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Our server crashed. And it crashed really badly.
To skip all the maddening details, here we are a week later on a new server, on a new host. It’s going to take time for us to fully recover from what happened. The good news is, we didn’t lose any of the content.
So please forgive us for the week that the site was down. And please forgive us for the sad state of the blog while the overworked and underpaid webmaster tries to figure out how to get everything fixed.
But we’re glad to be back!
Andrew, Elizabeth and I are scheduled for were on the first part of Captain Ed Morrissey’s show today at 3 pm EST. Check us out as we talk about RFC Radio – Radio for Conservatives:
I’m not posting too much today because I am spending my time at the debut of RFC Radio – Radio for Conservatives.
Come join us!
Here are some links to keep you busy until Monday:
And now for something completely different:
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We have “Europeanized” America. In November of 2006 (And again in November of 2008) America placed the crowning achievement of the Socialist movement, a Democrat/Socialist government, in charge of America. They offered, “cradle to the grave” Nanny Statehood to America and… Americans bought it! Karl Marx has finally triumphed over reason in America!
It no longer matters that socialism has failed everywhere it has been tried on the globe, Americans “felt” they wanted the promises Socialism offered. Never mind the fact that socialism cannot deliver, just the fact that the socialist/democrats made the promises was an emotional boost to that half of our nation who are so unable to think, work, or produce anything without the government underwriting their entire existence.
Just look at the crowds lusting after Obama! They WANT something. They want to RECEIVE something, to GET something, from the government. Something FREE! Never mind that there is no such thing. They’re not bright enough to grasp that concept. Hope? Hope for WHAT, exactly? Change? Change to what exactly?
So now America is no better than the European “weenie” nations who have depended on America to be their protector, their international police force, and their Big Brother. Once again, Europe is on it’s own. They simply have not recognized that fact yet. Already their enemies are making plans for the takeover of many eastern European nations and those bordering the Atlantic. It will not be long in coming.
But, what of America? Well, America is an idea whose time, apparently, has passed. Much as ancient Rome collapsed in on itself… America has imploded. That strong central government, which began with the Lincoln Administration, married to “feel good politics” and the steady march of socialism has sealed America’s fate. America, it would seem, is done for.
Soon there will be an ethereal world government ruled my Islamofacists who will keep the peoples in check with the ever present threat of the imposition of the death sentence for any infraction of their religious code.
It can’t happen here, in America, you say??? Well, there was a time, not too long ago, when I felt that way too. But no longer. Americans have now decided there is nothing worth fighting and giving one’s life for. Nothing! Americans have decided that SLAVERY is the only lifestyle acceptable to them. We have become willing to give up that thing our forefathers gave their lives for… freedom. It’s just too much work. Freedom costs too much. Slavery, on the other hand, costs nothing… and we do not have to fight, or do any of those disagreeable things which freedom demands. No, slavery is the way to go.
That rot, at our core, has finally eaten its way to the surface of America. As evidence of that, we offer up the following:
The American Family is a joke. It no longer exists. As a matter of fact, we can no longer define what a family is! Two fathers? Two Mommies? Men married to men. Women married to women. See what I mean? There is no home life in America today. Home is simply a place one sleeps. That’s all.
America has opened the doors on what used to be our borders and thrown away the key. We have invited the hordes from all over the world to move in and take over. Now, we Americans have to learn THEIR language instead of the way it ought to be. We have become “two nations inside one country”.
Our children are raised by “caregivers” at the various daycare centers and then handed off to “teachers” in the “government indoctrination centers” sometimes called public schools. And finally, they are urged to finish their leftist/socialist indoctrination at the so-called institutions of higher learning where the REAL socialist ideals are implanted. Then… they are set free to wreak havoc on the nation their forefathers bled and died to provide for them.
We have feminized our churches, our government, our military, and our businesses, even the Main Stream Media. Woman have been taught they can have it All. Nobody mentioned the cost to her. Now, it no longer matters.
We have gangs of young people, little more than children, roaming our streets, as the barbarians and vandals of old, striking terror in the hearts of the people in their communities. Why? Because they have no home, no parents, and especially no mother, to teach them in the way they should go. Now, our own children are our enemies.
Our men are no longer men. They are something well short of manhood (Metrosexuals!). Men have been taught that being male, and acting as a male OUGHT to act, is somehow abnormal. The American male is so confused he has lost his identify. He is a pitiful sight. When the maleness of a society goes, so does that society. For the foundation of any society is based on the males of that society. The protection of that society is the burden of the same males. When those males are taught that they ought not take up those responsibilities… their reason for existence is lost, and they are confused, and that society is doomed. I offer Europe as an example.
Women, attempting to take up that burden of male leadership, are a pitiful and pathetic sight. Estrogen is no substitute for testosterone! As a result there is little if any action, and when action does take place it is based upon emotions rather than reason. (Example: The US House of Representatives!) It is the worse possible combination for any society seeking to continue its existence.
Look at the Mainstream Media in America today. Try viewing a news show on the TV. You will find more women than men as anchors. Why? Because they are pleasant to look upon and… sex sells the products of the sponsors… and no matter what they tell you… that is the sole reason those blonde cuties are in front of the cameras! If the networks were actually serious about delivering the news in a powerful, impactful, way, the anchor would be a male. That, of course is NOT what they are interested in. The networks are interested in SELLING the airtime and making money. The news, itself, has become only filler, between the commercials and the entertainment, as the networks rake in the loot.
