From July 4th to November 20th…

Please join Dr. Charles Stanley, and fellow Americans, in 140 days of prayer for our great country:

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Below is a table, linking to each verse, for all 20 weeks:

Unfortunately, it looks like The United States economy is starting to slip backward again. This doesn’t come as a surprise to those of us who have been opposed to most of the spending policies of The Obama Administration, and the current Democrat majority in Congress.

Certainly, over the last 10 years, both parties are to blame for the fiscal irresponsibility, and lack of prudence with tax-payer money;  however, the current spending policies, which appear to be mostly ideological, do not promote the growth needed to get the economy moving again. In fact, many of us would agree, that the current policies are making our situation much worse.

Please watch Bill O’Reilly on the state of the economy:
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In this previous post, there is a video of David Asman, interviewing three guests, which included Congressman Ron Paul; they are discussing a recent poll of 1000 American voters, who were asked, is President Obama a Socialist? 55% of those polled, answered yes…

Politically speaking, this is, of course, very good news for The Republican Party, with the upcoming midterm elections in November; however, to have a President, or anyone in our Federal Government that advocates such policies, is never a good thing. It is certainly one thing to be in a political science class, or on a college campus, discussing different political systems; and theorizing why certain systems may have succeeded or failed; it is quite a different story when people are elected to high office and attempt to put such policies in place; especially without an overwhelming consensus from the people who elected them to office!

And regardless of ones motivation to advocate such policies, Socialism has a proven record of failure, and makes no real sense, economically-speaking; it generally requires a top down, authoritarian type of government, which, inherently, makes it a very dangerous system to a free nation.

Certainly, most Americans are not opposed to some short-term, transitional, social programs, to help fellow citizens get back on their feet; but The American people also realize, this great country was built on hard work; and most people in society, one way or the other, can be a useful and productive member of society.

Most of The American people have an intrinsic desire to be productive, and believe in freedom, and our free-market system of commerce and enterprise. And, because of our history, most Americans realize, the free-markets are a great contributor to what has made our country free and prosperous since the days of our founding.

Since the very early days of The Obama Administration, many Americans have claimed that President Obama is a Socialist; or he at least advocates Socialist policies…

Now, after one and a half years of Obama’s presidency; some very questionable political appointees; and after a long string of redistributive, and general far-left policies, 55% of The American voters say that President Obama is, indeed, a Socialist.

Please watch David Asman’s interview with Congressman Ron Paul and guests:

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As with many Americans, I have been thinking about Arizona, our borders, our immigration laws, and how this all relates to our most treasured, and necessary, United States Constitution. 

Undoubtedly, for many years, under several administrations, and spanning both parties, there has been a failure to effectively secure our borders. Sadly, like many other things that are wrong in our country, failure to secure our borders is greatly due to political posturing; as opposed to doing what is morally, and judiciously, right for The American people. Most Americans would agree, our borders need to be secured, once and for all! And failure to have done so, after 911, is truly reprehensible! 

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In a time when people are simply attempting to survive job losses and economic challenges, I am reminded of how our country was founded and what turn of events transpired to bring about the greatest experiment in self- governance that has ever been conceived. To fully appreciate how far we have moved away from the original designs of our founding documents, we must first understand where it is that our country came from. In particular we should look at the personal aspirations of the brave souls who fought against all odds to not only come to this new land, but then to battle the tyranny of government from afar and overcome hardships that we dare not imagine.

The history of the United States is mired with many tragic events, wars, popular and unpopular political leaders and outspoken critics of government. Certainly there is no shortage of those types of folks today, however there is a key difference between the political leaders of history and those of today. The missing ingredient – in this writers eyes – is honor. Many, and dare I say most, of our political leaders lack honor. Not ’honor’ in the classical sense, but rather an honor that is so deep that it is espoused as a permanent and integral part of their essence. This honor is of the highest magnitude, it surpasses doing what is right simply because it is right and it holds a stronger bond than any familial blood line; no, this honor is about doing what is right because not doing it would grate infinitely harsh against the inner core of your being, such that you would rather suffer immeasurable and irreparable harm than fail at preserving it.

