It is regretful, and too often at the expense of the Blessings of Liberty, the States fail to rightfully act and throw off laws and judicial rulings handed down by the National government; those laws and rulings which clearly lie outside the boundaries of the General Government described in The Constitution of the United States of America. Such inaction by the States and People may find its genesis in many accounts; be they unfamiliarity with the specific meaning of The Constitution in full orthodoxy; be they desirous of the temporary general felicity, inaction brings the perception thereof; be they fear of unconstitutional economic sanction by the General government; or be they agents of Nationalism which The Constitution of the United States of America specifically and purposefully rejects. Regardless the purpose, the very Liberty of the People, for which its securing was the specific purpose of the Constitution, is the casualty either by gradual erosion or sweeping claims of undue power over the People or the States by the General Government.
It is pure folly for one to think the perpetual union of the States and the fate of our Republic, as built by our founders should be entrusted to one man or a mere nine, knowing the corruptibility and the lust for power men are known to have. Would it be part of our Founders design to leave the Supreme Law, The Constitution, vulnerable to reinterpretation and revision by a few men posing as sages or the papacy of the Law? Indeed such assumed power to smelt and re-forge the law to suit the desires of a group, is the death of a Republic and the birth of an Oligarchy. For in a Republic, government is the keeper and enforcer of The Law. The Law is King, not the men within government, nor the ballot box. Would it be logical for one to think that a man or men may be so desirous of power that they sponsor confusion on the Law, with the truth of the original intent of the law so distorted that they declare for themselves, (perhaps with the endorsement of others) the Sage of the Law, thereby holding all the real power? The answer seems obvious, as we view the account of history. Concentrated supreme power in men ends in tyranny.
It is with sincere desire to preserve the Republic and the perpetual Union of the States; we do claim our Lawful, Righteous and reasonable rights as a state.
RESOLVED- We the Legislature of the State of Idaho, shall demand all pertinent claims of National supremacy in law, shall be derived from The Constitution of the United States of America interpreted by the most orthodox means only. These orthodox means shall include The Declaration of Independence (provides the Spirit of the Law and an outline of what conditions existed to warrant a revolution), The Constitution, viewed through the Preamble (its executive summary and mission statement), the Federalist and anti-Federalist Papers (the argument for and against provisions within the Constitution, with clarity), and period dictionaries (to provide the meaning of the words in the day they were written).
Case law and prior rulings by perhaps corruptible men of the courts shall carry no weight, unless the ruling is based upon full orthodoxy as described above.
RESOLVED- In the case of the Idaho Fire Arms Freedom Act, and the recent ruling against it in a Federal court by Judge Malloy, on the grounds of Federal Supremacy through the “Commerce Clause”, we do hereby claim his ruling, and any higher court ruling with the same justification, NULLIFIED based upon the improper usage of this clause. Additionally, the State of Idaho will only cede power to the National government under the “Commerce Clause”, when the National Government uses the law as it was intended, which was “to make regular” (period definition of the word regulate) “the commerce between the several states...” Any assumed power by the National government under the misinterpretation of this clause, will only be honored at the pleasure of the State. Furthermore, to strengthen our claim of specific NULLIFICATION against Judge Malloy’s ruling and any other higher court ruling in regards to the Idaho Fire Arms Freedom Act, it is worthy of note that the contradictory Federal laws are specifically and blatantly an usurpation of the Second Amendment, which states, “the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” It is inexcusable that the Second Amendment, which is so strongly worded and clearly focused on firearms, can be overruled by a completely unrelated clause that has been intentionally misused for political gain. For such illogic to stand as the rule of law, regardless of the Highness of the judge, is suicide for the Republic and would constitute malpractice of the legislature.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Choice in Education
Purpose-
The restoration of a parental sovereignty, so that they may direct the education of their child, without monetary penalty or political prejudice.
This can be partially accomplished by returning the fullness of choice in education to all parents and children. As it currently stands in the State of Idaho, parents can choose to home school or they can send their children to a private or charter school. However, opting out of the State sponsored education system currently brings with it a huge financial penalty in tuitions and additional fees. Accordingly, only the children of the more wealthy families or families that choose to sacrifice other personal luxury have the ability to teach their children at home or attend institutions that offer a higher level of educational opportunities or better suits the needs of the child (as determined by the person who can best judge a child individually; the parent). This class prejudice certainly limits the educational opportunities of lower income households, single parents and minorities to name a few. This apparent imbalance can be remedied two ways.
The Statist solution- Outlaw private schools, charter schools and home schooling. This solution would demand an equal opportunity to mediocrity. Obviously this would guarantee an equal state sponsored means of education but not guarantee an equal ends or outcome. This solution, although “fair” is not in line with the principals of freedom, upon which our nation or state was founded.
The second option (the favorable option) would be to allow each parent the discretion to spend the education dollars allocated for their child in the way they think best suits the needs of the child individually. This method would ensure each parent and child an equal footing on their quest of education and ultimately their “Pursuit of Happiness.”
Proposal outline
Funding- The source of the funding for education for the time being shall remain as it is; a disproportionate levy from the citizens placed into the fund for the collective, and sales of state owned natural resources, such as timber. Additional funding is received from the National Government. The Constitutionality and efficiency of National funding are not addressed in this proposal.
Distribution- Each parent (if they choose to exercise the their Liberty) will receive a check or automatic deposit in account (in the amount of the state median education allocation for the child at appropriate grade level), bimonthly to use as a medium of exchange that the parent may use to fulfill the State’s stated educational objective standards for a student of the appropriate grade level, either solely (claimed as regular income in the case of a home school parent) or by sub-contract (Private School). The State’s only concern is that of, “Investment=Objective.” If a parent or private school (in cooperation with the student) perform in an efficient enough manor to achieve the standard educational objective in less hours or days than customary, the State remains dis-interested in the students/private institutions use of the “surplus time.”
Qualifications- (home school) Each parent that actively participates in home schooling and receives state dollars, must have a minimum GED qualification, and may only teach their child, natural or legally adopted. Parents may join in groups and teach in groups, with minimum requirements but one parent without teaching credentials may not teach groups of kids without the other parents present. Each parent must yield to random drug testing; positive test will result in discontinuation of funding.
Qualifications (private school) - All core curriculums must be taught by a properly documented teacher; no such requirements are considered on non-core classes or electives. Since the state is paying the parents directly rather than the state all classes, religious or otherwise are exempt from state oversight. Each teacher must yield to a background check and random drug testing.
Standardized testing-Each child must take a standardized test at the beginning and end of each school year, as a means to judge performance and as a comparison to other children of equal age and grade level. Comparative performance evaluation will determine individually, the continued funding each child’s non-state education (performance based). Private schools performance evaluation will be judged on the same scale as public schools and any probationary action will not exceed that of a public school. Home school parents that do not receive funding are not bound to this arrangement.
Diploma- The State will issue a standardized diploma to all students that complete the required objective curriculum, without implied discrimination or special document designation such as GED.
The Case for Choice
Anytime money is taken from the public whether proportionately or disproportional their must be a purpose for the seizure of the funds. We have taken for granted that education is a worthy cause, however the word education itself is subjective to the point of being liquid. What I mean by liquid is that whoever is in charge of the administration of education can determine what is of value, and what is not, based upon their individual values; money flows like liquid to serve their wants. What we are in dire need of is an objective, Objective. We must define what education is exactly, in order to “justify” the seizure of money from those who would otherwise be free to give or spend what they have earned in other ways that perhaps meet their values more closely. An objective is essential in any governmental affair whether it be war or education…what does victory look like? Of course each state has the right to design its objective; either minimalist or extravagant. Whatever the objective is it must not have vague statements like “instill values” and “social preparation” for those objectives are ones of the family and not the state.
Benefits of Education Choice
Monetary- It is proven in every case, the free market drives innovation progression and reduces costs; traits governmental monopolies invert as proven. As better methods are discovered and as the wheat is separated from the chaff only the best and most efficient will be teaching.
Economic- With many parents of elementary students choosing to stay home and educate their kids, many jobs would open up, driving the unemployment rate down and likely wages up (shortage of supply means prices go up). Additionally this wide spread distribution of earned money will move through the economy unfettered by governmental and union cronyism. Choice in education means jobs.
Family Values- It is quite normal in this day and age for both parents to work, leaving only a few hours of interaction in the evenings. This has broken the family apart. Many working moms bring home a mere pittance after the cost of child care and transportation is accounted for. With an allowance of $7000 per child a mother of three might just stay home to teach her own kids for a few years; years that will never come again.
Less legal drugs (ADD) - Almost everyone agrees Ritalin if the most over prescribed drug in the world. It is often prescribed as an alternative to discipline, to control an unruly child (mostly boys).
Less Illegal drugs – Children are largely a blank slate. Humans in general have very few natural instincts; therefore there behavior is determined by observing the behavior and interaction of other humans. One instinct humans have however is the desire to love and be loved. An assumed prerequisite to love is acceptance, therefore children crave the acceptance of other children, but they must learn how to be accepted. Children gain the understanding of how to be accepted from their parents their peers and popular culture. This is where quantity of impression often over rides the quality of advice. In other words inexperienced kids learn more from other inexperienced kids and popular culture, then they do from the wisdom of their parents; they spend so much more time observing the former than the latter. Behavior is developed by monkey see monkey do. Drug use alcohol use, sexual promiscuity, bullying are all unquestionably detrimental to the physical and psychological well being of a child, and not a result of parental advice. The monopoly of state controlled education forces, particularly the lower class children into this self perpetuating sociological disaster.
Reduce “hard” curriculum- Hard or physical curriculum such as text books are expensive to produce and become quickly out dated. Alternative education, free of state mandates may use online curriculum to achieve the educational objectives.
Reduce Capital expenses and maintenance- Public schools have massive overhead. Buildings, maintenance, lighting, heating cooling, busses, other vehicles, insurance of all kinds, are just a few examples. Any government program once inception takes upon a life of its own. Almost human, it has two desires, protection and growth. Naturally the larger it grows the less manageable it becomes. Lacking competition it casts off the shackles of accountability in times of plenty and expands far beyond the ability to maintain itself in times of shortage. The free market manages growth decisions by forecasting, perhaps influencing, human choice, and reacting to human action.
Improve the outcome- Free market education consistently and significantly out performs its public counterpart. In this case the ends should mandate the means.
More educated parents- Home school parent particularly find great value and enrichment while preparing a lesson plan or teaching a child. Both parent and child win in this arrangement.
Population Growth (the right kind) – Any legislation effects economic growth positively or negatively; but all growth is not good. For instance, several states are in the process of using their legal prerogative to nullify unconstitutional federal drug laws, by legalizing marijuana. This will have two effects: people who want to use marijuana without threat of legal action will move in and those who do not wish to live in a “high society” will move out. Perhaps the exchange in numerical population will be equal but will the economic effect be equal? Will the net production of the state be improved by this exchange? Logic gives us an answer that will most certainly be disputed by the “social engineers”; I’ll choose logic. Likewise will the Choice in Education option affect the demographics of our state. As I have experienced over the years, the quality of schools is one of the top factors when a person makes a real estate buying decision. In turn I believe, the freedom for a parent to choose the environment and ultimately influence the destiny of their child will also play a strong role when deciding which state to call home. One who makes a decision with these factors in mind and opts for freedom, is more likely to bring with them an industrious nature and moral convictions.
The restoration of a parental sovereignty, so that they may direct the education of their child, without monetary penalty or political prejudice.
This can be partially accomplished by returning the fullness of choice in education to all parents and children. As it currently stands in the State of Idaho, parents can choose to home school or they can send their children to a private or charter school. However, opting out of the State sponsored education system currently brings with it a huge financial penalty in tuitions and additional fees. Accordingly, only the children of the more wealthy families or families that choose to sacrifice other personal luxury have the ability to teach their children at home or attend institutions that offer a higher level of educational opportunities or better suits the needs of the child (as determined by the person who can best judge a child individually; the parent). This class prejudice certainly limits the educational opportunities of lower income households, single parents and minorities to name a few. This apparent imbalance can be remedied two ways.