Our churches have become feminized. Women in the pulpits, in the office of Bishop (strictly against Scripture) and, as a result, their membership rolls are shrinking. The mainstream denominations are losing membership in droves! Visit any Mainstream Denomination’s Sunday Worship Services and count the women in attendance as opposed to the men in attendance. You will quickly see that men are staying home. In my case, I don’t need a woman in the pulpit telling me how to behave. My mother took care of that… and my wife took over from her!
Our military can no longer win wars. Why? Because we are too concerned over how the actions we need to take, to secure victory, will be perceived by the remainder of the world. That is most certainly not a manly trait. Even our soldiers are being put on trial for killing the enemy! That tell you anything about the lack of commitment to victory??? It ought to!
Having said all the above, and expecting to be boiled in oil for it, I ask only that you think about it. Look around you. The evidence is everywhere. America is but a shell of her former self. The country has a mortal; a terminal, illness and any reasonable person would not expect recovery.
Watching a strong man wither away and die is always painful to those who love him. That is the sort of pain I feel as I watch my country die right before my eyes.
FDA Approves Depressant Drug For The Annoyingly Cheerful (video)
Author: J.D. Longstreet
(Also published at WesternFront America)
Drudge is reporting that Judd Gregg said, “Thanks, but this is a little too much for me to stomach.” Ok, not in those words, but you get the jist:
Sen. Gregg stated, “I want to thank the President for nominating me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce. This was a great honor, and I had felt that I could bring some views and ideas that would assist him in governing during this difficult time. I especially admire his willingness to reach across the aisle.
“However, it has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy.
“Obviously the President requires a team that is fully supportive of all his initiatives.
“I greatly admire President Obama and know our country will benefit from his leadership, but at this time I must withdraw my name from consideration for this position.
I don’t get that last sentence. If you greatly admire him and think the country will benefit from his leadership, how can you have “irresolvable conflicts?”
Is it too much to ask for a Republican to come out and say, “Look, that would be a nice gig, but this guy’s policies are so far left, even Hugo Chavez is impressed.”
And I have another question: will the census be returned to the Commerce Department now that Gregg is out of the running? After all, that was the reason they gave for giving it to Rahmbo.
I’m not going to hold my breath. This guys is so far left, even Hugo Chavez is impressed. Yeah, I said it.
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This is part four of a four part series. Part one is here, two here and part three here.
As I noted in the previous installments in this series, there are better ways to stimulate the economy than looting the American taxpayer and giving away the riches. However, the Democrats in Congress would have nothing to do with any of them.
Here’s why:
The progressive income tax is a pillar of communism. Marx made it number two on his list. Now, I’m not saying that all Democrats are communists, but there are more than enough leftists in the party to prevent them from doing away with one of the foundational tools of Marxism.
If you think I am spitting outlandish rhetoric, consider the following pillars and ask yourself if you can remember the Democrat party working against them:
1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.
4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
5. Centralization of credit in the banks of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.
6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the state.
7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state; the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
8. Equal obligation of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country.
10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children’s factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc.
The left is dedicated to Marxist goals, so the idea of eliminating the progressive income tax in favor of a consumption tax is akin to a vampire ordering a pizza with extra garlic.
Social security is a major league voting tool. Every election cycle, thousands of phone calls are made, thousands of fliers are made and hundreds of speeches are given, all telling the elderly that Republicans are going to take their Social Security benefits. And Democrats won’t let them. So, vote Democrat!
They cannot allow this powerful weapon to be taken from them, just because the system they support is bankrupt.
Also, they need the extra money Social Security taxes bring in for things like electric neighborhood vehicle subsidies and saving the salt marsh mouse ($30 million for that one!)
Privatizing social security also goes against two beliefs of the Democrat party: the government can do it better than you and capitalism is bad. They don’t believe in the power or ability of the average American to provide for themselves, so they promote this Ponzi scheme to provide for them. And, as we have seen very clearly from this new Marxist administration, capitalism is not to be promoted.
Government is the solution.
The cuts I called for in this section would probably cause Nancy Pelosi to hyperventilate and Harry Reid to pop a blood vessel in his brain.
There is simply no way they would consider getting rid of the Department of Education. They are in league with the NEA, and think that government schools are the only way children should be educated. Why else would they be against vouchers, charter schools and homeschooling?
Get rid of Medicare and Medicaid? No way!
Eliminate the Department of Health and Human Services? Think again.
No, the Democrats and the left are not in favor of shrinking the size of government. They want to expand its role. And the sad thing is, so do a lot of Republicans.
While my suggestions would have a profound positive impact of the economy, it does another thing that Democrats cannot stand. It shifts power away from government and back to the people. That is the main reason none of these suggestions would be considered.
There is simply nothing in it for them.
Photo Credit:
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Well, part of me says he is right. What do you think?
Lawmakers in 20 states are pushing to regain their states sovereignty from the US Government under the ninth and tenth amendments to the US Constitution!
We warned this was coming many months, even years ago, in this very space. Many readers gave me grief saying that I had no idea what I was talking about, that I was blowing smoke, that I was a dumb ole redneck looking to secede from the Union. None of that was, nor is, true. The fact is that I live in the real world where people are not afraid to speak their minds.
