Answers - "How In The World Can We Ever Get Back To That Mindset?"

This posting serves as my summary response to the question from our Mid-west reader who asked "How in the world can we ever get back to that mindset?" referring to how Americans handled catastrophes without government aid for many decades after our founding.  I say summary response because every post answers the question to one degree or another.  See Sandy's Victims Should Look To Themselves For Help for details re the question.

 

Thanks to everyone who responded with their answer to the reader's question.

 

Several people responded by focusing on the 47% of people that Mitt Romney described as "dependent on government, believe they are victims entitled to government handouts, & pay no income tax."  The free enterprise system in America has been so badly deformed – virtually beyond recognition – that life has become desperate for far too many people that felt they had no alternative but to vote for BO who continues promising to take care of everybody. BO's policy positions are contrived to take free enterprise out of the equation for us all.  Reaching people in this 47% group is a start to getting back to the desired mindset & is mandatory or every national election from this point forward will be won by a statist.

 

One very thoughtful reader wrote "We can begin by educating our children to be responsible citizens. This would mean in schools and by the parents in the home. Children need to learn that our country was founded on principles of less government intrusion in our lives and that that means more freedom to become and achieve whatever you dream for yourself. Until parents demand this of their government school it won't happen."  Education of our children with parent involvement, as described by the writer, is the bedrock for the republic remaining strong & returning to our original libertarian principles.  If we reestablish the points the writer makes we will be back to the desired mindset in pretty short order. 

 

Our SC businessman writes that "we need a new term that does not have the negative connotation that Fascism does, yet explains what the government is really doing to us."  He hopes that this new one word term could reach the type of voter who gets his news accidently - meaning they were not looking for news but stumbled upon it for instance while watching a comedy show.

 

To understand how America went from the original mindset where people rebuilt cities that had been destroyed by fires, hurricanes, & earthquakes without asking for government assistance to a mindset of "I deserve, I'm entitled," & "its my right" we must start by seeing how government has increasingly crept into our lives over the decades since America's founding - & all for the worse.

 

To do this I divide America's history into approximate thirds summarized as follows: 1) from the Founding to the Civil War, 2) from the Civil War to the 1930s, & 3) from the 1930s to today. With these three divisions you can clearly see government's encroachment on our freedom. 

 

---From The Founding To The Civil War---

 

This was the liberty to abundance stage of our country in which liberty was cherished & even worshiped by all of the people including the elected representatives.  The only entitlement these people were looking for was the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights – summarized as the freedom from government intrusion in their lives.  Today rights are most often thought of as entitlements to something from government like the aid relief package from Sandy.  The problem with government programs that sound good is that they always disappoint.  In Sandy's case first our elected representatives loaded the relief bill with pork for every corner of America not touched by the super storm & then after relief legislation was passed only a small fraction of the money has even yet reached people who are waiting for help. (I am happy to say that the new SC senator Tim Scott voted against the relief legislation as of course did Jeff Flake, Rand Paul, & Mike Lee).

 

People living in the first third of our country's history never had problems waiting for relief packages because the government did not offer it in the first place & the people relied on themselves & were the better for it.

 

---From The Civil War To The 1930s---

 

This was the abundance to complacency stage of our country in which liberty started to be taken for granted.  In the 1880s Otto von Bismarck designed the first government pension system in Germany that was the basis of FDR's Social Security program in America.  But long before the Depression of the 1930s two gargantuan mistakes were made – 1)  ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment in February 1913 that allowed the income tax, & 2) the passing of the Federal Reserve Act in December 1913 that created the Federal Reserve System. 

 

The income tax system has damaged America because it taxes work, savings, & investment & as such is the basis of so many ill-advised incentives that have nothing to do with our prosperity except for destroying it.  The FairTax reverses these biases & is a major ingredient for returning America to the desired mindset. 

 

Since the Fed's creation the U.S. dollar has lost over 95% of its purchasing power.  1913 was a very bad year for America.

 

The economic hardships of the Great Depression of the 1930s were initially made worse by the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 in that the protective tariffs resulted in American exports & imports being reduced by more than half.  Further exacerbating the situation throughout the 1930s was the Fed's tight money policy – neither the tariffs or the Fed had anything to do with unfettered free enterprise but as the decade moved on people became more dependent on government. 

 

---From The 1930s To Today---

 

This period started as the complacency to apathy stage & with our very eyes we have seen our country move to the apathy to dependence stage & if we don't turn the current mindset around we will witness the dependence back into bondage final stage of the Death Of Democracy.

 

There are many features of WW II that ended the Great Depression but by the time the war ended many Americans were very used to & liked government dependence – whether they readily admitted it or not.  It was the wage & price freeze during the war that resulted in employers finding (with Congress's help) the loophole to provide medical insurance that would not count as wage increases that resulted in the insurance-dependent system we have today.  This loophole resulted in Medicare & Medicaid in the 1960s, ObamaCare in 2010, & ultimately will end in single payer insurance in the very near future.

