Leaders Never Follow Polls…

If there were polls in the days of our founding we would have never had the blessings of liberty we take for granted today. Mike Huckabee on his radio show last night criticized the Tea Party Republicans because there was no way to “win” the defund Obamacare movement, so it was foolish to stand up against the law. He and many other conservative talk hosts have been crowing about the polls. The polls are not in support of shutting down the government to stop Obamacare, and the shutdown will hurt future elections! Polls are just snapshots of opinions at that time. They do not reflect changing circumstances because everything is fluid. And leaders change circumstances.

Thank God our founders were leaders and not the sheep we see today. Most people don’t realize that the movement for our independence back in 1775 and 1776 was a minority movement. Most colonists were either supportive of the King, looking for a resolution that would keep the colonies part of Britain, and just a few visionaries could see the centralized authority of a King was an abuse of natural law. If a poll were taken at the time of our founders declaring independence - it would be at best 30% support. That means 70% of the country was eventually led to victory.

All throughout the revolutionary war, George Washington was outnumbered, fighting for support and supplies, and in many instances, at the breaking point of defeat. If the talk show hosts were around then, they would have been treating George Washington the same way they are treating Senators Cruz, Lee, and Paul. They would be spreading the criticism that we should wait until we can win. George should surrender since there was no way to win. They would be suggesting we must wait until we can convince enough people that the revolution is a good idea. “Just look at all the cannons and bullets they have” and we “have no hope!” These people are a bunch of comfortable talking heads that don’t understand that this country is in real trouble.

A true leader takes the risk of taking the first step in the battle. This is a battle that CAN be won. Any leader knows if they can get the truth in front of the people, the polls will follow. So will the talk show hosts.

We are spiraling into debt, we have a President that is incompetent at best, and we have democrats in the senate that are left wing radicals and must be repelled and defeated. We have middle of the road republicans that are the new Gentry class and are too comfortable in being useless at governing but too incompetent to make it in the private sector.

Our founders were brilliant leaders, strategic geniuses, but most importantly they were men of character. They were willing to risk everything that was precious to them for the sacrifice of a better future for their posterity. Our “leaders’ today borrow like thieves in the night from our future generations. It is time for every patriotic American to lead; the polls will follow...

Today’s Legislators Vs. The Founders

Words mean things. That was true in the days of our founding but does it still apply to today’s legislators? The latest legislation being pushed by congress is “Immigration Reform” at a mere 1000 pages. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) exceeded 2500 pages (379,894 words) of details that fundamentally transform every aspect of private sector healthcare. The US Constitution was a mere 4543 WORDS. The founders created the greatest framework for the most successful Constitutional Republic in a brilliantly judicious use of words. “Less is more” comes to mind.

The founders spent much of their effort on the use of words, placement of commas, and deliberate phrases to ensure the proper intent to develop our governing document. They did have to add the Bill of Rights but even after adding those words (1436) we have a whopping total of 5979 words as guidelines to run our entire federal government.

The founders knew the most effective government was a limited government as close to the people as possible. That is why they were so adamant about keeping the central government in check. They knew from their study of history that governments were prone to grow and limit freedom of the people being governed. They turned that accepted paradigm on its head by placing the individual at the center of power.

Today we have a federal government completely out of control. Legislators spend their time figuring our legislation that they profess to be helpful but truly steal our liberties. Every word our federal legislators write is in one way or another is an infringement of someone’s liberties. Smoking, drinking, licensing, regulation after regulation about everything from work rules to exhaust to gas mileage is beyond the scope our Constitution but has been accepted by the people as an accepted function of the central government. The argument is not whether we should pollute less or not drink when we drive, the argument is whether or not that is a function of a central government. Where does it end?

I suspect the founders would have written none of the legislation we currently have allowed the federal government to write. But if they did write a law they would be more concise.

The problem today is that legislation is full of goodies, loopholes, favors, exemptions for friends and donors. With 535 legislators and thousands of lobbyists in Washington DC it is no wonder the federal government is out of control.

Every law should be limited to 250 words. If you can’t explain it within that parameter it is probably unconstitutional or unnecessary.

Can you imagine a private sector company creating a 1000 or 2500 page strategic plan for the company? Of course not. It would be impossible to understand and implement. Why do we think laws of this length would be any different?

 

The Cost of Ignorance…

No matter what they say - ignorance is not bliss. In fact it is dangerous and imperils our freedoms. Our founders understood human nature because they were students of history. The founders had a love of learning and believed that education was a personal obligation to becoming a good citizen. Knowing history is like having a crystal ball to the future. By studying the civilizations of the past, our founders created the foundational principles of the Constitution.

Limiting the capacity of government to be able to control individuals was the principle goal of the Constitution. The main argument for a central government was to create the ability to provide a common defense for the states. They didn’t want to have to beg the states to support the defense of the country as they did during the revolution where George Washington had to make due with very limited resources. The Constitution was designed to contain the tendencies of governments to overstep and control the lives of the governed as was the case throughout history. They believed by putting us in charge of us, and limiting what a central government could do, they could improve the lives of everyone that lived within the constitutional republic. The Constitution was the written culmination of lessons learned that would set a foundation for a brand new form of government. One created by the people for the people. No ruling class or group of people would have power without the consent of the governed. It was a revolutionary concept but could only survive with an engaged citizenry. The founders feared if the citizens ignored the government it could quickly deteriorate into dictatorship so they provided as many safeguards in the Constitution as they could. But ultimately they knew it would come down to a willingness of the people to defend the Constitution. Without the people’s attention they knew the past would repeat itself.

