Please vote tomorrow!!  The polls are open from 7 am – 8 pm, and you can look up your voting location here online or on your voter registration card.  Vote early as this will influence voters later on in the day.

If you have yard signs at your residence, feel free to plant them at the polling location, just not within 10 ft of the entrance.

Please share electronically or print this campaign flyer on the issues and also the Express Times endorsement with any voters you know of.  The more voters are informed, the more votes I will win by!!

Watch the “Debate at the State” here where I won the Express Times endorsement, and the WFMZ-TV debate here!!

All volunteers and supporters are welcome to attend the Victory Party at Pies On Pizzeria at Front and Pine Streets in Catasauqua beginning at 8 pm when the polls close!!  Updates to the website tomorrow will be pretty difficult as everyone will be manning polling stations, but the campaign’s Facebook account should have any important announcements.

Here are a couple short videos to sway any undecided voters!

…and a song “I Have a Dream” by a local musician and supporter, Arianne Elinich, put together by a grassroots supporter.  When we all take a little responsibility and vote out the Republocrats tomorrow, the world will be a much better place!!

Jake Towne Issues Flyer Oct 2010
Express Times Endorsement – Mr Towne Should Go to Washington

“Truth persists and illuminates, even if there is no one to utter it.“

Government is not the solution; rather, it is causing the problems.  The below slides (view at Scribd) highlight the economic situation, updated from August and May presentation.  I’ve written about the solutions to the unemployment problem, the deficit, Social Security, and the high costs of health care which are linked below.  Thanks to Lee Trembley for providing some of the research and slides.

A giant land mine is about to go off in the United States, and those responsible walk the halls of our nation’s highest political offices and the Federal Reserve.  I know how to cushion the people from most of the damage.  I have the courage to explain reality to the Republocrats, that is why I am running for Congress.  And it is certainly not all gloom and doom – there is a very bright future for America if we just return to what made our country great – individual liberties, sound money, accountability and the rule of law.

I humbly ask for your vote on November 2nd to stop the endless debt and perpetual wars.

For Liberty and the Constitution,

Jake Towne

Will the real national debt please stand up? The national debt published in the papers and online – which is closely tied to the USTreasury market is now over $13.6 trillion.  Current government plans include massive deficit spending through 2013, and the government’s optimistic projections of a return to “normalcy” after 2013 are not anchored in reality.  Source of budget data.

However, the true national debt is hidden by the cash-based accounting method government uses.  The true national debt is over $120 trillion when GAAP (Generally Acceptable Accounting Principles) are used to identify future taxation sources and future debts such as Social Security and Medicare.  That’s around $400,000 for every man, woman, and child in the country.  Massive reductions in spending and taxation are necessary if America is to regain its financial sovereignty, my proposals are outlined here and in “Guns or Health Care?“

As seen in the official USTreasury report on page 178/254, the total unfunded liabilities for Medicare and Social Security is a jaw-dropping $107 trillion over the future of these programs.  While I predict the Democrats may bear the brunt of the blame for the collapse of Medicare, one must not forget that it was the Republican’s massive expansion of Part D’s prescription drug plan under Bush that severely worsened Medicare’s fiscal situation.  While the situation in Medicare will continue to worsen under the new healthcare legislation – some of my proposals to maintain Social Security are outlined in “Social Security or Insecurity?“

“He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their substance.” – Declaration of Independence, 1776

The quote above from the Declaration is far more true in 2010 than it was in 1776.   Not counting the millions of government contractors, the government’s Republocrat-controlled work force is currently 22.1 million bureaucrats.  This is America’s largest single job sector, and remember, the taxpayer bears the full cost to keep these bureaucrats employed.  Like something out of an Orwell novel, the Washington Post estimates 854,000 bureaucrats are employed to spy on and keep tabs on the rest of us and the world.  Lisa Benson’s cartoon says it all.

Keep in mind bureaucrats make nearly twice the average wage of the private sector, and have better benefits.  My solutions?  First, lead by example.  I will refuse the elite congressional pension and healthcare plans when elected, and keep just the median income for a salary and donate the rest of the $116,000 to local non-profit hospitals.  Second, I favor either a temporary income tax holiday, or simply halting the income tax on the median income, which will abolish the income tax for about 50% of the population and only result in a 3% drop in the taxes collected by the income tax.

Next, notice about 1 in 7 Americans is on food stamps, or 41.8 million people.  USDA link here.  Note the strong rise in number of SNAP food stamp recipients during the past year.  One would expect to see this number dropping or even flat-lining – along with employment rising – if a recovery were underway.  The annual projected cost is now $67 billion, paid for by the ever-diminishing work force.

No jobs, no recovery. BLS link here.  Note that while the “newspaper” unemployment rate is still 9-10%, the U-6 figure – which more accurately describes total unemployment is 16% – a depression statistic.  An estimated 1.6 million will file for bankruptcy this year.   I’ve described the common sense solutions to end the rampant unemployment created by the government almost overnight in the campaign’s Jobs plank.

Since the BLS drops off workers from its U-6 figure, the real unemployment rate is likely greater than 17%.  Shadowstats estimates the rate at about 22%.

The number of new housing starts has reached a 5-decade low, while about 25% of all residential mortgages are underwater.  Note that in prior recession cycles, a quick rebound occurred while this depression looks more like a dead cat bounce.  This is because….

The Federal Reserve bailed out the bankers and Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.  The above is built from the Federal Reserve H.4.1 data here.  The black line is the total (reported) balance sheet of the FED, which has more than doubled since the time of the Banker Bailout.  While the original TARP bailout (not shown) accounted for much of the initial sharp increase, most of the debt has been replaced by $1.12 trillion of mortgage-backed securities (the yellow line).