The Statist solution- Outlaw private schools, charter schools and home schooling. This solution would demand an equal opportunity to mediocrity. Obviously this would guarantee an equal state sponsored means of education but not guarantee an equal ends or outcome. This solution, although “fair” is not in line with the principals of freedom, upon which our nation or state was founded.
The second option (the favorable option) would be to allow each parent the discretion to spend the education dollars allocated for their child in the way they think best suits the needs of the child individually. This method would ensure each parent and child an equal footing on their quest of education and ultimately their “Pursuit of Happiness.”
Proposal outline
Funding- The source of the funding for education for the time being shall remain as it is; a disproportionate levy from the citizens placed into the fund for the collective, and sales of state owned natural resources, such as timber. Additional funding is received from the National Government. The Constitutionality and efficiency of National funding are not addressed in this proposal.
Distribution- Each parent (if they choose to exercise the their Liberty) will receive a check or automatic deposit in account (in the amount of the state median education allocation for the child at appropriate grade level), bimonthly to use as a medium of exchange that the parent may use to fulfill the State’s stated educational objective standards for a student of the appropriate grade level, either solely (claimed as regular income in the case of a home school parent) or by sub-contract (Private School). The State’s only concern is that of, “Investment=Objective.” If a parent or private school (in cooperation with the student) perform in an efficient enough manor to achieve the standard educational objective in less hours or days than customary, the State remains dis-interested in the students/private institutions use of the “surplus time.”
Qualifications- (home school) Each parent that actively participates in home schooling and receives state dollars, must have a minimum GED qualification, and may only teach their child, natural or legally adopted. Parents may join in groups and teach in groups, with minimum requirements but one parent without teaching credentials may not teach groups of kids without the other parents present. Each parent must yield to random drug testing; positive test will result in discontinuation of funding.
Qualifications (private school) - All core curriculums must be taught by a properly documented teacher; no such requirements are considered on non-core classes or electives. Since the state is paying the parents directly rather than the state all classes, religious or otherwise are exempt from state oversight. Each teacher must yield to a background check and random drug testing.
Standardized testing-Each child must take a standardized test at the beginning and end of each school year, as a means to judge performance and as a comparison to other children of equal age and grade level. Comparative performance evaluation will determine individually, the continued funding each child’s non-state education (performance based). Private schools performance evaluation will be judged on the same scale as public schools and any probationary action will not exceed that of a public school. Home school parents that do not receive funding are not bound to this arrangement.
Diploma- The State will issue a standardized diploma to all students that complete the required objective curriculum, without implied discrimination or special document designation such as GED.
The Case for Choice
Anytime money is taken from the public whether proportionately or disproportional their must be a purpose for the seizure of the funds. We have taken for granted that education is a worthy cause, however the word education itself is subjective to the point of being liquid. What I mean by liquid is that whoever is in charge of the administration of education can determine what is of value, and what is not, based upon their individual values; money flows like liquid to serve their wants. What we are in dire need of is an objective, Objective. We must define what education is exactly, in order to “justify” the seizure of money from those who would otherwise be free to give or spend what they have earned in other ways that perhaps meet their values more closely. An objective is essential in any governmental affair whether it be war or education…what does victory look like? Of course each state has the right to design its objective; either minimalist or extravagant. Whatever the objective is it must not have vague statements like “instill values” and “social preparation” for those objectives are ones of the family and not the state.
Benefits of Education Choice
Monetary- It is proven in every case, the free market drives innovation progression and reduces costs; traits governmental monopolies invert as proven. As better methods are discovered and as the wheat is separated from the chaff only the best and most efficient will be teaching.
Economic- With many parents of elementary students choosing to stay home and educate their kids, many jobs would open up, driving the unemployment rate down and likely wages up (shortage of supply means prices go up). Additionally this wide spread distribution of earned money will move through the economy unfettered by governmental and union cronyism. Choice in education means jobs.
Family Values- It is quite normal in this day and age for both parents to work, leaving only a few hours of interaction in the evenings. This has broken the family apart. Many working moms bring home a mere pittance after the cost of child care and transportation is accounted for. With an allowance of $7000 per child a mother of three might just stay home to teach her own kids for a few years; years that will never come again.
Less legal drugs (ADD) - Almost everyone agrees Ritalin if the most over prescribed drug in the world. It is often prescribed as an alternative to discipline, to control an unruly child (mostly boys).
Less Illegal drugs – Children are largely a blank slate. Humans in general have very few natural instincts; therefore there behavior is determined by observing the behavior and interaction of other humans. One instinct humans have however is the desire to love and be loved. An assumed prerequisite to love is acceptance, therefore children crave the acceptance of other children, but they must learn how to be accepted. Children gain the understanding of how to be accepted from their parents their peers and popular culture. This is where quantity of impression often over rides the quality of advice. In other words inexperienced kids learn more from other inexperienced kids and popular culture, then they do from the wisdom of their parents; they spend so much more time observing the former than the latter. Behavior is developed by monkey see monkey do. Drug use alcohol use, sexual promiscuity, bullying are all unquestionably detrimental to the physical and psychological well being of a child, and not a result of parental advice. The monopoly of state controlled education forces, particularly the lower class children into this self perpetuating sociological disaster.
Reduce “hard” curriculum- Hard or physical curriculum such as text books are expensive to produce and become quickly out dated. Alternative education, free of state mandates may use online curriculum to achieve the educational objectives.
Reduce Capital expenses and maintenance- Public schools have massive overhead. Buildings, maintenance, lighting, heating cooling, busses, other vehicles, insurance of all kinds, are just a few examples. Any government program once inception takes upon a life of its own. Almost human, it has two desires, protection and growth. Naturally the larger it grows the less manageable it becomes. Lacking competition it casts off the shackles of accountability in times of plenty and expands far beyond the ability to maintain itself in times of shortage. The free market manages growth decisions by forecasting, perhaps influencing, human choice, and reacting to human action.
Improve the outcome- Free market education consistently and significantly out performs its public counterpart. In this case the ends should mandate the means.
More educated parents- Home school parent particularly find great value and enrichment while preparing a lesson plan or teaching a child. Both parent and child win in this arrangement.
Population Growth (the right kind) – Any legislation effects economic growth positively or negatively; but all growth is not good. For instance, several states are in the process of using their legal prerogative to nullify unconstitutional federal drug laws, by legalizing marijuana. This will have two effects: people who want to use marijuana without threat of legal action will move in and those who do not wish to live in a “high society” will move out. Perhaps the exchange in numerical population will be equal but will the economic effect be equal? Will the net production of the state be improved by this exchange? Logic gives us an answer that will most certainly be disputed by the “social engineers”; I’ll choose logic. Likewise will the Choice in Education option affect the demographics of our state. As I have experienced over the years, the quality of schools is one of the top factors when a person makes a real estate buying decision. In turn I believe, the freedom for a parent to choose the environment and ultimately influence the destiny of their child will also play a strong role when deciding which state to call home. One who makes a decision with these factors in mind and opts for freedom, is more likely to bring with them an industrious nature and moral convictions.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Sentinels of the Republic Foundations
We the Sentinels of the Republic, recognize two primary documents as the foundation for our beliefs in matters pertaining to government and the People. Those two documents are, The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States (including the first ten amendments; The Bill of Rights).
The Declaration of Independence serves as witness and record to posterity, that man is born with “certain Unalienable Rights” granted by God, not by man or by government, and that any infringements upon these rights are not just to be frowned upon but a cause for a fight to the death. Furthermore we recognize The Declaration enumerates specific grievances against the King. These specific grievances were laid out in an orderly fashion, not only for the King and for the sovereign People of the several States, but for the generations to come, that we may know exactly what a tyranny looks like and weigh all laws, taxes and governmental actions against this picture of a tyranny. We also believe that, the signers of The Declaration by its strength of its words and their mark of signature and endorsement, left no doubt that the principles and charges within, were so important, their very lives were worth forfeiting in the purpose of the advancement of its principles. The Declaration of Independence is the mission statement of the United States of America, the spirit of its people and the most orthodox document on record when the “spirit” or intent of The Constitution is in question.
The Constitution of the United States of America is the foundation of our Republic. In a Republic the “Law is King” and not government officers or representatives. In the US, The Constitution is King and the only supreme authority in matters between man, the States and the national government. It is imperative to understand that The Constitution is a compact between the States by the People. It’s a written understanding of how they (the states and the People) will relate to their created being, their servant; the national government. It is also very important to understand that the States created the national government not the inverse and that it was only created, after each state agreed.
In a case such as ours, where the power is held in an inanimate object, those who lust for power find refuge in word-smithing, revisionism and legal jargon as a means to confuse the people and seize power. They wish for you to believe that the document is “living” and will change with the times or they would like you to believe it is too complicated fro the common man to grasp; neither is true. As evidenced by the historical record, The Constitution was written for the common man to understand, and each word was chosen painstakingly as not to be misunderstood or convoluted to serve the desires of a tyrant. Understanding this, we must specify quite simply how The Constitution must be interpreted in full orthodoxy.
The most primary sources for Constitutional interpretation
1) The Declaration of Independence (see prior)
2) The Preamble to The Constitution. This often ignored segment of the Constitution is probably the most important. The Preamble is the Executive Summary. Any interpretation of the Constitution that conflicts with the Preamble is quite suspect. For instance, the excerpt, “…secure the Blessings of Liberty”, tell us three things…Blessings are from God, hence the capitalization, Liberty is a gift from God, and first and foremost the Constitution is set apart to SECURE the Blessings of Liberty. Secure is a strong word indeed and notably chosen over the word “promote” which is also used in The Preamble.
3) Documents, letters and meeting minutes of discussions on The Constitution, recorded BEFORE its ratification, ONLY. These documents include, The Federalist Papers, the Anti-Federalist Papers, The Articles of Confederation and such. It is important that we exclude writings from any of the founders after the date of ratification, no matter how artfully written. Revisionism started the day after ratification.
4) Period dictionaries- Our language changes with each generation. Strong words become weak and visa-versa. As mentioned before, every word was carefully chosen in the Constitution and the Declaration, therefore we must not assume modern day meanings are accurate. One such instance is in what is known as the “Commerce Clause.” In that clause the word regulate was used. Today regulate is synonymous with control or overlord, however in the day of the Constitution it meant, “to make regular; the meaning is astonishingly different.
Finally, it is important to grasp that The Constitution involves three parties: The Sovereign People of the States, The States and the created being, the United States National government. The Constitution enumerates certain powers that the National government must carry out, and strictly forbids any activity beyond those prescribed limits. Furthermore the Constitution also reserves any other imaginable power, to the States or the People. As an amplification to the intent of the Constitution, The Bill of Rights was added to protect the People and the States from the National government, and the People from injustice from the States as well.
The Declaration of Independence serves as witness and record to posterity, that man is born with “certain Unalienable Rights” granted by God, not by man or by government, and that any infringements upon these rights are not just to be frowned upon but a cause for a fight to the death. Furthermore we recognize The Declaration enumerates specific grievances against the King. These specific grievances were laid out in an orderly fashion, not only for the King and for the sovereign People of the several States, but for the generations to come, that we may know exactly what a tyranny looks like and weigh all laws, taxes and governmental actions against this picture of a tyranny. We also believe that, the signers of The Declaration by its strength of its words and their mark of signature and endorsement, left no doubt that the principles and charges within, were so important, their very lives were worth forfeiting in the purpose of the advancement of its principles. The Declaration of Independence is the mission statement of the United States of America, the spirit of its people and the most orthodox document on record when the “spirit” or intent of The Constitution is in question.
The Constitution of the United States of America is the foundation of our Republic. In a Republic the “Law is King” and not government officers or representatives. In the US, The Constitution is King and the only supreme authority in matters between man, the States and the national government. It is imperative to understand that The Constitution is a compact between the States by the People. It’s a written understanding of how they (the states and the People) will relate to their created being, their servant; the national government. It is also very important to understand that the States created the national government not the inverse and that it was only created, after each state agreed.
