Socialism, Which Rights You will Lose?

200+ years of gains and benefits; autonomous lifestyles and the freedoms and liberties that allow you to decide everything that matters to you and your life.

You won't like having the government dictate what, when, where and how you work, live and play; and what you are allowed to think, do, see or say; even, what you can eat and how much of it you can buy or have, and what clothes you can wear, what colors, and when.

Who you are seen with, where you can go and be; and what you can discuss; what you can buy, what you can own or use, and how long you can use it after you pay the special use taxes.

Voting rights are taken for granted by most of the modern world and held sacred.  One person, one vote that counts for the candidate or issue you choose.  In Democracies and many representative republics your choices are secret and fairly certain to be counted accurately.  There are usually many candidates from various parties and philosophies and initiatives of many conflicting views.

In most Socialist countries, if you are fortunate enough to be among those allowed to vote, alternatives to the party in power and ideas different than the ruling party dogma are very infrequent.  Often, the only possible vote is for or against the leader in power.  Few voters survive long after voting No.  Rarely is there a viable alternative candidate to vote for, and influential supporters of them often don't make it to a ballot box, or their ballot is disqualified because they are found mentally incompetent, or charged and convicted of serious crimes making them ineligible to vote from the asylum or prison.

In most Socialist countries, you can buy a TV, but you can't watch it without an annual permit.  Then you can only watch government authorized programs.

In some countries you can buy music and a player, but you can't play it at a gathering of your friends in public or privately, without an entertainment permit and annual fee.  You can't play or listen to restricted or censored music or performers.

In some Socialist and Communist countries you can get on the waiting list for a tightly controlled and monitored government cell phone, or a restricted and monitored computer or tablet with limited Internet access.  If your not an active ruling party member, your wait might be painfully long, like decades.

In some socialist countries you can't buy or have anything not on the authorized list.  And if you can get it, it's usually only available in the socialist party colors, often black and some unnameable color.

If you save up something useful, and the government stores run out, you can't sell yours to those that can't get any.  If the government finds out you horded it, they will confiscate it for distribution to loyal party dignitaries, not your ailing parents or sick friends.

Get used to shortages, outages and ancient versions of consumer products and medications.

Ownership rights to anything you create, perpetual rights to anything you buy, ownership of any resources you discover are non-existent.  If you concealed that you have them, they will be taken and you will be punished as a threat to your comrade's and the socialist party, and possibly mentally ill, or needing another indoctrination session or two.

Those who have gained special rights because of historical mistreatment, or deserving addition help overcoming defects and deficiencies; you will lose them.  If you work tirelessly for the party in power you may get a few back.  If you gained privileges because you are different, forget them.

Everything belongs to the party in charge, or will; if they discover you have it, it will be seized.

Think long and hard before trading freedom and opportunity for free stuff you could buy if you had your own stuff or your own money back.

Censorship, Why the Cries for it?

I hear, view, or read things everyday that offend, aggravate, or disgust me; but I will not ever call for censorship.  

I would prefer no censorship for anything written, spoken, or created to be viewed by any individual citizen of the United States.  No matter how vulgar, disgusting, hideous, violent, immoral or inciting of hatred it maybe, it's just images and words; however, not all of it should be easily available to young children.

It's not actions, it's just free speech.  

The 1st Amendment, like each of the first ten Amendments is very important to me; and has been eroded dangerously close to destruction in the last 100 years.

Supreme Court Justice, Louis D. Brandeis once wrote; "The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in the insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding."

People who should know better are clamoring for censorship of people whose comments they don't like, not just the words and images, but with intent to silence them.

The government, the state, or legal agencies thereof, should not act to censor free speech in any form by any citizen with full rights intact.  

Of course, all legal rights to recover restitution for damages from slander and liable should be actively pursued in the courts.

The facts are that people tell awful lies about people they don't agree with or like.  I suspect more than 50% of those who testify in court under oath also lie, some for no good reason.  It's called perjury. 

All other organization (media, unions, businesses, NGO's, Foundations, etc.) and all other people within the jurisdiction of the USA; should not be allowed to act in any way to censor the truth of any free speech, no matter what is said or implied, except for conspiring to act to overthrow any of our freedoms.

Internet, social media, and emails are media publications and should not be allow to censor any truthful opinions or expressions of free speech, no matter what their silly personal opinions are.

Freedom of Expression for all citizens and legal residents under the jurisdiction of the USA! 

It's our 1st Amendment Right!

The 2nd Amendment

"shall not be infringed."

What follows is my plain English understanding informed by Federalists Papers, Supreme Court opinions for and against, and intellectual writings separate from court opinion, and my own opinion formed by the aforementioned and 7 decades of thoughtful deliberations.

My analysis is drawn from the understanding of the meaning of words, ideas and history, at the time Madison wrote it and events since.

First, let's examine the phrases set apart by commas, which I assume is what the framers intended.