This graph shows the nationalization and propping of America’s entire residential housing industry. The yellow and green lines show the cumulative totals of USTreasury and USAgency debt held by the FED.  While the Federal Reserve has admitted it will take losses on the MBS debt, the question remains as to how much and when.

The purchasing power of the dollar has lost well over 94% since FDR took America off the classical gold standard in 1933 through monetary inflation.  The monetary inflation is caused by the Federal Reserve.  They debase the dollar by creating more and more irredeemable paper dollars, which is of increasing concern since China has stopped buying Treasury debt.  A major reason why healthcare now appears so expensive is this money-printing, as I highlighted in my article “Health Care Solutions.”  Graph provided by Bloomberg Financial, 2009.

The relentless rise in the paper gold price from 2000-2010 is not due to any special circumstance with gold – nor is it a bubble yet – it is solely due to the money-printing and credit expansions of the world’s central banks.  Gold is insurance against the failure of unbacked paper currencies, and this is why all central banks – and more and more individuals worldwide – hold gold reserves.  I’ve written extensively on the Federal Reserve and how sound money effects jobs here.

Now, where do the government and bankers spend a good portion of this currency they created from thin air?  In a word, WAR.  The United States spends more on military expenditures than the rest of the world combined, and the military-industrial-congressional complex that Eisenhower warned about now serves as the world’s largest arms dealers.  Check out this movie clip from “The International” on debt and control. (Graph source and data here)  There are far better solutions to capturing the criminals who attacked America on 9/11 which I write about in my Afghanistan War plank.

To cap off the situation with the dollar, the latest quarterly banking profile from the FDIC state the deposit insurance fund (DIF) is bankrupt.  While consumers at failed banks still receive “insured” funds, the losses are presumably filled in with dollars from the FED, as reported last here.  The current FDIC “watch list” rose to 775 banks, or almost 10% of all FDIC-insured banks in the US per p. 3/26.

CAUTION: LAND MINES

In summary, do not expect a recovery until the Republocrat ruling elite are removed from power or are forced to address the problems the rest of society faces.  As the extravagant $5 million Bill Clinton wedding under heavy security – possibly paid for by the taxpayer – and $7 million John Kerry yacht (and avoidance of >$500,000 in taxes) demonstrate, the elite are not exactly suffering.

The “Great Recession” still has a firm grip on the economy, and the situation continues to deteriorate, now matter what cherry-picked news is shared in the mainstream media.  Sadly, the truth is the situation in America will not improve until the government removes its jackboots from the throat of the economy.  Ceasing all special privileges to special groups would help as well.

That Freedom Shall Not Perish,

TOWNE FOR CONGRESS

Article Archives

As those who have been following the campaign are aware, my independent candidacy was recently endorsed by a major local newspaper, the Express Times, and I destroyed my opponents in the debates, the last one you can watch here or 8 pm this evening on Channel 69 WFMZ-TV.  Momentum is all on the campaign’s side, and anyone in the area is encouraged to spread this issues flyer.

I’d like to conclude with a quote on youth by Randolph Bourne, which explains why the younger generation has to step forward to converse with the older generations.

“Youth is the incarnation of reason pitted against the rigidity of tradition; youth puts the remorseless questions to everything that is old and established – Why? What is this thing good for? And when it gets the mumbled, evasive answers of…… the defenders it applies its own fresh, clean spirit of reason to institutions, customs and ideas and finding them stupid, inane or poisonous, turns instinctively to overthrow them and build in their place the things with which its visions teem. . . .

“Youth is the leaven that keeps all these questioning, testing attitudes fermenting in the world. If it were not for this troublesome activity of youth, with its hatred of sophisms and glosses, its insistence on things as they are, society would die from sheer decay. It is the policy of the older generation as it gets adjusted to the world to hide away the unpleasant things where it can, or preserve a conspiracy of silence and an elaborate pretense that they do not exist. But meanwhile the sores go on festering just the same. Youth is the drastic antiseptic. . . . It drags skeletons from closets and insists that they be explained. No wonder the older generation fears and distrusts the younger. Youth is the avenging Nemesis on its trail. . . .

“Our elders are always optimistic in their views of the present, pessimistic in their views of the future; youth is pessimistic toward the present and gloriously hopeful for the future. And it is this hope which is the lever of progress – one might say, the only lever of progress. . . .

“The secret of life is then that this fine youthful spirit shall never be lost. Out of the turbulence of youth should come this fine precipitate – a sane, strong, aggressive spirit of daring and doing. It must be a flexible, growing spirit, with a hospitality to new ideas and a keen insight into experience. To keep one’s reactions warm and true is to have found the secret of perpetual youth, and perpetual youth is salvation.”

Lastly, a grassroots supporter sent this in to commemorate the campaign’s upcoming victory on November 2nd.  I have a dream as well, thanks to Arianne Elinich for the use of her song.

Jake Towne for US Congress PA-15 – Economy in Pictures (OCT 2010)

Upcoming Events

• Rally to Restore Sanity, 12 PM- 4 PM on Saturday, October 30 at Porter’s Pub, 700 Northampton St., Easton, PA 18036.  MAP.  The Comedy Central march in DC will be televised from 12-3 pm and Jake will be taking questions from 3-4 pm.  This is not a campaign sponsored event.
• Slatington-Walnutport Halloween Parade: 5:30 p.m. Oct. 30. Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.
• Replay of “Debate at the State”, 8 PM on Saturday, October 30 on WFMZ Channel 69.

