I've been thinking for a long time about the best way to get the message of dissatisfaction to the "Untouchables" (very appropriate for Chicago politicians, don't you think?) in our government. Apparently they look at angry and vocally concerned citizens as the crazy, right-wing, loony fringe. When they or their socialist policies are met with any kind of disagreement, there is usually a kind of condescending, passive-aggressive response. In public, on television usually, there seems to be this verbal effort to be bi-partisan and diplomatic. Then, particularly with Barack Obama, they go to their venues of comfort, filled with their supporters (such as the AFL-CIO Labor Day rally or whatever it was), and vehemently insist that "they" will not win. In the particular case mentioned, I believe it was in regards to the struggle to pass Obama's ideal health care plan and "they" referred to those who haven't swallowed it whole.
I think the thing that frustrates and disorients people the most, generally speaking, is when their ideas that they hold so dear are ridiculed, especially when they expect them to be embraced. So when you have a very liberal, statist politician who is trying to foist very untenable policy on a people, I think the best remedy is satire, and lots of it. We need lampooning the likes of which have never been seen before. There are funny people out there and they can do this.
Satire is a great mode of criticism because it is not vitriolic and therefore usually not able to be simply dismissed out of hand. People love to laugh and messages seem to be received better when accompanied by laughter and light-heartedness. I am not suggesting that people themselves are made fun of. I don't think that is the right thing to do at all. I am talking about their ridiculous actions, attitudes, ideologies, and speech. There is plenty of material here.
Take a look at one I discovered today that I really like. Not all of it is "laugh-out-loud" funny, but it is humorous and I think we need more of it.
http://optoons.blogspot.com/
If we can laugh at the absurd that constantly spews forth from Washington D.C. and our respective state and local government seats, while embracing and vocally supporting the common sense ideas if, when, or where they occur, we might be able to have more pull with our fellow citizens.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Letter to Salt Lake Tribune
As amazed as I am, I am told this letter will be published in the liberally slanted Salt Lake Tribune in the coming days (probably on Saturday).
There sure seems to be a lot of those who simultaneously support every agenda and initiative of Big Government yet believe that their own lives will somehow go untouched. It is as though they believe that they will be rewarded for their unconditional loyalty. Here’s the question we must ask ourselves: Am I willing to be the first to allow my freedoms to be limited, assuming that becomes necessary? If I am going to ask my fellow Americans via the government to pay for the welfare of all, I must stand ready to make the sacrifices that are asked of me. If I am not willing to be first in line for that duty, I cannot ask my neighbor to fund these programs. We all must understand that our country, in spite of its reckless fetish for spending, does not have unlimited means. There is always a day of reckoning and we will pay for our loose purse with our wealth, blood, or freedom. Make no mistake: freedom is not free.
There sure seems to be a lot of those who simultaneously support every agenda and initiative of Big Government yet believe that their own lives will somehow go untouched. It is as though they believe that they will be rewarded for their unconditional loyalty. Here’s the question we must ask ourselves: Am I willing to be the first to allow my freedoms to be limited, assuming that becomes necessary? If I am going to ask my fellow Americans via the government to pay for the welfare of all, I must stand ready to make the sacrifices that are asked of me. If I am not willing to be first in line for that duty, I cannot ask my neighbor to fund these programs. We all must understand that our country, in spite of its reckless fetish for spending, does not have unlimited means. There is always a day of reckoning and we will pay for our loose purse with our wealth, blood, or freedom. Make no mistake: freedom is not free.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Obama's Religious Fervor for Health Care
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: "There's been a lot of misinformation in this debate and there are some folks out there who are frankly bearing false witness. These are all fabrications that have been put out there in order to discourage people from meeting what I consider to be a core ethical and moral obligation, and that is that we look out for one another."
Is President Obama right? Sort of.
Yes, we do have a moral obligation to take care of each other. We are our brothers' (and sisters') keepers.
At the same time, I cannot take money from you to pay for my brother's medical care. That is immoral. The morality of not stealing from my neighbor for any reason at all trumps the morality of providing medical care for by brother. Sorry, that is just the way it is.
I don't think President Obama agrees with that.
To him, though, I don't think this is about providing medical care to the poor in the first place. It is a great cause to campaign upon. It has been that way for a long time. Please understand I am not a proponent of the poverty or suffering of my fellowman. Yet I believe that those poor and unfortunate uninsured or underinsured souls continue to be used as a pawn in a political game whose goal is to amass power and wealth for the rich rulers.
If Obama really believed in the moral obligation to provide life, health, and comfort to others, why wouldn't he be giving his millions to that very cause rather than standing at his pulpit and preaching to us of our moral obligation to do it. (Oh, and by the way, you should trust us, the government, to handle the transaction because we handle your money so responsibly).