They feared many things when designing the new republic including an all-powerful president. They did not want one man to have too much power or any group of people in the government to have too much power so they used the concept of “balance of powers” between the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government. It was the job of each branch to keep the other in check. So no one branch could determine the direction of the federal government without the consent of each branch. It was a design nothing short of a miracle.

As we consider the actions of the Federal Government today and this President, it is apparent that the American education system has failed. The outrageous conduct of the appointments made by this president without the constitutionally mandated consent of the senate yesterday should have received a greater reaction than it did. The limited reaction to these appointments shows how our education system has systematically limited the citizen’s knowledge of their form of government. These radical and unlawful acts should be stirring up a beehive of legal action against this administration. Yet we go on and act as if this is just a game being played by a President intent on creating a rift between him and the congress to be used in his re-election campaign strategy. It is a dangerous and illegal game that deserves the attention of our congressional members and the judiciary.

This President has said he will go around the congress to do the “people’s work” which is exactly what every dictator in history uses as an excuse to implement their own tyranny on the governed. I know most people don’t realize how dangerous this is but they should. No matter what rhetoric is used to justify his actions, in a constitutional republic the law is king not the president. And the law says he can’t appoint people to positions of power within the government without the consent of the Senate. The Senate is officially in session and therefore the excuse of recess appointments is irrelevant.

Following the process of government is like watching paint dry for most citizens but if we expect to live in a country that respects freedom and the rule of law we must pay attention and react when necessary. The congress should threaten impeachment immediately and defund the departments affected by these appointments. This is not business as usual. This is a crime.

The country is worth watching over. It may be boring but it is our responsibility to protect future generations from the ambitions of leaders that would rather dictate than follow the law of the land.

The Constitution is About Limits…

There is no better excuse to dictate policy than crisis. Our founders knew the propensity of humans to dictate their will through group think in emotional situations. The founders feared and despised central rule by a King and were determined in the constitution to protect against both dictatorship and group or mob rule.

We are starting to hear politicians that are responsible for creating the current economic mess (chaos) talking about suspending democratic rule. First, we are not a democracy but what they are suggesting is we the people be stripped of our right to vote in or out our representatives to the federal government. These are not fringe lunatics that hold no power; they are a current congress woman and the governor of North Carolina. Their argument is that elected politicians can’t do what they want for fear of being voted out next election. My question is if they are in fear of being voted out of office by their constituents then the policies they are pursuing may be the problem. The reason our representative government does work is that representatives must face re-election every two years.

The constitution was designed with a House of Representatives to be most accountable to the people. That is why all laws are created by the House. The design of the house also allows for the protection against mob rule. There are 435 representatives that represent many districts with many competing interests. These competing interests make it less likely that a majority of these representatives will react with emotion rather than analysis. It is not a perfect system but it is the best the world has ever been able to put together under one set of rules. Those rules we call the US Constitution.

If we were to suspend elections so representatives did not have to face the voters, would this make the people complacent or angry? Forget the fact it would be an impeachable offense, is it a good idea to undermine the rule of law? The majority of the people in the United States want the federal government to reduce spending and repeal Obamacare. The anger, frustration, and ailing economy are being perpetuated by a few representatives that are not willing to listen to the people they represent.

Is the answer bypassing the people or is the answer electing people that will listen to the people and abide by the limits of the US Constitution?

A Simple Man…

I consider myself a simple man that sees the world from a very practical perspective. I don’t believe things ever have to be as hard as they seem. It is probably why I am a conservative that leans libertarian. It makes simple sense to me that when we respect the individual’s right to be free, everything else makes total sense.

I think the founders were simple men. They were simple which is what made them brilliant. By looking at the world through the eyes of the individual they were able to see the future clearly. They also had a profound interest and curiosity for history and invention. They spent much of their time creating things to advance the industry of the day. Whether it was a better way to run the farm or creating the first tool to copy written documents, the polygraph, it was their passion as individuals to help other individuals improve their lives. They had little interest in running the lives of others. They had been there done that and decided there was a better way.

As we look at the state of our country today it is clear we have lost the simple notion that we are better off when we allow each individual to learn how to fish rather than feed them the same. The evidence is clear and simple to understand. As we have gravitated away from protecting the individual liberty of our citizens and replaced it with a collective wisdom that we know what is best for others, we see the destruction that is left in the path of collectivism.

The Black community has been devastated by the collective notion that these individuals are incapable of helping themselves. It is simply discrimination in another form. We are robbing this community of their ability to find their own happiness and success in life. For the past 50 years we have been told that we are not doing enough for this community but the simple fact is we are doing too much. By undermining the individual spirit our founders treasured, we have begun a transformation back to a time where Kings and royalty decided what was best for the kingdom. We are headed back to the future to steal a popular movie series title.

The current efforts to regulate what our kids eat, who gets access to the internet, stealing the wealth of hard working individuals and giving it to others under the guise of fairness, we continue to destroy our foundational principle. It is not cold hearted to want people to succeed on their own; it is compassionate to do so. It is not selfish to want to keep what we earn for ourselves or future generations of our family; it is the source of compassion. When individuals are able to create excess wealth they tend to share that wealth with others that are less fortunate. Not through force but out of a compassionate heart for their neighbor. Taking by force through taxation causes resentment and the result is less compassion and giving. It is a simple truth if you just take a moment to think about it.

