Today Democracy Failed.

At 11:20 EST today, the House Resource Committee approved new fee-demo language introduced by Chairman Pombo. They then voted in favor of recommending that the bill go to the full House for a vote. That's important news to everyone receiving this message, but that is not the news I wish to emphasize at this time. I want you to understand how little this hearing represented a democratic process. Information such as I'm about to share is not taught in any civics class.

HR 3283 is the bill in question. It was introduced by Representative Ralph Regula (R-OH). Mr. Regula has been a longtime supporter of recreation user fees and when Chair of the all-powerful House Appropriations Committee, it was Mr. Regula who introduced language into budget language that resulted in the authorization of the fee-demo program.

Mr. Regula is also closely linked with the industry group the American Recreation Coalition (ARC). ARC has stated in Congressional Testimony that one of the purposes for its creation in 1979 was to change existing laws that prohibited the charging of recreation user fees on America's public lands. ARC's motivation was straight forward - they are an industry association with interest in profiting from pay-to-play recreation. They needed to pass legislation that would allow recreation fees to be charged. Without such legislation, their efforts to commercialize public lands would be forever stymied. Mr. Regula is the recipient of ARC's highest award, the "Sheldon Coleman Great Outdoors Award". Mr. Regula is, I suggest, doing the ARC's bidding.

The Chair of the Appropriations Committee controls the pursue string of the House. There is perhaps no more powerful person in the House than the Chair of this committee especially when the Chair uses his position to curry favor upon Congressmen who support his personal agenda and uses his position to block funding of legislation that originates from Congressmen who have opposed the Chairman's personal agenda.

Several years ago, Mr. Regula term limited out as Chair of the Appropriations Committee and is not currently the Chair of that committee. If he wins his reelection bid in November and is returned to the House for a 17th term, he will be Chair of the Appropriations Committee once more.

Everyone in the House is keenly aware of that fact. Everyone in today's markup for Mr. Regula's pet bill, HR 3283 knew that.

Mr. Regula conspicuously sat in the front row of today's hearing watching carefully to see who would support him and who would dare to oppose him. He sat where he did, so that everyone on the Resources Committee could get a good look at him and so that he could keep an attentive ear upon everything said by each committee member.

To understand how obvious Mr. Regula's threat hung over today's proceedings, Mr. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) asked point blank whether Mr. Regula "would remember those who voted favorably upon his legislation. " Everyone understood what was at stake. The interests of the committee were not upon the legislation before them. The interests of the committee were concerned ONLY with not offending Mr. Regula and in gaining his favor.

The ranking minority member, Mr. Nick Rahall (D-WV), who had spoken out bravely and most eloquently in opposition to the passage of Mr. Regula's bill offered the final words after the vote was taken. He said that he had intended to request that a roll-call vote be taken, but because Mr. Regula was sitting in the front row, he would not call for such a vote.

Today Democracy Failed.

Anyone listening to today's markup of the fee-demo legislation would come away, as I have done, with a clear understanding that our political system is not working as our founding fathers intended. Our political system is not working as we are taught it works in our schools.

Today the presence of one, all-powerful Mid-Western Congressman from a state that has little public lands and a mere 70 acres of Wilderness dictated policy for over 600,000,000 acres of federally managed public lands including 100,000,000 acres of Wilderness. One man, representing the interests of an all-powerful special interest group, carried more weight than all of the citizens of this nation. One man carried more weight than the democratic process itself.

Today's vote is a setback to outdoor enthusiasts who have opposed fee-demo. Today's vote means that Mr. Regula's bill will now go before the full house where, I fully expect, Democracy will fail once again because of the extraordinary power and vindictiveness Mr. Regula is prepared to bring to bear in order to pass his bill.

The GOOD NEWS is.... Mr. Regula may be the King of the House of Representatives, but his heavy-handed approach will not work in the Senate. The Senate has a very different approach to what is, and is not, appropriate in the way of recreation user fees. They have already passed the only fee legislation they care to pass, S.1107. The Senate bill, although it deals with user-fees, is totally unlike the bill that exists in the House. The House bill can never become law, unless the Senate were to introduce and pass legislation that was similarly worded to Regula's HR 3283.