• Easton-Phillipsburg Halloween Parade: 12:30 p.m. Oct. 31. Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.
• Allentown Halloween Parade: 1 p.m. Oct. 31. Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.
• Bethlehem Halloween Parade: 1 p.m. Oct. 31. Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.

• NOVEMBER 2nd ELECTION DAY!! Volunteers are needed to hand out literature outside of local polling stations, please volunteer here and share your name, phone #, city, and if you live in the district, your current polling location.
  • Post-Election Victory Party for all volunteers and supporters at 8 PM on Election Day at Pies On Pizzeria at Front and Pine Streets, Catasauqua!!!!

“Wars can be prevented just as surely as they can be provoked, and we who fail to prevent them, must share the guilt for the dead... Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war that we know about peace, more about killing that we know about living.”

- Five-Star General of the Army Omar Bradley, WWII veteran and Head of Veterans Affairs from 1946-1947

After receiving another political mailer with pictures of blood-spattered veterans today, I declare I have had ENOUGH of Mr. Dent’s and Mr. Callahan’s wild mudslinging over our military veterans, and both career politicians’ insistence to use them as political pawns in this election.
My strongest criticism of Mr. Dent and Mr. Callahan both is the MISUSE of our veterans through endless, unconstitutional, and preemptive wars. Instead of vastly expensive, nation-building missions, I support the capture of the 9/11 criminals by small special forces units enforcing the law under constitutional warrants called letters of marque and reprisal, and increasing bounties for the wanted criminals.

The fact of the matter is that while Mr. Dent’s record on veterans is not pristine, he generally votes acceptably on veteran benefits. I’ll also add that Congress has a tendency to turn bills into messy hodgepodges covering multiple issues which legislation I will sponsor – One Subject at a Time – will fix.

I am the only candidate to have published my views on veterans in a formal campaign plank. The annual budget of the Department of Veterans Affairs has skyrocketed from $45 billion in 2001 to $125 billion today primarily due to the War on Terror.

Our veterans write a check for up to and including their lives to defend our country. Under our constitution, it is the duty of Congress to provide care for any physical or psychological damage veterans have suffered while defending our country. Veterans perform a necessary function in our society and for their service veterans receive deserved benefits and gratitude. It’s important that we have a strong military to deter attacks against the our country and protect it when attacked. However, the greatest way to honor them is to keep them out of unnecessary conflict. The only just war is one carried out in self-defense, as a non-aggressor, and as a last resort.

I support -

• An unequivocal congressional declaration that all physical or psychological damage veterans sustained while defending our country will be paid for by the taxpayer for their entire lives. All veterans should be free to seek medical services at local hospitals instead of VA hospitals, if they so choose. This will also alleviate the VA’s cost of rural health initiatives which increased during 2010 by 600%.

• I support changing the portion of the VA budget covering the above-mentioned expenses from discretionary to mandatory.

• Veterans also face difficulty in obtaining employment upon retirement or separation from the military. In order to assist veterans, I support temporary federal income tax credits that could be granted to employers who hire veterans. This is a zero-cost benefit to veterans and employers alike.

• If a service member dies in combat and has previously collected GI Bill benefits, the family of the deceased is required to repay those benefits to the VA. So far the VA has attempted to recover over $56,000 from the families of 22 deceased service members. This is a complete travesty and should be stopped immediately with any money repaid thus far immediately given back to the families. The text for HR 5148 prohibits “the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from collecting certain debts owed to the United States by members of the Armed Forces and veterans who die as a result of an injury incurred or aggravated on active duty in a combat zone.” (Mr. Dent did not co-sponsor HR 5148.)

• I support dismissing any criminal charges against veterans, current service members, and civilians who have refused to participate in any unconstitutional military action. All service members swear an oath to “protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.” Any person refusing to violate the tenets of our Constitution by participating in unconstitutional warfare are fulfilling their oaths, and it is an outrage that any be tried in a court like a petty criminal. This includes, but is not limited to, America’s past military actions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Somalia, Korea and Vietnam.

• As Congressman, I would file a resolution to the executive branch that all veterans found guilty previously be pardoned immediately, and legislation to clarify that soldiers are not required to participate in unconstitutional warfare.

• I pledge to fight against any and all future attempts to institute a military draft, and I will attempt to specifically ban military drafts. Individuals should be allowed to join the armed forces in a nation’s time of need of their own free will. In a truly free nation, it is my belief that there will be no need for a draft as people would gather to defend our freedoms from being stolen, our wealth plundered, and to protect our families. The idea of using young people between the ages of 18 and 21 as raw material or cannon fodder is likewise morally unacceptable.

• I support ending the Individual Ready Reserve’s mandatory 8-year service requirement immediately. This is a glorified form of a backdoor draft and is no way to thank our veterans for their service.
• A service member’s sexual preferences has no bearing on how well they can defend our country. I support repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

With a few days left until the election, I challenge my career politician opponents to put aside their bickering for a moment and agree to a focused debate on the wars abroad and our veterans. This is because they have shirked their responsibility to the people they serve by skipping or refusing 6 out of 11 debates whereby this topic could have been covered in more detail.

Why would they ever agree to a debate? Because it would be for the good of the people, not their political careers.

October 28, 2010

Towne’s “Our Veterans” plank – http://towneforcongress.com/platform-issues/our-veterans/

Towne’s latest public speech on veterans – http://towneforcongress.com/economy/jobs-debt-veterans-and-war-speech/

Upcoming events are listed below, and anyone wishing to make a donation to cover more TV advertisements can make it below.