The end of what is happening in our country is simple to see if we just follow through to the logical conclusion. We have seen it before in our own history. Oppressive taxation and regulation, meddling in individuals private affairs, and ignoring the will of the people were the impetus to our first revolution. It is not a threat but simply a fact. At some point individuals will take back their rights as individuals to keep their wealth, freedom, and happiness from an over reaching government bureaucracy. We as Americans live by a simple creed which is live free or die. It is actually the state motto of New Hampshire but it resides in every American heart. From our military to our kitchen tables we will not allow the government to determine our fate without a fight.

The Tea Party of today has been awakened by the same emotions that were stirred in 1773. History is repeating itself right before our eyes if we simply think about the circumstances of today and at our founding. The pundits and media can’t see it because they are part of the collective wisdom that they know better than us what’s good for our country. They shutter at the word revolution but for individuals that care about our constitution and country the word gives them hope for a better future. It is not about violence. It is about a simple principle, we as Americans will never concede our right to be free to pursue happiness. It may be offensive to some that we wish for a simpler form of federal government but we don’t care about offending the elite. We relish in it.

The American Revolution was simple in concept. “When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another…” Our Declaration of Independence that embodied our spirit as individuals and a nation is as relevant today as it was in 1776.

It seems simple to me that we are at a point in our history where the Tea Party will spark another revolution that will again revive the spirit our founders so engrained through their simple wisdom and understanding of human nature. I do not know what it will look like this time around but there is no doubt in my mind that the country is ready to tell its government: “we simply can’t comply”…

America Deserves Better…

I am tired of being embarrassed by an incompetent president and administration. The G-20 summit highlighted the lack of respect other nations have toward us because they don’t have any confidence in America’s future based on the policies of this president.

We need to realize we have incompetence at the helm. It is important that our congressional leadership start to pass legislation that will at least send a message to the world that we are going to fix the fundamental flawed policies that this administration has put in motion. This will help reset the stage that America is poised for a comeback in 2012 with the right leader.
We need to ignore the latest commission reports on how to reduce deficits and go back to the only document we need to return to prosperity; our Constitution. We have unconstitutional programs that need to be eliminated and we need tax reductions at the federal level. We do not have a revenue problem; we have too many government programs that produce a spending problem. We need to put the economy back into the hands of the private sector. It will result in a return to constitutional government and a healthy return to market principles. The critics that continually malign the private wealth creators need to look at the massive corruption of government first, and when they have a solution for that, only then can we even entertain ideas that put faith in bureaucrats.

America is the best in the world because our constitution recognizes individuals and the private sector as the driving force of innovation and economic growth. This administration and its policies are stifling our growth with government largesse, and the federal government is permeating the economic landscape in even the most local decisions in our nation. There is already a lot of whining going on about government program cuts that have not even taken place yet. But we have a choice; rely on what has always made us great or watch a painful demise of the greatest nation to have ever been known to mankind. The people and corporations currently at the troth are going to have to survive without the help of the taxpayers. It is time to put taxpayers first and return faith in a private sector economy.

The Tea Party is going to hold the new representatives feet to the fire and we must be strong willed. We will hear the sob stories about the pain and suffering inflicted by the new “Draconian” cuts. The pain will be short lived in comparison to the permanent damage to our economy if nothing is done. People that want a socialist form of government have many options in Europe. The world doesn’t need another nation of ingrates and lay-abouts. We need to remain a beacon to people that actually want to work and take risks. That is what we are about.

Get ready and get involved even if getting involved is simply staying informed of what is really happening. The media will distort the truth because they will feel cornered as their power is stripped from them by reducing the good old boy club in Washington DC. The media is an ally to our demise and you will need to dig deeper into the issues and not rely on headlines.

We can be great again and we will be. But we must elect the people America deserves; constitutional protectors cut from the cloth of our founding fathers…

Washington, Jefferson, and Obama’s Expense Report…

As I watch the president of the United States jet off to India and Asia I couldn’t help but be reminded of the sharp contrasts to two of our former and greatest presidents, Washington and Jefferson. The contrast is telling and it shows how far away we have drifted from the true intentions of our founding fathers and principles.

Anyone that has read about Washington and Jefferson (school books excluded) knows that these two men spent their individual fortunes on activities that were carried out for the good of our country. In some of their letters they struggle and feel guilt for submitting their “expense reports” to the US Treasury for reimbursement. These two great men loved their country and were fiscally prudent about anything related to the newly formed republic. They considered the funds they used the people’s money. They knew everything they spent was a gift of the hard labors of the American people. They would be appalled at the current trip of our current president.

Barrack Obama has an entitlement mentality and as he demagogues about corporate greed and high roller Wall Street fat cats flying around in personal jets, he is flying around on our dime with estimates at the expense of 200 million dollars a day while the people labor and 10% of us have no jobs to go to. At least the corporate executives are not using tax payer money; they are earning their money through a free market. Well, what’s left of it?

The lavish travel and spending by this president is despicable and shows the complete disconnect of a man that has no connection to our founding fathers, principles, or simple common sense. I don’t care if it’s 200 or 20 million a day, there are smarter ways to spend that money. The president’s security is important but if he can’t travel to a place like Mumbai with normal security he shouldn’t go. Find a neutral place to have a discussion. Foreign policy is an important part of a president’s job, but with all of the domestic angst in the country I think he should start sitting down and working with fiscal conservatives and implementing policies to balance the budget. Real policies that are not throw backs to the “great society.”

