All In Our Lifetime: Part II – American Phoenix

            Here we are, 31 months into a presidency that is unlike any other in our history.  We have a president that has such a mysterious, hidden past that nobody has stepped forward and said, “I went to school with him,” or “he lived in my neighborhood.”  No class pictures, all records are sealed and inaccessible to the public.  The public that voted him into power; electing a virtually unknown entity with a smooth manner and gift at reading a teleprompter. 

            Some believe he is really stupid, in that he doesn’t seem to know what he is doing with our country’s economy, other than destroying it.  But how can that be so when he attended Columbia and Harvard?  Can you get a degree from a prestigious college and still be stupid?  Of course!  There are thousands of college grads from prestigious universities who have done incredibly stupid things.  Some are even marginally literate, yet they’ve made it through.  But that is not his case; he is dumb like a fox.

            Our incredibly successful country has fallen to its knees because of one thing more than any other: compromise.  Slowly, insidiously, we have inched along the wrong fork in the road, taking us farther from capitalism and closer to a socialist society.  Compromising conservatives gave the liberal faction small concessions so that they could get what they wanted in another bill.  Those small concessions were often socialist programs, or expansions of those programs, and we are now finding that we can no longer afford them.  This began with Roosevelt, but now we have a man who intends to commit the coup de grâce by totally bankrupting our Nation through a subversive plan.  If you have not read about the Cloward-Piven (C-P) strategy, please do so now.  The Wikipedia definition is adequate.

            Go back to what ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) was doing well before he was elected.  As a Chicago community organizer himself, he was involved with ACORN and benefited greatly from their efforts.  Remember, one of ACORN’s primary objectives is to get as many people signed up for government assistance programs as possible (C-P).  What did extending unemployment benefits to 99 weeks do?  It added more people draining the Treasury for longer periods.  What did the bailouts and stimulus do?  Not only drained the Treasury, but extended debt even further into the future for coming generations of Americans.  Remember, only half of American workers are paying income tax, so that debt doesn’t fall on all Americans equally; it falls on the half who pay taxes.

            The oath taken by our military, to “defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” was included in 1862 as a direct result of the Civil War.  It applies, however, in a broad sense, to everyone who would seek to alter or destroy the true meanings of the Constitution, or manipulatively misinterpret those meanings.  That is what members of Congress have done for many decades, both Democrats and Republicans.  ANY action that would circumvent or ignore the true meaning of the Constitution is an act against it. It’s time we all recognized this and realized that our greatest enemies today are not from abroad, but from within.  Socialism is taking away the country we once knew.

            Socialism IS THE ENEMY of our Constitution, and those that propose socialism, under any guise, are enemies, too.  Whether you call it liberalism, progressivism, or some other pleasant-sounding term, the underlying action is always the Marxist rule of “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need”; which means redistribution of wealth.  It’s high time we recognize our enemies for whom they are; leftist liberals, regardless of political party. 

            It’s time members of Congress STOP compromising with our enemies.  Give them NOTHING.  We will not return to true Constitutionality until this philosophical cancer is eradicated from our government at every level.  You, as an individual, may give every penny you earn to those whom you believe are in greater need than yourself.  But you CANNOT take from one person and give that person’s earnings to another.  This is even more true when you term that gift “foreign aid.”  Our government has been playing Robin Hood with our money long enough.  We need to stamp out socialism no matter what program or form it has taken through the years.  These are not obligations that our Constitution authorized; they are programs of Communism.

            Congress and presidents have enacted laws allowing for forfeiture of earnings (theft by force of arms any way you look at it), but those laws are, in fact, unconstitutional.  There is no authority in that document’s original intent that would even remotely condone such acts, yet arguments to the contrary eventually gained enough support (compromises) to enable passage.  Can they be undone?  Certainly, but it will require a massive effort by every concerned citizen, with the understanding that those who have benefitted for decades will fight with equal effort against change.  When you rob Peter to pay Paul, you will always have the support of Paul.

            People who profess to be staunch Democrats need to reevaluate their beliefs.  The Democrat Party is no longer the party of your grandparents.  It, AND the Republican Party (through compromise), have adopted every plank of the Communist platform.  This is why the Communist Party in the USA has stopped running candidates for president, as they did when I was young.  Democrats and liberal Republicans are now supporting socialism/progressivism/Marxism/communism in Congress, passing laws that are taking us ever further down the slippery slope toward a United Soviet States of America. 

This creeping communism is the reason our country is in such dire straits today, and our president is the most Marxist president we have ever elected.  If we don’t vote them all out, we and our progeny will lose the greatest country the world has ever seen.  The only alternative is armed revolt.  We cannot accept a truce, a compromise.  We need unconditional surrender.

