What does Newt Gingrich think he is doing? Does he think he represents the conservative vote with a statement that our government should keep the individual mandate? What a stupid comment! Does he want to run our country right into the ground? No wonder some have said there is not a nickel's worth difference between the Elephants and the Donkeys. If the Elephants give Newt the nod, I will not support them with any finances and I will have trouble voting for him. If he is the nominee we will be handing the election to Os(b)ama because it will make no difference to our country whoever gets elected.
The real question for this election is whether one of the ruling class or one of the country class will win the election. So if the Elephants want to make a difference for our country, they better nominate an "outsider", one of the country class, for President. The country class shows itself by its commitment to holding fast on the debt limit, cutting government back to the size it was intended to be when our government was started. If the Elephants want to make a difference they will do so by committing themselves to getting rid of the EPA, HUD, the Dept of Education, the Federal Reserve, the Department of Agriculture, repealing Os(b)amacare. In fact, one of the planks in their platform must be repeal of Os(b)amacare as soon as possible and closing down at least one of those other departments each year. Also, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security needs to be privatized..
So, get your act together, Elephants! If you don't, the people are not going to care what happens to you and you will destroy our country.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
American Revolution
What a marvelous blessing the American Revolution was! Our forefathers accomplished great things for us and set up a Declaration and Constitution to preserve these wonderful freedoms to us.
But the American Revolution is not over. 1776 was only the beginning. The shot that was heard around the world only began an ongoing revolution. The American Revolution was not over when the British surrendered. The revolution had only begun. Indeed, it has often been called the American Experiment. And that is what it is and we are still experimenting with a constitutional government today. Some, including many of our government officials, want the experiment to stop. But if the experiment stops, then we will lose our freedoms, our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This experiment/revolution is an ongoing struggle. Hopefully it will go on in every generation and every election.
And it is sacrificial. If this experiment is to continue, every generation must be willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary to keep it going. After all, our forefathers had nothing to gain financially or personally by what they did. They did it because they believed that it was the right thing to do. Without these rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, life was not worth living.
Also, this revolution is not ruled/maintained by the officials. It is ruled/maintained by the people, the citizens of the country. This experiment cannot be done by EXPERTS, officials who claim to know better than anyone else how this works.
But won't the citizens, the people of the land, make mistakes? YES, they will. That is why the struggle, the work of this revolution MUST continue. Do not think, once we have gotten new legislation, we are done. It will never be done.
That is why the debate must continue, why freedom of expression MUST continue. This is the only way freedom can be maintained.
It is human nature to think "I know what's best for the people, the country, the masses." This nature is found in ALL organizations, even churches. Freedom of debate needs to continue to let the spirit of freedom do its work.
Doesn't this leave us open to abuse by "experts"? YES! That is why the freedom of expression must continue. The only way to correct an abuse by "experts"/officials is to allow the freedom of expression and debate.
Won't the people go astray? YES, they will. So freedom of expression must continue. We CANNOT depend on "experts", because "experts" also make mistakes and lead us astray. Indeed, the "experts" probably make more mistakes than the people because their confidence in their "wisdom" blinds them to the destruction their "expertise". "Experts" do not have all the answers. Depending on "experts", self-acknowledged/self-proclaimed as such, leads to tyranny/dictatorship.
So we need CITIZEN legislators, LAY (non-professional) legislators, CITIZEN executives, CITIZEN judiciary --- NOT SELF-PROCLAIMED "EXPERTS".
So the reason we have gotten to this point of over-sized, over-whelming government is because the CITIZENS have become self-satisfied, lackadaisical, with the attitude of letting our leaders, "EXPERTS", take care of the work of governing. We have families, businesses, homes, communities to take care of. "Let our elected officials ("experts") do the governing."
Ah, but, taking care of families, businesses, homes, communities means WE, the citizens, but be also involved in governing. So, the citizens MUST be involved. We CANNOT leave it to the elected, the "expert", the official. We must be involved by our words and by our actions/elections.
Well, don't we trust our leaders, our "experts"? Well, ask yourself: how has that worked out for us? Oh, we do trust our "experts" as much as we trust ourselves. But you see, trust does NOT exclude work/involvement. In fact, even when we find someone we trust, we must be involved, supporting that person and helping him/her protect our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If we expect someone to serve us that means we must also serve him/her.
And service means just that --- SERVICE. Our elected "experts" were elected to serve, not lord it over the citizens. They were elected NOT because they were "experts"/"know-it-alls" but because they want to serve the citizens. And so we ALL should be involved in serving in whatever way we can. "Do not ask what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." (JFK) We do not elect them because they know what is best, but because we believe they will serve us. So we have citizen elected officials, citizen legislators, citizen judges, citizen soldiers.
