With all the talks of debt ceiling, National debt and never ending budget deficits the only answer is that taxes should go up. Now that I have your attention let me get to the point and explain what I mean.
Every dollar collected in taxes by the Federal Government and our local Governments come from the same place, us, the taxpayers. The interesting thing is that our local Governments collect taxes in the form of property taxes, income taxes, trash collection taxes and who knows how many others. These go to pay all the bills that our States, Counties and cities have accrued, bills that include social programs, road work and pet projects. Funny thing is that there is never enough to go around, the Governments are going farther in debt. The Federal Government is the same, they collect taxes from the American People using every method they can think of, and sooner or later they will tax the air we breathe. Just like local Governments there is a long list of bills to be paid. Once again there is never enough. Our local Governments and State Governments continually borrow money, they borrow from foreign countries that are also going broke, they borrow from the supposed Social Security Trust Fund and they borrow from US businesses and individuals. State Governments also receive money from the Federal Government to help with their budgets and to help fund federally mandated programs.
Our money goes up and down more then a rollercoaster except theirs no lap bar to keep it safe. Our politicians at every level believe they are under no restraints when it comes to spending. We as taxpayers have lost control of our politicians, and with them, our money. The political parties identify themselves with an Elephant and a Donkey; the American People should identify themselves with an Ostrich. The American People have stuck their heads in the sand and relied on Politicians to take care of them for so long that they know no other way to live, no other way to survive. I recently read an article where most Governors are fearful of what will happen to their States if Congress does not raise the debt ceiling, what programs will not be paid for and what checks will not be written. We, as Americans, must stop living like this. This is the equivalent of paying both the local store and the corporate office and getting a product that should cost half as much in return.
The only real solution to this, which no Politician wants to talk about, is that all taxes need to go up. Before you start rolling this up to use as starter for your grill, read on; I’m not a complete nutcase. Why do we believe that we have to write one check to our local Government and another check to the Federal Government? Why do our local Governments believe they need to collect from the citizens and also from the Federal Government? Why should our money flow up and down? All taxes should be collected at the lowest level possible and flow up from there, period. Think of the issues that could be solved. The basis for this is that the People formed the cities and counties, the counties formed the States and the States came together in a union they called the United States. Somewhere along the way the People gave up the power to the States and the States gave up the power and the purse strings to the Federal Government.
If taxes flowed up it would mean that budgets would have to flow down for approval. The Federal Government would have to submit their budget to the States for the States approval and for the States to budget in what they would have to pay, a fair apportionment for all the States to support the Federal Government. Once the States reviewed it and submitted their budgets they would send them down to the Counties and Cities for their approval. This way all the revenues would be collected at the lowest possible level, a level in which the People could better control what their politicians were doing. This would also mean that the means of revenue earning would be in the hands of local politicians. States or even Counties could decide for themselves how they earned the revenue needed. They could decide if they wanted an income tax, flat tax, fair tax, bake sale or whatever else they came up with. The methods to raise revenue could be tailored to the local economic structure.
To go along with this there are other changes that should be made, Constitutional changes. I’ve written before about repealing the 17th Amendment, put the selection of Senators back in the hands of the State Legislatures. All Senators and Representatives should be paid by their respective States, not by the Federal Government; they work for the States and the citizens of the States so that is who should be paying them. There should also be able to be recalled by the States or the Citizens of their States. There are problems with this idea; there is the problem of the debt owed by the Federal Government and how to properly apportion it among the States. Personally I believe that any debt that is tied to individual States should be passed on to that State, debts such as support of the Military, something that is beneficial to the entire Nation should be fairly apportioned to all States. Then there is the problem of the Military. As I’ve brought up before the Navy is the only branch of the Military that is authorized by the Constitution. The Navy has ships and aircraft that should be used to protect our shipping lanes, not to sit off foreign lands in a threatening posture. Our Armies and Air Force should be brought home from foreign lands and the bases sold back to their home countries. Each State should be responsible for maintaining the Army or Air Force of their choosing, be it a standing force or a militia. All States have a National Guard, both Army and Air, why do we need to have a standing National Army or Air Force? If you answer this question honestly you should come to the conclusion that it is mainly for the purpose of keeping highly trained personnel for the purpose of invading other countries and spreading democracy, not for the defense of our own Nation and its borders. Throughout the country there are numerous State Parks and monuments that are supported by Federal funds. All of these could be turned over to the States. If the States choose to continue supporting them with no charge to visitors then that is that States choice. If a State chooses to turn over the operation to a private entity then I call that good business. The biggest obstacle though is convincing the American People that they should not be controlled by their Government, instead they should control the Government; the only solution to this problem is education.