"A well regulated militia," to me means a militia kept in check.  I think the biggest concern at the time of the adoption of the Bill of Rights as Amendments was having armed citizens able to resist tyranny from any opposing force, even Local, State or National police and military organizations gone rouge attempting to violate the most basic human rights enumerated in the Constitution.

Secondly, "being necessary to the security of a free state," means regulated by an opposing force of citizens to secure the conditions that allow the existence of a free state.  Without an armed force powerful conspirators could become tyrannical and run roughshod, violating every preciously secured right over isolated locales or the entire country.

Next, "the right of the people to keep and bear arms," is the right of a free people to secure, protect, and assure a free state by keeping and bearing arms as necessary; not a militia, but in opposition to unlawful gangs or lawful militia gone bad.

Finally, "shall not be infringed." means precisely what it says.  Nothing is authorized that modifies this right of a citizen; not significantly, or not slightly, shall not at all be infringed upon.

A Supreme Court decision established that convicted felons and crazy people should not have this right that the 2nd Amendment plainly and definitively states, "shall not be infringed."  I do not disagree that convicted violent felons might be stripped of this right, but crazy could easily be determined by the state to be anyone that opposes the party in power at the moment.

There are lots of mental and emotionally challenged persons that function without danger to the state or other citizens; to strip this right from them without empirical evidence of potential harm to themselves or others, would be infringement which "shall not" be allowed.  Tyrants, bigots, zealots could easily select a chosen behavior or affiliation and demonize it often and loudly, saying the poor souls who have chosen badly are crazy and therefore should all be stripped of their 2nd Amendment Rights; imprison them and seize their lands, personal property (guns and ammunition), livestock, and accumulated wealth, without the due process rights assured in the Constitution.

A few examples of groups of affiliates that could easily be demonized are, National Rifle Association members, Meat-eaters, non-Christians, elected politicians, teachers, or American Socialists Party, Green Party, or Radial Extremists Democratic party members, or any identifiable group could be characterized and easily determined to be "Crazy".

Incidentally, I would submit there are several mentally ill persons in Congress in any year, House and Senate; and most assuredly many in the party that nominated them, by any reasonable definition of the term "crazy".

The millions of people who admit to owning guns, and the millions who do not, but use them for hunting, competitive sport shooting, home protection, collecting, or just because they have the right to; have about 400 million working and non-working personal property firearms that have never killed or injured anyone.  This estimate does not include the military, National Agency Assault Teams (DOJ, TSA, IRS, NSA, etc.), or State police/militias.

Here is some interesting data and estimates from official sources, not news media or other anti-firearms advocates.

US Deaths by firearms:

Justified Police homicides 2017 - 429
Justified citizen homicides 2017 - 353
source: FBI

Suicides by firearms
2016 - 22,938 CDC
2017 - 23,855; 50.57 percent of all suicides (47,173)

Accidental or unintentional deaths by firearms
2013 - 505
2014 - 461
2015 - 489
2016 - 495

Undetermined reason, by firearm
2013 - 275
2014 - 275
2015 - 282
2016 - 300

Executions
2010 - 1, Ronnie Lee Gardener, In Utah at his request.

Homicides by Firearm, as a crime, or during the commission of another crime.
2016 - 14,415 CDC

Sources
CDC - Center for Disease Control, Deaths, Final Data 2016, tables 6 & 7
FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation

In no case did a firearm load itself, aim itself, or fire itself.  All events absolutely required deliberate human action prior to the resulting death.  No unloaded weapon discharged a single solitary cartridge.

My Life and Guns

I was born in 1946 in South Dakota, and spent my first few childhood years on a sheep farm.

Guns were an everyday necessary tool.  Predators and vermin plagued our sheep; coyotes, foxes and weasels killed their share of our livelihood.  Dad killed as many as possible with a trusty 22 semi-automatic, which I still have.

It's never shot or killed any man, woman or child; nor did my father, who safely discharged more than 16,000 rounds through it.  He also hunted ducks, pheasants, geese, and deer that we ate providing much needed nutrition.

I received my first BB gun for Christmas at 6 years old, Dad taught me gun safety Christmas Day.

For my eighth birthday I received a 22 caliber pellet pistol.  I wore it out after several repairs 5 years later.

At nine, Dad gave me Mom's over/under single shot 410/22 to use.  It shot a lot of delicious quail and rabbits.

At ten, Dad said I could use his 300 Savage to hunt deer.  I killed, gutted and skinned my first buck that season.

By eleven, my Grandfather had given me his old double barrel, side-by side, open hammer, 12 gauge shotgun.  He almost never gave anything away.

On my 12th birthday, Mom and Dad gave me a 9 shot, 22 caliber, western style, revolver and custom holster.  I slept with it near me and loaded for 10 years when I had worn its action out after about 12,000 rounds.

Since then I have rarely been without a loaded hand gun at my side.

