'Term limits & balance the budget!'

I think it is a matter of focus & determination. If we allow the state worshippers to constantly distract us & befuddle us with deflections, we will lose. But if every question is answered with 'Term limits & Balanced Budget!' eventually they will lose.

'What about ISIS?!? What can we do about them?!?'
Term limits, & balance the budget.

'Global warming!!!'
Term limits, & balanced budget.

'There are potholes in the road!!'
Term limits, & balanced budget.

Revolution usually results in tyranny, not freedom. For this reason, it is all the more important to keep america together, & salvage what we can of human liberty, rather than hope that some rises from the ashes.

Most of the time, it FEELS hopeless. But this is a call for intelligence, reason, & action.. We can use the feelings of dread & doom to motivate us to action, rather than fall into a defeatist stupor. We can make logical, tactical moves to preserve & further the american ideal.. the 2 big ones already have wide public support.

IMO, this is a time for focused, determined words & actions, not surrender.

"Many free countries have lost their liberty, and ours may lose hers; but if she shall, be it my proudest plume, not that I was the last to desert, but that I never deserted her" ~Abraham Lincoln

"If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide." ~Abraham Lincoln

In a time of great national despair, lincoln kept hope. In one of the most depressing settings you can imagine.. a bloody battle at gettysburg, he ended his address with these words:

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Do we not also have a 'great task before us?' Have not many of our ancestors died to preserve the freedom we have enjoyed? Is this nation not ready for a new birth of freedom? It is too important.. too rare.. too precious in the annals of humanity to let it slip away from fools with no perspective & no concept of reality. WE the PEOPLE are the caretakers of american liberty, & we can take it back, if we want to. Where are the leaders, calling for action? Where are those who have sworn an oath to protect & defend the constitution from ALL enemies? Freedom is the life blood of americans. If we do not live free, we are not alive. We must WAKE UP to the slow tyranny masquerading as caretaking, seize our freedoms, & tweak our system so this does not happen again.

Almost every problem in american politics can find its source in the elite ruling class. Almost every thing good about america can be found in the principle of citizen representative. It's not a 'liberal or conservative' issue. It IS a statism vs individual freedom issue, as statism NEEDS a ruling class. But even classic liberals decry the loss of personal liberty, which is the constant push from statism.

Here is an interesting way to contrast the american principle of citizen representative. Read any quote or founding document.. or any speech by an american statesman. Anywhere you see 'people' or 'citizen', replace it with 'ruling class'. Here's what you get:

We the ruling class of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. 

that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the ruling class, by the ruling class, for the ruling class, shall not perish from the earth. 

When the ruling class fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the ruling class, there is liberty. 

The ruling class reign over the American political world as God rules over the universe. It is the cause and the end of all things; everything rises out of it and is absorbed back into it. ~Alexis De Tocqueville 

"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the ruling class themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but inform their discretion." ~Thomas Jefferson

This is absurd, of course, and any american would shrink from these statements in horror. Yet this is EXACTLY what we have become. We have a 2 party system of a good old boy power network dominating national politics. It HAS been going on for years, yet we seldom talk about the problems it has caused, or the intent of the founders, or the violation of the BASIC PRINCIPLE of american governance:
Citizen Representatives. It is distinctly anti american.. contrary to ALL the principles of the founders. Politicians & statesmen give lip service to it, yet work tirelessly to prevent it. They have built a monopoly.. a cartel of power where all the money, influence, & decision making is NOT available to the people's review, but is dictated. The only restraint over the years has been public opinion, which is shaped by media propaganda. .. and who controls that, now?

Libs should like this..

"We are bound by ideals that teach us what it means to be citizens. Every child must be taught these ideals. Every citizen must uphold them.... I ask you to be citizens. Citizens, not spectators. Citizens, not subjects. Responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character."

Sound good? Of course! Who said it? Dubya, in his inaugural address, 2001. Is there anyone who illustrates 'ruling class' any better than the Bushes? ..ok, maybe the kennedys.. but this still shows the corruption of the current system, & the departure from the principle of citizen representatives.

Public service is a magnet for scoundrels. Slimy characters like anthony weiner can worm their way into the political network, then get elected. He was not a businessman, or a working man.. a leader in his community. he got a job as an aide to chuck schumer, then ran for office himself. He never did a lick of honest work in his life, yet was promoted by the political machine & ends up 'representing' new york. What did this route give him? Fabulous wealth.. & he didn't have to work for it, unless you call sleazing around the political network, 'work'.

We could go through all the senators.. MOST of them just 'networked' their way into power. Some were rich before, & increased it. Some were not, but are now. How do most of these people get elected? They choose a 'career' of politics. They do NOT do anything productive, or anything that relates to the working man, but they pursue a career that is inherently elite. They go the route of obama, make connections in some city political machine, get elected state representative, then senator, then build a coalition & backing to go national. It is a pursuit of lordship, it is no wonder these people think themselves superior to everyone else. The system is rigged to attract these kinds of personalities.

It seems very clear to me, that to return to citizen representative principles would be easy. Take away the lifetime draw, the money, & the ascent of power, & we'd get a much better class of people doing it. This is probably the simplest, most basic principle of america, & would be easy to fix. It would have support from both liberals & conservatives. But not the ruling class! They will oppose it.. not openly or directly, but if the subject comes up, they will nod in assent to the problem, then change the subject. 'Yes, we need to address term limits.. look! a squirrel!'

