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The Super Bowl Saints, Katrina and Corruption
Feel-Good Stories Won’t Rebuild A City

BY CHRIS FREIND
“FREINDLY FIRE”

Off the bat, let’s get a few things straight:

1) New Orleans is a one-of -a-kind city. It should be on everyone’s list to visit at least once.
2) Despite the fact that the Colts will always be Baltimore to me, I am rooting for Indianapolis in the Super Bowl. And not because I am a Manning fan, but due to the nauseating media coverage that if the Saints win the Big Game, that will somehow heal all wounds from Hurricane Katrina.

Gimme a break.

When will people stop living in a fantasy land and speak the truth about what really happened before, during and after Katrina hit? The reality is that, regardless of whether the Saints win, New Orleans is still at risk and will continue to be until the people wake up, and no victorious football team or the infinite number of feel-good puff pieces about NFL players will change that.

People are entitled to their own opinion, but they aren’t entitled to their own set of facts. And here are the facts:

Louisiana in general, and New Orleans in particular, are among the most corrupt places in the country. This is nothing new, and residents have known this for generations. It has become such an ingrained part of the landscape that people have accepted it as a part of life. That’s their choice, but they shouldn’t turn around and expect the rest of the American taxpayers to foot the bill because their corrupt way of life finally caught up with them.

Everyone knows that New Orleans sits in a floodplain, with most of the city below sea level. So in order to protect the Crescent City, a series of levees were constructed. Rather than do the right thing, however, which would have been to follow recommendations designed to protect the city from Category Four or Five hurricanes, many state and city officials thought that diverting levee money to other projects would be a wiser course.

And since much of that funding came from taxpayers in the other 49 states, why not? It’s always a lot more fun to spend OPM— “other people’s money.”

You know kind of worthwhile projects I’m referring to — important ones that put the security of people and property ahead of all else.

Like millions for a Mardi Gras fountain. Fountains have water, and levees are related to water, so who could argue?

Or riverboat gambling schemes. Boats float, so they could just rise right along with hurricane storm surges while people continue to gamble.

Or a host of other projects, like green space, commercial buildings, and….the list goes on. And on, and on.

Because for decades New Orleans dodged the direct-hit hurricane bullet time and again, with storms diverting at the last minute and the city being spared, proper preparations still weren’t made. Many felt they didn’t need them because “God loves New Orleans.” Obvious lessons that should have been learned were simply ignored. Corruption trumped security.

In the aftermath of Katrina, attention shifted from why this wholly avoidable tragedy happened to the horrific response of leaders such as President Bush and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin.

Coverage of both men’s bumbling was merited, to be sure. But both also had an excuse.

They were incompetent.

Here’s the bottom line. Taxpayers are sick and tired of paying for other people’s mistakes, be they bank bailouts, auto company failures, or cultures of corruption that pad the pockets of the powerful while forsaking everyone else.

And in the larger picture, why should the federal government, which is funded by we the people, have any obligation to rebuild a city constructed in a known flood plain that is regularly visited by hurricanes?

If you want to live there, great. Flood insurance should be mandated. And if it isn’t offered, maybe that’s a clue that the risk outweighs the reward. If that risk is acceptable, fine. But the rest of us shouldn’t have to shoulder the responsibility to be the risk-free safety net for people who choose to live in high-probability disaster areas.

But the icing on the cake is listening to self-serving Louisiana political hacks who get outraged that Washington doesn’t pick up the ENTIRE cost of rebuilding and maintaining New Orleans. To them, I offer Dean Wormer’s legendary advice from “Animal House”— “fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life.”

So if the Saints win the Super Bowl, become “America’s” team in the process, and make everybody feel good, it will only exacerbate the overarching problem that is endemic in this nation: looking the other way and pretending all is well.

Sticking your head in the sand doesn’t change that fact that we will be called upon — again— to pay the bill— again— should New Orleans get slammed by another Katrina.

But given that we’re approaching insolvency as a nation, the safety net of taxpayer dollars may not be there next time.

It’s time the people of New Orleans stop pretending that a Super Bowl solves anything. Fix the problem now, or face the risk of going it alone.

If their city gets leveled— a very real possibility— they will have no one to blame but themselves.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist and investigative reporter whose news site, The Artorius News Bureau, is slated to launch in mid-February. Readers of “Freindly Fire” hail from six continents, thirty countries and all fifty states. Freind also serves as a weekly guest commentator on a Philadelphia-area talk radio show, WCHE, and makes numerous other television and radio appearances. He can be reached at CF@FreindlyFireZone.com

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President Andrew Jackson prided himself on being the first “outsider” to ascend to the White House. From George Washington to John Quincy Adams, America’s first six chief executives were creatures of the Eastern aristocracy. Jackson, however, was not a member of this established order. While the Founding Fathers sought to apply the ideals of the revolution throughout their terms in office, they were ever cautious of the threat of mobocracy. Political giants of the Jacksonian era, men like Senators John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster, worried that the president’s popularity with the “common man” would diminish their congressional powers and foment a monarchy or military dictatorship.

Old Hickory, of course, viewed the situation in a much different light. Furious that an apparent “corrupt bargain” between Clay and Adams had solidified his electoral defeat in 1824 (despite having won the popular vote comfortably), Jackson captured the presidency in 1828 and again in 1832, determined to serve as a steadfast representative of the people. The political battles his White House waged with Congress, most notably on the issue of the recharter of the powerful Second Bank of the United States, focused on Jackson’s desire to play the role of Robin Hood to the nation’s elite—in essence, to weaken the monopoly of power in the hands of the few. At a time when settlers grappled with the thorny issue of Indian removal in places like Florida and Georgia, and South Carolina leaders frustrated by high tariffs threatened secession, Jackson always trusted the will and wisdom of the majority.

American Lion, author Jon Meacham’s seminal examination of Jackson’s life, notes that the president favored the work of the French philosopher François Fénelon in Telemachus. After years of political education under his mentor, Telemachus asserts that the “multitude, though fickle and capricious, does not fail sooner or later to do justice, in some measure, to true virtue.” Such words, no doubt, were akin to Jackson’s own convictions. He was aware that leadership was tragic, roiled by “disappointments and injustices and failures of imagination…” Jackson, Meacham posits, “understood that governing was provincial—no single bill or single election would ever bring about the perfections of all things–but his experience suggested that the American people, if given world enough and time, would come to a right conclusion.”