Two years later, my father and I bought a Savage, model 99e, lever action, 243 caliber.  Very fast, very accurate; a great deer rifle.  I shot 37 Mule deer bucks and 2 does, which were donated to the needy and the Humane Society.  A few years back I gave the rifle to my oldest son, he still has it.

I shot in Trap Shooting competition for fifteen years, running 100 straight, eleven times in 3 different State and Regional Championships, shooting about 55,000 rounds in practice and competition

Today I have and use several long guns and several hand guns.  I have had for many years, and still have a Concealed Carry Permit.  I test fire hand guns nearly every month, long guns a couple times per year.

I never had to shoot anyone; I've come close to it a few times.

My guns have never deliberately or accidentally shot, or shot toward, anyone.  Never transported themselves or ammunition anywhere, never loaded themselves, never aimed themselves, never fired themselves.

In 66 years no one has ever been harmed by any of my numerous guns, and never will.  They are inanimate tools.

In the same time; many evil, ignorant and careless people and governments have murdered, maimed and injured millions of innocent people, and some guilty ones, with a wide variety tools including guns.

For some reason, some very ignorant people think the problem is the guns.

People wake up!

Guns cannot kill anyone!

People kill people!


   

Health Care Insurance; it’s not a Right.

The Unaffordable Care and Tax Act isn’t anything I want.  I worked for 50 years and saved money whenever I could, scrimping all my life so I would have enough money for housing, food and medical care when I would no longer be able to work.  Even though the Government took my hard earned money for 50 years supposedly for a retirement insurance supplement (Social Security Act); and for 37 years without any benefit to me, and still to this day take my money for Medicare which I didn’t ask for, never wanted and don’t need but must pay for this poor quality, badly managed, heavily regulated, government mandated insurance.   

I didn’t and couldn’t save enough to provide FREE health insurance to anyone else, who likely contributed nothing or very little to their own well-being. 

Health Care Insurance is not a Constitutional, nor a Human Right!  And it should never be.

It has nothing whatever to do with Social Justice; whatever they claim that means now or next. 

I have paid for decades and continue to pay today for health care for people I don’t know and will never meet; people not even from my neighborhood, town or state.  

I pay for emergency care at many hospitals, for social security eligible surviving children, military members and families, veterans, military and civilian prisoners, poor children, single mothers, Medicaid recipients, handicapped, crippled, mentally ill, and the severely infirmed.  Oh, and, I forgot foreign visitors and workers, and legal immigrants and illegal intruders (you can’t be any kind of immigrant unless you are here legally) and invaders. 

Intruders are just bad mannered; invaders come here intending to take our jobs, our benefits, and our property (including money) or do us physical harm and more.  

Everyone, citizen or non-citizen, in our country for any reason can get medical care at any true hospital; they must treat you, it’s the law.  No one in our country has to go without medical care. 

No person has to have health insurance.  It’s a farce created by insurance companies and conniving politicians tricking the ignorant into wasting money or voting for a lying corrupt public parasites.

Every person, legally here or not, can save money for health care in a bank savings account or in a shoe box.   Citizens can create a tax free Health Savings Account (HSA) from which any legitimate medical expense can be paid in cash. 

Every legitimate medical treatment or urgent care can be financed and paid for incrementally by honest responsible individuals.  And if not, there is the Bankruptcy process to escape debts you are not sincerely capable of ever paying.

The reason health care is so expensive is Health Insurance and government interference.  If people would ask, “How much does this cost?”  Then decide whether or not it would be worth it to them to have another X-ray, blood test or Stress test, if you had to pay with your own cash.  Offer to pay your Doctor in cash in advance what Medicare or Insurance will pay minus the costs of billing them.   You will be shocked how much less you could pay than the Government/Insurance billing price. 

  

No one is entitled to medical care for FREE, or at anyone else’s expense.

No one is entitled to FREE Medical Insurance paid for by me or any other citizens under threat of criminal punishment by our Government.  Nor should any free citizen ever be forced to pay for or forced to accept any kind of insurance, poor quality government or high quality private, for which we have not individually and freely consented.

Health Care is not a Constitutional Right.  And it should never be.

Equal Taxation, Equal Liberty, and Equal Justice for each citizen must be urgently restored!

Our Government Doesn’t Allow Success

We Earn That Ourselves

Shame on you, Mr. President; apparently you have forgotten what little you might have once known about government by consent of “We the People”.  Last week you said the government allowed us to become successful.  Wrong, Mr. President, so wrong.  We don't need government permission or any government help to become successful; just stop over-regulation, over-taxing, and needless interference.    

We allowed you, Mr. President, and we’ve regretted each and every day of your administration since.

We originally allowed the government and established its limits.

You, nor our government, had anything to do with what we were endowed with by our creator.