Doesn't that make us weak? Well, does trusting "experts? make us strong? Look at Egypt, Libya, USSR, Nazi Germany. The list could go on forever. They all had their supply of "expert" officials. So in the end we cannot trust "experts". We can only trust each other and ourselves to the extent that we are willing to work together, willing to allow each other to express what we see and how we believe it needs to be done. And the government cannot do that for us. It can only defend our right to freely express what we believe needs to be done. And we express that through free speech and through the ballot box.
But the American Revolution is not over. 1776 was only the beginning. The shot that was heard around the world only began an ongoing revolution. The American Revolution was not over when the British surrendered. The revolution had only begun. Indeed, it has often been called the American Experiment. And that is what it is and we are still experimenting with a constitutional government today. Some, including many of our government officials, want the experiment to stop. But if the experiment stops, then we will lose our freedoms, our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This experiment/revolution is an ongoing struggle. Hopefully it will go on in every generation and every election.
And it is sacrificial. If this experiment is to continue, every generation must be willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary to keep it going. After all, our forefathers had nothing to gain financially or personally by what they did. They did it because they believed that it was the right thing to do. Without these rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, life was not worth living.
Also, this revolution is not ruled/maintained by the officials. It is ruled/maintained by the people, the citizens of the country. This experiment cannot be done by EXPERTS, officials who claim to know better than anyone else how this works.
But won't the citizens, the people of the land, make mistakes? YES, they will. That is why the struggle, the work of this revolution MUST continue. Do not think, once we have gotten new legislation, we are done. It will never be done.
That is why the debate must continue, why freedom of expression MUST continue. This is the only way freedom can be maintained.
It is human nature to think "I know what's best for the people, the country, the masses." This nature is found in ALL organizations, even churches. Freedom of debate needs to continue to let the spirit of freedom do its work.
Doesn't this leave us open to abuse by "experts"? YES! That is why the freedom of expression must continue. The only way to correct an abuse by "experts"/officials is to allow the freedom of expression and debate.
Won't the people go astray? YES, they will. So freedom of expression must continue. We CANNOT depend on "experts", because "experts" also make mistakes and lead us astray. Indeed, the "experts" probably make more mistakes than the people because their confidence in their "wisdom" blinds them to the destruction their "expertise". "Experts" do not have all the answers. Depending on "experts", self-acknowledged/self-proclaimed as such, leads to tyranny/dictatorship.
So we need CITIZEN legislators, LAY (non-professional) legislators, CITIZEN executives, CITIZEN judiciary --- NOT SELF-PROCLAIMED "EXPERTS".
So the reason we have gotten to this point of over-sized, over-whelming government is because the CITIZENS have become self-satisfied, lackadaisical, with the attitude of letting our leaders, "EXPERTS", take care of the work of governing. We have families, businesses, homes, communities to take care of. "Let our elected officials ("experts") do the governing."
Ah, but, taking care of families, businesses, homes, communities means WE, the citizens, but be also involved in governing. So, the citizens MUST be involved. We CANNOT leave it to the elected, the "expert", the official. We must be involved by our words and by our actions/elections.
Well, don't we trust our leaders, our "experts"? Well, ask yourself: how has that worked out for us? Oh, we do trust our "experts" as much as we trust ourselves. But you see, trust does NOT exclude work/involvement. In fact, even when we find someone we trust, we must be involved, supporting that person and helping him/her protect our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If we expect someone to serve us that means we must also serve him/her.
And service means just that --- SERVICE. Our elected "experts" were elected to serve, not lord it over the citizens. They were elected NOT because they were "experts"/"know-it-alls" but because they want to serve the citizens. And so we ALL should be involved in serving in whatever way we can. "Do not ask what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." (JFK) We do not elect them because they know what is best, but because we believe they will serve us. So we have citizen elected officials, citizen legislators, citizen judges, citizen soldiers.
Doesn't that make us weak? Well, does trusting "experts? make us strong? Look at Egypt, Libya, USSR, Nazi Germany. The list could go on forever. They all had their supply of "expert" officials. So in the end we cannot trust "experts". We can only trust each other and ourselves to the extent that we are willing to work together, willing to allow each other to express what we see and how we believe it needs to be done. And the government cannot do that for us. It can only defend our right to freely express what we believe needs to be done. And we express that through free speech and through the ballot box.
Friday, May 6, 2011
American Exceptionalism 3
So how do our Declaration and Constitution protect us FROM our government? What makes our form of government so exceptional?
