Open Your Eyes and Mind

With recent events in this country three questions come to mind:

1. When will the average citizen open their eyes and minds and realize what is really happening?

2. How long will this last, before the average citizen says enough?

3. What can the average citizen do to change what’s happening?

The first thing that has to happen is we, the collective we of the average citizens of America, need to open our eyes and our minds to see what is happening to our country. This country as it is now was founded on three very basic principles, or better yet rights. The RIGHT to LIFE, LIBERTY and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS these are rights only, not privileges, and definitely not guarantees. A right means every one of us has the right to life within the laws of the land, the right to have our liberty and freedom as long as we live within the laws, and the right to pursue happiness both within the laws and within our own abilities. Our Founding Fathers envisioned this country to be a country bound in fair laws not to be restrictive of our rights but to ensure our rights were not infringed on by others, both within our borders and beyond our borders. Our Founding Fathers intentionally created as small a Government as possible with the power being with the people to prevent the Government from infringing on those rights. In designing this Government they designed and set into motion a Republic with Representative Democracy; Republic meaning a Government in which the head of Government is not a monarch and the people have an impact on the Government, Representative Democracy meaning representatives elected by the people and charged with the responsibility of acting in the best interest of the people. The representatives are empowered the authority to exercise swift and resolute initiative in the face of changing circumstances. The collective WE have lost sight of both our rights and of how our Government is suppose to work for us.

Part of having a RIGHT is having the responsibility to accept our lot in life, as long as that “lot in life” is solely due to our own personal limitations. Not every one will be a successful business who legally earns millions of dollars through hard work and lives the lifestyle he/she has earned by doing so. Some of us are destined to be manual laborers and hired help. What right do we have to belittle the successful or to expect them to support us? NONE! We are a free nation with free market capitalism where every one has a chance to reach their own level of legal success without penalties. Why should we penalize those more successful then ourselves? Many Americans have forgotten this or have so little pride in themselves that they refuse to accept this and will make every attempt to have others carry their personal burdens for them.

Our Government has also forgotten what our rights are what their role and duty is to uphold our rights. The Government was formed to protect us from any infringement on those rights and to pass just laws to ensure those rights. The Founding Fathers were wise enough to know that a land without a governing body or to small of a governing body would be a land where only the strongest and most devious survive, but a land with just enough of a governing body to ensure domestic tranquility would allow the people to control the growth of that governing body and maintain it within reasonable boundaries. Our Government was also tasked with protecting our country as a whole from enemies both foreign and domestic, meaning they were to protect our borders from invasion and to protect our trade routes. They were also tasked with regulating interstate trade, keeping the trade between states regular and fair. That was the Government our Founding Fathers envisioned and set into place, not the Government we are seeing today.

In the design of the Government the head of the Government was to be anything other then a tyrant, monarch, king or hereditary position. George Washington insisted on being called President to separate us from the monarchies of Europe. The President was elected OF the people, BY the people and FOR the people, to quote President Abraham Lincoln from his Gettysburg Address. In other words the President was just another American chosen by his/her peers with the best interest of the people and their rights. Over the past several decades our Government has evolved into something entirely different. It’s ruled, not by common sense and responsibility to the citizens of America, but by big money, special interests and political power grabs. They pass laws that protect the well connected elite and over stuff bills with pork barrel spending in efforts to hide these misuses of taxpayer dollars from the general citizenry. The big two political parties have orchestrated laws that all but ensure the common citizen will not be able to gain political office and have turned campaigning from a race for the best candidate to a race of who has the most money. The big two political parties are both working toward the same end but going down different paths. Neither path is in the best interest of the people of the United States.

To better illustrate what our Government deems to be the right path look at what the Government has done over the last few decades to help the citizens of the United States, better yet, what they have done just to protect the Constitutional rights of the citizens of the United States. Our borders are basically left unprotected. Our border guards are stretched to thin to properly patrol and control the borders, both north and south. Sure this country was formed by immigrants; immigration is good, as long as it’s done legally. Illegal immigration is not only a drain on our resources, including the job market, but it also teaches illegal immigrants that breaking the law is OK. This is a slap in the face to all law abiding citizens and especially to legal immigrants. Legal immigrants are suffering undue prejudices because of the influx of illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration also allows those that hire them to take advantage of their illegal status which usually results in abuses that should not be heaped on any human. Leaving our borders open has also allowed relatively unchecked trafficking of drugs, people and violence in the form of gangs wishing to expand their territory to the United States. The Government has also passed laws and supported legislation that has taken competition out of our schools and has taken control of our schools and classrooms away from the administrators and teachers. This is effectively dumbing down future generations and leaving them unprepared for the competitiveness and realities they will face later in life once they leave the security of the school system. The Government has continued to levy higher and higher taxes with little or no visible result; our roads are in disrepair, bridges unsafe, public schools falling apart and our police and emergency services undermanned. What they have done is to pass a law ensuring congress will get an automatic annual cost of living allowance, maintained ridiculously large expense accounts and funded junkets for congress and the Executive Branch all the while telling the American public that in tough times like these we must tighten our belts and do our part. Meanwhile we are all wondering how we are going to pay the rent and keep the lights on with what we have left when the Government gets their hands out of our pockets.