President Obama, do not stand there and tell me what my moral obligation is. You don't like me telling your people of their moral obligation to protect life against frivolous abortions. Yes, let's make a deal. You stick to your constitutionally defined role of protecting my life, liberty, and property and I will stick to my divinely mandated role of taking care of my brother (which I do very well on my own, thanks). If he starves or freezes to death or dies of a curable disease because of my neglect, my consequence for that is surely an unpleasant one. But neither I nor God will hold you, President Obama, responsible for being derelict in my duty.
You can be absolutely sure, Mr. President, that God will hold you accountable for abusing your power in making what is not your duty the tool for enriching yourself and those who put you there. That, my friend, is called corruption. We Americans don't look kindly on that sort of thing, so tread carefully.
Is President Obama right? Sort of.
Yes, we do have a moral obligation to take care of each other. We are our brothers' (and sisters') keepers.
At the same time, I cannot take money from you to pay for my brother's medical care. That is immoral. The morality of not stealing from my neighbor for any reason at all trumps the morality of providing medical care for by brother. Sorry, that is just the way it is.
I don't think President Obama agrees with that.
To him, though, I don't think this is about providing medical care to the poor in the first place. It is a great cause to campaign upon. It has been that way for a long time. Please understand I am not a proponent of the poverty or suffering of my fellowman. Yet I believe that those poor and unfortunate uninsured or underinsured souls continue to be used as a pawn in a political game whose goal is to amass power and wealth for the rich rulers.
If Obama really believed in the moral obligation to provide life, health, and comfort to others, why wouldn't he be giving his millions to that very cause rather than standing at his pulpit and preaching to us of our moral obligation to do it. (Oh, and by the way, you should trust us, the government, to handle the transaction because we handle your money so responsibly).
President Obama, do not stand there and tell me what my moral obligation is. You don't like me telling your people of their moral obligation to protect life against frivolous abortions. Yes, let's make a deal. You stick to your constitutionally defined role of protecting my life, liberty, and property and I will stick to my divinely mandated role of taking care of my brother (which I do very well on my own, thanks). If he starves or freezes to death or dies of a curable disease because of my neglect, my consequence for that is surely an unpleasant one. But neither I nor God will hold you, President Obama, responsible for being derelict in my duty.
You can be absolutely sure, Mr. President, that God will hold you accountable for abusing your power in making what is not your duty the tool for enriching yourself and those who put you there. That, my friend, is called corruption. We Americans don't look kindly on that sort of thing, so tread carefully.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Good Article from the WSJ
I thought this article by Dorothy Rabinowitz was a good one. It speaks for itself, but I wanted to emphasize the end point. It is the quiet listeners outside the action who government should really fear. I hope that those quiet listeners will not tune out, but will step in when it counts.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204251404574342653428074782.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204251404574342653428074782.html
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Open Letter to the Politicians
This letter was read on the air by Glenn. I pretty much agree with everything here, so I am posting it. You can replace her personal information with mine and the message would otherwise remain unchanged. (Except I was never a Democrat and was a Republican in name only.)
I am Janet Contreras, a concerned, home-grown American citizen. I am 53, and I have been a registered Democrat all of my adult life. Before the last Presidential election, I registered Republican because I no longer feel the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. I now no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me.
There must be someone, please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me you are there and are willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please do it now.
You might ask yourselves what my views and issues are that I would feel so horribly disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me? These are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:
* Illegal Immigration—I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S. I am not a racist. This not to be confused with legal immigration.
* TARP Bill—I want it repealed and no further funding supplied to it. We told you “NO!” but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze! Repeal!
* Czars—I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the Czars. No more Czars. Government officials answer to the process not the President. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.
* Cap & Trade—the debate on global warming is NOT over, there IS more to say.
* Universal Health Care—I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don’t you dare pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!
* Growing Government Control—I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Please mind your own business; you have enough to do with your REAL obligations. Let’s start there.
* ACORN—I do not want ACORN or its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them on every real estate deal that closes. Stop all funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audit and investigation. I do not trust them with the taking of the census or with taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before the taxpayers get any further involved with them. It walks like a duck and talks like a duck—hello… stop protecting political buddies. You work for the people. Investigate.
* Redistribution of Wealth—No. If I work for it, it is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth I support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do want me to hate my employers? What do your have against shareholders making a profit?
* Charitable Contributions—although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities where we know our needs best and can use local talent and resources. Butt out, please. We want to do this ourselves.
* Corporate Bail Outs—knock it off! Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we will be better off just getting to it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful, like ripping off a band aid. We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us a chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.
* Transparency and Accountability—how about it? No really, let’s have it. Let’s say we give the “buzz” words a rest and have some straight, honest talk. Please stop trying to manipulate and appease me with cleaver wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.