 

Every time government gets bigger free enterprise principles are distorted thereby putting more of a drag on the entrepreneur – the creator of wealth & meaningful jobs that support a family - the foundation of the self-respect & dignity that not only promoted but naturally bred the country's original mindset. In 1930 federal government spending equaled 3% of GDP. Today federal government spending equals 24% of GDP & state & local government spending equals 17% of GDP for a government spending total of 41% of GDP.

 

To see how value producing jobs are created think of the world economy as a ladder with the U.S. currently on the top rung & developing nations with low tech labor intensive jobs like Bangladesh on the bottom rungs. The other countries are in between. All countries try to climb to the next rung. This works well if the topmost countries create new industries & products, thus adding another rung to the ladder like when we replaced horse drawn carriages that used buggy whips with cars. Older industries can move overseas while new jobs are generated @ home. It is when innovation stalls @ the highest rung that the portion of Americans near the bottom of the income distribution must compete with workers in developing countries. This is what we are facing today as far too many Americans are so poorly educated that they have skills so limited that no employer can use them which is exactly the plan BO is implementing in making people ever more dependent on government. Source of the ladder metaphor – Professor Robert Carbaugh of Central Washington University.

 

People have not gotten the message when companies run ads for a very few jobs & dozens or even hundreds of applications flood in. Instead of getting the necessary education & training to qualify for the few high paying jobs that may be available people are content to wait for the next run of the mill job to be offered or file for unemployment or disability, or move back with their parents or other roommates thereby not increasing our standard of living @ all with any of these alternatives.  Keeping current with the education & training required to get a job that can support a family is a never ending process. There really is no such thing as retirement from making a living.

 

The thoughtful writer above makes exactly the right point re education – until our schools teach America's founding principles again the country will continue to founder with wealth spend-down the rule until America is just another poor nation. Way too many people, even in their 30s, are on a path that will be hard to reverse & it's not because of a failure of the free enterprise system but rather the unintended consequences of government's meddling policies theoretically designed to promote fairness that have the exact opposite result than the one intended.

 

The problem with the ever growing government entitlement programs is that they are not sustainable. Medicare should shift to a premium support system & Social Security should calculate a retiree's initial benefit based on the CPI rather than the average real wage index & then adjust benefits annually by the CPI thereafter. These are not austerity measures like Greece is implementing – we have the time to start both of these programs for people not yet fifty-five.  To change the current mindset we must promote these remedies.

 

Part of our problem can be explained by the busy lives people live that does not allow time for them to know what is happening to themselves or our country. Most such people are uninformed & do not feel they have any skin in the game or even realize that a game is going on. Now it is human nature to not want to have skin in the game if you are able to play the game & either don't have any skin in the game or think you don't. But we all do & it is the job of those of us who know what our future holds to convince the uninformed that they really do have skin in the game in that their entire standard of existence is @ stake when the government gravy train stops abruptly.

 

You can see that I tied together all of the major points that people provided in answering our Mid-west readers question – particularly those focusing on both the 47% group & education.  Now there may not be one word or term that describes our predicament but there is one pledge that, if followed by us all, will cure it:

 

"I pledge by my life & my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."  John Galt, Atlas Shrugged 

 

The Cooperation That Is The Free Enterprise Market

Thanks to a long time subscriber who specializes in philanthropy & higher education in America for sending the link for the modern adaptation of Leonard E. Read's 1958 classic essay I, Pencil.  The video provides a tremendous example of the cooperative effort that goes into making something as seemingly simple as a lead (actually graphite) pencil.

 

Many have seen the cover of his book Free To Choose in which Professor Friedman holds a pencil in such a way that begs the obvious question "what's with the pencil?" – the above video provides the answer.

 

In the book Professor Friedman writes "It is even more astounding that the pencil was ever produced. No one sitting in a central office gave orders to these thousands of people. No military police enforced the orders that were not given. These people live in many lands, speak different languages, practice different religions, may even hate one another -- yet none of these differences prevented them from cooperating to produce a pencil."

 

Click here to hear Professor Friedman explain the cooperation that is the free enterprise market. 

Why Americans Have The Right To Keep & Bear Arms

The least discerning person I know instantly knew what happened in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012 when four Americans were murdered in our diplomatic facility there & yet it will take the federal government months on end to pretend to study the matter & issue a report.  BO & Hillary certainly had no intention of coming clean before the election & Hillary still didn't today @ her hearing.

 

Contrast the in-depth study politically required regarding the Benghazi murders with Biden's lickety-split written report regarding stricter gun controls that was prompted by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings last month in which twenty-six people were slain.   Luckily for people who are in favor of stricter gun control measures Biden was able to hold meetings during a very few days with many different groups & issue a long list of recommendations quickly.  Biden's breathtaking timeliness was so obvious that anyone could see that his report had been on the shelf waiting to be dusted off & presented as cover so that BO could pursue his large anti-American goal of disarming the citizenry.  In brief, BO ultimately wants firearms our of the public's hands for the opposite reason the Founders wanted firearms in the public's hands. 