Steve Avery
7/29/2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The Amazing Human
The morning of Independence Day I had a long conversation with one of my Sons. We talked about a myriad of things concerning American Independence. Our discussion circled around to the American People. All of this got me to thinking about people in general. Everyone that is reading this, whether it’s a paper copy or a digital copy, should stop reading and look at their hands. Pretty amazing aren’t they? We can turn pages with them, we can pick things up, we can type on a computer and we can build things with them. When we can’t actually do something we figure out how to build a machine to build it for us. In short, the human race is nothing short of amazing. No other creature on the earth has achieved the things the human race has.
As humans we were given the ability to communicate with one another, even if we do not speak the same language, we have the ability to reason and we have the ability to create. Sure there are some that say other animals have the ability to communicate but that is limited to their own species, their own race. We have even figured out how to communicate with certain species of animals. In the wild you rarely find different species cohabitating, much less mating. Humans have evolved to the point where races from all over the planet are having interracial relationships and making them work. The key is evolution. Whether you believe we were created in the image of God, as I do, or that we evolved from another species, you can not deny the fact that humans have evolved farther and faster then any other species on the planet.
The evolution process never stops, it may slow to a crawl, but it never stops. We have even evolved since the times of our founders. We have made significant industrial and scientific discoveries in a period of time that is unmatched in any other period of human existence. We have also evolved in the area of human relations. Although there are many that are trying to keep us in the past, we have learned that all men are created equal. In the time of our Founders white Europeans believed they were superior to any other race. That was the way of the world at the time, not just the Americas. Through the process of evolution we have learned that there is value to every life.
Whether our founders realized what they were giving us or not we need to. Our founders gave us a plan for freedom and liberty, a plan the likes of that that has never before been seen in our world, and likely will never be seen again. The founders, whether guided by divine wisdom our some other higher source of knowledge believed man could govern themselves, they believed in that amazing spirit that accompanies the amazing body that houses it. They didn’t need to be able to look into the future, they had faith. Sure they understood that some men would waste this faith, would waste this gift; but they still had faith that there would be enough that would understand it and use it properly.
With all this in mind comes that question that has bothered me since I began writing these essays. How can the People of America waste this gift by allowing themselves to be ruled? The rulers, for lack of a better term, are no better then you or I. A man or woman born into money is no better then a man or woman born in poverty, their station in society may be better but they are no better. We have been convinced that if you have money or a degree then you are worth something. Well I have news for you, some of those that have money and a degree are worthless, and they have squandered all the gifts that have been reaped on them. Some that have nothing are worth their weight in gold; they just may never get the chance to prove it. What we do with these gifts is our own choice. Granted there are some born into this world with disabilities at birth, in some ways these are the most gifted lives among us. They typically look at life with the innocence of the young their entire lives. They do not distort the gifts that were given to us. For the rest of us it’s the choices we make that determines our lot in life. Some have an aptitude for manual labor, some for labors of the mind while others may have an aptitude for the arts or sports. Whatever aptitude you possess, there is a place for all of us. There is greatness in all of us. Our founders understood this greatness, they understood that it did not come from wealth or structured education; that is why they did not want a King or a Monarch; they wanted someone to preside over the Nation, not to rule over it.