I would like to see the expense report for this trip. I would like to compare it to the Jefferson’s and Washington’s in today’s dollars. It has only been a few hundred years since these great men struggled with submitting any expense to the US Treasury. I miss their frugalness and patriotic obligation to serving their fellow Americans…

Constitution Day

Ignored again! The US Constitution; the reason we have the most prosperous nation in the world; the reason we have been able to be so charitable around the world; the reason every individual no matter what circumstance they are born into can reach their dream in life’s pursuits. It is a miracle we fail to celebrate.

Our kids learn very little about this great document. It should be mandatory for all four years of High School. Yet somewhere in the back of the American psyche it is responsible for our sense of self confidence to stand up against our tyrannical leaders and all that threaten individual liberty. Even if it is only referenced in times of crisis we must celebrate its existence.

The blood that was shed to defend this document has given it sacred standing and yet we treat it with little regard. Without our constitution we have no bases of law. It encompasses our principles and is our foundation grounded in the belief we are all created equal under God, and no man has the power to rule us unless we temporarily grant them that right. But even then that power is limited by the constitution. It is our guardian angel.

If you get a moment say a little prayer of thanks that our founders were as smart and brave as we can only hope to be…

An Obsession with Race Undermines the Race to the American Dream…

When you are obsessed with race, things can only get worse. The more the president and politicians push programs that favor any group over another you end up with resentment and conflict. Every civilization in history has had groups that have been discriminated against, and enslaved because human nature is what it is and will never change. Our founders knew that through their studies of civilization and political systems, and attempted to do their best constructing a system that focused on individuals and not groups.

Many Americans continue to reference our founders as racist because slavery was accepted in the original draft of the constitution, but anyone that studies the founders understands many of our greatest thinkers knew that our system of government would eventually lead to undermining slavery on principle. At least that was the hope of many. Slavery was not a product of America; slavery was a normal practice in every society including African society where most of our slaves were from. There is still slavery in Africa and other places around the world. But in America it is repulsive to think about or witness slavery today. The concept makes most Americans angry and we would never accept formalized slavery in this country, or would we?

Having grown up in the Bronx NY, I have witnessed another form of slavery and it comes in the form of a government program. Too many Black Americans have been shackled by a promise that government programs are the solution to their deplorable conditions within many of their communities. It started with welfare programs that destroyed the Black family by demanding that there be no father in the household in order to get benefits for the women and children. It continued with housing projects that looked more like jail cells than apartments, and it continues with government education that offers little hope to escape the circumstances many children find themselves born into in the inner cities of America.

It is heartbreaking to see Black males in too many cities standing on corners waiting, for what I don’t know, as life and the American Dream pass them by. And still generation after generation the promises of government enslave them into a cycle of poverty that can only be broken by the will of each individual. Not as a group, but one by one, breaking the cycle and getting out of these communities that have a culture of dependence. Easy to say, what to do?

Stop focusing on race. By focusing on race what we are saying is that the Black community is inferior and can’t lift themselves up by their own bootstraps, and that is absolute garbage. We need to end the education system as we know it and encourage entrepreneurial programs that focus on learning skills that focus on fundamentals and train children to be competitive in the American Dream. It would help if we could have a conversation about this subject without bringing up race, and looking at the fundamental problems within the community just like there are fundamental problems in every community. And they all can be fixed the same way with education and self reliance.

It is sad to watch a president that had a great opportunity to lift all Americans beyond the superficial platitudes of race squander the opportunity by dividing the country through “social equality” programs that have nothing equal about them. Human beings are not equal in outcome. We all have unique skills to offer the world and those skills will garner what the market values them to be. We cannot guarantee equal outcomes and that is what our founders knew. We are all created equal and what we do is a result of what we work toward as individuals. No guarantees of success just the guarantee that in our country if you work hard you have a chance to succeed. As a society that is the best opportunity we can offer everyone equally. To take from one to give to another through some “social justice” philosophy is not justice at all; it is divisive.

That is what we see today. A president and administration that has drifted dangerously away from our founding principles and by doing so is bringing back slavery through the guise of “shared responsibility”. The only shared responsibility we have is to abide by the laws and constitution of this land. That is what will end racism. Otherwise we will continue to resent what one group gets or takes from the others without justification except for the fact that their skin is a different color… That is divisive and will destroy the founding principles that have made this country the beacon for every race, creed, and gender…

The Bill of Rights; A Shield Against Progressives

The “progressive” movement is a belief that as time changes the way government works must change as well. The problem with the movement is it is not founded in principle. It is not based upon any solid foundational principles which make it an enemy of individual liberty. How do we determine what needs to be changed if there are no principles?

If someone says they are progressive, ask them to define their principles of government, and how they differ from the principles in the constitution. What you will find is they have only a couple of principles and they begin with the end to your freedom. The first principle of a progressive is the belief there are people that know how to govern your life better than you. They do not believe we are all created equal or that there is a creator. They despise private property and due process. They squirm at free speech that disagrees with their free speech. They want everyone to get the same civics education; theirs. They despise history and our founders. These only scratch the surface of their contempt for you and liberty.

When you read the Bill of Rights (first ten amendments to the constitution) remember the “principles” of progressives and determine which movement has your best interest at heart; the constitutional movement or the progressive movement?

• First Amendment – Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

How do you change a right to free speech for the better? Do we want the government establishing our faith? What would you change?