Some months (possibly even years) back, I pointed out to readers there was information that indicated there were, at that time, 22 active secessionist movements within the United States. That information was brushed aside. So, we come to today.
Today we have lawmakers, in the state legislatures of at least 20 states, introducing bills to assist their states in re-establishing their constitutional sovereignty from the Federal Government. The federal government has just become entirely too overbearing as strong central governments always do. You might even say… as our current federal government has become.
There is an excellent article on this HERE.
Now, as an amateur historian, very amateurish, I stress, I have spent a good deal of time studying the period in the early to mid 1800′s when the US had reached a point similar to the one we find ourselves at today.
You see, by 1860 the Gross National Product of the southern states of America was three times that of the northern states. The southern states were providing well over 60% of the money necessary to keep the US afloat. The US government was demanding more and more of the southern states and simply would not listen when my southern ancestors complained about it to the Congress. Finally, the southern states threatened to leave the Union and set up their own country. The US Constitution did not; repeat… did not … forbid the secession of any state, at any time, for any reason. (The Articles of Confederation did bar secession unless all the states seceded. Not so, the Constitution which followed.)
Eleven states, plus parts of two more states, left the US and formed the Confederate States of America with a Constitution, a Congress, a President, an Army, a Navy, a Marine Corp, and a land area several times larger than that of the 13 original colonies when they left the Mother Country to form their own nation.
Unfortunately, the history of what happened next, over the next four years of war and then the abomination called reconstruction, has been rewritten to favor the Federal Government’s side of the dispute and it has given a permanent black eye to my region of the country. I maintain that the south would be a separate, prosperous, country today had my ancestors not been dragged back… forced back… into the Union at the point of a bayonet… all quite illegally.
I expect that many of you will be will be surprised to learn that the Federal Government was created by the states to act as a agent of the states, taking direction from the states. That has all been changed today. Today the states take orders from the Federal Government, which was originally meant to be an inferior agency. Some people around the 50 states are beginning to wake up to this fact and when enough get riled up, there will be hell to pay… all over again.
The Ninth Amendment to the US Constitution says:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
The Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution says:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Now, you can argue this point every which way from Sunday, and it has been. But, when the smoke clears away, the tenth Amendment makes it absolutely clear that the Federal Government is limited only to the powers granted to it in the Constitution. It says so… right there in the tenth amendment!
To see that the Federal Government has exceeded it’s authority all you have to do is look around you.
We, the people, are swamped with rules, and regulations, and laws handed down by the Federal Government that are smothering the states and draining our state treasuries, just as the Federal Governement did before the American Civil War. It is plain to see that the states and the Federal Government are headed for some kind of confrontation … and it won’t be pleasant.
I am convinced that the Congress we have seated today, and the President in the Oval Office today, will do more to bring about the dissolution of the United States than any government since that of Lincoln in 1860. We warned, even before the President was sworn in, that his government would over-reach. They began almost immediately. The so-called “Stimulus Bill” could well be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Eight states have introduced resolutions declaring state sovereignty under the Ninth and Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, including Arizona, Hawaii, Montana, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Washington (state). Some analysts expect that in addition, another 20 states may see similar measures introduced this year, including Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Nevada, Maine, and Pennsylvania. We recommend you read an article titled: “State Sovereignty Movement Quietly Growing.” You’ll find it HERE.
No less than James Madison, himself, one of our Founding Fathers, wrote in “The Federalist” the following: “The powers delegated to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the state governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, [such] as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce. The powers reserved to the several states will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people.”
Interestingly, James Madison was one of the chief writers of the US Constitution. I think it is safe to take his word as an authority on what it meant.
The plain fact is… as one state lawmaker has said… the states are tired of being treated as branches of the Federal Government. The profligate spending by the Federal Government and those unfunded mandates dumped on the states are strangling the states… just as they did to the Southern states in the 1800′s.
We Americans don’t know our own history. America has a couple of generations of Americans who believe history started they day they were born. Those of us, who have studied the past, see the warning signs flashing all around us. We are headed for a constitutional crisis, which may tear the country apart. And I am not writing of this recession, which is nowhere near as bad as the current government would have you believe. I am pointing to a power struggle between the “creator”(the states), and the “created” (the federal government).
This Americans, who do know their history, know, all too well, that America is in another situation very similar to the one over which she fought the American Revolution and, approximately 80 years later, the American Civil War.
Am I worried? You’d better believe I am worried!
Author: J.D. Longstreet
(Also published at WesternFront America)
As I thought about a title for this commentary one continued to crash through into my “consciousness.” It was/is the title you see above. Nothing else would describe, in a few words, what I had on my mind.
A “Con Job” is a confidence game. It is, in fact, a heist (a theft) pulled off by first gaining the confidence of the “mark”. The “Mark” is the person or entity, which is the target of the heist. The Mark has something the con artist desires to steal. Understand that a con job is, more often than not, a flat-out robbery.
As I watch, read, and listen to, and about, the Obama Administration’s confidence game, being run on the American people, it infuriates me! It also saddens me. Why sad? Because I truly thought the American people had better sense than to elect a man who was so obviously NOT who he said he was.
But, I was wrong!
We have said the election of Obama was a victory for American ignorance. I still believe that and as each day passes, I am being proven right.
