North Texas got coated with a little dust today, and it wasn't pollen. Yes, after several hours of sleet we now are getting a little SNOW!!!

You know what this means: It's time to get STUPID on the roads! That's right, drive 85 MPH until you reach the edge of the frozen bridge, then slam your brakes and simulate the Tilt-a-whirl in your Ford Excursion.

... In other news, Dallas police reported they have arrested several suspects for cocaine possession with intent to distribute after discovering the white powder on the roofs of various cars downtown. All of the arrests were corroborated by a paid informant.

Last night, just for kicks, I tallied up the number of votes for Democrats, Republicans, and Others in Denton County's contested races for 2006.

I figured up the percentages of votes for each party and worked up color ratios for each:

• Republican: 67.8% (Red)
• Democratic: 22.4% (Blue)
• Other: 9.6% (Green)

So, I just wanted you to know that Denton County is NOT RED, it's more like a burgandy.

* Note that number don't add exactly to 100% due to rounding

With North Korea now a nuclear power, we’re once again on the path to a dangerously unstable period of nuclear tension. One wonders how things can get better for the Korean Peninsula given Kim Jong-Il’s defiance in the face of intense international pressure. The situation is all the more desperate given the nation's widespread poverty and malnutrition, verging on starvation. With UN sanctions, forced reduction in already anemic trade and reduced food-aide, it's seems that North Korea must soon make a choice: continue to defy the international community with aggression and ultimately, war, or make a real commitment to peace and international cooperation.

There's a lot at stake for North Korea, but also for the rest of the world. Aside from the obvious threat of nuclear war, a defiant North Korea could potentially lead to an arms race, causing Japan and perhaps South Korea and Taiwan to pull out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Given Iran's ambition for Nuclear Weapons, there would be little we could do to stop the domino effect of Asian and Middle-Eastern nations following suit.

As much as we may want to view North Korea simply as a pest, held in check by the threat of military force, the situation is much more complex and demands subtlety and diplomacy. While China may no longer be considered an ally of North Korea, they are vitally concerned with the region and are unlikely to tolerate the sort of unilateral military action in North Korea as occurred in Iraq. And even supposing we did have the full support of China, successfully invaded, and deposed the current government, what would happen to North Korea afterwards? Would China support a reunification of Korea under the South's Republic? That doesn't seem likely, nor would the United States allow a Communist South Korea. Given the gravity of national interests at stake, and the severe consequences of diplomatic failure (the most extreme being a war with China), it seems vital to US National Security to involve China as much as possible with any actions or negotiations that occur between the US and North Korea, giving the country as much a stake in a successful outcome as possible.

Military force against North Korea, even if backed by every nation in the UN, would not be easy. With the fifth largest military force in the world, North Korea is a nation built for war, and on its current course will soon have the capability to deliver a nuclear warhead to its neighbors, if it doesn't already. The US is not immune. Even without the missile capabilities, one can easily imagine smuggling a nuclear device through China and on to the US without much difficulty. Unless North Korea takes serious measures to back down, the problem will continue to get worse as stockpiles of fissile material grow.

It's ironic that all the reasons given for going to war with Iraq seem to be much more substantial and much more substantiated in North Korea, but with North Korea, we simply can't ignore the important question that was largely ignored with the Iraq War: What is it going to cost us, not only in economic terms, but in terms of lost lives and international credibility?

We don't want to go to war with North Korea, but we also have to take a tough stand. We can't afford to make concessions and have empty negotiations while Kim Jong-Il continues to build a nuclear arsenal. North Korea is a nation with its back against the wall and little to lose. We have to do our best to provide a roadmap out of the economic and humanitarian crisis. And, as distasteful as it may seem to some, the United States government has to show respect to Kim Jong-Il and the nation of North Korea. George Bush cannot continue to refer to the nation as part of an 'Axis of Evil', nor can he publicly crack jokes about the short stature of Kim Jong-Il. The North Koreans may surrender their nuclear weapons programs, or they may not, but they aren’t going to surrender their pride. That’s what ‘diplomacy’ is all about, after all.