Speaking in the days after Jackson’s death, historian George Bancroft said “that the whole human mind, and therefore with it the mind of the nation, has a continuous, ever improving existence; that the appeal from the unjust legislation of to-day must be made quietly, earnestly, perseveringly, to the more enlightened collective reason of to-morrow…” As Jackson was known to say, “the people, sir—the people will set things to rights.”

Political scientist John Mueller reminds his audience that democracy is naturally based on apathy, discord, hasty compromise, inequality, and “manipulative scrambling by special interests.” Even if large and controversial solutions to national problems garner enough support, they are likely to be severely compromised compared to their original composition. This dynamic was on display in recent months during the health care debate, as Democrats did battle over the public option plan and other progressive priorities. What happened to the tense days late last year when the electorate appeared ready to back extreme measures in the face of widespread economic distress? What of Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s infamous, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” pronouncement? The reality, though, paints President Obama as a lonely voice of power amid outcries from both his liberal base and the center he struggles to hold.

Like Jackson, Obama came to Washington as a self-proclaimed outsider; he applied lofty rhetoric in his promises to foster bipartisan support for an agenda that would tackle growing concerns in the health care, energy, and financial sectors. Obama spoke often of the necessity of restoring the trust the American people once held for their national government. The current administration was hailed as the next champion for the rights of the struggling masses, those whom were mistreated by greedy Wall Street bankers and nearsighted bureaucrats. In Jackson’s terms, the aristocracy or privileged class. Yet, after a year of rancor and infighting, Obama was left to dump the public option, cater to Democratic legislators opposed to abortion, and shower benefits on key states to produce those 60 critical votes in the Senate chamber. As Mueller made clear, freedom is unfair because it grants access and equal opportunities to all so that they may make themselves politically unequal in influence and power.

No matter what comes of the combined health care bill expected in the months ahead, Obama’s Washington would be wise to remember the words of a forgotten figure from the age of Jackson. Edward Livingston, serving as a senator from Louisiana from 1829 to 1831 and later as Jackson’s secretary of state, warned against zealotry and the “excess of party rage.” He called for calm and common sense at the height of such heated discourse:

It arrogates to itself every virtue, denies every merit to its opponents, secretly entertains the worst designs…mounts the pulpit, and, in the name of a God of mercy and peace, preaches discord and vengeance; invokes the worst scourges of Heaven, war, pestilence, and famine, as preferable alternatives to party defeat…”

Democracy has its limitations. The difficulties of governance produce special interests, political deals, and questionable compromises that, more often than not, lead nowhere. Through it all, the people “will set things to rights.” Progress is slow and incremental; if the health care bill is flawed and ineffective, new legislation will account for previous failures and the social contract will move forward. As it was in Jackson’s America, so it remains in Obama’s.

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I felt that today was a good day to start writing again. This is because today is the day I say I’m done helping the Republican Party. This isn’t because I’m not a Republican, but because more to the point that I have No Idea what the Republican Party stands for anymore. I’m a conservative on a ship of moderates, which if you translate that to English means that they don’t stand really for anything except the next sound bite that will move that “Party” forward toward power again. The new song today is the same song from yesterday. This is truly one of the clearest moments in all of American History to clearly delineate the differences between Socialist principles and the Conservative values the Republican Party once stood for, what Ronald Reagan once spoke about and lived and breathed everyday proving to the world, Freedom of the Individual versus the Social Justice of the Collective. The chance to succeed or fail based on our own merits and hard work Vs. being just “too big” to fail and it’s our duty to “spread the wealth around”.

Never has there been a time to make such a clear distinction between two differing mindsets….and they fail to do so. And now I know why they have failed to do so: because the “Party mentality” of the Republicans OR the Democrats is not different at all. All they care about is power, and collecting more of it in their hands and not in ours…where it belongs.

Therefore, I now believe that I have no choice but to come to the conclusion of this: There really is no difference between the “Party” mentalities any longer. The Leadership of the Republican Party is not here to espouse my principles, which they “SAY” they believe. They don’t, and now I know it, and now I’m done helping the Party. The party is dead in my heart now.

I now have decided that I will only help individuals in the future. As soon as a Leader steps up to the plate and says “Here I am, with the bumps and hard edges and flaws and foibles of a real human being, and I believe in the Conservative principles of our Founding Fathers” I will be in there corner. This is why I believe that it was a stroke of Pure Genius that Sarah Palin left the Governor’s position in Alaska and tout the Conservative values to everyone that will listen to her. This allows her to get away from what is toxic in the Republican Party, which is the Republican Party, and maybe come back as a leader to show the way back to the principles and values that this great nation, the greatest nation ever, was founded on.

I didn’t join the military, serve my country and potentially risk my life if asked, to serve a “party” or an individual…but the Constitution of the United States of America. That is the oath all service members make. We made an oath to the Constitution. And it’s about time that I uphold that oath once again.

So, I hereby resign my position as a member of the Republican Committee here in Cumberland County, PA, effective immediately. I also re-pledge my oath to the US Constitution, like I did as a member of the US military. The next real candidate that upholds and believes those conservative values and principles espoused in the Constitution steps forward, I will be standing right behind them and helping them move our country back to sanity again, but the moment they forget the principles and values is the moment I leave them in the dust. You are either for our Constitution as the Founders created and intended it, or you’re not and that will determine whether my allegiance is with you OR I’m done with you. You choose.

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Why must everything become an occasion to press the population into “service”? Here’s a press release from the Pennsylvania Department of Education:

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is pleased to recognize September 11, 2009, as The National Day of Service and Remembrance. On April 21, 2009, President Barack Obama signed legislation that officially established September 11th as the federally recognized National Day of Service and Remembrance.

PDE joins in support of the National Day of Service and Remembrance and celebrates this great opportunity to showcase Pennsylvania and emphasize the importance of service learning. School districts and community partners are encouraged to host an event during the week of September 7 to 11, 2009 to help focus attention on volunteerism, charitable actions and service to the community. Rekindle the remarkable spirit of unity, service and compassion shared by so many Pennsylvanians in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Join PDE and many volunteers across the Commonwealth and the Nation in building an enduring and historic legacy.