• Northampton Community College Forum, October 28, 11 AM till perhaps 12:30 or 1 PM.  Open to public, Q&A. Location Changed!! Location is in the Student Life Zone on the 2nd floor of the College Center.  3835 Green Pond Rd Bethlehem, PA 18020.  Campus Map.
• Live interview on WDIY, 6-7 PM on Thursday, October 28.  Listen locally at 88.1 FM or here online.
• Rally and Poll Materials Pickup, 5PM-8:30 PM on Thursday, October 28 at American Sandwich Company at 7001 Route 309, Fairmont Village Shopping Center, Coopersburg, PA 18036.  MAP.  A volunteer will be there to hand out materials from 5 PM on, Jake will arrive around 7:30 to talk for a bit.

• Rally to Restore Sanity, 12 PM- 4 PM on Saturday, October 30 at Porter’s Pub, 700 Northampton St., Easton, PA 18036.  MAP.  The Comedy Central march in DC will be televised from 12-3 pm and Jake will be taking questions from 3-4 pm.  This is not a campaign sponsored event.
• Slatington-Walnutport Halloween Parade: 5:30 p.m. Oct. 30. Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.
• Replay of “Debate at the State”, 8 PM on Saturday, October 30 on WFMZ Channel 69.

• Easton-Phillipsburg Halloween Parade: 12:30 p.m. Oct. 31. Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.
• Allentown Halloween Parade: 1 p.m. Oct. 31. Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.
• Bethlehem Halloween Parade: 1 p.m. Oct. 31. Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.

• NOVEMBER 2nd ELECTION DAY!! Volunteers are needed to hand out literature outside of local polling stations, please volunteer here and share your name, phone #, city, and if you live in the district, your current polling location.
  • Post-Election Victory Party for all volunteers and supporters at 8 PM on Election Day at Pies On Pizzeria at Front and Pine Streets, Catasauqua!!!!

Jake Towne Issues Flyer Oct 2010

Independent congressional candidate Jake Towne claimed a clear victory at the “Debate at the State” – held and co-sponsored by Easton’s historic and beautiful State Theatre.  The Express Times was the main sponsor, and is commended by the campaign for its commitment to hear all candidates.

When Towne challenged Mr. Dent on the constitutionality of his support of the War on Terror and the PATRIOT Act’s civil liberty violations, the incumbent had no coherent response and the 20-year career politician pitifully resorted to accusing Towne as believing in 9/11 conspiracies, a complete and utter lie.  Towne also challenged Mr. Callahan on HIS unflagging support of the unconstitutional War on Terror and endless nation-building.

Towne’s closing statement was met with by far the most applause, which is quite significant since most of the crowd were not previous supporters and were converted by the debate.  While the Republocrat candidates were busy with negative mudslinging, Towne focused on offering solutions to the problems the country faces.

The debate will air on Saturday, October 30th on WFMZ-TV, Channel 69.   Watch footage from the Express Times Debate below, and also from the previous WFMZ debate here.  (Photo courtesy Sue Beyer/Express Times)

Closing statement from Jake Towne (below left)  Towne questioning the constitutionality of Mr. Dent’s support of the undeclared wars and PATRIOT Act. (below right)

Towne asking Mr. Callahan to pledge to take a paycut and give up the congressional perks.  When Mr. Callahan first attempted to dodge the question, snickering from the crowd led him to address the question… and say he would think it over.  (below left)  Towne asking Mr. Callahan why he supports the endless and unconstitutional War on Terror and nation-building.  (below right)

To Towne’s delight, Mr. Callahan asked him a question on the federal department of education.  (Below left)  Towne outlines his stance to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and highlights the contrast on bailouts.  (Below right)

Jake takes a moment to state his stance on Cap and Trade and highlighted hydraulic fracturing as the key environmental risk to the district.  Read his solutions with hydraulic fracturing here.  (Below left)  All candidates share their stances on jobs.  See Jake’s plank here.  (Below right)

All candidates are asked a question about troop withdrawal.  Only Towne answers the question while Mr. Dent and Mr. Callahan mudsling at the expense of our veterans.  Only Towne has published a veterans plank.  (Below left)  Towne answers a question on healthcare. (Below right)

Lastly, all candidates are asked a question about negative campaigning.  True to form, Mr. Callahan and Mr. Dent answer by mudslinging, while Jake responds by saying, “I think you see so much negative campaigning because they have no new ideas.”  Jake outlines his “Our Open Office” idea.  (video)

Jake will have an online chat at noon today with the Morning Call.  (It’s over, view the transcript here.)  He will also be talking to the East Penn Taxpayer’s Association tonight at 7:30 pm in Emmaus, details below.

Independent congressional candidate Jake Towne has had a tough time locating opponents Mr. Charlie Dent and Mr. John Callahan at debates. Unfortunately, so has the general public. Out of 11 debates, Towne was banned from two (2), was the only candidate to attend another two (2) debates, and another four (4) debates have been canceled due to lack of a response from both career politicians.

Towne stated that after destroying both Establishment candidates in the WFMZ debate last Tuesday and receiving a flood of support, he would be highly surprised if either campaign manager would even allow their candidate to debate, and hopes they still show up to the Express-Times “Debate at the State” on Monday.

Towne for Congress stresses that all public officials are not MASTERS, but SERVANTS. To not accept public scrutiny during candidacy simply highlights how unanswerable, inaccessible, and unresponsive these Establishment career politicians plan to be in office. This is not the type of representation and behavior voters should accept, and underscores Towne’s point that the “two-headed, one-party” system has betrayed and failed the people.