In a case such as ours, where the power is held in an inanimate object, those who lust for power find refuge in word-smithing, revisionism and legal jargon as a means to confuse the people and seize power. They wish for you to believe that the document is “living” and will change with the times or they would like you to believe it is too complicated fro the common man to grasp; neither is true. As evidenced by the historical record, The Constitution was written for the common man to understand, and each word was chosen painstakingly as not to be misunderstood or convoluted to serve the desires of a tyrant. Understanding this, we must specify quite simply how The Constitution must be interpreted in full orthodoxy.
The most primary sources for Constitutional interpretation
1) The Declaration of Independence (see prior)
2) The Preamble to The Constitution. This often ignored segment of the Constitution is probably the most important. The Preamble is the Executive Summary. Any interpretation of the Constitution that conflicts with the Preamble is quite suspect. For instance, the excerpt, “…secure the Blessings of Liberty”, tell us three things…Blessings are from God, hence the capitalization, Liberty is a gift from God, and first and foremost the Constitution is set apart to SECURE the Blessings of Liberty. Secure is a strong word indeed and notably chosen over the word “promote” which is also used in The Preamble.
3) Documents, letters and meeting minutes of discussions on The Constitution, recorded BEFORE its ratification, ONLY. These documents include, The Federalist Papers, the Anti-Federalist Papers, The Articles of Confederation and such. It is important that we exclude writings from any of the founders after the date of ratification, no matter how artfully written. Revisionism started the day after ratification.
4) Period dictionaries- Our language changes with each generation. Strong words become weak and visa-versa. As mentioned before, every word was carefully chosen in the Constitution and the Declaration, therefore we must not assume modern day meanings are accurate. One such instance is in what is known as the “Commerce Clause.” In that clause the word regulate was used. Today regulate is synonymous with control or overlord, however in the day of the Constitution it meant, “to make regular; the meaning is astonishingly different.
Finally, it is important to grasp that The Constitution involves three parties: The Sovereign People of the States, The States and the created being, the United States National government. The Constitution enumerates certain powers that the National government must carry out, and strictly forbids any activity beyond those prescribed limits. Furthermore the Constitution also reserves any other imaginable power, to the States or the People. As an amplification to the intent of the Constitution, The Bill of Rights was added to protect the People and the States from the National government, and the People from injustice from the States as well.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Phil Hart Ethics Hearing (an open letter to Rep Jaquet)
7/29/2010
RE: Ethics Committee hearing, Phil Hart
Dear Rep. Jaquet, (An open letter)
I was one of those in attendance for the Phil Hart ethics hearing, and listened intently for the duration of the hearings. My first observation during the hearing was, I actually felt a bit sorry for you. After the reading of the professionally ambiguous “charges” levied by the democrat minority leader, it was fairly obvious you were the one who had to defend these baseless accusations. The leader put you in a bad spot, and I hope you will let him know; for your own sake.
Although this hearing should have never taken place, the facts came out and the charges against Rep. Hart were soundly put down on all accounts; that was probably a good thing overall. However, the reason I write to you today is in regards to the tack you took once the facts and evidence made your position, a loser. I was shocked to hear that you were willing to vote to reprimand Mr. Hart, not based upon fact, but based upon “public perception.” As a side note Rep. Jaquet, you did not even provide a reference or supporting evidence to substantiate a negative public perception, so at best it is implied public perception; a weak case indeed. Furthermore, public perception may or may not be based upon facts, and most likely will be corrupted by prejudices. More often than not “perception” is formed by little snippets from the media. If implied perception be the essence of justice should we not just skip the legislature and the courts and just let those who generate perceptions (the owners of the newspapers, websites and TV stations), rule in all affairs? The point of this hearing was not to imply perception, or deliver an informal referendum from your constituents, but seek the truth and marry it up to the law; that is justice.
I was also troubled to hear the other two members of the democrat party on the panel parrot your sentiment (Rep. George Sayler Dist. 4 and William Killen Dist. 17). Rep Sayler even flatly stated, “Perception is reality.” Wow! Perhaps this is a “teachable moment” for the public. Perhaps the difference between the (D) and the (R) are manifest in this principal. Does a democrat believe that public perception should rule as law even if it is unjust? I know the essence of republicanism is the exact opposite. Its credo is one of written law, above any one man or group of men; one which holds in check the tyrant and the lynch mob alike.
Finally, I find your preference to perception over truth, inconsistent with a member of an ethics committee. I find no place for feelings or implied perceptions, in such a privileged position; the truth is all that matters. Had you your way, a great injustice would have taken place today to one of Idaho’s brightest sons. In light of that I would ask you resign your position on the committee.
Walt Holton
Caldwell, Idaho
RE: Ethics Committee hearing, Phil Hart
Dear Rep. Jaquet, (An open letter)
I was one of those in attendance for the Phil Hart ethics hearing, and listened intently for the duration of the hearings. My first observation during the hearing was, I actually felt a bit sorry for you. After the reading of the professionally ambiguous “charges” levied by the democrat minority leader, it was fairly obvious you were the one who had to defend these baseless accusations. The leader put you in a bad spot, and I hope you will let him know; for your own sake.
Although this hearing should have never taken place, the facts came out and the charges against Rep. Hart were soundly put down on all accounts; that was probably a good thing overall. However, the reason I write to you today is in regards to the tack you took once the facts and evidence made your position, a loser. I was shocked to hear that you were willing to vote to reprimand Mr. Hart, not based upon fact, but based upon “public perception.” As a side note Rep. Jaquet, you did not even provide a reference or supporting evidence to substantiate a negative public perception, so at best it is implied public perception; a weak case indeed. Furthermore, public perception may or may not be based upon facts, and most likely will be corrupted by prejudices. More often than not “perception” is formed by little snippets from the media. If implied perception be the essence of justice should we not just skip the legislature and the courts and just let those who generate perceptions (the owners of the newspapers, websites and TV stations), rule in all affairs? The point of this hearing was not to imply perception, or deliver an informal referendum from your constituents, but seek the truth and marry it up to the law; that is justice.
I was also troubled to hear the other two members of the democrat party on the panel parrot your sentiment (Rep. George Sayler Dist. 4 and William Killen Dist. 17). Rep Sayler even flatly stated, “Perception is reality.” Wow! Perhaps this is a “teachable moment” for the public. Perhaps the difference between the (D) and the (R) are manifest in this principal. Does a democrat believe that public perception should rule as law even if it is unjust? I know the essence of republicanism is the exact opposite. Its credo is one of written law, above any one man or group of men; one which holds in check the tyrant and the lynch mob alike.
Finally, I find your preference to perception over truth, inconsistent with a member of an ethics committee. I find no place for feelings or implied perceptions, in such a privileged position; the truth is all that matters. Had you your way, a great injustice would have taken place today to one of Idaho’s brightest sons. In light of that I would ask you resign your position on the committee.
Walt Holton
Caldwell, Idaho
Thursday, July 15, 2010
BUY and READ NULLIFICATION!!!! ASAP!!!!
Below is a letter I composed, intended for our State reps and senators; a plea for them to read the EXELLENT book "Nullification". My Barnabas, told me it was too long so I wrote another very short version, and sent it to them. I left this attachment in the letter just in case I did not make the sale with brevity.
Dear Representative,
I humbly beg your attention on a matter of the utmost importance; the preservation of the Union of the United States.
It is no secret there is much discord amongst the people these days. I assert that much of this general sentiment is a deliberate attempt by despots to sew the seeds of dissent, and who wish to install a different Order over man. . Regardless of intent or lack thereof, we, as a nation, are nonetheless eroding into a centralized government with the power far out of reach of the people and the States that formed the Union. Despite the fact that central powers, either in a Nation or Religion, have spawned the greatest inhumanities of the histories, such a great and powerful behemoth is not what is described in our founding documents; The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution and Bill of Rights. I fear as we continue down this road of despair and hopelessness, small insurrections will come to pass, as desperate men, out of options and hope, attempt in vain to throw off the chains of legal injustice. I PRAY this day does not come! I am quite certain, however, that when God answers our petitions, he does not manifest his power through a lightning bolt, but rather through the hearts and minds of Man. Considering that observation and before you consider my request, I humbly ask you to consider this verse:
James 1:5-6 (NIV) 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
My personal definition of “wisdom” is: The ability to disseminate the Truth. The Truth exists in every aspect of matter, energy and awareness (life); finding the Truth is wisdom.
I submit “based upon the Truth” being an objective term, that there is a Truth concerning the meaning and intent of the Constitution of the [u]nited States of America. This intent is not reserved for the sage or barrister but rather in plain sight for all to discover. The literal intent of our founders is no secret, as they flatly and simply expounded so many times, and as they eloquently bloviated for volumes to satisfy the wordsmiths and tyrants in waiting who sought to morph its meaning even in their time. The Constitution was for the common man.
The Constitution is a contract/compact between the States to form a general government with very specific enumerated powers. The enumeration of these powers was done specifically and clearly to act as a final limit to the power and reach of the general government; all other powers and rights are reserved for the “States, or the People.” The very specificity of these enumerated powers is the first evidence to a logical mind that the ambiguous redefinition of certain terms within the Constitution such as “regulate” (Commerce Clause) and “General Welfare”, are nothing more than an attempt to usurp and redirect the power this document carries to a despot or tyrant. One note of utmost importance is the fact that the States voluntarily formed the Union, and that a State by 18th century definition means nation; sovereign in all intents and purposes, and the Union was meant to serve the common interests of the States and not to be their master. As evidenced by many of the founder’s writings, their greatest fear was the created ‘being’ or entity (the general government) would live on its own and seek to destroy its master; to use my own analogy like Frankenstein’s monster killing his master.
For the sake of brevity and courtesy for your time I will make an assumption that you will likely agree with and then make my final plea for investigative action and intellectual investment on your part. My assumption is that the general government (National, Federal or whatever you wish to call it), has on countless occasions stepped outside its prescribed limits, by the establishment of laws, resolutions, treaties, administrations and so forth. For whatever the intent of the unconstitutional laws, either holy or unholy, this usurpation of authority has largely been unchecked, and metastasized into an unsustainable gauntlet of regulation and granted privilege. I could go on but such a rant would be redundant with undeniable evidence at every turn of the head. Perhaps this is death by a thousand paper cuts, but death nonetheless.
We are taught that the Supreme Court is the ultimate arbiter for a dispute of constitutionality of an action of the Federal Government that harms a State or a person in the State. Any reasonable mind would immediately see the obvious and absurd conflict of interest this form of dispute resolution offers since the Supreme Court is a part of the Federal Government. Although we are taught they are a non-political entity of Sages, the simplest mind should see through such a façade simply by watching a confirmation hearing. The Kagan confirmation hearings show there need not be a more grotesque comedy to make the case in point. So if the Supreme Court is not supreme, then who is??? Did the founders leave us at an impasse in justice? Was a virus imbedded in our form of government? Absolutely not! The power belongs to the States; the creator of the agency that is the US government. I do not make this claim out of arbitrary whim but based upon the utmost orthodox sources fathomable; the writings AND actions of the very architects of this nation…Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. They foresaw such an impasse in justice and wrote quite clearly about it. Their solution; Nullification, as it was later called was the summation of “The Principals of ‘98”, and the summary word for the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions. I beg of you to NOT simply Google these resolutions and read the modern day nationalistic commentary. I ask you to invest in some critical knowledge. I ask you to buy the book Nullification; How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century”, by best selling author Thomas Woods. Please note, I have neither affiliation nor investment in any kind to Dr. Woods. My investment is in America only, and she will profit from my request.
So what does this mean to you Mr./Mrs. Representative? It means YOU are the kingpin that will hold fast or rust and break. It means you are not only a keeper of municipal things but the keeper of the Union. It means you are our agent of protection against Federal tyranny. It means you are to thank for the preservation of the Union and the protection of our Liberty; or to be damned for their loss. I remind you that ignorance is no excuse for an intellectually capable person, but rather an indictment of character.