Readers, I am proud to be able to present you with this exclusive post-debate interview with the senior Republican Senator from Texas, Kay Bailey Hutchison, on the night after her debate with Democrat Barbara Ann Radnofsky and Libertarian Scott Jameson.

WhosPlayin: Kay, thank you for taking the time to talk with us. I know you have a very busy schedule.

Kay: Oh, I just want to thank you and thank the citizens of the Great State of Texas for allowing me the opportunity represent you in the Senate. I will not cut and run.

WhosPlayin:OK, well I saw your debate last night, and I wanted to get your comments on a few things…

Kay: You saw it? Really?

WhosPlayin: Yes, it was on C-Span, so I watched it from my hotel room in New York.

Kay: But it was at 9pm central - 10 eastern. I was sort of hoping there wouldn't be much of an audience. To tell you the truth, the Radnofsky camp tricked me. I agreed to a debate at 10pm eastern, but since I live in Virginia now, I forgot that Texas was on central time. I didn't really want to debate, but they goaded me into it. I figured that late nobody would watch.

WhosPlayin: But Ms. Hutchison, with all respect, politicians are camera whores. If a camera is rolling, you're going to be there to say something in it.

Kay: Well, that's different. I don't think I should Cut and Run whenever there's a camera. The people need to know that I stand behind President Bush's policies and will continue to do my best to provide the much needed tax relief to the folks that move our economy in this nation.

WhosPlayin: Exactly who do you mean when you speak of the "folks moving our economy"?

Kay: It's all about small business. We're providing tax relief to small businesses, and it's growing the economy. Just yesterday the Dow closed at an all-time high of 12,000. The economy is doing great under the President's tax policy.

WhosPlayin: Kay, as I'm sure you know, the Dow Jones Industrial Average doesn't exactly consist of small businesses. Your proposed estate tax repeal would have benefited only those with $5 million or more in their estates.

Kay: Exactly - these farmers and small business owners that only have $5 million pay a very high death tax. Their families often have to pay attorneys to move their money to Bermuda to avoid the taxes.

WhosPlayin: But I don't know of ANY small businesses or farmers - especially these days - who have assets worth that much.

Kay: Oh honey, you're just not associating yourself with the right crowd. Almost everyone I know has an estate of $5 million or more - well except for some of those hooligans over in the House, but they're all working on it.

WhosPlayin: You just don't seem to be in touch with the average Texan, Kay. You talk about "tax relief" and economic growth, but most of us are not seeing it. You seem to care more about the ultra-wealthy than your average Texas constituent. Whatever tax cut I may have gotten, I've paid it back twice in the form of higher gasoline prices and drug costs.

Kay: Now, that's just not true. One of my staffers pulled your records and we see that you didn't get a tax cut. You paid more this last year than in 2004. If you were any kind of journalist you would have researched that. As to my ultra-wealthy friends, I'm not going to cut and run from my goal of eliminating taxes.

WhosPlayin: That's another thing, Kay. I noticed last night you said the words "Cut and Run" about 300 times, and that you were the only one in the room using those words. As per the stipulations of your pre-debate agreement with Ms. Radnofsky, I believe you said you would limit yourself to using those words only 200 times. You know that the term is disingenuous and misleading rhetoric.

Kay: That's a good question, and I'm glad that you asked me that. You deserve an answer. I believed in rhetorical limits before I agreed to the debate, and I still believe in rhetorical limits. But when I got into the debate I realized that it puts Republicans at a disadvantage if other candidates are allowed to attack my voting record, and I'm not allowed to say "Cut and Run". These cut-and-runners can take advantage of the fact that I've made hundreds and hundreds of votes, and they try to use these votes to say that I was for something that they dislike, or I was against something they favor. So that's why I labeled Ms. Radnomsky (sic) a cut-and-runner.

WhosPlayin: I believe you're talking about Barbara Ann Radnofsky - your challenger.

Kay: What did I say:

WhosPlayin: You said Ms. Radnomsky. Maybe it would be easier to just say "Barbara Ann".

Kay: You know, did I mention that Barbaran is a cut-and-runner? I won't cut and run. I believe we should support our troops.

WhosPlayin: Yes, you've made that quite clear. And as far as supporting the troops, I can tell by the yellow ribbon magnet stuck on your breast there. By the way, do you mind pulling your lapel together just a little bit?