 

We should tie any new gun control legislation with the reasoning, if any, of how it will prevent another mass slaying – & of course legislation can not. To put it in terms a dieter can understand – the fork does not eat the cheesecake.

 

Now that BO's pitch @ a White House event last week has been made for greater gun controls much of the political battle will turn to whether or not any new gun control measures are in violation of the Second Amendment – "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep & bear arms shall not be infringed."

 

Now the Second Amendment has nothing to do with hunters, hunters' rights, or even protecting yourself in your home against an intruder like a burglar - although a gun will prove handy in such an event.  It was written into the Bill of Rights so that the citizenry would have a constitutional means of protection against an oppressive government – period.  The sooner TV pundits start to explain it this way the better. 

 

Many gun restriction discussions I have seen on TV focus on self-protection from criminals.  These discussions will only lead to people conceding to what seems reasonable in this regard while missing the bigger issue of protection from the government.  The Founders did not intend for citizens with cap pistols to fend off soldiers with military weapons.

 

Based on the Founders' colonial experience they knew that central governments are quite capable & even can be inclined to oppress people.  European history clearly revealed this danger to our Founders.  Over the years the trusting citizenry gradually lost their fear of the government oppressing them politically but in fact today this danger is more likely than @ any time in decades.  BO's call for limits on the size of ammunition magazines (ten rounds) & Cuomo's NY state law (seven rounds) are direct forms of citizen disarmament that will leave the people virtually defenseless against the government foe the Founders wanted protection from when they wrote the Second Amendment.

 

James Madison, the Father of the Constitution, realized that the American people were already armed (note the past tense – "keep & bear arms") & that it would be almost impossible for the central government to raise enough force to subdue them – especially as long as the citizenry was armed & the central government did not know how many or where the arms were, or how well trained or practiced the citizenry (i.e., regulars in military terms) was in the use of firearms.

 

In negotiating the terms in the Second Amendment the Federalists & the Anti-Federalists agreed that the central government does not have any authority to disarm the citizenry – they were interested in the ability of the people to protect the liberty they had secured from Great Britain. 

 

The Founders were as much for the people keeping & bearing arms as they were for them to have free speech & the free exercise of religion.  In fact the Founders showed their priorities by putting both freedom of speech & religion first & the right to keep & bear arms next in the Bill of Rights as a way to signal the power of the people is superior to any government.  And that is what BO is trying to reverse with this latest gun control ploy.

 

---Below are related excerpts from the Neal Boortz Blog of January 17, 2013---

 

I really do feel for you folks in the media who have to continue to honestly and objectively cover this dangerous man in the White House. Talk about the best planned retirement in history. I simply cannot sit here and do the daily play-by-play of his destruction of this country that I love any more. This last election made it clear. The moochers, parasites, leaches and the looters who support them are in control. We simply have too many people voting for a living in this country … the takers rule, and too many makers are disengaged and sit on their hands on Election Day.

 

Obama KNEW that as soon as he won the election in 2008 that one day he was going to make a move against the Second Amendment. His ultimate goal was and is to disarm the American people --- not because he didn't want them to have the means to defend themselves against thugs and predators, but because he knew – as most liberals know – that the true intent of the Second Amendment was to preserve for the American People the right to resist, with arms if necessary, an oppressive government.  Liberals are all about oppressive government --- why in the world would they want the people to be able to resist? Take a lesson from Obama's recent tax increase victory. What did he do as soon as the GOP caved and gave him his tax increase? He IMMEDIATELY said that now he wanted to raise taxes on the evil rich even MORE! Same things with gun control. Give him what he asked for here, and he will immediately step forward to ask for more. Again … his goal is to remove the Second Amendment from our Constitution.

 

Yesterday's propaganda routine was a well-choreographed display of arrogance, masked as a heartfelt gesture "for the children." Obama did, indeed, surround himself with four adorable children while addressing his plans for victim disarmament. He read from their letters – which were likely written at the direction of some unionized government school teacher. The West Wing is no longer in the business of governing; it is in the business of running a well-oiled propaganda machine. After reading some of the letters, Obama says …

These are our kids. This is what they're thinking about. And so what we should be thinking about is our responsibility to care for them, and shield them from harm, and give them the tools they need to grow up and do everything that they're capable of doing — not just to pursue their own dreams, but to help build this country. This is our first task as a society, keeping our children safe. This is how we will be judged. And their voices should compel us to change.

If our first task as a society is to keep our children safe, then why did Obama go on to propose measures that limit the means of protection for the parents of these children? What Obama was really saying was, "Our first task as a society is to ensure that you, faithful citizens, rely on the government for everything in your lives and that includes protection of your life, liberty and property. You will not be judged based on your individual efforts to keep your child safe, but rather on your compliance with government directives which we will tell you are designed to keep you safe."