When elected, Jake Towne’s novel-yet-simple form of accountable and transparent government, “Our Open Office,” will give constituents new levels of transparency and accountability never before seen in American government.

(Towne attended the WFMZ and College Hill Neighborhood Association/League of Women Voters debates with Mr. Callahan and Mr. Dent. All candidates will be in the October 25^th Express Times debate. Towne was banned from the PBS/Morning Call and JFLV debates. Mr. Callahan and Mr. Dent did not show up to the Cedar Crest and LV Tea Party debates, and due to lack of response from both the Pen Argyl, Northampton Community College, Nazareth Chamber of Commerce, and DeSales University debates were canceled. Towne accepted invites to all events.)

Upcoming Events -

• East Penn Taxpayer’s Association Candidates Night on October 19th, 7:30 PM.  Open to the public, will speak for a few minutes and answer questions.  Emmaus Fire Co. #1 on 610 Broad Street, Emmaus, PA.  MAP.

• Catasauqua/North Catasauqua Halloween Parade: Oct. 20 at 6 PM.  Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.
• Talk to Young Americans for Liberty at Moravian College.  Oct 21st at 11:45 AM.  Location is the PPHAC in Room 112.  Building #39 on this campus map.

• Northampton Halloween Parade: Oct. 21 at 6 PM.  Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.

• Macungie Halloween Parade: 5 p.m. Oct. 23.  Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.

• Hellertown-Saucon Valley Halloween Parade: 1 p.m. Oct. 24. Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.

• Express Times Debate, Monday, October 25 at the State Theatre in Easton, 7 PM.  453 Northampton Street Easton, PA 18042.  MAP.  Suggest arriving at 6 PM to ensure seating.  Open to public.
• Northampton Community College Forum, October 28, 11 AM till perhaps 12:30 or 1 PM.  Open to public, Q&A. Location Changed!! Location is in the Student Life Zone on the 2nd floor of the College Center.  3835 Green Pond Rd Bethlehem, PA 18020.  Campus Map.

• Slatington-Walnutport Halloween Parade: 5:30 p.m. Oct. 30. Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.

• Easton-Phillipsburg Halloween Parade: 12:30 p.m. Oct. 31. Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.
• Allentown Halloween Parade: 1 p.m. Oct. 31. Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.
• Bethlehem Halloween Parade: 1 p.m. Oct. 31. Help hand out flyers before the parade begins!!  Contact the campaign at 610-392-8156 or towneforcongress@gmail.com for meetup details.

• NOVEMBER 2nd ELECTION DAY!! Volunteers are needed to hand out literature outside of local polling stations, please volunteer here and share your name, phone #, city, and if you live in the district, your current polling location.   Victory Party for all volunteers at 8 PM at Pies On Pizzeria at Front and Pine Streets, Catasauqua!!!!

At the WFMZ-TV debate last Tuesday, independent congressional candidate Jake Towne challenged both Mr. Dent and Mr. Callahan to take some kind of paycut, not enlist in the pension plan and pay for their own healthcare. With all the job losses and paycuts in the private sector, the least either of these career politicians could do is give up a few perks.  Watch the video here.

Congressmen should buy their own healthcare on the marketplace just like everyone else. The Constitution does not entitle Congressmen to free healthcare or lucrative pensions paying up to 80% of their $174,000 salary, all at taxpayer expense.

Since both Mr. Callahan and Mr. Dent spent most of their camera time bickering about Bethlehem finances, and who resembles Nancy Pelosi the most (Mr. Dent’s voting record matched 70% with Ms. Pelosi’s in the 110^th Congress), a 15-minute shortened version of the WFMZ debate is now available.

Watch the “All You Need to Know From the WFMZ Debate” here. The full debate is here.

Towne is a chemical engineer who worked in the semiconductor industry prior to running for office as an independent private citizen, including the past 4 years in China. Towne has promised to accept only the median household income and not enlist in the congressional health care or pension plans. The $116,000 remainder of the $174,000 salary will be donated to local non-profit hospitals after taxes. He also champions sound money and a novel-yet-simple form of accountable and transparent government, “Our Open Office.”

And don’t miss “Interview with Two Zombies!!”

The campaign has an urgent need to raise another $4,000 to pay for TV ads in the final couple weeks prior to the election. Watch the ad here or below!

Please consider donating as for some very affordable rates we can get the message out to key demographics. The schedule of ads will be published when available, and I expect everyone will be quite pleased with the number of spots, times and channels the campaign can air with such a limited budget.

Donors giving at least $100 will receive a hardbound copy of Henry Hazlitt’s timeless Economics in One Lesson as a thank-you gift (please allow up to 4 weeks for delivery).  After another 10 copies, I will have to substitute a hardbound copy of “What Has the Government Done to our Money?” as our Hazlitt copies are going quick!

Last month, the campaign raised $2,200 for radio ads during a money bomb, and carefully spent over $6,000. As a result, just about everyone who listens to the radio in the area has heard the ad.

“Know ye not, Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow?” – Lord Byron

Debate footage from last night, a YouTube playlist, then from WFMZ’s website!
And don’t miss “Interview with Two Zombies!!”

From a recent press release: This week, both Mr. Callahan and Mr. Dent failed to show up at the second local debate in a row, which turned the evening into another “victory by TKO” for independent congressional candidate Jake Towne. While all three candidates will appear on this week’s WFMZ-69 televised debate, Towne is excluded from the Morning Call/PBS/Greater Lehigh Valley of Chamber Commerce due to a skewed and openly biased poll. Towne is also excluded from a candidate forum tomorrow evening in Allentown.

