objective wars that are dragging on and on in Iraq and Afghanistan.

These wars are killing our troops, destroying our military's effectiveness, and helping to bankrupt America. And they are playing into the strategy of America's enemies by sowing more and more hatred toward us.

We've already accomplished every military objective that serves American interests in these wars, including deposing two brutal dictatorships and helping establish two democratically-framed governments, verifying the absence of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and disrupting terrorist networks.

Now it's time to bring our troops home, and continue fighting against our enemies with economic action, by reducing our Middle Eastern oil imports and de-funding those nations who sponsor terrorism throughout the world.

Second, we must have a comprehensive national energy policy that puts the interests of our Nation ahead of those of the big oil companies and the foreign oil-producing nations.

Reducing and then ending the import of Middle Eastern oil is only the beginning. We must do what other nations have done, and use our own national energy resources, while developing new alternative and renewable energy capabilities that will power our Nation, reduce pollution, and provide jobs.

Third, we must turn from the foolish economic and trade policies that have lost millions of American jobs, destroyed much of our industrial manufacturing base, and subjected American consumers to low-quality and dangerous goods from overseas.

We urgently need a top-priority national program which will return good-paying, stable, secure jobs to America and revitalize the American middle class.

Please visit my campaign website, www.holbertforcongress.com, to learn more about where I stand on the issues which are vital to our Future. And please contact me any time to discuss the issues, by email (contact@holbertforcongress.com) or phone (606-682-9337).

If what I've said here makes sense to you, please support my campaign by contributing financially* and volunteering to help.

It's way past time to stop the money-driven, corrupt political game that has wrecked us here at home, and overseas.

I'm not bought, and I won't be bought. And if the people of southeast Kentucky send me to Congress in 2010, I will stand strong for the things that matter to our Country, our People, and our Future.

Thank you. --Jim Holbert

* Please make a contribution to Jim's campaign on-line or by mail at: https://www.holbertforcongress.com/contribute.html

Welcome to our blog!

2009-08-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the official blog for the Jim Holbert for Congress 2010 campaign! Jim will start to post blogs here about the week's happenings and about Hal Rogers' voting record. Stay tuned!