 

As predicted, Obama proposed universal background checks for all gun sales, including private sales. Considering a private individuals inability to conduct a background search, this will likely lead to the end of private gun sales in America. At the very least it will lead to a database of all private sales and purchases. This database will be a precursor to confiscation … just as it was in New York City. Oh … and do you think that street thugs are going to run background checks on each other before guns change hands?

 

Obama wants to restore a ban on military-style assault weapons and impose a 10-round limit for magazines. He then cited the horrific Aurora movie theatre shooting as an example of why we need to limit these magazines. Do you think the law was going to stop a deranged man such as that from getting his hands on such weaponry capable of producing such carnage? Nope. But the people defending themselves from such firepower will be limited. Hence the real name for Obama's proposal: Victim Disarmament.

 

Obama then took not one, not ten, but 23 executive actions on the issue of victim disarmament. Jamie Dupree has the entire list. I love that one of the executive actions is: "Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers." The same ATF that lost all of those guns they walked into Mexico? Yeah, they sure are a reliable source for how to track guns …

 

Oh and did you notice that Obama managed to call for more government spending? I know! Let's use this crisis to expand the size of government! After all, America's greatness comes from government spending! The proposed package is $5.4 billion and includes things like "$10 million for the Centers for Disease Control to conduct further research, including investigating the relationship between video games, media images, and violence."

 

And before we move on, a few stats on victim disarmament:

• A survey found that Americans use guns to frighten intruders away from a home break-in about 500,000 times annually.

• Armed citizens shoot criminals more than twice as often as police each year (1527 to 606).

• A survey of male felons in 11 state prisons across the USA found that 57% of felons polled agreed that "criminals are more worried about meeting an armed victim than they are about running into the police."

Inch by inch, these liberals will manage to disarm or at least weaken responsible, self-reliant Americans.

 

• The libs are trying to change the language here. They know that the phrase "gun control" elicits a strong negative response among many. Look for "gun violence prevention" or some other such phrase. Same goals, different phraseology. Liberals know the masses are suckers … and will play them.

• Obama's absolute intent is to make the Second Amendment inoperative. He's a despot .. and despots don't like subjects with guns. Yes … it's just that simple.
• Of all the recent highly publicized mass killings with guns … every one, except Tucson, took place in what was defined as a "gun free zone."
• There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that limiting the size of magazines will have any affect on the people who want to use guns to prey on others. These people, by definition, do not intend to obey the laws. Those who do obey the laws will obey this one, and they will see their ability to defend themselves affected negatively.
• Liberals love to use the "Wild Wild West" as an example of the carnage that would ensue if more private citizens carried guns. This illustrates the basic ignorance of liberals. There was much less gun violence in the so-called "Wild Wild West" than there is now in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Washington DC, Atlanta, Miami, or any other large American city. Why? Because in the "Wild Wild West" pretty much everyone was armed, so folks didn't screw around with folks.
• There was a rash of school shootings in the 1990s. The majority of those school shootings were stopped by a civilian with a gun, not by law enforcement.
• The highest rates of urban gun violence in our country occur in the cities that make it the most difficult, if not impossible, for a law-abiding citizen to carry guns.

Responses - The Fate Of Sam Donaldson's Country

Below are three responses that add to the original discussion – two of which focus on the 47% of people that Mitt Romney described as "dependent on government, believe they are victims entitled to government handouts, & pay no income tax."  BO won the 2012 election with only 51% of the vote against the most flawed candidate I have ever seen – meaning BO was vulnerable but the hapless establishment Republican Party pitifully could not capitalize on BO's poor record in office.  As you read the responses below just imagine if BO had faced an opponent who could have sincerely & effectively reached out to the 47% & reduced their numbers from 47% to 42% for starters - you would have an entirely different inauguration story.

 

Thanks to everyone who has responded to the question from a long time subscriber who asked "How in the world can we ever get back to that mindset?" referring to how Americans handled catastrophes without government aid for many decades after our founding. See Sandy's Victims Should Look To Themselves For Help for details.  The responses below regarding the 47% are part of the answer.  I am working on an even more complete answer & welcome your contributions.

 

---Response #1---

 

You had a lot for us to think about in this posting but I want to address the 47% issue. Convincing these people that government is not really helping them but is enslaving them won't be easy. Keep in mind that this has been going on a long time and many of them are 3rd generation welfare receivers.  (I personally knew a family in that situation.)  They have lived this life so long they don't know any other way.  They have no idea what it's like to provide for themselves or their children.

You are right that we need to help these people see the truth.  We need to show them there is a better way to live, but most won't believe it.  What will work is finding those who have broken the cycle and are willing to come forward and tell how they did it and how their lives were changed.  That could be a way to break the welfare mentality that is so prevalent now and growing every day. 

 

---Response #2---

 

Doug - I agree with all your points and applaud your challenge to work with the 47% Mitt referred to.  This 47% may grow to 52% and with same mindset if BO has his way.  So yes we must work extra hard on their mindset as you suggest.

