COMMON SENSE; Revisited
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The FDA, the Food Pyramid, and Our Health
July 24, 2009 at 09:38 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedPost under:It is interesting to consider the effect of the federal government’s involvement in the area of food choice and diet. I have previously stated that the founder’s were adamant that the federal government should not be involved in legislating food choices for our nation. No enumerated powers were given to the federal government in this regard. The 9th and 10th amendments clearly restrain any involvement in these issues. Despite these “chains of the constitution” we, the people, have sat back while the federal government goes merrily on dictating laws and choices for the American people.
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The Founders and their Abhorrence of War
July 24, 2009 at 09:35 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedPost under:James Madison, the father of the US Constitution, stated:
"If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. The loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or imagined, from abroad."
We are all aware that George Washington issued a warning in his farewell address against entangling alliances with other nations and cautioned us explicitly to pursue the opposite of war as our fundamental foreign policy.
If possible, Thomas Jefferson was even more opposed to war as an instrument of effective policy. Among the many times he spoke on this subject he stated:
"I love peace, and am anxious that we should give the world still another useful lesson, by showing to them other modes of punishing injuries than by war, which is as much a punishment to the punisher as to the sufferer."
"War has been avoided from a due sense of the miseries, and the demoralization it produces, and of the superior blessings of a state of peace and friendship with all mankind."
"Having seen the people of all other nations bowed down to the earth under the wars and prodigalities of their rulers, I have cherished their opposites, peace, economy, and riddance of public debt, believing that these were the high road to public as well as private prosperity and happiness."
"I abhor war and view it as the greatest scourge of mankind."
"War is an instrument entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong; and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses."
The founders were intimately aware of the corrupting influence of power and the endless examples in history of rulers taking their nation to war for improper reasons. These reasons included personal glory, revenge against insult or simply a conquest of other lands for the natural resources that said lands possessed. It is a truism that the people fight the wars while the leaders reap the political benefits of conquest.
The concern for the corrupting influence of power was later warned against by Dwight Eisenhower who stated in his farewell address:
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."
Eisenhower's warning was from one who had personal knowledge of the culture of war given his position as the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, the first supreme commander of NATO and our 34th President.
Today, America has become a nation dominated by a "military industrial complex." The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, February 20, 2008 reports:
- U.S. military spending accounts for 48 percent, or almost half of the world's total military spending.
- U.S. military spending is more than the next 46 highest spending countries in the world combined.
In an article entitled The Billions For "Defense" Jeopardize Our Safety, Center For Defense Information, March 9, 2000 reported:
The lion's share of this money is not spent by the Pentagon on protecting American citizens. It goes to supporting U.S. military activities, including interventions, throughout the world. Were this budget and the organization it finances called the "Military Department," then attitudes might be quite different. Americans are willing to pay for defense, but they would probably be much less willing to spend billions of dollars if the money were labeled "Foreign Military Operations.
Given where we obviously are today is there any possibility that America could return to the peace loving nation longed for by the founders? The venerable Benjamin Franklin was once quoted as saying: "He who shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity shall revolutionize the world." The originator of that primitive Christianity Jesus of Nazareth (also known as the Prince of Peace) once said: "Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish by the sword." Matthew 26:52.
I can only pray that the American people have the courage to "put thy sword into its place" and return to the "light upon the hill" that lights the way for the world to embrace peaceful resolution to its problems. Given the absolute dominance the military industrial complex now has on our government, the impotence of our elected representatives, and the blatant disregard for constitutional limitations exhibited by the executive branch, it is only we, the people, who can change the direction of our nation. I leave you with another quote from Thomas Jefferson who gave us our declaration of independence:
I do not believe war (is) the most certain means of enforcing principles. Those peaceable coercions which are in the power of every nation, if undertaken in concert and in time of peace, are more likely to produce the desired effect. -
Agriculture and the Constitution Today
July 24, 2009 at 09:34 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedPost under:What role was the Federal Government to play in Agriculture?
As we all are aware, the federal government now plays a dominant role in agriculture in America. The government picks and chooses as to which types of agricultural choices receive subsidies. Many recent articles have been written as to how small farmers have been driven out of business by the billions of dollars that are given to huge farming operations. The political clout of big agriculture continues to ensure payments are made to them, despite market prices rising ever higher for their commodities.