* Unprecedented Quick Spending—stop it, now. Take a breath. Listen to “The People.”
Let’s just slow down and get some more input from some “non-politicians” on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law.
I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant nor a violent person. I am a mother and grandmother. I am a working woman. I am busy, busy, busy and tired, tired, tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawns and wash our cars on weekends, and be responsible, contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same, all the while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.
I entrusted you with upholding our Constitution and believed in the checks and balances to keep you from getting too far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think that I find humor in hiring a speed reader to unintelligibly ramble through a bill you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not! It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face! I am not laughing—the arrogance!
Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it, but you expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children? We did not want that TARP bill. We said “NO!” We would repeal it if we could. I am not sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all the recent spending. From my perspective, it seems that you have all gone insane.
I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back!
You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington.
I am Janet Contreras, a concerned, home-grown American citizen. I am 53, and I have been a registered Democrat all of my adult life. Before the last Presidential election, I registered Republican because I no longer feel the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. I now no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me.
There must be someone, please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me you are there and are willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please do it now.
You might ask yourselves what my views and issues are that I would feel so horribly disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me? These are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:
* Illegal Immigration—I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S. I am not a racist. This not to be confused with legal immigration.
* TARP Bill—I want it repealed and no further funding supplied to it. We told you “NO!” but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze! Repeal!
* Czars—I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the Czars. No more Czars. Government officials answer to the process not the President. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.
* Cap & Trade—the debate on global warming is NOT over, there IS more to say.
* Universal Health Care—I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don’t you dare pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!
* Growing Government Control—I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Please mind your own business; you have enough to do with your REAL obligations. Let’s start there.
* ACORN—I do not want ACORN or its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them on every real estate deal that closes. Stop all funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audit and investigation. I do not trust them with the taking of the census or with taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before the taxpayers get any further involved with them. It walks like a duck and talks like a duck—hello… stop protecting political buddies. You work for the people. Investigate.
* Redistribution of Wealth—No. If I work for it, it is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth I support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do want me to hate my employers? What do your have against shareholders making a profit?
* Charitable Contributions—although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities where we know our needs best and can use local talent and resources. Butt out, please. We want to do this ourselves.
* Corporate Bail Outs—knock it off! Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we will be better off just getting to it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful, like ripping off a band aid. We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us a chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.
* Transparency and Accountability—how about it? No really, let’s have it. Let’s say we give the “buzz” words a rest and have some straight, honest talk. Please stop trying to manipulate and appease me with cleaver wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.
* Unprecedented Quick Spending—stop it, now. Take a breath. Listen to “The People.”
Let’s just slow down and get some more input from some “non-politicians” on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law.
I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant nor a violent person. I am a mother and grandmother. I am a working woman. I am busy, busy, busy and tired, tired, tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawns and wash our cars on weekends, and be responsible, contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same, all the while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.
I entrusted you with upholding our Constitution and believed in the checks and balances to keep you from getting too far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think that I find humor in hiring a speed reader to unintelligibly ramble through a bill you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not! It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face! I am not laughing—the arrogance!
Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it, but you expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children? We did not want that TARP bill. We said “NO!” We would repeal it if we could. I am not sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all the recent spending. From my perspective, it seems that you have all gone insane.
I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back!
You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
I might be getting caught up in the drama
As I look at my attempts to get people together for our own little neighborhood 9/12 project, listen daily to Glenn Beck's radio program and just about any other conservative radio show in our area, watch my blood pressure goes up, and feel like my head might actually explode, I have to wonder if maybe I'm getting sucked into the vortex of a drama or if this is just my version of caring about the future.
This might explain my reluctance to call myself a "leader" in a movement meant to rein in the recklessness of a government that seems to be drunk on its own power. In both our meetings to date, I was careful to emphasize that this wasn't about me. I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that if they had something to say, I wasn't going to let that voice get stifled. I'm just now wondering if maybe I should be stifling my own a little more.
I wonder these things because I know my propensity to get caught up in drama. When I started the Carterville 9/12 Project, I committed to myself to be level-headed, to look at the facts, to be bound by principles in how I act and by nothing else. So I'm stepping back now and taking a look at myself, at my actions, my words, my direction.
So I ask: Is it just me, or is this government really being reckless with their power? Am I buying into a crazy right-wing conspiracy to start some kind of new revolutionary war which just isn't at that point yet?
When I was a new parent, stark warnings seemed to come from every angle to not shake the baby, no matter how frustrated I got. With our first child, I couldn't really understand how anybody could ever shake their own child and inflict life-threatening injuries. Then we had our second, bless her heart. She cried loud, long, and often as an infant. I finally got to that point where I understood how a father or mother could lose their cool and shake their precious child. I was close. I put our daughter down quickly and walked away. I understood how it could happen, and it scared me. (I love her with all my heart even though, to this day six years later, I find myself getting comparably upset and have to give myself a time-out.)