As the Obama Administration races to the Left into the waiting embrace of pure, raw, socialism we Americans find that we are no longer in control of our government. 53% of the American electorate simply did away with America as a democracy and replaced it with a Socialist Central Government.
As Obama goes about the country, scaring the living daylights out of the less intelligent Americans among us, he is pushing the so-called “Stimulus Bill.” It is a TROJAN HORSE BILL! Because hidden inside Obama’s Trojan Horse Bill are a number of items, which will take, more and more of our freedom away.
There are additional programs intended to insure that more and more Americans find they must depend upon the government just to survive.
Hidden deep inside the Trojan Horse Bill are programs that will prepare the way for Universal Insurance coverage and worse. Betsy McCaughey has written a piece for Bloomberg.com titled: “Ruin Your Health With the Obama Stimulus Plan.” In it she says: “The bill’s health rules will affect “every individual in the United States” (445, 454, 479). Your medical treatments will be tracked electronically by a federal system. Having electronic medical records at your fingertips, easily transferred to a hospital, is beneficial. It will help avoid duplicate tests and errors.
One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and “guide” your doctor’s decisions. … Hospitals and doctors that are not “meaningful users” of the new system will face penalties.”
You need to read this article in its entirety. You’ll find it HERE.
So we have a “clearing house” set up by the federal government for treatment(s) prescribed by YOUR doctor for YOU! The doctor diagnoses your problem and decides upon a plan of action to treat whatever ails you, but then… he must get clearance from the federal government, from the office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, BEFORE he can go forward with that treatment. H.I.T. might decide there is a less expensive way to treat you than the way your doctor has chosen. Such things as your age will weigh in H.I.T.’s decision as to whether to treat you at all. If your life expectance is somewhat short, why waste the taxpayer’s money? Just let Nature take its course. Of course, that might lead to your death, but hey, it is saving the taxpayer’s money… right?
There is so much more in the Trojan Horse Bill that you and I will never see, and never hear about, before it is passed into law. THAT is the REAL reason for the haste with which it is being rammed through the Congress. If they don’t move quickly, we MIGHT learn what is in it!
The people of America ought to be hanging their heads in utter shame at having elected Obama to the Presidency and bestowing power over the daily lives of the people of this country to that merry band of socialist rogues who now populate what used to be OUR Congress!
You know, nothing is so stupid looking as a stupid person so arrogant he thinks he is the smartest person in the room. We’ve all seen it. That is the image the American people are portraying to the rest of the world today.
We are so stupid we lost control of our government. We are so dumb, we have lost our country, and we are so arrogant we actually believe we are doing the right thing by trading democracy for socialism.
So, what’s next? That’s an easy question. The break-up of the country is “what’s next”! It cannot be avoided.
America is split right down the middle and we all know that a nation divided cannot stand. The United States of America might still exist but it will not be a 50 state entity.
As things continue to worsen in America, over the next few years, remind yourselves that we… yes… WE Americans did this to ourselves! As the last pockets of democracy are squeezed to death by the avalanche off socialism just remember… we did it to ourselves.
As states begin to reassert themselves and declare their independence from the US… remember, we did it to ourselves.
When the final chapter is written, in the history books, about the death of America the writers of the books should be sure it states cause of death as… suicide.
Author: J.D. Longstreet
(Also published at WesternFront America)
Things are going to be interesting this year:
The New Hampshire state legislature took an unbelievably bold step Monday by introducing a resolution to declare certain actions by the federal government to completely totally void and warning that certain future acts will be viewed as a “breach of peace” with the states themselves that risks “nullifying the Constitution.”
This act by New Hampshire is a clear warning to the federal government that they could face being stripped of their power by the States (presumably through civil war!
The remarkable document outlines with perfect clarity, some basics long forgotten. For instance, it reminds Congress “That the Constitution of the United States, having delegated to Congress a power to punish treason, counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States, piracies, and felonies committed on the high seas, and offences against the law of nations, slavery, and no other crimes whatsoever;. . . . . therefore all acts of Congress which assume to create, define, or punish crimes, other than those so enumerated in the Constitution are altogether void, and of no force;”
Federal gun crime laws? Void. Federal drug crime laws? Void. The gazzillion other federal criminal laws that deal with anything other than the specific enumerated crimes? ALL VOID.
You have to appreciate the effort. I don’t really care for the northeast though. I’ll wait for Montana to do this perhaps.
Here’s the full bill from the state who’s motto is “Live Free or Die!”:
HCR 6 – AS INTRODUCED
2009 SESSION
09-0274
09/01
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 6
A RESOLUTION affirming States’ rights based on Jeffersonian principles.
SPONSORS: Rep. Itse, Rock 9; Rep. Ingbretson, Graf 5; Rep. Comerford, Rock 9; Sen. Denley, Dist 3
COMMITTEE: State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs
ANALYSIS
This house concurrent resolution affirms States’ rights based on Jeffersonian principles.
09-0274
09/01
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Nine
A RESOLUTION affirming States’ rights based on Jeffersonian principles.