Who receives what subsidies is clearly controlled by the political and monetary clout of the various producers. I can assure you that the "little guy" has little chance of "equality" in this process. For example, the small, local organic producers of vegetables that are now so highly prized by the consumer for their superior quality receive no benefit whatsoever from the government. In fact, the government has done everything possible to stack the deck against these type of producers, all at the prodding of big agriculture.
The Food and Drug Administration allegedly exists to protect the people, despite the known practices of big agriculture improperly influencing and controlling the process of what is "approved" by the government. The relatively recent "rubber-stamping" of genetically modified seeds as "the same" as what nature created is an example of how the process actually works.
Without the government's involvement, the people's choices themselves would govern which products the producers produced. A free market, governed by supply and demand, and protected by the civil justice system is far superior to any government's decision making process. It literally costs we, the people, billions upon billions of our dollars every year that we pay to run these unconstitutional bureaucracies so that we, the people, can suffer from their unending consequences. If one subscribes to the concept of "do less, and accomplish more," all we would need to do is to return to the founders' constitution, eliminate these improper departments and consequently save billions every year while dramatically improving how agriculture works in our country.
I believe the fundamental error in how this has all been created actually resides with the people. We collectively have lost our understanding of the role of the people, vs. the role of the government. We have succumbed to pleas from politicians that they will solve our problems for us, if we would only "trust them". It is said that you get what you deserve in life. I would like to see us "deserve" something better than paying dearly for abuse heaped upon us from false "saviors".
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The Role of the Constitution in the Current Debate on National Health Care
July 24, 2009 at 08:22 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedPost under:It goes without saying that there is a momentum that has built up over the years that is now culminating in the pending implementation of some form of national health care. It appears we as a nation are going to succumb to an endless barrage of propaganda on how we are somehow "entitled" to some form of "free" medical care.
How does the Constitution speak to this subject? First of all, it is quite clear there is no specific enumeration of powers given to the federal government to be involved in health care. This is also true of such subjects as agriculture, energy policy, and education. For over one hundred years, the federal government abided by the Constitution and the people were protected from the dictates of the federal government in these areas.
As I have discussed in previous newsletters the founders were justifiably concerned that if power were allowed to re-accumulate in the federal government in non-enumerated areas, those with the most power would end up controlling policy. This would enable the powerful to command obedience from the people in ways that favored their particular interest group.
The FDA, for example, now functions as an arm of the pharmaceutical companies. Despite the fact that we the people are told that the FDA is there to protect our interests, evidence shows that officials ignore scientific findings about serious side effects of drugs they are asked to give their seal of approval. It is only after hundreds of thousands of people suffer extreme health problems and death that the FDA might intercede and "withdraw" their support for a particular drug.
The problem with a "national health care" system that is mandated on employers, self employed individuals, and private citizens, is that no one knows what "health care" will receive the seal of approval by the government bureaucrat. Do you believe for a minute that powerful interests will not be seeking to have their "preferred" medical treatments sanctioned for acceptance in this system, while also seeking to disallow their competitors? What if you were facing a serious medical problem and, after extensive research, wanted to employ an "alternative" solution to your problem? Would you be forced to pay into the system that the government says is legitimate, and also pay for the treatment you prefer?
We have seen a dramatic increase in the cost of medical services, AFTER the government became involved. Obviously, very few question invoices that are going to be paid by "insurance" or the "government." A true free market based on an informed and self-responsible citizenry would be vastly superior to any "government" mandated program.
These are many of the reasons why the founders (and the people) were adamant that the federal government should play no role in these most important areas of life. In future newsletters I will continue to discuss how the involvement of the federal government (against the prohibitions of the Constitution) have dramatically decreased the quality of life in America, all as predicted by the founders of our nation. I will also discuss how easily we could implement non-government ("bottom-up") solutions that would dramatically improve the lives of Americans, while saving us billions in tax dollars.