• Second Amendment – A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

This is one of the most attacked amendments in the constitution. Progressives believe our rights to defend ourselves and freedom should be determined by the same government our founders feared so much that they included this amendment in the constitution.

• Third Amendment – No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Do we want to allow our military to invade our homes at will? I don’t think that principle has changed over time.

• Fourth Amendment – The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

This amendment is fundamental to keeping government out of our personal affairs, limiting their ability to search us without probable cause. I believe much of the Patriot Act has dangerously ignored this amendment. It is politically popular with conservatives until they read the act. When reading the Patriot Act a chill should run up your spine. 9/11 and fear has created an environment that has given pause to this amendment.

• Fifth Amendment – No person shall be held to answer for any capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

This is due process, double jeopardy, self incrimination, and eminent domain. Has the world progressed where these rights need to be changed?

• Sixth Amendment – In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district where in the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

• Seventh Amendment – In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

• Eighth Amendment – Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

• Ninth Amendment – The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

• Tenth Amendment – The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

I ask you to honestly review these rights and determine what you would change. Be careful what you ask for; it may cost you your liberty from a progressive and over reaching federal government...

July 4th - Celebrating the Declaration of Independence, Individual Freedom and Limited Government…

It seems like we live in a different country than we did only a few short years ago. The spirit of America is being re-defined by a central government that is in total opposition to the founding principles of our country and history. Our founders put in place the documents necessary to keep us from the current “transformation” but we have failed to learn them, understand them, and enforce them.

The Declaration of Independence which we celebrate this weekend established the determination of the new alliance of American colonies to be independent from central authority, and instead replaced it with individual rights to self determination. Where are those principles today?

I still believe there are more people that believe in free markets, individual liberty, self reliance, and the idea of a limited central government, but we no longer measure the activity of our federal government in those terms. We have been fractured into self interested groups who have become dependent on the largesse of a central government’s ability to take money from one individual or corporation and hand it over to another with nothing more than a stroke of the pen and a political contribution in an envelope. We have been corrupted to accept the immoral taking of our neighbor’s wealth.

We have started to accept the “right” to healthcare, the “right” to a particular wage, the “right” to an education, the “right” to a prosperous retirement, the “right” to food and shelter without even a whispering of constitutional or moral authority. The declaration and constitution are prudent in the rights that are outlined because our founders understood rights must stand independent of intrusion on other people’s rights. Our founders understood history well enough to know that the only true rights we have are Life, Liberty, and the PURSUIT of happiness. They knew no man or government could guarantee the outcome of happiness for anybody. They understood every human being would define the outcome differently but insuring the opportunity to pursue happiness would unleash the economic power that has resulted in the most prosperous nation on earth.

As we continue to accept the abject poverty of government intrusion on individual desire and potential, we should consider why we have so many people dependent on the government for their current miserable existence. As we have drifted further from our founding principles the principles that have replaced them have been determined not by individuals but a central bureaucracy determined to create equal misery throughout the land.

By implementing programs that guarantee government payments but reduce individual incentive we have shackled generations of Americans that were once ancestors of slaves into a new slavery of government dependence. The once open promise of this great American Dream has been stolen by an out of control central government. To return to true happiness every individual must determine if they or the government are going to be the source of their happiness. The people that choose the government will limit their potential to what a politician and bureaucrat can steal from others. If they choose to place the pursuit of happiness in their own hands the potential for happiness is unlimited.

We must reject the current move to “transform” America, and return to our founding principles so we can again celebrate true independence. Too many people today are dependent on government for their existence. We must all celebrate July 4th for what it truly represented to our founders; freedom from government, freedom to pursue individual happiness, and limited government intrusion into our lives.

God Bless America and thank you for giving us the men that were smart enough to know and document the rights you bestowed on us… Now it is our responsibility to understand them, reaffirm them, and protect them…

Freedom of the Press VS. Subsidizing Newspapers…

The founders knew the best check on government was the ability of the people and press to speak out against the government and its representatives freely. At the time of our founding, the press (newspapers, pamphlets, letters, etc…) were the only organized vehicles to speak through at the time. Without the “press” of the time, the general public’s ability to get information about issues would have been crippled if not for the traditional means of communications was not protected.

Subsidizing the “business” of the press was not their intention. The only consideration for the founders was protecting liberty by protecting the ability of individuals and organizations like the press to speak out against an oppressive government, and by limiting the power of the government to control the speech against the same government. To suggest that the government should have any role in ensuring a media company’s success in the market place is a total distortion of original intent.

Today, we have the internet, radio, TV, all what the founders would have labeled as the press. Every one of the new medium unknown to the founders at the time is a support for the original intent which was protecting speech and limiting the power of government. Because the traditional press has squandered their prestige by becoming political arms of party politics is the reason they are failing. They have greater competition, yes, but the real reason for their failure is their drifting from truth and facts to opinion and advocacy. Once you take a side you limit your audience. A very simple concept to understand.

So for the tax payer to subsidize a press that is no longer objective and separate from the government it is supposed to “protect” us from is in absolute contradiction to the original intent of our founders. We don’t need the traditional press, although I believe they still have an opportunity to reform themselves, we have what the founders were trying to truly protect which was the ability to speak out against our government through the expanded mediums we have today. Today’s technology has made speech safer from the perspective of holding government accountable. That is why the argument has shifted to protecting the internet from government control. Because the internet is more like the original press our founders wanted protected. A free interchange of ideas without government influence.