Kay: Whoops! Sorry about that. I've lost so much weight lately that my clothes are just about to slip off of me.

WhosPlayin: Just about. But what fascinates me is how that magnet sticks!

Kay: Oh, well, about 10 years ago I had my heart replaced with a stainless steel pump.

WhosPlayin: You're kidding! I don't remember you being sick.

Kay: Oh no, I wasn't sick. I just had the money, and I decided to "treat myself" with the finest quality Rolex-brand Cardiac Pump. Lots of us have them now. I got my surgeon to do Dick Cheney's pump several years ago.

WhosPlayin: I'm at a total loss for words.

Kay: If there's one lesson that I think we all should learn from 9/11, it's that there are bad people out there who want us to have a total loss. When we cut and run, we send them the message that they can make us cut and run.

WhosPlayin: OK, you want to talk about Iraq. Tell me honestly, when are we going to get our troops out?

Kay: I've been to Iraq, and visited with some of our troops. I've bent over backward to support our troops. These young men - these strapping handsome young men in uniform. I got to spend some intimate time with a good number of them. I could tell they were excited to be there. A few of them told me some of their stories, but I found some of them hard to swallow. I can tell you from personal experience that our troops don't want to pull out. They want to see this thing all the way through to the climax.

When I was in Iraq, it was a very peaceful place. They have electricity. They have bottled water everywhere you go. The streets are amazingly empty, and there is a lot of security. The meals were like feasts, and I didn't see anyone explode - from a bomb or anything like that.

I got a lot of the soldiers to show me their guns. As you know, I'm a big gun lover. Some of them even shot them off for me. While I was there, the Marines took me for some recreational activities. I'll bet you didn't know that Iraq has good hunting. It's true.

WhosPlayin: You … oh my god, you went "hunting" with the Marines? What on earth for? Camels?

Kay: Goodness, no - though I did hear some of the Marines saying things like "Check out that Camel-toe" I think they must see a lot of camels there, because they talked about it a lot. In fact, we went bird hunting. As it turns out, Iraq has an indigenous species of flightless bird called the "Snipe". They only come out at night, and they run along the ditches by the side of the roads. You don't shoot them. You gather them in a bag. One person holds the bag, and the other runs along the ditch and chase the birds into the bag.

WhosPlayin: Ha! You don't say! So, did you catch any "Snipes" Ms. Hutchison?

Kay: Well, no, we didn't. But it was a fun experience. I thought the Marines were going to let me just hold their sacks, but instead, they were real gentlemen. They went out with the bags and let me run along and chase the Snipes. They were so patient. I must have run up and down these roads at night for about 4 hours. I could tell that they were so disappointed that I didn't catch any, but they were so patient. They even lent me a spotlight to help flush them out, but I guess all the snipes just weren't out that night.

WhosPlayin: It sounds like the Marines had a lot of fun with you.

Kay: That's just my personality. My colleagues in the Senate seem to always be having fun when I'm around. That's part of what I love about my job. People think the Senate is stuffy and serious all the time, but it's really not. Everywhere I go, people are laughing.

WhosPlayin: Weren't you worried for your own safety in Iraq? I mean, with the road-side bombs and such. You could have been killed.

Kay: No, absolutely not. Iraq is quite safe, they assure me. We had a whole platoon of Marines, and some of them had huge guns. Plus, I traveled there with this other guy - a plebe from the House. He's a doctor, I think from Texas. Mike Burger, or something like that? Anyhow, we were quite safe.

WhosPlayin: Are you saying Michael Burgess went with you?

Kay: Yes, that's his name! He's a nice guy - a little stiff, but he went with us on our hunting trip.

WhosPlayin: Interesting. What was that like?

Kay: Well, it was weird. He insisted on wearing a helmet and one of those "frak" coats all the time - even in the hotel. And he would fall down on the floor every time a car backfired.

WhosPlayin: Were there lots of cars backfiring there?