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The Role of "The People" in Protecting Inalienable Rights
July 24, 2009 at 08:18 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedPost under:It is interesting to know that many of the attendees at the Constitutional Convention held in 1787 were OPPOSED to including a Bill of Rights in the Constitution. Why would this be so? The chief concern was that if a written bill of rights were included, the people would, over time, think that these rights were the ONLY rights they had. They were wise enough to know that the people would not understand how vast this body of “inalienable” rights was, and would therefore allow the government (especially the federal government) to dictate, and invade, the sacred domain of self-government that was to remain with the people. As a result, the Bill of Rights was not included in the original Constitution, but was later introduced by James Madison in 1789 to the First United States Congress as a series of amendments to the Constitution.
The Bill of Rights, which are now defined as the first ten amendments to the Constitution, are understood to protect such rights as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion. Also included (among others) are the freedom of assembly, the right to keep and bear arms, and protections against unreasonable search and seizure. It is critical to understand that this in no way limits the extent of the rights of “the people.” What has been generally lost is an understanding of the purpose and meaning to the 9th Amendment which states:
“The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”
Obviously, the founders were referring to these other “unspoken and unwritten” rights which the people possessed, even if the Bill of Rights did not explicitly detail those rights.
In addition, “the people” (that is us) have lost an understanding of our role in the governing process. An understanding of the purpose and intent of the 10th Amendment is also critical to understand the “vision” of the founders. The 10th amendment states:
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
Therefore, there has existed, and still exists, a vast realm of rights (also referred to as “natural rights”) that we, the people, possess that are not defined by the Constitution or its amendments. In order to gain an understanding of these rights, let me ask a few questions about only one of the important areas of our lives, our physical health.
Despite no specific mention in the Constitution or its amendments, do humans have an individual right to choose their form of medicine or medical treatments? Do we have an individual right to choose “alternative” forms of medicine (such as Native American medicine, ancient Chinese medicine, or ancient Ayurvedic medicine, as examples? On the other hand, can we be forced to only accept what our government states is “legal” medical treatment according to current governmental regulations? Does the Federal government have any constitutional authority to even speak on the subject?
A study of the history of “acceptable” medicine in this country reveals that “chiropractic” treatments were for many decades “illegal,” as government authorities (dominated by the American Medical Association) had not yet deemed it “safe.” Some of the greatest breakthroughs in medical history were not “legal” according to existing governmental authorities. This reality is even more evident today as new breakthroughs in alternative medicine are being discovered every day. Does it make sense to allow a government bureaucracy (which is obviously subject to control by special interest groups) to make such an important decision for YOU, as your choice of medical treatment? Or is this potential life or death decision part of “the peoples” inalienable rights to make choices for themselves, without having to resort to “permission” from some government authority?
Hopefully, this discussion will help to clarify how we, the people, must not allow governments to invade those sacred realms of personal decisions and responsibilities, collectively referred to as our “inalienable rights.” In upcoming newsletters I will continue to uncover how the Founders were attempting to give us our freedom, if only we would accept it.
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Why an Understanding of Inalienable Rights is Important
July 24, 2009 at 08:11 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedPost under:Humanity owes a great deal of tribute to Thomas Jefferson, who was chosen by destiny to write our “Declaration of Independence.” Jefferson, along with many of the other founders of our nation, took it upon themselves to study the history of governmental and political structures. Specifically, they studied the various forms of relationships that existed between the people and their government. The ancient Mosaic Law (the Law of the Covenant) was studied in depth along with many others, including ancient Greek cultures, the Anglo Saxon cultures, and the Roman political structures. Jefferson was so intent to understand these cultures that he even learned the ancient Greek language so he could more fully comprehend the essence of what political thinkers of that time were saying. One of the purposes of this intense study was to discover the fundamental principles of right governance and the nature of man (this term refers to men and women). The founders were intent to create a new, ideal government system that would naturally lead to the maximum, progressive development of society.
Of great significance was Jefferson’s study of the New Testament. Jefferson, who was a highly spiritual man, wanted to decipher the purity of Christ’s teachings. Not wanting to limit his understanding to current religious leaders interpretations of Christ’s message, he created his own “Jefferson’s bible.” He did this simply by cutting out of the New Testament (and pasting into his book) all passages that reflected the words of Jesus.