All In Our Lifetime: The Bankruptcy of America

            America’s backwoods pioneer hero, Davy Crockett, served as a U.S. Congressman from Tennessee for two terms, representing two different districts.  He went to Washington first in 1827 for the 9^th District, then again in 1833 to serve for the 12^th District.  During his tenure a bill came up for vote to donate an amount from the Treasury to the widow of a Navy officer.  Although the bill was defeated, he voted for it as a matter of sympathy.  While travelling his district, however, he was informed by one of his constituents that the money was “not yours to give,” and that nowhere in the Constitution was authority given to Congress for charity purposes.  Today we know this as “redistribution of wealth,” part of the doctrine of Karl Marx who wrote The Communist Manifesto in 1848.

            Although the United States had weathered debt off and on from the very beginning of its creation, most notably due to the Revolutionary War, and then the Civil War and others, we were always able to pay it off and move forward, becoming the richest nation on earth.  The Constitution established a system of free enterprise capitalism, and protected it from abuse and misuse.  Article 1, Section 8 clearly sets out the powers and duties of Congress.  I wasn’t until 1935 that a program was established that would inevitably drain the Treasury beyond revenue.  That was President Franklin Roosevelt’s (Democrat) “New Deal” creation of The Social Security Act (unconstitutional), a program that would itself be bankrupt in 100 years.  Social Security grew to the point where it consumed one fifth of the annual budget.  With the average lifespan today far exceeding that of 1935, the plan was flawed from its birth.  We were in a depression then, and it was a desperate attempt to help Americans.

            Then came World War II, which was the key event that brought us out of The Great Depression that began in 1929 (NOT Keynesian economics), and after the war our economy was booming.  We pretty much forgot about Social Security and didn’t mind the seemingly small amount that was taken out of our paychecks each week.  After all, we would get it all back some day, right?

            Spending on defense (constitutional) was cut back after WWII, but then the Cold War saw it escalate again, and the defense budget has waxed and waned to the needs of several wars since 1945.  Today it stands at 20% of our annual budget.[1]

             President Lyndon Johnson (Democrat) created an expansion of Roosevelt’s work when he signed the Social Security Act of 1965 (unconstitutional) to create the social insurance program we know as Medicare.  The costs of Medicare doubled every four years between 1966 and 1980 due to health care costs.  Today it is expected that Medicare will be bankrupt just 50 years from its creation.  Medicaid (unconstitutional) was also created in 1965.  Each state administers its own Medicaid program and provides up to half of the funding for Medicaid.  Medicaid and Medicare are in the same financial boat heading for Niagara Falls.

            Social Security is currently the largest social insurance program in the U.S., where combined spending for all social insurance programs constitutes 37% of government expenditure.  Whenever I bring up the issue of Social Security, people go on the defensive and claim, “I’ve paid into it, so I deserve to get it back.”  That is true, anyone who received a paycheck in their lives (and had a Social Security Account Number SSAN) paid into the system for both Social Security and Medicare.  When it was started, there were three workers being taxed for every one taking out of the program.  Today it is reversed, with three taking out for every one putting in.  Regardless, this was a legalized, revenue-adjustable Ponzi (pyramid) scheme from the beginning.

            One of the first citizens to benefit from Social Security paid into the system a total of less than $25.00.  She received in her lifetime (lived to 100) over $22,000.00 in benefits.  Now, obviously, this is an exception, but how many people end up putting far less into it than they get out, especially if they retire at 65 (or younger), and live well into their 80s?  Where does that extra money come from?  It’s not from interest on the “invested” money.  It has to be taken from other citizens’ contributions, or from the general fund in the Treasury. 

            How about all the children on Aid to Dependent Children benefits, where nothing on their behalf has been put in?  How about all the people who claim disability who never put anything in?  Where does the money come from for food stamps, lunch programs, Medicaid, home heating help, SSI, etc., etc.???  Yes, we put into Social Security and should be given back at least that amount because that was the “agreement,” right?  No, there was no agreement.  The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) was IMPOSED upon us by our government, which means Congress approved it and it was not just Democrats, but Republicans, too (House voting yes – 284 Democrats, 81 Republicans; no: 15 Democrats, 15 Republicans.  Senate –  yes: 60 Democrats, 16 Republicans; no: 1 Democrat, 5 Republicans).