My parents received no help from any government when I was born.  They were hard working farmers in Eastern South Dakota.  No Medical care, no farm subsidy, no welfare, no paved roads, no electricity or running water; just the expectation that if they worked hard eighteen hours a day, planned ahead, acted wisely, took good care of the land, equipment, buildings, livestock and their family, and trusted in God for the things they could not influence; they might be successful someday.

Farming wasn’t to be my father’s success.  He sold out, moved to California with help from his family, not the government.  Although the government made sure it took its tax from everything he had made.  He became quite successful, in spite of government restrictions, excessive taxation, constant regulation and interference, mostly by buying and developing real estate.

He developed a very successful business building and leasing billboards, with no help from the government.  A business which the “Beautify America Act of 1964” made illegal destroying everything my father had built, all the while governments only provided harassing interference, endless regulation, exhaustive permitting, and punitive taxes which it used to build poor roads and faulty bridges, and ineffective schools, and unnecessary government jobs, and expensive offices, ineffective and lavish entitlement programs, and pointless conferences, and meaningless travel on the backs of my father’s and other taxpayers hard work, rewarding them with more interference and more confiscation for more government than they had asked for or could possibly pay for. 

My mother worked hard raising a family and working for others, and eventually owning and running several small businesses.  The government never helped, they only interfered and took all they could confiscate from her hard work too.  My folks never needed nor ever sought anything from the Federal government.  

I went to schools my father’s hard work helped pay for.  I drove to work, sometimes at three different jobs per day, on roads my father built and some he helped pay for.  I earned the right to go to a college, which my wife and I, and my parents and hers, helped pay for with no help from the government.  I earned my degrees, none were granted by the government.  We paid our own way by working while I went to college, all the while the government took part of our wages for failed social programs, and gave college entrance and jobs to those who had not earned them, in a seat next to me and we paid for them to be there.

Our government didn’t help me find and keep a job, get and use an education, buy and maintain a home, raise and support family, work 60 and 70 hours a week, save money for retirement, stay healthy, or pay for medical care, or ever give my family money for food; instead it just took some of what we made without option, for things we didn’t want and didn’t ask for, and gave it to those who might never earn anything.

Governments were a constant hindrance!  They put unnecessary roadblocks in the way frequently.  Conscripted us without option into programs like Social Security and Medicare that any fool could plainly see would be bankrupt by the time we might need them.  And robbed us of hard earned money most of which it then wasted on frivolous vote buying programs.  And we never wanted or ever sought anything the Federal government had to offer, and we never thought we were owed anything, and we never took anything we didn’t earn

So, Mr. President you have it exactly wrong.

We allowed you and our fraudulent, corrupt, excessively repressive government to violate the pact between; “We the People” and a badly flawed mutant version of our original Federal government.

You are right about one thing, Mr. President; we didn’t do that by ourselves.

Less Government

Not just less Federal government, but less state government, less county government, and less local government.

I want much less regulation, lower benefits, fewer programs, fewer entitlements, much less legislation, very few new laws; and very much lower taxes.

I want less of all of it.  I use very few and very little of the things my excessive taxes pay for.  I am helping to pay for things I’ll never want nor ever use.  I did not ask for nor approve of hardly anything that has been added to the role of the Federal Government in my lifetime.

I am opposed to mandatory participation in any government benefit program.  All benefit programs should be optional to those who wish to participate and hope to get a specific benefit promised to them in the future if the conditions are met and you can trust a government provider to deliver.  I don’t like Social Security, which I receive and paid into for fifty years.  I didn’t like Medicare in 1968 and don’t like it now that I’m eligible.  In fifty years of working I was only unemployed for 2 days twice, once in 1966 and once in 1988, and didn’t get unemployment benefits either time.   

I’ve never received any entitlement support of any kind, never applied for any.  Never needed any help from government, never asked for any.  My family, friends, co-workers and associates were always available to provide just a little help when it was truly needed.

We’ve wandered far as a nation from any sensible constraints on government, far from what our forefathers envisioned, way far from what little I want the government to do.

The only things I want the Federal government to do for our citizens are clearly listed in the Constitution and its amendments, and the things I don’t want them to do to us are clearly defined in our Bill of Rights.

Stop doing anything else.  Definitely stop excessively helping those, who crave, lobby for, and who will become dependent upon extravagant entitlements, destroying their self-esteem, initiative and personal responsibility.

Excessive, unnecessary, lavish government assistance is destroying our nation and its people.

  

Don’t Raise Taxes

On Millionaires and Billionaires, or anyone else.

Lower everyone’s taxes to 15%.  No progressive rates, just a straight 15% for everyone.

No one should have to pay a higher or lower rate than Millionaires and Billionaires.  No one, rich or poor, should pay a higher or lower rate than anyone else.

15% for Senators, Presidents, for Warren Buffet, for Warren’s secretary, for Mitt Romney, for Bill Gates, for all businesses, for all non-profits, for all churches, for all schools, for all unions, for all political parties, for low income, for high income , for middle income, 15% for all individuals, companies, and organizations. 