Respectfully,
Walt Holton
Dear Representative,
I humbly beg your attention on a matter of the utmost importance; the preservation of the Union of the United States.
It is no secret there is much discord amongst the people these days. I assert that much of this general sentiment is a deliberate attempt by despots to sew the seeds of dissent, and who wish to install a different Order over man. . Regardless of intent or lack thereof, we, as a nation, are nonetheless eroding into a centralized government with the power far out of reach of the people and the States that formed the Union. Despite the fact that central powers, either in a Nation or Religion, have spawned the greatest inhumanities of the histories, such a great and powerful behemoth is not what is described in our founding documents; The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution and Bill of Rights. I fear as we continue down this road of despair and hopelessness, small insurrections will come to pass, as desperate men, out of options and hope, attempt in vain to throw off the chains of legal injustice. I PRAY this day does not come! I am quite certain, however, that when God answers our petitions, he does not manifest his power through a lightning bolt, but rather through the hearts and minds of Man. Considering that observation and before you consider my request, I humbly ask you to consider this verse:
James 1:5-6 (NIV) 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
My personal definition of “wisdom” is: The ability to disseminate the Truth. The Truth exists in every aspect of matter, energy and awareness (life); finding the Truth is wisdom.
I submit “based upon the Truth” being an objective term, that there is a Truth concerning the meaning and intent of the Constitution of the [u]nited States of America. This intent is not reserved for the sage or barrister but rather in plain sight for all to discover. The literal intent of our founders is no secret, as they flatly and simply expounded so many times, and as they eloquently bloviated for volumes to satisfy the wordsmiths and tyrants in waiting who sought to morph its meaning even in their time. The Constitution was for the common man.
The Constitution is a contract/compact between the States to form a general government with very specific enumerated powers. The enumeration of these powers was done specifically and clearly to act as a final limit to the power and reach of the general government; all other powers and rights are reserved for the “States, or the People.” The very specificity of these enumerated powers is the first evidence to a logical mind that the ambiguous redefinition of certain terms within the Constitution such as “regulate” (Commerce Clause) and “General Welfare”, are nothing more than an attempt to usurp and redirect the power this document carries to a despot or tyrant. One note of utmost importance is the fact that the States voluntarily formed the Union, and that a State by 18th century definition means nation; sovereign in all intents and purposes, and the Union was meant to serve the common interests of the States and not to be their master. As evidenced by many of the founder’s writings, their greatest fear was the created ‘being’ or entity (the general government) would live on its own and seek to destroy its master; to use my own analogy like Frankenstein’s monster killing his master.
For the sake of brevity and courtesy for your time I will make an assumption that you will likely agree with and then make my final plea for investigative action and intellectual investment on your part. My assumption is that the general government (National, Federal or whatever you wish to call it), has on countless occasions stepped outside its prescribed limits, by the establishment of laws, resolutions, treaties, administrations and so forth. For whatever the intent of the unconstitutional laws, either holy or unholy, this usurpation of authority has largely been unchecked, and metastasized into an unsustainable gauntlet of regulation and granted privilege. I could go on but such a rant would be redundant with undeniable evidence at every turn of the head. Perhaps this is death by a thousand paper cuts, but death nonetheless.
We are taught that the Supreme Court is the ultimate arbiter for a dispute of constitutionality of an action of the Federal Government that harms a State or a person in the State. Any reasonable mind would immediately see the obvious and absurd conflict of interest this form of dispute resolution offers since the Supreme Court is a part of the Federal Government. Although we are taught they are a non-political entity of Sages, the simplest mind should see through such a façade simply by watching a confirmation hearing. The Kagan confirmation hearings show there need not be a more grotesque comedy to make the case in point. So if the Supreme Court is not supreme, then who is??? Did the founders leave us at an impasse in justice? Was a virus imbedded in our form of government? Absolutely not! The power belongs to the States; the creator of the agency that is the US government. I do not make this claim out of arbitrary whim but based upon the utmost orthodox sources fathomable; the writings AND actions of the very architects of this nation…Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. They foresaw such an impasse in justice and wrote quite clearly about it. Their solution; Nullification, as it was later called was the summation of “The Principals of ‘98”, and the summary word for the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions. I beg of you to NOT simply Google these resolutions and read the modern day nationalistic commentary. I ask you to invest in some critical knowledge. I ask you to buy the book Nullification; How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century”, by best selling author Thomas Woods. Please note, I have neither affiliation nor investment in any kind to Dr. Woods. My investment is in America only, and she will profit from my request.
So what does this mean to you Mr./Mrs. Representative? It means YOU are the kingpin that will hold fast or rust and break. It means you are not only a keeper of municipal things but the keeper of the Union. It means you are our agent of protection against Federal tyranny. It means you are to thank for the preservation of the Union and the protection of our Liberty; or to be damned for their loss. I remind you that ignorance is no excuse for an intellectually capable person, but rather an indictment of character.
Respectfully,
Walt Holton
Friday, July 2, 2010
Statism and Emissions (An open letter to Governor Otter)
Dear Governor Otter (an open letter),
I have voted for you in every general election since I was old enough to vote. Years, ago my vote was based simply upon the fact that Republicans, on the whole, typically stand for the principals of individual liberty and responsibility more so than the Democrats; I really did not know much about you beyond that. Since then I have put on a couple decades of knowledge and wisdom, and I must say that I am a bit confused, concerning your actions and inactions.
Back when you were a congressman you wrote a forward to a pamphlet by Ezra Taft Benson, “The Proper Role of Government.” I read this pamphlet for the first time several months ago and I was a bit surprised, after reading the very eloquent direct and liberty minded, that it was written by you. I would encourage you to go back and re-read your fine words, as well as the co-forward by Professor John T. Wenders (world renown University of Idaho economics professor), who I was fortunate enough to study under. I ask you to do this with hopes you will rediscover your once apparent, spirit of Jefferson and Madison. In this rediscovery I hope you will stand, and use your Constitutional power as Governor, and resist every attempt by the National government to dissolve our borders both as a state and nation. I ask you to stand and lead the good people of Idaho, rejecting every assault, no matter how small or apparently benevolent, to the Constitution and 10th Amendment particularly. I know you are a good man, worthy of the power entrusted to you, now it is time to wield that power against the statists in DC. Was the reason you were born and given your blessings of office, to simply manage highway funding, or was it to help save America?
Pep talk aside, I would like you to consider throwing your weight around on a “small” issue with big implications to our states lower and middle class counties. A few months back Canyon County was forced (kicking and screaming) to comply with emissions testing on cars and trucks. Was it a coincidence this mandate happened during the worst economy of our lives? I would like you to consider the wealth represented in real dollars (as real as a paper dollar is anyway) that is being taken from our citizens not just in the fees to comply with the testing but in lost productivity, loss of other scarce funds, and loss in asset value.
Keeping a long topic relatively short, each person and business must take time from business or leisure and spend it complying with this regulation; this is a loss to the economy; subjective but tangible. Also consider the thousands of cars that do not pass, these ridiculous standards, either due to a particulate count or a check engine light (automatic fail). Each one of these un-needed repairs, usually no less than $200 and often $1000, is an assault on the very scarce funds available. What’s more, most of the cost of repairs goes directly to Detroit or where ever the parts are manufactured…money leaving the state! Another “unintended consequence” to this statist law is the evaporation of “real” wealth represented in the value of the thousands and thousands of cars valued under $2000. Consider many of these older modern cars have ECM’s engine control modules, in other words a computer an old computer. These computers malfunction and send error messages for stupid reasons; most owners of older cars simply live with the light on because you would be in the mechanic every week. Now consider if you have a check engine light on, and you wish to trade your car in, and the dealer knows it can not be licensed with that light on, and it will likely cost $1000 to fix it. Will they reduce the trade in value? They must. This scenario represents hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars in evaporated asset value in Canyon County alone. What will the National government do to remedy this? Likely another “Cash for Clunkers” program, one funded by the next generation; funded by those too young to vote. In this scenario again, money is leaving the state, due to a mandate from the National government, enriching the union companies in Detroit. I am convinced this is not by accident.
One could also apply the same thinking to many other National government mandated laws, like lead based paint certification, air conditioning refrigerant mandates and on and on. I ask you Butch to fight the small fight as well as the big ones. Every mandate is a liberty lost, and every mandate by the National government outside of their seventeen Constitutional powers, our republic of federated states fades.
Sincerely,
Walt Holton
I have voted for you in every general election since I was old enough to vote. Years, ago my vote was based simply upon the fact that Republicans, on the whole, typically stand for the principals of individual liberty and responsibility more so than the Democrats; I really did not know much about you beyond that. Since then I have put on a couple decades of knowledge and wisdom, and I must say that I am a bit confused, concerning your actions and inactions.
Back when you were a congressman you wrote a forward to a pamphlet by Ezra Taft Benson, “The Proper Role of Government.” I read this pamphlet for the first time several months ago and I was a bit surprised, after reading the very eloquent direct and liberty minded, that it was written by you. I would encourage you to go back and re-read your fine words, as well as the co-forward by Professor John T. Wenders (world renown University of Idaho economics professor), who I was fortunate enough to study under. I ask you to do this with hopes you will rediscover your once apparent, spirit of Jefferson and Madison. In this rediscovery I hope you will stand, and use your Constitutional power as Governor, and resist every attempt by the National government to dissolve our borders both as a state and nation. I ask you to stand and lead the good people of Idaho, rejecting every assault, no matter how small or apparently benevolent, to the Constitution and 10th Amendment particularly. I know you are a good man, worthy of the power entrusted to you, now it is time to wield that power against the statists in DC. Was the reason you were born and given your blessings of office, to simply manage highway funding, or was it to help save America?
Pep talk aside, I would like you to consider throwing your weight around on a “small” issue with big implications to our states lower and middle class counties. A few months back Canyon County was forced (kicking and screaming) to comply with emissions testing on cars and trucks. Was it a coincidence this mandate happened during the worst economy of our lives? I would like you to consider the wealth represented in real dollars (as real as a paper dollar is anyway) that is being taken from our citizens not just in the fees to comply with the testing but in lost productivity, loss of other scarce funds, and loss in asset value.
Keeping a long topic relatively short, each person and business must take time from business or leisure and spend it complying with this regulation; this is a loss to the economy; subjective but tangible. Also consider the thousands of cars that do not pass, these ridiculous standards, either due to a particulate count or a check engine light (automatic fail). Each one of these un-needed repairs, usually no less than $200 and often $1000, is an assault on the very scarce funds available. What’s more, most of the cost of repairs goes directly to Detroit or where ever the parts are manufactured…money leaving the state! Another “unintended consequence” to this statist law is the evaporation of “real” wealth represented in the value of the thousands and thousands of cars valued under $2000. Consider many of these older modern cars have ECM’s engine control modules, in other words a computer an old computer. These computers malfunction and send error messages for stupid reasons; most owners of older cars simply live with the light on because you would be in the mechanic every week. Now consider if you have a check engine light on, and you wish to trade your car in, and the dealer knows it can not be licensed with that light on, and it will likely cost $1000 to fix it. Will they reduce the trade in value? They must. This scenario represents hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars in evaporated asset value in Canyon County alone. What will the National government do to remedy this? Likely another “Cash for Clunkers” program, one funded by the next generation; funded by those too young to vote. In this scenario again, money is leaving the state, due to a mandate from the National government, enriching the union companies in Detroit. I am convinced this is not by accident.
One could also apply the same thinking to many other National government mandated laws, like lead based paint certification, air conditioning refrigerant mandates and on and on. I ask you Butch to fight the small fight as well as the big ones. Every mandate is a liberty lost, and every mandate by the National government outside of their seventeen Constitutional powers, our republic of federated states fades.