Organizers of future debates such as the Nazareth Chamber of Commerce are finding it difficult to track down and obtain responses from the two career politicians’ campaigns.

Two weeks ago, both Mr. Callahan and Mr. Dent did not show for a debate at Cedar Crest College in a crowded room. Mr. Callahan, who at first accepted the invitation, was instead attending a private fundraiser per his website.

While both Mr. Callahan and Mr. Dent may laud debates and democratic elections in public, the truth is that they wish to escape to November 2nd with as little scrutiny from the people as possible. Citizens should question these Establishment career politicians who do not deign to explain themselves to those they wish to serve. There is no higher responsibility of a candidate than to listen to the public and explain themselves.

In marked contrast to his opponents’ escapism from economic reality, Towne spent a day last weekend volunteering with Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley, and served lunch in a Bethlehem soup kitchen as he has done once a week for the past half year.

Towne is a chemical engineer who worked in the semiconductor industry and resigned his job to abroad in Asia to return home and run for office as an independent private citizen. Towne has promised to accept only the median household income and not enlist in the congressional health care or pension plans. The remainder of the $174,000 salary will be donated to local non-profit hospitals. He also champions sound money and a novel-yet-simple form of accountable and transparent government, “Our Open Office.”

Video of Towne’s last speech “Jobs, Debt, Veterans, and War” is here.

Upcoming Events!!

• Crop Walk, October 10th in Bethlehem, registration at 1p.m. under the Hill-To-Hill Bridge, Main and Spring streets.  This charity event benefits soup kitchens around the Lehigh Valley, including the one I volunteer at every week.  The walk begins at 1:30 p.m.  MAP.  Please RSVP to towneforcongress@gmail.com or call 610-392-8156.
• WFMZ-69 Debate to be televised live, October 13 on WFMZ-69, 8 PM.
• Lunch with Allentown Rotary Club, Friday, October 15 at the Holiday Inn, 12:30-1 PM.  904 W. Hamilton Streets, Allentown, PA 18101.  Map.  Briefly address and answer questions from this group.
• Nazareth Area of Commerce Debate on Monday, October 18th, from 9:30-11 AM.  Economic focus.  Tickets are necessary for breakfast, see www.nazarethchamber.com.  Location is Rt 22 and 512 at the Best Western.
• Morning Call Online Chat, online at noon on October 19th.  URL TBA.
• East Penn Taxpayer’s Association Candidates Night on October 19th, 7:30 PM.  Open to the public, will speak for a few minutes and answer questions.  Emmaus Fire Co. #1 on 610 Broad Street, Emmaus, PA.  MAP.
• Pen Argyl Area Concerned Citizens Debate, Wednesday, October 20, evening, exact time/place to be announced.
• De Sales University Debate, Thursday, October 21, 7:30-9 PM in Center Valley, PA.  Located in the Commonwealth Room in the University Center (Building #48 in this map).  Open Q&A from the audience.
• Express Times Debate, Monday, October 25 at the State Theatre in Easton, 7 PM.  453 Northampton Street
  Easton, PA 18042.  MAP.  Open to public.
• Northampton Community College Forum, October 28, 11 AM.  Open to public, Q&A. Location is the World War II Conference Room – CC117 located on the first floor of the College Center.  3835 Green Pond Rd Bethlehem, PA 18020.  Campus Map.
• NOVEMBER 2nd ELECTION DAY!! Volunteers are needed to hand out literature outside of local polling stations, please volunteer here and share your name, phone #, city, and if you live in the district, your current polling location.

“Know ye not, Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow?” – Lord Byron

Last night at a local candidates’ night I gave the below speech, though the bracketed paragraphs were cut out due to time limitations.  The event was co-sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Tea Party and Lehighton Tea Party.  My Republocrat competition – for the second event in a row – failed to show up.

During the past 6 years, the official national debt has nearly doubled from $7.6 to $13.5 trillion. Per the US Treasury, the unfunded liabilities for Social Security and Medicare is $107 trillion dollars, which is nearly $400,000 for every man, woman, and child. What has the taxpayer gotten in return?

During the past 6 years, the number of service members killed in Afghanistan has risen from 160 to 1,311.

During the past 6 years, unemployment locally has doubled from 5 to 10%. The number of people living on food stamps has increased from 25 to 41 million which is nearly 1 in 8 Americans.

Now over 3 in 4 Americans live paycheck to paycheck, a figure which has about doubled since 2006. What has the taxpayer gotten in return?

We must stop the endless debt. I have pledged to balance the budget each year, and I have called upon my competitors to join me, and they have chosen to not do so.

I am against taxpayer bailouts of corporations like the TARP Banker Bailout. Mr. Dent voted to bailout the bankers, and Mr. Callahan has stated he would’ve voted FOR the bill as well. (source)  (Photo courtesy Roger Smith)

The banker bailouts served to benefit the government’s favorite corporations at the expense of every individual in America, costing close to $10,000 per household. By creating more future debt, the government worsens the present situation and places our next generation into unsustainable levels of debt.

Whether it is the military-industrial complex, Big Oil, Big Pharm, Big Ag, or the financial firms who bankroll their career politicians into power, the crony corporatism and revolving door between the government and Wall Street must end. I am the only candidate to not accept and pledge never to accept, money from corporations and lobbyist groups.

To create jobs, we must first realize that the massive unemployment we have today is purely a creation of the governments’ interventions in the economy. There is no shortage of work to be done, we must only stop the government’s harmful interventions in the tax, labor, and regulatory laws. To do this we must simply ask ourselves one simple question – does this law encourage or discourage employment? If it discourages employment, then Congress should change or amend the current laws.