I am certain that Jefferson derived the essence of his understanding of inalienable rights from the words of Christ. When Jesus was asked if he was the “Son of God” He made a point of saying “ye are all sons of God”. He also said that we, the people, would do greater miracles than He did. Now that’s saying a lot!
Jefferson wrote: “We are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Therefore, Jefferson was touching on the most revolutionary concept in history: that the relationship between the people and their government must be based (if reflective of natural law) on the divine nature of human beings. Because humans are divine, and divinely created, we naturally deserve to have governments serve us, and not the other way around. And, because we possess inalienable rights given to us by our creator, governments must not violate those rights.
The cognition by Jefferson of the inherent reality of the nature of man was the true “vision” of the founders. America was destined to be the nation that leads the world to this common re- “cognition.” Christ said “the truth shall set you free.” I am convinced this was not only a statement of a personal spiritual freedom, but also a more broad statement of the truth that when humans “woke up” to an understanding of their divine essence, that enlightenment would naturally lead to political freedom as well. It is easy to see why the founders referred to their collective aspiration of right government as a “divine science.”
Future newsletters will detail the vast array of “rights” which were referred to as inalienable rights. Once we understand and gain a vision of what Jefferson was referring to by this term, a more complete understanding of the appropriate juxtaposition of “the people” and their government will be available.
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The Foreign Policy of the Founders
July 24, 2009 at 08:05 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedPost under:The idea, in fact, was to be fully engaged with all nations in commerce without getting involved in the alliances and wars that plagued the rest of the world. The hope was that the United States would set an example as a free nation that did not get involved in wars unless attacked. With that policy in place, people of other nations would strongly desire the peace and prosperity of America and follow its example, thus creating a free, prosperous, and more peaceful world.
The idea of a strong defense was balanced with the belief that a large standing army was also a danger to the peace of any nation. General Washington was one of the biggest proponents of a strong defense, but he was also the one who spoke most often about the risks of having too large of a standing army.
The Founders wanted a strong militia, and the militia, they believed, consisted of all of the people. The Second Amendment was not just about the right to bear arms, it was also about having a citizenry that was armed, well trained, and organized to come to the defense of the nation if necessary.
"The way to secure peace is to be prepared for war. They that are on their guard, and appear ready to receive their adversaries, are in much less danger of being attacked than the supine, secure, and negligent." -Benjamin Franklin
"There is a rank due to the United States among nations, which will be withheld, if not absolutely lost, by the reputation of weakness. If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known that we are at all times ready for war." -George Washington
The fundamental philosophy of the Founders toward other nations is just as valid today as it was 230 years ago. Its basic principle is the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It is a rule that applies as much to nations, which are made up of individuals, as it does to individuals. This is the fundamental policy that needs to be followed today.
While the wording might be slightly different in various countries, religions, and cultures, that same principle is found in every major religious and spiritual tradition:Christianity: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets," Matthew 7:12, King James Bible
Confucianism: "Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you." Analects 15:23. "To treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence." Mencius VII.A.Hinduism: "This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you." Mahabharata 5:1517Islam: "None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." Number 13 of Imam Al-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths
Judaism: "...thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Leviticus 19:18
Native American Spirituality: "All things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves. All is really One." The Great Law of Peace
Buddhism: "...a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another? Samyutta Nikaya v. 353
Taoism: "Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain, and your neighbor's loss as your own loss." T'ai-shang Kan-ying P'ien
Many argue that the world is more dangerous today because of advanced weapons technologies, terrorism, biological weapons, scarce resources, and so on. It is precisely because of all these factors that the United States, the most powerful nation on earth militarily, must set an example that creates less volatility in the world and less acrimony.
The words that best described the nation's original foreign policy and the policy that should be pursued now were spoken by Thomas Jefferson during his first Inaugural Address in 1801: "Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none."
Unfortunately, this is not the policy that has been followed in the last century.
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The Relevance of the Constitution Today
July 24, 2009 at 07:54 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedPost under:Given that most Americans have very little understanding of the content of the U.S. constitution, it is easy to see how they would fail to understand how relevant it is to today's events. Without going into a detailed explanation now of how a re-enlivenment of the constitution would change modern America I offer the following food for thought:
- We would be vastly safer as a nation, saving billions off of the current military budget and effecting change throughout the world by our example of liberty and freedom
- We would not be suffering from a decline in the dollar (which is threatening to destroy not only our economy but destabilizing the whole world).