In the very short term though we have a critical opportunity.  We must NOT increase debt ceiling without substantial cuts.  To do otherwise would greatly increase the harm we will all experience but especially the poor when the ultimate debt restructuring occurs.  I have been blogging extensively for weeks that it is much better that we ourselves restructure our debt.  Else Chinese financial executives, Arab sheiks, and IMF accountants will harshly restructure our debt and severely cut entitlements.  If we stay on our present course this is inevitable.  Our conservative politicians must explain this in ways that especially the 47% will understand.

A bare minimum compromise on debt ceiling increase should be to allow only $50 billion per month for a year.  This will cut annual deficit by half and force us to better prioritize spending.

I also liked comment below (which I read directly online) about how little we know about BO compared to other presidents.  It really is possible most citizens have no real clue of BO's Radical Left and likely Alinsky variant Marxist ideology.

 

---Response #1---

 

Doug - You bring up a very interesting point regarding background checks. It is my understanding they are not able to do a comprehensive background check on BO i.e. where he was born, who his parents are, friends, college grades, etc.  Funny thing about BO, nobody knew him when he was a kid. With Carter, Reagan, & Bush the media was able to go back to their childhood days, talk with their friends, teachers and employers. (Carter the peanut farmer, Reagan the lifeguard, Bush the college cheerleader.)

One more point, these "Donaldson types" are dinosaur liberals who retire to their 1000 acre farms only to resurface ten years later to poke their finger in the eye of the Republican Party.

 

 

 

The Fate Of Sam Donaldson's Country

"Guys, it's not your country any more, it's our country..." Sam Donaldson speaking to the Tea Party

 

It can't be made clearer than that as people like Donaldson realize the electoral tipping point was crossed in 2012 with the reelection of BO - America's biggest enemy since King George III.  In the next four years government dependency will only increase setting the stage for Hillary's eight years of further destruction intended to continue the eradication of the traditional American society, our way of life, & standard of living.  Hillary just turned 65, was born in Chicago, & is another graduate of the Alinsky Method.  (Her recent health problems – fainting, concussion, & blood clot - are a concern but she has had issues like this before.)

 

Donaldson's statement, obviously made based on the large number of voters dependent on government (nearly 70% of Americans currently take more out of the tax system than they pay into it – source – the Tax Foundation) whose voting block was predominant in BO's reelection, shows how much work is needed to restore America's greatness.  While we wait for a Galt-like figure to emerge the rest of us can collectively start to work on what Mitt Romney described as the 47% of people who consider themselves victims dependent on government.  This 47% group has to be chipped away @ one percent @ a time until it & Donaldson's country disappear.  We can reach out to them by writing a blog (like Jim DeMint asked me to do), volunteering to help candidates we know have our nation's founding values, tutoring neighborhood children, joining a Tea Party & being an active member & leader, or any other creative way that works for you – but we have to reach people in this government-dependent 47% group.

 

We have to convince the 47% that if they keep on the track they are on they really do have no hope for a better life – it is the very government dependence they turned to for help that is their worst enemy in finding a more fulfilling life.

 

But BO's onslaught will continue in a measured way as one liberty after another continues to be taken away from us.  Just think of the number of Supreme Court Justices that will retire in the next twelve years whose replacements will be handpicked by BO & Hillary.

 

Speaking of hand pickings – over the holidays John Kerry became the Secretary of State Nominee to replace Hillary in BO's second term.  Now I could fill the rest of this post as to why Kerry's nomination is as bad as it gets but let's just sum it up by saying he was the Democrat presidential candidate in 2004.

 

Kerry's resurfacing brought to mind another pull-the-wool over America's eyes obfuscation during that 2004 presidential campaign.  I describe that one & three other points below that illustrate just how easily swayed, confused, & screwed up we are – they are examples of how the citizenry was fooled into turning America into Sam Donaldson's country – until this changes we will only get in deeper.

 

1.  In the 2004 presidential campaign Kerry was portrayed as the intellectual & GW Bush as the not-too-smart bumbler – this comparison developed @ least partially because both men went to Yale.  Come to find out Kerry's grades @ Yale were not as good as Bush's – source James Taranto June 8, 2005 WSJ column C Man in the Navy. 

 

Mr. Taranto writes "John Kerry turns out to have been an average student, just like President Bush."  Taranto's research found that Kerry had kept his college transcripts secret until they were revealed as part of his application for officer training by the Boston Globe in June 2005.  "Mr. Kerry, it turns out, had a 76 average for his years at Yale--the equivalent of a C and one point below George W. Bush's 77 average. Mr. Kerry had a difficult freshman year, scoring four Ds, though he did manage a C in French.  So Mr. Kerry was almost as distinguished a scholar as the schoolmate who went on to become president of the United States. That doesn't seem so bad--but for (presidential) candidate Kerry, it would have been devastating. After all, much of Mr. Kerry's appeal, such as it was, rested on intellectual snobbery. His supporters described him, in the words of a March 2004 New York Times report, as 'an intellectual who grasps the subtleties of issues, inhabits their nuances and revels in the deliberative process."'