Whereas the Constitution of the State of New Hampshire, Part 1, Article 7 declares that the people of this State have the sole and exclusive right of governing themselves as a free, sovereign, and independent State; and do, and forever hereafter shall, exercise and enjoy every power, jurisdiction, and right, pertaining thereto, which is not, or may not hereafter be, by them expressly delegated to the United States of America in congress assembled; and
Whereas the Constitution of the State of New Hampshire, Part 2, Article 1 declares that the people inhabiting the territory formerly called the province of New Hampshire, do hereby solemnly and mutually agree with each other, to form themselves into a free, sovereign and independent body-politic, or State, by the name of The State of New Hampshire; and
Whereas the State of New Hampshire when ratifying the Constitution for the United States of America recommended as a change, “First That it be Explicitly declared that all Powers not expressly & particularly Delegated by the aforesaid are reserved to the several States to be, by them Exercised;” and
Whereas the other States that included recommendations, to wit Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Virginia, included an identical or similar recommended change; and
Whereas these recommended changes were incorporated as the ninth amendment, the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people, and the tenth amendment, the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people, to the Constitution for the United States of America; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the several States composing the United States of America, are not united on the principle of unlimited submission to their General Government; but that, by a compact under the style and title of a Constitution for the United States, and of amendments thereto, they constituted a General Government for special purposes, — delegated to that government certain definite powers, reserving, each State to itself, the residuary mass of right to their own self-government; and that whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force; that to this compact each State acceded as a State, and is an integral party, its co-States forming, as to itself, the other party: that the government created by this compact was not made the exclusive or final judge of the extent of the powers delegated to itself; since that would have made its discretion, and not the Constitution, the measure of its powers; but that, as in all other cases of compact among powers having no common judge, each party has an equal right to judge for itself, as well of infractions as of the mode and measure of redress; and
That the Constitution of the United States, having delegated to Congress a power to punish treason, counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States, piracies, and felonies committed on the high seas, and offences against the law of nations, slavery, and no other crimes whatsoever; and it being true as a general principle, and one of the amendments to the Constitution having also declared, that “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people,” therefore all acts of Congress which assume to create, define, or punish crimes, other than those so enumerated in the Constitution are altogether void, and of no force; and that the power to create, define, and punish such other crimes is reserved, and, of right, appertains solely and exclusively to the respective States, each within its own territory; and
That it is true as a general principle, and is also expressly declared by one of the amendments to the Constitution, that “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people;” and that no power over the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, or freedom of the press being delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, all lawful powers respecting the same did of right remain, and were reserved to the States or the people: that thus was manifested their determination to retain to themselves the right of judging how far the licentiousness of speech and of the press may be abridged without lessening their useful freedom, and how far those abuses which cannot be separated from their use should be tolerated, rather than the use be destroyed. And thus also they guarded against all abridgment by the United States of the freedom of religious opinions and exercises, and retained to themselves the right of protecting the same. And that in addition to this general principle and express declaration, another and more special provision has been made by one of the amendments to the Constitution, which expressly declares, that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press:” thereby guarding in the same sentence, and under the same words, the freedom of religion, of speech, and of the press: insomuch, t
hat whatever violated either, throws down the sanctuary which covers the others, and that libels, falsehood, and defamation, equally with heresy and false religion, are withheld from the cognizance of federal tribunals. That, therefore, all acts of Congress of the United States which do abridge the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, are not law, but are altogether void, and of no force; and
That the construction applied by the General Government (as is evidenced by sundry of their proceedings) to those parts of the Constitution of the United States which delegate to Congress a power “to lay and collect taxes, duties, imports, and excises, to pay the debts, and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States,” and “to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the powers vested by the Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof,” goes to the destruction of all limits prescribed to their power by the Constitution: that words meant by the instrument to be subsidiary only to the execution of limited powers, ought not to be so construed as themselves to give unlimited powers, nor a part to be so taken as to destroy the whole residue of that instrument: that the proceedings of the General Government under color of these articles, will be a fit and necessary subject of revisal and correction; and
That a committee of conference and correspondence be appointed, which shall have as its charge to communicate the preceding resolutions to the Legislatures of the several States; to assure them that this State continues in the same esteem of their friendship and union which it has manifested from that moment at which a common danger first suggested a common union: that it considers union, for specified national purposes, and particularly to those specified in their federal compact, to be friendly to the peace, happiness and prosperity of all the States: that faithful to that compact, according to the plain intent and meaning in which it was understood and acceded to by the several parties, it is sincerely anxious for its preservation: that it does also believe, that to take from the States all the powers of self-government and transfer them to a general and consolidated government, without regard to the special delegations and reservations solemnly agreed to in that compact, is not for the peace, happiness or prosperity of these States; and that therefore this State is determined, as it doubts not its co-States are, to submit to undelegated, and consequently unlimited powers in no man, or body of men on earth: that in cases of an abuse of the delegated powers, the members of the General Government, being chosen by the people, a change by the people would be the constitutional remedy; but, where powers are assumed which have not been delegated, a nullification of the act is the rightful remedy: that every State has a natural right in cases not within the compact, (casus non foederis), to nullify of their own authority all assumptions of power by others within their limits: that without this right, they would be under the dominion, absolute and unlimited, of whosoever might exercise this right of judgment for