The 545 People Responsible for All of America's Woes

I was reading this the other day, and thought it rather relevant. Also, most folks are clueless as to where the power really is, who wields it, and why they do so.

It's an article from Charlie Reese, written in September, 1985.  He wrote for the Orlando Sentinel 30+ years. I hope you like it, that it will give you food for thought, and possibly incite you to action...

by Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code. Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices — 545 human beings out of the 235 million — are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.

I excluded all but the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it.

No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislation's responsibility to determine how he votes.

A CONFIDENCE CONSPIRACY

Don't you see how the con game is played on the people by the politicians? Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of Tip O'Neill, who stood up and criticized Ronald Reagan for creating deficits.

The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating appropriations and taxes.

O’Neill is the speaker of the House. He is the leader of the majority party. He and his fellow Democrats, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto.

REPLACE SCOUNDRELS

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 235 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts — of incompetence and irresponsibility.

I can't think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair tax code to defense overruns, which is not traceable directly to those 545 people.

When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Marines are in Lebanon, it's because they want them in Lebanon.

There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take it.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exist disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation" or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people and they alone are responsible. They and they alone have the power. They and they alone should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses — provided they have the gumption to manage their own employees.

This article was taken from the Orlando Sentinel Star newspaper

Iranium

Well, this is one of those things that you just have to see to believe.  Me trying to explain it won't do much good (ya' think?).


OK, now how much crap am I gonna' catch?  The sad part is, I'm not sure how many folks in these USofA really care about this issue.  Do you?  Or are you gonna' give me some drivel about something irrelevant?

"Der Hölle Rache" (Hell's vengeance)

OK, time for some light entertainment. This video is so cool, I just had to share it somewhere. It's the second aria for the Queen of the Night (Act II, Scene III), from "The Magic Flute" (Die Zauberflöte, K. 620), by Mozart. They showed it in the movie, "Amadeus". The woman singing it, Diana Damrau, is an icon in Germany, where she lives, and is more popular than their president. It is said that she is perhaps the best person to ever sing the role, and that's saying a lot (considering Lucia Popp and Edda Moser also sang this role). There's a ton of info about this opera, in general, and a bunch more about the role and this particular aria. I will, however, spare you the detritus. You can look it up for yourselves, if you are interested. OK, I know; I'm from SF, I'm a guy, and I'm posting an opera piece (LOL!, that is just too funny). However, my wife of 26 years, and my three kids, will vouch for my orientation. If you have a chance, check out the first aria for the Queen of the Night. You can find it here: https://youtu.be/YuBeBjqKSGQ.

What to do about Obama and his implementation of the Cloward and Piven Plan?

Someone sent me an article by Wayne Allyn Root titled, "The Real Obama Economic Plan: Overwhelming the System to Destroy Capitalism and Freedom". They then asked me, "How can we stop this when we are out-voted"? Knowing this person well, I understood their question, and their concern. Following is my reply...

Well, the answer is somewhat complicated in the details, but a little simpler on the surface. Even then, explaining it takes a lot of words. The simplest answer I can give is to remind everyone that until 1895, we were known as "THESE United States". Since then, we call ourselves "THE United States". The difference in the words is very subtle, but huge when it comes to perception.

It was NEVER the intent of our founding fathers, nor their progeny, that the Federal government run the show. Not any one of the three branches was intended to do that, nor was it intended for what we have today. The three branches are so off-base from what they were originally intended to do; nevermind that what they are doing today is in direct violation of the Constitution.

The Federal government is responsible for two things:

1. Protect us from foreign invasion through the provision of strong milita, AND
2. Provide for it's own budget through taxes, tariffs, fees, and levies, on inter- and intra-state trade and commerce, as well as inter-national trade and commerce.

Yes, it does say in the Bill of Rights that Congress can impement taxes as it sees fit, from time to time, and then only for a specific purpose, as in a war. But they weren't content with that, so, when FDR was in office, they passed the 16th Amendment to the Constitution, enabling the Federal government to tax people's income, and then also added a tax for Social Security, to boot. LBJ only added to the mess when he decided we needed MediCare and then Congress passed more taxes (and then MedicAid added to that tax later).

People have forgotten the Constitution, and so, have forgotten that we are a country of 50 INDEPENDENT states, working together for the greater good. All the Federal government is supposed to do is to oversee things, much like a referee in a football game. Instead, we now have the refs running the game, and telling the players what they can & can't do on any given play, and deciding who will score and who won't, and ultimately, who will win the game and who won't. It's simply ludicrous.

Of course, all this was greatly enabled through the perversion of the Public School system, which is a farce. Children don't really learn all that much from school. That's not the Fed's goal in overseeing that system. Their goal is to indoctrinate our children to be better taxpayers, not self-reliant, free-thinkers. The answer to this conondrum is in the title itself; Public School.

When you go to Music School, what do you expect to become when you graduate? A musician, of course. How about Art School? An artist, of course. What about Real Estate School? A realtor. You get the picture. Well, the word, "Public", is a unique word. It's the root word for Republic, as well as the word, "Publican". Do you know what a Publican is? It's a word that was in regular use at the time our country was founded. It means. "A tax-paying citizen of the realm", and finds its roots in the English system. So, via the "Public" school system, the Fed wants to train us to be better taxpayers upon graduating from that system.

