American Progressivism, The Very Little Known Evil Force

I've been learning more and more about our Founding Fathers, and the Principles and Values they used to create this Great Nation of Ours. As I continue to learn about this, I have began to learn more about another movement, a movement that has been slowly progressing over the last century. This movement came to my attention within the last couple years, as I have realize more and more corruption in politics and the men and women that so call represent us as American People in our Nation's Capitol. This movement is the Progressive Movement. To help teach you all more about this movement and who are the Progressives, I will be share parts from a Book I have been reading lately called, "American Progressivism," edited by Ronald J. Pestritto and William J. Atto.

To Began, I will like to explain who were the Progressives, why they are important, and their Attack on our American Founding?

Many on the left today call themselves “progressive,” and they do so not just because it’s a nicer way of saying “liberal,” but also because they very much intend to revive the political principles of America’s original Progressives, from the Progressive Era of the 1880s through World War I. Why would leftist politicians, like Mrs. Clinton, purposely identify themselves with this Progressive movement?

The reason is that America’s original Progressives were also its original, big-government liberals. Most people point to the New Deal era as the source of big government and the welfare state that we have today. While this is perfectly accurate, it is important to understand that the principles of the New Deal did not originate in the New Deal; rather, they came from the Progressives, who had dominated American politics and intellectual cultural a generation prior to the New Deal.

We have no less an authority on this connection than Franklin Roosevelt himself. When FDR campaigned in 1932, he pointed to the Progressives – and in particular to Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson – as the source of his ideas about government.

In terms of the personalities who made up the Progressive movement, some are familiar to us and others are less so. The movement was comprised of well known politicians like Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt; but it was also comprised of intellectuals and writers who are less well known but who have been very influential in America. There were folks like John Dewey, who was America’s public philosopher for much of the early 20^th century. Even less well known was Herbert Croly, but Croly was highly influential, since he founded and was the first editor of The New Republic – which became the main organ of Progressive opinion in the United States, and is still one of the most important journals on the Left today. I should add here that Woodrow Wilson actually fell into both of these categories – he was both a well known politician and president, but also was, for decades prior to his entry into politics, a prominent intellectual (a college professor and president of Princeton) who wrote many books and influential articles.

America’s Progressives aimed for a thorough transformation in America’s principles of government. While our founders understood that our national government must have the capacity to be strong and vigorous (this is why the Articles of Confederation were failing), they also were very clear that this strength must always be confined to very limited ends or areas of responsibility; government, in other words, while not weak or tiny, was to be strictly limited.

The Progressive conception of government, on the other hand, was quite the opposite; Progressives had an “evolving” or a “living” notion of government (yes, we get the term “living constitution” from the Progressives), and thus wanted government to take on whatever role and scope the times demanded. The Progressives reasoned that people of the founding era may have wanted a limited government, given their particular experience with George III, but they argued that people of their own time wanted a much more activist government, and that we should adjust accordingly.

Quite simply, the Progressives detested the bedrock principles of American government. They detested the Declaration of Independence, which enshrines the protection of individual natural rights (like property) as the unchangeable purpose of government; and they detested the Constitution, which places permanent limits on the scope of government and is structured in a way that makes the extension of national power beyond its original purpose very difficult. “Progressivism” was, for them, all about progressing, or moving beyond, the principles of our founders.

This is why the Progressives were the first generation of Americans to denounce openly our founding documents. Woodrow Wilson, for example, once warned that “if you want to understand the real Declaration of Independence, do not repeat the preface” – i.e. that part of the Declaration which talks about securing individual natural rights as the only legitimate purpose of government. And Theodore Roosevelt, when using the federal government to take over private businesses during the 1902 coal strike, is reported to have remarked, “To hell with the Constitution when people want coal!” This remark may be apocryphal, but it is a fair representation of how TR viewed these matters. (To be Continued...)

(R.J. Pestritto, Shipley Professor of the American Constitution at Hillsdale College)

New Omnibus Bill! More corrupt spending in D.C.

Our Government keeps spending and spending, and we never know if it will every stop. Today on the Glenn Beck Program, Glenn was talking with Congressman Chaffetz of Utah, one of the very few in Washington that is not a snake and are dedicating themselves to run out the corruption in the Capitol, no matter what party its coming from. In this conversation Congressman Chaffetz gives a explanation of the new Omnibus Bill that is in the process of being passed in D.C.

Disclaimer: Warning make sure you have duck near by. Reading this may cause your head might explode!

GLENN: Let's go to Congressman Chaffetz from Utah. Hello, Congressman.

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: Hey, Glenn.

GLENN: How are things?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: Hey, I'm fired up.

GLENN: Ready to go?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: Ready to go.

GLENN: Nothing better. Fired up? Ready to go! Fired up! Ready to go! Thank you for that, Barack Obama. Do you know what the supertax is? We're not talking they are not talking about one in congress yet, are they?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: We're taxing every moment we can possibly do it.

GLENN: I'm you know what? I'm doing a segment on television tonight. If you made $60,000 a year and you lived in New York, you made $60,000 a year, I'm going to show you what you were paying last year in taxes and fees and what you are paying now, this year. And it's pretty, pretty staggering. Haven't seen all of the numbers yet but from what I have seen, pretty staggering on what you super people down in Washington have been working on.

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: Well, I can tell you here in D.C. we're spending it faster than we're evening taxing it. So

GLENN: You called me two days ago because you and I are actually working on a special project. I'm looked at Joe. Can I say? I'm not going to announce it, but can I say? I'm working on a special project because I've been looking for people that just, I don't care if I agree or disagree with you. Just clean up the corruption. And hopefully we'll be able to talk about that openly on something that I'm working with you on here in the coming days and weeks. But you called me the other day and you said, "Glenn, they're spending a big they're sending a big omnibus bill our way; we're supposed to vote on it, and I can't get a copy of it." Can you tell this story?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: Yeah. I mean, it's I don't know how to put enough descriptors about how insane this process is, but they took six agencies, their appropriations, meshed them into one big, bad omnibus bill, I mean, this is seriously this is bad government at its worst. When the bill was originated, it was 1,088 pages, and it has to go to the rules committee before we as members of congress in the rank and file here can actually see it. It ended up being more than 2500 pages, and we voted on it roughly 24 hours after we got it. It represents half of the entire discretionary budget for the entire federal government, $446 billion, 2500 pages. There are 5,000 earmarks and at its baseline represents a 12% increase in spending for their base budgets, not counting the stimulus and all the other crap, a 12% increase over the base budget from just last year.

GLENN: Well, that's because business is so good. I mean, who doesn't expand at a point like this? Give me your fave well, first of all out of the 2400 pages, what was your favorite page?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: They don't even number these pages. It's hard to do. I'll give you a couple that are just absolutely out of control. I've sponsored a bill to get rid of what's called the international fund for Ireland. This was started by Tip O'Neill because we somehow as a country had to help Ireland. There is nobody, but nobody in the congress and I've been working on this for literally ten months that will take responsibility and say, oh, yeah, that's my project and this is good. In fact, we called over to the ambassador from Ireland and said, what is this? And he said, oh, with well, we're working to phase that out in 2010. Well, they got it increased. Instead of paying $15 million of American people's money, we now in this omnibus bill are going to pay them $17 million.

