One Possible Future

UPDATE: In the year since this was posted, it doesn’t seem quite so radical. The Gulf oil spill is the latest crisis being used against the American people.  Every day, I fear that we are one step closer to what at one time was unthinkable…

Explore with me one possible future:

“Now for tonight’s headlines.”  The newscaster took a deep breath and sighed uncharacteristically before he continued.  “With the support of all unions, the president has declared the Constitution invalid.  Here’s the Rose Garden press conference…”

“In the interest of global unity, I have declared the Constitution of the United States null and void.  It is no longer practical to allow the citizens to believe they have any influence on the future course of this nation.  We have a greater good we must deal with,” the president paused for dramatic effect, “and I will share what this actually is as you need to know.  Trust me.  In the mean time, I will be the absolute final authority on the American economy and the American people.  All voting will be suspended until further notice.

Now that there is healthcare for all, we need to control the costs.  Everyone is going to have to be realistic in their expectations for their healthcare outcome.  So, there will be mandatory genetic screening, if you have a genetic pre-disposition towards cancer, heart disease or obesity, we will ask you to report immediately for counseling and treatment.  This way we can assure that no one who deserves excellent healthcare will be denied.  Funerals will, of course, be covered by the Single-Payer option.

As for our carbon output, it is time for all Americans to tighten their belts once again.  To discourage the irresponsible use of electricity, we will add an additional 50% surcharge to your bill to help you remember what you’re doing to the earth.  I know there are Internet rumors that claim that Global Warming isn’t based in fact, but we’re going to err on the side of caution and make sure that we win this fight.  Also, all southern states, I know it’s summer, but you can’t go expecting a/c every day, all day.  You’ll just have to go green or get hot.  And since we’re already taxing all American’s in every way we can think of, you probably can’t afford it.”

You are probably thinking, the extreme picture I’ve painted for you above just isn’t possible.  However, it is just one of the many possible futures for America from the cross roads we are standing in.  Before you discount it completely, just think about the fact that the House of Representatives passed CAP and TRADE even though there are studies by MIT and other well respected scientists that say all we are seeing is the normal global cycles of warming and cooling.  Since it is widely accepted that there were at least four major ice ages, it is only logical that there were periods of global warming in between.

Instead, consider what is the motivation for those who are behind the strong push for policy change.  Money and power are at the root of everything we’re seeing.  When the dust settles, we’ll see who made the best deals and won at the expense of the American people.  The winners may be political powers from other nations, union executives and the Washington toads that have sold us out for personal or political gain.  Worse than what I’ve already described, now consider this. Is it that great a stretch of the imagination to believe that there are those in power who would gladly sell America’s future out and have us take on not only a global currency, as they have already alluded to, but come under the authority of a One World Government?

We have an obligation to the Founding Fathers of this nation, to our children and to each other to not sit idly by and watch as our Constitutional rights are systematically dismantled.  Unless We The People stand up and object loudly to what is transpiring in Washington, we will loose the right to disagree, to speak out against, to keep and bear arms and to keep the fruit of our own labors.

Cross-Posted at DirtyRottenScoundrels

Socialist Attack on the Constitution

Our form of government was set up to have built in checks and balances so that no one body within the government could get so powerful they could ignore the Constitution and the will of the people.  Congress, the President and the Supreme Court individually have powers the others don’t.  Ideally, out of control behavior would cause the other two branches to stand up for the interests of the people.  We The People have to remain watchful.  If officials aren’t honoring their duty to the citizens of our nation, it is our duty to call them to task.

The often discounted and overlooked final check and balance on our government is We The People.  Our right to keep and bear arms is addressed in the 2nd Amendment.  The authors of the Constitution realized that if people should ever be denied the right to fight, the balance of power is shifted.  Any measure that takes away the right to keep and bear arms threatens the balance that keeps bullies from imposing their will indefinitely.

With the events that are occurring right before our eyes, we can’t take lightly the wisdom and the forethought given to our Constitution.  Wise men, who could not have imagined the technologies and advances we’ve made since 1776, crafted a document that would protect future generations from tyranny.

Many states are passing resolutions that re-assert the Constitutional rights reserved to the states and to the people in response to the unprecedented actions being taken by the President and Democratically controlled congress.  Bailouts, healthcare, and special interest pork spending are not in the interest of the American people.

There are individuals that have a socialist agenda who are systematically attacking our Constitutional rights.  If We The People don’t stand up and re-assert our rights as American citizens, we will soon loose the right to speak up and have a dissenting opinion.

Cross Posted on Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

10th Amendment & Socialism

Socialism: An economic system in which the basic means of production are primarily owned and controlled collectively, usually by government under some system of central planning.