Democracy failed today in the House. Yet I remember from civics class that in America we have checks and balances and for this reason we have both a House of Representatives and a Senate.

Today the House was representative of the power of one man and the corporate powers who stand behind him. Call me naive if you must, but I retain hope that the democratic process and the idea of one man - one vote, lives on in the Senate.

The fight goes on.

Scott

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Scott Silver
Wild Wilderness
248 NW Wilmington Ave.
Bend, OR 97701

phone: 541-385-5261
e-mail: ssilver@wildwilderness.org
Internet: http://www.wildwilderness.org

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Hebrews 10:25 NLT

Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.

Advertising Your Home Business on a Budget

Advertising Your Home Business on a Budget
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy


When you are starting out in a new home business and no one
knows who you are, one of the greatest challenges you will face
is how to drum up new business.

If there were not people in your community or marketplace that
you knew who needed your products or services, you probably
would not have started your business to begin with. But, once
you have talked to those who you personally knew who needed your
what you offer, then your next task is to find others who will
help keep your doors open.

Many people know that they must turn to advertising at some
point in the future, but they hope that day will be long down
the road. For some, this Utopian concept will come to fruition.
But for the rest of us in the real world, we must come up with
creative solutions for meeting our home business advertising
needs while working within our budget.

Most people have a misconception about having to spend lots of
money in order to advertise their home business. When you start
out, you honestly will not have much money available for
advertising, and if you do, you should still spend it wisely.

Before you jump headfirst into the world of advertising, let me
share some of the lessons I have learned concerning this most
important topic.


LESSON #1

It does not have to cost an arm and a leg to advertise your home
business, unless you fail to plan and fail to test.

As much as is possible, you should always test your advertising.
If you jump in and start dumping tons of money in to advertising
without first testing your advertising, you might find yourself
broke and without sales at the end of the road. Most people who
commit this error write off their failure on the home business
they chose or the economy or any of a hundred other excuses.
But, if they are unwilling to take responsibility for their
mistake, they will never learn from their mistake. Don't let
this be you.


LESSON #2

All testing should be done in blocks. If you begin to advertise
simultaneously in newspapers, radio and television, how will you
know which advertising is bringing people to your cash register?
You won't. All you will know that something might be working,
but you will not know what is actually doing the trick.

Even if you tell people in your advertising to tell you how they
found you, my experience shows that fewer than 10% of the people
ever will tell you anything --- and those people who do may not
even get the facts straight! You cannot rely on your customers
to tell you what advertising is working for your home business.
You must put in the extra effort to know for yourself.


LESSON #3

Only when you have a proven and solid advertising portfolio
should you venture to drop big bucks in an advertising campaign.
Even then, you should be careful to keep further measurements to
determine how much the maximum advantage of an ad would be.
Sometimes you might be able to reach ten times as many people,
but depending on the kind of media and other factors, the
additional exposure will only generate twice as many sales. Keep
your eye attuned to situations like this to get the most from
your advertising dollars.


LESSON #4

As Lesson #3 illustrates, sometimes your best advertising
investment may actually cost you less money. When you are first
starting out, whether you are running a home business or a
business outside of your home, you need to be able to get people
talking and thinking about your business.

If you are busy testing ads in media's such as the newspaper,
magazines, radio, and television, you need to learn ways of
promoting your business that do not require large cash
expenditures. A few examples are:

· Word of Mouth
· Business Cards
· Press Releases
· Non-Primetime Ads on Radio and Television

Here is more information about each type of low-cost advertising:

WORD OF MOUTH

This of course is the cheapest kind of advertising on the planet
--- it does not cost you anything. Ask your customers if they
know anyone who could also use your products or services. When
they are happy with your offerings and service, they will be
willing to tell you whom you can contact, and they will pass the
word for you.

BUSINESS CARDS

You can usually pick up 500 business cards for about $20. When
you do, hand them out. Do not give more than a couple of cards
to each person. If they need more cards from you, they will ask.

Some people are known to network with others on a regular basis.
Some of these people are also known to be always looking for an
extra few bucks. With these people, you can suggest to them that
if they write their name on the back of one of your business
cards and the card is presented to you, then you will pay a
referral fee to them. You do not have to offer much ---
sometimes one dollar is enough. Look at your home business and
your offerings and decide how much would be a good referral fee.

