Hmmm!

As the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia on July 2nd, they understood the tremendous burden that lay before them. After much debate and impassioned speech the previous day, most notably by John Adams, they called for a vote, a vote for independence. Throughout their time in Philadelphia many of the delegates worked behind the scenes to move the congress towards dissolving their ties with England and a government that they felt had abused them from afar. After a few dramatic moments (one of the most memorable being the dramatic arrival of Cesar Rodney from Delaware) the vote was counted and the resolution for independence passed.
And now almost 235 years later we stand at a crossroads of ideas that may very well decide the future of our American experiment. It seems that at almost every turn, the federal government has sought to expand it's powers and jurisdiction far beyond it's original intent. It has reached it's hands further and further into our pocket books and our private lives. If those men that gathered in Independence Hall all those years ago could see our government today, they may scarcely recognize it as the protector and promoter of liberty that they had intended it to be all those years ago.
In December of 1776 Thomas Paine wrote:

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country"

As our government grows beyond it's means and seeks to take more and more of our lives, liberty and happiness we must stand together, and, as was penned in the Declaration of Independence, provide new guards for our future security. It is not only our right, but our duty to do so. And so here we are, we have endured a long train of abuses and usurpations the aim of which has been to make each of us beholden to the federal government. Now is not the time for the Summer Soldier or the Sunshine Patriot. The Centrists and compromisers have taken our liberty, not by some overnight massive power grab, no, they have taken our liberties, one day at a time, and if they are not stopped, they will continue to do so.
One day at a time..., some of us may not even realize what is going on. A change here, a tax there. It's okay to do "this", but don't do "that". Every day we come closer and closer to losing our individual liberty altogether, and unless we can turn back the tide, there will come a day where we will all standing around, scratching our heads and we will wonder aloud "how did this happen?"
And when that day comes we will look back and it will be evident, we all let this happen. We allowed ourselves to be blinded by false words and empty promises. This is the downfall of our republic.

Waiting for a miracle.

A crippled man went into a catholic church determined to regain full use of his legs. He went to the holy water and splashed it on his legs and threw off his crutches. An alter boy, who had seen the whole thing rushed off to find the priest to tell him what had happened. When he found the priest he recounted what he had witnessed and the priest exclaimed "My son, you have witnessed a miracle, where is the man now?" to which the alter boy replied "He is lying on the ground next to the holy water"
In man instances some of us are looking for some miracle. We oftentimes look to the government to solve our problems, and when they don't come to the rescue we criticize and complain. We are not helpless and we do not need "big brother" to solve all of our problems. What would our country be like today if the original framers of the constitution believed that the government should step in and legislate a solution to every problem that our country encountered? The United States of America is strong, not because the government is strong, but because it's citizens are hard-working and intellectual. When we get away from the values that set us apart we will get away from the source of our countries greatness.

The sun will come out tomorrow?

There are few moments in your lifetime that will be cataloged in the annals of history. The presidential election of 2008 will be one of them. But what will the history books write about this time in our nation’s short history? Only time will tell. As I have followed this campaign and listened to the political rhetoric I have become disillusioned with the democratic process in this country. I have talked (argued) with people on both sides of the fence and I have come to realize just how dangerous power in the hands of the uninformed can be! It seems to me that people will believe almost anything they see on TV and this “Sheeple” mentality will now affect us all and we will reap what we sow!! Our country (for the most part) has made an important decision based on a narrow focus and scope. We have ignored the big picture and now the big picture will show us exactly what we’ve done and it is only then that we will look back on this moment. We will bury our face in our hands and we will say to ourselves “Why?”. It is at that point that we must look in the mirror and there is where we will have to place the blame. We voted with our hearts when now, more than ever, we should have voted with our heads. The checks and balances that are so integral to the balance of our government are now tenuous at best. Congratulations America! You got what you deserve!

Rights and privileges

When James Madison proposed the 1st 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution (the bill of rights), they were introduced and ratified with the intent to limit the powers of the federal government. And now it seems as though people we want the government to do everything for us. In our country we have an overwhelming sense of entitlement. Young kids believe that they have the right to drive. People that don't work think that they have the right to welfare. We have confused rights with privileges, and many of us have abused our privileges. There our people in this country that criticize our government and disrespect our flag and their actions a protected by the very institution that they want to destroy. Politicians say that we have the right to health care but where do all of these rights come from? The Declaration of Independence states that we are "endowed by our creator" with certain rights, but they don't include driving or getting a prescription filled. If we need it we should be able to get treatment from a health care provider however we should not view these as rights because they are privileges. In the aftermath of recent natural disasters we have seen the backlash of angered citizens that criticized the government for their failure to respond quickly with aid to those who were affected by storms. There were people waiting, and waiting for the federal government to come to their rescue. What ever happened to be prepared? I work for a company that specializes in long term food storage. Everyday I talk with people who are taking responsibility for themselves so that they don't have to rely on the government to support themselves and their families. I don't know how we got to the point where we expect so much and expect to do so little, but we need a serious adjustment of our perspective. What happened to "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country"? We need to stop deluding ourselves into believing that we deserve what we have not truly earned. We should not "wring our bread from the sweat of another man's brow."

Quote of the Day

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." -Preamble to the U.S. Constitution

I've seen a lot of these political advertisements that show both candidates making promises, spouting line after line of political rhetoric and I wondered to myself: "Can these guys really do what they say they are going to do?" In case you are wondering the same thing, they can't. The U.S. constitution gives the power to the Legislative branch (Congress) to raise taxes (Article 1, Section 7). So when we talk about the economy and things of an economic nature the president can't do as much as most people think he can do. So before we blame the president for our current economic status or before we lead ourselves to believe that a new president is going to significantly change our economic policies think again. If you really want some change get rid of you representatives in the congress, that's where we need the change. Now granted it's not as simple as that, but those are the basics as I see them.