The Founders believed that Americans could self govern. They believed in the individual. They added the 9th Amendment to the Bill of Rights so that all powers not enumerated to the Federal Government were to remain with the People. This did not mean that one group would force their ideals on the rest of the Nation; it meant that we could live free. The People were to control their State Governments; the 10th Amendment does come after the 9th Amendment after all. In the spirit of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights the Founders must have envisioned States that would consist of those that held similar beliefs, not a Nation that believed all States would be carbon copies of each other. We must restore our individuality, we must restore our freedom.
Steve Avery
7/12/2011
As humans we were given the ability to communicate with one another, even if we do not speak the same language, we have the ability to reason and we have the ability to create. Sure there are some that say other animals have the ability to communicate but that is limited to their own species, their own race. We have even figured out how to communicate with certain species of animals. In the wild you rarely find different species cohabitating, much less mating. Humans have evolved to the point where races from all over the planet are having interracial relationships and making them work. The key is evolution. Whether you believe we were created in the image of God, as I do, or that we evolved from another species, you can not deny the fact that humans have evolved farther and faster then any other species on the planet.
The evolution process never stops, it may slow to a crawl, but it never stops. We have even evolved since the times of our founders. We have made significant industrial and scientific discoveries in a period of time that is unmatched in any other period of human existence. We have also evolved in the area of human relations. Although there are many that are trying to keep us in the past, we have learned that all men are created equal. In the time of our Founders white Europeans believed they were superior to any other race. That was the way of the world at the time, not just the Americas. Through the process of evolution we have learned that there is value to every life.
Whether our founders realized what they were giving us or not we need to. Our founders gave us a plan for freedom and liberty, a plan the likes of that that has never before been seen in our world, and likely will never be seen again. The founders, whether guided by divine wisdom our some other higher source of knowledge believed man could govern themselves, they believed in that amazing spirit that accompanies the amazing body that houses it. They didn’t need to be able to look into the future, they had faith. Sure they understood that some men would waste this faith, would waste this gift; but they still had faith that there would be enough that would understand it and use it properly.
With all this in mind comes that question that has bothered me since I began writing these essays. How can the People of America waste this gift by allowing themselves to be ruled? The rulers, for lack of a better term, are no better then you or I. A man or woman born into money is no better then a man or woman born in poverty, their station in society may be better but they are no better. We have been convinced that if you have money or a degree then you are worth something. Well I have news for you, some of those that have money and a degree are worthless, and they have squandered all the gifts that have been reaped on them. Some that have nothing are worth their weight in gold; they just may never get the chance to prove it. What we do with these gifts is our own choice. Granted there are some born into this world with disabilities at birth, in some ways these are the most gifted lives among us. They typically look at life with the innocence of the young their entire lives. They do not distort the gifts that were given to us. For the rest of us it’s the choices we make that determines our lot in life. Some have an aptitude for manual labor, some for labors of the mind while others may have an aptitude for the arts or sports. Whatever aptitude you possess, there is a place for all of us. There is greatness in all of us. Our founders understood this greatness, they understood that it did not come from wealth or structured education; that is why they did not want a King or a Monarch; they wanted someone to preside over the Nation, not to rule over it.
The Founders believed that Americans could self govern. They believed in the individual. They added the 9th Amendment to the Bill of Rights so that all powers not enumerated to the Federal Government were to remain with the People. This did not mean that one group would force their ideals on the rest of the Nation; it meant that we could live free. The People were to control their State Governments; the 10th Amendment does come after the 9th Amendment after all. In the spirit of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights the Founders must have envisioned States that would consist of those that held similar beliefs, not a Nation that believed all States would be carbon copies of each other. We must restore our individuality, we must restore our freedom.
Steve Avery
7/12/2011
Saturday, July 2, 2011
R.I.P.