Recently, a British retired physician needed an MRI.  Back home, it was going to be an incredible wait and this exam was to diagnose a life threatening condition.  If he were right, he would not survive the wait.  It was cheaper and faster to come to America to pay cash for an MRI than to work within the British nationalized healthcare system or outside the system and jeopardize any future coverage.

Is this what you want?  No matter how evil our current heath care system in America is portrayed to be, it is still the best in the word.  If our heath care were to be a single-payer system, this will bring us to the lowest common denominator.  A bureaucrat will decide whether or not you qualify for care.  What if you were the one deemed “not worth the investment” because your BMI isn’t within the guidelines?  When they embrace rationing as a cost cutting measure any one of us could be in the same position as the retired physician who came to America to get what he needed.

We all have to take a personal responsibility for the quality of our lives.  If we are going to have the best of everything, it will require working for it.  Today Star Parker in her weekly column had much to say about the uninsured.  We need to pay attention to her because she is a woman who has transformed her life by getting off welfare and getting an education:

During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama said “The reason people don’t have health insurance isn’t because they don’t want it. It’s because they can’t afford it.”

This is largely not true.

According to a new study from the Employment Policy Institute, authored by two economists from City University of New York (one, June O’Neill, spent four years as head of the Congressional Budget Office), 43 percent of the 47 million can afford insurance and choose not to purchase it.

According to 2007 census data, 20 percent of uninsured households earn over $75,000.

Regarding the remaining 57 percent, the authors call them “involuntarily” uninsured because they can’t afford insurance. But “involuntarily” is also a misnomer, because it implies no connection in how they choose to live to the fact that they can’t afford insurance.

The study provides the following portrait of this population: About a third are high school dropouts; they are disproportionately young; about a third are immigrants, mostly Hispanic non-citizens; about half are single without children; about 40 percent did not work during the year.

Pulling immigrants out of the equation, we’re left with an uninsured population that can’t afford insurance that is about a third the size of the widely quoted 47 million. It’s a population that is generally poor, young, uneducated, and not working.

We’re already set up to deal with these folks. Either through Medicaid or covering their emergency room visits. The operative question is do we want to further institutionalize this reality into a new national health care plan involving trillions in new taxes and programs.

I think the answer is clear: No.

(www.urbancure.org is Star Parker’s website)

The question that must be asked is why?  Why is it so important to Mr. Obama and his cronies that this agenda is passed in such a hurry?  Why do they want us all dependent on the federal government?  Because if America wakes up, their power will be taken back where it should be to the states and to the people.

10^th Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

What this means is that We The People must speak up.  The Federal Government doesn’t have the right to force socialized health care on us because it wasn’t specifically given that power by the Constitution.  According to the 10^th Amendment.  If a power wasn’t specifically given, then it is reserved to the State or to the people.  Therefore, it is outside the powers of the Federal Government to force this legislation on the US citizens.

Fax, call, email or sky-write your Congressmen and keep putting the pressure on.  Say NO to socialized healthcare!

Socialism: An economic system in which the basic means of production are primarily owned and controlled collectively, usually by government under some system of central planning.

Recently, a British retired physician needed an MRI.  Back home, it was going to be an incredible wait and this exam was to diagnose a life threatening condition.  If he were right, he would not survive the wait.  It was cheaper and faster to come to America to pay cash for an MRI than to work within the British nationalized healthcare system or outside the system and jeopardize any future coverage.

Is this what you want?  No matter how evil our current heath care system in America is portrayed to be, it is still the best in the word.  If our heath care were to be a single-payer system, this will bring us to the lowest common denominator.  A bureaucrat will decide whether or not you qualify for care.  What if you were the one deemed “not worth the investment” because your BMI isn’t within the guidelines?  When they embrace rationing as a cost cutting measure any one of us could be in the same position as the retired physician who came to America to get what he needed.

We all have to take a personal responsibility for the quality of our lives.  If we are going to have the best of everything, it will require working for it.  Today Star Parker in her weekly column had much to say about the uninsured.  We need to pay attention to her because she is a woman who has transformed her life by getting off welfare and getting an education:

During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama said “The reason people don’t have health insurance isn’t because they don’t want it. It’s because they can’t afford it.”

This is largely not true.

According to a new study from the Employment Policy Institute, authored by two economists from City University of New York (one, June O’Neill, spent four years as head of the Congressional Budget Office), 43 percent of the 47 million can afford insurance and choose not to purchase it.

According to 2007 census data, 20 percent of uninsured households earn over $75,000.