GLENN: Do we get good coffee out of the deal?

PAT: Why do you hate the Irish so much, congressman?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: It is just a check to the government of Ireland to say, here are $17 million.

GLENN: You know what it is, Chaffetz? You know what it is with you, Chaffetz? You are from Utah. What's the state just directly north of Utah? Idaho! Why do you hate potatoes from overseas so much!

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: I mean, it's just $3 million for bike racks in Washington D.C.? I'm reading here, I pulled one up because I thought at random I'm going to take a page. I take Page 24 of the appropriations bill regarding transportation. We're going to spend $600,000 for Sunset Boulevard streetscape beautification in California. We know how great Sunset Boulevard is. We have the Elvis Presley Boulevard improvement in Tennessee is going to get $500,000.

GLENN: Excuse me. Excuse me.

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: And $1,948,000 is going to go to the Fish Lake Trail completion in the State of Washington.

GLENN: Hold on just a second. First of all, you've never been to Fish Lake, have you?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: I can't tell you where it is.

GLENN: It's in Washington. I can't go any deeper than that. So listen. Congressman, these are the, these are just the road and infrastructure improvements that the president has been talking about. That's all these are. These are the shovel ready projects.

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: This is insane. We're $12 trillion in debt. Next week they tell us we get to vote on a $1.8 trillion increase to the debt limit. And you still have people look in the camera and say we're serious about cutting the deficit, we're serious about this. No, we're not. We're not making any hard choices.

GLENN: Are you saying the Fish Lake Trail shouldn't happen?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: I'm saying we've got enough Fish Lake trails. We need the American people need their money back.

GLENN: Okay. So first of all, you couldn't get the tell me the process of, okay, here's the insane omnibus bill that's coming in.

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: Right.

GLENN: You have to vote on it 24 hours later, right?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: Yeah.

GLENN: You're trying to get a copy of it. What happens?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: You couldn't, you couldn't get it. I mean, until it comes out of the rules committee you physically cannot get it. What happens, the House passes the bills, the Senate passes the bills, they go to conference. Well, that's a closed door meeting. Guys like me can't get in there. I'm just a member of congress. And so then they send it over to the rules committee and then it starts to get debated and then the bill goes from 1,088 pages to 2500 pages with 5,000 earmarks.

GLENN: Is that a reduction? Because we've been

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: And we vote on it the next day.

GLENN: I know that we were promised by both the Republicans and the Democrats that earmarks were disgusting and they were going to decrease them or stop them. Is that a decrease in earmarks?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: Shockingly 5,000 earmarks is a decrease but, you know, they have what are called airdropped earmarks. These are the most egregious of all of them because they didn't go through any sort of committee process, there was no openness, transparency. They literally showed up for the first time in this report. And so I can't tell you, I still can't tell you which ones are the air dropped earmarks that literally have never seen the light of day. And that's the thing. The thing that's a shame about this bill, the reason you do an omnibus bill is to hide stuff. And you drop it in right before Christmas when nobody's paying attention and we've got all these other, you know, crises and things going on. That's why they do these bills. That's the dirty secret here that I've come to learn about how they throw in all the crap.

GLENN: So we have an average of 10% increase in domestic spending.

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: 12. 12.

GLENN: 12. We have

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: And by the way, the year before that, Glenn, was another 12%. So we did 12% and then this year we'll be doing another 12%.

GLENN: We have 5200 bipartisan earmarks at a cost of almost $4 billion.

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: 400 well, I'm sorry. Of the earmarks? You are right. The entire bill is $446 billion. But you are right, the earmarks are nearly $4 billion.

GLENN: Now, there's something else that is bothering you. And when you told me, I think my I mean, my head exploded because I believe, I believe this is the new American prison program. And a lot of people say, well, that's a nice prison to be in. But it is prison, and make no mistake. It is prison. It is a prison where you are paid $150,000 a year. You want to explain the new jobs program for the United States government, what's going on with the pay scale there?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: Yeah, USA Today has got a good I think it's on the cover here today. I've been working with this reporter. He did a great job. This is you know, you just shudder when you say it out loud. The number of employees, federal employees that are earning more than $150,000 a year...

GLENN: Listen to this.

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: Over the last 18 months has more than doubled. So if you are a federal employee, I mean, I can name maybe a couple of dozen jobs that would justify over $150,000 a year. There are now 66,000 federal jobs that pay more than $150,000 a year. And that's in it was 30,000 just back in December of 07.

GLENN: Now, is it possible that there were just a lot of people that were making $149,900 18 months ago?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: Yes, but still that's ridiculous. Here's the other analysis. People earning over $100,000 a year. In December of '07 that was roughly 263,000 people. Now, just 18 months later based on the numbers of June '09, 382,758 people are making more than $100,000 as a federal employee. And if you look at the numbers of who's earning over $170,000, that has gone from 11,000 plus people to over 22,000 people earning that much money. I just, there is no way to justify those numbers. It's just absolutely shocking.

GLENN: Any idea what the reason is?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: Well, you know, there were some across the board pay levels. One of the arguments that you hear is that, oh, well, we've got to pay market rates and we've got to do this and all that.

GLENN: Let the market... I'm sorry, congressman. Let the market pay market rates.

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: Exactly. But what you what I think you see is an aging workforce, and they continue to say, "Oh, we're not paid, we're not paid, we're not compensated." We have the very low turnover rate in the federal government. That to me as a business person indicates that we're paying too much! We should have a much higher turnover rate. If we had a higher turnover rate, that means that you're probably not paying maybe as much as you could if you wanted to increase that. But at the federal government I don't want to do that. I don't want to do that. So we're paying so much, people don't leave these jobs. They don't

GLENN: I will tell you this. I think it is this is why I say it's slavery. If you are working at a job where you are making $100,000 a year and it's a bureaucracy, I mean, you are not really expected to do anything, you are not really expected, there's no real "Hold your feet to the fire," you are not going to lose your job because, I mean, you can't get fired. You are not going to lose your job because the government's not going to go out of business, or so you'll think. All of these things are happening. Why not? This is why the Soviet Union was the Soviet Union. Only the people that would leave that job would be the people that would like to have a little bit of self respect. If you can't lose your job, if you are not expected to perform and you make an awful lot of money that you can't replace in the private sector, who leaves that job? And you become more and more enslaved to the system. You work forever at that job and you don't leave because you don't have any self respect anymore. You're not required to compete. You're not required to do anything. You punch in, you punch out, you become a DMV worker. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, but this system is absolutely, this is going to lead us to the economic glories of the Soviet Union. It's going to.

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: It's absolutely shocking. We're adding, the federal government is adding about 10,000 new jobs a month to our payroll.

GLENN: Of course they are. They have to create new jobs. All right. Congressman Chaffetz, let me ask you one last question.

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: Sure.

GLENN: Nancy Pelosi said, "I really like this whole Medicare option now." I think this has been the plan from the beginning because they can say, okay, there's no public option. But help me out on this one. Two questions: One, how do you make sure that it's not going to cost the American people a trillion dollars by cutting Medicare and finding the fraud in Medicare but then instead of the public option, you expand Medicare? How, how does that work exactly?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: That's the insanity that is Washington, D.C. You take a failing program and want to double it up and just allow more I mean, it is the ultimate in the one payer system. It is the ultimate bad healthcare program. I mean, I do wonder if maybe that was the end game from the very beginning.