Kay: Oh, goodness yes. Those Iraqis have the worst cars. I'm going to see about getting Halliburton to send them some mechanics. Like every couple of hours, we'd hear a big boom, and someone would say "sounds like another car went off". I must say though that I'm quite impressed with the Iraqi police. Nearly every time these cars would backfire, you could hear sirens. I think the police were very serious about getting these old junker cars off the roads.

There was one day when we drove through the city, and I was just so impressed with how considerate our troops were. Whenever you'd see a car broken down by the side of the road, the whole convoy would stop, and they would send this one African American guy over to see if he could help them. He must have been the mechanic. I tried to find him later at the base so that I could commend him for being so polite, but everyone kept telling me he was "in Parts". Such a dedicated young man to be trying to find car parts when everyone else was relaxing in their barracks.

WhosPlayin: But Kay, the way you describe it, it sounds like Iraq is not that bad. All of the news commentators and quite a few generals have said there is a civil war going on over there. Your own party claims the occupation of Iraq to be a "War on Terror", and the US troop and civilian death tolls, continue to rise. With the rosy picture you paint of Iraq, it sounds like we could just bring our troops home.

Kay: That would be cutting and running, and I won't cut and run. I support the president. We won't leave until the job is done.

WhosPlayin: So what is the job that needs to be done.

Kay: Good jobs are so important. That's why I'm doing my best to provide tax relief to small businesses worth over $5 million dollars, whose owners die. We must not let them die in vain.

WhosPlayin: Kay, I didn't ask about "jobs". I asked about the job that needs to be done in Iraq. What is the mission that you want to complete? You said in last night's debate that you would have voted against the war if you had known there were no WMDs in Iraq. So what is the specific criteria that you would have us meet in Iraq to consider the mission done.

Kay: Missions work is so important. These people are overwhelmingly non-Christian, and they speak Muslim. When we can get them to be good English-speaking Christians, who will have Democracy and spread the ideas of relocating the Dome on the Rock, so that Israel can rebuild the temple, then we can consider our job done.

WhosPlayin: Are you saying we're in this as a religious thing? Surely you're not serious about converting Iraqis to Christianity are you?

Kay: No, that is wrong. I would like to set the record straight. I never said our mission was to get them to be good English-speaking Christians who believe that the King James Bible is the infallible word of God. Rather, it was the Moslem cervix who declared a Jihad on us. They want to spread their pagan moslemism with terror. But we're not going to cut and run from this fight. We'll take the fight to them. It's better to fight Moslems on their own sand.

WhosPlayin: I don't think I can take any more of this talk about Iraq. Lets change the subject, shall we?

Kay: Certainly. There are other issues of great importance, such as flag burning, gay marriage, and Mexicans…

WhosPlayin: Wait, I wanted to talk about raising the minimum wage… but, ok - talk about Mexicans.

Kay: I was just telling some border county sheriffs recently that I think it's a travesty that the Federal government would decide from Washington where the best locations for a border fence would be. These sheriffs know much more about how to catch illegals.

WhosPlayin: Didn't you actually vote for the border fence bill?

Kay: Of course I did, but I stand firmly that the protection of our borders should be the responsibility of the sheriffs. They should be able to put the fence up, but only in certain areas. There needs to be plenty of gaps in the fence, so that for instance illegal Mexicans here can self-deport. Or if someone loses a ball or a Frisbee, they can just run around and get it.

WhosPlayin: I don't understand what you're talking about. I mean, immigration and border security is a function of the federal government, am I right? Why don't you use your position as a senior Senator to bring home some dollars to Texas for Homeland Security. We really need to hire more professional Border Patrol to secure our borders instead of using our state's National Guard.

Kay: Well, that depends. If my dear friend Kinky Friedman wins, then all we have to do is pay off some Mexican generals, and they'll keep all of their illegals over there.

WhosPlayin: You're voting for Kinky? I thought you would vote for Rick Perry… What gives?

Kay: Perry's a real a-hole, and he creeps me out. And my personality just really conflicts with Carole Three-name Strayhorn. She's a flip flopper.

WhosPlayin: OK, thanks for coming by. You're making my brain hurt.

Kay: I want to thank you for having me, and if your brain keeps hurting, give my office a call and I'll hook you up with my surgeon. They have a new SCO-Unix artificial brain unit that's titanium plated. John McCain just got one, and he's getting used to it.

