Archive for the ‘Democracy/Government’ Category

“to provide for the…general welfare of the United States”

Our Founding Fathers fought the Revolutionary War to free us from a government that controlled our lives.  They created the United States of America with a Constitution granting specific, limited powers to the government, guaranteeing that “We the people” controlled the government.  So how does Congress regularly circumvent the Constitution, expanding their power without “We […]

God bless America

Is the day coming when we must say “In nothing we trust,” or “So help me nothing,” or “Nothing bless America?”  Educators in Woodbury, Vermont cowered to such demands and make students who want to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to do so away from the classroom, so no one can hear the word God.  […]

What really happened November 4th?

What really happened on November 4th?  Whom did we elect as President?  Did we elect a liberal, leftist, socialist President; a gun control President or a welfare President?  Maybe we elected an African-American President, a hyphenated President that Theodore Roosevelt expressed displeasure with in a speech in 1915 saying, “There is no room in this […]

The fraud of socialism

Leicester University in England recently ranked Denmark as the happiest country.  What is their secret?  By their own admission they are a socialist, welfare state providing everything for everyone from birth to death.  And they freely, almost proudly admit they pay for it with the highest income taxes in the world.  Were we wrong to […]

Socialism or democracy – we choose

Who should pay taxes and how much of their income should they pay in taxes?  What is fair?  Should everyone pay the same percentage of their income in taxes, or should the percentage increase as their income increases?  If everyone paid the same percentage of their income in taxes, the more you earned the more […]

Who should pay to rebuild following natural disasters?

Did our Founding Fathers intend for the government to take care of us when a disaster strikes?  Is the federal government the correct resource for disasters?  Is managing the aftermath of disasters a Constitutional responsibility of the federal government?  Do individuals or local communities have any responsibility?  Is the government the most efficient and cost […]

Edward Bushell and the power of juries

Can a citizen exert power over the government?  Can a citizen be protected from government enacting bad law?  Can a citizen do anything about bad law?  Does the jury represent the citizen, the government, the court, or do they represent the Constitution of the United States of America?  Does the jury answer to the court […]

We need to return to a citizen government

Our Founding Fathers believed serving as President or in Congress was a duty to country, a sacrifice for country, a calling. They did not anticipate Congress becoming a career choice with members subservient to the power of the incumbency and the money it attracts. Rather, the Founding Fathers intended a weak federal government, subservient to much […]

“The right of the people to keep and bear arms”

The Second Amendment reads, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” As most of us now know, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled that the Second Amendment right of an individual to “keep […]

“We hold these truths to be self-evident” – July 4th

The birth of a nation, the realization of a dream, an eloquently simple statement:  “We hold these truths to be self-evident.”  During June and July 1776, the Continental Congress was debating the future of the Colonies.  King George III continued his abuse of the Colonies with over a year of armed conflicts between the British […]

Civility in presidential politics

Will civility ever return to presidential campaigns?  Is it reasonable to hope for respectful debating?  Or, are we obliged to accept the mudslinging as a given in politics?  What would our founding fathers think if they were to witness one of today’s presidential campaigns?  Would they be impressed or would they be embarrassed?  Can we […]

Why my friend came to America

I asked my friend, “Why did you come to America?”  He questioned with tears in his eyes and a quiver in his voice, “Why did I come to America?”  Why would a man leave his country, his heritage, the only home he knew?  Why would a man leave his country with no guarantees of the […]

“A free people…ought to be armed”

Thomas Jefferson said, “No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.”  But did he foresee guns being used in mass murders, the most recent leaving three dead in Colorado?  There a gunman killed two people and wounded two others at a missionary training center in Arvada.  Later the same day he killed […]

The Ivy Leagues vs. Supreme Court

Stanford and several other Ivy League universities continue to disregard the Supreme Court ruling of March 2006, which states they must either allow ROTC and military recruiters on campus or lose federal funding.  Stanford argues they must refuse to allow ROTC on campus because the military is discriminating against homosexual individuals.  This stalemate came to […]

FDR tried to help people

President Franklin Roosevelt would be proud of the help our government’s Small Business Administration provided Sun Valley area businesses following the Castle Rock Fire this year.  Although the fire did not damage any buildings, local businesses still suffered economic damage because of the fire. Rather than just handing out money, the SBA set up a […]

When does dissent become treason?

The first amendment of the Bill of Rights states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”  We […]

Let’s work together to balance civil rights and national security

The Sikh man felt violated when asked to remove his turban by a court bailiff in Dallas, Texas.  Was that discrimination?  Was he treated any differently than anyone else entering the courthouse?  Should his faith have allowed him rights other individuals do not have? The airline captain removed six Muslim imams from the flight.  He […]