Regarding the remaining 57 percent, the authors call them “involuntarily” uninsured because they can’t afford insurance. But “involuntarily” is also a misnomer, because it implies no connection in how they choose to live to the fact that they can’t afford insurance.

The study provides the following portrait of this population: About a third are high school dropouts; they are disproportionately young; about a third are immigrants, mostly Hispanic non-citizens; about half are single without children; about 40 percent did not work during the year.

Pulling immigrants out of the equation, we’re left with an uninsured population that can’t afford insurance that is about a third the size of the widely quoted 47 million. It’s a population that is generally poor, young, uneducated, and not working.

We’re already set up to deal with these folks. Either through Medicaid or covering their emergency room visits. The operative question is do we want to further institutionalize this reality into a new national health care plan involving trillions in new taxes and programs.

I think the answer is clear: No.

(www.urbancure.org is Star Parker’s website)

The question that must be asked is why?  Why is it so important to Mr. Obama and his cronies that this agenda is passed in such a hurry?  Why do they want us all dependent on the federal government?  Because if America wakes up, their power will be taken back where it should be to the states and to the people.

10^th Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

What this means is that We The People must speak up.  The Federal Government doesn’t have the right to force socialized health care on us because it wasn’t specifically given that power by the Constitution.  According to the 10^th Amendment.  If a power wasn’t specifically given, then it is reserved to the State or to the people.  Therefore, it is outside the powers of the Federal Government to force this legislation on the US citizens.

Fax, call, email or sky-write your Congressmen and keep putting the pressure on.  Say NO to socialized healthcare!

Cross-Posted on CariRay

Citizens Come First!

California farmers are watching their crops wither and die because of the Delta Smelt,  a fish that was added to the endangered species list.  Because of this otherwise innocuous act, the pumps were turned off that fed all of the irrigation waters for the San Joaquin Valley and the canals have dried up.  Now unemployment in this area is up and it’s a man-made drought.  Since when do fish come before the tax-paying citizens of the United States?

We The People better sit up and take note.  The Federal Government has sided with a fish ahead of the general welfare of the taxpayers in that area.  How long will it be before you find yourself in the same position?  How long will it be before Washington takes over the failing agriculture communities because they are too big to fail?  So far, 80,000 jobs have been lost according to Fox News.  Beyond the jobs, those salaries are no longer paying bills, buying groceries and clothes.  When we’re in economic trouble already, it doesn’t make sense to kick them while they’re down.  The excuse is an endangered fish, but it is no longer impossible to believe that another industry could be nationalized for the good of We The People.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty  and the pursuit of Happiness. – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”

~~The Declaration of Independence

July 4, 1776

Our country was founded on the ideal that leaders only lead with the consent of We The People.  They are to act in our best interest, not their own.  When we see the personal interests of politicians, because they have worked so hard to earn the title “Senator”, come before the interests of the American people it is time to remind Washington who they work for.  The unemployed citizens of Mendota, who are apparently less important than a fish, need to hear from the rest of We The People that they are not alone.  Call, Fax, E-mail, write, sky-write, or tweet your representatives in Washington.  Don’t let the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels get by with deliberately hurting tax paying citizens’ futures.  This is a nation by the people, for the people and of the people.  It is irresponsible to hurt so many with an avoidable drought.

Don’t be fooled and think you will not be next.  Speak up or loose it forever.

Cross-posted on DirtyRottenScoundrels

Personal Responsibility

Consequences to our individual choices are inevitable. If you touch a hot iron, you are going to get burned. If you jump off a cliff…

Here we are, on the edge of that cliff called socialism. The question is are we going to get pushed?  Right now, we are talking about all of the uninsured Americans that need access to good health care.  Having been on the periphery of the health care industry for more than a decade now, I can tell you there are many programs that are already in place to help those in need. You have Medicaid, Medicare, CHIPS and county health care centers providing for those needs.

If this nation jumps off the cliff of socialism by pursuing the health care plans being torpedoed through the system, we will be making an irresponsible choice.  The proposed cost can’t be covered without confiscatory taxes to avoid new debt.  The people of this nation trusted Congress to guard our interests and protect our prosperity.  For this nation to survive, each of us will have to accept responsibility for the quality of our lives.

“It is important that we begin to unpack those challenges that confront this nation and realize that we each have a role that requires us to change and become more responsible for shaping our own future.”

~~Hillary Rodham Clinton

“Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.”

~~ Booker T. Washington

There are no guaranteed outcomes in life.  Texans showed during Hurricane Ike that neighbors can help each other during desperate times.  Rather than looking to the government to fix every problem that we face, it is time to remember the pioneering spirit that allowed us to settle this country.  No apologies.  It took individual responsibility to survive.  There was no safety net.

