The “Give me” generation. An “Instant gratification” society. These are only a couple of the phrases used by our older generation to describe our current generation and their view on our nation.
“Most people want to think they are entiteled to something, when they’re not” says a friend of mine as he and I talk about the U.S. and its current state. Even though there is a significant difference in our age I find myself agreeing with him. To many people today believe that the government is here to give hand-outs and do the jobs we don’t want too. But they are not! The government is here to offer us defense, liberty and the ability to pursue happiness.
Twenty years ago if you wanted to own your own home or go to college you worked your ass off and earned the money to do it yourself. Now you send paperwork to the government and they pay it for you. I’m not talking about the men and woman who served in the military. Those people actually gave something to our country to earn the right for our tax dollars to pay for their college. But these kids who come out of highschool, get government grants for a degree in Art ,than go work for a government funded job give absolutely nothing back. I know a lot of people who will disagree with this point because they think art is important. I’m not saying it’s not but for a country that has 1.85 million people living on the streets and another 35 million people living below the “poor” line, what exactly is art doing to improve on this?
We need to stop depending on the government to take care of every little problem that we encounter and stand on our own feet. This will help to cut the governments footprint in society and allow more privately owned companies to take over avenues of business thus employing more people who don’t get paid with their own tax dollars.
After reading my title, I suppose many will automatically think I am some sort of anarchist or revolutionary. If so, then thank you for the complement. If only I could be thought of in such an honorable way?
The very intrusive and invasive U.S. Census can be used to make a case for secession. Not that a case for secession can’t be made using a myriad of other criteria, but due to the original reasoning for the census, I think one can show that any country with more than 300,000,000 people cannot possibly remain a free republic. It simply is not possible. Our nation was intended to be several states, with a federal system to oversee the protection of individual rights. It has become a single nation-state with all control coming from a central-planning leviathan. This is an untenable situation and was bound to lead to tyranny. This in and of itself is reason enough to pursue secession.
First, let’s look at the Census issue. Stated in Article 1, Section 2 of our constitution:
Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several states which may be included within this union, according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years; and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual enumeration shall be made within three years of the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The number of representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each state shall have at least one Representative.
There are a couple of things that stand out in this passage. First, an actual enumeration (simple head count) shall be made every ten years. This count of heads is all that is authorized by the constitution, and is to be done so that a proper ratio between the representatives and the people can be determined, and to also determine the proper apportionment of direct taxes among the several states. As an aside, the number of representatives has been fixed at 435 since 1911. The total population of the United States in 1911 was 93,863,000. Obviously, our population has increased almost three and one half times since then without any change in representation. Secondly, the writers of our current constitution said that there should not be more than one representative for every thirty thousand people, and going forward from the original 65 members, the rule of one representative for every thirty thousand people was generally accepted. As I will discuss later, there were no fixed upper limits on the number of representatives, but the Founders did caution against too large a number; but why?
The ratio of representatives to people was not exact as heavily populated centers would have fewer representatives per capita, but the end result was to be full and fair representation of all the people. Since the number of representatives has been fixed for almost one hundred years, what is the point of the current Census? Since no additional representation is even being discussed and no talk or legislation exists to change this number, is the Census now valid and/or constitutional? I do realize that specific district changes do occur and that apportionment of some taxes (actually very little) is still constitutional, but I think a very good argument could be made that not only is the modern Census completely unnecessary, but that it might now be unconstitutional as well due to the fact that the primary reasoning for this count has been thrown aside by the federal government. If no count will result in a change of representation, then the costly and invasive U.S. Census should be stopped immediately. Obviously, the modern census count is used not to determine representation as originally intended anyway, but is used as a tool to determine the improper and unconstitutional amounts of wealth redistribution, and to gain personal and private information about the citizenry. The coming census also includes a precise mapping by GPS of every address. What in the world does locking in my home position in a government database have to do with representation or apportionment? This information, by the way, is none of their damn business! This in and of itself is reason enough to scrap this invasion of privacy because the entire census count is nothing more than a farce to help expand government interference into private matters.
What does all this mean? A breakdown of the numbers is useful here. Initially, there was one representative for every 30,000 people. In 1911 when the representative number became fixed at 435, there was one representative for every 216,000 people. Currently, there is one representative for approximately every 760,000 Americans. If we were to go back to the original plan, we would now have to have about 11,000 representatives. Is anybody up to 11,000 campaigns and elections every two years? Before you answer, think about the unseen consequences.