them: that nevertheless, this State, from motives of regard and respect for its co-States, has wished to communicate with them on the subject: that with them alone it is proper to communicate, they alone being parties to the compact, and solely authorized to judge in the last resort of the powers exercised under it, Congress being not a party, but merely the creature of the compact, and subject as to its assumptions of power to the final judgment of those by whom, and for whose use itself and its powers were all created and modified: that if the acts before specified should stand, these conclusions would flow from them: that it would be a dangerous delusion were a confidence in the men of our choice to silence our fears for the safety of our rights: that confidence is everywhere the parent of despotism — free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence; it is jealousy and not confidence which prescribes limited constitutions, to bind down those whom we are obliged to trust with power: that our Constitution has accordingly fixed the limits to which, and no further, our confidence may go. In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution. That this State does therefore call on its co-States for an expression of their sentiments on acts not authorized by the federal compact. And it doubts not that their sense will be so announced as to prove their attachment unaltered to limited government, whether general or particular. And that the rights and liberties of their co-States will be exposed to no dangers by remaining embarked in a common bottom with their own. That they will concur with this State in considering acts as so palpably against the Constitution as to amount to an undisguised declaration that that compact is not meant to be the measure of the powers of the General Government, but that it will proceed in the exercise over these States, of all powers whatsoever: that they will view this as seizing the rights of the States, and consolidating them in the hands of the General Government, with a power assumed to bind the States, not merely as the cases made federal, (casus foederis,) but in all cases whatsoever, by laws made, not with their consent, but by others against their consent: that this would be to surrender the form of government we have chosen, and live under one deriving its powers from its own will, and not from our authority; and that the co-States, recurring to their natural right in cases not made federal, will concur in declaring these acts void, and of no force, and will each take measures of its own for providing that neither these acts, nor any others of the General Government not plainly and intentionally authorized by the Constitution, shall be exercised within their respective territories; and
That the said committee be authorized to communicate by writing or personal conferences, at any times or places whatever, with any person or person who may be appointed by any one or more co-States to correspond or confer with them; and that they lay their proceedings before the next session of the General Court; and
That any Act by the Congress of the United States, Executive Order of the President of the United States of America or Judicial Order by the Judicatories of the United States of America which assumes a power not delegated to the government of United States of America by the Constitution for the United States of America and which serves to diminish the liberty of the any of the several States or their citizens shall constitute a nullification of the Constitution for the United States of America by the government of the United States of America. Acts which would cause such a nullification include, but are not limited to:
I. Establishing martial law or a state of emergency within one of the States comprising the United States of America without the consent of the legislature of that State.
II. Requiring involuntary servitude, or governmental service other than a draft during a declared war, or pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.
III. Requiring involuntary servitude or governmental service of persons under the age of 18 other than pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.
IV. Surrendering any power delegated or not delegated to any corporation or foreign government.
V. Any act regarding religion; further limitations on freedom of political speech; or further limitations on freedom of the press.
VI. Further infringements on the right to keep and bear arms including prohibitions of type or quantity of arms or ammunition; and
That should any such act of Congress become law or Executive Order or Judicial Order be put into forc
e, all powers previously delegated to the United States of America by the Constitution for the United States shall revert to the several States individually. Any future government of the United States of America shall require ratification of three quarters of the States seeking to form a government of the United States of America and shall not be binding upon any State not seeking to form such a government; and
That copies of this resolution be transmitted by the house clerk to the President of the United States, each member of the United States Congress, and the presiding officers of each State’s legislature.
This is part three in a four part series. Part one: Enact the FairTax is here. Part Two: Privatize Social Security is here.
In “Conscience of a Conservative,” Barry Goldwater laments that the federal budget is over $800,000,000. Imagine what he would say about today’s $3 trillion monstrosity. That money comes out of your pocket. That’s three trillion dollars we could be spending in the economy, instead of government laundering for redistribution.
If Washington wanted to stimulate they economy, they could return two thirds of that budget to the people. We are talking about a $2 trillion tax cut. Even if they cut the budget to $1 trillion and collected $2 trillion so they could pay down the debt, they would still be returning more than this stimulus package creates out of thin air.
So where do we cut $2 trillion out of the budget? It’s easier than you think.
Here’s a look at the 2007 budget.
The top four expenses listed are things the federal government shouldn’t be spending money on in the first pace:
Four cuts, and we have already trimmed the budget by $1.55 trillion.
When you have a huge debt, do you keep spending on things you shouldn’t? Neither should the government. It’s a huge change, and it will hurt, but it has to happen.
If the states want to take up where the federal government exits, that’s fine. But these four programs need to go.
The Department of Agriculture can go. Again, states can do this for themselves.
Savings: $95 billion
The Department of Education educates no one. It can go.
Savings: $68.6 billion
The Department of Health and Human Services can go. The states can set up their own FDA, if they even want one.
Savings: $67.2 billion
The Department of Transportation can go. The Coast Guard can be folded into the Department of Defense and the airlines can set their own standards for safety. That’s right. Passengers will have to decide which airline is the safest based on performance.
Savings: $58 billion.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development gave us the mortgage crisis. What else have they done? They can go.
Savings: $28.5 billion
The Department of Energy creates no energy. It can go.
Savings: $23.4 billion
This adds up to another $337 billion dollars in savings. That brings us up to $1.887 trillion. Strategic cuts in other agencies, including the elimination of some, can easily cut another $113 billion.
Cutting $2 trillion out of the budget would do far more good than borrowing $1.1 trillion and spending it on the nonsense contained in this stimulus package.
Obama keeps telling us these are tough times. Well, tough times call for tough love. If Americans want to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave, they just might have to return to the original American spirit of limited government and federalism.
