Famine

Starving to Death

The ignorant and weak are starving in the lawless parts of Africa and elsewhere again.  It has happened on a large scale several times in my life time.  The correct solution has been offered each time, but never embarked upon.  So again today, millions of poor souls, mostly the children, the old and the sick are starving to death. 

There are a few simple facts that maybe relevant: 

Nutritious foods can be grown nearly anywhere that irrigation water can be available during the growing season, which is nearly everywhere even in deserts.  Water can be collected, stored, or hauled, or piped from rivers and lakes, or pumped from underground.   

Agriculture requires land, water, seed, equipment, transportation, security, labor, ownership rights, storage, trade, fair markets, rule of law, little corruption, much forethought, dedication, knowledge and hard work; not just hunger.

Investments are essential; time, energy, attention, dedication, education, private property, and some money for tools, equipment and supplies.  All investments require safeguards and protections; like guards, guns, ammunition, pesticides, and fences.  You must be able to prevent looters, thieves, and marauders from stealing your crop from the field or next seasons seed from storage.

So what is missing that is starving people to death? 

Ignorance (corruption and poverty), beliefs (culture, philosophy, religion), bigotry, prejudice and discrimination, lack of private and personal property rights, storage and  transport, security, fertilizer and pest control, forethought and discipline, free and fair markets, less government (subsidizes, tariffs and embargoes) and much less taxation and regulation.

The answer:

Keep government out of food production and sale.

Provide agricultural education.

Ensure personal and real property ownership rights.

Get rid of government and military corruption.

Arrange for low cost agricultural water system financing.

Assist transport, storage, seed, fertilizer and pest control financing for all.

Ensure open market access for all.

Make genocide, slavery, and religious persecution a national crime.

Encourage sustainable methods and productivity beyond subsistence.

Food for free is not a human right.  It needs to be earned.  Starvation is caused by mistakes of ignorance and malice.  Make people buy or work for food and stop begging for it; and stop giving it away or withholding it as though it’s a right or a favor for political patronage.

See, it’s easy, and it will eliminate so much unnecessary suffering and death.

The knowledge and resources are available; behavior changes are required.

People will quickly learn to provide for themselves and their families.

          

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.

Government Bait and Switch

Just Say No to “Means Testing”

I want the benefits I paid for when the Government forced me to participate in Social Security and Medicare.

I paid in for fifty (50) years to Social Security.  I paid in thirty seven (37) years to Medicare.

I want what I was promised or my money back; plus inflation and US bond interest (10 yr rate) per year for all those years.

There was no “Means Testing” when I was conscripted.  There was no “Means Testing” when they took my money and my employer’s money.  It’s not my fault they mismanaged our money.

There should be no “Means Testing” now that its time for Government to pay up.

Now they want us to switch to a reduced benefit because we and our families sacrificed to save enough money to take care of ourselves when they failed; like simple observation and forethought showed us they would.

We knew you were dishonest, corrupt, arrogant and ignorant, but we were forced without option to participate.  As usual you’ve betrayed and cheated us.  I think some of you will live to regret that.  I know many of us are. 

Everyone who paid in is owed what they were promised, regardless how much they saved, earned or are earning; including Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, or any other successful citizen.

Honor your contract with the American people, or resign, and consider tarring and feathering yourselves and being ridden out of town on a rail. 

Incidentally, Congress, the President, and appointed or elected Federal Officials, and Government employees should not be exempt from anything they tyrannically imposed without consent upon American citizens.

Cut everything else, but provide the insurance benefits you promised, that we have all ready paid for.

If you don’t, I think you will pay a price far more hideous than will responsible, taxpaying, American citizens.

Honor your promise, pay up, or prepare to lose everything.

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;…”