Karen DeCoster pointed out to me that having thousands of representatives, as ridiculous as it sounds, might prove to be beneficial. Can you imagine the bottleneck if 11,000 politicians were trying to agree on a particular piece of legislation? Nothing would ever get done, rendering the political process mute. This might not be a bad idea after all, as gridlock is a desired end. Gridlock stifles political aggression and is certainly a friend of freedom.
Times have certainly changed over the past 200 years or so. James Madison once thought that the number of representatives, as long as not too small or too large, was not a big issue. He thought this because he had faith in the American people; in that they would not continue to vote for those who would advance tyranny, and considering the times, he was most likely correct in his assumption. What in the world would Madison think if he were alive today? His trust in the American people would be shaken beyond repair. How could anyone today believe that our liberty is safe in the hands of the imbecilic and unenlightened American voter?
His foreknowledge was evident when he said:
What change of circumstance, time, and a fuller population of our country may produce, requires a prophetic spirit to declare, which makes no part of my pretensions.
Judging from his words, he understood that times would bring change and that larger and larger populations would cause problems in representation. Given the times of our Founders, one representative for every 30,000 people seemed proper, but today, one for every 760,000 is absurd. Let’s face it; this country has become too large for freedom to survive under its present form of government. Instead of freedom, we now have socialism, fascism and tyranny. So what can be done about it? I think there is only one logical answer: Secession!
Secession should not be feared but embraced. Our country was borne by secession and in my opinion can only be saved by secession. Secession in my mind is an inherent, God-given right. If one is bound by or to the state by force, freedom has no validity and cannot exist. Secession is the virtual unbinding of the chains of tyranny. It is the emancipation if you will, from the servitude of the state and awakens the spirit of liberty. What better solution is there when extreme conditions exist?
Many will balk at the idea of secession but there is no need. Our country would not be torn apart, but restored, by separating ourselves from a tyrannical government. Secession is not a breakup of the country because the country will remain intact. The spirit of America would not be lost but regained. The oppressive power of the federal government would be curtailed, and in many cases eliminated. Just think of the benefits if the federal government’s power was eradicated. Massive taxation and inflation would all but disappear. Unjust and unholy foreign aggression would not be possible. Spying, wiretapping and unwarranted searches would be a thing of the past. The growing police state and standing armies could not be funded at current levels and would have to be pared back. U.S. military bases in other countries would have to be closed and all military personnel could come home where they belong. The insane war on drugs and its accompanying prison-state apparatus would shut down. With these changes, torture would no longer be the rule of the day, and civil and just law could return. In other words, a return to freedom would be evident and real prosperity would once again be available for all to seek. Does this sound euphoric? Of course it does, because freedom and free markets are euphoric in a real way, unlike the so-called socialistic euphoria based on theft and oppression.
This is serious business! It is important, it is imperative, and time is of the essence! Any secession from this tyrannical government, whether by states, portions of states, or regions, will require gargantuan efforts by individuals. This government will never be receptive of any plan to limit its power, and secession is a virtual elimination and negation of centralized government. No break from this behemoth can or will be achieved through government action or government process. That would be an exercise in futility and would fuel even more oppression. It will require that those involved, whether individuals, groups of individuals or entire states, not obey any unconstitutional or unjust federal law. As should be evident, this will be no easy task, but the rewards of victorious secession are freedom, liberty and prosperity.
June 8, 2009
Gary D. Barnett is president of Barnett Financial Services, Inc., in Lewistown, Montana. He is a regular contributing writer at www.LewRockwell.com.
Glenn Beck Show – January 26, 2010 – Pt 1 of 8
Glenn Beck Show – January 26, 2010 – Pt 2 of 8
Glenn Beck Show – January 26, 2010 – Pt 3 of 8
Glenn Beck Show – January 26, 2010 – Pt 4 of 8
Glenn Beck Show – January 26, 2010 – Pt 5 of 8
Glenn Beck Show – January 26, 2010 – Pt 6 of 8
Glenn Beck Show – January 26, 2010 – Pt 7 of 8
Glenn Beck Show – January 26, 2010 – Pt 8 of 8
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Atlas Shrugged outsells Human Action by a wide margin. As of this writing, the Amazon sales ranks are 101 and 16,331, respectively.[2] (Admittedly a limited measure, but still interesting.) But Atlas also outsells Rand’s own non-fiction books, by similarly wide margins. The Virtue of Selfishness trails at 11,993, with Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology all the way down at 120,117.[3] If the greater market success of Rand as compared with von Mises were due to Rand’s broader philosophy, wouldn’t we see this reflected in sales of Rand’s non-fiction works, in which she explicitly develops that philosophy?