GLENN: I think it was. How what are the odds? I think this thing's going to pass while everybody's on Christmas vacation.

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: You know, that's they come right down here to the finish line and people are distracted with all the other holiday stuff.

GLENN: Yep.

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: You know, they keep us late in the night voting on this stuff and then nobody's paying attention. That's

GLENN: Do you think it's going to pass? Do you think it's going to pass? Will we come back next year and have this thing done?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: I pray that it doesn't.

GLENN: I do, too, but that wasn't the question. Do you think it's going to happen?

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: I'm afraid it might. I really am. They have got numbers, and until the members of congress in the House and the Senate, until they are afraid of their constituents more than they are afraid of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, this will continue to be a problem.

GLENN: Unbelievable.

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: It won't change until that fundamentally, they are if they know that their people in their districts are paying attention.

GLENN: Congressman Chaffetz, thank you so much. We'll talk again.

CONGRESSMAN CHAFFETZ: Thanks, Glenn.

GLENN: You bet, bye bye. I want you to know I don't endorse any candidate, I don't endorse any congressman, any senator. I don't trust any of them. But I decided I'm not going to go to I'm going to go to the barrel. I'm not going to keep going. I'm going to go to the tree; I'm not going to go to the barrel. I've stopped looking for people who have been there for a long time. Name the person that has gone to Washington and come back years later as a better person. I can't. So I'm going to go to the freshmen, while they still have an ounce of their soul left, and Chaffetz is one of them. And he really does want to get in there and expose the corruption, and he really doesn't care which side it's on. You wait. We're working on some things. But pay attention, America. Buckle up. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor -- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be -- That we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks -- for His kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation -- for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of His Providence which we experienced in the tranquility [sic], union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed -- for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One [capital O] now lately instituted -- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which He hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions -- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually -- to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed -- to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn [sic] kindness onto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord -- To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease [sic] of science among them and us -- and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York
the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789
George Washington

The Real Story of Thanksgiving

"After eleven years, about forty of them agreed to make a perilous journey to the New World, where they would certainly face hardships, but could live and worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences. On August 1, 1620, the Mayflower set sail. It carried a total of 102 passengers, including forty Pilgrims led by William Bradford. On the journey, Bradford set up an agreement, a contract, that established just and equal laws for all members of the new community, irrespective of their religious beliefs. Where did the revolutionary ideas expressed in the Mayflower Compact come from? From the Bible. The Pilgrims were a people completely steeped in the lessons of the Old and New Testaments. They looked to the ancient Israelites for their example.

"And, because of the biblical precedents set forth in Scripture, they never doubted that their experiment would work. But this was no pleasure cruise, friends. The journey to the New World was a long and arduous one. And when the Pilgrims landed in New England in November, they found, according to Bradford's detailed journal, a cold, barren, desolate wilderness. There were no friends to greet them, he wrote. There were no houses to shelter them. There were no inns where they could refresh themselves. And the sacrifice they had made for freedom was just beginning. During the first winter, half the Pilgrims – including Bradford's own wife – died of either starvation, sickness or exposure. When spring finally came, Indians taught the settlers how to plant corn, fish for cod and skin beavers for coats.

"Life improved for the Pilgrims, but they did not yet prosper! This is important to understand because this is where modern American history lessons often end. Thanksgiving is actually explained in some textbooks as a holiday for which the Pilgrims gave thanks to the Indians for saving their lives, rather than as a devout expression of gratitude grounded in the tradition of both the Old and New Testaments. Here is the part that has been omitted: The original contract the Pilgrims had entered into with their merchant-sponsors in London called for everything they produced to go into a common store, and each member of the community was entitled to one common share. All of the land they cleared and the houses they built belong to the community as well. They were going to distribute it equally. All of the land they cleared and the houses they built belonged to the community as well.

"Nobody owned anything. They just had a share in it. It was a commune, folks. It was the forerunner to the communes we saw in the '60s and '70s out in California – and it was complete with organic vegetables, by the way. Bradford, who had become the new governor of the colony, recognized that this form of collectivism was as costly and destructive to the Pilgrims as that first harsh winter, which had taken so many lives. He decided to take bold action. Bradford assigned a plot of land to each family to work and manage, thus turning loose the power of the marketplace. That's right. Long before Karl Marx was even born, the Pilgrims had discovered and experimented with what could only be described as socialism. And what happened? It didn't work!"

"It never has worked! "What Bradford and his community found was that the most creative and industrious people had no incentive to work any harder than anyone else, unless they could utilize the power of personal motivation! But while most of the rest of the world has been experimenting with socialism for well over a hundred years – trying to refine it, perfect it, and re-invent it – the Pilgrims decided early on to scrap it permanently. What Bradford wrote about this social experiment should be in every schoolchild's history lesson. If it were, we might prevent much needless suffering in the future. 'The experience that we had in this common course and condition, tried sundry years...that by taking away property, and bringing community into a common wealth, would make them happy and flourishing – as if they were wiser than God,' Bradford wrote.

"'For this community [so far as it was] was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. For young men that were most able and fit for labor and service did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense ... that was thought injustice.' Why should you work for other people when you can't work for yourself? What's the point? Do you hear what he was saying, ladies and gentlemen? The Pilgrims found that people could not be expected to do their best work without incentive. So what did Bradford's community try next? They unharnessed the power of good old free enterprise by invoking the undergirding capitalistic principle of private property.

"Every family was assigned its own plot of land to work and permitted to market its own crops and products. And what was the result? 'This had very good success,' wrote Bradford, 'for it made all hands industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been.' Bradford doesn't sound like much of a Clintonite" I wrote then "does he? Is it possible that supply-side economics could have existed before the 1980s? Yes. Read the story of Joseph and Pharaoh in Genesis 41. Following Joseph's suggestion (Gen 41:34), Pharaoh reduced the tax on Egyptians to 20% during the 'seven years of plenty' and the 'Earth brought forth in heaps.' (Gen. 41:47) In no time, the Pilgrims found they had more food than they could eat themselves.

"Now, this is where it gets really good, folks, if you're laboring under the misconception that I was, as I was taught in school. So they set up trading posts and exchanged goods with the Indians. The profits allowed them to pay off their debts to the merchants in London. And the success and prosperity of the Plymouth settlement attracted more Europeans and began what came to be known as the 'Great Puritan Migration.'" But this story stops when the Indians taught the newly arrived suffering in socialism Pilgrims how to plant corn and fish for cod. That's where the story stops, and the story basically doesn't even begin there. The real story of Thanksgiving is William Bradford giving thanks to God for the guidance and the inspiration to set up a thriving colony. The bounty was shared with the Indians. They did sit down and they had dinner, and I think they had a turkey, but it was not the Indians who saved the day. It was capitalism and Scripture which saved the day." (Rush Limbaugh)

Glenn Beck reveals the Plan, A Must Read!