- Our primary school education system would rival that of any in the world, (instead of being ranked last of industrial nations).
- Our economy would be booming, with good jobs for anyone who wanted one.
- Our environment would be protected.
- Local communities would be fully empowered to deal with their problems, instead of relying upon the Federal or State governments.
- We would have no income tax.Federal government functions would be few and defined, dramatically decreasing the need for taxes from the people. Federal functions would be paid for by excise taxes and other “voluntary” taxes.
- Our health care system would be the best in the world, vastly less expensive, with an emphasis on well-being and vibrant health, instead of drugs and surgeries.
- We would be PROUD of ourselves as individuals and citizens, instead of an ever-present, unspoken doubts about our self worth and our future.
How can this be so? The answers are easy if you understand the "divine science" the founders incorporated into the U.S. constitution and the incredible "vision" of American intended by the founders. As these posts continue I will elaborate on how these are all not only possible, but inevitable, if we will only return to our original destiny.
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The American Crisis (Part 1)
July 24, 2009 at 07:41 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedPost under:At the end of 1776, Thomas Paine wrote a series of articles entitled “American Crisis.” This series played a critical role in saving the Revolutionary war against the British. Most of the British officers returned home for the winter thinking that the war was over. It was a very bleak time for the colonial army after their humiliating loss in New York. Most of the troops went home for the winter, and those that stayed were freezing and starving. Many defected to the British. Paine’s first letter in the American Crisis series shifted the public awareness, and troops enlisted and people donated essential materials. Paine’s articles had made a major impact. The fist letter began with this incredibly powerful statement:
“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”
It would appear from watching the election news, and all that we hear from the media, that the collectivists have won the battle for the hearts of American citizens. After all, aren’t we poised to elect a President who has stated publicly that he believes in the Marxist motto “From each according to his ability to each according to his need”? For those who believe in freedom it seems to be a dark time, just like it did for those who believed in the fight for liberty in December of 1776. I urge you to realize that many very good things have happened in the past weeks, in spite of the country seeming to take a turn toward collectivism. I want to bring your attention to one of the major historic turning points in the fight for liberty, the fight over the “bail-out bill.”
Many people, from different parties, varying points of view, and different economic backgrounds, all worked very hard to defeat the outrageous bail-out bill. Not only did the government eventually pass it, but they added another $150 billion in outrageous spending to the original $700 billion (this will actually end up being countless trillions with much of it going to foreign banks). On the Monday following the final vote the markets crashed and the people showed what they thought of the dreaded bail-out bill!
The whole situation was created in the first place by allowing our surrogate (government), in association with a cartel of private bankers (the Federal Reserve), to print money at their whim for almost a century. Now, of course, the situation is much worse. We have now given the government and bankers even more authority to print even more money out of thin air.
Here is an appropriate analogy: Imagine there has been a massive and incredibly destructive campaign of arson all over the country. Finally, after trillions of dollars of damage is done, the arsonist is found. He is tried and found guilty with irrefutable evidence. It is then up to the people’s elected representatives to decide what the punishment will be. The people emphatically let their representatives know what they think, and using common sense, their responses are almost 95 to 1 in favor of stopping the arsonist from ever being able to repeat his crimes.
Then the punishment is decided upon by the elected representatives (our surrogates)…….. And their decision is to provide the arsonist with 700 billion gallons of gasoline, 150 billion matches, and set him free!!
That is exactly what happened when this bill was passed. The government and Federal Reserve have been printing money and generating massive debt for decades, creating a horrendous monetary crisis. Then they “fixed” the problem by giving the government (surrogate power) even more authority to do even more of the same thing! And they did this with over 95% of the people (indigenous power) telling them not to do it!
So what is positive about this situation? Where is the silver lining to these circumstances? The fact that so many people responded and told their representatives not to pass this bill is a huge victory for the forces of freedom, peace, and love. This was a massive outpouring of indigenous power in our country. For the first time the true paradigm of power was glaringly apparent. The illusory paradigm is that we are split according to left and right or Republican and Democrat. The reality is quite different. The real paradigm is top-down vs. bottom-up, or surrogate power vs. indigenous power.