Too often our political leaders view holding office as a power grab, despite their assertion otherwise. It ends up being their golden parachute or fulfilling an internal desire to be famous. Whatever the reasons may be, it is seldom that we find true statesmen. Who do we have, or have we had in our midst in the last 20 years that would begin to measure up against the bar set so high by those such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Samuel Adams. Certainly they exist, but unfortunately they are very rare. The political climate of today instead reflects the poor quality of self-deserving politicos who would rather do what is expedient for the purposes at hand and forgo doing that which is honorable.

The interesting thing here is that it stems not from politicians, but rather the citizens of this once great country who vote them into office because their personal needs would be better served by a political type buying votes as opposed to one doing what is right and just – honorable. Of course we must not forget those who do not vote, as an abstained vote is tantamount to condoning the status quo or roughly the same as a vote against the trailing candidate. But then this isn’t a lesson on why one should vote, but rather why it is important that we maintain the utmost respect for an institution that transcends individual desires.

“Congress [in implementing the 16th Amendment] went beyond merely enacting an income tax law and repealed Article IV of the Bill of Rights, by empowering the tax collector to do the very things from which that article says we were to be secure. It opened up our homes, our papers and our effects to the prying eyes of government agents and set the stage for searches of our books and vaults and for inquiries into our private affairs whenever the tax men might decide, even though there might not be any justification beyond mere cynical suspicion.”

“The income tax is bad because it has robbed you and me of the guarantee of privacy and the respect for our property that were given to us in Article IV of the Bill of Rights. This invasion is absolute and complete as far as the amount of tax that can be assessed is concerned. Please remember that under the Sixteenth Amendment, Congress can take 100 percent of our income anytime it wants to. As a matter of fact, right now it is imposing a tax as high as 91 percent. This is downright confiscation and cannot be defended on any other grounds.”

“The income tax is bad because it was conceived in class hatred, is an instrument of vengeance and plays right into the hands of the communists. It employs the vicious communist principle of taking from each according to his accumulation of the fruits of his labor and giving to others according to their needs, regardless of whether those needs are the result of indolence or lack of pride, self-respect, personal dignity or other attributes of men.”

“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government, are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will, for the most part, be connected. The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State.”

- James Madison (Federalist Papers #45)

On June 12, 2010, Judge Andrew Napolitano launched his new show, Freedom Watch, on The Fox Business Network. On this show, I really appreciated this (below) discussion between The Judge, Congressman Ron Paul (Libertarian), and Sarah Palin (Conservative). I happen to really admire The Judge, Congressman Paul, and Sarah Palin, for their beliefs in our founding values, and our Constitution, as written, and understood, by our founders.

Due to the increasing size and scope of our Federal Government, and the increasing far-left agendas of The Obama Administration, there is no doubt, that even people who previously identified themselves as Conservatives, have increasingly moved further right, to a more Libertarian point of view. It is doubtful that our country could ever go back to a completely Libertarian state, as in the days of our founders, but it is great to see such a Constitutional awakening in our country, and a desire to move closer and closer to our founding values, and The Constitutional principles that made us such a great country, for so many years.

I have often said, “if a plant loses it’s roots,” then the plant could never survive. Conversely, if a country is too far removed from it’s foundation, then God only knows where it could lead. Sadly, the many problems that we are currently experiencing in The United States, is greatly due to the lack of prudence to our Constitution, by our Federal Government, over the last 100 or so years.

Please listen to this insightful and informative discussion:

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Since the very early days, following Barack Obama’s Inauguration, and their far-reaching, Big Government, Progressive agenda,  Conservative Americans on the right, have been at great odds with this administration, and the far-left Democrats which currently have the majorities in Congress.