Otherwise, we will spend ourselves into the ash heap of history, as so many other countries have before us.
Tomorrow: Why The Democrats Won’t Enact the FairTax, Privatize Social Security or Slash the Budget by $2 Trillion
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This is part two in a series. Part one is: Three Ways to Really Stimulate the Economy Without Looting the American Taxpayer – Part One: Enact the Fairtax.
In 1918, a con man named Charles Ponzi came up with a scheme. He would buy an asset in one market and immediately sell it in a market where it was worth more. This in and of itself is not illegal. But Ponzi promised huge returns in a short amount of time. Rather than buy more assets, he began using the money from new investors to pay the old.
Eventually the scheme collapsed under its own weight, leaving thousands, some who had mortgaged their homes and invested their life savings, without a penny to show for their trust in him.
This is where we get the term “Ponzi Scheme.” Most recently, Bernie Madoff conned people out of billions of dollars in a similar fashion, but his plan is peanuts compared to the longest running scheme in American history. It’s been called an “intergenerational Ponzi scheme.”
Most call it “Social Security.” Consider what Ponzi did, and then consider how Social Security operates:
Under Social Security, lower- and middle-class individuals are forced to pay a significant portion of their gross income–approximately 12 percent–for the alleged purpose of securing their retirement. That money is not saved or invested, but transferred directly to the program’s current beneficiaries–with the "promise" that when current taxpayers get old, the income of future taxpayers will be transferred to them.
New investors are paying in, supplying the returns for older investors, with the promise of a future return. Exactly what Ponzi did, save one feature: Ponzi didn’t force anyone to invest with him.
The government does.
Every payday, you have money taken out of your pocket and put into this intergenerational Ponzi scheme. You don’t have a choice in it. It is just taken. Your employer has to pay an equal amount. Again, no choice.
Rather than it being invested, it is paid out to older citizens, who invested earlier.
Looking at it through the prism of history, you can see how this system is going to collapse upon itself. Shouldn’t we take action to prevent it before it does?
We can, and should, by privatizing Social Security.
Democrats are already using the economic downturn to slam the idea of privatization, as if the current system is more secure than Wall Street.
Republicans see the need for reform while Democrats say there is no problem. This is exactly what happened with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The Republicans cried out for change while the Democrats mocked the idea.
While the Democrats use the economic turmoil to bring the masses closer to the government teat, experts agree: this is the perfect opportunity to privatize Social Security because the best time to invest is when markets are down:
I’m downright jealous of anyone who’s just getting started with their investing. Not because they’re safely in cash — but because they have such a low starting point to measure their success. Formerly expensive stocks that many investors have found promising for years are now screaming bargains.
…
On top of the big markdowns on most stocks, falling prices are also making dividend payouts look increasingly attractive. During the bull market of the late 1990s, dividend yields on the S&P 500 dropped to nearly 1%. Now, they’re topping 3%. As a result, you don’t just have the potential for large capital gains when the market rebounds — you’ll also get paid while you wait.
This Fool believes that the next several years will provide investment opportunities of a lifetime. You have to get in front of trends, both existing and those yet to unfold. Be flexible. Don’t let the current environment fool you. It’s morning in the world markets.
There are two choices. One is leaving money in a system you know will eventually fail. The other is investing your money in a system where the possibility for huge returns exists.
Which would you choose?
In 2008, Americans paid $805,302,000,000 in Social Security taxes. The government paid out $625,143,000,000 in benefits. The difference when into the “Trust Fund,” essentially meaning the government gave it to itself and gave you a promise to repay it.
They currently have $2.4 trillion in promises. These will have to paid by future generations. Do you see the Ponzi-esque nature of the beast?
Now consider what would happen if $805,302,000,000 were invested in American businesses? Not the investment in government schemes and party payback plans we find in the stimulus plan the Senate voted for yesterday, but actually invested in private enterprise.
It would be like mainlining a Red Bull.
As noted above, right now is a great time to invest. If you were to take all the Social Security payments each month and invest them, that would be over $67 billion a month. That would strengthen businesses, plus increase the worth of the investments people already have. It would benefit you, the business and those who have already seen their investments decline.
But investing it all in the market would be foolish. Never put your eggs all in one basket.
If given a private Social Security account, a person could invest some in mutual funds, but they could also divert a portion to savings. They could buy bonds. Think how that would strengthen local banks.
They could buy precious metals, like gold, which is reaching record levels in worth and is expected to keep rising.
They could just put their money in their mattress. Even that could be safer than what we can expect in the future from Social Security.
There are so many different ways to invest based on your goals and yo
ur age.
Another benefit of private Social Security accounts is the ability to bequeath them when you die. Currently, the government just keeps your money. That is why so many claim it is a racist program:
Statistically, black men have the shortest life expectancy and are the ones who get screwed by Social Security. White women (especially those who have never been married) have the longest life expectancy and make out the best.
Therefore, Social Security takes money from poor black men and gives it to rich white women.
The black community would be able to pass that money on rather than just lose it. Every family would have something to leave behind. This is another way of building wealth.
Wouldn’t you prefer to help create a wealthier future for your family, rather than give away thousands to a faceless bureaucrat?