Let the traditional press models fail if they can’t compete, we have an outlet to speak against our government. Once the government is subsidizing the traditional press, we no longer have an independent advocate protecting our liberties. They will become an arm of the government, and that is definitely not what the founders intended when protecting the press in our constitution.

Total Incompetence…

The incompetence of our federal government is exactly why the constitution is focused on protecting individual rights and liberties. The founders knew that big, centralized, collective, communal groups would undermine the ability for our states and citizens to be prosperous. It is a lesson history taught our founders well, but we seemed to have forgotten.

As we watch our debt accumulate, our free markets assaulted with regulation and forced crisis, our schools failing our kids, and government programs stifling incentive, rewarding failure, and creating entitlement, we see the wisdom of our founder’s solid reasoning to promote individuals over groups.

The federal government is incompetent with the best leaders never mind a group that has nothing but academic experience at the helm. If we reduce the federal government by 50% no one will notice a bit of difference except for a reduction of incompetence. Not because of an increase in competence but simply less for the federal government to screw up…

We’re Talking; They’re Doing; So Who is Winning?

I listen to outraged radio and television talk show hosts, clearly arguing against what is happening with the out of control federal government, sometimes getting heated to the point of obvious frustration, meanwhile Obama and the enemy within are passing legislation and borrowing more money than we can ever pay back. The left and their leader Obama are willingly bringing on an economic crisis of enormous proportion, trying to destroy capitalism, free markets, freedom, and our American Dream, and we are waiting until November to counter?

You need to read “Samuel Adams, A-Life” by Ira Stoll, to understand how this type of battle would have been handled by one of our most underappreciated founders. Sam Adams was the ultimate agitator for liberty, and if he was here today would have riled up the masses to frenzy, and stormed the house and sent every one of our representative’s home by any means necessary to do so. Our founders understood the cost of freedom:

“The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards.” Sam Adams

“As long as the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader. If virtue and knowledge are diffused among the people, they will never be enslaved. This will be their great security.” Sam Adams

“Every generation needs a new revolution.” Thomas Jefferson

“Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms (of government) those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny” Thomas Jefferson

“Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” Thomas Jefferson

"Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" -- Patrick Henry

"Our properties within our own territories [should not] be taxed or regulated by any power on earth but our own." -- Thomas Jefferson, 1774

"The hour is fast approaching, on which the Honor and Success of this army, and the safety of our bleeding Country depend. Remember officers and Soldiers, that you are free men, fighting for the blessings of Liberty -- that slavery will be your portion, and that of your posterity, if you do not acquit yourselves like men." -- George Washington, 1776

What is our promise to our posterity? Will we wait to take action until it is too late?

We can see what is happening and know where we are heading so why do we think we can wait? Last night Greta Van Susteren was arguing we had to bail out Greece. Why? She suggested the domino effect because we are all linked globally especially through the economy. Greece is the size of the City of Los Angeles. If you can justify a bailout for Greece where does it end? When do we cut the cord?

Our constitution protects Americans and only Americans. This is truly the end if we have to bail out every lazy, corrupt, two bit dictator, kingdom, or democracy around the world.

When will we be willing to protect our posterity? We can talk about it, but the enemies of the American Dream are doing something about it…

Fear of the Federal Government is not radical it is American…

Our education “system” is broken. When the main stream media can get away with making the argument that it is “dangerous” to stir the people up to fear their government, which may lead to violence, shows their ignorance of our history and founding.

Our founders were skeptical and inherently suspicious of centralized power. The creation of the federal government only barely made it past the state ratification process. Along the way to ratification, several additions to the constitution, including the addition of the Bill of Rights was imperative because of the absolute distrust of a central “authority”. The state’s and founders had to not only build the argument for ratification, but also build a barrier to protect the states from an over reaching central authority by including the Tenth Amendment, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people”, otherwise the federal government would have never become a reality. This mistrust and fear of a central authority permeated the country and was the foundation of the greatest form of government ever derived by men. Regarding government; they knew less was more and more was a threat to all.

As we watch pundits make the arguments that some types of speech against the government can “enflame” violence toward the government, I ask you; what does the first amendment say; “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The founders and our ancestors that agreed to ratify the constitution knew what was bound to happen by empowering a central government. So they included what they considered clear restrictions on the authority of the federal government because they did not trust any central authority. Today we find ourselves right where our founders predicted, but fortunately their fear, foresight, and protections are clearly documented in the constitution.

Listen closely when pundits and politicians talk about “types” of speech. The type of speech they are targeting to control either through a “chilling” effect or outright legislation is the speech we are engaging in against our government and its policies. We are assembling peaceably through tea parties and trying to redress our grievances. Is this not exactly what our founders were protecting us against? Is fear of the federal government unfounded? Were our founders radicals? Would our founders consider the tea party movement dangerous or patriotic?

Our founders were brilliant and prophetic about the rights they knew must be etched in stone because they were God given, and would one day come under assault from tyrannical forces. Those tyrannical forces are among us. We must teach our history or we will be throwing away our future…

Walter Williams asks: Should we part company?

Walter Williams is the smartest Professor in the country. He makes an argument that needs to be considered. Is it time for America to admit we no longer share common goals or vision for the future, and go our seperate ways?

I believe like he does that the answer lies in our U.S. Constitution. The one our founders wrote; not the interpretation of it by the Supreme Court...

PLEASE READ THIS!

The Methodical Destruction of the United States and Could Guam Tip Over?