PRESS RELEASES

Press Releases are a good source for generating news about your
home business. The business editor at your local newspaper is
always on the lookout for a good business story to fill the
business news section of the newspaper.

Of course, the business editor understands the economics of
running a paper and is more inclined to run your story if you
buy advertising in his/her publication, but will still print
stories for special events and openings.

The important thing to remember about Press Releases is that it
must be constructed in the form of a news story. Even if you are
a sole proprietorship, quotes from you should be written in a
third person format: John Doe said, "Your quote here."

A Press Release should pack the most important information at
the beginning of the copy, and leave extra details towards the
end.

You should always provide the reporter who gets the task a
simple and easy way for him/her to contact you directly. Often
the reporter will want to contact you to get details that will
enhance their take on your story.

To learn more about creating Press Releases, you may check out
Rusty Cawley's site: http://www.PRrainmaker.com/

NON-PRIMETIME ADS ON RADIO AND TELEVISION

Believe it or not, some of the b.est r.ates for radio and
television are on the overnight and non-primetime venues. These
target times are not a total waste as they can easily keep the
infomercial people in business.

These off-hours are just less populated than the primetime hours.

Don't be afraid to check your local radio and television rates
for non-primetime hours to see what bargains may exist. With
television, primetime is 7pm to 10pm. With radio, primetime is
8am to 5pm. This sure leaves a whole lot of hours available to
advertise your home business at discount rates!


IN CONCLUSION

When it comes down to it, there is a lot to understand about
advertising, but when you have the basic knowledge down pat,
everything will fall into place and bring more dollars to your
bank account.

Resource Box:
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I hope you enjoyed today's article!

I'll send you a new article tomorrow entitled:

"Children in the Home Business Environment"

To your success,

Kimberly Flores
http://www.testedtough.com

HR 3283

Permanent Recreation Fee Bill, HR 3283, Passes Resources Committee markup today

HR 3283, which would enact permanent fees for the recreational use of America’s public lands, passed House Resources Committee markup with only one Congressman speaking in dissent this morning. The sole voice of opposition came from Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV), minority chair of the House Resources Committee, and a strong no-fee supporter. He referred to recreation fees as a new tax and supported full tax-dollar funding of our world-class public lands. He also stated that summer visitors to America's public lands would need a certified public accountant to calculate the total of various fees they would incur from a trip, say, around the west.

Authored by Rep. Ralph Regula (R-OH), who created the controversial Recreation Fee Demo Program in the Interior Appropriations subcommittee in 1996,

HR 3283 was amended by Resources Committee Chair Richard Pombo (R-CA) to prohibit the charging of fees simply for parking your car at the side of the road. But it grew from 17 to 42 pages and leaves wide open “basic fees” for trailheads and dispersed camping and “expanded fees” for sites such as car campgrounds and boat launches.

“It is disappointing that western Congressmen and other members of both parties, who have voted before to oppose forest recreation fees, raised not a word of protest against a permanent, multi-agency recreation fee bill,” says Robert Funkhouser, President of the Western Slope No-Fee Coalition.

“Apparently Committee members did not wish to cross Rep. Regula, who will next year chair the House Appropriations Committee, controlling the purse strings of Congress.”

Mr. Regula conspicuously sat in the front row of today's hearing watching
carefully to see who would support him and who would dare to oppose him. He
sat where he did, so that everyone on the Resources Committee could get a
good look at him and so that he could keep an attentive ear upon everything
said by each committee member.

Reports are that not one Committee member raised their voice to vote against the bill.

Fee opponents with Colorado’s Western Slope No Fee Coalition had worked with Resources Committee staff to craft a bill limiting fees to developed sites. But no headway was made against Administration pressure for multiple layers of recreation fees.

Looking ahead, this close to the year’s end, there is insufficient time for the Senate to hold hearings to vote on HR 3283. Earlier in the year, the Senate unanimously passed S. 1107, which makes permanent only Park Service fees, leaving fees for the other public lands agencies to lapse at the end of 2005. This means that Congress will have to revisit this topic early in 2005 and reach a timely compromise between House and Senate recreation fee bills.