Here’s the website for the 911 Day of Service website, where we are all encouraged to

post your personal plan to perform a good deed, volunteer or engage in another charitable activity in observance of the newly established September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. Help create a wonderful legacy that honors the victims and those who rose to service in response to the attacks on America.

Ok, I hate to always play the role of curmudgeon in the face of such touchy-feely good deed doing, but why must we have a day of Service (and, as an afterthought, Rememberance) to honor the memories of those who perished on that day eight years ago? Why can we not just honor the memories of the fallen without some AmeriCorps-type forced volunteerism? Considering that the shackles of politcal correctness prevent our government and most of our citizens from acknowledging that the War on Terror is really a War on Muslim Extremism, I think it’s a little too soon to be “celebrating” anything about 9/11.

I understand the desire to make something good come of something bad (and I think that the MLK “Day of Service” is an appropriate venue for this kind of thing.) But I also think that it is not only disrespectful of the victims, but dangerous to America to gloss over what happened on that day eight years ago. That glossing over this event over seems to have been the singular intent of the media and parts of our government in the eight intervening years is disturbing, to say the least. Do the children who are participating in this “Day of Service and Remembrance” even understand fully what happened that day? If they have not learned it at home, I doubt very sincerely they are getting a true picture from our schools.

Just before it happened, the Nation was consumed with domestic issues: Prescription drugs for seniors and the Chandra Levy disappearance. And here we are not eight years later, once again consumed with domestic issues and governemnt handouts. Not two days before 9/11 this year, the President of a nation at war on two fronts called a joint session of congress to talk about health care. Following the World Apology Tour this past spring, and now the investigation into the CIA, a very clear message is going out to the world and those who wish to tear down our way of life.

Make no mistake: that we have not experienced another 9/11 is not because our enemies have not been trying. 9/11 should be about remembering that awful day and the victims, not trying to make something good come from something bad. It is too soon for that and the motivations behind the attacks remains unresolved to this day.

Just remember.

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Face to Face With Hurricane Bill: Freindly Fire Rides with the USAF “Hurricane Hunters”

11 Hour Mission Covered 3,000 Miles Over The Roiling Atlantic Ocean

BY CHRIS FREIND

“Jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft is not a natural act. So let’s do it right, and enjoy the view.”—Clint Eastwood’s U.S. Marine character in “Heartbreak Ridge.”

ABOARD A U.S. AIR FORCE WC-130 “HURRICANE HUNTER” — With all the celebrity status afforded “Bill,” being that he was the top story in newspapers and on television nationwide, it seemed like a good idea to make his acquaintance. After all, it’s not every day you get to meet someone, or in this case, some thing, with a magnitude as great as Bill’s. At least, that what I kept telling myself after receiving a call on a Friday evening from the U.S. Air Force “Hurricane Hunters” squadron asking if I could be at Andrews Air Force base in 24 hours. They had front-row seats to the Hurricane Bill show, and I was on the A-List.

******

A variation of Clint Eastwood’s words echoes in my mind as we sit on a rainy runway at Andrews AFB, just outside Washington, D.C:

“Flying a perfectly good aircraft into the heart of a hurricane is not a natural act.” It is midnight, and I keep telling myself that the crew will “do it right,” so I should “enjoy the view.”

The WC-130 is a venerable aircraft, so successful in its design that it is still being manufactured after 50 years. The four mighty turboprops that would carry us into the storm fired up, and we were ready to roll. Nothing could stop us now.

Except, of course, for a parade of ducks and ducklings that proceeded to cross – waddle, actually- in front of this mighty aircraft, without a care in the world. The eight-man aircrew, one of the most seasoned to ever fly a hurricane mission, were as giddy as little kids, even trying to snap photos of the unusual sight. I take this light moment as a good omen.

Moments later, after a surprisingly short sprint down the runway, we are airborne, heading east. Flying over the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, we pass over South Jersey, where my three little children are sleeping far below. A moment of brief anxiety sets in, because, for the uninitiated such as myself, it’s only natural to think about “worst case” scenarios. We are doing the complete opposite of what people do when a hurricane nears. Instead of fleeing, we are chasing. It was going to be an interesting night.

******

The biggest difference between a WC-130 cockpit and that of a commercial airliner is the number of windows. While a typical passenger jet has four panes, our plane has 18, affording a view not just straight ahead and to the left and right, but above and below. As we progress out over the Atlantic, the first of what would be many contrasts strikes me. Peering up, the sky is crystal clear, with more stars than can be described. Hard to believe that in a short period of time, that view will be clouded over, literally, by a huge storm.

Among the various monitors and screens in the cockpit is one which depicts not just our plane’s heading, but everything in our flight path ahead. In short order, there he is, in all his glory. Bill’s familiar hurricane shape took form, and we are closing fast. It is showtime.

*******

The most common question asked by the public is how the Hurricane Hunters’ planes can withstand the power of a hurricane, since wind speeds can approach 200 miles per hour. As Major Jeff Ragusa, commander of our mission, explained, the ride is not usually as bumpy and one might expect. This is because the plane, as a moving object, is not subject to the same stresses of land-based structures. Stationary objects, such as trees, cars and buildings, either withstand a hurricane’s winds, or get blown away when they reach a breaking point.

Maj. Ragusa likened our plane to that of a swimmer in a strong current. Whether the current is 20 miles per hour or 40, the swimmer is not physically harmed because he isn’t stationary. He is simply moving with the water. Likewise, since the plane moves laterally in the hurricane’s winds, and does so at an angle, called “crabbing,” the turbulence from that force is minimal.

However, that doesn’t mean the flight is a cakewalk. The crew has to be constantly aware of extremely powerful downdrafts from the thunderstorms inside the hurricane.

For various meteorological reasons, the standard altitude for entering the hurricane is 10,000 feet, at which time the plane slows to 200 mph from its cruising speed of 320. There is another reason that the 10,000 foot level is one often adhered to by the crews – it provides a larger margin of safety.

In 2005, Hurricane Wilma progressed from a Category 1 to a Category 5 (the most powerful) faster than any other storm in history. It remains the most powerful hurricane on record, with the lowest pressure ever recorded. During a Hurricane Hunter flight into Wilma in which the plane was considerably lower than 10,000 feet, a downdraft slammed the plane 2,500 straight down in a matter of seconds. Having the ocean rush up that quickly, and be that close, is not something an aircrew wants to experience.