The primary victory for indigenous power in this episode is that the surrogates were clearly exposed and THEY WERE NOT DIVIDED BY PARTY. The assembled forces of the surrogates included the Republican and Democratic leadership of both houses, the Republican President, and the Democratic and Republican Presidential candidates. They all worked together for their masters and against indigenous power, the people they were elected to represent. The masters of our surrogates, of course, are primarily the owners of the privately owned Federal Reserve, the money masters.
So let’s look at what happened. Millions of Americans saw the true nature of surrogate power. Many Americans saw that they could make a difference with the first vote in the congress; this was a huge victory for indigenous power when the bill was defeated in the house. The surrogates had to use all of their power of deceit, bribery (billions in pork), intimidation (threats of martial law), and media manipulation (owned by the power elite) to defeat this bill. In the end we lost the battle but won a huge victory by exposing the criminal conspiracy masquerading as our government.
The fact is that now many more millions of people are aware that what ‘we the people’ say does not make any difference. Finally America is starting to wake up to the fact that we are no longer a REPUBLIC or a DEMOCRACY. WE ARE IN FACT AN OLIGARCHY.
“A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit has been concentrated. The growth of the nation and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled anddominated governments in the world — no longer a government of free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and duress of small groups of dominant men.” — Woodrow Wilson, a few years after realizing his mistake in signing the Federal Reserve bill.
Where do we go now? First we have to educate every person we know, through whatever means we have at our disposal, that this is not a battle between left and right. That is just an illusion to keep us under control. It is called divide and conquer. We now know that this is a battle between the surrogates and their controllers versus the people. It is a clear battle between top-down government and bottom-up government. It is surrogate power aligned against indigenous power. The key to victory is making every person aware of the fact that the only legitimate source of power is indigenous power. Once enough people understand that the government is truly a servant and that we the people have the power to alter or abolish it, as is stated in our primary founding document, the Declaration of Independence, then it will be over for the corrupt influences that currently control our servant government.
In the second installment of the New American Crisis series, we will look at what happened to bottom-up government in this country. Specifically we will look at the Communist Manifesto, which was written by Karl Marx in 1848, as a guideline to usurp the power of the people inherent in a democracy or republic and replace it with total governmental (surrogate) power. We will see how well the forces of surrogate power have done in implementing the planks of the Manifesto in America.
We plan to have about five or six installments of the New American Crisis series. When finished, hopefully all readers will be extremely inspired to join us in participating in a massive effort to provide solutions to every problem we have in our society. We want this to be a total “chaordic” process.
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The American Crisis (Part 2)
July 24, 2009 at 07:39 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedPost under:In American Crisis, Part 1 we discussed how the bail-outs and other government solutions to our current economic problems are precisely the opposite of what we need at this time. The government/Federal Reserve is simply creating more dollars to bail out companies that should be allowed to fail, which keeps the market from functioning normally to take care of all the malinvestment. This punishes competitors of the failed companies because the failed entities now have money from the government (the taxpayer) to help them out, while the companies who were doing things responsibly have to compete with no hand outs! It punishes all of us as well because our money will become worth less as trillions of dollars are pumped into the economy. When you add to this mess the fact that wealthy insiders will reap huge rewards from the bail-out money it becomes a truly revolting situation.
As we see the proponents of big government rationalize this irrational behavior, we hear over and over again that government/FED interventions are necessary because “the free market doesn’t work.” I hope this letter will help to illustrate that the problem is not freedom; the problem is a lack of freedom. In fact, we have not had free markets in this country for over 100 years. The first and most important step to destroy the free market occurred in 1913 when our congress defied the constitution and improperly delegated their responsibility to implement and monitor the monetary and credit system of our country to a private cartel of extraordinarily powerful bankers.When our congress took this action they implemented plank five of the Communist Manifesto. Plank five is the most important step in the process of destroying the individual sovereignty of the people and strengthening the power of the state and private bankers who control the state. They could not have accomplished plank five without the progress they had already made with plank six, control of the means of communication.