Only someone or an extension of an individual, like a business or an organization; with no income or no revenue would pay no tax.

Everyone should pay the same (on non-profit revenue or profit income) tax rate, no exemptions, no exceptions, no credits, no low income credit, no high income surcharge, no subsidizes, and no deductions. 

How much did you receive? 

Send the Federal government 15%

It would be plenty of revenue for the government’s annual costs, future costs, and paying down the debt.

It would be somewhat less than they are used to getting, so they must actually CUT spending.

And that’s what I want; much smaller Federal government, much less spending, much lower taxes, much less regulation, much safer human and constitutional rights, much more prosperity and opportunity, fewer and smaller entitlements, less lavish benefits, no mandatory participation, no means test, much less bigotry and prejudice, much less envy and jealously, much more happiness with liberty and justice for all.

The only way the beast that is Federal government will lose weight, is to starve it by cutting off its revenue.  It will just keep eating away at our carcass, if we let it.

They won’t cut spending on their own.  No tax increases, no new kinds of taxes; just less, much less revenue for the Federal Government.

Equal taxation, equal liberty, and equal justice for ALL citizens

What solutions will you try and why?

How will you get them enacted?

Political Debates; here’s what I’m hoping to hear:

Reduce Federal spending by actual spending cuts, not just slightly slower growth.   

Reduce the size and scope of Federal government, cutting some

Departments and consolidating others, and eliminate many Agencies, Offices, Commissions, Bureaus, Institutes and Endowments.  Significantly reduce Federal employment.

Lower lavish entitlements, like welfare, Medicaid, etc.

Fully insure benefits, like Medicare, Social Security and Unemployment with secure, set-aside funding.

Spend less than the incoming revenue, cut everything until you are.

Secure the borders, all of them.  Make illegal immigration very difficult.

Reduce military spending and overseas deployments.

Streamline the legal immigration process.  Weed-out fraud and corruption.

Expel non-citizen law breakers, systematically and urgently.  No special exemptions for long-time violators.  Those born to non-citizens while here can stay here with citizen relatives; or return with their parents to their homeland until they are 18 years old, then choose to return as a legal citizen.

No new taxes, no tax increases, and no fee increases.

Eliminate all exemptions, deductions, credits, subsidizes, and tariffs.

Eliminate the progressive idea in income taxes; one rate, the same percentage for everyone.

Increase the volume and availability of medical care, abundance will lower all its costs.

Substantially lower or eliminate business taxes.

Eliminate life-style regulations, encourage education, and let people suffer for their mistakes.

Significantly cut Federal Regulations.

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t heard much mention of these ideas as solutions to our economic problems; and heard practically nothing of how they might be accomplished. 

C’mon candidates, try bold meaningful solutions for once!  Or do you lack the courage to do what’s right?

Equal Tax Justice for All

Get Rid of Progressive Taxes

All taxpayers must be treated equally under tax law.  Whatever the tax burden is must be equal for all payers.  The mistaken idea that anyone, rich or poor, wealthy or not, should pay a different percentage of their income as tax, flies in the face of justice and liberty for all.  Any taxes that are not an equal percentage for any taxpayer are clearly unjust and discriminatory.

The idea espoused for the “Fair Tax” is if you buy something your pay the same percentage tax as anyone else.  I’ve not read the language of any proposed “Fair Tax” but if they contain exemptions and exceptions, then I oppose them as well.

Tax fairness means to me that all those who pay are damaged an equal percentage.  If you make one million dollars, one hundred thousand, or ten thousand dollars, your tax percentage should be just exactly the same as everyone else who has income and owes tax.

Why progressive income tax was not challenged as un-Constitutional all these years is a mystery to me.  Where in the Constitution does it say that successful, thrifty, conservative, educated, smart decision-makers using forethought to provide for themselves and their families should be penalized; and ignorant, foolish, thoughtless, lazy, wasteful spending, bad decision-makers unable to provide for their families should be rewarded for their non-productive bad behavior.

I want tax justice.  I want equal tax treatment under the law for all.  No rewards bad or poor behaviors.  No penalties for good behavior.  No deductions, no exemptions, no subsidizes, no tariffs, no credits, no adjustments for anything.

What was your income last year?  Send the Federal government, let’s say, ten (10%) percent.  No home interest deduction, no Earned (unearned) Income tax credit, no medical expense deduction, no charitable deductions, tax preparations costs, education or job hunting expense deduction; nothing.   

Simply, what was your income, including the value of non-cash benefits; send in your Federal Income tax of 10%.

Other benefits will immediately flow from a more sensible tax policy.  First; get the IRS out of all activity other than collection of revenue, and cut 50,000 unnecessary employees.

Second; tax attorneys and tax accounts can now refocus on constructive meaningful business or change careers. 