Sincerely,
Walt Holton
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Rebuke! For Your Silence Implies Consent
I am sure many of you have seen the stories the news lately about “Christian” militias. And I am sure many of you understand this is a direct frontal assault, not on the few people they are charging with a crime, but to Christians in general. But that is not all. Tea Party goers are reportedly racist and Janet Napolitano herself defines “right wing extremists” as the real terrorist threat. Barrack Hussein Obama as well, implied intellectual superiority over those who “cling to guns and religion,” in his campaign for president. However, aside from the obvious and blatant coordinated efforts of the media and inside the government, to imply certain groups of people in this nation are counter productive to the collective good, that’s not all. This multi million dollar campaign to own the weak minds of America is not the only tactic the left is using today; another is one carried out by lurkers and trolls on sites like this one, Face book and Twitter.
These lurkers and trolls have many tactics. Some pose as one of the crowd, spouting patriotic rah-rah, to gain acceptance. Once acceptance is granted their tactics take on many forms. For instance the other day I was reading some comments on Tom Tancredo’s Face book page. Most of the discussion was logical and organized around securing the borders and enforcing laws we already have on the books. Out of the blue a comment from an obviously anonymous name, spouted “I agree with you throw out all the beaners!” This post did not stay on the board long because the page was watched by its admin closely. However, had this been ignored and other trolls or true racists joined in, a picture of the page could be taken and used as implied evidence that those who want secure borders are pure racists.
Another example- On a Ning site, one regular blog poster began posting increasingly “off color” posts. One of them was, how you would go to hell if you married a person of a different color. He had many other posts that blatantly implied God did not like black people and such. Most of his blogs went without comment; likely a “don’t feed the trolls” mentality. I complained to the admin and explained my concerns. The response I got was just plain silly, “don’t worry he is just a religious zealot…I don’t want to infringe on his right to free speech.” My response was, “he has a right to speak, not to be heard.” A day later this guy published a blog stating how he was framed by the FBI, and was not involved in a 1990s bombing in the Middle East. He provided “official documents” with his name on them implicating him with terrorism and then denied involvement…WOW. After my next note to the site admin he was banned.
How should we respond to the tactical leftist and the true psycho? We must rebuke them and report them! Do not be drawn into an argument. If it is on your Face book page, respond with a rebuke and delete them, in other places simply rebuke them and report them to the admin. If the admin is un-responsive leave the site, but before you do, post a blog with the reason. Silence is consent.
These lurkers and trolls have many tactics. Some pose as one of the crowd, spouting patriotic rah-rah, to gain acceptance. Once acceptance is granted their tactics take on many forms. For instance the other day I was reading some comments on Tom Tancredo’s Face book page. Most of the discussion was logical and organized around securing the borders and enforcing laws we already have on the books. Out of the blue a comment from an obviously anonymous name, spouted “I agree with you throw out all the beaners!” This post did not stay on the board long because the page was watched by its admin closely. However, had this been ignored and other trolls or true racists joined in, a picture of the page could be taken and used as implied evidence that those who want secure borders are pure racists.
Another example- On a Ning site, one regular blog poster began posting increasingly “off color” posts. One of them was, how you would go to hell if you married a person of a different color. He had many other posts that blatantly implied God did not like black people and such. Most of his blogs went without comment; likely a “don’t feed the trolls” mentality. I complained to the admin and explained my concerns. The response I got was just plain silly, “don’t worry he is just a religious zealot…I don’t want to infringe on his right to free speech.” My response was, “he has a right to speak, not to be heard.” A day later this guy published a blog stating how he was framed by the FBI, and was not involved in a 1990s bombing in the Middle East. He provided “official documents” with his name on them implicating him with terrorism and then denied involvement…WOW. After my next note to the site admin he was banned.
How should we respond to the tactical leftist and the true psycho? We must rebuke them and report them! Do not be drawn into an argument. If it is on your Face book page, respond with a rebuke and delete them, in other places simply rebuke them and report them to the admin. If the admin is un-responsive leave the site, but before you do, post a blog with the reason. Silence is consent.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Open Letter to Governor Butch Otter (Garvey Bonds)
Dear Governor,
I write you today on a matter of urgent concern. As I am sure you are aware the Idaho House of Representatives voted today to put the State in debt by allowing the use of a Garvey Bond to purchase land between Emmett and Boise. Irregardless of the constitutionality of this type of debt, I believe this type of spending, based upon assumed future income (from Washington DC) places our state in a position of great peril.
I am sure you are fully aware of the many instances the Federal Government has threatened to withhold “Federal funds” from the state, if we do not comply with their wishes. This type of bribery/extortion of course is a very effective way for the federal government to achieve implied consent, on laws that are clearly an infringement of the Tenth Amendment. Understanding the power of the purse as used in the past, how much more effective will this tactic be if we have already spent the money as the Garvey bond system allows? To say the least we would be placed in an unfavorable position of negotiation. Perhaps I am unaware of a stipulation in the Garvey bond process that guarantees the money from the federal government without strings attached, but with our ethically subjective leadership in Washington I doubt even the most firm stipulation would hold up if the desire for state compliance was dire enough.
What makes my concern even greater today is the recent stand you and our legislators have taken against the infringements on the Tenth Amendment (Health Freedom Act). Needless to say you folks are not a great friend to the statists and tyrants in Washington DC; for that I applaud you. For these reasons, I believe going ahead with any future Garvey bonds is a tactical mistake. Please veto this bill.
Thank you,
Walt Holton
I write you today on a matter of urgent concern. As I am sure you are aware the Idaho House of Representatives voted today to put the State in debt by allowing the use of a Garvey Bond to purchase land between Emmett and Boise. Irregardless of the constitutionality of this type of debt, I believe this type of spending, based upon assumed future income (from Washington DC) places our state in a position of great peril.
I am sure you are fully aware of the many instances the Federal Government has threatened to withhold “Federal funds” from the state, if we do not comply with their wishes. This type of bribery/extortion of course is a very effective way for the federal government to achieve implied consent, on laws that are clearly an infringement of the Tenth Amendment. Understanding the power of the purse as used in the past, how much more effective will this tactic be if we have already spent the money as the Garvey bond system allows? To say the least we would be placed in an unfavorable position of negotiation. Perhaps I am unaware of a stipulation in the Garvey bond process that guarantees the money from the federal government without strings attached, but with our ethically subjective leadership in Washington I doubt even the most firm stipulation would hold up if the desire for state compliance was dire enough.
What makes my concern even greater today is the recent stand you and our legislators have taken against the infringements on the Tenth Amendment (Health Freedom Act). Needless to say you folks are not a great friend to the statists and tyrants in Washington DC; for that I applaud you. For these reasons, I believe going ahead with any future Garvey bonds is a tactical mistake. Please veto this bill.
Thank you,
Walt Holton
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
An Argument For Real Money
Our founding fathers Madison, Jefferson, Paine, Jay and Franklin to name a few, provided the perfect blueprint for societal and economic failure as well as a comprehensive “how to” guide for tyrants and despots. Such a blueprint can be seen on the photographic negative of their wisdom; in other words if we do the opposite of their advice we beg for failure.
Thomas Jefferson said,
“The central bank is an institution of the most deadly hostility existing against the Principles and form of our Constitution. I am an Enemy to all banks discounting bills or notes for anything but Coin. If the American People allow private banks to control the issuance of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the People of all their Property until their Children will wake up homeless on the continent their Fathers conquered.
The situation Thomas Jefferson described is going on before our very eyes. Over the past couple of years, in the real estate and construction markets, we have watched one of the largest evaporations and transfers of wealth the world has ever seen. Children are waking up homeless. I think we can all agree our central bank; The Federal Reserve and the Congress of the United States are largely complicit in this melt down. They have done this by printing money out of thin air which devalues in kind the money in circulation, and by manipulating the rate the money can be let out (controlling interest rates); as consequence great fiscal moral hazard was encouraged and further supplemented by altruistic lending laws and government loan insurance i.e. Fannie May and Freddie Mac.
The very keystone or should I say ace of spades in this house of cards is the departure from the use of an universally valued and accepted intermediary good (such as gold or silver) as currency, replaced by a manipulated fiat currency; the US dollar. The manipulation of the dollar by the Federal Reserve and the efforts of the Congress to stimulate usually yield either temporary results that merely delay the inevitable, or the inverse of their goal. This leads us to two possible conclusions on the actions of our financial overlords; they are involved in devious collusion or they are incompetent, neither should be tolerated. Returning to a silver standard as an intermediary good used in trade would heal much of these ills.
The government has always been involved in our currency. The Coinage Act of 1792 defined the first American Dollar,
The money of account of the United States shall be expressed in dollars or units … of the value [mass or weight] of a Spanish milled dollar as the same is now current, and to contain three hundred and seventy-one grains and four sixteenth parts of a grain of pure … silver.
Or .7734375 troy ounces.
Our government’s initial involvement in money was one to define a tangible standard of weight and quality, easily measured, in order to prevent fraud and establish a standard of trade. They gave the dollar no value; they left that to the free market. To this we must return.
We departed from the Gold/Silver standard, largely under FDR based upon the guise that it was a temporary and due to a national emergency. Nixon finished the job with his declaration that we had entered the Keynesian age; an economic theory of governmental control and subjective ambiguity.
It is too often the case in times of national emergency we give up bits our liberty, for safety. Sometimes Liberty is restored, sometimes exchanged for license, sometimes lost forever. Accordingly in a time of economic emergency we gave up our secure standard of wealth for an ambiguous one, the paper dollar. We lose our Liberty in times of crisis, with laws like the Patriot Act and the departure from the gold/silver standard. We lose our Liberty in times of plenty via governmental altruism. Both examples infringe upon our Inalienable Rights and break the Natural law.
The growing popularity of a not particularly handsome nor dazzlingly eloquent, Ron Paul as evidence that the message of a backed currency has hit main street; the common man is getting it. So I ask each of you to consider, who would you rather take advice from, Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geitner and Barney Frank or Thomas Jefferson. We must return to the ways of our fore fathers. We must return to a currency backed by a universaly valued durable good; gold or silver.
Thomas Jefferson said,
“The central bank is an institution of the most deadly hostility existing against the Principles and form of our Constitution. I am an Enemy to all banks discounting bills or notes for anything but Coin. If the American People allow private banks to control the issuance of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the People of all their Property until their Children will wake up homeless on the continent their Fathers conquered.
The situation Thomas Jefferson described is going on before our very eyes. Over the past couple of years, in the real estate and construction markets, we have watched one of the largest evaporations and transfers of wealth the world has ever seen. Children are waking up homeless. I think we can all agree our central bank; The Federal Reserve and the Congress of the United States are largely complicit in this melt down. They have done this by printing money out of thin air which devalues in kind the money in circulation, and by manipulating the rate the money can be let out (controlling interest rates); as consequence great fiscal moral hazard was encouraged and further supplemented by altruistic lending laws and government loan insurance i.e. Fannie May and Freddie Mac.
The very keystone or should I say ace of spades in this house of cards is the departure from the use of an universally valued and accepted intermediary good (such as gold or silver) as currency, replaced by a manipulated fiat currency; the US dollar. The manipulation of the dollar by the Federal Reserve and the efforts of the Congress to stimulate usually yield either temporary results that merely delay the inevitable, or the inverse of their goal. This leads us to two possible conclusions on the actions of our financial overlords; they are involved in devious collusion or they are incompetent, neither should be tolerated. Returning to a silver standard as an intermediary good used in trade would heal much of these ills.
The government has always been involved in our currency. The Coinage Act of 1792 defined the first American Dollar,
The money of account of the United States shall be expressed in dollars or units … of the value [mass or weight] of a Spanish milled dollar as the same is now current, and to contain three hundred and seventy-one grains and four sixteenth parts of a grain of pure … silver.
Or .7734375 troy ounces.
Our government’s initial involvement in money was one to define a tangible standard of weight and quality, easily measured, in order to prevent fraud and establish a standard of trade. They gave the dollar no value; they left that to the free market. To this we must return.
We departed from the Gold/Silver standard, largely under FDR based upon the guise that it was a temporary and due to a national emergency. Nixon finished the job with his declaration that we had entered the Keynesian age; an economic theory of governmental control and subjective ambiguity.
