Is it just me or does this country seem to be on a path to self-destruction.  The only way that this is possible is for our leadership to be complicit.  This in itself is a bit scary, don’t you think?   Hear is another thought, Leadership over the past several decades has switched from one side of the aisle to the other side of the aisle every eight to ten years or so.   Yet, we seem to have remained on this path to self-destruction.  Now, this is more than a bit scary, this is down right frightening!

What are some things that have occurred along this path to self-destruction.

• We declared ourselves a Super power.
• We have become a debtor nation.
• We openly trade with totalitarian nations.
• we abort over 1.5 million pregnancies each year.
• Over 30,000 people die in auto accidents each year.
• The federal government has become more and more powerful.
• The states powers and rights have been diminished!

What are your Thoughts? …

Universal Maybe!

The Federal Government is out of control and spending money excessively.  This is an extreme understatement.  The politicians at the Federal Government level are spending money at a rate which is not conceivable by the human mind.  If you want to boggle your mind or possibly inflict yourself with a migraine, do a search on “US National Debt” or “How much is a trillion dollars”.

I believe the United States of America is currently on a path to self-destruction.  One need only look at history for similar conditions which led to downfalls.  Read a little about Germany around 1924.

Bernard Madoff was recently jailed for operating an investment fraud Ponzi scheme. A Ponzi scheme is an investment swindle in which some early investors are paid off with money put up by later investors in order to encourage more and bigger risks.  How many times have you heard by youthful Americans, “Social Security benefits will not be available by the time that I retire!”.  Do you see our government’s hypocrisy!

The American People must demand that common sense and decency be restored to all levels of the Government Politic.  We must not look to the government to solve all of our problems.  Thomas Jefferson said, “That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves”.  I was not a huge fan but John F. Kennedy’s quote seems most apropos today; “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”.

The runaway spending and massive debt accumulation is totally unnecessary!

We need only look to our founding fathers and the constitution for guidance.  The way back to sanity can be accomplished by pursuing a few core principles.  We can not turn the clock back overnight, but a gradual return to our roots is highly recommended.  Let’s list some key principles worth highlighting;

1) Unless specifically defined in the United States Constitution; caution, discretion, and a super majority state approval should be the path for federal involvement into government affairs.  The federal government has intruded into many aspects of our lives that would be best addressed at a lower level (state, county, city, etc) or left alone.  Fifty separate work shops sharing research, development, success and failure with each other will produce a better product than one ivory tower overseer handing out mandates.

2) Areas where government involvement is necessary, and is restrained to the appropriate level,  funding of the various functions should be compartmentalized and associated taxes should be directed to the segment of the populace receiving the specific service.   A good example of this approach might be taxing gasoline, oil, vehicles etc in order to fund road construction and maintenance.  The people using the roads share in the road expense.  This is a good example of federal, state, county, city, etc working together,  A common purpose.

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Universal Maybe!

The dictionary defines … Centralism as the concentration of power and control in a central authority!   and  Federalism as the distribution of power between a central authority and the constituent units.   I will leave the understanding and digestion of these two definitions up to you the reader.  Political science is the most boring subject that I can imagine.

My thoughts about a workable power structure for the United States of America fits perfectly into the governmental structure laid out by our founding fathers.  The problems being experienced today are due to the founding father’s principles not being applied at all levels, especially at the federal level.  Our politicians should be held to the high standard that they have professed in the oaths that they take to protect and defend the United States constitution.

Our founding fathers were as you know revolutionaries and were determined to establish a government that would remain responsive to the people.  I believe that this single attribute is the most endearing quality and the quality most in jeopardy of being lost in the ongoing drift toward liberalism.

The problem with liberalism, socialism, or whatever you want to “call it” is that it is mathematically unsound.  It just doesn’t add up.  Excessive debt, flooding the currency with trillions in paper money, arbitrary low interest rates are all attempts to maintain a  mathematically unsound way of government.  The end results are inflated prices, higher taxes, devalued currency, and an unjust affliction upon all echelons of our society.  The worst part is that this approach to government swells the ranks of poverty, and then inflicts demoralizing governmental dependency in order to maintain it’s broken system.

The federal government should concern itself primarily with it’s obligations defined in the United States Constitution and allow all others matters to be accomplished at the logical local levels; state, county, city, etc.   Free and spirited competition at the state level is exciting in sports and could be just as exciting in the political arena.  The federal government should gracefully terminate it’s exercising of ultimate power before it brings down the greatest nation in the world.

The loss of Freedom and Liberty is always gradual.

The American People need to wake up before it is too late!