The data fit another hypothesis: that the novel is a far more accessible and popular vehicle for communicating ideas than the monograph. The lesson for defenders of freedom seems clear. We need more novelists, screenwriters, and other artists.
“In contrast, insouciant Americans are content for their government to behave illegally. A majority supports torture despite its illegality, and a McClatchy-Ipsos poll found that 51 percent of Americans agree that “it is necessary to give up some civil liberties in order to make the country safe from terrorism.”
As our Founding Fathers warned, fools who give up liberty for security will have neither.“
I missed a day, due to being in Oklahoma, getting my MIL’s house ready to list on the market for sale. In the real estate downturn that is not an easy task. We’ve been painting and ‘staging’ rooms and doing everything we can to ‘stack the deck’ in our favor. That being said, as I sit here in my motel room, having just read the 19th edition of USA Today, a paper that I normally don’t read, I’m prompted to put down my thoughts for today.
On the front page is an article entitled ‘Opinions about Obama’. It basically divides those polled (2,014 adults, by phone, on Jan 8th and 9th) into 5 groups. With group 1 being the most pro-Obama and group 5 being the most anti-Obama. I won’t go into details, as it would detract from the point. Which is, even the most pro-Obama group gave Obama only a 71% approval rating. 9 out of 10 of them believe the economy has stabilized and will fully recover within 2 years. They think Obama has been thoughtful and intelligent about the current issues, which they see as complicated.
The last group says Obama is a miserable failure. They give him an approval rating of only 21%. Only 6% see the economy restarting within 2 years. Most see Obama as ‘not sharing their values’.
All groups were nearly the same in men vs women, age, and economic position.
The thing is, they didn’t call me. What’s up with that? I’m 60 years old and a registered voter, and I have never been called for a poll of any kind. ? ?
So, now, here’s my poll results.
I am a conservative, Christian, white, worked all my life up to retirement, college educated, disabled veteran. I did not vote for Obama. I voted for McCain. Because there was no other choice. Not that I didn’t like McCain, I just was hoping for something better. Didn’t happen. I did NOT vote for Obama because he was young, or because he was black. I did NOT vote for him because he had no leadership experience. I would NOT have voted for McCain simply because he was a veteran. I felt he had more leadership experience than Obama; however had I another qualified choice, I would likely have voted for that person. If Dr. Alan Keyes had been on the ticket I would have voted for him. For those of you who are not familiar with him, he is black.
Now to the main point. Obama does not have the grit to stand up to the opposition, from wherever it comes. He has failed on too many counts to identify with the masses. He went to a celebration for MLK, but did not attend a traditional Christian event. He bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia. Our leader must bow to no one. He has refused on more than one occasion to put his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance. And what is that new age flag symbol thing he has? Was there a problem with the stars and stripes?
Anyway, now there is a fight in Massachusetts over a Senate seat that they say may determine the fate of health care. Think about that for just a second. If one Democrat seat will have that effect, then no one in their right mind can say it’s a bi-partisan effort. Obama said, as well as Pelosi, that this administration, not to mention this particular health care debate, would be ‘transparent’. Huh? I don’t think so. How is not allowing even C-Span, not to mention Republicans, to be involved and/or present during the so called debates transparent? I say it is a LIE. And I’m not the only one saying that. Some big shot reporters are saying the same thing.
I don’t wish for the health care ISSUE to fail. I think we DO need something done. What I do NOT think is that the majority who have health care need to suffer for the minority who do not. I do NOT think that I should subsidize people who will NOT try to take care of themselves. Even Jesus said, the poor will always be with us (paraphrased). Helping the widows and orphans is one thing. Giving handouts to lazy, unmotivated people is quite another. AND, trying to shove this down my throat, behind closed doors, and pissing on my boot and telling me it’s raining, is something else again.
In November, ANYONE who is an incumbent, will not get my vote. I think you should seriously consider the same thing. Think about it. Why would someone, in their right mind, spend millions of dollars to keep a job that pays a hundred thousand or so. I wouldn’t. Would you? I didn’t think so. Point made.
As I sit here this wonderfully brisk Monday morning, I am reflecting on a dream, a dream of liberty and freedom. I’m seeing a world where all of mankind is free from tyranny and oppression. I’m seeing a world where hate is considered a wasted effort, and has been replaced with joy and kindness. I see a world where all men are able to reach their fullest potential, where they are free to reach their highest goals.