I couldn’t help but make a comment on this video that highlights the level of intelligence that is in charge of our country. Who votes for people like this? Watch congressman Hank Johnson from Georgia express his true concern to the Admiral about Guam tipping over due to an influx of additional troops, and the Admirals wonderful ability not to laugh and pile on the foolishness of this congressman. I didn’t realize Guam was a “floating” island. This is truly sad.

This is the real concern:

We have been taken over by people that hate America, our constitution, and freedom. The representatives in charge of the federal government no longer consider the constitution the law of the land. They are acting as if what we the people say does not matter. They are interrogating private firms for making a profit. They are forcing people to pay for the immorality of others. They are trying to make illegal immigrants legitimate citizens even when a large percentage of our violent criminals are here illegally. We have federal agencies to count the calories in our food, stealing our freedom to drive a car by destroying our energy economy, and taking state land at will. They have destroyed our children’s future by destroying the education system, borrowing an amount of money that may never get repaid, and undermining the principle of hard work under the guise of fairness.

Many stand by watching, discussing, and letting it happen. Our founders would be mortified. Individuals in this country that are outraged feel they have nowhere to turn. They know the entire political class is corrupt and when constitutionalists like me say the answer lies in the constitution, many people don’t know what that means. What has happened to “we the people?” Has it just been a slogan for all these years?

I listen to commentators say that America is not a nation that uses civil disobedience and I say; remember our history. We were founded through civil disobedience. When our founders were faced with the loss of freedom and liberty from an over reaching central government, what did they do? Sit around and wait for the “Republicans” to save them? Or did they stand up to the oppressors as individuals? There were many acts of civil disobedience before the revolution. The revolution was the culmination of many thwarted attempts to stop a central government’s tyrannical tendency through civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is not violence. Civil disobedience is refusing to accept government mandates, dictates, and unlawful uses of the government apparatus. The problem is when the government doesn’t listen to the people it serves; not when the people speak out against the government.

We have been in a pot of boiling water and we are about to be cooked. The pot of water has been heating up since the FDR administration. Social Security, welfare, Medicaid, Medicare, public schools, the assault on Christianity, free speech, free markets, capitalism, profit, the rich, life, our flag. We have been forced to accept, hyphenated America, holiday celebrations, lower standards of living, and now bailouts, takeovers, and oppression. And what we hear in the media is a concern about who the people are in the Tea Party movement. I have a question for the media to focus on; who is running our government? The Tea Party movement is America. Tea Party people stand as a barrier against tyranny.

We the concerned people of America are being targeted as radicals if we disagree with this administration. We are being marginalized when we defer to our constitution. We are being laughed at for raising red flags about a government headed toward tyranny. We are being categorized as radicals so that in the final assault on our freedom we will be targeted as the ones out of touch with American values. These people in charge plan to put a stake in the heart of individual freedom and our constitution.

Do I seem down today? You bet. But this is America and when I think about the efforts of our founders, and in particular George Washington, who lost so many battles but won the war under unimaginable circumstances, I smile and have faith there is hope and time to change this country's fate. I believe the people in the Tea Party, and all of the other Liberty groups are the answer, and must not back down in the face of these assaults. We must battle on even when we seem overwhelmed.

My prayer is that once again God blesses us with the courage and fortitude to stand up even when we are being marginalized. We remain true to the faith that has built the greatest nation in the world. And that we have the will to take back our country in November 2010 by supporting individual patriots in the honor of our civilly disobedient founders…

Independent Thinkers Needed…

Thomas Jefferson was the epitome of independent thinking and was a political genius. His genius was his true understanding of human nature. Jefferson knew how groups of people that fomented mob mentality were a danger to individual liberty. He was a man of faith but knew how allowing the men of cloth to dominate political affairs was dangerous for individual liberty. He could separate his religious beliefs from civic principle. He knew morality was the foundation of our republic and that by keeping faith separate from government it would allow faith to flourish which in his mind would preserve the foundation of our representative republic and principles.

Jefferson believed that party politics was a natural outcome of any political argument or election, but he believed the inherent problem with parties was the undermining principle of group over individual. He was a thinker on every subject and I often wonder what he would have said about today’s two party system. Probably the same things he said in his day; "I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever, in religion, in philosophy, in politics, or in anything else, where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent. If I could not go to heaven but with a party, I would not go there at all." --Thomas Jefferson to Francis Hopkinson, 1789.

I value his words and I share with you my reason for actively running unaffiliated from any party. It is not because I disagree with every issue being represented by party politics, it is because I like to think about issues and make choices that are not influenced by how they impact a political party, but how an issue impacts individual citizens. I believe there are more people that think like me but are addicted to the “machine” that has fueled party politics. That machine is mostly a fundraising mechanism. There are so many good people in the party system but I believe we are better served when we serve individual liberty over party unity. I am not alone and the numbers support my argument.

There are 1,078,896 Colorado residents that have chosen to be unaffiliated voters. Compared to people that have chosen the Democratic Party, 1,058,785 and 1,048,669 in the Republican Party. The Unaffiliated voter group is bigger than either party. These statistics from the Secretary of State’s office tell a story that must be told. We need to ask ourselves as voters why we continue to invest our votes in a party when we have chosen not to associate with that same party organization. This year I am doing my part to represent the unaffiliated voter; the largest group of voters in Colorado.

