For scores of years July 4th truly meant something and was a definite cause for celebration.
However, over the past several decades the personal freedoms and liberties Main Street USA was used to celebrating have been eroded.
No longer can it be said that is America is a government of the people, by the people, for the people (though that line does come from President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address).
Realistically, today our government is "of, for and by elected representatives" who care far too much about their own enhanced welfare (paid for in full "by the people").
When the states came together, when they became United, the vision of the Founding Fathers was in setting up a governing body unlike any that had been seen on Planet Earth. But as time marched on certain people saw a way to take advantage of, and pervert, the system.
Our Founding Fathers were learned men. They had read and studied about all manner of governments. They knew what made them good and what made them bad. However, the worst fears of these brave men slowly came to be.
As Thomas Jefferson pointed out, Most bad government has grown out of too much government. It cannot be denied, by any sane or rational person, that the United States has way too much government.
Patrick Henry, who led the charge to add the Bill of Rights, stated, The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.
Andrew Jackson added, The people are the government, administering it by their agents; they are the government, the sovereign power.
Perhaps James Madison summed up their worst fear with his insight, Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people, by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations.
And thus it is that Americans have experienced those very dreaded gradual and silent encroachments by those in power, who have made politics a career where it was only supposed to be a "public service."
The concept of that service, as it had originally been envisioned, was that some citizens would give up a few years of their private sector life and "serve the people" only to return to their actual livelihood.
Never was it meant to be that politics become a career, especially one with lavish benefits at the expense of the taxpayer.
Conservative, moderate, and liberal politicians are all guilty of the erosion Americans have experienced. They have profited greatly at the expense of each and every citizen. They buy their votes filled with empty promises. They spend half their time campaigning for the next election to secure their lofty lifestyle.
There might not be a greater sin than to abuse the power entrusted to one.
Perhaps there are still those who truly believe in the ideals our Founding Fathers laid down without any thought of personal gain, operating without a secret, hidden agenda.
If there are, only then will America be able to rise once again. Not as a "global power" to dictate to other countries, but as a group of collective states who wish true freedom for all who reside within.
The closing line of the Declaration of Independence is, And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The men who signed that document did so and meant it.
Many gave their lives and lost their fortunes. They kept in tact their honor.
There is not a politician alive today who could match the honor and integrity of those 56 delegates of the Continental Congress of July 4, 1776.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
Showing posts with label citizens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label citizens. Show all posts
Monday, July 4, 2011
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Happy Birthday, America! Politicians, Wake Up!
Two-hundred, thirty-four years ago, our Founding Fathers together signed a document declaring that a people are free to determine their government and that, in fact, government is only allowed by the will of the people.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — 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."
One very key ingredient in the quest for freedom was to break away from an oppressive government in order to establish one which derives its power from the people.
To wit: "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..."
The word consent was fittingly and justly utilized by these astute men.
Though not a perfect foundation, as women were not afforded these same rights and all men (people) were not treated as equals as some were, rather, still enslaved.
However, their perception of government was remarkable.
These very learned men knew, through study of history, what a government must and must not do and should and should not do in order to survive.
And so, these 13 individual states united together to establish and form a democracy giving only certain powers to the federal government while keeping anything not specifically granted it to the states and to the people.
As the decades progressed, however, the federal government has grown to the point that individual liberty and the rights of states and citizens have been eroded and become limited. That is exactly what they did not want and, in fact, warned against.
America is still a truly great nation.
However, it is a nation where the will of the people is not followed. It is one where special interest groups wield unusual power over decisions affecting every person living in Main Street USA. It is one where back room deals in the hallowed halls of Capitol Hill decide the most crucial of actions and where billions upon billions of dollars are added to legislation to capture votes.
If pork and earmarks are needed to garner the necessary number of votes in order to pass then must not the legislation be flawed?
The taxpaying citizens of these United States of America desire a "more perfect union," not a larger federal government where their voice is no longer heard.
In order to achieve this end our elected public servants (not public rulers as some have tried to become) would be wise to re-study the very documents that were written and are the foundation for this nation and to then act as statesmen, not as politicos whose main objective is to become re-elected.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
"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."
One very key ingredient in the quest for freedom was to break away from an oppressive government in order to establish one which derives its power from the people.
To wit: "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..."
The word consent was fittingly and justly utilized by these astute men.
Though not a perfect foundation, as women were not afforded these same rights and all men (people) were not treated as equals as some were, rather, still enslaved.
However, their perception of government was remarkable.
These very learned men knew, through study of history, what a government must and must not do and should and should not do in order to survive.
And so, these 13 individual states united together to establish and form a democracy giving only certain powers to the federal government while keeping anything not specifically granted it to the states and to the people.
As the decades progressed, however, the federal government has grown to the point that individual liberty and the rights of states and citizens have been eroded and become limited. That is exactly what they did not want and, in fact, warned against.
America is still a truly great nation.
However, it is a nation where the will of the people is not followed. It is one where special interest groups wield unusual power over decisions affecting every person living in Main Street USA. It is one where back room deals in the hallowed halls of Capitol Hill decide the most crucial of actions and where billions upon billions of dollars are added to legislation to capture votes.