By 1913 the banking families had already purchased significant interests in the most influential newspapers on the east coast. This media influence helped them get Woodrow Wilson elected. Wilson had already agreed to back their plan for a central bank. They also used their influence with the media to get the Federal Reserve bill passed in congress. See “The Creature from Jekyll Island, A Second Look at the Federal Reserve” by Edward Griffin.
Plank two, a progressive income tax, was also passed in 1913 and signed into law by Wilson. Let’s take a look at all ten planks, which are basically a game plan for the destruction of individual sovereignty and the growth of institutional power. We call this indigenous power versus surrogate power. I borrowed heavily here from the research of Don Hull.
Here are the ten planks of the Communist Manifesto and a brief synopsis of the degree of implementation in America today:
1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes: Heavily implemented. The implementation of onerous property taxes and property tax assessment methods is one of the most visible signs of our loss of property rights, but there are many additional ways that this most precious sovereign right has been destroyed.
Although private property is not “outlawed,” per se, it is heavily regulated by, and can be seized for, nonviolent behavior such as: violations of zoning laws, environmental and endangered species laws, licensing laws, tax laws, gun laws, and drug laws.
The Uniform Building code guidelines, followed by most city governments, actually state that every alteration on one’s own home “requires a permit unless specifically exempted.” This is the old 19th century Prussian philosophy that “anything not expressly permitted is forbidden.” The three largest categories of property we own—a business, house, car, or even your bank account—can be seized for mere paperwork “crimes.”
Rental property inspection laws have been passed in local communities nation-wide, giving city government even more power and authority to regulate private property.
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax: Fully implemented since 1913. Forty-three states have since added their own income tax. The total weight of income taxes today approaches 40%—even more than extracted from serfs in the Middle Ages. The typical American household now pays more in taxes than for food, clothing, and shelter COMBINED. In the history of the world there has never been a more debilitating or destructive tax than the income tax. It penalizes hard work, motivation, investment, and capital formation. It creates a huge industry of tax preparation and avoidance mechanisms that is totally non-productive. It also encourages cheating, black markets, and disrespect for the law.
3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance: Fully implemented. The “right” has been abolished, but the “amount” remains variable. If the “amount” is small enough, the heirs can keep it all. However, at certain levels death taxes kick in, which lets the state take as much as 55%, even though the estate may consist entirely of after-tax monies. Thousands of heirs each year are forced to sell their inheritance to satisfy the tax collector.
4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels: Heavily implemented. Wealthy Americans who “emigrate” to foreign tax havens or who acquire foreign passports are subject to special plunder. “Rebels” include people who resist compliance with intrusive government paperwork such as licenses and permits, drug laws, gun registration, currency reporting laws, income taxes, and more. The USA is the earth’s only government that taxes its citizens’ income earned outside its borders.
5. Centralization of credit in the banks of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly: Fully implemented by the Federal Reserve Act of 1913. Today, banks are agents of the state/Fed monopoly who co-operate freely with orders or commands from government agencies to freeze or seize your bank account—from the IRS to the child support grabbers at Social Services. Interest rates are dictated and controlled by the Federal Reserve Board. As Thomas Jefferson warned in 1802:
“If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”
6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the state: Heavily implemented. The consolidation of media companies has occurred at an increasingly rapid pace over the last twenty years. This consolidation has not been challenged by government because the people who are doing the consolidating own the government. A review of directors and senior management of these companies will indicate a very high percentage of people who are directly or indirectly related to the power elite centered around the owners of the FED. See Common Sense; Revisited chapters on “What Went Wrong” and “Global Government, the Ultimate Surrogate.”
Of course, a private entrepreneur without “connections” cannot create, buy, or sell a TV/radio station without first getting permission from the FCC. The FCC and ICC have given control of telephone, telegraph, TV, and radio to the government, while maintaining the fiction of “private” ownership.
“Transport”—airlines, trucking, buses, taxis, deliveries—are “permit-ed,” supervised, monitored, and taxed by the DOT, NHTSA, ATC, FAA, EPA, DOE, DMV, FEMA, DEA, OSHA, and Labor Departments, among others. Government is continually trying to increase its power in this area by regulating and/or taxing the Internet.