 

In summary, the media told us Kerry was an intellectual, he masqueraded as one, & many people believed it.  Although he did not become president he most likely will become the next Secretary of State. I have nothing against C students but I do have something against people who seek high office who pretend to be something they are not.  But the question is will his academic grades be part of Kerry's record that is revealed & considered in his Senate confirmation process?  Governor Huckabee recently suggested that in addition to doing extensive background checks on lawful citizens seeking to purchase firearms for self protection that we do more of a complete background check on our politicians - like Kerry in this instance.

 

2.  Click here to see Steven Crowder conduct one of his man on the street interviews that gets unsuspecting people into the arena of ideas only to find out that they are not what they thought they were.

 

3.  The late Robert Bork wrote in 2005 "...whether it rules truly or not, the Court is the most powerful branch of government in domestic policy.  The combination of absolute power, disdain for the historic Constitution, & philosophical incompetence is lethal." 

 

Please contrast the above modern observation with the Founder's intention for the Courts – Federalist No. 78: Hamilton – "Whoever attentively considers the different departments of power must perceive, that in a government in which they are separated from each other, the judiciary, from the nature of its functions, will always be the least dangerous to the political rights of the constitution; because it will be least in a capacity to annoy or injure them."

 

The Founders intended a judicial system in which law would be stable & predictable – the way I learned this principle in grade school.

 

4.  Although many Americans (including many readers of this blog) agreed with Gary Johnson on the majority of the issues more than they did with Mitt Romney - Gary got just over one million votes for president & worse yet far too many voters did not know who he was or never heard of him.  Click here to hear Gary's answer for stimulating the economy in the one Republican debate he was allowed in.  If Gary was the President-elect we would have a chance to reverse this terrible path BO already had us on before the election.

 

The above are just four examples of the types of faux roads we have gone down in letting Sam Donaldson's country overrun America.  I'm sure you can think of more. 

 

Those of us who are still resisting the easily perceived & unmistakable Death Of Democracy agenda & plan BO is implementing every day on America in double time have to determine individually what they can do to reverse the slide.  But more importantly those in the recent electoral majority have to decide for themselves if this obvious destructive transformational fate of our country is what they really voted for & want if they understood that loose fiscal policy caused every democracy in history to collapse & that such collapse has always been followed by a dictatorship.  It is easy to envision Sam Donaldson's country ending this way.

 

Responses - Sandy's Victims Should Look To Themselves For Help

Below are three responses along with two additional comments from me that add to the discussion of the original subject message.

 

Note – Neal Boortz announced on his radio program this morning that he will be on the Huckabee TV show on FNC this Saturday night (repeat Sunday) & if his plane arrives in NYC in time he will be on Hannity also on FNC on Friday night.  As most of you know Neal is retiring after 42 years on the air – mostly because of BO.

 

---Response #1---

 

Great Blog ! You brought up a very profound subject---the role of charity and philanthropy. So many of our institutions such as hospitals, schools, universities, libraries etc. were founded and funded by the wealthy of the times of their own free will.  For some crazy reason, this concept has been largely abandoned in this country and the government has taken over as the provider of all things ala "Julia" from cradle to grave.

 

No matter what government does, it will never completely eradicate poverty. As a Christian, I believe that helping others of my own free will, in whatever way I can, is a source of blessing from my God.  Nowhere in scripture do you read that this is government's role.  It is especially disturbing when my tax dollars are used for purposes contrary to my Christian beliefs.

 

Congress needs to get back to the basics of what governing is all about---pass a budget, cut all unnecessary spending, and reduce our debt.

 

---Response #2---

 

Doug - As you know, America has been "piggin out" at the breast of its socialistic tit since the Johnson Administration. Anyone who attempts to restrict the flow is committing political suicide. As Warren Buffett would say, "the tide went out and we can see who is swimming naked." In our case the tide went out and we can see who the RINOs are. The tragedy is, the biggest RINO is New Jersey's Republican Governor.

 

RTE - In case anyone did not know – Frelinghuysen, acting as liaison for his region, added a $33 billion amendment for longer-term reconstruction from Sandy's damage.  Made me think of the deceitful photo taken in his Washington office where the Congressman, Carol, & I all held copies of the Constitution. 

 

---Response #3---

 

Looking back at how Americans handled catastrophes in those many cities, over the years, gives me a sense of pride in the human spirit. Thanks for pointing out how we the people have helped each other to recover from crises without government aid!  How in the world can we ever get back to that mindset?

 

RTE – the question raised will be the subject of a future posting.  Please send any of your thoughts in advance of this posting.

Sandy's Victims Should Look To Themselves For Help

"Shame on you, shame on you Congress.  Put aside the politics & help our people now. There's only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims—the House majority and their Speaker, John Boehner." – NJ Governor Chris Christie in a red-hot news conference on New Year's day

 

"I need this job like I need a hole in the head."  John Boehner's reaction to being reelected Speaker Of The House

 

Now virtually all the readership knows I have no use for Boehner but my dislike is @ least equaled by the subscriber who is a two time Republican congressional candidate in NJ who recently wrote to me "I waited for Boehner to cave to change my party affiliation from 'Republican' to 'Unaffiliated.'  I must say it felt liberating."