I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor’s lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
That speech, those glorious words, were spoken by Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963.
As we reflect on the words of one of the great spiritual and moral leaders our nation has ever known, many emotions overcome us. Dr King speaks about the basics of humanity, the desires of all men to be free, to exercise the natural rights they are given by their creator.
In Dr King’s world, the color of a man’s skin would have no bearing on how he fits into society. In Dr King’s world, it is the content of a man’s character that determines his station in life. It is the content of a man’s character says it all.
It is a glorious dream.
But it is still just a dream.
In the world we live in today, 47 years after Dr King gave what is one of the most important speeches in the history of this great nation, there are still men who are not free. Tyranny and oppression only grows with each passing day and certain factions have used the color of a man’s skin to control all. To intimidate those who would rather speak of character, of honor, and of righteousness.
Sadly, when the world lost Dr King to the assassin’s bullet, we lost one of our true leaders. A man who understood how civil society should work, how it must work, to survive and to flourish.
We have seen the very oppressors that Dr King sought to defeat co-opt his movement and claim his banner as their own. These oppressors have used deceit and trickery to not only keep those who were down in their place, but to add to their ranks.
We have seen a great evil take hold of this nation. We now have those who seek to divide us, to pit the races and the sexes against one another, in the name of Dr King, and others, in order to gain power and control.
These men of low character know that a nation divided is a nation conquered. As long as they can foment discontent, and work to prevent racial harmony, they will always remain in power.
Much better that we fight each other than to rise up as one against this great evil.
As I reflect on Dr King’s words, his dreams, I am moved to tears as I see a world that could have been. A world of great prosperity and happiness for all who aspire to it. A world where each and every man, woman, and child knows that they have no roadblocks to reaching their full potential.
I see a world where every man woman and child has the opportunity to shine.
This is a world where, instead of worrying about equal results, an impossible goal, we make sure there is equal opportunity. In this world we understand that we cannot guarantee outcome, equal results, but we can guarantee that every man, woman, and child starts in the same place, and has no artificial barriers placed in front of them.
In this world we understand that we cannot re-distribute talent, we cannot re-distribute efforts or results. And me most assuredly MUST not re-distribute wealth, as this is an idea that only shares equal misery, not equal success.
We have a government led by a political party that bases it’s entire being on dividing this nation, on making sure that we fight each other, rather than this government. We have a government that uses the color of their leader’s skin to intimidate, to harass, and yes, to keep divided those who would, under normal circumstances, eagerly join together, in the common cause of liberty and freedom. Men and women who would eagerly unite to defeat the oppressor.
Liberty and freedom are the innate desires of all mankind. We are given these rights of liberty and freedom by the Almighty God in the heavens. They belong to no man, no government, and no man, or no government has the authority to take those rights away.
As we reflect on the man, the leader, it is imperative that we take up Dr King’s cause, the cause that is righteous. It is imperative that we look past the race baiters and the race hustlers. We must look past those who seek to divide us and find ways for us all join together in pursuit of the common cause of true liberty and freedom for all.
I truly believe if we can unite and defeat this great evil that grips our nation, to permanently remove those who sow the seeds of artificial discontent for their own gains, America can grow and prosper, and the potential for all mankind will know no bounds. There will be no limits to a man’s successes, except those he places on himself.
We must unite and we must break the chains of oppression. But more importantly, we must then work to make sure that Dr King’s dream comes true. We must create a world where the only judge of a man is his character, where character is a man’s supreme calling card, where character is all that matters.
As we reflect on the life of Dr. King, let us pledge to unite and create this world.
In closing, I’d like to include the thoughts and prayers expressed by another great leader, a leader for our time, as she reflects on the life of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.
Celebrating the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today, America honors the memory of one of our greatest – Martin Luther King, Jr. He used his gifts and talents in selfless, mighty ways to mobilize efforts against racial discrimination and is deserving of our honor.
Please take a moment to tell your children about this great man. He fought for liberty and equality because he knew they were God-given and he knew that no government should be empowered to thwart our freedom. King summarized his mission when stating that no one should be judged based on skin color, but by the content of one’s character.
Seeming to have a foreboding notion of how quickly life passes, he did not waste time on pettiness. He believed that “the quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.”
May our children follow in the footsteps of giants like King, who sincerely respected equality.
- Sarah Palin
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – MLK