Friends,

What an amazing few days on the road this has been. Your spirits have been high, your faith strong and your spine unbendable. I ended my multiday book tour at The Villages with what had been billed as a rally but could be better described as a candid citizen-to-citizen chat.

Today, I have stopped looking for a leader to show us the way out because I have come to realize that the only one who can truly save our country...is us. To change America's course we need to change ourselves, our expectations and our willingness to accept the unacceptable. When we refuse to allow our children to receive a trophy for participation, we are on the road to restoring the meaning of merit in our Republic. When we insist that no one is too big to fail, we will be able to learn from our mistakes, and when we demand that we are self-reliant, we will ensure that others can rely on us, not the government.

There is much to do, much to learn and time is of the essence. While I will be explaining the entire Plan over the coming weeks and months, I did want to give you a preview of some of the highlights:

- Education is key, and not just for our children. To that end, we will be conducting a series of conventions. These will be full-day experiences where you will be immersed in learning about topics ranging from self-reliance, community organizing, the economy and how to be a political force in your own neighborhood and country. The first one will be in Orlando at UCF Arena on March 27th. You will also be able to vote to have a convention in your region by clicking here.

- I have begun meeting with some of the best minds in the country that believe in limited government, maximum freedom and the values of our Founders. I am developing a 100 year plan. I know that the bipartisan corruption in Washington that has brought us to this brink and it will not be defeated easily. It will require unconventional thinking and a radical plan to restore our nation to the maximum freedoms we were supposed to have been protecting, using only the battlefield of ideas.

- All of the above will culminate in The Plan, a book that will provide specific policies, principles and, most importantly, action steps that each of us can take to play a role in this Refounding.

- On August 28, 2010, I ask you, your family and neighbors to join me at the feet of Abraham Lincoln on the National Mall for the unveiling of The Plan and the birthday of a new national movement to restore our great country.

In or Out for Congress in 2010

Unless your congressman, congresswoman, or senator can't claim these 5 Pledges they are not worthy to represent you. Vote them out in 2010!

The Status of our Country

It took only 17 pages, from The U.S. Constitution, to create this great country of ours, and now it will be over 2,000 pages, from the New Health Care Bill in the Senate, to destroy it. Our President and many politicians in Washington D.C. want to create a fundamental transformation of America, that our Founding fathers fear the worse would happen. Our founding fathers created the U.S. Constitution to protect the people from the government. They originally created the Articles of Confederation, which had no centralized government with power. They created this first because of what they feared would happen when a government would have power over the people. Since the Articles of Confederation was to far as an anarchy, it fail. So then came the U.S. Constitution, which created a centralized government, but also included amendments that would stopped the government from taking away power from the people, and the people's power is freedom. With the New Health Care Bill being processed in the Senate right now and being pushed to be passed very soon, there is several things put in this bill that contradict what was put in our Constitution. Many of these politicians, including our President, were sworn into their positions by stating they would protect the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic. It is clear now they have no clue in what that means, they don't care what the Constitution says. Many of them would say it was written for the people back then, and today things need to be changed. There is so much corruption in Washington right now, if our founding fathers were alive they would be sick to their stomachs when they know what is happening to the nation they created.

I want to make something very clear. When they tell you of the importants of having health care for those who are not insured, that is their selling point. They say it is a right for the people to have health care; when you find that right in the U.S. Constitution let me know.

To help you understand better of why these people in Washington D.C. are pushing this Health Care Bill, you must first understand the mine of a Progressive. Most people when they hear someone is a progressive, it means they are a liberal, or a democrat, but they are not the same thing. Progressivism is not a party, it deals with the individual that seeks to redefine, reshape, and rebuild America. They what a country where individual liberties and personal property mean nothing. They want GOD out of the government and country, and want you to think they are your god.

The progressive movement began in the beginning of the 20th century. The core philosophy started as the role of government to be a Nanny State, where they believe all people are stupid and don't know what is best for them. The progressives then decided how you should live your life. The first waves came when they decided that we are drinking too much (they brought Prohibition), then they thought we were not praying enough taxes (they created the progressive income tax), and then they thought we were spending money on the wrong things (they produced redistribution through the tax code). I hope a lot of this is coming to light to you. They also hid themselves within both major parties, democrats and republicans. It is the reason when election time comes around, and you are left in deciding candidate A and candidate B. Most cases, you think to yourself you have to decide the lessor of two evils. For an example, this last election in 2008. You had Barack Obama, a radical left progressive, and then you had John McCain. John McCain was considered the "conservative" candidate, but he said that Theodore Roosevelt (one of the original progressives) was one of his favorite presidents. These two candidates may have appeared to come from two different political parties, but their philosophy of the role of government all came from the same corrupt place.

I will explain more about Progressivism in later posts to help you understand the battle we are embarked in now. But First, YOU must decided now, do you want freedom or bondage. Do you want the ability to fail and succeed, or do you want to be dependent on the government to decide for you. Do you want GOD to be a huge part in how you live your life, or do you want men and women in Washington D.C. be your gods.

I will conclude with some words from Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Adams. Franklin said, "only a virtuous people are capable of freedom." Samuel Adams said, "It is the greatest absurdity to suppose it would be in the power of one, or any number of men, at the entering into society, to renounce their essential natural rights, or the means of preserving those rights; when the grand end of civil government, from the very nature of its institution, is for the support, protection, and defense of those very rights; the principal of which...are life, liberty, and property. If men, through fear, fraud, or mistake, should in terms renounce or give up any essential natural right, the eternal law of reason and the grand end of society would absolutely vacate such renunciation. The right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of man to alienate this gift and voluntarily become a slave."

P.S. Do you want to know what new taxes are in this bill? Just download this link: WARNING!! MAKE SURE YOU HAVE DUCK TAPE TO WRAP YOUR HEAD, BECAUSE THIS INFORMATION MAY CAUSE YOUR HEAD TO EXPLODE! READ WITH CAUTION! http://www.atr.org/userfiles/111809pr-comptaxreid%282%29.pdf

Health Care to Die for!

Today's fact of the day is a fitting one for Friday the 13^th, since H.R. 3962 promises to deliver the grim reaper to any patient signed up for the government health plan. Under Section 240 of the bill, insurance companies are required to provide information on "end-of-life planning" to people who are looking to enroll in coverage offered by the health insurance exchange. In the final bill, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) decided to strip the broader protective language that was adopted in the Energy and Commerce Committee, which means that H.R. 3962 will mandate the distribution of end-of-life materials about assisted suicide options in Oregon and Washington. At the request of Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), the pro-euthanasia organization Compassion and Choices also added "advance care planning consultations" as a new optional Medicare-covered benefit. This would open the door for Medicare to pay for end-of-life consultations that include assisted suicide options in states where it is legal. Both provisions include language that claims these sections don't encourage the promotion of "suicide or assisted suicide." But in crafting their state laws, Oregon and Washington redefined the act of assisting in a suicide as "death with dignity," explicitly stating that such action is not legally considered assisted suicide-even though by medical definition that is exactly what it is. Think such rationing of care could never happen? It already has in Oregon, where patients were told their state provided insurance would not cover treatment but would gladly pick up the cost if they went the assisted suicide route. Just don't call them death panels...(FRC.org)