WhosPlayin: Alrighty then… Have a nice trip back to Virginia.

Kay: Thanks. And don't cut and run! John Cornyn does that a lot because he's lactose intolerant. It's really rude - and he laughs whenever he does it, and I've got so much bo-tox I can't even make a face when he floats one of his notorious air biscuits

Dear readers, I must apologize for this horrendous pile of crap. It's more along the lines of something MexicoBob would write. As I write, I'm sitting in LaGuardia Airport, bored stiff. Hope you got at least a chuckle. I think I'm going to go get a beer now.

I found myself in the quaint west Texas town of Marathon this weekend for the 4th annual Marathon-2-Marathon, a certified 26.2 mile footrace from Alpine to Marathon. The entire race is run along the shoulder of US Highway 90, a lonely stretch of road that runs through the low brushy hills that separate the two towns. A typical big-city marathon may have well over ten thousand runners, but this one had fewer than a hundred, including me and my friend Curt. Also along for the ride was my dad, who has run around 25 marathons, most of them a heck of a lot faster than what I’ve run! My dad didn’t run the whole marathon, but put in a few miles with me along the way and provided much needed moral support as our unofficial crew chief.

The marathon itself was pretty tough, but I’m glad to say I came away with a new personal record and a great sense of accomplishment. The night before the marathon was an especially high point of the trip because I had the opportunity to meet George Mendes. George is riding his bike across America to raise money for the Lance Armstrong foundation. His father was diagnosed with cancer and so he decided to ride his heavy-duty touring bike, and a trailer packed heavy with gear across the continent in dedication to his father and others who have battled cancer. He’d been riding for 35 days, starting from St. Augustine, FL and heading all the way to San Francisco. He averages over 50 miles per day, which is no small task on the touring equipment he uses. It certainly made my marathon effort seem small in comparison!

I asked him if his trip was lonely, as I had assumed it must be. Instead, he told me that he’s been welcomed just about everywhere he goes. People at the small towns he goes through invite him into their homes or offer him free meals. People stop him on the road and donate. It’s just one of those great stories that you rarely seem to hear that renews one’s faith in humanity. He’s got some great stories to tell, and he’s keeping a blog of his experiences, which you can find here: http://360.yahoo.com/george.mendes@sbcglobal.net

So far, George has raised almost $18,000. If you’re feeling generous, you can add to this tally at: http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots/tourdeisidro

Peace out!
-ZachAttack

Last year, there was an article here about "Dime Store Patriots"... This video does a better job lampooning these people:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmsOIjzQ1V8

Q: Hey, what's the difference between librarians and Republican Congressmen?

A: Librarians don't like their pages bent over!


What a knee slapper! Rep. Foley, the pedophile - protected by Bohner and Hastert, who have known about this for 6 months...

Check out Gonzo Muckraker for more details.

James Madison on War

An Excerpt from "Political Observations"
April 20, 1795

Of all the enemies of true liberty, war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other.

War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.

In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honors and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force, of the people.

The same malignant aspect in republicanism may be traced in the inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war, and in the degeneracy of manner and of morals, engendered in both.

No nation can preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.

War is in fact the true nurse of executive aggrandizement. In war, a physical force is to be created; and it is the executive will, which is to direct it.

In war, the public treasuries are to be unlocked; and it is the executive hand which is to dispense them.

In war, the honors and emoluments of office are to be multiplied; and it is the executive patronage under which they are to be enjoyed; and it is the executive brow they are to encircle.

The strongest passions and most dangerous weaknesses of the human breast; ambition, avarice, vanity, the honorable or venal love of fame, are all in conspiracy against the desire and duty of peace.

--James Madison, from "Political Observations," April 20, 1795 in Letters and Other Writings of James Madison , Volume IV, page 491.

_______________________________

"Perhaps it is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad."
-- James Madison, writing to Thomas Jefferson, May 13, 1798

"It is not too much to expect that our children will enjoy in their homes electrical energy too cheap to meter…” said Lewis L. Strauss in a speech to the National Association of Science Writers in 1954. Though he wasn’t specifically speaking about Nuclear energy, its proponents throughout the years have echoed that “too cheap to meter” phrase.