Its high time for the whining to stop.  Entitlements are bad all around.  For the recipient, it enables irresponsible behavior.  For the taxpayer, it robs them of the fruit of their  own labor.  Instead of coddling everyone dependent on the entitlements, its time for some tough love.  Every parent knows that for your children to walk, eventually you have to let go.  They may fall down a few times, but eventually they will succeed.

Since our Constitution does not guarantee an income, government should not be in the charity business.  No entitlement should continue indefinitely.  This is an unfair burden on the citizens of this country.

Cross Posted @ DirtyRottenScoundrels

Between Wyomings by Ken Mansfield

Ken Mansfield takes us on the meandering journey that ultimately allowed him to be whole in God.  This journey also gives the reader a colorful behind-the-scenes look at the music industry.  His personal successes fill in the pages between the moments he captures the essence of how everyone has felt at one time or another in their walk with God.

Oddly enough, I think the big reason I love Him so much is because He doesn’t always know before He enters.  He loves to just storm into my deepest parts and start turning over tables, clearing spaces, and setting things free.

Connie and Moses accompany Ken silently across the country as he searches for peace after the news that he has an incurable form of cancer.  The random music on the iPods trigger the memories of his music executive/record producer career.  Most of the stories he tells are about people and bands that almost everyone has heard of.  The journey takes him back to the various locations that had been important to him throughout his wild ride in the music industry.

This is an interesting read.  The book’s focus was on his inward journey towards fulfillment.  The many different stories about the artists and the situations he found himself in help to explain where he was emotionally throughout his remembrances.  The slow pace of the book reflected the pace of his life at the time.  Sometimes, I did end up wondering where all of this would lead.  In the end, all the snippets of his life were tied together in the last few pages where his God filled the empty places.

Other Book Reviews

A Beautiful Passing

I recently had shared with me, by a very strong Christian man, the most beautiful story about the death his wife.  He shared with us the short fight with metastatic cancer she had finally succumbed to.  With tears spilling down his cheeks and a huge smile on his face, he told us of the final journey he and his wife shared.

They spent the last month together in the hospital room which would ultimately be a one way trip.  Their faith spilled over into the hospital staff around them.  They would come her room and pray with them for the wisdom of the doctors and sing in the Spirit as they came in and out of the room as their lives momentarily touched.  Even though the various treatments did not improve her state, she continued to defy the odds in that she remained coherent to the very end.

Eventually, he told us about knowing it would be their last day together.  No man could have predicted the day since she was still completely aware and engaged with her surroundings.   He just knew that one way or the other they would be leaving the hospital that day.  Either God would heal her and they would return home together or God would take her home.

The tears spilled down his rugged face as he told us of the gut-wrenching pain he felt.  He knew there was nothing wrong with him.  Even still, he looked down to see if he could see his shirt and stomach being bunched up and torn apart.  God reminded him that he had made them one-flesh and had to separate them to take her home.

They shut the door and said goodbye while she was still quite coherent.  She was laying back with her eyes closed as her vital signs began to deteriorate.  Later, he said that right before her final breaths, her eyes suddenly opened; like she was looking up.  Then she closed her eyes again and was gone.

It was a beautiful passing in that this fine woman of God knew without a doubt that she was going to be with the Lord.  It was a beautiful passing because she and her husband of 25 years shared this final journey together sharing their faith along the way.  It was a beautiful passing because, while he’s not sure what he’s going to do without her, he is at peace.

A New Reality In California?

Who could have thought that some solid leadership based on reality could possibly be originating in California?  The usual brand of leadership that comes from the left coast leads people merrily down the path of social destruction through the gradual erosion of their values.  Once the shock value is gone in the theaters and on TV, people stop reacting to the previously unthinkable.

First Miss California took a stand based on her values with the outcome that her stand would not be popular with the “gentleman” who asked her question for the peagent.  I was proud of her for taking a side.

Now, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken the reality of the economic mess California finds itself in to heart when he spoke to the legislature.

Today I want to talk about financial crisis. Three months ago the members of this body came together to set aside their ideological differences and did what they believed was best for California. We solved $36 billion of a $42 billion deficit.

But as you know, part of our budget agreement required us, by law, to go back to the people for approval, right at a time when the people wanted to send Sacramento a powerful message. And that message was clear: Do your job. Don’t come to us with those complex issues. Live within your means. Get rid of the waste and inefficiencies and don’t raise taxes.

Now, as I stand here today, we are in the midst of the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. in the past 18 months one-third of the world’s wealth has vanished. And because of that and because of California’s outdated and volatile tax system, our revenues have dropped 27 percent  from last year.