The current administrations bailouts, stimulus bill, Cap and Trade bill and Universal Health Care Reform bill are more examples of how the Government is continuing to grow at reckless rates. If these events do not cause Americans to open their eyes and minds to the direction the Government is headed and what their true agenda is then what will? Why should we and yes it’s WE, bailout poorly run companies? Is it because the survival of the companies is vital to the survival of the company, or is it because the companies are politically well connected? There’s no bail out for small businesses which are the major employers in the United States, and there’s little or no control of how the bailout money was spent once the checks were written. It was only after a public outcry that could not be ignored did the Government step in and make an ineffectual and half hearted attempt at stopping the wasteful spending of the bailout to the major companies. In this country we have free enterprise, free market capitalism which means every one has the opportunity to try their hand at business. Whether that business will fail or succeed is up to the abilities and business sense of the entrepreneur, it should not be determined by political connections. The companies that were failing were not well run, they offered outrageously high golden parachutes for executives whether they performed their job well or not. They had outrageous executive outings under the ruse of business trips all the while their companies were falling deeper in debt and farther behind the competition. So why should we care if they fail? The Government told that it would be devastating to the job market to have such a large employer go under and that there would be adverse effects to home owner mortgages, personal bank accounts and warranties on auto’s if these companies were allowed to fail. In a free enterprise system that is left to rule itself by allowing the good to succeed and the bad to fail there will be jobs and there will be other entrepreneurs stepping up and filling the gaps lost. The only area that really should have been a concern would be the life savings of the American citizens held by the banks. The Government already has a protection for that in place, the FDIC, but instead of stepping up to back the FDIC and protect the citizens the Government threw good money after bad, by the way, that was taxpayer money so where is that life savings going? As part of the fallout from the bailouts the Government has ended up dictating how auto companies will be run. In bailing out the mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were already in the pockets of the politicians, they are now trying to authorize Fannie Mae to buy up mortgages from failing mortgage companies which in turn can be sold to the Government when they become in danger of being foreclosed. Once the Government has them the original home owner will then pay rent to the Government. Do you want the Government to own your home? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to let these companies fail, let smart entrepreneurs step in and start good companies knowing they wouldn’t be bailed out if the failed and have mortgages bought by solvent banks that would renegotiate with the home owners that could afford to keep their homes? Or is it better to continue to promote irresponsibility both in the business world and in personal life?

After the bailout fiasco the Government passed a Stimulus Bill with the reasoning it would put more money back into our economy, save jobs, create jobs and get us out of this recession. We are now seeing near record levels of unemployment and we have a National Debt that future generations will be paying for. All over the country people are being laid off and small businesses are closing their doors. Households are tightening their belts even more and spending even less while dealing with the constant fear that they may be the next one to be laid off. The Stimulus Bill is now causing Americans that have been responsible with their spending and borrowing to wonder if they will have a job tomorrow and be able to keep their home. Even our local Governments have lost touch with reality. Local Governments will spend thousands of dollars in advertising that they are broke instead of hoarding that money and putting it to good use. Just recently the Mayor of New York City decided that during this recession it was the right time to spend thousands of taxpayer dollars to close down Broadway around Times Square to make it a no driving zone, is this the kind of project that really needs to be done now? Where is the outcry from the citizens of New York City? This is just another example of frivolous waste of tax dollars.

The latest follies of the Government are the Cap and Trade Bill and the Universal Health Care Bill. Cap and Trade is simply a way for well connected companies to capitalize on controlling the emissions of industry. Sure something should be done to reduce emissions to minimize our impact on the planet but this plan is not the way to do it. Under this plan big industries will be able to side step emission controls by purchasing permits, if they exceed their emission cap they can purchase permits from companies that do not exceed their caps, that’s where the trade part comes in. The smaller companies that cannot afford the emission reduction methods or the permits will end up having to close their doors; once again this will be the small businesses. The larger companies will continue to do business as usual and instead of absorbing the cost of the emission reduction methods or the cost of the permits they will pass that along to the end consumer, the American public. The trade of permits will be handled by companies authorized by the Government. So in the end it will once again be the American public who loses. Have you opened your eyes yet? Do you see the pattern forming?

Universal Health Care is another bill that sounds like the right thing to do on the surface but in reality is just another vehicle taking America to more Government control. Other countries have Universal Health Care and their citizens will come here to get care. The state of Massachusetts has Universal Health Care and they are going broke, they are to the point of cutting people out of the health care plan. Working legal immigrants are being cut from the State Health Care Plan in an attempt to save money, they are here legally and have become citizens, what about their rights? Once again, sure, health care in this country could be improved but this plan is a step in the wrong direction. In order to pay for this they will be cutting benefits and funding for Medicaid and increasing taxes. Granted the tax increases currently purposed are only to the riches in country, again we will penalize the successful, but how long will that be sustainable? Once the plan is passed the Government can increase taxes to anyone they want to keep the funds coming in. The plan will be run by the Government in the form of a Health Care Advisory Board. This board will be able to approve or deny coverage for any procedure they deem thereby essentially denying you your right to life. There are twists in the plan that will eventually require all Americans to be on the Government plan or they will pay hefty fines, once on the plan a Doctor will be assigned to you and this could take months or even years to occur. With the cuts to Medicaid care to our elderly will be severely reduced. Is this really a plan with our rights in the best interest of the Government?