A father who will not put some distance between himself and his wailing child, and allows himself to get caught up in the "drama," could very well act rashly and do irreversible damage to his precious child. I may not be able to imagine myself taking up my arms and going out against our government now, but who is to say that someone who is normally calm and level-headed and unlikely to rise up in rebellion would never do that under certain circumstances?
Thus, we must all be very deliberate, careful, and measured in our attitudes and actions. Temperance and moderation must prevail in all conditions. Heaven knows, it isn't prevailing in the halls of Congress or in the White House.
This might explain my reluctance to call myself a "leader" in a movement meant to rein in the recklessness of a government that seems to be drunk on its own power. In both our meetings to date, I was careful to emphasize that this wasn't about me. I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that if they had something to say, I wasn't going to let that voice get stifled. I'm just now wondering if maybe I should be stifling my own a little more.
I wonder these things because I know my propensity to get caught up in drama. When I started the Carterville 9/12 Project, I committed to myself to be level-headed, to look at the facts, to be bound by principles in how I act and by nothing else. So I'm stepping back now and taking a look at myself, at my actions, my words, my direction.
So I ask: Is it just me, or is this government really being reckless with their power? Am I buying into a crazy right-wing conspiracy to start some kind of new revolutionary war which just isn't at that point yet?
When I was a new parent, stark warnings seemed to come from every angle to not shake the baby, no matter how frustrated I got. With our first child, I couldn't really understand how anybody could ever shake their own child and inflict life-threatening injuries. Then we had our second, bless her heart. She cried loud, long, and often as an infant. I finally got to that point where I understood how a father or mother could lose their cool and shake their precious child. I was close. I put our daughter down quickly and walked away. I understood how it could happen, and it scared me. (I love her with all my heart even though, to this day six years later, I find myself getting comparably upset and have to give myself a time-out.)
A father who will not put some distance between himself and his wailing child, and allows himself to get caught up in the "drama," could very well act rashly and do irreversible damage to his precious child. I may not be able to imagine myself taking up my arms and going out against our government now, but who is to say that someone who is normally calm and level-headed and unlikely to rise up in rebellion would never do that under certain circumstances?
Thus, we must all be very deliberate, careful, and measured in our attitudes and actions. Temperance and moderation must prevail in all conditions. Heaven knows, it isn't prevailing in the halls of Congress or in the White House.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Check out the Carterville 9/12ers Blog
To the right is a link to our group's blog. I hope you'll take a look at it and even become a part of it if you want. We have members in Utah, New York City, and Pensacola, Florida (Skype works really well).
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Carterville 9/12ers
UPDATE: The Meetup Group linked to below is no longer active. Please go to c912ers.blogspot.com for the same group information.
Thanks!
****
In my last post, I mentioned that I was going to be doing my own little "9/12 Project" and indicated that I would share more of the details later on.
This last Saturday, April 25, the Carterville 9/12ers held our first meeting. If you want to know more about our group, see http://www.meetup.com/Carterville9-12ers/pages/About_the_Carterville_9-12ers/.
Our first meeting went really well. We had roughly 20 people attend and all who attended had very positive feelings about what we are trying to accomplish. My brother and sister and their spouses even attended via videoconferencing from Pensacola and Manhattan. Our group will begin by becoming more familiar with the Constitution and by reading The 5000 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen.
I truly hope this is just the beginning. I know people are busy and have a lot on thier plate, but what is the value of our freedom to keep doing those other activities? I think it is absolutely essential that concerned citizens who care band together to make our government what it needs to be. There is no other way. The only reason corrupt politicians continue to be elected is because most everybody says something like "I'm too busy to bother with politics and my voice doesn't matter anyway." The corruption has worn people down, understandably, so it is going to take people who care to help kindle or rekindle patriotism and political activism in the hearts of our fellow countrymen.
I'm trying to do that with this group. With God as my helper, I'm not going to go down without a fight. This is my country and there is no way I'm going to let some sell-out-two-bit politician, or group of sell-out-two-bit politicians, destroy it without any resistance.
Thanks!
****
In my last post, I mentioned that I was going to be doing my own little "9/12 Project" and indicated that I would share more of the details later on.
This last Saturday, April 25, the Carterville 9/12ers held our first meeting. If you want to know more about our group, see http://www.meetup.com/Carterville9-12ers/pages/About_the_Carterville_9-12ers/.
Our first meeting went really well. We had roughly 20 people attend and all who attended had very positive feelings about what we are trying to accomplish. My brother and sister and their spouses even attended via videoconferencing from Pensacola and Manhattan. Our group will begin by becoming more familiar with the Constitution and by reading The 5000 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen.