1. Term limits for everyone.
2. Minimum wage.
3. Strict, enforced corruption laws.

I challenge anyone to find any changes to our system that would have a more dramatic effect, & for the good of the people, than these simple things.

Saving the Dream of America

The American Experiment defined.

1. All men are created equal.  There is no ruling elite or divine ordination.

2. The central & only purpose of govt is to provide justice & secure the rights of the people.

3. SELF RULE.  The people themselves are the only safe caretakers of our collective organization.

4. To accomplish these goals, we have established a system of self rule, with checks & balances in a governing system consisting of Legislative, Judicial, & Executive branches, all codified under constitutional law.

5. If the govt does not perform its basic duties, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, & institute one that does.  The PEOPLE are in charge, not some ruling elite.

These foundational definitions are not clearly in mind for many americans these days, & are very foreign to proponents of state centered ideologies, but they are the basis of America.

Analysis of problems.  Failures in the American dream.

1. Massive waste of public resources in unconstitutional military actions throughout the world, Govt corruption, misguided & immoral redistribution programs, & expansion of govt intrusion into the citizen's lives.

2. The decay of citizen representation, & the growth of an elite power structure.  A ruling class that has built a system or network of power. Influence has become centralized with favor providers, electioneers, lobbyists, & a 'good ol' boy' network of political favoritism. A pecking order of power has grown in the culture of a ruling elite.  Politics as a career has become a goal & a magnet for the corruptible.

3. Undue influence of special interests & the moneyed elite.  This is tied with the decline of citizen representatives, & the growth of corruption.  The 'revolving door to riches' where elected representatives become enriched by special interests, cronyism, & the use of law as an instrument of plunder.

4. Massive & dangerous debt, that will take years if not decades to get under control, if it does not collapse the nation.

5. Overreaches of power by the public servants, who are charged with defending & upholding the constitution.  They have exploited their position as stewards of the public trust for personal gain or to promote their personal agenda. Executive overreach & judicial activism are the most common examples.

6. The corruption of justice.  Crime is too rampant in crowded urban areas, & justice is not served.  The justice system has become self serving, self propagating, & a financial burden on the producers.  It no longer provides efficient justice for the people & needs reform.  There are too many conflicting, convoluted laws, too many citizens incarcerated, & too little deterrence for criminal behavior.

7. The growth of statism.  State centered regulations that nanny & restrict the freedoms of the people are systematically increasing under the guise of caring for us.

Adjustments to be made.  Can the current system be saved?  Can we 'tweak' things to salvage the experiment?

1. Term limits. This is probably THE most important thing we can do, & is one of the major things that has corrupted our system. Life time politicians worm their way into power, & curry favor with the network, & grow in the system that perpetuates itself, rather than being stewards of the public trust.  'Career Politician' should evoke the same feeling in us  as 'Career Criminal', as they become leeches & sponges.. looters of the people they pretend to serve.

2. Enlightened electorate.  If the people do not involve themselves & take responsibility for their governing process, it will fall to scoundrels, & swindlers who are drawn to 'public service' as a way to become rich without working.  The PEOPLE must embrace the american dream, & believe in the foundational principles of self governance, & not be fooled by the hucksters & con men who see govt as a means of self enrichment, living off the labors of others.  This SHOULD be the goal of public education, instead of the state centered dogma that is currently being pushed on young citizens.

3. Balanced budget.  Power follows the money, & money follows the power.  The taxpayers would have revolted years ago had they been taxed in accordance with the spending by the representatives.  But through deficit spending, they have burdened future generations with the irresponsible, corrupt spending of the current one.

4. Subsistence.  To keep honest, sincere public servants, there must not be a draw for riches. Elected representatives should be compensated minimally.. perhaps minimum wage, for their service. SERVICE is the key word here, not compensation. They are stewards of the public trust, & do not produce ANYTHING by their labor. They have no right to huge recompense & a luxurious lifestyle on the backs of the working man. It should not be a 'revolving door to riches' nor should public service provide other means to wealth. Conflicts of interest, graft, cronyism, nepotism, & other corrupting practices should be severely punished.

There is more, i am sure, & i welcome additions & corrections to this list.  The goal is to salvage the american experiment, even though some are working to destroy it.  But if we lose it, mankind will be set back centuries or even millennia in our quest for human freedom.

"Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else." ~Frederic Bastiat

"Our public economy is such as to offer drudgery and subsistence only to those entrusted with its administration--a wise and necessary precaution against the degeneracy of the public servants."~Thomas Jefferson

"This human struggle and scramble for office, for a way to live without work, will finally test the strength of our institutions" ~Abraham Lincoln

"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -- lest it come to dominate our lives and interests."  ~Patrick Henry

"My idea was that if they might be re-elected, they would be casting their eye forward to the period of election (however distant) and be currying favor with the electors and consequently dependent on them. My reason for fixing them in office for a term of years rather than for life was that they might have an idea that they were at a certain period to return into the mass of the people and become the governed instead of the governor, which might still keep alive that regard to the public good that otherwise they might perhaps be induced by their independence to forget." ~Thomas Jefferson

"Whenever the legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience." ~John Locke