Unfortunately, rather then things improving, it appears that things continue to increasingly get worse, as our national debt sky-rockets, unemployment stays high… and now, an ecological disaster in The Gulf of Mexico, which (containment wise) this administration does not appear to have a great command over.

While it is very understandable to see the right get angry with this far-left agenda, it now appears that the left’s own base is beginning to pile on as well… as they, unbelievably, do not think The Obama Administration is governing far enough to the left.

Politically, things do not look good for The Obama Administration.  As far as the state of The United States, sadly, things do not appear to be getting any better either. Most Americans, anxiously, appear to be looking forward to November and the mid-term elections, to have a peaceful revolution at the ballot box, and hopefully, restore a bit of sanity back into our country. Until then, anger appears to continue bubbling up on both sides of the political fence.

Please listen to Bill O’Reilly on this:

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“Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

- John Adams

Over the last year or so, many registered Republicans have wondered how The Republican Party has ended up with so many so-called  (Republicans in name only) RINOs. While there are different theories, and while this is certainly not a new phenomenon, as evidenced by Thomas Jefferson’s own words, I have maintained a theory that the root of the problem is because of political parties:

For several years, many, if not most people have gone to the polls, and naively pulled levers, simply because they saw an R posted next to a candidate’s name; assuming, because there was an R, they would get a Conservative Republican; obviously, that has not always been the case, and is part and partial to the problems we are having today. In my opinion, The R and The D, has given people, in the past, a false (false-positive) sense that they will get what they voted for, and has allowed people to be laxed on doing the necessary research of the “individual” candidates, over the years.

Conversely, suppose all candidates were Independents: the voters then would have no choice but to thoroughly review the candidate’s record before voting for them, if the voter is truly concerned with knowing the candidate they are voting for. Also, if there were “individual” candidates in Congress that we were not happy with, it would certainly be easier to purge out individuals from Congress, then it is to purge an entire party. And with one Independent body, in Congress, the people would have a much better chance of Congress following The Enumerated Powers, in The Constitution, as enumerated by our founders. We’d also remove that extra level of party allegiance that often causes people in Congress to vote one way or the other, regardless of their conscience, or what their constituents demand. The people of The United States would be more likely to be united as well, with one political body, then with separate, and competing factions in our government.

After so many years of having political parties, I can understand why most people feel comfortable with their respective parties; which is why these thoughts will not likely become a reality… unless of course, a great majority of the nation insisted on it. Unfortunately, many people, and by virtue of human-nature, are often more concerned with a specific worldview being advanced, then they are with national unity; or with having one government, obeying one Constitution, according to the vision of our founding fathers.

“If the freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”

- George Washington

I was thinking back to last year’s townhall meetings, here in The United States: Although they were very inspiring to watch, it was also very frustrating to see the blatant arrogance of many of these so-called Representatives, who get elected by the people, to go to Washington D.C. and represent their districts and states; yet, over the years, it appears that Representatives have become such a part of The Washington D.C. machine, that they all but forgot to whom their loyalties truly belong.

After experiencing this disconnect, and public display of arrogance by many of these Representatives, I started asking people, how exactly should these Representatives represent us in Congress? After all, The U.S. Constitution is explicit as to how they are to be elected, but there appears to be no true definition as to how they should represent us. Therefore, after some further thought, I have come up with a few suggestions:

 1. It is incumbent on the people of each district to respectfully define what they expect from their Representatives, and not let them go to D.C. thinking they are no longer accountable to their constituents!

2. Every state should lobby their respective state legislatures, to have the power of recall of Senators and Representatives, added to their state Constitutions… this would put each elected official on notice, that they work for the people; and if they forget that, or go too far off the rails, by consensus of the voters, they will be relieved of their positions.

3. I truly believe, there needs to be a U.S. Constitutional Amendment that sets term limits for all Senators and Representatives… this would guarantee that Congress is not a career position, and new people with fresh ideas can continually be elected to Congress. Until then, perhaps the states could set their own term limits on the people they send to Congress.