It is too often the case in times of national emergency we give up bits our liberty, for safety. Sometimes Liberty is restored, sometimes exchanged for license, sometimes lost forever. Accordingly in a time of economic emergency we gave up our secure standard of wealth for an ambiguous one, the paper dollar. We lose our Liberty in times of crisis, with laws like the Patriot Act and the departure from the gold/silver standard. We lose our Liberty in times of plenty via governmental altruism. Both examples infringe upon our Inalienable Rights and break the Natural law.
The growing popularity of a not particularly handsome nor dazzlingly eloquent, Ron Paul as evidence that the message of a backed currency has hit main street; the common man is getting it. So I ask each of you to consider, who would you rather take advice from, Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geitner and Barney Frank or Thomas Jefferson. We must return to the ways of our fore fathers. We must return to a currency backed by a universaly valued durable good; gold or silver.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Red Bull, Red meat and Red Policy
One of the biggest businesses in America today is the peddling of “energy drinks.” However, one thing most of them have in common is they have a very low actual energy content and a very high content of stimulants like caffeine. Energy and stimulation are two very different things. Funny enough, through clever marketing, the term calorie, has come to mean, a measurement of unhealthiness rather than what it scientifically means. The term calorie is a measurement of energy content, just like BTU, watt or horsepower. For instance a gallon of gas contains about 114,000 BTUs of energy or the potential for 44.8 horse power hr. at the rate of 100% efficient conversion. That same measurement of heat and work can be converted to nutritional calories (28,727). In the case of motive power via internal combustion engine or human power, the delivered energy (for work) is less than the input energy which is due to heat loss and combustion/digestion inefficiencies. If this type of science interest you here is a great website, http://mb-soft.com/public2/humaneff.html otherwise the point is, a calorie is the energy; marked, measured and quantified (digestibility is another factor altogether).
A stimulant however, is an un-natural compound (to the body) that usually causes a reaction in the nervous system or metabolism that gives a person the impression of energy. In certain cases an artificial stimulant may simulate a naturally produced chemical in the body (or the result of the role of the natural compound) so closely that the body may cease to produce that compound, causing many adverse and potentially deadly side effects; methamphetamine is a good example. Let’s take the product 5 Hour Energy for example; I believe this product engages in false advertising. This product claims only 4 calories yet a body at rest still uses 40 calories per hour just to maintain systems. Therefore for them to claim 5 hours of “energy” it should have at least 201 calories. This product may have other compounds that aid the digestion or conversion of stored energy in the body, but if the body does not have a reserve of potential energy to convert, and work is required, the primary functions of the body will be harmed and the body will convert muscle and bone to energy with devastating results. In our decadent society a trim and “sexy” body with low fat reserves is appealing, thus the addictions to stimulants and the untold number of side effects they bring. Stimulants have become a substitute for proper eating habits and prudent physical care.
Of course a perfect natural human would have no need for stimulants of any kind. Maintaining a balanced diet of digestible fat, protein and carbohydrate calories, and fulfilling the bodies need for vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other core factors required to properly replicate DNA, maintain body temperature and produce work is all we need.
Remarkably, the natural physical order of human kind as well as the natural laws of science (the Laws of Thermodynamics in particular) are very similar if not directly analogous to economics and society in general.
First of all economically speaking we can only describe and measure the economic energy stored by goods and services. Like protein, carbs and fat have a potential energy so do goods and services have potential energy that can not be realized until digested. The digestion of goods and services is called voluntary exchange of goods and services, which requires a good or service be demanded by one party and supplied by another either in direct swap for good or service or by an intermediary good found desirable to both parties (currency). Historically, this mutually desirable intermediary good has been gold or silver because in itself it holds a recognizable value. This intermediary good allows inequitable direct exchanges, like a bushel of wheat for a cow; gold acting as the difference in value. Or the intermediary can act as a tool in exchange through a middle man who holds goods or services in inventory. This very brief and simple explanation draws a very close similarity to a healthy human eating right and converting energy to work, in the sense that there is very little energy lost in the trade due to the purity of the supply and demand and mutually acceptable (incorruptible) intermediary good.
Today we have moved quite far from this model of economic health. We no longer have a reliable intermediary good as we have substituted it with a “token of faith” (the dollar). Unlike gold or silver which require human effort to mine and refine, and has many uses, the dollar can be produced at will, and other than its perceived value it only holds a few BTUs of heat if burned. As we add “money” to the economy the value of all money in the market is diminished because it is not tied to productivity. From a health perspective this is like a man eating a one pound, five hundred calorie totally balanced meal and having the components of the meal gradually replaced with 0 net calorie celery. The man may still feel full but the net effect is he will die; you can’t substitute quantity for quality.
As the man’s body begins to use its reserves his appetite may increase. Feeling sickly, he just might increase his daily intake of celery; borrowing from future rations. With the increase in rations he may fell satisfied after a meal but that is merely a perception, as his body eats itself for energy. He then might try to display an upbeat attitude, rejecting reality. Being ignorant to the fact that he is not bringing any new energy into his body he would likely resort to stimulants to speed his metabolism and nervous system giving him the perception of energy, blind to the fact that he is only speeding the process of death.
Our economy acts the same way yet we are surprised with its illness. We have countless times interfered with the natural process in order to get high. As we become too proud to take certain manufacturing jobs, they go overseas; energy lost. We allow parasites to come into the country unlawfully and pack the money out; energy lost. We import far more then we export; a net loss of energy in the exchange. In the mean time we demand a more decadent lifestyle and by golly if enough people want something in an immoral democracy you’ll find a politician to promise all the bread and circuses imaginable, even while living with the highest standards the earth has ever seen. The people demand a feeling of health not knowing they are dead men walking. In absence of real energy in the economy we fake it with the placebo effect of increasing the quantity of money; which does work for a while until perception meets reality. We attempt to stimulate the economy by artificially valuing the dollar by placing non-market interest rates on the market; discouraging thrift and encouraging moral peril. We live off hopes of a better tomorrow not satisfied with our earnings of today while using our last energy to dig our own grave. We “create” jobs and production with no demand for the product; busy work, like walking on a treadmill. There are so many more examples of how we have not only strayed from, but out right shunned the natural capital market place. We are not a free market economy in America any more; far from it. But we don’t really care that we are chronically unhealthy as long as we feel good. We have made our diet meth and celery; we feel like a million bucks. In our arrogance we think we can recreate the natural process to fit our will. The process a five year old can explain over dinner. Our perception serves as our reality, in absence of the truth. But alas, the truth remains.
A stimulant however, is an un-natural compound (to the body) that usually causes a reaction in the nervous system or metabolism that gives a person the impression of energy. In certain cases an artificial stimulant may simulate a naturally produced chemical in the body (or the result of the role of the natural compound) so closely that the body may cease to produce that compound, causing many adverse and potentially deadly side effects; methamphetamine is a good example. Let’s take the product 5 Hour Energy for example; I believe this product engages in false advertising. This product claims only 4 calories yet a body at rest still uses 40 calories per hour just to maintain systems. Therefore for them to claim 5 hours of “energy” it should have at least 201 calories. This product may have other compounds that aid the digestion or conversion of stored energy in the body, but if the body does not have a reserve of potential energy to convert, and work is required, the primary functions of the body will be harmed and the body will convert muscle and bone to energy with devastating results. In our decadent society a trim and “sexy” body with low fat reserves is appealing, thus the addictions to stimulants and the untold number of side effects they bring. Stimulants have become a substitute for proper eating habits and prudent physical care.
Of course a perfect natural human would have no need for stimulants of any kind. Maintaining a balanced diet of digestible fat, protein and carbohydrate calories, and fulfilling the bodies need for vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other core factors required to properly replicate DNA, maintain body temperature and produce work is all we need.
Remarkably, the natural physical order of human kind as well as the natural laws of science (the Laws of Thermodynamics in particular) are very similar if not directly analogous to economics and society in general.
First of all economically speaking we can only describe and measure the economic energy stored by goods and services. Like protein, carbs and fat have a potential energy so do goods and services have potential energy that can not be realized until digested. The digestion of goods and services is called voluntary exchange of goods and services, which requires a good or service be demanded by one party and supplied by another either in direct swap for good or service or by an intermediary good found desirable to both parties (currency). Historically, this mutually desirable intermediary good has been gold or silver because in itself it holds a recognizable value. This intermediary good allows inequitable direct exchanges, like a bushel of wheat for a cow; gold acting as the difference in value. Or the intermediary can act as a tool in exchange through a middle man who holds goods or services in inventory. This very brief and simple explanation draws a very close similarity to a healthy human eating right and converting energy to work, in the sense that there is very little energy lost in the trade due to the purity of the supply and demand and mutually acceptable (incorruptible) intermediary good.
Today we have moved quite far from this model of economic health. We no longer have a reliable intermediary good as we have substituted it with a “token of faith” (the dollar). Unlike gold or silver which require human effort to mine and refine, and has many uses, the dollar can be produced at will, and other than its perceived value it only holds a few BTUs of heat if burned. As we add “money” to the economy the value of all money in the market is diminished because it is not tied to productivity. From a health perspective this is like a man eating a one pound, five hundred calorie totally balanced meal and having the components of the meal gradually replaced with 0 net calorie celery. The man may still feel full but the net effect is he will die; you can’t substitute quantity for quality.
As the man’s body begins to use its reserves his appetite may increase. Feeling sickly, he just might increase his daily intake of celery; borrowing from future rations. With the increase in rations he may fell satisfied after a meal but that is merely a perception, as his body eats itself for energy. He then might try to display an upbeat attitude, rejecting reality. Being ignorant to the fact that he is not bringing any new energy into his body he would likely resort to stimulants to speed his metabolism and nervous system giving him the perception of energy, blind to the fact that he is only speeding the process of death.
Our economy acts the same way yet we are surprised with its illness. We have countless times interfered with the natural process in order to get high. As we become too proud to take certain manufacturing jobs, they go overseas; energy lost. We allow parasites to come into the country unlawfully and pack the money out; energy lost. We import far more then we export; a net loss of energy in the exchange. In the mean time we demand a more decadent lifestyle and by golly if enough people want something in an immoral democracy you’ll find a politician to promise all the bread and circuses imaginable, even while living with the highest standards the earth has ever seen. The people demand a feeling of health not knowing they are dead men walking. In absence of real energy in the economy we fake it with the placebo effect of increasing the quantity of money; which does work for a while until perception meets reality. We attempt to stimulate the economy by artificially valuing the dollar by placing non-market interest rates on the market; discouraging thrift and encouraging moral peril. We live off hopes of a better tomorrow not satisfied with our earnings of today while using our last energy to dig our own grave. We “create” jobs and production with no demand for the product; busy work, like walking on a treadmill. There are so many more examples of how we have not only strayed from, but out right shunned the natural capital market place. We are not a free market economy in America any more; far from it. But we don’t really care that we are chronically unhealthy as long as we feel good. We have made our diet meth and celery; we feel like a million bucks. In our arrogance we think we can recreate the natural process to fit our will. The process a five year old can explain over dinner. Our perception serves as our reality, in absence of the truth. But alas, the truth remains.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Generation WE
This is my response to the George Soros funded Generation WE propaganda seen here- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vknHKTy1MLY I hope some of the WE will get with it.
WE the generation of Americans born between 1978 and 2000, children of the Baby Boomers, will have a chance to make right what has gone horribly wrong with our country.
WE, have watched our parents live in the now and become complacent to the erosion of freedom and liberty.
WE, have watched their fortunes come and go and seen them remain silent as the Federal Reserve printed money out of thin air; money with no value; but they played the game; they got theirs. WE have witnessed the fantasy world of play money, false interest rates and governmental regulations that give advantage to some businesses and cripple others, created by politicians in trade for money. WE demand a real dollar with real market interest rates, and a fair playing field absent of governmental cronyism.
WE have watched our parents and grand parents get taxed heavily for education only to pass our education off to the government monopoly of thought. Don’t they care? Don’t we deserve the best? Shouldn’t they demand the money used to educate us be used in the most efficient and free manor possible? WE demand choice in education for our children!