 

Between the New Year's night fiscal cliff debacle & not providing relief funds for victims of Hurricane Sandy sooner Republicans, in general, & Boehner in particular are being pummeled – by no less than the Keynote Speaker @ the last RNC.  In the fiscal cliff case Boehner has a second chance (Debt Ceiling), third chance (Sequester), & fourth chance (Continuing Resolution) to redeem himself before the end of March.  In the case of relief for Sandy victims Boehner @ least balked @ including tons of pork in the relief funding bill but still missed the main point.

 

By not ever providing government relief funds for victims of Sandy we have a prime example of the change in the government-dependent mindset our country needs.  People who have seen their property damaged or even destroyed by Sandy, plus all of us who have compassion for these people – our friends & neighbors – are making a very bad mistake by counting on government to answer our needs, whether we have paid flood insurance premiums to the federal government or not.  They simply cannot deliver.

 

Until the Civil War, virtually every president regularly vetoed legislation because he thought some bills were unconstitutional - mostly for violating the Spending Clause of Article I, Section 8. For instance, President Monroe vetoed bills because he believed that Congresses' spending authority was confined to general or national interests not state or local ones like rebuilding the Jersey Shore or Staten Island.

 

The residents rebuilt Savannah after the Fourth Congress did not provide federal help after the city was destroyed by fire in 1796. The fire did not affect the general (that is national) Welfare of the entire United States – the constitutional principle President Monroe followed during his presidency.  Likewise Chicago was rebuilt after its fire, as was Galveston after its hurricane, & San Francisco after its earthquake - all without a dollar of federal government money. The philanthropy & charity of the American people coupled with the free market capitalistic spirit that has made America the envy of the world restored these cities.

 

Please contrast the above points with today's government-dependent mindset & all its dangers that are robbing each of us of our God given human freedoms.  All of the above cities were restored through acts of genuine charity & cooperative helping hands with the affected people taking control of their lives & property. 

 

Early in our Republic people learned to take care of themselves & Americans lived in the liberty to abundance stage of our history.  Today we are between the apathy to dependence stage & the dependence back into bondage stage teetering toward dictatorship & tyranny with a small chance to reverse the momentum.

 

The layers of government bureaucracy the victims of Sandy have experienced while they suffer waiting for government relief provides a small idea of what is to come with the implementation of ObamaCare, comprehensive immigration reform, & all of the other Marxist plans BO has in store for America.  Governments are not man's friend – ultimately they are the source of tyranny.  Counting on government is counting on something that is not reliably there for you in any good way. 

 

Recently I saw one of the people who is suffering on Staten Island say that the only restoration of his property since Sandy struck two & one half months ago was done by his wife and him thereby proving the latter point.

 

Boortz & Linder FairTax Petition To The White House

Neal Boortz started his radio program this morning by letting his national audience know that on Tuesday night he created an on-line petition to the White House asking for an hour of BO's time for Neal & former Congressman John Linder to discuss the FairTax with BO.  Neal learned that the White House has promised a response to any petition which gets over 25,000 signatures.

 

Here is Neal's petition:

 

We petition the Obama administration to: Invite Neal Boortz, the author of The FairTax Book, to spend one hour talking with the President about tax reform. A petition to request that the President spend one hour discussing The FairTax, the most thoroughly researched tax reform legislation in history, with Neal Boortz and former GOP Congressman John Linder, co-authors of The FairTax Book and FairTax, The Truth.

Click here to electronically sign the petition.

Don't know where this will lead but it only takes a few minutes & could get some good publicity for the FairTax.  Erick Erickson, who was the substitute host on Neal's radio program over the holidays, has linked the petition to his RedState blog.  I think some others will follow.  I was signer # 7,491.

FairTax Bill Reintroduced To The House

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

 

This past Thursday Congressman Rob Woodall (GA-7) reintroduced HR-25, The FairTax Act of 2013, to the House of Representatives.  See list of fifty-three original cosponsors for this bill below. The companion legislation will be reintroduced in the Senate on or after January 22.

 

Those who have attended my FairTax seminars know I always end with the above quote from Margaret Mead (it applies to America & the signing of the Declaration Of Independence doesn't it) & start by presenting the FairTax in three steps.  1) The FairTax is the result of a $22 million study done over a three year period conducted by world renowned economic & legal scholars.  2) The FairTax itself is a bill in Congress - HR 25 in the House.  3) The FairTax Plan is a nonpartisan proposal that replaces all federal taxes on individual & business income, as well as payroll, estate, & capital gains taxes with a 23% (tax inclusive) national consumption tax on both personal & government consumption of new goods and all services in the U.S.  The FairTax taxes only the final consumer or user in the U.S. of new goods & services meaning essentially it taxes retail sales & government consumption. 