No Insurance? Go to Jail, Do Not Pass Go

Today's fact of the day on the recently passed health care bill, H.R. 3962 is don't have insurance? Pay a fine or go directly to jail. Under the House legislation "Americans who do not maintain acceptable health insurance coverage and who choose not to pay the bill's new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years." This is according to the non-partisan Congressional Joint Tax Committee, which also defines the penalties as a "tax." This applies to all American citizens, thus further breaking the President's promise of "[u]nder my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase." Additionally businesses could be fined up to 8 percent of their payroll if they fail to comply with the government mandate. There are also further penalties, or taxes, for underpayment or for "taking a frivolous position" on the government mandate. (FRC)

D.C. Tells Catholic Church: Comply or Bye Bye

The D.C. City Council took one step closer to allowing same sex "marriages" in the District of Columbia on Tuesday when they voted the legislation out of the Committee on Public Safety & Judiciary. The panel refused to include protections for religious organizations--putting at risk the numerous churches in the region that provide goods and services to the needy who would have to decide between their faith or compliance with the city's commands. One of the largest area provider of relief services, the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, took a stand yesterday, just as their counterparts in Massachusetts's had done in that state, and refused to back down to the D.C. Council's bullying tactics. The Catholic Church provides a wide range of direct services for those in need in our nation's capitol, including physical and mental health care, legal care, immigration, employment services, counseling, shelter, education, adoption, foster care and services for the developmentally disabled. During the committee proceedings many of the council members were openly mocking religious concerns and one councilman, David Catania, told those gathered that if people of faith refuse to comply with his demands, the city will find someone else to take over everything they do. That will be very difficult for the city to do for they will quickly find, without faith there is little good works. It is very telling of the priorities of these politicians who would put the desires of the homosexual community over the needs of the poor. (FRC)

Common Sense 101

It's Not the Money, It's the Rule of Law

The Progressive movement (which created the modern income tax under President Wilson) saw America as a democracy rather than what it really is: a Republic. The distinction is not subtle and our Founders were clear in the belief that a democracy always led to mob rule. But the Progressives (both Republican and Democrat) felt that democracy and socialism are twins since both ultimately had their power stem from the people. If the people felt that someone or some group made too much, they could level the playing field for the good of all.

The tax code has never really been about raising revenue as much as it is about punishing opponents, helping friends, or as President Obama says, instituting a system of "fairness." Government bailouts are similar. Did all of those companies really need that money, or was it in the government's interest to force it down their throats so they'd have some control over them?

Consider these examples of the Government seeking control:

• The U.S. House of Representatives used its power to target a group of AIG insurance executives who collected a bonus they were contractually and legally allowed to receive, by passing a bill that would have imposed a 90% retroactive tax on their bonus money.
• New York state attorney general Andrew Cuomo threatened to reveal the names of AIG employees who were paid a contractual bonus and wouldn't voluntarily return that money.
• GM was required to fire its CEO as a prerequisite to receiving any additional federal bailout money even though the CEO didn't engage in any criminal or corporate malfeasance.
• Banking executives were threatened to accept government bailout funds or risk increased scrutiny and audits.
• Government officials are seeking authority to seize any company that could pose---in their sole opinion---a "systemic" economic risk.
• The sacrosanct "secret ballot" is under assault by union leaders who feel it's more important to get new members than protect free elections.
• The government has suggested it will force states to accept federal stimulus money eve if they don't want it.
• The state of Connecticut has considered legislation that would retroactively raise the state income tax on high-wage earners.
• The rich are being vilified and targeted because they are rich. (Class warfare is always politically popular, but common sense tells us that people won't work if they can't keep what they earn. It also tells us that what starts as government taking on the "rich" always trickles down---remember, in 1913 the income tax was applied to only the wealthiest 1%).
• Executives at AIG, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac are all on the federal dole and have received billions in corporate welfare. Executives at all companies received bonuses, but while AIG executives were targeted by Congress and unions, executives at Fannie and Freddie received scant attention due to their ties to government.

Is any of this in accordance with the rule of law? These abuses must stop!

While our current president and political leaders repeatedly assure us that giving government more power is the only answer, George Washington calls out from the past to remind us that government itself is usually the problem: "Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action."

But an increasing number of Americans don't see it that way. A recent poll revealed that a slim 53% of Americans believe that "capitalism" is a better system than "socialism." A full 1/5 of Americans think that socialism is the better system and an embarrassing 27% are "not sure."

Wake up, America! You have bought into the lie that Capitalism is only about money, corporations, greedy businessmen, and corrupt politicians who cut backroom deals. Capitalism isn't about money, it's about Freedom---the freedom to try and fail that made the United States the richest industrial nation in the world by 1905 and the freedom that has kept us there ever since. (Glenn Beck, Common Sense) (photo: http://www.instantcreditapproval.com)

The Apprehension of a Shoplifter

I would like to share with you the story of me stopping a Shoplifter recently here at my work site, Sugar House Center. For several months now, I have been working as a Security Officer at a shopping center here in Salt Lake City, Utah. On a typical day, I patrol the shopping center throughout my shift. During those patrols I regularly deal with the homeless people migrating through the shopping center trying to beg customers for money, food, cigarettes, etc...aka panhandling, stopping teens on their skateboards, and then get rid of drunks and if necessary have the police come and take them away for public intoxication. But every once in a while, I get to chase down a shoplifter. First of all, I am technically not supposed to go after shoplifters, because of liability issues, but this time I took action. One of the many businesses at my work site is Toys"R"Us. They have had several cases of shoplifting in the past, and they were not able to do anything about it. Since our company have been here, we have been making in store patrols in order to show presence and deter anyone that may be thinking about shoplifting. This has decreased their shoplifting cases dramatically, but every once in a while they still will have a shoplifter. In those cases, I was only able to get to the area only in time to identify their vehicle and sometimes even their license plate #, but pretty much we never see them again.