I truly hope this is just the beginning. I know people are busy and have a lot on thier plate, but what is the value of our freedom to keep doing those other activities? I think it is absolutely essential that concerned citizens who care band together to make our government what it needs to be. There is no other way. The only reason corrupt politicians continue to be elected is because most everybody says something like "I'm too busy to bother with politics and my voice doesn't matter anyway." The corruption has worn people down, understandably, so it is going to take people who care to help kindle or rekindle patriotism and political activism in the hearts of our fellow countrymen.
I'm trying to do that with this group. With God as my helper, I'm not going to go down without a fight. This is my country and there is no way I'm going to let some sell-out-two-bit politician, or group of sell-out-two-bit politicians, destroy it without any resistance.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Are You a 9-12er?
A while back (August 2008), I posted a list of items representing the proper role of government. It was extracted from an article written by Ezra Taft Benson, former Secretary of Agriculture to Pres. Eisenhower in the 1960's. That article, as relevent today as ever, was linked to in my post. I encourage you to go back and read it.
My thoughts have lately been consumed with the state of our economy, our God-given, constitutional rights as citizens of the United States of America, and other themes in common with those ideas. It is nearly impossible (if not impossible!) to make sense of it all. Things change in our country and world at a lightning pace, things that potentially affect all of us. Keeping up on it all is hard enough, let alone making sense of it and drawing conclusions from and connections between events.
I also sent out email messages to friends and family regarding my beliefs and feeling that we need to stand up and be guardians of our liberty. After all, if we don't, who will? It is up to us as citizens to watch our government and make sure they are promoting the general welfare and generally doing what they have been hired to do.
I see our government as a pavilion which protects us as individuals and collectively as a sovereign nation as we, as individuals, pursue life, liberty, and our own pursuit of happiness. That is their entire role in my estimation. I think the constitution supports that view. There should only be enough money in government to support its true cost. That means getting rid of all lobbyists and congressional perks and benefits that extend beyond their terms of service. Government should only be involved in the regulation of industry to the extent that individuals' (and their businesses') rights are protected. (Some environmental policies are therefore necessary... for the protection of individual rights of health and happiness). There should be no benefit, profit, or gain of any kind for a politician to be involved in the regulation of industry.
I think our government leaders have been corrupted by the system we have allowed them to install, particularly in Washington. They seem daily to be tripping over each other to blame parties, politics, politicians, and "greedy corporate America" for their failures. (And often they are right!) They continue to enact wasteful and tangential legislation that does nothing but expand their power and influence where it does not belong. Most egregious, though, is that they seem to have forgotten to whom they are really accountable. And if we're looking for someone to blame for that, well, we can look in the mirror.
The time has come for us to find our voice. I believe part of that voice can be our letters, emails, or phone calls to their offices. But that can only be part of it. Individual voices must be joined with a common voice which will be loud enough to get their attention.
As noble as the missions and ideals of third political parties and candidates are, the answer, I believe, is not to align ourselves with a party or a leader (i.e. Libertarian, Constitution, Ron Paul, etc.). Obviously a good and worthy candidate to represent the People is a necessary and natural result of the process, but that person is not the cause. That party is not the cause.
The cause is Principles. We need to unite around principles. The candidate must espouse those principles and it must be evident in their life, in their work, in their public service. Where a severe deficit in principle exists, that person cannot really be the ideal candidate. I'm not calling for a perfect person here, just somebody who ernestly embodies the principles that are the basis for a free people.
That is why I am uniting around the 9.12 Project. I know already that when people hear the name, or the person who is primarily responsible for launching it, TV and Radio personality Glenn Beck, I know that many people will dismiss it right off the bat. What I would tell those people is that Glenn Beck himself is not about making himself the central figure in this movement. He wants the central figure to be me, and you, and our neighbors. He wants the People to be the movers and shakers. His role is to be a national voice. He has already established that and it can only help the cause of the 9-12ers. But it isn't about Glenn Beck. I don't agree with everything he says, I don't agree with all his approaches to issues or all his conclusions. Sometimes he bugs me. (My wife would never believe that). What I do agree with is the principles and values that are the basis of the 9-12 project. So I support this because of those things. I invite you to support it too, to be a part of it, and if you aren't a part of that, be a part of something that unites people around correct principles, not parties or politicians. Then select your candidates because of the principles they live by, not the fake promises they like to make.
See http://www.the912project.com/ for more information.
I would be interested in knowing what you are a part of to make sure the corrupt crop of politicians are replaced with God-fearing patriots.
As for my part in the 9.12 Project, I am trying to organize a family and community group where the United States Constitution can be discussed, founding principles learned, and the 9 principles and 12 values applied individually and as a group. More details to come.