Third; the process of refunds could be virtually eliminated, except for people who made mistakes and over or under paid when they sent their check, money order, or electronic deposit; the people currently running this process and entitlement transfer payments to no or low wage earners, could focus on collecting revenue only and most of the others could find work elsewhere, hopefully out of government employment.

Fourth; housing lenders, charities, churches, schools, hospitals, etc. could flourish on their own merit instead of being encouraged by tax policy to subsidize things individuals can support or not from their own money. 

Allowing church donations to be deducted, for instance, probably amounts to a violation of the First Amendment establishment of religion clause and should have never been permitted.  Using money that should have been tax revenue to subsidize private lenders, undeserving charities, private hospitals, poorly performing schools or any non-governmental activity should be illegal, and I think it once was.

Many things are wrong with tax law and tax policy, but the unequal tax rate burden on those who bothered to educate themselves, worked hard, sacrificed, saved, invested, thought ahead and have become successful is a horrid progressive socialist and communist idea that needs to be eliminated from our culture, law, society and philosophy.

Equal taxation for everyone!  No exemption, no exception.

  

A Solemn Oath,

“…that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;…”

Words means things, and the words of this oath, which I took as a Government official, and all military officers take, means a great deal to me.

This oath and several similar ones since our Constitutional government began have been taken by military servicemen and women, officers, and government officials, including a similar Oath of Office by the President.

It doesn’t say, just while I’m in office, while things go well, only when awake, or during official duties. 

I believe it is intended for all time, while alive, in everything thing I do with every fiber of my being for my entire life, at all costs, no matter what.

It does not say; defend the President, the Office of the President, the Government, Senators, elected officials, appointed officials, government property, government programs, citizens or non-citizens, criminals or the otherwise law-abiding, the poor or the rich, or any persons.

It says, “….support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic….” 

And that says just what it means.

The rule of law was paramount when this nation was founded, always has been, and in fact remains paramount today.  Those who deliberately or ignorantly disobey the Constitution are and should be correctly identified as enemies.

And those who take this oath must defend against them regardless of who they are, what their title is, where they are, or where they come from, or why or when they committed violations of the Constitution.  And if your have taken this oath and do not act accordingly, you are an enemy.  

Yes, it’s that simple.  If you violate our Constitution or your oath to it, you are its enemy and ours.

My Foreign Policy

If I were elected President, here are a few things I would do differently:

Suspend all cash transfers to foreign governments and non-governmental agencies operating in or for all foreign governments.

Immediately reduce all financial foreign aid to zero.

Begin the systematic evaluation of all nations; ally, friend or foe, evaluating all  requests for aid, history of our relationship, security and national interests, and relative value and importance of a continuing relationship with them.

All Congressionally ratified formal agreements will be honored carefully and exactly, trusting but verifying and not lavishly over providing anything.

Formal agreements for transfer payments may be resumed after formal renegotiations are successfully concluded.

All other requests for cash or funds transfers are cancelled.

Requests for disaster aid, medicine, food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and emergency medical procedures, will be considered first and appropriate types and reasonable quantities given the severity of the disaster will be provided directly to the effected peoples, but not through intermediaries.  Any government or non-governmental interference will cause immediate suspension of aid and potential cancellation.  Security and transport will be provided exclusively by USA forces or US contractors.

The only other forms of aid to be considered will be economic, military, scientific, humanitarian, or cultural; and only people, products, services, technology, natural resources, or knowledge will be available for negotiated exchange. 

Only countries willing to trade without subsidy, tariff or embargo will be considered.  If there is no free trade for the things involved in exchange, by the US or foreign nation, there will be no trade agreement.

All military exchanges will include the cash purchase of US arms, munitions, technology, facilities, equipment or training according to ratified and signed treaty conditions only.  No others will be permitted.

All scientific and medical resources will be exchanged by reciprocity only; like volunteer for money, money for knowledge, medicine for work, natural resources for equipment, value for value, etc.

All humanitarian, cultural and educational exchanges will be engaged in only with specific measurable benefits that will be verified by observable analytical evidence.

No cash, no funds transfer, no elaborate compensation, or questionable expense reimbursements will be honored.

Treaties are an element of foreign policy.  Substantially reduce the volume and intensity of any treaties.  Seek the mutual discontinuance of lopsided military disarmaments, economic handicapping, and world law or world court initiatives or treaties.  Reaffirm US sovereignty and stop handicapping US economic power and silencing US human rights and constitutional advantages.

Those nations publicly maligning or privately thwarting US capitalism, private property rights, religious freedom, freedom of speech, merit based achievement or human rights will not be parties to any US agreements.

Trade agreements will relocate responsibility for economic policy to what little is left of the Department of Commerce where “fair trade” only agreement will be signed; no subsidies, no tariffs, no embargoes, no inducements.  All trade agreements will be specific straight up trades; this much of our commodity, good or service for this much of their other specific commodity, good or service based upon strenuously negotiated market values of goods and services, not artificially manipulated.