Apparently our country's forefathers realized and said that human beings are not very moral. So those forefathers searched for a form of government that would control as best as possible that immorality, whether that be found IN the government or OUTSIDE the government. "If men were angels we would not need government," but since they are not angels we need a government that serves as a resistance to the evil inclinations of the human heart. And that resistance must serve to resist the evil inclinations inside the government as well as outside the government.
Now that does not mean that politicians are any more evil than the rest of us or that Americans are any more evil than any other citizens in any other country. Our forefathers realized that the inclinations of the human heart are evil no matter who we are. So they strived to set up a government that would serve as a wall of resistance to those inclinations inside government as well as outside government. That is huge task. And so we hear Benjamin Franklin answer the woman's query after the Convention about what kind of government the Convention had given us: "A republic, Ma'am, if you can keep it." IF YOU CAN KEEP IT. That is a big order.
The only way to do that was to play the evil inclinations of the human heart in its various expressions against each other. So we have three branches of government that serve as checks and balances on each other. All this was done to give us, the citizens, as much protection FROM our government as possible. Then the citizens and the government serve as checks and balances on each other through the power of the ballot box and through the power of law enforcement. State and federal government serve as checks and balances on each other. Inside the state governments there are also built the same kind of checks and balances. This redundancy was all built in to give as much protection as possible to the rights of the individual citizens for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Now, some may say that this makes our government very sluggish and clumsy. That may very well be the case. And it seems that sluggishness was deliberately built in, so that no one person could gain control of the government. That gives the citizens the opportunity to deliberate on what the government wants to do and to indicate their preferences on those issues.
So we do not have a perfect government, but we have a government given to us by our forefathers that is supposed to protect our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Why would we want to change this?
Apparently our country's forefathers realized and said that human beings are not very moral. So those forefathers searched for a form of government that would control as best as possible that immorality, whether that be found IN the government or OUTSIDE the government. "If men were angels we would not need government," but since they are not angels we need a government that serves as a resistance to the evil inclinations of the human heart. And that resistance must serve to resist the evil inclinations inside the government as well as outside the government.
Now that does not mean that politicians are any more evil than the rest of us or that Americans are any more evil than any other citizens in any other country. Our forefathers realized that the inclinations of the human heart are evil no matter who we are. So they strived to set up a government that would serve as a wall of resistance to those inclinations inside government as well as outside government. That is huge task. And so we hear Benjamin Franklin answer the woman's query after the Convention about what kind of government the Convention had given us: "A republic, Ma'am, if you can keep it." IF YOU CAN KEEP IT. That is a big order.
The only way to do that was to play the evil inclinations of the human heart in its various expressions against each other. So we have three branches of government that serve as checks and balances on each other. All this was done to give us, the citizens, as much protection FROM our government as possible. Then the citizens and the government serve as checks and balances on each other through the power of the ballot box and through the power of law enforcement. State and federal government serve as checks and balances on each other. Inside the state governments there are also built the same kind of checks and balances. This redundancy was all built in to give as much protection as possible to the rights of the individual citizens for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Now, some may say that this makes our government very sluggish and clumsy. That may very well be the case. And it seems that sluggishness was deliberately built in, so that no one person could gain control of the government. That gives the citizens the opportunity to deliberate on what the government wants to do and to indicate their preferences on those issues.
So we do not have a perfect government, but we have a government given to us by our forefathers that is supposed to protect our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Why would we want to change this?
Thursday, May 5, 2011
American Exceptionalism 2
In my last blog I stated that I believe that American exceptionalism is not a characteristic of personal morality or even personal power, or personal wealth or even national morality, power, or wealth, but this exceptionalism is a result of our Declaration and Constitution and the governmental structure these documents give to us. The difference is that our government is not based on an individual or group of individuals, but upon certain principles that do not change even though the officials in our government do change regularly. Our government is not a monarchy, based on one person who hands over the power to a person of his choice and who creates rules and laws at his/her whim. President Obama is getting very close to this with his czars and his blatant contempt of the legislative and judiciary branches. He blatantly states that he will do what he thinks is right no matter what any one else says.
Our government is also not a oligarchy, a group of people who controls all the power and hands that power over to whomever they choose. Our politicians are getting very close to that form with the attitude of a ruling class (inside the DC beltway) as opposed to the country class (the rest of us). They treat themselves as special by exempting themselves from many, if not all, of the laws they pass for the rest of us.
Nor is our government a democracy where the majority rules and gets to dictate to the minority. Our government is getting very close to this with ruling by polls. Our politicians make their decisions by what the latest polls show. That is very dangerous, especially when we see how fickle popular opinion is.
So what does our Declaration and Constitution give us? It gives us a very small federal government that has very few responsibilities, the most important of which are protection from external dangers and protection of our individual God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our Declaration and Constitution gives us protection FROM our government. Our Revolution was a rebellion against a government that was threatening its very own citizens/subjects.