The 912 Project
The Nine Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with whom I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
The Twelve Values
1-Honesty
2-Reverence
3-Hope
4-Thrift
5-Humility
6-Charity
7-Sincerity
8-Moderation
9-Hard Work
10-Courage
11-Personal Responsibility
12-Gratitude
My thoughts have lately been consumed with the state of our economy, our God-given, constitutional rights as citizens of the United States of America, and other themes in common with those ideas. It is nearly impossible (if not impossible!) to make sense of it all. Things change in our country and world at a lightning pace, things that potentially affect all of us. Keeping up on it all is hard enough, let alone making sense of it and drawing conclusions from and connections between events.
I also sent out email messages to friends and family regarding my beliefs and feeling that we need to stand up and be guardians of our liberty. After all, if we don't, who will? It is up to us as citizens to watch our government and make sure they are promoting the general welfare and generally doing what they have been hired to do.
I see our government as a pavilion which protects us as individuals and collectively as a sovereign nation as we, as individuals, pursue life, liberty, and our own pursuit of happiness. That is their entire role in my estimation. I think the constitution supports that view. There should only be enough money in government to support its true cost. That means getting rid of all lobbyists and congressional perks and benefits that extend beyond their terms of service. Government should only be involved in the regulation of industry to the extent that individuals' (and their businesses') rights are protected. (Some environmental policies are therefore necessary... for the protection of individual rights of health and happiness). There should be no benefit, profit, or gain of any kind for a politician to be involved in the regulation of industry.
I think our government leaders have been corrupted by the system we have allowed them to install, particularly in Washington. They seem daily to be tripping over each other to blame parties, politics, politicians, and "greedy corporate America" for their failures. (And often they are right!) They continue to enact wasteful and tangential legislation that does nothing but expand their power and influence where it does not belong. Most egregious, though, is that they seem to have forgotten to whom they are really accountable. And if we're looking for someone to blame for that, well, we can look in the mirror.
The time has come for us to find our voice. I believe part of that voice can be our letters, emails, or phone calls to their offices. But that can only be part of it. Individual voices must be joined with a common voice which will be loud enough to get their attention.
As noble as the missions and ideals of third political parties and candidates are, the answer, I believe, is not to align ourselves with a party or a leader (i.e. Libertarian, Constitution, Ron Paul, etc.). Obviously a good and worthy candidate to represent the People is a necessary and natural result of the process, but that person is not the cause. That party is not the cause.
The cause is Principles. We need to unite around principles. The candidate must espouse those principles and it must be evident in their life, in their work, in their public service. Where a severe deficit in principle exists, that person cannot really be the ideal candidate. I'm not calling for a perfect person here, just somebody who ernestly embodies the principles that are the basis for a free people.
That is why I am uniting around the 9.12 Project. I know already that when people hear the name, or the person who is primarily responsible for launching it, TV and Radio personality Glenn Beck, I know that many people will dismiss it right off the bat. What I would tell those people is that Glenn Beck himself is not about making himself the central figure in this movement. He wants the central figure to be me, and you, and our neighbors. He wants the People to be the movers and shakers. His role is to be a national voice. He has already established that and it can only help the cause of the 9-12ers. But it isn't about Glenn Beck. I don't agree with everything he says, I don't agree with all his approaches to issues or all his conclusions. Sometimes he bugs me. (My wife would never believe that). What I do agree with is the principles and values that are the basis of the 9-12 project. So I support this because of those things. I invite you to support it too, to be a part of it, and if you aren't a part of that, be a part of something that unites people around correct principles, not parties or politicians. Then select your candidates because of the principles they live by, not the fake promises they like to make.
See http://www.the912project.com/ for more information.
I would be interested in knowing what you are a part of to make sure the corrupt crop of politicians are replaced with God-fearing patriots.
As for my part in the 9.12 Project, I am trying to organize a family and community group where the United States Constitution can be discussed, founding principles learned, and the 9 principles and 12 values applied individually and as a group. More details to come.
The 912 Project
The Nine Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with whom I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
The Twelve Values
1-Honesty
2-Reverence
3-Hope
4-Thrift
5-Humility
6-Charity
7-Sincerity
8-Moderation
9-Hard Work
10-Courage
11-Personal Responsibility
12-Gratitude
Friday, February 20, 2009
Thanks Congress, but No Thanks
Sometimes I like to imagine what it might be like to sort of, you know, put federal government in their place. Anybody who knows me very well knows by now that I am not too impressed with the direction President Obama is taking this country, and even less impressed by the direction our Congress has been taking us for the last several years. Comments on the Internet about their performance are usually very vitriolic and are normally one of two flavors: Democrats are the best thing ever and Republicans stink, or the other way around. I think those arguments are silly. How can you logically point a finger at one side or the other? They're all complicit in our current situation.