On Hurricane Hunter missions, the planes are an island unto themselves. Our navigator tells us during a briefing that we are the only aircraft remotely close to the storm. And since cargo ships avoid the shipping lanes affected by the hurricane, there are no surface vessels for potentially hundreds of miles.

Waves generated by Bill exceed an almost inconceivable 60 feet, and are clearly visible from our altitude two miles above the surface (upon entering the eye, the wind speed drops to zero and there is a clear view of the ocean below). Should the plane have to ditch at sea, the crew would be on its own for a considerable amount of time.

Since the Hurricane Hunters have never lost a plane (they have 10), and they have been through hurricanes’ fury countless times, I rest a bit easier knowing the odds are on my side.

*****

The Hurricane Hunters comprise the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (WRS) based out of Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi. According to the unit’s public affairs office, it is a one-of-a-kind organization in that it is the only operational unit in the world that engages in weather reconnaissance on a routine basis. An Air Force Reserve unit, its primary mission is to perform aerial weather reconnaissance of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and the central Pacific Ocean. In a unique arrangement, the WRS is effectively directed not by the Department of Defense, but by the Department of Commerce’s National Hurricane Center. The squadron’s mission calls for the unit to be able to engage in continuous operations 24 hours per day, with the ability to fly into 3 storms at a time. Based on these requirements, the WRS is staffed with ten full-time and ten part-time aircrews.

Each aircrew includes a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, aerial reconnaissance weather officer, and a weather loadmaster. There are often several backup pilots and co-pilots, since typical mission duration is 11 hours, with some lasting 18.

The flight meteorologist acts as flight director, observing and recording meteorological data at the horizontal flight level, while the the loadmaster collects and records vertical weather data by using dropsondes, devices shot out of the airplane while inside the storm which measure temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and wind direction. Dropsonde information is relayed back to the plane twice per second, which, after being tabulated with the horizontal data via an advanced computer program, is relayed to the National Hurricane Center at regular intervals. Other weather instruments determine rainfall amounts, ocean temperature, and wind speeds at the sea surface.

An analogy often used to describe why Hurricane Hunters fly into storms is that hurricanes are like tumors. Their presence is known, but critical details must still be ascertained, such as size, whether it is growing, how it is spreading, and the precise type of entity being studied.

Hurricane forecasters use the Hunters’ data to determine if a storm is intensifying, and where it may be heading. The mission of the Hurricane Hunters is immensely valuable because it increases the accuracy of hurricane predictions by 30%. In addition to saving countless lives, the WRS saves millions of dollars, since it costs approximately one million dollars to evacuate every one mile of coastline.

*******

The flight continues for hours, penetrating the eye eight times. We fly over Nantucket and as far north as Halifax, Canada. While visibility is limited flying through the storm, there are breathtaking views when the plane is out of the hurricane. Despite the raging seas and fierce winds so close to us, we witness a spectacular sunrise above the clouds and a rainbow for the record books. The views give an almost surreal feeling, as these tranquil scenes are occurring within sight of a savage hurricane.

After our last pass through the eye, we head for home, weary from the mission duration, the ever- present turbulence, the noise level (earplugs are worn at all times), and the utilitarian accommodations. The WC-130 is a workhorse, and it does its job flawlessly, but a comfortable airliner it is not. Metal-framed canvass seats with mesh backing are standard in the cargo hold, and there is a port-a-potty with a curtain for a bathroom. The “refrigerator” is a cooler strapped to the floor.

The WRS crew, underneath their friendly exterior, are no-nonsense, tough-as-nails airmen who face elevated risks every time they take to the skies. They perform their mission with the utmost professionalism and poise, knowing that what they do saves lives and property. Seasoned in a way unmatched by other airmen, they are the best of the best.

After sitting in the cockpit for a picture-perfect landing, I step out onto the tarmac with a newfound respect for solid ground under a clear blue sky.

While I encountered a hurricane but once, these airmen face substantial risks flight after flight. That’s true courage.

As I look back at the WC-130, thinking about the tempest we, and more importantly, it – just endured – Maj. Ragusa hands me a 53rd WRS squadron patch.

For 11 hours, I was a Hurricane Hunter – a truly unforgettable experience.

Chris Freind, author of “Freindly Fire,” is an independent columnist and investigative reporter whose home newspaper is The Philadelphia Bulletin. Readers hail from six continents, thirty countries, and all fifty states. He can be reached at CF@FreindlyFireZone.com

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And Palin had no foreign policy experience, right? (To good not to share at both blogs!)

Dissident heroes from the age of the Iron Curtain, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Walesa, Vaclav Havel and 20 other Central and Eastern European intellectuals, policymakers and leaders have penned an open letter to President Obama on the perils facing US-NATO relations should he cave to the Russians — and they should know:

Despite the efforts and significant contribution of the new members, NATO today seems weaker than when we joined. In many of our countries it is perceived as less and less relevant – and we feel it. Although we are full members, people question whether NATO would be willing and able to come to our defense in some future crises.

…

Many in the region are looking with hope to the Obama Administration to restore the Atlantic relationship as a moral compass for their domestic as well as foreign policies. A strong commitment to common liberal democratic values is essential to our countries. We know from our own historical experience the difference between when the United States stood up for its liberal democratic values and when it did not. Our region suffered when the United States succumbed to “realism” at Yalta. And it benefited when the United States used its power to fight for principle. That was critical during the Cold War and in opening the doors of NATO. Had a “realist” view prevailed in the early 1990s, we would not be in NATO today and the idea of a Europe whole, free, and at peace would be a distant dream.

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That’s one small step for (a) man…

…One great big punch in the face for a pinhead with way too much time on his hands.

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Try to be safe on Saturday.

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I thought the left was just soooooo tired of the Bush era and couldn’t wait to move on from it to the era of “hope and change.”

So why is the left spending all their time focusing on the Bush era regarding waterboarding?  I thought they wanted to forget the past and move on with life.

My warning to them is to be careful – someday they will not be in power.  They are setting the rules by which they will be judged.