Since 1905 when Albert Einstein’s famous equation “E=MC²” related matter to energy as interchangeable and showed that 1 gram of matter has within it the capacity to convert into 25 million kilowatt Hours, mankind has tried to harness this conversion for basically "free" energy. To put those numbers in perspective, 1 gram is about the weight of a paper clip. 25 million kilowatt hours is roughly enough to power 10,000 households in Texas for the month of August.

It sure would be nice if there were a device where we could simply deposit a paperclip once a month and power the grid for a small community – essentially free. Especially if you steal paperclips from the office supply cabinet…

Speaker Barnwell to Retire after 15 Terms

After 30 years of service in the U.S. House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, Rep. Tim Barnwell (D TX-26) has announced that he will not seek re-election in '38. Barnwell made the announcement yesterday, from a press conference on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, which had often been one of his favorite places of meditation and reflection over the years. Making the announcement, he stood flanked by his wife Beverly, and Senator Gary Page (D TX), a long-time friend.

"We've taken this country very far over the past 30 years. They said we couldn't do it, but we've accomplished great wealth, prosperity, and security for almost all Americans" said Barnwell.

President Chelsea Clinton was on-hand to congratulate and thank Speaker Barnwell: "Tim's ability to kick out the lobbyists and get Members of Congress to listen to their constituents and each other over the years has led to great public policy that my Father would only have dreamed of. The past 5 years of my presidency have not always been easy. Under Tim's leadership, the oversight of the executive branch has been tough, but always fair."

Former President and fellow Texan, Barbara Ann Radnofsky also attended the press conference. First elected to the Senate in the same year as Tim Barnwell was elected to Congress, they quickly formed an alliance that has lasted for years. "In my years in the Senate, and later as President, Tim has always provided sound advice, remarkable leadership, and a dedication to public service that will always be admired." said President Radnofsky. Vice President, David Van Os spoke well of Barnwell's "For the People First" policy initiative which Van Os and he worked on for several years.

Former President George W. Bush, when reached for comment in his Guantanamo Bay prison cell spoke well of Speaker Barnwell, thanking him for his role in convincing President Radnofsky to commute his sentence to life in prison. Said Bush: "[Barnwell] is a good guy. He's a representative who has... uh he representates Texans good. I have a lot of time now you know, to - uh, study the Bible from my cell, and I can now tell you that... well the policies that he and the Democrats put in - that they did after my impeachment were, uh, well they exemplification-ize the true teachings of Jesus. I was wrong, and they were … not."

Barnwell's career has been marked by a series of challenges and achievements. First elected in 2006, with only a fraction of the bankroll of his opponent, as part of the '06 Democratic Landslide, he found his freshman term a challenge. True to his word, he hung a sign above his desk in his Washington office reading "NOT FOR SALE". He fought with House leadership and office management to get his "No Entry Fee Required" sign posted above his office door. Perhaps the most memorable fight of the year was the one that gained him notoriety when he punched out one lobbyist representing ExxonMobil and sent another one running after literally kicking his rear with his trademark Texas boots. The incident got lots of press, but the lobbyists refused to press charges. "The pieces of that ripped up $2,000 check are still framed and hang underneath my 'NOT FOR SALE' sign" quipped Barnwell in an interview with Larry King several years later.

In 2008, he was only narrowly re-elected in a tightly contested race against the former incumbent in his district, Michael Burgess. Pundits had widely predicted that Barnwell would lose his race due to lack of fundraising, but donations poured in from citizens, energized by Barnwell's "butt-kicking" on Capitol Hill. Barnwell won that year with only a 1% margin, but he's steadily increased his favorability ratings over the years to the current 85% that he now enjoys.