            So you put into Social Security and expect to get that money back.  What about the employer?  Your boss had to pay the same amount into the system on your behalf.  Most people don’t know that.  Yes, FICA is doubled by your employer matching funds and a check is sent into the government every payday.  And you thought it was just your money, didn’t you?  Think about it.  The employer has to come up with that money somehow, so the costs of doing business are passed on to the consumer who buys the product or service you provide.  Everyone’s cost of living goes up a fraction of a cent, so nobody’s really hurt, right?  This is how Congress thinks when they pass another bill that will increase someone’s costs – it will be spread out throughout the population, so nobody will be financially hurt by their bill.  Now, multiply that bill by several thousand and what do you have?  Inhibition of business and free enterprise.

             Initially just 1 percent of the first $1,400 of your wages were withheld from your paycheck, and matched by your employer; just $14!  Over the years, Congress increased, tweaked, modified, and amended it so that now you pay 6.2% of the first $106,800.00 (if you have a really good job), which totals $6,621.60.[2]  I doubt that this bill would pass Congress today at its present rate, but it’s too late now, folks.

             But I digress.  How did we get into our financial situation today?  Probably as much by EXPANSION of benefits to more and more people as by any other reason.  If limited to the few who really needed government assistance for a short period of time to get back on their feet, we would probably be very financially secure indefinitely.  I’m amazed at the number of Americans who are receiving some level of disability check every month who appear to be as physically fit as myself.  Is it Crohn’s disease?  Wear a Depends®.  Are you blind in one eye or have cataracts?  Confined to a wheelchair?  Only have one arm?  Other than complete physical or mental disability, there are many people with the same problem (or worse) that choose to work and contribute to society.  It is, obviously, a personal choice to be either a plus or a minus.  Kick back and enjoy the “free money” from our wonderful, socially conscious government (or help yourself with the fruits of your own labor, not someone else’s).  Avoid the stigma of relying on family, church and community.  Get a check from the government and you can live reasonably well with pride, and you don’t need to tell anyone.  Say you have a wealthy uncle.

             I’m dismayed and saddened when I think that the demise of our country was laid out in my lifetime by people who believed in socialism[3] more than in the restrictions of our Constitution.  We have stepped way beyond the confines of that noble document, and are so far from its original intent that it may require a second Revolution “to throw off such government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”[4]

---

[1]   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:U.S._Federal_Spending_-_FY_2007.png

[2]   http://www.snopes.com/politics/socialsecurity/changes.asp

[3]   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_(United_States) (Claims of socialism)  

[4]   Declaration of Independence

Liberty and Tyranny

Liberty and Tyranny

“When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”    -  Thomas Jefferson

            We the people should not fear our government, as our earliest Founding Fathers pointed out.  And yet, now, we all fear what our government can do to us.  The writers of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution could not foresee a future government that would manipulatively misinterpret their words and meanings to transform a free people into slaves of socialism.

            We fear that we have made a mistake in filing our income tax (16^th Amendment ratified Feb. 3, 1913), and that we will be not only fined, but must pay interest on our mistake, or be imprisoned.  If we own a business, we fear that OSHA or the EPA will arrive at our door unannounced and fine us $1,000.00 for every spray bottle or container that doesn’t have proper labeling.  Companies that have government contracts fear doing anything that may result in them losing those contracts.  Gun owners fear the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the possibility that our current government might overturn the 2^nd Amendment.  People on any of the myriad welfare programs, including unconstitutional Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, greatly fear that the government that gave them these “entitlements” might also take them away, even though workers have paid into these programs.  The gravy train could stop when it runs out of fuel (taxes forcefully taken out of our hard-earned salaries). 

            “Forcefully taken out,” I say?  Yes.  If you refuse or deny the government its tribute you will be arrested by an armed officer and charged with income tax evasion.  Not only that, but our government frequently states that it is “allowing us to keep” some of our earnings.  What???  Government had no right to our earnings to begin with under the Constitution.  Subsequent

            This administration and Congressional liberals (Dems and Reps) have recently stated they fear losing the “full faith and credit” of the USA if they didn’t raise the debt limit.  They should be reminded that the full faith and credit of the USA relies upon the ability of American workers to produce goods and services and pay those debts.  That means that our credit relies upon just over half of our population, because the other half PAYS NO TAX into our treasury.  It’s time government realizes this, and before it spends any more of our money it should find a way to stop the Marxist redistribution of our wealth, and eventually eliminate this cancer upon the productivity or our Nation, i.e. the theft of income for redistribution.

            Whoah, wait a minute, you say.  We can’t take those programs away from those poor, unfortunate Americans.  They DEPEND upon them.  That’s exactly right.  It’s time they depended upon themselves, their families, their churches and their communities instead of Uncle Sam.  It was never meant to be this way when our country was founded, and this is the number one reason why we, as a Nation, are broke today.  Marxist entitlements, and government is trying to expand upon them and create new ones at a time when we are borrowing 46 cents of every dollar government spends.  That, my friends, is insane.