Participation in major regional and international organizations including the United Nations is important but, not a main or major theme.  Begin deconstruction of the US role in the United Nations, reduce funding, reduce participation, become just another participant.  Stop interfering in the business of other sovereign nations.

The deployment of Military forces is another major element of foreign policy.  Discontinue routine overseas deployments on any foreign soil, even allies; including routine deployments at sea.  Increase joint military exercises with allies deploying from the US or US territories and protectorates, not from any other nation simulating the build up to all out war.  No police actions, no actions less than all out war, like limited engagement or special limited combat rules; just destroy the enemy and their war making capability, annihilate their forces and return US forces to within the US and territories; leave them defeated and their country decimated and refuse to help their citizens recover as punishment for their malicious ignorance.

Humanitarian Aid will include routine participation in conventions, consortiums, World Fairs, and alliances for medicine, science, and technology transfer and to a much lesser extent than historically, research and development.  US R&D will be increasingly done by the US, in the US, for the US quickly reducing to near zero funding for joint efforts.  Joint participation will still be sought when full participation and contribution by foreigners includes equal funding and the security and economic interests of the US are assured.

In other words, much smaller, much less intrusive, very selective, basic diplomacy and much smaller less active State Department; and much smaller funding participation in international conventions; and fewer treaties and no automatic treaty renewals.

And no more cash payments, funds transfer or bribes for promises of friendship.

Elected Officials

What I Want Them to Do

I’ve written on this before, but I am, to borrow a phrase from our beloved political elite, revising and extending my remarks.

Here’s what I want my elected Federal officials to do:

Substantially and actually reduce Federal spending immediately after the oath of office.  Immediately limit spending to less than revenue; substantially less.

Actually cut each years Federal spending by at least one percent of last years’ spending; regardless of inflation, new programs, growth of recipients, population growth, revenue increases, recession, depression or any other stupid reason.

Make it clear that all new legislation will be vetoed, unless there is a compelling national emergency, acknowledged by more than half of all citizens expressing the desire that a particular consensus solution be applied, the misery of which will assuredly to be shared equally by all.

Prohibit all new regulations.  Suspend all existing regulations, except those that apply to all citizens equally, pending a complete review of each for costs versus value.  Cancel by Executive Order, all regulations that cost more than their demonstrable value and are not constitutionally authorized for Federal Government.

Cancel by Executive Order, all obsolete regulations.

Veto all new laws that do not apply to all citizens equally; especially those exempting Congress, the President and any elected or appointed officials. 

Begin the repeal of all Congressional and Executive Branch exemptions to laws they’ve passed on everyone else.

Repeal all obsolete laws.

Immediately cancel all tax law that does not apply equally to all.  Revise all tax laws that allow for progressive tax rates.  Only allow one rate applied equally to all.  Immediately nullify all laws granting exemption, deduction, exclusion, subsides or transfer payment from or to tax filers, and grant only deductions for business or home improvements, carefully defined and equally available to all legal citizens.

Require all citizens to be prepared to provide proof of citizenship and carry it on their person at all times.

Veto all street, road, highway, river, mountain, lake, stream, ravine, rock or any other natural place name changes paid for from tax revenue, regardless of now nice or popular the dead person’s family is or was.

Eliminate any religious displays and any edifices to the dead on Federal Interstate Highways right-of-ways. 

Do not allow the installation of religious symbols, religious paraphernalia, or verbatim religious quotes from this day forward on taxpayers funded property or facilities.   

Reduce all entitlement payments by ten percent each year until they are demonstrably below the survival level, not counting help from others.  Then freeze them relative to the “Cost of Living” signified by the Consumer Price Index (existing, CPI) and Government Cost Index (new, calculation of total individual annual tax burden as a percentage of income).

Reconsider by national computerized referendum, if governments should be allowed to offer insurance for sale at all, given their monumental and historical miss-management and numerous defaults. 

Do not modify the “promised” and “paid for” levels of benefits by already compulsory participating citizens, like Social Security, Disability, Medicare, and Unemployment.  Change the contributions or benefit level for future participants. 

Create no new Federal benefit programs that are compulsory or with unpublicized opt-out provisions.  All new benefits must include widely advertised OPT-IN provisions equally available for all citizens and government officials.  Zero compulsory or mandatory contributions.  No everyone must be in, and you have to op-out or buy your way out.

If you want in, you pay in.  If you don't, no help for you later.

No one should ever be compelled to be in a socialist government benefit or insurance program from the beginning without their own personal request.

Any benefit program revenue deficiencies will be made up by more contributions or lower benefits for program participants only, no general tax revenue, loans or temporary funds transfers will be permitted, ever for any reason.

Limit Unemployment payments to a maximum of twenty six (26) weeks, period. 