A few Saturdays ago, I received a call of a man running out of their store with several items in his hands. As I was running towards Toys"R"Us, they told me that he was hiding on the back side corner of the building. As I got to the Toys"R"Us Parking Lot, one of the employees pointed out to me where the man was. I then approached the man from a distance and told him he needed to come with me. Immediately at that moment, he ran over to the fence and concrete wall, behind Toys"R"Us, and jumped over it. It was about a 20 foot drop into thick bushes. I then immediately called the police, as I ran around the wall. I wasn't going to put my body in danger, besides I knew I could catch up to him by going around. Once I got the SLCPD dispatch on the phone, I told them the details of the situation, and that I was tracking him down. Once I ran around the wall and down the road that was behind the building, I regained visual of the shoplifter. He was walking away into the North Parking Lot of my site. Since I had him in sight and he wasn't running away, I decided to keep my distance and keep him in view as I updated the Police of his location. A few minutes later, the shoplifter noticed I was behind him, and then I told him to STOP! He immediately ran across the street over to the other shopping center. He then ran down some stairs that went to a underground garage. I then decided this guy is going to get away for good if I don't run after him and stop him physically. After updating the Police, I ran across the street and down the stairs to the underground garage. My adrenaline was definitely pushing me now. When I got down to the underground garage, I cautiously entered the area and search for this man, since I didn't know if this guy had any weapons on him. Soon after, I spotted him walking up the ramp entrance to the garage from a distance, and then immediately ran after him. Once back on top, I found him next to Petco. I then grabbed his left upper arm in order to stop and detain him. He resisted for a while then got away. Since I had my phone, with SLCPD online, I only had one free hand. I couldn't hold him with just one hand, so I continued to follow him and repeated to command him to stop. Soon after, the security officer at this shopping center came by, and I gave him my phone to continue to update the police of our location, and so I would have both my hands free. I then was able to catch up to this guy just behind Men's Wearhouse, near by main road, Highland Dr. Once I caught up to him I grabbed him with both hands and told him to stay where he was. A few things were going in my head at that time. Making a decision on the spot on what action to take. After holding him and realizing he wasn't going to be very violent and had no signs of carrying any weapons, I decided to not handcuff him and just held him, so he wouldn't get away. He continued to resist me. Basically, for a good while, if was like we were opposite linemen in a football game, trying to out block the other, but it was going on for several minutes. Eventually the man gave up when I repeated to tell him I didn't need to hold him if he wasn't trying to get away, so he stopped and I moved him to the side by a wall. About 5 minutes after this, the police finally showed up, approximately 50 minutes from the point I initiated the phone call to the Police. This is SLCPD for you. Sometimes they are good on getting to the site pretty fast, but most of the time, unless it is a life threatening situation, they take forever to show up. This is why I took action to detain this guy, because I knew right away, the Police would get there long after this guy had got away. Anyways, once the Police got there, it was a female officer first and then a male officer pulled up a minute later. They then got my statement and search the guy. They found he had Ten X-Box 360 video games, still in the plastic cases, in his backpack. After searching him thoroughly, the male officer handcuffed and put him in his patrol car. I then ran back over to Toys"R"Us to meet the police up there. I got up there about the same time the police got up there. They then had the employees that witness this man steal the video games come out to identify him. The female officer then went inside to give the games back and get a total value on the games. The total came to just under $600. Since it was over $300, it was a second degree felony which is at least 1 year to no more than 15 years in jail. I hope this guy will learn his lesson. Overall, I received a lot of gratitude from the employees, especially the managers of Toys"R"Us, and continue to receive it today. Also, my manager was pleased, even though he told me I should have just let him go. My boss knows what goes on, and knows that when your in the situation, you naturally have the mentality to do the right thing or be the hero. But it is important to understand the difference between a security office and a police officer, because a lot of people don't understand clearly the difference.

As a Security Officer, I am still a citizen. The only type of arrest I can make is a citizen arrest, which can be done by anyone else as well. I can make a citizen arrest when I witness the act of a felony, like in this case Robbery. But since I didn't actually witness with my own eyes the act of theft, I technically couldn't make the arrest. There is a misunderstood line between law enforcement and security officers. For example, in this case, since I touched the shoplifter, he could, legally, file a suit against me. But it is really hard to make the case, since I did not injure him in anyway. Plus he was clearly guilty of the crime. And the having statements from witnesses of the situation, and having the Police support me, it was very, very unlikely I would hear from this guy again. But, just by chance I did, I wouldn't have the State to back me up, like with Law Enforcement who have authority. So, basically the responsibility of the Security Officer is to Deter, Detect, Observe and Report. Overall, the best part about this situation is that I felt good to apprehend a criminal, knowing that one of our clients, Toys"R"Us, feels more safe, and that I can get another bad guy off the streets. The other good part about this situation is that the word gets out pretty good on the streets here, and decrease the likely hood someone will try to do the same as this man did. So, as to quote Bruce Wayne, "I seek the means to fight injustice, to turn fear against those who prey on the fearful."

After 45 Years, Ronald Reagan is still remembered as the Father of Modern Day Conservatism

Televised Campaign Address for Goldwater Presidential Campaign - 10/27/64
Oh to have Ronald Reagan with us today. Take some time and absorb the great words of wisdom coming from this Great Man!

Common Sense 101

The Reshaping and Redefining of America

We did not vote to change the Republic, we voted to change Washington. We wanted the lies, corruption, and childish "but they started it" games to end. Instead we now see that things have only gotten worse and that the "change" the political elite think we wanted was the transition to a system based on entitlements and handouts. It is insult upon injury and a testament to just how out of touch with the common man our two parties have become.

Most Americans remain convinced that the country is on the wrong track. They know that SOMETHING JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT but they don't know how to describe it or, more importantly, how to stop it. But just because you may not know exactly what your gut is saying, doesn't mean what you're feeling is wrong. It's not. Something hasn't been right for a very long time.

Is common sense completely dead in America today? Did intellectual honesty have a moonlight clause? We don't have a shortage of capital or liquidity in this country; we have a shortage of honesty and trust. Where are the Americans who will stop talking about the president or the parties and instead start talking about right and wrong? Where are those who will stand up and say, "Common sense still lives at my house and it's about time it is applied again in Washington!"?

If you understand the threat to the Republic, it is your duty to wake up your neighbors by asking them to consider some simple questions:

• Do you trust those in power to always tell you the hard truth---especially if it would hurt them at election time?
• How is it possible that every president since Jimmy Carter has promised to lower our dependence on foreign oil, but now we import more oil than ever from countries that do us harm?
• Are we to honestly believe that the country that took the idea of a man walking on the moon and turned it into a reality within eight years, or the country that built a transcontinental railroad in seven years (without power tools or machines) doesn't have the ability to completely build the 670-mile fence along our southern border that was promised to us in 2005?
• Why are the same politicians who insist America is a "melting pot" the first ones to insist that different races, nationalities, and ethnicities retain their distinct languages, identities, and practices?
• Why are those who respectfully question the science behind global warming mocked and condemned?
• Do you believe that you elected representative view themselves as truly being "public servants" who place your well-being above their own?
• Do you believe that those in Washington see your face when they make decisions or, instead, the faces of those who richly contribute to their campaigns?
• Do you believe that our "public servants" have your best interests at heart and will defend your life, liberty, and property?

You know where you stand on these issues. You believe in the promise and future of America. You must heed the call of generations past and commit yourself to becoming part of America's solution. This will not be an easy or popular journey, but by now we've seen that the allure of the "easy" journey is wrong since it often means having to take an even more treacherous road home.

I am convinced that the source of our collective silence in the face of growing tyranny is not a failure to appreciate the importance of the fight or the threat we're facing. It's not a result of laziness or lack of patriotism, either. Our silence is due to our failure to see any problem or solution beyond partisan politics.

No longer! The light of common sense belongs to all of us, from every party---let us use it to uncover the challenges, treachery, and truth. (Common Sense, Glenn Beck)

Coming soon! Principles of Freedom 101

I will give some excerpts from the best book how our Country was created, and the principles and values that inspired our Founding Fathers in the process of creating This Great Nation we call America!

"Discover the 28 Principles of Freedom our Founding Fathers said must be understood and perpetuated by every people who desire peace, prosperity, and freedom. Learn how adherence to these beliefs during the past 200 years has brought about more progress than was made in the previous 5,000 years."