If pork and earmarks are needed to garner the necessary number of votes in order to pass then must not the legislation be flawed?
The taxpaying citizens of these United States of America desire a "more perfect union," not a larger federal government where their voice is no longer heard.
In order to achieve this end our elected public servants (not public rulers as some have tried to become) would be wise to re-study the very documents that were written and are the foundation for this nation and to then act as statesmen, not as politicos whose main objective is to become re-elected.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
Monday, April 19, 2010
And The Survey Says . . .
In the latest set of surveys from the Pew Research Center, as reported by The Associated Press, the headline reads: "4 out of 5 Americans don't trust Washington."
Prior to commenting on the specifics, it must be pointed out that there is apathy on Capitol Hiill.
The AP story carried this: Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican who won a long-held Democratic Senate seat in Massachusetts in January by seizing on public antagonism toward Washington, said: "It's clear Washington is broken. There's too much partisan bickering to be able to solve the problems people want us to solve."
Reading that quote by Senator Brown again, perhaps it is not apathy.
However, if our elected represenatives cannot get past their childish "partisan bickering" then there should be a recall election for all seats in both the Senate and House of Represntatives.
The reason? Read the polls.
Main Street USA does not want bigger, more controlling government.
The People did not want the "Health Care Rights Bill" as it was signed into law.
Taxpaying citizens do want officials to represent them, not the beauracrat's "wiser than thou" attitude reflecting how they know what is best for the "people on the street" (based on voting records).
The Pew poll findings, per AP, state; "Majorities in the survey call Washington too big and too powerful, and say it's interfering too much in state and local matters."
And there is not one political figure today who can deny that sentiment being displayed, over and over again, by Main Streeters. And, if one does, that person is vacationing (while being paid to work) and has absolutely no grasp on reality.
That the White House and Congress continue to charge ahead with an attitude that crosses public (i.e., voter) opinion, as well as matters of Constitutional Law, regarding the functions of the federal government does show, unfortunately, that the silent majority has allowed, for far too long, the usurpation of state power and individual responsibility.
The system as created by our Founding Fathers does work. That has been proven over time.
We need them back.
Minimally, we need people of the caliber of Patrick Henry, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and others like them who had integrity and spirit, who actually fought for the people.
Our founders were not concerned about their pension plan, free flights across the country anytime they wanted, huge staff with virtually unlimited budgets, all paid for by taxpaying citizens who have become more and more burdened by the national debt.
They were concerned about rights and liberties.
They knew too well, through their knowledge of history, into what a too-powerful central government would evolve.
Politicians need to remember this, above all else. The People agreed to create and form states. The states created the federal government.
The Constitution and the Bill of Rights protect those who created this country.
If those who were elected to serve do not start doing so, they deserve to be impeached with absolutely no benefits, pensions or retirement, as they have committed treason against this country.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
Prior to commenting on the specifics, it must be pointed out that there is apathy on Capitol Hiill.
The AP story carried this: Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican who won a long-held Democratic Senate seat in Massachusetts in January by seizing on public antagonism toward Washington, said: "It's clear Washington is broken. There's too much partisan bickering to be able to solve the problems people want us to solve."
Reading that quote by Senator Brown again, perhaps it is not apathy.
However, if our elected represenatives cannot get past their childish "partisan bickering" then there should be a recall election for all seats in both the Senate and House of Represntatives.
The reason? Read the polls.
Main Street USA does not want bigger, more controlling government.
The People did not want the "Health Care Rights Bill" as it was signed into law.
Taxpaying citizens do want officials to represent them, not the beauracrat's "wiser than thou" attitude reflecting how they know what is best for the "people on the street" (based on voting records).
The Pew poll findings, per AP, state; "Majorities in the survey call Washington too big and too powerful, and say it's interfering too much in state and local matters."
And there is not one political figure today who can deny that sentiment being displayed, over and over again, by Main Streeters. And, if one does, that person is vacationing (while being paid to work) and has absolutely no grasp on reality.
That the White House and Congress continue to charge ahead with an attitude that crosses public (i.e., voter) opinion, as well as matters of Constitutional Law, regarding the functions of the federal government does show, unfortunately, that the silent majority has allowed, for far too long, the usurpation of state power and individual responsibility.
The system as created by our Founding Fathers does work. That has been proven over time.
We need them back.
Minimally, we need people of the caliber of Patrick Henry, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and others like them who had integrity and spirit, who actually fought for the people.
Our founders were not concerned about their pension plan, free flights across the country anytime they wanted, huge staff with virtually unlimited budgets, all paid for by taxpaying citizens who have become more and more burdened by the national debt.
They were concerned about rights and liberties.
They knew too well, through their knowledge of history, into what a too-powerful central government would evolve.
Politicians need to remember this, above all else. The People agreed to create and form states. The states created the federal government.
The Constitution and the Bill of Rights protect those who created this country.
If those who were elected to serve do not start doing so, they deserve to be impeached with absolutely no benefits, pensions or retirement, as they have committed treason against this country.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
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