So how do we get back to our original form of government? Our government has gotten way out of control. Eminent domain is one example. Another is full-time politicians with benefits for life. Elected positions are supposed to be positions of temporary service/sacrifice, not positions of life-time influential power/gain. General income tax is another example of the federal government using its legal force to redistribute wealth.
So what must we do since our government has gotten so out of control? There is only one thing we can do. We the individual citizens must get involved and through the ballot box and through communicating with the people we send to Washington, DC, start repealing many of the laws that have made our government so burdensome. More on this in another blog.
Our government is also not a oligarchy, a group of people who controls all the power and hands that power over to whomever they choose. Our politicians are getting very close to that form with the attitude of a ruling class (inside the DC beltway) as opposed to the country class (the rest of us). They treat themselves as special by exempting themselves from many, if not all, of the laws they pass for the rest of us.
Nor is our government a democracy where the majority rules and gets to dictate to the minority. Our government is getting very close to this with ruling by polls. Our politicians make their decisions by what the latest polls show. That is very dangerous, especially when we see how fickle popular opinion is.
So what does our Declaration and Constitution give us? It gives us a very small federal government that has very few responsibilities, the most important of which are protection from external dangers and protection of our individual God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our Declaration and Constitution gives us protection FROM our government. Our Revolution was a rebellion against a government that was threatening its very own citizens/subjects.
So how do we get back to our original form of government? Our government has gotten way out of control. Eminent domain is one example. Another is full-time politicians with benefits for life. Elected positions are supposed to be positions of temporary service/sacrifice, not positions of life-time influential power/gain. General income tax is another example of the federal government using its legal force to redistribute wealth.
So what must we do since our government has gotten so out of control? There is only one thing we can do. We the individual citizens must get involved and through the ballot box and through communicating with the people we send to Washington, DC, start repealing many of the laws that have made our government so burdensome. More on this in another blog.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
American Exceptionalism
We hear this term, "American exceptionalism", quite frequently these days. America is exceptional or at least was exceptional, and we need to get that back.
What bothers me about this term and the way it is often used is the confusion that seems to swirl around it.
What do we mean when we say that America is exceptional? Does it mean that America is exceptionally moral, exceptionally generous, exceptionally gracious, etc.?
If that is what we mean, that sounds like a very self-righteous, holier-than-thou attitude. And it seems very strange. After all, we are a nation made up of people from almost every country of the world. Do we honestly believe that only the exceptionally good people immigrated to this country? Hardly!
Does this term mean that we are exceptionally rich in resources, natural and human? I doubt it. The USSR, when it existed with its huge land mass, had and Russia today has, huge natural and human resources. Africa has huge resources as does the Middle East. Great Britain at the time of the American Revolution had tremendous resources, human, natural, military. The Roman Empire had tremendous resources. The list could seemingly go on forever.
So is America exceptional or is this just a myth that we like to create about ourselves?
I don't think this is just a myth that we have created for ourselves. Otherwise, why are so many people trying to get in? And why are people so reluctant to leave once they get here? Others seem to consider the USA exceptional even if they think we are exceptionally evil, the "great Satan".
So what is it that makes the USA exceptional? I believe it is our Declaration and Constitution and the form of government given to us by these documents created by our forefathers. And if we ignore these foundations, I believe we are headed for trouble. I hope to write more about this later.
What bothers me about this term and the way it is often used is the confusion that seems to swirl around it.
What do we mean when we say that America is exceptional? Does it mean that America is exceptionally moral, exceptionally generous, exceptionally gracious, etc.?
If that is what we mean, that sounds like a very self-righteous, holier-than-thou attitude. And it seems very strange. After all, we are a nation made up of people from almost every country of the world. Do we honestly believe that only the exceptionally good people immigrated to this country? Hardly!
Does this term mean that we are exceptionally rich in resources, natural and human? I doubt it. The USSR, when it existed with its huge land mass, had and Russia today has, huge natural and human resources. Africa has huge resources as does the Middle East. Great Britain at the time of the American Revolution had tremendous resources, human, natural, military. The Roman Empire had tremendous resources. The list could seemingly go on forever.
So is America exceptional or is this just a myth that we like to create about ourselves?
I don't think this is just a myth that we have created for ourselves. Otherwise, why are so many people trying to get in? And why are people so reluctant to leave once they get here? Others seem to consider the USA exceptional even if they think we are exceptionally evil, the "great Satan".
So what is it that makes the USA exceptional? I believe it is our Declaration and Constitution and the form of government given to us by these documents created by our forefathers. And if we ignore these foundations, I believe we are headed for trouble. I hope to write more about this later.
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