The 5,000 Year Leap

A Miracle That Changed The World

by W. Cleon Skousen

photo:Howard Chandler Christy's Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States

Common Sense 101

At the beginning of the Summer I began to pick up some personal reading. With all of the radical changes happening in Washington DC, I wanted to arm myself with knowledge in order to understand exactly what is happening right now, and what has happen since our founding fathers created this Country in order to destroy our liberties in which our founding fathers feared would happen. I started with Glenn Beck's Common Sense. What an a amazing book. Very easy read, just over 100 pages. I wanted to began a series of sharing with you some parts of this book. The great part about Glenn Beck's Common Sense is that it also includes Thomas Pain's Common Sense as well. It is interesting to experience the difference between the two, by seeing how one speaks back in the day. Glenn Beck's Common Sense gives us a case against an out-of-control government. I will start with some words from Glenn Beck as he start's his book.

"I think I know who you are.
After September 11, 2001, you thought our country had changed for the better. But the months that followed proved otherwise. We began to divide ourselves and the partisan bickering that had been absent from blood donor lines and church services started all over again.
You try to do the right thing every day. You work hard, you always try to do your best, and you play by the rules.
You turn on the television at the end of a long, tiring day and watch as endless analysts in left/right boxes argue about things done by bankers that, in retrospect, now seem implausible. You're worried about what's happening to our economy, but you're more worried about what it means for your family---and you're not sure what to do.
You don't think it's right that while you worked hard, lived prudently, and spent wisely, those who did the opposite are now being bailed out at your expense. You realize now that self-serving politicians and bankers built our financial system on a house of cards that, despite the cheery promises and rosy forecasts, is now collapsing.
Every night it seems you are faced with a choice: Do you unplug or do you speak out? Both of those options make you uncomfortable so you do neither...and you frustration continues to grow.
The fastest way to be branded a danger, a militia member, or just plain crazy is to quote the words of our Founding Fathers. I imagine that this is because words have consequences and the words and ideas that those men shared were revolutionary:

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

It is not time to dissolve the bands that connect us to one another, but it is time to dissolve the "political" bands that separate us from on another. Even if we disagree on politics, the phrase "I am an American" is not just a collection of words, it is the embodiment of an idea, one that has power only because "We the People" give it power. But somewhere along the way we've forgotten that, so we feel small and helpless as our country drifts away.
Perhaps what we need is a reminder. A reminder of who we are, who is really in control, and, most important, a reminder of how we got to a place that bears less and less resemblance to the America we remember from our childhoods. Let us start by doing what we've been trained for so long not to: let us declare the causes that unite us."

Words of Wisdom from President Ronald Wilson Reagan

As our President, and all of the Radical people that surround him in the White House continue this transformation of our America, I feel I want to share some facts to help all of you understand what is happening to our Country. I have been reading some great books lately that have given me a base to understand how our Country was truly founded and how far we have changed from what our founding fathers intended for this Country to be. To begin this series, I want to share with you some words of wisdom from a Great President, the Best President of my Lifetime, President Ronald Wilson Reagan. The latest task on President Obama's agenda of Transforming America is Universal Healthcare. Here Ronald Reagan explains to us his thoughts on Universal Healthcare and its means towards Socialism (Government having control over you). I think a lot of us have forgotten the time during the Reagan years, dealing with and experiencing the falling of the Soviet Union. What we can learn from Reagan's words will help us be more prepared so we don't wake up one day and say, "Where has the Country I grew up in gone?"

"Now back in 1927 an American socialist, Norman Thomas, six times candidate for president on the Socialist Party ticket, said the American people would never vote for socialism. But he said under the name of liberalism the American people will adopt every fragment of the socialist program.

There are many ways in which our government has invaded the precincts of private citizens, the method of earning a living. But at the moment I'd like to talk about another way because this trip is with us and at the moment is more imminent.

One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project. Most people are a little reluctant to oppose anything that suggests medical care for people who possibly can't afford it.

Now, the American people, if you put it to them about socialized medicine and gave them a chance to choose, would unhesitatingly vote against it. We had an example of this. Under the Truman administration it was proposed that we have a compulsory health insurance program for all people in the United States, and, of course, the American people unhesitatingly rejected this.

So with the American people on record as not wanting socialized medicine, Congressman Ferrand said, if we can only break through and get our foot inside the door, they can we can expand the program after that. Well, let's see what the socialists themselves had to say about it. They say once the Ferrand bill is passed, this nation will be provided with a mechanism for socialized medicine capable of indefinite expansion in every direction until it includes the entire population. Well, we can't say we haven't been warned.

James Madison in 1788, speaking to the Virginia Convention said: “Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations.”

Now in our country under our free enterprise system, we have seen medicine reach the greatest heights that it has in any country in the world. Today, the relationship between patient and doctor in this country is something to be envied any place. The privacy, the care that is given to a person, the right to chose a doctor, the right to go from one doctor to the other.

But let’s also look from the other side, at the freedom the doctor loses. A doctor would be reluctant to say this. Well, like you, I am only a patient, so I can say it in his behalf. The doctor begins to lose freedoms; it’s like telling a lie, and one leads to another. First you decide that the doctor can have so many patients. They are equally divided among the various doctors by the government. But then the doctors aren’t equally divided geographically, so a doctor decides he wants to practice in one town and the government has to say to him you can’t live in that town, they already have enough doctors. You have to go someplace else. And from here it is only a short step to dictating where he will go.

This is a freedom that I wonder whether any of us have the right to take from any human being.

In this country of ours, took place the greatest revolution that has ever taken place in world’s history. The only true revolution. Every other revolution simply exchanged one set of rulers for another. But here for the first time in all the thousands of years of man’s relation to man, a little group of the men, the founding fathers for the first time – established the idea that you and I had within ourselves the God given right and ability to determine our own destiny.

This freedom was built into our government with safeguards. We talk democracy today. And strangely we let democracy begin to assume the aspect of majority rule is all that is needed. Well, majority rule is a fine aspect of democracy, provided there are guarantees written in to our government concerning the rights of the individual and of the minorities.

What can we do about this? Well, you and I can do a great deal. We can say right now that we want no further encroachment on these individual liberties and freedoms and that you demand the continuation of our traditional free enterprise system. You and I can do this. The only way we can do it is by writing to our congressmen, even if we believe that he's on our side to begin with, write to strengthen his hand. Write those letters now. Call your friends and tell them to write. If you don't, this program, I promise you, will pass just as surely as the sun will come up tomorrow. And behind it will come other federal programs that will invade every area of freedom as we have known it in this country... until one day as Norman Thomas said, we will awake to find that we have socialism. And if you don't do this and if I don't do it, one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it once was like in America when men were free."