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Money from the Federal government is now the leading revenue source for states according to a report in that leading reactionary, wingnut periodical USA Today. And this is no blip on the radar screen merely caused by the recent stimulus, although the historic levels are caused by it. This is part of a pattern. Take a look at this graph. Historically, the leading revenue source for states has been from property taxes or sales taxes, but we may have just crossed the Rubicon to permanent state dependency on the Feds.

[ht Veronique de Rugy at NRO]

This is precisely the explanation of why Rep. Sam Rohrer is taking the lead with PA HR 95. It is a sovereignty resolution for Pennsylvania. The GOP is in the lead on this, but has the support is bipartisan.

Similar movements are gaining traction in California, Oregon, Hawaii, New Hampshire, and Michigan. I only listed states that voted for Obama last election, by the way. There are plenty more.

Nevertheless, some people characterize this movement as comprised of militia type radicals with bunkers in the back yard. Those same folks also often accuse sovereignty supporters of racism, and invoke the Civil War and secession.

But it ain’t so. There are real reasons for these resolutions having to do with the nuts and bolts of how our Union runs. They aren’t about paranoia and secession, and they aren’t about partisan politics. In fact, the opposite is more likely true. Opposition to these resolutions is probably more about partisan hackary, and paranoia.

Now, will these resolutions do anything to slow the Federal government’s assault on the prerogatives of states articulated clearly in the 9th and 10th Amendments in the Bill of Rights, and confirmed by myriad textual examples in founding supporting documents like The Federalist Papers? Maybe not. And perhaps remedy is, alas, to be found in the courts by attacking New York vs. United States.

But does anyone think doing nothing will help?

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When did we get to this upside down world? Did we do what Bugs Bunny said at the beginning of many of his adventures when he popped out of the ground confused about where he was? “I knew I shoulda taken a left turn at Albuquerque!” This is the phrase I’ve had to ask myself lately. I know I heard Bug’s voice in my head the other day when I listened to Mayor Bloomberg of New York City discussing the incredibly short sighted and boneheaded tower buzzing of the Air Force One through Downtown New York. During his press conference he railed on about the insensitivity of the Jumbo Jet flyby and the panic it caused to the citizens of New York and how he wants answers as to why this happened. Then in the same breath, without even missing a beat, he then said “in the end though, it’s the federal government, and they will do whatever they want to.” Huh…excuse me? Since when was this how our country functioned?

And then it occurred to me. This is the problem, and I don’t mean the federal government. I mean us, you and I. We are the problem. When an official of the government, the highest ranking official of one of the nation’s largest and most powerful cities in the country can make a blanket statement like this and it doesn’t even make a blip on the news and not a single dissenting voice in the media or by any other elected officials then it just proves to me that we as a people have forgotten who we are and where we came from. If an elected official had said such a thing in the days of the Founders, he would have found himself run right out of office if not the town itself. How far we have fallen from our beginnings.

What Mr. Bloomberg doesn’t realize is the fact that our nation and its founding documents expressly state that the power of the government rests in the hands of those it governs, not the other way around. It was placed even in our founding documents that the power of the government is derived from God to the people and then Lent to the government to serve us and ensure our Lives Liberties and Pursuit of Happiness. It further says “That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these end it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it and institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its power is such forms as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” This is a direct quote from our Declaration of Independence, something that apparently not too many people, and obviously not Mr. Bloomberg, have read lately if ever at all. One of our greatest founding fathers, John Adams, had this to say about freedom and democracy: “Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” Is that the path we’ve chosen? Do we need to put America on Suicide Watch? Not if I can help it.

This has brought me to one crystal clear conclusion. We have forgotten the face of our fathers. We have forgotten what it really means to be Americans. To be American is not the stuff we buy or the things our government says we can do. It is living a principled life understanding that, just like our Founder’s, that there is a God, that we derive our freedoms and liberty’s from God and that we lend government the power it yields. It is also remembering that as being the source of power, it is our God-given right and Duty to starve off and choke that which forgets that government doesn’t give us our rights but that they come from God first and that government has No Power other than that which we give it. It is time to stop letting them have the power they feel they are entitled to and that it is our duty to do as they say. How wrong they really are. It is time that we taught them that lesson.

It is time that we remembered the Face of Our Fathers again.

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Today is a good day to remember one of Pennsylvania’s most famous historical figures – Ben Franklin.  Ben Franklin died on this day in 1790.  There is a ton that has been written on Franklin, here’s a Wikipedia quick summary to remind us of his contributions to mankind:

One of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and printer, satirist, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. He invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, a carriage odometer, and the glass ‘armonica’. He formed both the first public lending library in America and first fire department in Pennsylvania. He was an early proponent of colonial unity, and as a political writer and activist he supported the idea of an American nation.^[1] As a diplomat during the American Revolution he secured the French alliance that helped to make independence of the United States possible.

I’ll close with one of Franklin’s most famous quotes that I think if would be wise for many of our countrymen to remember:

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.

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I haven’t been able to find my muse lately. Distractions of everyday life keep rearing their ugly heads up and frightening off the thoughts that I know need to be said. But this is what all of us…all of us…have had as an excuse to not say what needs to be said. When life is more confusing, more cluttered and filled with noise is the exact time that WE MUST SPEAK. There will always be too much going on in our lives, too many headaches, too many hassles, too many people telling us we are living our lives wrong by teaching our kids to respect our elders, that there are consequences to our actions and to live up to the highest ethical standards. We say that we expect more from ourselves everyday and to try our hardest at whatever we do and we never never ever give up. We don’t ask for handouts and we always give credit where credit is due. But somehow we are the bad ones.

                Yesterday’s Tea Parties were a good start, but it’s not enough.

When I grew up, I was taught that you always referred to every adult man and woman as “Sir” and “Ma’am”. Do you normally hear a teenager of today say such things? You’ll be lucky to hear an “F*** You” if anything at all today. As a teenager, if my mother and father had known I had thought let alone actually said something so disrespectful to anyone at all I would be lucky if I was only beaten within an inch of my life. Gasp!!!! Yes, my parents did spank me, but only rarely because they taught me respect for everyone I came in contact with.