Every American needs to look into these plans and what has been done. What you will find is more and more Government control, more Government intrusion into every aspect of our lives. If the Government becomes your landlord it will open the door to legal imminent domain, all they have to do is evict you and sell the property to whoever they want. According to the Constitution imminent domain is illegal; the Government has now found a way around the Constitution. With the Government having a vested interest in auto companies they will be able to dictate what kind of car you can drive and how many each household may have. By way of Cap and Trade the Government will be able to control how you heat, cool, and light your house, they will even be able to dictate what type of appliances you can have in your home. You will lose your personal identity and just be a subject to the Government.

Have you opened your eyes and minds yet? Are you asking where this will end and how long will it last? Are you ready to say ENOUGH!? There is no way to know where this will end, how it will end or how long it will last. The greatest fear is that it will end with America imploding and no longer being America. The bailout and stimulus have already sent our National Debt into the trillions of dollars. Current generations’ grand children and great grand children will still be paying this debt and what ever else gets added to it just to keep America going. We have taken loans from countries that we openly oppose politically and socially, specifically China. Isn’t that like selling your soul to the Devil? Only in this case it won’t be us facing the music when the debt is due, it will be our future generation, now that’s being real responsible with our legacy.

All Americans need to do their own research, read the proposals and the bills the Government is trying to pass. Look at how they are trying to pay for them, look at where the money is going. In every bill there are earmarks just to try and entice votes from those that don’t agree with the bill but want to look good to their constituents. If the bills were really in the best interest of the American people would they need to have enticements in them? Every bill should stand on its own.

All Americans need to educate themselves on the most important documents in American History, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. Look at the facts stated in the Declaration of Independence supporting our separation from England and British control. Many of these same facts can be levied against the current Government. Look at the Constitution and learn your rights and why our Founding Fathers felt these rights should be protected. Look at the powers the Government is to have. The Constitution gives the power to the people first, the states second and the Federal Government last, the Federal Government has forgotten this and the states have become dependent on the Federal Government. Our current Government has been growing unchecked for decades regardless of which political party was in power. They have taking and using powers that are not authorized to them and they are not performing the basic duties as laid out in the Constitution. Where this will end is with a Government that will no longer resemble any thing close to the Government our Founding Fathers put into motion, it will more closely resemble Socialism or Fascism, is that the kind of Government you want to live under, or should I say serve?

The Government has already all but killed Capitalism. Some believe this to be a good thing, why should one person have a big home with a private tennis court and a different car for every day of the week while others are barely scrapping by? Would you still say this if you were the next one to invent the greatest widget ever or open the greatest restaurant ever seen only to have the Government deny you the glory of the success you have achieved? Does anyone really believe that those that are ensconced in the Government and profiting off the hard work of others are going to give up what they have just to level the playing field and spread the wealth around? No, they are going to act like the Monarchs of days gone by and continue to live in the fashion they have come accustomed to on our backs. They will continue to get the automatic cost of living increases and big expense accounts, continue to use taxpayer resources to fly off on vacations, date nights and even fly in pizza makers from St. Louis and hula dancers from Hawaii while telling us we are all tightening our belt and making sacrifices.

So what can the average American do? First is to open your eyes and minds to what is going on. Educate yourself and make decisions based on what you know to be true, not what some slick talking politician or Hollywood actor tells you. Learn what your rights are and exercise them. Remember they are rights only, not privileges or guarantees. Pay attention to all levels of Government, Local, State and Federal and get active where ever you can. Open your minds and learn about who is running for office and whether they are looking out for the rights of the people. Vote out the ones that don’t have our best interests in mind but are only there for their own personal power grab. Don’t vote for the lesser of two evils, search out, encourage, and support candidates that are not career politicians and who will actually stand up for the good of America and Americans. When voting is not an option write letters or call your representatives to make you voice heard. Organize or search out organizations of like minded individuals to promote good candidates and to give a larger voice to issues. Americans, specifically the working middle class of all races, genders and nationalities, have been the silent majority for far to long and have allowed the Government to run amuck and to run over our rights. We must all, the American public and the politicians, be reminded that we elected the Government they are suppose to work for us.

Sure we have problems in America. A larger Government with more control and out of control spending is not the answer. We must take responsibility for ourselves first and then take back the responsibility for our Nation. This is in no means a call to arms or to any violent or other illegal action. It is a call for responsibility, awareness, and for action using all legal means at our disposal. Hopefully this will also serve as a wakeup call to all levels of Government that they are headed down the wrong path and that their glory days in politics are numbered if they don’t change directions and stand up for the peoples rights. That too is up to the American people.

Steve

NC

July 21, 2009