Getting back in the groove

First of all, I want to apologize for not posting anything for the last couple of months. I just had other things going on, specifically spending some final moments with Tahsha before she left on her Mission to Melbourne, Australia. Plus, I kind of misplace my blogging grove. So, I'm getting back in the groove now. A lot has happen in our world since I last posted anything. First of all, I would love to give some wonderful news about Papa. There is a miracle in SLC, UT. Back in the early spring, Papa was struggling to recover from his fall he had recently after his back surgery. He ended up pinching some nerves in his lower back. This cause him to loose a lot of his feeling and strength of his legs. The Doctors stated that he would most likely not walk again, just because of how difficult it is for nerves to heal. Plus if he didn't show any improvement after 6 months, then it is very likely he will not have any improvement at all. I remember, even though there was a bad news from the Doctors and Nana feeling very stressed with the fact that Papa could never walk again, Papa never showed any pessimism of any kind. Shortly after, Papa received a blessing from his Bishop. In that blessing, the Bishop not only blessed Papa to be able to walk again, he stated that there will be miracles being shown through his family. Not much time after that blessing, Uncle Rob had a Heart Attack. This was definitely a miracle. By having friends near by to take him to the hospital, and to have one out of two of the only Doctors at that hospital who new the exact procedure in order to save his life, this was a miracle. Not far after Papa received that blessing from his Bishop, Elder Holland (who lives in the same condo as Nana & Papa) found out about Papa's condition. He came and gave Papa a blessing. And in that powerful blessing, Elder Holland said he would walk again. After those blessings, Papa began a daily routine, except on Sundays, of going in his swimming pool at the condo, and doing several exercises in the water in order to get his leg strength back. I would assist him every morning for several months in helping him get to and from the swimming pool and also in and out of the swimming pool. Month after month, I was blessed to witness a miracle in the works. Noticing his improvements that no one really witness in person. The biggest improvements has happen in the last couple of months. He began to get in and out of the pool all by himself, and finally getting his power chair which has done a lot of good. It was just a few weeks ago when Papa took his first few steps on his own without any assists of any kind. Just over the last weekend, Nana & Papa had their Bishop and wife come over. They haven't seen him walk yet. When they came inside, Papa came out, surprised them as he walked several steps in order to come to the Bishop and give him a hug. There was tears coming down all over in that room. Just recently as well, Papa was walking back from swimming with his roller walker, and meet up with Elder Holland by the elevator. Once Papa showed Elder Holland him walking all by himself without assistants Elder Holland got emotional, and told Papa he was his hero. It isn't often when you receive a blessing from an Apostle, and then be told by him that you are his Hero. I know miracles are happening in our day, even more often during the time when the savior was on earth.

Steven's Blessing

Townhall or Townbrawl?

Being home is no picnic for the Democrats in charge, as one blogger makes abundantly clear in a home video taken during a recent townhall meeting on health care. In a packed gymnasium, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Penn.) and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius were booed so loudly that you can barely hear their answers to some basic questions. The comments that were audible only managed to cause more outrage.

One audience member asked how Americans can be confident in Congress to reform the health care system when members won't even read the legislation. Sebelius's response? "I'm not a member of Congress," which apparently absolves her from understanding the $1 trillion plan her Department will be tasked with implementing. That answer is still better than Sen. Specter's explanation, which was, "...[W]e have to make judgments very fast, and every bill is... understood by me before I vote." Sebelius tried to interrupt the hissing crowd but her defense of Senate Democrats was almost impossible to hear amid the jeering.

Of course, the mainstream press would have us believe through carefully choreographed broadcasts that Americans are perplexed but receptive to the White House plan. Producers have been wary to air anything but footage of the President in a controlled townhall environment, where he answers softball questions from a handpicked crowd. The media may show the grassroots as an agreeable bunch on the President's proposal, but as you'll see from the video on Panzramic, these public forums are turning into a public relations nightmare for the liberals in power.

In "Townhalls gone wild," Politico chronicles another side of the debate that includes "screaming constituents, protestors dragged out by the cops, [and, sad to say] congressmen fearful for their safety." More Democrats are canceling meetings, concerned about "angry, sign-carrying mobs" that greeted a long list of their colleagues including: Reps. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.), Thomas Perriello (D-Va.), Allen Boyd (D-Fla.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), and Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.). Bishop, who was escorted away by police after his meeting got out of hand, said, "I have no problem with someone disagreeing with positions I hold. But I also believe no one is served if you can't talk through your differences."

Unfortunately, Americans are talking. The leadership just refuses to listen. Until it does, House and Senate Democrats can expect a long, uncomfortable August where the temperatures outside are nothing compared to the heat they're feeling inside their District offices. FRC has posted a schedule of townhall meetings across the country and sample questions you can ask. Please make a point of going to the forums near you and share--in a respectable manner--your thoughts with your congressman. While you're at it, why not bring your video camera?

Fun with My Nephews

Great Fun with Family in Coeur d'Alene, ID

Remembering our Founding Fathers

I know this is a little delayed, but I wanted to post this on the 4th of July, Independence Day. Here is a email I got from Glenn Beck, and I wanted to share with everyone.

Hello America, Here it is, another Fourth of July. Traditionally, this is a day to gather with friends, maybe fire up the barbeque and play with kids until the sun sets and the fireworks start. But in thinking back on the meaning behind this day, we must never forget that our nation was baptized in the blaze of a very different kind of "fireworks." Yes, this is a day of rest and relaxation, as well it should be, but this year…I'd like to ask you a favor. At some point during the day, I hope you'll take time to think and reflect on what it is we're truly celebrating on the 4th of July -- our Independence Day. Of course the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th, 1776 but it's so much more than that. On this day, 233 short years ago, a small group of men dedicated themselves to a higher purpose, an ideal they believed in so greatly, they signed their name to its expression and in doing so put their very lives at risk. Never has a simple act of signing one's name carried such weight, such a profound commitment. By signing the Declaration of Independence, 56 men stood in direct defiance of the British government. They became marked men, and willingly so. As I was doing some research on the significance of July 4th, I came across some interesting facts about these men. Today as we all enjoy the freedom our forefathers guaranteed us, join me in honoring the extraordinary sacrifice of 56 extraordinary Americans. Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence: Five were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes burned to the ground. Two lost sons serving in the Revolutionary Army, and two more had sons captured. Nine fought and died in the Revolutionary War.

If you ever feel like your lone voice can never be heard, that the political system isn't set up for "regular" Americans to change the course of history, remember: The signers were flesh and blood, mortal men with a divinely-inspired aim. Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists, eleven were merchants, and nine were farmers and large plantation owners. They were well educated, smart enough to know that by signing the Declaration of Independence, they were signing their own death warrants. They did it anyway, and God bless them for it. As we enjoy our liberty on this 4th of July, or any day of any month, we must never take that liberty for granted. Too many have given too much. In the words of the Signers themselves, "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." Their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor -- I think that's a price paid worth a few minutes of reflection, don't you? But let's not be solemn in that reflection. I say rejoice and share this information with your friends and family, especially your kids. The Signers asked for nothing in return for their pledge, but I say that we show our thanks with a pledge of our own: To remember, to be grateful, and to carry on in their spirit. America is the greatest country this world has ever and will ever know, and it will stay that way so long as "we the people" remember that just like in 1776. It's US that surrounds them, and we'll never back down. Happy Independence Day, and God bless America. Glenn

May we also remember that Independence Day is significant for when we were getting away from a centralized government, Britain. May we not become a Dependent Nation, a nation that falls into the same way of life we fought a war to become free from. I hope we remain a Independent Nation, not a Nation that has become Dependent. Dependent on our Government to run our lives. I Love my Country, and I know it was created with direct inspiration from God.

Justin