I think the solution to the federal government sticking their oversized proboscis in the business of the American people and their greasy palms in their wallets is quite simple. The states simply say to Obama-Pelosi-Reid et al. a simple "Thanks, but no thanks." Then, after talking the talk, we'd walk the walk. Here's what I mean.
First, the states would not accept any "stimulus" money from the federal government. No matter how badly we are hurting, we just don't take it. This would have to be a mandate from the people to the state and local leaders. The message would be this: "We don't take welfare from the feds." Then the local governments, businesses, and public would work it out in the classic free-market way: those that cannot survive, fail.
Second, you are going to have states, like California, that have put themselves in a bad situation that probably will take the money. Fine. You take the money, California, and you, alone, are responsible for the debt that is incurred. Responsible states, like Alaska, that have built up a reserve will not pay for your stupidity. You are on the hook for it. Take what you want, but when the bill comes due it will have your name at the top. I understand that a state is no more and no less than the people who live there. Government doesn't produce, so the taxes from your people will have to pay for it. If people move out of your state and stop paying your taxes, too bad. I guess you go bankrupt and watch as your state is absorbed piece-by-piece by your surrounding, solvent states. Goodbye California, hello New Alaska.
The question is, why can't the states just say no to the federal government? Why can't they just tell it that they have no interest in its help? The fact is, the states can work it out on their own if they just will. Our Founding Fathers would be absolutely astounded at the ridiculous nature of this federal bailout. That isn't what the federal government is supposed to be doing!
Furthermore, the states have the power to tell the federal government that it has very few powers granted it by the constitution and this stimulus isn't part of those powers. They do this by NOT ACCEPTING THE MONEY!!! Yes, the feds can have some taxes to defend us from foreign enemies and provide some other necessary functions, but the states need to get some cajones, if you know what I'm saying, and tell the feds that they need to trim the fat from the budget (mostly by cutting the welfare for special interests and/or campaign donors). Our federal government is a run-away train the only thing that is going to put the brakes on it is lots and lots of people, in the form of states, telling them to STOP THE SPENDING! If we hit a depression, so be it. The only thing worse than a depression is a government that thinks it needs to stop it and will go to any length to do that.
How did the federal government get to be so independent of the people who allow it to exist in the first place? For one reason and one reason alone: We allowed it to happen. Well, we can rein it back in if we will. We just have to be willing to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to make that happen.
I know this is a simple approach. That is why a whole bunch of experts would say "it won't work." I disagree. I think we need a simple approach to this. I think we need real leaders who will stand up for the right principles and allow the consequences to happen, knowing that things will be better, at least for our progeny. Think of the American Revolutionary War. Our soldiers were not being paid much, or anything at the end, they were ill-equipped, outnumbered, out-flanked, and out-everythinged by the Brits. Where was their strength?
First, they had a real leader, George Washington, who was not in it for his own personal power or glory. He saw the need for a complete breakaway from England, wanted liberty for the people and their posterity, and was willing to go to the extreme without giving up principles. He inspired those sad and pathetic troops to give it all so we could be unencumbered by what? By oppressive government determined to make the colonies dependent on it. They said no, I say no. I see very little difference between an oppressive mother-state trying to keep its colonies dependent and subservient, and an oppressive federal government determined to make the states dependent on it. Those colonies, may I remind the reader, were part of England. Our states are part of the United States of America. The colonies were a small part of the holdings of the British Empire. The states, and here is our strength, is all the federal government has.
I do not wish to be an enemy or a traitor of our great land. I love it. I love what it is supposed to be, though, and not what it is becoming. I love what it has been, and not what it is now. I believe in it. But I'm not naive enough to believe that we don't now have, nor will we never have domestic enemies, whatever their motives. Corruption in Washington, the constant backscratching that happens there, is making domestic enemies of the state out of our so-called leaders. It has to stop. I think it will be, must be, the voice of the people through their states that will halt this ridiculous spending until the next election. Then, if they haven't returned to principles, our government leaders will be fired and we will have representatives that will at least know that we are not tolerant of the corruption.
I know this has been a long essay. I have only one more thing to add. There are people that we say are in high places with lots of cash and hence lots of influence. We erroneously believe that because we lack the cash and hence the influence which they have, that we are not able to effect change. Yes, maybe they can pay off politicians. Maybe they can more easily get into a position of candidacy themselves. Who chooses the leaders though? Ultimately, We the People have the power, don't we? We get to choose who makes and enforces these laws, and who appoints people to judge. The government belongs to us. I am not going to condemn Barack Obama wholesale, or any member of congress, just because of their party or platform. If they violate principle, though, that is when I will not stand still. I feel like they are violating principle. Even though I have a lot of responsibilities in different areas, I resolve to be as involved in the choosing of men and women of principle as I can possibly be.