This is NOT a third party movement; it is a movement to elect candidates that are not tied to the special interests of either party. In the traditions of one of the greatest political thinkers of all time, Thomas Jefferson, I am reaching out to individual voters of every party to stand as Coloradans against the tyranny of an out of control federal government. We must rally around our founding principles and stop the division fueled by our party system.

The federal government has recently shown what they think of our rights and the constitution by shoving through the Healthcare bill against the will of the people. The next Governor is the best line of defense to reaffirm our constitution and to stop the federal government’s trampling of our rights. They are governing as if they have dictatorial power, and have unrestrained rights to force you into any program they choose. They can do this because of the way the party system has created the rules in congress; parties matter more than individual representatives. The constitution gives the congress the authority to set the rules of how the congress operates. The rules favor party politics over individual district representation. We have given the parties too much power at the federal level. They have the power to change it but they will not. That would mean that we would actually have true debate about ideas and issues instead of party line votes. That would mean we would have to elect thinkers to congress instead of party loyalists.

At the state level we don’t need political parties to elect good candidates. We only need voters willing to do their homework about what their choices are for candidates. You do have more than two choices in the 2010 election. I hope you think for yourself and do your homework…

Gun Rights are not different…

The second amendment is just as important and holds the same stature as the first through tenth amendments. I might even argue more so but they are all important. Listening to a representative this morning from the Brady organization on Fox News, he stated that the second amendment was different and needed to be treated so. He cited statistics like; people that live in households with guns are 5 times more likely to have a gun incident than families with no guns in the house, 3 times more likely to commit suicide by a gun than houses without a gun. All irrelevant to the argument of gun rights.

It is like saying people that drive a car to work are 5 times more likely to have a car accident than people that take the bus to work. Let’s take away the cars? It is irrelevant and takes the focus off the real issue. Guns are our last line of defense to an out of control government. It is the safety valve when the political class decides we the people are no longer going to tell them what to do.

The second amendment was and is as relevant today to keep our government in check as it was at our founding. As long as politicians are facing an armed citizenry they will continue to walk carefully around our rights. Once they have taken away our guns they will stomp on all other rights. Guns don’t kill freedom, politicians do.

The facts are clear; when a criminal has to decide to rob the household with the gun or the household without the gun; the choice is clear. Places that have a large number of households with guns are safer places to live. If NYC and Detroit, and LA had right to carry laws, the crime stats would plummet. Well maybe in the beginning there would be a lot more dead criminals laying at the door steps of armed law abiding citizens. But it wouldn’t be long before the criminals would move on to where the laws disarmed law abiding citizens. That’s a fact…

We will never give up our rights to guns. Go ahead; make our day!

Jefferson; Thoughts on John and Sam Adams, Hamilton, and why it Matters today…

Thomas Jefferson is considered America’s greatest political Philosopher in the cause of liberty. History scholars, whether they agree with his politics or not, have to agree he was a genius in the discipline of developing government frameworks that protected liberty by harnessing human nature and the propensity of individuals to use government to acquire power. His life was spent studying, defining, determining, and protecting liberty for the America he helped found and loved.

He was a prolific writer and his library contained volumes of books that he read on subjects ranging from farming to the history of the Roman Empire. He used history to support his ideas on liberty, and always argued for limited government based on his knowledge of how government was an avenue to tyranny; always. He also wrote about the other founders and his impression and experience in their joint efforts creating our republic.

On Sam Adams he believed that there was no greater patriot in the cause of freedom and respected Sam Adam’s opinions on many of the difficult issues of the time. Sam Adams was a devout Christian and was driven to freedom mostly due to his belief and defense of religious freedom. Jefferson was very private in his own religion, but respected men like Sam Adams because he knew a free society could only be maintained by a moral society.

On John Adams he respected his ability to argue but knew J Adams had no understanding of human nature and its impact on forming a government. They were often at odds and were seen as rivals but had a mutual respect for the differences of opinion and shared a lifelong relationship that Jefferson treasured and wrote about throughout his life. Their common cause was liberty and forming a “rational republic” form of government.

On Alexander Hamilton he believed and rightfully so, that he would have been content with the British form of government in America, and his true goal of independence was that he should be one of the elite class, not the Englishman sitting thousands of miles away. Hamilton did not believe that government was best ruled by the “common” citizen, and often disagreed with Jefferson on this point. They were rivals in the administration of George Washington, and Jefferson vehemently disagreed with the creation of a central bank not overseen by congress. Jefferson believed Hamilton was content on “force and corruption” in his management of government.

Jefferson never swayed from his belief in self rule and the people’s ability to get most issues right when given the proper information. He knew religion was key for a moral society but a society could not be lead by a religious doctrine. Jefferson knew that a representative republic was the best way to harness tyranny and befriended the leaders that held that belief even though they had limited understanding of the power of human nature. And finally, Jefferson knew that Hamilton was the embodiment of the forces that would need to be harnessed if liberty were to survive. Hamilton’s financial prowess and genius was a skill needed in the first years of the republic due to the accumulated debt of the revolution. But Jefferson often challenged Hamilton’s propensity toward an elite structure of government.

The lessons of Jefferson today are too numerous to state here, but his simple ability to determine the importance of many diverse opinions and skill sets, and direct them for the common good are sorely missing today. Leadership in government is a balance of determining the proper role of government, the emotional nature of the citizens it serves, and never compromising the foundation that makes it all worth the effort; Liberty. We can learn all we need to know about turning our country and its economy around by understanding our history. We can turn our future around by understanding Jefferson and his devotion to liberty…