Ladies and Gentlemen, friends and neighbors, fellow Countrymen. It is with great sorrow that I appear before you today, for today we bid farewell to a great lady. Although I only knew her for a short period, I was able to recognize her greatness, in truth; I was able to recognize the greatness she had in her. To understand her, you must go back to her birth.
From her beginning it was obvious that she was different. In fact no one was sure of what to make of her but they knew that she could be wonderful. During her infancy the United States, as she would come to be known, was already showing signs of her independence, signs of her desire to cut the apron strings. She showed strength that no one expected or knew how to handle. When she finally did cut the apron strings she had the class associated with proper upbringing to give notice. She did this in the form of a Declaration, a Declaration that stated in no uncertain terms her intentions and the reasons for her actions. Of course this caused consternation with her Mother, Britain. This was not a peaceful breakup but both Mother and Daughter were smart enough to not permanently burn the bridges of their relationship. It has been a relationship that has been beneficial to both through the decades.
When the United States broke the ties with her Mother she knew she had to complete the break by assuming a new name; that is when she adopted the name, United States of America. Being a new Nation, albeit a late comer as Nations go, she knew she would need rules in order to survive. She accomplished this by writing a Constitution. This Constitution defined exactly how she would take care of her house and all its parts. She understood at that time that the face you put on behind closed doors was your true face. For the first century of her existence her written plan worked well, granted there were bumps in the road, pitfalls and even a few set backs; but for the most part she stuck to her self written rules and flourished.
Although the United States was the rookie on the field of Nations she hit the ground running. She had to prove herself and prove herself she did. The United States grew faster socially, economically, industrially, and militarily then any other Nation; almost to fast. Around midway into her second century she had started to believe she could impose her beliefs on others; this came back to haunt her when she was attacked from outside. True to the strength she had shown during her early years she responded with determination and resolve. Unfortunately instead of learning that she should not try to push her beliefs on others she instead believed that now she was invincible. Unfortunately the other Nations bolstered this by labeling her as one of the super powers of the world, right along with Mother Russia. What she failed to realize, being the young country of the world, was that the other Nations knew they would be able to exploit her and her new found power.
This new found prestige was like opium to an addict; she craved it and had to have it. She started to believe that her way was the only way. She started to believe that she was the protector of the downtrodden. She started to push her beliefs on everyone else whether they liked it or not. She spread herself so thin over the globe that she started to neglect herself, she let herself fall apart. She ignored the very rules she had written for her own survival believing they were holding her back. Ignoring her own rules resulted in her slow deterioration, a slow cancer she tried to ignore. Like most that believe they are on a righteous path, she could not be bothered with her own health as long as she was doing the work she had come to believe was her calling. Like most cancers the more she ignored it the more it spread; the more the fight to destroy her from within intensified. Still, believing she was invincible she ignored the signs.
Today we are all paying the price for her ignorance as we say Goodbye to what could have, what should have been, the greatest Nation this world has ever seen. Today we are lying to rest a set of rules that had the potential of ensuring true freedom, liberty and prosperity to an entire Nation. Her passing, while greatly premature, will have a far greater impact on the entire world then anyone could have foretold at her birth. The loss of her strength, determination, exceptionalism and independence will be felt across the globe. My only hope is that all of us will learn from her passing. My desire is that we learn where she strayed and pray that we have the opportunity to apply what we have learned and do her honor by once again birthing a Nation of liberty, a Nation of laws, a Nation of freedom. If we do not then we may well learn that her passing will be the passing of freedom and liberty from the Earth. Thank you and God bless you all.
Foot note: I was a little hesitant to post this, especially on Independence weekend. Then after talking to my wife about it I decided this might well be the perfect time to post it. We are on the verge of losing our freedom, liberty and our country. Maybe seeing a possible eulogy for our Nation on the anniversary of declaring our independence will fire up enough people to take a stand, to get educated about what is happening and to get involved. It is my greatest hope that this eulogy will go down as just a work of fiction, never to be a fact.