According to Funkhouser, “Clearly Congressman Regula, who has no public lands in his district, was able to scare our Representatives, even those in the west, into approving this new tax on public land access. These are One Man’s Lands, Regula’s, not Public Lands. So much for being represented in Washington.”



*The current text of HR 3283 at markup is not available to the public for the next few days.



*The following is the text of Ranking Member Congressman’s Rahall’s comments.



Opening Statement of U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall, II
Ranking Democrat - Resources Committee
H.R. 3283: Recreational Fee Program
September 22, 2004

Mr. Chairman, I commend you and Representative Regula for taking the time
to address the recreational fee demonstration program. Both H.R. 3283 and
the substitute I understand you intend to offer, Mr. Chairman, are serious,
comprehensive attempts to develop a workable program.

However, when these proposals are boiled down, one fact remains:
recreational fees are tax increases. And these increases reach into the
wallet of middle class families who are already being pinched and squeezed
at every opportunity by misguided economic policies.

Sadly, even with recreational fees in place, our system of National Parks
and Public Lands teeters on the verge of bankruptcy. Backlogged maintenance
and visitor needs are ignored as the gap between what the system has, and
what it needs, grows wider.

This Administration and this Congress have cheated our Parks and Public
Lands year after year and the band aid provided by user fees cannot stop the
bleeding. The bill before us is an attempt to remedy this failure by
applying an even larger band aid to a fractured budget policy, and I do not
need a medical degree to know that approach will fail.

Before this hemorrhaging permanently stains our natural resources heritage,
we should reexamine our priorities and begin to provide the funding needed
to support a world class system of National Parks and Public Lands without
resorting to an unjust and unjustified tax increase on our citizens.

During my years of service on the Transportation Committee, I have refused
to support charging tolls on our Interstate Highways. That is what people
pay gas taxes at the pump for, to build and maintain highways. Tolling is
double taxation. In my view, the recreational fee program is no different.

Since 1996, we have been conducting what was supposed to be a brief
experiment to determine whether a recreational fee program is feasible. And
what have we seen in this experiment gone awry - visitors are frustrated,
confused and angered over being charged to use resources they already own.

Reading this legislation is just like reading the tax code: five agencies,
four different types of fees, twenty different classes of exemptions, three
different types of passes, and more than 50 resource councils to help sort
it all out.

When the average American family sits down to plan their summer vacation to
the National Parks, in addition to their maps and guidebooks, they will need
a CPA and a loan officer to determine what they will owe in fees.

As it stands, it costs the average American more to spend a day in many of
our National Parks than it costs a mining company to pick up several acres
of federal land under the Mining Law of 1872. That is just flat wrong.

Mr. Chairman, both the underlying bill and your substitute authorize the
expenditure of fee revenues to enhance things like visitor enjoyment,
habitat restoration, hunting, fishing and visitor health and safety on
public lands. To me that sounds like the job of this Committee, this
Congress and this Administration, not the seniors, parents and kids who
visit our public lands.

Thank you Mr. Chairman.

_______________________________________________________________
Contact information for Western Slope No Fee Coalition:

Robert Funkhouser, President (802) 867-2298 rfunk9999@earthlink.net

Box 403

Norwood, Colorado 81423

On a mission...

Wanting to do the right thing to my fellow earth-dwellers, I am seeking out ethical and fair ways of helping them is some small way.
Strictly adhering to the "do unto others as you would have them do to you" and 'do good when it is in your power to do so' line of thinking.

Having said that, I have come across some affiliate programs that offer the average joe an even break. They are listed in the previous post.
It wouldn't hurt me a bit if someone were to visit the site an say 'not for me' but it would if they never went at all.

Did I mention I have a small ranch to maintain? I took in 3 PMU's and 2 mustangs this year in addition to my other 4 horses. I need to go feed them right now. There's hay for 3 more weeks, then I don't know.

I'll keep you posted.

I am also interested in helping distressed homeowners who are in a bind financially.
I work closely with an investor who funds the projects. Forward this info to those you think may need some help, or better, send me the homeowners name and info privately and I will contact them to see if there is anything I can help with.