While I am for some regulations like reinstating Glass-Steagall and closing loopholes in accounting laws so banks and Wall Street investment firms can no longer pull off accounting tricks, many other wasteful, ineffective regulations like the $100 billion dollar-a-year Sarbanes-Oxley Act must be removed since they place American firms at a disadvantage with the rest of the world.

To stimulate the economy, we could abolish the income tax for 50% of all Americans and lose less than 3% of all income tax collected or have an income tax holiday for several months.  This is a lot of dollars to help assist individuals, and very little income to the federal government – they increase the national debt by the same few billion just about every day. It would be easy enough to cut some of the government to pay for this, as well as reduce the salaries of federal workers who make an average salary of $71,000, which is about twice the median household income.

Governments do not create sustainable jobs, only people do. Government’s role is to preserve individual liberties and a sound business environment by enforcing punishments for fraud, contract violations, theft, and acts of aggression.

Now, the salary of a Congressman is $174,000. How can any voter believe that any candidate will represent them by slashing wasteful government spending if they fail to start with themselves?

That is why I will only accept the district’s median household income of $58,000. I will donate the remaining $116,000 to local non-profit hospitals to help provide health care to the poor. I will not enlist in the federal healthcare plan nor the congressional pension plan.

I have called upon Mr. Callahan and Mr. Dent to join me and cut the reckless federal spending by starting with themselves, and they have chosen to not do so.

Our founders clearly realized that all power stems from the PEOPLE, from US, and all officers of government are NOT masters, but SERVANTS. That is why I came up with an accountable and transparent form of open government where all residents will have a public voice to comment on all house floor votes called Our Open Office. Unlike the career politicians in power, I will always tell you WHY I voted each way, and in that way I will be held accountable to the people.

Now, Americans are not faced with many good choices between the Republicans or Democrats. It is more like the Arsenic Party versus the Cyanide Party. Each party tries to convince you that their Arsenic tastes great, but the other party’s cyanide will kill you.

The two-headed, one-party system that controls the federal government is repeating like a bad record – “MORE spending, MORE taxes, MORE war, MORE debt.” If you flip the record, all you hear is “LESS liberty, LESS safety, FEWER jobs, LESS prosperity.”

Now I would like to talk for a moment about a group of Americans who write a check for up to and including their lives to defend our country. Under the US Constitution, Congress has the responsibility to provide healthcare to every veteran for physical or mental trauma sustained while in the military. Many veterans suffer for their LIFETIMES from post-traumatic stress disorder, missing limbs, and brain injuries.

5,735 soldiers have died so far in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. [In Afghanistan, more troops have died under the 2 years of Obama administration than under the 7 years of Republican rule.] Around 32,000 have been wounded in Iraq alone, and behind each of these casualties are families and loved ones.

Just this weekend I was knocking on doors and a gentleman had to stop talking, all choked up, since his brother was killed in Afghanistan.

Since the War on Terror began in 2001, the expenditures for the Department of Veterans Affairs have skyrocketed from $48 to $125 billion dollars. Health care should never be lessened or denied to our veterans, but there are ways to cut costs and improve care at the same time.

For instance, most veterans are required to travel to far-away VA hospitals to obtain treatment and medicine in facilities that are very sub-par. In fact, rural heath initiatives to treat vets who live far from cities for the 2010 alone increased by over 600% to nearly a half billion dollars! Instead of requiring these veterans to go to the relatively few VA hospitals, they should be free to go to ANY existing hospital and a doctor of their choosing for treatment.

Veterans also face difficulty in obtaining employment upon retirement or separation from the military. In order to assist veterans, a temporary federal income tax credit could be granted to employers who hire veterans. This is a zero-cost benefit to veterans and employers alike.

It’s crucial that we have a strong military to deter attacks against the our country and protect it when attacked. However, asking our young men and women to participate in unjust war is a moral abyss that we as a country should NEVER leap into. If we aspire to be a just nation ruled by laws we must resolve to NEVER ask our military men and women to engage in unconstitutional warfare and nation-building missions.

That said, the United States of America has unfinished business with the al-Qaeda terrorist group. However, we are going about it all the wrong way for the past two decades.

The greatest threat to our national security is the national debt, not boogeymen living in caves in Pakistan. Osama Bin Laden and his ilk will never destroy America – it will be the Congress who first destroy the country financially and economically by looting our blood and treasure.  This is the true threat to our way of life.

George Washington would be aghast at our attempts to defeat Al-Qaeda. During the Revolutionary War, the mighty British empire was not defeated militarily by the colonists – George Washington lost just about every single major battle. Instead, Washington won the war by merely surviving, by causing the British to expend vast amounts of treasure and troops over a 3,000 mile supply chain.

The government spends well over $1 trillion dollars a year on our foreign adventures, with over 760 military bases in 150 of the world’s 194 countries, yet we do NOT have a strong national defense of our borders. We have 55,000 troops in Germany and 10,000 troops in Italy.

Why should the American taxpayer defend rich Europeans from a communist USSR that fell apart 20 years ago, so those same rich Europeans can cut their defense budgets to protect their welfare spending? Didn’t WWII end 70 years ago?

[However, the fact remains that the threat of suicide terrorism is enhanced – NOT lessened – by the conventional armies stationed abroad in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Suicide terrorist groups – whether Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, or the Tamil Tigers - have a single strategic goal in mind – to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland.]