7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state; the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan: Heavily implemented. American governments at all levels—federal, state and municipal—are heavily involved in the ownership, production, management, and delivery of goods and services to consumers, all of which compete with private industries. Some are protected monopolies, with competitors outlawed altogether (lotteries, water and power companies, and everyone’s favorite example of incompetence and inefficiency…the Post Office).
Government is involved in Power Generation (TVA, nuclear and electric plants), Retailing (military PXs and Commissaries), Construction (roads and bridges), Entertainment (national parks, convention centers, athletic stadiums, USO), Broadcasting (NPR radio, PBS-TV, USIA, cable), Transportation (Amtrak, airports, air traffic control, buses), Medical Care (hospitals, ambulance services, clinics, Medicare, Medicaid, HFCA), Security Services (CIA, FBI, police and fire departments), Food Service (school lunches), Agriculture and Forestry (grazing lands, water, timber), Education (K-12 schools, colleges, universities, libraries), Communications (post office, publishing), Charity (welfare, social services), Housing (public housing projects), Insurance (FEMA, Social Security, SSI, USDA), Book-making, and Gambling (lotteries and casinos).
Worst of all, Government is involved in Organized Crime. The IRS, FTB, and Board of Equalization take money from wage earners by force. If citizens resist, the IRS, et al, are authorized to use even MORE force to collect EVEN MORE money.
The bringing into cultivation of waste lands and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan: Partially implemented. Since only 2% of our population raises enough food for all of us and still has 30% left over for export, it appears that America’s agricultural policies are a resounding success. Yet American farms are heavily monitored and supervised by government Central Planners.
Farmers are told how many acres of each crop to plant. Soil conservation methods are dictated and, most peculiar of all, farmers get paid NOT to grow some crops, or are subsidized to grow others. The USDA is paying farmers NOT to grow ANYTHING on over 50 million acres of cropland—greater than the land area of the state of Wisconsin.
It is interesting to note that planks 7, 8, and 9 all mention agriculture. It was of supreme importance to Marx and Engels that agriculture be totally controlled by the government. They could not have anticipated, in 1848, the outstanding opportunity that genetically engineered foods would present for gaining total control of the food supply. By controlling the companies that are patenting the GMO seeds, and the herbicides that kill everything in the soil but the GMO seeds, a few companies can eventually control the entire food supply. Our chapter on GMO foods in “Restoring the Heart of America” provides a good summary of how the bio-tech companies and government agencies are working together to bring this plan to reality.
8. Equal obligation of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture. Although the U.S. welfare state pays people for NOT working, the concept that the STATE OWNS OUR LABOR is fully implemented with minimum wage laws, living wage ordinances, licensing and permit laws, discrimination and sexual harassment, health and safety and child labor laws, income taxes, forced contributions to Social Security, Medicare, and more.
Even seat belt laws, helmet laws, airbag laws, mandatory car insurance, anti-smoking/drinking laws, truancy laws, and drug laws tell us that the state considers that it owns our bodies and therefore has the right to tell us how to behave.
9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country: Heavily implemented through “public/private partnerships” between government and industry. Government subsidizes agricultural and industrial products that it thinks are good for us. “Marketing orders” of fruit and dairy products, subsidies for sugar and even tobacco farmers, and manufacture of electric cars are examples.
10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children’s factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc.: Fully implemented.
Since 1918, every K-12 kid in America has been expected to attend a “free” government school. Refusal to accept this marvelous gift from the social engineers can result in fines and jail time, for both the kids and parents. The chapter on Education and Indigenous power in Common Sense; Revisited summarizes the impact of federal involvement in our educational system. Child factory labor has been mostly abolished with restrictions on teenage hiring. Ambitious teens now find it difficult to get jobs unless their parents own the business. Famous mega-achievers of the past, such as Thomas Edison, Eddie Rickenbacker, Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie, who began their working lives as young teens, would find success more difficult to achieve today.
The “combination of education with industrial production” concept is fulfilled by the School-to-Work program, which puts children on a career track in the early grades. Fortunately, many alert parents perceive its true objectives—indoctrination into the socio-economic class chosen by the social engineers—and have rejected it.
Please stay tuned for our concluding comments on the Communist Manifesto in the next American Crisis newsletter.