I think the solution to the federal government sticking their oversized proboscis in the business of the American people and their greasy palms in their wallets is quite simple. The states simply say to Obama-Pelosi-Reid et al. a simple "Thanks, but no thanks." Then, after talking the talk, we'd walk the walk. Here's what I mean.
First, the states would not accept any "stimulus" money from the federal government. No matter how badly we are hurting, we just don't take it. This would have to be a mandate from the people to the state and local leaders. The message would be this: "We don't take welfare from the feds." Then the local governments, businesses, and public would work it out in the classic free-market way: those that cannot survive, fail.
Second, you are going to have states, like California, that have put themselves in a bad situation that probably will take the money. Fine. You take the money, California, and you, alone, are responsible for the debt that is incurred. Responsible states, like Alaska, that have built up a reserve will not pay for your stupidity. You are on the hook for it. Take what you want, but when the bill comes due it will have your name at the top. I understand that a state is no more and no less than the people who live there. Government doesn't produce, so the taxes from your people will have to pay for it. If people move out of your state and stop paying your taxes, too bad. I guess you go bankrupt and watch as your state is absorbed piece-by-piece by your surrounding, solvent states. Goodbye California, hello New Alaska.
The question is, why can't the states just say no to the federal government? Why can't they just tell it that they have no interest in its help? The fact is, the states can work it out on their own if they just will. Our Founding Fathers would be absolutely astounded at the ridiculous nature of this federal bailout. That isn't what the federal government is supposed to be doing!
Furthermore, the states have the power to tell the federal government that it has very few powers granted it by the constitution and this stimulus isn't part of those powers. They do this by NOT ACCEPTING THE MONEY!!! Yes, the feds can have some taxes to defend us from foreign enemies and provide some other necessary functions, but the states need to get some cajones, if you know what I'm saying, and tell the feds that they need to trim the fat from the budget (mostly by cutting the welfare for special interests and/or campaign donors). Our federal government is a run-away train the only thing that is going to put the brakes on it is lots and lots of people, in the form of states, telling them to STOP THE SPENDING! If we hit a depression, so be it. The only thing worse than a depression is a government that thinks it needs to stop it and will go to any length to do that.
How did the federal government get to be so independent of the people who allow it to exist in the first place? For one reason and one reason alone: We allowed it to happen. Well, we can rein it back in if we will. We just have to be willing to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to make that happen.
I know this is a simple approach. That is why a whole bunch of experts would say "it won't work." I disagree. I think we need a simple approach to this. I think we need real leaders who will stand up for the right principles and allow the consequences to happen, knowing that things will be better, at least for our progeny. Think of the American Revolutionary War. Our soldiers were not being paid much, or anything at the end, they were ill-equipped, outnumbered, out-flanked, and out-everythinged by the Brits. Where was their strength?
First, they had a real leader, George Washington, who was not in it for his own personal power or glory. He saw the need for a complete breakaway from England, wanted liberty for the people and their posterity, and was willing to go to the extreme without giving up principles. He inspired those sad and pathetic troops to give it all so we could be unencumbered by what? By oppressive government determined to make the colonies dependent on it. They said no, I say no. I see very little difference between an oppressive mother-state trying to keep its colonies dependent and subservient, and an oppressive federal government determined to make the states dependent on it. Those colonies, may I remind the reader, were part of England. Our states are part of the United States of America. The colonies were a small part of the holdings of the British Empire. The states, and here is our strength, is all the federal government has.
I do not wish to be an enemy or a traitor of our great land. I love it. I love what it is supposed to be, though, and not what it is becoming. I love what it has been, and not what it is now. I believe in it. But I'm not naive enough to believe that we don't now have, nor will we never have domestic enemies, whatever their motives. Corruption in Washington, the constant backscratching that happens there, is making domestic enemies of the state out of our so-called leaders. It has to stop. I think it will be, must be, the voice of the people through their states that will halt this ridiculous spending until the next election. Then, if they haven't returned to principles, our government leaders will be fired and we will have representatives that will at least know that we are not tolerant of the corruption.
I know this has been a long essay. I have only one more thing to add. There are people that we say are in high places with lots of cash and hence lots of influence. We erroneously believe that because we lack the cash and hence the influence which they have, that we are not able to effect change. Yes, maybe they can pay off politicians. Maybe they can more easily get into a position of candidacy themselves. Who chooses the leaders though? Ultimately, We the People have the power, don't we? We get to choose who makes and enforces these laws, and who appoints people to judge. The government belongs to us. I am not going to condemn Barack Obama wholesale, or any member of congress, just because of their party or platform. If they violate principle, though, that is when I will not stand still. I feel like they are violating principle. Even though I have a lot of responsibilities in different areas, I resolve to be as involved in the choosing of men and women of principle as I can possibly be.
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