It didn't always use to be this way, but as I mentioned earlier, everything changed after 1895. I'd love to tell you more about this, as I have a ton of material on it, and am rather well-versed in American History (history is one of my favorite topics, and, since I am a Patriot, and love this country, American History is my favorite area of history). However, I believe that I have run on for quite a while now, so will try to wrap up this little bit.

Before I do, though, I must tell you that I get all of my source data from NARA (the National Archives and Records Administration). You know, the place where Sandy Berger walked into, and then out of, with sensitive Clinton documents stuffed in his underpants. The place where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are on constant display. I've been there several times. Quite an amazing place.

Anyway, Obama and Congress can try to implement their plan. Either they will succeed, or the states will wake up and realize that ALL of the power resides with them, and the PEOPLE who live in those states. Remember, it's supposed to be a government OF the people, BY the people, and FOR the people; the people of THESE United States (not those who enter illegally). That's why there's such a big stink going on with Arizona. The people of that state decided to take action, guaranteed to them by our Constitution, and now, the Federal government is trying to tell them what they can and can't do. WRONG! That's just like my earlier footbal analogy. The people of that state have EVERY right to do what they are doing, and there's NOTHING that the Fed can do to stop it (although I'm sure they will try some manuever with the Supreme Court, if they aren't already doing so).

Actually, that's what's at the heart of the Tea Party movement; getting people to realize that they've had the power all along. All they have to do is exercise it. Who needs Term Limits? It's inherent in the system (built-in at the beginning). It's called, "Vote for the other guy". Election cycles run in two-year cycles. If everyone in the country voted for the other guy, in only six years (three cycles), we'd have voted EVERY Congressman OUT of office in both the Senate and the House. No more entrenched commitee members. I GUARANTEE that Congress would get the message, and they'd start actually doing what their constituents elected them to do.

Unfortunately, it seems that America is almost too far gone. The reason that these problems exist is because the people themselves have allowed it to happen. Through one circumstance or another, they've actually voted away most of their rights. The only way to get them back is to elect Representatives that will repeal all of the bad laws that have already been implemented, including doing away with Social Security, MecicAid/MediCare, and the 16th Amendment. That may sound harsh, but just Social Security and MedicAid/MediCare account for 1/6 of our budget each year. Soon, within 20 years, we will be like Greece is today.

In closing, I refer you to a much shorter article I wrote up here on my blog called, "The Real Issue in America". Keep in mind, I wrote this article five years ago. Also, keep watching Glenn Beck, no matter what anyone else tells you. He is on the money, and has EXCELLENT source data (he gets most of it from NARA, just like me).

When did we become Socialists?

Is the USA a Socialist country. Well, if Obama-Care gets passed, and the Cap & Trade bill gets passed, then 51% of the American economy will be under complete government control. At that point, the issue will be moot. However, I think we've been headed that way for quite some time. Let me give you a few quotes from Thomas Jefferson, and see if the Federal government (all three branches) has been complicit in getting us some of the way there...

• The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
• It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
• I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
• My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.
• To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.

Well, what do you think? Do any of these quotes stir in you an inkling of recognition? Has our Federal government violated the Constitution and allowed some/all of these things to happen that Thomas Jefferson "warned" us about so many years ago? You decide.

BTW, it'll probably help if you fully understand what type of government we're supposed to have, and compare it with what we have today. Here's an excerpt from "Overview of America", produced by The John Birch Society. It's narrated by John McManus: This should bring you up to speed.

Is Obama Poised to Cede US Sovereignty?

Well, it's time to write another post. Not that I have any traffic to my blog. It's more for personal fulfillment than anything else. That, and I'm too busy dealing with life issues to spend time each day making my blog good enough to be read by a consistent audience.

Anyway, I thought that y'all should know just a little more about the Global Climate Scam that is being perpetrated upon us by our president, our Congress, and many of the largest, most-successful, American corporations. It comes in the form of the Cap & Trade Scam (did I say scam? I meant bill, or something loosely representing a bill). Not just that, but the Copenhagen Treaty is due to be signed by our very own president in December of this year, just a few weeks hence. This treaty, if signed by our fearless leader, will surrender sovereignity of these United States to the whims and demands of other countries around the world. That, and our money, too.

Here's a video that I think sums it up nicely...





If this gives you the least bit cause for concern, then visit the site mentioned in the video, and find out what you can do to make a difference. If not, be prepared to surrender your freedom AND you checkbook. God Bless America!

Pardoned

This is unbelievable! You will truly be amazed at how much insight C.S. Lewis had into the hearts of men, and how much forsight he had regarding modern society. He wrote this over 50 years ago, and it is more relevant now than it was when he wrote it. Go figure!