This is just one of the many things that anyone can see is wrong in our great country. It is just a symptom of an overall cancer running through the body of America, and just like any sick patient if we don’t recognize that we are truly ill and face the fact that the cure we need will feel even worse than the disease, then this “Experiment in Freedom” will die. There was a reason that Alexis de Tocqueville wrote is his masterpiece Democracy in America when he wrote

“America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

I was talking last night with a group of good men. This isn’t because they are great men with fancy titles or popularity or incredible influence. They are just part of the unwashed masses you and I belong to. They are American Nobodies too. But all of them have the utmost love and respect for this country and all the opportunities that being an American affords us and I know that each of them, in their own way, thanks God for being born American. All of these men are men I have the greatest admiration and respect for and all of them believe as I do that our country is upside down. Somehow we as an American society have lost that spark that made us what the world associated with being “Quintessential Americans.”

We all agree that something needs to change, but I ask myself “How do 6 men change the world?” Then I look to the Founder’s and realize that these men probably said the exact same thing to themselves. And I believe that I’ve to the same conclusions that they did. It’s is the only way the world has EVER been changed. History is never changed by large groups of people or enormous entities. It is always moved in some direction or another by individuals deciding that the way things are going is wrong and things need to change. All movements are started by just a bunch of people, Nobody’s, deciding that enough is enough and girding themselves for the long hard fight coming.

I don’t want this fight. I don’t want this struggle. No one does, no one sane that is. But this is a fight that has been coming for a very long time and many men and women before me kept passing the responsibility down the line saying “It’s not my fight; let someone else deal with it.” Things will never change unless someone stands up and says “I don’t want to fight this, but it is my responsibility now. I accept.” Well, I Accept. I will fight this fight for the same reasons that one of the greatest of America’s Founder’s, John Adams, wrote to his wife. He said

“I must study politics and war, that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy…. in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.”

In other words, never pass your duties and responsibilities onto others when it is your duty to do the hard work. It is my duty now….and I accept. And I believe that others will begin to accept their duties too.

                The Tea Parties were a good start, but now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and do the hard work.

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Thanks to fellow Watercooler contributor Ian Hayes, I’m now reading The 5000 Year Leap – A Miracle The Changed the World by W. Cleon Skousen.  This is a great book – one that can change an entire generation if it our children in school were to read it.

As you know, I’ve been doing alot of reading lately – especially on political philosophy.  the concepts of self-interest and collectivism have been the focus of my reading.  These concepts are also discussed in The 5000 Year Leap.

Make no mistake, the Founders saw the dangers of tyranny in the form of collectivism.  And yet, here we are in America, in the process of doing what the Founders knew to be horrific.

Don’t take my word for it though, here’s just one quote, from Samuel Adams:

The Utopian schemes of leveling [re-distribution of the wealth] and a community of goods [central ownership of the means of production and distribution], are as visionary and impractical as those which vest all property in the Crown.  [These ideas] are arbitrary, despotic, and, in our government, unconstitutional.  (The 5000 Year Leap, page 30)

As I mentioned in a previous post, collectivism is also an attempt at violating the Laws of Nature.  When we attempt to violate the Laws of Nature, we are in essense and reality, attempting to deny our own nature and Nature’s God.  We suffer the consequences of this denial – but it is our own doing.  This is no different than if you decided to drive 100 mph on the highway where the speed limit is 65 mph.  You know the consequences if you are caught – a fine, points on your license to say the least, and possible injury should you cause an accident.  You bring the consequences on yourself.  It’s not the police officers fault – it’s yours – you know the rules.

Ultimately then, this denial of our nature and the attempt to violate the Laws of Nature is really an act of self-loathing.  It is hating our own being and the Being that created us.  It is our attempt to separate ourselves from our Creator.  This is not possible.  It is man’s attempt to replace God with himself.

Thus when we see man attempting to violate the Natural Law, when we see the consequences of this act (misery), we should be aware that what we are witnessing is merely a symptom – a symptom of man’s relationship with God.

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A subject that has occupied my thoughts lately has been self-interest. I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately – Adam Smith, Ayn Rand, Alexis DeTocqueville, David Hume, etc. These authors range from the mid-late 1700’s to the mid-1900’s. The common theme that underlies much of what they write has to do with the idea of self-interest.

So what is self-interest? And why did these authors, as well as many other authors, believe that self-interest was far better than collectivism?

First, understand that self-interest is not the same as selfishness. There is a difference. Selfishness has to do with getting what I want, when I want it regardless of anyone else. Self-interest is more about ensuring that my needs are taken care of before I can look at taking care of the needs of others. I’ll illustrate this difference through an analogy – an airplane. Imagine you are on an airplane and the oxygen masks come down in front of you because the plane is having some kind of problem. The guy sitting next to you is sound asleep. If you look at this situation from the standpoint of selfishness, you would put on your oxygen mask and be done with it. You’d probably be thinking the poor guy next to you ought to wake up, but you wouldn’t do anything about it.

Take the same situation from the standpoint of self-interest. First you would put on your own oxygen mask because you understand that you can’t possibly help someone else if you don’t have oxygen yourself. After you take care of yourself first, then you try to wake the guy next to you, and if that doesn’t work, you put his mask on his face for him. See the difference?

Now here’s the interesting thing – the argument for collectivism. My understanding of those who argue for collectivism, or the “public good”, or some other version of the same thing first before self-interest, argue that we have to put ourselves and our egos out of the way to make way for the “public good.” Since we are part of the public, then we will all be taken care of as a result of our giving up of self.

Here’s where the flaw in in this thinking – Who determines what is the “public good?” Someone with some kind of self-interest, that’s who.

Here’s another flaw with this thinking – You can’t offer something when you don’t have it to begin with. In other words, you can’t be concerned with the public good before you have taken care of your self-interest first. Let me explain.

Everything starts from you. You can only give something if you first possess it yourself. In other words, you can’t love others until you have self-love. You can’t respect others without having self-respect. You can’t lead others without being a leader yourself. You can’t give a donation to charity without having something to offer. You can’t teach others effectively until you understand the subject yourself. Following this logic – you can’t have care and concern for the “public good” or others, until you have self-interest first.

The starting point is always internal – you, then it goes externally – others.

How can you give what you lack? You can’t. You can only give from an excess or abundance of what you already possess.

When you start with the collective interest before self-interest you go against logic and nature. You violate the Law of Process.