Steve Avery
7/2/2011
From her beginning it was obvious that she was different. In fact no one was sure of what to make of her but they knew that she could be wonderful. During her infancy the United States, as she would come to be known, was already showing signs of her independence, signs of her desire to cut the apron strings. She showed strength that no one expected or knew how to handle. When she finally did cut the apron strings she had the class associated with proper upbringing to give notice. She did this in the form of a Declaration, a Declaration that stated in no uncertain terms her intentions and the reasons for her actions. Of course this caused consternation with her Mother, Britain. This was not a peaceful breakup but both Mother and Daughter were smart enough to not permanently burn the bridges of their relationship. It has been a relationship that has been beneficial to both through the decades.
When the United States broke the ties with her Mother she knew she had to complete the break by assuming a new name; that is when she adopted the name, United States of America. Being a new Nation, albeit a late comer as Nations go, she knew she would need rules in order to survive. She accomplished this by writing a Constitution. This Constitution defined exactly how she would take care of her house and all its parts. She understood at that time that the face you put on behind closed doors was your true face. For the first century of her existence her written plan worked well, granted there were bumps in the road, pitfalls and even a few set backs; but for the most part she stuck to her self written rules and flourished.
Although the United States was the rookie on the field of Nations she hit the ground running. She had to prove herself and prove herself she did. The United States grew faster socially, economically, industrially, and militarily then any other Nation; almost to fast. Around midway into her second century she had started to believe she could impose her beliefs on others; this came back to haunt her when she was attacked from outside. True to the strength she had shown during her early years she responded with determination and resolve. Unfortunately instead of learning that she should not try to push her beliefs on others she instead believed that now she was invincible. Unfortunately the other Nations bolstered this by labeling her as one of the super powers of the world, right along with Mother Russia. What she failed to realize, being the young country of the world, was that the other Nations knew they would be able to exploit her and her new found power.
This new found prestige was like opium to an addict; she craved it and had to have it. She started to believe that her way was the only way. She started to believe that she was the protector of the downtrodden. She started to push her beliefs on everyone else whether they liked it or not. She spread herself so thin over the globe that she started to neglect herself, she let herself fall apart. She ignored the very rules she had written for her own survival believing they were holding her back. Ignoring her own rules resulted in her slow deterioration, a slow cancer she tried to ignore. Like most that believe they are on a righteous path, she could not be bothered with her own health as long as she was doing the work she had come to believe was her calling. Like most cancers the more she ignored it the more it spread; the more the fight to destroy her from within intensified. Still, believing she was invincible she ignored the signs.
Today we are all paying the price for her ignorance as we say Goodbye to what could have, what should have been, the greatest Nation this world has ever seen. Today we are lying to rest a set of rules that had the potential of ensuring true freedom, liberty and prosperity to an entire Nation. Her passing, while greatly premature, will have a far greater impact on the entire world then anyone could have foretold at her birth. The loss of her strength, determination, exceptionalism and independence will be felt across the globe. My only hope is that all of us will learn from her passing. My desire is that we learn where she strayed and pray that we have the opportunity to apply what we have learned and do her honor by once again birthing a Nation of liberty, a Nation of laws, a Nation of freedom. If we do not then we may well learn that her passing will be the passing of freedom and liberty from the Earth. Thank you and God bless you all.
Foot note: I was a little hesitant to post this, especially on Independence weekend. Then after talking to my wife about it I decided this might well be the perfect time to post it. We are on the verge of losing our freedom, liberty and our country. Maybe seeing a possible eulogy for our Nation on the anniversary of declaring our independence will fire up enough people to take a stand, to get educated about what is happening and to get involved. It is my greatest hope that this eulogy will go down as just a work of fiction, never to be a fact.
Steve Avery
7/2/2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)