 

The FairTax offers a solution to our economic problems that when implemented will bring fairness & prosperity back to our country & its citizens. I believe that HR-25, The FairTax Act of 2013, is the most important piece of legislation in our lifetimes for America.

 

The FairTax does not tax our productivity like the income tax does.  It taxes both personal and government consumption of new goods and services in the U.S.  It doesn't tax what goes into the economy but rather what comes out of it.

 

The FairTax reverses the idea that our earnings first belong to the government & then, whatever is left, to us after withholding. Earnings under the FairTax belong first to the citizen in that our paychecks & pensions are received free of federal taxes - this turns every consumer into a concerned taxpaying stake holder. If you work, save, or invest you do not pay the FairTax – the individual consumer pays it only when they choose to buy new goods or any services @ the retail level.

 

The FairTax includes a cash prebate that ensures no American pays federal taxes on their spending for essential goods & services up to the poverty level. The prebate equals 4% of the FairTax 23% rate meaning that if there was no prebate the FairTax rate would be 19%.

 

Under the FairTax all of our products for export will travel overseas with no tax component - unlike now when a significant tax component is in every product that leaves our borders. This is one of the features of the FairTax that will help bring manufacturing jobs & plants back to America - the free market capitalistic system unfettered by government regulations & taxes. The American economy is screaming for the FairTax.

 

The FairTax strengthens Social Security & Medicare by replacing the income base that currently funds these programs with a growing consumption base.  As baby boomers retire @ the rate of 10,000 per day it can readily be seen that a system relying on an income base with a dwindling number of workers is inferior to one that relies on a consumption base that is twice the size of the income base.  In addition to strengthening & preserving these programs under the FairTax legislation current Social Security benefits are indexed for any increase in prices because of the FairTax meaning that a senior couple could have anywhere from $50,000 to over $90,000 per year in consumption covered with no tax liability after enactment of the FairTax when taking the prebate & Social Security indexing into account.

 

The taxing of the consumptions of federal, state, & local governments under the FairTax aids in controlling the expansion of government & helps confine governments to their sovereign functions thereby making sure we get as much government as we really need & want.

 

All of the work consistently being done by the thousands of FairTax volunteers around the country – handing out pocket cards, writing letters to the editor, blogging, or appearing on radio & TV – are watering the seeds of awareness so that more congressional cosponsors will sign on.  With this work expanding from one community & congressional district to the next the right presidential candidate will have the backing he needs in place to successfully promote the FairTax to the nation & into law.

 

Please contrast the fiasco of the tax bill, where America lost again, negotiated on New Year's night to the tremendous improvements for funding our government & securing our liberties I presented above.  It is easy to participate – start by telling your next door neighbor & best friend about the FairTax, place a FairTax bumper sticker on your car, & place a FairTax lawn sign outside your house.  It all adds up & will make a difference.

 

Click on The FairTax to learn more – there is a list of topics from the very basic to the most esoteric including Q & A from two workshops that address all of the above points in detail.  Please contact me with any questions.  If you want to learn the principles of the FairTax I will not be the reason that you don't.

 

The following is the list of original FairTax co-sponsors for the 113th Congress:

Tom Price (R-GA)

Jeff Duncan (R-SC)

Steve King (R-IA)

Michael Conaway (R-TX)

Mo Brooks (R-AL)

Kevin Brady (R-TX)

Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA)

Phil Gingrey (R-GA)

Michael McCaul (R-TX)

Stevan Pearce (R-NM)

Billy Long (R-MO)

Virginia Foxx (R-NC)

Don Young (R-AK)

Tom Graves (R-GA)

Doug Collins (R-GA)

Rob Bishop (R-UT)

Bill Flores (R-TX)

Mac Thornberry (R-TX)

Paul Broun (R-GA)

Tim Walberg (R-MI)

Pete Olson (R-TX)

Richard Nugent (R-FL)

John Culberson (R-TX)

Phil Roe (R-TN)

James Lankford (R-OK)

Bill Posey (R-FL)

Dan Benishek (R-MI)

Andy Harris (R-MD)

Jeb Hensarling (R-TX)

Dennis Ross (R-FL)

Tim Huelskamp (R-KS)

Trent Franks (R-AZ)

John Mica (R-FL)

Marlin Stutzman (R-IN)

Tom McClintock (R-CA)

John Carter (R-TX)

John Duncan (R-TN)

Jo Bonner (R-AL)

Ander Crenshaw (R-FL)

Darrell Issa (R-CA)

Lynn Jenkins (R-KS)

Jack Kingston (R-GA)

Frank Lucas (R-OK)

Mike Pompeo (R-KS)

Gus Bilirakis (R-FL)

Randy Neugebauer (R-TX)

Ted Poe (R-TX)

Blake Farenthold (R-TX)

Kay Granger (R-TX)

Scott Rigell (R-VA)

Ralph Hall (R-TX)

Jeff Miller (R-FL)

Duncan Hunter (R-CA)