It doesn’t take a whole bunch of imagination to see the writing on the wall.  Tough choices have to be made in order to stay afloat.  The same sort of choices Washington would have to make if it couldn’t just spend all they want…they’ll print more.

Now, at the same time, we cannot take this budget and make it just about cuts. There are also some great opportunities here for structural reform. Like Winston Churchill said, “A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity but an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

So we can all pray that California is successful in re-inventing their state spending habits.  If they are successful, they may have paved the way to a return to reality for the rest of the country.  One firm example of rising above and dealing with the issues reasonably should be an inspiration to the rest of the nation.

Talk is cheap, and until all of the governors dig in and tell Washington thanks, but no thanks, the wild orgy of spending will go unabated.  The states could shame Washington into doing what they should have in the first place.

We are not a nation of victims.  None of us should be looking to any government entity to solve our problems.  Instead, the American pioneering spirit that has laid dormant for generations should be re-ignited.  We each need to hold ourselves accountable for our own choices.

More importantly, we need to hold our elected representatives accountable for theirs.  We can’t allow them to side-step the laws that have been put into place.  Rushing bills through Congress, bailout/bankruptcy deals and removing business leaders without due process is abuse of power.  Our freedom came at a great price, we need to guard it as the priceless heirloom it truly is.  Washington needs to be taken to task for their choices.  Do not remain silent and wonder what happened.  Speak up and speak out for your Constitutional rights and the future of your nation.

Is This America?

I am standing in total disbelief about the events I am witnessing here in America.

• For reasons I cannot comprehend, the media is ignoring the import of what is going on in our country.  They attack anyone who doesn’t agree with the President or his policies.  Anyone with an opposing voice is shouted down and belittled.
• A California pastor and his wife were told they needed a very expensive permit to have a bible study in their home (12- 15 people) because it was a religious gathering.  This is a Constitutional right being abused.
• For the 2010 Census, “Right Wing Extremists” are being excluded from participating as census takers.  This is significant because then who will be able to argue when redistricting happens and conservatives loose what little representation they have in Washington.
• A president of the United States has side-stepped the bankruptcy process that is already in place to be able to dictate the will of the UAW and other special interests with GM.  GM filed for bankruptcy with a commitment of $50 Billion dollars for a $500 Million dollar company in US tax dollars.
• The Service Employees Union had a direct line to the White House when the California Governor slashed wages in an effort to balance the CA budget shortfalls.  Later SEU bragged they had raised 60.7 Million dollars and put Mr. Obama in office.
• A president of the United States has roamed around the globe apologizing for America when in fact the US and Great Brittan have done more to further the cause of oppressed individuals than all other nations.  The president has made us look weak enough that Korea is ignoring our pleas to end the nuclear testing.
• America has turned it’s back on Isreal.  The Israeli’s are not the agressors.  Why has our policy changed.
• A woman nominated for Supreme Court of the United States is presented  based on her empathy.  The fact that she has made a statement before a Latino organization that stated that “A wise Latina woman” is more qualified to determine Constitutionality than a “white male”.  There is no sugar coating that remark.  It was said. There is no context that will help it either.
• June 2009 was just named as Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Pride Month.  I am concerned when we are celebrating what used to be called sin.  I know that there are some who will say that I am intolerant because I cannot embrace that way of life.  I am sorry if  you feel that way.  I can love the sinner even if I can’t accept the sin.  I am not perfect and don’t pretend to be so.
• Our deluded elected officials have bought into the idea that we can spend our way out of our economic mess.  Can anyone explain to me how we are going to add interest onto funds we don’t already have and NOT raise taxes?  The bill will come due.  Right now China is holding a lot of our debt.  When they decide to stop playing, our house of cards will collapse and we will become a 3rd world nation over night.
• The Constitution and the ideals our Founding Fathers used to form this nation have been thrown out in favor of Socialism.  No matter what you call it, if you take away the fruits of their labors from the people creating wealth and working hard to give as entitlements to those who are less fortunate it’s not democracy.

These are just a few of the current events that cause me to loose confidence that I am still in America.  The America that I love deeply is one that adhere’s to the Constitution, respects the individual rights of it’s citizens and does what is right and honorable and good in the world.  The America I grew up in valued traditional marriage, solid education and excellence in all things.  The America I know is one where it’s citizens are proud of their heritage and confident in their future.  The America that I will mourn for will cease to exsist if we do not stop being the SILENT MAJORITY.

Keep in mind, there is no more time.  If you don’t think you can make a difference, think again.  America needs a grass roots reminder to Congress and the President – “You work for us.”  We cannot silently sit back and accept these blatant abuses of power.  It is important that you speak up and be counted.  God Bless America.