Eliminate the ideas of subsides and tariffs, by all there various names and schemes.  They just shrink markets and penalized productive workers and industries under the guise of protecting jobs which will be lost to retaliation or market forces later.

Evolve quickly to enterprises producing goods and services better, faster, and cheaper than anyone else in the world.  Stop artificial protection and artificial punishment.

Labor Unions; repeal special treatment laws and tax exemptions for them.  They are not a religion, they are not educational, and they are not philanthropic.      

Phase out all subsides, all tariffs, all embargoes, all exemptions, and all Corporate and individual income tax deductions by ten (10) percent each year, beginning immediately after inauguration.  Allow tax exemptions for business expenses and equipment replacement, and likewise, home expenses, repairs and improvements for individuals.  

Phase out all Corporate and business taxes by ten (10) percent each year until they are zero, then prohibit taxes on businesses forever.  They are just passed on to consumers hidden in the price of goods and services.  Stop it.

Abandon income tax, in favor of a low National Sales Tax (NST) on all purchases, prepared or cooked food, homes, buildings, insurance, vehicles, drugs, medical services, clothes and all goods and services including elicit, illegal and black-market sales. 

No NST on raw unprepared foods or raw materials that will be consumed in their natural form or made into something else, whether used or traded for other goods, unless sold for money.  When sold the sale amount would be taxable.  If grown, produced and consumed or used by the originator, No National Sales Tax

Begin immediately closing all government organizations not authorized by the Constitution, including offices, commissions, boards, institutes, bureaus, and other organizations; and begin consolidating authorized functions in the few remaining departments.  Within three (3) years, no exceptions, have constitutionally unauthorized departments closed and authorized functions transferred. 

Withdraw nearly all combat and support troops from all overseas posts to within our boundaries.  Leave science, technology, medicine, philanthropic and training troops to help our allies and a few others in the most desperate need. 

Assign 175 thousand mixed services troops to Operation “Secure Borders”.  Begin retraining and redeploying 25% of Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines for their new jobs preventing intrusions into our country.  They can do it, the Coast Guard already does. 

Continue Defense research and development at about half its current level; it’s essential.

Immediately begin reducing Foreign Aid.  Send humans, agricultural seed and science, or medicine; send help not money.  If they don’t want our help, don’t bribe them to be our friends.  Let them wallow in ignorance, poverty, corruption, famine and disease.

I want smaller, more efficient, much less intrusive, much less expensive Federal government focused on just the constitutional obligations the citizens require and have allowed, not running roughshod over the rights of states and our citizens.

Our Children Can

Pray at School

There’s nothing preventing children from praying at school.  In fact, the constitution and several Supreme Court decisions guarantee the right of all citizens to pray anywhere they are in the United States.

I don’t how anyone anywhere could stop you, if you want to pray silently.  I think they would have to kill you to stop you, if you really wanted to pray out loud.

In the United States, the right to choose not to pray in conducted prayers is a protected right.  You always have the right to not believe and not participate, basically freedom from religion, and that has been upheld many times by the Supreme Court.

What can’t take place in Public Schools is the conscription of all those present lead by a designated person coercing all those gathered to recite in unison a particular religions prayer or mantra, be it Christian, Moslem, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish or any other.

The Supreme Court has also apparently upheld that like minded students can willfully gather on their own at public facilities normally available for meeting purposes and conduct their own religious discussions and prayers, un-mandated, un-coerced or un-conscripted, just like any other groups or association that for any reason might request and schedule its use.

I think the basic reason is, these are public schools supported entirely by public monies, and the Constitution prohibits any laws “respecting an establishment of religion”.  Spending public money, or using the facilities and opportunity provided by public money to conscript those gathered to chant a Buddhist mantra well the prayer wheel spins, or roll out a carpet, kneel and bow toward Mecca reciting one of five daily prayers, or any other religious ceremony approved, accepted or rejected and under the possible threat of social distain, criticism, shame, banishment, or physical punishment, I believe should be and is prohibited. 

The religious indoctrination of children assembled for public education, I think must be prohibited.

We’ve already set aside in many tax-free havens with many places specifically for religion teachings, churches, synagogues, mosques, and many others plus many religious teaching schools and seminaries, mostly tax exempt. 

Those who wish to participate in or subject their children to the practices of some religious belief are guaranteed the right in this country to do so, to go there and participate without interference from the law, public authorities, other citizens, any persons or organizations.  Also, all citizens have the right to worship on property they own, rent or lease, just not on public property owned by all citizens regardless of their many different beliefs.  
Citizens also have the right to choose not to believe in, participate in, be coerced by, or conscripted into any religious beliefs whether they be in a God, or gods, the creator, or the Great Spirit, a Caterpillar, or the Great Pumpkin, or the absence of any of them.
Conduct worship ceremonies whenever you wish, just do it off of our public property.

US Constitution, Amendment I, (in part)

 “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…”