Starting his career in the Energy and Commerce committee, taking the seat of his predecessor, Barnwell sponsored or co-sponsored hundreds of successful bills, but was instrumental in several of the more memorable pieces of legislation:

• The War Powers Reform Act of 2007 re-asserted Congress' exclusive power to declare war, clarifying that the President, as commander-in-chief may NOT engage in pre-emptive acts of war against any nation. This act, followed by the Presidential Signing Statements Prohibition Act was instrumental in averting a catastrophic war with Iran - which has been a stable and democratic ally in the region since the 2012 treaty with Israel.
• The Medicare Reform Act of 2008 re-worked the now-infamous provisions of the Medicare Part D prescription coverage plan. Previously the plan had the government subsidizing private health insurance companies in a scheme that only provided partial coverage and left many seniors with huge drug bills in the summer and fall, largely benefiting the drug companies. This act provided for a single set of negotiations between the U.S. Government and the pharmaceutical companies each year. The second part of the bill increased to fair market levels the reimbursement of physicians for providing care, and guaranteed electronic deposit within 1 week of treatment.
• The Government Ethics Matter Act of 2009 or GEM as it's now called introduced an overhaul of ethical rules for all public servants at any level of government. It banned the individual ownership of any stock or business interest which would possibly come under the jurisdiction of the government body to which the public servant was elected. It established the quasi-governmental agency FEMT - Federal Employees Mutual Trust, which manages in blind trust the assets of Members of Congress in mutual funds invested solely in U.S. stocks and bonds. It also required that a Member abstain from voting on any issue affecting any corporation for which the Member had worked or owned an interest in for the past 5 years. It also banned Congressmen and their staffs from taking lobbying jobs for a period of 5 years after their service has ended. Members of Congress were also banned from working for any Corporation or concern that had directly or indirectly contributed over $5000 to his or her campaign in the past 5 years.
• The Public Campaign Finance Act of 2010 is largely credited with returning the Congress and the Presidency back to the people, having completely banned corporations from contributing any amount of money whatsoever to political action committees or candidates for any Federal, State or Local office, as well as ballot initiatives. This act defined the current system, whereby candidates receive allocations of Federal money for their campaigns if they decline contributions from individuals over a certain limit.
• The New American Energy Policy Act of 2013 marked the beginning of a boom in the American economy. Setting new standards that have nearly replaced all of the coal-fired power-plants, the law used a combination of taxes and incentives to leverage new technology in cutting the U.S. need for energy from fossil fuels. From mandatory LED lighting, to government funded wind farms and solar fields, it encouraged new sources of renewable energy, but more importantly, it focused on conservation, cutting the average American's carbon footprint by nearly 80%. The act was a model for the new Democratic China's recent energy reform laws.
• The Single-Payer Healthcare Act of 2015 was perhaps the most remarkable achievement - parlaying the success of earlier reforms in the Medicare, VA, and Medicaid programs into a compromise with Republicans that now provides health-care for the majority of Americans. "Resistance from the insurance industry was strong, and Republicans wouldn't allow the plan to pass without including them, so we made the plan opt-in." said Barnwell. Within several years, most insurance companies had stopped offering the old fashioned and expensive group health insurance, and either shifted into other markets, or in some cases sold supplemental policies to wealthy clients preferring to use exclusive providers who opted out of the single-payer plan. With the burden of healthcare insurance lifted from most American companies, they became more competitive, starting a new wave of dominance in the international markets for American manufacturers, who have hired millions more employees.
• The Pay as you Go Act of 2016 set a federal debt ceiling of $1 Trillion and a yearly deficit cap of $200 Billion, except in cases of declared war. Though the national debt has dropped from $8.5 Trillion when Barnwell was elected to its current level of only $500 Billion, due in large part to the budget surpluses brought on by the booming economy that was kickstarted by the Energy Policy Act of 2013.

Texans have benefited well during his tenure. With the coordination of then Senator Barbara Ann Radnofsky, Barnwell and other Democrats joined with other members of the Texas caucus in working to bring back Texas Federal tax dollars to spend on Texas roads and education. Texas now brings in as much Federal spending as the tax dollars sent in. Barnwell has been very stubborn over the years about stopping pork-barrel spending, on occasion using parliamentary procedures to stop earmarks inserted even by his Texas colleagues. Widely known as a fiscal conservative, Barnwell's philosophy on spending has been that every project be "the best use of our common wealth at this moment, which will have the most positive impact for the most Americans".

Texas Governor John McLeod congratulated Barnwell on his retirement from Austin via videophone and promised to throw Barnwell a "big ol' barbecue" the next time he comes home to his district.