-Kim

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Is a Home Business Right For You?Copyright © 2003, Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guyhttp://www.pluginprofitsite.com/main-5401
Every morning as people wake up and make the commute to work,many dream of the day when they will finally work for themselves. Every time the boss lets someone know that they must give up their weekend plans for the good of the company, peoplecontemplate the benefits of being the owner of their own business.
Are you one of these people?
If you are, it is important to ask yourself some very importantquestions before you make the uncertain leap into self-employment.
Many dream of the benefits of home business ownership, but few take into account the sacrifices that must be made to bring the dream to fruition. Please don't make this mistake yourself.
You must approach home business ownership with your eyes wide open. Ask yourself the important questions, and more importantly, answer your own questions openly and honestly.
AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION
Are you the type of person who relishes every chance to gather around the water cooler for social interaction?
If so, then home business ownership may not be the right decision for you.
Instead, if you feel that you can be quite content sitting alone at your desk; speaking only to clients and really minding yourown home business, then you might have what it takes to succeed as a home business entrepreneur.
If you feel at ease with your own company and don't need a dozen coworkers milling around your desk, then you, too, could savor the freedoms that will allow you and your family, to live thelifestyle you know you want and deserve.
THE KEY TO HOME BUSINESS SUCCESS
Self-motivation is the key to success when you start a home-based business. You need to possess the ability to push yourself ahead. Your drive and determination will be reinforced with every new sale.
The level of success that you will achieve greatly depends on the time and effort you are willing to plow into your new home business. Your organization, planning and marketing skills, will all be put into practice when you embark on your liberating journey from employee, to being your own boss. In fact, you will be the wearer of many hats and gain a wealth of busines sexperience along the way, when you finally make that commitment to work at home.
YOUR SUCCESS RESTS ENTIRELY UPON YOUR OWN SHOULDERS
You will now be the boss. Are you truly able to work independently? Do you have the drive; the tenacity, to persevere with your home based business? Will you be able to invest the necessary time to nurture it, to watch it grow and see it through, from germination to full, glorious bloom? When you're the boss, you are responsible for the success of your home business, from A to Z, from disappointments to victory.
When you work at home, it will empower you to achieve many things you were unable to do when you were stuck working for that tyrant boss. Remember him? He's the guy that wouldn't letyou take time off when your baby was sick...the same guy that called you in to work on Thanksgiving Day.
A home business means that you can take good care of your family and make money from home, simultaneously. You will have the best of both worlds! Just think--no more dirty laundry piling up--you can do it while you work. No more scurrying around at the last minute searching for a babysitter either. And no more worrying about getting fired; you'll be the boss!
IN CONCLUSION...
Stay positive and focused on your home based business, even if,when sales aren't up to par, you get occasional negative remarks or derogatory comments from people with stuffy, dead-end jobs.Ignore their cutting words and bear in mind that success is the best revenge! Keep your admirable, positive attitude at the forefront and show them what you're made of!
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It's a beautiful day.

I went to work at 4 am.
Got home at 1:30 and it is so hot and windy, I won't be able to go ride until later.
Then I'll have to get dinner going! Wah!
I'l go take a nap, that always works.

Simple Things

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1 Corinthians 1:25



Have you ever wished you could do a miracle for friends or family members who weren't believers? You think, "If this happened, then they would believe." We think we need something dramatic or earthshaking. But so many times, God works in simple ways to reach people.

For example, I read about a hardened atheist who had a young daughter. He didn't want her to believe in God. So one day, he wrote down the words "God is nowhere" on a piece of paper and told his little girl to read them aloud. She picked up the piece of paper. She was just learning to read, so she sounded out her words and said, "God is . . . let's see, N-O W-H-E-R-E. Oh, I understand, Daddy. God is now here." The atheist was so touched by that simple little event that he became a believer in Jesus Christ.

I'm reminded of a couple that attended one of our Harvest Crusades in Southern California. As they were walking down the street, they spotted a crumpled but colorful piece of paper on the ground. When they picked it up and smoothed it out, they discovered a Harvest Crusade flyer. They read it, and then prayed and received Christ. They also went to the crusade and walked forward at the invitation. What a simple thing God used: a little crumpled flyer that contained a gospel message.

So often we think we need something dramatic to reach nonbelievers. We need the greatest argument to reach them. And so often, God does His work in unexpected ways. God can use such simple things and speak in such simple ways. You just never know.