The problem is twofold. On one hand, the nanny staters don’t think the average American knows how to take care of themself, and needs the government to provide for them. At one point that might have been true, but today America is a nation of investors. Today, “50 percent of households own stock and two-thirds of all voters in the past elections were shareholders.”
Dave Ramsey is one of the most popular radio hosts in the country. His listeners know how to handle money, or are learning.
Plus, we have the Internet today. Want to learn to invest? Here’s a video on Youtube you can watch at the local library. There are books and magazines, online forums and groups, meetups and clubs, all created to help the average America make a dollar.
Don’t tell us we can’t do it.
The other problem is probably the biggest to overcome. The government simply needs that money to function.
Remember, the surplus money is sold to the government for a promise to repay it in the future. That money is then put in the General Fund and used to build frisbee golf courses, areas for dogs to run unleashed and just a little more neon for Las Vegas.
So the Democrats aren’t about to give it up. Every chance they get, they demonize the idea of allowing you to keep your money. Scare tactics are a big part of this. Imagine how a senior citizen feels when they are told the Republicans want to take their Social Security. This isn’t uncommon.
But what it really comes down to is that it is your property being seized, every payday. It is your future, or your child or grandchild’s future, being mortgaged for pork and welfare and whatever else the government thinks it needs. Charles Ponzi bought a heated swimming pool. Congress buys itself a “$3 million environmentally friendly clubhouse for a municipal golf course.”
Ponzi died penniless in Rio de Janeiro. Where does America’s future lie?
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Every ten years, a census is taken in the United States to Count the number of people in the country. This is a critical exercise for politicians, as it is the basis for redistricting, dictating how many representatives each state gets in the House. It dictates how many electoral votes each state gets for president.
It is generally a non-partisan event, but for some reason, President Obama has chosen to move the responsibility for the census from the Commerce Department to the White House, and has turned it over to his Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel.
As a matter of impact, the census has tremendous political significance. Political parties are always eager to have a hand in redrawing districts so that they can maximize their own party’s clout while minimizing the opposition, often through gerrymandering.
The census also determines the composition of the Electoral College, which chooses the president. If one party were to control the census, it could arguably try to perpetuate its hold on political power.
The results of the census are also enormously important in another way — the allocation of federal funds. Theoretically, a political party could disproportionately steer federal funding to areas dominated by its own members through a skewing of census numbers.
At this point the White House doesn’t seem willing to say what Emanuel’s role will be in overseeing the census, and White House officials say census managers will work closely with top-level White House staffers, but will technically remain part of the Commerce Department.
The question remains: why? Why move the responsibility from the Secretary of Commerce to the White House Chief of Staff?
The answer: minority groups don’t trust Obama. That is to say, they don’t trust his judgment. He selected Republican Judd Gregg to head the Commerce Department, and he hasn’t been a big supporter of the department in the past. Plus, being a Republican, he’s a de facto racist:
Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Barbara Lee, D-Calif., said in a statement Wednesday, "Two of the most important responsibilities of the commerce department are to ensure that minority-owned businesses are fully integrated in our nation’s economic recovery and to conduct the decennial census."
Lee said, "… Sen. Gregg’s record of previously voting to abolish the commerce department and his attempts to block President Bill Clinton’s efforts to secure adequate funding for the 2000 census raise troubling concerns regarding his commitment to the department’s core missions."
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) also voiced concern.
"Secretary of Commerce-designate Judd Gregg’s record raises serious questions about his willingness to ensure that the 2010 census produces the most accurate possible count of the nation’s population," a NALEO spokesman told Politico.com.
The Hispanic newspaper La Opinion, in an editorial yesterday, urged caution, saying, "Gregg’s history on this issue is not good," adding that it is "deeply concerned about the Gregg appointment."
"We believe that he will follow Obama’s directive for the agency that oversees a wide variety of areas. … Our fear, though, is that other priorities may also push aside the importance of national headcount or that it will be undertaken reluctantly due to the Commerce Secretary’s lack of conviction and interest in the value of the census. We cannot afford this risk."
So, was Obama’s appointment of Gregg a gesture of bipartisanship, or a really good excuse to move the Census to the White House? I’m thinking more the latter than the former, but maybe that’s the anti-communist in me.
For those who are wondering what all the hullabaloo is about, Rahm Emanuel is one of the most partisan human beings to even walk the halls of the White House. And, he’s a bit of a thug:
At a dinner to celebrate President Clinton’s first election victory, Mr Emanuel began to name those who he believed had earned his enmity. As he listed the names of those he saw as traitors, he grabbed a steak knife, stood up and began plunging the knife into the table and shouting “Dead! Dead! Dead!” after each name.
“When he was done, the table looked like a lunar landscape,” one witness recalled. “It was like something out of The Godfather. But that’s Rahm for you.”
Imagine what he’s going to do to a map showing red districts.
Boortz wonders how it ever got to the Commerce Department in the first place and if this power grab is Constitutional (like that matters these days):
The census is written into the Constitution. In Article I, Section 2 the US Constitution orders that "The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after 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."
Now, a question. Which branch of government is outlined in Article I of the Constitution? Any takes? If you guessed the Legislative branch, then give yourself a pat on the back.
Now, the next question .. if the census is set forth in Article I of the Constitution and not Article II (that would be the Executive branch) .. how did it end up under the Commerce Department in the first place? And how can the Obama White House now claim control? Is this White House power-grab as legal?