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Left (liberal) has a good feel to it, but in reality it is a self defeating enterprise. Right (conservative) on the surface sounds correct, but seems to have little flexibility.  In general, our country in many ways has been drifting left for several decades and it has taken both political parties with it. I do not believe that the people of this country need to be debating RIGHT vs LEFT ideology.

Our country has made it’s share of mistakes throughout history.  I recently turned seventy years old and have taken a moment to look back on my life.  They say hind sight is 20/20 and I believe that this is true.  Looking back, I am not able to reflect upon my successes alone, I am compelled to revisit my shortcomings and failures as well.  However, I have come to some obvious conclusions, that  1)  I cannot change the past,  2)  I can learn from reviewing the past, and  3)  The future is mine to change.  If we love our country and want to see it survive and prosper, we must all apply these three steps and get involved.

One of the first jobs that I held as a young teen was working in a Motor Cycle & Lawn Equipment Shop owned by Mr. S.  Mr. S was German descent, intelligent, a great machinist, a great mechanic, and a great beer drinker.  Often, after the shop closed I would work late repairing lawn mowers, Mr. S would rest and drink a few.   The machinist and mechanic skills imparted to me by Mr. S have long been forgotten, but I still recall one conversation from a particular evening over a half century ago.  It went like this…

Mr. S, “Roy, come look I have just drawn a symbol of the next biggest religion in the United States.”  I was trying to adjust the idle speed on a mower and not having much success, so I stopped and went to the office, thinking “Another beer would be cool!”  Sure enough, I was handed a cold can of Cook’s beer I seem to recall and told to have a seat!  I asked, “What is all this talk about religion, you know I am catholic and not likely to change?”  Mr. S pointed to the wall behind where I was sitting, he had painted a large dollar sign on the wall.  At that time I probably thought Mr. S was loosing it, but looking back over the years of my life and the changes that I have experienced, I believe Mr. S hit it right on the head.  Sorry for the little rant, but I suspect that greed is playing a large role in the current downfall of our nation.

Back to the present, It is common today to hear people stating that they are independent and vote for the person. I believe that this voting block now greatly influences the results of many elections.  The sad part of this condition is that this very important block of people are “Without a political party” and have had little success in preventing the slow drift towards liberalism.

A suggested solution …

This country needs a new political party. I know! I have heard all the standard cliché’s about a third party. The majority of the American people are center right and without representation at the national level.  I envision a new party could consist of moderate democrats and common sense republicans.  The only other path would be to take over the Republican Party and write a consensus platform.  The Tea Party may be our best chance at getting this country back on a permanent path to a center right common sense nation.

I will address many other related issues in subsequent articles, but for now …..

“Ideology, Who Needs It!”

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Jamaica

International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories. In most countries, it represents a significant share of gross domestic product (GDP).  While international trade has been present throughout much of history, its economic, social, and political importance has been on the rise in recent times.

Protectionism is an advocate of government economic protection for domestic producers through restrictions on foreign competitors.

Some little disputed Facts:

• Industrialization, advanced transportation, globalization, multinational corporations, and outsourcing are all having a major impact on the international trade system.
• Increasing international trade is crucial to the continuance of globalization, but should not override the people’s welfare or a country’s autonomy.
• International trade is a major source of economic revenue for any nation that is considered a world power.
• Without international trade, nations would be limited to the goods and services produced within their own borders.

The politics of international trade is a monumental challenge to a representative government.  Trade with other countries is important but the economic welfare of it’s own country should carry some weight as well.

The following are points worth consideration:

• I question the wisdom of trading with totalitarian governments for goods other than those goods that are critical to a Free Nation’s national security.
• A huge trade deficit with any country is worrisome and especially so with a totalitarian regime.
• International Trade should be limited or not allowed in any industrial sector that is essential to the nation’s defense capability.
• Industrial advancement has greatly improved the human condition with a smaller expenditure of man power resulting in a manpower surplus.
• Advancement of the People’s education is vital to the advancement of mankind. However, not everyone is capable of achieving equal levels of academia. Our pursuit of happiness should be self driven and not micromanaged at the federal level of government.

These points should carry some weight in the formula that defines our international trade policy.  I believe that the United States should endeavor to be fair but the American People’s welfare should be our government official’s first concern.  The federal government must play an important role in international trade and the state governments could serve in an advisory and oversight capacity.  The politics of International Trade should be based upon the general welfare, not ideology.

Distribution of power with checks and balances is critical to weeding out and keeping a tight rein on corruption. A subject worthy of another article!

Respectfully, I hope that this article provokes some interest in this topic!

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This is where the first recommendation will be published…

This is where project # 1 will be engaged…