This is why Communism, Socialism and every other form of tyranny and control of men ultimately fails and brings hardships on all. All of these forms of government seek to fill an internal void of those in charge with something external. All of these forms of government attempt to violate the Law of Process and the Laws of Nature. You can’t violate the Laws of Nature. Conflicting with these laws brings hardships on yourself and others.

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     It became clear to me recently that our government and those that “Represent” us truly don’t understand what it means to live by American principles. They have just recently passed a law that “encourages” volunteerism among the young and old in America. Since when have you known any American that needed the government to tell them that it was good to volunteer your time and energy to a good cause? I believe the difference that I as an American am seeing in this type of innocuous legislation is the fact that government is now trying to gives us direction, or as they would put it “Encouragement”, as to what type of things I should volunteer on. Isn’t this the opposite of what volunteering means? The dictionary defines a volunteer as “a person who voluntarily offers himself or herself for a service or undertaking” or in the legal context “a person whose actions are not founded on any legal obligation so to act.” So, this sounds like to me that our Legislators have either never picked up a dictionary before in their lives or never truly volunteered for anything that they had no real expectation of anything in return except a feeling of having done good for the sake of being good.

     I never needed to be told to be charitable or give first. Not only do I volunteer for several different charities in my area but I grew up knowing that service for country and my fellow American always came first. When I was making the decision to join the Navy, I talked to my father about it, a veteran of the Army and a 6th generation Hayes to answer his country’s call to serve. He didn’t ask me “What job do you want” or “What branch of service?” but looked me dead in the eye and just asked “Why?” He wanted to know if I really understood what I was getting into. I remembered exactly what I said because it was one of those turning points in a person’s life, an epiphany, and I said “Because I don’t believe that I could ever ask for anything from anyone else unless I was willing to give up something first.” That is when he and I both knew that I really understood to look beyond myself and my own self-serving interests and knew that to be American is to give willingly to your fellow American FIRST before anything else. Americans know this and don’t need government telling us from on high how to live our lives and treat our fellow man.

     In Europe, there is a level of Socialism that is entrenched in every level of government and in just about all facets of the average Europeans life to one extent or another. Well, We Are Americans, Not Europeans. Our Founding Fathers and their fathers before them left Europe specifically because the governments of Europe intruded upon every facet of their lives and tried to tell them what to do, when to do it, and how to do what they told them to do. Most importantly, they were told by those same leaders to Not Ask Questions; just do as they said because it was “The best thing for us.” Sound Familiar anyone? They left for the new world to escape this tyranny and choose their own destinies.

     Well everyone, there’s nowhere else to run to. I may be an American Nobody just like you, but even I can see that this is our home at its time to make a stand. The tyranny of the Old World has found us again and we need to draw a line in the sand and stand firm. “This far and no further!” Some of us have begun to gather our friends together to start talking about what we can do to halt this downward spiral and right our course again and set our country back on its intended course. I just hope enough of us see the path before it becomes too overgrown with weeds and is lost to us.

     Forever.

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In light of recent economic and political events, I think it’s a good idea to firm up my history, so I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately.

In the last month I’ve read or am reading:

- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (who emigrated from Soviet Russia in 1928) The book was published in 1957.

- The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith (a Scottish professor) who published his book in 1776.

- Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville (a French aristocrat) who published his work in 1835 and 1840.

The amazing thing that I’ve found is that even though these authors are from different time periods, cultures, and there’s a good chance that the latter authors never read the earlier works – there is a basic underlying theme to all three of these pieces.  That theme is self-interest.

All three works cite self-interest as the thing that makes the world, or atleast a culture run smoothly.  Self-interest is what allows a society to be unhindered from large and intrusive government.  It’s what allows a diverse group of people to live peacefully together.  Each of these authors talk about the role of self-interest to a varying degree.

This got me thinking.  What is it that we who believe in self-interest are up against with the current irrationality that the Obama administration is espousing and carrying out – something that is as old as humanity itself.  This isn’t change we can believe in, it’s lessons we haven’t learned.

The thing that I’m talking about has taken on many names over the centuries.  Here are just a few of the names from human history – demagoguery, communism, socialism, fascism, totalitarianism, mercantilism, despotism, colonialism, monarchy, dictatorship, Marxism, Maoism, Stalinism, oligarchy, theocracy, and feudalism.

So what is it that underlies all these systems of government?  The details of each of these forms is different to varying degrees, but the core of each is the same.  It’s the idea that a group or individual can control another group or individual – external power.  The age old battle is the battle between control of self versus control of others.

This has been going on since the very beginning.  If you are religious you can point to Cain killing Able, or the serpent tempting Eve.  If that’s not your cup of tea, then how about one caveman hitting another over the head with a club.

External versus internal (or authentic) power is the struggle that is humanity.  Some would say that it’s Man’s effort to replace God, or Man’s effort to control nature, or Man’s effort to violate the laws of nature.

What I’ve learned is that control of self vs. control of others is really misleading.  If one really has control of self, or self-leadership, that person has no desire to control others.  See, self-leadership and self-control have to come first.  You can’t give to others what you yourself lack.  And if you have self-leadership, then you know the freedom gives and you want others to experience that same freedom.  It’s not about control of anyone else – that does nothing for you.  Which brings us back to self-interest.  You don’t need others to like you, fear you, or anything else because you know fully that your worth, your confidence, and so much more comes from within you – no other human being can give you these things.

On the other hand, a person without self-leadership or self-control will actively seek control of others as a way to make up for what is lacking in their own life.  Again, they are seeking something externally that will never satisify the emptiness that is within.

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When I look around the country, I see the same thing that many of you see and that is the absolute absence of personal responsibility today. This is not a new phenomenon or a sudden epiphany that I have seen the light on. This is just the first time that I had the voice to lend to this observation. I’m not naïve about politics and know that most political parties rely on ignorance and apathy to maintain power, but it is the first time that I’ve seen its’ endemic use by a party to cement its’ power position and enslave a people. Yes I did say enslave, for what is it when a people relinquish all personal responsibility for the choices they make in their daily lives. From educating our children to protecting our families, from our success in business and the incomes we make to the choice of cars we buy. We the people, as a nation, are forgetting what it was that made us great, made us the envy of the whole world and every man, woman and child not lucky enough to be born in this great land.

The definition of a slave is “a person entirely under the domination of some influence or person”. Being entirely under the influence is the same no matter what manner or form it takes, whether it’s a drug like cocaine or suckling from teat of the Federal Government.

