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Andrew Sharp

Arlington, VA

Latest Activity

Update from Capitol Hill

Andrew Sharp
Jul 18, 2011 at 11:17 AM
By Andrew Sharp
  • Rep. Ron Paul had another infamous exchange with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, asking him if he thought gold was money.  Bernanke said "no," and when Rep. Paul asked him why, then, central banks hold gold as reserves, Bernanke stumbled, and then said "tradition."  Watch the full exchange here.
  • Bernanke also suggested the Fed was considering another round of stimulus if the economy continues to stagnate.
  • The debt limit negotiations took a bizarre turn when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell proposed that the Congress give the authority to raise the debt limit to the President, just so that the GOP could vote against it (and fail to defeat it) and save face.
  • Sen. Jim DeMint quickly came out against the plan, pointing out that Republicans weren't elected in November to make it easier for the government to go more into debt and spend more money.
  • When President Obama said in an interview that he "couldn't guarantee" that social security checks would go out if the debt limit wasn't raised, Sen. Rand Paul called for him to apologize for using scare tactics to push more debt on the American people.
  • Judge Andrew Napolitano wrote an open letter to House Speaker John Boehner, urgining him not to give into pressure and vote to raise the debt limit.
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Update from Capitol Hill

Andrew Sharp
Jul 1, 2011 at 7:14 PM
By Andrew Sharp
  • Republicans on the Hill rallied around the passage of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
  • Sen. Jim DeMint shot down arguments made by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner that the US needs to raise the debt ceiling.
  • Sen. Mike Lee spoke on the Senate floor and responded to those who are urging that we must raise taxes to increase revenue for the government.
  • The Joint Economic Committee issued a report on just how badly the economic recession has become.
  • Senators Lee, Demint, and Paul introduced the Sound Money Promotion Act, which removes burdensome taxes on the gold and silver coins.
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July 4th Social Media Push

Andrew Sharp
Jun 30, 2011 at 3:21 PM
By Andrew Sharp

Like

UPDATE: We just hit 15,000 likes on Facebook! Thanks everyone! Less than 500 followers to go to reach our goal on Twitter, follow us here: @YALiberty

As social networking intern for YAL, I've witnessed our Facebook and Twitter pages grow substantially over the last several months.  I've always believed in the power of social media, but I've been amazed at how many more people YAL is reaching by being active on the web.

We are approaching two important milestones in this regard: 15,000 likes on Facebook and 5,000 followers on Twitter.  We've set a goal for ourselves to reach these numbers by July 4th.  Will you help us?

Here are a few things you can do:

- Post our Facebook page on your wall, encouraging your friends to like us: http://facebook.com/yaliberty

- Do the same for our Twitter page: http://twitter.com/yaliberty

- If you're on Twitter, tweet this message: "Help @YALiberty get to 5k followers by the 4th! Follow them and then RT! #yal #c4l #tlot #tcot"

- Retweet this message: http://twitter.com/#!/YALiberty/status/86460384705396737

(As an added bonus, we will follow back anyone who follows us between now and the 4th)

Thanks everyone, and Happy 4th!

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Update from Capitol Hill

Andrew Sharp
Jun 27, 2011 at 10:37 AM
By Andrew Sharp
  • Rep. Ron Paul and Rep. Barney Frank introduced HR 2306, The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibtioin Act of 2011, the first-ever bill of its kind.
  • Rep. Paul appeared on Larry Kudlow to discuss the bill, arguing that the free market deals with the problem of drug abuse best.
  • Rep. Frank appeared on MSNBC to discuss the bill, refuting a number of counter-arguments that have been made against it.
  • Rep. Dennis Kucinich wrote an Op-Ed at the Huffington Post consisting of 10 reasons to oppose War in Libya.
  • Rep. Paul held another hearing of his House Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy, questioning witnesses about auditing the gold in Ft. Knox and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
  • Sen. Jim DeMint warned that members of the GOP who do not sign the "Cut, Cap, Balance" pledge might not get re-elected.
  • Sen. Paul questioned the head of the TSA, John Pistole, on their invasive procedures and argued that travel is a right.
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Update from Capitol Hill

Andrew Sharp
Jun 20, 2011 at 10:03 AM
By Andrew Sharp
  • A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Rep. Walter Jones sued the President for going to war in Libya without the consent of Congress.
  • Sen. Rand Paul offered his support by writing an Op-Ed in the Washington Times criticizing President Obama for violating the War Powers Act.
  • Sen. Paul and Rep. Kucinich appeared on CNN together to talk about the situation.
  • House Majority Leader John Boehner threatened to withdraw funding for the Libya operation if the White House does not satisfactorily explain its actions.
  • The White House issued a report claiming it had authority to start operations in Libya because it was not involved with "hostilities" that would classify it as war.