Pardoned

The essential act of mercy was to pardon; and pardon in its very essence involves the recognition of guilt and ill-desert in the recipient. If crime is only a disease which needs cure, not sin which deserves punishment, it cannot be pardoned. How can you pardon a man for having a gumboil or a club foot? But the Humanitarian theory wants simply to abolish Justice and substitute Mercy for it. This means that you start being "kind" to people before you have considered their rights, and then force upon them supposed kindnesses which no one but you will recognize as kindnesses and which the recipient will feel as abominable cruelties. You have overshot the mark. Mercy, detached from Justice, grows unmerciful. That is the important paradox. As there are plants which will flourish only in mountain soil, so it appears that Mercy will flower only when it grows in the crannies of the rock of Justice: transplanted to the marshlands of mere Humanitarianism, it becomes a man-eating weed, all the more dangerous because it is still called by the same name as the mountain variety.

C. S. LEWIS in God in the Dock

Quoted in The Quotable Lewis edited by Wayne Martindale and Jerry Root (Tyndale House) p 426

The Real Issue in America...

Well, I've wanted to post something, but have been too busy to come up with something really good. Since it's Inauguration Day, and most folks of the Liberal persuasion are having a flashback of P.E.S.T. (Post Election Syndrome Trauma), I've decided to post something I'd previously written. This excerpt is from a response to a friend who directed me to the “Blood of Heroes” website (http://www.fdnylodd.com/BloodofHeroes.html). It refers to the mainstream media's distortion of facts, true American history, and modern day's America apathy in recognizing it.

I've been reminding everyone I know of this fact for years. My friends, co-workers, and especially my kids, are all but worn out of me reminding them what the real issues are here in America, and the world, in general. And I know they are tired of me reminding them to never forget the price that others have paid for the freedoms, prosperity, and blessings they have today.

The courts have hijacked our justice, Congress has hijacked our money (and possibly our future), and the liberal press blames the President for things that aren't even his doing. Go figure! IMHO, our worst enemy is the enemy within: the liberal media and press corp. They decide what to report, and how to report it. They control the fodder for the weak-minded that slop at the trough of complacency and ignorance. I can't tell you how many of my friends have bought the lie that it's all Bush's fault; that he lied to us; that he’s an ignorant idiot, etc. He’s the only president who graduated with an MBA from Harvard’s business school. And I don’t care who you are or how much money you have; NO ONE gets a free ride through that program. But I digress…

It’s not just the liberal media. NO…Congress is just as responsible, but in a more insidious way. They are the keepers of the flame. It’s up to Congress to make the law; uphold the law; enforce the law. They have the power to rein in the courts when the courts decide to legislate instead of adjudicate. They have the power to repair (or undo) our outdated and unfair income tax system. They have the power to fix our backwards, failing, and incompetent school system. As a matter of fact, the Constitution DEMANDS that they do these things. Yet, sadly, they bicker back and forth, following the status quo, and the Constitution and America dwindle further towards decay. They are the ones who decide what is and is not acceptable for all Americans. For they are representative of all Americans, and are elected by their fellow Americans to uphold American values.

So, I guess it’s not just the liberal media, or even Congress. It’s Americans themselves. Benjamin Franklin warned us of this back in 1789, when the first Continental Congress ratified the Constitution. When asked what kind of government they gave us, he replied, “a Federal Republic, if you can keep it.” Therein lays the rub. Our form of government, which is somewhat democratic in nature, requires an active constituency in order to function properly. In order for the constituency to be active, they must be somewhat educated. Education, of course, requires work and maintenance. It is an on-going thing, not a moment in time. Of course, that’s why I point to the liberal media and the Congress, as they are/are not doing their job properly, so that the constituency can be properly, fairly, and truthfully educated.

Now we find ourselves in our current situation. Everyone sits around complaining, yet only 1/3 of the country votes, and most of those are only interested in voting for the President. Most folks send their kids off to public school (because that’s all they can afford), where they get indoctrinated instead of educated, and most folks can't even tell you who half of the people quoted on this guy's website are, and could care less to boot. Americans have become lazy and complacent, and they are unwilling to hold aggressor’s accountable for their actions. We have a “fast-food” mentality: I want it my way, and I want it now! Don’t inconvenience me with responsibility, accountability (victim-mentality), or morality. And don’t tell me it will take a lot of hard work, or that it will take a long time.

Of course, this is not the whole picture. It’s a good picture though of where you see blue on the district map. It’s a whole ’nother ball game when you get to the red districts on the map. And that’s a fact. Anyway, I believe that I’ve rambled for quite long enough. Thank you for your time, and be sure to tip your waitress. God bless you, and remember, it is still true…Jesus loves you, and so do I. Buh bye…

Opening the Jar

Beginnings (Origins, Genesis, etc.) are usually a good thing. We may be leaving a past situation, or starting a new endeavor, but whatever the case, they bring a sense of newness. Without them, life would get stale, and we would feel useless, or left behind. I could, of course, elaborate on these few topics, but I will leave them for another day. Instead, I will say that I've started my Blog, and it is a new beginning for me. I love to read, write, and ramble, so this should be the perfect venue for me to get out all of the sayings, rants, postures, positions, and minutiae that have welled within me. And so, another beginning takes form, and, as time allows, I will work this issue until another new beginning comes along.