[Although Osama Bin Laden was a CIA “asset” against the Soviets in Afghanistan during the 1980s, if one reads the 9/11 Commission Report, one will find a very long record of inaction in tracking down Bin Laden who bombed US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killed 12 American citizens in 1998 and was also tied to the USS Cole and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.]

However, hurling armies of tens of thousands after Bin Laden is not cost effective, nor is it constitutional – nor has it succeeded after the past 9 years. Our nations’ generals admit there are less than 100 Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, and yet to capture them the taxpayer is paying to send 100,000 troops – plus many more contractors – at a cost of over $1 million apiece to fight with one pack of tribal warlords against another pack of tribal warlords. Each gallon of gas burned in the Afghanistan War costs the taxpayer $400 per the Pentagon.

A strong national defense begins right here at home with our borders, not the borders of Iraq, Germany, and Italy. If one takes the time to read the Iraq and Afghanistan constitutions that the US guided them in writing, you will find that taxpayers here are not creating democracies or rule of law – they are creating impossible utopian governments that operate under sharia law.

We have our own Constitution, and it is about time we began following it!

To defeat suicide terrorists one must capture the current generation and prevent the next generation from being created from collateral damage. Capture of the terrorists who caused 9/11 will best be attained by small units of special forces acting to enforce the law under constitutional warrants called letters of marque and reprisal and increasing bounties for the wanted criminals. Without vastly expensive armies stationed on foreign lands, creating unintended damage and death to the civilian population, the next generation of suicide terrorists will have no reason to exist.

This November 2^nd, you can keep voting for those who caused all this economic strife or you can vote for a problem solver who not only has the solutions, but who will listen and be accountable to you.

I have more private sector experience than Mr. Dent, and more industrial experience working abroad than Mr. Callahan. I have a proven track record of results and success as a leader and serving customers.  I am the only candidate with some formal background in the study of economics.

Washington has far too many rulers, and not enough servants of the people. When I am elected, I will be your public servant, your employee.

Congress continues to vote for more debt, more war, and fewer jobs every year they remain in power. It is like my father once told me – “If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.”

What have the people of the 15^th district received by voting for the Republocrats?  The same results – more taxes, more debt, more war, and less liberty.

For those of you who think you will be throwing your vote away by voting independent, nothing could be further from the truth. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Your parties have betrayed you.

Your parties have lied to you.

Your parties have let you down.

This year you have a real choice in voting independent. I humbly ask for your vote this November 2^nd.  (end)

Upcoming Events!!

• PA Liberty Conference. Friday, October 8.  I will be sharing the “Our Open Office” idea with this group at 3 PM in Harrisburg, PA.  Ticketed event, see here for details.
• Crop Walk, October 10th in Bethlehem, registration at 1p.m. under the Hill-To-Hill Bridge, Main and Spring streets.  This charity event benefits soup kitchens around the Lehigh Valley, including the one I volunteer at every week.  The walk begins at 1:30 p.m.  MAP.  Please RSVP to towneforcongress@gmail.com or call 610-392-8156.
• WFMZ-69 Debate to be televised live, October 13 on WFMZ-69, 8 PM.
• Lunch with Allentown Rotary Club, Friday, October 15 at the Holiday Inn, 12:30-1 PM.  904 W. Hamilton Streets, Allentown, PA 18101.  Map.  Briefly address and answer questions from this group.
• Nazareth Area of Commerce Debate on Monday, October 18th, from 9:30-11 AM.  Economic focus.  Tickets are necessary for breakfast, see www.nazarethchamber.com.  Location is Rt 22 and 512 at the Best Western.
• Morning Call Online Chat, online at noon on October 19th.  URL TBA.
• East Penn Taxpayer’s Association Candidates Night on October 19th, 7:30 PM.  Open to the public, will speak for a few minutes and answer questions.  Emmaus Fire Co. #1 on 610 Broad Street, Emmaus, PA.  MAP.
• Pen Argyl Area Concerned Citizens Debate, Wednesday, October 20, evening, exact time/place to be announced.
• De Sales University Debate, Thursday, October 21, 7:30-9 PM in Center Valley, PA.  Located in the Commonwealth Room in the University Center (Building #48 in this map).  Open Q&A from the audience.
• Express Times Debate, Monday, October 25 at the State Theatre in Easton, 7 PM.  453 Northampton Street
  Easton, PA 18042.  MAP.  Open to public.
• Northampton Community College Forum, October 28, 11 AM.  Open to public, Q&A. Location is the World War II Conference Room – CC117 located on the first floor of the College Center.  3835 Green Pond Rd Bethlehem, PA 18020.  Campus Map.
• NOVEMBER 2nd ELECTION DAY!! Volunteers are needed to hand out literature outside of local polling stations, please volunteer here and share your name, phone #, city, and if you live in the district, your current polling location.

I hope everyone enjoys this campaign video, “Interview with Two Zombies” and shares it everywhere!!  Many thanks to Dan, Jane, Clayton Glabis, and John for volunteering as zombies, cameramen, editors, directors, etc.  to make this entertaining video!!

The campaign’s second revision of a 30-second radio ad is here.  Thanks to a one-day September online money bomb, several thousand dollars were raised and this ad was placed on the local airwaves.  Thanks to Adam Temple of A.R.T. Productions for helping create this ad!

We have a 30-second TV ad in progress, footage not available yet, but need funding quickly to get it on local TV prior to the election!   Today is also the end of the FEC’s fiscal quarter, so donations of any size are much appreciated!!

Don’t be misled by Zombie-R and Zombie-D!

TOWNE FOR CONGRESS