 4. The respective states, or the people in each Congressional district should decide, how do We, The People, want our relationship to be with our Representatives in Congress? In other words, do we want him or her to do biweekly or monthly town halls at home? On Congressional bills, do we want them to vote what the majority (rules) of the district decides? And how can the entire district participate in the voting process of each bill? This would ensure that all voting citizens have a voice in Congress, as opposed to leaving it solely up to one person to make the decisions for an entire district of voters.

5. Possibly the most important: We, the people, need to continue educating ourselves in regards to The U.S. Constitution, so that we have a firm idea of the principles, laws, and limitations, our Representatives should use to represent our country, as well as our states. Familiarity with The U.S. Constitution also allows us to know what our rights are, as citizens, and voters, of The United States.

These are a few of my ideas as to how we can bring more power back to where it belongs, with the people of The United States, and not solely with a few hundred bureaucrats in Washington D.C. I encourage every citizen to ponder the same question: how do we, the people, of our respective states, want our representatives to represent us in Washington D.C.?

The below text is from The friends of Washington Crossing Park Web Site:
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On Christmas Night, 1776, George Washington and the Continental Army mounted a surprise attack against the British by crossing the Delaware River and marching to Trenton, New Jersey. Washington Crossing Park marks the site where Washington’s troops were encamped, as well as the location where they launched the boats across the Delaware River that ensured their victory. This successfully saved Washington’s army, and help lead the Continental Army to final victory. This action by George Washington was one of the most important events in U.S. history.

The Friends of Washington Crossing Park (FWCP) are working tirelessly to open Washington Crossing Historic Park for tours and educational programming. FWCP understands the importance of the park as a historical treasure and cultural gem. In light of recent budget cuts, we believe strongly that now is the time to move forward, take action on this long-standing Bucks County Park, and re-open the doors.

A nonprofit group, FWCP has been formed to pursue and create fundraising, membership and volunteer opportunities. Your donations and assistance will help support our efforts.

When financial budgets cuts by the state of Pennsylvania threatened to cancel the 2009 Christmas Crossing event, FWCP formed as an ad hoc group. We successfully mobilized time and financial resources to see that this significant event succeeded.

While establishing a board of directors, by-laws and nonprofit status, FWCP has continued to host events traditional to the park. FWCP will partner with The Pennsbury Society and will open Bowman’s Tower this May. Very soon, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission (PHMC), we will open the doors to the historic homes at the park and give guided interpretive tours to visitors. 

How can you help our efforts?

Volunteer: There are dozens of volunteer opportunities at Washington Crossing Historic Park from manning the visitor center gift shop to caring for sheep. We need help for special events and on a regular basis. It’s a great way to make friends and connect with the community. No experience is necessary but if you have a special interest or talent, we will find a volunteer opportunity that suits you!

Become a Member: We have several different membership levels. Members are invited to all FWCP events and receive an e-newsletter. Levels are: Patriot ($25 or 20 hours volunteer service), Infantry ($50), Oarsman ($100), Lord Stirling ($250) and General Washington ($500+). Membership dues are used to fund programming and events. Join today by using the Donate link on top right.

Donate: FWCP has ambitious plans to open and improve the park.
http://www.friendsofwashingtoncrossingpark.com

Your donation will help us fulfill our goals.

As most of us know by now, The United States could potentially be in dire shape, fiscally, if the Federal and State governments do not start getting the will to make the necessary and difficult decisions to cut back, and/or reform our out of control entitlement programs, public pension plans etc.

And sadly, many of us were blind to the disaster waiting to happen, as a result of  entitlement programs, created by our Federal and state governments over the years. Now, with the state of our economy, and with a recession that has no foreseeable end, the people, by in large, are wide awake, and very concerned about our fiscal sovereignty, and future as a nation.

Please watch Bill O’Reilly (below) on entitlement programs and taxation:

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