WE, have watched our Presidents go to war and call it a police action, knowing full well The Constitution does not give this power to the President. WE have seen our nation go to war and men die because we do not have a picture of what victory looks like. WE know war is hell and it must not be entered into for light reasons and when fought, WE must win quickly and decisively with all of our resolute nature to bear.
WE have watched money and clever slogans manipulate our democratic method of election. WE have watched them become lazy on history, complacent on The Constitution, and vote not with their mind but with opinions based upon sensational advertising. WE know a democracy without reverence and diligence is no better than a lynch mob. WE know the power of the vote and we must and will not treat that freedom; purchased in blood, lightly. WE will think with our minds and give and love with our hearts.
WE have watched them trade liberty for security; freedom for government control. WE know America did not become great by accident nor by government planning, but by a design endorsed by WE THE PEOPLE, that preserves liberty, and restrains the government; The Constitution. WE believe each man in his own choosing should be free to seek out and work for his wildest dreams without interference, and a man should also be allowed to live in sloth if it be his choosing. WE must not be forced to live for our brother nor he for us, but retain the convictions of our soul and help not because we are forced but because we love.
Finally, WE have watched our parents allow more and more of their money to be taken from them, to fund a government growing like a disease; one that is giving money, money they do not have as gifts to other countries around the world…it’s not yours to give! A deficit means WE are the ones footing the bill, perhaps our children as well. WE believe taking from one man against his will and giving it to another is theft and that the principal of theft does not change just because a group of people vote for it.
Generation WE, swear a pact, to restore our nation to its former greatness when The Constitution was honored; a man's property was respected and charity was given from the heart, and received with humility. WE will learn the lessons of history, and recognize the gradual erosion of liberty at each baby step, so that WE can again be the Land of the FREE and the home of the Brave
WE the generation of Americans born between 1978 and 2000, children of the Baby Boomers, will have a chance to make right what has gone horribly wrong with our country.
WE, have watched our parents live in the now and become complacent to the erosion of freedom and liberty.
WE, have watched their fortunes come and go and seen them remain silent as the Federal Reserve printed money out of thin air; money with no value; but they played the game; they got theirs. WE have witnessed the fantasy world of play money, false interest rates and governmental regulations that give advantage to some businesses and cripple others, created by politicians in trade for money. WE demand a real dollar with real market interest rates, and a fair playing field absent of governmental cronyism.
WE have watched our parents and grand parents get taxed heavily for education only to pass our education off to the government monopoly of thought. Don’t they care? Don’t we deserve the best? Shouldn’t they demand the money used to educate us be used in the most efficient and free manor possible? WE demand choice in education for our children!
WE, have watched our Presidents go to war and call it a police action, knowing full well The Constitution does not give this power to the President. WE have seen our nation go to war and men die because we do not have a picture of what victory looks like. WE know war is hell and it must not be entered into for light reasons and when fought, WE must win quickly and decisively with all of our resolute nature to bear.
WE have watched money and clever slogans manipulate our democratic method of election. WE have watched them become lazy on history, complacent on The Constitution, and vote not with their mind but with opinions based upon sensational advertising. WE know a democracy without reverence and diligence is no better than a lynch mob. WE know the power of the vote and we must and will not treat that freedom; purchased in blood, lightly. WE will think with our minds and give and love with our hearts.
WE have watched them trade liberty for security; freedom for government control. WE know America did not become great by accident nor by government planning, but by a design endorsed by WE THE PEOPLE, that preserves liberty, and restrains the government; The Constitution. WE believe each man in his own choosing should be free to seek out and work for his wildest dreams without interference, and a man should also be allowed to live in sloth if it be his choosing. WE must not be forced to live for our brother nor he for us, but retain the convictions of our soul and help not because we are forced but because we love.
Finally, WE have watched our parents allow more and more of their money to be taken from them, to fund a government growing like a disease; one that is giving money, money they do not have as gifts to other countries around the world…it’s not yours to give! A deficit means WE are the ones footing the bill, perhaps our children as well. WE believe taking from one man against his will and giving it to another is theft and that the principal of theft does not change just because a group of people vote for it.
Generation WE, swear a pact, to restore our nation to its former greatness when The Constitution was honored; a man's property was respected and charity was given from the heart, and received with humility. WE will learn the lessons of history, and recognize the gradual erosion of liberty at each baby step, so that WE can again be the Land of the FREE and the home of the Brave
Friday, January 22, 2010
Uncle Samta Claus, I want a Pony
It’s Christmas Eve and Jimmy has just been tucked snugly in bed. The anxiety for the day to come has him plum tuckered out. As he drifts off to sleep the last vision that passed across his mind is a photographic memory of the crayon written letter he sent to Santa,
Dear Santa,
It’s me Jimmy. I have been a very good boy this year and I got all A-s on my report card. All I want for Christmas is a pony; a brown pony with white spots is what I really want but any pony will do if you can’t find one with spots.
Thanks,
Jimmy
As the first light of dawn broke through the mini blinds in Jimmy’s room he was up like a shot. To the window he went, expecting a pony to be tied to the old elm tree in the front yard. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes he looked again; more closely this time, bumping his head on the cold glass trying to look straight down. With a deep sigh, his warm breath obscured the view through the glass. Striking his finger through the haze on the window, the thought to himself, no pony! Perhaps the back yard! He thought with a revived spirit. Again, no pony. With sorrow and disbelief he made his way towards the Christmas tree, his bare feet slapping the hardwood floor in gait of discouragement. Down he plopped, sideways on his father’s worn recliner. Just then, out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a red envelope placed thoughtfully at the base of the Christmas tree. On the envelope was his name JIMMY. With restored hope he hurriedly opened the letter.
Dear Jimmy,
I am so glad you have been a good boy this year however, due to the small number of ponies available; I am unable to grant your wish. I also expect the supply of ponies to be small next year as well. With that knowledge, only the very best children will be awarded a pony next year. Trevor Johnson next door was given a pony this year based upon his very complete letter to Santa. Please use his format and documentation as an example of a winning letter (see enclosed).
Thanks for believing,
Santa
Jimmy opened Trevor’s letter to Santa; all twelve pages worth. The front page- cover sheet, the second page- left blank intentionally, the third page- the table of contents; all pages type written. His parents helped him Jimmy thought as he thumbed through the pages. Every good deed was well documented. What’s this!!! “Shoveled snow at old man Lincoln’s house.” I did that! he fumed. Passing by that page in disgust he also noticed Trevor’s grades were not as good as his, but with each poor grade was a type written reason for his poor performance….
Exit fiction, enter reality
This morning on my way to work I heard a news story that at first did not sink in. The story was. “The State of Idaho is in the running for a Federal education grant.” My first thought when I heard the news was, cool we could use the extra money to help out in a short budget year, but my second thought was a bit deeper.
Why must we apply to Santa errr Uncle Sam (both old, white bearded guys) to have the same money that was seized from our citizens granted back to us? The answer is strings; both purse and puppet. The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution grants all the power not given specifically to the Federal government, in the Constitution, to the States and the people. Public education is not a power reserved for the Federal government, therefore the duty falls upon the State or the People. The catch however, lies in the Sixteenth Amendment.
“The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”
Boy howdy does the Feds use that Amendment to the fullest! They take as much as they wish ((lawfully so (a legal injustice)) and impose their will by withholding funds from those do not comply, or rewarding those who comply; bribery and pandering to be blunt. This affective nullification of the Tenth Amendment via the Sixteenth has been gradual erosion that is transforming The United States of America into the Administrative Oligarchal of Puppet States of America (AOPSA).
This Federal grant for education that Idaho is in the running for is just a small example of the Federal governments “soft persuasion tactics.” The Department of Energy, the EPA, Dept. of Homeland Security and many more practice this Santa-esque tactic. But it does not stop there. The Feds have used much stronger tactics in the past; threatening to withhold directly budgeted money from our state if we did not conform to their will.
With the apparent wholesale rejection of Obama Care things are looking up for freedom loving Americans. In the past we as conservative Americans have been content to play defense, against, the would be tyrant; giving a little ground each time we proclaim victory. With this most current election in Massachusetts, we must prepare to go on the offense for once and not squander the opportunity like we did for the Bush years. As Winston Churchill once said,
“Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.”
As we prepare to retake the once golden beaches of liberty, we must consider in advance the genesis of this increasingly less soft tyranny we endure. We must fight monumental battles of direct principal rather than a thousand small skirmishes. I would offer for consideration of the patriots an action plan.
The Tenth Amendment couldn’t be clearer, yet it is impotent. We must repeal the Sixteenth Amendment and replace it with something like this.
The Congress shall have the power to levy a tax on each State based solely upon census. The amount of the tax will be restrained to the actual expense of administration and execution of duties described in the Constitution specifically.
In such a consideration the states would pay a tax directly to the Federal government rather than the citizens individually. Each state could decide how to most efficiently and equitably procure the funds from the people at the state level. Each state could decide which services and programs are the duty of the government. Just as Santa is an un-necessary, redundant, convoluting, inefficient, intermediary between parent and child, so is the Federal government in most affairs. The power must be closer to the people.
Dear Santa,
It’s me Jimmy. I have been a very good boy this year and I got all A-s on my report card. All I want for Christmas is a pony; a brown pony with white spots is what I really want but any pony will do if you can’t find one with spots.
Thanks,
Jimmy
As the first light of dawn broke through the mini blinds in Jimmy’s room he was up like a shot. To the window he went, expecting a pony to be tied to the old elm tree in the front yard. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes he looked again; more closely this time, bumping his head on the cold glass trying to look straight down. With a deep sigh, his warm breath obscured the view through the glass. Striking his finger through the haze on the window, the thought to himself, no pony! Perhaps the back yard! He thought with a revived spirit. Again, no pony. With sorrow and disbelief he made his way towards the Christmas tree, his bare feet slapping the hardwood floor in gait of discouragement. Down he plopped, sideways on his father’s worn recliner. Just then, out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a red envelope placed thoughtfully at the base of the Christmas tree. On the envelope was his name JIMMY. With restored hope he hurriedly opened the letter.
Dear Jimmy,
I am so glad you have been a good boy this year however, due to the small number of ponies available; I am unable to grant your wish. I also expect the supply of ponies to be small next year as well. With that knowledge, only the very best children will be awarded a pony next year. Trevor Johnson next door was given a pony this year based upon his very complete letter to Santa. Please use his format and documentation as an example of a winning letter (see enclosed).
Thanks for believing,
Santa
Jimmy opened Trevor’s letter to Santa; all twelve pages worth. The front page- cover sheet, the second page- left blank intentionally, the third page- the table of contents; all pages type written. His parents helped him Jimmy thought as he thumbed through the pages. Every good deed was well documented. What’s this!!! “Shoveled snow at old man Lincoln’s house.” I did that! he fumed. Passing by that page in disgust he also noticed Trevor’s grades were not as good as his, but with each poor grade was a type written reason for his poor performance….
Exit fiction, enter reality
This morning on my way to work I heard a news story that at first did not sink in. The story was. “The State of Idaho is in the running for a Federal education grant.” My first thought when I heard the news was, cool we could use the extra money to help out in a short budget year, but my second thought was a bit deeper.
Why must we apply to Santa errr Uncle Sam (both old, white bearded guys) to have the same money that was seized from our citizens granted back to us? The answer is strings; both purse and puppet. The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution grants all the power not given specifically to the Federal government, in the Constitution, to the States and the people. Public education is not a power reserved for the Federal government, therefore the duty falls upon the State or the People. The catch however, lies in the Sixteenth Amendment.
“The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”
Boy howdy does the Feds use that Amendment to the fullest! They take as much as they wish ((lawfully so (a legal injustice)) and impose their will by withholding funds from those do not comply, or rewarding those who comply; bribery and pandering to be blunt. This affective nullification of the Tenth Amendment via the Sixteenth has been gradual erosion that is transforming The United States of America into the Administrative Oligarchal of Puppet States of America (AOPSA).