What most people don’t understand is that what we are seeing is our nation being dragged, kicking and screaming, down the path of Socialism. H.G. Bohn once wrote “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Socialism is nothing but empty promises based on good intentions. Socialists want people to have equal outcomes so all people are the same and equal happiness, but people don’t work that way. People, and most especially Americans, are a competitive lot. We don’t like to lose, we don’t like to come in second place, and we absolutely positively cannot stand when someone gets in our way and tells us we can’t do something. So why are we standing for a Socialist President that says we can’t succeed unless “the Government”, translated meaning him, holds our hand and helps us every step of the way. In his world, the Wild West wouldn’t have been settled until a focus group in Washington had assembled the best and brightest theorists in exploration to discuss the Pros and Cons of moving past the Mississippi. We may have gotten around to it sometime in the late 20th Century instead of the 1800’s. The pioneers of the Old West would smack us silly if they saw what we were doing to our country and ourselves.

I have 3 children aged 11 almost 12, 9 and 20 months and all of this reminds me of two incidents that happened with my children in the past week.

My daughter is the 9 year old. My oldest son and she were arguing about something stupid, like most kids arguments are at this age. Anyway, my son said something to the effect to her that he was trying so hard because he wanted to be special. My daughter said back to him “Everybody’s special dummy.” At this point I had to chime in and said to her “If everybody’s special sweetie, then nobody is.” She was confused until I explained to her that most people are just ordinary people, going through their day oblivious to the big picture and happy in their ignorance. Then there are those people that are truly Extraordinary, people that act as a guide post to the expansion of the human experience and lead mankind out of the darkness and into the light. Mankind needs those people, men and women both, to act as the beacon to strive toward. Without them, the human race would stagnate and move backward and disappear into the mediocrity of history.

Yes I do speak like this with my children, but if they don’t understand what the words mean I hand them a dictionary and help them look it up. I know, tough love, but my children won’t be children forever.

The second incident happened this morning. My oldest son said he was sick and my wife let him stay home from school because of it. About 45 minutes after she headed to work and I was getting my other 2 children ready for school, I went in and checked on him. I found him quickly trying to shove his remote under his sheets after having quickly turned off his TV. I suspected he was trying to pull a fast one on us, but I trusted him. What a dumb parent I was. At this point I ordered him to get dressed for school and gave him an earful about honesty, integrity and consequences.

He was about 45 minutes late when we arrived at the school a little while later. I walked him into the office and told the secretary that he was just fine and he needed to go to class. She gave him his pass and sent him on his way. She then asked me to fill out the excuse form to put on file. On the form in the section labeled “Reason for Absence” I wrote Playing sick. She looked at the form and stopped for about 5 seconds without saying a word. I waited. She then asked me if I was sure that I wanted to write this because he would get an Unexcused Absence and have detention. I looked her dead in the eye and said “That’s his problem. He earned it.” She looked shocked. She slowly said “OoooK” and filed it.

I ask anyone reading this how was this wrong. My son or any of my other children will be responsible for their own actions, good or bad, right or wrong and reap the rewards or pay the consequences, whatever that may be.

What that let me know right there is that our teachers are educating our children that everyone is the same no matter their skills or intelligence and that the motto is not “3 strikes and you’re out” but that it really is “3 strikes and you’re not out, but will talk about what is making you misbehave and find out how you feel about being in trouble and then will give you another 40 chances and then you still won’t be out.” What kind of adults are we making them into?

That’s right, they are trying to make them into good little Socialists and in a Socialists Utopia nobody needs to grow up because the State will make all the hard decisions for you.

I’m just an American Nobody, just like you, but this needs to be stopped, but don’t you do what has become the American thing to do and let someone else do it for you. We need to stop outsourcing our responsibilities to other institutions and do what it has always been the quintessential American thing. We need to do it ourselves, in our homes, in our churches, in our families and in each and every one of our daily lives.

Our future is not written and it will be you and I that will decide what the pages of history compose about us and our times. Let’s not outsource our chapter to others. Sit down, grab the pen and do the hard work. It’s in our hands America.

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If you aren’t reading or re-reading classic books, you’re missing out on some great insight into what’s going on in the world today.  That’s right, classic books offer great insight into how we got to where we are, what’s going on, and what’s going to happen.

Today I highlight Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations.  Buy it and more importantly, read it.  The book was published in 1776 by Smith, who is often deemed the father of modern economics.  If you think Ayn Rand was visionary with her assessments, then you’ll be blown away by Smith.  Smith, along with other Scottish enlightenment authors and thinkers, was an advocate for the pursuit of self-interest because, he argued, that if a person fulfills their own needs, it benefits everyone else because that man doesn’t become a drag on everyone else.  He also argued against mercantilism saying that government regulation in favor of one producer over another increases the cost of a product or service, which means that the consumer ends of paying more, which ends up causing more hardship to the consumer and hence the society as a whole.  In other words, whenever government acts in the interest of the public by regulating something, it actually has an effect of harming it’s citizens by making them spend more for a product or service, thus reducing the wealth of a nation.

The Wealth of Nations (Bantam Classics)

If our politicians would only read or listen to even a portion of this book, it would lead us out of this economic situation much faster.

The fallacy of our current policy of government action trying to fix our economic situation is as illogical and insane as someone being arrogant enough to think that we need to do something to stop coldness in winter, or stop winter itself.  You can’t because it is uncomfortable – winter is a part of the natural cycle of the seasons.  You can’t control the seasons – just like you can’t control the ebb and flow of economic cycles – you can get out of the way so that the corrections happen faster or get in the way and make the corrections last longer and more painful.

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I think I might make this a series – a regular quick reminder to people of some ideas and documents that are important to our country and its founding – since I would venture to guess that most people, having been “properly” educated don’t have a clue as to the history of our nation.

Today I post the beginning of the Declaration of Independence.  Be sure to read the part I post here – it may come in handy.  When I read it today, I felt that I really understood (more than ever) what the founders were talking about.  It had a deeper meaning for me.  In the past, I’ve read the document and didn’t really think too deeply about it.  Sure, I may have quoted it and I knew the words, but today I felt I really understood what these men were feeling and thinking.

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.

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, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

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