 

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Finding a Job in the Liberty Movement

Andrew Sharp
Jun 10, 2011 at 11:58 AM
By Andrew Sharp

Here are a few of the best resources for finding jobs within the liberty movement.  YAL also has lots of strategic partners who have great opportunities for employment.  

Know of a good resource we're missing? Leave it in the comments section!

Conservative Jobs

One of the best sites to start at is ConservativeJobs.com, a project of the Leadership Insitute, which allows you to upload your resume, and fill out a public policy questionnaire so that only organizations you agree with contact you.  Conservative Jobs is constantly updated with some of the best opportunities for conservatives and libertarians.  LI itself also has some great opportunities for employment.

State Policy Network

The State Policy Network has a number of great resources for those those interested in working in the public policy realm, including a job bank listing organizations that are hiring.  There are many public policy organizations across the country, and most likely there is one close to you.

Institute for Humane Studies

IHS is one of the biggest libertarian organizations in the country, and many YAL members have worked for them.  Check out their jobs postings site and be sure to check back often for updates.

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Update from Capitol Hill

Andrew Sharp
Jun 10, 2011 at 11:40 AM
By Andrew Sharp
  • The House rejected Rep. Kucinich's bill to end intervention in Libya within 15 days, but passed a measure offered by Speaker Boehner that prohibits ground troops from being deployed and demands the White House turn over documents related to the mission.
  • Sen. Rand Paul issued a statement criticizing President Obama for not answering bipartisan calls for accountability and urgining his colleagues in the Senate to take action.
  • Sen. Richard Lugar wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post warning against the Obama Administration's dangerous course in Libya.
  • A meeting of the Senate Foreing Relations Committee to discuss Libya was set for Thursday but was postponed.
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Summer Activism Idea: Hold Your Public Officials Accountable

Andrew Sharp
Jun 10, 2011 at 9:42 AM
By Andrew Sharp

The first step in holding your state and local officials accountable is to find a piece of legislation you can use as a litmus test.  If you're on campus over the summer, try to pick an issue you think your fellow students would get behind.  Whether it's a bill about taxes, guns, or marijuana, find out how your representative voted, how the rest of the legslature voted on it, and other similar bills that were voted on around the same time.  

Did your rep vote against liberty? Go after them.  If they voted in favor, find another bill or go after someone that did vote against you.

You should also try to find any public statements your legislators made about the issue the legislation has to do with:  Maybe they signed a pledge or made a comittment that they want back on?

Once you've found your issue and legislation, you can put together a flier that highlights your target's position on your issue.

Remember that the less text on a flier the better, and any text you do have should be big enough to be easily readable in less than 10 seconds.  You can use the back of the flier for more detailed info if you like, but the front should be big, bold, and simple.

Once you have your fliers, print some off and then start handing them out.  You should also have a sign-up sheet for your YAL chapter in case people want to join you in raising awareness of the issue.

When election day gets closer, you can use the information and data you gathered to bring your issue to the forefront when everyone is paying attention.  You will find your representative cares a lot more about your issue all of the sudden!

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Update from Capitol Hill

Andrew Sharp
Jun 3, 2011 at 11:06 AM
By Andrew Sharp
  • The House GOP postponed a vote on Rep. Dennis Kucinich's bill that would end US involvement in Libya over fears that it would pass.
  • 14 Republicans introduced a similar resolution in the House on the same day.
  • A bill that would raise the limit on the  public debt without any spending reform was voted down 318-97.
  • Rep. Justin Amash introduced a constitutional amendment in the house that caps spending at the average tax revenues of the previous three years.
  • Rep. Ron Paul held another hearing of the House Domestic Monetary Policy Subcommittee, which he chairs, and questioned two Fed officials on their disclosure practicies, gold assets, and more.
  • Sen. Rand Paul penned an op-ed in the Louisville Courier-Journal about his position on the USA PATRIOT Act.
  • Sen. Mark Kirk introduced legislation that would prevent the Federal government from bailing out state governments which have become insolvent.
  • Sen. Jack Reed introduced legislation creating Federal standards for sunscreen labels.
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Paul vs. Reid: An Epic Battle Over the PATRIOT Act

Andrew Sharp
May 27, 2011 at 12:51 PM
By Andrew Sharp

This week, the Senate floor was witness to a back-and-forth skirmish of political maneuvering and parliamentary gamesmanship between Senator Rand Paul and Senator Harry Reid over the reauthorization of the misnamed, unconstitutional PATRIOT Act.

In the end, Sen. Paul was only successful at getting a debate and a vote on two of the amendments he had proposed to the tyrannical legislation, despite Sen. Reid's promises that there would be a week of debate and an open amendment process, but Sen. Paul's efforts to push the issue as far as he could were valiant and admirable nonetheless.

We've put together a timeline of the blow-by-blow of how it all went down below.  But first, some relevant videos:

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