This Federal grant for education that Idaho is in the running for is just a small example of the Federal governments “soft persuasion tactics.” The Department of Energy, the EPA, Dept. of Homeland Security and many more practice this Santa-esque tactic. But it does not stop there. The Feds have used much stronger tactics in the past; threatening to withhold directly budgeted money from our state if we did not conform to their will.
With the apparent wholesale rejection of Obama Care things are looking up for freedom loving Americans. In the past we as conservative Americans have been content to play defense, against, the would be tyrant; giving a little ground each time we proclaim victory. With this most current election in Massachusetts, we must prepare to go on the offense for once and not squander the opportunity like we did for the Bush years. As Winston Churchill once said,
“Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.”
As we prepare to retake the once golden beaches of liberty, we must consider in advance the genesis of this increasingly less soft tyranny we endure. We must fight monumental battles of direct principal rather than a thousand small skirmishes. I would offer for consideration of the patriots an action plan.
The Tenth Amendment couldn’t be clearer, yet it is impotent. We must repeal the Sixteenth Amendment and replace it with something like this.
The Congress shall have the power to levy a tax on each State based solely upon census. The amount of the tax will be restrained to the actual expense of administration and execution of duties described in the Constitution specifically.
In such a consideration the states would pay a tax directly to the Federal government rather than the citizens individually. Each state could decide how to most efficiently and equitably procure the funds from the people at the state level. Each state could decide which services and programs are the duty of the government. Just as Santa is an un-necessary, redundant, convoluting, inefficient, intermediary between parent and child, so is the Federal government in most affairs. The power must be closer to the people.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
To The Matter of Pat Robertson
Pat Robertson said, "...since then (the pact with the Devil) the Haitian people have been cursed with one thing after another; desperately poor."
Pat Robertson did not say this earthquake was a divine retribution. He did imply however, the economic state of Haiti was a result of past decisions. I am not a big Robertson fan, but the press has stuffed a lot of extra words into Robertson’s mouth, and that is not right.
Here is my take on curses and blessings. God has given us much wisdom in which to rule our affairs, personally and as a nation. Through out the Bible many blessings and curses are described. If you do this, good things will happen, if you do that, bad things will happen. However I do not think God is up there with his Scepter sending down curses and blessings via invisible ray. The laws of God are like the laws of nature; they can't be broken and an attempt to do so results in calamity...simple cause and effect. Our Nation was founded upon the Laws of God and we have been "blessed" because of it, yet the further we stray from those principals the more tribulation we experience. Haiti won its "freedom" based not upon the Laws of God but an agreement with the Enemy of God. Whether the Devil actually showed up to shake hands with them is irrespective; their departure from the known Laws of God and intentional separation from him brought their society a natural cause and effect reaction, or "curse" if you please.
Now, consider this. If Haiti was a nation that was founded upon the same principal as ours, would the poverty and corruption be the same as it is today? Would the damage to the infrastructure be as great had the nation managed its wealth better over the past 100 years? Would the internal governmental response to the suffering be quicker and more compassionate if they were under a 1787 US Constitution? Blessings and Curses are cause and effect. God did not create us to destroy us, but as an object of His love. His expression of the principals to a blessed life and nation are a perfect example of that Love. As witnessed not just in Haiti but in almost every culture the result of ignoring this Loving advice is chaos and corruption.
Pat Robertson did not say this earthquake was a divine retribution. He did imply however, the economic state of Haiti was a result of past decisions. I am not a big Robertson fan, but the press has stuffed a lot of extra words into Robertson’s mouth, and that is not right.
Here is my take on curses and blessings. God has given us much wisdom in which to rule our affairs, personally and as a nation. Through out the Bible many blessings and curses are described. If you do this, good things will happen, if you do that, bad things will happen. However I do not think God is up there with his Scepter sending down curses and blessings via invisible ray. The laws of God are like the laws of nature; they can't be broken and an attempt to do so results in calamity...simple cause and effect. Our Nation was founded upon the Laws of God and we have been "blessed" because of it, yet the further we stray from those principals the more tribulation we experience. Haiti won its "freedom" based not upon the Laws of God but an agreement with the Enemy of God. Whether the Devil actually showed up to shake hands with them is irrespective; their departure from the known Laws of God and intentional separation from him brought their society a natural cause and effect reaction, or "curse" if you please.
Now, consider this. If Haiti was a nation that was founded upon the same principal as ours, would the poverty and corruption be the same as it is today? Would the damage to the infrastructure be as great had the nation managed its wealth better over the past 100 years? Would the internal governmental response to the suffering be quicker and more compassionate if they were under a 1787 US Constitution? Blessings and Curses are cause and effect. God did not create us to destroy us, but as an object of His love. His expression of the principals to a blessed life and nation are a perfect example of that Love. As witnessed not just in Haiti but in almost every culture the result of ignoring this Loving advice is chaos and corruption.
Monday, January 18, 2010
New and Current Tax Evaluation Checklist
Understanding that some taxes are required in order to administer and maintain assets of the people in union, we must also consider carefully the equitability of each tax, fee and money generating regulation. The scope of the duties of government vary from state to state, as do the general philosophical characteristics of people based upon the geography, economic culture and general moral order. This geographic uniqueness of governments as allowed by and specifically reserved for the states in the 10th Amendment, is considered by some a brilliant act of our Founders, by others pure Providence. However, as we are warned by the past countless times, even the finest forms of government left to the hands of man, whether tyrant, aristocrat, altruist, or simply a complacent or distracted man, will eventually grow far beyond its intended purpose. The metamorphosis starts as a government for and by the People, to the inverse; the people for and by the Government. Often over many generations the change from servant to lord is nary noticed by the citizens.
As a remedy to this culturally debilitating governmental illness an intersession must take place before the tenants of Liberty, Industry and Thrift are forgotten or worse yet considered a fanciful ideal, unattainable by man. If this intervention is possible, the people must draw a personal connection to the government purse. They must understand and accept the full value of their monetary sacrifice for the government, and with that knowledge approve the expenditures thereof as a prudent substitute to their otherwise eminent higher economic condition. Sadly, the direct connection of he who fills the purse and he who demands it filled has been broken. Taxing structures once simple and direct, are now convoluted, confounding and take much effort on behalf of the benefactor to calculate with accuracy. Taxes become hidden in the gradual maturity of a product or service, from raw good to finished product, leaving no hand un-slapped. The result in many cases is a finished product, which caries a price largely a representation of the taxation and mandated regulation generationaly; yet the consumer is none the wiser. Would it not be in the best interest of the people to know how much of their bounty the government actually seizes? Might this encourage a new found desire to encourage accountability and thrift? Would the People take more ownership of their government if they paid a $.20 sales tax rather than the equivalent masked in the shadows? Following is a simple question and answer list each lawmaker should consider before any new tax is designed. Additionally, to simplify our existing tax code we must ask this of our existing laws. As long as the government by and for the People is broken it is not too late to fix it, but when Liberty is gone so is the last hope of repair.
1) Does the tax impede commerce?
2) Is the tax aimed at a specific industry or product?
3) Is the tax aimed at a specific people group; racial, religious, economic or otherwise?
4) Is the tax designed to discourage a specific behavior?
5) Are the revenues needed to support a specific government function as defined in the Constitution of the State?
6) Will the revenues of the tax directly, positively impact those who pay the taxes?
7) Is the tax or fee based upon usage of a publicly owned asset?
8) Does the tax place state industry at a competitive disadvantage?
9) Does the tax place business in a border town at a competitive disadvantage, based upon tax laws across the state line? If so is there a plan to make those effected businesses whole?
10) Has the tax or fee been used in other states, successfully and equitably?
11) Does the tax or fee require an additional logistical burden on a business or person(s) to collect?
12) Is the tax likely to be passed on to others as a cost of goods? If so how many generations of sales will the tax likely be passed?
13) Is this tax designed to be disguised from the end payer?
14) If the tax is designed to fund a specific service, has the private sector been give a fair opportunity to bid or compete on that service?
As a remedy to this culturally debilitating governmental illness an intersession must take place before the tenants of Liberty, Industry and Thrift are forgotten or worse yet considered a fanciful ideal, unattainable by man. If this intervention is possible, the people must draw a personal connection to the government purse. They must understand and accept the full value of their monetary sacrifice for the government, and with that knowledge approve the expenditures thereof as a prudent substitute to their otherwise eminent higher economic condition. Sadly, the direct connection of he who fills the purse and he who demands it filled has been broken. Taxing structures once simple and direct, are now convoluted, confounding and take much effort on behalf of the benefactor to calculate with accuracy. Taxes become hidden in the gradual maturity of a product or service, from raw good to finished product, leaving no hand un-slapped. The result in many cases is a finished product, which caries a price largely a representation of the taxation and mandated regulation generationaly; yet the consumer is none the wiser. Would it not be in the best interest of the people to know how much of their bounty the government actually seizes? Might this encourage a new found desire to encourage accountability and thrift? Would the People take more ownership of their government if they paid a $.20 sales tax rather than the equivalent masked in the shadows? Following is a simple question and answer list each lawmaker should consider before any new tax is designed. Additionally, to simplify our existing tax code we must ask this of our existing laws. As long as the government by and for the People is broken it is not too late to fix it, but when Liberty is gone so is the last hope of repair.
1) Does the tax impede commerce?
2) Is the tax aimed at a specific industry or product?
3) Is the tax aimed at a specific people group; racial, religious, economic or otherwise?
4) Is the tax designed to discourage a specific behavior?
5) Are the revenues needed to support a specific government function as defined in the Constitution of the State?
6) Will the revenues of the tax directly, positively impact those who pay the taxes?
7) Is the tax or fee based upon usage of a publicly owned asset?
8) Does the tax place state industry at a competitive disadvantage?
9) Does the tax place business in a border town at a competitive disadvantage, based upon tax laws across the state line? If so is there a plan to make those effected businesses whole?
10) Has the tax or fee been used in other states, successfully and equitably?
11) Does the tax or fee require an additional logistical burden on a business or person(s) to collect?
12) Is the tax likely to be passed on to others as a cost of goods? If so how many generations of sales will the tax likely be passed?
13) Is this tax designed to be disguised from the end payer?
14) If the tax is designed to fund a specific service, has the private sector been give a fair opportunity to bid or compete on that service?
Don't Cut Taxes...Eliminate some!
Even the drunken dullard, when presented with the laws of economics, must concede; taxes only restrain industry. So we must conclude that in order to sponsor real growth (not the kind of growth the Fed proclaims) we must reduce the amount of money seized from the productive and given to the non-productive. Of course tax cuts can be done a number of ways, some with more impact than others. A simple cut that may be proposed, and may resound with a typical work-a-day voter is a sales tax reduction. Although, any tax cut is a good one this is just not the best way to take make a full impact.
I would suggest rather than cutting tax ratios on existing tax structure, we need to eliminate certain taxes and regulation that not only directly restrains business by the seizure of funds but also cost business extra time and funds due to the requirement of additional ancillary support; personal property tax, real estate property tax and income tax come to the top of mind.
So, at this time of mandatory thrift, perhaps we need to look at how we can get the most bang for the buck out of our reduction of taxes. Perhaps eliminate the income tax altogether and raise the sales tax (of course with a net reduction in the size of the government take). Just the reduction in minutia, and the resulting savings from such an act would promote economic growth. There is my two cents (well not exactly...the government actually owns one of them...both if I don't hire someone that knows the tax code to defend me).
I would suggest rather than cutting tax ratios on existing tax structure, we need to eliminate certain taxes and regulation that not only directly restrains business by the seizure of funds but also cost business extra time and funds due to the requirement of additional ancillary support; personal property tax, real estate property tax and income tax come to the top of mind.
So, at this time of mandatory thrift, perhaps we need to look at how we can get the most bang for the buck out of our reduction of taxes. Perhaps eliminate the income tax altogether and raise the sales tax (of course with a net reduction in the size of the government take). Just the reduction in minutia, and the resulting savings from such an act would promote economic growth. There is my two cents (well not exactly...the government actually owns one of them...both if I don't hire someone that knows the tax code to defend me).
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